Marked (Howl #5)

by Jody Morse

  Joel nodded. “That’s probably for the best. If Marnie finds out the truth before then, she’ll do everything in her power to make sure that wedding doesn’t happen.” As he added the cheese to the burgers to melt it, he winked at Samara. “Let’s keep this our little secret for now.”

  Chapter 16

  Later that night, Samara and Luke met her pack in the woods behind her house. They were the last ones to arrive; even Seth and Penelope were already seated on one of the logs, waiting for them. The pot of wolfsbane and wine was already boiling over the fire.

  Penelope was running her hands through Seth’s dark chocolate brown hair as Samara and Luke approached them. When Penelope saw them, she glanced up. “Hello, Samara. And Luke,” she said.

  Samara wasn’t certain, but she was pretty sure that Penelope eyed Luke and batted her eyelashes. Why, though, if Seth was the one who she wanted to be with? Was she trying to test Samara’s patience?

  “Hi,” Samara said. She glanced over at Colby. “Do you have the goblet?”

  Colby nodded. “Yeah, I brought it.”

  “Then, let’s form a circle,” Samara instructed her pack.

  Seth raised his eyebrows at her. “Are you sure you’re ready for us to go through with this? You don’t want to talk about it? I know you weren’t so sure about Penelope initiating last night, but . . .”

  “But, she changed her mind, baby,” Penelope said, kissing him on the cheek and meeting Samara’s eyes. “Isn’t that right?”

  “Yeah, I guess. Whatever,” Samara said, nonchalantly. The only reason she was agreeing to this initiation was for Seth’s sake because after the way Penelope had battered her eyelashes at Luke, Samara was positive that she didn’t trust her.

  Seth obviously trusted Penelope, but if she was the type of girl that Samara thought she was, that trust wasn’t going to last long. Penelope would prove her true colors to him over time. Samara was positive of it. The only thing she could do was wait and hope that her brother wouldn’t be too crushed over it in the end.

  The pack rose to their feet and formed a circle around the fire. As Colby filled the goblet with the wolfsbane and wine mixture, Samara turned to Penelope. “Our initiation ritual is really simple. We all need to drink from that mixture. Once we’ve all drank from it, you’ll be a Tala.” Samara was careful to leave out the fact that the mixture contained wolfsbane; if things didn’t work out with Penelope, she didn’t want her to know their pack’s secret.

  “Okay,” Penelope nodded. Smiling sweetly, she added, “I was afraid your initiation was going to involve devouring an animal or making some sort of sacrifice.”

  “Why?” Samara questioned.

  “Oh, I’ve just . . . heard about initiations involving those things,” Penelope replied quickly, tossing her caramel hair over her shoulder. “They sound pretty brutal.”

  “Okay, so do you want to start?” Colby asked, handing the goblet to Emma.

  “Aww, Colby Jack! You remembered!” Emma beamed, happy that Colby knew she didn’t want to drink after any of the others. Emma took a tiny sip from the goblet before handing it to Colby.

  Samara was the last of her pack members to drink from the goblet. Once she was done, she handed it to Penelope, who was standing next to her.

  Penelope tilted her head back and gulped down all of the remaining wolfsbane and wine mixture. As expected, a purple cloud of smoke enveloped her, tossing her hair into the air. It was no longer raining, but the wind blew some of the moisture from the ground into her face, giving it a wet appearance.

  There was a loud cracking sound as Penelope’s body began to transform into a wolf. Once she was lowered onto all fours, she strutted over to Steve. Brushing up against his legs, like a cat, she looked deep into his eyes before turning to Seth.

  What the hell is she doing? Declan asked Samara through mind-speak. I thought she was supposed to be Seth’s mate.

  She is, Samara said, still in disbelief. She glanced over at her brother, but, judging from the way he was staring longingly into Penelope’s eyes, it was obvious that was completely unaffected by her actions.

  Seth was completely oblivious to the fact that Penelope was flirting with other guys besides him.

  Samara sighed. It’s making me sick to watch this.

  Tell me about it. Poor Seth, Declan murmured. Me and him got really close, you know.

  You did? Samara was surprised. Even though her brother had never seemed to have a problem with Declan, the two of them just never seemed to have anything in common. In Samara’s opinion, it was because the two of them had too much in common. They both loved sports, movies, and they could both be the center of the crowd—or complete loners—depending on the situation.

  Of course we did. He was living at my house. It was sort of like having a roommate. Actually, I guess it was more like having a brother for the first time in my life. In any case, we spent a lot of time together. My dad is also really fond of Seth now.

  Samara smiled and glanced over at Declan from across the fire. Thank you for taking care of Seth during that time. It really means a lot to me.

  You don’t need to thank me. I gotta tell you, though, he really missed you . . . and your parents. He told me on several occasions how much he missed you and how worried he was about you. Declan paused for a long while before adding: Seth is a really good brother, Sam. I know it might be easy to let little things—like his relationship with Penelope—get between the two of you, but you shouldn’t. Don’t take him for granted because good brothers are hard to come by.

  Thanks for your advice. Samara glanced over at her brother, who was laughing and smiling at Penelope, who had now changed back to her human form. He ran his hands through her hair and planted a kiss on her lips.

  She knew that Declan was right. No matter what happened between Seth and Penelope, she couldn’t lose sight of her relationship with her brother. She couldn’t let someone else get between them, no matter how much of a bitch Penelope might turn out to be.

  At the end of the day, Samara had to worry about Seth’s feelings. She had to protect her brother. If Penelope was no good for him, Samara just had to make sure that he didn’t get hurt.

  “We’re gonna get going,” Seth said, turning to Samara. “I’m gonna hang out with Penelope in the woods tonight. Tell Mom and Dad not to worry about me.”

  Samara nodded, knowing that there wasn’t anything else she could do. It irritated her that he was so infatuated with her for only knowing her for such a short period of time. She could sneak up on him when he least expected it. She forced herself to shake the thoughts from her mind. Even though she didn’t trust Penelope, she also didn’t think she was capable of physically hurting Seth, either. He was a McKinley, after all.

  “I think we’re going to head home, too,” Kyana said, turning to Chris. “It is a school night. I need to finish my homework.”

  “Okay, baby,” Chris murmured, kissing her forehead. “Night everyone.”

  “We’re gonna go, too,” Kyle said, grabbing Silas hand. “Bye, loves!” Silas said, as he followed after him. Josh also followed after them, giving a small wave over his shoulder as he left.

  “I guess I’m gonna head out, too,” Declan said. “Goodnight.” Even though he meant the words for everyone, Samara couldn’t help but notice that his eyes were on her as he said them.

  “What about you, Colby? Are you ready to drive me home?” Emma questioned.

  “Actually, I need to get something out of the car for Luke. It’s just a video game,” Colby explained. “And then I need to tell Samara something in private. I’ll be right back.”

  “I’ll come with you,” Luke offered.

  Samara watched as they both darted down the path and began to walk towards Colby’s car, which was parked on the other side of the lake.

  “Do you mind if Colby gives me a ride back to his house, too?” Steve asked Emma.

  “Do I look like Colby’s keeper?” Emma paused. “Actually, on second tho
ught, I guess I do. Sure, I see no reason why Colby Jack can’t give you a ride home.”

  “I can’t believe you still call him that,” Steve commented.

  “Why?” Emma questioned. “Everyone calls him that. You call him that.”

  “Yeah, but he’s your mate. It seems kind of disrespectful to me.”

  Emma rolled her eyes. “I’ll let you all in on a little secret, since I’m the only one of the three of us who can actually hear Colby’s thoughts.” She glanced from Steve to Samara. “Colby loves when I call him Colby Jack. It actually turns him on.”

  “Okay, that is way too much info,” Samara muttered, her face twisting in disgust. She shook the thought away.

  “Nasty. I don’t need to know what goes on in Colby’s perverted mind.” Steve kicked up dirt with his Nikes. “Man, I’m so pissed off.”

  “Why are you pissed off?” Samara asked.

  “I don’t want Penelope to be on our pack,” Steve said quietly. “I know I made all those jokes about her being hot, and she is hot as hell. But she made me really uncomfortable tonight. How could she flirt with me like that right in front of Seth . . . her mate? Disgusting.”

  “It was pretty slutty of her,” Emma agreed. “I’m surprised Seth didn’t get mad.”

  “It’s like he was blind to it.” Steve shook his head in disbelief. “The thing is, I’m not sure if I would ever be able to control myself around her if she flirted with me when Seth wasn’t around. She’s one of the hottest chicks I’ve seen around here in a while, no offense to you two. She’s superstar status, if you know what I mean.”

  Samara rolled her eyes. She didn't know what everyone saw in Penelope. Sure, she looked good in a short skirt and low-cut shirt, but didn't anyone care about what was underneath it all? Of course they do, she realized, that’s part of the problem. “I hope you wouldn’t fool around with Penelope. She’s Seth’s mate. It would hurt him so much if she cheated on him with one of his pack members.”

  “Yeah, that’s not something that ‘bros’ do to each other,” Emma said. “And don’t tell me Seth’s not your ‘bro’. I heard you tell Chris you think of him as one. You actually care about him.”

  Steve sighed. “You’re right. I do care about Seth. He’s my homie. I’m mostly just talking out of my ass. I’m not really gonna fool around with her, but I’m feeling really low lately.”

  “Why?” Samara questioned.

  "It's just that everyone in this pack has a mate," Steve explained. "You have Luke, Seth has Penelope. Chris and Kyana are practically inseparable. Josh doesn't have anyone, but he had a mate at one point. Even Colby's got someone.”

  “Be careful about what you say,” Emma said, shooting him a glare. “That someone is standing right across from you and she has high heels on.”

  Steve sighed, ignoring her. “I just don’t get it. Why am I the only one who doesn't have someone yet?"

  Samara gave him a sympathetic look. "Your time will come eventually, Steve. Look how long it took Seth to find his mate. You might find your mate any day now."

  "I guess." Steve shrugged. "I just don't get why I'm the last one to meet someone."

  "Actually, you're not," Samara said quietly. Steve stared back at her blankly, and she explained, “Declan doesn’t have a mate, either.”

  "Oh, yeah that's right. That makes me feel a little better. Declan's not a nerd or ugly or anything like that. He's a cool dude. I guess not having a mate doesn't say anything about me personally." Steve smiled at her. "Thanks, Sam. You made me feel a hell of a lot better. I better go find Colby before he leaves without me, though. Night.”

  Samara smiled at him. As she watched him slink off into the woods and down the bank to Colby’s car, she wondered how Steve would feel if he knew that what'd she said was only a half-truth—that Declan did, sort of, have a mate, even if he couldn’t officially be with her.

  She wondered how everyone in her pack would feel if they knew that she had not just one but two mates.

  When Colby came back from his car, he reminded Emma, “I need to talk to Samara in private.”

  “Colby Jack, do you know how stupid the idea is? I’m going to hear what you say to her, anyway, whether it’s now or later,” Emma said impatiently. “For all you know, I already know what you want to talk to her about.”

  Colby sighed. “Fine, you can stay. If it’s okay with Sam, that is.”

  “It’s fine, Colbs,” Samara reassured him. “What’s up?

  “I did some research on your tattoo,” Colby said quietly. He looked down at the ground. “The thing is . . . what I found out . . . it’s not good.”

  “What do you mean ‘it’s not good’?” Samara questioned nervously. She touched the back of her neck, where the swan tattoo was. “What does it mean?”

  “There’s this thing called a Signification Tattoo,” Colby began. “Basically, what it means is that you get a tattoo which is supposed to act like a message, usually about the future. So, for example, if you were to get a tattoo of a dove, it might be telling you that you’re going to fall in love. If you were to get a tattoo of a snake, it might mean there’s going to be something dangerous coming your way.” Colby paused.

  “Okay, go on,” Samara urged, nervously running a finger through a lock of her chocolate brown hair. So far, what he was saying didn’t sound too bad; at least her tattoo wasn’t of a snake.

  “Well, I looked up the meaning behind swans,” Colby said. “Like I told you before, I thought it was going to have something to do with gracefulness, since swans are known to be graceful. Or maybe even love. You know, like that ride at carnivals where you go on a floating swan through a tunnel of love. But . . . it doesn’t mean either of those things.”

  Samara’s heart skipped a beat. She had a feeling that Colby was getting to the bad part. “What does it mean?”

  Colby met her gaze. His turquoise eyes had taken on a look of fear that Samara had never seen in them before. “A swan is a symbol for death. Someone’s going to die.”

  Chapter 17

  That night, Samara lay in her bed, tossing and turning. She couldn’t seem to fall asleep. No matter how hard she tried not to think about it, her mind kept going back to the swan tattoo that was imprinted on her neck.

  As much as she wanted to believe that what Colby had told her wasn’t true—that someone really wasn’t going to die—she had a hard time believing that he was wrong about this. Any feeling of happiness she’d had before was suddenly consumed by a feeling of dread.

  As terrible as she felt about it, Samara thought about all of the people who she hoped would die; it was better than the alternative—thinking about those who she couldn’t live without. At one point, she would have been able to say that she hoped Rocco would die, but . . . he actually wasn’t that bad. And even though Troy had done a horrible thing by changing Emma, Samara didn’t wish for him to die, either.

  Darren Jackson was the only one who Samara really wanted to drop dead. He belonged in the ground, just like Jason. As far as Samara knew, Rocco was the only one who had heard from Darren in a while. The last time he’d tried to contact any of them was when Linda Jackson had told him off, not long after she and Colby had moved into Grandpa Joe’s old house.

  Since he wasn’t making his presence more known, it felt like Darren was lying low, but why?

  Sighing, Samara rolled over. It’s not like she could know for certain that Darren was the one who was going to die. She was just hoping that it would be him instead of someone she cared about . . . or an innocent person who didn’t deserve to die.

  What didn’t make sense was why Samara had been the one to get the Significance Tattoo. Why hadn’t another one of her pack members gotten it? If it was Darren who was going to die, it would seem more logical for Colby to get the tattoo.

  Maybe Colby wasn’t the one who had gotten the tattoo because that tattoo meant that Samara was the one that would kill whoever was marked for death. Or, if Darren wasn’t who was going to die a
nd it was someone who she actually cared about, maybe she was the one who had gotten the tattoo because she was supposed to try to stop their death.

  The possibilities seemed endless, but one thing was for certain. No matter what happened, there was no way Samara was going to be able to figure it all out tonight. Closing her eyes, she tried to force herself to fall asleep, avoiding the thoughts of her own death that swam through her mind.

  *

  Sam, you have to wake up! Colby shouted at her. Sam!

  Samara opened her eyes and stared into the darkness of her bedroom. She glanced over at the digital clock on her nightstand. It was four o’clock in the morning. Colby wasn’t there. He had been letting her hear his thoughts, but why when it was so early in the morning?

  What, Colbs? Samara asked him, rubbing her eyes groggily.

  You have to come outside. Now! Colby urged her.

  Yes, Sam, come! Please! Emma’s voice begged.

  Sensing how panicked both of their voices were, Samara knew she shouldn’t question the reason why. She jumped out of bed and, not bothering to change out of her pajamas, opened the window and pounced outside, morphing into her wolf form.

  She ran, even as the purple cloud of smoke cloaked her vision and made it difficult to see where she was going. Something was wrong, and she had to find out what it was.

  As Samara approached their clearing in the woods, she didn’t see anyone. She heard Emma crying, though, so she followed the sound of her sobs to the bank of the lake. Emma was keeling over, as though she was in pain, and Colby was holding her up to support her.

  What is it? Samara questioned. Before Colby even had a chance to answer her, though, she already figured it out for herself. Her heart froze in her chest, and she felt like she couldn’t breathe. She let out a loud howl.

  No, no, no, she thought. How could this happen?

  Brad’s body lay sprawled there, on the ground, his eyes closed. There was a large gash through his stomach where the blood had soaked his hooded sweatshirt.