“Mackenzie!” He exclaimed and came to a halt before me with his arms extended oddly. He wasn’t sure whether to hug me or not. We weren’t friendly like that but I didn’t want to make this any more awkward than it already was. I stepped into his arms and wrapped my own around his middle. Alexander exhaled in relief and his grip was tight around me. I felt him give me a small peck on the top of my head.
“Welcome to New York City,” I said as I pulled away. I stuck my hands in my pockets, not knowing what to do with them—he did the same.
“Thank ye,” he responded. “I have Ranulf and the others grabbing my bags. Ophelia should be down shortly.”
“How was the flight?” I asked, trying to fill the silence. How was it that we had so much to say over the phone, but were stumped in person?
“It was great,” he said. “I am a bit hungry though.”
I grinned. Now this was something I could handle.
“Pick your poison: hot dogs or pizza?”
He beamed, his smile stretched from ear to ear, those pearly whites shining against the sun. “Pizza. Definitely pizza.”
Alexander and I slipped away before anyone else got off the jet. We caught the first taxi out of JFK and went straight toward the city. His phone had been buzzing the whole ride, but he ignored it after sending a single text to Ranulf letting him know he was okay and he’d meet him at the hotel later today.
“Are you trying to bond with me?”
Alex gave me a sideway glance. “What do ye mean?”
“Ditching your security team seems like something I would do,” I chuckled.
“Ah yes. It would be something ye’d do,” he paused. “I wanted to spend time with ye, lass…before we dive into everything.” His gray eyes avoided my stare and something warmed inside of me. He seemed embarrassed at his admission.
“I think it’s a great idea,” I smiled. “I know a great pizzeria by my apartment that we can pick some food up.”
“Sounds great.”
The cab driver dropped us off a few blocks away from Joe’s Pizza in Greenwich Village. Once Amy cut all ties with me, I couldn’t stay in our apartment in Alphabet City anymore. It was filled with memories and regrets, so I packed up her things and put it in storage. I found a place for myself, close to work, but far enough away from Brooklyn. It was expensive to live in The Village, but the loft I rented was small, and the hazard pay I received working with the SIU helped.
The walk to Joe’s afforded us the time to catch up on the little things. It also gave us the opportunity to get through the awkwardness and into more familiar territory.
“What kind of pizza?” I asked when it was our turn to order.
“Pepperoni,” he told the guy behind the counter.
“How many slices?” The waiter asked in a thick New York accent.
“A large pie,” I said and handed him a twenty dollar bill.
Alexander turned to me. “A whole pie for the both of us?”
“Uh…yeah,” I deadpanned. “If you have my appetite, you’d be asking for another.”
He laughed. “I guess we should make it two larges.”
With two pepperoni pizzas in hand, we walked around the corner to my apartment building. I was nervous about having Alex over. My studio apartment was not on the same scale as Castle Mac. I didn’t even have a bedroom. Three bookshelves served as a wall separating my bedroom and the living room, and the living room was open to the kitchen. Compared to his home, my seven hundred square foot apartment was a cardboard box.
I sighed as I slipped in the key and turned the knob to my second floor flat. Shutting my eyes, I stepped aside and let him in—waiting for whatever polite comment he’d come up with.
There was a quiet before he said, “Are ye okay, Mackenzie?”
I poked one eye open and saw him staring at me. “Uh…yes,” I said and shut the door behind him. “Welcome to my humble abode.”
“It’s lovely, lass. Perfect for ye,” he said.
That actually sounded sincere. “Really?”
Alexander laughed. “Were ye worried I wouldn’t like it?”
“Duh. You live at freakin’ Hogwarts and I live in the closet under the staircase.”
He quirked a brow. “I wish I knew that reference, but I’m at a loss, darling. All that matters to me is that ye have a home, and three full meals a day. Everything else is unimportant.”
“Fine. Can I ask you a question, though?”
“Anything, lassie.”
I took in a deep breath. “How…um, how is Jonah doing?”
Alexanders mouth twisted to the side, thinking carefully about how he would answer my question.
“Mackenzie, I don’ think—”
“I just need to know if he’s okay. That’s it. Please.”
He relented. “He’s doing well. He has assimilated to the King’s Council perfectly. The boy was made for a career in politics.”
Of course he was. Charles Cadwell was his father, after all. The only thing Charles ever wanted from the moment I met Jonah, was for him to follow in his footsteps. He got his wish and then some. As long as Jonah was okay, then I didn’t feel guilty keeping my distance. He was better off without me.
Alexander and I spent the whole day bullshitting in my apartment, talking about everything under the sun. He even spoke about Adaline, who was typically a sore subject for him. Hearing their adventures together was thrilling. They had such an exciting and loving relationship—I was jealous. Not only did I want what they had, I was jealous that I hadn’t been there with them. They could have been my family.
By the time we surfaced, it was past midnight. With a call to Ranulf, Alexander slept on my couch and we promised to meet them the next day at the SIU.
“Are ye sure yer okay, Mackenzie?” Alexander asked as we rode up the elevator to the squad room.
“I’m fine,” I smiled. I sort of was. It was cool having him around. As for what might be waiting for us in the SIU, I wasn’t too sure. I’d have to face the music sooner or later.
The elevator doors opened into the squad room and I saw Ranulf straight ahead. Out of impulse, I ran to him and jumped on his back—wrapping my arms around his neck.
“Ranulf!” I screamed.
The King’s right-hand flipped me over his shoulder and I landed on my back, on the desk in front of him.
“Ouch,” I groaned. “Well, hello to you too.”
Ranulf grinned, looming over me, upside down. “Ye never attack from behind, Princess.” He helped me up and patted me on the back. “It’s nice to see ye too, lass” he said.
“I’m sure,” I grumbled as I rubbed my back.
I hadn’t realized until now that the squad room was practically empty. My team and our newcomers were the only ones in the room.
“Where is everyone?” I asked Briggs.
“I’ve moved the rest of the SIU upstairs until we get this squared away. I don’t want prying eyes on this case. Understood?”
We all nodded.
Cas came up to me and took a knee. His right fist placed over his heart, he bowed his head in the Lycan symbol of loyalty. For a moment I thought it was for me and I was confused, but then Alexander stepped beside me. Right. Not me.
“Rise,” Alexander murmured. Cas stood with so much pride in being in the presence of the King. He looked like a kid at Disney World. “Ye have looked after a MacCoinnich—my daughter. Know that it will nae be forgotten.”
“Thank you, your highness,” Cas bowed again.
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah okay, enough with all the formalities. Let’s get down to business. Am I going to die or what?”
We crammed ourselves into the conference room and briefed Alexander, Ranulf, and Ophelia on what happened. Everything from the original killings, to the incident at Central Park. The fury behind Alexander’s gaze was not subtle, but he controlled himself well amid the news of his daughter being linked to the gate.
“I want Mackenzie on a 24/7 detail. No ques
tions asked,” Alexander demanded. Briggs was about to nod in agreement when I stood, kicking my chair back.
“Hold on a damn second,” I exclaimed. “I’m not going to be trailed by a bunch of dumbasses who could barely wipe their own ass. No to the security detail.”
“This is nonnegotiable, Mackenzie. I will nae have ye wandering the streets alone.”
“Alexander is right, lass,” Ranulf said. “Put yer pride aside and do as yer told.”
“I can handle myself!” I yelled.
“Mackenzie,” Michaels cut in. “You’re not—”
I felt my eyes about to pop out of their sockets as I imagined what Michaels was about to say—that I wasn’t strong enough because I was moon-bound.
“I’ll watch over her,” Cas offered.
“But—” Michaels tried again, but I gave him the evil eye.
“We know you can handle yourself, Kenz, but you don’t need to do it alone,” Cas said. His eyes narrowed and I got the message loud and clear. Either I agreed to have Cas as my personal bodyguard, or they spilled the beans on my current predicament.
“Fine,” I grunted. “Cas can stick around, but if I see anyone else tailing us, I’ll send them back to you bloody and bruised. Got it?”
No one argued.
After our meeting ended, Alexander, Ranulf, and Briggs locked themselves in his office, leaving the rest of us milling around.
“Why didn’t you say something?” Michaels accused Cas. “Are you trying to handicap her?”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Cassidy said. “There’s a negative stigma when it comes to wolves who are moon-bound,” he whispered. “If the King finds out, we don’t know how he’ll react.”
I’d been gnawing at my lip like it was a rare sirloin steak when Ophelia approached me. “Stop before ye peel yerself raw,” she said taking my attention away from the guys.
“My bad,” I mumbled. How a blind woman saw what I’m doing, I’d never know. “I’m glad you could make it.”
“Aye. We have much to discuss, Mackenzie.”
“I bet,” I grunted. “We need to talk…in private.”
“Tomorrow?” Ophelia offered.
I nodded. Tomorrow it was.
Sneaking away from Cassidy had been way too easy. Then again, Cas didn’t know exactly who he was dealing with. When he said he was going to take a nap, I dipped out of my apartment. Dummy.
I waved at the front desk before heading up the elevator, got off on the top floor, and went straight to the room at the end of the hall. Her door was ajar and I walked in hesitantly in case it wasn’t by accident.
“I wondered if I was ever going to see ye, child,” Ophelia whispered as I entered her hotel room.
“You knew I would.”
She smiled. “I never know with ye, Mackenzie. Yer unpredictable.”
“It took me a while to get away.” I changed the subject, “Nice pad.” The hotel room Alexander had gotten her was no ordinary room—it was a damn suite. There was a balcony that looked out into the city and I wouldn’t be surprised if a jacuzzi sat waiting for someone to dip themselves in the scorching water.
“Aye. If only I could see it,” she said. I flushed as I remembered she’s blind.
“Shit, Ophelia, my bad. That was insensitive.”
She let out a hoarse laugh that made me check if she was choking. “Oh hen, have a sense of humor, why don’ ye.”
I twisted my mouth at the old lady as she made herself comfortable at the dining table. She waved me over and I hesitantly sat across from her, those pearl-white eyes staring as if she saw everything and nothing at all.
Before I left Scotland, Ophelia told me to come to her when I was ready. I hadn’t understood what she meant until now.
“Talk to me, Mackenzie. What have ye been seeing?”
“I never said I saw anything.”
She smirked. “Ye would nae have asked for me if everything was alright. I might be an Oracle, but it does nae take one to know ye have the sight.”
She had a point. I wouldn’t have asked her to come for a slice of New York pizza and a friendly hello.
I cleared my throat and leaned forward as if someone could hear us. “I think I saw the Fae realm open before it even happened.”
“What did ye see, Mackenzie?” she whispered. Her frail, wrinkled hand reached for mine, knowing exactly where they were.
“I was floating on Loch Lomond,” I started. “It was so real, Ophelia. I breathed in the fresh mountain air—the lake rippled beneath my fingertips. The sun was so bright, the heat etched itself onto my skin. Then someone grabbed me by the ankles, and pulled me underwater, drowning me until everything went pitch black. I’d had the same nightmare every night for the last three weeks until the gates opened and then they stopped. No more drowning.”
“Hm…” she murmured. Ophelia tapped her finger over her lips, pondering my admission. “Yes, dear, it seems ye do have the sight.”
“I could have stopped it…”
“Now child, ye cannae stop every bad vision ye get. This was yer first, ye could nae have known.”
“I should have though,” I said. “I had my suspicions, but I didn’t want to believe it was possible. How is it possible?”
“I wish I had an answer, hen, but I do nae. There has never been a hybrid before.”
Of course, I was a first. Fate had to make me the freak. It’s bad enough I howl on a full moon, now I have to see the future? Great. All I needed was a crystal ball and I could land myself an infomercial that’ll play on loop in the middle of the night.
“How do I get rid of it? Nostradamus could at least get a full night’s sleep. I have been surviving off espressos for the last few weeks.”
Ophelia pulled away from me, her face contorting into disgust. “Are ye mad, Mackenzie? Ye cannae get rid of it like an illness. This is who ye are, what makes ye special. This is a gift.”
“Someone needs to issue me a refund on this gift because I can’t live like this.”
“It’s impossible. There is no cure for what you have.”
“Fuck!” I kicked the dining chair beside me.
“Instead of crying over yer…condition; why don’ ye learn to manage it. I could help ye.”
I eyed the old woman, her hand trembling and looking at her made me soften. How old was Ophelia? She appeared so fragile and I regretted reacting the way I did. Were oracles susceptible to heart attacks?
“What do you mean?” I calmed down enough to speak. “Like control when I get the visions?”
“Aye,” she nodded. “This ability would be most beneficial during battle.” Her lips quivered as she waited for my response. She knew how to sell me this idea. If I could see my opponent’s first move, I’d be impossible to beat. It would come in handy with the upcoming war with the Fae.
“What about my eyes? I go blind. If I can’t see, it’s pointless.”
She scoffed. “Yer nae an invalid, Mackenzie. Ye can smell, hear—learn to fight with all yer senses. Ye should be doing so already.”
She was right about that.
“Is this happening because of what Adaline did?” Last year, during my trial for killing an Alpha and starting a rebellion, I’d chosen myself as champion and fought against a nasty Wendigo. It almost took my life had Adaline not done some weird magic, giving me some of her strength. According to the Sisters of the Sight, before Adaline had died, she’d extracted that last bit of her essence and transferred it to me in case of an emergency.
“It’s a possibility, but I believe many factors come into play,” Ophelia said. “Ye nae only come from Lycan ancestry, but a royal one as well. Centuries ago, there were tales of the MacCoinnichs, and how their strength and power were unparalleled to any other family. Rumor was that a witch had blessed the MacCoinnichs, letting them reign over the Lycan for all eternity.”
I bit my lip to hold back my cackles—because my laugh was far from lady-like. It sounded absurd when it shouldn
’t, given what we were, but the idea that a fairy godmother waved her magical wand over my peeps and now I have the sight of the oracles just sounded so…kooky.
“Yer also nae like most Lunas, Mackenzie. Keep that in mind,” she said. “Oracles are nae made because we do nae taint our bodies and souls with such frivolous animal instincts—we are gifted these abilities and our purity is what keeps our minds open. We might be pure, but we’re powerful creatures, some would say even god-like.”
“Uh…I don’t know how to tell you this Ophelia, but I’m not necessarily wholesome. How can I be an Oracle?”
Ophelia let out a small laugh. “I know, dear. I don’ expect ye to be the Virgin Mary. Yer situation is a bit different. No Oracle has ever tainted and dishonored herself like Adaline; there has never been a hybrid. But yer mother’s need to protect ye, even from the afterlife, and yer Lycan lineage make for a good concoction. And let’s nae forget yer humanity,” she smiled. “Oh, child, yer humanity is yer greatest strength.”
“In other words, there could be a million reasons why I ended up a freak?”
“Aye,” she nodded, “but my greatest fear is someone finding out. I don’ need my sisters fearing for their lives because a brute wolf wants to replicate this union.”
She didn’t have to tell me twice. The last thing I wanted for anyone, was some asshole attacking an oracle to get what he wants. Not on my watch.
“I won’t let that happen,” I promised. “We don’t even know if it’s possible to do again.”
“We don’, but it won’t stop someone from trying. Just food for thought, Mackenzie.”
I stood from the dining table, stretching my legs by walking out to the balcony. I could hear Ophelia’s feet shuffling behind me as she followed me out.
“What happens now?” I asked.
“Now, Mackenzie. We train.”
14
Four hours.
That’s how long Ophelia and I trained. She’d blindfolded me and started to knock me around with her cane. That shit hurt like a motherfucker, but it was exactly what I needed. Not the hitting part, but the learning to use my other senses. I hadn’t mastered it, but I was getting there. I’ll give Ophelia one thing, she moved soundlessly.
OMEGA: A New Adult Urban Fantasy (Mackenzie Grey Book 4) Page 9
