Midnight Guardian

by Tamara White

  As she nurtures my friend, I know I don’t have to say it because she already seems to be protective of him, but I need to be sure. She can try to hurt me, to hurt my other family, but it’s Tristan I worry about. He may seem normal to her, but once he puts his loyalty in someone, it would break him to have her betray it.

  “Promise me that no matter what, you won’t ever hurt him. Betray me and my other family, we can all deal with your duplicity and move on. But Tristan is damaged. He doesn’t think like a normal person does and unfortunately, he’s taken an extreme liking to you. If you were to hurt him, betray him in any way, I don’t think he could handle it. I want you to promise no matter what you do to the rest of us, you won’t ever hurt him.”

  “Do you really think I’m that much of a monster?”

  “I don’t know what you are, Isobel, which is why I’m asking this of you.”

  She sighs, her annoyance clear. “Well, I’ll be bluntly honest. Unless you kill a human or harm one, then there is no need to hurt any of you. But once you cross that line, well, all bets are off the table.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Isobel

  Quinn’s eyes are filled with respect as he leans back on his beanbag. “Well then, I guess that’s the best I’m gonna get. So, where would you like me to start?”

  I can’t help but feel a sense of excitement over the possibility of learning knowledge I don’t have. Tristan helped me comb through the book he gave me, but it didn’t really have much information. Just what the council has already told me—that the Supreme Alpha rules over all supernaturals, that they are turned by being bitten and that the bite is the only true way to transfer power from one Alpha to a future Alpha.

  Even their own children would potentially need to be bitten. It’s kind of crazy to think about it actually happening. Who would willingly bite their own child just to give them their power?

  “Start at the beginning. I want to know everything,” I tell him.

  I continue to stroke Tristan’s head, feeling comforted just by touching him. It’s strange, this protectiveness I feel over the vampire. I don’t think I’ve felt this concerned for another except Jordan, and that was different.

  We had built a relationship on trust and respect over a period of time. But the bond between Tristan and I is different, more from an instinct to see no harm come to him. My heart hurts for him and all he must have been through. I want to make his life a little better, to give him hope that he doesn’t have to spend his life being treated like a monster. Especially after our brief talk about what the other had gone through.

  When I had found nothing, I confessed I thought my life was a failure and that some days I would like nothing more than to simply not exist. I admitted I’d attempted to take my life. I didn’t expect Quinn to hear any of it, but he did. What I respect most is that he didn’t come in here and curse at me for thinking such thoughts, he pretended to have never heard a peep.

  Quinn stares out the window for a long moment before turning back to me, his gaze on Tristan with a sad smile. He begins speaking softly so as to not wake Tristan.

  “No one really knows where the Original Alphas came from, or if they existed before humans. Hell, they could have just been some kind of mutation of human evolution for all we know, but it’s said that every single one of us descends from them.

  “From the history texts that were left behind, our ancestors cohabitated with humans peacefully, protecting them from the many dangers that existed in this world. There is much we don’t know about that time, but it’s said that a great danger existed, and the two species joined together in battle to eliminate that threat. No one really knows what the threat was, though many have said it was dragons since, as a supe, none of them exist. No one has ever shifted into a dragon, but yet the humans have stories of them, which tells us at one point or another they must have existed. Or at least a skewed version of what they did.”

  “Every supe in human stories is real then?”

  He pauses to throw me a sly grin. “Not every one. There are simply fairy tales out there that have been told so many times that the monster is twisted from what it once was. You may have had a harmless wolf shifter as the villain the first time the story was told, and now it’s exaggerated to something completely absurd with wings and red eyes. Humans are known for their storytelling, so don’t believe everything you hear.”

  I nod, pondering that over. I wish I had my old fairy tale book with me, because now the idea of meeting many other things out there is very exciting. I haven’t exactly met a unique shifter I didn’t have to kill, so it would be cool to track down what does and doesn’t exist.

  “Once the threat had been eliminated, humans and supes lived together for many years. As both races grew, though, a resentment was formed. The humans, because they didn’t have the ability to live a long life. The Alphas that had come into their lives were still young and beautiful, while their human counterparts had aged significantly or died of illnesses that had no lasting effects on supernatural kind. Humans didn’t think it was fair that supernatural beings could breed without problems, but yet they wouldn’t help the humans who were dying.

  “Supes, though, had their own issues too. They grew envious of the way humans could live without fear but yet were always in need of supes and their services. They grew angry at the constant demanding nature of humans. All the supernaturals wanted was to live life without being called upon daily. To live their lives freely as the humans did.”

  Fair enough. It sounds like it would be one hell of a life to be nothing but a slave because of what you could do for others. But I also understand the human side of that upset. If you have the power to help someone, why would you deny them that help? Out of spite, or was it just the supernaturals’ way of feeling more important by making humans ask for such help? That’s the thing about the past, I guess. We can never really know exactly how things came to be, only what was relayed to us. We then make our own assumptions based on what’s been passed on.

  “Humans and supernaturals continued to live in peace for a time until one particular Alpha grew tired of being considered as nothing more than a slave to the whims of humans. She watched the humans closely, and she began to plot a way to get out from under them. She wanted to know that her family could never be used the way the humans used her.”

  His eyes glaze over as if he’s actually reliving the past in his mind. Which would make him anciently old. However, he doesn’t appear to be that much older than me, so it’s unlikely he witnessed any of this. It’d be pretty fucking cool if he did though. I would be asking one million and one questions, that’s for sure.

  Quinn’s gaze clears and he meets mine with an intense stare. “Did the council ever tell you of witches? And the capability they have for dark magic?”

  He pauses to wait for my answer like it’s an easy one, but it’s so not.

  The council never told me shit about the witches except that they work with them. Drake and Jordan, however, made sure to warn me of the dangers of witches. They knew with my witch abilities, I had to be sure never to cross into that darkly seductive pull.

  They explained that while not all witches are bad, most do deal in blood magic, which does make them dark witches to most supernaturals. There are a few supes that are white witches, ones that call on the elements and other supes for power, but the moment blood is drawn, it’s considered dark magic to everyone else. It’s why they insisted on me seeing the witches to understand what the magic side of me was capable of.

  “Witches are bad for the most part. They are all born white witches but have the capability for darkness. Once a witch uses the blood of another, or death in a spell, they succumb to the darkness and are no longer considered good witches. That about it?”

  “Yes, very good actually. Didn’t think the council would actually be honest since they try to keep that shit buried. Most of the students that turn up here have no clue what witches are truly capable of.”

&
nbsp; Ha! If only he knew he was face to face with one. And one who had used blood and death in spells before. It technically should have made me bad, made me thrive for the blood and killing to perform magic, but all it’s done is made me more tempted to tap into that power. Something I strive not to do every day, because I truly fear what I could become if I give in to it.

  I should probably admit that the council didn’t tell me shit, but it’s not important. Besides, I don’t want Quinn getting sidetracked by asking me who told me if not the council. It would lead to more questions, none of which I want to answer if I can avoid it.

  It’s clear I need this story from him. Everything he’s said so far is more than I learned from the council, and I spent over a year living with them. How could they hide the fact that supes and humans existed together or that we used to live in harmony? I’m sure there is plenty more I can learn from Quinn if he keeps on talking.

  “Well, there never used to be bad witches. The Original Alphas all had the traits of a witch, although back then there was no white witch or dark witch, you were simply just a witch.”

  I lean forward, picking up on one word in particular. “Traits? What do you mean? Were they a witch or not?”

  He raises an eyebrow at my interruption, but I could care less. It sounds like the very same way Jordan once explained my witch and other supe abilities. That they were simply traits while my wolf was the dominant species. It can’t be a coincidence that Quinn said traits, which is why I must know more.

  “Well, if you really must know, it was said that the Original Alphas all started out with multiple supernatural sides. According to the lore, none of them held the same combination, but they held at least four different species, but never more than six. It was as if six seemed to be the magic number for their body to hold.

  “The Alpha I was speaking about, for example, had the affinity of a witch, vampire, griffin shifter, ferret shifter, bear shifter, and cougar shifter.”

  I don’t know if Quinn can see how much this information is affecting me or just doesn’t care. But this is some life changing news for me. Is it possible I’m one of those Original Alphas? Or can I be descended from them?

  “As I was saying before you needed a crash course on Alpha traits, there was an Alpha who wanted to protect her lineage from being used by humans. Her name was Heidi, and she was considered the strongest of all of the Original Alphas. For a time, she was happy and content with her life, all her plans for ruling over humans forgotten when she had a child with a human male she had fallen in love with. Life went on with a kind of peace between humans and supernaturals until a dreaded event. Heidi’s son was a mere boy, playing with a young human girl. He grew angry with the girl for snatching what was his and shifted. In the mayhem of the shift and the rage that had overcome him, he accidentally killed the human girl.”

  “That’s horrible! Why wasn’t the mother watching over her child? Especially if he was playing with a human!”

  Quinn frowns at me, his eyes showing his annoyance. “I don’t know. I’m just telling you the story as I know it.”

  “Oh, sorry,” I mutter sheepishly. It’s just that is a prime example of why humans should know of supes existence. If a human child is prone to tantrums, then just imagine what a supe child would be like. The mother should have been watching her son to keep an eye out and prevent such a death from happening. Imagine if that happened now. The world would be in uproar and supes would be hunted to extinction.

  Quinn clears his throat, grinning when my gaze focuses back on him. I got lost in my own thoughts again.

  “As I was saying, obviously the humans were pissed that one of their own was killed by a supe, and a child no less. The human villagers held meetings across the land, and when no restitution would be made for the girl’s death, her family decided to seek vengeance on their own. They waited months after the death, leading Heidi and her family to believe that all was forgiven. When they struck, they were crueler than supernaturals ever believed humans were capable of. They kidnapped Heidi’s son, they tortured him, and then they waited for Heidi to think they had got the revenge they needed. She came to take him back, to heal him from the brutality he had suffered, but when she arrived, the humans took his head right before her very eyes.”

  Holy…

  “With the death of her son, sorrow consumed Heidi and she did the unthinkable. She killed the father first, and with his death, his blood on her hands, she tapped into magic so powerful that it changed her. The death of the father was not enough for her, so with her new power, she reveled in the death of the mother. Before long, the woman died, and Heidi’s lust for revenge was not sated. She moved on to the rest of the village, killing human after human. Her dark magic had truly turned her evil.”

  As I listen to this story, I can’t imagine being either woman. The woman who lost her daughter to an accident that could have been prevented by a child being closely watched. Or the woman who lost her child in a plot of revenge because of something he couldn’t control. Both women must have been in so much pain. I can’t envision living through such a thing.

  “The Alphas had to come together and combine their power in an effort to stop Heidi. But when the time came for them to face her and stop her dark magic, they weren’t strong enough. She was too deep into dark magic to be saved and was too strong to be defeated. She killed most of the Original Alphas for ever daring to go against her.”

  Well, fuck, I probably would too in that frame of mind. I mean, I doubt I’d ever go that homicidal, but if I wanted revenge for my child’s death and no one supported that vendetta but tried to stop me, well, I’d be motherfucking pissed.

  “After all that happened, Heidi was the only remaining supe from the original line. The children seemed to be weaker than their parents, so she let them live, purely out of fear of wiping all supernaturals out of existence if she killed them. Still, she took over and for many long years, she ruled over humans and supes with terror, making it understood she would kill them all if they did not bow to her rule.

  “Over the years, many humans and supes did attempt to kill her, but ended up losing their own lives. Everyone was living in an age of darkness, where death was instant to any who crossed Heidi.

  “For whatever reason, Heidi’s darkness consumed both races. Birth rates dropped, and people died of illnesses that seemed to just pop up out of nowhere. When all hope for our world seemed lost, a woman rose up. No one knows what she was, only that she was a supe with incredible power. Alicia was her name. And she was our salvation when our kind had lost all hope.

  “She rallied the remaining supes and marched a small army against Heidi. By some trick of fate, she was able to destroy Heidi and her dark magic.”

  A woman with incredible power was able to destroy a woman that even people with the same power couldn’t? Yeah, that seems plausible. I don’t interrupt though, because this is probably just what they’ve heard. If they were stupid enough to believe it, who am I to dispute it?

  Quinn continues his story, oblivious to my doubt.

  “After her death, the remaining supes who descended from the original line chose her as their Alpha. She was strong, beautiful, and she held power that frightened many, but she was also kind. She didn’t abuse that power or the fear it created in supernaturals. After much discussion from the remaining supes, Alicia became our first Supreme Alpha. Our kind even gave her Heidi’s last name in an effort to wipe out the evil Heidi had committed. From that day on, our first Supreme Alpha was known as Alicia Walker.”

  I blink slowly and my hand stills in Tristan’s hair. If he notices, he doesn’t move. My heart is racing at all the implications. For the tyrant Original Alpha and first Supreme Alpha to have the surname Walker is one hell of a fucking coincidence. Why did Drake or Jordan never tell me I had the same last name as them? Or that my fear response is similar to the first Supreme Alpha’s? Could this be the answer I’ve been looking for all along?

  I’m not sure how lon
g I’m consumed by the thoughts that are now circling in my head. This could explain so many things. Why the council targeted my family, why they kept me on a tight leash, why they silenced Drake and Jordan. I knew they must have had some clue about why I’m like this, but every time one of them tried to tell me even a little about my abilities, it was like they were overcome with pain. So there came a point when I stopped trying to get answers from them, but I knew they knew something. It was why when Jordan said Midnight Society was the place to go, I believed he must know I’d find something here. I doubt he believed it would be from one of the instructors like Quinn, but at least I have some information to start with.

  “Do you want me to keep going?” Quinn asks, his voice soft so as to not startle me, I think. His eyes show his compassion, like he knows this news isn’t affecting me too well. I have to wonder what I must look like after hearing all this. Is he wondering why this is so mind-blowing to me, or is he just sympathetic for me that the council never told me of our past?

  I clear my throat, unsure how to process all this. It feels so very mind shattering.

  “Sorry.” I cough to clear the huskiness from my voice. “Please don’t stop. I want to hear as much as you know. I need to.”

  He cocks his head in confusion, curiosity burning behind his eyes. “Just why do you need to know? You’d learn the basics in classes, but just why does our Supreme Alpha need to know all this now? I feel like there is something important you’re hiding. And if your reaction to the threat of the council last night is anything to go by, then I have a feeling it could be detrimental to us if I tell you the truth. There has to be a reason the council kept this from you. So why do you need to know, Isobel? What are you hiding?”

  That asshole is cruising for a bruising, as Jarrod would say. I really want to throttle him for pausing in his story and demanding an explanation from me. That smug smirk on his face has me itching to dive from my spot and strangle that damn wolf until he tells me everything I need to know. The only reason I don’t is because of Tristan resting in my lap still.