Iris always has all the right words to say to put him at ease; he squeezes her hand and changes the subject. “What time is our Jakey boy getting home tomorrow?” he asks.
“He’ll be home sometime after lunch, but you know Jake, it will probably be closer to dinner time.” The laughter’s back in her voice. She idolises her son, he’s an amazing kid. He’s eighteen and already nearly travelled around the whole of Europe. He calls it his ‘self-discovery’ phase, but he’s a typical teenager when it comes to time keeping.
“Yeah, probably. He’s going to be an excited little bear cub when he sees who’s staying with us in the cabins,” Colt says, and watches Iris narrow her eyes. He sniggers – he loves winding her up, especially when it comes to her son and girls.
“You keep him away from our guests, especially the pretty darkhaired ones,” she says, trying to sound mad at him, but the laughter dances in her eyes.
“Not sure I’ll be able to keep Sarah away from Jake, if he’s anything like his uncle was at his age. As soon as he walks into a room the ladies will be throwing their panties at him.”
Iris rabbit punches him in the arm, disgust on her face.
“You’re vile, Colt. Don’t say shit like that, and don’t you dare encourage him either.”
Colt chuckles and pulls Iris up off the seat, not finished with his banter. “Come meet your new daughter -inlaw,” he sniggers, and she punches him again. “Ow, alright, slugger. Stop assaulting your poor defenceless brother,” he says, rubbing the tender skin.
“Defenceless, my arse,” she says, laughing at him. They are still joking around when they get to Danny and Sarah’s cabin. Colt knocks; within seconds the door opens and Danny comes out looking from Colt to Iris.
“You haven’t been formally introduced. This is my sister Iris... Iris, this is Danny,” Colt says. Danny takes Iris’s hand and shakes it, a big grin on his face. “Hey Iris, it’s nice to finally meet you. Thanks for letting us stay, we are so grateful to you and your brother.”
Iris smiles back at him. “No problem, is the cabin alright for you? Do you need anything?” “It’s great, thank you,” Danny says.
Sarah comes from behind Danny and greets them.
“Hey Colt. You must be Iris. You have a beautiful place here, thanks for letting us stay,” she says, giving Iris an awkward hug.
Iris hugs her back but looks a little uncomfortable. “It’s ok, I was just asking your dad if you guys needed anything?” Iris repeats.
“I think we’re good, you know,” Sarah replies, looking deep in thought.
“Brilliant... Dinner will be in an hour, do you guys both like fish, chips and peas?” Iris asks.
“Love it,” both Danny and Sarah say at the same time, and immediately start laughing. “Ok, well that was easy enough,” Iris says, laughing along with them. “I’ll go and make a start on dinner, you guys come up to the house in, say, fortyfive minutes?”
“Thank you again, Iris, we’ll be there,” Danny says. Colt turns to follow Iris back to the house and Sarah grabs his arm.
“Hey, is Clara alright? She seemed a bit rattled this morning,” she says. “Yeah, it’s all just a shock for her.” He can’t hide the pained look in his eyes. “Her whole world has just been turned upside down, you know.”
“Well if there’s anything I can do to help, even if it’s just someone for her to talk to,” she says. “I appreciate that, Sarah; I am sure it will help her if she feels like we all have her back.” “She’s someone of importance, Colt. I could sense that this morning just being near her. I just hope this friend of yours comes soon, I am itching to make that bastard pay for what he has put us all through.” The conviction in her voice makes him smile.
“Me too, kid. Me too.”
Colt made his way back to the house set on trying to talk Clara into coming downstairs for a bit. He had to make her see that she had so many people here who cared about her.
Now she knew what she was, there was going to be no denying it or hiding away from it. Judging by the dreams she had been experiencing, Annabelle wasn’t going to let her forget it either.
Chapter Nine
Clara The knife glided over the softened skin of the potato. She dunked the vegetable back into the starchy water before adding it to the pile she had already peeled.
Looking out though the kitchen window at the beautiful garden, Clara wished the serene beauty could calm her mind as easily as it had last night. Her thoughts were full and speeding at a hundred miles an hour, all unanswered questions, and the fear of what was to come clouded her mind.
What had upset her more than anything was the fact that she had grown up never aware of what she was. Sure, she was always different from the other kids, but she always just assumed it was an awkward phase or that people just didn’t like her. She was now questioning whether her adopted parents were aware of anything.
She had thought taking some time out upstairs would have helped, but she had just ended up reading more of that damned journal. This had just fuelled her unsettled mind more, adding to her cluttered thoughts.
Iris fussed about behind her preparing the fish for dinner. Clara was grateful Iris hadn’t pressed her on how she was feeling after that bombshell Colt had landed on her this morning. She had only known the woman a few days but there was an unspoken bond between them; she knew she could share her darkest secrets with this woman and she wouldn’t judge her. Clara knew that Iris would wait until she was ready to talk before opening any fresh wounds. Finishing the last potato off, she emptied the water out of the bowl and carried the peelings to the compost bin outside. She welcomed the fresh air that filled her lungs. Being cooped up all day had taken its toll – the fresh air cheered her up a bit. She was beginning to annoy herself with her sombre mood.
She walked back into the kitchen just as Colt was walking in. He looked surprised to see her up and about.
“Clara, you’re up?” He looked like he wanted to say more but didn’t. “Yeah, I couldn’t let Iris prepare all this on her own, and besides, I think I’ve spent enough time wallowing, don’t you?”
He grinned at her. If she thought he was sexy before, sweet baby Jesus. She grinned back at him. What was it about this man that had her wanting to scream at him one minute and wanting to kiss him the next? It was such a fucked-up contradiction.
***
The small talk over dinner was a welcome change. Sarah chatted about the town she grew up in and what trouble she and her friends had gotten into over the years. The girl could talk and she was so comical. The things she came out with and her infectious laugh, it was hard not to laugh along with her.
Danny was quiet over dinner and seemed to be taking everything in; he seemed less confident than his daughter but the look of pure admiration and love was evident every time she told a story.
Clara was listening to Sarah relay a hysterical story about a bike ride she and a few friends had gone on. “My friend Jenny had needed the toilet and had gone into some bushes to find somewhere to pee. She had been gone for ages so we decided to go looking for her. We found her. She was lying on her side in a patch of nettles, with her pants trapped around her ankles – she couldn’t get up.” The tears were running down Sarah’s face as she laughed her way through the story, remembering her friend’s dilemma. “She had nettle stings all over her bum for a week.” Another fit of laughter erupted out of Sarah. She was contagious, everyone was now laughing around the table.
“Oh, Sarah, I haven’t laughed this much for ages,” Iris said, wiping away a tear. “I think we’re going to get along well.”
Clara coul d feel Colt’s eyes on her as she laughed along with everyone. She had been avoiding his gaze through dinner as she knew as soon as she looked into his dark eyes, all the things she was feeling would bubble to the surface and need to be addressed.
The sky was starting to darken so she knew it was nearly time for their walk into the woods. She was scared as hell but also a little excited about what w
as to come.
*** Clara was sitting in her room reading a romance novel Iris had lent her. The characters in the book were halfway through a full-blown sex scene when there was a knock at her door. She quickly put the bookmark in and closed the page, pushing the book under her pillow.
She was feeling a little flushed and slightly turned on by what she had just been reading.
“Come in!” she shouted. Colt popped his head around the door; his hair was loose and wet from a shower. Why did he always look so good?
“Hey... Are you ok? You look a little flushed,” he asked. Amusement danced in his eyes. She nodded and felt her cheeks blush even more. Very subtle, Clara.
“Yes, I’m alright, just a little hot.” She fanned herself with her hand. She wasn’t lying, that book was seriously steamy.
He didn’t look convinced but didn’t press her on the matter. “It’s eleven thirty, you still want to do this?” he asked.
“Not really, but I should. Give me fifteen minutes, I’ll meet you downstairs?” she said, gnawing on her bottom lip.
“Yeah sure... Hey, Clara?” His brows were furrowed into a frown.
“Umm hmm?”
“Things are going to be alright between us, aren’t they? We’re still... friends?”
Her heart sank in her chest at his words. She knew he would regret last night and want to take a step back after the way she had reacted this morning; he hadn’t deserved the way she went off on him. After reading the journal she understood why he had been afraid of telling her.
The look on his face made her want to run to him and tell him she wanted more than friendship, but as hard as it was she had to protect herself by keeping her distance until she made sense of everything.
Her head was such a mess, maybe it was a friend she needed right now, less complications.
“Yes, we’re still friends, Colt,” she said, trying to sound happy about it.
He grinned at her and walked out of the room seemingly happy with her answer.
Just friends. Who you trying to kid, Clara? Fifteen minutes later she was showered and dressed in jeans and a sweater. Iris had lent her a green Parker coat to keep her warm on their little adventure.
She was feeling very apprehensive as they made their way across the gravelled car park towards the gate; it all seemed very surreal, imagining what they were about to do. Her mind whirled with visions of what would happen.
There was a road which led from the gate of The Sanctuary towards the cover of the trees that surrounded the big farmhouse. In the opposite direction, there was a pathway leading to more trees which seemed to lead deeper in to the woods. How did she not realise it before? The Sanctuary was hidden in a forest, it added to the appeal and the lure of the place. It was truly a safe haven hidden from the outside world. She wondered how many people knew this place was here.
“Wow, Colt, this place is unbelievable,” she said, taking in her surroundings. “It is pretty amazing, isn’t it? We mo ved here when I was seventeen. I remember thinking it was pretty cool. Me and Jake have spent a lot of time messing around in these woods... It’s where I first went through my change,” he says, stepping over a fallen tree, offering her his hand.
“Does it hurt?” she asks, taking his hand and allowing him to help her over the massive trunk. “It did at first, but it’s like anything that needs practice, the more you do it the easier it gets.” Walking through these woods takes Clara back to her escape and the night Colt found her. Surprisingly that thought didn’t frighten her as much as she expected it to, she actually felt at peace. The company she had in this gorgeous man-beast walking beside her, the serenity of this magical wilderness, the rustling leaves and the sound of the foliage crunching beneath her Converse, it all seemed to soothe her soul.
“I would love to be able to hear your thoughts, Clara,” Colt said, pulling her out of her daydream. “I was just thinking how strange it is that I don’t feel afraid being back in the woods after my last experience.”
Colt looked a little guilty. “It would never be my intention to ever frighten you, Clara. I know how terrified you were and I am so sorry for that... Me and Heather were both shocked to find you there behind that tree. We didn’t know what to expect from you because we sensed something within you straight away. It was after we saw your face, the resemblance to Annabelle is unbelievable, that’s when we knew you were so valuable to our kind.”
“It’s ok, Colt... I think I am starting to get it a little. It was hard to take in at first, the thought of all this being real. But that journal and my visions, to be honest I am waiting for the penny to drop, or for me to wake up.” She was rambling and him just letting her talk was helping her nerves and distracting her from what they were about to do.
As they carried on deeper into the woods they walked through an opening in the trees; the moonlight lit up the ground in the opening, giving the place a beautiful haunting glow. Colt stopped suddenly in the middle of the opening, taking her by surprise. “This is the place, Clara; can you sense it? The change in the air?” he said. His eyes were full of excitement.
Clara looked around, not sure what she was supposed to be sensing.
“I don’t know what I am supposed to be feeling,” she said.
“It’s like a warm feeling in your gut, a bit like butterflies but more intense.” Well that was helpful... not... She had been experiencing butterflies since she met Colt so were the ones she was experiencing now the fact that she was so close to him or something more?
“I guess,” she said, shrugging, feeling a little sceptical about the whole thing. He could obviously sense her doubt as he looked at her with raised eyebrows. “Don’t worry, it’ll come, and if it doesn’t we can come back tomorrow and try again,” he said reassuringly.
“Might as well hang around for a while to see if anything happens,” she said, finding a spot that looked comfortable.
This is so bizarre. She took the Parker off and lay it on the ground and sat down. Colt did the same with his jacket and they both sat in a comfortable silence.
It really was a beautiful place. It was a surprisingly warm night for the middle of autumn and the night sky was clear; she could see all the stars in their constellations. The moon was nearly full and had a kind of blue halo around it – it was mesmerising. She could feel eyes watching her and she looked out of the corner of her eye at Colt.
“Your eyes are so beautiful in this light, Clara, the way the moonlight catches the emerald in them,” Colt said.
She blushed and met his eyes fully; the hunger she saw in them made her body aware of her own need for him. She had wanted to give them both some space after last night and what she had discovered this morning but she knew, just looking at him now, that was going to be impossible. He was sinfully sexy and just a look could send her insides into turmoil, or was that something else.
“Thanks – er, Colt, I can feel a strange sensation, it’s like warmth in my stomach.” The sensation was the same feeling she had when she dreamt about Annabelle in the church, it was like a fire starting in the pit of her stomach. “I’ve felt this before, Colt... when you and Heather found me, when I have the dreams,” she cried, getting to her feet. She was starting to panic at the intense heat running through her core. Colt drew her into his chest and held her close. She needed to calm down, panicking was making it worse.
“It’s alright, Clara. Try and relax and allow it to happen, please don’t be afraid,” he whispered to her. “You’re so special, Clara. This is yours, you need to embrace it and own it. This is your truth, my beautiful, perfect Clara. Let go of your fear, embrace your destiny.”
She closed her eyes and tried to focus on Colt’s voice. It settled the burning inside her a little. She needed to release the pressure building inside her; hundreds of years’ worth of magic empowered her soul and cried for her to release it. She could feel Annabelle’s spirit circling all around her. She opened her eyes and looked up at Colt.
“I... I think I am r
eady, Colt.” He nodded, let go of her and walked to the other side of the opening. He quickly started removing his clothes until he was standing in front of her completely naked. Clara’s eyes travelled straight to his crotch where his cock was standing to attention as hard as the rest of him. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight, he was beautiful.
“Don’t be afraid, Clara,” he said, his voice sounding pained.
She swallowed and averted her eyes, not sure where to look. She needed to do this spell and quickly – the burning from her insides was starting to travel up her body and down her arms.
She stared right into Colt’s eyes, not daring to even blink. She held out her arms, like she had seen Annabelle do in her dream, and she spoke the words she had been practising all day.
“Through the trees and earth’s plains
Bring forth the beast which resides within. Canis lycaon I release your truth.
Appear to me.”
All at once the fire inside her travelled out of her body through her fingertips in an orange beam. The flames hit Colt square in the chest like a lightning bolt and his body absorbed it... He was thrown against a nearby tree. He fell to the floor, face down, not moving.
“Colt!” she cried and ran over to him, turning him. There was a black mark in the centre of his chest like a burn mark. Shit. Fuck. What had she done to him?
“Please don’t die, Colt. I’m sorry, please...” His eyes suddenly opened and they were now amber. “MOVE AWAY NOW!” he bellowed at her. He looked furious. She shuffled backwards, still crouching, moving to the other side of the opening. Her breath ragged and erratic, she stared wide-eyed and terrified by his transformation.
He was now on his hands and knees; his bones were making horrible cracking noises and beginning to change form. His arms and legs cracked into place, becoming shorter until they looked like canine legs. His spine followed, cracking into shape. A fleshcoloured tail grew out of his back end and she covered her mouth, swallowing the bile that came up. He screamed in pain; the noise brought tears to her eyes, but she was frozen to the spot.
Unfamiliar (The Vandran Legacy Book 1) Page 11
