"That was such an amazing day! Thank you so much, Annie."

I beamed. "You're welcome, Waltz Graham."

Waltz pinched my cheeks. "Don't start riling me up again, Annie. My pelvis is so weak from earlier."

I giggled happily, then replied, "I finally bested you in something!"

He chuckled and kissed my lips. "That will not happen again." he murmured, slapping my butt before he walked off.

I pouted and rubbed my stinging rear end, but I loved the feel of it. Waltz and I had just come back from his belated birthday date. We both had a great time and, of course, lots of sex was involved. Waltz was just very sexual, but I think both he and Zaire would completely ruin me if they worked together for a day.

"Anwyll," murmured Ambrose, picking me up. "I have missed you, my sweet wolf."

"I've missed you too, Rose." I replied, gently pecking his lips. "Is it time to feed, my dear vampire?"

Ambrose nodded and initiated a deeper kiss. He whisked me away to his room and, after feeding, we napped a bit. Ambrose and Daviel knew from reading my mind and emotions that I was worried about Dian, so he didn't keep me busy for too long.

"Say hello to Dian for me, my little wolf." murmured Ambrose, gently kissing my face as he set my socked feet on the floor. "I will see you later."

"Thank you, Rose. I love you." I said softly, hugging his shoulders and kissing his face in return. The pleased rumble in his chest made me grin, which in turn made Ambrose smile as he straightened.

He ruffled my hair and shooed me off, so I headed downstairs and began my long trek to Dian's room. In all of my months here, I had never actually been inside Dian's private space. It made me wonder how much pain he was hiding inside himself—or in his room—from the people around himself.

Alarm bells went off in my head as something tried to break Dian's barrier. I teleported directly to Dian's room and banged on the door.

"Dian! Are you in there!" I shouted, and I heard a clatter from inside. "Dian?"

There was silence for a minute, then I heard a door swing open and slam against a wall. I winced, then stepped back as the footsteps neared the door. I heard metal clanking like locks being unbolted and unlocked, then the door swung open.

Dian stood there with a dark, ominous expression on his face. His dark brown eyes looked black as they stared down at me.

"Dian?" I asked, reaching up to him with grabby hands.

In an instant, his expression softened and he crouched down, curling his arms around my midsection. Dian buried his nose into the junction of my neck and shoulder, inhaling deeply and slowly exhaling. I hugged his neck and head, pressing kisses to the latter. Dian relaxed a few moments later and I felt wetness against my skin.

"It's finally my time." he breathed, then picked me up and carried me into his room.

I was used to seeing all kinds of rooms. Zaire picked up after himself for the most part, which was good enough for me. Angel's, Ambrose's, and Russet's rooms were spic and span because it suited their personalities. Matteo's room was usually a bit messy like my daddy's room because they were busy with work and their minds weren't exactly in order either. Briar's room was an organized mess. Damon basically lives with Blaine, but they both have similar levels of room cleanliness. Waltz's room was filled with stuffed animals, but the paths to the bed, the closet, and the bathroom were all clear. Gavin was usually a slob; his room usually looked like an avalanche had crashed down in his room. It definitely wasn't anywhere as terrible as the first time I entered his room, though, since Gavin was aware that I wasn't a fan of the mess. But Dian's room was unlike anything I had ever seen before.

He had a mattress sitting on the floor in the far left corner of the room with holes littering the walls. There were deep and light scratches across the hardwood floor, which made me realize his state of mind was more chaotic than I had ever imagined. I mean, I had never really encompassed the depths of Waltz's mind until he told me what he had been going through on a daily basis, so that was clearly the same for Dian.

But now that I think about it, Gavin's bathroom door and its floor has deep gouges from Ragnar's claws from when Gavin couldn't control his tiger—when he was terrified of his other half. Could that be in correlation with Dian's anger-induced wall-busting?

Dian seemed hesitant to put me down, so I nuzzled his jawline and settled my right cheek on his left shoulder. Dian relaxed slightly and slid his right hand to my head, firmly cupping it. The bridge of my nose was pressed to his slim and elegant neck, which was honestly very pretty like his long, slender fingers.

"You did something to me."

My tail flicked. "Yes," I replied simply.

Dian's grip tightened painfully. "Don't you trust me?" he hissed angrily.

"I do, Dian." I uttered softly, then continued before he could say something, "But there are times when we can't trust ourselves to not do something we'd regret. So I made that choice for you."

"That wasn't your choice to make!" he growled, his claw tips digging into my skin. "It's my body!"

"Yes and no."

My response made Dian pause. "What?"

"When you're loved deeply, Dian, your body is not just your own anymore." I murmured, nosing his neck. "You might not care that you're hurting yourself, but there are other people who love and care for you who would be hurt at the same time. Waltz and I are the forerunners in that sense."

Dian clicked his tongue. "Sure," he sneered. "Cut yourself."

My eyebrows shot up for a moment, then I sat upright and looked in his eyes. That dark expression had returned. Dian just wasn't himself.

"Are you sure you want me to do that?" I asked quietly, and his jaw clenched.

"Prove it to me."

"Prove what exactly?"

His fangs lengthened and his fierce glare pierced me. "That you love me and care about me."

I sighed softly and held out my left forearm, then materialized a knife from the kitchen. Dian watched expressionlessly as the sharp edge pressed to my skin and began to slide across it. Since I had numbed my nerves with magic, I didn't really feel it. It was just weird to watch.

When blood trickled down my forearm, Dian ripped the knife from my right hand and sent it clattering against the wall by his bedroom door. He held my wrist to his lips and tears rolled down his cheeks as his knees hit the floor.

"Why would you do that!" he hissed. "Why did you listen to him?"

"Because you do these things and you listen to him." I replied quietly, pushing my fingers into his black hair. "He is controlling you, Dian."

Dian burst into sobs and curled over me, still hugging my form to his body. My head and shoulders were pressed onto the floor with Dian's forehead resting on my left shoulder. I hugged him with my right arm, moving my head to kiss his crown.

"Does he hate me?" I asked quietly, a little while after Dian's sobs eased and hiccups were present.

Dian shook his head. "No," he uttered shakily. "I-I'm shocked. I-I thought for sure h-he'd want to..."

I knew why Dian trailed off. I patted his head and kissed his crown again. "What do you want to do about this, Dian?" I asked softly. "How long has he been there inside you, controlling your mind and making you do these you didn't want to do?"

Dian's aura shifted. "I've been here this whole time, Anwyll." he growled, his claws digging into my back and neck again. "You can't get rid of me!"

"Ian, stop." I breathed, and Dian's other side froze. "Did I say I was going to get rid of you?"

Dian's normal aura returned. "You won't?"

"Do you want me to?" I asked, then he lifted his head with a reddened gaze. He slowly shook his head. "Why not?"

"He's..." Dian trailed off, then inhaled deeply. "He's my twin."

My breath caught on my sharp inhale and I began to cough. Dian sat back and brought me upright to sit in his lap. When I was able to catch my breath, I leaned back a bit and cupped Dian's face. He smiled sadly at me.

"No one else knows?" I asked in a voice filled with awe.

Dian swallowed thickly. "Our real family thinks we're crazy. That's partly why they gave us up. We're freaks, more so than just the Emerged side of us."

I placed my left hand on his chest and he shivered but accepted my gentle offer of a smooch when he curled down. "Please, tell me your story." I said quietly, curling my right arm around his waist.

Dian nodded and kissed the tips of my ears. "That was the plan."

Dian's aura switched again. "Say my name again." ordered Dian's twin.

"Ian?" I asked, and he nodded.

"How did you know it?"

"I didn't, but Dian's name is like three in one. Because it can be Dian, Ian, and Dan. You seemed more like an Ian than a Dan. Lucky me!" I giggled, and received a gentle kiss to my head. I was a bit stunned that Ian had given me that soft smooch, but I really enjoyed it.

Ian tucked his nose into my hair and inhaled deeply. "Do you love me?" he asked quietly, then choked when I responded with a negative. "Wh-why!"

"Just because I don't love you right now does not mean I won't come to love you within the next week—maybe within the next day or even a few hours from now. I want to love you just as I do with Dian, but I don't really know you, Ian. And, if I remember correctly, you're the one that scratched my sac by accident out of a jealous rage several months ago."

Ian bit his bottom lip and then exhaled harshly a moment later. "I-I'm sorry, Wyll."

"Wyll, huh?" I asked, then beamed at him. "I forgive you."

Ian's porcelain skin reddened dramatically. "Thank you," he whispered. "I really do love you, Wyll."

I cupped his cheeks and gently kissed them. "I like you for now. Love will come later. I want to get to know you, and I want to know your and Dian's story."

Ian blushed a deeper shade of red and nodded, then retreated to let Dian come forward. He attacked my lips with a hunger that made me weak as he grabbed my form and squeezed it. My low moan made him tremble as he pulled me down to grind our crotches together. Dian gasped as he drew back from the mind-numbing kiss. We were both breathless and feeling needy for each other. Dian and I had never fully copulated before, mainly because I sensed that Dian wanted to do it without Waltz for the first time.

Now I know why. Waltz doesn't know about Ian. But it's obvious to me that Ian loves Waltz regardless.

"I really, really want to make a mess out of you." whispered Dian, his hands curling around my sensitive waist.

I blushed and partially curled my tail around his backside, draping my arms over his neck. "How about after you tell me your story?"

Dian bit his bottom lip and I tugged it out, capturing it with my teeth. The fire in his eyes rekindled, but I sat back and cupped his face with my hands.

I stated plainly, "I know you're stalling."

My dragon Emerged groaned aloud. "You're too keen!" he exclaimed. "Yes, I'm stalling. But I really do want to stir up your insides and make you lose your mind."

My alabaster skin flushed beet-red and my face, hands, and ears were attacked with kisses, nibbles, and licks from Dian. I could sense Ian near the front, but I didn't mind that the two were sharing. It was better that way since they seemed to have problems before this exact moment.

Once the two were somewhat calm with my form cradled in their arms, I started the conversation. "Dian, Ian, I'd like to know why you've busted holes in the walls."

Ian looked like he wanted to scratch his cheek, but Dian held the reigns. That seemed to irk Ian, which made me realize what was going on.

"You want to take control and meet Waltz face to face, don't you?"

Ian tensed and Dian looked away. I peered at Dian since he was in the forefront.

"You don't want Waltz to be scared off, so you won't let them meet."

Dian clenched his eyes shut. "Yes," he whispered. "I'm scared to know what Zee will think. That's partly why Ian gets angry and hurts us. It's my fault."

I raised an eyebrow, looking at Ian now. Ian bit his lip. "I-I'm sorry." he mumbled, then sighed aloud. "Dian wasn't even wanting to introduce you to me, but he realized that my fits of rage were getting worse—to the point where, as you said, I would do things that I'd regret."

"So Dian decided to bite back his fear and just do it, hmm?"

Dian nodded. "I did. It was really scary, but you accepted us as we are so easily without even a shred of doubt or fear."

Ian agreed. "It came as such a shock for us."

I rubbed my bottom lip and glanced up at the twins in one body. Using my magic, I could actually see that there were two souls inside of Dian. There was a softer pink one and a more red one—the latter brightening when Ian began to speak again.

"Wyll, is it even possible for us to continue like this? I want to be my own person, not trapped inside Dian's body for the rest of my life."

Dian pouted but agreed. "My knuckles can only last so long until they break." he replied, poking a bit of fun at Ian who laughed.

I hummed. "Well, do you really want to be two separate people?"

Dian and Ian agreed wholeheartedly. "That's been our wish since we were first told that we were unwanted because of what we are and when we realized why we were so badly treated." explained Ian.

"Won't it be lonely?"

Dian smiled. "Perhaps, but it would be far lonelier without him period."

"Aw," cooed Ian, making Dian laugh this time.

"I think I can do it." I said softly, and they both paused.

"What?" asked Dian. "We thought you were asking just to get our real feelings for each other."

I laughed. "Well, that was partly it. But all I need to do is make an exact copy of Dian and then put Ian's soul inside. You guys were supposed to be identical twins."

Dian frowned. "How did you know that?"

"I can see it."

Ian was equally confused. "How?"

I grinned. "With my magical eyes!"

Dian was concerned, though. "What if you fail?"

"I would put precautions in order to make sure that nothing bad will happen to either you or Ian even if I do fail. I really don't want a repeat scare of failure after my stint with Waltz." I stated, which made them curious. Before they could ask about it, I added, "Waltz needs to be in on this conversation too, though."

"Now?"

"No," I giggled, so they visibly relaxed. "After you tell me your story and after we have our first time together. Does that sound good?"

Dian and Ian flushed bright red, but they agreed.