See me, p.18
See Me, page 18
“She was in my sister’s Change group. Calista thought she was odd.”
I’d noticed the female watching us intently as we shopped the aisles. She didn’t have a cart and didn’t seem to have any purpose for being there. “Is this the same sister that is mated and living in New Hampshire?”
“Yeah, because Novus was too progressive.” Issa frowned at the thought of her highly-opinionated sister. “We monitored Lydia, that female, for a year but saw nothing concerning. She lives with her father on a small farm outside of town.”
“Maybe she’s shy?” I offered.
“About five years ago, she started to accompany him on escorts.” Issa continued going through my closet. “From all reports, she works and keeps to herself.”
“In some human families, sometimes, one of the kids never will leave home.”
“I don’t think she comes into town very often. I was surprised to see her today.”
“I’m sure that your snarling will make her want to visit again,” I added dryly.
We’d been heading to the checkout line when the female had stepped in front of my cart. “You are her.” Her eyes were a very pale blue and her hair was greasy. Her clothes were due for a washing.
It was odd to see an unkempt wolf. Most were fashion conscious and the men who wore long hair or beards appeared to bathe and practice some form of personal grooming. I didn’t speak, because Issa had gone into what I secretly called her “guard dog” role.
“Step away, Lydia Bohm,” Issa snarled and moved to stand nose-to-nose with the woman.
“I, uh, I…” the woman stammered.
“Move.” Issa spat the order.
The woman scurried away.
Confrontation over, Issa had motioned for me to continue on, and I’d complied.
I leaned back on my bed and stretched my legs in front of me. “I feel a little sad for her. Maybe she needs a friend.”
Issa stepped outside of my closet. “You have me. That female, she would have nothing to offer you. She doesn’t know how to fight or about clothes.”
I wanted to laugh. “Iss, we talk about other things.”
She gave me a cheeky grin. “We do, but those are my two favorite topics.”
That was true. The diminutive guard was obsessed with weaponry and fighting styles. I’d told her about the MMA, and I was pretty sure she now spent all of her downtime watching matches. That made me think of another female who was obsessed with fighting, “When’s Glass supposed to be here with dinner?”
Issa looked at her watch. “In about ten.”
We were going to have pizza and watch Xena, Warrior Princess. I’d ordered seasons one and two. I couldn’t believe they’d never seen it. They were going to love it.
Issa turned her head and held up her hand in a stop sign.
From her suddenly serious expression and tense body, I could tell she was listening for something. I stood still as I tried to hear what had caught her attention.
Issa dropped the hanger she held and started for the hallway.
I followed because…well, for no other reason than I wanted to know what was happening, and she didn’t order for me to stay.
We went downstairs quietly and cautiously.
I whispered, “Glass would call before she got here, right?” I was starting to feel uneasy.
“I haven’t heard her Range Rover.” She sniffed the air.
I watched my guard. Issa was more like a friend than a watcher. Her sudden intensity made me nervous.
We stood at the bottom of the steps for a few minutes until the buzzing of Issa’s phone broke the silence. We both sighed and relaxed.
Glass arrived with three boxes of pizza. “I like variety,” she said with a shrug.
Conal and Solle had given me the basement as my own space. There was now a leather sectional and a big screen TV. This was where we were going to set up.
I’d served the ladies their drinks, the assorted plates, and napkins when Glass snapped, “Silence.”
Both she and Issa listened intently. I glanced at the tall windows that overlooked the in-ground pool and deck. It was dark, so I only saw my own reflection.
Issa got to her feet. “I’ll do a perimeter check.”
Glass nodded once at the petite guard. I barely heard Issa climb the steps.
Glass pulled her cell phone from her pocket and held it out to me.
I just stared at it for a second before taking it. It felt so odd in my hand. I hadn’t held one in months.
“If anything happens, you hit number one on the keyboard, that’s the Control Room. Tell them we need help.”
“Is something out there?” I asked, my stomach beginning to knot.
“Probably nothing.” She started to kill the lights.
I walked to my desk and opened the right side, top drawer. I pulled out a hammer. Conal had laughed, and then quickly sobered, the day I’d helped him put together a trellis for the backyard. After I’d watched him pound some nails, it had occurred to me that the tool would make a good weapon. It was small and light but could do some damage, even when swung by a human.
Glass glanced at my left hand as I returned to stand behind the sectional. “Good thinking.”
I watched her pace in front of the windows. I wanted to ask her why she was doing that. I mean, if it was a Lycan out there, they’d be able to see her. Or maybe that was her idea? I started to fidget. My nerves were fraying, and I wondered where Issa was. I was getting ready to ask when something hit the window. It was a hard thud and a scrape against the glass.
I instinctively went into a squat.
Glass changed.
I know, because I felt her magic. I touched the screen on the phone and hit the number one. It rang twice, and a female answered.
“Glass.”
“It’s Th-theodora,” I stumbled over my own name. I wasn’t sure what to say. Hell, I’d never called 9-1-1 before. “I mean, it’s Theodora Morrissey. I live with Conal and Solle.”
“I know who you are,” the female told me calmly. “Why do you have Glass’s phone?”
“We’re at my house and something is outside.”
It hit the window again, and Glass answered with a deep growl.
“It’s being aggressive,” I explained as my voice shook. “Glass has changed. She’s in the basement with me, and Issa…she went outside to check. I, uh…” I had to swallow before I could go on because it hit me that it wasn’t good that Issa hadn’t returned. “Issa hasn’t come back.”
“I’m sending a patrol and alerting Conal and the Laird.”
Whatever was outside started to scratch at the glass.
“Tell them to hurry.” I clicked off the phone and shoved it in the back pocket of my jeans. I crawled to the end of the sectional, it blocked me from the view of the glass. “What it that?”
“Wolf,” Glass answered in a guttural voice.
I tried to use my senses. I felt the wolf. However, it was different from any I’d ever encountered. This one was so angry and wild.
It hit the glass again.
“The window won’t hold much longer.” Glass had moved to stand off to my right, still in clear view of the window. “When it breaks, I’ll engage. You use that time to prepare.”
“Prepare?” Christ, I didn’t even want to know what she was talking about.
“To fight.”
I think my brain stopped working for a full minute. I knelt with my mouth open, staring at the warrior.
She pointed at the hammer I still held.
I didn’t have time to explain to her that I wasn’t ready. I’d picked up the hammer more as a sign of solidarity than with any intent to use it. I started to pray to The Lady. I mean, if I was connected to her, she might be able to offer some kind of help.
The wolf hit the window again, and I jumped.
It howled once and screamed, “Miiiiine.”
I knew immediately who it was. “Glass, that’s Kenta,” I said, my words rushing together.
“The newly changed?” She watched the wolf whose face was pressed against the window.
“How did he get here?” I’d thought the Camp was escape proof.
“Try to talk to him,” she instructed.
Slowly, I got to my feet. I took two steps to the side, away from the sofa. I could feel his wolf’s madness. “Kenta… Hey.” I honestly didn’t know what to say. I tried to remember everything I knew about the newly changed. They were incredibly strong and unpredictable. Check and check.
“Mine,” he snarled again.
“You have to calm down and, uhm, change back into human…then we can talk.” I tried to sound confident, but I was shaking.
“Human weak.” He bumped the window again.
I knew he meant his human form. “But I feel more comfortable with that form.” I took a step forward.
The warrior protecting me in wolf form blocked my progression, and that infuriated Kenta. The glass shattered. He jumped at Glass but over-estimated the space and, instead, landed behind us.
Glass bumped me as she dove at the wolf. I hit the floor, feeling the glass splinters cut into my skin. Before I could recover, I was wrenched to my feet by Kenta’s rough paw. It felt like my arm was being crushed in his hold.
He pulled me into his body. I had lost the hammer during my fall. I fought his hold on my arm. It felt like my bones were being ground into nothingness, and I couldn’t think of anything but getting him to loosen his grip.
“Wolf,” Glass shouted. “You’re hurting her.”
She said it two more times, I think.
I screamed, “Let go!” as I scratched at his strong paw.
Glass leaned from side to side, trying to find an angle to attack.
I tried to pull away from him. I needed to get away from him. I was going insane with the pain. I didn’t care if he ripped off my arm. I couldn’t take the pain a second longer.
She must have read my intent, because she attacked, hitting him in his side.
He released me, and I dropped to my knees, holding my bloody arm.
The sounds. God, they would haunt me until the day I died. The ripping of skin, the snarls, and the smell of blood filled the room.
Somehow, Kenta threw Glass through one of the unbroken windows. Then he let out a deafening howl.
I was on my feet once again, shielding my arm. I didn’t run. I simply stared at him, and then I looked at the open space where the window had been. I expected Glass to jump through to continue the battle.
He watched me. We were in a stand-off.
“Mine,” he panted.
“No,” I said quietly.
“Mine,” he repeated, the hideous combination of blood and slobber dripping from his jowls.
“No,” I said louder. I was tired of being told I was owned. I’d had no say in this whole Seer thing, and now this… I was done.
He took a step in my direction, panting.
Glass had done some damage, and that made me feel a flash of exhilaration. I knew I was going to die. He couldn’t control his strength, and he was insane. However, I was going to get one shot in. Somehow, that thought helped me find a momentary sense of calm. “Kenta, you need to change. Your wolf is too strong. You will do more damage to me.”
“No hurt you,” he promised as he took another step closer.
I could smell his breath as I let go of my injured arm. I didn’t even notice the pain, because I was so focused on his approach. I told myself to aim for the eye. I’d do like Black taught me.
Kenta was so close I could almost touch him, when something hit his back.
It was a black wolf, and he rolled the young wolf over and over until the far wall stopped them.
I couldn’t see everything, because they were moving so fast. Suddenly, I realized I should look for my hammer. I saw the edge peeking out from under the sectional. I scurried over to it.
As I squatted down to pick it up, I heard the most awful high-pitched scream, followed by a sound that reminded me of when a rotten pumpkin hits the ground. The thump was wet and juicy.
I watched Black drop the headless body of Kenta to the ground.
I think I blacked out. When next I opened my eyes, I was staring at a man’s neck. He was talking, but I didn’t understand anything he said. I could feel his words rumble in his chest. I tried to focus on what was going on. “Wha…” I slurred. My voice seemed very loud.
The arms holding me tightened a tiny bit in a comforting way, and he rumbled, “Shhh.”
I wanted to close my eyes, but the events were coming back to me. I felt my breathing catch. Oh, Christ.
“I think she’s in shock, but I’d be able to tell if you’d let me examine her.” Solle was furious. Her voice was pitched higher than usual, each word was clipped and angry.
I didn’t want my friend to be so mad. She should be out with Conal at dinner and dancing. I shook my head as more memories flooded my mind.
“Give him a moment, Solle,” Conal reasoned with his wife, speaking slowly.
I now heard more voices and shouts in the distance. I shifted a little, the movement sent an excruciating pain up my arm, spreading until it covered my entire left side. I cried out in surprise and agony.
“Babe?” Black was staring at me intently.
“My arm…” I couldn’t hold back the sob. “Oh, God, my arm.”
Solle was now beside me. “Let me take a look at it.”
I glanced down at my left arm. I felt my stomach heave at the sight. I swallowed hard. My arm was blood-soaked and misshapen. I clamped my eyes closed. I felt her fingers gently touch my arm, and I whimpered.
Black asked, “Can’t you give her something for the pain?”
“I need to evaluate her level of shock. She’s lost blood. I’m sure he fractured both bones,” the doctor said.
“But she’ll be okay, right?” He sounded a little frazzled.
I shook my head slowly, hoping to clear it.
“She needs to go to the hospital. I need to see the x-ray. She might need surgery.” Solle continued her exam. “There’s glass embedded in her skin. It looks like she rolled in it.”
The word triggered my memory. “Glass, what happened to Glass?” I asked Black.
Conal answered, “She’ll be fine.”
Solle leaned close to me. “Honey, I’m going to give you a shot. It won’t alleviate all of the pain, but it will help.” She nodded twice. “Then I’m going to stabilize your arm until we get to the hospital.”
“I don’t like shots,” I admitted. “They hurt.”
“Theo, you were staring down a feral wolf. I think you can handle one shot,” Black said, his voice gruff.
I stared into his gray eyes. They were darker tonight. “Okay,” I whispered. If he thought I could handle it, I would.
I felt the prick of the needle, and within a few seconds, warmth spread through my body. I was starting to relax against the man when I suddenly remembered. I jerked upright in his arms. “Issa?”
Nobody answered me right away.
“What happened to Issa?” I yelled, suddenly angry. I needed to know where my friend was.
“Sshhh, Theodora,” Conal said as he reached out to smooth my hair out of my face.
“What happened?” I begged. “Tell me.”
“He ripped her open,” he said in a calm voice, but his eyes were furious and haunted. “Asher found her in the bushes by the garage.”
I started to cry again. The tears poured from my eyes. “Is she dead?” I turned to look at Black. Lycan’s were hard to kill; he’d told me that numerous times. They could repair most damage to their bodies by changing into their other form.
“No.” That’s all he gave me.
“Is she going to be okay?” I asked again. “Black.”
“She will be, eventually,” Solle answered evasively.
“I don’t understand,” I said. I needed somebody to tell me what was going on.
“When we got to her, she’d lost a lot of blood. She’s too weak to change,” Solle said softly.
“So…what?” I needed to know right now.
Solle frowned. “So, she has to heal like a human…with time.”
“But she’s going to heal, right?” I needed her to be all right. I couldn’t handle somebody being permanently injured because of me.
“In time,” Black said gravely.
I stared at him while I tried to figure out what they weren’t saying. I noticed that he was injured. “You’re bleeding,” I accused.
“I can hold her if you want to change.” Conal held out his arms for Black to transfer me.
Instead, Black held me a little tighter. “I will do it later.”
“It’s okay. The shot helped,” I murmured. I didn’t like the thought that he might be hurting, too.
“Later,” he said, using his Laird tone.
Twenty-One
Raider Black
Things were wrapping up at Conal’s house. I still held the Seer to my chest. I wasn’t ready to let go of her. In my arms, she would be safe.
For as long as I lived I’d never forget the sight of my human standing like a statue, staring down the feral wolf. She’d looked so brave, and yet, resigned. She’d been prepared to die. I’d recognized that look. I’d seen it many times—right before I killed a transgressor.
Conal returned to where I sat. “She out?”
“For the last twenty minutes.” I glanced at her face. She looked so serene during sleep, but I missed her flashing eyes. No matter how blank she made her expression, her eyes would usually communicate her true thoughts.
“I’m done here. They’re going to cover the windows until I can get the replacements ordered. I thought I’d go to Kenta Yu’s family.” Conal’s tone was solemn.
“I’ll do that after we see to her arm.” It was my job to tell the boy’s family he hadn’t survived.
“Laird,” Conal said, addressing me formally, “please allow me to perform that task as your Second.”
I started to tell him no, but Theo moved and relaxed again against my chest. I needed to deal with her, and more importantly, I needed time to think.
