by JF Holland
“You’re being a dick, but even so, I can’t do that.” She had the impression of a tired smile.
“Now why am I not surprised at your calling me that?”
“I don’t know, behave and I’ll stop.”
“Promise?”
“If you promise to hold on?”
“Okay, but Lana, we can’t help you. Your father is now chained too, someone tripped her alarm and he went out to try to move them on while she was busy. She found out and he’s now being punished. Do you know who it was and if they are alright?” She didn’t know what to say, how did she explain what had happened without making this worse.
“Lana?” sighing she peeked over her shoulder, wondering what to tell him. “They didn’t survive did they, who was it? Lana who was it? I can feel your hesitation - but there should be no secrets between mates, now answer me.”
“It was Michael,” she told him and felt his shock.
“Evans boy?”
“Yes, I’m sorry.”
“Why was he out with the curfew in place?”
“He was trying to pick flowers for his mother that grow near the river. I’m sorry, I know you were fond of him, Luc told me. Everyone is devastated.”
“They need to leave me here, no more deaths Lana.”
“I can’t tell them to do that.”
“Then I’ll do enough to annoy her so she ends it.”
“No, you won’t, you know it won’t help. All your death will achieve is to devastate your father and brother. It won’t save anyone else as she wants power, and to do that she needs blood, which means your death with strengthen her and no one is safe while she’s still alive as it is.”
“Damn it, I need to get out, I need to help.”
“You can’t, tell me how she’s secured you.”
“I’ve got manacles around my wrists and ankles. Hands above my head and legs held to the floor, both with chains as does your father now.”
“What’s stopping you from breaking out of the manacles?”
“Some kind of spell I think, there’s writing on them.”
“Hang on, I’m just going to grab some paper.”
“What for?”
“I want you to picture the manacles so I can draw what you see.”
“Okay, I’ll try, and Lana?”
“Yes.”
“Your father also wears a necklace, does your mother remember it?”
“I’ll ask, what’s the significance?”
“It’s how she controls him, and I mean control.” She swallowed trying not to think of her father, her feelings even more mixed up now where he was concerned.
“Okay, I won’t be a moment, don’t disappear do you hear me, do not put the barrier back up. Balin, promise me you will leave our connection open?” She waited, slowly edging closer to the table and put her hands over her ears to block out the chatter in the room.
“What are you doing?” Jaden asked stopping his conversation as he stared at her.
“Talking to Balin, I can’t hear him with all the noise in here.”
“Quiet, please,” Jaden spoke up as Lana grabbed a pad and pencil off the table.
“What do you need that for?” he asked as she moved over to the sofa and sat down in the front room. They’d all moved in here so that Agatha could sit down. They’d brought the map with them and now had it on the small four-seater table in front room. Jaden and Sam left the others at the table and followed her to see what she was doing. She was ignoring their questions.
“Okay show me the manacles,” she sent to Balin, then put the pencil to the paper and closed her eyes. Her hand began to move across the paper, drawing the picture he showed her in her head - complete with the etchings cut into the metal. Hearing a gasp her eyes flipped open and she found herself staring in her Aunt Sophia’s familiar green eyes.
“What is this?” her aunt asked, taking the pad from Lana’s lap.
“It’s the design on the manacles Balin and my father wear.”
“These symbols are accurate?”
“What’s going on?” Jaden and Sam asked together staring at the drawing now in Sophia’s hand.
“Give it back,” Lana said holding out her hand and her aunt handed it to her. “Balin, is this correct?” she sent, gazing at the drawing and letting him see in her mind what she’d drawn.
“Yes, but symbol on the bottom in the centre is curvier, apart from that it’s correct.”
“Lana are the symbols correct?” he aunt asked, again reaching for the pad.
“Yes, but I must draw something else, take the top sheet and leave me the pad.” She held out her hand and once her aunt ripped off the top sheet and handed it back, she closed her eyes once again, pencil paused.
“Okay, now show me the necklace.” Balin once again concentrated on the memory, making sure he got every detail in the picture he built in his mind.
“Did you get it?” he asked Lana as she opened her eyes and looked down once again.
“Oh my god, this is not good,” her aunt said taking the pad and putting it before Agatha.
“I need my medicinal bag, this is going to be bad,” Agatha said tracing a finger over the drawing.
“Do the pictures help?” Balin sent.
“They recognise them, so yes.”
“That’s good… tired Lana, just need to sleep.”
“Then sleep and I will watch over you,” she told him sending the feeling of holding him, brushing his hair off his brow with a gentle hand. She heard him sigh, and their connection became more static, but she was still aware of him.
“Is he okay?” Sam asked and Jaden’s gaze held hers as he waited for her answer.
“He’s tired.”
“Thank you,” Sam told her as he turned and walked back to the table where Agatha and Sophia were both pouring over the drawings.
“What do they mean?” Jaden asked staring at the drawings they’d placed over the map.
“It means she’s basically kept him at bay, denied him his cat.”
“She can do that?”
“If these are made from pure silver, yes.”
“What’s the other drawing?” Sophia glanced over her shoulder checking that Lara was busy then turned back.
“It’s a necklace that Davion wears,” she whispered. “Balin told Lana that this is how she controls him.”
“Can’t he just take it off and break the spell?”
“it’s not that easy.”
“Why?’
“Because once you have been be-spelled, you may not even notice that you wear the item.”
“I don’t understand,” Jaden said, running a hand over the back of his neck.
“It works as a kind of mental note, hypnotherapy if you wish. All she has to tell him is that he doesn’t wear one and he won’t know it’s there.”
“So even if you told him to remove it he wouldn’t as he doesn’t realise he’s wearing it.”
“Exactly, so even if you told him and he put his hand on it he wouldn’t see or feel it. To him it wouldn’t exist.”
“Bollocks,” Sam said staring at Agatha and Sophia. “This isn’t good, is it?” They both shook their heads.
“If you look at both the manacle and the necklace they contain the rune marking for ‘Halagaz,’ this one,” Sophia explained pointing to both drawings which contained a symbol which looked like a capital ‘H,’ only the horizontal line was slanted downwards to the right. “She’s used the Anglo-Saxon version which is the double lined version on Davion’s, probably to disrupt their telepathy. Where with Balin’s she’s used the Elder version, the single horizontal line, obviously to disrupt his shifting. Manaz, this one,” she explained, bringing their attention to one which looked like a capital ‘M,’ but instead of the v meeting in the middle it crossed over each other and finished on the diagonal lines. This is used to change character as it’s the symbol for willingness to co-operate between individuals. Obviously, with Davion it’s all about control, alte
ring his perception. This is just the tip of the iceberg, especially if that ruby is infused with blood - which I suspect it is.”
“Is there anything we can do to help him?”
“Help who? and why do you have a picture of Davion’s necklace?” Lara asked staring at the drawings, her eyes lifting and looking from Jaden and Sam to Sophia and Agatha. “Sophia, what’s going on?”
“Mum,” Lana said getting up from the sofa. “Mum, the necklace dad wore, is it something he’s always wore?”
“Yes… but…”
“But what?”
“I asked him once why he wore it, but he didn’t’ know what I was talking about. I never brought it up again as he got agitated, that’s when he began talking about me not being the right one as he couldn’t hear me.” Lana’s eyes filled with tears and her mother wiped them away with a thumb.
“Why the tears baby?”
“This here is how she’s been controlling him,” Lara’s head whipped around the group now around her. Then she looked back to the drawing. “You’re telling me if I’d removed this he would have been released?” Agatha shook her head. “But surely…”
“Lana, he’s been under her control for a long time, the necklace cannot just be removed.”
“Why?”
“It has basically become part of him, we could try to help…”
“Try?”
“Yes, but there are no guarantees,” Sophia spoke quietly.
“Surely if we kill Maisie, then he’ll be released like when a vampire makes others.” Maya nodded and looked towards her aunt and Agatha as she’d joined them. Leonard stepped up next and shook his head.
“We seriously need to educate you on our kind. You don’t make vampires; you are born that way. Again, another myth made up by humans, just a story.”
“Damn,” Jaden said, rubbing the bridge of his nose as if in pain.
“So you can do nothing?” Maya, Lana and Lara asked together.
“If we can free them both, we can try – but we can’t promise anything.” Lana nodded.
“Thank you,” she swallowed, her bottom lip trembling and Lara put her arms around her.
Douglas came back in carrying Agatha’s black bag medicinal bag. He put it down on the coffee table, removing her special tea leaves then went to boil the kettle.
“Aggie, sit and rest, I’ll steep your tea, find your crystals to cleanse yourself,” he told her as he went into the kitchen to boil the kettle.
“Excuse me,” Luc said approaching the group. “We need to get going if we are going to scout the area.
“Sophia can’t keep up with us in animal form,” Sam frowned.
“I can take her, if she doesn’t mind me holding her?” Luc informed them not meeting Sophia’s enquiring gaze.
“Thank you. You aren’t comfortable around myself and Agatha, are you?” she asked, head tilting to the side.
“It’s not personal,” Luc replied quietly.
“Then I shan’t take it as so, and the lift would be appreciated.” Luc nodded and moved back to the other side of the room where he’d been talking to the Grizzly brothers.
“Okay, we go in ten minutes if that’s okay with you Sophia?” Jaden asked.
“Yes, I just need a few things, which I already have with me,” she informed Jaden pulling a small velvet pouch from her coat pocket. Rummaging inside, she pulled out a rope cord from which hung an amulet, it looked like a back to front ‘Z,’ which she placed around her neck. She then pulled what looked like bark from the bag before she drew the string, closing it and shoved it back in her pocket. She looked up and saw Jaden’s confusion, his eyes dropping to the pendant around her neck.
“It’s for defence, ‘Ihwaz,’ and this,” she said holding out her hand to him. “It’s bark from a Yew Tree, I would like you all to place a piece in your pocket for protection.
“From?” Jaden said, cautiously taking the bark from her and staring at it suspiciously, sniffing.
“It helps to deflect magic,” she replied, winking as Jaden’s startled gaze met her mischievous one. Smirking, Jaden walked off and began handing it around to the others who were going out on the scouting mission with him.
Chapter Nineteen
L ana watched them get ready to leave, faces grim.
“I’ll update Maya, and Lana, try to keep Balin occupied. I don’t want him doing anything to get himself killed,” swallowing she nodded, lips pressing together.
Jaden kissed Maya, and Sam kissed Helena before walking out of the back door. Leonard, John and Edwin the tiger shifters stayed behind the protect the women, the only way Douglas would leave Agatha.
“After you,” Luc motioned for Sophia to go ahead of him.
“I’ll see you soon,” Sophia told them and each of the women hugged her in turn, before she stepped into the garden. They followed and watched from the back door as the men shifted into their animal forms and took off - one after the other – up and over the fence. Luc stood in the middle of the grass towering over Sophia, who looked up at him.
“So, how do you want to do this?” she asked tucking her hands in her coat pockets.
“However, you are going to be comfortable. I can either lift and carry you in my arms, or you can wrap your arms around my neck.” Sophia’s head tilted to one side, then stepping forward she removed her hands from her pockets and raised her arms. Luc leaned down, allowing her to clasp them around his neck. Straightening up, he lifted her, arms around her waist and unfurled his wings. She gasped as they began to beat, arms tightening on him as the lifted off the floor. “I will not drop you, you are safe with me, but you need to eat more as you weigh next to nothing,” he informed her as they gained a little height.
Maya closed and locked the back door as Luc and Sophia flew after the shifters and made her way to the front room, Lana and Helena at her heels as they went to join the others.
“They’ll be fine,” Agatha told them from her place on one of the sofa, legs up, head resting back against the arm as they entered the front room. She had a quartz crystal placed on her chest and a cup of her herbal tea cupped between her hands on her stomach. Colour was returning to her cheeks and her eyes had lost their bruised, sunken appearance.
“Feeling a little better?” Lana asked sniffing appreciatively. “Mmm… what’s in those?” she asked, looking to the four corners of the room where Agatha had placed white candles – a soothing, but subtle scent coming them. The mixture she’d sprinkled on the candles gave the flame a green hue as they burned.
“My own special recipe,” Agatha murmured, eyes still closed.
“You must leave me some, it’s divine,” Lana said dropping to the floor in front of the armchair her mother was sitting in. She curled her feet beneath her and closed her eyes, reaching out to check on Balin
“You okay?” Maya asked perching on the arm of the chair.
“He’s still sleeping,” Lana replied, eyes blinking open with a sigh.
“They’ll find him,” Helena said from the other armchair and Lana nodded. The men sat around the little table in the corner, Edwin pulled a pack of cards out of his pocket and began shuffling the deck. “I think I need coffee,” Lana said going for breezy but falling short when her voice broke on the last octave.
“They’ll find him, Sam will have it no other way,” Agatha told her.
“I know,” she said with a sniff and her mother put a hand on her shoulder. Nathan Adams stood and went into the kitchen, they heard the water running, cupboard doors opening and the rattle of tins. He came back in carrying a tray with mugs of steaming coffee, putting it on the table, he doctored one and then handed it to Lana. Smiling her thanks as she accepted it, she cradled her drink as he returned to the table and his card game. She could hear questioning about whether the others had peeked at his cards and shook her head, blowing on her drink and taking a tentative sip.
“Are you going to accept him?” Maya asked Lana quietly.
“I can’t think that
far ahead just yet, maybe ask me again in 10-years when I’ve recovered,” she replied. Frowning she looked up as it went quiet and found that the men around the table had all turned and were presently facing her. “What?” she prickled, feeling self-conscious with so many eyes trained on her.
Maya opened her mouth but Edwin shook his head.
“You can’t tell her.”
“You can’t,” Maya told him with a snort, “but I can.” The men all shook their heads, mouths slashed with displeasure as they turned back to their game.
“What’s going on?” Lana asked, sitting up and looking to each of them.
“They can’t tell you,” Helena informed her.
“Tell me what?”
“About what happens to Balin if you don’t accept him and bind,” Maya answered.
“What are you talking about?” Lana asked in confusion.
“There’s a time limit on your binding,” Helena told her, and Lana frowned.
“Balin, you awake?”
“Something wrong?” he asked weakly.
“Time limits and binding?”
“Can’t tell you.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
“Literally can’t, it’s not only forbidden, but we are incapable of explaining about it. It’s wired into our DNA not to, and if we found a way around it there are consequences to us.” He groaned as if he’d hurt himself.
“What are you doing?”
“I moved and the bloody manacles cut into me again.”
“Hold still then.” She got a mental picture of him rolling his eyes.
“Okay, someone needs to tell me what’s going on as Balin said that not only can they not tell us, but there are consequences even if they could. What is he talking about?”
“Some background I think,” Maya said and Lana nodded.
“When a mate to a shifter is born, they know, we don’t, but they do. It’s due to recognition, a warning if you will and an internal clock starts and they then have to wait twenty-one-years for her to mature.” Lana nodded she knew that bit. “Okay on the night of her twenty-first birthday the mark appears on palm of each mate, half matching ones,” again Lana nodded. “The men then become incapable of having sex with anyone but their mate,” she said with relish and the tigers grumbled making her and the vampire grin. “Okay, you’re up to speed so far, but after the mark appears they only have five-years to find and bind to their mate.”