by J. B. Garcia
Ares carries Grizel through the dark corridor that leads to the royal garden. The flames are licking the stone walls as his heavy boots send echoes of pain down the hall. A small sliver of light begins to illuminate at the end of the hall. The musty smell of the damp corridor envelopes his senses. He approaches the large wooden door that leads to the garden and the small sliver of light that he saw before is coming from the small gab under the door. He raises his right floor and plunges it into the middle of the door. It rips open letting the sunlight flood the hall. He closes his eyes trying to protect them from the bright sun. The smell of flowers and fresh cut grass looms in the air. He keeps his eyes closed trying to soak up the warm sun on his face. This used to be their favorite place to go together. It was the one place that they could be alone. Memories flood him and he can no longer hold back his grief and pain. Tears begin to flow silently down his cheek. He opens his eyes and steps down onto the narrow stone path that is lined with flowers leading to the large fountain in the middle of the garden. He sets Grizel down on the stone wall that holds the fountains pool of water. He cups his hands and scoops out the cool water from the fountain, drizzling on Grizel’s forehead. The blood begins to wash away leaving only her beautiful face. He runs the back of her hand down his face. She looks to peaceful, almost as if she is going to wake from slumber but the coldness of her skin reminds him that she is gone forever. His one true love and mate has been ripped from him and he can feel hate invading his heart with every second that goes by. “My dear Grizel your death will not be in vain.” He leans forward and kisses her forehead gently and her cold skin stings his lips. He puts his arms under her knees and around the back of her neck lifting her from the wall. He starts to make the long walk to the burial grounds to lay Grizel to her final resting place. With every step he can feel his heart growing colder and colder. The only thing that he can think of now is revenge…
Chapter 8
Niki
The wind rips through the darkness making the tree sway and creek. Leaves are swirling around the forest floor dancing delicately in the gusts. The moon is shining brightly down on lake making it glitter in the darkness. There is a storm coming and it could have come at a worse time. There are two days left until the Blood Moon and the small sliver of moon that has not yet illuminated reminds me of how much time I have left until my world changes forever. Travis has been on edge and every day he seems to get worse. I don’t blame him. The responsibilities that he has been given are way more than he ever expected. He didn’t even want to come on this trip and now he is bonded for life and has to overthrow Khan in order to stay at my side. Any reasonable person would crack under the pressure. We have stopped trying to subdue Denise since there are only two days left there is nothing that she could tell Khan that would affect us now. The only thing that might change things would be my mother. Her having the Pyros ability is a huge problem for any immortal. She could be the deciding factor in this whole ordeal. Other than Travis, she is the one I am most worried about. Losing her would change my whole life and I don’t think it would change for the better. The distance that we once battled with is gone and I have the loving relationship that I always wanted with her. I wish that it could have been under different circumstances but nevertheless it happened and I am grateful.
I lay in my bed with Travis asleep at my side. His warmth is so comforting to my skin. I look up to my ceiling silently trying to organize my thoughts. It’s impossible for me to sleep with the level of stress I am holding in. I roll to my right side and stare out the window into the darkness. Beams of moonlight break through the swaying branches giving me my own personal light show. I try to enjoy the site in front of me but I can’t shake the feeling that someone is watching me. I should be used to it now since these woods are full of Scouts. Travis stopped trying to hunt them because we really don’t see the point anymore. We are just trying to enjoy each other’s company before the awakening. My mother has especially been on edge especially with the signs of a storm coming. The last thing we need is rain. We have been trying to keep her distracted but nothing is helping. She knows what is about to happen but I don’t think she is ready to see the battle. I don’t want to cause my mother anymore trauma than what she has already endured but I need her for this, not only for my protection but for support. Not having my dad here has added more stress on her. She has no idea if he is ok, how his hospital stay went, nothing. Since our phones don’t work here she can’t call him and he can’t reach her. The only way to use our cell phones is to swim or take the boat to the island. She is terrified of the island, now that she knows what it’s for. She doesn’t want to go there until it is absolutely necessary.
The window is starting to collect condensation from me lying so close to it. As I wipe the water droplets I see someone out in the woods hiding behind a tree. For some reason I don’t feel threatened. It almost feels…welcoming. I sit up slowly trying not to wake Travis. I put my face close to the window pane cupping my hands around the sides of my eyes. I search the woods for the dark figure I saw before but there is no one to be found. I lean back, away from the window and let out a sigh. As I lye back down on the bed I turn head towards the Travis to check if he is still slepping. I jump out of my skin when I see the dark figure standing in my room. I sit up quickly and scoot into the wall screaming, “TRAVIS!! WAKE UP!” Travis rips awake and places his body in front of me. “What’s wrong Niki!?” I point to the figure standing in the room and Travis jumps to his feet ready to attack. The figure moves to the door and turns the lights on in the room. “Wait! Please just wait!” Her thick Scottish accent rings out in my silent room. She has short brown hair that stops at the top of her shoulders and crystal blue eyes. She is not a very tall person and thin as a rail. She doesn’t look like much of a threat to me but I have not been able to trust anyone through this whole ordeal. Travis is still on edge standing inches from her face. “Who are you and why are you here? Did Khan send you?” She takes a few steps back and looks toward me as I sit with my knees to my chest at the corner of the bed. “Please, I will explain myself.” She looks to Travis and then back to me. I can tell that she is terrified of him and would love nothing more than for him to back away from her. I move to the edge of the bed and grab Travis’s wrist. His skin is on fire and he flinches at my touch, “Travis, sit down with me. Let her explain.” He reluctantly looks back to the young girl and then slowly backs towards the bed sitting on the very edge. She lets out a sigh of relief. She motions to the love seat in the corner of the room, “May I my Queen?” I nod my head yes, “You can call me Niki, I’m not Queen yet.” She looks at me surprised and sits down in the love seat. It’s as if she floats down into the chair, she is so elegant and proper. She crosses her legs and places her hands, one atop the other, on her knee. There is a silence in the room and its starting to agitate Travis. He finally breaks it and practically shouts at her, “Ok who are you?” His deep booming voice makes her jump and she begins to explain, “My Name is Aaren, I am a Porter for the King and everyone in the Royal Court.” I stop her mid sentence, “Aaren I don’t know very much about your world. What is a Porter?” Travis doesn’t allow her to answer and jumps into the conversation, “A Porter, is someone who can Teleport, all she has to do is hold onto you or your clothing and she can take you wherever you need to go. She would be the way that Khan would get here after your awakening. Porters are mainly picked for their devoted loyalty. Porting is very dangerous for the other person because they can take you any where they want. They can leave you in the middle of the ocean to drown if they wanted to. They must be trusted above all other subjects, so the fact that she is sitting in this room is not the most comforting.” Aaren keeps her eyes locked on Travis as has he finishes explaining her duties. At this moment, I don’t trust her. There is a reason that she is here and I don’t feel like I can believe anyone right now. She looks towards me and removes her hands from her knee letting them rest in her lap. “Everything Travis has explained is the
truth but there is one element that no longer applies to me. Loyalty…” Travis sits up and turns to look at me slightly shrugging his shoulders. I scoot away from the wall pulling the thick white comforter out from under me. I sit with Travis on the edge of the bed placing my feet on the cold hardwood floor. My room is freezing so I inch closer to Travis and pull my comforter over my shoulders and wrap it around myself. Aaren patiently waits for me to get situated and then continues, “King Khan has lost his mind. He has always had a thrust for the glory of war but he has gone too far. He has brought down his anger and wrath onto everyone in palace. Since Renee has been gone no one is safe and I don’t want to be part of it.” He voice cracks and her eyes begin to well up with tears. She blinks them away and continues. “He has murdered my sister, Grizel. She was a servant in the palace and was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. I watched from the palace steps at her mate carried her to the burial grounds.” She can no longer control the tear rolling down her cheeks. I can’t help but sympathize with her, but how do I know that she is not lying. I look to Travis and he already has his eye closed and I can tell that he is reading her memories. The room is silent for a few brief seconds and then he opens his eyes slowly, he looks to me and nods confirming that she is telling the truth. Travis clears his throat and relaxes for a moment, “Aaren if this is true and you no longer wish to serve Khan why not just teleport him somewhere and leave him for dead.” Her response rips from her lips as if it takes no thought, “Because he deserves a painful death. There are so many subjects in the Realm that agree Khan has lost his mind. They want to change to happen. Those who are werewolf, want to reclaim their control over shifting. Of course there are those who will follow Khan to the end of time and they will be a problem, but they will not fight without Khan. They are mindless warriors that need orders for every aspect of their life. If there are not orders, there is no war.” All of this information has its valid points but it still doesn’t explain why she has come here. “I am sorry for the loss of your sister, but this still doesn’t explain why you’re here.” She stands from the chair and looks down to me, “Yes my Que… Niki, you are correct. There is no reason for me to be here but I know how stressful the awakening can be, but the added pressure that has been placed on your shoulders is enough for anyone to fall to pieces. I wanted our future Queen to know that she is not alone in this battle. I have to go now before Khan gets suspicious. Stand strong Niki, Renee would not have given you this gift if she did not believe you could accomplish it. You need to have faith in yourself.” Before I could even respond she disappears in a black cloud of smoke.
I look to Travis who is still staring in the area she was last standing. I put my hand on his leg and he looks to me. He raises his arm and places it around my shoulder pulling me in close. The smell of his cologne sucks me in and I finally feel like I am able to relax. I lay back down on the bed onto my side and Travis lies behind me. Feeling his body so close to mine sends a rush of burning passion through my body. My heart begins to race and my palms start sweating. I thought that I gained control over these feelings but once again I am wrong. Just his touch can make me lose all sense of control. These very well might be my last days so I don’t see the reason to hold back any longer. I roll over and face him. Our noses are so close they are almost touching. I can feel the heat between us rising. I run my hands down his side and grip his hip pulling him closer to me. A low groan escapes him and he grabs my wrist. “Niki…this is not the time.” Anger pulses through me and I realize that every time I try to get closer to this man he pushes me away. I don’t know why I let him call the shots in every aspect of our relationship. “Travis we have two days left until the awakening and there is no way to know what will happen. If these are our last days..” He cuts me off, grabs my arm pulling me into his chest and presses a passionate kiss on my lips. I return the kiss and my lips begin to burn. He slips his hand under my tank top and gently runs his finger down my stomach and grips the top of my pajama shorts. It sends shivers up my spine and then he pushes me to my back and straddles me. I can’t help but giggle with excitement. Travis face begins to turn red and he leans in kissing me gently. He pulls back biting my lip and another surge of passion rips through me. He looks deep into my eyes and whispers “Are you sure?” I grab him by the back of the hair pulling him into me again and kissing him hard. He squeals like a little girl and begins to laugh. I kiss his neck all the way up to his ear and he groans. I softly whisper into his ear “Yes Travis I am ready.” He jumps off the bed and runs over to the lights turning them off. He turns back to face me and leaps back onto the bed. We both start giggling excitedly pulling the covers over our heads.
***
The sun is peeking through my bedroom window gently waking me from the most restful sleep that I have had since we came to the Lake House. My head is still resting on Travis’s chest and his heart is beating in my ear. His arm is wrapped around me and my leg his resting across his pelvis. This is where I want to be, in his arms forever. Memories of last night rush back into my mind and I can feel my cheeks heat up with embarrassment. I never knew that was how sex would be. So much passion and energy…it was utterly intense. Travis has no idea, but that was my first time. I can’t help but see the romance in it…my first time with the one person I knew I would be spending the rest of my life with. That is how it is supposed to be and I feel bad for anyone who doesn’t get to experience what I just had. Travis begins to move and I realize that he is waking up. I roll back over to my side of the bed and let him wake up. I roll over to face the window, although the sun is warm on my face, there are dark clouds far in the horizon. The storm… I just hope that it doesn’t come until after everything is over. I feel Travis roll to his side and wrap his arm around my waist, “Good morning” He says mid yawn. I roll back to face him and kiss him on the end of the nose, “Morning.” Last night was amazing and I all I want to do is talk about it but for some reason I feel too embarrassed to bring it up. I look down in between us and realize that we are both still naked. “Oh my gosh!” I pull the blankets over me and lay flat on my back. Having him seen me naked for the first time was much easier when it was the heat of the moment in the dark. Now I feel exposed and embarrassed. He starts to laugh at me and his chuckle makes my heart melt. “So I can’t look at you now because its day time?” I look over to him and my cheeks are red as a tomato. “I don’t know this is all new to me. I just forgot that I was completely naked still.” He looks at me confused, “What do you mean this is new to you?” I pull my covers over my head. God this is so embarrassing, now I have to explain that fact that I am a vir… was a virgin. “Well…that was my…first time.” He lifts his head from his pillow and sits up onto his elbow. His face lights up in a way that I have never seen it before. He almost shouts in excitement, “You were a VIRGIN!” I rip the covers down from my face and whisper urgently to him. “Shhh, do you want to announce to my mother that you just deflowered me!” He puts his hand over his mouth and starts to giggle. He moves his hand from his mouth and whispers, “Sorry, Why didn’t you tell me that before last night?”
“Would it have made a difference?” He looks down and shakes his head from side to side. “Of course it would have been different. I would have made things a little more memorable and romantic.”
“Trust me Travis, I will never forget that.” I look down at his body and I still can’t believe that he is mine. His abs and pecs are so defined he looks as if he was drawn. I have seen him without his shirt before but now it’s like I am seeing him in a whole different light. I cant help but get butterflies in my stomach looking at him completely naked. I realize that I have just been staring at his body no saying a word and I am sure that he can tell. I look back up at him and he is smiling like he has won the lottery, “Soak it in little lady” I hit his shoulder and he rolls onto his side laughing. He can be so cocky sometimes. There is a knock at the door that makes us both jump. “Hey… are you guys getting up.” My mom calls for us behind
the door. We holler back at her at the same time, “Yes.” He looks to me and pulls me in for a kiss. “I guess play time is over. Come on let’s get up before she get suspicious.” He chuckles and gets out of bed. He slides on his boxes and then sweatpants. I follow and put my Pajamas back on.
We both walk down the hallway holding hands and giggling. We get to the dining table and it is covered with every sort of breakfast food you could imagine. Pancakes, sausages, bacon, hash browns, eggs the list is endless. I breathe in deeply through my nose and the smell is heavily, it almost warms my soul. I turn and walk into the kitchen where my mother is standing, washing the pots and pans she used. “Wow mom, everything looks amazing! What is the occasion?” She turns to me smiling, “Think of it as a pre-birthday celebration. I just thought since your day is going to be full on the actual day that we should celebrate early.” I feel the stings of tears fighting their way to the surface. “Thanks Mom.” She realizes that I am fighting back tears and she rushes over to me squeezing me tightly. I feel a wet spot growing on my shoulder and I realize that she is still holding the sponge. I could care less at this moment. She lets me go just far enough to look me in the face, “Everything is going to be fine. Travis is going to be fine, I am going to be fine and you are going to do great things once this is all over. I try to take her comforting words into consideration but its hard to accept them. All i can i do for now is hug her tightly. She releases me, kisses me on the forehead and finishes up her washing. I look to Travis who has already starting eating breakfast. “Um Travis, don't you think you should wait for us?” He looks up at me with a mouth filled with food. He tries to respond and small bits of pancake fall from his mouth. “Ew, just keep eating” I walk over the to the table pulling out the chair directly across from him and start to fill my plate. I hear the water being turned off in the kitchen and my mom walks out wiping her hands off on a grey dish towel. She pulls the chair out the at head of the table and joins us. This is the first time in almost two weeks that we have sat down for a meal together, ever since the night Denise attack my mom. We haven’t seen very much of Denise. SHe has been staying in her room most of the time doing God knows what, and to be completely honest I don’t care what she is doing. There is a creaking sound coming from down the hall and it makes us all stop what we are doing and stare towards the hall. For a moment there is nothing, then the sound of barefeet walking on hardwood floors breaks the silence. Denise steps into the room, her hair rated and clothes are disheveled, It looks as if she has been wearing the same thing for a week. She doesn't look like her normal self. She looks at all the delicious food and a low grumbling escapes her stomach. “Denise if you are hungry you can sit down.” She looks at me surprised. I know that feeding someone that is helping the one person that is trying to kill me doesn't sound like a good idea but I have always been told to keep my friends closer but my enemies closer. “Niki, why is it that you continue to be kind to me? I swear you do it just to irritate me” I don’t really have an answer for that and frankly the question catches me off guard. Travis looks to me and shakes his head trying to persuade me not to answer her. This, obviously, makes me want to continue the conversation with her more. “Denise, to be honest, I don’t know. Maybe because you’re my mates mother or maybe because I feel sorry for you.” He eyes grow wide and her face becomes red with anger, “Feel sorry for me? Why on earth would you feel sorry for me?” She shifts her weight onto her left hip and crosses her arms across her chest. I have a feeling that if I tell her what I am really thinking things are going to become ugly. I take a deep breath and begin to explain myself, “Well for one thing you think that your whole life has been sabotaged by my mom and that is not true. The night of your awakening was not her fault and deep down you know that. All these years you have needed someone to blame for all the pain and regret that you have in your heart. She was the easiest person to blame. Renee didn’t take you into the Royal Court and that made you bitter. Instead of accepting it and moving on you have harbored the anger.” She stares at me harshly as she listens to everything that I have to say. I can tell that her anger is rising not because I am wrong, but because she agrees with me. Its hard for people to confess their deepest fears and finally taking responsibility for the way her life has turned out, seems to be her biggest fear. “You don’t look at all the blessing that came from not being taken into the Royal Court.” She cuts me off, “Oh ya, since you know so much, why don’t you tell me the great blessings that I have been given?”I pause for a moment and look at Travis who is trying to stay out of this argument. My mom is eating silently like nothing is happening. “Well for one...Travis. If you had been accepted into the court you may not of had him. You spend so much time thinking about the negative things in your life that you’re missing out on all the positives.” Her face begins to soften and her eyes well up with tears. Travis has now stopped eating and is staring at me angrily, “Please don’t bring me into this.” Denise chimes in, her voice cracking, “No Travis she is right. I have spent my whole life hating her mother and Renee that I missed out on the joy that was right in front of me.” Travis turns slowly in his chair and looks at Denise. The room is dead silent and the tension could be cut with a knife. I turn my gaze to my mother who has stopped eating and is also staring intently at Denise waiting for someone to say something. Could this be the end of her terror? Denise starts to walk towards Travis. The hardwood floor creaks with every step and then she stops in front of him, staring down at him like he is newborn baby. She runs her hand through his hair and Travis closes his eyes for a moment. She leans down and whispers in his ear so softly that no one else can hear. A small tear rolls down both their cheeks. She sits back up and kisses him on the forehead. She looks to me and for the first time since I have meet her, she smiles at me...genuinely. “Why don’t you sit down and eat something.” She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly and then pulls out the next to Travis and sits down. She pills food onto her plate. I have never seen a woman eat that much before. I dont even know the last time that I saw her eat something at all. Although there were no words spoken for the rest of breakfast it was the first time and we all were enjoying each others company.
