Willow (Blood Vine Series)

by Amy Richie

  “What are you doing?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Why aren’t you in school?”

  “Skipped.”

  “Why?”

  “Steven was seen.”

  His grey eyes shifted to a spot just behind me where I was sure Carlie was standing. I moved my shoulders uncomfortably. “By who?”

  “Everyone.”

  “The whole school is talking about it,” Carlie added.

  If it was even possible, his scowl deepened and grew darker. “Where is he?”

  “School.”

  He jerked back a little, like he was expecting him to be in jail or something. “Then what are you two doing here?” He crossed his arms across his tight chest.

  “We were at Carlie’s.”

  “And?”

  “Just talking, Gage.” I crossed my own arms to mimic his.

  “About Steven?”

  “About Andros.”

  His arms dropped to his sides, his grey eyes finally widening a bit. He took a hold of my arm and pulled me towards the side of the cabin. “We need to talk,” he hissed.

  “We can talk here,” I hissed back; but I allowed him to drag me out of Carlie’s sight.

  “What did you do?” he growled in a low voice.

  He let me go so abruptly that I stumbled and fell to one knee. He helped me back to my feet but I was sure I would have a bruise where his hand harshly circled my arm. “You told me to talk to her.”

  “To find out what she knew.”

  I looked down to my feet, shuffling them guiltily. “I’ve never … ” How lame would it be to whine to Gage that I had never had a friend? That I didn’t know how to talk to people? That I was socially handicapped?

  “I know that you’re young.” He was making an obvious attempt to calm himself down.

  “We just got to talking.”

  “But you have to learn to control yourself,” he continued as if I hadn’t said anything.

  “She already knows … things anyway.”

  “Willow, you can’t have friends.”

  “You sound like Bella.”

  “You have to know the dangers.” His voice was a little softer, but the scowl was still in place.

  “So does Carlie. Her and her dad are part of the Knights of Andros.” I watched his face carefully, waiting for a flicker of recognition.

  He shook his head slowly. “I should have known.”

  “So you’ve heard of them?”

  “They’re not a threat,” he assured me with a snarl.

  “Yeah, except for she knows all about us.”

  “Not all … ”

  “And so does her dad.”

  “What did you tell her?”

  “Nothing.” I denied his accusations but too quickly. His eyes narrowed again.

  “Did you tell her about our pack?”

  Our pack? “She already knew.”

  “Willow.”

  “Gage.”

  We stood barely a few inches from each other, both glaring. “There’s more,” he said suddenly.

  “More what?” What was he talking about?

  “You’re not worried about the Knights.”

  “You just said I didn’t need to be.”

  “But you are worried about something.”

  I sighed deeply. Gage didn’t miss anything. “It’s Mikhaul.”

  His lips thinned to a white line. “How many times do I have to tell you, you don’t have to worry about Mikhaul?”

  “I think the council wants us to kill him.”

  He jerked back abruptly, but didn’t fall like I did. “Why would you say that?”

  “Carlie figured it out, but it makes sense.” He half turned away from me. “Think about it, Gage,” I said quickly, “I was made to lead Noreen’s pack. And the council hands me the most powerful pack she created. Why would they do that?”

  “They needed a leader.”

  “Why keep them alive?”

  “It’s … ” but he didn’t have a ready answer so I plowed ahead.

  “There has to be some reason that Andros wants us alive, otherwise he would have let Mikhaul get us a long time ago. And why hasn’t Mikhaul killed us? What’s stopping him?”

  “You think Mikhaul is afraid of Andros?”

  “Maybe not afraid … just hesitating.”

  “I still don’t think that Andros would think you guys could kill him.”

  “Not yet, but you are here teaching us. We get stronger every day. Why else would he let us do that?”

  “You can’t kill Mikhaul. I am not training you to kill him.”

  “I’m not saying you are. At least not that you know of. But, Gage, you can never trust a vampire.”

  He was silent for a long moment then he jerked his head around. “Rueben is here.”

  “Already?”

  “With the other boys.”

  “Carlie,” I whispered.

  I rounded the corner just as Rueben and Rodney were getting out of the car. Steven, Colby, and Tyson got out of the backseat. I hurried to put myself between Carlie and the boys, trying to look like I hadn’t meant to.

  “Are you guys early?” I asked.

  “You skipped,” Steven shrugged.

  “What is she doing here?” Colby demanded.

  I looked around at Carlie. She was grinning like a girl who had just come face to face with her favorite movie star. “Hi,” she gushed breathlessly to the boys.

  “Hey Carlie.” Rueben was somewhere between cautious and excited himself.

  “Willow’s just been telling me … ” I groaned and walked back toward the cabin door. Maybe if I just snuck inside, no one would notice me. Colby’s voice stopped me just outside the door. I turned abruptly back.

  “What has she been telling you?” he demanded angrily.

  Before I could tell Colby to take it easy Carlie squeaked, “Everything!” and rushed forward to put herself in the middle of the circle the boys had unconsciously formed. The circle they always formed when they felt threatened.

  Rueben was smiling at Carlie but the others were all looking at me. “I didn’t … I mean we just … talked.” I shook my head lamely. To be fair, I hadn’t really told Carlie much more than she already knew and she didn’t freak out once. Maybe it was ok for Carlie to know. It would be nice to have someone to talk to; besides, she had figured out what Andros wanted from us.

  “I didn’t know about Tyson and Colby. She didn’t give me your names,” Carlie raved to the group at large, “just told me there were six of you.”

  “She told you about Jed?” Colby’s eyes widened.

  “Jed?” She looked momentarily confused. “He was killed by,” her face cleared and then lost all color as she jumped to the wrong conclusion, “by you guys.”

  Silence.

  Somewhere far away music was playing. It was a slow, depressing melody, probably from Carlie’s house. Just behind me was a slow, steady breathing sound. Now that the boys were home Gage had taken his usual position of hovering just behind my right shoulder. Carlie’s heart was racing. For once she was showing the proper reaction - fear - but for the wrong accidental death.

  It could have been anyone. That was the reality of the pack. We were young, accidents were too easy. They almost killed her. I was wrong to bring her here. I let out the deep breath that I had been holding. I had to make her go home.

  “The pack didn’t kill Jed,” said Gage, stepping forward, “and I’m not the sixth.”

  “I am.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Another Round of Fighting

  It might have been me that groaned or maybe it was someone else. I covered my face with my hands, not wanting to see Jed standing there - not dead.

  “I don’t understand,” I heard Carlie say.

  I didn’t need to see her face to feel her confusion. I could imagine her eyebrows puckered and the frown on her face. Of course she didn’t understand. And who could blame her?

 
“It’s all right Willow,” Jed said close to my ear.

  I dropped my hands to see his face. “Why did you come out here?” I whispered.

  “Because you need a friend.”

  “But … ”

  “She doesn’t need a friend,” Gage growled, turning around to face the pair of us. “What do you think this is?”

  “High school?” Jed’s eyebrow arched high on his forehead.

  “She does not need a friend,” Gage repeated through clenched teeth.

  “Says who?” Jed challenged. He stepped between Gage and I, which was no easy task. Their noses couldn’t have possibly been a full inch apart.

  “Says me.” Gage’s voice had dropped to a low snarl.

  “And who are you to say what she needs?” The only answer was a deep growl.

  All the boys were around us now, their faces all set in a dark glare pointed at Gage. “You guys are all blinded by … ”

  “By what?” I asked quietly.

  “By loyalty.” Gage was breathing heavily, his grey eyes bright with anger. “They want whatever you want, no matter how foolish it is.”

  “Why is it foolish to want to talk to someone?” I fired back. I had to crane my neck to see around Jed, which may have lessened the impact of my own anger.

  “You have someone to talk to.” His top lip twitched slightly, like he was biting back his emotion. “Me.”

  “You?” I snorted.

  “What’s wrong with me?” he asked loudly. He wasn’t even trying to get past the boys. Was he so angry that he didn’t trust himself near me?

  “Nothing is wrong with you, Gage, except for the fact that you think Mikhaul is just Andros’ lapdog.”

  He growled again, his top lip snarling up. “Willow,” he warned.

  I exhaled loudly. “You don’t think he’s a threat at all.”

  “He’s not.”

  “He’s dangerous.”

  “Not to you.”

  “You can’t know that!”

  “Can’t I?” He raised one thick eyebrow.

  My breath caught. “Do you know him?” He shrugged but refused to answer. “Gage.”

  “I’ve been around for a long time, Willow, and this,” he pointed at Carlie, “is a bad idea.”

  I pursed my lips. Some of the wind had gone out of my anger at the wisdom of his words. I knew it was a bad idea, but what could I do now? Tears stung the corners of my eyes but as long as I didn’t blink I wouldn’t cry.

  “I know,” I conceded in a small voice.

  “What?” Jed was still outraged. “No, Willow, it’s not up to him what is best for our pack.” I saw Gage’s mouth tighten when Jed emphasized “our pack”.

  “He’s right, though.” I averted my eyes from his accusing grey ones. “I can’t tell you how many times Bella told us not to make friends. It was stupid for me to … to think that … ” If I wasn’t careful I was going to burst into tears. Typical teenager, I thought miserably.

  “That is what you are. There’s no changing it,” Gage said softly. “You just have to learn from your mistakes.”

  Had Gage just heard my thoughts? I bit down hard on my tongue but when I tasted blood I had to let go. “What am I supposed to do now?” He was the one with all the answers.

  Now that the storm had passed, Jed let Gage through to me. “It’s ok,” he said gently. He raised one of his large hands up to wipe a tear off my face. I rolled my eyes angrily. Why did I always have to cry? He pressed his forehead to mine with a light chuckle. “Because you’re a girl, and a teenage one at that.”

  I sniffed loudly. “I bet Noreen didn’t cry this much.”

  I heard his heart stutter. “Why would you compare yourself to her?”

  “She was a good leader.”

  “She became cold, dead on the inside.” His voice came out so low that I barely heard him. “Don’t let that happen to you.” I shook my head quickly. He pushed himself away from me so he could see the boys.

  I rubbed viciously at my eyes as soon as he turned away. “We’re moving anyway,” I blurted out.

  “Did you decide?” he asked without looking at me.

  “I did.” I wasn’t sure if he was talking to Rueben or me since he was looking at him.

  He turned slowly back to face me. His eyes traveled quickly over my face and I realized he was giving me a moment to collect myself. “Because of Steven or Carlie?”

  I chewed nervously on the side of my thumb. “Both.”

  “What do you mean both?” Carlie asked loudly, reminding us all that she was there.

  “We can’t stay here,” I told her quietly.

  Rueben was the first to rejoin Carlie, who was still close to the car, but the others soon followed. “Why?”

  “Why?” I raised both eyebrows. “Isn’t it obvious?”

  “If it’s because of me, I won’t tell anyone.” She pressed both of her hands to her chest. “And if it’s because of Steven,” she shrugged dramatically, “people will get over it soon enough. It’ll just be a rumor. Besides, they don’t even know who it was.”

  “You won’t tell anyone?” Gage was smiling, but it wasn’t a nice smile.

  “No.”

  “You and your dad are part of the Knights.”

  “So?”

  Gage’s smile turned into a laugh. “The Knights have been hunting down wolves for centuries. You can’t expect me to believe you won’t tell him you have wolves in your back yard.”

  “You knew about the Knights of Andros?” I asked with a quiet awe.

  “What are the Knights of Andros?” several of the boys asked at the same time.

  Carlie seemed taken aback by Gage’s accusations. “Why … why would I tell him anything?” she sputtered.

  “You are part of the group, too,” he reminded her.

  “I was born into it, I didn’t have a choice,” she fired back.

  “What are the Knights?” Rueben asked at the same time that Colby echoed with “What group?”

  “The Knights of Andros,” Gage declared with a smirk.

  “Andros?”

  “You want to tell them about the Knights, Carlie, or should I?”

  My hands fidgeted with the fray at the top of my jeans. What would the boys say? Why was Gage smiling like that?

  “It’s just a stupid group,” Carlie muttered.

  “Just a stupid group?” Gage mocked her.

  “I … I was born into it.”

  “The Knights of Andros.” This time Gage’s voice was full of ice. “It was formed by a follower of Andros by the name of Brock Evans. He was devoted to the vampire lord, maybe devoted isn’t strong enough.” No one said anything, no one even moved. We were all too transfixed by his raspy voice. “They rose to their height shortly after the ancient city fell,” he continued in a lower voice. “First they slaughtered every wolf within the city. Then they moved outward; gaining followers and momentum.”

  “Why didn’t anyone stop them?” Jed asked angrily. “There must have been a pack strong enough.”

  “Not then,” Gage answered, “the only thing they could do was run and hope they didn’t find them. The Knights had no discretion, they didn’t care if the wolves disobeyed Andros or not - they killed any they came across. Naturally, the packs were small then; no one dared bring too much attention to themselves. Males ran together with no females.”

  “And the council was born,” I finished his story. It made sense now.

  “Yes.” He looked at me, his grey eyes pleading for understanding. “Three males went to Andros. They offered their service if he called off his Knights.”

  “Then why are the Knights still around?” Colby asked loudly.

  “They grew drunk on their own power, blinded by hatred. In the end they turned on Andros, Evans was killed, and the group disbanded; but they are still out there - lurking in the shadows.” Gage’s face contorted with dark anger. “They don’t have anything to do with Andros anymore, they just kept the name.”

&nb
sp; “Yeah right,” Rueben huffed.

  “They don’t,” Gage insisted.

  “How do you know?”

  Like watching a tennis match, all our faces turned from Gage to Rueben and were now watching Gage expectantly. Gage did seem pretty sure, but how could he be, it wasn’t like Andros would tell the wolves everything.

  “My brother is on the council,” he said quietly, as if it would come as a great shock to all of us.

  “So are you,” Rueben reminded him.

  Gage’s response was immediate and furious. “I am not part of the council,” he snapped. “I’m here as a favor to my brother. If it was left to me … ” His tongue darted out to run across his bottom lip. “ … I wouldn’t be here at all.”

  “Anyways,” I cut in loudly when Rueben’s eyebrows furrowed together angrily, “they can’t be much of a threat. I’ve never heard of them before today. Bella would have told us.”

  “It seems to me,” Gage responded with a scowl, “that Bella’s biggest fear was Mikhaul. But … ”

  “You’re afraid of them?” I could hardly imagine Gage afraid of anyone.

  “It’s hard to forget … hard not to see when I close my eyes … the terror they provoked … they still hunt our kind down … ”

  “The Knights don’t travel in large groups.” Carlie tried to alleviate the tension that Gage had just put into the air. “They wouldn’t be able to touch you guys.”

  “If they are in the area,” he glared at Carlie, “no one goes off by themselves.”

  “They don’t even know we’re here.” I stopped myself from rolling my eyes.

  “She knows.”

  All the boys turned to Carlie with new eyes. She took a step back, but shook her head fiercely. “How many times do I have to tell you? I’m not going to tell anyone!”

  “Get her home,” Gage ordered curtly. He disappeared quickly into the cabin.

  “Gage!” I tore off after him, slamming the door behind me. “I trust her.”

  “I don’t care.”

  My mouth fell open slightly. “You are so … so … ”

  He cocked one eyebrow. “Good-looking?”

  “Not the word I was looking for.”

  “Did you go into her house?”

  I squirmed under his stare, remembering the uneasy feeling I had when Carlie’s dad looked at me. “For a little while.”