by Niki Trento
My thoughts are interrupted by a notification on my phone. It’s from Gray.
-S & I are going to try battery-operated video and audio tonight. If that doesn't work, we will run cords from the closest bungalow and set up something. Will text with updates.
-Sounds great. Have Axel, Will, and Lukas check it out before you place cameras. No one is to go deeper than ten feet to start.
-copy that
Now to play the waiting game.
**
About two hours later, Donovan walks down the hall and leans against the wall next to me. He doesn't ask, and I don't explain what I am doing. Instead, I tell him what Zeke and Gray said. He nods before sliding down the wall to sit.
“Any thoughts on what is out there?”
“Nothing yet, but something is bugging me. Celeste saw the markings as a wolf. She described what I saw. I can't believe that's a coincidence, just wish I knew what it all means.” We sit in silence for a few minutes.
“Think she will stay?” he asks.
“I'm not sure. She said she was trying to get back to her family, wherever that is. I hope she at least waits until we figure this out.” Maybe even longer than that, I hope. “I must ask her about that later.”
“Do you want me to keep watch so you can sleep?”
“I'll be fine. If I get tired, I'll wake you or Kathleen.”
Donovan stands with a stretch. His long arms reaching nearly to the ceiling. His upper body turns before the rest of him as he makes his way to bed.
With the book open in my lap, I try to read. My focus on Celeste's door and the soft snoring I hear through it. I almost wish I had Axel’s gift right now to see what she’s dreaming about. Doubt I could bring myself to do it though, invade her mind like that. Besides, what if she was dreaming of someone else?
Frustrated with myself, I let my head fall back against the door and close my eyes just as a scream erupts behind Celeste's door.
I’m in her room with Donovan right behind me before she can take a breath to scream again. A quick glance around the room reveals nothing. I am by her side and calling her name. The screams stop, but not before all the wolves crowd in the doorway. Her eyes open as her arm shoots out to find me. Her hand instinctively finds my heart before her eyes register my face.
“Barin?”
“I'm here, Celeste. Right here. It's ok, it was a nightmare, nothing more.”
Her hand hot against my skin.
I turn slightly towards the rest of the room. “She’ll be okay. You can go.”
Donovan herds them out like sheep.
All but Kathleen who sits on the foot chest at the bottom of the bed.
“Barin, I was in the cave. Further in this time. There were...people there. They didn't look human, not really. They were too beautiful to be natural. Their hair, it seemed to glow in the darkness, just like their eyes. I wasn't afraid at first, but then that power came pushing at me again. I couldn't move. When they saw me, their faces...they… They started mutating or melting or something! They were hideous creatures. They lunged for me!” Her face splotchy and wet from crying.
Kathleen hands a box of tissues to Celeste.
“I screamed and then you were there. They stopped when they saw you. Then I woke up, and you were here.”
She smiles, and my heart claims her.
Whether or not she knows it, she is mine.
CHAPTER FIVE
Barin
Kathleen shifts and curls up in bed with Celeste. She carefully positions herself to be against Celeste’s back, offering as much comfort as she can. Celeste’s breathing evens out at the contact slightly.
I pull a chair over and hold her hand as she drifts off to sleep. Not willing to move in fear I might wake her, she needs to sleep. Plus, I'll be here the moment I sense any panic from her. Slowly passing my thumb across her knuckles, I watch as her face relaxes.
In the hours I spend watching and waiting, I think a lot about the nightmare. In her waking mind, she didn’t remember seeing anything more than the markings on the walls. Her scent didn’t go far enough into the cave to show she had gone as far as she had in her nightmare. The irritating question of whether or not her nightmare was something that happened plagues me. Could she have been subconsciously blocking something out?
While she sleeps, I study her face. Every curve, every lash. I watch as her eyes flutter, watching dreams I can only imagine. At one point, a tiny giggle escapes her lips. It’s a relief to see that she’s having a happy dream. With luck, she will wake feeling the aftermath of that instead of the nightmare. Seeing her scared, downright petrified; those are not the kind of emotions I ever want to see on her face again.
I count her breaths, her heartbeats, and marvel in her absolute beauty. My mind goes to the pups that she could give me. Her gorgeous white and gold hair, my green eyes… Getting ahead of myself here.
Shaking myself from those thoughts, I realize the sun has come up. Leaving Kathleen to keep watch over Celeste, I sneak off to my room to get ready to face the day. I’ve been up all night and it shows. A quick shower and trim, will hopefully make me look at least somewhat rested.
**
Half the pack is in the kitchen by the time I make it downstairs. Mostly quiet, busy stuffing their faces, they grunt around mouthfuls of food. Animals. I chuckle to myself.
Celeste stands at the stove next to Donovan flipping slices of french toast. She must’ve come down while I was in the shower. She’s smiling at something Donovan said, and I feel a short-lived pang of jealousy. Definitely not a feeling I am accustomed to.
All I can do is watch her enjoy the company and look completely at home among the pack. Visions of her being here every day, laughing and smiling, fill my head. My wolf only encourages these thoughts.
“Hey, boss.” Axel hands me a cup of coffee.
“Morning, Axel. Feel up to working some magic on Celeste today?”
“I thought that was all on you there, boss,” Axel jokes with a lopsided grin and an exaggerated wink.
“That isn’t what I meant, smartass.” I can’t suppress my smile. Even though Axel has insane control of his gift, he is incredibly intuitive all on his own.
“I want you to see if you can tell if the nightmare she had last night was something that happened or not. With her knowledge.”
“If she’s open to it, I would be more than happy to dig around in her brain for ya. Maybe find out if she is thinking of you, too? Nudge, nudge. Wink, wink.” Now his smile is about to split his face in two.
“Tempting...but maybe just stick to the cave situation. After breakfast, I will talk to her and see how she feels about it.”
“Sure thing. Let me know.” He walks away whistling what sounds like the wedding march.
I shake my head at his antics. His mama should have named him “Cupid”. Not sure if it is his gift or just a bonus to his personality, but with matchmaking Axel is rarely wrong.
Celeste sets a plate stacked high of french toast on the table. She notices me and waves me over to eat while it is still hot. As cliche as it sounds, that smile lights up the room. I find an empty seat, and she piles food on a plate in front of me. A man could get used to this.
“Good morning, Barin.”
“Morning. Did you sleep ok with Kathleen hogging half the bed?” That gets me a slap on my shoulder from Kathleen, and Celeste laughs.
“She was fine. I’m just glad I didn’t kick her! What about you, did you sleep?” Her eyebrow arches, daring me to lie to her.
“No, actually. I’ll take a nap later.” I won’t, but it brings her eyebrow back down to meet the other.
“You’d better. You won’t be much help to anyone if you’re exhausted.”
“Celeste, I want to ask you something. Would you be open to having a conversation with Axel about what happened in the cave and about your nightmare?” I hate to bring up her pain, but this needs to be resolved, and fast, so she could be happy more often.
H
er sunny smile droops as if a storm moved across her face. It hurt my heart to see it happen to her.
“If you think it will help I will. When?”
I can tell she wants this entire ordeal over with, too, because although her voice is small, she doesn’t hesitate to answer me.
“After breakfast? I will get Axel and we will meet in my office.”
She nods and gets up to get more coffee. I eat my mound of food and put my plate in the dishwasher. I take Celeste’s hand and we go in search of Axel. As her soft skin, and slim fingers twirl into mine, my wolf nearly purrs. It would be cliche to say I feel a spark, but I definitely feel something. Deep in my soul, it is like a long-needed peace blooms from the inside out.
Once we are in my office, Axel and Celeste sit facing each other on the couch. He begins joking with her to lighten her mood. The more relaxed she is the better.
He asks me to set up a recorder and to be silent. I don’t understand why he would want a recorder if what he does is a mental connection, but I comply.
Celeste’s giggles are the calm before the storm.
“Now, Celeste. I want to explain to you what I will do. I will hypnotize you and then ask you some questions. As long as the hypnosis takes, even if you feel any fear, you won’t when I bring you back out. This is the most humane way for me to help you right now. I promise that Barin and I will only seek information about the cave and nightmare. Do you trust me?”
“Yes, I trust you, Axel,” she says with confidence.
“I want you to listen to my voice. Take a deep breath and close your eyes. I will count backward from ten. When I reach one you will be in a relaxed state of consciousness.” Axel begins counting backward.
Celeste’s breathing slows.
“Celeste. I want you to picture yourself in the cave. You had just hidden your clothes and shifted. Tell me what you see.”
“I see writing that looks like it is beating. Like a heart.”
“Can you read what it says?”
“Yes. It is a protection. A warding. It is meant to keep species that are different from the casters away.”
“Ok. Great. What do you smell? Do you hear anything?”
“I smell water, but I don’t hear a river or anything like that. I hear...chanting. It’s very quiet, and a little echoed but I can’t make it out. It’s stopped. I am closer to it now. They know I am here! Something is pushing me out of the cave!” She is crying, shaking, and her body jerks as if she is trying to run away.
“Celeste, it’s okay. They can’t touch you. I will wake you up and you won’t feel this anymore. One...two...three…” Before he made it to four, Celeste screams worse than she had during the nightmare. “Four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten!” Axel rushs the count.
Celeste sits up quickly, her eyes wide. When she looks at me, her entire body seems to relax all at once. She smiles.
“Did it work?” Her question is filled with apprehension.
“Yes. Thank you for trusting me, Celeste. I want you to go get a cup of tea. It’s a personal blend. You'll find it in the Garfield cookie jar. You’ll love it, promise.” Axel stretches his back. He makes a cutting motion with his hand telling me to turn off the recorder.
“The nightmare was not just a nightmare. It didn’t happen to her. At least...not yet. With telepathy, I could see what she saw and let me tell you, it made my wolf want to attack.”
“What do you mean by not yet?”
“In her nightmare, you were there. She was wearing clothes, different from those she hid under the rocks. I believe that what she saw was more of a premonition.”
“A premonition? If that is true, then the only way we will find out what’s there is for Celeste and me to go check it out together.” The thought of that makes my stomach turn, putting Celeste in harm's way doesn’t sit well with me or my wolf.
“Didn’t she say that she couldn’t read the words the first time?” Axel muses.
“Yes. I couldn’t either. Why was she able to read them now?”
“My first thought is that they wanted her to read it, to know what it meant so she would stay away. But, I also wonder why the two of you were the only ones that could see it at all. Even when I saw the walls in her mind, I couldn't see anything. Have all the wolves been there yet?”
“I will have to check with Donovan on that. I am calling a meeting. I want the entire pack here, I want every set of eyes watching the footage that Spencer got last night. I want to know who else can see the markings. There is a connection here, and I need to know what it is.” My determination is not just for protecting my pack, but for the sweet wolf that landed my heart.
CHAPTER SIX
Barin
Donovan gathers the pack together, including the few significant others, in the sizeable living room. He has Spencer set up the video to the large flat screen tv and surround sound speakers to help if there are any significant noises to pick up. Everyone has a notepad and pen to mark down timestamps if they hear or see anything.
Pandora volunteers to stay with Celeste in another room so that Celeste doesn’t have to relive her hell again.
Kane sits close to the door with his arms folded over his chest and a disgruntled look on his face.
“We are looking for anything out of the ordinary. Watch for any movement, listen for anything that doesn't belong. Barin and Celeste appreciate you taking the time to help us.” Donovan turns off the lights, and pushes play.
Spencer's mate Nicolette is the only non-shifter in the room. Although her ears are probably not going to pick up on anything, there is a chance she could see something.
After about two hours of staring at the screen, we take a break. We may as well have been staring at a picture for all the luck we had. With a stretch ending in a growl, I leave my pack to rest their eyes while I check on Celeste.
“Come in!” Celeste and Pandora are sitting on the bed with a bowl of popcorn. They pause whatever movie they are watching.
I look at the screen, but it doesn't look familiar. “Hi. What are you watching?”
“We figured everyone would be busy for a while so decided to have a Harry Potter marathon. Can you believe Pandy has never seen it?!” Pandora smiles proudly at the new nickname.
“Umm, I haven't either. I always thought it was a children's movie.” I smile and shrug my shoulders.
“Well, mister, I guess you and I will have to watch it together. You can read the books first but you will watch them with me.”
“As you wish.” I make an over-exaggerated bow and the girls laugh. If Celeste is making plans, it means she wants to stay. My heart swells with the thought. I'd watch a million movies if that means she will stay.
“Princess Bride!” Celeste exclaims.
Pandora looks at Celeste with confusion.
“As you wish. It's what Wesley always said to Buttercup, but what he meant was, ‘I love you'. You’re telling me you never saw that either!?”
Pandora shakes her head. Her shaggy gray and black streaked hair brushing her cheeks.
“I confess, I have read the book and saw the movie. Just don't tell Donovan I told you he cried.”
Celeste falls back on the bed in a fit of laughter.
Pandora has tears in her eyes as she laughs at stoic Donovan crying at a movie.
“Promise!” They squeal through laughter.
When they settle down, Celeste peers at me. She seems on the verge of saying something when there is a knock at the door.
Donovan pokes his head in and the girls try their best not to laugh. He looks at them before he shifts his confused gaze to me. I can see the question on his face.
“They have the giggles.” I shrug, acting just as baffled as he is.
“Everyone is ready to get back to work.” Donovan bows to the girls and leaves the room.
I smile and follow him.
They burst out with laughter once the door closes, and the movie starts again.
“Barin, so far no one has
seen anything on that video. Not even a chipmunk running across the floor.”
“We could always have it play in double time, maybe we can get through it quicker. I have a feeling that if there is anything to see, it will be noticeable enough no matter how fast the feed is going.”
“Spencer said they have another battery-operated camera going there now. None of the searches have turned up anything either.”
“Well, let’s get this going. I will not make the whole pack sit through all of this. I thought if anyone would see the markings, they would have by now.” I stop walking when something dawns on me. “Donovan, the markings aren’t on the video. Damnit! Either the cameras are not high tech enough to pick up magic, or the markings vanished.” Donovan and I enter the living room.
“I want to apologize to all of you. I fear that I may have wasted all of your time. I hoped that someone would have seen the markings on the walls by now. However, I can’t see them on the video, which leads me to believe that either the cameras aren’t picking them up, or they are not there. If anyone wants to continue watching to see if anything pops up, I would appreciate it.”
“I’ll keep watching.” Nicolette says, always willing to get into the thick of things and help.
Spencer beams at his wife with pride, nodding in agreement with her.
“Great. Thank you both. I need to talk to Celeste. I think she and I need to go back to the cave and investigate.”
“I am going with you, Barin.” Donovan would have my back even if we were walking through the gates of hell. I just hope that day wasn’t today.
“Can’t let Celeste go there without me.” Kathleen pipes in. She has really taken to Celeste.
Zeke, Cole, and Lukas all volunteer, too. The hard part is asking Celeste to go with me. Not because I think she will say no, but because I don’t want to put her through that again.
Kathleen suggests I bring some cookies to the girls. Something about chocolate and better moods. Sounds like nonsense to me, but I am not about to argue with my spitfire gamma.
