“Anyway, my partner is Jezibelle Beaumont.” He extends his hand in Jezi’s direction and she stands, unsure of what to do.
“Hi,” she says with a faltering smile. “You can call me Jezi. I’m a Witch… obviously. There isn’t much to learn about me. I’m hotheaded. Excellent at witchcraft. And I’m fiercely dedicated to destroying Clara. The end.”
She sits back down, and Jaxen clears his throat. “We’re both connected to Faye Middleton, who is the Everlasting,” he adds, pointing to me now.
I take my cue and stand, ignoring the need to flee from all the eyes on me. “I’m Faye,” I say, shutting everything out except the need to follow Jaxen’s example. The need to be open and honest. “I started out thinking I’d be a Defect and ended up finding that I harness both the Hunter and Witch abilities. I suck in a breath of courage and add, “I also have the ability to drain the life from any living being, and I intend to use that ability to put a stop to Clara and the Darkyns.”
A stillness falls over everyone when I admit this.
I try to hang on to my train of thought as it derails. “Don’t worry,” I add quickly, “I don’t use that part of me unless it’s completely necessary.”
Weldon stands up, making a lot of noise to take the attention that’s burning holes in my cheeks away from me. “Hi,” he says confidently. “My name is Weldon, but I’m usually introduced as the wise and wondrous Weldon.” He looks over his shoulder at Jaxen and me. “Fitting, right?”
I blink.
“Right,” he continues, clapping his hands together. “Anyway, I’m Faye’s partner and I’m part demon, so it seems that most of us here have a lot in common. Maybe Mack should have named us the Misfit Club instead of the Rebellion.” He pauses, waits for someone to laugh. When no one does, he adds, “Goddess, this feels like an AA meeting. Let’s see… I haven’t taken a human life in almost six years. I only take blood from scumbags, and the occasional female who likes a romp in the bed, both for food and for pleasure.” He raises his eyebrows up and down, throwing a mischievous glance in Jezi’s direction.
Fire ignites in her cheeks. Chuckles sound from around the fire.
“He’s also a pig,” Jezi calls out, keeping her eyes locked on Weldon’s, but the hate that was once there is ebbed, replaced by curiosity and pent-up aggression.
Weldon smiles at her, and then turns back to the crowd, easing into the role of icebreaker. He walks over to Mack, who’s standing outside of the circle, and drags him by the shoulders back to the middle. “I’m sure this may come as a shock to you,” he says, moving his face close to Mack’s, “but this here is my twin brother. I know, ladies, it’s like realizing there are two days of Christmas to celebrate.”
Laughter circles around the fire, and I think this just may work. I think the stars have finally aligned for us.
“All right,” Mack says, pushing Weldon off. “We know who you are now. Take your seat,” he says with a scowl, though his voice is lighter than normal.
After Weldon sits, everyone seems to loosen up a bit. Names pass around the fire with small backstories that each give light to those who have come to fight by our side. We learn that the golden-haired Witch I helped on the day of their arrival, Joanna Stevenson, is a Witch who was on her way to Elite training with her partner, Garrett Michaels. Joanna specializes in potion making, and explains that Garrett is an adrenaline junkie.
He watches her the whole time, never offering to speak. His hair has shades of gold in it that matches Joanna. They’re one of the rare affinity bonds who have chosen to live separate lives outside of their bond, meaning they see other people.
Bianca Raine, one of the brown-haired girls from the Rebellion, stands next. She has a rounded face with sharp-angled cheeks and thin lips. Her partner, Toby Jameson, stands with her, his arms wrapped around her waist. He’s built thick like Gavin with long, dark hair that’s shaped messily around his squared face. He does most of the talking, looking down at her as he explains their instant connection from the moment they met during their Culling ceremony six years ago. Since they’ve graduated, they were assigned to an area in the Bronx where they lived up until the attacks from the Darkyns started multiplying. After that, word of a Rebellion spread, and they followed leads until they found Mack. The rest is history.
Sarabeth Williams stands up next, tightening the knot from her flannel shirt around her waist. She’s the other brown-haired girl, though her hair is cut in a tomboyish way with a left-side part. Her face is covered in deep, dark freckles that enhance her large, brown eyes. After a few minutes of her shaky introduction, I realize she has no partner. He was lost in one of the Darkyn attacks outside of the Academy. Mack took her in after that.
I’m still staring at her when Katie, Chett, and the rest of our group stand up and give their short stories. By the time they finish, everyone has pretty much eased into a relaxed state. We all turn our heads in Evangeline’s direction, waiting for her and her pack to take their turn in introducing themselves.
I think most of us only came tonight to hear their stories. To learn how they managed life after being banished.
Evangeline stands first, looking to her pack. Her eyes fall on a small girl, and my stomach tingles a little after noticing how lovingly she looks down at the girl, who can’t be any older than twelve. Like how a mother would stare at a daughter. Like how my mother used to look at me with so much love and adoration.
I look over at Jaxen, who’s watching her now, only just seeming to notice the small girl.
“My name is Evangeline,” his mother says, her hands folded neatly in front of her. “I am the alpha of this pack, and we call ourselves the Lost Crows.”
Every one of her pack throws their heads back and howls up at the moon in unison.
“You all have shared your stories with us. It’s only fair that I am honest with you.” She’s looking at Jaxen now. “I was bitten the night I left my two boys. Bitten by the king of wolves—Arakyll Crow. Their father and I were ambushed while on a mission that was supposed to give us the exact whereabouts of Bael. It was under his orders that this happened… and I don’t think it was out of coincidence that I was bit, because he appeared to us shortly after I died, offering my husband a deal to bring me back.” She turns to Jaxen and Gavin, and they’re leaning slightly forward, holding their breath. “Out of desperation, your father gave his life in return for mine,” she says, looking between Gavin and Jaxen. “What he wasn’t told was that I would come back a wolf and be betrothed to one of Bael’s guardians… Arakyll.
“There were no goodbyes. I woke to find myself in a forest being dragged by a full-blooded werewolf. We’d already been wedded in the ways that matter to a wolf of his nature, and he was taking me to his den where we would consummate. He forced himself on me, and I killed him, taking only the best from him.”
She looks down at the little girl, and I gasp.
Gavin and Jaxen are both standing now, fists clenched at their sides.
“Yes,” she says, smiling sorrowfully at them. “Gavin, Jaxen, I’d like for you to meet your sister, Chrissa.”
JAXEN IS AS STILL AS STONE.
I’m looking at him, wishing I knew what to say. Trying to apologize wordlessly for this, but he won’t quite meet my eyes. Won’t quite pull himself from the shock of this new discovery, and I wish that I knew how to catch so I could have helped him dodge this curve ball.
Gavin falls to his knees, puts himself at Chrissa’s height. “I have a sister?” he asks, staring over at her sitting form.
She’s small-framed with wild, light brown hair stuck with dried leaves and twigs. Her large, oval eyes are brighter than Gavin’s. Blue like a cloudless sky on a hot summer day. She’s staring up at both her brothers with a mixture of timidity, curiosity, and respect. A lifetime of fear and pain lives in her gaze. A lifetime of circumstances and situations I’ll probably never fully understand.
She’s nearly shaking when Jaxen walks over to her.
�
�Chrissa?” he says, kneeling to her level.
She flinches back, looking for her mother to hide behind, but Evangeline just nods and smiles encouragingly at her.
“I won’t hurt you,” Jaxen says, so softly, tenderly. He reaches out to her, but he puts his hand back to his side when he realizes she isn’t ready for contact just yet. He closes his eyes for a moment, and then looks down at her hands. And then a huge smile splits his lips apart. “Do you like to draw?”
She looks up at him, her eyebrows scrunched.
He points to her hands, still smiling. “Smudges from a graphite pencil. I was notorious for them in grade school.”
She absently looks down at the dark stains on thumbs and fingers, and a small, timid smile pulls at the corners of her lips.
“Was?” she says quietly.
“What was that?” Jaxen asks, scooting a little closer.
“You said was. Do you not draw anymore?” she asks.
He looks down at her hands. “No. Stopped when I graduated high school, and I haven’t found a reason to pick it back up. At least, not until now.” His eyes are sparkling with hope as her smile widens.
And just like that, his words have broken down her brittle barrier.
“I can let you borrow some of my stuff if you want. Mom got me a brand-new set for my birthday,” she says excitedly.
“I’d like that. When was your birthday?”
She bites her lip and looks up at Evangeline. “Well, it was an early gift because I ran out. My birthday isn’t for another few weeks. November fifth.”
“I’ll have to keep that in mind,” he says, standing up. “And I’ll hold you to that offer.”
She nods, her bright smile beaming.
Gavin makes his way over to them, stops in front of Evangeline, and I realize that he’s not taking this as easily as Jaxen.
“How could you keep this from us?” he asks in a strained, hushed voice. “On some level, I understand you leaving, but this… her… how could you keep her from us?”
The ebony-skinned woman stands when Evangeline struggles to find her words. “We’re being tracked by a rival pack,” she says, staring at Gavin with iron strength in her dark brown eyes. “My name is Ava. I’m Sterling’s wife.”
She extends her hand, but Gavin doesn’t take it.
Jaxen moves between them and shakes her hand. “Hi. Nice to meet you,” he rushes out. “Now, what does a rival pack have to do with not letting us see our sister?”
“Yeah. We had a right to know. To be there for her,” Gavin adds over Jaxen’s shoulder.
Ava smiles, but it’s a pained smile. She swallows and says, “Though it’s comforting to hear your devotion to a sibling you barely know, realistically, being there for her would have been unfeasible, young Gramms. This rival pack was formed from the members who left Evangeline after she killed Arakyll and became the alpha. They want revenge. They want Chrissa.”
Ava looks down at Chrissa, who’s staring at the ground now, her cheeks and ears a bright red color.
“Hence why letting us know would have been a good idea. We could have helped. Maybe even kept her protected,” Gavin says.
“I do not want to offend you, but the life a Watchman leads is not what Chrissa needs at her tender age. Chrissa is a natural born, unlike us, and she needs the freedom to run wild in the woods. Your lifestyle would not have been able to provide that for her. She is unique among the wolf colony.”
“And that means?” Gavin asks.
Evangeline rests her hand on Ava’s forearm, and they exchange words in their glances. Ava takes her seat next to Sterling and Evangeline turns back to Gavin and Jaxen, finishing the explanation. “Chrissa may be a natural-born wolf, but she is also a natural-born Witch. No wolf that we know of has ever had this happen. Most wolves kill Primevals who have been bitten. They don’t believe in sullying their bloodline. But my circumstance was different. Arakyll wanted me, and because of it, Chrissa was born. The other wolves know of her. They want her, not only because they don’t believe in a natural-born being raised by those who have been bitten, but also because of the unique powers she now holds. Powers that could be given to the other wolves, should she wed one of their own.”
The other wolves with them are growling now. A territorial, angry growl. One of them stands. He looks like a young man plucked straight from the beaches of California with tan skin and long, bleached-blond hair.
“I’ll die before any of them get their hands on her,” he says angrily, his surfer accent matching his look.
“And who are you?” Jaxen asks.
“Lukah. Lukah Glassow,” Lukah says, bowing up a little. His bones are hidden under layers and layers of flexed muscles, just waiting to be used.
“He’s the only other in our pack that has were in his blood,” Evangeline explains.
Everyone looks at him now, waiting for an explanation.
“My partner, Olive, was killed during a wolf attack. They had sought me out, sniffing the were blood running through my veins. It wasn’t enough for me to ever turn into one of them, but just enough to let him know that I didn’t belong in either world. So he killed my girl and bit me. Forced me into his pack, thinking he could beat me into submission. I managed to get out and that’s when I found Harper,” he says, turning to smile at the quaint woman with light blonde curls and bright blue eyes who’s sitting next to Chrissa.
I realize I haven’t really seen her until now, and it reminds me of someone. Someone like me. She’s one of those people who try to blend in with their surroundings by making themselves as small as possible, so they won’t be seen. Noticed. Just like I used to be.
“I helped her heal the wounds left behind from the assholes in Ethryeal City,” Lukah continues, “and we kind of formed our own pack until we ran into Evangeline and her crew. The rest is history.” He looks pleased with himself as he turns and waves to everyone.
“Harper?” Chett says from across the fire. “Harper Moore?”
Her eyes grow wide. Her entire body stiffens.
Chett stands up. Walks around the fire. “Is that really you?”
“You know her?” Jonathon asks, already on his feet and heading toward them.
Katie stands. Makes her way over to where Chett and Jonathon are now, asking him about what he’s doing.
But Chett doesn’t answer. He just stares oddly at Harper with a weird expression on his face.
Lukah moves to stand in front of Harper, his shaggy hair falling over his eyes, creating dark shadows. His eyes flash gold as a low growl thunders through his chest. “Who are you?” he demands, using no preamble.
“Weren’t you paying attention? I introduced myself earlier. I’m Chett. Chett Car—”
He isn’t able to finish his name, because he goes flying backwards, almost landing in the fire. All the wolves jump up, their eyes shifted in the signature gold color. The members of the Rebellion form in a line across from them. Magic and growls clog the air as Mack and Seamus make quick work of running in between everyone, waving their hands as if they were white flags.
“Whoa,” Mack says on all our behalf. “This is supposed to be a peaceful meeting.” He shoots Evangeline a harsh look.
“Peace, my ass. Why do you have one of the Carters in your Rebellion? Are you insane?” Lukah shouts, tucking Harper behind him.
All my attempts at discretion are now blowing up in my face.
Katie helps Chett up and spins on Lukah. “You have some nerve, asshole.” Her eyes are raised with challenge, but Lukah doesn’t seem to care. He cocks his head to the side, smirking daringly between Katie and Chett, just asking for an excuse.
“Katie!” Jonathon shouts, trying to snatch her up by the arm. But she writhes free, so I work my way through everyone to get to her. I grab her shoulders, shaking her until she looks at me.
“Kat, please.”
“Does this show come with a pause button, because I need a drink?” Weldon mutters from somewhere behind me.
> “Weldon,” I say under my breath. I turn back to Kat.
“What the hell is his problem?” she shouts at me. “They were supposed to keep their hands to themselves.”
“Yeah, until I found out just who you’re protecting over there,” Lukah says, pointing angrily at Chett. “Why don’t you ask your boyfriend why I shoved him? Let him explain what his crazy-ass family did to Harper.”
Shades of color drain from Katie’s face. Everyone stops shoving. Stops yelling, and quiets as we all wait for the explanation I’m sure will be the end of this imaginary dream of peace and unity.
Katie turns to face Chett, who’s looking at the ground in shame. Looking unnaturally horrified.
“What’s he talking about?” Katie asks, her voice shaking.
Seconds commit suicide as we wait for his answer.
“Harper’s my cousin by marriage. She’s legally married to Dorian, who’s my Aunt Evelyn’s son.”
My insides shrink at the name.
“The Priestess Evelyn?” Weldon asks incredulously. “You’ve got to be kidding me. I knew I should have left your ass back in Ethryeal City. If it wasn’t for the chaos and panic, I’m sure I would have.”
Lukah smirks mirthlessly at Katie and Chett, his eyes glowing.
“Dorian, like most men in my family, has a mean streak,” Chett finally says, oblivious to the chatter around him.
It takes a moment for everyone to register that he’s talking, as voices slowly die off and attention is given back to Chett.
“Especially when it comes to Witches.” He looks past Katie, over at Lukah, and says, “All I know is that my family is a bunch of assholes.”
“No wonder he stinks,” Lukah says sarcastically.
Chett doesn’t respond to the insult. He just absorbs it and continues, “They want the most power, and it takes little to nothing for them to consider you weak. I swear I don’t know what happened. I had nothing to do with it. I wasn’t even at the Academy yet.”
Lukah rolls his eyes and takes center floor. “Long story short, the douchebag Dorian and his douchebag mother Evelyn arranged for Harper to be placed in the Correctional Facility when she refused to take anymore abuse from him. From there, she was experimented on and tortured by the Priesthood’s scientists. She was injected with were venom. The purpose was to see how much venom it actually took to make a Primeval turn.”
Everlost (The Night Watchmen Series Book 3) Page 22
