by C. J. Parker
She gave Jebez a swift once over. Gone was the dark eye make-up and in place of the gaudy gypsy style clothing were expensive designer jeans and a black T-shirt.
Closed away from the others in a small bedroom in the back of the house, Bobbie faced Jebez. “Don’t waste what little time I’ve allotted to you. Speak.”
“My father’s a powerful man. He believes you’re the one mentioned in the prophecy. I met Cuda in the French Quarter, and I used him to gain access. I’ve been reporting back, and Dad wants you to know he is ready to fight at your side. There will come a time when shifters from all around the world will come looking for you. They will need to learn how to proceed once your kind is discovered by the Outsiders.”
“Wait. You’re an Outsider.” Wasn’t she? Of course she was. She smelled human. Acted human. “Why would he do that?”
“My mother was an Outsider. My father is a shifter. I didn’t inherit the gene.” She smiled. “It comes in handy.”
The door swung open and Rhonda, Kangee and Hylton stepped in.
“Everything okay in here?” Kangee’s muscles tensed as he stood in the entranceway.
Hylton strode over and drew Jebez into his arms. “Good to see you, Sis. How’s Dad?”
“You used Cuda!” Rhonda shouted. “You had no concern that he might get hurt with your game of emotions?”
“Calm down, Rhonda. Let her talk.” Bobbie gestured toward an armchair off to Rhonda’s right. “Sit. Listen.”
Jebez sighed and laid her head on Hylton’s shoulder. “Cuda and I are friends. That’s all. He never thought otherwise. He doesn’t know who I am, but I never meant to hurt him. I’ve told him to stay out of this fight, but his uncle has some kind of hold on him. He’s convinced Cuda no one wants him, and no one could possibly love him the way he is. He thinks I’m delivering lip service when I tell him otherwise.” She hugged her brother’s arm. “I think you’ve come closer to Cuda than anyone in a very long time, Rhonda. He cares for you. So if anyone could hurt him, it would be you.”
A pang of sadness crossed Rhonda’s expression. “I do care for Cuda. He just doesn’t believe it. And, it seems, no matter who tells him different, he’ll always consider himself inferior.”
Bobbie sat on the bed next to where Jebez sat with Hylton. “If your father knew what was going to happen, why didn’t he save my brother? Where is he now? Hiding in Washington? What is it your father wants from us?”
“Dad wants you to stay alive. He didn’t know what they planned to do to your brother or he would have stopped it. My father can do a lot within the government. His position will be a great help not a hindrance to you.” She reached out to take Bobbie’s hand and looked pleadingly into her eyes. “I can get boats here within half an hour to get all of you out.”
Bobbie knew she couldn’t do that and keep face. “If he knows about the prophecy, he knows this battle has to be fought to fulfill it.”
Jebez shrugged her shoulders. “He said that would be your answer, but I had to try. This is only the beginning. The real war will be fought on the streets of the Outsiders world once they know about the shifters. And the Outsiders are going to find out.”
Rhonda leaned forward. “Where is Cuda now?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe he listened to me and left town. I told him all I could without letting him know who Hylton and I are. That would endanger my father’s safety. I told him what I know about the Guardians. The truth, not the propaganda they’ve fed him all his life. His uncle is now the grand pooh-pooh of the organization.”
Jebez leaned closer, as if wanting to make sure Bobbie paid close attention. “But that man, Verdun, is the real troublemaker. He’s in seek-and-destroy mode. Won’t be happy until every single one of you are dead.”
Jebez hugged her brother again. “Please come home, Hylton. Dad is worried.”
Hylton kissed her on the forehead. “I owe Bobbie too much to turn my back on her now. You, on the other hand, are leaving now. How did you get here in this weather?”
“Parked the truck and trailer on the road and launched the boat. The water was about ten feet off the road when I left, so I do need to go. It’s going to be impassible soon. Highway eleven is already closed and they’re going to close the twin spans soon.”
“Why you taking the twin spans?” Hylton stood drawing his sister to her feet.
“I’m not. I’m taking Woodland Highway. I have some people waiting for us at the Mississippi River. But they won’t wait long. The water is getting too rough.”
Rhonda stood. “Then you best get moving. We don’t know when those men will be back or how many.”
A twang of regret tingled over Bobbie. She’d treated Jebez badly and if what she said was true, she’d been trying to help them all along. Bobbie didn’t want to believe it, but seeing Jebez with her brother, she knew the girl was telling the truth. “Who is your father?”
Hylton smiled. “Not something you need to know right now. Soon. As, Salena said, a powerful man in Washington circles.”
“Salena?” Bobbie raised her eyebrows.
“My real name is Salena.” Jebez smiled. “But let’s keep it Jebez for now. It’s for the best.”
Bobbie arched one eyebrow. “And Hylton?”
“Is my real name.” He started for the door. “I’ll get everyone settled. Salena…Jebez, you should leave. Go home. Tell Dad everything is as it should be.”
Jebez leaned into him and kissed his chin. “Be safe, big brother. I’d be lost without you.”
~~~
Rhonda stood on the porch watching the men shift forms and leap from one landing to the next. They were efficient and swift. She admired that, but it did little to register amongst her troubled thoughts.
Where was Cuda? Was he with the Guardians? Was he safe? Would they be forced to fight against each other? Did he know she meant it when she told him she was his friend? God knew, if anyone needed a friend, it was Cuda.
She crossed her arms and leaned her hip against the balustrade, refusing to give in to the gusts of wind determined to blow her back against Bobbie’s house. Rhonda was so tired of being pushed around. She wanted to rail against the storm, against the powers that be, make all the elements know that she wasn’t the little mouse of a thing everyone and everything perceived her to be. But a little fire girl was no match against the soul of a storm.
Rhonda.
She turned to answer but found herself alone on the porch.
Rhonda, come to me.
“Aetheria?” she whispered. “Where are you?”
Come to the other side of the Council House beside the ash pit. There are things you should know.
“Me? What kind of trick is this?” She peered around, but Aetheria was nowhere in sight.
She turned wary eyes toward Aetheria’s house. Bertha stepped onto the porch, looked toward the Council House then to Rhonda and nodded.
The door opened behind Rhonda and Troy stepped out.
“Troy?” The quiet calmness in his black eyes frightened her. He took her into his arms and held her. No words escaped his lips, but she heard him speak to her.
Go, Rhonda. You will be safe, I assure you.
He released her, stared into her eyes so intently she feared he was scanning her soul. “Go.” He turned and walked back into the house. Rhonda looked up to see Bertha nod at her once more and then returned inside Aetheria’s home.
The water was up to the third step of Bobbie’s house. Whatever this was had better not take long. At least the rain had stopped for now. With a deep resigned sigh, she turned, descended, and waded her way through the flood toward the Council House.
“This better be good, Aetheria,” she muttered. “Cause Bobbie is surely gonna kick my ass when she discovers I’m missing.” Shaking her head, she trudged across the common ground.
Rhonda hadn’t noticed the ash pit was on higher ground but was glad she wouldn’t have to worry about falling in. Rhonda didn’t know exactly what Bobbie meant when
she said falling in would be a bad thing, but she wasn’t interested in finding out first hand, either.
Muffled voices reached her ears. She waded through the thigh high water and around the building, but found herself alone. Looking around in frantic confusion, mist took form and shape in front of Rhonda in the distance just beyond the ash pit. The edges of the mist sent tendrils of moisture out in all directions, wrapping around trees, as if searching for intruders. Slowly, a vision formed in its center.
Aetheria sat on a fallen tree. Cuda paced in front of her, trees surrounded the small clearing. Wind whipped their hair frantically. Rhonda tried to figure out where they were, but it looked like most of the woodland around the village— trees and brush, no real identifying markings. The ground around them, though wet, held no standing water. The sounds of their words became clearer. Cuda paced, stubbornly sidestepping Aetheria’s reach. Angst twisted his expression.
“Do you want the truth, Cuda, or do you take what you’ve been told on blind faith?” Aetheria asked.
“One good truth is as good as another.” He sneered in disgust. “Neither will change what I am.”
“You’re wrong about yourself. Your uncle is wrong. You are not an abomination. You are a creature of God, same as Robertina, Kangee, and the others in the village. As Tabatha and Rhonda are in their own right.”
“But they knew who they were at birth. There was never anyone in my life like me, so why am I like this? Why are you just now telling me? I hate you—do you think you’re God?”
Cuda walked a few steps away.
“Your father’s name was Ashe Ansgar. He was a great Norseman Warrior. Tall, handsome, strong. How much do you understand of your shifter side, Cuda? How much has your uncle told you?”
“Ashe.” He said the name as if to test its power on him. “Said ‘normal’ people would hate me if they found out about me.”
Rhonda understood his self-hatred. She’d been raised to believe she was a freak, something to be ashamed of.
He returned to sit beside Aetheria. “When I was little, he’d punish me if he caught me in my animal form. I was sixteen the last time he saw me that way. He swore if I ever did it again, he’d kill me himself.” He sighed as if the weight of his life had finally crushed him. “What was my mother’s name?”
Aetheria’s eyes widened. “He didn’t tell you about your mother?”
Cuda shook his head.
She sighed deeply. “Maybe I should start at the beginning. I can only tell you what Ashe told me.”
“Did you know my mother?”
“No.” She paused. “Let’s see. How shall I tell this?”
“Like my father told it to you.”
Aetheria’s expression took on an absent air, her gaze vacant in remembrance.
“Ashe had gone into the city for supplies. I guess the first mistake was his king sending him out during one of the Outsider’s holidays. It was the Fourth of July, and I think everybody in New Orleans was out with their noisemakers and picnics.”
She paused as if gathering her thoughts. “Ashe said he found her sitting on a quilt in the middle of Jackson Square. She was laughing at something her brother has said. She was the most beautiful woman your father had ever seen. Blond hair that hung to her waist in waves, blue eyes that sparkled with joy, and skin the color of porcelain, she was nothing like the women he’d grown up with.” The old woman stopped, sadness in her eyes.
Cuda touched her hand. “Please, continue.”
“I have some of Ashe’s things in a trunk. I believe there is a picture of your mother. I’ll see if I can find it for you.” She nodded. “Let’s see. Where was I? Oh, yes. The park. He strolled the pathway, watching her for a while and finally struck up the nerve to go speak with her. Her brother, Sagar, was friendly and asked Ashe to join them. Ashe was taken with your mother immediately, and she with him.” She shrugged. “Of course, your uncle didn’t know Ashe was a shifter. He probably didn’t know shifters existed. But that wasn’t the problem.”
“What was?” Cuda glanced her way.
“Your grandfather had married your mother off the day she turned sixteen. Her husband was a cruel man. Ashe said there were many times he saw the marks the man had left after one of his tirades.”
Cuda frowned. “Ashe kept seeing my mother anyway? Knowing she was married?”
“Yes. She needed him. She would sneak off to see Ashe whenever she could get away. He said they hadn’t done anything wrong. He loved her but stayed a true friend. But one of the women of the village saw them together and told her husband.”
Cuda’s jaw dropped. “Why would she do such a thing? She could have gotten my mother killed. Or Ashe.”
“She was a jealous woman. She was sure Katherine was the reason Ashe kept rebuffing her.”
“My mother’s name was Katherine?”
Aetheria smiled and nodded.
“This other woman loved my father?”
His words held so much pleading it tore at Rhonda’s heart. A strong gust of wind nearly pushed her forward and into the ash pit. She gripped one of the shutters of the hut and drew her body closer to the building claiming what little shelter it offered.
“In her own way, I guess, but knowing Shanay the way I did, I’d say it was more like obsession.” Aetheria huffed. “I would go so far as to venture that she’d rather have seen Ashe dead than with someone other than herself.”
Cuda hesitated and finally asked, “What happened?”
“Katherine’s husband left to go to work. He waited down the block for her to leave, then followed her. When he caught them together, he shot at Ashe. So Ashe had no choice but to kill him. It was self-defense, but he couldn’t go to the police. The full moon was only three days away. I’m sure you understand.”
Cuda nodded. “That close to the full moon, the chance of shifting is too great.”
“When they found…” She hesitated, frowning. “What was his name? Paul, that’s it. When they found Paul, he was sitting on a bench at Audubon Park with the side of his head bashed in. It’s still an open case.”
Rhonda imagined what Derek could do with that information.
“Serves him right.” Cuda’s face darkened. “The idea of this faceless man beating on my mother makes me sick.”
Rhonda almost suggested he have Tabatha raise the man so Cuda could bash him again but remembered they couldn’t see or hear her.
Aetheria glanced straight at Rhonda, making her jump back in surprise. A visage of the old woman raising her finger to her lips appeared within the scene, and Rhonda knew Aetheria was aware of her, yet Cuda was not.
“Anyway, Ashe told Katherine how much he loved her. That he wanted to marry her, but she wanted to wait. It would look suspicious if she married so soon after her husband’s death. The problem arose when they didn’t wait for the wedding bed to consummate their love for each other. When she became pregnant with you, she returned to her brother and told him she was going to have Ashe’s baby and was going to marry him.
“But, again, Shanay caused trouble. She told Sagar about the shifters and that your father was one of them. Of course, your uncle thought the woman was crazy as a loon. So, she shifted in front of him. She laughed about that for years. Said he wet himself and curled up in a corner begging her not to kill him.”
“That’s hard to believe.” Cuda shook his head. “My uncle is a hard man. I’ve never seen him afraid of anything in my life. More than once, I’ve seen Sagar face down men with guns and knives without any show of fear. No. That part I don’t buy.”
“Believe this, Cuda. Sagar murdered your mother.”
Tears filled Cuda’s eyes. His hands fisted in his lap and his cheeks reddened with rage. “No.” He pressed his fingertips against his temples and closed his eyes. “Wait. He couldn’t have. I’m here. I was born.”
Aetheria draped her arm around his shoulders. “Your father took her to safety. He was willing to give up his clan, his entire life to be with you and
your mother. He got a job, bought a house, started a new life. They were convinced they were well hidden, but Sagar found them shortly after you were born. Ashe was at work, and she was home alone with you. Ashe arrived home to find his beloved Katherine shot through the heart and you gone. He never stopped trying to find you. He loved you.”
“Did he eventually remarry? Have kids?”
“Yes. Ashe was my husband.”
Shock, confusion and anger slammed Rhonda from every angle until they collided in one great wail of sorrow.
Aetheria drew Cuda into her arms and hugged him like a mother. “I wanted him to find you, too, Cuda. I wanted you as my own. I wanted to be your mother.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? I’ve been searching for family forever.” He shrugged Aetheria’s arm away and leaned forward, elbows on knees, head in hands. “Wow, then I show up in the village all cocky. Bet you were disappointed, huh?”
“Never. And your father and I did try to find you.” She straightened her spine and stared intently at Cuda. “Do you want to know why you’re a coyote, Cuda”
He opened his mouth to answer but nodded instead.
“You’re mother’s great-grandfather was a shifter, a coyote. She married a half blood shifter, had a one son.” She paused. “The boy didn’t shift, but he carried the gene. You inherited that gene from your mother through her great-grandfather. Do you think your mother cursed you? Do you honestly believe you’re a monster?”
The silence stretched out like a taunt rubber band about to snap.
“No.” He wrapped his arms around her and sobbed until there were no more tears.
Aetheria gently pushed him away and straightened her garments. “Watch and listen. It is time you know of your past and what your future can be.” She gave a slight twist of her ring, and the scene played out just as it had that day in the Counsel hut.
A man working his garden, a man tending his flock.
As the vision unfolded, Aetheria turned to Rhonda. Her voice rang out through the storm, clear and strong.
“There are many kinds of love, Rhonda Meads. Blood ties pull at your soul the same as heart ties. Be aware of the difference.”
