by Lynn Veevers
Neither Kenneth nor Samantha had noticed, seeing how they were both completely involved with the transfer of information.
“You need to go back to looking indifferent before those two notice you drooling over Samantha,” she thought, knowing he could hear her.
He shot her a look of gratitude.
Samantha sat back into the big, overstuffed chair she had planted herself in.
“Now that is some serious business, and this woman means to hurt my sweet little cubbies? She has lost her freaking mind!”
“Samantha, it is not just the cubs, but all of us, including you and your pack as well. Everyone,” Eric said, stepping forward and locking eyes with her for the first time since she had entered the room.
The electricity that arched between them was palpable, and Kaya sensed a storm of a different type brewing on the horizon. One look at Kenneth confirmed she was not the only one who felt it.
Samantha was infatuated with Eugene, not only physically either. He definitely stimulated her mentally as well. As for Eugene, it seemed he’d definitely clicked with Samantha on an intelligent level. As for the physical level, Kaya was not completely sure. But this energy bouncing between Eric and Samantha was primal and raw. They just stared at each other for what seemed like forever. A look at Eric told Kaya he was definitely attracted to Samantha, for his eyes reflected a deep goldenrod ring just around his irises. She glanced at Samantha to see how she was reacting to this and was shocked to see the brighter, lighter band of yellow creeping into her eyes. She tore her gaze away from Eric.
“I need to process this by myself for a while.”
She quickly exited the room.
“Was it something I said?” Eric wanted to know.
Kenneth’s look turned purely sympathetic. He draped an arm around Eric’s shoulder.
“No, my man, it is just your timing is horrible! My sister is a…complicated female.”
They left Kaya in the room alone. She assumed Kenneth was going to fill Eric in on Samantha’s now interesting situation.
Kaya decided maybe she should talk to Samantha and make sure she was OK. She went up to her room and stopped a few feet from the door when she realized Samantha wasn’t alone. Kaya didn’t want to barge in if she was trying to explain to Eugene. She stood there and felt guilty for loitering just outside Samantha’s door.
Cara’s bubbly laugh floated to her. Kaya smiled and proceeded into Samantha’s room. There the two were, Samantha sprawled out on her bed and Cara lounging in the bay window. Kaya cleared her throat and both girls looked at her.
“Well now, what did I miss?” Kaya asked as she took a seat at the vanity table.
Samantha heaved a huge sigh.
“I was just telling Cara about my and Eugene’s date, he and I have the same taste in men, wow did that conversation get hot. Then there’s the crazy situation that just happened with Eric down stairs. I know you don’t understand, Cara. I mean the pull I was talking about when it comes to Eric.”
Samantha was confused and absolutely distraught. Cara laughed her little girl’s laugh before she replied, “I know you are a Lycan, Samantha, and if my hunch is right, I am going to say Eric is as well. So yes, actually. To me, it makes complete and logical sense.”
Samantha’s jaw had pretty much fallen off. She shot an accusatory look at Kaya.
“You told her! How could you?”
Kaya was about to retort but Cara stepped up in a tone that was all business.
“Now let’s not start jumping to conclusions, Samantha! Kaya didn’t have to tell me a thing. I was able to figure it out on my own without her divulging any information about you or your family. There is not much that gets past me, and if you knew me better, this whole ordeal would not shock you in the least. So, if you please, you should apologize to Kaya for falsely accusing her.”
If the tone of the conversation had not been so serious, Kaya would have burst out laughing due to the look of utter shock on Samantha’s face. Her mouth hung wide open. Slowly, she closed her mouth and sat for several minutes regarding Cara.
“I knew I liked you!” Samantha said. A huge smile split her face and the tension in the room dissipated instantly.
“So, Miss Genius, what is your recommendation?” Samantha wanted to know as she addressed Cara.
Cara took no time in responding and absolutely no offense to Samantha’s sarcastic, but good-natured reference to her. “Honestly, this is something you are going to have to hash out for yourself. You spent a good portion of the day getting to know Eugene and clicking with him on a mental level. Your intellectual sides are seriously compatible. You also know you have an undeniable physical attraction to Eugene, so all the elements are there.”
She took a moment clearly contemplating how she was going to word the next part.
"On the flip side, he knows nothing about what you really are, so at this point, on your side, what he sees is a sham. It’s a fundamental detail which needs to come out before feelings get too involved. Eric knows exactly what you are because he has that in common with you. He does not know you on the same intimate, intellectual level that Eugene does and doesn’t know the little things that make you tick. Eugene knows a good portion of that now. But there is no denying a chemical pull that is completely biological between Eric and yourself. You and Eric are going to be drawn to each other regardless. One thing you need to know though, Samantha, once you fall into the friend zone with my brother, if you decide to explore the flip side of this coin first and it falls through, there will be no chance of gaining Eugene’s interest again in that faction. Eugene does not give second chances.”
“As of right now, I am going to avoid Eric like the plague. It is Eugene I want,” Samantha said seriously.
Kaya couldn’t help but smile, but she knew this was going to be hard for Samantha. Kaya thought of Eugene and Samantha as a couple and wondered if that would be doable past the short term. There was no doubt in her mind that Eric and Samantha had better chances as far as a permanent thing went. Then there was Owen and Dahlia; there had definitely been a shift there. Maybe it was not so much of a shift as it was an acceptance. Owen was in love, and he loved those cubs like they were his own. Dahlia and Owen just made sense when it came to being a mated pair.
The door bell ringing and then the front door opening had Kaya jumping in alarm.
“Relax Kaya. It is just Josh and Anissa,” Samantha said, sniffing the air.
“Well, I need to get back downstairs. I will talk to you ladies later,” Kaya said, noticing neither of them looked the slightest bit bothered by her sudden need to leave. She ran down the stairs, taking them two at a time. Eric stood in the hallway with Kenneth, Josh, and Anissa. Kenneth introduced them to one another. Kaya joined them, with a hug for Anissa, and they headed into the family room.
When Kenneth explained everything that had happened, Josh and Anissa were stunned. Kaya quickly explained to Josh what she needed him to do, and a look of concern crossed his face. “Kaya, what you are asking me to do is put a barrier around his brain. I don’t know if I can actually form a barrier around something inside someone.”
“Are you willing to at least try?”
Kenneth gave him a reassuring nod. Josh let out an exasperated sigh and stood in front of Eric. When Josh raised his hand to the level of Eric’s face, Eric stepped back and gave Josh a concerned look.
“Is this going to hurt?” Eric asked nervously.
“How am I supposed to know,” Josh exclaimed with irritation.
It was not like Josh to be so flustered; clearly the pressure of this was getting to him. Anissa laid a hand on Josh’s shoulder. “You can do this, Josh.”
Josh visibly relaxed and offered Anissa a grateful smile. He returned his gaze to Eric and spoke in a calm, even tone. “Honestly, I do not know what to expect, Eric. Like you, I have never done this. Sorry, but I have no reassuring words for you. Are you ready?”
“As ready as I can be I suppose,” Eric s
aid with apprehension evident in his voice.
Again, Josh raised his hands and seemed to search for something with his eyes, almost as if he were reading a book. They knew when he had found what he was searching for because he told Kaya, “OK Kaya, whenever you are ready.”
Kaya consumed herself with thoughts of Noah. Slowly, carefully, she opened to the torrent of spirits who walked the plane of the dead. For several minutes, she could feel the sway and pull of those who wished to speak. None were familiar to her. They felt like a strange and foreign assault on her senses. She willed them away as they surfaced and that seemed to actually work. She had more control with spirit speaking than she thought.
She reached out further still, desperately looking for who they needed to speak with. This plane was vast and buzzed with activity. There was a low buzz of indistinguishable voices, multitudes of them. They got louder and louder the longer she was open to the plane, searching. Finally, the cold kaleidoscope of grays, blacks, and whites that was this place brightened into a vivid flash of color and warmth. Kaya felt a pull, like a fish attacking the bait on the end of fishing line. She opened her eyes to see Eric with a look of full-blown shock.
Her first thought was Josh’s barrier had not worked. She quickly crossed the two steps to Eric and shook him violently. Silence had fallen over the room and she could not snap Eric out of his trance. He was as still as stone, the expression of utter shock and disbelief still on his face.
“Eric! Can you hear me?” she shouted.
He briefly focused on her and then returned his gaze to whatever it was that held him spellbound. Kaya twisted around and saw Noah grinning at her with a knowing smile. It was the man next to Noah who had stolen Eric’s undivided attention. He was a man with a similar build and features but he was much older.
This older man stepped forward until he stood only a foot in front of Eric. “Well, you certainly aren’t a baby anymore, my Little Viking.”
Eric opened his mouth and at first nothing came out. He cleared his throat and then tried again, this time croaking a solitary word. “Dad!”
“Hey baby brother, it’s nice to see you again,” Noah said, still all smiles.
Clearly their little experiment was working because there they stood. Kaya knew this was the first time in Eric’s working memory he’d set eyes on his father and she felt for him. It made her mind wander and she looked over at Kenneth realizing she alone could make a lifelong dream for him, come true. Smiling she turned her attention to Josh and noticed the barrier he was currently maintaining taking its toll. He was covered in perspiration with the effort it took to hold it.
“I hate to be the party pooper, but I do not know how much longer Josh can keep this up. Noah, we need information about your dad, but since you brought him, it makes more sense to just ask him what we need to know,” Kaya said reluctantly, but firmly. Eric’s father stepped forward and put his hands on his hips.
“Well then, let’s get to it, little lass. I am Jerrik. What might your name be?” he said in a strong Norwegian accent.
“I’m Kaya.”
She hurriedly went into what was going on and asked him about his father and Senka. For a short while, Eric took the reins and relayed a short version of the memory he and his sister had accessed. The more Eric told of the tale, the darker Jerrik’s expression became.
“I suspected, as did my sister Renee, that something was off with our father’s story. So much of what he described did not fit our Aunt Senka’s personality. This version makes much more sense. If the rest of the pack had found out he’d turned one of our own, he would have been kicked out and became a rogue with no family, no pack, and no protection. There is no greater dishonor. To add to that grim fate, once shunned, the chances were good that one of the other clans would hear of his banishment and hunt him down to protect their own females from his seduction, and stopping his chances of forming another pack,” Jerrik said, clearly disgusted.
“The thing is, we have searched for all our passed clan and ironically, we have not been able to locate Nathaniel. That suggests he was not laid to rest and his remains are somewhere, still bound to the living plane. So his essence is more than likely in limbo between our two planes. Make no mistake, Senka would have done that on purpose. It is a fate worse than death,” Noah explained.
Kaya looked horrified, “I can’t imagine what I would do if I passed on and then couldn’t find my loved one’s who’d passed before me. It’s one of the things we look forward to again. How is limbo a fate worse than death?”
“Because, you know you are dead even though you never made it to the plane of the dead, but you are no longer on the plane of the living. You are stuck between the thin space of the two. You hunger, but cannot eat. You tire, but cannot sleep. You thirst, but cannot drink. You lust, but cannot sate the need. You are doomed until such a time as your ties to this plane are relinquished completely. Only that will set your soul free,” Noah said.
“And you think this is what happened to Nathaniel,” Kaya asked.
“Grandpa’s body was never found. He just never came home and his scent was lost on the wind. So either he lives and has learned how to deaden his scent, or he is in limbo. I would assume the latter of the two is the actual case. There is no way that Senka would have rested until he was dead.” Noah said.
“Senka changed after she was turned, she wasn’t the loving kind hearted Aunt I remembered, and she had a cold and calculating streak. She would have seen to it that my father was dealt with,” Jerrik told everyone.
Eric spoke the single question that had been flipping through Kaya’s mind. “Have you seen Shannon?”
Both men got utterly concerned looks on their faces and then answered in unison, “No!”
Eric was so relieved that he slumped back into the love seat. Kaya chimed in, letting them know Senka had taken her and they planned to get her back.
“Jerrik, do you know where Senka is? I know she is your aunt and clearly family means everything to you, but if we don’t find her there is a very good chance she will kill your daughter,” Kaya said, refusing to sugar coat it.
Kaya and the others listened as Jerrik explained how he had remained close to his aunt through the years, despite her affliction. He told how she had grown more and more distant from her humanity as time wore on and by the time his life had ended, she was but a shadow of who she used to be. They learned where she was probably holed up with her followers and also Eric’s sister. Kaya heaved a deep sigh of dread when he announced the location. She figured they’d learned all they needed to know at the moment, and one look at Josh told her he was near his limit. He was shaking with the effort.
I’m sorry Noah, but Josh can’t take much more of this I have to close. Jerrik it was nice to meet you, I’ll see you both soon,” Kaya said then looked back at Josh with concern.
Kaya closed her eyes and willed them away. The collective gasp in the room told her they had vanished. She opened her eyes to see Anissa helping Josh to the three seater couch. He was white as a sheet and obviously completely tapped.
“Thank you, this would have never been possible without you. Anything you need, just ask,” Eric told Josh.
He gave Eric a weak smile, passed out, and immediately started snoring.
“Why does it have to be caverns and caves,” Kaya moaned. “It looks like we’re going to Missouri!”
15
Seeing Is Believing
Kaya was in a dark place in her mind. She tossed and turned as she traveled through the alternate world her mind had conjured in her dreams. Senka chased her through the dank, dark caves she dwelled in. Kaya had to put just a little more distance between them and she could gain the advantage. Senka’s wrought was strong but not able to immobilize Kaya while in Pure Form. A thought occurred to Kaya and she mentally changed the odds stacked against her.
She stopped running and whipped around to face her foe. Senka surged forward for the opportunity she saw and Kaya stood her ground,
defiant in her stance. Her sudden confidence had Senka stopping in her tracks.
“Your core is going to be mine. I have waited months to get you exactly where you are now. There is nowhere left for you to run. All your friends and family, your entire pack, are dead!” Senka said in a deadly quiet voice.
Kaya’s mind panned out and raced visually down the tunnel’s twists and turns. When it stopped, in her mind’s eye, she saw Kenneth and everyone else she loved sprawled on the cave floor, lifeless and dismantled in a heap of body parts.
Her disembodied vision was yanked back through the tunnel and slammed into her body. Upon returning, she was standing where she’d stopped running and the walls of the cave’s tunnels were closing in on her.
When she had but inches to spare before the walls would crush her, she heard Senka’s evil voice speak to her one last time. “You will come to me, you will stalk me, you will hunt me, a fearless predator. But when you have found me, your prey, I will then become your predator and devour you whole!”
Kaya woke to a pounding heart and harried emotions. She was drenched in sweat and her mouth felt like cotton.
“I hate being closed in. Why’d it have to be caves and caverns?” Kaya thought and got up for the day.
“Well, now we know relatively where Senka is. The question is when will we go after her and get Shannon back. I mean, how many caves and caverns can there be in the Branson area?” Eric asked.
The answer was three. There were two caverns and one cave and all were tourist attractions, so the likelihood of any of those caves being the place Senka was holed up was highly doubtful. Owen had explained those were the most popular of many that littered the land. They would need a means of tracking Senka or better yet, tracking Shannon. The problem was they had no one with that specific trait. They needed someone who could track scent.
Noah was gone and Shannon was the one they were trying to rescue. Owen decided maybe they needed to call in extended family.