by Tricia Barr
Today, though, her thoughts had been consumed with Wes, and she worried all through classes that she might miss his shift. She wasn’t sure why she wanted to be there so much. Maybe it was the lure of seeing someone make that first leap from human to... shifted. Maybe.
But for whatever reason, her heart swelled when she barreled off the bus, through her house and into the kitchen to find Wes in the backyard—still human, still glum, and with her mom confirming that he hadn’t changed yet.
She stared out the sliding glass doors while Mom sat at the dining table looking over bills. “Do you think he’s just not ready to shift?” Kenzie asked.
“I can’t imagine he wouldn’t be,” Mom said. “I’m actually surprised he’s held off this long. That happens to be a wolf moon.”
“A wolf moon?”
“A Native American naming system,” Gram said as she came in and sat next to Mom with a mug in her hand. Kenzie hadn’t even noticed Gram was there, but it made sense. She’d probably been in the office doing something, just in case she needed to be on hand for Wes’s transformation. “But the wolf moon seems to have more power over weres than the other moons.”
Kenzie turned back to watch Wes. He didn’t move, despite the deep chill of the day. His breath came out in large puffs of mist, and it looked like he was sweating. Sure, he was wearing a coat, but she didn’t think he could be that warm.
Why isn’t he moving? Gram and Mom had warded the yard to keep out prying eyes, but it wouldn’t keep him locked in. He could leave any time, if he wanted. Kenzie wondered what he’d do with himself once he made the shift and Mom and Gram made him leave. How long would he remain a cat? What kind of cat would he be? What if she never saw him again?
“I’d like to go talk to him, if you don’t mind.”
Gram nodded, but Mom’s eyes hardened. “No. I will not have my daughter out there with a young man who could shift at any moment.”
Gram placed her hand on Mom’s. “Lita.”
The two women exchanged a long stare before Mom’s shoulders drooped. “Fine. But if he mark’s my daughter, so help me—”
“You’re not protecting her from anything by keeping her inside. Besides, Kenzie can take care of herself.” Gram turned her gaze to Kenzie. “And we’ll be here if you need us. Okay Kitten?”
Kenzie swallowed and nodded.
She pulled her coat tighter—she hadn’t yet bothered to take it off—as she slid out the door into the backyard. Wes whipped his head in her direction, a sad smile on his lips.
“Aren’t you freezing?” Kenzie asked as she approached, her boots crunching in the hard crust of snow half-melted and refrozen.
Wes shrugged. “It’s keeping me distracted.”
“Distracted from what?”
“Everything.”
Kenzie stood beside him, her hands buried in her pockets, shoulders up around her ears. The tension in the air was thicker than the puffs of breath freezing in the winter chill. Kenzie had nothing. She thought she could help, but now that she was out here, with him... Yeah, she had nothing.
Kenzie thought about turning around and going back inside, but Wes’s voice caught her, keeping her there.
“I keep thinking that if I don’t shift, maybe you won’t have to leave. Maybe I won’t have to leave. But the pull is strong. Has been since I woke up, really.”
“You’re scared. It’s understandable. This is all new—”
“No.” Wes shook his head, his eyes trained on the ground. “I’m scared, but not of shifting.”
Kenzie’s eyes rolled toward the sky. “Wes, you can’t think—”
“I know. And I’m sorry. I know you’re not... That you don’t... It tears me up, knowing just how messed up all of this is.” Wes stood and began pacing, and Kenzie swore she could see his eyes beginning to glow red, even if he refused to look at her.
Wes stopped and locked his gaze with Kenzie’s. “Forget it,” he growled as he started toward her.
Faster than she could think, Wes was crushed up against her, one hand holding her to him, the other cradling her neck. And his lips, hot and soft against hers with the faintest traces of chocolate, made her tremble. She closed her eyes as she savored what might be their last moments together, praying that everything would work out okay—for him, for her, for Leif and Myreen and the world.
But the sound of the sliding door and her mother’s yells broke them apart at record speed.
“Kenzie! Get back in here at once.”
Wes shook his head, taking a few steps back. He met Kenzie’s eyes once more, an apology without regrets lingering in his steadily reddening irises. He turned and ran for the edge of the yard.
Kenzie stared wide-eyed, wondering if Wes was taking this moment to leave. But the crack of fabric and another growl—this time decidedly feline in nature—signaled that the blur that was Wes had finally found his inner mao.
Kenzie gawked at the granola cat stalking around the perimeter of the yard, seeing Wes’s eyes looking back at her. Muscles rippled through his back, his tail whipping back and forth. He walked in a tight circle twice, then curled into a ball and laid his head on his paws. Not once did he stop looking at Kenzie.
“Ohhh, shift,” Kenzie breathed.
Mom grabbed Kenzie’s hand and hauled her back into the house. “What were you thinking? Letting him kiss you like that. For all you know you’re stuck with him now.”
Kenzie looked back at Wes, the memory of his lips still burning against her skin as she let her mom drag her along. But the kiss hadn’t been what sealed her fate. Somehow she knew that he didn’t need mao DNA. Something had clicked a long time ago. The shifter in him just made it a little more permanent.
“I never should’ve trusted you,” Mom continued to rant. “Falling for a hunter was one thing, but now that he’s a mao?”
But it was Gram, still sitting at the table that captured Kenzie’s attention. She winked. “A cougar, eh?”
“Mom!” Kenzie’s mom said. “We need to get Kenzie as far away from here as possible. Right now.”
“Relax, Lita. I’ve got this handled.”
“Like you just handled my daughter—your granddaughter—being marked?”
“You don’t know if that’s what just happened. Besides, now that he’s shifted, he’s not your problem anymore.”
Mom glared at Gram.
“I have a friend in Washington Kenzie’s going to visit,” Gram continued. “By the time she gets back, everything will have worked out. You cool, kitten?” Gram raised her brows, as if she was asking for Kenzie’s permission, but Kenzie knew what Gram was really doing.
Kenzie shrugged her consent, playing along with the charade. But despite her casual demeanor, her heart had raced ahead of her. Though if she were being totally honest, it had a hard time slowing when it was around Wes these days.
“Go. Go now and pack your things,” Mom said, herding Kenzie toward her room.
“Okay, okay! I love you too.”
“You’d better!” Mom called after her, then quieter she added, “That girl is going to be the death of me.”
Kenzie went into her room and shut the door, then pulled out her suitcase and began throwing things in. Halfway through, she stopped, feeling compelled to look out the window.
Wes lay exactly where she’d last seen him, his gaze still trained on her. Her face flushed as she stared back. His mao form really was magnificent. She might have to stop calling him granola. Maybe mocha or spiced chai would work? She could think about that later. Maybe.
Because right now he was killing her with those pleading eyes of his. Kenzie considered staying. She could get lost in him, maybe for a while. But Leif needed her. Myreen needed her. And she’d made promises she intended to keep.
Tears blurred her vision and she swiped them away, giving Wes a small wave before closing her blinds, erasing him from her view. Would she ever see him again? He wouldn’t be here when she returned—if she returned. But she didn’t think
something like that would stop him. Maybe.
There was a light knock on the door, and a moment later Gram popped her head in. Kenzie swiped at her face and nose, trying to clean up the mess.
“Having a rough time, are we?” Gram asked as she eased in and closed the door behind her.
Kenzie shook her head. “Who me?” She sniffed, then laughed to try to keep from crying again. “I’m fine. Never better.”
“Do you love him?”
“Hah! Right.” Kenzie whispered the reveal spell for the grimoire, and put it in her bag before hiding it with her magic once more.
“Nice trick. You’ll have to teach me that when you get back.”
“If I come back.”
Gram frowned. “Are you planning on staying?”
“No. But I’m worried I’ll get eaten alive. Literally.” Kenzie stuffed a few more things in her suitcase and then leaned on it to zip it up. She had to keep stopping to stuff clothes back in so they didn’t jam the zipper, but they kept oozing back out. Kenzie growled at it, yanking harder and harder.
Gram’s hand on Kenzie’s shoulder stilled her. “Let me.” Kenzie reluctantly stood aside, and Gram unzipped the bag. She pulled a few clothes off the top and neatly folded them. “You remember that hound I dated?”
Kenzie nodded, folding her arms.
“He was a real charmer. And a husky when he shifted. Those eyes.” She hummed as she neatly zipped the suitcase closed and pushed it back, then turned to Kenzie.
“But like I said, he was a real dog.” Gram sighed, then sat on the bed and patted the space next to her.
Kenzie let her arms loose and lumbered to the bed. Gram put an arm around Kenzie’s shoulder and pulled her tight, and Kenzie curled into the warm embrace. “I thought he and I would be forever. But we weren’t. I’m not sure if it’s because we didn’t have that kind of connection that binds people together or if he was just too stupid to realize it. Either way, we were over before too long. No harm, no howl.”
Kenzie snorted, shaking her head.
“He’s got strong feelings for you, but that doesn’t mean you two are destined for forever. Or that you’re marked. Only he can tell you that, but if he’s of half the caliber I think he is, he won’t until you’re ready. If that day ever comes.”
“And what happens then?” Kenzie asked, pulling back from Gram.
Gram tucked a strand behind Kenzie’s ear, then turned to cradle Kenzie’s cheek. “You’re so young. You’ve got plenty of time to figure all that out.”
“Maybe,” Kenzie mumbled.
“You’ve got your strategy worked out?”
Kenzie nodded.
“And your login information for that online school I signed you up for?”
“Yes, Gram.” Gram insisted Kenzie not fall behind while she was out saving people. Good old Gram. At least she wouldn’t be bored.
“Good. Call us whenever you get a chance. And bring our girl home.”
Kenzie nodded. She cast a worried glance at the now-shuttered window, and Gram caught her gaze.
“He’ll be fine.”
For now. Would his hunter friends come looking for him? He belonged at the school—the Dome—though Kenzie had a feeling he wouldn’t go there. She couldn’t blame him, though she hoped he’d at least consider it. It wouldn’t be easy, going from enemy to ally, but he’d need help now that he was a mao.
Kenzie huffed a laugh. “You seem so sure of yourself, Gram. What are you? A mermaid seer?”
“No. Just very old.” Gram shrugged. “It has its perks. And I’ll keep an eye on him for you.”
“Thank you,” Kenzie whispered, giving Gram a big hug.
This whole thing was nuts, but at least she had her grandmother on her side. It made her believe, if only for a moment, that everything really would turn out okay.
Chapter 9: Myreen
Several days passed since Myreen had been brought to Heritage Prep. After coming to terms with the fact that she was absolutely a prisoner here, she was surprised to find that she didn’t completely hate it. With her ever-present and apparently mute guards, she had full access to the citadel and its amenities. The vampires she came into contact with never dared speak to her, but didn’t look at her like they did the other humans, or even as she’d expect them to look at a shifter. The look in their eyes was one of reverence, like she was some sort of princess.
When Ty wasn’t studying with his tutors, Myreen spent her time with him, playing with him and trying to indulge the child in him. She was fairly certain he’d never played with any kids his age, and it was a wonder he was so socially functional, if just a bit too formal for a ten-year-old.
But Ty spent at least half the day with his tutors, so when sharing his company wasn’t an option, she roamed the citadel, feigning idle curiosity when in fact she was carefully committing every inch of the building to memory so she could formulate an escape plan. One fact became obvious right away: there were no windows—or if there were, they sheeted over with metal—and no air ducts anywhere. There were only 2 doors she’d found that led outside—one in the Great Hall on the ground floor, and the one on the roof she’d come in that first night. She couldn’t trace her steps back to find the rooftop door, and a pair of guards flanked the front door at all times. Escaping would not be easy.
In her wanderings, there were some places her guards wouldn’t allow her to go, especially anywhere below the ground floor. That’s where the humans lived, and she guessed that would be where she’d find a way out. Her only hope was to find some way to ditch them so she could explore unhindered.
Then again, why bother escaping? she thought as she lay on her bed the morning of the fourth day, staring blankly at the underside of the canopy. She had nowhere to go. If she went back to the Dome, Draven would just send his army to get her again, and she didn’t think he’d spare the students a second time. She had no other family outside these walls. There was Kenzie, but Myreen knew she’d only be putting Kenzie in danger if she tried to find refuge with her. Maybe things really were better off for everyone if she stayed put.
After all, the prophecy did say the siren would kill Draven. What if she was meant to do that under his own roof?
She remembered how Delphine had ruptured that vampire’s heart in the sim. Myreen was nowhere near that level of skill. She could try to drown him with water manipulation, but drowning didn’t permanently kill vampires. She could shift into a harpy and fling her weaponized feathers at him, but he was far faster than her and she’d never land a blow. There was her new ursa powers, but she didn’t know much about them at all, except that whenever she got mad she pretty much turned into the Hulk.
Myreen smash!
She laughed out loud, certain the guards outside thought she was losing her mind.
If she was meant to kill Draven with any of those powers, though, the prophecy would’ve been about a mer, harpy or ursa. But it specifically said a siren. She was meant to use her siren voice. She’d forced that poor vampire girl to kill herself under General Dracul’s orders. Could the same thing work on Draven? And the question remained: was she capable of killing him? She’d only killed that vampire girl because she believed—hoped—it was part of a sim, and she was devastated when she realized it wasn’t.
She’d only heard of Draven’s cruelty, but she hadn’t witnessed it for herself, aside from the fear emanating from his followers. Though maybe that was just respect?
Every night, he’d come to Ty’s room to join them for dinner. He didn’t eat, of course, but he sat at the table and engaged them in conversation. For all the millions of ways in which she was sure he was a horrible person, he seemed a pretty good dad to Ty, asking him about his day and actually listening to what Ty said. Myreen could swear she saw love in Draven’s dark blue eyes whenever they were on his son. If someone was capable of love, did they deserve to die? Did anyone really deserve it?
Knock, knock, knock.
“Good morning, Myreen.” Speak of the de
vil. “I have something for you.”
She rolled off her bed and slowly went to answer him. “What is it?” she asked after she cracked open the door.
Draven held a thin, square box in his hands. It looked like a jewelry box. “Something that can help you with your current predicament.” He held up the box, looking at Myreen imploringly. She sighed and opened the door wider, closing it behind him.
My current predicament is that I’m trapped here. I don’t think you’re going to give me anything to help with that.
“I do believe I’ve been smelling ursa pheromones the last few days,” he continued. “Your ursa DNA has been triggered, then?”
She crossed her arms. “Yep. Just over a week ago.” And it’s your fault I have it in the first place.
“Ah, what awkward timing,” he said with a nod. “And during a full moon, no less. It’s amazing you haven’t shifted and destroyed half the citadel by now.”
“It’s been tempting,” she said, boldly meeting his gaze.
He hummed a laugh as they stared each other down for a split second. “In any case, I brought you something that will put your were abilities under your full control, so you’ll never be a slave to those volatile urges again.”
He opened the box and lifted a clunky yet elegant turquoise necklace from it. Without asking for permission, he was behind her in a blink, fastening the necklace around her neck and gently lifting her hair up and over the chain.
“The Navajo believed that turquoise warded off weres, which is the initial reason the stone ended up in so much of their jewelry. But that’s not exactly the case. Turquoise merely dulls the intense reactions of the hormones, so weres are able to keep their shifted form reigned in more effectively, without the random outbursts.”
As Draven spoke, the coldness of the stone soaked into her skin. The fuzzy anxiety she’d been feeling the last few days dissipated, leaving behind a strange tranquility. She took a deep breath, savoring the absence of the static that had been sizzling across every inch of her skin.
Draven sniffed the air. “Ah, much better. The scent of angry bear really doesn’t suit you.”