by Bethany Shaw
“But the goddess who created you noticed,” Noah said.
“Astraea isn’t like the other gods. They are narcissistic, or so I’ve heard. They don’t involve themselves with humans anymore and are content to stay in the clouds of Olympus,” Ethney stated as she looked up to the sky. “The people prayed to the gods and goddesses for help after the lycanthropes tore through their towns—Astraea was the only one who heard them. She enjoyed her time on Earth and spent a lot of time with its inhabitants until people became too violent for her liking. Being the goddess of justice and the stars, she stepped in to help people being punished unfairly due to a god’s actions. She created the Zodiac Guardians to eradicate the lycanthrope threat on this planet. She derives her power from the stars, which is why each guardian is tied to a specific Zodiac sign based on the month of our birth.”
He needed to focus on something other than how much he hated the goddess Selene. He listened intently to her words, finding her voice soothing. “So, you’re a mermaid because you have a water sign?” he thought out loud. He’d done a little research based on what he learned from Brockwell.
“Yes. I’m a Cancer. My birthday is on July ninth.” She closed her eyes and shook her head.
The ninth? That date resonated in his mind, but why? Wait! It was circled in red on the calendar at the beach house. “The same day as the next full moon.”
She laughed darkly. “Happy birthday to me, huh?”
“I’m sorry.”
She waved him off. “Don’t. I’ve been doing this for a long time. I’m used to it by now.”
“How long have you been doing this?”
If all this went back to the time when people worshipped the Greek gods it had to have been a long time ago. By appearance, she looked like she was in her early thirties, but her eyes had a melancholy that made her seem much older.
“712 years.”
He was stunned and speechless until finally spitting out, “Wow. That’s...”
“I died in 1305. It’s amazing how much technology has changed, not to mention the people.”
“Are all of the guardians as old as you?”
She shook her head. “I’m the youngest and the last of the guardians. All of the others are much older than me by at least a few hundred years. Daire is the oldest of us at 1481.”
“How exactly do you become a guardian?” Noah asked.
Ethney frowned and looked away, her face becoming an unreadable mask. “It’s different for each of us. But we all lost someone tragically and gave our human life to save theirs. We all must have had a quality Astraea was looking for because she made deals with all of us. She saved the life of our loved one in exchange for our immortal servitude.”
“Whom did you save?” he asked curiously.
She swallowed hard, but smiled. It was a gorgeous smile; one he wished he could see again and again.
“My son, Ainsley, and my daughter, Elizabeth.”
“Your children,” he whispered. She’d given her life to save her two kids. “But how did you save both of them when you only had one life to give?” he asked curiously.
Her smile faded and a mask of anger graced her face. “Back in the early days, Astraea could save multiple lives, but it took its toll on her. Eventually, she could only exchange one life for another life. She needed another sacrifice to save my son, so I took my husband’s life so my son could live.”
The way she said it made him think her husband hadn’t voluntarily offered his life for their son’s. He opened his mouth to inquire about it, but stopped when a voice hollered to him.
“Noah? Noah is that you?”
He shot to his feet and spun around. Elena stood at the top of the steps gaping at them. Her blue eyes were wide and the wind blew her brown hair into her face.
She drew in a breath and bounded toward him. “It is you!” She shook her head and put her hands on his shoulders. “Where have you been? Everyone is looking for you. Are you okay?”
He grasped her wrists and nodded. “One question at a time, Elena.”
“Have you been to see Mom and Dad? They are terrified for you and Claire. Where is Claire? Is she with you?”
“Elena, I need your help.”
Ethney stood up next to him drawing his sister’s attention to her. “It’s important. Do you have someplace quiet we can speak?”
Elena eyed Ethney before turning back to him. He gave her wrists a gentle squeeze before she could ask any more questions. “We need to talk. Can we go to your office?”
“Noah, are you in some sort of trouble?” Elena asked, her eyes wide with concern. “You’ve been in the news every day. People think you’re missing...that you were murdered.”
“I can explain everything. Let’s talk in your office. We can order in. My treat.” He moved his hand to her back and nudged her back toward the building.
* * *
Noah sat back in his chair and stared at his sister having just told her everything he knew minus how Ethney fit into all of this. Elena blinked a few times and then turned her attention to Ethney who sat in the chair next to him. The guardian’s eyes were downcast like she wasn’t paying attention, but he could tell by her rigid stance in the chair she was on edge, too.
“Are you high?” Elena finally asked.
“What? No! Of course not. You know me better than that,” Noah said. He leaned forward and rested his arms on the desk to reach out for Elena’s hands, but she pulled them away.
Elena tucked her hands into her lap. “Noah, what you’re saying is absurd. I don’t know what happened to you a few weeks ago, but I can get you help. I think you need it.”
“I know what you must be thinking, but it’s true, Elena.” He held up his arm and thrust it toward her. “Here, draw my blood and run an analysis on it. You’ll see.”
She shook her head and rolled her chair back so she could stand and look out the window. “You’ve been through a traumatic experience. You need help.” She spun around and went to her Rolodex placed on the end of her desk; it was their grandfather’s and Elena insisted on having it after his death.
Sure, it was cool to look at, but he couldn’t believe she actually used the thing.
“I know a few good psychologists. Let me get their numbers.”
Noah leapt up from his seat and darted to his sister’s side, putting his hand on top of hers to halt her movements. She gasped, no doubt stunned by his speed. Her widening eyes met his.
“I’m not on drugs and I’m not crazy. I’ve told you the truth. I need your help, Elena. We don’t have much time. Claire and I are depending on you to save us,” Noah said his voice soft, hoping it would help to soothe her.
Ethney cleared her throat and looked up. “He only has until the full moon. That’s about two weeks away. If you can’t help him, he’ll turn into one of those cult murderers, as the news likes to call them.”
“How did you get over here so fast?” Elena asked. She took a step back from him.
“You mean like this?” he shot back to his seat and tossed one foot over his knee.
She blinked and covered her mouth, swallowing hard. “I...I don’t...I don’t understand. This shouldn’t be possible.”
“It shouldn’t be, but it is. I’m your big brother, Elena. You’ve known me, well, forever. I wouldn’t lie about something like this. You know I don’t do drugs and I’m not crazy.”
“His body is changing on a molecular level that will force him to change into a lycanthrope on the full moon,” Ethney explained. “He’s faster and more agile than a human. The change has already begun to happen.”
“What...what is it you need me to do?” she cleared her throat, smoothed her skirt, and then sat back down at her desk.
Noah turned to Ethney for an explanation. He was sure Elena could help, but he didn’t know how exactly. There was still so much he didn’t know about what was happening to him.
“I’m not sure exactly, to be honest,” Ethney said. “He’s changing. If
his body completes the change into a lycanthrope on the full moon, he’ll go mad. We need to figure out a way to control the change or stop it altogether.”
“Are you a doctor, too?” Elena asked Ethney.
“No, but I’m well-educated in the area. I’d like to help him and your niece, along with countless other innocent souls who have been harmed against their will,” Ethney said quietly.
Elena’s hand went to her chest. “Claire? She’s okay? You know where she is?”
“She’s safe. I’ve been looking out for her,” Noah said with a nod.
“Where is she?” she asked as she stood up from her chair.
“Someplace safe. I couldn’t bring her. I didn’t want to risk someone seeing her. It wouldn’t be safe for her to be with anyone else.”
Elena sat back down slowly and scooted back up to her desk. “The police are looking for her...Mom and Dad, her other grandparents. They’re all worried sick. You kidnapped her, Noah. I should be calling the police.”
“Elena!” he yelled, drawing her gaze to him. “I didn’t kidnap her! Just draw my blood and look at it. Once you have, you’ll understand why calling the authorities is a very bad idea. You might be able to save Claire and me, but we don’t have a lot of time.”
His sister blew out a breath and then covered her face with her hands, scrubbing her palms over her eyes. She was frustrated and probably unsure. Maybe coming here had been a bad idea. If she went to the police this could end very badly.
Elena pushed out of her seat again and walked around her desk. She put her hand on his shoulder and said, “Let me go get a syringe. I’ll be back in a minute.” She hurried out of the room, the door clicking shut behind her.
“Well, that went about as well as expected,” Noah said under his breath.
“Do you think she believed you? Or do you think she’s going to call the police?” Ethney asked. She twisted in her seat so she could look at the door.
Noah tried to put himself in his sister’s shoes. Would he believe what he was saying? Probably not. But they were still family. “I don’t think she’ll do anything to get me in trouble. Elena is a scientist who works with facts; even if she is having a hard time believing, she noticed my speed, she can’t ignore that.”
“I hope so. I have no desire to visit a modern jail.” Ethney wrapped her arms around herself and visibly shuddered. She stood from her chair and went to the window, her eyes staring intently at the street below.
Part of him wanted to get up and look for police cruisers, too, at least that’s what he assumed the guardian was doing, but the other part knew they could trust Elena.
The door clicked open and Elena appeared with a syringe in one hand and some sort of small, metal box in the other. She came to a stop at his side and set the items down so she could slip on some gloves. “I’ll require a blood sample from each of you. The more I have to work with the better.”
Ethney whirled around. “No, you don’t need my blood.”
His sister opened her mouth to protest, but Noah beat her to it, “She’s not infected. Perhaps if you came to Savannah you could take Claire’s blood and the others, too.”
Elena pulled the cap off the syringe and stared at the needle. “All my equipment is here. But it would be better to work with more patients. The more samples I have the better.”
Noah nodded. It would be easier if she were there with them, but with the threat in Savannah they couldn’t come to Atlanta at the moment, especially if this failed. Atlanta was a huge metropolis; too many people would be at risk if there weren’t a cure. “Maybe I can have my commanding officer pull some strings so we can get you to Savannah with all your supplies.”
Ethney huffed and shook her head before turning back to the window. He knew what she was thinking: the more people involved, the more complicated it became and she was right. Still, Elena was their best chance and she said it herself, they needed to come up with a resolution.
“They know about this? The military and government?” Elena asked.
“You don’t really think a cult is murdering all these people, do you?” he asked lifting his brow as he positioned his arm.
Elena pressed the needle against his skin and pressed it in. She pulled back on the syringe and filled the tube. “I don’t know what to think. It’s all so awful. Why are they doing this, Noah? Why are they hurting so many people and destroying families?”
“It’s something they have to do...like a compulsion.” He grabbed his sister’s free hand when she withdrew the needle. “That’s why it is so important you find a cure before the full moon.”
Her eyes widened. “If I don’t, you and Claire will be monsters, too?” she whispered.
“Yes.”
“We lost our sister,” she paused and put her free hand on his shoulder, “I’m not losing you and Claire, too. Let me run this through the lab and get some preliminary results. Talk to your commander and see what you can do. I want to help.”
Ethney turned back to them. She crossed her arms over her chest and fixated a glare upon his sister. “I’m sure I don’t need to remind you discretion is of the utmost importance. Claire and Noah’s safety depends on it. Also, the blood could potentially be contagious. Be careful.”
“I will. Thank you for helping my family...I don’t believe I got your name?”
“Ethney Wallace.”
Elena smiled and held out her hand. “Elena Hawthorne.” She turned back to Noah. “I’ll get these run right away and give you a call this evening.”
“I have a track phone. I’ll text you the number,” Noah said as he stood up. He kissed the top of his sister’s head. “Thank you for this, Elena.”
“Take care of Claire and give her a hug for me, okay?” Tears welled in her eyes and she swallowed hard.
“I will. You’re going to figure this out,” he said as he took a step back.
She offered him a compressed smile. He hoped he was right. If Elena couldn’t figure this out she would probably never forgive herself. She was their best bet at finding a cure, but he wondered if bringing her in on this had been a mistake.
Chapter Five
Ethney thumbed through her text message from Grace as she leaned against the car waiting for Noah; he ran into a boutique to buy a few outfits for the girls. Everything Grace dug up confirmed what she already suspected—Noah Hawthorne was a good guy. His military career, what Grace had found anyway, was extraordinary. Friends and family had nothing bad to say about him after his disappearance. Everyone loved him. It sucked he was imminently doomed.
She wanted to believe in Elena’s abilities, truly, but she had past expectations repeatedly trodden on; however, it didn’t stop her from hoping. Noah Hawthorne was one of the good guys who deserved to live and have a happily ever after. The thought of him with another woman sent a twinge of jealousy through her heart. What the hell? Sure, he was cute, but that didn’t explain the feeling. She barely knew him.
“You ready?” he asked as he strolled out with a few bags in tow.
“Yeah. Did you get everything you needed?”
She didn’t understand women and girls of today. They had so much crap between makeup and clothes it was enough to make her head spin. Give her a pair of jeans and a comfy tank any day and she was happy. Who had the time to spend two hours in front of the mirror everyday perfecting their do?
“Uh, I need to get some, uh...feminine products,” he said.
He was flustered for the first time since she met him. Go figure. He was a typical guy; mention anything about a woman’s time and they got all weird.
“Do you think you could help me?” he asked.
She blinked and chuckled. “Maybe.” She was immortal and, thankfully, hadn’t endured menstruation in centuries. “Where is the closest drug store?”
“A couple of blocks away. It’s getting close to rush hour so it might be faster if we walk there and come back to the car since we can pretty much hop on the freeway from here.” He nodded
down the road to where the on ramp was.
“Sure.”
He went around her and put the bags in the trunk and then locked the car. She tucked her phone in her back pocket and waited for him to rejoin her on the sidewalk.
“There’s a good takeout place just down the street. We could pick it up on the way back. I assume you eat, right?” Noah questioned her as they started toward the store.
It had been so long since she did anything ordinary like go to the store. She ate when she had time, mostly at restaurants because it was easier than trying to cook a meal for one.
“I do. And I know you must be ravenous by now.”
As if to prove her point, his stomach rumbled loudly. He chuckled. “I might be a little hungry.”
“It’s your body’s way of preparing for the full moon. The transition takes an extreme amount of energy,” she said. “I don’t know much about the transition, but I do know having lots of food and rest helps smooth it along.”
“I didn’t see many kids among the group. Tell me honestly, will Claire survive it?”
Ethney drew in a breath and slowly let it out. “I don’t know. I’ve come across lots of children in Claire’s shoes, but not many who have initially transitioned because most don’t survive the infection from the bite.”
Noah gulped and ran a hand through his hair before stopping to scratch the back of his neck. “I see.”
She wished she could tell him everything would be okay, but experience proved that to not be the case and she wouldn’t do that to him. He needed to know the odds of Claire, and even him, surviving were slim.
“Why do they infect the children then? Why not leave them be?” Noah asked, his voice coming out more of a growl.
