by N. J. Cooper
“I love you baby.” She whispered. Kyla cried more and took the power from the Oracle, using every ounce of strength she had, to fight her for it. Finally, the tension released, and she yanked the powers through her veins, letting them burst the gold rays of healing over her mother. Kyla’s body ached at the feeling of power. She wasn’t healed from the Djinn yet and her powers knew it. It moved through her like sandpaper, scratching and scraping as she forced it out. The Oracle cried out as Kyla refused to give them back, despite her pained, stomach clutching screams. Finally, her mother’s skin coloured and her eyes opened to her. She frowned and sat up.
“I don’t understand. I was meant to…” She frowned looking at all the blood and then her wrist. Kyla let go of her powers, the snap of them bouncing back to her alter ego making her wince, her breaths struggling to circulate. She didn’t want to admit that the Oracle had been right but the pain in her body was leaving like she had assumed and despite worrying that she may have just used up whatever she had to fight Onyx with, the fact that her mother was still alive let her push her worries aside. Finally, Zarek came in carrying her small backpack with her, the one that came with her wherever she went and had the one thing she knew her mother would believe in. Her book. She clutched her mother’s shoulders and forced her to look at her.
“If you ever to do that to me again, I’ll have you admitted to a damn ward. Now stop thinking and listen to me. I am really here. I am standing before you and I may have just doomed my entire realm to save you so please just listen to me,” Kyla begged ignoring Zarek’s burning glare on her. Lorraine blinked fast then nodded. “Good.” Kyla said then pulled her Heidi book out. She flipped it to the front page and handed it to her mother who instinctively reached for it. “It’s me, Mom. I am here and I am telling you the truth. You are not sick. You are not crazy.” Kyla bit. Her mother sniffled, wiping her arm across her tears as her other hand felt over the writing she had penned.
“I wrote this for you” She whispered. Kyla nodded. “You used to love this book, your father used to make me flip him for the chance to read it because whoever read it to you, got to see you smile from ear to ear through the entire thing.” She smiled, her eyes sparkling with the memory. Kyla sniffled with a nod.
“Did we ever tell you why we named you Kyla Alexis, even though they are not so well matched?” her mother whispered. Kyla shook her head with a frown.
“No, I thought you must have just liked the names.” She shrugged. Lorraine chuckled and shook her head.
“No, they just felt right. They mean beautiful defender.” Her mother beamed, and it was the first real light she had seen in her eyes that reminded her of her mother. Kyla smiled; she could just hear the King’s smirk at the fact that her name had been seemingly random but meant something to do with the prophecy. She could hear his wispy ‘everything happens for a reason’ voice. She looked up at Zarek who smirked at her knowingly, letting her know he was hearing the same voice. Brighton popped his head around then.
“We’ve got everything we need. We have to go.” He ordered. Zarek nodded.
“Lorraine, this is Brighton. He is going to escort you to the car, I just need a minute with Kyla before we head down.” He smiled softly. She nodded and stood slowly. Kyla did too, clutching the cabinet tightly as her head swayed, hoping her grip kept her dizziness hidden. Yea, right. Zarek saw everything when it came to her. He waited until her mother had left the room before he spun to her, his eyes furious.
“I had no choice.” Kyla bit, already knowing he was going to scold her. He pursed his lips, and grabbed the flannel from the sink, wiping the blood away from her nose, not realizing it had started bleeding.
“Yes, you did. I could have healed your mother Kyla. What the hell were you thinking using that much energy when you’re still healing?” He demanded.
“I was thinking, that I wasn’t going to lose my mother twice in a lifetime Zarek. I would do it again in a heartbeat” She snapped. He pinched the bridge of his nose and handed her the flannel.
“What colour is this, Kyla? This is meant to be your blood, yet it’s black. The colour the Oracle’s was when she was poisoned. You pulled poison through with you because you pushed too damn far. Again.” he swore, throwing the flannel into the sink. Kyla looked back at the blood and frowned.
“I’m sorry.” She admitted, knowing it to be true but also knowing she would rather she bleed black than ever watch her mother die like that again.
“Of course you are but it doesn’t change what you have just done. How are you going to merge with both of you weak?” He argued before sighing “Have you at least checked on the Oracle after you went all super-Saiyan on her? Is she okay?” Zarek asked softly. Kyla frowned and checked. The Oracle had her hand splayed on the wall by the window, her chest heaving her face dripping with black blood as her other hand clutched at her stomach. Kyla winced. She had done that. The Oracle’s eyes snapped to hers.
“I don’t want to see you right now. Get out.” She snapped, the door slamming on Kyla’s peering. Kyla looked back at Zarek sheepishly.
“She’s not so good and pissed,” Kyla sighed. “I am sorry okay, I wasn’t thinking.” She mumbled. Zarek shook his head
“You were thinking, you were just doing it with your human half,” He said, empathy in his wide gaze. He sighed and brung her into the warmth of his arms before kissing the top of her head.
“C’mon we need to get to Atlanta to drop off your mom and trace the calls she has been getting. Arkin has a tech guru in his pack who is putting a trace on the phone number so we can. You concentrate on healing, if we don’t have to use your powers then we don’t. Only on Onyx, that’s it.” he ordered. Kyla nodded then followed him out and down to the car, climbing in next to her mother who she snuggled against. Her mother read the book to her softly as they made their way to Atlanta. Brighton escorted them with Cole, but the others headed back to the compound. It was a tight fit with all five in the corolla and the drive was going to be long, but it was safer than going through customs at an airport, so they sucked it up. Kyla fell asleep against her mom and was shaken awake gently a few hours later. It was dark and the others waited for her outside of the car where the shining neon sign above her, told her they had stopped at a hotel. Kyla stretched once she untucked herself from the car.
“We need some sleep and you guys need some food, so we’ll rest here then shoot through in a couple of hours once we’ve recouped.” Brighton said yawning. Kyla nodded in understanding wondering why it was always Brighton who talked. She brushed it aside and they went to check in. They decided for safety it would be better to stay together and picked a two-bedroom apartment. The wolves went straight to sleep, but she had just slept the first five hours of the trip and wasn’t tired. She ordered them pizzas then sighed and leaned back on the couch. She talked with her mom, her mom interrogated Zarek then said she was going for a shower. Kyla tensed.
“It’s okay Kyla. I’m okay, I won’t leave you again.” She promised. Kyla bit her lip and nodded. The pizza arrived while her mom was showering, and Kyla sat down to eat some in front of the couch, flicking through the channels on the TV. Zarek sat behind her and rubbed her tense shoulders. She sighed, letting him relieve some stress before she turned to him.
“You are way too good to be true.” She smiled.
“I was thinking the same thing about you.” He said softly, his voice coming out husky. Kyla recognized the tone and moved onto his lap, cuddling into him, his scent sending delicious shivers through her. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her cheek. She shook her head with a chuckle. He frowned at her in question, but she didn’t say a thing, just touched her lips with her finger indicating where she wanted his kisses. He smirked then leaned in, obliging her with a press of his soft lips on hers. She kissed him back her hands fisting in his hair as his hand ran over thigh. She sighed against him, the taste of him chasing away any thoughts that weren’t of him and what he was doing to her. She shuffled on
him, straddling his waist, leaning into him as his arms crushed her against him. Zarek slid his tongue along hers, his hand chasing up her shirt, resting on her ribs, her skin burning from his touch. She didn’t want to wait for romantic, not when he kissed her like he was, she just wanted him, as much as she could get but he was always better with restraint than she was and pulled back.
“This was a lot easier when we had Orion stopping us from going too far. I don’t know if I have that kind of will power.” he whispered against her lips, pressing them against her again.
“That makes two of us.” Kyla said back in a hushed sigh before taking his lips with hers again. She ran her fingers through his hair, her other hand feeling the muscled ripples of warm flesh under his shirt, where his smooth abs made her even more determined with her kisses. Zarek’s hand on her thigh moved further up, his other hand in her shirt. She thought he might actually give in this time, but he pulled away breathing heavily, his forehead resting on hers.
“Kyla…” He whispered. Kyla clenched her eyes shut, trying to stop what they had started, trying to remember to breathe properly.
“You want me in that way, don’t you?” Kyla asked quietly.
“You know that I do. This is literal torture to pull away from but I’m not that kind of guy, Kyla. I want more for you, more than what I can give you. When we go back, I can’t be this close to you. I can’t give you the moment you deserve. Not until you are approved.” He explained. She kissed his lips softly.
“As long as I’m with you Zarek, then the moment will be there.” She argued. He chuckled lightly.
“It will happen between us Kyla, as soon as you are approved and I can be with you as more than this, I promise.” He reassured. She sighed and leaned against him.
“Promises, promises.” She teased. He laughed and traced patterns over the bare skin on her lower back. She was still on his waist when her mother came out a few minutes later, her eyes widening at Kyla.
“Well,” Lorraine said, tears forming “I never thought I would get the chance to walk in on my daughter with her boyfriend, so as much as my maternal side wants to scold you two, I just… I can’t,” She smiled half-heartedly. Kyla smiled empathetically and climbed off Zarek. She was about to respond when the little black cell phone on the kitchen bench rang throughout the room. They all tensed. Lorraine stared at it wide eyed and looked at the time.
“It’ll be him.” She whispered. Kyla nodded sternly and walked forward to the phone. She contemplated answering it then decided on a better tactic.
“Mom, I’m going to need you to answer it. Tell him you are going to take the pill; it’ll buy us more time to get out of here.” Kyla urged. Her mother looked at the phone like it was going to bite her.
“What if he asks questions?” She asked.
“Put it on speaker, we’ll intervene if he catches on, but I need to hear his unguarded voice and we need to keep him talking so they can trace the number, they should be doing it from the minute you pick up.” Kyla urged. Her mother looked between her and Zarek then nodded determinedly and answered the phone.
“Doctor, you didn’t call me when you said you would.” Her mother strained, obviously acting out what she would say if she were still mostly nuts.
“I know, my dear. I was on the flight. I told you I was going on holiday. You can take your next dose now though, dear.” The silky seductive voice said through the phone. Her mother bit her lip looking away from the phone as Kyla’s jaw clenched. It was definitely Onyx. And yet he had been in the Outlands when her mother had died so who had she seen treat her? Whoever it had been, had worked for Onyx though because that was definitely his husky voice through the phone.
“I will, Doctor.” She said. Kyla bit her lip, they had to keep him talking without giving anything away. She indicated it to her mother to keep him talking. Her mother shrugged then cleared her throat.
“Doctor?” She asked.
“Yes, my dear, something wrong?” He asked immediately suspicious.
“I think I’m going crazy.” She whispered in her voice she had used before, a hollow shell voice that crushed Kyla to hear.
“I’ve told you before, you are not crazy just sick. That’s the cancer talking. Take your pills dear and everything will feel much better.” He advised as if he knew everything.
“What if I black out again? Have more nightmares?” Lorraine whimpered. Kyla swore she heard an irritated sigh but since no one responded she brushed it off.
“Those are inevitable, especially as you near the end of your course. Don’t worry, the nightmares aren’t real. Just take your pills, they’ll stop soon.” He promised weakly.
“How soon? I don’t think I can do this much longer.” She acted.
“By the full moon this month, your nightmares will have vanished, I promise.” He reassured darkly. Kyla cringed at the promise, that was her deadline she knew that, but the confirmation had her shivering.
“Okay. Okay. I can last until then. I’ll take my pills.” She resigned.
“Good girl,” he sighed “Now I must go, I’m off to thoroughly enjoy my holiday.” He chuckled. Her mother said goodbye then hung up and released a pent-up breath, dropping the phone onto the counter quickly as if it had seared her skin. She shook, her eyes haunted.
“It’s okay. He won’t get you.” Kyla promised.
“I don’t want him to get you either.” Lorraine bit. Kyla smiled.
“He won’t get me. I can protect myself.” She promised, refusing to acknowledge the most recent prophecy that she had chosen to leave out of her story. Suddenly Brighton burst out of the door to the bedroom, his hair sleep tousled, a red mark on his cheek from where he had been laying and only in his boxers. He grinned, holding his phone out.
“Arkin’s tech guru…” he started but a female voice came through the phone
“It’s Shay actually, thanks Brighton. My name is Shay and I just traced your call all the way back to New Jersey.” Shay said proudly through the phone. Kyla grinned.
“He’s in New jersey?” She asked going to grab the phone from Brighton.
“It appears so and now I have the lock on his phone, I should be able to pinpoint the actual location by the time you get here.” She explained. Kyla breathed a sigh of relief.
“Good, we’ll be there soon.” She hung up the phone looking up at her companions.
“Well don’t just stand there, we’re leaving.” She said grabbing the keys, indicating she was driving, something she had missed immensely.
~ 25 ~
They made their way to Atlanta, Kyla pushing the corolla as hard as it could go with five people in it. She was exhausted by the time they finally reached Atlanta. Hours and hours of driving with very few breaks had kept her wired on coffee and not much else. But she needed to get back to the supernatural realm. Once she had Onyx’s exact location, she could figure out why he was there. Byron would know and she was going to get it out of him. The thought of leaving her mom behind had her cringing but she had no choice. She was considering checking her to see if she was actually supernatural, since she seemed to be having visions, but she would deal with that once the supernatural realm was actually safe to visit because Kyla could feel the threat there down to her bones. She shivered, pressing her foot down further, listening to Brighton’s directions on where the portal was. A national forest that doubled as a reserve for the guard. They were completely hidden in there with their own means of living that meant isolation and full protection for the portal and rifts that moved out from it. They pulled up at the reserve and Kyla took time to appreciate the difference in this one, compared to the compound in Rogue River. She had wanted to leave her mother there but Zarek had been adamant that Arkin’s was much safer with more fighting wolves than pregnant ones, not to mention that getting her mother out of Detroit was definitely preferable. This place was much more of the place she had expected in Detroit. It had singular cabins throughout the trees, a clearing that was muddied and litte
red with leaves that were drowning in footprints. There was one large building at the centre, with a school of kids learning some form of martial arts with a huge wall of man. She had thought the wolves she was with, were big but this man that looked over at them, was unlike anything she had seen. He had dark hair that was slicked back into a small bun at the back of his head, a few loose strands hanging over his brow, and his dark green eyes pierced them with an I-am-the-terminator look. His broad shoulders, small waist and unbelievably tall frame indicated for a smaller wolf to take over his class before he sauntered over to them, his step wider than three of Kyla’s. He was gorgeous and dangerous and despite her being head over heels for Zarek, she had to appreciate that the man coming over to them was in a class all on his own, touched by the gods themselves, surely. Zarek came forward and leaned by her ear.
“Careful, you’ll start drooling if you keep staring like that.” He whispered vehemently. Kyla blushed and turned to him with a scowl.
“Will not. I’m just wondering where the rule was that said, all werewolves have to be dangerously good looking because I have yet to see evidence of anything otherwise.” She whispered over her shoulder at him. He chuckled then stepped forward to greet Arkin who bowed at Zarek. Zarek held his own against Arkin, his height not far from the Alpha’s, but Zarek was definitely leaner than the wolf.
“Your Majesty,” he said respectfully.
“Alpha Arkin. Thank you for receiving us.” Zarek said, his voice full of authority. Kyla bit her lip, she loved when he got into Prince mode.
“I had no choice, did I? That centaur of yours went on about all that ‘Your pack is the best’ shit and they say flattery gets you nowhere, well they’ve obviously never been flattered by a centaur.” Arkin smirked.
“Your pack is uniquely equipped to handle this situation better than most, yes” Zarek chuckled along then looked back to who was with him.
