Just before he climbed into the Audi, the stranger nodded.
At me.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Zoe
At exactly five thirty, the front door bell rang. Stella ran to the foyer and swung the door open. “They’re here!” she yelled.
Through the entryway, I could see the Bel Air parked on the street, and I smiled, glad to see Shay had taken my advice. Dad seemed to like him already, but extra points couldn’t hurt. Besides, it could help him sway Mom if she was still on the fence.
“Hey, Stella. How are you?” Kieran asked. “Was that you practicing soccer in the front lawn the other day? I saw your goal dance.”
Her face turned bright red. “Hi, Kieran.” She glanced at Shay, standing behind Kieran, blushed even deeper, then giggled as she bolted away.
“Hey, Zoe,” the boys said.
“Hi. Come on in,” I said. “Shay, this is my mom.”
Shay extended his hand to shake Mom’s, but instead of taking it, she drew him in for a hug.
“It’s nice to finally meet you,” she said, drawing away. “Stella talks about you all the time. You’d think it was her you were dating and not Zoe. Welcome to our home, Shay, and please, call me Jackie. Mrs. Jabril is too formal.” She stepped back and gave Kieran a hug. “Hi, Kieran, it’s nice to see you, again.”
“And Shay, you remember my dad, Kevin,” I said.
Dad extended his hand this time. “Welcome back.” He jerked his head toward the street. “I see you brought her with you tonight. Maybe we can take her out for a spin after dinner.”
“I’d love to,” Shay replied.
Mom turned toward the kitchen. “Hey, Jackie. I’ll come help,” Shay said while Kieran and I followed Dad into the living room.
I grinned. Points for Shay.
I stood on the threshold between the kitchen and living room watching Dad chat with Kieran about baseball while Mom passed dishes of food to Shay to place on the table.
“Dinner’s ready!” Mom called a few minutes later.
My sister barreled down the stairs, and Dad and Kieran walked in from the living room. I sauntered over to my usual chair and motioned for Shay to sit between Mom and me, leaving Kieran to sit between Stella and Dad.
After Shay said grace, we started scooping food from the dishes directly in front of us, and Shay was the last to take the main course. He took a bite and his eyes widened. “May I ask what this is? I don’t think I’ve ever had it before.”
“What?” Stella cried. “You’ve never had Tator-Tot casserole before?”
I giggled.
“No, but this is great!”
“So, Shay, tell us about yourself,” Dad suggested.
“My parents and his mom go way back,” Kieran said. “They’ve known each other for years.”
“Since, just after I was born,” Shay added.
“And where was that?” Mom asked.
“California, but then we moved to St. Paul before I turned one.”
“Is it just you and your mom?”
“Yeah. I do see my dad a lot though.”
“Where in St. Paul did you live?” Mom dabbed her mouth with a napkin. “My folks lived a block off Summit Avenue. That’s where I grew up.”
“And after we graduated from college, we moved into this house, then Zoe was born,” Dad said. “I used to love ice fishing on the Old Miss.”
“Water must run through my blood because I was born by the ocean and grew up along the Mississippi River,” Shay replied.
I listened to Shay demonstrate the fine art of lying, using real information, and felt sorry for him again.
“Do you have plans for after high school?” Mom asked.
Shay swallowed another huge bite of the casserole and nodded. “Planning to attend the University of Minnesota for business.”
“I attended the U, along with Jackie,” Dad said. “That’s where we met. I remember seeing her across campus and thinking to myself that I would marry that girl. Of course, I had yet to meet or talk with her, but I knew in my gut. And twenty-two years later, she’s still the love of my life.”
“Oh stop, Kevin. You’re embarrassing the kids.” Mom’s face glowed, but she waved a hand at him. “Kieran, what about you? What do you plan to do after high school?”
Kieran frowned. “I’m not exactly sure yet. Maybe take a few years off and travel. This is my chance to see the places and figure out what I want to do with my life. I may start my world tour this summer.”
Is he leaving me?
When Shay took my dad out in the Bel Air after supper, I seized the opportunity to pull Kieran outside.
“What’s up with the post-school traveling plans? I heard you mention them to Quinn earlier, too. How come I didn’t know about them?”
We walked out to the bistro set and sat in the warm twilight. “I’m thinking ahead, Zoe. If we all have to disappear for a while to prepare for the war, how are we going to explain why and where we’ve gone? I’m just setting the ground work. If I tell everyone my plans are to travel, then it’s not such a huge stretch.” He smiled. “Maybe you and Shay can plan to come with me and we can ‘backpack around Europe’ or something, you know?” He shrugged and dropped his elbow onto the table, using it as a rest for his chin. “It all depends on how long the war drags out. We could still be fighting, or it could be done. But if it’s over when high school ends, I probably still won’t be able to stay here, Zoe. I’ll have to move on to my next guardian assignment.”
“What!” I shot to my feet, horrified, and my chair tipped over. I had never even considered my life without Kieran. “You won’t be able to hang around me anymore? That’s so not cool, K. Who do I have to talk to about—”
“Calm down, Z.” He chuckled, gesturing to my chair. “We’ll figure something out. Don’t worry about it now.”
I picked up the fallen chair and sat quietly, mulling over what he’d just said. He was right. I had to take it all one step at a time. Staying alive was my new priority. After all, if the demon attacks escalated, the next time would be in front of witnesses. They might even hurt the people I loved.
Kieran was probably smart to be coming up with the summer plan. If leaving was what I needed to do to keep my friends and family safe, I’d do that, too.
“What’s the war going to be like?” I asked.
His smile was sad. “Nothing like you’ve ever read about, that’s for sure.”
I didn’t want to think about it, but I didn’t have much choice. “Tell me.”
He sighed. “Well, killing demons will be tough on you. The first few always are. But what you’ll have to remember is it’s either them, or you.”
“I can’t kill anything, Kieran!”
“Sure you can. They’re demons. They’re evil, vile creatures who want to live in this world without order. They only care about themselves. Sam ultimately wants to rule on Earth and have Ordinaries worship him. And do you think a creature like him would stop at the Ordinaries? No. He’ll go after the Naturals and try to convert the Eternals.”
I couldn’t let that happen.
Behind me, the purring of a car rolled onto the driveway. Dad climbed out of the driver’s seat, and I could see him grinning and talking with Shay.
“That’s our cue to leave.” Kieran glanced over at them. “We’re getting together at my house, okay?” He checked his cell phone. “Vash is going to meet us at seven.”
When Shay arrived in the backyard, the three of us left through the side gate and ambled over to Kieran’s house. It was a nice night, so we waited on the lawn for the others. Promptly at seven, Vash pulled into Kieran’s driveway in his Camaro, his powerful engine roaring. Not long after, Sidelle pulled up in her Mini Cooper.
“Let’s go inside,” Kieran said. We followed him through the back door.
“Wow, nice pad, Kieran,” Vash said, stepping into a few of the adjacent rooms. “Must be nice to have an endless supply of money. I suppose you do well, inves
tment wise, living forever.”
I’d found out, that since Vash was a werewolf, he lived a longer than normal life, but that was all I knew. Tonight I was determined to learn more. I no longer felt threatened or uncomfortable around him, and the weird feeling of being watched had gone away.
“We have to scrape by sometimes,” Kieran replied with a smirk. “As you said, we live forever, so we have to budget accordingly.”
Vash grinned. “Touché.”
We moved to the great room where we could spread out. Shay and I sat on the couch, our arms always touching.
Once we were all comfortable, Vash cleared his throat. “Well, since I called the meeting, I guess I should start.” He turned to face me. “The Pack is aware of you and what you represent, Zoe. I was sent to confirm it, and I have been doing so for the last few days. I apologize if I’ve made you uncomfortable. It wasn’t my intention to do so. My Alpha gave me specific orders to watch, but not intervene, unless you were in grave danger. But as I can clearly see, you are being well protected.”
“I can’t get a read off you, you know,” Sidelle said to Vash. “I should be able to—read wolves, that is.”
He nodded. “I’m aware of that. My pack is one of the oldest in existence, and we have a lot of resources to draw on. Our knowledge goes beyond recorded history. People forget over the centuries. We don’t.”
“I don’t either. So you know how to block fairies, and it was intentional?”
“Yes.”
“Does Keegan agree that Zoe is who we’d been waiting for?” Kieran asked.
“He doesn’t know for sure, but he has his suspicions. Why else would he send me?” He frowned. “Isn’t that why we are all here? Fill me in. I haven’t made my report, so I can include everything you tell me now. Why do you all think she’s the babe from the prophecy?”
“The earth told us of her birth, and King Oberon sent me to watch,” Sidelle said.
“The Archangels also felt it could be her when she was born,” Kieran said. “She showed great potential even as a child.”
I listened, mesmerized, but didn’t interrupt. It seemed like they needed this flow of information to keep moving. I’d get answers eventually.
“Showing what, exactly?” Vash asked.
Kieran smiled. “Zoe has great empathy for the world and its creatures, and she has an aura that draws good people to her. She has many friends at school and will have lifelong friendships with them. Her capacity for love knows no bounds.”
I smiled at my best friend, feeling my heart swell. I squeezed Shay’s hand and looked at him, but he just nodded, silently agreeing with Kieran’s assessment.
“She has already shown two signs that she is more than an Ordinary,” Shay said. “She’s generated protective orbs when she was attacked by demons.”
“You said two,” Vash clarified. “Is that two different signs or two separate orbs?”
My cheeks started to heat up. I knew where Shay was going.
“Two different signs.”
“And the second?” Vash probed. “What was that?” Sidelle and Kieran stared at me as well.
“Go ahead,” I told Shay. “They should know about it, I guess.”
“She glows.”
“You what?” Sidelle cried.
“Um ... I glow?” I said hesitantly.
“How did you find that out?” she asked.
My face sizzled with embarrassment. Boy, I did not want to have this conversation in front of Kieran or Vash. But the truth was, they needed to know all the facts.
“We, um ...” I looked at Shay for help.
He’d gone red, too. “We were ...” He seemed to have just as much trouble talking about it.
Sidelle’s eyes narrowed. “Listen here, half-angel boy, don’t make me go digging around in your brain for it. You know I can get a good visual. Now spill it!”
“Sidelle,” I said. “I’ll tell you.” I didn’t look at anyone’s face to gauge their reaction, because I was too mortified. “He’s just protecting me, trying to spare me the embarrassment. The thing is, last night we were kissing, and I started to glow.”
I lifted my head just in time to see a wicked smile stretch across her face. “Ah. I see.”
My news didn’t seem to have much of an effect on the other two boys. “So, do we know what that means?” Vash asked. “It’s gotta be a confirmation of some kind.”
“I think it means we should get ready for a war,” Kieran replied.
“Hold your horses, Kieran,” Shay said. “We have a slight problem. I talked to my dad again about the Marqs—”
Vash’s dark brow furrowed. “Wait. The Marquises demons are coming after her?”
Shay nodded. “We were at a party the other night, and the Knights brought four with them.”
“And you fought them off?” Vash asked.
“No. Sidelle saved us. I was caught in Zoe’s protective orb, and she wouldn’t let me out to fight.”
“Huh. That changes things a bit,” Vash murmured.
“Why and how so?” Kieran asked.
“With the Marqs in the picture, you will definitely need the wolves’ help. My father needs to know about this immediately.”
“Wait. Why do we need help from the wolves?” I asked.
Vash slammed a fist into his palm and grinned. “Because we can kill the Marquises.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Zoe
So many questions raced through my head. I frowned at Vash. “You’re the, uh, first werewolf I’ve met, and I have some questions,” I said.
“Shoot.”
“Hold on, Vash!” Sidelle said. “Which pack are you from and where?”
“The Spiritus Pack of Minnetonka. Why?”
“I know wolves can kill the Marqs, I just wasn’t aware of a pack so close. I’ve been looking for one. Kieran, that’s why I didn’t say anything earlier.”
He nodded.
“Anything else?” Vash shrugged.
“No,” Sidelle said.
“When you are in wolf form, are you still you?” I asked. “Or are you more animal than man?”
“Ah.” He nodded in Kieran’s direction. “So he hasn’t told you anything about me?”
“He told me who you were, but I don’t understand the whole werewolf thing.”
He leaned forward with his strong arms braced against his knees. “I’m a Werewolf in the traditional sense. On the night of a full moon, my human body changes into a wolf’s form. New pups and adolescents can’t control the change, but older ones—like me—can. Adult wolves have power over the change, whether it’s during a full moon or at any other time.” He glanced at his feet before looking back at me. “We don’t call ourselves werewolves anymore because the movies have given us a bad rep, you know? They portray us as savages who can’t comprehend anything when in animal form. So ever since modern times, we have just been calling ourselves wolves.”
I blushed, knowing I was guilty of buying into the movie version of werewolves. “About that bad rep ...” I let the question hang for him to answer.
“It’s totally untrue,” Vash snapped, obviously irritated, but not by me. “We are a very loving species. We find our one mate and share our lives with them. Granted, when we are in wolf form, yes, we have a slightly higher instinctual level, but we can control our behavior. Can we be brutal and vicious? Of course, but no more than humans. We probably have even more control in some aspects, because our lives are simpler.”
“So you only get to find love once?” I asked. “What happens if you don’t find her, or if one of you dies?”
“Usually fate seems to work it out that we find each other. We are drawn by a force to find them. But if you die after you are mated, your mate will follow. One half of the soul cannot live without the other.” He smiled. “This is a very large world, but travel has been made much easier with cars and planes. Before that, many wolves never found their mates. We are fortunate now. Our mates can be any Ordinar
y or any wolf Natural, and if our mate dies before we find each other, we can have another mate.”
“That’s so sad!”
He shrugged. “It can be, but it prompts us to live life to the fullest and always appreciate our mate.”
“Are you mated?” I blurted, then slapped my hand over my mouth. “Oh my gosh. I can’t believe I just asked that. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”
He laughed. “It’s all right. I don’t mind answering. No, I’m not mated, but I’m still young. We live about the same length of time as the nephilim, so about two hundred years.”
“Next question: when you kill demons, is it in human or in wolf form?”
“We can in either form, but it’s easier as a wolf. The human body has limitations. As a human, we can die by human weapons, but it’s much harder to kill us in our wolf form. Because we’re blessed by God, the wolf can only be killed by something equally as holy, like the swords the nephilim and demons carry.”
I looked at Shay with wide eyes. “Can you die that way, too?”
“Yes, and I will die someday. I can’t die from a human weapon, though. The angel part of me would heal me back to full health, but depending on the injury, it might take a while. Only the Swords of Hell can kill nephilim.”
“Is that what those swords are called?” I shuddered at the thought of Shay being struck down. “The ones the Marqs carry?”
“Yes. They’re swords dipped in Hell’s Fire. Since medieval times, most Knights haven’t carried them, since they’re supposed to look like Ordinaries, and people these days don’t carry swords around. They would look ridiculous if they did, so they generally leave them to the Marqs who can hide them under their cloaks. My guess is they brought both a gun and a sword to the warehouse, though, not knowing who they might run into. They covered both bases.”
Kieran leaned in. “But Devin didn’t bring one of the Hell’s Swords. And that’s why I wasn’t hurt,” he explained. “Like I said before, they aren’t all that smart.”
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