Crossroads

by Jennifer Ann Reed

  “Get in the Range Rover.” He pulled me behind him. “We’re leaving.” Allie and Gwen piled into the back seat while Lucian and Chad hopped into Austin’s Jeep. Uncle Kalen turned the ignition and slung gravel in his hasty exit.

  We both knew Aelfric was the cause of the girl’s weird behavior. I wanted to turn around and search for her, but I knew Aelfric expected me to follow her. Our decision to go to the party had been stupid. I just didn’t know how close danger really was until now. I vowed then to follow any rule set in place for me especially when it came to my safety. All actions had consequences and mine usually ended with someone getting hurt.

  Chapter 17

  U NCLE KALEN KEPT glancing in the rearview mirror and at his side mirrors until we were halfway home. With each mile, his ire grew and filled the Range Rover with the smell of hot iron. Waiting for his impending eruption was like waiting for the worst news of your life. I knew it was coming. I just didn’t know when and the longer he waited, the more my skin itched in suspense. He didn’t have to ask what I was thinking again because I’d already asked myself the same question a million times.

  My decision to go to the party was stupid. Not only did I put myself and my friends in danger, but I put everyone else at the gathering in danger. Who knew what happened to the girl in white. Was she an innocent bystander tranced into doing her puppeteer’s bidding? Or was she a Dark One intent on making me suffer? We didn’t stick around to answer the question and it bothered me. Was I the cause of her unkempt state?

  The chilled glass of the window against my temple soothed the ache beating like a drum under my skin. I stole a glance at my uncle from the corner of my eye. He held the steering wheel with a steel grip and repeatedly breathed deeply through his nose. It was impressive to see him holding it together. If it had been me, I’d have already made my feelings known. Maybe the answers to some of my questions were revealed in that statement. I am impulsive and impulsive people had a lot to learn.

  We turned down our driveway and Frost Manor loomed in the distance. All the lights were on which created a warm glow and promised safety. A safety I was dumb enough to leave because I was threw a tantrum.

  “Go to the kitchen. All three of you.” Uncle Kalen’s voice was a barely controlled whisper. He put the vehicle in park but waited until we got out of the car and inside the door to turn the Range Rover off. The foyer was filled with six stone statues in different states of ire with their arms crossed. Gazes so dark I was sure we were walking to a firing squad.

  Really, Kitra? Austin’s low voice hissed in my head. I can’t even begin to show how upset I am right now.

  Sorry. I didn’t know what else to say.

  Sorry? That’s all you have? The three most important people in the world to me leave the grounds to do what? Party? Austin’s body began to shake. Aelfric is still out there and the three of you put your lives in danger. And that isn’t even what upsets me the most. You all could have at least invited me along instead of leaving me on the sidelines like I didn’t matter. A lump formed in my throat and my eyes threatened to water. I didn’t mean to hurt him.

  Caden and Ryn stepped in front of me as I heard Lucian, Chad, and Uncle Kalen talking in the driveway.

  “What were you thinking?” Caden and Ryn spoke at the same time. Both were barely containing themselves. My heart was already broken by hurting Austin. His pain pushed at the barrier in my mind and it took all my efforts to keep it at bay. I couldn’t stand seeing the disappointment on Caden’s and Ryn’s faces. I didn't think I’d survive it so I pushed past them and walked down the hallway.

  We shuffled into the kitchen in single file with the boys grumbling behind us and Lilly pointed to the three stools at the island counter. “Sit.” She paced in front of us as Lucian, Chad, and Uncle Kalen came in. They moved to stand in front of us separated only by the island. Lilly’s hands went to her hips. “What were you three thinking?” Both of her hands slammed against the black marble countertop.

  “Mom?” Gwen picked at her silver blouse averting her gaze from her mother’s heated one. “I…I’m sorry.”

  “Sorry?” Lilly tilted her head back and took a deep breath, releasing it through her nose. “Gwen, I could have lost you tonight because you felt the need to throw your safety out the window.” She pinned the three of us with her stare. “All three of you. Gone in an instant. That’s all it takes to lose the most important thing to you. An instant.” She snapped her fingers and turned to face the stove with her shoulders quaking.

  “Why?” Uncle Kalen crossed his arms and the three of us looked at the floor. “Allie, you’re over 1200 years old. You should know better.” A tear slipped down my friend’s cheek.

  “We’re not defenseless, Kalen.” Her chin lifted as her moist blue eyes hardened on my uncle. “The three of us are trained fighters.”

  “Training has nothing to do with being irresponsible.” Curtis glared at his girlfriend and she squirmed under his stare.

  “No, it doesn’t. Kitra is all I have left and now. I don’t know if I can trust you girls on your own.” Uncle Kalen ran his hands through his hair and the chestnut pieces pointed in different directions.

  “I was trying to help her, Kalen. She’s different behind closed doors and the last few weeks have taken their toll. I was only trying to give her an outlet for all her emotions. A way to let go of everything.” She wrung her hands and tapped her foot on the stool rung. “I know I was wrong and if you want me too, I’ll return to Faerie.”

  “No! It was my fault.” I stood quickly, knocking my stool over. “I wanted to leave and talked them into going with me.”

  “Oh, really?” Uncle Kalen scoffed. “How about telling me the truth instead of defending your friends.”

  “You want the truth?” Uncle Kalen’s eyes narrowed at the bite in my voice. “Here’s the truth. You’re suffocating me. The boys are suffocating me. This whole situation is suffocating me!” My hands got cold and my heart raced with my anger. “I needed to get out of here. No one lets me make decisions for myself. The boys put me on a pedestal and act like I’m porcelain ready to shatter. You behave like I can’t think for myself, going all barbarian over the first guy ever to kiss me and you even caused his injury.” His mouth opened and I held up my hand. I wasn’t finished. “This mate stuff is new to me. I’m not ready to jump into anything serious with Ryn or anyone else right now for that matter, but I want the ability to make the decision for myself. I wouldn’t have run away at the first chance I got if I were treated as an equal. An adult.”

  “If you want to be treated as an adult, you better learn to act like one.” He snarled when I tried to interrupt. “No. You said your piece. Now, it’s my turn.” Lilly turned back to us with puffy eyes and a red nose. She stood tall next to Uncle Kalen in a united front. “All actions have a reaction, Kitra. And the three of you had better learn soon to take responsibility for those actions. Bad decisions are seldom made alone. They usually have more than one voice planning them out. Adults aren’t perfect, but we try to talk through our problems without throwing tantrums. I know this morning I missed the mark in my actions. Ryn’s injury weighs heavy on my conscience and I hope to make amends for it. Learn from my mistake and know that bad actions and decisions create consequences.”

  “I’m sorry,” Allie, Gwen, and I chorused. I bent and righted my stool.

  “We’ll treat you all like adults.” I sat back down and examined my uncle’s posture. He was still standing rigidly, but his pulse was slowing down. “And as adults, I expect you all to take your punishments gracefully.” I gulped and nodded as the others did the same. “Since we’re still confined to the Manor for the time being, hand me your phones.”

  “What?” Allie gripped hers until her knuckles turned white and I thought she’d crack her screen.

  “You heard me.” Uncle Kalen held his hand out. “I want your phones. You will no longer have internet access either except for your classes and those will be monitored.”r />
  “So, we’re grounded while under house arrest?” Gwen set her sparkly phone in Uncle Kalen’s palm.

  “Yes.” Uncle Kalen passed Gwen’s phone to Lilly and motioned for mine and Allie’s phones. “Anything to add Lilly?” He passed her our cellphones too.

  “You will also clean this entire estate from top to bottom and every car parked in the driveway.” She turned our phones off and dropped them into a metal box. She turned a key, locking away our lifelines to the outside world.

  I wanted to groan and sass them both, but I bit my tongue. Their punishment was fair after what we had put them through. I may not like it, but I was going to prove to them I was more adult than they believed.

  We sat in silence for a few minutes until Lucian moved to the other side of Uncle Kalen and cleared his throat.

  “Little One.” Lucian’s use of my nickname made my eyes water. My emotions were all over the place and I didn’t know how to control them. “Kalen told me about the girl you saw. Will you explain what happened with her?”

  I repeated everything I could remember about the girl and what she said to me several times. Chad rubbed his chin and sighed.

  “What do you think it means?” Lucian scratched at the scruffiness on the face he had failed to trim lately.

  “Nothing good.” Uncle Kalen watched Chad mull over Aelfric’s taunt.

  “Well, think about it.” Chad held out the tree trunks he called arms. “If he doesn’t need Kitra anymore, Aelfric has a plan to make a hybrid.”

  “Make a hybrid?” Disgust dripped from Allie’s words.

  “Yes. Make one.” Chad’s brows rose. “It’s not like he doesn’t have a ton of females following him. Any of them would be willing to sacrifice a child for his cause.”

  “Layla.” Uncle Kalen’s head jerked in my direction.

  “What did you say?” I knew he heard me, but his shock had him second guessing himself.

  “Aelfric has Layla.” I rested my elbows on the counter. “Think about it. He took her to hurt Caden because he chose to save me. This would be the extra nail in the coffin.”

  “So, we have nine months or less to find them if that’s what the girl’s message meant.” I really hoped I was wrong. Layla may have kidnapped me, but I felt sorry for her.

  “We better turn up the heat in our search for their hiding place.” Lucian scrubbed his chin and it sounded like sandpaper moving across a surface.

  Lucian and Chad left after calling in Lucian’s Wardens and explaining the urgency of our new information. Uncle Kalen and Lilly spent another hour or so lecturing us about sneaking out, and I took the chastisement quietly which was a first for me. Tonight had shown me my responsibility wasn’t only to myself, but included the people I held dear. I went to bed thinking about all the ways the night might have ended and I understood the desperation and anger behind my uncle’s words and the cold stares still on all the guys’ faces. Nothing was worth losing the people you cared about. Acting like an adult was a whole lot harder than I thought.

  *************************

  Several days later, Allie, Gwen, and I were washing the windows in the living room. It was our last task and the house would be finished. We vacuumed and washed the cars before even attempting to tackle the house because we knew it’d be a long job. I thought Uncle Kalen would take pity on us when we complained about how packed the attic was, but he grinned and sipped his coffee each day while listening to our growing grievances.

  I polished my last pane until the glass disappeared and it became an invisible wall with the outside world. It was spotless and if I didn’t know any better, I’d believe it was open and try to close it. I dropped my cleaning spray and rag into a bucket and flopped across the chaise. Allie and Gwen soon followed suit and our collective sighs sent us into a fit of giggles. I didn’t know why we were laughing, but it felt good after days of hard work. I was proud of the way we had finished the job, like champs and wondered if Uncle Kalen and Lilly would reward us with access to our phones.

  The boys had eventually forgiven us and were constantly teasing us about it. When I checked on Ryn’s wound, it was healing nicely. Thankfully, he’d accepted my apology also. I just hoped Uncle Kalen and Lilly were as merciful and sympathetic as my Guardians and the Commander had been.

  All in all, Allie, Gwen, and I had learned a valuable lesson and we weren’t planning on making the same mistake again.

  “I need another shower.” Allie’s arm was slung over her eyes. “I can smell myself.”

  “At least you took one earlier.” Gwen stared pointedly in my direction. “She who shall not be named is so stinky even my human nose can smell her.”

  “Bask in the ambiance.” My cheeks hurt from all the smiling I was doing.

  “You really do reek, Kitra.” Allie pinched her nose and waved her hand in front of her face.

  “Alright. Alright.” I stood and stretched. “Point taken.” In the foyer, Ryn was dressed for training and was ready to walk to the basement entrance. “Hey, Ryn. What are you doing?”

  “Oh, hey. I’m going to work out a little.” He pointed to the door. “Lilly took my stitches out and said I could do some light training.”

  “She’s sure your wound won’t reopen?” My heart beat faster thinking of him being hurt again and I told it to calm down and shut up.

  “Positive.” A grin brightened his face as he walked towards me. “You worried about me, Sparkles?”

  “I need a shower.” I didn’t answer his question and ran upstairs, leaving him laughing at the bottom. It was the coward’s way out, but I wasn’t ready to face my attraction to him which had grown since our magic had touched. I rifled through my closet, grabbing some jeans and a pink sweater, and locked myself in my bathroom

  I wanted to take my time and decided on a bubble bath instead of a shower. The warm water seeped into my bones and I sank under the bubbles closing my eyes letting all my worries leach out into the tub. In my book, nothing was as rejuvenating as a bubble bath. Well, maybe chocolate, but this was a close second.

  I stayed submerged until the water cooled and I turned into a prune. Once I was dressed, I made my way to the kitchen for a quick snack and was sitting at the table in the breakfast nook when the hair on the back of my neck raised. The feeling of being watched washed over me, but I acted like nothing was wrong and continued to eat. A rattle at the patio doors froze a tortilla chip in its ascent to my open mouth. I swiveled in my chair and the chip loaded with toppings and cheese fell to the floor.

  A doll mask resembling my face was pressed against the glass and a small feminine hand lifted in a wave. The stranger was dressed in a white mud stained dress. Was it the same girl from the party? I jumped in my seat at the childish giggle being muffled by the mask and every hair on my body stood at attention.

  “Come play with me.” The sing song voice began to giggle again as the girl twisted the locked door handle, rattling it on its hinges. I wanted to scream for the others and dart away. I heard them training in the gym. They probably didn’t even hear the girl outside. “Come play. Come play.” What was it with the creepy dolls anyway? I would never be able to be near another one again.

  I stood and walked to the patio door. Alright. I wanted to prove myself capable of taking care of myself so now was the time to do it. No running for help. I needed to help myself. It she wanted to play, we’d play.

  I reached for the deadbolt and her head cocked to the side as she clapped. I paused and she skipped out of sight. Was I really going to do this? Was this one of those “bite me in the butt later” decisions Uncle Kalen had mentioned? I unlocked the door and stepped outside, closing it behind me. Too late to turn back now.

  I tiptoed around the side of the house and the girl was standing in the middle of the backyard facing the forest. She didn’t turn as I approached her and I stopped when I was at least six feet away.

  “Hello?” I didn’t dare to move any closer. What if others were waiting past the tree line
? I was starting to feel stupid again, but I was going to stand my ground.

  “He says we don’t need you anymore.” She turned and I wished I could see her actual face instead of a silicon mirror of my own. “But you’re so fun to play with. He has a new plan.”

  “What new plan?” The girl twirled, letting her skirt flare out. “Is he going to make another hybrid?” She laughed and stopped.

  “I like the old plan.” She launched herself across the gap between us like a charging petite bull.

  I used her momentum to my advantage and when she got close I tossed her over my shoulder. She hit the ground with a thud and groan. The doll mask was askew but didn’t fall off. She wasn’t moving and I squatted down to pull the mask from her face. Her leg sprung upwards, landing a direct hit to my nose and I fell on my rear. She rolled over and I crab walked away from her and put some distance between us.

  Wetness dripped onto my upper lip and I wiped it away. Her tiny booted foot had busted my nose, but it wasn’t broken. She roared as she flew at me once more. I wasn’t going to underestimate her again and executed a perfect roundhouse kick straight to her gut and sent her sailing across the yard. The move was meant to knock the wind out of her, but she reacted as if I’d poked her arm. It wasn’t possible. I slung sparks of energy in her direction, but she dodged my attempts. What was wrong with these people?

  My wolf howled and an epiphany struck me. I had something else I could use. I shifted mid-leap and we crashed into one another, tumbling into a bed of roses. She scrambled away from me only to charge yet again. The closer she got the more she hesitated and I snapped my jaws around her calf. She yelped in pain as I dragged her around the house to the patio. Her fingernails dug into the soft earth the entire way and when we were close to the door white hot fire pierced my skull.

  Kitra! Austin screamed in my head and I saw double.