by Niki Trento
“We told you, just to talk. We see you brought your mate. Good.”
Kathleen moves in front of Celeste, letting the elves know that she will die protecting my other half.
I stand beside her, ready for an attack to come. “Then talk.”
The elf that had been doing the talking, nods. He is wearing a darker cloak than the other two. “Barin, we want you to leave your pack to your Beta and join us. Your mate, too, of course.”
Kathleen chuffs; the wolf’s laugh.
Celeste’s jaw drops in surprise.
“And what would make you think that I would do that?”
“It is where you belong.”
“No. I belong with my pack. With my mate. I am not an elf, I don’t belong with you.”
The speaking elf looks to his left and then to his right at his fellow elves. They each nod, then all eyes zero in on me. I stand my ground. If they wanted me badly enough to attack and drag me to their world...wherever and whatever that is, I wouldn’t be going without a fight.
“Barin, let me explain. Your ancestor was elven royalty. He abandoned us for his shifter and their mutt offspring.”
I am shocked and insulted at the same time. Royalty? Mutt?! I tamp down my anger. I can’t show weakness to them, they could use it against me. “What does that have to do with me?”
“Our King is near dying; your ancestor was next in line to the throne. We have been waiting through the years for one of his ancestors to come along with the power to take the throne. Every generation has produced strong shifters, but none of them were alphas like you. You alone have the strength and power to rule the elves.”
What is this elf talking about? Just because I am alpha, I am meant to save the elves? It doesn’t make any sense.
“You can’t be serious?!” Celeste is shaking, but I feel more anger than fear from her. “You and your kind slaughtered the offspring because they had power!”
“They were not of royal blood. They had no right to elven magic.”
“Who are you to decide that?” Celeste is furious, I can feel it. Her anger akin to a raging hurricane. If she were in wolf form, her hackles would be fully extended.
“Those shifters could not possibly have been able to handle that kind of magic. They were a danger to everyone around them and to themselves.”
“I still don’t understand. You killed them because they were—what?—stronger than you?” Celeste is on a roll. Her anger thickens the air.
“They were not able to control the magic. They lacked the focus, the ability. They were hurting shifters, too. It would be like you having gifts that you were not meant to have. Your packmate with empathy, she was groomed on a cellular level to handle that gift. The same goes for elven magic.”
“So, no shifter is meant to have elven magic because, essentially, it will drive them insane?”
My hand rests on Celeste’s back in an attempt to calm her. I admire her tenacity, her protective instincts for creatures long gone. She makes her feelings clear. Crystal clear.
“By your definition of the word, yes. Imagine, if you will, a child being able to rip the soul from any being it touched. This is as close as I can explain to you what was happening.” The elf who has been silent and off to the side draws our attention with this comparison.
“Think about it. When you make your decision, come back here.” With that, the elves turn and walk into the waterfall.
BARIN! DAMNIT! Donovan’s panicked yell suddenly bursts in my head making me slam my hands to my temples.
Fuck, D! We are okay. Communication was blocked.
Kathleen leads the way through the tunnel to rejoin our pack. Celeste no longer shakes but looks worried. In my mind there is no decision to make, I won’t leave my pack. I am a shifter, not an elf, and definitely not a king! There is nothing they could say to make me change my mind.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Barin
We make it to the mouth of the cave. The pack walks out of the cave with flicking tails, some hop-walking while others run hands through their hair. Shoulders look more relaxed now that the worst is over.
We had all expected the elves to start a war against the shifters like they did all those decades ago. There are many questions that I know they are all dying to ask. Luckily they all know me well enough to know that I don’t like having to repeat myself. Silently we all head back to the house; to the rest of the pack.
Glenda and my mother are in the kitchen waiting for us. The table is laden with roast beef sandwiches, potato salad, chips, and drinks. They come and wrap me and Celeste in tight hugs.
Kathleen returns to the kitchen, journal in hand. I can tell she took a shower because her hair is still damp and I can smell her soap. “I am going to get all of this written down while you talk to the pack. Oooh! Roast beef!” Kathleen snags a sandwich and goes into the living room.
“We were watching the feed from the body cams,” Glenda begins, “but when yours cut out, we got worried. The others kept watching while we made up some food. I am so glad you all made it out of there in one piece. Come, let’s go to the others so we can hear what happened.” Her voice shakes slightly, hands rubbing down her hips.
Everyone is in the living room waiting. Celeste is sitting next to her father, sipping a soda. I want to take the time to go over everything on my own before telling the pack; I want to prepare for the onslaught of questions.
There is no time for that. This whole situation has everyone on edge and being this close to answers, I can’t make them wait any longer. Everyone watches me as I repeat everything that happened from the time we reached the tunnel.
“Dad, what was it like with the elves before the war?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. I know after the war, there was an almost peace between the two races. We left them alone, they left us alone.”
“What about the elven ancestor? Do you know what happened to him?”
Someone has to know more about this than I do. It seems like a pretty cut and dried situation. They want me to become king of the elves. I want to continue to lead my pack without any problems from the elves.
However, I have a feeling they won’t let it go—won’t let me go. Maybe there is another ancestor they can bother. Or perhaps an elf they are skipping over. Technically this isn’t my problem, but if they are insistent and keep hounding me, it would be.
“It should be in the tome. I have no idea.” My father’s voice is different. Rushed. It is as if he is spitting out a bad flavor.
Never has he lied to me. Nor has he ever led me in the wrong direction. Because of this, I take him at his word. He must feel helpless.
“Elves live very long lives, Barin. I don’t believe there is any record that he died, but I am sure Kathleen could check the books to be sure.” My mother has been silent since I shared the request the elves had of me. Her hands in her lap, twisting the charm on her bracelet.
Kathleen squeals and jumps up. “I’m on it! Let’s see...I will need the tomes from the war up until Barin leaving your pack. Pandy, want to help?” The two of them go into the library to do their research.
“Barin,” Spencer catches my attention. “We had video until the elves actually showed up, at least that is what I am assuming happened to cut the feed. The sneezing fit that Kathleen was having, I believe I know what caused that. It started happening when she got close to the waterfall, right before the feed was lost. I am thinking that it was the high frequency of magic that irritated her sinuses.”
“That makes sense. The elves appeared right in that area.” I shrug. “At least that is one mystery solved. Thank you.”
Celeste’s head is resting in the palm of her hand, elbow on her knee, her eyes closed. I watch her for a moment, relishing the fact that soon this woman will be mine in the eyes of the Goddess. I will spend every day with her at my side, guarding my back as I will do for her.
“Perhaps we should call it a night. It’s been a trying day and we have much to th
ink about.” I walk over to her and slide one arm under her knees and the other around her shoulders. I carefully lift her; her arms instinctively wrapping around my neck, nose going up under my chin. I can’t help but smile.
I hear the parents all saying good night as they go to their respective rooms. I know the others will be up for a while. Their adrenaline has been running pretty high. Some will probably shift and go for a run. Part of me wants to join them, but I don’t want to leave Celeste.
Once she is curled up in her bed, I sit and watch her. With all of the stress going on lately, her calm and angelic face is quite relaxing in and of itself.
A yawn breaks my focus on my mate. It is time for me to retire to my own room. I quietly slip out of her room and go to the kitchen to get a cold bottle of water.
Donovan is sitting alone at the table, his head in his hands.
“What’s up, Donovan?”
“Hey. Nothing,” he stammers.
“Yeah? Got a bridge to sell me?”
“I don’t want to take over the pack, Barin.”
“Good. Now I know I don’t need to expect you to challenge me.” I try to make light of the situation. I know what he means. He doesn’t know how serious I am about not taking up the mantle of the elven king.
“Be serious.”
“Donovan, I am not leaving the pack. They would have to kill me before that would happen.”
Donovan sighs deeply and hangs his head. “That’s what I am worried about.”
“Don’t. Get some sleep. We will discuss the whole thing later.” I get my water from the fridge and turn to leave. “We will figure this out, one way or another, Donovan. But for now, I need to go through it on my own.”
“I know. Call if you need me.” Donovan gets up from the table but just stands there. It seems like he can’t decide which way to go. After a minute, he makes his way to his room.
I know that Donovan’s concerns have nothing to do with his ability to lead the pack. We have been a team since we were pups; he‘s worried about me. He won’t let the others know what he is thinking. He will show concern, of course, but he won’t let them know just how bothered he is by the idea of something happening to me. Donovan may be a sensitive shifter, most of us are, but he is also determined to not let anyone use it against him.
Before going to bed, I decided to check in on Kathleen and Pandora in the library. It had been at least two hours since they had hidden away in there. Surprisingly, neither has come to tell me that they found anything. That is either because I was with Celeste or they hadn’t found anything. I knocked gently on the door frame.
“Hey, Barin.” Kathleen stretches her arms over her head. Pandora waves without taking her eyes off the pages of the tome she has open in her lap.
“How’s the research going?”
“Well, there has not been a mention of your grand-elf-daddy dying, at least not yet anyway. It did briefly mention that he gave up everything to stay with his shifter mate. Then they go on to tell bits and pieces about his life and what he did for the pack. It sounds like he was—or is— a really nice guy.”
“That’s good to know. At least I know he wasn’t a dick.”
Kathleen shoots me a crooked smile for my efforts.
“Seriously though, if there isn’t any mention of his death, maybe he is still around somewhere.” I roll my shoulders, grateful that I have Kathleen and her unquenchable thirst for information. There is no way I would be able to do all of this on my own.
“It’s possible. Unfortunately, he could have left the pack and died somewhere else.”
“True.” I stood there silently contemplating.
“Barin?”
“Sorry, Kat, I’m—”
Kathleen growls a little.
I smiled at her before continuing, “I’m racking my brain too much tonight. Going to try some sleep. Don’t you two forget to get some, too.”
I make it back to my room, lay down, and turn out the bedside light. Staring at my ceiling in the dark, I start going over everything. I could talk to the pack for hours, but I just can’t wrap my head around everything as well as I do when I am alone. There is a solution here; one that will make everyone happy. I just have to find it, or rather, find my elven sire.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
-Dreamscape-
Thick fog kissed the dew-laden grass as it slowly ghosted through the trees. Barin stood at the edge of the lake; watching ripples dance along its surface. His body went stiff for just a moment as he sensed the presence of another. He hadn’t time to shift. Instead, he let his nails elongate into claws.
“Do not be afraid, Barin. I am not here to fight.” The stranger stepped out from the lake, yet not a drop of water clung to him.
“You’re an elf. Come to make me accept the throne?”
“Yes, I am an elf. But no, I am not here to make you do anything.”
Barin held his ground, he wouldn’t retreat, not even a step. The elf stood a few feet away.
“Then why are you here? On my territory?”
“I needed to talk to you. I know that my brethren have contacted you. Trust me, you are the last resort to solve their problem. Definitely not one they are happy about.”
“The feeling is mutual, I assure you. I have no desire to rule over the elves and leave my pack behind.”
“They have spent many decades watching my descendants, waiting for one with the power to take my place.”
Barin’s eyes widened with surprise and understanding. This wasn’t just another elf, this was his great-great-grandfather!
“You are Heru, the heir to the throne.”
“Yes. I gave up that right because I was in love. I couldn’t bring Lily and Ruth to Entrot, the elves wouldn’t have let me.”
“They must not care anymore.”
“Wake up, Barin.”
“What?” Barin shook his head before opening his eyes.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Barin
“Barin, wake up.” Kathleen is standing over me. “Why are you on the floor? Why are your feet muddy?”
I sit up and sure enough, I am on the floor and it looks as if I have been walking through mud puddles. That was just a dream...wasn’t it?
“I don’t know.” When I am standing, I notice there isn’t any mud anywhere else in my room. Running my hand through my hair, fingers snagging on a leaf. What the hell?
“Your parents and Celeste’s are getting ready to leave.”
“What? What time is it?”
“It’s almost five. They are staying for dinner, but thought you’d want to spend more time with them.”
“I slept almost the whole day!?” I scrub my face before looking back at Kathleen. “Is Celeste awake?”
“Yeah, she has been downstairs with her parents for about an hour. Are you okay?”
“Not sure. I’ll be down after a shower.”
She stands there for a moment, assessing me. It is obvious that she is worried, but I have no idea what happened to me while I slept. There is nothing I can say to her to convince her that I am not losing my mind.
Was it a dream or did Heru really visit me? I look down at my feet, noting the partially dried mud. The floor is clean except where I was. No footprints leading from the door or windows. My bed is just as spotless as it was when I crawled into it hours before. It couldn’t have been a natural dream.
**
I go join the pack downstairs. It is so late in the day that dinner is being prepared. The aromas of roasted meat and spices fill the lower level of the house. My father and Donovan are laughing in the kitchen. I know there is no way my father would visit without making at least one meal.
“Sleeping Beauty has risen!” my father jokes, causing Donovan to snort laughter.
“Long night. Need coffee.” I pull the pot off the maker and pour the black gold.
“Kathleen found something in the tomes that might interest you. She just went back to the library with coffee for Axel an
d Pandora,” Donovan informs me.
“Thanks. How long until dinner? I’m starving,” I ask my father.
“About an hour, but I can bring something to you if you can’t wait.”
“I’ll survive. I had better check with Kathleen.”
In the library, Axel, Kathleen, and Pandora sit in the comfortable chairs, each with a book and a notepad in their lap. Their attention isn’t on the pages but rather on each other as they talk about the research they have been working on.
“Find anything good?”
“Oh, hey, Barin. Check this out.” Kathleen starts flipping through her pages until she finds what she is looking for. “We found this a few hours ago; Heru left the pack shortly before you were born. There is no record of where he went, but there is also no record of his death.”
“Do you think it is possible that he is still alive somewhere?” I ask.
“That is exactly what we are thinking.” Kathleen pulls a new pen from the small collection in her messy bun, making notes in her journal.
“Any clue where he may have gone?” Sometimes asking my gamma for information is like pulling teeth. Have to ask the right things or she won’t tell you everything. Not sure if that is because she gets scattered or if she subconsciously likes to horde information.
“None. He just left.” Her excitement for a mystery to solve is evident in her voice.
I decide that I need to tell them about the could-be dream I had of Heru. Maybe there is something I am missing or forgetting that Axel could sniff out. “I had a dream of sorts about Heru. Axel, will you see what you can find?”
“Of course, boss.”
I go over the parts of the dream I remember. From the conversation with Heru to waking up with muddy feet. Kathleen is writing everything down; Pandora is watching my aura, as planned. Axel is sitting across from me, his eyes closed as he searches my memories. When I am done with the retelling, I wait for Axel to finish his digging.
“Well,” Axel begins, “you didn’t forget anything and it wasn’t a dream. Heru came to you like the other elves have done. Which makes me believe he really is alive.”
