“I was just having a weird dream, okay?” I obviously couldn’t tell them that I was trying to seduce one of my dream lovers. I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks even thinking about mentioning such a thing.
“Tell me about the dream, Ryan, please,” Alex pleaded, none the wiser as to the reason of my heated state.
“I would really rather not, but thanks for worrying,” I said, hoping they would drop it.
“Ryan, come on” Chase urged.
“It was my dream, and if I don’t want to tell you about it, I don’t have to.”
Chase let out a huff of air then looked me straight in the eyes.
“Well, when you start glowing in a public area, it then becomes our problem, but this isn’t the place to talk about it, so let’s get a move on and get to the cabin.”
I nodded, knowing they weren’t about to disclose any information they had on the whole glowing thing until we got to the cabin, and I was in no position to argue, given my refusal to discuss the dream, so I reluctantly got into the car.
∞∞∞
Once we arrived at the cabin, the boys started unloading our bags and supplies, and I stood on the porch for a moment, taking in the view. To get to the cabin, you had to go along a dirt road that if you didn’t know it was there, you would never find it. Thank God I wasn’t driving. The cabin was surrounded by dense woods and very isolated; it would be the perfect place for someone who needed a break from real life.
The cabin was old, but sturdy by the look of it. It was a faded brown color, with dark green porch columns much like the color of the trees surrounding the house. The small porch on the front held two old rocking chairs that would be perfect to sit in and watch the sunset. I loved being here already and smelling the fresh air that the mountains and trees offered us.
As I was taking one last look around before heading inside, a shiver ran down my spine. It was that same feeling I had in my dream, of someone watching me. I felt a shiver run down my spine. I looked around the wooded area and saw nothing. Even so, I high-tailed it inside to find my sister and cousins.
As I entered the cabin, I was awestruck. The outside may have looked run down, but inside was like something from a magazine.
The entryway was decorated with antlers hanging on the wall, and just past that, the main living area held a beautiful set of gold and cream armchairs and a three-cushion couch. Next to that was the dining room and kitchen. The dining room was huge, with a long table fit for a castle, flanked by bench seats on either side.
“Close your mouth before a fly gets in there, squirt,” Alex said with a laugh.
“Sorry, it’s just I didn’t expect it to look like this inside! You know, since the outside could use a refresh.”
“Don’t judge a book by its cover, cousin. All is not what it seems.”
“Yeah, you can say that again. So, which one is my room?”
“Third door on the left, and there are towels in the hallway closet. Each room has its own en suite, so at least we don’t have to hear you two girls fighting over the mirror,” he said, smirking.
“Shut up, Alex, but thanks.”
“You will love your room, it has a daybed and a great view of the landscape.”
“How do you know that?” Alex looked around the room, searching for the others I assume. He finally pulled his gaze back to me and sheepishly replied.
“I saw it, when I put your bags in your room.” Okay, I wasn’t convinced, but I would let it go for now.
I set off down the hallway to find my room and wash away the couple of days of travel residue I could feel clinging to me. The room that was mine for our stay was the nicest room I’d ever stayed in. It had a massive, four poster king-sized bed in the middle of the room, with a bear skin rug at the foot of it. I had a beautiful view of the mountains, and right below the window was the day bed Alex had mentioned. I loved this place already. Tearing myself away from the view, I grabbed some clothes and headed into the bathroom for a quick shower. After that I was hunting down the others to get some answers and food. I needed both as soon as possible.
Chapter 6
As I was leaving my room, I heard the others arguing, so I quietly shut my door so I could sneak down the hall and eavesdrop on their conversation. This was becoming a habit.
“She is going to want to know the whole story, Stevie.” I could hear the irritation in Alex’s voice.
“I will tell her everything she needs to know, especially if he is visiting her in her dreams now,” my sister replied.
“We don’t know for sure it is him she is dreaming of. But we can get the protection of the coven and the pack to keep her from him. But if he knows she is alive, he will be coming for her Stevie, and we all know that it’s not an if, it’s a when. So we need her to know now,” Chase snapped.
“Keep your damn voice down. I have no idea how he would even know she exists. Dad made sure no one knew about her to keep her safe. I wonder how long he has been visiting her, if it is him?”
Alex butted in. “Long enough for her to feel the need to protect him from us. She doesn’t want us to know that he visits her, and she doesn’t even know who he is.”
I came around the corner then, having had enough of all this talk behind my back. They needed to start telling me the truth, right now.
“I need to learn what? And who the fuck is coming for me?”
They all spun around in shock. Stevie pursed her lips, obviously annoyed that I had been listening in on their conversation, but I didn’t care about her feelings right now.
“Why don’t you have a seat, and we can start from the beginning and work our way up to the why and what, okay?” Chase was looking at me with pleading eyes, so I nodded and took a seat at the table next to Chase while Stevie and Alex sat on the other side.
“Okay, Ry, so you already know that we have been keeping something from you, but it wasn’t because we wanted to. It’s just that we didn’t know how to tell you. It’s not something you hear every day, and to be honest, it’s not easy to explain either, so please just let us get it all out and then you can ask all the questions you want.”
I nodded slowly. “Okay, I guess I can do that for you.”
Stevie looked to both Alex and Chase, and they each gave her a nod. She let out a loud huff of air and then began.
“Ryan, you and I were born with…gifts, we’ll call them, for argument’s sake. I grew up knowing about mine, and how to use and channel my gift, because Dad taught me how.”
“Wait—Dad knew about this? All of this glowing hands shit?” I exclaimed, cutting my sister off.
“No interrupting, I said! But yes, Dad did know. I am just going to come out with it—we’re witches. Not like ride-around-on-broomstick witches…like cast spells kind of witches…we have powers.”
Finally stunned speechless, I sat quietly, trying to put the pieces of my odd life together with the information I’d just received. Alex eyed me warily then nudged Stevie. She sighed, then asked.
“Are you okay?”
“I don’t know what to think, or what I’m supposed to say to all this, Stevie. Alex, Chase—are you both witches?” I asked.
Alex and Chase both scoffed then pinned me with a glare.
“We are not witches. We are warlocks. Only women are called witches, Ry,” Alex responded haughtily.
I nodded and rolled my eyes at their drama. As if being accidentally called the feminine version of something was a grave insult. Chase waved me off and Stevie gave me a sheepish smile.
“So, what does all this mean for me then?” I asked the group.
“It means that you have gifts and abilities, Sissy. They can help keep you safe. I know that this must be a lot to take in, and you should have been told about this a long time ago.” My sister had an aura of sadness around her.
“Why was I never told about any of this? If Dad told you about all of this, and showed you how to use these gifts” I said with air quotes, “Why the hell was I kep
t in the dark?”
“Ryan, we tried to tell you…” Stevie started before I cut her off.
“Well, you didn’t try hard enough! If what you say is true, then I could have protected myself, from her and all the bad shit she did to me! Instead you and Dad just gave up and left me with THAT FUCKING MONSTER!” I screamed.
I stood to leave, when Chase tried to put his hand on my shoulder. I shrugged him off and walked to the front door. I needed some air. I couldn’t process what they were saying. Part of me couldn’t comprehend any of it, but then the other half of me knew on some level that it was true. Whenever I was glowing, I always felt like I was a live wire. When my emotions got away from me, things would happen around me, things I couldn’t explain—like the walls would rattle or the ground would shake, and things would go from one side of the room to the other.
Before I could continue with my thoughts, I heard a branch snap. I stopped dead in my tracks and realized I had walked so far into the woods that when I turned around, I couldn’t see the cabin anymore. When I started to take a step toward the direction I came, a deep, husky voice froze me in place. Fear washed over me as I slowly turned to see who that voice belonged to.
“Hello,” he said. He was huge, with intense brown eyes that stared at me so directly I wanted to look away. His hair was disheveled, and a few strands hung over his forehead. It was a light brown. He had this whole lumberjack look going on—he even wore a red and black flannel shirt with faded blue jeans that hugged him in all the right places. I didn’t feel scared, like any normal person would have.
“Umm…hi?” It sounded like more of a question than I meant it to.
“You look lost?”
“I’m not lost. I was just taking a walk.”
“Lie.”
“Excuse me?” I snapped.
“You lied. Your heart rate picked up.”
“What the fuck?” Is this fucking guy for real? How the hell could he hear my heartbeat?
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you Miss…?”
“Umm…Ryan. My name is Ryan.”
“Well, Ryan, I did not mean to upset you, so I apologize.”
“Thanks, that’s okay. Look, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have cussed at you. It’s just been one hell of a day, and I should really be heading back. The others will be getting worried. It was nice to meet you Mr..?”
“The pleasure was all mine, Miss Ryan, I’m sure I will see you around town sometime. Best get moving, it’s getting cold.”
He turned on his heel and walked back into the woods, heading away from my temporary home. I started walking back the way I came, thinking about the strange encounter I just had, and the fact that he hadn’t answered my question about his name. After ten minutes, I emerged from the woods to find the others sitting outside on the porch. I approached them with my head held high. Chase and Alex stood from the two chairs on the porch, while Stevie remained seated on the steps. I exhaled loudly before addressing the group.
“I’m sorry I took off. I just needed to get some fresh air and clear my head. That was a big info dump.”
“We understand,” Chase replied with a sad smile
“No, you don’t. This is hard for me to even believe, that you guys have grown up knowing all of this and being taught what you are. I have not had that luxury, and I wish I had. Stevie, I’m sorry for yelling at you. I know it wasn’t your fault. I just feel like my life could have been so different if I had known. Maybe, if I did know, I could have protected myself. I always felt like a freak. Whenever my emotions would get out of control, I would glow, and I never knew why, but Mom hated it.”
“I wish you had known, Ryan. I wish I knew what I know now, so that I could have come for you or tried to help you. I didn’t know my specific gifts back then; if I did, I could have gotten you out. I am so sorry for what you have endured throughout your life. If I could have swapped places with you, I would have! I promise you, Ryan Gene Knox, that we will teach you what you need to know, so you never feel unprotected again. We will show you how to channel and harness your power. You are stronger than you know, Ry. So much stronger.”
I looked into my sister’s eyes and saw hope. She was proud of me for making it through my childhood with our mother. She didn’t know our mother that well, but she had heard the stories I would tell her when I would sneak out to meet her.
“Stevie, it’s not your fault...” I didn’t get a chance to finish before Alex cut in.
“We have company.”
Chase moved to stand in front me, as if to shield me from our visitor. Stevie and Alex stood on either side of Chase, their bodies coiled tight with tension. I didn’t hear a car or even footsteps.
“Well, well, the infamous Knox family has returned.” The man’s voice sent shivers down my spine, and not in a good way, either. “Tell me, Miss Knox, where is your father? Surely the great Ralph Knox did not let his prized daughter come here alone, unprotected?”
The man’s voice had a harsh edge to it, and you could tell from the condescending way he spoke my father’s name that he hadn’t liked him. I didn’t understand why. This was the first time Stevie had been here, so how did he know her or my dad? Before I could think on it more, my sister spoke.
“Randall Cane, what an unpleasant surprise. What brings you to my family’s land? You know your kind is not welcome here without invitation.”
Wait, what did she just say—our family’s fucking land? I’m missing something here, and I do not like it one bit. As soon as this Randall guy left, my sister was getting an earful from me. I was fucking done with the lies and the secrets. What else was my sister hiding from me?
“The fact that my clan was not notified of your return is what brought me here, young one. You would be wise to watch your tone. I do not care for smart-mouthed youth,” he snapped. “Where is your father? We had an agreement, and your kind have not kept their end of the deal.”
“My uncle is no longer with us, Cane. So watch how you speak of the dead!” Alex roared. I could feel the tension rolling off my three family members.
“My apologies, I did not know of his death. I meant no disrespect, young ones. Your father was a great man, Miss Knox. He brought peace to all the communities, but I am afraid that peace may not last much longer, given recent events.” Randall sounded like he was trying really hard to project sincerity, but he failed miserably to pretend he wasn’t also happy our father was dead.
“What do you mean? The peace treaty has had no problems as far as we are aware. Our coven has been keeping tabs on the witches and warlocks in our region,” Chase stated.
“Then they have misled you, Mr. Knox. I can assure my kind and the packs have been under attack for the past three months. We assume it’s the coven, as it’s not my clan or the pack. If you cannot reel your coven in, we will take matters into our own hands.”
“Is that a threat, Cane?” Chase snapped, stepping off the porch stairs, heading toward Randall. His fists were balled at his sides, with a purple light covering them. No sooner had Chase moved—and I came into view—did the strange man take a step back, almost like he had seen a ghost. He looked scared.
“It cannot be! You cannot be alive—she said you were dead!” I was meant to be dead? Chase stopped in his tracks and peered over his shoulder at me, clearly no better informed than I about this development. I shrugged and decided to ask Randall myself. I wasn’t going to hide anymore, or be lied to and kept in the dark.
“What do you mean I’m supposed to be dead? And who is this ‘she’?”
He shook his head before he answered; it was as if he was trying to clear his mind of what he was thinking. He was not a tall man—Chase and Alex towered over him. He had blond hair and blue eyes, and his build was stocky. If he hadn’t been projecting malice and rage like an antenna, I might have even described him as attractive.
“Forgive me, I am Randall Cane, king of the Alaskan Vampire Clan,” he said with a bow.
My mouth charged
ahead before my brain could catch up. “What the fuck did you just say? Vampires? Are you kidding me?” Randall turned to Stevie with eyes sparking in outrage.
“My sister is new to all of this,” Stevie rushed to add, giving me a sharp look. Her irritation pissed me off. How dare she? It wasn’t my fault I didn’t know about this shit.
“Sister? Well that explains why you look alike.” he said dryly. “Why have I never heard of her before? Ralph never said he had two daughters.”
“That is not of your concern, Randall!” Stevie’s voice was like a knife, razor-sharp.
“It is my concern when I signed a blood treaty with a man who lied to me, and told me he had one living heir, not two!” he roared.
“You will watch your tone when you address the coven heir, Cane. If she says it is not your concern, then it’s not,” Alex bellowed and took a step forward.
“You will watch how you address me, Mr. Knox. Do not forget your place here. I will end you if you push me too far, boy!”
“You lay one hand on my cousin, and I will kick your ass to kingdom come, buddy. I may not have the witchy voodoo shit under control like they do, but I am a black belt in karate,” I snapped at the vampire king. Nobody was talking to my cousin like that in my presence.
All heads turned in my direction. Stevie looked shocked, while Alex and Chase were suppressing smug grins.
Randall guffawed, which sent my blood pressure rising. Once his fit of giggles finally stopped, he looked to me and spoke.
“There will be no need for that, Miss…?”
“My name is Ryan.”
“Well, I guess your father was telling the truth. He said your mother really did want a boy.” The sarcasm was thick in his tone.
He was actually right about that. My mother hated the fact that we were not boys. She said girls were always trouble, and boys were easier, because they could never come home with a baby growing in their womb.
A Beautiful Dream: The Dream Trilogy Page 3
