Chapter 117

Cara’s POV

Staying with my brothers has helped me and the children feel safe, but we all know it’s not a permanent solution. I can’t stay cooped up forever, and the kids miss their rooms and the neighborhood.

We’ve even had to pull them out of school. They have tutors and are still receiving the best education, but they miss their friends.

The brothers believe that this situation should persist until the potential assassin is caught, but I’m not sure. For the week since the attack, there has been no sign of the assassin. We are no closer to catching them, and at this rate, who knows if we ever will?

I cannot live my life hiding in fear.

That’s why I sit in Eamon’s office now. I have other work to do, but it’s on hold for now.

“We can assign the children permanent bodyguards that will accompany them to school,” Eamon says. “I’ve already increased security at the school itself.”

I don’t know if that’s good enough. After all the assassin was able to knock one of the guards unconscious and leave that note in my door only last week. Who’s to say they wouldn’t do the same to the guards at school and take away my children?

“That doesn’t seem good enough,” I say. Although, if they each had their own assigned bodyguard, someone to watch them at every moment, perhaps that would be enough.

I can’t get over my feelings of uneasy though.

Eamon doesn’t argue with me. He too must be thinking about the failure of his security guards, to be overwhelmed from behind. The guard has fully recovered now, but still can’t remember what happened that night. It’s incredibly frustrating for all of us.

“Perhaps we can simply allow some of their friends to come visit them at Colin’s instead,” Eamon says. “It will be easier to vet a handful of children in a control environment than to protect Ethan and Mia out in the open.”

The kids are getting stir-crazy, but they would likely still go for this compromise.

I nod, agreeing to these terms.

“As for you…” Eamon says, redirecting.

I already have security following me everywhere. Though they try not to make themselves obvious, I can feel their presence with me always. Following me to work, and even following me around the hallways. The only place they don’t enter with me is the bathroom.

I’m grateful for their diligence, honestly, but I’m also growing somewhat restless myself. With so many eyes on me at all times, I feel constantly on guard. I just can’t relax with them as I could when I was with Alaric.

When I vocalized my preference on where to stay that night I received the red-stained letter, I thought that staying with my brothers would be the safest choice. Not just for my physical well-being, but also for my heart.

But, in that same heart, I knew being with Alaric was where I would feel the absolute safest. He so gallantly threw himself in front of that silver blade to protect me, not caring at all for his own well-being. In that moment, he thought only of me.

I know, with him, I would always be safe. Well, physically safe. Emotionally, I’m not so sure. I would probably fall back into bed with him again so quickly my head would spin.

Yes, better and safer to stay with my brothers.

Yet…

Alaric protects me so strongly because he still has feelings for me. Perhaps he even still sees me as his mate.

If he is so protective of me, how protective would he be of our children – especially if he knew they were his.

I’ve kept the secret of my children’s parentage for a very long time now. Alaric still has no idea that he is the father of the twins. But if I told him…

Yes, I’m certain he would do whatever it is he needed to do to help our entire family be safe.

“What do you think?” Eamon asks expectantly.

I startle slightly, realizing he’s been talking this entire time. “I’m sorry, what were you saying?”

Eamon gives me a curious look. “Where were you just now?”

A million miles away. Or, at least, in a hotel across town.

“I think I need to see Alaric,” I say.

Eamon’s brows lift high on his forehead. “Right now?”

“Yes,” I say. “Well. I think so.”

“I’m not so sure that’s a good idea,” Eamon says. “The attacker might –”

“Please, Eamon,” I say.

Eamon looks at me hard for a moment, then sighs. “Fine. But only if one of our brothers agrees to take you. A trip to the hotel would be outside of the security perimeter we’ve established and I don’t trust any but our own to look after you.”

“Okay,” I say, already with someone in mind.

Colin comes to my office while I’m just finishing up a bit of important work that needs finalized before the end of the day. With the news I’m thinking about telling Alaric, I imagine it will take a very long time to explain. I don’t want to have to be worried about work while having this conversation.

Seeing that I’m still working, Colin enters and sits patiently in one of the chairs at the other side of my desk.

“I’m almost done,” I say. “Two minutes.” I just need to read through for typos one last time and then – yes. Good. Now I’ll just sign it. With that finished, I set it to the side.

Now’s the time to stand, go to the hotel, and tell Alaric the truth.

Yet, in the moment, I find it difficult to move forward.

Colin studies me, and must clock my hesitation. “Something wrong?”

“No, I just…” I worry my bottom lip with my teeth. “I’m thinking about doing something but I’m not sure if it’s the right thing to do or not.”

Colin continues to stare. After a moment, he says, “You want to tell Alaric that the kids are his.”

I blink, surprised. “How did you know that?”

Colin shrugs, but offers no explanation. Perhaps I am truly that obvious.

With my own little shake of the head, I ask him, “What do you think I should do?”

Alaric’s POV

Working on my laptop, I almost don’t notice as the phone to the hotel room we use as an office starts to ring.

“I’ll get it,” Ben says and moves to answer.

As he does, I continue to focus on my work.

Only after he hangs up and approaches me do I focus on Ben once more.

“What is it?” I ask him. “Who was on the phone?”

“It was the front desk. They have a message for you.”

“What kind of message?”

“They are bringing it up,” Ben says.

That’s strange. They couldn’t just say so on the phone?

There’s a knock on the door, and Ben answers it. A moment later, he comes toward me holding a note on pink paper. It’s folded up and has a distinct scent of perfume.

What in the world…?

Opening it, I’m surprised to find a typed note.

Alaric –

I need to see you at once. Please come down to the lobby.

Xoxo Cara