Goosebumps sprung through my arms and down the back of my neck. It was as though I held a mirror and was looking at my own reflection. I ran my fingers on the raised strokes of paint used to capture the portrait of the young girl. On the bottom of the frame was a brass plate with the name Zaria Rohan, 1821 engraved on it.
I whirled and saw Anne staring at me in silence. I felt the flow of blood that gave my face life grow weak and thin.
“Are you ok?” Anne asked.
I handed her the painting, “I’m just feeling a little tired.”
I grabbed a fist full of skirt and headed upstairs. As I made my way back to the room, I noticed a light creeping from under the door of the room Anne forbade me to enter. A chilled misty breeze wrapped around my ankles as I stood outside the door. My hand automatically reached for the knob and the door cracked open before I could turn it. I heard my heart throbbing past the eerie squeak of the door as I stepped inside. The room was dark, cold and haunting. In the middle of the floor was a large piece of furniture covered in a long black cloth. A large wooden wardrobe dominated the far corner of the room. Frames and mirrors were also covered with black cloth and the curtains were drawn together as to avoid any glimpse of light make its way inside.
I wanted to see what the big deal was with this room and why Anne urged me to stay away. I walked over to the large window covered in layers of flowing black velvet. I reached to pull the curtains apart when a hand quickly stopped me.
“I thought I asked you to stay away from this room?” Anne’s voice was a whisper, but it rang through my ears as a loud holler.
“I’m sorry.” I hung my head in shame for being caught disobeying her orders. The room suddenly became colder.
“Hurry, Miss Lia.” She said shoving me toward the door, “You must never enter this room before sunset.”
I could tell she was frightened by the wide look in her eyes and the panicky tone in her voice. She locked the door behind us and did not move away from the door till she saw me enter mine.
That evening, I didn’t see Adam. Anne informed me that he had to go into town. She didn’t have to tell me what for. His face had begun to grow paler the past few nights. I knew he had to feed. I missed him though. I tried to snuggle up to a good book but I couldn’t read it. I kept thinking about how much I have grown to love him in such a short time.
After breakfast, I tried very hard, to stay clear of the forbidden room. No matter how tempting it was to try and take a look at what was beneath all the darkened cloths I stayed away. Anne made sure of it. She asked me if I wanted to help her gather vegetables from the garden. With nothing else to do, I agreed to help her and it used up most of the day.
There were still a few hours before Adam would arrive so I decided to take a nap so I could enjoy the few hours I had with him before sunrise. But my rest was uneasy. The nightmares had returned.
Once again, I found myself running through the woods, but this time I wasn’t human. I was a wolf. A few yards ahead of me stood a black wolf. I stopped running and slowly made my way to him. One look into his deep green eyes and I knew it was Lyle.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” he said.
I didn’t answer.
“I see you’ve met Adam. I can smell his scent on you,” he shook his head.
“What do you want?” I growled.
“Isn’t it amazing how you knew where to find me? I called out to you tonight and you listened.” He then began to howl, “Ahwoo! Ahwooo!”
The howling did something to my insides, I felt my chest uncurl and I began to howl as well. Lyle grinned and slowly rubbed his head along the side of mine before disappearing into the nearby bush. He changed back to a man and wore black sweats and no shirt. “I brought some clothes for you too,” he said as he waved a backpack in the air. He threw it on the ground and moved away from the bush so I too can change. “Thanks,” I said, wearing the red dress he brought for me to wear.
“I’ve missed you,” he said as I stepped out from behind the bush and joined him on a blanket he had already laid out on the grass.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked. “Why did you bring me here?”
“I want you to come with me,” he said. “The night you disappeared you took a piece of my heart with you. Can’t you see that you were meant to be with me? Adam can’t offer you what I can. I can give you a family, devotion; together we can be free to be what we are…werewolves.
Adam could never give you any of that. He can’t even go out in daylight. He could never give you a family of your own and he can easily lose control of himself and bite you when he’s weak and in need of blood. Besides, he’s only with you because he’s in love with Zaria. I in the other hand love you, for you. I fell in love with Angelia Lafosse. My heart beats for you and only you. See, feel it.” He reached for my hand and placed it on his bare chest.
I quickly snatched my hand back. “I’m sorry, but I could never forgive you for what you did to Kima.”
I stood up and began to walk away. In a blink of an eye, he stood in front of me blocking my path. I looked into his eyes. His beautiful green eyes as they shone brightly in the sunset.
Lyle rested his forehead against mine, “Forgive me. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I swear,” he begged.
“Get away from me!” I shouted pulling my hands free from his grip. “How can you ask me to forgive you? Because of you, my friend is lying in a coma and I don’t know if she’s alive or dead. I thought I loved you once, but I no longer feel that way for you. When I think of you, I get a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. A feeling of disgust and disappointment. Meeting you was a mistake. Kissing you was a mistake. I don’t ever want to see you again.”
His eyes widened. His gaze darkened with shock mixed with anger from my rejection. Footsteps approached from the darkened path ahead of us. We both turned to the direction the noise came from. “You have to get out of here,” Lyle said. “Run!”
I turned to run away, but instead I fell to the ground. I felt myself shake. My body was out of control. Emi stood over me with her hands stretched out on top of me as I rolled in pain.
“Stop it!” Lyle growled, pushing Emi away from me.
“Fine!” she snapped back at him. Emi spat on my face, “You’re lucky Lyle’s here. Look what you did to me, you stupid bitch.” She brushed her hair to the side of her face and showed me a deep set wound of raised flesh that began from the temple to the collar bone. “You’re going to pay. One way or another, I’m going to make sure you suffer for what you did to me.”
Lyle helped me get up.
Emi shook her head in disbelief. Lyle turned to me and shouted, “Go! Get away from here!”
I instantly shifted into a wolf and ran. I ran through the darkness. Through the forest…
I moaned and struggled to wake up from the hellish nightmare. A cold hand locked onto my trembling body. “Lia.” Adam’s voice brought me back, “it’s alright. I’m here with you.”
I sat up with my legs twisted in the sheets. I awoke naked and my feet covered in dirt and mud. I pulled the blanket up to my chin, embarrassed. But Adam just looked me in the eyes and said, “Everything’s ok. You’re safe now. No one’s going to hurt you.”
He walked over to the armoire and pulled out a pale green, cotton nightgown. He placed it on the bed, “I’ll wait outside.” And then he vanished.
I rubbed my hands down my arms. The room was freezing. I put on the gown and fastened the buttons and turned to open the door when Adam appeared in front of it.
Tears streamed down my face as I flew into his arms.
He held me tight. I cried.
He held me tighter and ran his fingers along the line of my back with a gentle rhythm that pushed past the pain and fear. Altogether the tears stopped. He wrapped his arm around my waist and drew me closer to him. His hand moved up my arm and gently caressed my blushing cheeks. I gazed into his beautiful clear blue eyes and for the first time in my life, I knew what falling
in love felt like. My heart fluttered in rhythms I never felt before.
I parted my lips, lifted my face to his and kissed him. As our lips touched, I felt an electric surge run through my body. I sighed into his mouth and closed my eyes and kissed him once again.
He then pulled away from my lips, leaving me wanting to taste him some more. He kissed my neck, jaw and earlobe. “I love you.” He whispered into my ear.
I buried my face on his chest. “I love you too.”
I wanted nothing more than to remain in this moment forever. To be wrapped in the arms of the man I love, but I knew I couldn’t. Emi was still alive and she would stop at nothing to get what she wants. Everyone I loved was in danger as long as Emi and Lyle were still out there.
I grabbed his hand, “I love being with you more than anything in the world, but I have to return home.”
The downcast gaze in his eyes told me he wasn’t ready to let me go. He frowned and looked away.
“Please understand that I’ll never be happy if I don’t see for myself that John, Ryan and my friends are safe.”
“Ok.” He finally agreed, “Tomorrow evening I’ll take you back home.”
∞chapter 23 ∞
ADAM TOLD ANNE that I would be returning home tonight and so he asked her to go into town and by me some new clothes. She brought me blue jeans, a white v-necked dress shirt and a pair of black leather boots and some accessories to go with the outfit. I told her she outdid herself, but she told me Adam insisted I’d return home looking my very best. Evening came and I said my goodbyes to Anne.
The house was dark and cold and the silence was driving me crazy. I walked through the living room looking at the portraits of people who have long since been dead. I stopped at a portrait of Adam. It was a profile painting dated a couple of years before the painting of Zaria.
“Where could he be? And why is he taking so long?” I asked myself.
I sat on the bench of a black upright piano and tapped on the keys. I made some musical noise and tried to keep my mind at ease. All sorts of crazy thoughts crossed my mind. Maybe he wasn’t going to show up. Or perhaps his plan was to keep me captive, unable to return home to John and my friends again.
“Lia.” Adam’s smile was wide and sincere.
“You had me worried there for a moment.” I shyly admitted.
“Although I want you to stay with me, I understand that you must go home,” he said before embracing me in a kiss. “Are you ready to go?” he asked quietly.
My heart pounded hard against my chest when the thoughts of Lyle and Emi filled my mind and the possibility of John and my friends being in danger because of me.
“You don’t have to go if you’re not ready.” He held my chin in his hand, “if you want, you can stay here and I can go and make sure they’re alright.”
“I want to go,” I quickly replied. “I have to go.”
∞∞∞∞
“Listen.” Adam tilted his head, his expression concentrated.
“I don’t hear anything.” I tried to listen to what he was referring to but I didn’t hear a thing. The ranch was quiet---too quiet.
‘Exactly.” His eyes narrowed, as he reached for my hand.
Not a single sound filled the air. The animals were gone and the Ulric’s house looked empty and dark. The whole place was deserted. A shiver raced down my back as we approached the cabin. It too seemed abandoned. John’s truck wasn’t parked outside.
My jaw tensed, as we walked up the steps. I was afraid of walking inside and finding John hurt or worse---dead. I couldn’t take a step further. I froze facing the screen door that lead into the kitchen.
“It’s alright,” Adam, said raising my hand to his lips and placing a soft assuring kiss on my knuckles.
I took a deep breath before taking a step closer to the door. The cabin was dark and empty inside. I flicked the light switch, but the lights were cut off. The house looked like it hasn’t been lived in for weeks. Everything including John was gone. I quickly ran to my room. It too was empty, except for some boxes that were labeled Lia’s books on the floor.
“John’s gone.” I said quietly, “We have to go to Wind River. Maybe my friend can tell me what’s going on.”
∞∞∞∞
“Lia!” Ani shrieked when she opened the door. She squeezed me so tight she nearly knocked all the air out of me. She let go of me when she realized who was standing behind me. She stared at him for a long time before Ryan appeared at the door.
“Where have you been?” he asked, pulling me into his arms and lifting me into the air in a tight hug. Ryan saw I wasn’t alone, but he didn’t let go of me until I brushed his arms off.
“Ryan, Ani, I want you two to meet Adam,” I said, wrapping my arm around his waist. They both stared at him roughly for a few seconds.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Adam. Come inside,” Ani opened the door wide.
“Thank you.”
“Have a seat,” she said pointing at the large black sofa. “I’ll go fix us something to drink.” She said before disappearing to the kitchen.
“I just got back from the ranch and I noticed it’s been deserted. No animals, no cars, everything’s gone. Even the Ulric’s weren’t there. What happened? And where’s John?” I asked Ryan.
Ani walked in carrying a tray with four tall glasses of iced tea.
“The Ulric’s left the night we went to their ranch. John’s now working and living at the Stewart Ranch. He came here looking for you after you disappeared. Poor man was devastated. We all were. You disappeared and we didn’t know if you were alive or dead,” he said.
I bit my lip, trying to fight back from crying. I needed to find him and let him know that I was ok.
“Do you know how to get to the Stewart Ranch?”
“Sure, it’s actually not too far from here. It’s near Fort Washakie.” Ani replied.
Ryan glanced at Adam, “thank you for taking care of Lia. I appreciate all you’ve done for her, but I can take it from here.”
“You’re welcome, but wherever she goes, I go.” Adam flared back.
In my mind, I could hear Ryan, cursing Adam. And with the look on Adam’s face, I could tell he too heard the insults.
“How’s Kima?” I asked, cutting through the sparks of male testosterone that filled the room.
“She’s recovered from the coma and is back home,” Ani replied.
“That’s great! She recovered rather quickly didn’t she?”
“Our kind always do,” Ryan replied. “She’s one of us…a shape shifter.”
“So was she the raven I saw at the funeral?” I asked.
“Yes, she said she went there because earlier that day as spoke to you, she felt you were in danger.” Ani said.
The front door swung open and Denise and Kima froze in shock as they looked at me. I quickly jumped to my feet and gave them a hug.
“Oh my God, Lia! Where have you been? We’ve been worried sick,” said Denise.
“I’ve been with Adam.” They looked at him, with reserved expressions. I could tell by the look in their eyes that they knew what he was.
“Are you alright? Why didn’t you call anyone?” Denise asked.
“I’m fine, really. I’m sorry I didn’t call anyone, it’s just I didn’t have my phone with me.” I replied. “But I’m here now, and I missed you guys so much.”
“I’m glad to see you’re ok,” replied Kima taking a seat near Ryan. He placed his hand on her lap and gave her a kiss on the cheek. I smiled. It was nice to see that they were finally together.
“Sorry about what happened to you. I can’t help but feel responsible,” I told Kima.
“Don’t worry about it. I healed quickly. I was out of the hospital in a matter of two days! You should’ve seen the look on the doctor’s face when my leg bones healed and I awoke from coma,” she said with a smile. “It was priceless.” The reunion was sweet. I was so glad to see that everyone was doing fine but I still felt unsettled an
d wanted to see John.
“I really need to see John,” I said to Ryan. “You think you can show us how to get to the Stewart ranch?”
“Why don’t you stay with us tonight and we can take you to see him in the morning.” Ryan said, stretching the word morning, knowing that Adam couldn’t be out during the day time.
Adam stepped closer, a contemptuous sneer touched his lips. “I believe she wants to see him now. If you be kind enough to give us directions to the ranch, I can escort her there myself.”
“Adam’s right, I want to see him as soon as possible. I don’t want to wait for morning.”
“Fine, I’ll go with you,” Ryan said.
“Tell me where the ranch is, Ryan. You don’t have to come with us. I’ll be fine. Look.” I turned around to show him that I’m ok, “I’m fine. Nothing’s wrong with me. He’s taken very good care of me.”
“He’s a vampire!” He stood up and stood nose to nose with Adam.
Adam’s eyes turned black and a low growl built up in the back of his throat. Ryan didn’t flinch. His eyes shifted to black as he gnashed his teeth. I sprinted between them, “Stop it! Please!”
“She's right.” Ani said, standing beside me. She placed her hand on Ryan’s shoulder. “Adam is not the enemy. Emi and her brother are,” she turned to look at Adam, “I appreciate all you’ve done for Lia. I know you have a kind heart and would never do anything to jeopardize her safety. And for that, I’m grateful.”
“Fine!” Ryan said. “But I’m still going with you.”
“Do what you want.” I said. “But let’s go now.”
We followed Ryan in Adam’s black Expedition as he led us up the dirt road to Stewart Ranch.
“What’s up with your friend?” Adam asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Why is he so overprotective of you?” I sensed a bit of jealousy in his voice.
I explained the whole raven spirit guide thing and how Ryan has always been overprotective not only with me, but with everyone around him.
“That’s just who he is.”
Stewart Ranch was a couple miles west of Wind River. I was thrilled to see John’s truck parked outside and a faint light shining through the window.
The Rising Moon Page 13
