Fractured by N.O Darling

Chapter 0271

125 BONUS

1

** fool's Day **

went from inside the house and moments later he door opens with a creek Rochelle looks at us, her tere

condused as de takes us in, then recognition finally dams on her as she focuses on me.

“paste? What are you doing here?” She asks. Her tone is not unfriendly, but | can hear her disappointment. She

podaddy opens this door, praying it's Annie every tsomeone knocks on it.

“Rochelle, we have found Annie, she is safe,” | smile.

“Oh my goodness, thank you, thank you, thank you,” she ches, throwing her arms around me.

It's an emotiond moment and one | hope to experience for myself soon. | can’t wait to hear that someone has

found my daughter and that she is safe.

“Where is she? Can you taketo her?” She asks.

“Yes, of course, but there are sthings we need to tell you first. Can we cin?”

Rochelle hesitates, looking over her shoulder into the house, “Can’t you just tellon the way? It's a bit of a

mess here. I've not been keeping on top of things like | should have,” she admits.

| can’t imagine what she has been through. She has been completely alone, trying to run a house, keep herself

alive and search for her daughter with no idea of where she could be.

“Don’t worry about that. We completely understand. Our daughter is missing too. We actually found Annie whilst

searching for Harper,” | reassure,

“Oh, Josie, | am so sorry. | know the hell you are going through,” she says, her bottom lip trembling with barely

contained emotion. “Cin,” she adds.

We follow her into the house, which is dark and smells a little stale, as if the windows haven't been opened for

stime. The sitting room is cluttered with various papers and newspapers, and the coffee table is littered with

dirty cups and notepads. Rochelle quickly clears the couch for us to sit, and | pick up one of the papers.

It’s a missing poster for Annie, her nprinted under a picture of her. She looks so sweet in her yellow summer

dress, wearing a band of fresh daisies on her head.

“That was from a festival we attended in the summer before she vanished. Please tellwhere she is,” Rochelle

pleads.

“She is currently in Greys realm. She is trying to help us find my daughter, as they were both taken by the same

group of people,” | explained, and Rochelle covers a gasp with her hand.

| tell Rochelle about the rogues, and that Annie had tried to chome, but that they had threatened her, and

so she had stayed away to keep Rochelle safe.

“Is Chris still involved?” | ask.

“No, he ran out on us when Annie was three. I've never heard from him since. You don’t think he had anything to

do with this, do you?”

‘I'm not sure, but he must have been a Grey, unless there is any chance that he is not Annie's biological father, “I

say, trying to ask as delicately as possible.

+25 BONUS

Chapter 0271

“He was her father, there was no one else,” Rochelle insis

“Unless she was compelled to forget someone else,” Luke Ids into the mind link and | nod. | don’t think we need

to worry Rochelle about that right now, so | don’t mention.

“Wait, are you saying my Annie Is... like you?” Rochelle aslo.

“Yes, she is a Grey, that is why they took her. Did you see any signs? Her eyes seeming to flash with a blue glow.

Or her strength seeming excessive for her stature?” | ask.

“No, | didn’t notice a thing, | failed her, didn’t I?” She begins to cry.

“No, Rochelle, you didn’t. None of this is your fault. She may not have shown any signs before she went missing,

which means someone probably knew she was a direy befor her gifts had even manifested,” | reassure.

“When can | see her?” She asks, wiping the tears from her face.

“We can take you to our realm, but | have to warn you, it's not pleasant. The porting can leave you dizzy,

nauseous and confused, but it passes quickly,” Luke explains.

“I can handle it,” she nods.

| show Rochelle the pressure point on her wrist before Luke ports us back to the military headquarters. Rochelle

groans and grips the point on her wrist as Axel helps to keep her on her feet.

“We are back, and we have Annie’s mum,” | say into the mind link.

“Bring her in when she is ready,” Deacon says.

We wait for the effects of porting to pass, and then | lead Rochelle to the room where Annie is being questioned.

“Are you ready?” | ask, looking back at her with my hand of the handle.

“Yes,” she nods eagerly.

| push open the door and Annie looks up at me. | smile before stepping aside to reveal her mum and relieved

cries cfrom both of them. Annie stands knocking her chair over in her rush, and they run to each other.

Holding each other in a beautiful embrace as they both sob.

Tears well in my eyes and Axel wraps his arms around me. “That will be you and Harper soon, | promise,” he

whispers and | nod.

“We will give you stalone,” Deacon says, standing from his side of the table, and we all file out into the

corridor, where Mason and Theo now wait for us.

My guys surround me, and all of us need the closeness right now. It was such a beautiful moment to witness

mother and daughter reunited, but it also makes our longing for Harper even harder to bear.

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