When I reach the last branch, I jump quickly to the ground and crouch down behind the thick trunk, listening for any hue and cry. When all remains silent, I peer around the tree, through the front window of the Victorian lounge and breathe a sigh of relief. Nan and Kael must be in the kitchen.
I skirt around the edge of the garden to the road and only straighten fully when I’m out of sight of the front windows. My heart is pounding as I cover the short distance to Michelle’s house and every noise makes me jump, but I can’t turn back now.
The sun has all but slipped beneath the crimson blanket of the horizon by the time I reach Michelle’s house. The windows are brightly lit, the curtains not yet drawn against the encroaching evening and I can see a handful of students, scattered around an elegant, white lounge.
Michelle spies me through the window and meets me at the door. I exhale a breath I didn’t realize I was holding as I step inside.
‘Hi babe, so glad you could make it!’ Michelle says and peers behind me, ‘Where’s Kael’s car?’
‘I decided to walk,’ I say.
‘Alone?’ she asks with a surprised look. ‘Kael let you?’
‘It’s just a few metres down the road.’ I say defensively, stepping past her into the bright hallway.
She shrugs and leads the way into the lounge.
‘We’ll start in a sec,’ she says. ‘We’re just finalizing plans for the spring festival fundraiser tonight, so it’ll be a short one. Take a seat.’
I survey the room and am just about to perch on the edge of a white sofa, when I notice Kelly, waving at me from a sliding door near the other end of the room. Jarred stands beside her, along with another ash-blonde boy, I don’t recognize.
‘Shaylee!’ Kelly exclaims as I weave past a group of laughing students toward them. ‘I’m so glad you could make it! This is my brother, Peter.’ The boy beside her turns a set of bright blue eyes on me and flashes a grin, the kind that has probably broken many a heart.
‘Ah, the girl from South Africa!’ he exclaims. I can’t help but notice how unlike Kelly he appears to be in every way. He is the light to her dark.
‘Hope you’re the arty type?’ he says, standing a little too close. ‘We’re a tad short on creativity in this committee.’ I take a step back to rectify the distance between us.
‘Well, I’m not Rembrandt, if that’s what you’re hoping for but I have a creative streak.’
‘Right, peeps!’ Michelle shouts from across the room. ‘Most of the arrangements for the festival are complete. We just need to put the finishing touches on tonight. Let’s run through the arrangements.’
She proceeds to call on various students in the room for updates on an array of tasks, from budgets to crinkle paper. They’ve got this down to a t, and I begin to wonder what help I could possibly be.
‘Give us a run down on marketing, Pete?’ Michelle says after she’s run through most of the plans. We all turn to Peter, who grins, like he’s used to being the centre of attention.
‘We’re going with a spring goddess theme this year, golds and greens but we’re a little short on hands and creative ideas. Thankfully, Shaylee here has volunteered to help in that department.’
‘I did?’ I say faintly, but he just grins and pats me on the shoulder.
‘Great,’ Michelle says, marking my name down on a clipboard. ‘We’ll all pitch in to make the banners and we’ll also need to take shifts at the gate.’
She spends a few minutes going over dates and times and setting up a rotation schedule for manning the gate.
‘Same time next week peeps!’ Michelle says, dismissing the gathering. Students immediately start dissolving into groups again, chatting and making their way to the doorway, where Michelle stands to greet them.
‘So, partner,’ Peter says, arresting me with a light touch to my shoulder. ‘Do you have some time to run through a couple ideas?’
I glance nervously at my wrist-watch. The meeting has only lasted half an hour, but I can’t risk staying out any longer. What if Nan discovers that I’m not in my room?
‘Sorry, not tonight, I’m in a bit of a rush.’
‘How about tomorrow then? Over lunch?’
‘Sure,’ I say hastily, ‘but I’d better be going.’
‘You need a ride?’
I consider the offer for a second, feeling strangely uneasy but then I glance at my watch again and nod.
‘That would be great, thanks,’ I say. I follow Peter to the doorway.
‘It’s too dark for you to walk home, babes,’ Michelle says when I reach her at the door. ‘If you wait a bit, I’ll give you a lift home.’
‘Don’t worry,’ I reply hastily. ‘Peter offered me a lift.’
She frowns at me.
‘I don’t think -’
‘Cheers, Mish!’ Peter interrupts, putting an arm across my shoulder and ushering me quickly outside. ‘You’re staying at Mrs. Greene’s?’
‘Um, yeah..’ I say, in a distracted voice as he practically shoves me down the pathway. I look back at Michelle, who stares after us with an unhappy expression, but I don’t turn back. I need to get to Nan’s before I’m missed.
In less than a few minutes, Peter has us outside my grandmother’s house. The lights are on in both the front rooms and I can make out the faint silhouette of a person standing behind the drawn curtains. I’ll have to climb the tree, I can’t risk going through either of the doors.
‘Thanks for the lift,’ I say and turn to open the passenger door.
‘Wait a minute,’ Peter says, putting one hand on my arm. ‘What’s the big rush?’
I glance nervously toward the house.
‘I really have to…’
I flick my gaze from the window to Peter’s face and the words die on my lips.
Holy crap, I recognize that look…
Get out now, my mind screams. I reach for the door handle, only to have it wrenched open from the outside, leaving me tumbling unceremoniously to the sidewalk. For a second, I am grateful for the strong arms that catch me but then I recognize the scent and turn to look into the most thunderous pair of grey-green eyes I’ve ever seen.
Chapter 22
Indignation
Tastes like: Salt
Smells like: Lemon-juice
Sounds like: A mix between a laugh and a snort
Feels like: A pole against your spine
Looks like: A bulbous red lamp
‘What the hell are you doing?’
Kael pulls me to my feet and drags me toward the dimly lit porch, leaving a dazed Peter staring after us. The front door opens and Nan steps outside. I hear the squeal of car tires and I watch in envy as Peter makes his escape.
‘Shaylee, we were worried sick!’ Nan says but she can barely get a word in as Kael turns the full force of his rage on me.
‘Where the hell were you?’
‘I just went to Michelle -’
‘What part of this arrangement don’t you understand?’
‘- But, it was just -’
‘I don’t care where you went! You don’t go anywhere without me!’
‘Let me go,’ I say, trying to shake my arm free from Kael’s vice-like grip. His anger scares me, it’s much worse that any of the jaw-clenching, silent treatment he’s given me so far but I raise my chin and retaliate with a vengeance I’m far from feeling.
‘I’m not a child!’
‘Then stop acting like one!’ he shouts back.
‘Calm down, Kael,’ Nan interrupts, but he doesn’t seem to hear her.
‘Do you want to die?’ he demands, fingers digging painfully into my upper arms, ‘because that is exactly what will happen if you continue like this!’
‘I don’t have to answer to you!’ I shout back. His rage is terrifying, more so because I sense that he’s holding back. It’s another side to him I’ve never seen and all I can do to keep from running away is bite my lip and stand my ground.
‘Enough!’ Nan’s quiet b
ut firm voice is like a bucket of ice.
She turns to Kael. ‘You need to calm down.’
He keeps his eyes on me, breathing rapidly in and out, like he’s just run a marathon. His grip softens ever so slightly as he runs his gaze down over me, searching for something. When he either does, or doesn’t find what he’s looking for, he returns his gaze to my face and suddenly looks very tired.
‘I promised to keep her safe, Tanya,’ he says, ‘but I can’t protect her from herself and I draw the line when she starts putting the entire Glen in danger.’ He steps closer to me, until our breaths are mingling and my wrist is throbbing from his proximity.
‘I am sworn to protect you, Shaylee,’ he says, ‘and if that means I have to lock you up until the day you are married, then that’s exactly what I’ll do. So, if you want to keep your single status for any period of time, we will do this on my terms, understand?’
‘But -’ Kael glares at me and I falter back a step.
‘Tanya,’ he says, still keeping his eyes on me, ‘I suggest you explain to your granddaughter why she will be listening to my every instruction and exactly what will happen if she chooses to repeat tonight’s little show of independence.’
He stalks off the porch and disappears into the darkness of the surrounding trees.
‘He has no right to talk to me like that!’ I turn to face Nan in the half light of the porch. My insides feel like milkshake and I need my anger to ground me again.
‘He’s only trying to protect you,’ my grandmother replies.
‘But he’s being unreasonable!’
Nan puts one hand on my shoulder and gives me a stern look. ‘Do you realize what could have happened with that boy if Kael hadn’t pulled you out of the car?’
I drop my eyes to the wooden porch. ‘He just gave me a lift, Nan,’ I say, but in my heart, I know she is right.
‘I think we need to have a chat,’ she says. ‘Come, let’s go inside.’
I sigh and follow her through the house into the kitchen, perch myself on one of the bar stools and wait in silence as Nan puts the kettle on to make tea. She brews a pot of mint tea, sets a steaming cup on the counter, and takes a seat opposite me.
‘There was a once a Maor family,’ she says.
‘Don’t you think I’m a little old for fairytales, Nan?’
‘Just listen.’ She sets her own cup down on the counter and continues. ‘This family was very strong and powerful. They were the Maor royal family, with blood-lines almost as pure as the ancients.’
‘We have a royal family?’ I interrupt.
‘We have a few now – us included but then, there was only the one.’
‘Was? What hap -’
‘Just listen,’ Nan says, holding one finger up to shush me.
I take my steaming cup in both hands and keep quiet.
‘The o’Donegal royal family was the most powerful Maor family in existence up until nineteen years ago. They were prosperous and well-respected. When Queen Tatiana gave birth to her first son, there was great excitement throughout the Maor. Many predicted that the child, being so pure blooded, would come into immense talents that would benefit our kind.’
Nan takes a sip from her cup, grimaces and leans over the counter to add another spoon of brown sugar to her tea. She stirs absently, letting the spoon clink softly against the sides of her cup.
‘After the child was born, there were many rumors that he might be the chosen one but many, including myself, did not believe that he could be the one, I mean, he was a boy after-all. For weeks after the birth, Charnwood was overwhelmed with Maor visitors who wanted a glimpse of the boy.’
Nan taps her spoon on the side of the porcelain cup.
‘All of that attention drew other visitors to Charnwood too though – unwelcome ones.’
‘Vampires?’ I ask, feeling my pulse quicken as Nan’s expert story-telling skills draw me into the story.
She shakes her head.
‘Much worse.’
She takes a sip from her cup and shifts to the edge of the stool, like she’s preparing to tell me a secret.
‘We’ll never really know the full story of what happened that night. We’ve pieced together what we can from the ruins and the death-bed ravings of Tatiana’s servant girl, the only survivor left in Charnwood. She died two days after the massacre and the stories she told were truly devastating.
‘She spoke of armies of unnatural – vampires, werewolves, witches and more. Even with three seastnan families to protect them, the o’Donegals never stood a chance.’
Nan swallows and shakes her head sadly.
‘It wasn’t a quick death for the massacred either. From what we can tell, there was plenty of in-fighting between the enemies. Every member of the Glen, including the entire royal family was killed, every house burned to the ground and the boy - the two month old prince – well, his body was never found.’
I put one hand over my mouth and stare at Nan.
‘That’s tragic.’
Nan nods and lifts her cup to her lips, peering at me over the rim. She takes a sip and sets the cup on the counter.
‘It isn’t a fairytale, Shaylee. That story is an important part of our history, one we teach to all Maor children when they come of age. That one night changed our entire existence, our politics, and our leadership. But that’s not why I shared this story with you tonight. There is a message in this tale that you need to heed, because the threat is very real and next time…it could be you.’
Chapter 23
Vulnerable
Tastes like: An open sandwich
Smells like: A gutted fish
Sounds like: The parting of lips
Feels like: An open wound
Looks like: Naked, white flesh
Last night’s altercation is still fresh on my mind as I wait for Kael to pull the truck into the driveway. I nibble at the soft flesh of my lips, ignoring the soft drizzle that is slowly drifting down from the colorless sky and leaving tiny rivulets running down my dark green Drymac.
It had never been my intention to purposefully defy Kael. Although part of me – make that most of me – balks at the idea of having to run every decision through a stranger, barely a year or so my senior, I hadn’t gone to Michelle’s house with insubordination in mind. I just hadn’t wanted to ask Kael for permission since he’d been in one of his regular moods, and besides, it was just down the road for Pete’s sake, what could possibly have happened?
The memory of Peter’s glazed expression niggles in my mind but I push it away. Kael’s reaction had been over-the-top, and he hadn’t even been willing to listen to my explanation. Not that it would have made any difference. No, he’d been totally out of line.
‘Morning,’ I say, climbing into the truck as soon as he’s pulled up in the drive.
‘Morning,’ he replies, although I can’t be entirely sure, since it sounds more like a grunt than a greeting.
‘Sleep well?’ I ask sweetly, annoyed by his mumbled response. ‘I got up twice to pee last night.’
Kael glances at me and frowns.
‘Well, you did say I wasn’t to go anywhere without your knowledge.’
Suddenly, he yanks up the truck’s hand-brake and turns to face me.
‘Look, I’m not interested in rehashing last night’s argument, Shaylee and I’m sorry if I was a bit hard on you but I’m not doing this for myself. I can’t protect you if you won’t co-operate.’
‘It was a couple of meters down the road, Kael -’
‘You just don’t get it, do you?’ he says with an exasperated shake of his head. ‘Peter, last night - do you realize what would have happened?’
‘Come on,’ I say, feigning a look of casual disregard, ‘he just gave me a lift. It’s not like he was going to kill me.’
‘No, he wasn’t going to kill you - he had other things on his mind.’ He gives me a meaningful look and I feel color rush into my cheeks. ‘Don’t pretend you didn’t notice the way he wa
s looking at you. I know you were frightened.’
I drop my gaze to my hands, clasped tightly in my lap. Kael continues, his voice softening slightly.
‘You don’t seem to understand how attractive your aura is to men, of all kinds, including human. You drive us – them,’ he corrects, ‘insane. They will do anything to have you, including taking you against your will.’
‘It’s not exactly something I can control,’ I say, defensively.
‘No, you can’t,’ he agrees, ‘but you can stay out of risky situations. You can’t be alone with any man, Shaylee. Even one who you think is a friend.’
My thoughts fly to Luke and I know Kael is right, but I’m not about to admit it.
‘I can’t avoid every member of the opposite sex,’ I argue.
Kael sighs. ‘That’s why I got you this.’ He thrusts something small and square into my lap.
‘Jewelry?’ I ask, frowning down at the unmistakable black velvet box. ‘You’re buying me jewelry?’
‘Just open it.’
I obey, flipping the lid of the little box back on its miniature hinges to reveal the treasure, hidden inside.
‘What is it?’ I ask, tracing the delicate chain and simple sterling silver setting that holds a tiny oval of green stone.
‘It’s jade,’ he says, ‘it’s a protection talisman.’
I look at the tiny green stone and shake my head.
‘It’s really pretty, but how is that little piece of stone supposed to protect me?’
Kael shakes his head and reaches over to take the box from my lap. He holds up the chain and the stone dangles before me.
‘You have a lot to learn. Turn around.’
I scoot forward on my seat and flip my loose hair over my left shoulder. Kael somehow manages to undo the tiny clasp with his huge fingers. I feel his fingertips brush the sensitive skin at the back of my neck as he fastens the necklace in place. A wave of energy courses from his fingers into my skin and I almost gasp out loud as it shoots through my blood-stream, sending delicious, tingling warmth to every part of my body. It’s getting stronger, this bond between us. Every time he’s near I feel it growing, like a living thing. He pauses a moment, letting his fingers linger against my neck, then he twists me back around with one hand on each shoulder and lifts the stone in his fingers.
Five: A Maor Novel (Maor series) Page 13