Behind the Mask

28. Pandora Box

Liv 

After Laius guaranteed that the babies were safe by having an army blocking the doors of the castle, protection spells all over the place and aunt Astoria and Sienna by their side, we all went to the Olympic Games. 

I took another deep breath, trying to not worry too much about them. The truth is, it was hard; it was so hard to even think about my babies being at risk, especially after my Rora was kidnapped a few months ago. Lea was lucky, she was at home with her baby and Val, but I knew that I had to be here, for my people. 

“Sugar, you should try and distract yourself. The kids are fine, Hell is the safest place to be,” Laius said softly, as he rubbed my back in a soothing way. 

“We will protect them, baby. Doesn’t matter what it takes,” Avalon reassured me. 

“Let’s play, Sugar. It will take your mind out of it for a little while and soon we will be at home with Little Sweets, Lelena, and Zorion,” Laius added. He was right, in a few hours we would be home, and I wouldn’t come back in the next few days, just for the Mating Ball. 

“Laius, we can’t play here,” I told him in a matter-of-fact way, shaking my head. 

“Sugar, ain’t you a very naughty Kitten? I am not talking about those kinds of wet games.” He gave me a mischievous smile, as he gestured to the archery competition that was happening beside us. 

My mind was so distant that I didn’t even notice the bunch of tall Elves competing. I was about to say no before I saw Elric among the Elves and I did want to kick his butt somehow, maybe that was my chance. Better in a competition than literally, right? Maybe I was being petty, but well, he had it coming. 

“Let’s do it!” I flashed him my own mischievous grin as I walked closer to the archery grounds. 

I made space among all the competitors after I saw Avalon shaking his head through the corner of my eyes. Elric was about to compete against a tall Fae guy when I chimed in. 

“I would like to replace you, if you don’t mind,” I told the Fae guy and he nodded, half confused. I thanked him and took his bow in my hands.

Elric’s eyes were on me and he started speaking, “What are you doing Liv?” 

“I am stretching my arms, but soon I’ll be defeating you,” I told him, glancing at him for just a few seconds. 

Beating the Elf King in an archery competition wouldn’t be easy, but I’ve got some fire! 

“Fine, as you wish,” he said with an exhale. 

I breathed deeply, taking the right position. I focused on the target, and let the fire flow through my veins. Many Elves were competing using their elements of control, mainly air to enhance their aim and get the perfect shot, so using my fire was fair game. Something that Elric didn’t do all the time, but I would. No cheating, no lies, just straight to my aim. 

I let the fire wrap around the arrow without touching it, without eating it up. I pulled the string and the fire arrow picked up speed launching the aim perfectly. 

I turned my face and looked at Elric as he shot his arrow, achieving a perfect shot as well. He was good, but I was on fire and ready for another shot. 

“Let’s try again,” I told him. 

“No, Liv. I give up, you win. Winning from you is losing. I don’t want to be against you, but by your side,” he told me as he placed his arch down and left. 

I looked at my still burning arrow and sighed. He was right, it was a lose to lose game. When love was lost, there were no winners. I had to find a better way to deal with all this pain. 

“Baby,” Avalon called me and I walked in his direction, and he wrapped me in his arms, “Let it go, talk to him and forgive him,” he suggested. 

“Really? You have just punched the guy two days ago and now you are telling me that,” I asked, frowning slightly. 

“I can see how you are feeling, lingering on it is only hurting you further, Liv,” he added, putting enough distance between us to look into my eyes. 

“Maybe you can punch him and then have a talk. Punching helped Avalon,” Laius suggested, wearing that sexy mischievous grin of his. 

“No, I won’t punch him,” I replied. I was very angry, but no domestic violence, please. 

I wanted to yell, to make him know that what he did hurt me a lot. I wanted him to feel my pain, but at the same time, I didn’t want to see him in pain. It didn’t make any sense! 

“Baby, I know that what he did was really bad, but can’t you see past that? Not for him but for yourself, I don’t want you to suffer further,” Avalon insisted. 

“Don’t you get it? They should have told everything to my mom from the start, of course, she would do anything to put an end to that horrible war, even if she was Elf-racist! Her whole family died because of the war,” I burst, holding back a few rogue tears. I wouldn’t cry, no more. 

Avalon took a deep intake of air and looked away, he looked sad. Just now it sank in that part of Mom’s family was also his family, she was his great-great-grandniece or something like that. I was being insensitive. 

I wrapped my arms around him and cupped his face gently, “I’m so sorry, I know that the horrible war took both your father and your mother from you.” 

Avalon turned to look at me, his eyes were two grey pools of confusion. “My mother?”

“Yes, Queen Marianne,” I answered, confused by his question. 

“She wasn’t my mother, Liv.”

“What? How is that even possible? She was your father’s mate,” I told him, knowing that I read the history books well. We walked away from the crowd, back into the Olympic Palace. 

“That she was. But not my mother. My father found her when I was almost twenty years old. Marianne was the queen for only a few years before my father decided to retire and enjoy his life-long honeymoon, that’s how I became king,” he explained and walked away, turning around and looking at the distance. 

But in the short moment I looked at his grey stormy eyes, I could see a pang of pain in them. Why did he never tell me about it before? I wrapped my arms around his chest from behind, pressing my face against his back. I could feel his fast breath.

I was confused like a blind pixie-monkey, how was it even possible? I didn’t miss this school class. I knew that we supernatural folks just could reproduce with our mates. So, his father’s mate must be his mother, and people that weren’t Lea or I didn’t have more than one mate. Unless Avalon was adopted, I opened my eyes widely as realisation hit me. 

“Baby... I don’t understand,” I muttered against his back.

“I’m Princess Eliza's half-brother. My father had me before he met Marianne. He also took a long time to find his mate, although not as long as me.”

“Is that all?” I asked, still very puzzled.

“That's all that there is to say, Livia.” Avalon sounded dry and even upset. He almost sounded like old-jerky Avalon and not like the loving mate he had become. 

“Pharmaceutical goddess of the Valium, why are you so touchy, baby?” This time I insisted, he couldn’t dismiss me and go all old-jerky-past Avalon every time the topic about his past arose. We were a family, and we had to find a way together. 

I breathed deeply as a wave of sadness built inside of me too. The truth was, Avalon never let me in completely, not even after ten years and a baby together.  I really wanted to be let in, to be there for him. I wanted all of him. Even all or any parts he didn’t like about himself. I might even like them a bit, sometimes I liked pretty awkward things, dungeon games included.

“Livia, Don’t! I don’t want to talk about it. I also don’t want to argue and  make you even sadder or stressed out.” He told me, trying to sound softer. But I still could hear the undertone of uneasiness in his voice. 

I knew he was trying to be very careful and look after me because of all of this Elric kind of secrets, masks, and deceit. Goddess, it was like I just figured that I am mated to a mafia lord. Don Corleone, godfather vibes everywhere. The secret life of the Elf. The Godfather meets Frankenstein, how to produce a mate and keep so many big dirty secrets that it’s almost like having a second life. 

I sighed, “Well, it’s too late Avalon, I’m already worried.” I was getting worried about him and feeling the abysm between us opening further. 

He turned around and took me in his arms, pulling me flush against his chest.

“You shouldn’t be, Baby; everything is fine with me. I just don’t like to talk about the past. That’s all.” He sounded more like the better mate he became this time. I pressed my face against his warm chest and sighed.

“Baby, only for you to know, I’m here for you and you can tell me anything. Doesn’t matter if it’s a big screw-up. I’ll be there for you and it can possibly be bigger than Elric’s mistake. So, there is no ...”

He sighed. I was rambling like I always did when I was tense. “No matter what, I’m here for you. Noted?” I asked.

“Noted, Baby. Thank you. I love you, my Little Fire.” He kissed the top of my head and pressed me tighter against his strong chest.

“I love you too,” I muttered through our bond.

 ~ * ~

I was really worried about my male, but I was also intrigued about his origins. In fact, I couldn‘t stop thinking about it, not even after we went home and I had my poor crying Helena in my arms.  

“It’s okay, sweet baby,” I tried to soothe her as my mind went miles away in a spiral of thoughts and theories. 

If Avalon wasn’t King Augustus’ blood heir, the former king’s closest descendant alive would be Mom - his great-great-great-great-granddaughter - and then me and Lea. According to the Law of the Wizards Realm, only blood descendants of the later monarch could reign. 

It was a rather antiquated law, but the current law. Was that why he didn’t want to tell me about the past?  Was it because he wasn’t the rightful heir to the throne? I gasped loudly at my new theory, and my baby stopped crying and opened her light blue eyes at me, looking at me intently. She had Elric’s eyes, she really looked like him. 

“It’s okay, baby girl,” I kissed her head and sat down on a comfy armchair, trying to feed her and calm her down. 

Oh, that was hairy! Even hairier than Lea’s wolf.

Maybe that was the chapter of my life in which I figured out my mates’ dirty secrets. Good timing, I know. I was hormonal, swollen as a donut, sleepless, and leaking. Besides the fact that a triad of fanatic anti-hybrid mages was after us. And on top of everything, I figured that my soulmates, the fathers of my children, each had a little Pandora Box of secrets under the bed.

“Great, thanks, Goddess!” I muttered looking to the ceiling.

Now as the last straw I could learn that Laius was secretly a half-nympho. That would make sense.

 ~ * ~

Unknown Point of View

“We have to move soon, to move closer to them. Our good omen moon is about to light up the night sky,” Agnel muttered.

I looked up at him, his face was almost hidden among the shadows, the only illumination we had in our tent was a small lantern fed by magic. We have led a frugal and simple life since the beginning of our time in the Realms. We didn’t need much, we didn’t need anything besides completing our mission. 

“We shouldn’t attack the King’s children, at least not at first. We must start by the weakest link,” I told them, looking between Agnel and the third one.

We were finally three, we were finally completed and prepared to bring the Six Realms purity. 

“That witch, brilliant!” Our new companion had a huge grin. 

Soon, sooner than they expected we would attack. We would rise with the approaching alignment of the stars. 

Soon, very soon.