Baran didn’t enjoy the death of another creature, and this was no different. I could tell he was proud to have saved Mother and Quinn, but he was repelled by the idea of a human having to die at his hands. It left our souls heavy with the burden.
Christmas morning finally came, but not with a happiness any one of us could share. We were all scared. Though we still showered Nia with gifts and love, we opened presents in a sort of suspended happiness. The lightest change in the air could have changed everything. My first Christmas with Grey was tainted by fear, though we hadn’t seen Adomnan since the little boy died, but we made the best of the day.
Grey handed me a black box. “Merry Christmas, Ashling.”
I opened the box to find a delicate gold chain necklace with two green and gold leaves hidden inside. It was the necklace his mother had been wearing in the photo Baran had given him.
I ran my fingers over the beautiful leaves. “It’s lovely.”
“This was my mother’s. She always said she dreamed in color when she wore it,” he said. “It reminded me of you.”
I gathered my hair up on top my head as he took it from the box and placed it on my neck. His fingers lightly grazed my skin, causing me to catch my breath. Every time he touched me, my pulse raged.
“Thank you, Grey,” I said. “Now open my gift.”
I handed him a small wooden box; I had carved the Killian Bloodmark into the cover. He studied it for a while before finally opening the box. Inside I had carved the words, My heart is yours.
“It’s not much, but I couldn’t think of anything else I wanted you to have more.” I smiled.
He kissed me softly, his hand caressing my back. “It’s all I need.”
Baran said, “I am deeply thankful for this wonderful Christmas and Solstice with all of you. I am grateful to call you all my family.”
Tegan kissed Baran on the cheek. “It is a lovely Christmas.”
“We should end the year celebrating at the city’s New Year’s dance,” Gwyn said.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Mund said.
“Sure it is,” Gwyn said. “There will be far too many humans around for either Robert or Adomnan to threaten us. It would be a perfect way to get us out of the house safely.”
It was odd to think how the roles had reversed, that the humans now protected us, but it didn’t give me comfort. As much as I wanted to get out of this stuffy house, something urged me to stay home. I’d been to one dance, why were there so many?
“Are you sure it’s safe?” I said.
“If we don’t get out of this house, we will all be in more danger inside than out.” Quinn laughed. The last couple weeks had been unendingly stressful, and I think we were starting to get stir crazy. You can’t cage wild animals—eventually they will tear each other apart for sport.
Surprisingly, though, Grey seemed unaffected by the random outbursts from the others. He even wrestled with Mund and Quinn. His advanced healing allowed them to actually fight. It scared me to watch, so I rarely did.
“We will have to be cautious, but it is likely our only chance to leave the house until we can lure Adomnan into making a mistake,” Baran said.
“You dapper fellow!” Gwyn cooed, hugging Baran.
In the days leading up to the dance, Beth and Emma had both called to see if I were going. I had neglected them for a while. Not a great thing to do to my first friends, but it was for their own safety. Emma informed me it was semi-formal like homecoming and we needed new dresses. Tegan told me she had it under control.
On the day of the dance, I still hadn’t seen what Tegan had come up with for my dress, and it made me nervous. I also wondered what ugly hot-pink, glittery barf Lacey would wear this time. The visual of her in a barfed-up-Skittles dress brought a smile to my face.
“What’s with the evil smile?” Gwyn asked.
“Nothing,” I laughed nervously. I didn’t want to admit some of the human tendencies of catty girls had rubbed off on me.
“Tegan’s ready to show us what we’re wearing tonight,” Gwyn’s voice was filled with excitement. Tegan loved fashion, especially now that she was no longer required to wear antique satin dresses. I followed her into Tegan and Mund’s room. Tegan stood in front of three sheet-draped mannequins. She walked over to the far left mannequin.
“For you, Gwyn,” she said, putting her hand on the mannequin’s shoulder, “I have created a fantastic little dress in a silvery, winter-white fabric and an asymmetrical, ruffled collar.” She pulled the white sheet down, revealing exactly what she’d described and so much more. The fabric was lovely. I knew it was from her stash of exotics. It was a short, ruched dress with an amazingly showy ruffle at the neckline. The squeal from Gwyn was more than enough for everyone in the county to know she was happy with what she saw. It really was a perfect fit for Gwyn with its bold shape and design. Not many women could pull off a collar like that. Certainly not me. Tegan winked at me as she crossed over to the far right mannequin.
“For myself, I have created a long, simply cut sleeveless gown with ruching at the bodice in the same winter-white fabric.” She pulled the sheet down, exposing her dress. Also equally suited for her. She really had a knack for showing people’s inner personalities with the garments she created. I wondered what she saw inside me. The third mannequin stood ominously still covered.
“And for you, my sweet Ashling, there was only ever one option.”
The sheet fluttered to the ground, revealing a smooth, deep-red satin dress. It was off the shoulder and came above the knee with pleating along the sides. It was stunning. I lightly ran my fingers over the neckline, feeling the softness of the satin. It was dramatic and unexpected. I had never seen myself this way.
“You’ve grown up, Ashling. Your bold, powerful inner beauty matches your stunning outer beauty. When trying to capture your essence in fabric, I could think of no other color than red. I hope you like it,” Tegan said.
Considering all the drama going on with Adomnan, it seemed ridiculous to be so excited about a dress, but I was. I wanted to wear that fierce red dress. I wanted to be the girl Tegan thought I was. “I love it,” I replied. I loved her so much, but I had never deserved her, or any of them, for that matter.
“Stop being so mushy,” Gwyn said. “Let’s get dressed for the party!”
Gwyn pulled out gobs of makeup and hair products. Gwyn was a magician as far as I was concerned. I decided to let my hair be free. I wasn’t going to tame it. The curly, red fire would frame my face nicely. Tegan sat down next to me on the bed as she put on mascara. My hands shook as I put the dress on.
“Are you nervous?” she asked.
“Adomnan will be there,” I said. “You know he’ll be watching. He’s always watching.”
20
Stolen
Slowly I walked out of Tegan’s room, and my nerves had the best of me. The red heels she had lent me were over four inches tall. I felt like a stork wobbling around on the tiny pegs. I rounded the corner into the living room to see Baran, Quinn, Mund, and Grey standing waiting for us, each wearing a suit. Grey was dressed in a black suit, his dress shirt unbuttoned a few buttons to expose some of his rock-solid chest. My pulse quickened at the sight of his skin. He wore cufflinks of the Killian crest. Baran had given them to him for Christmas. They were a symbol of who Grey was now.
Who he had always been.
I heard the air suck out of Grey’s lungs, and his mouth fell agape. I walked quickly to his side, trying to hide from the others. His coarse fingers lightly rubbed over my exposed shoulders, and he leaned down, pressing his warm lips to my skin.
“You are my goddess,” Grey said.
He could tell me anything, and I would believe him.
“Thank you,” I said.
“Before we go, I have a little something,” Baran said. He pulled out a large plastic box of wrist corsages with white lilies and white plumes. He handed them to each of us ladies, and even Nia got a miniature one.
She looked like a tiny, little princess in her mother’s arms.
I leaned up on my tiptoes, kissed Baran on the cheek, and thanked him. I was thanking him for far more than he knew, more than the simple flower that wrapped my wrist. I was thanking him for everything he had done for me. I thought back to the day I first caught his scent, when I thought he was sent to end my life. I realized now he gave me my life instead. He saved me when I didn’t even know I needed to be saved. If it hadn’t been for him, I would never have found Grey. I owed Baran so much.
We were off to join the town debauchery, and I couldn’t keep my eyes off Grey. He looked good enough to eat . . . well, not quite. I stifled a laugh. The nine of us arrived with the festivities already bustling. The place was packed; the entire town had to be in that one tiny community center. A local band played in the corner, and the whole place pulsed with the beat of the music. Grey wove his fingers with mine, and I felt his strength in his touch.
Emma and Beth shoved their way through the crowd to us. “Where have you been?” Beth said.
“Family stuff,” I said with a shrug. That wasn’t entirely the truth, nor was it a lie.
“What are you doing here?” Beth asked Grey rudely.
He smiled at her. “I’m sorry, Beth. We both know I made some mistakes, but I’m working to earn Ashling’s forgiveness—and yours.”
Beth laughed. “Yeah, okay. Whatever you say.”
Baran secured a large table at the edge of the dance floor. Soon Kate, Kelsey, and Ryan found us too. The whole town was in constant chatter. I could hardly hear myself think. Even Claire was babbling Baran’s ear off, though he didn’t seem to mind . . . he even asked her to dance. It felt so good to get out of our house and be a part of life again. I loved seeing the smiles on my friends’ faces and hearing them laugh.
“May I please have this dance?” Grey asked with a slight bow.
I couldn’t stifle the giggle that came out. “It would be my pleasure.”
Grey led me to the dance floor to a slow song. I didn’t hear the words; all I could hear was the beat of his heart as he spun me around the room. The feeling of his strong arms around my tiny body filled me with a happiness I couldn’t put into words, but I felt safe when Grey was with me.
I leaned up and captured his lips with mine. We were lost in our own world of the other’s touch. Somehow everything would fall away when I was with him. Every worry in the world disappeared, and all that remained on the empty dance floor was our two bodies, pressed dangerously close together, swaying from side to side.
“You’re beautiful,” he said.
“Thank you. Tegan made my dress.”
He smiled. “Ashling, all of you is beautiful to me.”
The song must have ended because everyone started thrashing around again. He looked down at me. His face was filled with admiration, and he kissed the very tip of my nose before he slowly led the way back to our table.
With no sign of Adomnan, we chatted on about nothing in particular for hours. Grey straddled the bench behind me with his arms constantly surrounding me. It was the best feeling in the world, being in love.
Ryan strutted over in his charcoal dress pants and blue shirt. “Grey, may I ask Ashling to dance?”
I coughed out a laugh. “I think you had better ask me,” I said.
Everyone laughed. I felt Grey’s arms possessively hold me a little tighter. He was jealous of Ryan. What did he have to worry about? I was lovingly, intoxicatingly bound to him.
Ryan cleared his throat. “Ashling, may I have the honor of this dance?”
I smiled. “Yes.”
I kissed Grey on the cheek playfully and skipped after Ryan onto the dance floor. Ryan nervously put his hand on my hips. He stepped on my toe and blushed. He was a good friend. Simple in a way, but loyal and sweet. I was thankful to have him as one of my friends. Though he wasn’t much of a dancer. He stepped on my toe, again. “Sorry,” he mumbled.
I giggled. Suddenly Ryan stopped dancing.
I opened my eyes to see a girl watching us. She had messy long blonde hair and black makeup all around her eyes. She wore a strapless black leather dress, and the language of the Bloodmoon was tattooed down her pale arms all the way to her fingertips. She was beautiful and frightening; I had never seen anyone like her. Her expression was cold, and her scent swarmed around me, burning my senses. She was definitely wolf.
Mund, Quinn, and Grey were next to us in a blink of an eye. Ryan seemed bewildered by my family’s sudden presence, but he was too relieved they were there to question how. It was written all over Ryan’s face that he saw the girl as a threat, unlike Grey, who seemed eager to fight Adomnan.
“Who is she?” I asked.
“I’m not sure,” Mund said, “but I don’t think she’s here to dance.”
I took a step forward, and her expression mocked me. What did she want with me? I was just a girl. I wasn’t a prophecy. I wasn’t the key to our culture’s survival. I was simply a girl. The taste of hatred was on my tongue.
Grey wrapped his arm tightly around my shoulders, claiming me. The girl smiled, but there was no kindness in her eyes, and she walked through the crowd away from us. I tried to follow, but the crowd swallowed her. I knew I would see her again. I could feel it on the back of my neck where my hair stood on end. Grey led me away in the opposite direction toward the main exit, weaving through the masses of people.
“We’ll leave this place,” he said. Questioning what I had heard, I looked up into his beautiful green eyes. He nodded. “Together.”
I nodded my head, almost mindlessly. I knew I would follow him to the ends of the earth without question. We were leaving. It sounded so final. I had been right all along . . . I was going to have to run away. I just hadn’t realized Grey would leave with me. I hadn’t dared to dream that dream, but I was thankful to have him by my side.
We were separated from my family in the crowds of people. I could still sense my family following us out into the cold night air. The snow crunched and squeaked under my feet as my heels made contact with the bitter earth.
The air stung my lungs as I tried to calm my worry. Out of nowhere, Lacey came barreling out after us in her horribly pink, glitter-covered dress. She looked as if a fairy princess threw-up on her. Her bleached-blonde hair was in ringlets like a porcelain doll’s. Really, when she wasn’t talking, she was quite pretty.
“You’re such a slut, Ashling!” she said.
Well, that ruined the effect. What else could possibly go wrong tonight? A crazed werewolf was stalking me, and now I was a slut. My first boyfriend ever—whom I had never had sex with—and I was a slut. Girls were ridiculous creatures. It’s not as if I had better things to deal with than this silly little girl. I rolled my eyes. Lacey’s little fists were all balled up on her hips. She was pretending to be tough, but she looked absurd—a powder-puff princess weighing no more than a buck-five wanted to pick a fight with me, a real-life werewolf. Even if I weren’t a werewolf, which I was, she was picking a fight she couldn’t possibly win. She had to see that.
“Go back to the party, Lacey,” I said, dismissing her. I turned my back on her and wrapped my arms around Grey’s neck, pulling his sweet lips to mine, capturing them in a kiss. I wanted her to see he was mine now, and that was never going to change. Maybe that would help her move on. Maybe it was cruelty, but regardless, she needed to see it was over between her and Grey. He was mine now.
She grabbed my hair and yanked me back, away from Grey. I caught my footing barely before hitting the ground. My eyes flashed with rage. I had enough of her for a lifetime. I spun around, punching her right, square in the face, knocking her down into a pile of snow with a poof. I stood over her, watching as blood started to trickle out of her lower lip. It smelled good. I could have so easily killed her, a tasty little morsel. My mouth subconsciously filled with saliva. I had to stay focused—she was one of Old Mother’s humans. I could understand she was in pain, but this had to stop. I was too old fo
r silly little-girl games.
“Lacey . . . don’t make me break your pretty little face,” I said. I walked back over to Grey as he wrapped his fingers with mine and we walked away from her without a second glance. I heard her cry softly, and my heart ached for her. I wanted to go back and hug her and tell her I was sorry, but what good would that do? I would be endangering her life if Adomnan knew she was important to me. It would be best to leave. Then no one would be at risk. I still ached for her.
“I wish she could see outside herself,” Grey said. “I’m sorry for everything.”
“I hope she’ll forgive me one day,” I said.
I leaned against the Land Rover as we waited for the others. I wanted to know who the tattoo girl was. She was obviously a wolf, but what side was she on? Grey picked me up easily and slid me up onto the frosty hood. He stood between my legs with his hands still at my waist; I could feel his warmth through the thin layers of my dress. Steam rolled off his skin in the bitter cold air. It made him seem even more mysterious and sexy.
The others walked painfully slow across the parking lot, trying not to draw attention from the humans. No one said anything as we piled safely in, one after the other. We looked like one of those little clown cars with all the people getting in—far too many of us for the human laws, but a car accident wouldn’t hurt us.
“Nice punch, Ashling. I was waiting for that,” Quinn said.
“Waiting?” I asked.
He smiled. “I knew you had it in you to fight back.”
“Who was that blonde girl with the Bloodmoon tattoos?” I asked, changing the subject.
“Æsileif, she runs the Bloodrealms,” Baran said. “She’s not to be trusted.”
“Something has to change. We can’t keep living like this,” Mund said. “If Æsileif has found us, it’s only a matter of time before more wolves come prowling.”
“School starts soon. The humans will notice Ashling missing, but we can’t send her back without protection,” Tegan said.
“We’ll have to fight Adomnan,” Mund said. “And soon.”
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