Lazy Days

by Clay, Verna

  "Really, and are you going to be the one to adjust my attitude? I hate you!" she hissed. They glared at each other until the elevator braked gently on the top floor. Roth entered the hallway and Rainey brushed past him to slide her keycard and enter the laboratory.

  She'd expected to see her crew working diligently, but the lab appeared empty. She muttered to herself, "Crap. Where is everyone? We have work to do."

  Walking toward her office and opening the door, she jumped when Steve, Jim, and Fawn shouted, "Welcome back!" Balloons and a large banner decorated her office. Her jaw dropped and guilt made her wince.

  In a matter-of-fact tone she said, "Thank you. I appreciate your welcome. It's certainly unexpected. Now, let's get to work and make up for the time we've lost." Even to her own ears, her words sounded dry and lifeless. She smiled, but it came short of reaching her eyes.

  "Sure, Rainey," said Jim

  "Whatever you say," Steve echoed.

  "I'll get my pad to take notes," said Fawn.

  They rushed from her office. Rainey glanced at Fawn's retreating back, and then at Roth, and felt a venomous strike of jealousy. His keen gaze studied her face and he shook his head, as if reassuring her that he and Fawn were not lovers. Rainey shrugged as if she didn't care and walked behind her desk.

  * * *

  For Roth, the next two weeks became a repeat of his first two weeks on assignment protecting Rainey. Johnson drove them to the Childress Laboratories in different vehicles and by different routes, and Roth crowded into the backseat uninvited and unwanted for each trip. Rainey mostly ignored him, but occasionally sent caustic remarks his way. He met Fawn in the forest once to discuss the situation, but, for some reason, withheld his encounter with Stella from her.

  After a particularly demanding day with Rainey and her cold-shoulder attitude, they entered the house through the terrace doors and heard voices in the library. Roth felt the presence of another shapeling and recognized the voice. He looked at Rainey. She froze, her countenance going from icy distain to indifference.

  Hank walked to the open doors of the library. "Rainey, Roth, please come in. Someone very special is here."

  Roth heard Rainey draw a deep breath. He followed her to the library.

  "Hello, Stella," she greeted.

  He glanced over the top of Rainey's head to the beautiful black-haired woman who linked her arm through Hank's.

  Stella's glance slid from Rainey to Roth, and back to Rainey. "Hello daughter. I've missed you. I could only travel the Bahamas for so long before returning to visit my family." She looked at Hank and bestowed a kiss on his cheek. He patted her hand. An age difference clearly existed between them. Hank looked more like her father, than her husband. Of course, Roth knew Stella had to be older by at least a couple thousand years.

  "Rainey, stop being standoffish, come and hug your mother," said Hank. Rainey walked towards her mother. Rather than hug her, however, she bestowed an air kiss on her cheek.

  Roth saw a certain look pass over Stella's face. Something she immediately hid.

  Hank said, "To celebrate the return of my lovely wife, I've asked Beth to prepare a spectacular meal. It isn't often we dine together as a family. Roth, you must join us."

  "I wouldn't miss it, sir." He looked at Stella and she returned his gaze, a slight smirk tilting her mouth.

  Rainey excused herself and Roth did the same. After showering, he relaxed in a chair on his balcony. Gazing toward the distant forest, he mentally moved puzzle pieces around looking for a fit.

  He joined Hank and Stella in the dining room before Rainey arrived. They spoke about non-relevant issues. When Rainey entered the room, her pale and withdrawn countenance tugged at his heart. Her mother sure did a number on her.

  Throughout dinner Stella chatted happily about her adventures, while Hank gazed rapturously at his wife, hanging on every word. She played to his adoration. Attempting to draw Rainey into the conversation, she asked about her work at the lab.

  "I know your work is guarded Rainey, but can you tell me anything about your latest project?"

  "No, Stella. I can't."

  Stella looked disappointed, but countered with, "Okay, then tell me how you and Roth are getting along."

  Rainey looked startled.

  "What do you mean?"

  "Goodness, Rainey, I didn't mean to shock you. I was just wondering if you and Roth are friends. It's kind of hard being together day after day and not developing some kind of relationship."

  "Roth and I have a strictly business arrangement. His job is to make sure I can do mine."

  "Tsk, tsk, Rainey. How does the saying go—Methinks the woman doth protest too much!"

  Color flushed Rainey's cheeks.

  Hank interrupted. "Roth, why don't you tell us something about your family? You once said your first name means 'tower of strength' and it was passed down by your ancestors."

  Stella turned her gaze on him. "Yes, Roth, "Do tell us about your family."

  Roth looked directly into her eyes. "My mother and father are dead. They were killed in an accident before I reached puberty. I was raised by a man named Endesha."

  "I'm sorry for your loss. Perhaps we should change the subject. It must be difficult to speak about that part of your life."

  "Yes, very." Roth gave her a calculated look. "What about your parents—Rainey's grandparents?"

  Stella's eyes became guarded. "My parents are reclusive and refuse to leave their home."

  "Not even to meet their grandchild and son-in-law?"

  "Not even to meet them."

  "Then why don't you take Rainey and Hank to them?"

  "It's not possible."

  An uncomfortable silence shrouded the atmosphere and Roth watched Rainey drop her head and stare at her plate.

  Hank picked up the bell and rang it. Beth entered the dining room wearing a big smile.

  Hank said, "Beth, why don't you serve dessert now? We'll move to the drawing room."

  "Yes, Sir. I made Mrs. Childress' favorite—lemon meringue pie." Before leaving the room, she patted Stella on the shoulder.

  Roth entered the drawing room and waited until everyone seated themselves, and then sat where he could observe them all.

  Hank and Stella carried on polite chatter and attempted to draw Rainey into their conversation. She responded when appropriate, but added nothing of her own.

  Beth wheeled the dessert cart into the room and handed pie and coffee to everyone. He watched the cook dote on Stella.

  After dessert, with the conversation winding down, he walked to the window and gazed at the grounds bathed in moonlight. His keen senses picked up Stella's approach.

  "Beautiful, isn't it?" she said.

  "Very."

  "Makes you want to become one with nature and never leave the freedom of the night. Meet me in the field adjacent to the forest—one hour." She turned and walked away.

  Hank spoke. "Well, Stella, are you ready to turn in? You must be exhausted after your long flight."

  "Yes, sweetheart. Let's go to bed." She approached Rainey and cupped her cheek. "Goodnight, Rainey. Pleasant dreams."

  "Goodnight, Stella."

  Chapter 20: Deception

  Roth landed in the field. A cloud passed in front of the full moon and smothered the light. He waited, growing impatient. Finally, another large bird landed; a vulture. He shifted and the vulture shifted. Standing face-to-face, ten feet apart, they appraised each other.

  "Why did you want to meet?"

  "I want to know your intentions toward my daughter."

  "I have no intentions other than to protect her."

  "Hmm. So she's important because your successful completion of this mission will elevate you to Shapeling Master?"

  "Precisely. How do you know that?"

  Stella ignored his question. "You're lying. I've seen the way you look at her."

  "You're talking nonsense."

  "Really. There's so much electricity between the two of you it
sparks every time you're near each other."

  "You really must control your imagination. Now what is the purpose of this meeting?"

  "I already told you. I want to know your intentions toward my daughter."

  "Is it because of your great love for her?"

  Stella shrugged. "I have my reasons." She turned and walked further into the field.

  "What's this meeting about, Stella?" A sudden chill raced up Roth's spine.

  Stella turned and grinned. "It's too late, Roth. She's gone."

  "NO!" He shifted and flew toward the house.

  * * *

  Rainey heard a knock on her door. She laid the shifter romance novel aside and pulled her robe on. Walking to the door, she asked, "Who is it?"

  "It's Beth, sweetie."

  Rainey opened the door. "Is everything okay? Where's my guard?"

  "Oh, I saw him talking to Roth on the terrace. You know how these bodyguards are, everything's a secret, and everything must be reported. An ant probably crawled across the carpet." She laughed. "Anyway, the reason I'm here is because I need something from the cellar, and you know I'm terrified of going down there. I didn't want to disturb Mr. Beowolf or Mr. Jackson while they were talking. And I certainly didn’t want to knock on your parents' door. They haven't seen each other for months. I'm sure they're getting reacquainted, if you know what I mean." Beth winked. "Will you please grab another bag of baker's flour for me? I'm not sleepy. I thought I'd get started on tomorrow's pastries."

  "You want to bake at this hour of the night?"

  "Now Rainey, I know you can't understand because you've never been bitten by the baking bug."

  Rainey laughed. "Okay, Beth, I'll be glad to get it for you."

  "You're a love."

  Rainey followed Beth to the kitchen and opened the cellar door. Flipping the light switch, it didn't turn on. "Damn! The light must be burned out."

  "Wait dear, I'll get the flashlight." Beth shuffled through a drawer and then handed Rainey a flashlight.

  Switching it on, Rainey descended the stairs into the belly of the cellar. She walked to the shelving holding food staples and searched for the baker's flour. Spotting it, she stretched upward just as a shadow moved. She opened her mouth to scream, but a foul smelling cloth suddenly covered her nose and mouth. A strange lethargy moved into her limbs and then her mind. She fell like a ragdoll into the arms of someone she couldn't see.

  * * *

  Roth streaked toward the house, landing on his balcony and shifting. Running through his room, he entered the hall and raced down the stairs to the second floor. Jack Jackson wasn't at his post. He jerked Rainey's bedroom door open, shouting her name. There was no answer. He opened her bathroom door and the French doors onto the balcony. His heart pounded and he ran downstairs, stalking from room to room. He was just about to alert the household to her disappearance, when he remembered her escape route to the outdoors, the cellar. He rushed through the kitchen and into the cellar. Feeling for the light, he flipped it on. Scanning the room below, a crumpled figure in a dark corner sent his emotions reeling. He rushed over. Jack lay on the ground. The smell of a sleeping drug permeated the air. He lifted the bodyguard over his shoulder and carried him to the library couch. Shaking him and slapping his face, he said, "Jack, wake up. Wake up. Tell me what happened."

  Jack groaned and tried to focus. Roth grabbed a bottle of chilled water from the minibar fridge and splashed some on the groggy man's face.

  Jack shuddered and looked at Roth.

  "What happened?" Roth demanded.

  "Cook…said there was trouble…needed help. I followed. Got to the kitchen and…got ambushed. Didn't see who. Before they put the cloth over my face, the cook said…" He scrubbed a hand down his face.

  "What? What did she say?"

  "It didn't make sense, but she made me repeat it twice."

  "Repeat what!"

  "Tell Roth to go to the…Cave of Thirteen."

  Chapter 21: Truth to Tell

  Roth reached Ember Canyon and flew toward the Cave of Thirteen. Although wearied by the long flight, he refused to rest. He would demand answers from the co-Princes until he found Rainey. He banked and started his downward descent, allowing images of their night in Cairo to play non-stop—he didn't want to stop them. He wanted to kiss her over and over and whisper words of love.

  He directed his consuming anger at himself. He should have taken Rainey to another location until he'd solved the mystery surrounding her. He pumped his wings faster to accelerate his downward descent. He landed on the ledge outside the Cave of Thirteen. Glancing at a glistening ribbon of river in the canyon below, he bowed his head and arose tall and angry—Roth Beowolf, Shapeling Protector, would not be thwarted in finding his woman.

  Moonlight reflected off his golden skin, and a shake of his head whipped ebony hair behind massive shoulders. Blue eyes, lit by the fire of love, threatened to incinerate anyone standing in his way. He boldly entered the Cave of Thirteen co-Princes.

  Walking past the fire torches, he approached the rulers, but felt the presence of other shapelings in the shadows. Pausing at the last torch, he knelt in respect, and said, "May the embers of truth always glow."

  "Rise Roth," commanded the Prominent Prince.

  Roth stood; his countenance fierce.

  "Speak Roth," the co-Princes said in unison.

  "The woman you sent me to protect has been abducted."

  "Do you believe she is still alive?" asked Prince Twelve.

  "I do."

  "What is it you desire from us?" Prince Eight inquired.

  "The truth."

  "Continue," spoke the princes in unison.

  "The mother of Rainey Childress is a shapeling. Unlike Endesha, she has remained a shapeling. Is her husband, Hank Childress, a former shapeling?"

  "No."

  Roth considered his next words. "As a Shapeling Protector, I have gained experience that brings me to the brink of mastery. As such, my instincts have been honed for over two thousand cycles of the sun." His gaze swept the line of co-Princes.

  "What is your point, Roth?" asked the Prominent Prince.

  "My point is this: I know a mother's love when I see it. Although the shapeling, Stella Childress, has tried to make me believe otherwise, she cares deeply for her daughter."

  "That is an accurate observation."

  "My question, Prominent Prince, is this: Why was I chosen to protect Rainey Childress?"

  "What are your feelings for her?"

  "Why is that important?"

  "Answer the question, Roth."

  "When you first gave me this assignment, you said I had not attained mastery of being human. At the time, I disagreed. However, I have come to realize the truth of your observation. My mission to protect Rainey has allowed me to truly merge myself with humanity and overcome the prejudice that once tainted my heart. I have experienced the weakness, and I have experienced the greatness, of being human." Roth scanned the line of co-Princes, looking directly at each one before stopping at the Prominent Prince. "I love Rainey Childress. She is both my weakness and my greatness."

  "Love her as a human…or as a mate?"

  "Both."

  "What are your intentions toward her and toward your shapeling heritage?"

  "I intend to find her and win her heart; then I intend to join with her. I will become human if that is the cost. Again, I ask you, why was I chosen to protect Rainey Childress?"

  "Perhaps that question would be better answered by someone who has just arrived."

  Startled, Roth turned to see a figure step forward. Endesha, tall and strong, vibrant in youth, said, "It is good to see you again, my son." He approached Roth and placed three-fingers over his heart. Roth acknowledged with the same gesture.

  Endesha placed a hand on Roth's shoulder and said, "When I informed the co-Princes long ago that I intended to become human, I made a request that before I died, I would be allowed to stand before you in my former glory and reveal you
r heritage. That moment has come. After tonight, I will return to Egypt and inhabit the same frail body. Shortly thereafter, I will die in the same honor as I have lived. As I told you in Egypt, I have no regrets."

  "Explain, Endesha."

  "When I came upon your parents after they were struck by the swords of humans believing they meant harm to a young boy, your father had already died as a wolf. Your mother had shifted back to a shapeling. When I knelt to carry her, she bid me not to. She said she would die beside her husband, and made me promise to raise and guide their son. Of course, I agreed. And then she confided a secret. She said she had been summoned to the Cave of Thirteen and given knowledge concerning ancient prophesy." Endesha placed his other hand on Roth's other shoulder. "That prophesy concerns you."

  Roth nodded. "I'm listening."

  "The prophesy, known only to the Thirteen co-Princes and to the paternal family to which it is revealed each generation, is that the father of the Great Prince will come through their lineage and that the mother of the Great Prince will come through mixed lineage. Your parents were protecting the child whose lineage would spawn the humanity of the mother of the Great Prince, the Childress lineage."

  Roth gasped.

  Endesha pressed his fingers into Roth's shoulders. "Rainey must be the mother and you must be the father, or there is no Great Prince."

  The Prominent Prince spoke. "We have always known your destiny, Roth, but you have harbored ill feelings toward humans. However, there is another aspect of the Prophesy unknown to you. The Great Prince must be sired in love, not simply an act to procreate. It is that love which enables the Great One to rule as none before him. The shapeling father must come to love that which he despises: humanity. He must love the half-human mother unconditionally.