Time for Truth Ch. 16

Welcome,

The vampires reach a decision and they meet with the council. Julianne and BJ go home. New matings occur.

This chapter is self-edited. I certainly hope the errors you find do not distract from the story.

All characters in this story are above the age of consent.

Happy reading. IR2R

*****

Gernick waited at his home. He called his siblings and his cousin Krill to meet him there. They needed to talk. The situation involved mainly his children's and Krill, but all of the kids would be affected. Garrick, Shari, and Ava appeared before any of the others arrived. Gernick and Garrick shared a look. Ava rushed to Amie. The two girls were close.

Next Cantar, Corliss, and Christiana arrived. It had been so long since Cantar had visited. Everyone greeted her and Corliss eagerly. The children rushed over to hug their aunt. They were so excited to seen their cousin Christiana. Christiana smiled at her relatives and was glad to finally visit with them as well. Cantar held her daughter close at first, and then released her.

At eleven, Christiana was as beautiful as her mother. Garrick smiled. She was an exact replica of Cantar at that age. Mother was often keeping her close to her side as well. When they were younger, Esmeralda was a great mother. But something changed. Garrick's thoughts turned dark. Shari caressed his shoulders, pulling him from his somber mood. He looked at his siblings, their spouses, and children. Despite everything they had faced. They were OK. He was happy. Cantar was a great mother.

Corliss stood beside his daughter ready to defend his family against any foe. Garrick was impressed with him. Corliss was a hard worker and he loved Cantar and his daughter. He was not a fighter, but Garrick knew he'd defend his family, all of his family. Corliss sighed as he moved to greet his brother-in-laws. Gernick could tell this proclamation had taken its toll on the quiet man. It was hard traveling here because once they explained to the grandparents and his brother what was going on. Christophe was incensed. All three wanted to accompany them. Christiana was not being sent to Russia.

The small group chatted as Krill, Samaria and their children appeared. The children greeted each other as Nickie noticed fundamental differences in their makeup. Their children that carried the wolf genes were friendly, affectionate. The vampire children, like their predecessors were standoffish. She wanted to speak, but she was torn. Were they wrong? Should she and Nina have just died? Then this problem would not exist.

Kale, Brenwan, and Kalen arrived next. Kalen, like his father, was the deep thinker in the group. He greeted his family members coolly. He looked so much like Kale and had his father's mannerism almost exactly. He did smile when he greeted his aunt. Cantar was always able to draw a smile from him. Kalen then greeted Christiana. Christiana didn't visit as often, so she was not as in tune with the rest of the children. Jonathon took her hand and escorted her and Kalen over to game room where the others were waiting. At first, they were silent and then noise erupted as the children interacted as though no distance had existed between them at all.

Nicolette asked two of the maids to watch them as the adults met in the library. As she returned to the library, Gernick could sense her thoughts. He didn't like it. Nicolette, never think such dark thoughts again. You are my life and I would be lost without you. The wolves are our family. This is just a small problem. We will fix this. Gernick sent. He was worried. Nicolette had stopped talking. He could only sense her thoughts and lately they were dark. She was not herself. He knew she was torn. Her natural instinct would be to kill whoever hurt her family, only this time it was her wolf family that inflicted the pain. She could not hurt them. She internalized, finding a way to blame herself.

Shari greeted her with a warm hug, as did Brenwan and Cantar. All three women knew she had to be conflicted. They were also, but she was so close to the wolves. Shari smiled and took a deep breath. "Nickie, we will figure something out, ok." Shari whispered. She more than anyone else knew how hard this turn of events was on Nickie.

"They attacked my son, and now he wants to go away. I don't know what to think about that." Nickie whispered. Shari, Cantar, and Brenwan stood with her. Soon Gernick, stopped talking with his brothers and called everyone together.

"I wanted to address the issue on Dracount. Cassius wants us to decide, but I'm not sure all of our children need to go. This issue directly affects our kids and Krill and Samaria's children. Our kids have altered DNA. The rest of you have kids that are pure vampire." Everyone listened. Garrick was waiting. He never really argued with his brother, but if he said what he feared he might, he would protest.

He knew it was centuries ago. But he remembered Gernick being sent away. He recalled the heartbreak and he was not going to agree to send their children there. He wanted to talk to Cassius, and find out who suggested Dracount. Right now, he'd wait.

"Gernick, I want you to know. I will never agree to send any of our children there. I know you trust Clause, but he is council now. They think differently than we do." Gernick faced Garrick and growled. He spoke ill of Clause. Clause was as close to a father that he had and he would not let him or anyone bash him.

"Garrick, watch it!" He warned.

"Don't get me wrong, Gernick." Garrick continued not even fazed by his brother's fury. "I love Clause and Amerie, but he is fallible. Stop and think. If they wanted to hurt us, they can't get to us. However, we send our children there, and they will have access to them. After seeing what mother did to that council, I can't agree with their decree without being able to have access to the school anytime I want."

Deep inside, Kale agreed with Garrick. However, he needed to hear what Gernick had to say. It did not matter because he and Brenwan were in agreement, Kalen was not going to Russia. "Listen, Garrick. I know this is not easy, but let Gernick talk." Kale stated.

"Kale, why? On this, I disagree. I don't think Gernick should lead. His children are not pure vampire. What if this is some ploy for the council to have access to them. Cassius has been on the council for centuries. He is the leader, the oldest member. Clause is the youngest, and of course he'd trust his mentor." Garrick began to pace. "The council has never chosen a member that was made and not born. Then when father dies, Cassius hand picks Clause. At first, I thought nothing of it, but he knows you trust Clause implicitly. Gernick, I don't trust them."

Gernick nodded. He had thought of this. But for years he defied the council, and since Cassius had taken over, they had not demanded anything from him. Cassius said that the wolves were tormenting the vampire youth and many were taking their own lives. He knew for a fact that the wolves were bullying his son. Cassius had no reason to lie to him, and if Clause doubted Cassius in anyway, he would warn him. Gernick would not let himself believe Claus could be manipulated so easily.

Gernick paused. He faced his mate and he saw how this distressed her. He then recalled all of the stunts the council pulled over the years and how Esmeralda got her hooks in them. "Garrick, you have a point. Krill, you're on the council. No one ever mentioned this to you?" he asked.

Facing the entire group, Krill held his wife in his arms. She was silent, but they had talked before they came to the meeting. "Yes, I knew about the suicides. I have also seen officials from Dracount being called in to talk with certain council members. I suspected something was going on when the council ended sessions last month. Then there was the issue with Jael. We met and voted to not interfere. However, I agree with Garrick about this school. If I understand this correctly, Dracount is where your father sent you when you were younger. Right?" Krill asked.

Gernick nodded. He hated that place. The only time he felt happiness was when Clause would visit. He got a great education, but he felt like if he sent Jonathan and Amie there, then he'd be doing to him the same thing to them that his father did to him. He could not abandon his children. Krill continued to speak. "No, I cannot agree to send my children away." Krill spoke.

Garrick's words forced Gernick to think. "We will not send them. I'll call Cassius so he can join us."

Cassius, we have met and reached a decision. Can you join us now, please?" Gernick demanded.

Within minutes, Cassius and Clause appeared and Gernick told them that they had more questions. Until they had exhausted all other options, their children were remaining at home. Cassius exhaled; the Dermics and Valdemores had given him similar answers.

This was not good, He had to address the council and they would decide if an order would be issued or a peaceful resolution be drawn. He suspected the first would be the immediate reaction. Cassius faced Clause, but Clause's expression remained neutral. "Clause let's go back and talk. Krill we will have a full council meeting at one. We expect you to be in attendance."

Krill nodded. Samaria gasped. Love, don't worry. We will take care and handle this situation.

I am not sending my children there. Garrick is right. Our children are unique. They might... Krill, they plan to suppress their wolves. I don't like this. Samaria sent to her husband.

The vampires talked as the children visited in another room. Jonathan could feel his mother's distress and he knew it was about the school. He remembered stories about the council and how powerful they were. If the council wanted them to go, then it could only be a good thing, right?

"Jon Jon, Momma is hurting," Amie whispered. Keveon and Savannah shared a look; they sensed their father's distress as well. The other children looked on, but being vampire they did not have an emotional reaction to the concerns of their parents.

Jonathon took his sister and head to the library. All of the other children followed. The children walked in. Amie rushed to her mother as the twins rushed to their dad. Their wolves were distressed, and touch would sooth them. Kalen, Ava, and Christiana looked on, as Nickie and Krill hugged their young ones.

"Momma, I don't want to hurt you. If the council says we have to go, we won't have a choice." Jonathan whispered.

"Jonathan I am fine. Your father and I will handle this. I know you think you want to go there, but let us decide." She whispered.

Christiana frowned. She didn't really understand what the problem was. Kalen took her aside and explained. Christina was stunned. Someone wanted to send them away. Kalen assured his cousin that if they were sent to Dracount, she would not be there alone. Jon Jon, Ava, Amie, Savannah, Keveon, and he would be with her. Christiana was still upset. She did not want to leave Momma and Poppa, Grandma and Grandpa, or Uncle Christophe. She hoped that this meeting was to decide not to send them.

Jonathon's wolf went silent. He looked around, Keveon, Savannah, and Amie all wore startled expressions. He knew something was wrong.

At the compound, Jasmine began to weep. Thaddeus had to hold Theo down. Something was wrong with her friend. Amie's wolf was hiding. Theo could sense that something was wrong with Jonathan also. It had to do with the vampire meeting he told him about earlier. Nina became distressed, and she was in the office with the alphas that were doing everything they could to keep her calm.

BJ knew something was going on at home. His animal was restless. Julianne and BJ looked at each other. "Babe, something isn't right?" He stated.

Celia, what's wrong? Jules sent.

The vampires, look. I'll call later. Mom is having a hard time with some news. Celia sent.

Wait, what news? What's going on? Jules questioned. They were gone for three months. Had something happened in their family?

The council wants Nickie and Gernick to send their children to Russia. Celia replied. Julianne was stunned.

"BJ, the vampire council," Julianne blurted out. Geraldo was alerted instantly . He met the vampires that Javon and his pack considered family. They were instrumental in helping him gain control of and establish this new pack. If their council were coming against them, they would not face them alone.

"What is happening?" He demanded. Every wolf near him quaked. Iyoka moved beside her friend. They meant so much to this pack, that every member was concerned.

"Geraldo, I know I said I would stay as long as you needed me, but we need to go home. Mom's dealing with something and it's hurting her. I have to get back there. This council... We have to go." BJ explained. Geraldo simply nodded.

"Go, and my friend, thank you for helping us settle in. Tell Javon that if he needs us, we are there." Geraldo conveyed. Javier and Rosita hugged their Dad and Iyoka. Geraldo would miss his children, but he knew that with BJ and Julianne, they were safe. Within the hour the Daniels' clan was headed back to Texas.

Meanwhile, in Javon's office, Nina was worried about Nickie. She could feel her melancholy through their sister bond. She sent her shafts of support, but it was a deep sense of dread that pushed Nina into panic mode. Nicolette, Nickie! Nina screamed and their bond went blank. Nickie blocked her.

"Nina, please stay calm. The vampires are probably discussing the school. She may need to concentrate. I'm sure she will call when they finish." Elise soothed her pack member.

Javon was also concern. He had an alpha bond with Gernick, Nicolette, and the children. Something was definitely going on. He wanted to call, and order Gernick to answer, but he knew they had vampire business first. He prayed they decided not to send the children to Russia. He knew there were packs in that country. However, Javon did not know if they were friendly or antagonist.

Mom, we're coming home. Listen, whatever it is, we'll face it together. BJ sent. His mother's stress levels were high.

Kyra was home, and she too knew her mother was stressed. "Momma, are you OK?", one of the triplets asked.

Malcolm noticed that his mate looked pale. "Kyra, we're going to see Kim." He stated rushing her and the girls out. He quickly alerted the alphas.

Within minutes, Malcolm was at the medical center. Kim rushed in and noted that Kyra looked pale.

Not wasting a second, Kim started examining her immediately. Her examination caused the doctor pause. Kyra was having some complications with this pregnancy, and Kim prayed it would not come to this. She ordered that she be placed in the maternity ward as she went to her office to call a specialist. Being that her baby was wolf, chances are he would survive, but a premature birth was always dangerous. She took a deep breath after conferring with the obstetrician and went to speak with Malcolm.

*****

Marisol was at school. She missed her mate. This morning before she left, he kissed her so passionately that she knew that they had to mate soon.

Soon she realized her professor was talking to her, so she gave him an answer to the question he asked. Whatever she said appeased him as he smiled and moved on to someone else.

Her class ended and she reported to her next class. She was in class when she got an urgent tweet from one of her cousins. Kyra was ill and had been put in the hospital. Marisol quickly stood and rushed from the classroom. She called Malcolm. All he knew was that Kyra was sick and he was waiting to talk with Kim. Marisol wanted to go back home immediately, but she could not. She went back to class. When she entered, her professor eyed her. She sat down and soon the period ended.

"Ms. Loess, I need to see you for a few minutes," the professor called.

Marisol walked to his desk. Professor Ivan Dorf was a serious man, too serious. No doubt he took offense at her walking out of his class. Everything she did offended this man.

"Ms. Loess, you seem to think my class is free time for you. If you are going to walk out, then don't bother coming at all. I want you to know that I'm counting today as a tardy. The part of the lecture you missed will have to be made up." He droned on and on.

Marisol sighed, "Yes sir,"

"Ms. Loess, be at my office at four o'clock this afternoon. We need to have a serious discussion?" He concluded. Marisol replied respectively and then left. He watched her walk away. She walked out of his class. He did not know why, nor did he care. The only reason he did not drop this class was because she was in it. Marisol Loess was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. When she came to his office today, he would tell her the truth. Maybe, she would see beyond the façade that so many people believed about him and see him as a real man.

Marisol had to get home. As she rushed to her car, a classmate stopped her. She was being a busy-body, so Marisol gave her a pat answer and rushed off. She was headed to Wildwood when her phone rang. It was Grandma. She told Margaret about the call from the Kyra's daughter. Margaret was concerned. She told Marisol to go back to class, and she would call Elise. She did. She got an abbreviated version of what was happening, and learned that Julianne and BJ would be back. She was relieved.

Lakota was at work, but he sensed Margaret's distress. He had actually spoken with Javon earlier and was aware of what was going on. He too was concerned about Kyra and the baby, but there was nothing he could do. Knowing Margaret, she would be on the next plane to Texas, so he sent her a huge hug and a message, Love, we will support them, but this is their business. We will not interfere unless they call.

Margaret was not happy but she understood. She was concerned about Kyra and the baby. Nina called her and told her that so far Kyra was doing fine. Margaret sighed. Then she and Nina hang up. Nina calmed down after talking with her friend, then she and Thaddeus went to the medical center. After a while, Jasmine and Theo relaxed. Both cubs were still worried about their friends. Javon told them to stay at the alpha home as their parents went to check on their sister. Vince and Amari sat with them.

Kyra sat with Malcolm as her body grew a bit stronger. The medications seemed to be working. The baby was being monitored and he seemed to be OK. The obstetrician called back and made suggestions. Kim followed them to the letter.

Right now, Kyra was getting better, but because of this scare, she was on strict bed rest. Her daughters, all three, decided that they would help momma every way they could. Soon, everyone left, and the triplets were staying with Malcolm's parents. Alone in the hospital. Malcolm tried to be strong, be the man, but he was so close to losing his wife and son, that his body shook.

"No more kids after he gets here. That's it for us."He stated.

Kyra smiled, "Malcolm, I'm fine and he's fine. Kim says that sometimes these things happen. When you hold him for the first time in a few months, you'll see."

Malcolm heard her, but right now he remembered her being so ill. She didn't have this problem the first time and there were three babies. This was just so unfair. He kissed her gently and watched her as she drifted off to sleep.

So much was going on. He felt helpless. All he could do was be here and care for their daughters. The next morning at breakfast, Malcolm walked over to the dining hall to eat with his girls. Theo and Jasmine hugged him and asked about their big sister. He told them she was going to be OK. He saw that BJ and Julianne had returned and greeted them. Javier was talking with Theo and the two young men went out.