Maurice

I couldn't believe it, Daniel and Eddie were standing right in front of me and they were vampires! When had that happened? Then I remembered where I had met Tremaine, he was in the boys room, the room that I was supposed to be in. I got it, I was the target and not my brothers but why did he take them and not me? I was there and saw him..... I saw him drinking their blood. I felt my stomach turn, this was my fault! If I hadn't changed rooms Eddie and Danny wouldn't be one of those things but I would be married to Micah. It would have been a lose-lose situation just as it was now. I looked at Danny first and realized that he didn't know who I was now and two years ago. Both of them had acted odd but Daniel more so than Eddie but at the time I chalked it up to not seeing them in a long time.

I turned my gaze to Eddie and noticed that he seemed to be struggling; it was as if he was trying to remember me but couldn't quite do it. It was him that I chose to speak to.

"Eddie? It's me Regina, what are you doing here?" I asked not knowing what else to say.

Just as he was going to answer me, Micah sent them out. Of the two of them, Eddie was the one who lingered.

I turned to face Micah.

"What did you do to them? Why don't they know me?"

"Change into the clothing that I left for you and I'll tell you." He replied.

I wasn't about to make the same mistake that I made with Tremaine.

"Tell me first and I'll think about putting on the clothes."

Micah nodded at me and apologized.

"Tremaine over stepped his bounds with you, he was not to touch you in anyway and I apologize for that but the fact remains that you disobeyed me and now you try to barter."

"Me? You're the one who won't tell me anything unless I put on whatever outfit you picked out for me!" I shot back.

"Touché." Micah replied softly. "I suppose that you are entitled to an explanation without strings attached"

"You're damn straight I am! Start talking!"

Micah gave me a grin that unsettled me a second later I found out why.

"Fucking you is going to be so much fun if you have as much spunk in bed as you do out."

I bit my tongue; I wanted to tell him that it would be a cold day in hell before I allowed him to touch me. Instead I said, "My explanation?"

"This might be for the best." he said as he walked to a counter and took out two glasses. "I remember that you don't drink much alcohol so I made sure that we have plenty of juices on hand. Sprite mixed with cranberry correct?"

I nodded my head yes but I had no intention of drinking or eating anything that Micah Lannister gave me. I watched as he mixed the drinks-he had a scotch and soda and handed me my drink.

"Sit and make yourself at home." he said indicating the love seat.

I sat in a chair across from the loveseat and waited. He smiled at me and nodded, he knew exactly what I was doing. I didn't like him when we were kids and I liked him even less now, he was smug and arrogant and so sure that he was going to marry me.

"I'm waiting." I said impatiently.

For just a second, his eyes flashed angrily and I realized that I had to be careful.

"Sorry." I said. "I've been through a lot since I got to New Orleans."

Instantly the anger was gone and he was smiling again, it was as if the anger had never been there.

"It's quite alright." he said as he took a sip of his drink. "As I was saying, maybe it's for the best to get the unpleasantness over before we go to bed and get married. Tell me, what do you remember?"

"Only what you allow me to!" I snapped and instantly regretted it. Before I knew it, Micah was standing in front of me, his eyes flashing.

"I understand that you have been through an ordeal tonight and I have apologized for that and have even made some concessions to accommodate you but watch your tone with me."

"Sorry." I said again as I mentally kicked myself. If I wanted to get out of this I had to stop lashing out at him and use my head.

He gave me a curt nod of his head and went back to the loveseat.

"Are you ready for the truth?" he asked.

"Yes." I replied.

*******

Daniel

So that's Regina, I remembered her from the dinner two years ago but it was more than that, I knew her from somewhere else. I now understood what Eddie was trying to tell me, this woman ..... "Is nothing to you." A voice from the inside of my head said and I listened to it. I didn't know this woman other than to call her on a weekly basis.

Edward

Who in the hell is she? I asked myself as I watched her walk toward us. She meant something to us but what? "She means nothing to you." I heard in my head and knew that Daniel had heard the same message. "Who is she?" I asked silently and received another command to forget her, but I couldn't. I knew this woman! The feeling was reinforced when she said my name and that's not all, I felt the need to protect her but from whom? I wanted to speak to her but Micah sent us out of the room before I could say anything.

As soon as we were out of the room, I pulled Daniel aside.

"Do we know her?" I asked.

"No and I would suggest that you let it go." he replied.

"Daniel, you know her." I insisted. "I saw it on your face."

"For the last time! I don't know the bitch!" he snarled and walked away.

*******

Tremaine is dead but there are plenty more to take his place. I knew that Micah had arrived because the guards were more vigilant and there were a lot more of them. It wouldn't be too much longer before I would have to remain invisible to avoid detection but there was another issue, getting Regina out safely. It was clear to me that I was going to need Gremlin maybe soon. I still hadn't caught sight of Regina's brothers which meant that they were still in the house somewhere. I made a decision, I wanted Gremlin here. He could keep the guards occupied while I went inside of the house to find Edward and Daniel. My hope was that one or both of them would help her and take her to safety while I dealt with Micah Lannister for good.

********

Gremlin

I woke Annie up and made her eat and drink something before I told her what was happening. While we waited for the food to be delivered, she took a hot shower to wash away some of the soreness that I caused when I entered her. I also called a cousin, someone that you're already familiar with, Olivia. Yes she is agoraphobic but on occasion she can be convinced to leave her home especially if all she has to do is vanish from one place to the next. Now that Annie is mine, it will be safe for her to be at Delgado's but I don't want her out of this room. I also didn't want to take the chance that she would be able to override the compulsion to sleep as Delgado's mate had done, that is why I called Olivia. I was taking no chances.

Annie came out of the bathroom wearing just an oversized tee shirt that I wanted her to remove, she is by nature a very open person and I didn't want that to change. She could walk around naked all the time if she wished and it wouldn't bother me-it would make some things much easier.

"Annie, come sit." I told her and patted the side of the bed. When she was sitting next to me I took her hands in mine. They were tiny compared to mine and so soft, it would have taken nothing for me to break every bone in her hands. Before you get upset and think that I could hurt her, I couldn't and I wouldn't, it was just an observation and nothing more.

"Annie, there are things that I need to tell you." I said and she immediately tensed. I told her everything and as I expected she took full responsibility for bringing Regina here.

"I did this? This is my fault?"

"No Annie, none of this is your fault, things have been in motion from the day the Lannisters met Regina's parents and since her birth. You were an unwitting accomplice; your memories have been tampered with as were hers." I told her. Unfortunately, that was of little comfort to her, all she knew was that she brought Regina here and convinced her to stay when she wanted to go home.

"Eddie and Danny are vampires? I thought that they were acting oddly the last time I saw them but vampires? How could I not have known that? She asked as she cried.

I held her as she cried; she was realizing just how much trouble Regina was in and her guilt intensified.

"The Lannisters are behind this?" she asked through her tears "and you were helping them?" she asked when I told her my part in the plan.

"I was until I saw you and that is why it is imperative that you stay in this room. The Lannisters are very angry with me because of my betrayal and the only way that they can hurt me is through you. We are mated and that alone will keep you safe but I am taking no chances." I said. "My cousin Olivia is coming to stay with you, do as she says and you will be fine."

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Delgado will need my help in rescuing Regina." I replied noticing the worried look on her face. "Don't worry, if all goes well we will be back by the evening."

We ate breakfast together and I asked her if she wanted me to compel her back to sleep so that she wouldn't worry. She gave it some thought and decided against it.

"I have my laptop to keep me occupied and it would be rude for me to be asleep when your cousin comes." she said.

Olivia appeared an hour later, I made the introductions, kissed Annie goodbye and then I was gone. Since I knew exactly where Delgado was, I would be there in no time.

*******

I waited for Gremlin about a mile from the property that way we could meet and talk in peace. There was also another reason, I wanted to lure Micah into a false sense of security, and I wanted him to think that I was gone even if it was temporarily. If Regina hadn't been there I was have just gone in and confronted him but her life was in danger and I couldn't take the chance that he would kill her. To be perfectly honest with you I believed that to be his plan, he would kill her just for spite. I had to find her brothers, jar their memories and maybe save their lives in the process.

I heard Gremlin to my left and waited until he was next to me to speak. Quickly I apprised him of the situation including the fact that Tremaine was dead.

"What is your plan?" he asked.

"Tremaine called in extra guards and Micah has called in more, the property is crawling with them." I replied.

"What is it that you need from me?" he asked.

"I am going into the house to find Regina's brothers in the hopes that I can awaken their memories of her. I can handle the guards in and around the house if you will take care of those around the property and keep the reinforcements out. Once I have Regina out of the house I want you to take her back to the room and keep her there, if she tries to leave, tie her up, compel her; I don't care but keep her there until I get back."

"Consider it done." he replied.

I looked up at him and saw none of the being that had treated and cared for his mate with such gentleness. I was now looking at a being that could and would kill without remorse.

"Gremlin..."

"Save your thanks for later when your mate is safe and Micah Lannister dead." he said his voice cold. Seconds later, he was gone and then I heard a howl of pain, he had already started doing his part.

********

I held my drink in my hand and tried to wait until Micah was ready to explain things to me. In the few minutes that I had spent with Micah, I learned a lot. He was a flipping control freak and a dangerous one at that. He was also full of himself, I watched as he held his drink just so and how he was constantly straightening his shirt and patting his hair as if to say "look at me! I'm the shit!" Well he wasn't, not in my book anyway.

When he was good and ready, he started telling me how we were always meant to be together. I had to interrupt him; I wanted to know how they figured that out.

"Excuse me, but may I interrupt for a moment?" I asked making sure that my voice was honey sweet, I almost made myself gag but he ate it up.

"I'm sure that you have questions." he replied apparently pleased with my fawning over him.

"How do you know that we're supposed to be together?"

"You see love, we were born on the same day, the same year and at the exact same moment as were my mother and my father and so on."

Astrology? They fucked up my life over astrology? I took a deep breath and calmed down; I couldn't afford any more mistakes.

"My brothers?"

"Let me explain something to you," he said with a condescending tone of voice that made me want to pour my drink all over his perfect hair. "You were mine from the moment you were born. My family sought out your family and gave your mother a job and no, they didn't know what we were initially."

"When did they find out?" I asked.

"When we were eight." he replied.

"Eight? What the fuck...." I stopped, his eyes were flashing again. "I mean why then?" I asked.

"We needed to start preparing for our mating. Think about it, it was then that your mother started bringing you to work with her and you started seeing more of me."

"I remember but I can't believe that my parents went along with this." I replied.

"They really didn't have too much of a choice but make no mistake, they were well compensated."

Compensated? They sold me?

"The deal was that when we turned fifteen we would be married and the only thing that they had to do was to bring you to New Orleans, make sure that you were in the room that was chosen for you and that was all."

"What did they get out of this?" I asked sick to my stomach.

"They would have been cared for until they died and then they would have been buried in the family plot along with my mother's parents."

"Are you saying that my parents sold me? I asked.

"I suppose you can look at it that way but no, they wanted no parts of it but my father made your father an offer that he couldn't refuse...."

Micah cocked his head and looked toward the window.

"We have a visitor, no two visitors."

Maurice? I can't believe I'm going to say this but I was thrilled! At that point in time I didn't care that he was a vampire, he was a friendly -yes I said friendly and familiar face. I feigned innocence when I spoke.

"Really? Whose here?"

"Don't be coy!" Micah snapped, "You damn well know who's here!"

Before I knew what was happening Micah had me in his arms and was running through the house carrying me as if I weighed nothing. He didn't stop until he reached a room somewhere on the other side of the house, he whispered something and the door opened. Micah carried me in and threw me on the bed.

"You had better be ready when I return." he growled and then he was gone.

I jumped off the bed, ran to the door and tried to turn the knob, it was locked. No big surprise there but there was a window. I walked over to it and tried to open it, the damned thing wouldn't budge. It was too high and I didn't have enough leverage to lift it up. I looked around and saw another fireplace complete with the poker, I wasn't sure that I could lift the window with it but maybe I could smash it but then what? I had to be at least one story up.

"Going somewhere?" A voice from behind me asked.

I turned around to see a man no a vampire watching me with open interest.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"My name doesn't matter." He replied. "I am here to make sure that you don't do something stupid which apparently you were thinking about."

He was standing in front of me one second and behind me the next effectively blocking the window and my possible escape route out.

******

Edward

I know her! Or at least I did. The longer I thought about it, the more convinced I became that our past was tied to this woman. I turned around to see Daniel staring at me as if he were debating something, "What is it?" I asked.

"Stop thinking about her, we don't know her." he said.

The voice was his but something was missing; it was almost as if he was repeating something that he heard and not his own thoughts, kind of like a robot.

"But we do." I said. "We know this woman somehow and....'

Then his hands were around my throat. I was caught by surprise but moved fast enough that didn't have a good hold on me. We struggled for what seemed to be a long time before we both heard a voice behind us.

"Stop this nonsense!"

Daniel

When I saw the woman I had the same feeling Eddie did, we knew her but what I found interesting was that she spoke to him and not me. When she called his name, I felt something, a memory maybe but it never materialized. I was mistaken, we didn't know this woman but I could see that Eddie was affected by her; he was more convinced than ever that we knew her.

When we left the room, I could tell that he was still trying to figure out who and what this woman was to us. I tried to warn him to stop thinking of her but then he insisted that we knew her.

"Kill him!" I heard in my head and against my will I attacked my brother. I tried to stop myself but I couldn't, my hands were around his neck but I couldn't get a good hold. Just as I was about to pick Eddie up and throw him, someone spoke.

I was so surprised that I dropped Eddie to see who had spoken.

"Who in the hell are you?" I asked the small, bald vampire.

"My name is Maurice Delgado." he said with a slight bow.

My first thought was, this is who Micah is so afraid of? I mean he hardly reached five feet three inches and he was bald. What I'm trying to say is he looked like he could be someone's favorite uncle.

"Alright Maurice Delgado, what the fuck do you want?" I asked.

*******

I made it into the house after killing several of Micah's guards. I knew that he knew that I was here and that he wasn't afraid for one reason, he didn't think that I would get past all of his guards. The fact that he hadn't taken off with Regina told me that he knew that we would meet face to face if I got past his guards.

Regina wasn't too far away, alive and at the moment safe which meant that I could deal wither brothers.

"What I want Daniel is to spare your life." I replied.

He gave me the same look that so many others gave me and laughed.

Edward stood by watching but not commenting. It didn't take me long to figure out who I had to swing to Regina's side.

"Edward." I said, "You do know her."

"No, you don't!" Daniel said vehemently, "We do not know her!"

"Edward, think about her face, who does Regina remind you of?"

"I.... I don't know." he replied but I could see that he was struggling to remember.

I saw Daniel move toward Edward and moved between them. Daniel's anger flared as he glared at me and then I understood what was happening.

"Daniel, you are to kill your brother aren't you?" I asked. "But you don't want to."

His look of anger was replaced with one of shock.

"How do you know that?" he asked.

"I just do." I replied. "We don't have much time; I am going to tell you how you know Regina."

I could feel Micah's presence, my time was about up.

"Regina is your sister. She was brought here by Micah Lannister to be forced into marriage."

Edward was the first of the two to believe me; Daniel needed a little more convincing.

"Think about it, she has a familial resemblance to the both of you and Daniel; if you're honest with yourself you will admit that you know her." I said.

"She doesn't want to marry Micah?" Edward asked.

"No she doesn't, our time is up so you must decide, are you going to continue to follow a vampire that controls your thoughts or are you going to go with what you know to be true?"

All of a sudden, Daniel was holding his head and moaning.

Micah.

I touched Daniel's head and commanded the pain to return to its sender, a moment later we all heard a loud moan. I had stalled Micah for just a moment.

"What will it be?" I asked and then thought it prudent that they know that I would kill the both of them if I had to and while I would feel badly for Regina, I would feel no guilt whatsoever.