The Coven--The Tacitus: The Coven Series, #3

By Ashlynn Stone

Aurora Barrington struggles with her new life as a Tacitus, and with her role as the princess of the Tacitus Coven. She continues having to have dreams which she now believes to be premonitions. While struggling to make sense of those dreams, Aurora receives life-changing news that could prove to be fatal. The news forces her to cut contact with her human family, but their reaction could bring dangerous attention to the entire species.

A human close to her gains knowledge of The Coven as Aurora's life-changing even leaves her clinging to life. Will Alex let the human live? Will Aurora break the rules to protect her loved one? Most importantly, will Aurora survive?

The Coven--The Tacitus is the third installment of The Coven Series. This gripping story will fulfill your wish for supernatural phenomenon, your need for suspense and mystery... and it will leave you wanting more!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ashlynn Stone
• Release date: Jul 4, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223583318

Book preview

Dad,

Your family is your world. Your reputation is unblemished. Your integrity is second to none.  You guide me through life, and I am who I am because of you. I strive to be like you.

You are my hero!

I love you,

Ash

A Special Thanks

My awesome readers—Thank you for continuing to live the Tacitus life with me. Your support is truly appreciated!

Thank you, Maggie Knight, Dana Conners, Jess Hastings, Marci Emery, Helen Jo Miller, and Caroline Frei-Obert for volunteering to be my beta readers. The time you spent beta’ing my books and the effort you put into it... well, I can’t think of a word big enough to explain my appreciation! You have no idea how important you are, not only to the book’s success, but to me! Thank you for everything!

My line editor, Carol Haight—The hours you spent going through my book, line-by-line, word-by-word is beyond appreciated. Your skill is vital to this book’s success. Thank you!

My developmental editors, Harlee Davidson, and Veronica Sarles—You spent hours digging into this book, finding inconsistencies, plot holes and the most minute details. You were both essential to the quality of this book. You helped turn it around into something readable. Thank you!

My copy editor, Carolyn Legg—There aren’t enough words to express my thanks to you. Your eye for detail finds things that are impossible for most to notice. I don’t know how you do it! You even explain certain rules of writing to me, making me better at my craft. You are helping me live my dream and I can’t thank you enough for that. There’s no way to thank you for what you do for me, Car. Know this—I can’t do this without you.

Kenzie Russell—I found it so much fun creating terms together. Tempitod, pythessin, withers, and stratera took us forever to come up with, but it sure was fun and we had a lot of laughs (even though you were at a bowling alley while we did it.)

Jake, Mom, Dad, Carolyn, Brad, Casey, Brian, Harlee, Sharon, Shelly, Keith, Maggie, Kenzie, and Marissa—Thank you for letting me drone on and on about The Tacitus world for the last three years. I asked some of you for proper terminology. Others helped me with ideas. Each of you continue to support me in every step of my writing journey. Thank you! I love you all!

Mom and Sharon—the symptoms of my anxiety disorder often surfaced while I worked on this book. I called you more times than I can count. Every single time I called, you stopped what you were doing and chatted with me—sometimes for more than an hour—until I felt normal again. Because of that, I didn’t have to take my rescue medication or a day off from writing. Thank you... both of you.

My daughter, Skyler—you unknowingly keep me motivated. You keep me striving for more... striving to be better. I love you, bug.

My husband, Jake—Your endless support and never-ending encouragement keeps me on track... even when I didn’t want to write. How can I begin to thank you for that? I can’t... no words can express my gratitude. I love you!

Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently.

Maya Angelou

Twelve Rules of The Tacitus Coven

Rule 1—Secrecy—No Tacitus may bring awareness of our existence to a human—punishable by termination of Tacitus and human.

Rule 2—Human termination is strictly forbidden except for collection or Tacitus protection purposes—punishable by termination.

Rule 3—Blood collection is required when any human is terminated.

Rule 4—All Tacitus—born or transformed—must be fertile. An infertile Tacitus will be terminated.

Rule 5—Married couples must create two or more offspring.

Rule 6—Intimate contact with a human is forbidden, except with a mate—punishable by jail time or termination.

Rule 7—A Tacitus must remain monogamous to their partner—punishable by jail time.

Rule 8—Mental abilities must be proven by the age of eight or a year after transformation—failure to demonstrate mental abilities will result in termination.

Rule 9—Mental abilities are not to be used for personal gain—punishable by jail time.

Rule 10—Violent Tacitus to Tacitus crimes are prohibited—punishable by termination.

Rule 11—A Tacitus will not speak ill of members of royalty—punishable by 100 years in jail.

Rule 12—Respect within The Tacitus community is required—punishment based on the severity of the action.

Chapter One

The Meeting

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I chewed on my tongue—something I hadn’t done since I was human—while kicking a small pebble on the sidewalk outside the doors of the two-story meeting hall. My stomach twisted and I sighed, anxiously waiting to go inside.

You are a princess now, Aurora. Stop letting your emotions be known, my husband quietly scolded.

This is my first meeting. I am nervous, I replied before beginning to chew on my tongue—one of the few nervous habits that followed me after I transformed.

King Alex Barrington glared at me. You must stop, Aurora. You are a Barrington! You are royalty! he said in a stern tone.

The Barringtons were royalty, and royalty wasn’t allowed to show their feelings in front of The Coven. Even if they were allowed to, my King had given me a direct order, so I relaxed my jaw and let my arms fall to my side.

Queen Florence Barrington turned around and gently placed her hand on my shoulder. You will be fine, my dear daughter-in-law. Do not fret.

I smiled at her before focusing on the building. I’d hoped my new, superhuman eyesight would allow me to see through the thick, tinted windows. I only wanted a glimpse of what to expect when I entered. But the special tint on the protective glass—designed to protect a Tacitus from the sun—made it difficult to see the inside of the meeting hall. Everything was blurry. I could make out the chairs lined in even rows throughout the entire length of the long, rectangular hall. I also saw members socializing in small groups, scattered throughout various areas of the room.

Five members of the security team stood in the corner of the hall, close to the left of the stage. One leaned against the huge, thick metal door behind them. I assumed that was the door that the prisoners came out of. The prisoner who heckled me during my formal introduction as Princess of the Tacitus coven was temporarily housed in a jail cell inside the building. He was awaiting his punishment.

A thick, dark-skinned man stood on the stage holding a microphone. I assumed his job was to announce our entrance. Like most of The Coven members, he was eloquently dressed as though he was about to attend a wedding.

Something brushed against my shoulders. I looked behind me to find Gale draping my royal robe around my shoulders. She quickly flashed in front of me and loosely tied it around my neck.

While she did the same to my husband and then my in-laws, I noticed our crimson robes had a large, white T embroidered inside the black triquetra symbol. Although I’d seen The Coven’s crest on Alex’s mantle and desk, I hadn’t noticed the letter representing their species. My species.

The announcer’s voice boomed through the speakers. Fellow members, you are welcomed to the meeting of The Tacitus Coven. Please remain standing for King, Queen, Prince, and Princess Barrington.

Without instruction, the members belted out the disturbing chant they sang a week prior at my formal introduction. It was composed over a millennium earlier and spoke of complete domination over the human race. Alex had explained that the Tacitus’ views have changed over the centuries, and they only wish to coincide with humans, undetected. They continued to use the chant because they lived by tradition.

Alex and Florence entered the building, smiling, and waving like the Queen of England did when greeting her people. The crowd applauded.

James and I proceeded to our thrones while he waved exactly like his parents did. He widened his eyes at me, indicating I needed to wave too. Despite my fear and anxiety, I lifted my hand and imitated James’ wave.

Once we took our seats behind his parents, Alex rose from his throne. The announcer offered him the microphone, but Alex refused it. His normal speaking voice was plenty loud enough for his people to hear.

Looking into the audience, yet gesturing to two coven members, he said, Samuel and Victoria will do us the honor of lighting the triquetra this evening.

They each pulled a long torch from beside the metal pit which held the symbol. The man who announced us doused the tip of each torch with lighter fluid and lit them. As Samuel and Victoria touched their torches to the symbol, they both repeated the traditional chant in the ancient language, Gule. The triquetra quickly ignited and the two jumped back to avoid getting burned. Alex thanked them once they finished the chant and they returned to their seats.

Alex said, Let us begin as we always do. Are there disputes or requests that I may assist with?

Many hands raised. Case by case, he listened to each situation and made his final decision. The love disputes were the most entertaining to watch. An attorney wished to court a waitress, but his father forbade it. The father viewed her as a servant who was not worthy of his son. He believed the Tacitus people should choose members within the same social status and wished for his King to prohibit his son from dating her.

I could tell the attorney and barmaid had a strong love for one another. While the father spoke to Alex, the sweethearts stared at each other with such love and affection that I had chills. I hoped Alex would rule in their favor.

Their glances didn’t go unnoticed. Alex scolded the attorney’s father.  You should be ashamed of yourself, Jackson. We must try and keep unions between the Tacitus people when at all possible. Pointing to the couple, he said, Your son cares deeply for the woman you so detest. These two will create fine offspring. Pointing at the attorney’s father, Alex added, Your request is not granted, Russell. I strongly recommend you change your view on this lovely young woman.

Russell opened his mouth to object, but Alex held his hand up. I have made my decision. You will never bring this subject up again. Alex looked around and asked, Do we have any more requests or disputes?

An hour passed before Alex finished that portion of the meeting. After making sure there was nothing left for him to settle, he turned to the head of Tacitus security and nodded. Randy, please bring forth our first prisoner.

The metal door opened. Escorted by two Tacitus security officers was Xavier, the man who heckled me the night of my introduction party. One of the officers nudged him, but he refused to move. The other officer moved behind him and shoved him two feet forward.

After he caught his balance, the officers grabbed his arms, and each took a step. He planted his feet on the floor and shook his head. No, I am not going anywhere, he said.

Three burly members of the security team joined their colleagues and together they dragged him to the stage.

He screamed, Aurora is no princess! She should have been terminated! The Twelve Rules say so!

Alex stood in front of his throne. He gave Xavier an icy glare, and shouted, Enough, Xavier! Looking at the guard standing between the fiery triquetra and the stage, Alex said, Apollo, please restrain him. Attach the silencer too.

Xavier instantly closed his mouth and stared at his feet while one of the officers retrieved a pair of shackles and handcuffs. Apollo pulled a piece of fabric from his belt. He flashed in front of him and slid it over his face. When Apollo moved aside, I had to hold in my laugh. The silencer was a human muzzle!

Apollo took the handcuffs from his fellow officer and secured Xavier’s wrists behind his back. Before they had a chance to restrain his ankles, he kicked Apollo twice in the thigh. The rest of the guards in the meeting hall flashed to Apollo to help him. Together they managed to completely restrain him.

Alex pointed to Xavier and said, Reply only by moving your head. Do you understand? he quickly nodded, so Alex continued. Do you know why you stand before me now?

The man shook his head and attempted to speak.

There will be no sound coming from you, Xavier. Princess Aurora’s alieemio was to be a time of joy and celebration as we welcomed our Princess into The Coven. Instead, you used the occasion to make threats against a royal member.

I glared at him, but he didn’t notice. He was focused on Alex while he nervously shifted his weight from one foot to the other. I couldn’t help but notice that he wouldn’t make eye contact with his king.

While searching for something to focus on, his eyes met mine. I wasn’t able to see his entire face through his muzzle, but his feelings were obvious by his glare. He narrowed his eyes and the panic that showed only a few seconds earlier quickly switched to malice. Alex took notice.

"You will look only at me! Alex yelled. Xavier immediately looked down to avoid further humiliation. Look at me! Alex shouted to the prisoner. his head snapped up. Satisfied with his cooperation, Alex continued. He said, Xavier, you stand before me now because you broke one of our Twelve sacred rules."

Looking at his members, Alex said, My dear coven. You all heard Xavier threaten the lives of Prince James and Princess Aurora at last week’s alieemio. You bore witness to him violating Rule #11. Most of The Coven nodded, but no one said a word. Alex continued. Since he has not attempted to follow through on the threat, I can only charge him with speaking ill of a royal member.

Xavier attempted to protest under his muzzle, but the words came out as grunts which I found amusing. My face must have reflected my emotions because James gently kicked my foot and shook his head.

Alex raised his head, took a deep breath, and said, Breaking Rule #11 comes with a mandatory sentence of 100 years’ incarceration.

His eyes popped open wide, and he turned around to flee. Before security had a chance to catch him, he tripped over his shackles and fell, slamming his face onto the ground. Blood gushed from his nose as security lifted him from the floor and returned him to his place in front of Alex. I wanted to laugh, but I knew better.

Staring at him, Alex said, I hereby condemn you to 100 years in our prison. I recommend you do not display any type of bad behavior, for it will earn you additional prison time.

I was human only a week earlier, so 100 years seemed like an incredibly long sentence. Considering he appeared to be James’ age, he would be released with a large amount of his 1,000-year lifespan left. I hoped his opinion of James and I would change while he was in jail.

Alex lifted his head and said, Please let this be a lesson to you all. I will not tolerate any harmful statements made against my family. My wish is that none of you speak ill of another Tacitus. With a curt nod, he added, 100 years. That is my ruling.

Alex nodded to the officer standing beside Xavier, who escorted him to the door at the other end of the meeting hall.

After his sentencing, Alex found a woman guilty who read the mind of a human police officer to get out of a speeding ticket. Warping for personal gain was a direct violation of Rule #9. She was sentenced to fifty years in prison.

The last person to stand in front of Alex was a man who hired a human hooker. He was found guilty of breaking Rule #6. Intimate contact with a human was forbidden unless it was with a potential mate. He was sentenced to 75 years in jail.

More than two hours passed before Alex called the meeting to an end. As tradition dictated, the four of us remained seated until the last member left.

Well done, Aurora, Alex said. I feared your feelings would surface during Xavier’s sentencing. However, you maintained your composure. I am proud of you.

I sighed in relief that he didn’t notice the hatred I had in my eyes when I stared at him. Certainly, some of the coven members noticed. I prayed it wouldn’t get back to my king.

***

I reached over the side of the tub and grabbed my orange juice from the small table beside it.

James, I softly said. I didn’t have to raise my voice; he could hear me from the other side of the penthouse.

He flashed into the bathroom, and while admiring my nude figure underneath the scattered bubbles, he asked, Do you need more juice, love?

I shook my head. I just have a question. When will the builders be done with our house? I don’t mean to complain, but I’m sick of hotel living. Plus, I’m feeling a bit claustrophobic.

Laughing, James said, Sweetheart, it has only been a week, and this suite is much larger than your townhouse was. He sat on the lid of the toilet, about twenty feet from the tub. To answer your question, you will not have to wait long. I offered the project manager a bonus if he and his team could finish the house in three months.

Three months? I whined.

James stood up, kissed my head, and said, You are dramatic at times, Aurora. He chuckled and added, I will leave you to your bath.

Prior to our marriage, James lived in his own wing inside his parents’ mansion. They expected me to move there once James and I married. I refused but reached a compromise with Alex. He gave his blessing for us to live in our own house. In turn, we needed to easily fit 100 people around our dining room table and 1,000 in the ballroom. It literally had to be fit for a king.

James had originally drawn up blueprints for a 15,000 square foot home. Although Alex had promised not to interfere, he couldn’t help himself. By the time he and James finished making their adjustments, our mansion was close to 40,000 square feet, which was significantly larger than James’ parents’ home.

Taking another sip of my juice, I thought about my human family and how much I missed them. I was thankful that Alex didn’t make me cut all contact with them as soon as I transformed into a Tacitus like every other transformed Tacitus had to do.

Alex didn’t do it out of the kindness of his heart. A few days after my transformation, he explained his decision. Your family is strong, he said. Should you abruptly cease contact with them, I am confident they will take to the media. The negative exposure could lead authorities to us. I cannot have that.

After a minute of thought, James began knocking as if he had been away for a while. He interrupted my thoughts. My apologies for the interruption. May I come in? he asked. I wish to ask you a question.

He didn’t wait for me to respond before entering. James leaned against the sink and crossed his arms across his chest. What did you think of your first meeting? Please, be honest.

I scooped up a handful of bubbles and blew them across the tub—something I did as a child. It gave me a few seconds to think about my answer. Finally, I said, It was... uhm... different.

Could you please elaborate? he asked with a smirk.

I sighed. Well, most of it was how you said it would be when I was still a human, but the court part...

What? What about court? James pressed.

Well? It left me uncomfortable. I mean, I get why Alex sentenced Xavier to a century in jail. Screaming that you and I should be dead to everyone at my alieemio warranted it. His crime and the sentencing were cut and dry, as per The Twelve Rules.

There is more, though, Aurora. Please, tell me.

It’s just that, I hesitated a moment, the lady who warped the police officer. I assume she did that to get dirt on him, to manipulate him so she wouldn’t get a ticket. James confirmed my assumption, so I continued. I think fifty years is excessive for something so insignificant.

You do not understand the severity of her actions, Aurora. You know a human loses a significant amount of time when a Tacitus reads their mind. You also know that time losses have been making the news for well over a year. Not to mention the fact a human had to die so she could replenish after the reading. Any of those could lead authorities to our doorstep. That is too much of a risk to take. We must only read humans when necessary. It cannot be done for personal gain.

I pulled the plug from the tub and the water slowly drained out. Without looking up at him, I said, That may be the case, but I still think fifty years is a lot.

James said, Father never takes his convictions or sentences lightly. He reviews each case before a meeting and hears every defense. He did not need to listen to Xavier’s because his offense was committed during your alieemio. Father witnessed it occur. As James walked to the door, he added, Aurora, you must get used to this. It is your life now.

He was right. I didn’t have a choice but to learn to live with it. The only reason I chose to transform was because when Alex learned that I had knowledge of The Tacitus Coven, I was given two options: transformation or termination. I never wanted to be a Tacitus, but I didn’t want to die either.

Chapter Two

The Disappointment

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James found the perfect plot of land for our mansion—or super-mansion as the contractor called it. It was fifty miles east of my in-laws, making it almost 100 miles east of my family. Being so far from them, I didn’t have to worry about accidentally running into them. I did fear the paparazzi, though. I was afraid one of their photos would make the papers and my family would know I lied about living in Königstein, Germany.

To prevent that from happening, Alex, Florence, and James did what they could to keep the location of our new house a secret from everyone—humans and coven members alike.

Anyone involved with the building or preparation of our home had to sign a confidentiality agreement. They had to keep secret our identities and our home’s location. To ensure each person upheld the contract, James threatened each person with information that he had obtained on them from the Tacitus private investigator.

We moved into the mansion after only two months. I began decorating it while James was on a business trip, but I only managed to finish the living room before he returned.

He walked in the door and stopped in his tracks. His mouth hung open for a few seconds. Uhm, Aurora, what is, he pointed to the living room, that?

I flashed to the door and hugged him. I was so excited that I bounced up and down while saying, I finished an hour ago! With a huge smile, I asked, It looks awesome, doesn’t it?

His eyes darted around the room. It is so... so purple.

Laughing, I said, That’s the point! It’s perfect. I love it.

Once the shock wore off, James placed his suitcase on the floor and closed the door behind him. Sweetheart, I understand that you love purple, he kissed my forehead and slid his arm around my shoulder, but we cannot decorate with it.

I narrowed my eyes slightly. And why not?

He kissed the top of my head. We will be entertaining often. The house must reflect my status as King.

You aren’t King yet, though. Looking up at him, I asked, Can’t we just keep it this way until you are? I worked so hard on it.

Stepping back, he cupped my face in his hands and gently kissed my lips. I know you did, my love. That is clear, but no. We cannot keep it, he pointed to the far wall, like that. Laughing, he added, Love, everything in there is a different shade of purple. Everything!

I slumped in disappointment. He was right, but I kept quiet because I didn’t want to admit it out loud. I hated when he was right. The fact was, Alex would be stepping down as King after James had an heir to the throne. Since we had to begin trying soon, it wouldn’t be too long until James would be the King of The Tacitus Coven.

Fine, I pouted. I’m sure the furniture store will give me a refund for everything. I’ll go shopping tomorrow to find accepta—

No, my love, James laughed. Let us hire a decorator.

After retrieving my day planner and pen from the table beside my chair, I yanked the cap off of the pen with my teeth as I lowered myself in my favorite purple chair. It was the chair that I had in my last few apartments. It took a lot of begging to get James to agree to let me bring it to the new house.

I flipped to a blank page in the back of my planner and asked, What’s the decorator’s name?

James didn’t say anything. I peeked up at him, and he appeared confused. I am not sure who to call.

Who does your mother use? I asked.

It is not that simple, Aurora. Since we are keeping our home’s location a secret, I am not sure who I am supposed to call. He pulled his phone out from his pocket. I will ask Mother.

Florence gave the name of a human she used fifteen years earlier. Despite the time that had passed, she didn’t have to look up the designer’s contact information. It was going to take me a long time to get used to how flawless a Tacitus’ memory truly was.

The following day, I hired the woman Florence had recommended. Like we did with the builders, I made her sign a confidentially agreement and offered her a huge bonus if she finished quickly.

The next day, I came home from brunch with Florence to find my favorite purple chair in a heap of garbage in the driveway. Tucking my purse under my arm, I easily lifted the eighty-pound chair over my head and carried it inside.

What the hell, James? I asked through a clenched jaw while placing it in the foyer. There were very few things I kept from my human life. This is one of them. You know how much I love it. Why’d you throw it away? I put my hands on my hips while waiting for his answer.

He kissed me, and when I didn’t return his kiss, he stepped back and stared at me. Relax, Aurora. The decorator said it does not go with the new décor. It is tattered, so I planned to buy you a new one.

I stomped my foot. "I don’t want a new one. This is my chair. It’s staying! I’ll have it reupholstered if that’s what it takes, but it’s not going anywhere."

Defensively holding his palms up in front of him, he said, Okay. I am sorry, my love.

Since it didn’t go with the new décor, I agreed to put it in my office. James insisted I have it reupholstered, though. I had to admit that my beloved chair had become ugly. 

In my office, James had hooked a stationary webcam to my desktop, making it impossible to give Dad, Stacy, or Katherine a virtual tour of my home if they asked—and I knew they would. They would only be able to see my office, so the space had to be authentic to the place we were claiming as home. To make it look that way, Florence flew a designer in from the Königstein area. He not only had it completed in three days, but he also decorated the space around my beloved purple chair.

James changed the Skype ringer to my favorite song and hooked it into our home’s intercom system. That way, I’d never miss a call from any of my family members. I thought the effort was moot as a Tacitus could hear a noise from over 100 yards away.

I was soaking in my claw-foot tub in one of the two bathrooms attached to our enormous bedroom when my favorite song blared through the intercom.

Rushing out of the tub, I dried myself off and flashed to my computer, having already changed into a hoodie, jeans, and sopping wet ponytail. The only time I was permitted to wear the style of clothing that I did while human was during video chats with my family.

Hang on, Dad, I said, out of sight of the camera. I flashed back to the bathroom, quickly put my colored contacts in, and flashed back to my office.

As soon as I sat in front of the computer, Dad said, Hey, Puppy. What took you so long to sit down?

I repositioned myself in my office chair and said, You called seconds after I got out of the shower. I didn’t tell him the truth because I hated baths as a human. I turned my head and pointed to my drenched hair. I had to run to the computer and answer it before it stopped ringing, but I didn’t have any clothes on. I asked you to wait so I could throw something on. I couldn’t tell him that I had to disguise my eyes.

Oh, he simply said. After a sip of coffee, he asked, So, how’s the job search going?

I hated lying to my family about every aspect of my new life. In fact, it sickened me. I sighed, mainly from shame and faked a laugh. Not so good, I said. No one wants to hire someone who only knows the words ‘hi’ and ‘good’ in German.

He nodded. Yeah, I guess that would pose a problem. So, what have you been doing with all your free time then?

Not much, I shrugged. I spent most of the day today painting the flat.

Dad laughed and said, Let me guess. Purple walls. Purple ceiling? Purple floors?

No, I said through a playful glare. I tried, but James came home and asked me to change it. You know how much he hates purple.

Is he letting you have anything that’s purple?

My family, including my sisters’ husbands were concerned that Alex, Florence, and James were forcing me to conform to the Barrington lifestyle. They had every right to worry because it was true, but I didn’t want them to know that. Soon, I’d have to end all contact with my family. I didn’t want to leave them with a bad taste in their mouths for my in-laws and husband.

I wanted my own area, so we turned the second bedroom into my office. I held my index finger up and said, Hold on a second. I picked up my webcam and slowly turned it around to give Dad a 360-degree view of the space. See? I still have my purple.

James and I knew that at some point during the video chats, my family would want me to turn the camera around and show them my office. They believed we were in a small apartment, so the room had to be on the smaller side. When James drew up the plans for the house, we agreed to make my office the size of a bedroom in a modest home to protect our lie.

I love it, a female said from offscreen.

Who’s that? I asked.

Me, both of my sisters said in unison.

I smiled. I hadn’t talked to either of them in over a month. Hey, guys! What’cha doing at Dad’s?

We came over for dinner, Katherine said. Her smile faded as she looked down. It’s not the same without you here, though.

I didn’t want to spend the little time I had with them dwelling on my absence, so I changed the subject. How’re you feeling, Kat? How far along are you now?

Alex had allowed me to call Dad the day I woke up from my transformation. He told me that Katherine and Joe were expecting another child.

She beamed and proudly said, Sixteen weeks. Can you believe it? Only five months left! It should be here January 17th.

Lowering my eyebrows, I asked, It?

Yeah, she laughed. Joe thinks I’m crazy, but I don’t want to know the gender. I want to be surprised. He’s on board, though, thank God.

Kat’s arms waved around as she excitedly told me about Joe converting his office into a nursery. She also told me about the shopping she was doing in preparation, the daycare they picked as well as top names they had chosen for both genders. Normally, such a conversation would have bored me, but I cherished every syllable because for all I knew, it would be the last time I heard her voice. I had no idea how long Alex would allow me to continue speaking with them, but I was certain it wouldn’t be too much longer.

I forced myself to chew the inside of my cheek, something I normally did as a human. Since becoming a Tacitus, all of the nervous ticks I used to have all but disappeared.

Sighing, I said, I really miss you guys. Not seeing you guys whenever I want is so weird.

Well, we’ll see you when you come back for, Katherine rubbed her stomach, this little one’s birth. After some hesitation, she asked, You are coming home for that, aren’t you?

Hold on, I said while reaching in my desk drawer to pull out my 2-year day planner. Let me check my calendar. The majority of January was already booked, but even if it hadn’t been, I knew I couldn’t go back to be with them. It was against the Tacitus laws for us to associate with anyone from our human life. I winced and said, I can’t make it, Kat. I’m so sorry. I wasn’t lying. I was terribly sorry.

Dad pressed his lips together while glaring into the web cam. His face was flushed from anger. That’s unacceptable, Aurora. Before you moved, you promised to come home from time to time. This is certainly one of those times.

I can’t help it, Dad. My life is different now. I have a lot of commitments that I can’t get out of. All of you knew that when I got married.

That’s bullshit, Stacy said from off-camera.

Dad sighed. When he finished, he seemed calmer. You’re right. We did know that. But I’m sure missing one of your events wouldn’t make a difference.

I pretended to study my day planner. I wouldn’t be too sure about that, Dad. I’m looking at what’s scheduled, and everything marked down is business-related. James is the CEO. I can’t miss his events.

Stacy moved the camera so she was the only one I could see on my screen. She said, I don’t care that you’re all high and mighty now. You’re our sister. She pointed to her left and said, "And you’re his daughter. We don’t have the money to