“You with someone?” I asked.
“No. I’m—that’s just the TV.”
Shuffling, and a light tap, followed Angela’s response.
“Anyway, uh, can we meet up?” she tried again.
“Um, Angie, I don’t think I’ll—”
“It’s just that...the last few weeks I’ve been kind of a bitch.” She laughed softly. “I really think we should make amends. Over a picnic. How does that sound?”
Unsure of what to make of her invitation, I asked, “What brought all this on?”
“Well, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and I realized I’ve been really unreasonable.” She paused, and I could hear shuffling on her end again. It sounded as if she was moving, but I found that odd since she used a wheelchair. “I called up the girls today. We’re all going to be there.”
For some reason, knowing that my other friends would be present eased some of the apprehension I felt over meeting with Angela.
“Mike, Miguel, and Bobby are coming along too,” she added with emphasis.
With everything that had gone on in the past few weeks, I hadn’t had much time to meet up with my friends and hang out. I had the whole thing with Kyran and Bray in the morning, but no plans for later on in the day. It would do me some good to have one last get-together with my close friends before I embarked on a journey to find not only Mom, but myself. Especially when considering I had no clue as to when I’d be back. Or if I’d be back.
Hopefully, ever-protective Kyran wouldn’t object too much. As long as one of the Rousseaus went along, I saw no harm in going.
I was hopeful anyway.
“Um, well, I guess—”
“It’s going to be in the upper mid-fifties tomorrow. It’s probably the last day of comfortable weather we’re going to have before those chilly temperatures hit the area. You know how it is up in this region.”
I wasn’t sure why she felt the need to mention the weather, but I decided to agree to her request.
“Sounds like a plan. Listen, uh, is there anything you want me to bring?”
Angela giggled. I wasn’t sure if was out of relief or happiness.
“No. The girls and I are taking care of the food.”
“What park are we meeting in?”
“The Light Heaven Park. You know, the one that’s near the old mill.”
It was the same park we used to visit as kids. It became our favorite park because of the small caves we would often go exploring in once we grew tired of the playground. We’d often used them as our perfect hiding place during a good game of hide and go seek.
I nodded. Then, remembering she couldn’t see me, I asked, “What time?”
More shuffling could be heard before she volunteered a response. “One o’clock should be all right.”
“I’ll see you then.”
“Can’t wait.”
I hung up feeling a little lighter. Angela seemed to want to patch things up between us and that really did wonders for my low spirit. In spite of how she had misdirected her anger toward me before, I didn’t want to leave things between us the way they were. A part of me still felt a sense of guilt in knowing the injuries she sustained to her spine, which disabled her ability to walk, had been as a result of my drunk driving that fateful night over a year ago.
Many times, I’d wondered if she’d actually forgiven me for what happened. Since that wasn’t a question I had an answer to, maybe it was time I asked Angela directly. The picnic would provide me with the opportunity to set things on the table and confront our demons from the past and the present.
We had issues. I only hoped we could fix them before hate and bitterness forced our friendship to end indefinitely.
Chapter Eleven
After a long day of new discoveries and having to come to terms with so many aspects of my new identity I was mentally exhausted. Not that speaking with Dad for a second time in an attempt to make him understand my going in search of my mother wasn’t an impulse decision, or the fact that my supposed boyfriend had deliberately lied to me to get me exactly where he wanted did wonders for my mental state.
Though I had pushed my anger to the back of my mind, sitting alone in Kyran’s bed, while staring at the dark screen of the TV on the wall in front of me, some of my resentment had unwillingly resurfaced. It was too much to take in and even though I could see why they had sheltered me so much from learning everything at once, now that the truth was out there in the open, I could hardly fathom it all.
What I truly wanted was to get some sleep, but until my little pain killers started to kick in, I was in for a wait I wasn’t too appreciative of. There was too much going on in my head and I desperately needed a reprieve.
A knock on the door brought me back to the realization that I was staying in a house full of werewolves who could very possibly hear me fidgeting with the blankets and moving restlessly on the mattress as I struggled to find a comfortable position where my knee wouldn’t immediately begin to throb mercilessly.
“Come in,” I called out.
The door opened and a well-rested looking Kyran stepped in. His normally lose hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the base of his neck, though he wore what I would call his signature look of dark pants and t-shirt.
“You’re restless,” he said as he stepped into the room, shutting the door with his left elbow. “I would ask why, but I can pretty much guess the answer.”
I shouldn’t welcome his uninvited visit, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t happy that he decided to come. Somehow, all my self-doubts vanished the second he appeared.
“I just have a lot on my mind.” I smoothed the comforter over my legs to avoid fidgeting with it. “Are you restless too?”
He smiled, but made no attempt to approach the bed. “Always.”
Suddenly, a spark of curiosity took a hold of me. “Didn’t you use to run on nights like these?”
He actually laughed. “Yes, well, I don’t really see the point of it since you’re here.”
My eyebrows rose to the implication. “Are you saying you used to jog, as you put it back then, in hopes of running into me?”
“I was on the prowl for a very special prey.”
Though I tried my best not to see myself as a prey item, I did find the humor in his remark somewhat refreshing.
“Well, you’re here. Maybe you did find what you were looking for.”
He started toward me. “I shouldn’t be here, really.”
“No, you shouldn’t,” I whispered with a hint of concern. The last thing I wanted was for the rest of the Rousseaus to misinterpret something and come barging in.
“It’s okay. They know I’m here.” He sat on the bed to my left, near my feet. “It’s not like I can hide from them anyway.”
I rested my head on the headboard. “You look like you have something to say.”
He rewarded my inquisitiveness with a heart-stopping smile. “I may have something on my mind. Or something I want to share.”
The distance he put between us wasn’t really to my liking so I lifted the covers, tossed them aside, and patted the mattress to my left.
“Why don’t you share?”
He shook his head. “I think I’m perfectly harmless right here.”
“You came all this way...you might as well allow me the pleasure of a midnight cuddle.” I couldn’t even believe how I’d forgotten about all my misgivings just by having him nearby. It was almost as if I had no will of my own and both my body and mind worked against me to act on impulse instead of with a clear head.
I didn’t like it because it confused me even more.
Though reluctant, he eventually obliged. Kyran walked over and slipped in next to me. Before I was aware of the fact, I found myself lying in bed with my head resting on his chest and my injured knee draped over his legs. His right arm held me firmly in place.
“I feel conflicted. I know you have made up your mind. Like it or not I respect that. Even though I wish I cou
ld wash away your doubts about us, I understand how you feel. But is it selfish of me to not want to let you go?”
“No. If I were you I wouldn't want to let go either.” Had I not been so consumed by doubts, I wouldn’t have made the decision to leave, but the whole bonding thing has thrown me off. I’m not entirely sure when feelings of my own are involved or if they are those brought on by the tie that links us together.”
“Alexis is really hounding me to convince you to stay. He doesn’t understand that if you stay, you will never be sure what kept you here.”
I held myself stiffly against him for a moment. “Do you get it?”
He sighed heavily. “Unfortunately I do.”
“Also, I'm not so happy about this being a three way relationship.”
“Neither are we.” I could hear the smile in his voice. “If we don’t find a way to cope with it, Alexis and I will definitely end up killing each other.” He meant it as a joke, but I knew the severity of that statement.
Being in love was one thing, but bonding made it so much crazier than it needed to be. I had never been in love before, so I had been fairly certain what I felt for Kyran was love. But since hearing about the bond, I was no longer as sure.
“Kyran, have you ever been in love before?”
He didn’t answer right away and that worried me. I wasn’t sure if he had something to hide or simply had something he didn’t want to share with me.
“Yes.” It was barely audible but I caught it.
Easing up on my elbow, I gaped down at him in what I was sure was a mixture of shock and surprise.
“Samantha was my first love,” he confessed.
For a moment, I couldn’t find anything to say. This news came as a bit of a shock to me.
“She was?”
Kyran kept his gaze on me and his arm securely wrapped around my midsection.
“It was innocent back then. She had been the first person outside my family circle I ever got close to. More than the girl I had a crush on, she was my friend. Someone I could talk to. Someone I shared a common like with. It’s different with you.”
I swallowed. “How is it different?”
“Everything about our relationship is different. I cared for Samantha, loved her. But you mean the world to me. You’re everything I never knew I wanted. Up until I met you, I didn’t care for finding my significant other—the one person who I’d spend the rest of my immortal life with. And now you’re here, and I’m one step away from losing you, and I feel like the weight of the world is crushing me. The sole thought of living without you in my life after I’ve made peace with the fact that I love you is killing me, Marjorie.”
The heaviness of the emotions in his eyes became too much for me so I buried my face in his chest. “So, you know the difference?”
“I love you with a passion that makes me weak. I love and respect you to the point of putting your needs ahead of mine. And I will tell you something else...”
“What?” I glanced up to look directly at his silver eyes.
“I even hate you a little for it.”
“I don’t understand.” It was the first time Kyran admitted something so bluntly like that, and I had a hard time picturing him so angry he would come to hate me. Over what exactly?
“I’m used to being in control of my life to some extent. But with you, everything has changed. I feel like you have full control of me even when I know that’s not the case. I’m at your mercy and you don’t even know it. You may think I’m the most dangerous creature in this room, but from my point of view, that’s not the case. You can hurt me as much as I can you.”
Realizing what he truly meant, I reached with my right hand and caressed the side of his face. “Kyran, my decision to leave is not some attempt at getting back at you over what we discussed earlier. I want you know that.”
Kyran responded by shifting on the bed so that he lay on top of me, his hands pinning mine to the mattress on either side of my head.
“I know.” His eyes started to glow, very subtle at first and then intensified with each passing second. He didn’t move, didn’t say a word for a while. I wondered what was going through his head and if Gage or even Alexis would come barging in at any moment.
“Kyran...”
“You should get some rest. We have a busy day ahead of us.” However, instead of releasing me, he lowered his lips to my neck where he pressed a few soft kisses on my skin before moving up to my chin, cheek, nose, brow, and finally my lips. “Good night, Marjorie.”
He let go of me then and settled on the bed next to me, shifting me so that he lay there spooning me from behind. The position made me uncomfortably aware of myself as a woman, but I tried to ignore the rapid beating of my heart and settled, instead, for listening to the sound of Kyran’s steady breathing behind me.
How could he be so calm when his actions were playing havoc on my painfully conscious female body? I squeezed my eyes shut in an attempt to find solace in sleep but even that was proving difficult. If he didn’t leave soon I’d never get any sleep at all.
“Get some rest,” he whispered in my ear. His hand came up and I could feel the tips of his fingers caressing my left cheekbone. Oddly enough, the repetitive action soon helped soothe me out of my heightened state and practically lulled me to sleep.
The last thing I remembered before drifting off was that same hand massaging my shoulder blades.
Chapter Twelve
Darkness surrounded me. I couldn’t move. My ankles and wrists were restricted, bound by iron shackles to the wall behind me. A piece of dingy cloth covered my eyes, keeping me submerged in a black abyss day and night. The sound of them coming and going had become my only companion.
They wouldn’t hurt me, but neither would they let me go. I was a prisoner. A captive. A slave. A victim of misfortune, my past having finally caught up with me.
“How does it work?” he insisted yet again. His voice flowed with aggression. He wanted nothing more than to kill me, but he’d been ordered to keep me alive.
Strange, how, in spite of the time I’d been kept imprisoned under his violent tirades, his anger no longer struck mind-numbing fear in me. Where despair once reigned, anger had swiftly taken over.
“How do I manipulate it?”
“I don’t know,” I responded. My lips were dry and cracked. They hurt. My throat ached for a cold drink of fresh water. How long had it been since I last had a drink?
“You do know. Don’t lie to me. Tell me how I manipulate it?”
I shook my head. I’d grown tired of these questions. They were always the same.
“Don’t force me to get physical again,” he threatened. I knew that true to his words, he would do whatever was required to get me talking. I couldn’t undergo another round of physical interrogation.
Reluctant though I was, it was preferable to provide him with an answer he would be satisfied with. “The mutated gene is only active—and subject to further mutation—when the host’s DNA remains uninfluenced. Once the missing chromosome is reintroduced, the fragmented genetic chain undergoes the process of reconnecting the chromosomal outline broken down during conception.”
“I see,” he responded, the heaviness of his voice giving away his irritation. “So the Lost Child’s DNA will only be usable if she remains pure of blood. Uncorrupted?”
The Lost Child? I couldn’t open my eyes. I couldn’t move, but the reality of what I was experiencing came crashing down on me. The person being interrogated was not me. I was being shown—or rather given the opportunity to hear something of importance.
But if the woman and I were not one in the same...who was she?
“Not uncorrupted, but broken down. The link is missing a few important components. The only way to fix it is by reintroducing the missing half.”
“I see. It would only take one bite to end her potential.”
“She has potential no matter what she is, but her DNA won’t be easily manipulated once the link is comp
leted.”
“Of course. Why didn’t I think about that? If she’s human, she would be of better use to me.”
“That is the belief. It’s only a theory. No one has ever put it to the test.”
“Ah,” the man said. “That’s because no one has been as ambitious as I am.”
“You won’t win this. She’s not alone.”
A scoff could be heard, followed by, “She is the key. And I will have her yet.”
Furious, she tested the limits of her restraints. “She will never fall under your false words,” the woman shot back, though I could feel her fear. There was nothing she could do to stop the man from doing as he pleased. Especially not while she was under his full control.
“That’s the beauty of my plan. You see, she doesn’t suspect of me. She sees me as a friend. She has no reason to believe I’m coming for her.”
“Stay away from her or I’ll kill you with my bare hands,” the woman warned.
Her threat was met by a cold, unamused laughter.
***
I sat up in bed, gasping for air. Even the throb in my knee went ignored as I clutched the covers to my chest and shook with fear. It was hard to tell whether this was a dream or yet another memory. But who had shared that disturbing scene? And why? The woman’s voice had been so raspy it was hard to identify it.
“Marjorie? What’s wrong?”
Kyran’s voice startled me. I hadn’t even noticed he was in the room with me, sitting on the edge of the mattress to my left. I took a moment to glance around the room, noting the sun was out.
“What time is it?”
“Eight thirty,” he replied, taking my hand in his. “You’re pale. What is it?”
Eight thirty already? I’d gone to bed shortly after midnight—after Josephine insisted that I’d accompany her to the kitchen for a light meal. She had refused to allow me to go the rest of the evening without a bite to eat.
The last thing I remember was falling asleep in Kyran’s arms. The Rousseaus hadn’t made a big deal about the fact that we’d spent a couple of hours alone in his bedroom, lying side by side, holding each other. I wasn’t sure at exactly what time he left, but I awoke to find him gone not long afterward.
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