Novel Hearts

by Rebecca Boucher

  “What?!”

  “Dad’s gone. He never finished the tea. He got a phone call and ran out. He took a huge gulp of the tea and then took off!” Ruby cursed again. An impaired Tyler Hood on the loose was not a part of the plan.

  Kent’s phone buzzed next. “Shit is right! I’ve been called to a Huntsmen meeting in the Wood.” Kent shoved a picture of Ruby’s dad wide-eyed and bound to a tree under her nose. Without speaking they turned and pushed their way through the crowd of milling kids and ran to the parking lot.

  “That must be where Dylan went,” Ruby rationalized as they sped along over the river and through the Wood in Kent’s brown four door sedan. “Maybe he’s not dead yet.”

  “Who? Dylan or your dad?”

  “Neither … both … no one … I don’t want anyone to die,” Ruby stammered.

  “No one’s dead yet, Ruby. First, I don’t think they’re out to harm Dylan. They’ve got it pretty good under his rule. Second, they need the approval of the Guardian to kill your father, if they are following protocol.”

  “Right! Like they’re at all concerned with following protocol!” Ruby interjected.

  “Plus, they’ll wait for me,” Kent finished sadly.

  Ruby grimaced as he shrugged. “You’ve never been invited to a family killing?” he asked.

  “Touché,” she said. “I’ve been invited to more than I can count. I’ve never gone, though. My mom always said I should’ve been born a Guardian. She said I didn’t have the stomach to eat wolf food.” Ruby smiled at the memory.

  Kent looked at her and respect flickered across his face. He parked and looked at her. “We’re here. The meeting will be at a clearing farther in than we were last night. If a killing takes place, they’ll need the cloak of the Wood.”

  Ruby pulled her own cloak around her. She had a terrible feeling about the new direction the plan had taken. She and Kent crept through the Wood, stepping together to mask Ruby’s presence. When Ruby heard voices, she froze.

  Kent brought his finger to his lips and pointed in the opposite direction. As he left Ruby, he called out and made a ruckus.

  If they were listening to him, they weren’t listening for me, Ruby thought. She shed her cloak and dress and stuck them deep in a hole in a large oak. Stretching and contorting her body, Ruby turned into her golden alter ego as her dark eyes lit up. Her dad howled several feet away in the clearing. She didn’t dare return the call. He knew she was there. Under his howl, Ruby could move somewhat freely through the Wood to a better location. She got as close as she dared and waited.

  “Well, he speaks,” Kevin Wolf taunted, shoving a hot poker into Tyler Hood’s chest.

  “Kev, careful, we really want the Guardian on our side for this one. I’d like to keep it neat. We worked hard to frame this guy. If we do something stupid, it’ll negate all our efforts. Plus, I have my political career to think about,” Ken Wolf rationalized calmly.

  “Guardian, smardian … I’m smarter than him. He’s just a kid,” Kevin mocked.

  “Apparently, you learned nothing about underestimating your opponent, dear uncle,” Kent said in a condescending tone. Then, Kevin rushed his nephew, bringing the hot poker to his nephew’s throat. Ken Wolf stepped forward hesitantly.

  “Man, this family has some issues! This is the second time this week I’ve seen you two at each other’s throats,” Dylan grumbled. “Someone, please explain to me why I was called away from the dance and my stunning date moments before coronation.” Dylan held up his hand to indicate he wasn’t done, “and not one of you had better make a single crack about my wolf girlfriend or I will snap your neck.” Dylan looked pointedly at Kevin. No one spoke. “I assume you called this meeting, Chief?”

  Kevin nodded to the bound man. The pain from the hot poker to the chest had knocked him unconscious, as his head slumped forward. “Is this what required my urgent attention?” Dylan asked, walking closer, then pulled the man’s head up as an angry bellow escaped his lips. “Are you kidding me?! You’ve dragged me away from my evening to bring me the tortured, bound, and unconscious body of my girlfriend’s father? What were guys thinking? You have to let this go! The Hoods are staying. They are FINE!” Dylan’s voice boomed through the Wood as many critters scurried. “DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS?!” he screamed into Kent’s face.

  Ruby jumped at Dylan’s tirade. Without flinching, Kent looked into the eyes of his best friend. “I wanted a peaceful resolution to this problem.”

  “Look, Guardian …” Kevin sneered as he caressed his holster and moved in closer behind Dylan.

  “I’ve had about enough of you, Chief,” Dylan said, cutting him off. Then, he turned and sent a blue ball of power into the police chief’s chest, which sent him flying into a nearby tree. Dylan walked over slowly to the crumpled Huntsmen. Wide eyed, the other two Wolf family members took two steps back. “I warned you to let this go, old man. You’re forcing my hand and I don’t think you’re going to like the way it turns out,” Dylan snarled. His face contorted menacingly as he turned to deal with the other two Huntsmen.

  Ruby watched in horror as Kevin Wolf staggered to his feet. His lips pulled back into a sneer as he drew his gun. “You’re gonna be easier to kill than your idiot father, kid.”

  Ruby yelped as a warning from the east of the clearing. Her father let out a painful howl, which was returned by another howl from the west.

  “Ruby! Are you here?” Dylan cried out as he moved to the east of the clearing.

  “Ruby,” whispered Kent cautiously.

  “I think all of the Hoods have joined our meeting. I wonder who invited them,” Ken said, glaring at his son before peering into the Wood.

  The bushes rustled and a large, grey wolf leaped into the clearing. Suddenly, shots rang out as Ruby howled. She didn’t know who was shooting and at whom.

  “RUN, RUBY! RUUUNNNN…” a barrage of voices screamed at her before another round of gunshots rang through the Wood.

  Ruby crouched low among the woodland growth, unsure of what to do. Suddenly, she heard her Grams voice in her head. “Go dear, go now. Run! Don’t look back! Be safe, my child.” A moment later, Grams voice faded. Ruby threw back her head and howled before she tore off though the Wood.

  She got to the top of the hill on the outskirts of Woodsville before she stopped to catch her breath, with the red cloak gripped firmly in her teeth. She dropped the cloak to the ground and howled.

  “RUBY! COME BACK!” Dylan’s voice pleaded, bellowing through the night sky.

  “Go, Ruby,” Kent’s voice urged in a whisper, tickling her ear.

  Her howl was returned. She had her answer. Quickly, she shifted back into a girl. Brushing the tears out of her eyes, she threw the cloak around her naked body, hopped in her car, turned the ignition and set her GPS for Kingman, Arizona. As she barreled down the road, she screamed hysterically trying to silence all the voices shouting at her in her head.

  ***

  “Ruby, wake up, honey.”

  “WHAT?! Where am I? Ruby asked, scrambled to try and get her bearings.

  “Shhh, honey. It’s okay, you’re fine. You were having a nightmare,” Grams said soothingly, sitting on the queen sized bed next to Ruby.

  Ruby shook her head, taking in the familiar surroundings of her room. Everything appeared to be in place. Her posters lined the walls, and her clothes were still strewn over the chair or bedpost just like she’d left them. She sighed dramatically and rubbed her eyes once she concluded she was safe. “Holy crap, Grams! That dream seemed so real.”

  “Do you want to talk about it, dear?” Grams asked, drawing her close.

  “Nah, I gotta get up anyway.” Reaching for her robe, Ruby pulled away slightly, but she didn’t get out of bed. After she wrapped the robe tightly around her, she turned around to face her grandmother. “It was so silly, Grams. So many people I knew were in it, but they were different … and Dad,” her voice trailed off. “Dad was still here.” Ruby smiled wistfully, but quickly furrow
ed her brow. “Mom was gone, though.” Ruby took a moment to swallow the lump in her throat, trying desperately to grasp the bits and pieces of the dream before they flitted out of her head. “Oh, yeah,” she added, “I was a big bad wolf and there were people called Guardians and Huntsmen … like some fairy tale.” Grinning, Ruby shook her head and laughed. “But I had a smoking hot boyfriend,” Ruby said with a grin. She leaned across the bed and kissed her Grams on the cheek before hopping out of bed. “I gotta run, Grams. I tutor Kent this morning, then I have to meet Lilly to work on our ‘Great Gatspy’ project.”

  Ruby headed into the bathroom to start the shower. Then, she padded back to her closet to choose her wardrobe for the day. She grabbed her favorite skinny jeans, black tee and Dr. Marteen’s. As an afterthought, she dropped the black tee and grabbed a tight red tee in honor of Valentine’s Day. Just because she didn’t really have a smoking hot boyfriend didn’t mean she couldn’t be festive.

  Grams yelled up to Ruby over the music. “Breakfast?”

  “Yes, please! Something to go with a large coffee? Thanks Grams!” Ruby shouted from the closet.

  Grams mumbled softly to herself on her way out. “At least you don’t have to worry about wolves, Huntsman and Guardians yet, my sweet girl. That day will come soon enough.” Grams closed the door and headed to the kitchen.

  ***

  On the walk to school, Ruby tried to think about her odd dream, but only bits and pieces briefly played through her mind. So much of the dream felt familiar, but the details were scattered and hard to discern. Smiling, she thought about Kent and Lilly’s reaction to her dream. She was sure they would get a kick out of it. She climbed the last few steps into the library and rounded the corner.

  “Good morning, Ruby. Happy Valentine’s Day to my favorite tutor,” Kent said, turning in his chair to face her, smiling. His steel blue eyes twinkled and he held a single perfect pick rose in his hand.

  Ruby’s lopsided grin spread across her face; he always had that effect on her. “Morning, Kent. Thanks,” Ruby said, blushing. “Ready?” She asked sitting down next to him, her dream completely forgotten.

  The End

  My Forever Love

  By: Theresa Oliver

  Characters in this story are based on the book

  Star, Starland Vamp Series, Book 1

  By: Theresa Oliver

  Star

  Rick and I had just left Washington D.C. in his black Mercedes GL450 SUV headed toward Cooperstown, New York, our home, after having just met with Sam Abbott, Zac’s father and my boss. You see, Rick and I are members of a covert Special Forces CIA team … and we’re also vampires. In fact, according to the CIA, we don’t exist. They only call us in times of dire emergency when there would be too much risk to human operatives. Abbott wanted to see us in regard to a new assignment, but none of the six members of our team are eager to get back to work. After our last assignment, all of us were nearly killed and now we’re enjoying a bit of downtime. Personally, I was actually enjoying going to high school. I know, go figure.

  Anyway, Abbott wanted to see both Rick and I. Although my best friend, Annie, loved going into the city, she couldn’t come along because she was preparing something special for Rick for Valentine’s Day. Zac—the love of my life—wanted to go, too, but Verus was helping him and John with their training. They couldn’t afford to lose any time before they’re forced to go on our next assignment, but who knew when that might be?

  Rick and I have been friends since the Stone Age, or so it seemed. Actually, he knew my father during the Revolutionary War. That’s how we met. He was known as Fredrick Lee, then. Although he shortened Fredrick to Rick, his last name has stayed the same over all these years. Since my father’s death, Rick has been my father figure and mentor. He also saved my life, turning me into a vampire after I was shot in the back three times by Captain Clark on the first day of the Revolutionary War, but that’s another story. My name was Abigail Starland, then, but now most people call me Star, although my alias is Lisa Miller at Cooperstown Central High School.

  “Rick, do you mind if I ask you a question?” I asked, eyeing his expression.

  Rick laughed, raising an eyebrow. “Since when do you have to ask?” Then, he took his eyes off the road to look into my eyes. “What’s up?”

  I laughed … Rick knew me so well. “Well …”

  Now it was Rick’s turn to laugh. “Since when are you ever at a loss for words, Abigail? Just spit it out.”

  “Okay, you asked for it.”

  Rick rolled his eyes, turning his attention back to the road. As we turned onto I-81 N., he gave me a look and raised one eyebrow. “Spill.”

  I laughed again. We had a bit of a drive ahead of us yet, so why not? “Rick, you never told me about your wife, Lucia.”

  Rick’s grip tightened on the steering wheel and I immediately hated myself for bringing it up. “After all these years, why are you asking me this now, Star?” Obviously, it was a subject best closed and something he didn’t want to talk about.

  “I don’t know. I guess since it’s Valentine’s Day, I was just curious,” I replied, turning my attention to the passing trees outside the passenger side window. “You never told me about her. I know everything about you, but you never told me about her.”

  Rick sighed, eyeing the road, obviously debating on how much to tell me.

  “Look, Rick, forget I said anything. If you don’t want to talk about it …”

  “Just give me a minute,” Rick interrupted me. “It’s been a long time.” But vampires had perfect recall. I’m sure he remembered every detail, more so than a human.

  “No problem, Rick. I know you can’t get Alzheimer’s,” I said with a smirk. “If you don’t want to talk about it, no problem.”

  Rick took his eyes off the road to look at me. “I was going to say that it’s been a long time, but I still remember every curve of her face, her exact eye color and her scent, but, most importantly, her personality and … her love for me.” He took a deep breath and turned his attention back to the road. “She was one of the kindest, most loving people I knew. She had one of the purest souls I’ve ever known.”

  I waited for a minute, debating whether to press him or not, but curiosity won out. “Tell me, Rick,” I coaxed in a soothing voice.

  A moment later his eyes glazed over a bit, remembering old times, long ago, times long gone, but not forgotten. Soon, his tale began.

  Rick

  When Abigail first asked me about Lucia, it really took me by surprise. Over all the years I’ve known Star, she never once brought the subject up. I had told her and Annie that I had just lost my wife not long before I met them in the Year of Our Lord, 1773. Star was only 16 years old then and Acantha—as Annie was known then—was her best friend. However, I had lost my wife nearly a hundred years before I ever met them. For a moment, I decided if it was something that I really wanted to talk about. After all these years, Abigail earned the right to know.

  I first noticed Lucia in the Year of Our Lord 1619. I said noticed, because, actually, we grew up together in a peaceful little village of present day Salisbury in the United Kingdom. I was twenty and had not yet chosen a bride, and she was sixteen, the same age Abigail was when I first met her. Although I was only four years older than her, she was still young, too young for courtship. But I pass by her house on my way into the village to trade furs that I trapped or wild game that I caught. With each passing day, she became more beautiful.

  Her father owned a local apothecary in the edge of the village, which today would be considered more of a natural holistic healing shop rather than a drug store. I had to pass by it to get to the town square to do my trading. Each day I passed, Lucia was sitting out front on a rustic, wooden bench made of tree branches, working on her embroidery sampler or sewing. At first, I didn’t notice her, but I politely returned her greetings of hello or smiles when I passed. The months passed and soon the cold came to claim the land and I thought nothing
of not seeing Lucia sitting in the front of her father’s shop. But when spring came the following year, one day I passed and she was sitting out front again, and my breath caught. She was no longer the lanky, blonde lass that I had known. She had grown into a beautiful woman. Her blonde streaked hair cascaded passed her shoulders, reaching to her waist and curled into lose waves at the ends. Her body had developed into curves in all the right places and her eyes were a mesmerizing blue, pools of calm ocean blue on a summer day. I stopped in my tracks, eying her beauty.

  She tried to conceal a smile, but her eyes danced in obvious approval that I had finally noticed her. “Good day, Mr. Lee. How are ye today?”

  “I be fine, Lucia, but I’m wondering something,” I replied as one corner of my lips raised into a smile.

  “And what might that be, Mr. Lee?” Lucia asked, clearly enjoying the exchange.

  “I’m wondering where the lanky lass that used to sit before her father’s apothecary shop disappeared to. Instead, a beautiful young lady now sits in her place,” I said, adjusting the pelts on my shoulder.

  She laughed aloud. “I think that lass is long gone, sorry to say.”

  “I’m not sorry at all,” I replied, then knew the hour was getting on and that the daily trade would soon come to an end. “Will ye be here tomorrow?”

  Lucia’s smile broadened, reaching her crystal blue eyes. “Will ye be passing by, Mr. Lee?”

  “I will.”

  “Then I shall be here,” she replied, returning her attention back to her sampler, intriguing me all the more.

  “Tomorrow, then?” I asked, hoping to regain her attention.

  “Tomorrow,” Lucia returned, rewarding me with a lovely smile that melted my heart.

  “Pray, ye answer me one question before I go?” I asked, ready to sprint away.

  “And what question might that be, Mr. Lee?” Lucia said, setting her sampler down onto her lap to look at me.

  “How old might ye be now?” I asked with a smile.