by Lynn Veevers
“Hello there, Owen, won’t you come in?” Lana offered and moved out of the way so he could pass. She closed the door and walked into the living room with Owen following her.
“I’m sorry, Lana, I just feel so horrible. I needed to see how you were doing. I have thought of little else since I left you here. I don’t want to seem creepy, but how do you feel? Still hurt,” Owen asked.
“I think I’ll live,” Lana giggled and Owen smiled with relief.
“We were pretty inseparable after that, and it only took four months for him to ask me to marry him. We finished our year at CIT and then he brought me back to the States, where we got married and finished school. Well, he did. I was happy being his wife and,” she told him as she placed a gentle spectral hand on his cheek and gazed at him with proud adoration, “a mommy-to-be.”
Kenneth looked like he just might cry as they sat there just gazing at each other.
“I left your plane for this one a happy woman, Kenneth. My only regret is not living long enough to see you grow, to get the chance to know you and have you know me,” she said, completing her story.
Kenneth was absolutely spellbound by his mother.
“This is the greatest gift ever. Thank you so much, Kays,” he said as she walked into his embrace.
“Kenneth, I am going to leave you to your day, I know how much Thanksgiving means to your father. Kaya, will we be able to do this again?” Lana asked.
Kaya lifted her head from his chest and smiled with genuine happiness.
“Yes! Anytime, anytime at all! Mom and Dad can tell me through testimony or you can come to me directly through the same avenue.”
Lana looked at Kaya, and even in death, her confused look rang loud and clear; she was completely lost as to what Kaya was talking about.
Kaya’s mother laughed, completely amused. “It’s OK, Lana, I will tell you all about it. But for now, we can talk to her when she sleeps, and she can’t just close us out,” her mother said, throwing Kaya a disapproving look.
Kenneth and Kaya finished up their good-byes and she closed herself, sending their parents back to their proper plane. Kaya smiled when she looked at Kenneth. A quick survey of his face revealed glistening in his eyes and a single tear streaming down a face that was red with the effort of trying to keep his emotions from flooding out. She reached her hand to his shoulder.
“Kenneth, are you OK?”
At the sound of Kaya’s voice, he recovered from his saddened state immediately. He wasn’t one to show his vulnerable side, not even to her. Instead he hugged her so tight she thought she might lose her breath.
“I’m fine, Kays, a lot to take in is all. You could not have given me a better gift if you tried! I got a chance to meet my mother, get to know her a little bit, something I never dreamed I could do until I was long dead! I love you so much. You are always doing little things to ensure my happiness, but this takes the cake.”
Kenneth sighed, affectionately kissed the top of Kaya’s head, then took a step back and walked to where he’d left his food. He finished what was left of his breakfast, showered, and got dressed for the day with mind-blurring speed. It amazed her how Lycans could use certain traits in Human Form, even if it was not as effective as it was when they were in Pure Form. In actuality, it was just a fraction of the power they had in Pure Form.
While he did his morning thing, Kaya made the bed and straightened up the room, awaiting her turn in the water. After her shower she went downstairs to join the others. The house was the furthest thing from sleeping anymore. There was a busy hum of activity, as well as conversation. Everyone was up and about, doing everything from cooking to playing video games. Kaya walked into the kitchen and there was Owen, Dahlia, Grace, Art, Nadia, and Art’s daughter, Bay, all immersed in different aspects of cooking. Bay saw Kaya headed toward the back patio and joined her at the sliding glass door to go outside with her.
Eric, Cole, Kenneth, and Quinn were on the patio talking about, who-knew-what, but they all had dead serious looks on their faces. Bay saw the expressions and decided she needed to help her mother rather than follow Kaya outside. Kaya watched her go and walked through the door. All conversation ceased as soon as her foot hit the deck. She rolled her eyes dramatically.
“Oh boys, don’t stop on my account!” Indignant sarcasm dripped from her voice.
“We were just talking about the plans for tomorrow and saw Bay with you when we last looked up. None of us realized she’d left until just now. Bay and Grady don’t know we’re here for any reason other than to visit Uncle Owen and our cousins,” Quinn said to Kaya as she closed the sliding glass door behind her.
“Yeah, Samantha has not told Eugene either,” she said, just the least bit worried over that point.
Kaya understood Samantha’s reasoning for not telling him. Eugene had a good opportunity in New York on Friday anyway. If Eugene was aware of what was going on, he would never go, never leave Samantha’s side. It was just who he was.
“OK, so what were you talking about?” Kaya asked, the curiosity killing her.
“Josh. We were talking about Josh. Quinn is certain that as long as he has his barrier in place before we enter the caverns, the wrought will just bounce off him. This way, he can travel with us and just keep his barrier up the entire time,” Kenneth explained.
“When the time comes to for Kenneth to actually run Eric’s sister out, Josh can expand the barrier already around himself to Kenneth and her. I am told this Anissa girl is coming, and she is but a Gnáth. I do not understand why she is coming, and no one will tell me what makes her so special,” Quinn said, agitated about the last part.
“Quinn, what are you going to be doing?” Kaya wanted to know.
“I will be there if anyone gets hurt,” he said simply.
“By the way, where is Samantha?” Kaya asked Kenneth. He gave a soft chuckle.
“Where else? With Eugene. They are revamping the dining room for our extra guests and setting up a small dining table for the younger kids.”
Owen came out onto the patio smiling. “What’s with all the gloomy faces? It’s Thanksgiving. Smile a little. Anyhow, grub will be on the table and ready to go in about thirty minutes. So wash up and get there on time.”
Forty-five minutes later, they were all gathered around the tables, hand in hand, to ask for blessing on the food, the current inhabitants of the house, and close friends and family. They had all the traditional foods of a Thanksgiving feast: turkey, stuffing, yams, green beans, corn, mashed potatoes, and gravy, to name a few, and everyone was guilty of gluttony by the time the food was being stored for later raiding.
Anissa and Josh arrived at about seven forty-five and stayed the duration of the night, since everyone would be heading out well before noon. Everyone understood their role in the mission.
Things got heated between Anissa and Quinn, but no one could say they were surprised. Quinn was having a hard time wrapping his head around why they needed Anissa. She had gotten angry in her signature way and had reacted in her typical fashion. Only, unlike with Kaya or Cara, Quinn did not just stare in shock. He reacted to her aggression in a rage that mirrored her own. They were grappling on the patio, weaving in and out of chairs, and side-stepping tables and blows alike. It was clear Quinn was impressed with Anissa inside of thirty seconds. Anissa, being as good as a martial arts master, should have landed a hit on Quinn, only she hadn’t. She was quick, agile, and above all, disciplined in her movements. It would appear Quinn was as well.
Quinn charged Anissa and she jumped sideways, rebounded off a table, and flipped over his head. She landed behind him as his momentum still carried him forward. In a split second, Anissa retrieved the Tessen from her right rear pocket and sliced her arm down through the air. Quinn didn’t make a sound but came to a complete stop and pivoted around. The feral nature of his mood was evident in his eyes. He bent, slightly hunched his shoulders, and his t-shirt fell from his arms and onto the deck.
Anissa cas
t Quinn a smug smile as she gestured toward the shirt on the deck that she’d cut clean down the middle without so much as scratching his skin.
“Nice shirt,” she said smiling sweetly.
He slowly straightened and Anissa just stood there, flipping her deadly fan to and fro.
“You’re just a tad slow, don’t you think,” she asked innocently.
She threw him a cocky feminine smile. Grace tried to stifle her giggle but had everyone following the sound to her, including Quinn. He slowly faced Anissa. The simmer of yellow that had lit his eyes blazed to life in a burning inferno of angry, golden fire.
Anissa’s smile widened. “Well now, this is going to be fun. However, for everyone’s safety, we need to move this little sparring match to a more spacious venue, don’t you agree?”
She walked passed a now fuming Quinn and made a display of doing a handstand on the rail, twisting about, and then dropping the fifteen feet to the ground like it was nothing.
Quinn slowly walked to the rail and peered over the edge, as did everyone else. When Anissa caught sight of Quinn, she crooked a finger at him and smiled that devious smile of hers.
“I think it’s time we demonstrated a more realistic setting, with more realistic threats,” Quinn said through clenched teeth. Quinn jumped up onto the railing then stepped off. When he hit the ground, he was in Hybrid Form.
“OK, this has gotten far too serious, children. Quinn, stop this nonsense right now,” his mother yelled down to them.
Quinn paid no heed to his mother’s warning. Anissa made a show of putting her Tessen away. This did nothing to sate Quinn’s aggravation with this girl who had bested him at every turn. Clearly, he did not like to lose.
A thought occurred to Kaya. If Quinn drew blood, Anissa would turn Afflicted and the pack would surely kill her. Kaya assumed Pure Form and jumped down between them. “One wrong move and Anissa is as good as Afflicted,” she reasoned with Quinn in her wolf’s voice.
That single statement grabbed his attention and his aggression fled. All Anissa had heard was Kaya yipping, growling, and barking at him. She wanted to know what was going on. Still looking at Quinn, Kaya assumed Human Form.
She turned on Anissa and snapped at her. “Are you trying to become Afflicted, Anissa? You took this way too far!”
Anissa threw her arms up in surrender and frowned at Quinn, still in Hybrid Form. “She is right, Quinn. I apologize. I lost sight of what I was trying to accomplish here and that was to gain your respect and get you to view me as an equal.”
Quinn still looked perturbed, but nodded in acceptance. “Well, you know how to push one’s buttons, Anissa,” he said in a voice that had Anissa taking a step back.
For the first time ever, Anissa seemed unsettled and intimidated as she took another step back from Quinn. Who would have thought that Quinn’s hybrid voice would be what unnerved her? Quinn flashed Anissa a creepy grin full of fangs and then he assumed Human Form once more. Anissa visibly shook off her nerves, earning a chuckle from Quinn.
“I could scale the side of the patio to get back up to the deck, but that would be rude of me seeing how you two are stuck with walking around and coming through the house again,” Anissa said, trying to lighten the mood.
Quinn smirked and said, “No, not really.”
He assumed Pure Form and lay down. Anissa and Kaya got on his back and he jumped straight up and landed them all right back on the deck.
Kaya goggled at him then voiced the question that was bouncing around in her head. “But you said your trait was healing!”
“My first one is, but I have dual traits, which is not all that common. The second one allows me to not only jump from high heights, but to also jump to high heights. I’m spring footed.”
Kaya let that sink in, then shrugged. She grabbed Kenneth by the hand and they turned in early. After all, tomorrow would be a busy day.
18
Assessing the Odds
Kaya heard Samantha and Eugene milling around in the next room at about five in the morning. She knew they were up early so Samantha could take him to the local airport to catch his family jet to New York. Deciding that since everyone would be leaving within two hours or so for Branson, Kaya got up and get ready for the day. Carefully she climbed out of bed, grabbed some clothes, and quietly stepped into the hallway. She was crossing to the bathroom when the sound of Samantha crying had her stopping and looking down the hall at Eugene’s door.
“I’m going to miss you!” she heard Samantha say.
Kaya shook her head and went into the bathroom to take a shower. Their love was a new one and they had not had enough time with each other, so she knew Samantha would be out of sorts today.
Her shower was quick, but warm, relaxing, and quiet. She had not slept well. The dreams and thoughts that had plagued her through the night were overrun with worry about their mission today. This was a real life deal. People could die. The thought made her stomach hurt with nausea. She pushed the idea from her mind, got dressed, and stepped out of the bathroom in just enough time to wish Eugene good luck and tell a misty-eyed Samantha she would see her later.
Kaya walked back into Kenneth’s room to find his sleeping form still tucked tightly into bed. He was so handsome in this slumbering state. She almost felt bad about having to wake him. Almost, but not so much that she could resist the urge to jump into his side, elbow first. She never passed up an opportunity to get the best of him because, well, the opportunity rarely knocked.
He exhaled with a whoosh of air and made sounds of distressed alarm, and unbridled anger all at the same time. That was her cue to spring into action and try escaping.
Unfortunately, once again, she was not fast enough. She was never fast enough when it came to him. Before she even made it halfway to the door, he had grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back onto the bed with him. She giggled as he held her tightly against him. Kaya knew she was hopelessly overpowered, but she just couldn’t help but mess with him. Only struggling for a moment in his arms, she went limp and sighed in resignation.
“OK, OK, you got me. Now let me go please.”
His laugh reverberated through his chest and she laughed with him.
“Seriously though, Kenneth, we need to get up and start preparing for the trip.”
He released her, then rolled off the opposite side of the bed, fetched some clothes from the dresser, and proceeded to get dressed for the day. Once he had finished dressing, the both of them headed downstairs to wait for the others.
By the time everyone had gotten up, it was almost six-thirty. Samantha had returned from the airport, chomping at the bit to get this over and done with. Everyone agreed that, at this point, they were just standing around and burning precious time. Kaya let Quinn sit up front with Kenneth because, like every other O’Connell male she’d met, he was ridiculously tall. Josh was not much taller than her or Anissa. He was lucky if he stood five foot, eight inches.
“So, let me get this straight, Quinn. You believe as long as I have a barrier in place before we enter the caverns and caves, the wrought will bounce right off?”
“Well sure, I mean think about it—you form your barriers and it keeps bad stuff out. Why would wrought be any different?”
Kaya had to admit his logic was sound. She decided to jump into the conversation and reassure Josh.
“If you remember, I certainly bounced right off one of your barriers not so long ago, not just once but twice! That was a physical aspect being held at bay. However, you also effectively kept Eric’s mind safe from the countless voices of the dead that spanned over eons. That was not a physical assailant, so to speak, but the result was the same; no penetration of the barrier.”
“The barrier I placed around Eric’s mind was extremely difficult to form in the first place, and even harder to hold. That was the first time I had ever put a barrier around something in that manner, so if fending off wrought is that hard, I don’t know that I could hold the barrier for an exten
ded amount of time. Repelling a physical type of assault is easy. I won’t know until the first bounce occurs.”
Kaya got a confused look on her face and Anissa laughed, then took it upon herself to explain. “The bounce is when the first aggressive act hits his barrier. At that point, he will know exactly what it will take out of him to maintain the barrier.”
Josh settled his back against the seat of the truck, looking rather hopeless. “If warding off wrought proves difficult and my barrier fails, I will be defenseless.”
One thing that irked Kaya about Josh was his pessimistic tendency. “You know, Josh, if it doesn’t fail and the theory is correct, you will be the leverage that ensures we succeed,” Kaya said with a forced smile.
The positive feed to his ego put a cocky smile on his face.
“I hate to change the subject, but we are going to be hitting weather according to Dad. I guess he checked before we left and it said we will be running headlong into some severe thunderstorms when we get close to the Missouri border,” Kenneth said, addressing the entire vehicle.
Severe was an understatement. Going from Tangent to Branson was pretty much a straight shot. They drove a little north, crossed into Kansas, and skirted the bottom of the state the whole way to the Missouri border. They were southwest of Joplin, where the Kansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri borders met, when they started to see the dark, ominous clouds with their dancing show of lightning. Less than half a minute later, thunder shook the truck’s windows and rumbled the ground they traveled over.
Suddenly, Kaya felt incredibly claustrophobic. On long rides, she normally did feel rather closed in, but this was different. She decided to roll down her window, and when she did, the air was thick with the impending storm making its way toward them. The closer they got to the storm, the harder the wind blew. She closed her eyes and for a moment, felt like she was home again in Washington.
Kaya stuck her head out of the window as they went down the road.