A/n: Dear readers, I know I haven't been updating regularly but I'm trying to find myself a new job, perhaps even one with a year training too, and life is just a bit busy. My apologies, I hope you will continue to stay with me and I will do my best to write faster! Thanks for the support! ððð§ââï¸
Jade, in the car, towards the enemy's hideout in the mountains:
âFor the last fucking time, I havenât been lying! I have my powers from when I was young and didnât go through any ritual!â I shouted annoyed towards Kallan.
âThen how is it that your mind is blocked? And how come you donât have your wings then? Because they come at birth, straight away! Every normal Fae has them!â He retorted.
âWell, I guess Iâm not a normal Fae then!â I shouted again, crossing my arms and gazing through the window outside.
So far, both Kallan and Trixie have explained to me about different colours of wings, their shapes and accompanying powers; their family history, albeit that didnât go further back than three generations, which was odd; and last, they told me the rules for the Fae, for when they would enter Earth. It appears that theyâve had several reports of unauthorized use of magic, but they werenât able to track them all down. I had laughed at that, as I had probably been the culprit to some of those cases, but never had been caught. It was always in my thoughts that I was being hunted by the FBI or any other investigation bureau, but I guess that it must have been them, all along.
And the most intriguing part of their stories was, that Kallan couldnât understand why he wasnât able to read my mind. Donât get me wrong, Iâm glad he couldnât, but it got me wondering about it as well. What is so special about me?
But even though I had been hearing them out and now turned angry because of the continuous accusations, I still wondered about the timing of the e-mail that was sent to sister Margaret. Why did the Tibetan Conclave have the footage in the first place? How did they acquire it, when it clearly showed that it was taken from the goggles of one of those hired killers? Shit! A sudden dark thought shot through my mind and I hoped that I was wrongâ¦
âStop the car!â I commanded Neil, while I took my phone out of my pocket. I dialled sister Margaret at which she took an amazing amount of time before she answered. âPick it up, pick it up!â I whispered impatiently, while the others in the car were looking at me with raised eyebrows.
âJade, is something wrong?â She finally answered.
âWhat are the coordinates for the Tibetan Conclave?â I quickly asked her, ignoring her question. âNo one knows, itâs so secretive that Iâm only able to contact them by e-mail.â She answered and I cursed loudly. âWhatâs going on Jade? Please tell me.â She begged for me to answer.
âSend them an e-mail now.â
âSaying what?â She asked and I tried to wreck my brain for something smart.
âUhm, ask them about their pet dog.â I scrambled, knowing that the rule of âownershipâ isnât something that applies to their religion. Either a creature accompanies you of its own free will, or it doesnât, but there is no such thing as a âpetâ in their monasteries.
I heard sister Margaret sigh, but she didnât argue with my question as I heard her type on her laptop. And while the car was being guided behind a building, as we hadnât crossed the border of the city yet, we all waited for a reply.
A sudden ping to her laptop and a few seconds later, sister Margaret gasped loudly. âNo⦠Jade, what is going on. Please tell me they are still alive!â Sister Margaret pleaded with me, while my faith in humanity just dropped. She didnât have to say what the reply to her e-mail was, her reaction had said everything. She had figured it out on her own already, what my intention with that question was and was now sobbing on the other side of the phone.
I had hoped the reply would have questioned her question, explaining that they didnât have a pet dog, as that wouldnât be right, according to their beliefs. But my fears had been true, as the reply probably mentioned that their dog had been doing well⦠The idiotic bunch of buffoons had replied to her question just a little too fast and with a lot of ignorance.
Those guys had found the Tibetan Conclave, captured or killed everyone there, send the e-mail towards sister Margaret, as soon as I had arrived there two days ago, and lured me out⦠They were after me, they have followed me, there is no other explanation. The question remained though, why?
âI donât know if they are still alive, but Iâm going to find out.â I said while ending the call.
âNeil, hack the nearest satellite, we need to know everything. Where they are located, the number of people, building layout, everything. We canât go and blast our way in, without a plan.â I commanded him and he stepped out of the car, grabbed the laptop from the back and started working on his seat.
âFuck!â I yelled out loud, while I slammed my hand through the console in the middle of the car. I stepped out to get some air, while Neil was working his way through some illegal shit.
It didnât take long before someone accompanied me outside though. âHow are you feeling?â Kallan asked me.
I snorted before I replied to that question. âYou know, at first I was curious. Wanting to find this Fae that had used its magic, to find out my roots. Then you showed up, saying you wanted to find this same person. But knowing that there is actually a way to go back to my original world, I was wondering why I should complete this mission at all, why not be selfish? I mean, there are more Fae in your world, than there are here. But now? Now Iâm simply just furious that a bunch of low-lives decided to hurt people that are the most serene and thoughtful creatures on this whole damn planet!â I blurted out.
âAnd besides all of this and me having a huge headache, you are still accusing me of lying! So, how do you think I am feeling?â I shouted to him while dropping my ass on a cold, stone wall.
Kallan, taking a seat next to her:
âIâm sorry, you are right.â I said to her, apologising for my behaviour.
Even though I still donât know everything about her, it is clear to me that no hair on her body would do innocent people any harm. She is as righteous as one can get, even though itâs hard to see under all that rough exterior.
âWe will find out what happened and make the people who caused all of this pay. Iâll even ask for some backup from home, to help us with this issue. Is that okay with you?â I asked her sincerely while holding her steady with my hands on her shoulders.
âYes, that would be great, thanks.â She replied after taking a few deep breaths. âBut donât think that this will make us friends now, Iâm just accepting your help because I care for the monks.â She sternly continued while swatting my hands away, and I had to smile at that. She is righteous, but as stubborn as hell too.
I had given Neil the information that I had gathered from the men, that Jade had slit their throat of, so his search for the secret society was more specified. Luckily, he found it in no time, at which he used the thermographic images of the satellite to gather information about the building and its inhabitants.
In the meantime, a dozen of Fae had arrived at our location, after Trixie had contacted my father with the blue pearl. As softly instructed, she hadnât mentioned the presence of Jade and her companion, just explained that the situation had gone from bad to worse and that we needed extra help. Buffed up men and skilful women had gathered with us, to join in the assault on the hidden monastery, and both Jade and Neil had been standing on the side-line while I briefed everyone about our mission.
The Fae warriors had glanced a look towards Jade and Neil of course, but I had commanded them to not ask them any questions, just that they were to be trusted. Luckily, they knew who stood in front of them and they wouldnât question my motives because of it.
Yet, because Jade didnât know about my title or the fact that who Trixie had contacted, happened to be my own father, made me feel uncomfortable. Besides, us being here, to capture or rescue the Fae that had been using magic, it hadnât been the only reason that we were on this planet. Our other mission, as Trixie had called it that, and the fact that time was running out for me, I was truly considering having Jade as my wife.
But of course, only after we find out what it is that is blocking her mind and wings.
Yeah⦠thatâs the thing that is keeping me away from her.
Not.
Shit, how am I going to explain this?
âYou have to tell her eventually.â Trixie interrupted me. âYou dropped your guard there for a moment, your highness.â She mocked me, smiling softly, while pointing to her head, indicating that I had stopped the blockage on my mind.
I looked towards Jade, watching how she was cleaning her blades while talking to Neil about random things. Minute by minute actions and appearance were convincing me that she was worth all this trouble that we were getting ourselves into. She was so much different from all the other women I have met in my life.
Like I have said to my father, the others never connected with me on an emotional level, I just had some fun with them and thatâs it. But Jade wasnât someone to toy with, sure I bet that she had plenty of one-night-stands, just like I had, but this was different. She is smart, strong in both mind and body, determined and justified.
âYou still arenât focused.â Trixie interrupted me again, using a sing-song voice, dragging out the words. âOh, shut up!â I scolded her while pushing her away.
She was wrong though. I was completely focused. On her. I have made my decision, after we find out what is blocking her, Iâm going to do whatever I can, to conquer her. To make her mine.
We had decided to sleep for the night and then leave early in the morning, to surprise the hired men at daylight. So, now we were walking and climbing along the ridges of the mountains to find the back entrance of the monastery. Once there, luckily right where we had thought it would be, I ordered for my Fae to get inside and clear the first room.
âYes, my prince.â It sounded softly by one of my men, followed by a soft gasp.
I closed my eyes in frustration, as I had discretely told them not to mention my title. I didnât want to overwhelm Jade with that information just yet. But once the cat was out of the bag, I knew she was going to make my hunt for her difficult. I knew I was in trouble.
âPrince?â Jade whispered when standing next to me. âWow.â She continued with a blank face while shaking her head, not wanting to elaborate on this matter right now, as she followed the others inside.
Shit.