Gemini of the Shifter Realm

Chapter 1 Grim Reaper

Valentine Winters P.O.V

Nothing made sense anymore. Why were they growing so fast?

I gazed down at my children, my heart heavy with confusion and worry. It had been two months since Gabriel first noticed the changes, and the pace of their growth was bewildering. Each week seemed to add a month to their age. At three months old, Logan and Vanity looked like they were already a year old, their tiny bodies growing at an unnaturally rapid rate.

I sat cross-legged on the white, furry carpet in the nursery, watching them play. Their laughter filled the room, a bright contrast to the darkness in my mind. I was lost in thought, so deep in my own world that I didn't even notice Lucifer enter. It wasn't until he sat beside me, his presence a comforting warmth, that I realized I wasn't alone.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" he asked softly, his eyes searching mine.

I hesitated, then spoke, my voice barely above a whisper. "Do you think they injected me with the same serum they used on Evelyn while I was unconscious?"

Lucifer's brow furrowed. "Wouldn't you be showing symptoms, too, if that were the case?"

A knot formed in my stomach. "What if they injected it directly into the placentas instead?"

He shook his head, his expression skeptical. "I highly doubt it."

He was trying to reassure me, but I could see the uncertainty in his eyes. "I think it has something to do with my vampire gene," he finally said.

I swallowed hard, the weight of his words sinking in. "The faster they grow, the faster they're going to die," I said, my voice breaking. The thought was too much to bear. My babies—our babies—couldn't be taken from us so soon.

Lucifer let out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through his hair. "There's never a moment of peace, is there?" he muttered bitterly.

I leaned into him, seeking comfort in his strength as he wrapped an arm around me. "I promise, we'll find a cure for this," he whispered, his voice steady, but I could hear the desperation beneath it.

Tears stung my eyes. "What if we don't? What if this time... we can't? We don't even know what we're up against," I replied, my voice trembling.

Lucifer tightened his grip around me, his expression determined. "Then we find out," he said firmly. "We'll get help. We'll do whatever it takes."

Zoe Lawson P.O.V

I watched Theodore toss his suitcase onto the bed, his face twisted in frustration. "Not only did they book me on the same flight as you, but they also put us in the same accommodation?" he snarled, his voice dripping with annoyance.

I smirked inwardly, taking a perverse pleasure in his irritation as I unpacked my bag. "We're going to the same college too, you know," I said, my tone light but teasing, hoping to push him just a bit further.

"I don't want to go to college," he muttered, his jaw clenched. "They can force me into one, but that doesn't mean I'm going to graduate."

I paused, turning to face him. "The more you fight this, the more likely you are to get yourself—or someone else—hurt," I said softly, trying to inject a note of reason into my voice.

He turned on me, his eyes blazing with a mix of anger and pain. "You don't understand how I feel, Zoe," he snapped. "I lost a parent. I've been turned into the very creature I despise, and now I'm being sent away against my will, away from my brothers." His hands clenched into fists, the knuckles turning white.

I swallowed hard, unsure of how to respond. I could feel the tension between us, thick and suffocating, each word he spoke like a punch to my gut.

"And if that wasn't enough, now my future is stolen from me, even my love life decided by others!" he continued, his voice growing louder. "It infuriates me because I can't control these feelings when I'm around you. It's like they're being forced on me."