Mike? I sent the silent message.
Emma? His eyes widened with the mental intrusion.
Yep, this is how I communicate with those around me. I put my hand on his cheek.
Cool, I guess. But it's similar to how we talk in wolf form. His body relaxed when he was able to make a connection to what he knew.
Mike, do you guys... you know... share blood? I knew my face gave away all my emotions- not that I wasn't already an open book to him.
Typically, no. There are some instances where a couple blood bond- even that is rare amongst us. His eyes were kind as he looked at me.
What does it mean to blood bond for you guys? I wondered just how close the werewolves were to real wolves.
When we're blood bound, we drink each other's blood. There is some sort of a ritual, it supposedly binds the two people together for all their lives. I think it's based on the fact that our brother wolves mate for life... but much has changed since the ritual was made and we used to truly honor our wolf brothers. Most of the time we don't even stay with our mates. His eyes looked sad.
What would happen...I mean physically to be bound to a person? My heart was beating faster.
Well, it's said that they hold no secrets from each other. Their emotions, thoughts, everything becomes an open book. It is said that if one wanted to, they could look into their mate's very soul. It becomes as though they share a soul- their paths become written together. But I don't know of anyone that has done such a thing recently. Once someone chooses to do it, they can only do it once. They say to be bound to more than one person can make you insane. He sighed.
Are you and Acacia bound? My cheeks flushed with jealousy.
No. Some think we should, but I really don't want to- nor does she. He grabbed hold of me and pulled me closer to him.
What do you think would happen if we did it? I turned to look him in the eye.
I don't know, Em. But I doubt anyone would do the ritual. You and I- we're forbidden on both sides. I love you more than the moon itself, but how could we be? What sort of lives would we live? And what would happen to our people? He shook his head and looked away.
“I want you to know that I'd give most of that up without a question. The only thing that affects me are the people. I can't make such a choice when I know it might destroy so many innocents. But we could blood fast, or whatever you call it. That is something that they can't take from us. I don't want secrets from you. Even if it hurts- you need to know everything. Especially if we're going to actively save our people.” Silent tears coursed down my cheeks as I broke the silence.
“Hey.” He reached for my chin and tilted it towards him. “They haven't taken anything from us.” His kiss was gentle.
“But they have! We have no options! And this is nothing more than stolen moments!” My temper was raising- I turned from him.
“Stolen moments are better than no moments, Emma.” He slid off the couch, pulled on his pants, and reached into his pocket.
I pouted as my warmth slowly seeped from my body- taking parts of my happiness with it.
“Emma.” Mike's eyes were a fierce determined hunter green.
“Yeah.” I turned toward him in curiosity.
“I have something I need to ask you.” He squatted down in front of me.
“You can ask me anything.” I smiled at him, still not knowing what was going on.
“I know I can't be your husband. I know I won't be the one that wakes up beside you every day or goes to sleep holding you at night, but I'll always be here for you and love you. You'll always be in my heart,” he placed his closed fist against his chest right where his heart was, “and I'll always be in yours.” He moved his fist from his chest to mine.
Tears streaked down my face, as a smile played at my lips.
“Emma Mary Hutchinson, you're the only woman that will ever be this much a part of me. You are the other half of my soul. Because of this, I never want any real secrets between us or to feel the pain of us being separated. Will you blood fast with me?” He opened his fist and in it lay two white gold Claddagh rings- the smaller held an emerald heart in the center.
He looked at me. I stared at the rings in his hand. I looked up at him.
“But how could we? You just said no one would do it for us. What about Acacia and Dominic?” My mind was racing.
“I know someone who would perform the ritual for us. And nothing will change in our lives with them. The only difference would be for us. It would be our secret- but it would connect us in distance and time.” His words were patient as I thought about his words.
“You know I will, but I don't know if I can keep it a secret. Nor am I sure you should.” My engagement ring sparkled up at me as though it was accusing me of something.
“Emma, don't fret so much about them. I know it sounds callous, but we're giving up too much to ensure that everything will be fine for our people. What if I just want you to be my people?” His voice was soft.
“Then it's like you said, we aren't giving up anything. Mike, I've loved you since that first day I dreamed about you. I will always love you- I know that now. But I also know that I love Dom too. I guess this is how it should feel- like sacrifice.” I looked off into the distance.
“I know that you love him too, which is why that all I asked for was the blood fasting. We are destined to be together forever- in some way.” He took my hand and gently stroked it.
“Thank you, Mike. When will we do the fasting?” I looked at him with sparkling eyes.
“Tonight. I've many things to attend to this afternoon and you should see more of the countryside. I'll pick you up around six, okay?” He checked his watch.
“Yep. Let's get this party started.” I kissed his cheek.
The rest of the morning passed as we got ready and returned. Mike dropped me off as close to the inn as possible without having our scents cross. I watched him drive away back towards his school and his other life.
When I walked into the welcoming atmosphere of the inn, Moira was just setting out lunch.
“There yah are. I was beginning to worry.” She smiled at me.
“Sorry, Moira. I stayed with a friend last night.” My face flushed in the memory of the previous night.
“Oh, I bet he was a friend.” She winked at me with a knowing smile.
“I, er... I'll be back down in a few minutes. I've got to change and check in back at home.” I sheepishly ducked out of the room and headed up to my room.
The brightly colored room seemed to draw out a feeling of guilt in me. I sighed. Better late than never. I briefly debated on how to contact Dom. If I mentally messaged him, I wasn't sure I could mask my feelings. But if I called him, he'd know there was something I was hiding. I decided to call.
My cell lit as I pulled it out of my bra- the place where I stored things when I didn't have pockets. I sent a silent prayer out to the universe that he wouldn't answer. The phone played a Vast ringback tone that told me I was pretty when I cried. Just as it began the second round of lyrics, he answered.
“Emma?” His tone was both confused and worried.
“Hey you!” I tried to sound normal, I suddenly wasn't as sure about my choice to call.
“Um, hi. Why are you calling?” His voice was on guard.
“I just wanted to do something normal for a change.” It made sense- even if it was a bold faced lie.
“Okay, I guess. How was your evening?” His words were tight.
“It was good, a bit long. I went to this awesome club. It was a total goth club. How was your night?” I tried to keep my mind from remembering the rest of the night.
“Well, to be quite honest, I was worried. Your message was so brief. I had no clue what happened to you. I felt utterly separate from you and all night long I was plagued by strange dreams of wolves and you being taken from me.” Dominic was losing his cool.
“I'm obviously okay. Look, we'll talk about it when I get home. I'm sorry I made you worry. I've got t
o go as Moira is holding the meal for me.” I didn't care that I was stretching the truth.
“Fine, Emma. We will talk when you get home. Enjoy your meal. I'll talk to you whenever.” I heard the click before I realized that he had hung up on me.
I momentarily thought of mentally yelling at him, but I decided that I should let him be.
The dining area was set. It was warm and pleasant- causing all the unwanted depression that had crept into me to leave. Moira was humming an Irish chanty as she finished getting everything ready.
“Did yah have a nice chat?” She smiled at me, and my face fell a little.
“Always the greatest when your fiancé hangs up on you.” I halfheartedly chuckled.
“Aw, there now. Yah sit right down and have a nice cuppa tea.” Moira disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a dainty porcelain cup. “ Here, drink this, it'll help.”
“Thank you.” I sat down and took the cup.
I breathed in the fine steam coming off the hot fluid. The first thing I noticed was that the smell was off. There was blood in it, but there was something else... something that burned. I took a small sip and I knew there was whiskey in it. The fluid burned slightly going down, but it was instantly calmed by the blood. I took another sip.
“Better?” Moira's face was calm, her eyes smiled at me.
“Yes. Thank you, Moira. You're such a gem.” I hugged the pregnant woman.
“Some days, others I'm hellfire.” She laughed and her belly bounced merrily along with her.
We ate lunch together. Our conversations were consumed by business talk for the inn. We started to hammer out the details for the new clientele they'd be serving. Afterwards, I helped with the dishes.
I spent the rest of the day in my room waiting to hear from Mike. Every time I thought about the fasting- as I decided I wanted to call it- my heart would pound and I'd get butterflies. It was strange to experience something so human again.
By sunset, my anxiety was starting to get the best of me. Mike hadn't called or anything. What if he has decided not to? What if Acacia found out? My nerves switched to concern.
I went downstairs. Moira was napping on the couch, her feet were on Patrick's lap. I felt my heart ping with jealousy. I'll never have that. I watched them silently for a minutes- until I sensed a person outside. I went outside through the front door and found Mike.
He wore only black. His auburn hair was slicked back. When he saw me, his face was awash in happiness.
“I was afraid you wouldn't sense me or had decided not to come out.” He gestured for me to come to him.
“You could have called. I've been worried- you know my overactive imagination.” I slowly walked to him.
“I'm sorry. I've been making arrangements and trying hard to avoid Acacia. I found that to be the hardest part.” He sighed as he wrapped his arms around me.
“If you told her the truth, you wouldn't have to hide anything.” I chided him.
“And I will, only after it happens. I don't want anything to ruin this night.” He smiled and kissed the top of my head.
“Do you promise? I know if you give me your word, I can proceed with everything. But I won't be a secret, Michael. I've spent too much time wandering this world alone.” I looked him straight in the eye.
“You have my word. After tonight, I won't be able to hide anything from you.” He smiled at me and I noticed that his canines had lengthened ever so slightly.
“Good. Then let's get this going.” I grabbed his hand and pulled us away from the cozy inn.
We walked to the town that we'd picked up the car in before. There were children playing ball in the street. As we approached, they stopped and stared at us- like they knew what we were.
“Aye. Don't mind them. The young sense us. They don't know what we are, but they can sense that something is different about us.” He pulled me along as we passed the kids.
I wanted to stop and observe how they would fully react to us, if we engaged them.
“Emma, we're on a tight schedule. If you have time before you leave, then we can come back and you can study the local youth, okay?” Mike's eyes were luminous as he spoke.
“Okay.” I let him lead me along.
The black car was waiting for us again. Mike opened the door for me, and I climbed in. He walked around and jumped in behind the wheel. Our drive was silent. I was curious about where we were going, but I was more busy thinking about my decisions. Is this the right choice? Somewhere inside I knew I was following the right path, Mike looked like he was brooding on our actions as well.
We drove for about an hour and when we stopped, the area was almost deserted. There was a small cottage with a large red barn. The house was dark, but the barn was lit up like the Fourth of July. The two small windows were bright with a golden light- as was the hayloft. Mike pulled the car up to the side of the structure.
Mike's profile was shadowed by the blaze next to him- he looked otherworldly.
“So... this is it?” I asked when he didn't say anything or move to get out of the car.
“Yes. But we wait here until they come for us.” He turned and looked at me.
“Come for us? Who?” I felt nervous.
“The Brotherhood of the Fast. Things have to be in the correct place and they know we're here. They will come for you first. Think of this as a form of wedding, Emma. Everything has its order.” His words were solemn.
I knew the importance for this- but when Mike threw the word 'marriage' out there, I felt very anxious.
I nodded my head and fell into a dark silence.
A short while later, two black robed figures came out carrying a white robe or gown-like thing. My heart sped up as they approached the car. My body stiffened and my fangs slid down into place- a natural response to my sudden fear. The robed figures stood silently outside the car. I took a deep breath and opened the door. I could feel my legs tremble ever so slightly as I clambered out of the car.
The robed couple moved to me and placed the white robe around me. Afterwards, they turned and silently walked back to the barn. I followed reluctantly. As I entered the structure, I saw two more robed figures holding a red robe. As I was led into a separate room, I watched the two with the red robe leave the barn. The door was closed behind me as I stepped fully into the room.
The room I was in looked as if it was in a different building. The walls were painted a nice cream color. The furniture was plush and welcoming. There was a large mirror with a sewing mannequin in front of it. The model wore a typical wedding dress, but it looked very old. There was elegant beading all over the bodice.
The two robed figures took their hoods down and revealed two beautifully aged women. I didn't know if they were vampires, werewolves, human, or something else- but they were clearly involved with both worlds.
The women smiled warmly at me.
My smile was small and timid.
“Come. Now, we get you ready.” The woman with skin like obsidian said.
I nodded and stood where I was. I had no clue as to what was expected of me.
The other woman, a creamy pale color, moved a screen to reveal an old school claw-footed bathtub. She said nothing, merely turned to give me a brief moment of privacy to undress.
I pulled my dress off quickly, slipped out of my shoes, and rid myself of my undergarments. I stepped into the bath, and the smell of lavender washed over me. I took a deep breath.
“'Tis to help wash away your nerves, dear.” The pale woman said.
“Is there something special I should call you?” I eyed the two women as they approached the tub with brushes in each hand, I gulped silently.
“I'm Quinn, and this is Duffy.” Quinn said as she began to scrub at me- the bubbles disappearing on her pale skin.
“It's a pleasure to meet you both.” I smiled at the two women as they rubbed my skin to a bright pink.
“No, the pleasure is ours. You, Miss Emma Hutchinson, you're destined to fix things... to creat
e a balance as it were. This is merely the first step on the path to your destiny.” Duffy explained as she brushed my, now knotted, hair.
“If you don't mind me asking, how do you know about my destiny and the role this plays in it?” I was suddenly very curious as to who these women were.
I watched as Quinn and Duffy seemed to have a mental debate- I was tempted to probe their minds to find out for myself, but I figured that would be rude. Duffy nodded briefly and Quinn moved quickly- more quickly than most humans could move- to a door in the wall. She opened it and called out in a language I was not familiar with. A few moments later, the most serene looking woman walked into the room. Her skin was the perfect balance between Quinn's and Duffy's- a rich tan color.
“My name is Sheehan, and it has been agreed that you should know of the people that are handling you. In this room, the three of us are what have been considered the Fates. They say we know all- although I'm not too sure about that these days. But we do know the past, present, and future. We know your path very well, Emma. There are three men in the room with your mate, Michael, they're our balance- the male form of us. They are called Hogan, Murray, and Ryan. Should Michael inquire about them, they too will reveal themselves to him. Otherwise, he will not know that he came into contact with the Fates.” Her silver eyes burned into my mind.
I nodded.
“This is your path, Emma. This is the first choice you're making in order to save your people, his people, and create a future for the two to exist as one. But this path will not be an easy one, nor will there not be loss. You'll lose more than anyone. The pain will feel overwhelming, but know this- you can overcome it. Nothing is lost, merely changed. The path to tomorrow can't be rearranged. This is set, as the things to come were long before you were born, today you step forward into your destiny.” Her voice echoed around me in a whirlwind of sound and wind.
I knew instantly that her words were true. It was as though she had briefly raised the veil of my future that I, myself, couldn't see.
I stared at the women before me and realized that none of the women were what they appeared to be. Rather, everything I saw was a manifestation of their making.
Bella Vita Page 20
