Balance (The Balance Series Book 1)

by Janelle Stalder

  Artem pulled on a fresh pair of socks, and quickly searched for his abandoned running shoes. He found one under the hotel bed, and the other on a chair. Grabbing his jacket off the back of the chair, he rushed out the door, making sure he had the key card to get back in. He was late to meet with Murray and Alan, and if he knew Alan well enough by now, he would be bouncing out of his seat with impatience.

  As he walked briskly down the street to their usual cafe, he could feel the anxiety in his own stomach at the arrangement he had to explain tonight. Joseph had silently listened to the partnership idea on the other end as Artem explained the whole afternoon to him, and the subsequent proposal at the end of it.

  Surprisingly, when Artem finished Joseph didn’t say much. He had been expecting his fellow brother to yell at him and call him crazy, but instead he’d said he would go to the other elders and would call him back shortly. It appeared all the elders had stayed close by, in case any developments arose that would require them to meet promptly.

  According to Joseph, the initial reactions in the hall had been mixed, understandably. Many were accepting of the idea, but a few were outraged. So many years of fighting a power, only to find them in league with it, had made many want to leave. Soon, sooner than Joseph had expected, the ones in favour of the idea convinced the others.

  Joseph said what Artem had thought himself when he was first propositioned by Dermot. The current situation, and the outcome that was expected from it, was more important at that moment than their years of hatred for this man. Joseph confided in Artem his lack of enthusiasm for the idea himself, but that he agreed a stronger power could not be allowed to be born. Thus, Artem had been instructed to call Dermot and accept his terms.

  Now he had to go into the cafe and explain it to Murray and Alan.

  He hadn’t known the two men for very long, but he could already guess that their reactions would not be ones of agreement. He wouldn’t blame them. Hopefully he would explain it well enough that both men would eventually see it from their point of view. Artem himself was still having trouble dealing with it, but he knew he had to do whatever it took.

  No one wanted to willingly get into dealings with the Devil, but really what choice did they have at this point?

  He walked into the small cafe that was crowded with middle aged men and women out for an after-dinner coffee, and a few young people who were trying to look more grownup than they really were. Murray and Alan were sitting at the back, their heads close together while they spoke. Alan jumped up as soon as he spotted Artem, waving him down.

  “Sorry I’m late,” he apologized immediately to calm Alan down.

  “Not a problem, my boy,” said Murray, smiling calmly up at him. “We’ve only just arrived ourselves, haven’t we Alan?”

  Alan sat down, twisting a napkin in his hands. “Yes, we’ve only been here about five minutes,” he said.

  “Now that we’re all here, let’s get down to business,” said Murray, rubbing his hands together. “What was it that you wanted to see us about?”

  “Any luck with Vivian today?” Alan asked before Artem could answer.

  “Not particularly,” he replied.

  “What happened then?” Murray asked, before Alan could get too worked up.

  “Well, she didn’t believe a word I had to say, refused to leave Caleb, and thought I was completely nuts. She then proceeded to storm off and told me never to speak to her again,” he explained, pinching his nose. He had a headache coming on, and it was only going to get worse as this meeting went on.

  Murray chuckled, and Alan looked like his head would pop off. “Artem, that didn’t go well at all!” he accused.

  “No, no it didn’t, however that wasn’t the end of my afternoon,” he replied. The other two leaned in. “After Vivian stormed off, I sat at the cafe for a bit longer, and then an interesting person joined my table,” he told them.

  “Caleb?” Alan asked.

  “Let the man talk,” Murray scolded.

  “It’s okay. No, it wasn’t Caleb, but you’re not far off. It was Dermot.” He paused, letting it sink in with both men. Alan looked as white as a ghost, and even Murray looked nervous for once.

  “What did he want?” Murray asked quietly.

  “Well,” Artem started, trying to find the right words. “It looks like we have a similar goal, in the sense that he wishes the couple to be separated as well.”

  “Why?” Murray asked, his eyes narrowing.

  “He seems to think that Caleb will eventually destroy Vivian, and he expects if something like that were to happen, it would subsequently destroy him as well.”

  “You believe that?” Murray asked. Alan looked back and forth between them, clearly at a loss for words.

  “Not really, although the elders think there could be some truth to it. Either he believes this reasoning, or he also knows about the prospect of her being his mate and the possibility of a child. I think this would be more of a motive for him, since he wouldn’t want something to be more powerful than himself.”

  Murray sat back, drumming his fingers on the table. Alan sat blankly.

  “I suppose either reason would be more than enough for him to want them split,” Murray eventually concluded.

  “Why did he want to tell you this?” Alan finally spoke.

  “He would like to combine our strengths and work together.”

  Artem waited for the expected outburst. Instead, both men sat quietly, their mouths hanging open. Artem shifted in his seat, prepared for the accusations they would throw at him.

  “You’ve lost your head if you’re even considering this,” Murray finally blurted out. The couple sitting next to them turned to look at the sudden outburst, but quickly looked away.

  Artem responded in a lower voice. “Look, we don’t have many other options here. I know it is crazy to partner with someone like Dermot...”

  “Something,” corrected Alan in disgust.

  “Right. Regardless, he seems to think he can help, and we need it right now.”

  “He can’t be trusted,” Murray stressed, a vein popping in his forehead. “Whatever he’s told you he can do, don’t trust it! The man is the very essence of evil – think about Vivian for God sakes man.”

  Artem’s heart sank. “The elders have already agreed. Things have been set in motion.”

  Murray glared at him. The tension at their table was palpable. Artem searched for the right words to defend himself, but could find none.

  Alan was the one who finally spoke. “What exactly does he plan to do in order to separate the two? While keeping the girl safe, I might add, or is that no longer a concern for the elders anymore?” he asked, his eyes cold and accusing.

  Without taking his eyes from Murray, Artem responded to Alan’s concerns. “He has promised not to hurt Vivian. He made it a point to say that if he were to injure her, or kill her, Caleb would know it, and it would just ruin him anyway. In order to keep Caleb’s loyalty, Dermot has to get her to leave willingly, which is what we would like as well.” He looked at Alan now.

  “How does he plan on doing that, exactly?” Murray asked.

  “He will show her how dangerous they can be, and hopefully scare her into leaving. It is essentially what we would have done, but he has the means with which to do it. I’m sure he will be way more convincing than we could ever be,” Artem explained.

  “Convincing,” Murray snorted. “He’s going to terrorize her, do you realize that?”

  “He won’t do anything harmful. He needs her to be willing,” he tried to assure them.

  “So he says,” pointed out Alan.

  “I know this is hard to accept, but all the elders have decided it is our best choice. Pairing up with him to fight something that might be an even greater evil, is somewhat worth it, isn’t it?” he pleaded for them to understand.

  “Two wrongs don’t make a right,” said Murray. “What is our part in this now?”

  “I have to get her to meet me,
so I can bring her to him.”

  Murray looked like he was going to be sick. He stood abruptly, tossing money on the table. “I hope you know what you’re doing,” he said coldly. “Looks like you’ve been nominated to bring the lamb to the slaughter house. Let’s just hope, for your sake, they don’t devour her whole.” He stormed off, moving between the tables a lot faster than was expected for a man his age.

  Alan sat staring down at the table. Artem waited, hoping that Alan wouldn’t hate him as well.

  “I don’t know what to say,” Alan confessed. “This all seems like a horrible idea, and yet the elders seem to know what they’re doing most of the time.”

  “Yes, yes they do,” Artem agreed animatedly, happy that Alan was slowly coming around.

  “Of course, even the smartest of men have made some very bad decisions in the past,” he added, looking at him. “I think I need to go home and have a nice hard drink.” He stood, pausing for a second before holding out his hand. Artem reached up to shake it, his stomach turning at the despair he read in the other man’s gaze.

  “Good luck,” was all he said before walking away from the table, leaving Artem sitting alone.

  The waitress showed up and asked if he needed anything, but Artem refused, thanking her, before throwing some more money down to cover the tip, and walking out.

  When he returned to the hotel, the thought of going up to his room alone made him feel ill, so he headed to the bar off the lobby, deciding a nice hard drink, as Alan had suggested, was exactly what he needed. By two in the morning Artem wobbled his way back up to his room and passed out.

  Caleb’s arms held me close as his rhythmic breathing lulled me to sleep. I looked up at how peaceful he seemed when he slept, and smiled. The rest of our night had been spent in passionate embrace, after he had snuck back into my house. I was exhausted and exceedingly happy, but I couldn’t quite fall asleep yet. I decided to get a quick glass of water before I tried to settle myself for the night.

  As I walked back into the room, I tripped over Caleb’s jeans that had been tossed on the floor, spilling droplets everywhere. Cursing quietly, I quickly tried to mop up some of the bigger spots.

  When my hand brushed his jeans, a horrible thought crossed my mind. I glanced over at his sleeping form, my hand hovering in the air.

  Was I really going to do this?

  Biting my lip, I slid my hand into his back pocket and found the item I had been looking for. Slowly, I pulled out the black, leather wallet that had previously placed there. I peeked up again at Caleb, but he was still dead to the world.

  Holding my breath, I opened it up to start my search. What I was doing was horrible, a complete invasion of privacy, and yet I couldn’t seem to stop myself. It was one of those out of body moments where I could almost imagine myself standing there watching me, hands waving in the air as I urged myself to stop what I was doing.

  That moment in the movie where you sit with bated breath as the main character does something utterly stupid, but there is nothing you can do to stop them. Despite this, I continued my investigation, the stupid protagonist, digging herself into a hole – a dirty, ugly, deceitful hole.

  There was the usual photo portion of the wallet, which was where I started. It was empty though, which disappointed me. Maybe he really didn’t have a picture of his mom, I thought, chiding myself.

  Then I noticed the corner of a paper peeking out behind the empty photo booklet, and I recognized it as a photo quality. I held my breath again, pulling it slowly out. It was definitely a picture, but not of his mother.

  The woman in the picture was beautiful, with the same piercing blue eyes, and dark hair that hung to her shoulders, but her skin was wrinkled with age. This was clearly his grandmother. I knew Dermot was only in his forties, this woman looked closer to seventy. I quickly returned the photo to its hiding place, and put the wallet back in his pocket.

  Silently, I crawled into bed, snuggling against his side again. My conscience was screaming with guilt, but I tried to ignore it. I settled down and went to sleep, trying desperately not to think about what a horrible person I was.

  Collin hated the smell of the hospital. It was a mix of medication, sterilization, and people who couldn’t take care of themselves properly. His sense of smell was superior to a mortal’s, but still he couldn’t imagine the nurses in this place liked it very much.

  He walked briskly down the hall, trying to avoid the strays they left to wander around. He hated this place in general, he decided. The empty look in the patient’s eyes made him nervous. He could see the nurses’ station just head, and let out a breath of relief.

  “Mr. Banks,” called the young nurse behind the counter. She was the one usually on duty when he came here, so it didn’t come as a surprise that she recognized him. He couldn’t for the life of him remember her name though.

  He glanced discreetly at her nametag, plastering on a smile. “Nurse Ackerman, how are you this afternoon?” Collin was very good at making humans feel comfortable around him. Unlike Kellan and Caleb, his manner was never cold or imposing. He had always been the gentlest of the three, until Caleb met Vivian at least, he thought, amused at the change he saw in his younger brother.

  “I wasn’t expecting you today, did you arrange for a visit?” she asked, turning to her computer. He could tell by the flush in her cheeks that she found him attractive. His smile widened and he watched as the pinkness deepened when she snuck glances at him.

  “I apologize. I should have called first. I hadn’t planned on stopping by originally, but my brother asked me to check in quickly,” he explained.

  “Caleb?” she said with a nod. They all knew Caleb was the most doting of the three sons, so it was only expected she would assume that. It sure as hell wouldn’t be Kellan, he thought.

  “Yes,” Collin confirmed.

  “Well it’s certainly not a problem to have you stop by. Is Caleb still over in America then?” she asked, pulling together his visitor pass and information.

  “Yes, but if he needs to I’m sure he’ll come back. That is what I’m here to decide.”

  The nurse nodded as she passed him a badge. “She’s just out in the gardens right now. I’m sure you’ll find her at her usual spot. Let us know if you need anything while you’re here,” she said. Her eyes fluttered as she looked up at him.

  He thanked her and strode off in the direction of the gardens. He thought nurse Ackerman looked to be about thirty, but he still toyed with idea of an older woman. He usually stuck to twenty year olds, since they looked more his age. Ignoring these thoughts for now, he focused on the more important task at hand.

  Unlike Kellan, and more like Caleb, Collin felt very deeply for their mother. He hated to see her the way she was, which was why he didn’t come as often as Caleb had when he was home. He still worried about her just as much though.

  Walking through the gardens, he admired the beauty of the green leaves and bright petals of the flowers. He loved gardens. He supposed he got that from his mother. They’d had a beautiful one in their childhood home that she had tended to regularly. All three of the boys had spent their afternoons running through it during the warm months.

  It was no surprise this was her favourite place to be. There was a large pond in the middle, with lily pads floating randomly throughout. She was there, as he expected, sitting on the hidden stone bench she loved so much, watching the rippling surface.

  Nora was lost in her thoughts as usual, and so was unaware of his approach until he was only a few feet away. He moved strategically to block out the sunlight, hoping that would catch her attention without scaring her. It worked; she blinked her eyes once then moved her head to look at him.

  “Hello, Mother,” he said gently with a tender smile. He always used his softest voice when he was around her.

  She smiled up at him, causing lines to appear at the corner of her eyes. Her smile was always so big, he thought observing her. “Collin,” she breathed, reaching both her
hands out to him. He grabbed them lightly, leaning down to kiss her affectionately on the head. He could tell right away that she was feverish.

  “Sit down,” she said, sliding over.

  “Thank you.” He sat and smiled over at her, subtly taking in every inch of her to see beneath the façade she wore for others. “How are you, Mother? We were told you have been unwell.”

  She looked over at the pond, waving her hand as if to brush off what he had just said. “Those doctors are always overreacting. As you can see I’m perfectly fine,” she said with her usual dreamy look.

  Collin took in the tightness around her mouth and eyes, and the dark circles under them. Her whole body looked more frail than usual, and he knew she was hotter than normal. It looked as if she hadn’t been sleeping well.

  Feeling his eyes on her, she looked over and smiled, patting his hand. “Don’t stare honey, it’s not polite.”

  “I’m just making sure you’re telling the truth. It looks to me like you haven’t been getting enough sleep,” he criticized.

  “I’m fine, Collin. Maybe just a little restless, that’s all.” She sat there and hummed to herself, a melody Collin didn’t recognize.

  “You’re feverish,” he pointed out, but she ignored him, lost in the world where only she existed. Sometimes he felt more alone when he sat here with her, than he did when he really was by himself.

  They sat in silence. She held his hand the whole time, while she hummed her song. Collin made a mental note to make sure he spoke with her doctor. Clearly he wasn’t going to get anything out of her today. She didn’t normally open up to them about her problems when they visited, because she was so happy and content just to have them there with her. He knew she didn’t want to bother him with her issues, which made him smile slightly. Even now at their age, she was still mothering them needlessly.

  She looked back up at him after some time, and he could see the frightened look she would sometimes get with him. He wasn’t hurt by it, but he hated to see her look at him that way. She was worse with Kellan.