Chapter forty nine

"What did you say?" Larry asked, not believing his ears.

"You heard her. We want to know about your wife, Naomi's mother," Asher said, his voice not at all gentle or respectful.

"You speak to me with respect, boy," Larry warned.

"You bow when speaking to me," Asher retaliated.

"Asher," Irene called, "calm down."

"Listen," Larry spoke up, "I don't know who you are or who you think you are barging into my house and asking me about my late wife. But I think it's time you leave and you better do that before I call the police."

Without a word or any movement, Asher was pressing Larry into the sofa with his fingers clutching tightly on his neck. "Tell me what I want to know or it's snap," he warned.

"No!" Naomi yelled. It had happened so fast that she could only react now after finding her voice.

Asher's eyes were pitch black when they looked up at Naomi and Irene and Rasmus knew what was happening immediately. "He hit you," Asher's voice was distorted, "let me handle him for you."

"No," Naomi cried, "Asher please, he is my father."

Hearing her voice and the obvious pain, Asher shook his head and when he looked up again, his eyes has returned to midnight blue but it was still obviously angry. He glanced at Larry who was at the verge of passing out and released him. Watching as the man instantly sucked in a deep breath before coughing loudly.

Naomi sighed in relief before slumping on the floor, even she didn't know when she had stood up.

Asher went back to his seat and Irene and Rasmus heaved a sigh of relief, they were at lost on how to get him to control himself just now but thankfully, Naomi was here and he obviously listens to her. "What happened?" Irene asked, "why did you lose control?"

Asher glanced at her and sincerely said, "I don't know. I have been angry from the moment I saw how Naomi was behaving around him and I guess it got worse."

Sighing, Irene turned to Larry who was now staring at them in shock while clutching onto his neck. "Mr. Clayman, I am sorry about that. My nephew tends to have a very short temper. I assure you that if you tell us what you want to know, we would leave and never disturb you again."

"Get out of my house," Larry said. "You have no right to question me! Naomi, I forbid you to ever see this boy again. Do you hear me? Get the hell out of my house!" he yelled.

Asher stood up, his hand was shaking and it was obvious he was fighting to control himself and seeing that, Naomi panicked. Now knowing of his different identities, she knew he was not a man to be trifled with and she feared for her father's life. "Dad please, just tell them what they want to know, please."

"Shut up," Larry yelled, "you know nothing, no go to your room. I said go to your room!"

"She is not going anywhere," Asher said.

"Asher, please, calm down, we will find a way around this okay," Irene spoke up immediately. She feared that if he should lose control once more, they won't be able to get him back and she wondered how fast they could get Edward here before it become too late.

"Asher, compel him," Rasmus said. "Make him tell us."

"But what if he doesn't tell us everything?" Irene said.

"No, Asher is a second generation, his compelling is nearly as strong as the King's. So he can tell us his deepest secret and desire if we want under Asher's compelling. After all, he is just a human."

"What? What the hell are you talking about?" Larry asked, he was no fool, he could hear their discussion and he could almost see it now that he was not entertaining people like him, their words are clearly pointing to the fact that they are not humans. "Who the hell are you?"

Hearing Rasmus's words and seeing that it made sense, Asher calmed down and staring at Larry, his eyes flashed red. "Forget what happened in the last five minutes and tell us what you know about Naomi's mother and her origin. Now!"

Everyone felt the force leave him and Larry and Naomi being the only humans there didn't have it easy as they both fell while Rasmus and Irene tried to stay calm.

When the disturbance from Asher settled, everywhere stilled and Rasmus and Irene stared at him, is it just them or have Asher really gotten stronger?

Larry sat up on the chair but his eyes were now hazy. "I had met Grace and her sister Gaia while hunting in the woods one night."

Naomi stood up where she was sitting and approached them. She has never heard this story before. She glanced at Asher and their eyes met and she smiled softly at him, hoping he would calm down now that that they were getting what they wanted.

"She was badly injured and Gaia was crying, obviously not knowing how to help her. Grace had stepped into one of the traps meant for the wolves and it was poisoned. I brought them back home with me and help treat Grace. They stayed with me throughout her recovery and whenever I come home, I usually see the two sisters sitting in the middle of the living room and holding hands with their eyes closed. Whenever I asked them, they would say they were praying and I believed them. After all, they lips often move but I don't usually hear what they were saying. The day I did hear their voices, it was a language I couldn't understand. When I asked Grace, she said it was Latin, and that they are Latinos."

"Did they ever tell you what they were doing in the woods?" Irene asked.

"When I asked, they said they were running away from their family. According to Grace, her father wanted her to marry a man she does not love and to escape from the marriage, she had ran away. Gaia was her immediate younger sister and they were so close and so she left with her."

"They never told you anything about their family?"

"Grace was always sad whenever I asked. It was a pain to her and seeing how she was always reacting, I stopped because the thought of her feeling sad or crying always affect me. Grace and I got closer before she fully recovered and when they wanted to leave, I told them to say. I had fallen in love with her and I knew she did for me too. Whenever I took her to town, she always glances around with this innocent look and excitement in her eyes, like she has never been anywhere all her life. All those things made me fall for her and she soon developed love for cooking and was very great at it. Eventually, we married and Gaia stayed with us throughout. When we found out we were pregnant, we were so happy, including Gaia. However, one night, Grace had woken up with a scream and ever since that night, her strength started deteriorating and no matter what we do, she never got better."

Irene sighed and closed her eyes, "a typical reaction to a witch carrying a pure blood. Did she start telling you she was going to die?"

"Yes. She would constantly talk about how she would want me to love our daughter and protect her. She seemed so convinced it was a girl even without an ultrasound. And when the restaurant I wanted to open for her was taken away from us, no matter how much I wanted to fight for her and get it back, she wouldn't let me. She kept telling me there was no need anymore and that I shouldn't worry about her, that she could already see her fate. When she eventually put to bed, she died, and I just couldn't wrap my head around it. She was okay, she was so healthy, so agile, why would she suddenly get sick when pregnant, so sick that the doctors couldn't even treat her?"

Naomi closed her eyes as the tears rolled down her cheeks, "that was why you hated me, you believed I made her sick and took her away from you."

"Yes," Larry concurred. "Because it seemed so strange to me, how could a healthy woman suddenly become sickly while pregnant. Despite the fact that she told me to love you and take good care of you, I just couldn't. Any time I look at your face, I just remember that it was all because of you. At times I wished that I had secretly fed her an abortion pill, maybe if I had gotten rid of you, she would still be here with me."

Naomi couldn't hold back her tears anymore and without another word, ran out of the house. Asher exchanged a glance with Irene before going after her.

Irene stared at Larry who was still under Asher's spell and unaware that he had spilled his biggest secret to his daughter. She sighed and asked, "what about her sister, Gaia, where is she?"

"When Naomi started having those crazy visions of hers, she begged me to let her take her back to their home, that her people would know how to handle her but I refused. I may not love my daughter, but she was the only memory I have of Grace now. And when I found out Gaia was planning on running away with her when she was nine, I stopped them and threw Gaia out of my house, preventing her from ever contacting us ever again."

"Do you know where she is now?"

Larry shook her head, "ever since the night she left, I have never seen her again but I noticed that she has been trying to contact Naomi since this year."

"Do you know the reason?"

"No, I just make sure she never gets to her."

"Is there anything you can tell us about her, that can help us find her?"

"I still have a picture of her and Grace, I can give it to you."

"Thank you, that would be very much helpful."