by Avery Duncan
The group crunched under the car, Mary knowing that she was going to regret doing this once she was back in town and saw her wheels. Her small Audi wasn’t made for country road, and wouldn’t fair well after it.
One hand holding her head up, the other steering the car, Mary drove till she got to the end of the small gravel road, car continuing to crunch.
For the first time in a couple of days, she felt her headache start to come on. Whether it was because of Jacques, the dream, the sound of the car on the ground, or just whatever it had been since the beginning, she didn’t know and was glad that she was almost done with the drive.
Mary parked and got out, slowly. Around her was tall trees, the buds of leaves springing randomly yet beautifully. The sound of rushing water was soothing to her pounding headache, and with only a couple of steps she could see, feel, and absorb the power of the water.
Sitting on the edge, not caring that she was in the middle of nowhere, cell phone out of service, and taking off her jacket to be susceptible to the light chill, she slipped her feet into the water, hands grasping onto the earth beneath her.
A deep sigh, almost a moan, sounded from her before she fell back into the earth, her body absorbing the energy and welcoming power of the earth. Tendrils flowed throughout her body, the ghostly fingers rejuvenating and curing the bone deep tiredness she was feeling.
Lost in her own world, she was close to going to sleep, her feet stuck in the freezing water, the ground her bed. With a shudder, Mary was...peaceful, calm, clear in her mind.
Thoughts of the separation, the dreams, the man that had managed to hurt her, and the stake that her race was at, was all gone and all she could feel was the heart of the earth in her finger tips.
The coldness from her feet was seeping into her body, freezing the blood in her veins as surely as it would have had she been in a freezer. Instead of pain, instead of an ache, it cleansed her.
Healed her.
Looking around her, eyes opening slowly, she took in the beauty of the world that she missed, had needed. The responsibly that she had was taking a tole on her, much sooner than she had expected.
As an Archaeos, it was necessary to have some sort of way to be...connected with the earth, untainted by civilization. The connection that an Archaeos needed with the earth was as needed as humans needed air.
Mary, if she tried hard enough, could summon parts of the earth to her. Once it had happened, when an ex had caused her the worst pain she had ever felt at the time. Just a brief fling, but the taintedness he had made her feel had taken its tole, almost killed her internally.
Blinking as the energy of the earth continued to spread across her, she fought tiredness and new it was a lost cause when a familiar white setting started to take form in her sleep-drugged mind.
Jacques, the race, the killer...all were pushed from her mind as she fell deeply into a healing sleep.
~*~
Kevin called to Mary like one would call to a loyal pet. He knew she was helpless to resist, and knew that the time to call on her had been right.
His connection with her was so strong, after years of tending and binding and helping, that he could feel the energy inside her being restored, feel the pain that she was struggling to push back.
It wasn’t just...pain, he thought as her form became more clear beneath him. It was an ache, a wound that was taking it’s time to heal. The one time he had seen her like this had been what seemed like ages ago, and he could have killed Stuart’s Chosen for this. But, Kevin knew that it wasn’t just Raffaele’s fault. It was Kevin’s as well.
Maybe Stuart had been right, maybe Mary hadn’t been strong enough for the job that he had so fatally pushed on her.
Ghostly white hands wrapping around the chair that he sat in, he awakened her.
“Mary,” he said tonelessly, the vowels and deepness resonating through the room.
He watched her eyes open, as if they had never been closed.
“Kevin?” she asked, confused. Like always, her eyes searched for him. Regretful that he was one of the reasons that she was in such peril, he spoke once more, without his normal complaint.
“I am sorry,” he said gravely, hoping she wouldn’t make it so hard on him. Never before had he bothered to apologize for anything, it was useless.
Fate was his mistress in many ways. Always there, without judgement, without...warmth. The word sorry was unwanted, not applied, to Kevin and his like. To say sorry was to go against Fate, to demean her of her power and take her for granted, undermine her.
“What did you do?” she asked, backing away slowly, voice wary.
He could have chuckled, had he not been so serious. His Chosen’s life had been ruined because of him, because of the stress he had put her under.
It didn’t come to him that he might be over-reacting.
“I have made a mistake,” he said, wishing, once again, that he could reveal his form to her. A rule of the Creators; never let the lesser see you. A weakness, to say express the rule in the least.
Mary was silent, face clearing of all outward emotion. Although she didn’t know, he could feel the emotions roiling through her.
Fear.
Nervousness.
Wary.
Awaiting.
As much as Kevin wished he could for her well fair, he couldn’t revoke her powers as leader, as a Chosen. Not only would it ruin the chances of the race--no matter that the fate of it was already in turmoil-- it would also be the ultimate embarrassment to Mary and it would take time to groom a new leader.
His decision?
Stuart and him had agreed on it only a little while before, but now, after seeing the effect that Raffaele had on her, he wasn’t completely sure.
Knowing that as a leader, he had to make decisions that could change peoples lives forever, and also knowing that this was completely against the rules, he listed to her even voice and knew that it was a facade.
“On what.”
He paused. “Mary, you know that I trust your decisions, right?” Kevin started, wringing his hands together. When one was confronting her, it wasn’t normally Mary being the one nervous. The look that she gave you could chill you for eternity.
“What happened, Kevin,” she practically murmured, voice as emotionless as her face. He closed his eyes, taking a small breath as his chest closed with fear.
She was going to kill him.
But it had to be done.
“You and Raffaele Jacques are going to be co-leaders. Affective, immediately.”
Chapter 26
His hands itched to reach out, to grab onto the delicate skin that he knew would be all too easy to mare. The urge grew so strongly inside him, he shook.
With anger.
With anticipation.
With excitement.
Breath falling out of his chest in a rush, he forced himself back into the shadows of the quickly darkening forest, away from the woman that had been his sole obsession for what seemed like the beginning of time.
Relaxed, seemingly asleep, her feet lay in the freezing coldness of the water while the rest of her body lay prone to his gaze, to his itching hands. Pulling the coat tighter around him, he let his gaze linger one last time on the softly moving chest, the coldness making her skin pale, almost purple and luminescent under the dipped shirt that contained so much that he wanted to touch beneath.
Turning his gaze from the woman, he hurried away, quiet fury burning in his veins as he fled from the small clearing before she awoke to his scent. It had been an arbitrary move of him, to follow her without bringing anything to disguise his smell.
It had been a foolish move all around, he conceded as he started jogging. The farther away he was from her when she awoke, the better chance he had of not getting tracked.
While the Archaeos were famous for their tracking skills, Mary Waters had not yet tapped into the steaming powers that he could sense she had. The vibe of energy, of power, of raw force within her was compel
ling, even to his tainted blood.
He got into his car hurriedly, wondering when his souls would notice he was gone, when they would start screaming for him.
Every time he heard them, he got shivers up and down his back, so strong it was almost a convulsion that could bring him to his knees. The screams haunted him, pushed him forward to carry out what he believed was his duty.
Tainted blood sometimes came with perks, he thought bitterly as the old 89’ rumbled to life. His teeth gritted as he started to realize how utterly dumb he had been by taking the chance to follow her.
Sure, he had stayed at a fair enough distance away, but a clean departure wasn’t always guaranteed. Like right now, he thought, berating himself.
Whatever he had been thinking when he had saw her pull away from the hospital, he had no clue. Just that she had been upset, vulnerable.
Ready to take.
Thoughts of flashing blades, tearful whimpers, frightened eyes that stared up at him, had consumed him, almost caused him to take her right then. The thought that he should run her off of the road and perform the ritual by a tree had almost made him actually do it, and the restraint that he had had to perform had actually caused him to shake.
Her hair, spread out on the leaf covered ground, could have easily been threaded in his fingers, her head wrenched back as he slowly slid the knife into her body, staring into her eyes... Her screams would make an amazing addition to his collection, he knew. Just the thought of that wonderful, husky voice, crying out in fear, set his blood boiling--for more reasons than one.
It would have been easy, he thought harshly. He had everything he needed in the back of his car, stowed away in a compartment of his trunk that no one but him knew of. The tools, the scents, the gas, it had all been ready.
Just as a jar with her name was.
He smiled, thinking of the delicate glass jar that he had reserved just for the leader who would soon succumb to his forceful hands. He could already imagine how she would feel under him, right before he stole her very life.
The car rumbled down the highway, barely getting to the speed it needed to. The car wasn’t much of an issue at the moment, but he had promised himself that soon enough, he would have the leaders car.
It would be a great trophy for one of the most monumental kills.
The races were stupid, he thought, trying to push the small car faster. How could they, in their right minds, let a female be a leader of two entire races? The thought only made him shudder, the weakness viable even though he wasn’t completely one of them.
Once he took care of her, he would take care of the rest of them. Slowly, surely, and completely, he would find a way to kill every single one of their vermin. He was slowly gathering his forces, slowly making the dream real, a dream that spoke of no Unnaturals living in the world as if they belonged.
He felt his body tighten at the thought, perverted pleasure rolling through him as he thought about how many females he would have to kill to get it done.
And what he could do to them.
Without the females, the males were a weak race all in themselves.
He just had to wait for the perfect timing to get to the leader. When she was taken care of, the pacchetto would be in turmoil, lost, frail without their “precious leader”. Like flies, the females would drop from the face of the country, and hopefully, once he got his followers on board, the world.
The man had high hopes that within time, the world would be rid of it’s disgusting vermin, the very monsters that were slowly starting to take over the world.
And then?
Mary would be all his...
Chapter 27
Raffaele, Chase beside him with his uncle placed carefully in the back, drove out of the parking lot, feeling panic settle in his veins.
Mary.
Why did it feel as if she were in danger, as if by hurting her as he had, that she would be reckless with her life? Raffaele didn’t want to know, nor was he looking forward to finding out. If he had to, he would even confront her brother. But right now, he had to find her, had to make sure that she was okay.
And he couldn’t do that with Chase and Jared in the car, it would be to...damning to him. As a pacchetto leader, he was known to be cold and heartless, just as he had been with his uncle when Mary had barged in. And his words to her... He cringed, hands tightening on the steering wheel.
Had he led her into the killers hands? He prayed not, hoped that with whatever she was doing, that his instincts were completely and totally wrong. Even the notion that anything could happen to her hurt him deep, made him feel a killing rage that he wouldn’t mind testing on something.
Grasping onto a desperate hope that she was as safe as she could be and not doing anything that they would both regret later on, he slowed to the speed limit, not noticing until then that he had been speeding with his worry.
“God, calm down will you?” Jared spoke, the glare in his voice clear.
Raffaele’s eyes narrowed, but he said nothing.
“Yeah, man. You might need a little--okay, no, a lot-- of help in the relationship department, but I don’t think that a leader would be careless with her own life. Just chill out, alright?” his blonde companion said, rolling his eyes.
Again, Raffaele stayed silent, feeling foolish that he was panicking at the thought of anything happening to Mary. Her smile, her eyes, her hair that he wanted to run his hands through all night long... Without those things in his world, he would be empty, worse than he was before.
In Mary, he realized that there was a pureness in her that made him feel...normal, a protector, a man that he hadn’t felt like in so long.
The things he had said to her... it pained him. He had been cruel, he had been merciless, he had been down right dirty at times, and that he had been to Mary? It felt wrong, on so many levels that he couldn’t even begin to identify--and he didn’t want to.
Why didn’t he just call her? He doubted she would answer him...
His feelings for her were growing quickly--he wasn’t so dumb that he didn’t notice that. Her laugh made his heart feel light, her smile made his breath catch, the look in her eyes...made him feel.
Forcing thoughts of her away from him, trying to concentrate on driving without killing them all, he drove until he was at the hotel and parked in the basement of the grand place.
“Where do you stay at?” Raffaele asked Jared, turning in his seat to look at him.
Jared shrugged, not meeting his nephew’s gaze.
Chase opened the door to get out, cold air washing into the car. “Well?” he asked, starting to frown.
“Just at the edge,” Jared mumbled, unbuckling to step out also, his worn brown shoes thudding on the ground. Raffaele noticed small things, things that he hadn’t seen earlier when he had been worrying about Mary.
Jared’s clothing hung off his body, small tears at the bottom of his shirt. Mud was clumped under his boots, jeans stained awkward shades. “At the edge of what,” Raff growled, eyeing the more huge hole that was at the back of his shirt.
“Town?” he replied gruffly, starting to walk away.
“Uncle, come back,” he commanded, slamming his door closed, locking it. “Does Mary know that you have no home?”
Jared’s back stiffened, bare hands clenching at his sides, freezing.
“That isn’t her business, neither is it yours,” he replied, voice choppy.
“You’re family. It is my business, and Mary’s too, since she is the pacchetto leader and you chose to run to her domain,” he grated, angry.
“I didn’t run,” Jared corrected, hand slashing the air as he turned to meet Raffaele’s furious eyes. “I came here when I knew that all was lost! I wouldn’t have left my family--I didn’t.”
“Yes you did!” Raff shouted, the betrayal that he had been struggling to hide all these years breaking through.
Jared pulled back, as if he had been slapped, and collected himself. “I can’t leave what I never ha
d. This man here...” he gestured to Raffaele, disdain in his frosty blue eyes. “You are not my family--you are nothing to me.”
Raffaele froze, his uncle saying the last words with sharp, painful clarity.
“And that is all you will ever be.”
Jared stalked off, leaving Raffaele horrified, angry, unable to move after him. Clearing his face of all emotion, he turned around slowly, feeling as if his whole world had been stripped from around him, his very being decimating by the last words that his uncle--the last of his family--had said.
Numb, dazed, feeling his very being turn to ice, Raffaele walked to the elevator, where Chase was waiting, subdued.
When he entered his room, he fell against the couch and fought down the harsh shout that wanted to break through his chest with frustration. Nothing was right, he thought, pounding his fist on the pillow. Nothing was, would, or will be right.
Mary was in danger, his uncle had disowned him, and Raffaele wasn’t sure of his being. He didn’t know what to feel, what to do, or how to go on. Jared had betrayed him--for the second time.
His eyes closed tightly against the pain, wishing that that was all it took.
The television in the other room made a soft buzzing sound, one that made an aching headache appeared. Raff wished that Mary and he had gotten close enough that he could pour his heart out to her, and her him.
It was a closeness that he had never been granted with anyone before, nor had he granted them that privilege. When he thought of the beautiful brunette, he couldn’t imagine talking to anyone else so deeply--not even his mother, who had been his greatest confident.
A sharp ring from his pocket made him jump, become alert. Fishing his phone out of his jacket, he put it to his ear, taking a calming breath. “Y’ello.”
Hannah’s relived woop rang through the phone. “Finally! I haven’t been able to get a hold of you all day! Do you know how annoying that is?” she hissed, sounding affronted and venomous.
“I’m sorry, Han. Been busy with some business here,” he replied, grimacing.
