by Colt, Shyla
“What is?” Brook asked, measuring out the vodka with a metal jigger.
“My time with Kaz. It feels more realistic. He said things have changed.”
“Is that new for him?” Brook asked
“Very.”
Brook continued to mix the drinks. “Hmm.”
“He said he’s coming for me.”
The glass slipped from Brook’s hand and landed on the marble counter, the sound of shattering glass reverberating through the room. “Why the hell are you just now telling me this?”
Joss bent down and grabbed the dust pan and broom from the cabinet under the sink. As she cleaned, she replied, “Well, you said it was all in my head.”
“And if it’s not, and he randomly shows up?” Brook waved her hands wildly.
“Then it’d be long overdue. Don’t you think?” Joss shrugged.
“How are you so laid back?”
“I’ve seen him my entire life, Brook. It’d be nice to know he’s not simply a figment of my imagination.” Gripping the edge of the counter, she bowed her head. How could she explain the feeling of disconnection she experienced between waking and sleep when she thought of Kazimir?
“People, in reality, are rarely what they appear to be from a distance,” Brook cautioned.
“I know that. Don’t judge me harshly. I just … I need this moment to happen.” She pushed away from the counter. “I’m tired of being in limbo. For better or worse, this needs to play out.”
“Okay then.” Brook slid the drink toward her. “You look like you need this.”
Joss took a sip of the sweet beverage and let the taste dance over her tongue. “I’ve had my head buried in the sand like an ostrich. I’m ready to bring it all out into the open.” The time for secrets and silence had passed. “Fear will no longer be the one in the driver’s seat.” She knew better than to tempt fate. Even as the words left her mouth, she regretted them.
Chapter Five
This time, she came to Kishi’s prepared. Knocking softly on the door, she balanced her handmade lemon biscuits. The thin cookies were golden brown and held the perfect snap when you bit into them. She knew because she’d made three batches before declaring them fit to gift to the lamia. If you were trying to woo someone with food, nothing short of spectacular would do. She’d spread a thin layer of white icing to add a hint of sweetness to the tart lemon flavor. Who says watching baking shows doesn’t pay off?
The lamia opened the door and grinned. She was dressed to kill in a jade silk dress with a deep V-neck that highlighted her décolletage and kissed the ground. She never got the sense that Kishi was ashamed of her lower half, but she didn’t put it on display either.
“You are a fast learner,” she purred. “Come in, my new friend. Please, set your gifts on the table.”
Moving into the sumptuous space, she did as she was told.
“You have a different look about you today. There is more fight and knowing. Things have been revealed to you, yes? How has it changed you?”
“It’s been freeing? I guess when you have nothing left to lose, what can hold you back?”
“Hmm.” Kishi nodded. “The darkness conceals and traps. Letting light in doesn’t always mean it will be an uplifting experience. Merely one full of truth. You have to remember that the truth is a mighty sword that can be devastating when wielded correctly.”
“People have to be willing to see the truth first.” Joss sighed when she thought of the people salivating as they bought into the Alpha’s every word.
“Sometimes, they need a mirror held up in front of their faces. Like you.”
“You think I was blind?” Joss asked.
“No, I think you needed to see the entire story to be able to act accordingly.” The kettle whistled. “Tea’s ready.”
“You knew I was coming.” Joss would never get used to her knowing.
“My blessing and curse.” Kishi shrugged as she slithered away. The tip of her tail rattled as she used it like a ruder to steer. “You came bearing gifts, so the first question is on me.”
“How do I find the pack?”
“You’ve been a busy bee. I think I continue to underestimate you. Isiah’s suffocating shadow made it hard to see you for who you really are.”
“What does that mean?”
Kishi clicked her tongue. “The first one was a freebie.” She poured the tea, remembering Joss’s preference of two sugar cubes and a heavy-handed dollop of cream.
“What is it you want?” Joss asked cautiously. She wasn’t foolish enough to believe the lamia wanted to be friends. Her presence broke up Kishi’s daily monotony, nothing more.
“I need you to research something for me.”
“That’s it?” Joss said incredulously.
Kishi smirked. “Before you agree to this, know that it won’t be an easy search, and I would swear you to secrecy in the old way.”
“What do you consider the old way?”
“A blood oath.”
Her eyes bulged.
“I hold my secrets close to my chest, dear. If I choose to share, you’d best believe I’m covering my tail.” She rattled the buttons on the end of her tail and winked.
“I won’t agree blindly.”
“And I won’t share without that oath,” Kishi countered.
Joss sighed. If the mountain won’t come to Muhammad. “Is it illegal?”
“No.”
“Then why do you say it’s hard?” she probed.
“Because not all secrets reveal themselves to me so easily.”
“But you have the sight.”
“And yet when it comes to matters concerning me, I am blind. Nature always demands her balance.”
“Is there a time limit?” Joss asked, trying to get the parameters.
“No. The oath will make sure you hold up your end of the bargain, regardless of how long it takes.”
“You can’t give me anything else?” She studied Kishi, who perched on the chair across from her and sipped her tea.
“It won’t harm you in any way. It’s more of a mystery waiting to be solved. A past so old, people have begun to believe it was fiction. That I am unreal.” Her gaze moved to the wall behind Joss’s shoulder, but she knew from the removed expression, the older woman saw something that wasn’t actually there.
“If I agree to do this, what do I get in return?” Joss was prepared to be shrewd.
“My services rendered. No more hoops, or bartering.”
Whatever this was, it meant a great deal to her. Having Kishi on her side could make a world of difference.
“Let’s make the oath.”
Kishi set her cup onto the saucer. “If you’re sure. It takes a person who’s fully committed to undergo this ritual.”
“I’m all in. I won’t renege on my word.”
“Very well then. Come.” She set her tea down and stood. Slowly, she made her way out of the dining area and farther into her room. They moved out of the living area and deeper to the cavern. Stalagmites hung down. She entered another area, covered in salt. Himalayan salt stones covered the wall and granulated salt.
“This is my salt room.”
“What does it do?”
“It brings peace, and helps cleanse impurities and negative energy. Pharmaceutical grade salt is ground up and diffused into the air. It helps focus energy for ceremonies as well.
Joss nodded, still amazed at the incredible space created inside of the mountain.
“Sit by the altar, and I’ll get everything we’ll need.”
Sitting on the ground, beside the altar, she watched as Kishi retrieved a silver goblet, silver handled knife, and a strange metal bowl with a thick, fat, wooden roller half painted black.
Lining everything up on the altar, Kishi moved to the wooden bowl to light incense. Humming in the back of her throat, she gave off an odd hissing sound, which seemed to hypnotize like a cobra. She ran the stick on the inside of the bowl. A harmonic hum filled the room. She sang
in what Joss believed to be Chinese, though she wasn’t knowledgeable enough to decipher a dialect.
Electricity swept through the woman, followed by a cool wind, that chilled her skin and blew the curls away from her face. Despite the miniature hurricane, Kishi was unruffled. Her skin glowed with an inner light. Her dark hair billowed around her like a dark cloud, and her eyes glowed with power. Her tail rattled in time with her chanting.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m asking the gods of old to serve as our witnesses. On this day we create a bond until our vow is met.”
“Are you going to explain what exactly you want me to do?”
“The first step is to be bound by secrecy.” Kishi sliced her palm. The bright red liquid slowly welled up from the slash. She held it over the silver chalice. “I shall keep our vow wrapped in secrecy and help you in exchange for the search for my lost love.”
Joss’s jaw dropped.
Kishi handed her the knife. “Now you.”
Joss made a small cut, and dripped her blood into the silver chalice, adorned with carvings of warriors. It looked old and practically hummed with power.
“Repeat the words.”
“I shall keep our vow wrapped in secrecy and search for your lost love in exchange for information and assistance.”
“Good.” Kishi nodded her approval. She lifted the chalice and began to chant again. The smoke drifting up from the incense swirled wildly, forming a large snake made of white smoke.Kishi leaned back on her heels and sighed. “It’s done.”
“Who am I looking for, Kishi?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“Why can’t you tell me?”
“Because it’s my punishment for wanting what I knew I couldn’t have and making a holy man fall for me. I’m older than you can comprehend. Sonnets, stories, and plays have been written about my tragic tale of what never would be. I retreated for a time, distracted myself with mischief, and more lives than any one person should experience, but always it comes back to him.”
“Who?” she asked, intrigued by the complete change in the icy woman with the polite façade.
“Jizi Zhao.”
She chose her words carefully. “Was he like you?”
Kishi smiled sadly. “No. He was completely human. A good, sweet man, who saw behind this odd form to the woman beneath.”
“Then how do you expect me to find him?”
“Every now and then I can feel him. I am certain he’s been reborn in this lifetime.”
“And what if he’s some ten-year-old boy in California?” Joss pressed the issue, not about to deliver a helpless babe into the lair of a monster.
“Then I will wait, and come to him when the time is right.”
“That’s incredibly creepy.” The words were out before she could tamper them.
“Your job is to find him, not to judge.” Her words cut like razor wire.
Joss held her hands up. “Fine. I’m not sure how to go about this though.”
“That’s up to you to figure out.” Kishi fixed her eyes on her, and the temperature in the room dropped.
“Tell me what I want to know, give me the last known location of Jizi, and I’ll get started today.”
“Ask your question.”
“How do I find the pack?”
“You don’t. They will find you if you put yourself in the proper state.”
“And how do I do that?”
“You need to go on a vision quest.”
“I’m not a Native American, Kishi.”
“You don’t need to be to tune into yourself, and the spirits around you. Start researching the process, and we’ll work on meditation. Show them you respect their beliefs and aren’t a White Creek sheep.”
“Are you giving me homework?”
“Yes, little one. Respect goes a long way, and you’ve got the history of the past attached to you. It’s long and painful, and when they look at you, they won’t be able to help but see that. The past always affects the present whether or not we want to admit.” Her voice suggested she spoke from firsthand knowledge.
Joss glanced down at her watch. “Crap. I have to go. We have a town meeting today.”
“I’d like to be a fly on the wall. You riled them all up, coming into town like that.”
Joss didn’t bother to ask her how she knew.
“It wasn’t intentional. If I had thought it through, I wouldn’t have made such a dramatic entrance.”
“Always follow your instincts, Joss.” She rose, leading her out of the peaceful space. “I’ll keep our blood in a vial. Think of it as a physical contract for our agreement.”
“Is there anything I should know about today?” Joss asked as she followed her through her home toward the front door.
“Let things play out naturally. Observe, and bide your time waiting for an opening. You’ll know it when you see it.”
Joss’s shoulders slumped. “So, more of the same?”
“Remember, you’re playing the long game. That takes patience, cunning, and acting skills. I know you possess all three. Don’t overplay your hand now when things are getting critical. Once you show your cards, there’s nothing left to bargain with.” They reached the front door and paused. “What about Isiah?”
“You won’t like what I have to say, but the two of you are connected and inexplicably bound.” Her eyes glazed over and she stared at a fixed point beyond Joss’s vision. “His future shifts constantly. I can’t see where he’s headed. There is good left in him. If you look. He’s drawn to you for reasons he doesn’t want to admit to himself. You remind him of the better parts of his life. You’ve got a bright spirit. It beckons him, and so he tries to keep you close, but in the end, he suffocates.”
“Understatement,” she mumbled. The revelation only complicated things further. It was easier to think of him as the unredeemable enemy, but he was just as caught up in the cogs of the machine as she.
“Remember what I said about the truth. Choose your moments wisely. There’s more resting on your shoulders than you can imagine.”
“What do you mean?”
“Go, you don’t want to be late. The Alpha is growing impatient as each day passes.”
Joss stepped from the house feeling manipulated but knowing she was right.
* * *
Large oak tables with the pack symbol carved in the middle were packed with bodies. The sour scent of anxiety tinged with fright battled with the smell of freshly baked loaves of banana, pumpkin, regular, and zucchini bread. An assortment of scones broke up the breads while staying in the same wheelhouse. The Alpha took the phrase breaking bread literally.
Joss stepped closer to Isiah, grateful for his ability to make others look elsewhere as she waited in the wings for the Alpha to speak. Isiah wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and she thought of Kishi’s words. Was this part of his act, or a glimmer of the good inside of him? Does it matter? She needed him. Her stomach lurched. She hated being the center of attention, and this was only going to put her front and center in front of prying eyes seeking answers and reassurance.
She tugged on the bottom of the soft, white cashmere sweater her mother paired with white pants that stopped at her ankles. The four-inch nude heels made her ankles weep. Her curls had been straightened, and her locks were brushed ’til they shone and tucked demurely behind her ears. She looked like a carbon copy of her mother. In the worst possible way. It was a subtle hint toward her future position. I might do the song and dance they’ve planned out, but I’m in charge of my mind and my future for the first time since I set foot on this godforsaken land.
Her mother was in queen mode. Head held high, hair polished to a high gloss, and stacked to God with body, she balanced expertly on her red-soled black Christian Louboutin heels. Black slacks paired with a cream-colored button-down T-shirt and a fake smile made her the perfect accessory. The Alpha placed a large hand on her hip, and they stepped out. The whispers turned to app
lause and cheers and whistles.
After a few moments, they settled down.
“My friends, it’s so good to be under one roof again breaking bread. I know there’s been unrest and questions. I’m here to answer them all. We witnessed a miracle a week ago when our very own Moon Maiden changed without the moon. It’s an omen. Everything we’ve worked so hard to prepare for will be coming to pass soon. The old ways are shifting.”
The tittering of warbling voices rose up like a disgruntled crowd about to turn.
“Fear not. This is what we want. It proves we were correct all along. We plan on increasing our training, gathering, and sending out scouts to see where others in the supernatural community stand. It’s important to know our enemies, so we can stay ahead of them.”
“Where’s the Maiden?” a voice called.
“Well, she’s been feeling a bit shy. You know our beauty doesn’t like to be the center of attention. An admirable trait in one who holds so much power, don’t you think?”
“Yes.” The quick agreement made her face flame.
“They love you.” Isiah twined their fingers and lifted her hand to his lips.
“The love the idea of me,” she whispered.
“No.” Isiah shook his head. “You’re the real deal. You care because it’s the right thing to do, and your heart is built that way. There’s no try with you. It’s simply being. Remember that.”
“It’s going to be a busy time full of growth. We need to pull together now and have patience. If you see something out of the ordinary, speak up. If you feel the call of the moon, come to me or one of the Betas so we can assist you,” the Alpha stated.
Brainwash you and control your thoughts and actions to turn you into an example we can present to the masses to show them everything is all right and we are the ones steering the vehicle. Never mind that our course is headed straight through the center of crazy town with the final destination straight off a cliff. There would be no race war of epic proportions. It would boil down to good against evil, and she wasn’t convinced White Creek would be on the right side.