Papa continued, “Rafe doesn’t know that Winona is the other part of the prophecy equation. We can’t let him find out. Not only does it guarantee us the element of surprise, it also keeps Sam safe. The minute Rafe figures out Sam isn’t the other sibling, he’s dead.”
Reagan shuddered.
“Only the people in this room, and our family, know about Winona. It stays that way,” Papa continued, making eye contact with each person in the room as if he needed some sort of confirmation of their compliance. “Jackie is going to make sure Sarah, Susie, and Steve understand, too. And that includes telling anyone else here. Although I think we have a trustworthy crew in this mountain, I can’t take a chance.”
He then directed the conversation to his granddaughters. “At eighteen years it will commence,” Papa said, quoting a section of the prophecy. “We have until mid-April, the twelfth I believe, right?” He looked to the girls for confirmation. They both nodded. “That gives us about six months to train and plan. But, our first priority is to get Sam back. My fear is Rafe will either find out the truth or decide he can take out one part of the prophecy.”
An idea sprang into Reagan’s mind. “Maybe I could contact him and set up a meeting. Then, I could force him to come back here with me. I could explain everything to him once he’s here. There has to be some kind of medicine or potion I could use to disable him and bring him back.” It wasn’t a well-thought out plan, and she knew it. “Before you start shooting holes in my plan, I understand the concerns. Can I trust him to meet me without telling Rafe? Will Rafe somehow intercept the communication?”
Reagan felt disloyal and cruel admitting her trust issues, but Rafe was a very convincing person. She should know; he had her—and even Madeleine—under his spell at one point. It wasn’t Sam’s fault. But Reagan couldn’t make these comments without explaining them to her sister since she didn’t know the history. Yet, Reagan felt the need to defend him. “Sam’s a great brother. You’re going to love him. But Rafe is tricky. Several of us have made the mistake of trusting him,” she said, hesitating. She couldn’t help but glance at both Rowan and Madeleine before continuing, “Sam has been with Rafe for a while now, and he doesn’t know about our family’s powers or some of the things Rafe has done. I’ll fill you in more later.”
Winona would’ve been an excellent poker player, because Reagan couldn’t read her sister’s face at all. She gave nothing away, her gaze focused.
“I don’t know,” Papa said.
Before Papa could voice his concerns, Rowan interjected. “I think we need to move fast. Rafe is going to start getting anxious, which only makes him more dangerous. Of course, if we take Sam away, Rafe will attack hard. It only behooves him to kill Reagan and, because he doesn’t know any different, Sam.” He walked over to the map hanging on the wall, “We don’t know for sure where Rafe has set up camp, but it can’t be too far. I’m guessing in here.” Rowan gestured toward an area closer between Colorado Springs and Boulder. “After all, we assume Sam got back to his home without Rafe knowing. Unfortunately, because of the slip, Rafe is probably watching Sam more closely. I like Reagan’s idea. Grabbing him, and soon, makes sense. Once we do, we’ll need to take some drastic measures to make sure Winona and Regan see their eighteenth birthday.”
Even with all the talk about Rafe and drastic measures, Reagan couldn’t help but smile when Rowan backed her plan. But the moment was brief. She put her business face back on, hoping it was as convincing as her sister’s, and presented thoughts. “I can contact Sam and ask him to meet me. The trick is that I need to appear to be alone. I don’t know how developed Sam’s senses are, but I’m sure he’d know if any of you are too close. Any thoughts?”
“I will go.” Cheveyo’s words startled everyone, especially since he’d been stoic since Reagan entered the room. “Sam would not be able to detect me, and I can block anybody trying to listen in. Jed and Rowan, and whoever else they trust, can be close in case we need them.”
What he said made sense, but trusting him was a whole other matter. “Assuming Sam will meet me at our house, where would you be? If Sam sees you, he’ll freak out. He seems quite unsteady, and he’s coming off a meeting with Dad that was supposed to be just the two of them.”
“Cheveyo can be upstairs,” Papa said.
Reagan was surprised he didn’t question the plan more, but knowing he trusted Cheveyo’s intentions made her more comfortable.
“He’ll be blocking others, so I’m sure Sam won’t be aware of his presence either. My concern is how close the rest of us can be. If I were a betting man, I’d put all my money on Rafe being involved with Sam coming to meet you.”
Her brain was firing on all cylinders, trying to come up with any plausible scenario to guarantee her safety and Sam’s. “What if I tell Sam I want to run? Tell him Mom, Dad, and I have decided to run away from all this. To not fight.” She was throwing out ideas as they came to her. Although she hated the idea of lying to her brother, her choices were limited.
Several people exchanged glances before everyone turned their attention to Papa. She opened her mouth to defend her plan, but was cut off. “It’s not perfect, but it’s the best plan we have,” he said. “Let’s move on this tonight. Go ahead and contact Sam. Convince him to see you alone. I’ll decide the best way to get you and Cheveyo there and back. Why don’t you and Winona bunk in my room? I’ll take one of the extra ones for a while.”
Feeling dismissed, Reagan and Winona headed back to their room.
“Do you think Sam will come?” Winona asked.
“I think it would’ve been an easier sell if he hadn’t met with Dad. I’m sure Rafe took advantage of that situation to make it look like we can’t be trusted. Plus, I’m concerned with how to get Cheveyo in and out of there. I can run fast and fight. He can’t do either.” This problem nagged at Reagan. How could she be responsible for getting her brother out, most likely against his will, and make sure Cheveyo returned safely, too?
“Father can fight, just not like you and me. Still, don’t underestimate his abilities.” Winona defended him like Reagan would her father.
“Well,” Reagan started, cracking her knuckles and shaking her hands. “There’s no better time than now.” She closed her eyes and brought up the image of her brother. “Sam, are you there?”
Silence. Not quite ready to panic, Reagan breathed in and out a couple of times. She didn’t want her nerves to get the best of her. “Sam, I’d really like to talk to you.”
As each minute passed without a response, Reagan became more worried. Then, as she was about to ask again, Sam’s voice came through. “I’m not sure I want to talk to you.”
Dammit. His guard was up. “I’m sorry about everything. About Dad. About us being apart. I want out.” She had to play the part. Whenever she’d tried lying to her parents in the past, she found she did better with less backstory. If the lie became too big or convoluted, she’d mess it up.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“I don’t want to be in the middle of this war. I want to run away. I want us all to run away. You, me, Mom, and Dad. I want to be the family we were before Yellowstone.” That much was true, no lie was necessary.
Nothing. Had she pushed too hard? “Sam?” Still nothing.
“Is everything okay?” Winona asked.
Reagan opened her eyes. “I’m not sure. He’s definitely on guard. God only knows what Rafe has been telling him. I have no clue what I’m dealing with. I’m not even sure what Sam remembers from that night when he was turned, the fact that Rafe did it. I just wish I knew what lies he’s been told, so I knew how to fight against them.”
“Keep telling him you love him. He’s only known Rafe a little while. He’s known you his whole life.” Winona lowered her head, fiddling with a loose thread on the blanket draped over her bed.
A history Winona and Reagan had been denied. Every time she thought about it, she became angrier. They had so much time to make up for, and no gu
arantee they’d have any.
“Reagan?”
Sam’s voice hit her so hard she almost threw up.
Winona saw the reaction and came to Reagan, standing in front of her and taking both of her hands. She relaxed, and she was able to refocus. “Yes, I’m here.”
“I had to get somewhere I could talk. I don’t have much time. Did you mean what you said?”
“Yes,” she replied. His voice quivered; he sounded like her brother again, like when he’d come into her room after a scary dream and ask to crawl into her bed. She had an opportunity, and she didn’t want to lose it. “Can we meet? Just the two of us.”
“When?”
Hopeful, Reagan continued, “Tomorrow. Daytime. Our house.” She should probably be checking with Papa about the details, but she figured daylight took away the possibility of a bunch of demon wolf spies.
“I’ll be there. Two o’clock.”
“Perfect. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
And then he was gone. Opening her eyes, she finally gave in to the tears threatening to erupt since her brother’s voice cracked. “He’s coming,” she said to her sister. “I can’t wait for you to meet him.”
“I heard,” Winona said.
Reagan pulled her hands away. When she did, she noticed they were shaking. “How?”
“We were touching, that’s the only reason. I couldn’t have done it otherwise. I didn’t mean to pry. I saw your reaction when he reconnected, and I wanted to provide some calm. It’s one of my gifts. I have some control over emotions, although I need to be close to the person, preferably touching.”
“That’s good to know. I wish you could go with me, but it’s too dangerous. I don’t know what skills Sam has picked up, and I can’t take a chance that he might be able to sense people. Hopefully, Cheveyo can block him.”
“So can I. Father taught me. He’s more powerful, but I can sooth Sam’s reaction and cloak us for about a mile. And I’ll make sure he can’t tell I’m there. It would give us the time we need. I started to say something back there, but it was all a bit daunting.”
It really was a better plan. Unless Rafe showed up. Would he sense Winona and Reagan’s bond? Or, would he assume Winona was another one of Papa’s trusted wolves? One Rafe didn’t know about? Reagan’s mind was overrun with questions. “Let’s go see what Papa thinks. Come on.”
For the first time in days, energy coursed through her. She took her sister by the elbow and dragged her to Papa. When they entered the room, he was placing red circles on a map. “Were you able to contact Sam?”
“Yes, he wants to meet at two tomorrow. Winona and I were talking, and we think it’s better if she and I go.”
“No.” Cheveyo stood.
“Father, I know you’re concerned, but you taught me well. You know I can block for about a mile. Sam won’t sense anyone in that area and neither would anyone else. It makes more sense for our exit plan, too. Reagan and I can run, and worst case, fight.” Winona walked over to Cheveyo, and laid a hand on his arm. He seemed to settle down and took his seat again.
“I’m not so sure, either,” Papa said. “If Rafe ends up there—”
“If he does, you guys will be close enough to help if something bad goes down, and it’ll be daylight. I’m not going to talk to Sam for long. My plan is to see if Aunt Sarah and Nana can brew up a tea to help subdue him. I get him to drink it, and then we bring him back here. We’ll be in and out fast.”
“What if Sam won’t drink the tea?” Papa asked.
“Then we’ll have to go to the backup plan: a potion or shot of something. I’m not sure if Aunt Sarah can help. Do you have anything like that here?” On the surface, it seemed silly to ask. However, nothing about the resourcefulness of this clan surprised Reagan anymore. They had everything else in this cave, so why not drugs?
“We do have some pretty powerful tranquilizers in the weapons room. I can show Reagan how to use the gun tonight,” Rowan said.
“Winona, are you sure about this?” Papa asked.
Reagan noted the concern in his voice. She hoped Winona interpreted it in the same way—Papa cared about both of his granddaughters.
“I am.”
What Reagan wouldn’t give for a trip to the mall, an ice cream cone with friends, a movie with buttered popcorn, or any of a half dozen other things she used to do all the time. All she ever saw these days were trees in every shape and size, boulders, rocks, and on occasion a body of water. Since she and Winona began the journey back to Reagan’s home and the meeting with Sam, all she could think about were life’s little pleasures and how much her day to day existence had changed.
“When this is over, I’m going to take you to the mall. Mom and Dad can spring for some new outfits, and then we’ll get our hair, makeup, and nails done. After that, we’ll have lunch and go to a movie. I’ll even let you choose.” Reagan was getting more animated with each suggestion.
“That sounds great. I’ve never done any of those things. Father would sometimes get me a movie, but it was usually a classic. Mainly, I created movies in my head from the books I read.”
Reagan vowed to herself to change that when they were finally able to lead a normal life again. Thinking about all the things she missed kept her mind off seeing her brother. She remembered the last time they hung out, just before they left for Yellowstone. He wanted to watch Iron Man for the umpteenth time and was begging her to watch it with him. She finally gave in, made them some microwave popcorn, and sat next to him on the couch. They even shared a blanket.
“Tell me about our brother,” Winona said, pulling Reagan out of her own head.
“He was so adorable, although he’d hate to hear me say that. My girlfriends always said he’d be stealing all the girls’ hearts. He worshipped our dad.” She realized she was talking about him in the past tense. “Sorry, I guess it’s hard to remember he’s still alive. I don’t know that I’ll believe it until I see his face. Dad saw him, so I know he’s alive, but once you’ve been to someone’s funeral, it’s kind of awkward to see them again.”
Winona nodded. She wasn’t much on conversation, and Reagan had tried all day to get her sister talking. Since they couldn’t turn into wolves mid-day, they had quite a bit of time to kill. They ran for good chunks, but now that they were getting closer to the house, it was all about walking.
“This is my neighborhood,” Reagan said as they entered the Rock Creek subdivision. “Just another mile or so now.” As they began walking down Indiana Avenue, she heard a car beep and then the squeal of tires.
“Oh my God. Reagan, is that you?”
She knew the voice before she saw the face. Aspen. Instead of considering the best course of action for her safety, Reagan ran to her friend and pulled her into a hug.
“Nobody knew what happened to you, and your parents are kind of missing. You never called or anything,” Aspen said, pulling away.
Reagan could see the hurt all over her best friend’s face. “It’s complicated.”
“Please tell me you didn’t run off with Rafe.” Aspen crinkled her nose as she said his name.
“No.” Reagan’s life had been so fast-paced and intense lately, it hadn’t crossed her mind what her friends were thinking back home. “I’m sorry, we’re in a rush.”
Aspen looked at Winona and back to Reagan. “Who’s this?”
“I wish I had more time to catch up with you, really I do. But we have to go.” Reagan hugged her friend, and made an empty promise. “Let’s catch up soon.” It hurt to blow her off, but Reagan didn’t have a choice.
“Okay. Promise?”
“Promise.” Worst. Friend. Ever. Reagan was more determined to get Sam, do whatever was necessary to end Rafe’s reign of terror, and get back to living.
She pulled Winona down the street, eager for progress. “We’re a bit earlier than scheduled. Sam won’t be here for another hour, so I’ll show you around the place and then you can hide about twenty minutes be
fore.”
They went around the back of the house, and Reagan found the key where her parents had always kept it—under a pot on their deck. She continued to the side door, unlocked it, and went to the back sliding glass door to let Winona in.
“Welcome to the Cooper House. I’ll show you my room.”
Reagan led the way upstairs. Her room was exactly as she’d left it. Clothes were piled on the bed to be put away, her protection candle from Nana was still sitting on the nightstand, and the last book Reagan was reading was open like an inverted fan on her desk. Nostalgia set in. Was this the way it would have felt when she came back from college each summer? She sighed, knowing she’d never have the answer to that question.
Winona walked over to the small bookcase and bent down to look at all the books. “I’ve read almost every one of these. But I thought you’d have more.”
“There are boxes of them downstairs. My mom never throws anything away. Plus, I have a Kindle over in my nightstand. A couple of years ago, my parents got it for me so my books would take up less space.”
Winona opened the Kindle and gave Reagan a quizzical stare.
“Oh, here,” Reagan said as she switched it on. “It’s a way to read books electronically. Pretty cool, huh?”
Winona nodded and set it down. “Do you have a picture of Sam?” she asked.
“Of course. Wait, I have something even better. Come on.” Reagan headed back downstairs and into the living room. Several photo albums were splayed across the top of the coffee table. She sat on the couch, patting the cushion a couple of times in invitation before opening the album. “You’ll love these.” For about twenty minutes, she shared her family’s life with her sister through pictures. Photo after photo of memories.
“I’m here a little early.”
Reagan slammed the photo book closed. “He’s here! Hurry. Upstairs. Do you still have time to put the protection spell on?”
“Yes. Don’t worry.”
Easier said than done. Reagan felt sick to her stomach and breathed out, trying to calm herself. Pacing, she went over the plans in her head and patted her pockets. In one was the tea bag. Then she remembered her backpack. In it was the tranquilizer gun. She hoped she didn’t have to use it. Heading into the kitchen, she put the tea bag up with the others and turned the kettle on. For years, she and her brother would often have tea, so it wouldn’t be an odd suggestion to make him some, especially on a crisp fall day like today. She noticed her backpack wasn’t in the kitchen, even though she could’ve sworn she put it down on the table when she and Winona walked in.
Tala Prophecy: The Complete Series Page 30
