Willow (Blood Vine Series)

by Amy Richie

  “You don’t have a sister,” I reminded her.

  She looked away from me but not before I saw the pained expression. “Not anymore.”

  “Wait. You had a sister?”

  “We were close,” she was still talking to the ground, “although she was quite a bit older than I was.”

  “You never told us … ”

  “She kept me hidden away so I would stay safe, but she visited often.”

  “All that time, I never knew … ”

  “Of course you didn’t know, Willow. She was killed when you were small.” Her eyes darted briefly to Gage.

  “Oh.”

  “Before she was killed we made a pledge to one another.” I was still in shock learning that Bella had a sister to give much thought to what childish pledges they had made to one another but Gage suddenly seemed much more interested.

  “What was your pledge?” he asked.

  “We pledged to always stand by one another - no matter what.” It didn’t seem that unnatural of a thing to promise; why then did Gage look so worried?

  “That was before you had a pack of your own. They tend to change the way you see things.”

  “Maybe they do,” she smirked, “but only for weak people. The pledge I made with my sister was the driving force behind every other decision I ever made.”

  It made me uncomfortable to see Bella so unhinged. “Now that she’s gone, maybe you should focus more on your pack.”

  “Isn’t that what I am doing here?”

  “Not the way it looks to me.”

  “I need a large, powerful pack to finish what was started.”

  “What are you talking about?” Gage asked.

  I wanted to tell him not to worry about it, this was just the way Bella was. She liked to make a big deal out of everything. She would be gone soon though and we could go back to our own problems. Before I could say anything though - Bella started talking again.

  “Haven’t you guessed it yet, Mikhaul?”

  His eyes narrowed. “Maybe.”

  “I’m going to take the ancient city.” She said it like it wasn’t a big deal. “Just like my sister always wanted.”

  “Your sister was with Noreen?” I asked. No wonder she had been killed and no wonder Bella hated Mikhaul. It wasn’t hard to fill in the missing pieces.

  “No, you idiot!”

  “Her sister is Noreen,” Blake supplied.

  “Was,” Bella corrected quickly while my mouth was still hanging open.

  “You’re Fern?” Gage’s face lit up.

  “I met you once,” she turned her attention to him.

  “You were a child.”

  “I was in awe of you; of the adoration you had for my sister.”

  “She was magnificent then.”

  “I would have never guessed you would one day turn on her.”

  “The things she did … what she became … ”

  “Is it so easy to put the blame on her, Mikhaul? Look what you became!”

  “She was completely obsessed.”

  “She never changed at all,” Bella fired. Gage didn’t flinch. “She was always obsessed with taking back the ancient city. You are the one who changed, you turned on your female.”

  “I did change,” he admitted without shame, “and she refused to let me go. She killed my … love.”

  “Love?” Bella scoffed. “I never understood that ridiculous notion. It makes you weak. I learned that from you, Mikhaul. Fear and respect - that’s what I taught my girls.”

  “Wait,” I cut in, “your name used to be Fern?”

  “I still am Fern. Bella is just a name I took for a little while.”

  “You named them Ivy and Willow,” Gage shook his head. “I should have known.”

  “We all go by different names from time to time - isn’t that right, Gage?”

  “Fern.” He looked like he still couldn’t believe it. “You were quiet as a kid.”

  “Noreen warned me not to draw attention.”

  “It didn’t matter. The council was already on to her.”

  “When did you join up with Andros?” It was clear that the question was meant to wound.

  “Just what do you plan on doing, Fern?” he asked instead of answering.

  “I’m not joining forces with the vamps,” she sneered.

  “I work with the council,” Gage’s voice began to sound more raspy, probably because he wasn’t opening his mouth very wide.

  “The council is a joke; males without a female.”

  She was right, I myself had thought the same thing. I hadn’t thought it so cruelly, but the same nonetheless. I wasn’t going to agree with Bella for anything, though, so I kept my mouth shut and my eyes averted.

  “They stepped in when all would have been lost.”

  “They are a disgrace who do not deserve to live.”

  A low growl started in Gage’s chest. “And what do you plan on doing about that?”

  “I plan to take over where my sister left off,” she declared haughtily.

  “Oh, you mean the dying part?” he snarled.

  “The ancient city is ours,” she growled back.

  “The ancient city is an illusion. It was never going to work. One city to contain us all?”

  I flinched back at his words. I remembered the first time he had said that. It had infuriated me then, and it did the same now.

  “You are the worst of your kind, Mikhaul,” Bella’s voice was low and dangerous. “You betrayed your female and you are the biggest disgrace of them all.”

  I expected Gage to really start growling then, maybe even morph in his anger, so I was surprised when he remained calm. “You can’t win, Fern. You will fall, just as your sister did before you.”

  “Why,” she smiled coldly, “because the council deems it so?”

  “They will stop you.”

  “The council will be the first to fall,” she purred.

  “By your hand?”

  She smiled again, her face eerie in the light from the moon. “They trust Blake.” She waved him forward and he came obediently to the center of the argument. “Don’t they?”

  “Blake is part of the council.”

  Even as he said the words, we all knew they meant nothing. It was obvious that Blake had switched sides. We didn’t even need to hear Bella say it but she did anyway.

  “Blake has always been obedient to Noreen, and now to me.”

  “You made sure Willow got here.” Gage shook his head.

  “Oh, yes,” he brought his fingertips together, reminding me of the mad crazy people in movies. “We made sure Willow was ready for the pack and that she was loyal to Bella. The council doesn’t even know she exists.”

  “Or the pack,” Gage finished for him.

  “Nope,” his lips popped on the word. “They are under the impression that you killed all of Noreen’s packs.”

  “But, Gage,” I stepped forward in my confusion, “you said the council, your brother, sent you to us.”

  “Blake sent me. He told me that Leo had sent him to ask me this favor. He wanted me to protect you and make you strong.”

  Bella laughed at his words. “And you were stupid enough to believe him.”

  “I was.”

  “It never did make sense, why the council would want us to stay alive.” I had thought it was to kill Mikhaul, but that wasn’t it at all. Bella just wanted to use us to get the ancient city. If she hadn’t tried to take my pack it might have worked. I didn’t like Andros any more than she did.

  “I guess,” I said slowly, “the only thing you miscalculated was me.”

  Bella turned her cold eyes to me. “You would join with Andros?”

  “We are not joining with anyone. I already told you, my pack is not going to be used.”

  “We could get the ancient city back,” her eyes nearly glowed with madness.

  “I don’t want the ancient city.”

  “That is ridiculous.” She smiled indulgently, as
if waiting for me to come to my senses. “You have been influenced by Mikhaul. It wasn’t your fault, though, you were lied to.”

  “He is one of us, we don’t care what his name is.”

  “That is only because you are young, dear, you don’t understand the importance of a name. You can’t possibly know the evil things he has done.”

  “I do, though. Mikhaul starred in all our bedtime stories … don’t you remember?”

  A sudden realization hit me. Bella must have been planning this for a long time. She wanted to be sure that I was afraid of Mikhaul so that when this time actually came, I would turn back to her. She really didn’t know me at all. She would have been better off waiting for Ivy. I wondered what spooked her into acting early.

  “How could he not? Don’t even the humans tell their children about the big bad wolf?”

  “You can not hope to win, Fern.” Gage stepped in to save me from any more banter with Bella.

  “Yes, Mikhaul, we have already established your opinion.”

  “He loves his vamps,” Blake taunted.

  “I will not let you take the council down,” Gage growled loudly.

  “It’s too late,” Blake smiled.

  “What do you mean it’s too late?”

  He shrugged his shoulders and laughed. Even I could see that was a stupid thing to do, but Blake didn’t seem to notice the dark glare on Gage’s face or the way his shoulders bunched up. It happened quickly, as I knew it would, one second Gage was standing next to me shaking all over and the next he was a great mass of black fur.

  I was a little surprised, however, that Blake was able to match him for speed and almost for size. Ferocious growls and hisses filled the night air as the two wolves rolled around us, almost knocking Jed over in the process when he got too close. I pulled him back and held onto him with a grip worthy of a worried mother.

  There was a loud snap and an equally loud moan of pain. I watched anxiously, not sure who had been the one hurt until they both stood back up. Blake was holding his arm where blood was still flowing from a gash. Bella pulled him back to her; she must have stopped the fight, although I hadn’t heard her say anything.

  “You can’t hold onto your pack Willow,” she called even as she was backing away, “you’re not strong enough. They will come to me when you fail them.” And then she was gone, swallowed up by the darkness of the night.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  The Aftermath

  No one made a sound. We all just stared at the place where Bella had disappeared, waiting to see if she would come back. Gage was the first to break the silence.

  “I should have known Blake would turn on us,” he snarled.

  “He seemed … you know when I met him the first time, he seemed legit,” I said without looking at him or anyone else.

  “I thought it was strange that he should seek me out to do my brother’s bidding, but I didn’t follow my instincts.”

  “Lucky for us,” Jed laughed. “Otherwise we’d all be dead.” There was a light murmur of agreement. I turned wide eyes to Gage, who didn’t appear amused.

  “That was, by far, the weirdest thing I have ever seen.” Carlie finally found her voice again now that Bella and Blake were gone. I had almost forgotten she was there. I turned to her nervously.

  “I’m sorry you had to see all that,” I apologized.

  “Thanks for … you know … not killing me … or letting them do it.”

  “Don’t mention it,” I breathed.

  “That was Bella.”

  I nodded. “In all her glory.”

  “You never told us she was crazy,” Rueben accused with a grin.

  How could they think this was funny? “Did I forget to mention that part? In all fairness, she never told me she was Noreen’s sister.”

  “They must have been planning this for a while,” Gage echoed my earlier thoughts.

  “Yeah, and she wanted to be sure I would never choose to stay with you,” I told Gage.

  “She made sure you were afraid of me.”

  “Of your very name.”

  We both nodded, the enormity of it stealing any more words.

  “I think you did great,” Colby gushed. “I’d follow you anywhere.”

  “Thanks Colby,” I grinned.

  Not to be outdone, all the boys pledged their allegiance to me all over again. I blushed and sputtered but glowed nonetheless. “Ok guys,” I laughed, “we’re just all one big happy family.”

  We all seemed to become aware at the same time that Gage was not joining in our happy celebration. He stood away from the rest of us, a dark shadow in his eyes. “Hey,” Jed called to him with a thrust of his chin. “You are awfully quiet over there.”

  “It has been a hell of a night,” Gage called back.

  “So you’re Mikhaul.” Leave it to Steven to say what everyone else was only thinking.

  “I am.”

  “You killed Noreen.”

  “I did.” He didn’t try to make excuses.

  “Would you have killed us?”

  His Adams apple bobbed and a muscle twitched rapidly in his temple. “Yes.”

  “Will you now?” I don’t know if any of us breathed while we watched Gage.

  “No.” He didn’t even hesitate.

  “Even if the council orders it?”

  “I will not hurt you, you have my word.”

  “I don’t know that you could,” Jed teased, “we’re pretty strong. We’ve had a good teacher.”

  “You are a strong pack,” he conceded, “but that is because you have a strong leader.” I shifted uncomfortably under his intense stare.

  “What are we going to do now, Willow?” Rodney asked.

  “Move,” I answered weakly. “I mean … Gage … ” I turned to him for help, but he wasn’t looking at me any more.

  “I am … leaving,” he announced quietly without looking at anyone in particular.

  “What do you mean you’re leaving?” Jed asked before anyone could say anything.

  “I have to, Jed.” He swallowed hard, looking uncomfortable.

  “Why?”

  “Is it because we all know you’re Mikhaul now?” Colby asked.

  “Because we don’t really care about that,” Tyson assured him.

  “We’re not like Willow,” Rodney said with a quick apologetic look towards me. I waved him off.

  “We haven’t been told to fear you,” Rueben explained.

  “Can’t say we ever liked the wolf Mikhaul,” Steven said softly, “the idea of him anyways. But now … ” He shrugged and the other boys nodded their agreement.

  “The boys’ all want you to stay,” I pointed out the obvious, too mixed up to form a thought of my own.

  “What about you, Willow?” He turned his full gaze on me, momentarily stopping my heart. “Do you want me to stay or leave?”

  “Does it matter what I want?”

  “Oh yes.”

  “I … I don’t feel afraid of you.”

  “That’s a start.”

  “I’m sure with time … ”

  He took a deep breath, that ancient sadness making him look so old. “You are right in one respect, it doesn’t really make a difference if you wanted me to go or stay.”

  “You’re still leaving?”

  “I have to.”

  “Where will you go?”

  His forehead crinkled as if it should be obvious. “I have to go and warn the council of Blake’s betrayal. And about … ”

  “Bella,” I finally realized. “You’re going to go after Bella.”

  His tongue darted out to glide over his bottom lip and then he blew air out of his mouth slowly. “It will be up to the council how to proceed.”

  “Will you kill her?” My stomach tightened at the thought. No matter what she had done, she was still Bella and I couldn’t imagine her dead. “What about Ivy?” I finished my thoughts out loud.

  “I can not make you childish promises, Willow.” He jerked his
head curtly, almost like a bow from those old movies we were forced to watch in English class, then turned to go back to the cabin.

  “Ivy isn’t even with Bella,” Carlie offered her soft comfort.

  “She must be, though. Ivy isn’t of age yet.”

  “I’m sure Gage wouldn’t kill a child.”

  “He’s not Gage, though,” I told her flatly, “he’s Mikhaul; and it’s hard to say what he would do.”

  “You heard what he said,” she continued to stubbornly cling to comforting words, “he’ll do whatever the council tells him to do.”

  When I felt someone grab my arm I looked up to see Jed, but he didn’t look like himself at all. He looked miserable. “I think he plans to leave tonight.”

  “I think you’re right.” Whether it was to warn the council or just because he didn’t think I wanted him to stay, I couldn’t be sure, but Gage would be leaving us soon. “I should go talk to him.”

  Jed nodded eagerly. “Maybe you can talk him into coming back.”

  “Maybe,” I croaked. Carlie squeezed my hand before I followed Gage into the cabin. My heart thudded loudly with every step I took. Gage couldn’t just leave, he couldn’t.

  He didn’t even look my way when I opened the door.

  I watched him stiffly from the doorway. He seemed suddenly lost in the comfortable little cabin. He turned a slow circle, as if looking for something that belonged to him that he should take with him. When his eyes found me, he stopped moving. “Willow,” it came out as a soft strangled cry.

  “So you’re just going to leave?” I tried not to sound too accusing, but he flinched back a little.

  “I have to go. Please try to understand.”

  “You’ve asked me to understand a lot tonight.” I couldn’t say his name. Gage was a lie, and Mikhaul sounded all wrong.

  “I know.” He approached me in quick hasty steps. “And one day I hope you can forgive me for not being completely honest with you.”

  “The great Mikhaul.” I widened my eyes slightly. “And you’re working with Andros?”

  “I … ” At least he had the decency to look away from me.

  “Have you been working for him all this time?”

  “I work for the council.” His tongue darted out to moisten his bottom lip. “I just wanted my revenge,” he admitted.