by Abigail Owen
“What’re you doing here this early in the morning?” Griffin asked, as he continued to pack his laptop and books in his bag.
“Nothing special.” Ellie shrugged.
Griffin paused again. “Okay. What’s up?”
Ellie wrinkled her nose, giving an exasperated huff. “Why does something have to be up for me to visit my brother?”
“You only block my mind reading when you want to hide something from me.” He zipped up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. “Alex here, too?”
“Yup. We just finished a run. He’s downstairs letting Lucy stuff him with breakfast.” Last year when Ellie’d moved to Estes Park, Colorado, she’d met and fallen in love with Alex Jenner. Alex had thought Ellie was just a regular high school girl at the time. That was before Griffin and Ellie had helped save Alex’s family from the Vyusher. Now they were engaged to be married.
Ellie hopped up and followed Griffin out of the room. “Where’re you headed?”
“Library. I have to finish this last paper for my economics class.”
“Hmmm. Makes me glad I didn’t do summer school this year. I thought you got that paper done last night?”
Griffin grunted. “I need a little more quiet than this mad house affords.”
As Svatura, their family required very little sleep. Griffin lived with Hugh and Lucy Jenner and their two daughters, Lila and Adelaide. The Jenners acted as Alex’s adoptive family. In the house next door lived more Svatura, Charlotte and Dexter Pierce, and their adoptive sons Ramsey and Nate. Lucy used her gift to sort of collect people with powers, forming their hodgepodge but now tight-knit family. With so many people around, there was usually constant commotion, even late at night.
Ellie laughed. “You could always move back in with Alex and me. It would be quieter there at least. I guess we were all up pretty late last night playing Trivial Pursuit. You should have come down and joined us.”
“What, and be a third wheel to new te’sorthene? No thanks!”
Alex was more than Ellie’s fiancé. He was her te’sorthene, a word literally meaning a friend bonded by heart or sprit. But to the Svatura, Ellie and Griffin’s clan of gifted people, the term equated to soul mates. It was a bond between two people that was fated… and unbreakable.
“Hugh and Lucy’s house suits me very well. Most of the time, at least.” Griffin stopped at the top of the stairs and turned to her. “Hey, Elle? You’d tell me if Selene appeared to you in a dream, right?”
“Of course!”
“So she hasn’t?”
Ellie rested a hand on the banister and frowned. “Not since we killed Gideon.”
“Okay.” Griffin started down the stairs, missing his sister’s worried look as she followed behind. When he reached the bottom, he turned and gave her a peck on the cheek. “See ya later.”
“Have fun.” Ellie decided to keep her concerns to herself. She gave her brother a casual wave and wandered off to find Alex.
Griffin let himself out of the house and walked to the shed where he kept his motorcycle. He hopped on the bike and headed into town. Most days he loved this ride. The winding road through the mountains had spectacular views, with vibrant hues of blues and greens. But lately the magnificent sights had been lost on him. His attention was inward. He hadn’t wanted to bring up Selene to Ellie, but after last night…
It’s got to be coincidence, he reasoned with himself. Selene hadn’t been in his dreams since the last time he had seen her. And that had been over a year ago.
His history with Selene flashed through his mind. The Vyusher were responsible for massacring his clan of Svatura almost a century earlier. And she was Vyusher. Hell, she was their leader now. Ellie and Griffin had barely survived and had spent the next several decades in hiding. During that time, Selene had frequently appeared to Griffin in his dreams. But in all those years, he’d never thought she was actually real....
Then a dream had led Ellie to the Jenners and the Pierces, and the twins had joined forces with them to kill Gideon, the leader of the Vyusher. And Selene’s brother.
An image of Selene standing in a field in the mountains, regal and gorgeous with her silvery hair floating in the breeze, continued to haunt him. It was the first time he’d seen her in the flesh and realized that she did exist… and not just as a figment of his male fantasies.
But then she’d walked away from him. And he hadn’t seen her since.
Initially, Griffin had convinced himself that he never wanted to see her again. Despite the fact that he was positive she was his te’sorthene, he couldn’t overlook the atrocities her people were responsible for… things she was responsible for.
But he missed her. Despite himself.
He’d believed her to be just a fantasy, and now that she no longer appeared to him at night when he closed his eyes, he missed her. And he hated himself for it.
His dreams lately, however, had featured flashes of a white wolf.
I only know of one white wolf, but there’s got to be more out there… right? Maybe it’s just a coincidence.
But he didn’t really think so. The images that came to him in his sleep were never very clear. Only flickers, like an old-timey movie, but with more time between pictures. And last night…
Last night he’d heard sobbing.
*****
After finally getting approval from the High Council to go to college, it’d taken her nearly a month to get all of her ducks in a row. Now Selene had finally arrived in the mountain town of Estes Park in a state of emotional turmoil. School was starting in just a few weeks. But before she did anything else, she had something important to do first. Today was the day, and she was already dreading it. And yet another horrible vision that’d kept her up half the night hadn’t helped any either.
In addition to those blasted nightmares, Selene was worried about the family she’d left behind and sad at the reasons that had driven her away. But, at the same time, she was also excited for a chance at some independence after living so long under Gideon’s oppressive rule, and this, in turn, made her feel guilty for wanting to leave her family.
Above all these mixed-up feelings was the ever-present anticipation of seeing Griffin again. After so many years with Gideon dictating every single thing about her existence, the thought of being able to make her own choices was overwhelming to Selene. The only thing keeping her from outright panic was the hope of what she could accomplish if she kept moving forward on this path she’d set for herself.
Before Selene did anything else, though, first she had to talk to Ellie. Let her know that she’d be attending the same college and living so close by. Selene debated telling Ellie about the dreams for the thousandth time but rejected the thought just as quickly. She intended to stay away from Ellie and her new family. She didn’t want to put them in danger that way. Those dreams were her problem.
She wondered how Ellie and Griffin would feel about her proximity. Actually, she could hazard a guess at how Griffin would react. Her last impression of him had been one of frustrated anger - with her. So, no. She didn’t think he’d be thrilled, but if Ellie could see her side, then maybe it wouldn’t be a problem. Maybe she could stay. She’d taken a risk applying to Colorado State University and didn’t want to have to leave.
Selene’s hands tightened on the steering wheel as she continued her unending internal debate. She’d battled her conscience when she’d asked one of her pack to locate Ellie for her. She’d asked for Ellie only, to help appease the guilt she felt. She didn’t want to invade the family’s privacy. But she also thought they should know that she was so close. If they put up too much of a fight, she’d just go somewhere else. It would mean delaying college a little longer, but she’d do whatever she had to do.
Selene drove to the address in the Carriage Hills neighborhood. The two-story house was modest but offered gorgeous views of the surrounding mountains. She drove her car up the gravel driveway, parked, and stood for a moment. Heart in her throat, Selene too
k a second to gather her courage.
All right, girl… get a grip. You can do this.
Chapter 4
Selene started to move toward the house but then paused, slightly puzzled. She shaded her eyes with her hands and scrutinized the layout of the home more closely. Where was the front door? There was something next to the garage, but it looked more like an entrance to a side room. There was also a set of double doors up on the second story porch, next to some stairs that wound down around the side. The driveway also looked as if it continued on and around to the back of the house, so Selene assumed there’d be an entrance there as well.
Finally, she decided to try the double doors on the second floor. She made her way up the stairs, took a deep breath, and then knocked.
She didn’t have long to wait. The door was opened by a young, petite woman with striking eyes.
“Hi, Ellie,” Selene said quietly. She was surprised at how nervous she was about Ellie’s reaction to seeing her again.
After a brief, stunned silence, Ellie broke into a huge smile. “Oh my gosh! Lucy said she felt someone coming. I was hoping it would be you!”
“Oh… I…” Ellie’s reaction was not what Selene had anticipated, and she glanced over her shoulder in case Ellie was talking to someone else. But she was the only person in sight, so Ellie must be talking about her. “I… thank you,” she said, bewildered.
Ellie’s smile widened. “I have so many questions for you. And I’m not known for patience.” She wrinkled her nose. “But I knew that you probably needed some time to figure stuff out. Besides, Alex and Griffin would probably kill me for trying to find you because you’re Vyusher. My only consolation was that Adelaide saw some kind of relationship between you and our family – not that she’ll say what – and I figured you’d probably come to us one day. When you were ready.”
Selene blinked at this unexpected outburst. “I see.”
“Will you come in?” Ellie opened the door wider and stepped to the side.
“Thanks,” Selene replied.
The inside of the house was as quaint as the outside. The double doors led directly into the main living area of the house. Large windows let in the light, making the rooms look bright and airy.
Ellie led Selene to a couch. “Please, make yourself comfortable. May I get you a glass of water?”
“Sure… thank you.” Selene gracefully sat down and crossed one dainty ankle over the other. She placed her purse on the table beside her and carefully folded her hands in her lap while she waited for Ellie to return.
“Alex is at work, and Griffin and the others aren’t here at the moment,” Ellie called from the kitchen. She returned with the water and handed Selene a glass, then sat on the other end of the couch. “So we have some time to get some things straight between us.”
Selene nodded. She noticed that Ellie was studying her intently and tried not to smile. She knew that people found her hard to read. Years of practice around her brother, she guessed. She knew that she sometimes came off as unemotional, when, in fact, the opposite was true.
“I came as a courtesy to let you know that I would be attending school at CSU starting this fall,” Selene said.
Ellie only nodded, her expression unsurprised. “I appreciate the gesture, but I do think we deserve some answers.”
Selene didn’t so much as bat an eyelash; she’d anticipated a request along these lines. “You have every right to an explanation. I’ll try to answer your questions as much as I am able.”
Selene swallowed. Here we go. Ellie and her family were not going to like what she had to tell them. And as soon as they got the explanation they were looking for, they’d turn their backs on her. She’d hoped, perhaps in vain, that she might find friendship with this family.
Ellie sat back for a second, clearly organizing her questions in her head. “You and Gideon were related, right?”
“Yes, he was my twin brother.”
Ellie tipped her head. “Did both your parents have multiple powers?”
“Two powers each,” Selene confirmed.
Ellie frowned. “Were twins common among the Vyusher?”
“Well, not really. But then, my mother once told me that twins occur when there are more than three or four powers to pass on. Something to do with one person not being able to handle more.”
“That explains a lot,” Ellie muttered under her breath. “We get that with the Svatura too, I guess. So your parents had more than one each?”
“I inherited three and Gideon only one.” Selene noticed that she was clenching her hands in her lap and tried to relax. She took another deep breath. “My father was able to influence people to do what he wanted. It was a subtle skill and didn’t always work. He couldn’t force people to do something against their will or to go against who they truly were. He was a gentle man… a good man.” Emotion choked her voice.
“But Gideon inherited something a little stronger?” Ellie guessed.
Selene nodded. “Yes. Gideon’s power was the ability to make anyone in the pack do whatever he wanted without their knowledge or consent. It appeared to work best on wolves – something about the linked pack mind. I assume it’s why he spent decades recruiting wolves into the family, as he tried to do with you. He destroyed anyone else with powers, anyone he couldn’t control.”
“I’ve touched you,” Ellie said, “so I know that your biggest strength is the ability to turn off anyone’s power if they’re using it near you. Is that how Gideon defeated my clan all those years ago?”
“It’s one of the ways,” Selene confirmed regretfully. “Of course, he was forcing his will on all the Vyusher, and so he had access to many different powers during an attack. We were born in 1832, so I was relatively young when we fought your family…. I was still developing the skill, so it wasn’t as effective as it is now.”
“Wait a minute…” Ellie wrinkled her brow in confusion. “You said four powers. Is morphing into a wolf one of them?”
“No, actually everyone in the pack does that. I’m so used it, I forget to count it. I guess with that there are five powers between the two of us.” Selene took a sip of water.
“Okay…” Ellie tapped her teeth with her fingernail. “You can visit people in their dreams as well, right? I didn’t have enough time to explore what you do with it. Was it you who came to me in that dream and helped me find the Jenners and Pierces?”
Selene leaned back and re-crossed her feet. “It was me. Not even Gideon discovered that I had that power. You are very good at what you do.”
“Why did you send me that dream?”
“To protect you and to fight my brother,” Selene replied. At Ellie’s confused frown, she explained, “I’d been hiding you from Gideon for decades. He’d been looking for you since the night he attacked your family and you’d morphed into a wolf before his eyes. I knew you had no chance against him as long as it was just you and Griffin. So I tried to give you reinforcements the only way I could.”
“Wait a second, back up.” Ellie held up a hand. “You protected us?”
Selene gave a small smile. “My third ability, I can… hide… for lack of a better word, Svatura from our tracker. I can’t physically hide them; it’s more that I shield the existence of a powerful being.”
“Were you hiding us from Gideon?” Ellie asked.
Selene shook her head. “Sheila— she’s one of our more talented wolves and can find anyone with powers on the planet. It’s not the person that she locates— it’s the power itself. However, she does better honing in on them if they’re in large groups. And I did better hiding them in small groups. That combination created just enough of a loophole in Gideon’s system, and I took advantage of it when I could.”
“We figured out that someone was keeping Gideon from finding us. But we thought maybe Griffin was doing it. Something with his shield maybe,” Ellie said. She absently reached for the candy in a bowl on the coffee table and popped one into her mouth.
“Di
d you never wonder why you never discovered that aspect of his power?” Selene asked.
Ellie shrugged. “I’m still developing my own ability. I just assumed it was a gap or that he was unconsciously blocking me from seeing it. Wait. So why wasn’t I able to see that gift when I touched you?” Ellie asked. Usually if she touched people, she had instant access to their abilities to their full extent.
Selene grimaced. “For that reason, actually. After decades of hiding my other two abilities from Gideon and Sheila, it’s a very well developed skill. And a bit of a habit.”
Ellie accepted this information with barely a blink. “And how were you protecting us, exactly?”
“Initially, I kept you and your brother away from Gideon. But then I discovered he was about to target the Jenners and Pierces and that they would need your help to defeat him.” Selene broke off and took another sip of her water. Was it getting hot in here?
Ellie narrowed her violet eyes. “There’s something else, isn’t there?”
Selene sighed and set down her glass. “Together, your families were my best hope of ending Gideon’s control over my clan. I have so much to apologize to you for, I don’t even know where to begin,” she admitted sadly. “I put you in danger after hiding you all those years. But it was my only option. Or at least, the only way I could see.”
Ellie sat in silence for a while, thinking. “Were you a part of what happened to my original family?” she finally asked.
Selene closed her eyes as her heart plummeted. This was the one question she’d dreaded the most.
“Yes,” she confessed. “I wasn’t as skilled with my powers back then. I could only stop one person’s powers at a time, not many people’s powers as I can now. Gideon would determine whom I should stop, and then force me to do it. He never fought himself. Just coordinated and controlled all of the rest of us. I never… we… none of us ever had a choice.”
