by W. J. May
I took a tentative sip. The tea was hot and tender on my cut lip, but deliciously warm going down. I blew lightly and then took a few longer sips and set the cup in my lap. “Are Grace and Sarah all right?”
“They’re fine,” Michael said. “They’re on their way here with medical supplies.”
“And a change of clothes?” I wasn’t staying in these dirty Grollic-girl’s clothes.
“Of course.” Michael moved slightly, letting the warmth of Seth’s fire reach me.
“Thank you.” I lifted my tea and drank again.
“Enough of this ridiculous tender moment.” Caleb’s right foot began tapping against the floor, the broken glass crackling under the pressure.
Michael glared at him until Caleb stopped tapping. “Tell us what happened – from the beginning.” Michael's voice became soothing, and he took my free hand and held it in both of his warm hands.
Where do I start? “Yesterday.” It seemed crazy it was only yesterday. I could have sworn I’d been apart from Michael for a lot longer. “I-I took the Jeep to the grocery store to pick up stuff for dinner. I talked Grace out of coming along. She insisted so don’t be mad at her -- I honestly didn’t think I was in any danger.” Michael raised his eyebrows but said nothing. Caleb harrumphed.
I pulled my hand free from Michael and tucked a chunk of hair behind my ear. “Damon jumped into the passenger seat and told me the Grollics had captured Grace and Sarah. The only chance they had was if I went along with what he wanted. He told me to drive to your cabin and some girl met us. Damon made us exchange clothes.”
Seth, now leaning an elbow on the fire mantel, interrupted, “That’s why I could smell you in the cabin and outside. I didn’t catch her scent until a moment before she tried to attack. Your licorice scent hid hers.” He looked at me. “She’s dead. Not in here, but dead.”
I swallowed; slightly relieved not to have to see, but also curious if he’d killed her as beast or human. Morbid idiot.
Caleb purposely cleared his throat.
I shot him a look. “Then Damon hiked me through the forest to another cabin on the other side of the lake.”
“I caught your scent and found the cabin,” Michael said.
I shrugged, grimacing from the pain that shot from my shoulder. It lingered near my shoulder blade at the back. “How?”
“I found strands of your hair.”
The hair I’d absently shaken from my hands. A trail I’d never meant to leave. “I had no idea what he, or they, planned. I didn’t want any of you to die.” I met each of their gazes. “He kept me imprisoned there until morning. The other Grollics surrounded the house to stop me from leaving or anyone from coming in.”
“Why you?” Seth asked.
My mouth suddenly went dry. I took a small sip of tea and then whispered, “Damon said I’m related to Bentos – somehow I am his grandchild or something like that. I am so sorry.” My eyes filled, waiting for Michael to jump away like I know I burned him.
Now he’d hate me, and Caleb would start cursing the day I was born. I let my head drop, the tears escaping my eyes and running down my cheeks.
Michael’s fingers touched my chin and forced me to meet his gaze. His eyes were soft… sincere. “Are you okay?”
“You’re not mad?” How could he be worried about me?
“Mad?” he sounded confused. “Why would I be mad? You think I care about who your father or grandfather or even your great-grandfather is? I fell in love with you for who you are, not your past. You love me unconditionally, how can you not expect the same in return?” He leaned over and kissed me on the cheek, avoiding my cut lip.
“Thanks,” I whispered. “You keep giving me more reasons to love you.” I reached out and touched his face with my fingertips.
Caleb swore under his breath. “What happened today?”
Did Caleb already know? “Damon dragged me into the forest to meet his Alpha.” I rested my elbows on my knees. “Their Alpha wanted to use me as bait to get Michael, and he wanted to fight you. He wanted me dead, then Caleb. The rest of you would be a bonus.” I shook my head. “I don’t get why they want me dead. If I’m one of them… wouldn’t they want me serving their Alpha? Damon said those who are marked can shift when they turn eighteen. He said I’m marked, but I’m not.”
Caleb began pacing. “You are the one weapon they can do nothing to control or destroy. The Seventh Mark. I’ve never clearly understood its meaning.” He stopped moving and stared directly at me. “They needed you dead before you realized the potential of your power.”
He was ticked. I didn’t get it. I wasn’t marked. Whatever happened out there had been a fluke. I tried to explain again. “The Alpha seemed a lot older than the pack, and while they were all browns, blacks, and greys, he was pure white with spooky red eyes. He’s—”
“Not very white now, more of a rust color,” Seth joked.
“What happened?” I looked from Caleb to Seth, forgetting my train of thought.
“After I finished here with the girl, I raced off to find Michael and Caleb. Seems your white Grollic assumed I was Caleb and tried to attack. Imagine his surprise when I fought with him and then Caleb showed up.” Seth grinned at Caleb sheepishly. “Sorry, but who could resist playing leader?” Seeing Caleb’s face harden, he added, “I stepped down the minute you showed up.”
“Yes, and rightly so, sheep,” Caleb said. “The Alpha was more bark than bite.”
I was confused. How could they tell who which beast was the better in the battle? They were all scary monsters and I definitely had no plans to meet any more. I shuddered, hating them, and now hating myself even more.
“What happened in the forest, Rouge?” Michael reached for my hand again.
“Damon dragged me down to the lake. Oh, I forgot to tell you I tricked him into drinking whiskey. I read in the book that rye could prevent a Grollic from shifting. It won’t stop them forever, just until the alcohol has cleared their body. He got pretty mad at me in the cabin when he realized I had tricked him. Anyway, it didn’t last long enough. Damon jumped to attack me at the lake, and I ducked. He flew over me and landed on the ice. He must have landed on a thin part…it cracked an-and h-he went under.” The image burned like an old movie in my mind.
“What do you mean about rye?” Caleb demanded.
“It seemed silly at the time, but in the book it mentioned rye would act as an inhibitor. I wasn’t sure if it had to be in natural form or if it didn’t matter. I picked up two mini shot bottles of whiskey-rye at the grocery store and thought I might just keep them in my purse, you know, in case I might need them. It sounded really silly to me at the time, so I hadn’t mentioned it to Michael, or any of you.” I squeezed Michael’s hand, and he returned the same pressure.
“Do Grollics know about this weakness?” Caleb continued to press me.
“Damon didn’t seem to know. He was pretty ticked off when he tried to change and suddenly couldn’t.” I touched my face, feeling the puffiness and wondered how bad I looked. “He thought I’d done some voodoo thing, like I could say something and stop him from changing.” I shrugged but didn’t miss the exchanged look between Michael and Seth. “He definitely didn’t know alcohol was a possibility. He didn’t drink much, so I wasn’t sure if it would work or for how long … it was more of a guess on my part.”
“An experiment,” Seth corrected, smiling.
“A gut instinct,” Michael added, a little more serious.
“Sure, whatever. I really didn’t think it would work, but it was worth a shot as I figured I’d be dead by the end of the day.”
Michael pulled me tight against him. He buried his face in my hair and inhaled deeply. He whispered in my ear, “No, very much alive.”
“I was terrified Damon was going to bite me and turn me into a Grollic. I didn’t know it’s a blood-line thing. Nobody told me.” I turned purposely to Caleb and began tapping my foot.
“Point noted, we’ll tell you everything we
know about Grollics next time.” Caleb snorted. “If you don’t already know it all. Now, would you please tell us what you did to the Grollics and why you bothered to not inform us of your ability?”
I straightened and blinked. “I don’t know what I did.” I couldn't keep the frustration out of my voice and directed it towards Caleb. “Don’t you think I’d have told you if I knew? I’m living under your roof, in love with your understudy, best friends with his twin, and YOU THINK I WOULD KEEP THIS A SECRET?” I stood indignantly. I pushed Michael’s reaching hands away and marched up to Caleb. Shame I was so short compared to him, I still had to look up to him.
He glared down at me but said nothing.
“Don’t you think I’d have preferred to avoid this entire situation and would’ve turned those beasts into pulp if I knew I could? I got the crap beaten out of me – that is something any human would try to avoid!” I was yelling, now beyond rage. Everything that had built up over the past few days was being unleashed on Caleb, and I didn’t care. “You, Mr. Higher Coven, have NO answer to what or who I am. You might think you know, but you haven’t got a clue.” I poked him in the chest, hurting my finger with the pressure. Caleb didn’t even flinch. It pissed me off more. “I’ve spent my entire life as a nothing. Not knowing who my parents were, why no one wanted me, or what I’d done to fate to deserve all this misery. I meet Grace and Michael and, for the first time in my life, feel like I have a reason to live. And you want to tell me I planned this?”
“Rouge,” Michael warned.
I ignored him. “I don’t know how that stupid book ended up in my hands – maybe it was fate, maybe luck. I don’t freakin’ know! I don’t ever want to open it or read it again. If I never see another Grollic again, it’ll be too soon!! I’m glad they’re all freakin’ gone!” My chest heaved, but I refused to let my gaze leave Caleb’s face.
“They are NOT gone,” Caleb hissed back. “There are more and if this pack knew about you, rest assured, the others know as well.” He scowled, his eyes burning bright blue. “Now, what the hell did you do at the lake to those monsters?”
My anger evaporated. “There’re more?”
Caleb was right, they probably all knew about me or of the offspring of Bentos. Suddenly this nightmare felt like it was just the beginning.
“What happened, Rouge?” Michael’s calm voice strengthened me.
I flopped down onto the couch beside him, grimacing as my aching body protested. “After Damon disappeared under the ice, I ran back to the noise.” I turned to Seth. “Michael was fighting them all off, but there were so many. Then one saw me and came toward me. I didn’t think. The words were out of my mouth before I realized.”
“What words?” Seth curiously asked.
I had no idea if I’d even pronounced them correctly. They were written in the Grollic book, in the part I don’t know how to read. Curling my toes, I knew trying to explain it wouldn’t make sense. “They…They just popped into my head.”
“What words?” Caleb pressed.
“Vilkacis Diakonos.” I glanced around and held my breath, expecting to feel the weird static and sonic boom again. Nothing happened.
“Do you know what it means?” Michael asked.
“I do now.” I stuck my palm toward Caleb, stopping him from talking. “Don’t ask me how. Vilkacis means Grollic-eyes. Diakonos means one who serves. It’s what Bentos said that let him control those beasts.” I exhaled slowly. “Michael saw what happened when I repeated them.”
“I felt something. Like heavy static hit the air and zing through each of the Grollics.” Michael turned to Seth and Caleb. “The Grollics stopped fighting and just dropped to a sitting position. Waiting…waiting for Rouge.”
“That’s when you and Seth came,” I said, rubbing my temples. “I understood their hatred for you. I could sense all of their emotions and their frustration at me controlling them. They could do nothing.”
“But when you spoke to them,” Caleb said. “It wasn’t English. You spoke in a different tongue.”
What? I looked at him incredibly. Impossible. He had to be joking. I had spoken in English – plain and clear. “Excuse me?”
“You weren’t speaking English.” Caleb spoke as if I were slow.
“Yes, I was. I don’t speak Grollic.” My voice rose, but seeing Michael shake his head, I grew confused. “I don’t know any other language.”
“It’s the language of the Grollic book. It’s from Bentos. He created it.” Caleb spoke to no one in particular, but sounded so sure. “What did you tell them, as we obviously couldn’t translate what you said?” His tone was no longer condescending, only curious.
“They wanted to attack but couldn’t…because of me. I felt their hatred for you and how much they wanted to kill Michael, and all of you. It made me mad, angry enough that I wanted them all dead. I told them to go into the water where Damon had drowned.”
Seth started laughing.
All of us looked over at him.
It took a few moments, but he finally got control of himself. Still grinning, he said, “You're basically telling us that you told them to go jump in the lake – as the saying goes.” He roared with laughter again.
“Funny, Seth, really funny!” I stood. “Maybe I should tell you to go jump in the lake!”
Michael started laughing at my snide remark. Seth stopped his face serious and also a little paranoid. “Wait, can you control us as well?”
I grabbed my mug off the couch and drilled it at him. He ducked easily and the porcelain mug shattered against the wall behind him.
“Apparently your new talent has Caleb intrigued.” Seth pointed over to Caleb who nodded his head.
“Great! Now I really am a freak!!”
“Nah, sweetie.” Seth chuckled. “It just makes you a bit more like us and a little less human.”
No one commented and the silence stretched out.
Suddenly, all I really wanted to do was go home. To the pool house, have a bath, and crawl into bed. Sleep sounded wonderful. The shock started to wear off and my body began to ache from the bruises and cuts.
Michael sensed my body’s reaction and lifted me into his arms as he stood.
“Caleb, Rouge needs to get back. She’s exhausted and her wounds must be tended to. You and Seth clean up any mess in the forest. The last thing we want is authorities looking into what happened. Burn the bodies of the dead Grollics and check the lake. Seth, double check for any tracks – human or Grollic.”
He didn’t wait for their reply. He simply walked out the door and carried me to the Jeep. He set me gingerly onto the passenger seat and buckled me in. He kissed my forehead before shutting the door and ran around to the driver’s side. I couldn’t keep my eyes open and let my head fall forward as Michael started the Jeep and pulled away from the cabin. I wanted to tell him that I had put his Siorghra under the driver’s seat, but utter exhaustion crept in before I could even say a word.
Chapter 26
I must’ve passed out the entire ride back to the house… and then some. I don’t know for how long, but when my brain became alert again it was from behind closed eyes and the comforting of my own bed underneath me. I heard the kettle steaming, moved against the firm mattress under me, and then… soreness everywhere. My head, my neck, my back and my shoulder. Shoot, even the back of my eyelids hurt. I groaned and buried deeper into the soft blanket, begging the pain to stop. Somehow I drifted into a restless sleep.
Cool air danced around me and with a floppy arm I lazily reached for the now missing duvet. I fought to open my crusty eyes when I realized Michael was carrying me. And I lay in his arms wearing only a tank top and underwear.
“Michael, I…” My breath escaped in a loud huff. Pain shot everywhere with each movement.
He lowered me into a bath full of wonderfully warm water. “Shh… Rouge. Just relax and soak in the hot. It’s salt water. It’ll help your muscles and clean your cuts. Grace is coming to help.” He kissed my forehead a
nd disappeared.
My eyes dropped shut again, too heavy and sore to keep open.
Moments later a gentle knock at the door and cool air against my damp skin let me know Grace had come. I sensed her kneel down beside the tub.
“You silly girl,” she whispered. “Why didn’t you let me go with you?” She didn’t push for a reply. “I’ll wash your shoulder. It’s looking pretty nasty. When you’re out of here we’ll bandage it properly.”
A soft cloth brushed against my arm as she dipped into the hot water. I gave a slight nod.
“This is going to hurt a bit,” she said and paused. “Can you slide down a bit deeper and let the water clean the cut first?”
I arched my toes and let my bum slide against the bottom of the tub. A cry escaped my lips when the soothing water turned to burning acid on my shoulder. My eyes shot open. “Holy Shi--!”
Grace poured a cup of water over my head to stop the cascade of swearing escaping my lips.
I sputtered and spit the water out. The salt seeped into my cut lip and along my cheek, making everything sting. I glared at her.
“Sorry.” She grinned. “You needed to get rid of the dried blood out of your nose, lips, and hair.” She shrugged and pointed at my face. “If I were you, I’d avoid rubbing your lips or pressing them tight like you are right now. They’ll take forever to heal and somebody’s gonna wanna smooch those.” She paused then added loudly, “Yeah, Michael. I’ll shut up.”
I smirked. Point for Michael. “I can wash myself.”
“Fine. But you can’t reach your back. Let me get the cut and dried blood cleaned on that side. Lean forward.” She grinned. “Please.”
I nodded, feeling better already and slid forward. “Wash away.”
Grace wiped and dabbed. Her hand, even warm against the tub water, touched the edge of my shoulder blade, close to my spine and near the bottom. She rubbed the wash cloth over the spot a few times, pressing harder with each stroke. “The dried blood’s not coming off.” She leaned forward. “Oops, it’s your birthmark. Weird. It’s turned black. Didn’t it used to be red, but now it’s… Oh. My. Gosh.” She gasped and jumped back, her eyes and mouth open wide.
