Olivia

Emit has Jasper on the phone, and it's exactly what I was dreading. Tina was murdered, and by none other than Quin after David ran a quick investigation with the Apostoli. His boss doesn't want loose ends, whoever it is, and the stunt they pulled at the shop guaranteed them an early grave. Now they're going to run rings around us, but not for long; as soon as Quin wakes up, we're going to get answers and show them who they're messing with.

Emit hands the phone over, sensing my eagerness to know my husband's health. "Are you sure you're alright?"

I want him back safe and sound.

Jasper chuckles down the line softly. "Don't worry, my love, I'm fine. As soon as this is wrapped up, I'm coming home to you."

A silly smile tugs at my lips, and Emit comments on how I'm whipped, so I punch his arm and Jasper laughs again.

"We have news of our own, and it's going to be a good shock for you," Emit notifies, and I can hear the curiosity in Jasper's tone when he asks us about it.

"Tell him," Emit encourages. "I'm going to see if Quin's awake."

With that, I'm left alone with Jasper.

Tapping my fingers against the arm of the sofa, I start, "So, you remember my parents were farmers, right?"

He hums in acknowledgement. "Yeah, that's right."

"Well. . . they weren't just farmers, they were the original King and Queen, and they left royalty behind because of me so they could raise me like a normal family, and then they—"

"My love, deep breaths, OK?" Jasper coos from his end, his breathing coming out audibly for me to hear as my chest rises and falls heavily. "Everything's going to be alright, and don't you think for even a second that it was your fault. They chose their path, and sadly it had to end, but that isn't on you, do you understand?"

Wiping my eyes with the back of my hand, I sniffle, "O-OK," before clearing my throat. "Jasper, I don't know what to do. . ."

He sighs, and it's not hard to imagine that kind smile on his face. "You don't have to do anything if you don't want to. You have me, and we can face it all together."

I smile. "Thank you, my love. And I have something that I've been wanting to tell you, but there was never a good time."

I'm going to tell him. I have to, I need to.

"What is it, darling?"

Sucking in a deep breath to steady myself, I say, "Jasper, you're going to be a father."

Standing up to pace the anxiety away, I strain my senses to pick up any sign of life on the other end of the phone. A minute must've gone by before I call out his name, but nothing. Checking the screen, I see the call has ended. When I try again, it goes straight to voicemail. Panic sets in, and I turn to face the way Emit wandered off to call for him, but the words lodge in my throat.

"Graham, what are you doing here?" I demand with narrowed eyes.

His gaze softens as he takes a step toward me. "I came to talk with you, please keep calm and—"

"Get away from him, Olivia."

Facing the doorway, a seething Emit glares in our direction. Hastily moving for him, Graham throws his hands up in submission as he pivots to face us. He looks a mess; his normally slicked back hair is roughed up, there's a small fuzz accumulating on his jaw, and his once clear blue eyes are hooded with exhaustion.

"I'm not here to hurt anyone, especially you two—"

"It's a bit of a coincidence Quin escapes, then you arrive not long after, wouldn't you say?" Emit grits, stepping in front of me.

The room is full of tension, and with how they're going, this is going to end up in a fist fight whether Graham's here to cause trouble or not. If anything, my gut's telling me Graham isn't the one behind this. Seeing his once strong and proudful face turning into this isn't the man that's been plotting to commit murder; if anything, it belongs to a man who's not slept a wink, worried out of his mind for his family and trying to do what he can with no one on his side.

"Show us your ankle," I announce, causing both pairs of eyes to land on me.

Knowing my plan, Emit stands beside me with balled fists, eyeing the leg wearily.

"Can you explain what's going on?" Graham questions, pulling up a trouser leg and rolling down a sock. When there's nothing, he shows us the other leg.

"We learned the person behind this has a strange marking on their ankle, and Quin is the one who killed Olivia, and he tried to do it again; she managed to give him a what-for and Jasper knocked him out cold."

Graham sports a proud smile. "Good on you."

I embrace him tightly, burying my face in his chest. "I'm really sorry for all of this, I —"

He squeezes me to him, carefully rubbing my back as he hushes me. "It's alright, there's nothing to apologise for. If it weren't for me trying to scare you away, then you wouldn't be in this position, so it's my fault."

We smile at each other and that's when Emit joins us for the embrace. It's been horrible without Graham around; he's a valued member of the family, and I know the boys must've felt lost without him as well.

"What's been going on?" Graham asks, folding his arms once we separate.

"Quin Night is back in action, the person behind this must be paying him handsomely," Emit concludes. "Olivia is the daughter of the First Family, so that's a big factor all on its own, and two girls from her job were murdered for their involvement."

"Good job, and do you know why?"

I step in this time. "Yes, they cornered me at work and practically bragged about my lack of pureblood tainting the bloodline, and how they helped in my death. Safe to assume their boss didn't like blabber mouths."

He makes a noise of acceptance as he processes the words and connects the lines before frowning.

"And we have more news," Emit adds, shaking his dad from his inner thoughts.

"What?"

"I'm pregnant," I say with flushed cheeks.

His eyes widen, and he pulls me in for another hug. "That's brilliant news, congratulations!"

Grinning, I pull away with a small shrug. "It is, but I haven't had time to tell Jasper, and when I did on the phone. . . the call disconnected, so I'm not sure if he even heard me."

They both share a glance before Graham speaks up. "I know my son will be over the moon if he heard you, if not, tell him when you see him. He cherishes you, anyone can see that, and I'm glad he has you."

"Thank you."

His brows furrow like he's remembered what he was thinking. "I came here because I have information; I think combined with what you found out could point to who it is."

My eyes widen in amazement. If we can do that, then we might not need Quin, which means his arrest is in order.

"Emit nudges me toward the kitchen. "Go get your pocketknife, come straight back."

Hastily jogging to the kitchen, I pick up the blade and turn to backtrack when I see Quin with a cold smile dancing on his features, crimson smudges across his cheek.

His aura flickers around him, a burnt sienna, and a dagger in hand. "Sorry, princess, but I have to do this—"

"Emit!" I scream.

Quin stalks toward me before lunging with his blade raised. Throwing my hands out, I cry, "Stop, I'm pregnant!"

His moves falter, and that's when Emit launches himself into Quin. They tumble and fight which gives me the time to run to the hall. Graham and Emit wrestle with him, and he manages to slip past before darting to me. The last thing I see is Grahams's panicked face before he tackles Quin to the floor.

"Liv, run!"

Knowing they have him under control, I bolt toward the exit and throw the door open. When it swings open, I'm stunned to come face to face with bright green eyes.

"Marissa?"

"Sorry, sweetie."

A dull ache radiates through my forehead, and my vision turns black.

Groaning, I shake my head to clear the haziness clouding my vision. Shooting up, a small shiver runs through me. Grass tickles my palms, pine wafts up my nose, and it's deathly quiet. Surrounding the clearing are trees, and there's a building in the distance. Furrowing my brows, I mount to my feet, and scan for anything that can be of use while I pat my pockets for my phone.

The last thing I remember is Quin fighting with Emit and Graham, then Marissa arrived before I collapsed.

Did I collapse?

"You're awake."

Spinning around, I find Marissa staring at me. "What are we doing here? How did we get here?"

My heart skips a beat, fear coiling deep in my stomach. My head is throbbing, and between that and the panic for my child, I'm on the verge of cracking. There's no denying what's staring me in the face, and I know what must be done.

"Instead. . . show me your ankle."

Her face contorts into something sour, like a sneer. Her manicured hands slap together in a sarcastic clap. "My, what a cleaver girl. But not that cleaver to run toward the exit," she tuts, painted lips peeling back in a dangerous smile.

"I saw you as a mother, I trusted you. . . loved you." I shake my head. "But I guess none of that matters, right?"

"Right."

"And this is a pathetic attempt at trying to protect the bloodline?"

Marissa ponders on it for a moment before shrugging. "This wasn't a part of the plan; if you hadn't screwed everything up, then none of this would've happened."

Pushing back the pain in my chest, I tilt my chin up defiantly. "Why not do what normal mothers do and turn me away? I would've left you alone."

"It was too far gone. I tried to steer you toward Emit, but you couldn't stay away from Jasper, even when he should've been with someone else. By the time you got the sense of each other, there was nothing else I could do." A sly grin curls her lips. "Although, you were an easy kill. If you were an animal, I would've had your head mounted on a wall."

"Then why my parents?" I query, anger surging as we circle one another. "And Jasper? You knew the pain he would be in, yet you did it anyway."

"They were collateral. They wouldn't stop poking their noses in where it wasn't needed. You were meant for Emit, not Jasper."

If I were Emit's True Love, my family could've been spared along with myself. . . that's just insane. It shouldn't matter who's I was.

"And your plan didn't work out so well, did it?" I laugh humourlessly, crossing my arms.

"There were a few miscalculations."

"You mean that I'm the daughter to the original King and Queen that you killed, the necklace triggering a memory, or that we caught Quin? Maybe it was because Tina and Turner didn't know how to keep their mouths shut? Yeah, they are some bad miscalculations."

Marissa scowls as she whips out a dagger with crazed eyes. "At least something came out of this for my family; everything I do will be for family."

My fists ball at my sides, sickened by her ludicrous words. "You did this for yourself, fearing you were going to be abandoned and lose your title. I am doing everything for family, starting with making sure I get out of here."

"And why is that?" she scoffs.

"Because I'm pregnant with your grandchild."