Ezra Hunter's POV
I have spent the last two nights hiding out in the shadows, observing plots and mayhem happen in the home I've lived in the last four decades. These four people teaming up isn't going to work out well at all. My wife Sheri is more power hungry than the Lombardo's realize. My daughter, Stefanie, is impulsive and messing up any directions given to her. She has already been reprimanded by Sophia Lombardo once. Luca may tolerate the two of them now, but I've heard that he is a man whose patience runs thin.
Sheri, ever the opportunist, has Luca in her sights for Stefanie. The only problem is that this is yet another instance where my wife is misguided. Luca's only interest in Stefanie is carnal. Hearing those two go at it the last couple of nights has been revolting to hear.

I have debated burning this house down and just walking away. But Luca and his mother's powers are strong enough for them to walk away relatively unscathed. And as much as I despise my wife and wouldn't p*** on her to save her life, I love my daughter and hold out hope that she can be redeemed.
For many years, I desperately kept my powers secret, dreading the day that Sheri found out who I really was. She never knew I was actually born in Romania and have dual citizenship. She never knew I came from a long line of Gypsies. I never practiced my magic directly in front of her or the children. I only used my power to undo the disasters Sheri used her fortune-telling powers to cause. We'd have been bankrupt many times over had I not intervened. Or Sheri would have used my gift for something devastating and brought even more misfortune on us.
The only good thing to have come out of our union was Jordan and Stefanie. But Sheri is an abysmal mother. She is a narcissist to the core, only concerned with herself and what me and our children can do for her. She manipulated Stefanie into hating me. Together, they drove Jordan out of the family, haranguing him constantly and dishing out vile verbal abuse. Any attempt I made to stop the abuse and encourage a healthy sibling relationship with my children, Sheri would undermine. Jordan's childhood was volatile, and I have always regretted not taking the children and leaving.
One night, it all came to a head. And it was over something so stupid. Jordan had taken a couple of pieces of bread to make a bologna sandwich and Stefanie went ballistic, telling him it was "her bread". She unleashed a tirade of abuse and profanity towards Jordan. I went into the kitchen and tried to defuse the situation, but Sheri came in and teamed up with Stefanie. She snatched the sandwich and threw it in the trash. Jordan stormed upstairs, packed his bags, and walked out the front door. But not before shouting at all of us that he never wanted to see any of us again.
What I've never told Sheri is that Jordan called me from the road the next morning. He said he was about to snap and imagined causing harm to his mother and sister. Jordan told me he had been secretly saving money and leaving it with a friend his mother didn't know, and that he had enough to get far away. I knew my son's path for many years. My ancestors showed me he would marry and have a daughter, and that daughter would be a mate to Fae royalty. That path did not include Sheri's hatred and dysfunction. And I knew the only way to protect Jordan and the family he would create, was to never let Sheri know where he was.
I wished him well and told Jordan for his safety to never tell me where he ended up. For twenty years, Jordan stayed hidden. But then I got the call from the estate lawyer that Jordan and his wife had been killed in a car accident, and it threw me into a deep depression that I had to keep hidden from Sheri. She didn't shed one tear when she learned of his death, only complained that Jordan never reached out to her during all that time. When Sheri's next question was if Jordan had any money or a will, I knew it was wise to keep the information I learned about Jordan's daughter to myself. Sheri was so self-absorbed and bitter about the situation she let me handle it entirely. As much as it pained me, I didn't take the risk of going to Jordan and Beth's funerals to avoid running into my grandchild.

My granddaughter was special. Somehow, she avoided my wife's visions and I knew the only way she could have done that was if she had some kind of gift. I had a sneaking suspicion that Sheri had a premonition of our son's death. One night after drinking heavily, I confronted her. Sheri coldly confirmed she had seen him and "some woman" in a car accident three days before we learned of his death. The woman was very vague and Sheri couldn't tell me anything more. I was furious with Sheri for not telling me or trying to intervene and have only talked to her when necessary the last three years.
Sheri sensed my distance, of course. She made sure to tell me how many men wanted her and had affairs constantly. Good thing I lost every shred of respect and care I had for those two women twenty-five years ago when she drove my son from our lives and turned my daughter against me.
With Sheri whispering demonic encouragement in Stefanie's ear, my daughter's light faded. Three years ago, Stefanie wanted to learn witchcraft. Sheri took her to a local witch, and I was only told Stefanie would be able to practice on a surface level. One day, I came home and discovered Stefanie casting spells that even I knew as a Gypsy were of a high level. It was only then I learned she had sold her soul to the witch in exchange for becoming a witch. And ever since then, Stefanie has slowly turned into Sheri's clone. The chance to save her is getting further and further away.
After Luca and Stefanie got done fornicating and he returned to the guest room, I debated going to Stefanie and begging her to come with me. But my Gypsy sense is telling me right now, my granddaughter needs me more.

I started to quietly make my way out of the house, but just as I got to the front door, magic hit me and forced me to manifest into human.
"Have you been lurking around all this time, gypsy?" Sophia Lombardo commanded of me.
"You have sensed me."
"Of course I have! My son hasn't yet, though he's been rather preoccupied with your daughter." Sophia said with a laugh.
"I'd rather not talk about that." I grimaced to her.
"Ezra, we could help each other. The Fae King is not a good man. Do you know what he did to my sister's face?? Do you really want your granddaughter with a man like that!"
"I don't even know my granddaughter. Why should I even care!" I can't let Sophia sense how deeply I care about Brynlee. If I do, she will stop at nothing to get her.
Suddenly, Sophia's face developed multiple open sores right in front of my eyes. I had to restrain myself from screaming in horror.
"THAT is what your good King did to my sister!" Within seconds, Sophia's face returned to normal.
"Be that as it may, I want no part of this war. I want no part of you or whatever vendetta you have against King Arlen. I just want to leave, and I want to take my daughter with me!"
"But Stefanie wants this life, Ezra. She and my son are getting to know each other. With your daughter's Gypsy blood, they will make quite a pair." I stared hard at this woman, wondering how she could be this dense. Surely a woman of her intelligence knows when someone like Sheri is manipulating her!
"Look witch. I don't give two f***ks whatever you and your son decide to do with my b***h wife. It will be a blessed relief to get away from her!! But I'm not leaving here without Stefanie!!"
"DAD!" Stefanie and Sheri stood at the top of the steps. Sheri stormed down the steps and raised her hand to slap me across the face. But for the first time, I grabbed her hand and shoved her to the ground. That earned me another door throw from Sophia.
"YOU SON OF A B***H! HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT ABOUT ME, AND WALK AWAY FROM ME AND YOUR DAUGHTER!" Sheri really turned on the crocodile tears and even had Sophia tearing up a bit.
"YOU SHOULD BE USED TO MEN WALKING OUT ON YOU!! OUR SON DID!! YOU KNOW SOMETHING? I WISH I HAD FOLLOWED HIM!!" I would never have done this to any other woman, but no one knows the misery Sheri has put me through. I spit in my wife's face and put my gold shield around myself to protect myself from attacks.
"You son of a b***h!' Sheri scratched her hands raw trying to penetrate my shield. Even Stefanie and Sophia's spells couldn't break through. Just as soon as I attempted to disappear again, Luca appeared within my shield! He got right in my face, pure evil in his eyes.
"Gypsy, you have cast your last spell!!" Black smoke appeared from Luca's fingertips and I closed my eyes, bracing for death. I opened them a few minutes later and was in another realm of pure bright light.
"Ezra Hunter." I turned and faced an ethereal being. She was tall with flowing black hair and deep blue eyes.
"I am Aine, Goddess of the Faes. I saved you and now, you must help save your granddaughter."
"What do I need to do?"
"You must go to the Fae Kingdom, Dad." My son appeared beside Aine!
"Jordan!?!" I broke down upon seeing my boy. Jordan walked up to me and hugged me, allowing me to rub the reddish hair we both shared.
"I'm so sorry I didn't do more to save you!!" I sobbed, holding him to me.
"Dad, there is nothing to forgive. You did everything you could do. Putting your wants aside and not interfering in my life allowed me and my family to thrive without toxic influence. Beth was an amazing wife and mother, and Brynlee is my joy. I had almost twenty wonderful, happy years with them. Thank you for giving me those years and never letting Mom know where we were. I love you, Dad. Save my daughter." Sobs were coming from me with such force I hadn't realized I was on the ground, and Jordan was no longer in my arms.
"Ezra, you must get up. There is much to be done." Aine gently took me by the hands and stood me up.
"There are a couple of things you need to know. One, King Arlen Miller is a good man. Your granddaughter is safe with him. Two, Brynlee has another gift from her mother. It is a gift that her maternal grandfather will stop at nothing to get his hands on. Marshall Sherman needs to be stopped before he finds out who and where Brynlee is. I hope we understand each other."
Aine waved her hand in front of me and when I opened my eyes, I was lying down on a bed in a clean, bright room. A man with dark hair and bright eyes was standing by me on the left.
"Queen Brynn, he is awake." A petite red-head with my son's blue eyes walked up to him.
"You must be my grandfather."