“Liar,” The word was barely a whisper, but Jake didn’t need to repeat it to know that his father heard the accusation. “She’s right you know,” Jake continued, slumping against a tree in frustration. “We’re catching two or three wolves a day now. Where they were once hundreds of thousands of feet below the pass, they must be what…maybe just a couple thousand. An easy climb with all the blasting from the mine. It won’t be long before Creed’s entire pack just waltz’s right out and…”
“That’s enough!” Rone stopped his son, lifting to his full height so that he towered over him.
“They’re getting stronger, and bigger each time. The day we miss one; the day that we don’t send one back he’ll know!” Jake continued pushing himself up so that he was eye to eye with his father. “Maybe even sooner than my eighteenth birthday, and then what? You’ve spent so long trying to keep me safe until I become immortal that you won’t even let me enjoy my life while I have it.”
“That’s not true…”
“It is, and okay you’re right,” Jake admitted, opening every memory of Hannah to his father. “I do love her, and you may not be thinking of a plan, but I am. I’m not going to see her hurt.”
“I’m working on it!”
“No you’re not! You can’t kill him and neither can I! But you’re right about one thing. Hannah is human! And even though I don’t know exactly how or why, but she could kill him…couldn’t she?!”
“Jake,” Rone sighed, the weight of his son’s words slapping him in the face. “You don’t know what you’re saying, what you’re asking. Involving that girl is not the way to solve this.”
“But she could, couldn’t she?! And she’s not fully human is she?!” Jake pressed grabbing his father’s arms as if to shake him. “You keep waiting for me to be a man! Well treat me like one. I love her, so tell me. Is there a way for her to kill Creed or no?”
It was a question that he hadn’t even let Jennings finish asking. Using the girl would only end in heartache for his son and extinction for them. Her father wouldn’t let her death go quietly, and they’d once again be in the spotlight, maybe forever this time.
“If you love her, you wouldn’t ask for the answer to that question,” Rone warned. “Just know that humanity couldn’t handle a shift in their beliefs this great. Using the girl would mean exposing ourselves. It would mean the end of life as we know it, and if she failed…”
“So it’s possible,” Jake cut his father off, his voice filled with hope that he hadn’t allowed himself to feel until now. “What is she, if not human?”
“She’s human, but…” Rone shook his head, knowing that there would be no going back if he told his son the full truth. “She has bear Kind in her blood, pure bear Kind. It’s why she can hear your thoughts, and you hers. That’s the connection you feel. That’s the fire that seems to collapse your veins, clench your heart, and compress your chest when you merely think of her. It’s the same thing I feel when I’m near your mother, but there is a big difference between the two. Your mother is Kind, Hannah is not. If you love her, you would leave her out of this.”
“If you loved me…” Jake shook his head, turning to start home. “You’d make her Kind.”
**********
It was the first time Jake had been on time for government class since the start of the school year. He knew Hannah was still angry with him before she even appeared in the doorway, her eyes falling immediately to the floor when she spotted him already at the table they shared. He wanted to grab her up and kiss her right here and there, share everything he’d learned so far and tell her he’d finally stood up to his father. But first…he had to get her to talk to him again.
She slid into her seat without looking at him, her fingers deftly loosening the complicated clip that held her hair back and away from her face. It fell like a curtain between them, the ends still slightly damp from her morning shower. The scent of oranges and vanilla assaulted his scenes, but instead of shrinking from the familiar fire it stirred within him, he breathed in deeply and held it tightly, letting it sink into the place where the burn emanated deepest in his chest. He watched her as she pulled her textbook and then her notebook free of her bag before slinging it over the back of her chair, careful not to disturb the tiny glass flower pot that sat between them on the table.
Realization dawned at the same moment her thoughts became audible to him, her eyes scanning over the other empty tables before settling back on theirs. To anyone else it looked like an ordinary glass flower pot, its bottom covered with a bit of dirt birthing the very beginning of the summer moss that grew like carpet all over the forest of Hinsdale. Even her brows rose in confusion, her gaze shifting warily to meet his in question.
Listen… he encouraged, nodding slightly when her fingers slid slowly across the table top to stroke the delicate outer surface of the pot.
He knew she felt it the second contact was made, the way the hand spun glass expanded ever so slightly with the steady pulse of the life within it. Her head tilted in wonder, the vessel cupped gingerly in her palm as she lifted the bell shaped opening to her ear in surprise. The green of her eyes grew deeper, moisture filling the lower lids and spilling down her cheeks before she could hide them in her lashes.
I’m sorry for last night. It’s the only thing I could think to give you that would make it right, He explained, pointing to the memory she still held to her ear.
How is this possible? It feels like… Hannah cut the thought immediately, but her mind picked up where her words had left off, their kiss from the night before blooming bright between the two of them.
I talked to my father, Jake broached the subject hesitantly, his gaze fixed on the front as the lecture began.
And…? Hannah pressed, following his lead, her pen gripped tightly between her fingers as she waited for his response.
And I think I’ve figured out what we’re going to do, Jake said carefully, his eyes meeting hers for a moment before moving back to the front of the room.
So why the hesitancy? Hannah asked, anxious to have it all out in the open right now.
Afterschool?
No! I have practice. What’s wrong with now? I won’t say anything out loud.
It’s not that. We can’t do this here. What about tonight or even tomorrow? Jake offered, already knowing she wouldn’t be able to wait that long.
No way! I’ll skip practice. The sooner my dad is out of danger, the better.
Whoah Goldilocks, you haven’t even heard what the plan is. After you hear it you might not be so…
Try me, Hannah challenged, her brow lifting when he met her gaze again.
He threw up a block to keep her away from the worrisome thoughts that had surrounded the plan he had. His father was partly right. It was selfish to ask Hannah to risk her life for him or even the entire town of Hinsdale, but if she was going to be in danger anyway; at least he’d be there to protect her.
Her forgiveness came with a price. She didn’t have to say it, he could feel it in the way her body still remained slightly tense at his nearness, her thoughts guarded even though he wasn’t trying to listen. He’d hurt her, and even though the gift of their first intimate memory together had been genius, he’d still have to show her that he’d do anything to have her. If she still wanted him…
Chapter 23:
“You want me to do what?!” Hannah stopped in her tracks, her eyes wide as Jake turned to face her.
Instead of going to practice she’d pleaded ill, surprised to find Jake waiting for her just off the cross country course, on an ATV that looked like it could hold at least four people. They hadn’t been able to talk over the noise of the engine, but now that they were on foot, heading up the mining trail behind her house, he’d finally told her his plan and she didn’t like it at all.
“Meet my parents,” Jake repeated, shrugging his shoulders at the request. “That’s where all of this has to start. You want to do something about Creed and his pack; this is the only
way to do it. I learned some things last night that I haven’t even begun to make sense of yet. It’s why I need you to meet my parents. My father could explain…”
“So they know I’m coming then?” Hannah looked anxiously up into the woods ahead, her stomach suddenly in knots.
“Not exactly,” Jake admitted. “But…”
“Not exactly?! I thought you said your father hated me!? I thought….”
“I didn’t say he hated you,” Jake corrected her. “I said that being with a human was forbidden. He doesn’t trust humans, and…”
“And yet he has a twisted sense of trying to save them by collapsing tunnels on top of them,” Hannah huffed, shaking her head at what he was asking her to do.
“Not fair,” Jake said quietly, grabbing her arm before she could turn and head back down the trail. “If there were any other way, I would take it. My father won’t listen to me, but if he just met you,” The words caught in his throat as he searched her face carefully. “There’s something should know,” Jake pulled her closer, pushing her loose locks over her shoulder so that her face was cupped in his hand.
“The reason you can hear my thoughts, and I can hear yours. The reason this happens when we touch,” he paused, his fingers pressing fully against her skin. “It's because your blood is pure bear Kind. Something that is nearly impossible. The odds are like one in a billion that every last person in your family has only birthed children originally born of man Kind’s bear breed, but it’s so. The chances of us actually meeting, one in a trillion,” Jake whispered. “I’m nowhere near prepared to have this conversation with you…”
“You said it wasn’t possible…” Hannah breathed out, accepting the soft kiss he pressed against her lips.
“Maybe it isn’t, but maybe,” Jake released her, squeezing her hand tightly. “It is.”
“I’m not understanding everything,” Hannah admitted. “My blood is bear Kind, so does that mean I’m not human. Not…”
“You’re definitely human,” Jake nodded, pulling her forward again, up the trail. “It’s just that the very first of your ancestors was born with the bear Kind spirit, and he or she only procreated with another bear Kind born, so on and so forth until finally there was you. Impossible for humans to tell from one person to the next what their true ancestry is,” Jake shook his head in disbelief. “Maybe it was fate, maybe some higher power leading your existence to this very moment,”
“And that somehow has something to do with killing Creed?” Hannah asked, allowing Jake to help her up the steep incline leading to the hidden entrance of his home before meeting his gaze again.
“You’re the only human who knows about us, and the only one that can kill Creed. You, or your father,” Jake winced at the alarm that crossed her features, her head shaking at the very thought.
“I don’t want him to know.”
“By the time this is over, the whole town might have to know,” Jake consented, pushing the vines away to reveal the hidden staircase leading up to the tunneled entrance.
“But what about your secret?!” Hannah asked in alarm, her eyes lifting once again to take in the strange carvings overhead.
“It’s something we would have to live with. Creed would never just accept an open invitation, and to get to him would mean releasing a few hundred wolves in the process. It would take every one of the council, most of the town, and then you to defeat them.”
“And your father thinks I can kill him?” Hannah asked, allowing Jake to lead her through the front door of his home.
“He knows you can, he just hadn’t admitted it yet.”
**********
“Because a spirit taken is a spirit given, at least if you’re one of the council members or a direct blood descendant,” Rone’s voice boomed loud and clear throughout the closed in space, his deep baritone sending a hum through the smooth stone walls and floor they stood on.
Hannah’s breath caught in surprise at the burly man standing at the head of the massive dinner table, her gaze meeting deep chocolate brown eyes, the same shape as Jake’s. His arms were nearly twice as thick as his son’s, his chest and shoulders broader than any man’s she’d ever seen. Even the muscles in his neck seemed to flex as his nostrils flared in anger, his hardened stare moving ever so slightly from her to Jake.
“Dad this is…”
“The Adler girl. The very human Adler girl,” Rone observed with a raised brow, his mouth pulling into a tight line as Hannah looked between the two of them.
“If you want me to go…”
“No! Stay!” Jake insisted, tugging Hannah fully through the door so that it shut behind them. “My father…”
“Has no manners,” Jake’s mother’s voice tinkled soft and high as she entered the living space from the second bedroom on the far left wall, her hands smoothing back her wild reddish brown locks. “I wasn’t um…dressed for company,” she blushed as Hannah gave her a tentative smile, moving to check the pot that was centered in the open oven. “Stay for dinner. It seems we all have a lot to discuss,” she added, rubbing a hand over her husband’s tense shoulders before setting out an extra bowl.
“I am a little hungry,” Hannah swallowed hard, hoping that whatever was in the pot included vegetables that she could pick through.
“But she’s a vegetarian,” Jake added quickly, stopping his mother just before she added a chunk of fresh rabbit meat to the bubbling broth.
“Well this will do nicely for you,” she smiled. “Call me Marigold,” she added, rolling her eyes as her son winced at his forgotten manners.
Hannah smiled once again at the surprisingly petite woman, noting the beautiful amber color of her eyes. Jake had most certainly taken after his father, his mother’s fair complexion, pixie like features and wild red hair all her own. She gestured for them to sit and Hannah followed Jake’s lead, keeping her eyes averted from the stare Jake’s father still fixed on the two of them.
“Jake, what you’re asking is nearly impossible,” Rone started the conversation before the food had been served, his tone matter fact as Hannah and Jake settled in their chairs. “The townspeople didn’t listen a hundred years ago, what makes you think they will listen now?”
“They would listen to save their fathers…their son’s, their uncles, cousins, brothers,” Hannah jumped at the question , her eyes lowering as Rone’s settled back on her face in surprise.
“Do you think you could kill me in a fight?” Rone challenged, his face hardening as he dared Hannah to meet his gaze. “Some of those wolves are just as big, nearly as strong. The thought of that alone would be enough to send everyone into a panic, if they even believed, and they won’t, believe me I’ve tried.”
“But if you showed them what you are, told them how,” her words trailed off as mocking laughter bubbled from Rone’s throat, his head shaking at the very idea.
“They would try and kill us before they even heard the rest of what we had to say,” Rone countered. “You have no idea.”
“I could teach her to fight,” Jake finally spoke up, his hand slipping under the table to grab Hannah’s in a squeeze. “She wouldn’t have to face Creed alone. I have a plan and I think it could work if we just…”
“You have a plan?” Rone snorted loudly “You don’t even know what it would take to kill these monsters and Creed,” he nearly growled the name, jumping from his chair in one swift move. “For seventeen years and eleven months I have kept you safe, do you really think I would let you face him on your own?” Rone regarded Jake with a pained expression, his eyes sliding down to their joined hands. “If you care about him, you’d leave this place and forget about us, forget about all that my son has told you and move on with your life,” he advised Hannah before turning his back on them both. “I’m not going to lose my family over this,” he added, his shoulders slumping as he started towards the bedroom his wife had come from.
“And I’m not going to lose mine,” Hannah spoke boldly, releasing Jake’s hand as she stood
. “He’s all I have left.”
Her legs trembled in fear as Rone froze in his tracks for a moment, his body turning slowly so that they faced each other. The top of her head barely reached the middle of his chest, but Hannah squared her shoulders anyways, her eyes locking with his in defiance.
“Either you can tell them, or I will. They might call me crazy, but I’m not going to stand idly by and watch anyone else be killed. They have a right to know. My father has a right to know.”
“And you trusted her with our secrets,” Rone spat angrily, his hardened stare sliding from Hannah to his son.
“I still trust her,” Jake corrected, sliding from his chair so that he stood beside Hannah. “It’s time dad,” he spoke quietly, stepping between Hannah and his father as he spoke. “Whether I make it to my eighteenth year or not is not for us to decide. You took a vow to protect the people here, and keep Creed bound. Now that it’s becoming harder and harder to do, it’s your duty…our duty,” Jake corrected, glancing over his shoulder at his mother. “to do what is right. Hannah…”
“Is not going to let this go, and neither are you,” Rone interrupted his son, shaking his head as he looked to his wife.
“It’s time,” she whispered, tears welling in her eyes as Jake and Hannah turned to look at her too.
“I made him promise not to go after Creed until your eighteenth,” Marigold admitted. “Until you were…”
“Immortal,” Hannah supplied at her hesitation, wincing at the memory the word brought forth.
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