Biting her fingernails, Cass looked at her. “That shelf is spelled. It’s the restricted, restricted section.”
Syney slowly nodded and worked her way around the room until she found the Vampire book Helen had let her read the year before. Next to it were four other books, one for each race, including Magic Users. She pulled all the books off the shelf, in more than one trip, considering they each weighed around twenty pounds. She flipped open the Daemon book and skimmed the first few pages before she stopped and looked at Cass. She was still biting her fingernails and staring at the table. Her nails were practically gone, all red and even bleeding in some spots. Syney knew it was none of her business to ask, but she just couldn’t help it. The girl was silently screaming that something was wrong. Syney closed the book and smiled at her. “What’s wrong?”
Cass looked at her. “What? Nothing. Why? Who said something?”
“No one. Cass, you’re biting your nails off; you’ve flaked out on me for weeks; and you’re dressing differently.”
Cass tucked her hair behind her ear. “I’m not allowed to dress the way I want?”
“Of course you are. It’s just…you love those damn dresses as much as I hate them.”
She shrugged and grabbed one of the books. “People change.”
Syney shook her head and opened the Daemon book again. She read a few pages on memory giving and pulling. The whole thing fascinated her. She wondered whether she had the guts to actually steal some memories from Mellisandrianna, but honestly she didn’t think she could. The process, as described in the book, was extremely painful for the person whose memories were being taken. The book described it as being similar to having a major organ removed. The thing she feared the most was Mellisandrianna coming at her with magic during the process. Plus they had to be touching, and that was a little bit too close for Syney.
She flipped to the chapter on projecting thoughts when Cass slammed the book in front of her shut and sat back in her chair. Syney looked at her. “Sure you don’t want to talk?”
Cass looked at her, tears clouding her blue eyes. “Why would you want to help? Why would you even want to talk to me? After what I did?”
Syney looked down and shook her head. “It wasn’t all you. Gabe read your thoughts and compelled you to tell your mother.”
“Really?”
Syney nodded.
“I’m still sorry.” She wiped some tears from her eyes.
Syney frowned, recognizing a kindred spirit. They both were being plagued with thoughts they couldn’t share with others. “I’ve…I think we both need someone to talk to. Maybe we can compare whatever horror stories we have.”
Cass seemed unsure at first then nodded.
“OK, well, I’ve…been sharing dreams with Hunter. Pretty, um, detailed and intense dreams.”
“Sex dreams.”
Syney stared at her wide-eyed. Definitely not the same Cass. “Well, yeah. And the sick part is that while I’m sharing dreams with Hunter, I’m sleeping next to Adam.”
Cass cringed. “That is pretty bad. Are you sure you’re not just having dreams about Hunter? I’ve never heard of sharing dreams.”
“I…um…” She paused to take a breath. “Back when you guys came to get me in the Human Realm, I healed him.” She held up her hands. “And now we have this connection, but I didn’t realize it was a connection until recently.”
“That’s really cool.”
“Yeah, not so much when you’re engaged to another guy.”
Cass nodded slowly. “I can see how that’s a problem.”
Syney shrugged. “We both know we’re actually there, in our subconscious, in the dream, but I still can’t help it. Everything just comes rushing back when I’m there.” She sighed.
“I think I’m pregnant.”
Syney slowly looked at Cass who stared back at her, tears flying down her face. “What?”
Cass’s lip trembled. “I’m so scared.”
Syney jumped up and embraced the girl, rubbing her back. “Shh, it’s OK.”
“No, it’s not. It’s his.”
Pulling back, Syney looked into her face. “Whose, honey?”
“Wes.”
“Wes?” Syney shook her head before she placed the name. Then her mouth dropped open. “The Shifter, Wes.”
Cass nodded.
“You two…I honestly thought he just wanted to talk to you. Wow.”
“My dresses don’t fit anymore. I feel nauseous all the time,” Cass said, placing a protective hand on her belly.
“Don’t fit? But it’s been only a few weeks. I’m no expert, but isn’t that a little quick to be showing?” Syney asked, pulling the other chair up to sit next to Cass.
“I thought so too, but…”She sighed and opened the book she’d been reading. It was the Shifter book. She flipped through the pages and put her finger on a page.
Syney leaned forward and read it to herself. Shifters have the shortest gestational period of any of the great races. A typical pregnancy last five months, the most development occurring in the first three months when the human side of the Shifter is developed. “Oh, OK.” She looked at Cass. “Um, there has to be a way to find out for sure.”
Cass shook her head. “I can’t go to the doctors. If anyone finds out about this, I’ll be in so much trouble. The last royal princess who got pregnant before joining disappeared.”
“You’re exaggerating.”
“No, I’m not. She was stripped of her title and exiled. Her family disowned her. No one even knows what happened to her,” Cass said quickly. “I’m not made for living outside of the palace. Trust me…I know.”
“Everything will be OK, I promise.” Syney sat back. She had to find out if Cass really was having a baby. The only thing she could think of was to ask Gabe. But then she worried that Cass would get shoved into everything with the Ancient One—not that she wasn’t now. She was pregnant with a Shifter baby after all. She thought about the whole life-force thing and wondered whether it was possible to do that now. She easily had felt Gabe’s life force by touching him. She grabbed Cass’s hand and closed her eyes. After a while she felt the rushing of Cass’s life force running through her body. She concentrated a little more and felt something else. A small force pushing forward. She opened her eyes and gave Cass a sad smile. “Congratulations.”
“What did you do? I felt that.”
“I felt your life force. And a smaller one as well.”
“Raine told me about life forces. You can feel them?”
“I think we all can. I’ve just been practicing,” Syney said, dropping Cass’s hand.
She stared at her for a while before speaking. “You’ve been practicing other magic as well.”
Syney sighed and nodded. “But you can’t say anything.”
Cass laughed. “You know something that could get me killed. You can trust me.”
“Can you trust me?”
Cass nodded.
“And anyone I want you to?”
She sat back and picked at her fingernails. “The Vampire?”
Syney nodded. “I think he can help.”
“I want it.”
“What?”
“The baby. I want it.”
Syney slowly smiled. “You love Wes.”
“I really do,” Cass said, her tears returning.
Syney took her hand again and prayed that Gabe actually could help her. There was no way Cass could stay in the palace and have the baby, especially if she wanted to keep it. She would have to leave. Becca’s house was the first place that came to mind. Becca did say that the house was for anyone who needed sanctuary. “Come on. Let’s talk to Gabe. I have an idea.”
Gabe stared at the young princess sitting in front of him. He couldn’t wrap his mind around how stupid she was. Shifters were the most fertile race, impregnating almost every time they had sex. Again he was angered by the lack of education in the Village. And now there was one more person he had to take care of. H
e didn’t like the idea of so many people being involved in the plan. It was just supposed to be Syney, Adam, and him. Add to that list Noelle and now Cass, and Gabe’s anger was rising. Too many people meant more danger for all of them. But he had to keep Syney happy, and if helping Cass made her happy, that’s what he had to do.
He rubbed his hand over is mouth and sighed. “If I remember correctly, pregnancy outside of joining isn’t looked upon too highly.”
Cass shook her head, and Syney squeezed her closer to her.
“Can you help?” Syney asked, her eyes pleading.
He rolled his eyes at her. Of course he could help. Gabe had been alive long enough to always know where to go. He opened his mouth to say as much when Adam walked into the room without knocking, again. Gabe had spoken to him twice already about privacy, but Adam was more distracted than ever lately.
Adam stopped the second he saw Cass. “Oh, sorry. I’m intruding…on something?” He gave Gabe a questioning look.
“Yes,” Gabe said at the same time Syney said, “No.”
He looked back and forth between the two before he walked over to Cass and sat in front of her. “Are you all right?”
She shook her head.
“Cass is…in trouble,” Syney said.
Adam nodded. “Right,” he paused. “Trouble with what?”
“She’s pregnant,” Gabe said, leaning back against the bed.
Adam moved to sit on the other side of Cass and put his arm around her. “It’s going to be OK.”
Cass nodded and leaned into him.
Gabe shook his head. Adam had always had that effect on women. They either wanted to sleep with him or be with him for comfort and sometimes both. Most Vampires had a natural magnetism, and Adam’s was tripled. “I know a woman, in Bolchin. We can be back in a few days.”
“What?” Syney asked while Cass shook her head. “No, she wants to keep it.”
“They’ll both be dead the second it’s born,” Gabe said.
“That’s a bit harsh,” Adam said, rubbing Cass’s back.
“The father’s a Shifter,” Gabe said simply.
Adam grimaced and shot a look at Syney. He eased Cass off his shoulder and looked at her. “I know this all seems crazy and quick right now, but you should think about what Gabe is saying.”
“No!” Cass yelled, moving back toward Syney.
“It’s OK. No one will make you do anything you don’t want to do,” Syney said. She looked at Gabe. “I was thinking about Becca.”
“She doesn’t do that type of thing,” Gabe said.
“I meant we should have Cass stay with her.”
“For how long?”
“I don’t know. As long as she wants.”
Gabe rolled his eyes and looked at Cass. “You want this baby, you said.” He waited until she nodded. “Are you willing to give up everything you have here?”
The girl looked at him, her face and eyes wet with tears. This wasn’t a decision she should take lightly. She looked at Syney, who gave her a sad smile. She finally sighed, looked back at Gabe, and nodded.
“Then you, my dear, are going to disappear.” He pushed off from the bed. “Take only what you desperately need. We’ll leave tonight.”
“What about my Protectors?”
“I’ll help,” Adam said. “We should be able to knock them out.”
Cass looked at him skeptically. “Really?”
Adam grinned at her. “I’m much stronger than I look.” His face turned serious. “I really admire you for this. It’s not easy.”
“But worth it,” Syney said, looking at Adam over Cass’s head.
Gabe knew they were talking about having a mix-raced child and couldn’t help it when his heart broke a little. They had both been through so much yet were still encouraging Cass and her child to go through possibly even worse than they had. That took courage.
“I’m a little scared,” Cass said.
“Well, yeah,” Syney said. “You’ll be leaving everything you’ve ever known. That’s scary.”
“No, I mean about the baby.” She looked at Gabe. “Is it even possible to have a healthy baby from two different races?”
Gabe glanced at Syney but stayed silent. This was her secret, and if the person wasn’t important to the mission, it was her prerogative to say anything. Although he felt a lot of pride when she looked at Cass and told her that she was only half Magic User, the other half being Daemon.
Cass’s mouth flew open, and she stared at Syney for a while. She finally closed her mouth and hugged her. “Thank you,” she whispered after she pulled back. She looked back at Gabe. “I’ll pack. What time tonight?”
“I’ll come to your room after Adam and I take care of your wolves.”
She nodded and stood. “Thank you all,” she said before heading out.
Gabe watched her go. She was in over her head, but she wasn’t going to listen if he tried to say anything to her, so why bother? Shifter pregnancies were dangerous. Once the fetus had developed, it would start to shift into animal form in the womb, which was very painful, or so he’d been told. That was why only the royal Shifter family had multiple children per family. Most Shifters had one child and stopped. He shook his head and looked at Adam and Syney, who were staring at each other silently. This wasn’t good. Something was wrong.
Adam cleared his throat. “Did you find out anything about permanent curses?”
“No. I was looking through the various books on the races, but then Cass dropped her bomb.”
“What about permanent curses?” Gabe asked.
“How to get rid of them,” Syney said quietly.
“Daemon.” Gabe walked away from them to pack a few things for himself. The trip back would be quick, but on the way there, he had to keep Cass’s pace so a few days’ clothes were needed.
“Daemon what?” Adam asked.
He looked at them. “Daemons can remove permanent curses.”
“So theoretically I could?” Syney asked.
Gabe shrugged. “There are a few things you might not be able to do. Adam can’t read minds or compel, although he’s part Vampire.”
“But I might be able to,” Syney said.
“What is this about?”
“Nothing,” Adam said, quickly throwing a look at Syney, who agreed with him.
“Right. Now who’s keeping secrets?” Gabe said pointedly. “Adam, I’ll meet you here at ten.”
“Sure.”
Gabe shook his head and threw some clothes into a leather bag. This whole thing was crazy—although the fact that Cass was pregnant with a Shifter’s child did have its appeal. The Shifters were the one race that was the weakest link when it came to calling a summit. Even though they tended to side with the Daemons, he was never sure if they would show up when called. He thought that releasing Weston was a good move toward that, and now his and Cass’s child might be a deciding factor. He just hoped he wouldn’t get caught helping a royal princess escape the Village.
Helen slipped out of her ceremonial robe and looked at the now golden tattoo that ran down her right arm. She was officially the high priestess but couldn’t care less. The whole ceremony had taken less than an hour. When she was younger, she had looked forward to this day as other girls had to their joining day, but she had become so disenfranchised with the entire religious system that she had to use everything within herself to even smile as Vasclineda transferred the title to her. She had gotten disturbingly good at keeping her face neutral so others couldn’t see her frustration and sadness. Leaf had become her only saving grace, again.
The ceremony was big, although nowhere near a royal crowning ceremony. She spent most of the ceremony at the front of the chapel praying with Vasclineda. It wasn’t until the end when Helen was facing the filled pews that she became aware of hundreds of eyes on her. There was only one pair that she actively sought out as everyone sang the final song. Leaf was in the back yet she could still see him, one of the advantages of being ov
er six foot five. He stared at her stoically as Vasclineda wrapped her left arm in the ceremonial high priestess cloth. Helen felt her arm tingle but her attention was pulled in its entirety to Leaf.
Helen shook the memory of the morning away and smiled when she heard the two short knocks on the door, Leaf’s secret code for her. She threw open the door and pulled him inside, embracing him the second it closed. “That was just horrible!”
Leaf sighed, ran his hand down her long dark brown hair and looked into her blue eyes. “But you looked amazing.”
Helen laughed and pulled back to look up at him. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
“I’m here on official business.”
She frowned. “Is something wrong?”
“No, although I’m not very happy about this.” He paused and sighed. “Your Protectors have been reassigned in accordance with the Rules of Declaration.”
Helen rolled her eyes and walked over to her dresser, where she started to take off some of her ornate makeup. It had taken hours to apply the thick black eye liner and red rouge. She was never a fan of make-up and preferred to wear none.
The Rules of Declaration were the current Magic User laws. She knew what he was talking about. Only royal Magic Users were assigned Protectors. The high priestess never left the Village and rarely stepped foot outside the palace; therefore no Protectors were assigned to them. It was a stupid rule but one that was becoming more necessary. There weren’t many guards in the palace, and a good deal of them were now second and third Protectors.
“I don’t like the thought of you walking around without protection,” Leaf said, taking a seat on her bed.
“I’ll be fine. It’s Syney everyone keeps trying to kill.”
“Doesn’t mean someone else won’t be caught in the crossfire. You’re still a royal princess.”
“And we royal princesses are dropping like flies.” Helen’s heart sank as the words came out of her mouth. There’d been no word on Cass for the past two weeks. Helen would be more worried if her younger sister hadn’t come to her the day before she disappeared and told her that everything was all right and that she would try to come back if she could. Helen had questioned her, but Cass was evasive and took off before Helen could get another word out. Helen had gone straight to Leaf that night, but by the time they went to Cass’s room, all they found were her Protectors knocked out cold in an empty room. A day later the council ruled that Cass was a runaway, and in accordance with the Rules of Declaration, they stripped her of her title of seated princess. Helen and Leaf were surprised by the vote, especially Syney’s vote, which sided with the council. Syney had been as elusive as Cass, which made Helen more comfortable but also angrier. Comfortable because it meant Syney knew where Cass was and was OK with it. Angry because she was being kept out of the loop. Leaf had told her she needed to trust Syney, and she was trying, but it was getting so hard when no one was telling her the truth.
Deviation: Altera Realm Trilogy Book 2 Page 26
