Chapter 22: Chapter Twenty-Two: Their Bonds

Laila’s voice trailed off as her head whipped over to Vectore.

“Wait a minute,” Riddle said as he stared at the man across from them. “How could you not know you have children?”

Vectore groaned, and everything fell into place for Laila.

“Vectore likes to seduce humans,”she said as she stared at the Shaman. “How many times has this happened before?”

Vectore shook his head. “This is the first.”

“That you know of,” Paxton said with a growl.

Vectore looked up at Paxton. “I would know.”

“How? You didn’t know about her!” Park demanded.

Vectore grunted, “I would have known when they came into their powers.”

“You didn’t know..." Paxton stopped. “Wait, her adoptive parents were witches; they hid the twins from you, didn’t they.”

Vectore nodded, “it would appear so.”

“Why?” Laila asked.

Vectore looked over at her. “As your adoptive mother said, I wasn’t ready to be a father. They know me too well..."

“But you could have tried,” Laila said as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Vectore shook his head. “You don’t know what kind of person I was, I am..."

“Would you have thrown us away if you had found out?” She asked as she watched him.

He looked at her. “No, of course not..."

“Then you were ready,”she cried.

“Read the rest of the letter,” Riddle said as he placed his hand over hers.

She nodded as she wiped her tears and went back to the letter. “Laila love, we know you’re going to be angry with Vectore. But remember, sweetheart, we kept you from him. He had no clue about either of you. Please don’t be angry with him; he’s a good man. We wanted you all to ourselves, and we know that’s stingy of us, but hey, we saw where you would end up, so we only stole twenty years or so. He gets you for eternity... Well, however long the prodigy of a Shaman lives oh and the mate of a couple bear brothers...

“You came into your powers when you were about eight, and we had to hide it you don’t remember because we blocked your memory, but you were outside playing with the rabbit family you had saved from a couple of dogs, and we went out to get you and you were gone we searched everywhere for you until -well- we found an extra rabbit and knew it had to be you..."

Laila stared at Vectore, and he looked away from her.

“That’s not my second gift from my mates?”

Vectore sighed heavily. “No.”

“And you knew that?” Park asked, glaring at the Shaman.

Vectore nodded, “I knew.”

“But-but you said that you knew I’d found my second gift, and that was why you had come..."

“The connection it was too powerful for me to avoid, I had to come to see you make sure you were safe. I did feel your powers awaken when you shifted for the first time, but I didn’t know how you had such powers- until now,” he said, looking at her.

“And hearing the animals?” She asked.

His cheeks turned a bright pink. “Something else you got from me.”

“Ohmigod!” Laila shrieked as she jumped to her feet. “Do I even get a gift from my mates?”

“Do you really need one?” Vectore asked, looking up at his daughter. “You have your own powers that no one can take from you by taking your rings.”

She slowly sat back down. “No, I guess I don’t need another gift. But what is the use of the rings?”

Vectore grinned. “When Park was dying, did you not feel it?”

She nodded, “I thought the ring was going to rip my finger off.”

“That is the reason for the rings. To keep you in contact with your mates. And to give you everlasting life, which is another thing you already got from me.”

Laila laughed. “So, you’re telling me that I’d live forever with my mates without my rings?”

Vectore shrugged then grinned. “You’re my daughter, aren’t you?”

“And that goes for me too?” Riddle asked.

Vectore nodded, “you and your sister will live long lives. Just like me.”

“But I haven’t come into any powers,” Riddle said.

Vectore looked into his son’s eyes. Can you hear me?

Riddle jumped in his seat, and Vectore laughed.

“Yep, that would be why the Dark Wizards chose you to kill your sister not just because she’s your sister but because they know you’re the son of a Witch. But they can never know you’re the children of a Shaman, you got me?” He said, staring at them.

They both nodded, and Vectore looked around the table.

“That goes for all of you. If anyone found out that they are my children, they will be hunted down and used or killed or both.”

Everyone at the table nodded.

“But they don’t look anything like you,” Riley said as she looked at the twins, then at Vectore.

Laila laughed, “I was thinking the same thing a few minutes ago. But then I remembered something he had told me when I first met him.”

Everyone looked at her curiously.

She looked at Vectore. “When was the last time you changed?”

“Five years ago,” he said with a grin, “you are definitely my daughter.”

Laila smiled.

“Changed what?” Riley asked, confused.

“Remember what he’d said?” Laila asked as she looked at her best friend.

“Remember what?”

“His looks change every hundred years. He looked totally different twenty-six years ago when he met our mother.”

Everyone nodded in understanding.

“Is there more to the letter?” Riddle asked.

“Oh yeah,” Laila whispered as she looked down at the letter. “By now, you have all talked it out and are happy again. Cherish this moment, my daughter, because the worst is yet to come. Get to know your brother and father and give those babies of yours, our love. We love you, Laila. You’ll always be our little girl. And Riddle... Take care of your sister she’s the opposite of you. You turned into the man we knew you would, and you will be strong in the coming war.

“Tell your father we are sorry, but this was for the best to keep you both safe and give you the lives you needed to succeed. Take care, oh, and to the twins Park, and Paxton. We know you will cherish Laila and the boys, but don’t let the future kings’ title get to the boys’ heads. We also saw two realities to that.

“One where they become too powerful and destroy both worlds and one where they rule fairly and become the most beloved kings to ever exist. And please don’t let them grow up sharing everything. You two and Laila are one thing you’re destined for this for the boys, but let them be their own person. Someday they will grow to appreciate that. Love you all see you in the afterlife.”

As Laila finished the letter, it floated out of her hand and withered away into dust.

“Magic,” Riley said with a laugh.

“That was just plain creepy,” Paxton said, “she talked like she knew us.”

Vectore laughed, “she did,” he said, then handed Paxton the photo of the two witches who had raised Laila.

“But they didn’t look like this in the picture on the wall,” Paxton said.

“Because they changed their looks so no one would discover Laila before she was ready to be discovered,” Vectore said.

“Fuck,” Paxton said as he handed his brother the photo.

Park groaned. “Seriously? These two raised Laila?”

Vectore chuckled, “surprised me too. But look how wonderful of a job they did on our girl,” he said, looking at Laila.

Park and Paxton grinned.

“Yep, we can’t fault them for that,” Park said.

“So, what do we do now?” Laila asked.

“Now we finish our evening together, and tomorrow Riley gets back to her training, and Riddle will join in.”

Riddle stared at Vectore. “Other than hearing your thoughts, what else can I do?”

Vectore chuckled, “well, I can teach you to read thoughts without the person directing their thoughts to you. You’re a sniper, right?”

Riddle nodded.

“And how good are you?”

Riddle grinned, “better than anyone has ever seen.”

Vectore chuckled, “I’m sure you are.”

“Wait, are you saying that’s one of my gifts?”

“They’re not exactly gifts. You’re a Shaman like me, just like your sister, but you two are also human, so your powers won’t all be the same as mine. It seems they kind of split up between you two.”

“Kind of?” Riddle and Laila asked at the same time, then looked at each other and grinned.

Vectore smiled at his children. Maybe he hadn’t been ready to be a father twenty-five years ago, but he was pretty sure he was ready now. He always wondered what his children would be like if he ever had any, and now, he knows.

They are perfect.

“Hey, I just thought of something,” Mark said. Everyone looked at him; he’d been quiet through the whole ordeal. He looked at Vectore and pointed at him. “You tried to get your own daughter to kiss you.”

Everyone looked from Mark to Vectore then broke into laughter when Vectore’s cheeks turned a crimson red.

“Yeah,” Park said, still laughing, “good thing she turned you down.”

“Guess Laila didn’t want any more brothers and sisters with that knee she gave you,” Paxton said, making everyone laugh even harder.

Laila got up out of her seat and walked over to Vectore then kissed him on the cheek. “Don’t let them get to you, Dad they’re just jealous that we have a connection they can never understand,” she said, then walked around the table and tapped each of her mates on the shoulder. They got up and followed her to their room.

Vectore held his hand to his cheek. She’d called him dad.

“Hey, Dad, you think we can start our training tonight?”

Vectore looked at his son, and a tear slid down his cheek. They’ve accepted him as their father. He’s not spending one more minute away from his children. He’s going to find a cave as close to them as possible.

“Sure, Son, we can start on your night vision.”

“Sweet!” Riddle said as he got to his feet. “That would have been useful overseas.”

Vectore smiled as he got to his feet, and his son followed him out the back door into the night air.

~🐾~

“Very good,” Vectore said as he watched Riddle find the item in the dark using only his night vision.

“This is so unreal,” Riddle said with a laugh.

Vectore chuckled, “so is what your sister can do.”

“Yeah, about that, what exactly can she do? I mean, I know she can talk to animals, and all and her adopted mother talked about finding her among the rabbit family, but how is that possible?”

Vectore chuckled, “you’ll have to ask her to show you.”

Riddle snorted, “I knew you were going to say that.”

“Come on back to your training. Your sister has already been trained though now that I know she’s my daughter. I’d like to test her for a few things she may not have night vision, but she may be able to tap into animal sensory.”

“You mean like hearing and scent and smell and eyesight?” Riddle asked, looking at Vectore.

Vectore nodded. “Yeah, sounds about right with what she can do.”

“Which you won’t tell me.”

Vectore chuckled, “ask your sister now back to your training.”

Riddle sighed as he searched for the other items Vectore had hidden in the dark.

“By the way,” Riddle said as he searched. “Why the hell did our mother name me, Riddle?”

Vectore laughed, “your mother was a flower child. Her parents were hippies and into exotic and unique names.”

“Oh, but Riddle?”

Vectore paused, “shit,” he said, then laughed, “it’s my fault.”

Riddle paused and looked at his father. “How?”

Vectore cleared his thought. “When I was around her, I used to constantly say riddle me this... She loved it and would ask me for a riddle she was pretty good at solving them, so you and your sister didn’t get all your brains from me,”he said with a grin.

Riddle groaned, “gee, thanks.”

Vectore snorted, “believe me, Son, if I’d known she was pregnant, I wouldn’t have let her name, you Riddle.”

Riddle sighed, “I guess it’s kind of romantic. I mean, it shows that my mother loved you..."

Vectore sighed, “I know she did. That’s why I had to break it off with her. I wasn’t ready for a mate or a family..."

“And now?” Riddle asked as he watched his father’s face.

Vectore smiled at him. “And now I have you and your sister. So, I guess I’m ready for the family part..."

“But not the mate, part?” Riddle asked.

Vectore shrugged. “Hey, what’s up with these twenty questions?”

Riddle smiled, “just curious about my father.”

Vectore shook his head. “Find the other three objects so we can go to bed.”

“Yes sir,” Riddle said as he went back to searching for the objects in the pitch-black darkness.

“You two still out here training?”

They both turned to the door and smiled. Laila stood in the doorway, looking bed ragged and sleep-deprived.

“Did we wake you?” Riddle asked.

She shook her head. “No, I had gotten up to go to the bathroom.”

“Do you think you’re too tired to join us?” Vectore asked.

She shrugged, “I guess we can see,” she said with a smile.

“Can you show me what your other gift is?” Riddle asked as he watched his sister.

“Sure,”she said with a smile then walked out into the yard with them.

Riddle watched as his sister shifted into a beautiful silver wolf. “Wow,” he whispered. “So, you’re a shifter?”

“Kind of,” she said.

He took a step back, shocked to hear her voice coming from the wolf.

Vectore chuckled, “your sister isn’t a typical shifter. She can shift into any animal she’s not limited to one.”

Laila shifted into her deer, and Riddle chuckled.

“Make sure you don’t shift into that during hunting season.”

Laila shifted back into her human form and smiled at her brother. “So, how’s your training coming along?”

“Good,”he said with a nod, “I’ve found five out of eight of the items Dad hid.”

Laila nodded then looked at Vectore. “So, is there more that I can do?”

Vectore grinned, “your brother and I were just discussing that.”