Negative reviews change my story for the better, it actually inspires me to deviate from the path I am comfortable in. But don't worry, I fully intend to stick to my path, with a small alteration...because I felt some things had to age in this story, deter it a little. The T after the line break is Tamsin's POV, it may be the only one I do...it had to be done to make that part of the story make sense. who knows how it turned out...after that, the X dictates Sera's pov as before. Short chapter I know! but this weekend I will be able to work on more!

I walked into Sera's room to join Bo and my mother as they stood outside of the hospital room looking at my very sedated daughter. Sera was covered in minor scrapes, her neck still showed marks from the cloudsmen, her right hand was wrapped up in gauze and she was propped at a weird angle to help her back injuries. "how is she, mom?" my mother never took her gaze from her granddaughter, "Stable. For now. We have to get her strength up as soon as possible, she needs to feed and heal. Right now she is very weak and that is complicating things."

Bo closed her eyes and leaned against the edge of the window looking into the room. "The Valkyrie..."

I cut her off, "Tamsin is gone. Bryn was able to find the man responsible for this. She's gone to, deal with him." Bo whipped her head around, staring right at me, her eyes blazing blue, "Who is it."

Bryn answered for me, "Arden. Her almost father in law." Bryn had been sitting behind us, keeping silent watch for her sister. "He has been seeking revenge for centuries for my sister finally finding her conscience." Bryn looked at Bo, "He is the reason why my sister and your family have been attacked over the years. He wants her to know the pain he felt when she murdered Liam. He also hell bent on destroying the future of the light fae. A revenge power play."

I saw and felt Bo's rage grow, "Where is he." her protective nature was coming in at full strength, the succubus in her was right at the surface, waiting for any reason to explode, seeking her own punishment for the crimes against her family.

"Other side of the city, the old garment factory that's been abandoned for twenty years. Arden has been using that as his base of operations, of sorts. One of my escorts had been working for him, succubus let her do this, this is Tamsin's mess that she needs to clean up herself." the look in Bryn's eyes was not one of placing blame on her sister, but one of understanding that a warrior like Tamsin need to finish a battle she started.

Bo yelled at the twin, "He attacked my daughter, my family, and plotted to kill me and harvest our blood to breed his own army. This is also my fight." She moved closer to Bryn, "Take me to him."

Bryn stood up, she towered over Bo, "I cannot do that. My place is here, with her." she pointed to Sera, "I am her protection until my sister finishes things."

Bo growled and went to grab at Bryn, I moved quickly and came between the two women. "Bo." She moved past me and ran to the door, "Nice to see that I have to do this alone, Lauren." I ran after her, "Bo what are you doing? Calm down and we will go together, we can't help Tamsin or Sera if we run blindly into something unknown."

She turned to me, "I am doing what needs to be done, this Arden will feel the pain he has brought to my family."

"Bo! You need to stay here until I figure out a plan, you need to stay with us. Sera needs you." I was afraid that my wife would run blindly into a trap that I would not be able to help her get out of. None of us knew what was waiting for Tamsin. Bo stared at me hard, "That is my baby girl, my only child." I could see the intensity in her eyes, I understood and felt the same, but I didn't want to lose my entire family at knee jerk reaction. I wanted revenge as much as the next person, but I couldn't leave my daughters side.

My mother walked up to us, looked down at my stomach smiling lightly through tired eyes, "Ysabeau, Lauren is right. It is best if you stay here until we know more. Protect your daughter." she reached out and held a hand against my stomach, "and her unborn little sister."

Bo and I both looked at her, "What did you say Elizabeth?" she smiled and dropped her hand from my stomach, "Lauren is pregnant, this little one is going to be just as strong and determined as Sera."

I looked back at Bo, my own hands covering my stomach, her face was blank and pale. Now was not the time to get this amazing news. Bo met my eyes, "But, we have been careful." My mother sighed, "That might be so, but sometimes you cant always predict when you are meant to be parents."

Bo and I held our gaze, a myriad of emotions pouring through the both of us. Our daughter was lying in a unknown state a few feet from us, and now I was pregnant. It felt almost full circle in a strange morbid way. Bo opened her mouth to say something when Kenzi burst into the room, yelling, "Where is she?! Is she okay?" my mother and I looked at the frightened woman as she saw Sera, "Oh shit, no. Not the kiddo." she pressed her hands against the window, "I talked her into going outside to the old tree house, call up Blondie so they could hash out their crap." she began to cry, "This can't be happening."

Bo took the distraction and left with a whisper in my mind that she loved me but she had to go to deal with Arden. I turned to an empty hallway, holding my stomach. "Bo, please don't do something stupid, come back." I pushed the thoughts to Bo, knowing she heard them but was ignoring them.

I felt my mother come behind me, smiling as best as she could, "Kenzi needs us, Tamsin will make sure Bo comes home to you." I looked at her, wanting to race after my wife, but as I looked down at my stomach and realized that my illness over the last few days was a baby, I was torn. Memories of the past and fears of the future.

T

Arden was waiting, sitting in a old metal folding chair in the middle of the abandoned sewing room on the third floor of the garment factory. He looked the same as he had the last time I saw him, yelling at me as he cradled his only son in his arms. The same smooth black hair, the same dead blue eyes and the same features that carried over to Liam. He was still the pompous asshole I remembered, his demeanor oozed it as he grinned upon seeing me walking into the massive room. "Hello my dear Tamsin. I was told that my second hand man had let the cat out of the bag when your lovely twin picked up him." he folded his legs, "Have I killed her? She was quite a powerful fae, the mixing of her succubus mother's super powers and that fae human hybrid? Created an envious creature." he stood up fixing his red tie he wore with his all black suit, "Her only weakness was you. That first attack revealed that, I held onto it and used it to my advantage." he smiled and looked at me, "Revenge is bitter and sweet if done correctly. Liam loved exacting revenge, it was his true talent. I barely recall you having the same talents for many years." he moved to stand behind the chair, leaning on it, "Rumor has it you left the dark fae? Reconciled with your family and are now intermingling with the fabled unaligned super family as well as the light fae ash."

I held my ground, "You know today is the day you die, Arden." I was struggling to keep calm, I had to maintain a upper advantage even though his words were tearing my heart and soul apart. Sera was lying in the hospital and I needed to get back to her.

He laughed, "I doubt it, but today is the day your lovely little royal succubus love dies." He took a deep breath, "She will die today. She is far too weak from the attack and the poison is killing her each moment she is sedated." he looked me dead in the eyes, "You killed my son, Tamsin. I will destroy everything and everyone you love until all of your lifecycles cease. I will continue to attack that family you care for, most importantly I will have murdered the one person who has given you hope and filled that dead heart with a glimmer of love." Arden glanced at the ceiling, "Liam deserves it."

I smiled wide and laughed, "Good thing for you, you won't live to see much past this factory." I pulled out my sword, my wings coming out. "The dumbest thing you ever did was attack the only person that has ever matter more than my own life." I walked closer to him, turning my sword in my hand to the attack position, "I do love her, more than I can understand. I understand one thing, I will kill again to save her. I love her more than I could ever imagine loving Liam. She gives me hope, yes, she has given me hope that after all these years, I will have found peace in giving myself to one person completely."

Arden laughed as he suddenly shifted, taking the form of Lauren, "Oh please don't kill me Commander!" he then shifted into Kenzi, "These people are important to you, are they not?" Arden shifted multiple times, taking the form of Lauren's mother, Trick, and then Sera. I clenched my jaw as emotion swept over me like waves in a storm, I forced myself to keep moving to him. He pranced in place as Sera, "Oh Tamsin! How I love thee!" he laughed deep, "How adorable that the future ash found something of value in you." He then shifted into Bo, "Then there is me, the succubus mother who is protective, powerful and will stop at nothing to protect her precious little one. She has never trusted you, saw the good in you or cared enough too. She will eventually make it so you and her young one cannot be together." Arden walked towards me, "Is it because she sees the same thing I do? A pitiful lost soul? A selfish uncaring woman?"

I was frozen in my steps as hearing the Bo in front of me saying the things I knew Bo felt in her heart, Arden was now standing in front of me, "She will not mourn your death. She will celebrate it, perhaps with me." Arden's hand shot out, punching me across the face with something cold and hard. I fell to my knee's, dazed. He bent down, "How does it feel knowing so many want you dead? Especially the mother of the woman you love oh so much and blames you for the slow death of her child?"

I looked him in the eyes, "It will never change the love I have for Sera, nor will I ever regret killing your son."

Arden flinched as he bent closer, shifting through the bodies of all the ones I did love, Sophia included, before stopping as Sera. He smiled when he saw my eyes widen again. Then he jabbed me in the sternum with the dagger he had hit me in the face with, it was so fast, I did not see it coming. He half whispered, "Blinding by a hopeless unattainable love." I couldn't stop staring at Sera's face, I closed my eyes and pulled back, slamming my sword into his side until it came out his back. Blood began to pour out of his body and slap at the factory floor.

Opening my eyes when I heard his cry, I watched as he shifted back to his own body. I stood up, "I would die for her and I will kill for her." Arden screamed at me and tried to run towards me.

A blur of black clothes and brown hair cut him off mid gait, throwing him to the ground. Bo reached down and held up by the arms, screaming at him as she tried to pull what little life that was not all over the factory floor. I yelled at her as I clutched at my sternum, "Let him die, slowly Bo."

She looked at me as the chi sputtered out of him, "Let him die like his son."

I closed my eyes as I felt my wings retract, the sound of Arden hitting the floor with a choked gurgle, I let out a breath. I turned to walk away when I felt a hand helping me stop my own bleeding. The succubus's voice was soft, "You're hurt."

I looked down at her as she tried to help me, I put my hand on her arm, forcing her to look at me, "How is Sera?" She tried to hold in the tears, as she looked back down at her hands, "Sedated, weak, she is." she shook her head, "We need to get you to the hospital."

I placed my hand on top of hers, I had already begun to feel the call from Odin the second Arden let out his last breath. "I will be fine, succubus. My bus is about to leave." I squeezed her hand as I tried to pull it off, stepping back. "Sera is safe now, there will no longer be a threat to worry about, for her and your family. Its finished." My mind was racing with everything I wanted to say, but couldn't. The golden light began to fill the room, my wound began to slowly knit itself together as my new Valkyrie armor formed around my body. "Tell her that I loved her, tell her to move on. Find someone who deserves her." I found myself choking on my own words as I watched Bo tear up, "Tamsin, I heard everything you said to him. I should not have interfered, tried to push you away from her. I finally see how much you love her...and she loves you."

I held out my hand as my new helmet appeared, setting itself down in my palm, "Please tell her that she was my Sophia in this life." I placed the helmet on, honoring the request that all Valkyries who walked the halls of Valhalla would be in the ancient armor. I kept my eyes on Bo, "It's better I leave, so she forget me." I was lying as my heart was screaming at me to stay, disobey my own request and run to the one who made me feel whole for the first time in more than a few centuries. But I didn't, I couldn't.

Bo reached for me, "Stay, dammit. She needs you."

I stared at the succubus, my heart shattering as it shut down. I looked up as my wings began to lift me, I was choking back tears. I took one last look at Bo, seeing that she finally understood what was between Sera and I and why I had been fighting it for so long. I yelled down to her, "Promise me you will tell her what I told you." I closed my eyes as I was lifted up into Valhalla, leaving the succubus and Arden's lifeless body on the ground. My heart somewhere with them as well. Sera was my Sophia of this life and it scared me senseless from the second I realized that I had fallen in love with the elegant woman my friends daughter had become. I fought it for so long, trying to push her away to make it easier on the both of us. Sera opened my heart in her resilience of not giving up, forcing my heart open, forcing me to feel things again and stop driving through my lives on autopilot, drunken autopilot. She made my soul want to breath again, to live again. But I would always hurt her, my dark fae past would hang always hang over me, and my inability to give into my heart completely and lastly my inability to step over the loyalty I had for her family. I wanted her to find someone who could tell her how much they loved her everyday with ease, keep her safe and happy. I knew that I was not that woman and I wondered as I reached the front steps of the hall, if I ever would be.

I had drifted off in the chair next to Sera's bed. I heard a slight rustle and then felt a warm hand against my cheek. I opened my eyes, looking into the sad brown eyes of my wife as she smiled sadly, She said nothing as she pulled me from the chair and into a tight embrace, "I was so wrong Lauren, I am sorry for not listening to you and Sera." I held her tightly, watching Bryn as she stood up from the chair she had been occupying for hours, giving me a final nod as she walked out of the hospital, looking sad herself.

"Bo, where is Tamsin?"

"Gone, she killed Arden and was sucked up into Valkyrie heaven." Bo pulled back, wiping away tears as I swallowed hard, "Not heaven, she went to Valhalla, home." I held onto Bo as I looked at Sera, still heavily sedated. I slid my hand into Bo's, "Tamsin took a seat with Odin until her lifecycle ends." I walked to my daughter, "Because of us, because of Sera. Tamsin can't bring herself to hurt any of us..."

Bo moved to stand next to me at the bed, "I was so wrong to get angry and try to control their hearts. I heard everything Tamsin said to Arden, her feelings for Sera." Bo leaned into my arm, "I tried to get her to stay, admitting I was blind to this."

I ran my hand down her hair, "This is going to change her, Bo." I knew in more ways than one and it was frightening, knowing I was partly to blame.

X

Multiple intense fever dreams riddled my mind until my eyes opened and I saw my mom sleeping in a chair. The gentle rise and fail of her chest showing me how deep in sleep she was. I looked around, noticing my right hand was bandaged. It suddenly all came rushing in, "Tamsin." it came out as a raspy half whisper, waking my mom up. She rushed to me as I tried to sit up, pain echoing in every inch of my body. "Sera, stay still." She looked back and waved at someone to come in.

I grabbed at her hand on my forearm, "Where is she?"

I watched her face drop, "Relax, you are still sick." it didn't take much for me to see her thoughts, I went from holding onto her to pushing her away, "No, no." I felt my eyes begin to change color as my hands began to glow, even the bandaged one, pushing violet light through the heavy gauze. I tried harder to get out of the bed. My mum and grams ran into the room to try and restrain me as I was too weak and the strain on my body could be dangerous. I screamed, "Where is she!"

my mom held my face in her hands, "Rest, Sera. Please." I stared in her eyes, "why did you let her go?" I felt the immense guilt run through my mom like a freight train as she whispered tearfully, "I couldn't stop her."

I screamed again and passed out from the pain of the injuries and my broken heart.

Six months later.

"Sera, do you want some lunch?" I stood behind my daughter as she sat in the old wooden chair that sat on the edge of the cobblestone patio of the old English cottage. Sera looked back and smiled, reaching back to rub my very pregnant belly, I felt my smile fade a little as I saw the small white scars on her hand from the Valkyrie wings, "no thanks mum, I am not very hungry." she smiled wider as her hand paused, "You are getting close, the munchkin wants out." she squinted, "Seems AK has already been promising her all sorts of fun." I laughed and placed my hand over Sera's on my belly, "I know, Kenzi has been talking to her as I nap on the couch." I leaned forward and kissed her on top of the head, "You really should eat, you are looking thin."

She smiled, "I eat." she turned back to her books and notes. "mom will be here soon, I will wait for dinner." I said nothing, just looking down at her. She was still healing from the attack, physically and emotionally. I was right when I told Bo that it would change Sera, she had become withdrawn and distant in the last few months as her body continued to fight without her help. I knew she wanted to let the poison take over after Bo and I told her what happened with Tamsin. The only reason she began to fight was after we told her I was pregnant again. Bo and I were visiting her before her twenty third birthday, hoping she would come home for the birth of her little sister and maybe draw her out of her sadness.

My eyes moved from Sera and out to the massive green hills and large trees that was my daughters backyard. After Sera recovered from the infection, she packed up, bought a cottage in England close to the one I had stayed in so many years ago, and attempted to start her life over. She had begun to do research work for my mother, living and working from home. Her scars from the cloudsmen were still healing, especially the ones on her back. The infection had done deeper damage than normal succubus healing could remedy, the biggest scar was in her heart was one I was afraid would never heal. Sera had been angry at her mom for a while, but slowly forgave her as she saw Bo had her own guilt for her actions and not trying harder to stop Tamsin.

"mum, I am not mad at her anymore. You can stop thinking about it." Sera looked back and smiled, "She is my mom and wanted to keep me safe, I have forgiven her." she pointed at my belly, "you guys should be glad that one wont be a succubus."

I looked down, "I hate when you do that, takes all the fun of it." I sighed as I went to sit down next to Sera. I furrowed my brow, "what will she be?"

Sera laughed, "She will be like you and grams, but a powerful healer." Sera wiggled her hands, "Appears grandpa tricks genetics have decided to join the family. Ayn Kenzi Lewis is a blood sage empathy/telepath." she turned back to her notebooks, "Should be interesting when she is a teenager."

I leaned back in my chair and rubbed at my belly, "Not as interesting as when you were a teenager."

Sera's smile suddenly dropped, "I still think about her everyday, mum." she turned to look at me, her green eyes cloudy with sadness, "Why was loving me so hard for her?"

I reached for her hand, "She broke her own heart to save yours." Sera looked away, staring off into the green hills. She whispered, "She took mine with her." Sera dropped my hand and stood up, pulling up the hood on her sweatshirt and walking out into the backyard. "Mum, go inside before you catch cold. Mom is down the street, with AK." she looked back to me, her eyes full of tears, "I will back before dinner."

I watched Sera as she walked to the tree line, disappearing into the canopy of old trees.

X

My twenty third birthday came and went, then my little sister was born two weeks later. Then my twenty fourth, twenty fifth birthday came and went. I looked in the mirror at my thirty year old self, sighing as Ayn was bouncing on my bed. "Kid, I swear to go god if you do not stop that, I will staple you to the ceiling."

Ayn fell to the bed, giggling as I turned to look at her from the bathroom. My little sister was now seven and a super bundle of energy. I shook my head at mess of brown hair with two little brown eyes poking out from the bangs. Ayn looked more like mom than mum, she had mum's intelligence but was full of mom's charisma and cheeky ways. She blew her hair out of her face, "Sorry Fi, I am just bored. You almost done? So we can go?" I nodded, Ayn called me Fi because she never could say my full name and just resorted to calling me Fi.

Trying to pull my blonde hair back as I looked for the wrinkles that would never show on my face. I looked older, almost exactly like mum in age and had grown into my body a little more. I took a deep breath and walked out of the bathroom. Ayn and my parents were visiting like they did multiple times a year as I continued to live my life in England, my quiet hermit life preparing to take over for my grandfather. He had told me that he was intending to resign and hand over the title to me in twenty years, he had been ash for almost two hundred years and he was growing tired of it, wanting to spend more time with my grams, his daughters and granddaughters. I had completed my residency and had gotten my doctorate in biomedical genetic engineering, working with my mum and grams on fae genetics. I had settled into a very bland, boring, life, similar to one AK had told me my mum lived until she met mom.

I threw a jacket at Ayn, "lets go kid, mom and mum will be back before dinner, so we need to go now to get their anniversary gift." Ayn bounced off the bed, pulling her jacket on, "Fi, will you tell me the story about your necklace again?"

I smiled and absently ran my fingers over the wings I still wore around my neck, "Sure, but only if you promise to tell AK to hurry up and get here so she can be here for the surprise." I laughed as I watched my sister focus her telepath powers, scrunching her face up, balling her fists. I had been trying to teach her how to use her powers for the last little while as they came into effect. I was correct about Ayn, she was like me in telepathy and telekinesis, not as strong as her blood sage powers. We found from an early age that her blood could heal anything as well as change the path of those she wrote about. AK was the one who discovered it when she cut her hand cutting up waffles, requiring stitches. Ayn was five and she panicked, pricking her own finger and mixing her blood with AK's, watching as the deep gash closed on its own with a few drops.

Ayn let out a breath and smiled, "All done, she is on her way with Uncle Hale." she held out her hand for me to take it, "lets go!"

I laughed and let her pull me out of the room. Our parents were out at the castle mum had proposed at, reminiscing.

Ayn and I walked down the street in a suburb of London that was full of small shops, we were going to go in together and get a anniversary gift together. Ayn looked up at me as she kept a death grip on my hand, "Tell the wing story Fi." I smiled, "There was a very old, very beautiful Blonde valkyrie that was mum's friend. She gave me these wings and whenever I would hold them over my heart, and called for her. She swooped down out of the sky like a angel..."

"Or like superman." Ayn interjected with conviction, I laughed knowing AK was responsible for her comic knowledge.

"like an angel or superman. She was strong, kind, and fierce." I looked in the shop windows as I let my mind drift to Tamsin, I had never forgotten her. I had never bothered to look for love again after she left. I would indulge in my succubus nature out of necessity and necessity alone, but I had not bothered with a relationship or sought out one. Her last words to me were forever etched in my heart and soul.

I felt Ayn tug on my hand, "and! And!"

"And! The Valkyrie fought the evil men, with one swoop of her sword. Saving me." I ran my hand over the necklace, " and I loved her very much." it came out as a whisper, I had never added that part of the story I told Ayn. Ayn yanked on my hand, "Do it, call the Valkyrie." she pointed at my necklace. When she was little and afraid of the dark, I would sit with Ayn in her bed and we would press the wings against my heart and call for the Valkyrie to scare away the monsters. Tamsin never came, but the monsters disappeared from under the bed. Ayn would fall asleep peacefully and I would walk out into the backyard, press the wings to my heart and call for her, like I had the minute I was out of the hospital after the attack. She never came.

I picked up Ayn and stood her up on a bench so we could be eye to eye, "you ready munchkin?"

She nodded and covered my hand with her tiny one, we both pressed the wings against my heart. Ayn softly whispered, "Come to my aid, Valkyrie." while I silently asked for Tamsin. We both closed our eyes and waited. A few seconds passed and I opened my eyes, seeing my little sisters eyes still closed tightly, I smiled. I went to tap her to get her to open them when I felt a gentle wind pass around us and a strange sensation come over me.

"I came as fast as I could, kid."

I gasped and turned to the gruff voice, Tamsin was standing in front of me, delicate smile on her face, her eyes looked right in mine as I felt my heart stop. I went to touch her, not thinking what I was seeing was real. Then Ayn climbed onto my back and pointed at Tamsin, "Fi? Who is that?"

Tamsin looked at Ayn, her smile fading slightly. I had to force my voice to work, "Ayn, this is my very old, very beautiful Valkyrie. Tamsin."

More to come!