by Mandi Casey
“Does my sister know about those men?”
“No, not to my knowledge. Because you are the first-born granddaughter to my mother, we felt you should be told first. We wanted to keep your sister out of this mess for as long as possible, maybe forever. Unfortunately, in the past, the werewolves have used family members to make the Selected, that’s you, dear, do their bidding. They’ve held family members hostage to make sure the Selected won’t go against them and start working for the vampires. Oh, Sydney, they might already be holding your sister against her will!”
My chest tightened in panic for the second time in one day.
“Aunt Judith, do you know where Morris’ house is? I’ll go there right now if that’s what they want.”
“No, honey. If we don’t hear from her before eleven, then you have to go to that club and see if she’s there. We don’t want to make the wolves angry without cause. I’ll call your mother and see if she has any ideas on what to do.”
I ran upstairs, feeling more helpless than ever before. My sister could be in mortal danger, surrounded by a pack of werewolves, and she didn’t know it. It really burned me not being able to protect her from harm. Aunt Judith tried to call Brie’s cell phone, but it went right to voicemail.
The simple act of showering and changing into my black, tight-knit sweater, blue jeans, and my favorite black suede, high-heeled boots felt rejuvenating. The toes were made of steel, and if there was a need to kick some furry butt, my feet would be ready. Finding out about the world of the weird and being a reluctantly active member in it, gave me one priority. The safety of my family. I wish I would have actually gone to those self-defense classes my parents paid for. They would have come in handy right about now.
A sure sign of maturity was viewing one’s life in retrospect, those things in life that should have been done, but weren’t. It looked like those things were about to start biting me in the behind, and hard.
Aunt Judith had just hung up the phone when she looked up to find me walking into the living room. She turned and smiled that half smile that wasn’t really a smile but a simple facial expression, given by someone who didn’t know what else to do.
“I talked to your mother. Her reaction to your sister being involved with a werewolf was absolutely astounding, to say the least. She has already met Michael, and she thinks that we shouldn’t interfere with their seeing each other. There’s not much else to say. Your mother should have been troubled about it, without a doubt. Your mother is like my mother. She doesn’t take sides in the conflicts between werewolves and vampires. Your mom doesn’t think that because they’re different, they’re bad people, and she doesn’t think Brianna is in any danger.”
“So, you’re telling me my mother doesn’t care that her youngest daughter is surrounded by a bunch of monsters?” Disappointment and anger laced my words.
“No. She feels that werewolves have evolved, and that they are a civilized group of people. She doesn’t believe we have anything to worry about. She said she’ll do the worrying if the time comes. Clearly, your mother has forgotten some things from our childhood. She should know better. She is well aware of what my mother had to go through to keep us, and you, safe.”
“Did she say anything about what the wolves want with Brianna?”
“Your mother thinks Michael didn’t know who Brianna was, or who her family was, when he met her. She doesn’t think their relationship has anything to do with you or the wolves’ war with the vampires.”
“Do you believe that?”
“No, not completely. We’ll have to step lightly where your sister is concerned. Your mother said the wolf hasn’t told her about himself yet, and she wants him to tell Brianna, not us.”
“How is that even possible? My own mother would sacrifice my little sister like that? She can’t possibly be so naïve to think they don’t have ulterior motives.”
“I don’t know what she’s thinking. We have to keep a close eye on Brie and how chummy she becomes to Michael’s family. The more Morris becomes involved in their relationship, the easier it will be to convince your mother of the danger your sister is in. Unfortunately, the closer Brianna becomes to the leader of the pack, the more difficult it will be to get her away from them. She’ll have to find out about them sooner or later. And if it takes us telling her their secret, then so be it.”
“We’re just going to stand back and let her get all cozy with these monsters?”
“I’m afraid so. You better get moving if you want to meet up with them, and you should. The more you can observe of this boy’s treatment of your sister, the quicker we’ll be able to tell what he intends and how we’re going to handle the situation.”
“All right, but if he hurts her in any way, I’ll skin him like the animal he is.”
Aunt Judith stared at me like she was looking at a stranger.
“Sydney, werewolves are people, too. They have feelings. They love, they bleed. But there is a side to them that we’ll never fully understand. The safety of their pack always comes first, no matter what. In that, they aren’t so different from us. The more we understand about them, the better off we’ll be.”
Chapter 4
The club’s parking lot was packed with cars. There were a few empty spaces far away from the building. When I got out of the car, a tingling sensation spread from the base of my neck to the bottom of my spine. Like the feeling you get when someone is watching you.
I shrugged it off and went in. My eyes took a moment to adjust to the dim lighting. The atmosphere was quieter than I expected. Smoke filled the air, like in most bars. Dark wood paneling lined the walls, and the only light besides the one coming from the bar countertop were softly glowing candles on each table spread around the room. The beat of the music coming from upstairs was deep and had a thumping rhythm to it. I scanned the area. Brianna must be up there since she and Michael weren’t sitting down here.
While walking up the curved staircase lining the back wall of the first floor, two women dressed in tailored business suites staggered against each other, making me put my back against the wall to avoid getting trampled. At the top, smoke lingered in the air. Strobe lights pulsated, and people gyrated their bodies to the beat of the music on the dance floor to my right.
As I continued forward, the scent of sweat filled my nose, and I shrugged off my jacket as the wall-to-wall dancers grooved to the music. At the bar, the bartender came over and handed me my beer after taking care of many of the other guests with the quest of tying one on. No, I’ve never been a fancy drink kind of a girl. To give me a beer is to give me happiness. Holding my bottle and walking on the periphery of the dancers to try and spot Brianna was slow-going while trying to avoid getting mowed over by the crowd.
After a few minutes, Brianna came into view on the outside rim of the dancers where she and Michael were making quite the statement on the dance floor. As far as they were concerned, there was no one else on the planet, or in the club. They only had eyes for each other. They moved together so fluidly it was as if their bodies had known one another and moved together for years, instead of only a few weeks.
I headed for the happy couple, spotted Brianna’s coat and purse at a nearby table, and set my beer there. Closing my eyes, I allowed my body to start feeling the music, and let the beat take over my limbs. It was hard to relax, now that the secret was out. The fact there were monsters everywhere had me super edgy. I scanned the area. Everyone in the club seemed innocent enough. No one bared their fangs or hissed at me. My heart beat faster the more I looked around. I didn’t know if I’d be able to spot a werewolf or vampire in a crowd like this. My palms began to sweat.
The tempo of the music coming from speakers positioned in all four corners of the club and in front of the DJ’s stand started to move me. Brianna finally took her full attention off Michael and locked eyes with me. She grinned a silly ‘I’m in love’ grin, gave a finger wave, and kept dancing. Seeing her safe and happy was uplifting and relieving. I closed my eyes, again
to focus on letting the tension uncoil from my body. Swaying and moving to the music, my body finally started to relax.
I went downstairs to use the restroom and get another drink. After getting another beer at the bar upstairs and heading back to the table next to the dance floor, I settled in to watch my sister and the monster dance. The strobe lights made them look like they moved in slow motion. I lifted my beer bottle up to see its lack of content.
To my dismay, my beer was gone before I knew it. I set it on the table, wishing I didn’t have to trek to the bar for another. When someone grabbed my elbow, I turned around with a smile on my face. It had to be Brianna. The relief that my sister was safe and here at the club faded the instant the owner of the hand came into view. It was the guy from earlier at the store, the werewolf that insisted he was going to take me to be introduced to Morris, his and Michael’s pack leader.
“You’ve got to be kidding!” Heat flushed my body and my spine tightened into a coil. A red rage colored my vision.
The speakers vibrated against the wall of the club making him lean in close to be heard. The heat coming from his angular jaw-line spread warmth over my face, then traveled down to my breasts as if he had encircled them with his own hands.
The way my body reacted to him shocked me.
“Don’t get all stressed out. When Michael was at my house, he said he was going out tonight and invited me along with him and his girlfriend. He didn’t mention you were going to be here when we made our plans. By the way, your sister seems nice.”
I wanted to slap the sneer right off his face. He was taunting me, clearly enjoying the fact that he was pissing me off about meeting my sister.
He put out his hand as if expecting me to take it in my own. When he didn’t get the reaction he wanted, he grabbed my hand in his and started shaking it in a rough show of greeting.
“By the way, when we spoke in your store earlier, there wasn’t time to introduce myself, not that you were exactly cordial or anything. My name’s Blake.”
I screamed at him to make myself heard. “So what do you and Michael want? Why don’t you just leave us alone?”
Blake started laughing like he had just heard a really funny joke. There wasn’t anything funny about what we were talking about. It exasperated me that as he was laughing, he leaned his head back, and even his neck was sexy. His broad shoulders looked wider than at the store. The smell of his aftershave, even with all the people around wearing their various body odor masking sprays, hit me like an aphrodisiac. He was impossible to deal with!
“Wow,” he said in a low voice against my ear. “You’re all business and straight to the point, aren’t you? Why don’t we step outside by the fire? Being in here makes me feel a bit caged in.”
He had yet to release my arm from his grip. Not knowing where we were going and having to let him lead the way pulled on my last nerve. Besides the current company, the club was a pretty cool place to hang out at. It would have been even better if there weren’t two werewolves prowling around in it.
Blake led us outside onto the second floor patio. In the center was a large stone fire pit, and on the outskirts of the patio sat small tables and chairs overlooking the city street. There weren’t a lot of people outside, being that it was typical February weather for Wisconsin and quite cold. Blake moved us close to the fire pit where there were ledges to sit on, allowing us to enjoy the warmth of the fire. Not that cold seemed to bother werewolves. Out of the three I’d met so far, not one had worn a coat, despite the never-ending falling snow. Did they even own outerwear? I’d have to find out.
The doors were closed to the inside of the club, muffling the music, so we didn’t have to shout.
“Blake, what do you want with my sister?”
He smiled.
“I like your fire, Sydney. Your sister’s fine. She’s in there dancing with my cousin.” He pointed toward the door we had just walked through.
“Cousin?”
Blake resituated himself on the stone ledge. He clearly felt comfortable enough to move his leg so his knee was touching mine. I needed answers, so I didn’t argue. Thinking about why it didn’t bother me as much as it should have would have to be contemplated another time. The heat from his body infused mine, causing conflicting feelings to form deep within my body, including an ache that was starting to grow in my stomach and downward.
“Sydney, Michael is the son of my father’s brother.”
“So, your dad is the top dog? No pun intended, of course.” Having the chance to return that same snarky sneer he had given me earlier felt very satisfying.
“Ha! Your witty humor is very becoming.” He smiled, really smiled, showing the brightest teeth and warmest expression I’ve ever seen. Why was he so darn sexy? Staying mad at him was going to be difficult when he looked at me like that, and that wasn’t fair. Blake and his family were involved with seducing my sister over to the dark side to try and lure me into their trap. If they would require my willing participation was yet to be seen. If they planned on winning me over by infiltrating my family, they had another think coming.
“I’m new to all of this, like as in a few days knowing that your kind even existed, and I’m trying to get my bearings on the whole thing. You’ve got to admit whatever Michael wants with my sister looks suspicious from my point of view and it makes me wonder what it all has to do with me.”
Blake looked deep into my eyes. The flames gave his face a warm, but dangerous, look. My instincts told me no matter what ambient lighting was around, he would look just as frightening as he did now. His sex appeal made him more of a threat to my resolve to stay away from him.
“I think my cousin is just like any other young man who finds a pretty girl he wants to be with. He said he really likes her. What more is there to say?”
“Don’t give me any bull that their meeting was completely coincidental. How is it that Michael met my sister down in Chicago?”
“Michael goes to the same college as your sister. Surprised? Yes, even we heathens get higher education, Sydney.”
Clearly Blake felt spurned by something I’d said. Was it possible he had a chip on his shoulder? Was he a victim of stereotype with humans who knew what he really was?
“I didn’t mean anything by that. It’s hard to believe they met purely by accident. It’s possible Michael was planted down there to get close to members of my family. Tell me I’m wrong.”
“Sydney. It’s not like that. My cousin really likes your sister. Just leave it at that.”
Blake said that a little too harshly for there not to be some truth to my thoughts. So, it very well may be true Michael was planted down in Chicago. His feelings for Brianna may be genuine now, but his original intentions may have been less than admirable.
I didn’t like Blake’s tone, and there was no reason to have to deal with anymore of this fun, weird stuff than absolutely necessary. I shot to my feet and faced him.
Blake stared up into my eyes. I refused to blink, or be drawn in by the swirls of danger lurking there. I wanted him to know that I didn’t want anything to do with his freakish life, nor did I want Brianna to have anything to do with it, so I said, “You may have lived this life for a long time, but I’m new in town, so give me a learning curve, would you? I’m leaving, and I’m taking my sister with me. You and your cousin can go hunt poor defenseless people or animals or whatever it is you people eat somewhere else.”
He stood and put his face close to mine, his body coiled with tension. He appeared close to striking me, and in that moment, his power frightened me. That wasn’t a good thing. During that small movement, his eyes changed from a deep warm brown color to the same gold-bronzed hue like earlier in the store that morning.
“For your information, we don’t hunt people. And as for hunting poor defenseless animals, we are no different than the humans who go out in the woods every year with their guns and bows and take down whatever has wings or moves on four legs. Take care of yourself, Sydney. Vampi
res are out there at night, and don’t fool yourself, they are out there hunting you. We found you with little trouble. They are very resourceful, and they’ll do anything to have you and your abilities at their disposal. You may not realize it now, but you’ll take a side. Hopefully for your sake, it will be the right one.”
With that, Blake turned toward the door of the club, his expression tight. Undoubtedly being accused of hunting defenseless humans had struck a nerve. So maybe they didn’t hunt and eat people? Werewolves and their habits weren’t exactly well-known facts to the general public. There was nothing to be done about his stung feelings. Getting out of the club and taking my sister with me was my only agenda for the moment. All this bizarre information was really stressful and getting up for work early in the morning was already going to be painful. A few hours of sleep would be welcomed in my book. Plus, there was a long, deep conversation involving Michael and what my sister’s plans were with him that needed to happen, whether she liked it or not.
I didn’t want to analyze what Blake had said about vampires hunting me for my abilities. Those abilities had yet to develop, and it still didn’t make a whole lot of sense why it was me that had them. Aunt Judith had a lot of explaining to do, and by all the recent appearances of the wolves, it needed to be soon. If my life was in danger, then so were hers and Brianna’s. Did my mother keep us in the Chicago suburbs for so long because of all of this? Was she hiding us in plain sight to keep us safe and naïve for as long as possible? The thought of hearing my mother’s excuses wasn’t very alluring. The injustice of the situation made me want to scream. Her keeping something of such great significance from us was borderline unforgivable. My mother had betrayed me, and we have already been disconnected for quite a while. It was about to get worse.
Brianna and Michael were still in the same general area of the club as they had been before Blake escorted me out onto the patio. They were still unaware of anyone or anything around them, only having eyes for each other. I was so wound tight inside, I felt like lashing out at everyone in the club. I unceremoniously stomped over to where they were slow dancing and grabbed Brianna’s arm. “We’re done here, it’s time to go.”
