This statement caught her attention. “Wait, what? What do you mean?”
“Well, like the vampires and werewolves, humans cannot see us in our true forms. To them, other than our size, we appear as normal as any of you. Our skin, hair color, eye color, striking looks, and even our weapons and clothing are concealed. To them, when they see me, they see a very average looking man.”
“Wow, it sucks to be them,” she mumbled under her breath.
He chuckled. “I heard that.”
She shrugged. “Oh, wow.” It suddenly became clear. “So, just like I can see the vampires and werewolves in their true forms, I can also see you in yours.”
“Exactly.”
“So, you have the power to reveal yourself to us if you choose?”
He raised his right hand, drawing her attention to the wooden ring on his middle finger. It was woven and twisted in a lovely design. “This ring gives me the power to reveal my true appearance to whomever I choose. My grandmother gave it to me right before I stepped through the portal.”
“May I?” she asked, suddenly eager to hold the ring.
He slipped it off and handed it to her.
She flipped it around in her hand, admiring the lovely design more closely. Beta began whining and without even realizing, she slipped the huge ring onto her own small, delicate finger.
She gasped as the large ring instantly shrunk to the small size of her finger. Her head whipped backward, and her eyes rolled back. Everything went quiet, dead quiet, and she realized she was suddenly in a meadow. She felt a strange sense of peace. Fragrant flowers were blooming all around her. She strolled along, her hands just whispering gently across the tops of the flowers of all colors; yellow, red, orange, and blue.
A woman suddenly stepped out of the trees beyond her. She was a lovely woman, with long dark hair and eyes so green they almost glowed. Her pale dress flowed out and around her as she walked.
“Hello, Emerald,” the woman spoke, her voice smooth and sweet as she continued to approach.
“Do I know you?” she asked the woman.
“No. I am sorry to say you do not.” And then she spoke almost in a whisper. “I am your mother, your real mother.”
Emerald felt the tears stinging her eyes and yet she dared not look away for fear the woman would disappear. “How. Why?”
“I am so sorry child. Your father and I gave you away when you were born. We did it to protect you.”
“Protect me?”
“Yes. We couldn’t risk you being discovered before it was time. I knew when I was pregnant with you that you were the one that would end the war. I saw it in a dream.”
“You saw it in a dream?”
“Yes. You see I am what you call a Dream Siren. That means I see things through dreams, sometimes things that will come to pass and some things that have already passed. I can also travel into dreams, sometimes even change things. And on rare occasions, I have even pulled someone into my dreams. You, Emerald, also have that gift. You have seen things through dreams that have come true.”
“I have, but I haven’t seen or done what you are describing.”
“Not yet you haven’t, but you will.”
“I don’t understand.” What she was saying wasn’t making sense to Emerald.
“I know, child. But just know that this is how you will end the war. In the days to come you will learn more. You will learn to use your gift. You will save many lives, my beautiful girl.” By now the woman had reached Emerald and was touching her delicate hand to Emerald’s cheek.
She leaned into her mother’s touch. “So, you do love me after all?” Emerald asked, her heart hopeful.
“Oh yes, my darling girl.” The woman was tearful now. “Your father and I love you very much. We’ve kept track of you over the years. I knew this time would come. I knew when the police found your adoptive mother and the other men dead in your home that it had begun.”
Emerald cringed at the mention of her adoptive mother’s death. It was still very painful.
“I’ve been trying to find a way to reach you. You are so young, and it takes many years for our gifts to develop, but we don’t have time to wait. It’s this ring, Emerald.” She picked up her daughter’s hand and touched the ring that now adorned her finger. “This ring was crafted by the fae from a very special tree. Your protector’s relative was wise to give it to him. It was this ring that ignited your gift. That is how I found you.”
Emerald shook her head. “This is so much to process. So, you are saying I’m a Dream Siren like you and that through my dreams I will end this war?”
“Yes.”
“But how?”
“I don’t have all the answers, Emerald. That is something you will have to figure out for yourself. Somewhere deep down you have always known you were special, that you had a very important purpose to your life. Now, it’s time you discovered it. You must go now.”
“No. I want to stay here with you.” Tears filled her eyes and leaked down her cheeks.
“No child. You must return to him. He will help you. He was born for you, and you for him. Now go to him.”
Somewhere in the distance, Emerald heard a voice. It was calling her name. Its tone was desperate, panicked. She tried to ignore it as she held tightly to her mother’s hands.
“You must go.”
“Em! Emerald!” the voice called.
She sensed the moment the ring was taken from her finger.
She heaved deeply in and out.
“Emerald! Are you okay?” Ren was holding her in his arms.
“I-I’m okay.”
He was wiping the tears from her cheeks.
She reached up and touched her damp cheek…and then she remembered.
* * * * * *
Ren had not hesitated when Emerald asked to hold his ring. He wanted her to know about him, about who he was. But once she had slipped the ring onto her slight finger, her body had reacted violently. He heard her deep gasp and her head whipped back.
He’d jerked the truck off to the side of the road. He knew something was very wrong.
He took her in his arms and cradled her head, calling her name, but she wouldn’t respond. Wherever she was, she was far away from him. Her beautiful eyes were rolling around, up, down, back and forth wildly—and then she went still. This is what scared him the most. She wasn’t moving. He pressed his head to her chest. Yes, she was still breathing.
“Em! Emerald!” he called.
Beta was whining loudly, but Ren couldn’t tear his eyes from the girl. She had become important to him, more important than he could even admit.
As if remembering, he reached for her hand and the ring on her small finger. He gave it a tug and it came free.
Emerald gulped in air fast and hard, sitting up and gazing at him as if stunned. Her eyes were wide, and the green was almost glowing.
“Emerald! Are you okay?”
“I-I’m okay.”
“What happened?” he asked, rubbing the tears from both her cheeks. “Where did you go?”
She glanced down at the ring in his hand. “The ring.”
He followed her gaze.
“The ring is what did it.”
“It was crafted by my people,” he said, turning it around in his hand. “It was made from the Sarsanac tree, a most beloved tree in my kingdom.”
“It pulled me into the vision. It triggered my gift.”
“Your gift?”
Emerald then told him all about her vision and what her birth mother had told her.
When she finished her story, Ren was deep in thought. He knew she was telling him the truth, but he wasn’t sure what it all meant just yet. He sensed that his role in it all was going to be more than just simply protecting Emerald, but he was up for the challenge. His family had believed that the fae should protect the earthly realm if at all possible and he would do just that.
~12~
Emerald tried her best to stay awake. Ren had been sharing
about his people and where he was from. She found it so fascinating and yet her eyes refused to stay open. It didn’t help that the deep sexy hum of Ren’s voice was so comforting to her. He had never talked this much in the entire combined time they’d spent together thus far. He enjoyed telling her about his world.
She realized she had fallen into a deep comatose sleep when he shook her gently. “Wake up sleepy. We’re here.”
That got her attention and she bolted straight up, quickly taking in her surroundings. It was dark, but she could see that their vehicle was surrounded by men, very tall, handsome men to be exact.
“Let me guess, werewolves, right? They look yummy.” She teased, rubbing her hands together like she was ready for dinner.
“Hmmm,” Ren growled.
She enjoyed the slight look of jealousy on his usual stone face.
She opened the truck door and slipped out, followed closely by Beta. Ren came around the truck carrying their bags and appeared protective as he stepped up to her, placing his arm around her waist and guiding her forward.
Emerald could tell they all knew Ren, but it was the looks she was getting that made her feel slightly uncomfortable. She was teasing Ren about them looking yummy, but it appeared they thought she looked yummy for real.
“Ren! So glad you two made it here safely.” A tall man with short wavy black hair and a short beard approached. He and Ren shared a sincere but brief hug.
“Jake. It’s good to see you. Thank you for having us.”
“Are you kidding me? It’s an honor to have you and the one who will end this god-awful war.” He stepped up to Emerald and peered down at her with a genuine smile. “This must be the one everyone is buzzing about. Hello, I’m Jake Chatwin and this is my pack.”
“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Chatwin. I’m Emerald.”
“Oh please, call me Jake. It’s a pleasure, Emerald.”
He escorted them into his facility which was a huge building, but nice, surrounded by thick woods.
She stepped inside and they entered a lobby. It was not at all what she expected from the outside. It resembled a hotel in some ways, but there was a hallway leading deeper into the building.
Jake introduced Emerald to all the men, and her head was spinning trying to remember them all. She did remember Sammy because he had a baby face, accompanied by sweet dimples, and Tom because he had one blue eye and one brown eye. She also remembered Steven because he was smiling at her like she was a mouse, and he was the cat about to pounce. The others were nice enough, and once she was inside, she began to relax a little.
“I know you two are tired,” Jake said, patting Ren on the back. “We have a room made up for you, with two beds of course. We can talk in the morning after you’re rested up a bit.”
“Of course,” Ren replied.
“Sammy, will you show them to their room? And we’ll bring you some food shortly. ”
“Thank you again,” Ren said and wrapped his arm around Emerald’s waist as they followed Sammy out of the room. He led them down the long hallway with doors on either side. It dead ended, forcing them to either go left or right into another hallway with doors, which also dead ended into another hallway with doors. Their room was at the end of the hallway on the right.
It was a nice room with two twin beds separated by a small table, and Emerald was thankful to see a bathroom in the corner.
“Let us know if you need anything, and I’ll be right back with that food,” Sammy said with a boyish smile, exiting and pulling the door shut behind him.
Ren sat their bags down on the beds and Beta jumped onto the bed to the right, the one closest to the bathroom. He spun around a few times and then curled up into a ball, apparently ready for bedtime.
“I guess he’s picked the one he wants,” he said to Emerald.
She unzipped her bag and pulled out some fresh clothes. “Mind if I take a shower first?”
“No, of course not.”
She went into the bathroom and stripped down, anxious to have the hot water wash away all the stress from the last twenty-four hours.
Twenty minutes later, she exited the bathroom, her skin red from the heat of the water, and noticed Ren laying across his bed eating.
“Oh, thank heavens. Food. I’m starving,” she said, plopping down onto her bed and picking up her plate of food from the small table. Beta sat up and leaned over her, licking his chops.
“I know. Here you go,” she said, giving him a huge pinch of her burger and patting him on the head. “That’s a good boy.”
“You know,” Ren said, sitting up and pointing at Beta, “he really is a good boy. I’m truly impressed with how well-behaved he is and how good he watches over you. He’s making my job a lot easier.”
“Yes, he is,” she replied, enjoying how much easier it was for him to communicate with her now that they were getting to know one another.
Ren finished his food and sat his plate on the table. He stood, stretched, grabbed some clothes from his bag, and headed into the bathroom.
Emerald was dozing off when Ren exited the bathroom. Once her eyes landed on his wet shirtless form, her eyes popped open. He was breathtaking. His shoulders were broad and muscular, well every part of him was muscular, she thought. She had never seen anything like him in all her life. His golden damp hair was hanging loose around his neck, shoulders and face. Her heart was hammering in her throat, and she felt her pulse quicken. The feelings that were stirring within her for the man were growing stronger by the day. All of a sudden, he peered over at her and she abruptly glanced away, but she knew it was too late, he had already spotted her checking him out. When she glanced back at him, he was smiling.
She spun away from him and snuggled deeper into her covers and called Beta to come lay against her.
“Are you not going to sleep in your pajamas?” Ren asked her.
“No. I think I’ll feel safer if I keep my clothes on this time,” she answered without peering at him. She could almost feel his smirk warming her back.
“Okay then. Goodnight Em,”
Her heart leapt at the sound of his voice speaking her nickname. “Goodnight Ren.”
~13~
Emerald woke to a strange noise. It sounded like it was coming from outside. She sat up in the bed and glanced around her. The room was dark, but she could make out Ren who was sound asleep in the bed across the room from her. She noted how his huge body took up the entire bed, his feet dangling slightly off the end. Beta was curled in a ball at the foot of her bed and not even he stirred.
She listened intently. There it was again, a whimper coming from outside her window. She tossed her covers aside and stood, going to the window, tugging the curtain aside and peering out into the night. She saw nothing. She was about to turn back around when she spotted a small white dog. She could barely make it out in the dark night. It appeared to be injured as it whimpered and limped along the edge of the woods.
Emerald had always had a soft heart for all creatures and could never turn her back on one in need. She tiptoed, as not to wake her friends, and slowly opened the door. She stepped into the hallway and pulled the door softly shut behind her.
She couldn’t remember the way back but followed the hallway until she finally entered the lobby. She let out a sigh of relief when she recognized where she was. She hurried to the front door, unlocked it and stepped into the dark night. It was chilly so she wrapped her arms around herself as she went on search of the injured animal she had spotted only minutes earlier. She made her way around the building, cursing her stupidity for not taking the time to put on her shoes.
She shuffled her bare feet quickly along the crunchy ground, keeping her weight on her tiptoes. “Doggy. Here doggy.” She made ticking sounds with her mouth, trying to lure it to her, but she couldn’t see it anywhere.
“Hello, Emerald,” a voice spoke to her.
She squealed and spun toward the voice, her hand flying to her chest. She recognized Sammy at once. “Oh Sammy,
it’s only you. You scared the crap out of me,” she reprimanded the young man.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s okay. What in tarnation are you doing out here?” she asked him.
“I was looking for you.”
“Me?” She instantly had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.
He was inching his way toward her and his sweet baby face turned sinister and threatening. “You see I used the little dog to lure you out here. I could sense you had a soft spot for animals since you seem to cherish that dog of yours.”
“Did you hurt that dog?”
He laughed slightly. “Only you would be worried about the dog when your very life is in danger.”
“Is it?” She could barely force the words out.
His wicked grin was horrifying. “Yes, it is.”
Fear was spreading throughout her body as the young man continued to stalk toward her. Every ounce of her was telling her to run, but her feet were frozen in place.
“Why did you want me out here, Sammy?”
“You see, Emerald, I need this war. I was a nobody before this pack took me in. Now that I’m a werewolf, people no longer bully me or mistreat me. I am somebody. Fighting those damn vampires is the only thing I’m good at. I need this war, and I’m sorry Emerald, but I can’t let you end it.”
She was backing up now, her legs finally moving of their own accord. “You don’t have to do this, Sammy. I didn’t ask for this. I’m only doing what I have to do.” She put her hands out in front of her as she tried to talk some sense into the young man.
“And so am I?” He began shifting then right before her eyes. His once sweet innocent looks were instantly replaced with hair, fangs, and huge sharp claws.
She let out a bloodcurdling scream and bolted off into the woods. She ran, speed her primary thought. She ducked, but a branch jabbed her, hitting her face and sending a sharp but brief pain across her cheek. The beast that was pursuing her wanted to kill her, and she knew that if her legs faltered, it would be on her in seconds and it would not stop until she was in pieces. Her chest heaved with the exertion she was unaccustomed to. She hadn’t made a habit out of regular exercise and she regretted it now. She had seen this before, in her many dreams, but which version of her dream would this be? Would she die here tonight like prey being devoured by a predator?
Emerald Moon Page 6
