by Jordan Deen
“Town.” It was easier to leave it at one word. Brandon’s forearms and hands shook from the anger flowing in his veins.
“What did you do in town?” Technically, that was two questions, but I wasn’t going to press my luck and bring that up.
“We went to the thrift store.”
“And?”
“And the convenience store.”
“And?”
Maybe someone followed us, and he already knew we went to the old camp, but those waters were deep and murky—there was no way I’d go there either.
“To the general store.”
“What did you go there for?”
“A charger for the iPod. My battery is dead.” I pulled the iPod from my pocket and held it out to him. “Brea didn’t have a charger, and since she has a car, she said I could charge it in there.”
He stared at the iPod. The earphones dangled back and forth like a hangman’s noose just waiting to be slipped around my neck by Brandon.
“The iPod? Again? Giving that back to you is the worst idea I’ve ever had.”
“Stop it!” Brea burst through the door with Catch in tow. “This isn’t Lacey’s fault. It was my idea, I swear. She had nothing to do with it”
“She went willingly,” he said through gritted teeth. “You obviously didn’t force her into the car, and she knows what the rules are.”
“Well,” she huffed, “your rules are dumb.”
“Our rules keep her safe.”
Brea stepped chest-to-chest with Brandon. “Your rules are keeping you from bonding with her.” My mouth dropped almost to the floor, I scrambled to shut it before anyone realized.
“Get out. Now.” Brandon pushed on Brea’s shoulders to put space between them. “And don’t come back.”
“I will not,” Brea said and stepped forward again. Catch grabbed her forearm to stop her, but she shrugged free. “I’m her protector and you will not keep me from her. I will fight you, Brandon, if I have to, but I will not leave her. You may be her mate, but I’m her true best friend, and I’m not walking away.”
“You are picking the worst time to start a fight with me, Brea.” He leaned closer to her. Catch let a growl escape deep in his chest; Brandon crossed the line. “You don’t know everything that is going on right now. I’m not saying you can’t be her eternal BFF. What I’m saying is I can’t have you here, convincing her to take stupid chances, when there is so much at stake.”
“Then, as her protector, maybe I should know what is going on so that I can help instead of hinder you. Besides, maybe I can help you with your little problem.” Brandon glanced at me swiftly like I’d shared a secret with her that I shouldn’t have. Our conversations from throughout the day rushed through my mind. I never told her anything about Alex, the dreams, or my true intentions.
“Why don’t the two of you have a chat with me?” Serena appeared at the door and shoved two younger boys into the room along with Lily. “They will stay with her.” The confrontation ended and every adult left the room. The two boys sat on the floor with a pack of cards. Lily curled up on her bed with her Barbie and stared at me.
“You weren’t trying to leave us, were you?” She gave me the saddest set of puppy dog eyes.
“I have to use the restroom.” With the door locked, I dug in the cabinets to find a suitable hiding place for my treasures. There were many options, but none of which I wanted to risk with how nosey Lily was. It had to be some place she wouldn’t think to look or couldn’t get in to. I pulled the cabinet below the sink apart, and dug through the cleaners, extra toilet paper, shampoos and conditioners. She would find the books too easily under the sink. I shut the doors, and sat on the floor, trying to figure out a better idea. Then, I realized she couldn’t reach the top of the cabinet above the toilet. It was perfect. I pulled out the books, and stood on my tiptoes on the back of the toilet. I leveraged the books, necklace, vials, and incense tray up and over the lip of the cabinet. Back on the ground, there were no hints of anything being up there. It was the ideal hiding spot. I flushed the toilet, washed my hands, and walked back out to the pre-pubescent teens sitting around the room.
“So, who are they?” I asked Lily.
“They are Michael’s nephews. Will, one of Michael’s brother, came to help find you and Brea.”
Both boys stood at the mention of their father. “I’m Taylor,” the shorter, stocky boy said.
“I’m Micah,” the tall, skinny one said. They looked like polar opposites, but Lily wasted no time dishing the dirt on the new transplants. Turns out, they were twins, Will’s only children, and both were already mated. Micah was mated to Brea’s sister, Trish. Taylor was mated to one of Serena’s great-nieces, but considering I hadn’t met any of Serena’s family, I wasn’t sure who she was.
“It’s nice to meet you both. How old are you?” I asked.
In unison they replied, “Fifteen.” Even they were older than Lily.
“Great.” I looked back at Lily, still huddled on her bed. Barbie looked dangerously close to being broken in half by her tiny hands. “To answer your question, no, I wasn’t running or leaving. I’ll tell you about the trip later.” I motioned toward our audience, trying to show her I didn’t want to talk about it with four additional ears in the room.
“Okay.” She uncurled from the bed. “Can I sit with you?” she asked and crossed the room to stand close to my bed, begging with her eyes to allow her to climb next to me. I hadn’t realized how hard today would be on her.
I pulled back the covers. “Come on.” She didn’t hesitate to jump into the bed and attached herself to my side. Her delicate frame trembled against me. I hummed the foreign melody from my mom’s room into the top of her hair, trying to comfort her as the boys argued over which was more important, two pairs or four of a kind.
c h a p t e r
NINE
Loud banging from outside shook the windows and woke me from my slumber. My skin and hair was matted with sweat from Lily laying all over me. Micah and Taylor both snored on the floor, cards spread all around them like they had gambled the night away. I drifted off to dreamless sleep shortly after Lily climbed into my bed. I couldn’t help but wonder if her presence kept Alex away. I couldn’t wait to tell him about the cabins and my mother’s books. But, it would have to wait.
Carefully, I lifted Lily’s head off my arm and placed it back onto the pillow. I glanced out of the window to see men hustling about camp from the trucks. Some were in the large empty area between my cabin and Trevor’s, laying out various pieces of wood. Others were hammering and sawing various pieces of wood on saw horses and makeshift tables. I slid on my jacket and headed to the front door.
“What’s going on?” I asked Emile and Ava as they watched Brandon, Matt, and Trevor unload more wood and tools from the back of a few trucks.
“We’re expanding camp to accommodate more people. There isn’t enough room for everyone as it is.”
“They’re building more cabins?” I asked.
“Yes,” Ava answered and held out a coffee mug to me. “Ready for some coffee? You have a long day ahead of you.”
I took the mug, and joined them on the bench. “So, did they make Brea leave?”
Emile and Ava glanced at each other. “No, they haven’t left,” Emile said and pointed to the far side of the new worksite to Catch hammering away at a frame.
“How much trouble am I in?” I asked, knowing the answer, but wanting them to confirm it.
“Brandon will talk to you later. What you did was really irresponsible, considering what all of us have gone through to find you.” Ava rose from the bench. She headed to her cabin without saying another word.
“She doesn’t mean to hurt your feelings. Brea meant well, and I’m sure she thought it would help you connect with her if she put herself out there like that, but the two of you really could have been hurt. The Mares won’t send only one person for you; they will send dozens. Michael doesn’t want me to tell you this, but
: the Mares aren’t the only ones seeking you. Truly, they are the least of our worries. You have to find a way to balance what you want and what is expected from you.” She pulled my hand into her lap and traced the spot that should hold my crescent.
“By the time I was your age I was mated, and had a house with all the responsibilities to go along with it. Michael and I made a life together in Montana, but after we found out I was pregnant, he insisted we move in with the pack. After that, I never looked back. Serena became my surrogate mother, and later, Lily became my adopted daughter. Oregon has been our home ever since. I won’t say that I know what you are going through, but I know about upheaval and having to leave all you know for strange surroundings. It’s hard to connect to people you’ve only just met, but you find a way because you have to make the best out of every situation. Brandon will complete you and give you all the happiness in the world once your union is solidified; in the meantime, you have to find the silver lining.”
Brandon looked at us curled up on the bench. He stopped walking and almost dropped the boards he carried. Are you okay? He mouthed and impatiently awaited the nod I almost forgot to give him.
“Emile, I want you to know that I’m trying.” A lie. “I want you to know that I love Brandon.” Not so much of a lie, but I loved Alex more. “I didn’t mean to upset anyone yesterday, hurt anyone’s feelings, or make anyone think I wanted to run away.” Even less of a lie, but ultimately, I did want to run away. “I won’t do something so stupid again or roam into the woods by myself. I’m very sorry.” Completely the truth. I was sorry, because they would watch me closer, and it would be harder for Alex to get me out of this doomsday cult once and for all.
“Well, I must go and help with breakfast.” She patted my hand, sending small electric vibrations through it. “Serena wants to have a session with you this afternoon, so if you have anything you want to do—you better do it this morning.” She gave me a sly grin. She knew I had no interest in hanging out with Serena while Brea was still around. Yesterday, I finally felt normal again.
“Hey,” Brea snuck up behind me after Emile left for the kitchen.
“I’m sorry you are in so much trouble.” I stood to hug her as she joined me on the bench.
“Well, Brandon may not have liked what I had to say last night, but I think he at least listened to me. They are letting me and Catch stay. My little sister will be coming soon too. I heard you got to meet her mate?”
“Yeah, I met both Micah and Taylor last night.”
“They are a lot of fun to mess with. Trish is really awkward around Micah still. She said he’s more like a brother. But he’ll transform a few years ahead of her, so that will change once he truly passes puberty, and gets over his love of video games.”
“I miss video games, and TV…, and the Internet! I don’t know how I’ll continue to live here without those things. It’s nuts, there could be a nuclear war and we’d have no freaking clue because the sky is covered with trees as far as we can see and no one knows we are here.”
Brea laughed. “You are so dramatic. I love it!”
“Easy for you to say, you haven’t lived without TV yet.” I elbowed her.
“For a while we did. The first search we went on was when I was fifteen. We did this whole road trip thing through Washington and Oregon. It was horrid. I was cooped up in a car with my sister, Micah, Catch, and two of my cousins. They all insisted on singing 80’s songs, and playing slug bug.” She laughed. “I refused to play, so by the end of the trip, I was covered in bruises. Even Catch had started to get me.”
“Dang. Sorry for that,” I tried not to laugh, “but seriously, you can’t deny a game of slug bug.” We burst into laughter. All the men turned to stare at the two squealing teenage girls. Even Bailey and Lucia, who were now sitting on the porch of their cabin, stopped to stare at us. Bailey rolled her eyes.
“She’s just jealous,” Brea said. “Ignore her. Nicole kind of told me what has gone on with her. Don’t worry, she’ll mate with someone eventually, then we’ll really have to deal with her.” Brea laughed and then winked.
“Yeah, just what I need, another glam-wolf.”
“Jillian, huh?”
“Yeah. She went from being this totally normal, bestest best friend ever to this pushy, dominatrix clown with designer clothes and fangs.”
“Wow,” she snickered, “what an interesting visual that is. Well, I can promise I will never chase you down in leather with a whip. But…,” she snuck a candy bar from her pocket, “I can promise there is more where this came from.” She pulled the wrapper off and split the candy bar in half. The two of us, intertwined on the bench, shared the candy bar while Lucia and Bailey shot daggers at us with their eyes.
“They’re just jealous,” Brea whispered.
“Do you want to talk about what you did yesterday?” Serena dug through a stack of paperwork. More vials with pink and yellow liquids sat in front of her. “I’m sure you don’t want to tell me everything you and Brea talked about, but I think it’s important to talk about the actions. How you feel about what you did?” And at four p.m. she turned into Dr. Phil.
“I don’t know,” I responded and waited for her to probe, which she promptly did.
“You don’t know how you felt about yesterday?
“Okay, I guess.”
“Okay… you guess.” Dr. Phil was replaced by a pirate’s parrot. Great.
“Yeah.” I pushed her journal away.
“No, continue reading. I have to gather some supplies before we
continue,” she said and went into her kitchen. Oh, goodie.
I flipped to page sixty-three of the journal to read more about Josef, and how perfect his face was for eyeglasses, and how he picked dandelions to place at the foot of her bed every morning. It still threw me off to think they were teens and their parents actually encouraged them to be together. Bizarre.
October 28, 1948
Josef turned eighteen today. To celebrate, we are heading to the drive in. Another year and we will be one, we will finally move into the house his father built for us. Galena and her daughter have agreed to come and bless the house! Galena! When my mother told me, I almost fell over. I cannot wait to meet her in person and to touch her sacred hands myself. I plan to show her my Lamanic book, and the beginner potions I’ve done based on her teachings. I hope to make her proud.
Galena was a name that appeared over and over again in the journal, in between her ramblings of mating with Josef, and his creation of Haventon—which seemed to be a soda shop instead of a beautiful stream. Maybe Haventon could be different things to different people? I skipped ahead in the journal. Patience never was a virtue I possessed.
Page 75
December 20, 1948
Josef and I went to Welches today. His sister and brother went with us. Josef’s sister, Melinda, hasn’t mated yet. But I can see it happening soon. The Smith’s baby was stolen yesterday, and they are heartbroken. She was the third this year. Everyone is focusing on the prophecy. The council can’t control the thefts, and no one knows for sure which pack will be blessed with the one; although, secretly, I hope that it is ours. If our baby is, I will be over the moon. It will finally be our time.
I read the passage over and over again—certain I was missing something of great importance, but lacking enough information to put the pieces together. What council? The elders? Maybe there is one head Amana group that manages all the separate sects? Maybe there used to be, before Michael took over? Maybe he is power hungry after all? I seriously didn’t doubt it, especially with how crappy he treats
Brandon.
Page 85
February 11, 1949
Today, Galena and her daughter, Alaina, will come to bless our house. Just ten short months and we will live there together. I have made all the necessary preparations for the ceremony today. Oils, candles, clothes, daggers, and crystals are in my sack and ready to go. She will see today how worthy I am of her blessing, and hopef
ully, she will allow me to study with her or maybe Alaina. Rumor is, she is going to be more powerful than Galena. But I won’t believe it until I see it. More to come…
Today was remarkable! Galena is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, matched perfectly by her angelic daughter. The two of them walked like the beat of a song, in perfect harmony to each other. Their dresses and hair flowed freely throughout the ceremony. Their raven hair was perfectly decorated in flowers significant of the blessing; a perfect white rose tucked behind their ears. If I didn’t know they were witches, I’d think they were fairies with the perfect lines of their bodies. All that was missing was a pair of wings and pixie dust. Galena and Alaina told my parents today they plan on remaining in town and she was so impressed with my knowledge that Alaina will begin training me next week. Turns out, she is not much older than me. I can see us becoming the best of friends.
So, Serena consorted with witches. The elixirs never weirded me out, but I always thought it was just her holistic way of healing. It never occurred to me that the potions were magical.
Page 98
December 28, 1949
I haven’t written here in many weeks. But, I felt I needed to since today is my union ceremony with Josef, and tomorrow we will move into our place. Alaina and I are closer than I’ve ever imagined we’d be. We are closer to each other than I am to anyone in the pack and she is to anyone in her coven. I’ve taught her Lamanic, and she’s taught me about candle magic, potions, and how to heal. A power that she says I have a natural gift for.
I could see Brea being this close to me, just like Alaina was for Serena, there for her when she needed—willing to do anything to keep the other person happy. Brea really stood up for me, and I needed to thank her for it. Being with her was easy, and natural.
“Okay, are you ready to begin with me?” Serena came back into the room with an arm full of bottles.
“Yeah.” I shut the journal. “Whatever happened to Alaina?”
My question caught her off guard and a vial slipped from her arms. “You are already that far?”