Chapter 18

When Pierce emerged from one of their secret floor traps in his high rise apartment, he stood silent for a moment. The rooms were dark except for the moon shining through the enormous windows that overlooked the city. He closed his eyes, reaching out with his mind to Carissa to make sure she was safe. He found her asleep at the moment, which was good. She needed rest after so much had happened to her in such a short time.

Their front door down the hall opened and he caught a glimpse of Lucy walking toward their offices. Before long, the scent of fresh coffee floated down the hall. Slowly, he made his way to the kitchen and found her piling fresh fruit on a plate.

"Oh!" Lucy exclaimed when she saw him, "I didn't see you."

He smiled. "I did not mean to startle you."

She gave a nervous laugh. "I admit, I'm a little on edge ever since Carissa was taken by those awful scientists."

"If you can call them that," Pierce replied dryly.

"True. Science should discover and explore things that can help or cure."

"Well, to them, they are looking for evidence of vampires and a way to get rid of them. So in effect, they believe they are helping society."

Lucy gave a snort. "Hard to justify when they don't even understand the difference between Carpathian and vampire! Is it true that you saved Carissa from a vampire at the lab?"

"Let me guess, Samuel opened his big mouth." Lucy had only seen them after they'd destroyed the lab and delivered Carissa safely to her home. Pierce had been too drained to talk about anything other then the fact that they'd found her. But while he sought the comfort of their hidden Carpathian soil, Samuel most likely had retold the entire tale to Graham and Lucy.

"Well, he said there was one at the lab when you found Carissa. That he was holding her."

"Hmm, and did he mention the vampire saved her from one of the guards?"

Samuel's voice broke in as he suddenly walked into the kitchen. "Vampires lie all the time, Lucy. He was probably just saying that."

Pierce folded his arms across his chest and winked at Lucy. "Carissa confirmed it."

"She was in a state of shock," protested Samuel.

"And he warned us last night that if we harm her in any way, he will hunt us down."

"Oh my," said Lucy with widened eyes. "That doesn't sound like a normal vampire."

Samuel rolled his eyes. "He claims he doesn't know what he is after the experiments they did with some minerals. It doesn't change the fact that he betrayed the Carpathian people."

Lucy nibbled on a peach, then gave a small smile. "New things happen all the time. Maybe it's a possibility that whatever experiment they did actually helped him."

"Not likely," muttered Samuel.

"No more likely than the possibility of twins being lifemate to one woman?" She blinked at him with innocent eyes.

"Serves you right for telling her everything," laughed Pierce at the look on his twin's face.

"Graham had already guessed something different was happening to both of us," answered Samuel. "Lucy is our family. Sooner or later she was going to find out."

Lucy took her cup of coffee and plate with her as she began to make her way back to the office area. "Well, I think it's wonderful."

"Do you?" Pierce was suddenly curios as to what she was thinking. Didn't the idea of both twins with one woman make her uncomfortable?

"You both have emotions again. Both of you were always kind, but so silent all the time." She gave a little laugh as she sat down at her desk. "Not that Samuel didn't keep up his perception of being a playboy. He still did that well even though I knew none of it was true."

"I recall that I helped keep quite a few of the local nightclubs stay in business," said Samuel with a grin. He walked behind Lucy and bent down to give her a hug, kissing her cheek. "But you are the only woman I ever came home to every night." She giggled and pushed him away.

"But…doesn't it bother you?" asked Pierce in a quite voice.

"What? Samuel going to nightclubs?"

"No. Carissa and I…and Samuel."

She fired up the computer and fiddled with the mouse. "Well, at first I was a little shocked," she admitted. Then she blushed. "But if I were her and had two extremely handsome men who only had eyes for me…"

Samuel beamed. "Did you hear that? She said extremely handsome."

"Good looks only get you so far," replied Pierce. "And judging by how Carissa felt last night, we have a long way to go."

Lucy gave them a look of concern. "But you saved her life. I understand the shock of finding out there are both of you, but didn't the fact that you rescued her help at least a little?"

"Not really. She believes we've lied to her repeatedly so there's no trust."

"But lifemates don't lie."

Pierce sighed. "Not volunteering information isn't much better. We were trying to give her more time, hoping she would adjust first to the concept of becoming Carpathian."

"Then she found out we fed her," interjected his twin.

"Well, she thought one of us did," said Pierce as Lucy furrowed her brow.

"Then she was kidnapped," said Samuel.

"And her friend died…"

"And she met a vampire…"

Lucy shook her head trying to keep up with their comments going back and forth. "No wonder the poor girl is so overwhelmed! For her to go to go through all that and then find out about both of you? You need to bring her back here."

Samuel scoffed. "She didn't even want to talk with us last night. I don't think bringing her here is going to help things."

"I actually agree," said Pierce. "She needs some time alone to absorb everything. Home is where she feels like things are normal. And we put safeguards in place to protect her."

Lucy stood up from the desk. "You are both clueless!"

The twins looked at her in confusion. "Excuse me?" asked Pierce.

"Bringing her here has nothing to do with talking to either of you. She just lost her best friend and she has no family. Then both of you are telling her she's going to be with both of you forever. The poor girl has no one to talk with about these things."

"She has us," huffed Samuel.

"Oh you silly male. Women need other women in a time like this. Now, you bring her here and then go on to LogTech to continue working on things."

Pierce raised an eyebrow. "As if she'll listen to us? Maybe we should just take you to see her."

Lucy reached in a drawer and pulled out some stationary. As she began to write, she chattered on: "She needs to begin feeling like she sees more of what you both are, but on her own. The only way is to bring her here with me." Lucy folded up the letter into an envelope. "Now, you give this to her. I'll try to get some work done in the meantime."

Samuel took the envelope and stared at her like a lost little boy. "We have every right to be here if Carissa actually agrees to this."

Lucy gave a sweet smile. "Did I mention that the CFO of LogTech found a way to buy out two other smaller companies?" When the twins frowned, she continued. "The stock market almost crashed. You manage to save most of it but there were some incredible opportunities. Unfortunately, neither of you were available for consultation so they moved to buy out a few companies on their own."

Pierce cursed. "They were already in trouble financially."

"That's where the virus all started. Somehow, he has to be under someone's influence."

"Fine," muttered Pierce as he looked at Lucy. "But no promises Carissa will want to return here."

Carissa grew tense when a car pulled up into her driveway, knowing without a doubt it was the twins. It was around midnight and she'd just woken up. Ever since she'd fed from the twins, she was finding her normal habits changing, including her sleeping pattern. Then again, if she were to become Carpathian someday, then she probably needed to get used to being awake at night.

She scooted out of the bed and went into the bathroom. Looking in the mirror, she was surprised to see how smooth and young her skin looked. Yet she also looked very tired and felt weak. Sighing, Carissa finished in the bathroom and slipped on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. A week ago she would have tried hard to fuss with her clothes with the knowledge that Pierce was going to see her. Now she didn't really even care. If the twins wanted her, they might as well see her for real. And she had no style or sophistication. Chances were, she'd never be good enough for them.

You have it wrong, whispered one of them in her mind, it is we who can never hope to be what you deserve.

Cujo whined and went to her bedroom door. Reluctantly, she opened it and found both of them standing there. As usual, they looked completely perfect. Samuel was dressed in a silk shirt and jeans while Pierce wore a fine suit.

"At least you are beginning to tell us apart," murmured Pierce, his warm eyes roaming over her face.

Samuel smiled a little. "It's easy. Whichever one of us acts boring and dull, you can be sure then it's Pierce. And he never wears jeans, either."

"I will love you no matter what you wear," said Pierce, slightly annoyed at his twin.

Samuel winked at her. "Don't think you can try to change him. I've tried for hundreds of years."

Carissa almost smiled, but she stopped herself. No matter what they said, she was going to stay angry at them. They'd lied to her.

"We didn't lie. But I admit not volunteering information is just as bad."

"I know it will be hard at first, but we love you," said the other.

"Carissa, just give us some time to gain your trust. I know we haven't always told you everything up front…"

"That's an understatement!" she suddenly exclaimed. "I think I trust Tyrell more than either of you!" When they visibly winced, she cruelly took advantage of it. "At least he was there to save me from the guard who was about to rape me."

"We tried to find you."

"Obviously not soon enough," Carissa snapped back without thinking.

Samuel couldn't help himself. "If you had listened to us in the first place, none of this would have happened."

Pierce growled in his twin's mind. Are you trying to make things worse?

Tears stung Carissa's eyes. "What are you saying? That I'm responsible for Kylie's death?"

"Of course not," replied Pierce in a calm voice before Samuel could say anything else, "what matters now is that you are safe and we can try to talk about things."

She sniffed. "That won't bring back Kylie, or even my life for that matter."

"Were you really even that happy? All your life, you were surrounded by people, but always felt alone. And the men who were in your life, you never trusted. We want to show you that it can be different, Carissa." Pierce used a soft voice, hoping it would calm her.

"It's not going to be that easy," she protested as she wiped away a tear.

"And just how is this easy?" grumbled Samuel. " Carissa, like it or not, you belong to us."

Will you shut it?

No, shot back Samuel to his twin on their private link. "You have two men standing here, willing to do anything for you. What more could you possibly want?"

Pierce sighed. In his own arrogance, Samuel thought he was being perfectly logical. They could easily have any woman, so none of this made sense to his twin. To prepare for Carissa's reaction, Pierce actually took a step back.

And she did not disappoint.

"Are you saying I should be grateful for losing the life that I've known?" She was furious now, her eyes red and angry. "What more could I want? How about the right to have a choice?"

"But I will give any anything you want."

Carissa actually advanced forward, surprising Samuel as she pointed her finger at his chest. "You don't know what I want!" She turned to storm away, but he grabbed her arm.

"And do you?" he demanded. "Your life has been turned upside down. You think I don't know? So has mine, Carissa! But at least I keep moving forward and try to embrace it rather than run from it."

"And just how has your life been turned upside down?"

He brought her hand to his chest. "It's hard to sort out so much emotion after not feeling a thing for so many years. Yes, I'm arrogant and say the wrong things. I don't understand how to please you when the purpose now in my life is your happiness. Do you know how that feels when you will not even talk with me? And what about the fact that we also were shocked to find out that you belong not only to me, but also my twin?"

She bit her lip. While she was still angry, his comments made her feel a little guilty. Neither of them had at first known that both of them were her lifemate. They hadn't planned on anything that happened. She could sense their fear and concern for her well being was the reason for any mistakes they'd made.

Pierce gently took Carissa's hand from Samuel's chest and held it within his own. "I know we have much to learn. We can only try to work toward building trust. We will never lie to you nor on purpose hold back information."

Carissa withdrew her hand, but at least she didn't move away. "You want me to see the oldest Carpathian."

"Yes."

"When?" The twins looked at each other and she crossed her arms over her chest. "Don't talk privately to each other. We just talked about trust and you need to tell me."

"A few days," answered Pierce.

"A few days? I have things I need to do. The travel agency has no one there. And Kylie…I want to attend a service for Kylie. Has her husband even been notified?"

"The news reports that Morrison came forward and was able to provide evidence that an explosion occurred in the lab. They made it sound like it was due to some chemicals which was fully disclosed to regulators when they first built the location."

"In other words," added Samuel, "they have the perfect rationale for the local authorities. They also have video evidence of one of their workers leaving with Kylie from the bar. They are suggesting the two had an arrangement and unfortunately were caught in the explosion."

Carissa gasped. "But she didn't go home that night…the lab caught fire the next evening."

"Unfortunately, the authorities are simply agreeing with Morrison that she may have been planning to run away with him. They recovered some of her DNA in the remains which confirmed she was there."

"But it's not true! She would never run away with another man! Her husband is already dealing with her death and now he thinks she was cheating on him. It's so unfair! I have to talk with him."

The twins had dark expressions. "It is dangerous to talk with him. To even put the question in his head that someone actually abducted her would be worse. We do not want more attention on the issue. While we'd like nothing more than to drag down Morrison with the police, it will only add to a lengthy investigation that will not result in any indictment, we assure you. We know they have powerful connections."

Carissa trembled. "But they're murders!"

"And justice was carried out on those who worked in the lab and believed in such atrocities. We will not rest until we find all those who are a part of this organization."

"Why didn't the police even question me? I was her friend." When they were quiet, she wrapped her arms around herself. "Because they believed it was a simple accident. No one wanted any questions asked. They found a way to keep Kylie's husband quiet."

Pierce's eyes softened. "We are truly sorry for your loss and that we could not save her in time. We regret we were not there to protect you."

She shook her head and went back to her bed. Sitting down, Carissa began to cry again. "No, it's all my fault. If I'd only listened to you. I should have never let her go to that bar. I should have called her husband." By now her body was shaking, her hands trembling.

The twins felt helpless. They wanted to hold her or engulf her with their feelings to warm her heart. But they knew she must want their touch. It had to be earned.

"When did you last eat?" asked Samuel in a soft voice as watched her shake.

"I-I don't know. My stomach feels sick."

"Will you allow us to help you?"

When she looked up, both of them were standing over her with concerned faces. Well, at least this was one good compromise. She needed to eat and it would make them happy to have a way to help her. "Okay."

Samuel stepped forward. "You are very weak. May I carry you to the kitchen?"

"Um, I guess…" He gently picked her up and carried her down the hall. She glanced over his shoulder and saw Pierce right behind them. As he set her down at the kitchen table, Carissa looked back and forth between them. "So, it doesn't bother either of you when the other…touches me."

Neither of them answered except by shaking their head.

"But the idea bothers you," Carissa said in a soft voice.

"Doesn't it bother you?" asked Pierce as he set a bowl of vegetable soup down in front of her.

She squirmed a little. "Well, yes, its…I don't know…" Her face felt hot and she knew she was blushing. "It's just hard to make sense of all this."

"We know, Carissa," replied Pierce. "And we do not want to force anything on you."

"And yet I don't really have a choice." She suddenly felt miserable again.

He sighed. "Maybe now is a good time to let you know that a friend of ours has extended you an invitation." Pierced nodded at Samuel who gave her the small envelope.

"What is this?"

"Lucy is one of our most trusted human friends. She insisted we give this to you."

Carissa slowly opened the envelope. To their astonishment, she began to laugh. Smiling, she nodded. "Yes, I think I'd like to meet her."

"How is it that you are willing to talk with her so easily?" grumbled Samuel. She handed him the note and he frowned as he read:

Carissa - they are completely clueless when it comes to women. Please join me for a cup of coffee so we can talk more about how to train them properly. - Lucy