by Bryce Evans
Holding his hands up, the man said, “I’m sorry, Emerson. I shouldn’t have snuck up on you. Please don’t be scared of me. I’m Larken Wilder—Lilly is my sister. I just want to help.” Her hand went to her heart as it beat faster and faster.
Swallowing hard, Emerson watched as the man backed up and walked back into the room. She took a deep breath, shaking from the fright the man had just given her. What did he say his name was?
She had to get control of the fear. She hated that she always scared. If she was going to be part of the Unit, she had to get this under control. Just walk, dammit.
Walking a few steps, Emerson peeked into the room. The man was sitting at a table, taking stuff out of a box that had ‘First Aid’ written on the side.
Despite everything that had happened, Emerson straightened up and walked into the room. Nobody else was in there but her and the stranger. Clearing her throat, she asked, “What did you say your name was?”
“Larken Wilder. Nash is my cousin, and Ashland is my mate. She’s in the Unit with you, too. Come sit down and let me put some ointment on your hand.” Relief rushed through as she remembered that Larken was also the Alpha and the owner of the lodge. Everywhere she turned, it seemed like everyone was a suspect to her. Nash had told her about his cousin Larken.
Slowly, she sat down and splayed her hand across the table. She watched as the Alpha lightly touched it. “May I?” Larken was holding a tube of ointment in his hand.
Emerson nodded, still watching the Alpha. Gently, Larken unwrapped the handkerchief and put the ointment directly on the wound. “I take it you were trying to get away from your father or Nash. I couldn’t tell which one; or maybe it was both. Doesn’t really matter. Sometimes a little peace and quiet is what we need to get some clarity on what’s got us puzzled. I come down here a lot just to get away from everyone. This is one of the rooms that the Unit uses.
“Even though they haven’t been together long, they’ve already done a great job. So much so, in fact, that they’re getting more funding from some anonymous benefactors.”
“That’s good.” Emerson didn’t understand why Larken was telling her all of this.
“Did anyone ever tell you about where they found you and the others at?”
Emerson tensed up. “Some of it.” She shook her head as the memory of the man in the mask came forward. Closing her eyes, she tried to push it away. Even the mention of the facility brought the masked man up.
“I can see that this is bothering you, so if you’d rather not know we don’t have to talk about it,” Larken said. He started putting the bandages and ointment back in the box. She could feel the Alpha vibes coming off of him; not in a bad way, but his energy was strong.
Pushing the intrusive thoughts away, she muttered, “Tell me.” Emerson’s voice was low, laced with fear, and she hated it.
Larken smiled and nodded. “Okay. Well, when they arrived, there were only a few guards at the gate. Apparently they let the staff go home on the weekends, so nobody was there, which told us that if the place burned down or anything happened, nobody cared about the people inside. There were kids in there, babies even. All they wanted to do was study them and get their blood, and then sell it off to the highest bidder. You wouldn’t believe the people out there who would love to have our blood. If they had a disease they thought could be cured by using our blood they wouldn’t care what happened to us.
“But from what Jia has told us, the blood wouldn’t completely heal them, just prolong their deaths. When the sickness came back they would have to buy more of the blood. I guess it didn’t matter as long as they were still alive. But they are using scientist to synthesize it and try to find whatever they need to heal people. Can you imagine what would happen if they perfected it and they actually found a way to make this happen? None of us would be safe, including magic-users like you. I assume that’s why they took you. They wanted to know how you had magic and what they could do if they put a little bit of your blood inside of them. Would they be able to use magic, and make their enemies defenseless?” Larken shook his head in anger.
“It didn’t help me when I needed it,” Emerson whispered.
“No, but think of it this way. They had a witch or wizard who made that spell so anyone like you couldn’t help themselves. That way they had control over you, just like the shifters and vampires who were trapped inside that facility. From what I understand, you’re very good at spells, and the Unit needs someone like that on their team. Who knows, you may be able to come up with a spell that could take out the one protecting the facility. Imagine the hell those people would be in if that happened! The tables would be reversed, and all the paranormals could leave and finally be safe again. Just a thought!”
Emerson smiled. “I see now why you’re the Alpha.”
“I’m only telling the truth, but I hope you understand that you’re wanted here, and needed.”
Looking around the room, Emerson shook her head. “I…I just don’t know if I have the strength to do this job anymore.”
Larken got up with the box and started to walk off, but turned around and said, “Strength doesn’t come from what you can do, Emerson. Strength comes from overcoming the things you thought you couldn’t.”
She knew he was right. She used to be confident and at least willing to try, but now she felt weak. She’d let him do this to her. She needed to find that confidence again.
“Anytime you need a break from everyone, you’re always welcome to come down here and relax. You’ll find what you’re looking for when the time is right.”
She watched as the Alpha pulled a key out of his pocket and handed it to her. It had a wolf carved on one side of it.
“It’s for the elevator. Just slip it in and turn it, and it will bring you down to this floor.” With that being said, Larken walked out of the room, leaving her alone.
He was right. She just had to find the strength to take the first step. She leaned her head down on the table to think, and then nothing.
Chapter Eleven
Nash didn’t want to disturb Emerson, so he decided to watch over her while she slept. She seemed to need it. Her color looked better, but he still needed to get her out more and away from her father.
He couldn’t understand the man. Criticizing her all the time, telling her she wasn’t good enough, and then saying that the only reason they wanted her was because of his name. Maybe he was jealous that he wasn’t asked. It didn’t matter; Nash knew Jonas well enough that he hadn’t even considered Kingston.
“No, don’t touch me.” He watched as Emerson’s body tensed up and tears rolled down her face.
He leaned over and whispered, “Fight it, Emerson.”
That’s when the magic made its appearance. He scooted his chair back and watched as her magic shot out of her, coiling and swaying like a snake, watching his every move. Protecting her. Never had he seen anything like this. The magic surrounded her whole body. He got up and walked around behind her and saw it was indeed defending her there as well. To test it, Nash grabbed a pencil and lightly threw it near her. Whatever this powerful magic was, it shot out, slamming the pencil against the wall without letting it touch her.
“Wow!” His voice must have woken her, because her eyes shot open. “Emerson, it’s me, Nash. You’re at the Lodge and you’re safe, baby. I promise nobody will ever touch you again.”
Her eyes searched the room, then focused on him. “Where…” Getting up, she stared at him like a cornered animal.
“You’re at the Lodge. You were just having a bad dream. You’re safe here. Nobody will ever touch you again.”
Blinking, Emerson appeared to realize where she was. Then she fell toward the floor. He ran toward her and caught her before she hit the ground.
“You can’t keep that promise.”
“Yes, I can.”
“I’m so scared that I’ll never get over this. I can’t even get in an elevator without having a panic attack. I suspect everyone, Nas
h.”
“Give it some time. Each day it will get better,” Nash whispered in her ear. She wrapped her arms around him and held on. He could feel her body shaking as he rocked her. “You know, they have a small theater here at the lodge. We can make some popcorn and just veg out for the rest of the day. I’ll even let you pick the movie.”
Chuckling, Emerson pressed against his shirt harder and inhaled. “Sounds good to me. But you pick the movie.”
“Action, sci-fi, Disney, or romance?” Nash asked. He was secretly praying that she picked action, but just being able to spend some time with her would be enough.
“Action sounds good,” Emerson offered.
“I think I can handle that.” Nash picked her up in his arms and carried her into the theater.
“Nash, I can walk. I know I weigh a ton.” Emerson struggled to get down/
“You’re light as a feather, and I really like holding you.”
Smiling at him, she said, “I could really get used to you.”
“That’s what I’m hoping for, baby.” Nash sat her down in the seat and showed her how to recline and adjust the seats by pushing a button.
“Where are you going?”
“To get us a big bowl of popcorn, and some drinks and candy.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome.” Nash winked and walked into the snack room. Larken made sure that the room stayed stocked with every snack and candy a person could ever want. He looked around the room, trying to figure out what she would like.
“I love peanut M&Ms and buttered popcorn.” Nash turned around, surprised that she’d snuck up on him.
“Did I scare you?”
“No, why?”
“The look in your eyes. I’ve always been good at sneaking up on people. It’s a good way to listen without being seen. My father hated it when I would do that to him. I’m sure he would be very disappointed to hear that about me too.”
Tilting her chin up, Nash smiled. “Forget about what he’s saying. I think he’s jealous that you got asked to be on the Unit instead of him. Plus, a father should never say crap like that about his daughter. Because he is so wrong, and let’s be honest… You know he’s wrong.
“You know that you’re good, and I just saw how powerful your magic is. It came out when you started having your nightmare. I’ve been around a lot of witches and I’ve never seen any of them do something like that, Emerson. So don’t feed me that crap your father has been dishing out. It’s time he heard the truth from his daughter. You need to tell him that you know how good you are, and tell to stop saying those horrible things about you. Take a stand, Emerson. You have so much strength that you don’t even know how bad-ass you really are.”
Emerson gave a wicked smile. “Thank you, Nash. I don’t know if all that is true, but it sure sounded nice to hear it.”
“Well get ready, baby, because you’re my mate and I’ll be telling you that kind of stuff every day. Because you are that special, but you have to own it. You have to realize that you can do so much, but you got to get the naysayers out of your head. Now pick your sweet, my little pretty.”
They both chuckled as they searched the room for all the goodies. He hoped what he’d said to her got through, but only time would tell. She needed a lot of time to feel like she was okay again, and he planned to be with her every step of the way.
Chapter Twelve
Nash waited inside the room next door. He was listening for any sign of distress from Emerson, but only heard her moving around in the bathroom. As he closed his eyes he could almost imagine her hairbrush sliding through her red hair then being placed gently on the granite counter. When he didn’t hear any more movement, he could only imagine that she was staring at herself in the mirror, wondering or fearing that they would come back for her. Damn, this was going to be harder then he thought. Leaving wasn’t something you did to your mate. Especially, when someone was after her for her blood.
But something didn’t sit right with him about the reason for her abduction. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but he wanted to talk to Jonas about it. What if her father was involved in some way? What if someone on his staff was involved? It would explain how the kidnappers knew exactly when she was going to leave and knew that she would stop and try to help.
If he was correct, then Emerson was in more danger than she could possibly imagine. But why would Kingston do that to his own child? Nash could tell that he loved her, but he had lost his control, and that made men do desperate things. But if it was someone who was close to both of them, then they would know that she was here and that didn’t sit well with him either.
He listened for a few minutes longer until Emerson opened the door and walked out of the bathroom. He was so attuned to her every move that he could hear the comforter and sheets being pulled back from the bed as she slipped in underneath them. The moan she made actually made his wolf lung forward.
Nash’s claws slid down the wooden beam as he pushed his wolf back down. This was going to get bad if he didn’t start to control himself better. Emerson needed him to get ahold himself right now. She needed to be able to trust him, because trust was the most important thing to her.
“Think of something else.” Books. Yes, books. Think about the books. Before they’d gone back up to her room she asked to drop by the library. She’d taken two books from the Unit’s collection, and both were on spells. Not a lot of people could read old magic, but Emerson could. That was one of the reasons Jonas picked her.
Closing her eyes, Emerson had run her fingers across every spell book as if the words inside were talking to her. He couldn’t stop the smile that crossed his lips as she leaned forward and inhaled the scent of the bindings. When she saw that he was looking at her, she smiled and said, “I love the smell of old books.” She carried them both with care as they came up the elevator.
Panic had flared in her eyes again as the elevator doors closed with a faint sound. Her mouth tightened as she pressed herself against the wall. The fear in her eyes broke his heart. Her breath shook as whispered, “I couldn’t move… I tried so hard to pull my arms and legs free…” Emerson looked up into his eyes. “But they were tied too tight. Every time I moved, the bindings got tighter.” Emerson dropped the books and started gasping for air. Her hand pulled at her neck as fear clawed its way through her. “I tried to get free… I tried spell after spell.”
He had to keep her talking; that was the only way to keep her from getting lost in her head. “Do you like to read?” he asked, picking the books up off the floor and handing them to her. Putting her hand over his heart, he spoke gently to her. “Feel my breath coming in and out. You can do it. There now, just breathe in and out. Yes, that’s good, Emerson.” He pushed one of the books up so she could see it. “This looks like a very old book.”
Emerson coughed, then sucked in another gulp of air. “I love it. Especially these two books. I’ve only heard about them. I can’t believe the Unit has them.” Her heart rate sounded better, steadier. “They’re very important to my people and have been kept from everyone. Not many of us can read them, but the books are so old I can’t believe the Council parted with them. From what I understand they were put in a vault for safekeeping.”
“Who taught you the old language?” Nash asked, ignoring her question about the books. Once she was on the Unit, it would be Jonas’s job to tell her that they had lots of important books and artifacts that other supernatural’s coveted.
“Finch Monroe was the leader of the Council about fifteen years ago, and his Confidant was an old witch by the name of Elizabeth Frank.”
“What do you mean by Confidant?” Nash pulled Emerson up, allowing her to hold onto the books.
“Each leader can have what we call a Confidant. It’s someone who gives the leader advice, usually an older person who is very skilled in magic. For him, that was Elizabeth. She didn’t like anyone except Finch and me. She noticed me helping out and started a conversation with me, a
nd things went from there. Five years later, she taught me everything she knew, including how to read old magic,” Emerson explained with a smile on her face. She looked happy as she spoke of the older woman.
“It makes you smile to talk about her. Where is she now?”
Emerson’s smile fell as she remembered.
“When Finch lost control of the council and a new leader was announced, the council told Elizabeth she had to leave. Nobody liked her, and I understand their reasons.”
“What were their reasons?” Nash asked.
“You see, she was very important to Finch and he looked to her for advice in almost everything. There were several decisions that came down from Finch that hurt a lot of people. They didn’t like her swaying Finch. Some said she was using dark magic to make him vote a certain way. Some of the families got very angry when a decision didn’t go their way and they blamed her and Finch. Elizabeth made a lot of people mad, but she didn’t care. She didn’t like anyone except us, but they were cruel to her and pretty much ran her out of town. I never heard from her again. She left before I could find out where she was going or say good-bye.”
That was something else Nash was going to have look into, to see if he could find Elizabeth Frank. If it made Emerson happy then he would do what he could to get her to the Lodge. Maybe Elizabeth’s presence would help her.
He put his ear against the wall and could hear the pages as she turned them. She was muttering something to herself as she read. Smiling, he pushed away from the wall and went in search of Jonas. He prayed that his fears about Kingston Prescott weren’t true. Emerson might fall apart it they were.
Sydney hid behind the door, chanting a cloaking spell. She’d screwed up big time. That damn vampire got in her way. Her spell was aimed perfectly at Nash, but of course Mr. Prescott screwed it up by getting in an argument with Nash making the vampire walk right in front of the spell to break it up.
Fuck, now the damn man was looking for her. She didn’t have time for this. Now she was using every spell she knew, trying hide from the vampire. Any other time she would love to share a bed with this man, because he was gorgeous. She sucked in her breath when the vampire came around the corner and stopped right in front of her. Shit. She recognized the family crest located on the vampire’s suit.
