Old Version Shatter Pieces

Chapter 30: The Family Name

Elinn

I looked at the two men standing before me. Could it be possible? Did I really have siblings that would recognize me after twelve years? It seemed impossible and yet my wolf kept telling me that they were indeed our family. As if a dam had been broken and a memory came back to me.

"Come on Xandy run faster!" I squealed as I raced around the backyard.

"Elinn, you're so fast, how am I supposed to catch up with you?" Xander teased me. I knew he was faster than me he was four years older than I was. He was just letting me win, but that was okay.

"Don't worry Elinn, if Xander can't catch you I will!" Darius cried as he ran at me. I shrieked and ran as far away from him as I could get. Darius was much faster than me and caught me in a few seconds. He swung me into his arms and began tickling me. My laughter filled the backyard as Xander rushed over to help his brother.

"What's going on back here?" I heard my father's amused voice ask. He was standing in the doorway staring at us and chuckling to himself.

"Daddy help me! I've been captured!" I screamed through my laughter. Dad shook his head and then charged across the grass.

"No one hurts my princess," Dad said and the boys scattered running like their lives depended on it. Daddy scooped me up and set me on his shoulders without missing a beat.

We chased the boys around the yard until Mom called us in for dinner. Dad swept my brothers into his arms and carried us all back towards the house. Darius and Xander each took one of my hands helping me to balance better.

"Boys, you both know how special your sister is right?" Dad asked and the boys nodded. " As princes to the kingdom, you must learn to be strong and fight. No matter what happens you are to stay with Elinn and protect her at all times. The guards can't always keep up with her so you two will have too. She is so very important to the future. Now let's go enjoy some of Mom's cooking."

I studied the men in front of me and I couldn't deny that they looked like the brothers I was just now remembering. I fell to my knees in front of them and they rushed to me.

"Elinn, what's wrong? Are you hurt? What just happened?" Xander asked scanning my body for any sign of injury. I tried my best to hold in the sobs that wanted to rack my body. I was so torn inside, my wolf wanted me to trust them, but I wasn't sure they wouldn't hurt me.

I crawled away from their touch and a sob broke free from my tight hold. Xander tried to reach for me again, but Darius held him back. My oldest brother was examining me carefully, assessing what the best course of action would be.

"I know you couldn't remember us that much is obvious. You couldn't recognize who we were or why we knew you. Something just happened, you remember us now don't you?" It was almost more of a statement than a question. I gave a weak nod in response, I refused to look in his eyes afraid of what I would find there.

"You think we're going to hurt you. You think that just because we're family doesn't mean that we won't do something horrible to you," Darius said. It was unnerving how easily he was able to read me. I wasn't expecting him to be able to do that.

"There is no way that I can really prove to you that I'm not going to hurt you. You probably wouldn't believe me even if I did. What I can do though is be completely honest with you and not withhold any information from you." Darius gave a low whistle and about twenty men appeared in the clearing.

My breathing became shorter and I tried to find a way out of the clearing. Having this many men around me was unnerving. The last time I had been alone with this many people I had almost died from the beating I took. I pulled my head into my hands and let out an anguished scream. I didn't want to be hurt again!