Blood Means Everything

EIGHT

I smile and kiss her forehead. "It's going to be okay," I whisper, stepping onto the porch. "Your Dad is waiting for you inside."

" Do you think he's mad at me?" Astraea asked, worry in her voice.

I shook my head. "No, honey, he's not mad at you. He could never be mad at you," I say, opening the front door.

As we stepped inside, Saint was pacing around in the living room with his arms crossed. He sighed when he saw us, but there was an underlying warmth to his expression. "Come here, sweetheart," Saint says softly. As he opens his arms, Astraea jumps into them. She hugged him tightly as she started to cry again.

Their hug reminds me of the day before Dante died when I saw him and jumped into his arms. I closed my eyes as the memories flooded in before they slowly faded away.

"It's going to be alright," Saint whispers as he holds Astraea close.

"I'm so sorry, Dad. I should have never acted like that toward you or Mom," she sobs.

"Shhh, it's all good now," he says soothingly. As he wipes away her tears. " Astraea, you need to under that we are not mad at you," I whisper, walking up to them.

Astraea nods, her face filled with guilt and relief. "I'm sorry," she mumbles again before taking a deep breath and pulling away from Saint's hug.

" I think I'm going to go lie down. I'm tired," Astraea mumbles as she starts to walk away.

Saint watches her leave before turning towards me. His face breaks into a sad smile as he looks down at me with piercing blue eyes. "It's okay, she'll be alright," he reassures me before pulling me into a hug.

" She won't be alright until we find Raul," I whisper, my heart aching.

Saint nods and gives me an encouraging squeeze. "Your brothers have found a few things about his life after you left," he says. " Where are my brothers?" I ask. "They're in the conference room, trying to find more information about Raul," he responds.

I take a deep breath and nod my head in understanding before turning towards the door. "Alright then, let's go see what they've found out," I say as I walk out of the room.

Saint follows closely behind me.

Together, we make our way to the conference room. " Aurora," Axel says, running up to me. "It's good to see you," I whisper, hugging him. "I've missed you, little sis," Leonardo says from the back of the room. I smile and nod in acknowledgment before pulling away from Axel. " Where is Adrian and Matteo?" I ask, now turning to see Leo.

" Adrain is out tracking some leads, and Matteo should get here tonight," Leo says. "Ok, What have you guys found," I say before sitting at the table. " The nurse that told you Raul was dead is now married to him," Leo explains softly.

" What?" I whisper. " Continue," Saint says, gently rubbing my hand. " Her name is Leah Vaughn. She stopped working as a doctor a year before she and Raul had a son," Axel explains. "They just moved to the city a few months ago," Leonardo adds.

I slowly pull my hand from Saint and place it in my lap. "How old is their son?" I ask, trying to process the news. "He's Five now," Axel says. I look up at him and nod.

I was five when I lost my mother. I can't do the same to that little boy.

"I don't think I can kill Raul now," I admit, fidgeting my wedding ring. " Why?" Saint asks, his deep voice filling the room. I look up and meet his gaze with a determined look. " Because," I say slowly, "No child should have to grow up without their father and mother like I did."

" As much as I want to kill Leah for faking Raul's death, or kill Raul for all the things he did to me. I refuse to ruin a child's life. I won't let that boy go into foster care so that he can be hurt," I explain, my voice wavering.

The room falls silent. " We can make sure, their son gets into a good home," Leo says. I nod in agreement and take a deep breath. " When we grab Raul and Leah, I want it to be as calm as possible. I don't want their son to be afraid."

The others nodded in agreement, and the room fell into a tense silence. I smile at my brother Saint before leaving the room