Dark Beauty

I can't touch him. He won't let me in. Desari, can you get through to Julian? I was trying not to sound frantic, but that wasn't working too well.

Julian will not let me in either. We have to go to them. I wasn't about to argue. She was suggesting exactly what I was planning to do. The only problem was my mother walking out from the hall. Actually, that could easily work in our advantage. And I planned to do just that if I had anything to say about it.

"Hey Mama, why don't we walk you out to the car since the boys decided to run off on us?" I asked walking forward with a bright smile. I looped my arm through mother's and Desari took her other arm. We were going to have great fun conspiring together, I knew it. The four guys were facing us and that fact made me grin. They hadn't killed each other. Progress.

"Have a good night at work mom," Nathaniel and Thomas both spoke in turn as they came over and hugged her. Only after she had been hugged by my brothers and us women. The hunters merely shook her hand and bowed over it. Mom gave up one last warning to say that the guys couldn't stay too late. (She didn't care of Desari stuck around even though she was a married woman.) We all waited until mom was down the street and gone.

"What are you two planning?" I rounded on Andreas. I didn't like being shut out. He should have known better. Apparently he didn't.

"Calm yourself my love. I swore I would not harm your brothers nor will I. But I must tell them something." I did not want to disturb you. I am sorry.

I opened my mind and embraced Andreas's. He could feel my racing heart and my fear for my family. He tried calming me down and then…there was a pause. Why did he pause? Why was there a feeling of emptiness. He had closed off part of his mind to me. It was terrifying. He didn't cut his mind off from me. I did that to him. We were going to have to talk about this as soon as we dealt with my brothers. And there was no doubt in my mind we were going to have to deal with them in some way shape or form. There wasn't really any choice in the matter. I couldn't give up my family anymore than I could give up Andreas.

"What do you believe in?" Andreas asked my brothers with a very solemn look on his face. I wasn't quite sure where he was going with this. He had shut me out…again. It was for another reason this time and it was driving me crazy that he wouldn't tell me what was going on. I was going to find out the truth soon. I wouldn't be able to stand it otherwise.

"What kind of question is that?" Nathaniel demanded. My brothers and I had very similar thought processes. We both agreed that the question was kind of loaded and just a little too vague. What was my man getting at?!

"Do you believe in magic? Do you believe in immortality? What do you believe in?"

"No!" I yelled running to stand between Andreas and my brothers. I was facing Andreas and glaring at him. "I won't let you. Do you hear me? I know the rules and I'm not going to let that happen to them. They're kids Andreas. They don't need this so please don't."

"Layla, did you hook up with a drug dealer or something?" Nathaniel asked crossing his arms over his chest.

I had to stop that insinuation before it could flower. I could see the realization and the anger blooming on Andreas and Julian's faces. "Do you really think I'm that stupid?" The fact that my brothers couldn't look me in the eyes proved that they didn't think their sister was that dumb.

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We must end this quickly, Julian ordered. It had been a long time since Andreas had heard his friend that annoyed.

Yes, yes I know. Andreas managed to contain some of his annoyance, but not much. "What do you think of vampires?"

Thomas laughed outright. "Do you honestly expect us to believe that you're vampires?"

"They're not vampires," Layla snapped glaring at her brothers. Andreas put a gentle hand on her shoulder. They needed to end this meeting with her brothers soon. She didn't need this stress and he needed to speak with her alone. "Do you guys remember those books I read with the Carpathians?"

"Wait," Nathaniel growled annoyed. "Do you mean those romance novels with the guys who live for centuries and turn into vampires if they don't find their lifemates."

"Do not mock the need for a lifemate boy," Julian snapped, his eyes narrowing in anger. "The saving of a soul is no light business. Unless of course you would like to face a vampire for yourself?"

"Julian!" Andreas said sharply. He knew his lifemate was distressed at even the mention of vampires being near her family. Julian bowed his head in acknowledgement. Andreas could well understand his annoyance and why he had said what he said. But he would not have his lifemate distressed. Especially not now. "Julian is right though. You should not speak lightly of that which you cannot understand. I would never harm your sister nor allow harm to come to her. She is my heart and soul. She is my very life. Without her I am nothing but a monster the likes of which the world has never seen. Any hunter who has found his lifemate is just the same."

Nathaniel and Thomas scoffed. They were truly more alike than they realized. "Don't' try that load of bull on us."

"Watch your mouth!" Layla snapped.

"You don't believe this do you Layla? You're smarter than that," Thomas urged.

"Brother or not, you will not disrespect my lifemate." This time it was Layla who held back Andreas. She couldn't really hold him back if he wanted to attack, but her gentle touch calmed him. And he needed to be calmed. The last thing he needed to do was harm his lifemates siblings…no matter how annoying they were. "Julian. I need you to demonstrate for these young gentlemen what a Carpathian can do." I need to speak with you alone Layla.

Andreas picked up Layla and cradled her close as he went around to the other side of house. He didn't want to go inside. And Julian would keep the two boys away and distracted until Andreas gave him permission to allow them back in.

"What's the matter Andreas? Why did you shut me out? What did you see?" Layla's voice was small and terrified. It wasn't like her. He had scared her by shutting her out and he was sorry for that. More sorry than she could ever know.

"I did not mean to frighten you my love," Andreas said gently kissing Layla's forehead. "I just did not want you to gain this information while in front of your brothers. Cara…you are pregnant…with twins."