by Tamar Sloan
We know we’re here because we need a plan…and yet silence reigns.
Noah repeats the action I’ve seen him do so many times since yesterday afternoon. He shakes his head as he looks at his family seated around him. “I could have sworn we figured it out.”
United we conquer.
I grasp his hand. So did I. “Maybe we were trying to take the easy road.”
Uniting Were and Fae had seemed so right. No bloodshed, no conquering those we are supposed to be uniting.
Adam nods. “Maybe. It seems Kurt was determined that this would be a war.”
I never thought he would be the one to decide.
Mitch frowns, his own hand grasping Tara’s. “And now he’s lost another daughter.”
Pack is everything to Kurt. We already know that the loss of Tara felt like a betrayal. The loss of Dana is only going to fan the flames of revenge. Would Kurt recognize that Dana died because she no longer believed what he is fighting for? I doubt it.
Noah sits up a little straighter. “He said something about a turning of the soil ceremony. That it would start then.”
My phone vibrates in my pocket and I slip it out long enough to see that it’s a number I don’t recognize. I go to shove it back in, figuring ignoring it is the smartest thing to do. Hearing from a telemarketer about life insurance is the last thing I need right now.
Unless it’s Orin returning my call. I left a message, asking him to come over, wondering how in the world I was going to give him the news.
I step away from the table and press the little green icon. “Hello?”
“Eden?”
I don’t recognize the voice straight away, but I certainly recognize the accent. “Hello, James.”
Noah glances at me, and the others follow. Both the name and my dead tone would have alerted them to who this caller is.
“My dear, I’m glad I caught you.”
I consider hanging up. I’d prefer talking to a telemarketer. “I’m sorry, I can’t talk—”
“This will only take a minute.” James is talking rapid-fire. He realizes this phone call is going to be short. “I just wanted to convey that there are no hard feelings after the auction.”
You’ve got to be kidding me. My finger comes up to press the button which will end this conversation.
“And Alexis and I would like to invite you to our turning of the soil ceremony this Thursday.”
My hand drops, the cell phone almost following it. I tighten my grip. “What?”
“Yes, a celebration for the new beginnings this will mean.” James seems pleased by my surprise, maybe taking the fact that I’m still on the phone as a good thing. “We’re inviting the community and the media. We want everyone involved in this exciting venture.”
Oh god. “James—”
“No need to RSVP,” he announces jovially. “We just wanted to extend the invitation.” He pauses. “We would love to see you there.”
He hangs up and the phone goes silent.
I look up at the family all watching me. “Did you hear that?”
There’s a chorus of nodding.
Mitch’s lips flat line. “It will be a beginning all right.”
Tara is looking pale, her hand curled protectively around her stomach. “They’re falling straight into Dad’s hands. Something this big is just what he wants.”
Kurt was the one who helped Alexis buy the Glade. Kurt wants to prove the dominance of Weres, and what better place than an event with media?
Adam’s face is carefully schooled as he looks like he’s choosing his words. “The question is, what is he going to do?”
Noah and I look at each other. We both saw the need for violence on Kurt’s face. We both heard his words. His plan was always to divide, and he was willing to lose the Glade to do that. My eyes widen. He’s willing to kill to do it. I feel Noah’s horror crash with my own.
Noah turns to the pack. “Kurt could use this as an opportunity to expose us and start his war at the same time.”
Tara’s eyes widen. “That’s exactly what he would be planning. It’s public, and there’s a whole bunch of victims for the taking.”
As we realize what we’re about to come up against, each face around me becomes resolute. Adam grasps Beth’s hand. “We know what we need to do.”
We’ll have to be there. We’ll have to protect the people there to celebrate something they believe is good. We have to keep the Were secret safe.
Somehow, we have to stop Kurt once and for all.
Something shifts in Noah, and I turn to find his blue gaze on me. “You can’t be there, Eden.”
I frown. “Noah, we’ve been over this.” This is not the time for him to be Mr. Protective. “We need to do this together.”
But Noah is already shaking his head. “You’re carrying our child. Tara can’t be there, and neither can you.”
The objection dies as his words hit me. Noah is right. I’m carrying the Prime Alpha heir, and although no one knows what that means, I can’t risk being there.
I bite my lip because I can feel it trembling. “But it could be a bloodbath.”
“I know.”
“We’re meant to be united.”
Noah’s face twists with pain. “I don’t like this either. But there’s no other way.”
He’s right, but it feels wrong. I know we need to be conquering, but without me there, we certainly won’t be united.
Surely this wasn’t what the Prophecy was asking for. Weres fighting Weres, humans the pawns as we battle to prove who is strongest.
Noah squeezes my hand. “We’ve learned that even apart, we’re inseparable.”
Mitch is rubbing his lip in that Phelan way. “Maybe we ask for some back up.”
Noah’s eyes light up. “Yes. We can ask the Tates, the Bardolfs, and the Lyalls. Everyone who supported the Glade. If we have the numbers, it might be enough to make Kurt think twice.”
I look at Tara, who doesn’t have her ‘I’m convinced’ face on. “Or it could act as a bigger red flag.”
Adam leans forward. “I think many of them will want to be there anyway. They’ll feel the need to see what is about to become of our most sacred space.”
Worry chews at the edges of my nerves. This could either dampen the fire or stoke it.
But it seems the ball has been set in motion, because Adam stands. “I’ll call John. We still need to deal with Daniel.”
Mitch pulls Tara up with him. “We’ll call the Bardolfs and the Lyalls. I’ll try Nian but I doubt she’ll leave her cabin.”
Beth, pale and tense, stands too. “I’ll make some soup for when everyone arrives.”
Which just leaves Noah and me sitting at the table. I curl up, leaning into him.
Noah’s arm wraps around me, warming me with the sensation of how well it fits. “You’re hugging her again.”
I look down to find my arm wrapped around my stomach. It feels like it’s a little bigger every day. “I worry for him. The world we’re creating is the world he’ll be coming into.”
Noah’s kiss in my hair is soft and tender. “We’re gonna make this right, Eden.”
I push up, eyes desperately seeking his. “I think I should be there, Noah. Every other time something like this has happened, we’ve been separated. When Kurt challenged you to a Claiming, I wasn’t there.”
A frown creases Noah’s forehead. “Well, you did show up anyway.”
“And then at Council, we decided I’d come in later.”
The frown gains some depth. “We’ve still won every time though.”
I shake my head. “We won the battle. But the war hasn’t ended.”
Noah pulls back, the furrowing of his brow firmly entrenched. I can feel his tension, possibly frustration. “You know you can’t be there Eden. I’ve already watched you die once, knowing it was two lives that were slipping away from me. There won’t be a second chance.”
I deflate. “I have to choose between our child or our pack
, don’t I?”
Noah’s frown dissolves and he leans forward, warm hands cupping my face. “No, Eden, you don’t. That beautiful baby you’re carrying is our pack.”
I close my eyes, willing the tears to recede. I don’t know if it’s more painful thinking about what could happen or knowing I won’t be there.
When I open them I find Noah smiling, those soft eyes and tipped-up lips enough to lighten the pain. “Where is the girl who ran away at the first sign of conflict?”
That has me pausing. That Eden seems like a lifetime ago. My hand comes up to brush back that wayward hair of his. “She fell in love.”
Noah sinks forward and I meet his lips halfway. I glory in the love that flows, in the sense of commitment and unity. Maybe I need to trust this.
“Thank you, Noah.”
Although his summer sky eyes are laced with confusion, Noah pulls up that cocky grin of his. “I’m happy to oblige.” He leans forward again, but I pull back.
“Because of you, I’ve become part of something…” I falter, some things are beyond words. “Unimaginable.”
Noah’s face relaxes, that glow of love which I’ve come to depend on shimmering in his eyes. “You were the start of something unimaginable, Eden.”
We kiss again, but the sound of Tara stomping down the stairs has us separating. And then the smell of onions burning hits us as Beth starts to make the soup. Having a family is a wonderful gift, unless you want some privacy.
“How about we head out to Grandfather Douglas? Let our daughter enjoy some sunshine.”
I stand, not needing to be asked twice. “He prefers to relax under the shade of the canopy.”
We’re out the door before Tara can make it to the bottom or Beth can ask us to stir the blackened remains of the poor onion. We curl up against the trunk of the giant Douglas Fir, and I point out that his branches let through the sun but also provide dappled shade. “Even Grandfather Douglas isn’t giving any hints as to the sex of this baby.”
Noah chuckles. “We already know the answer.”
Tucked into his side, I pull in a deep breath. We’ll have a few minutes to have a break from the weight of responsibility before heading back in to face inevitability. There will be more phone calls to make, planning to do. But ultimately, on the day, it will be Noah who holds all the power. As Prime Alpha, he has the ability to change Were to human.
Noah tilts his head a little and I look up. He’s concentrating, and I still. A moment later I hear it too. A car is coming down the driveway. Surely the Weres haven’t arrived so soon.
We glance at each other, knowing our brief breath of grace is over. We both straighten in surprise when we recognize the car.
I reach out to grasp Noah’s hand. “Noah, I have no idea how to tell him.”
The hand surrounding mine tightens, telling me I can do this. “He’s your brother. Your connection is just what he needs right now.”
Orin climbs out of the car, his pale blond hair catching the light. We move forward, meeting him in the sunshine. It’s hard to tell what Orin his thinking, he’s perfected the serene Fae expression.
“Orin.” I grab him in a hug, holding him tight. “I…”
Orin pulls back. “It’s okay. I felt it. We all did.”
Noah frowns. “You all did?”
“The Fae are as connected to each other as they are to the Earth. The loss of our King was felt by all.”
Which explains the sorrow that seems to have compounded. Although it doesn’t explain the melody or the rhythmic thrumming that now underscores it. Now isn’t a good time to ask, but I hope Orin has some answers.
“I’m so sorry, Orin. He died saving—”
But Orin is already shaking his head. “This was what he wanted. My guess is he saw this as a redemption of sorts.”
My eyes sting. “Yes, he did.”
Orin’s green gaze steadies, like he’s trying to convey something. “He knew what choice he was making.”
I open my mouth, feeling like that statement has layers. But Orin pulls back, sucking in a deep breath. “I’m actually here to extend an invite.”
I frown, glancing at Noah, but he looks just as confused as I. Surely, he can’t be here about the opening ceremony.
“We will have a crowning of the next Fae monarch. It is important that you be there.”
Oh, Orin becoming King of the Fae. Again, I feel the many parts of me pulling at me. I’m not Were, not human, and I’ve never understood the Fae. “I would love to be there, but I can’t go away right now, Orin.”
Orin nods, like he expected that. “We plan to do it by the Glade.”
A burst of surprise flares within Noah. “The Fae know of the Glade?”
“Mother Nature has many centers, hearts you could call them, and The Glade is one of them. That’s why being there made Father stronger. I think he would have liked for this to happen there.”
I chew on my lip. “When are you doing it?”
“We need to do it tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? Why so soon?”
Orin sighs. “Alexis is planning her ceremony in two days time.”
Oh yes. How many more will be impacted by this? “And after that it will be gone.”
“Exactly. We need a new sovereign, Eden. Everything is changing too fast.”
Tell me about it. “I want to have Noah there.”
Orin’s face actually crinkles a little bit. “We’ve only ever had Fae at these ceremonies.”
I arch a brow at him. “I wasn’t supposed to bond with a Were either. Not to mention I’m only half Fae myself.”
Orin’s eyes smile. “You know you’re far more than a Changeling.”
“Which is why I need my mate there.” I may not be able to go to the opening ceremony, but I can make sure we’re together for this.
He sinks into thought, eyes staring at Grandfather Douglas’ trunk. He looks back at us. “Bring your family.”
My eyebrows hike up. “Really?”
“Father discovered our error. We remained separate, disconnected, and it diminished our power.” He arches a blond brow. “Besides, I think it may be valuable for them to see this.”
I turn to Noah, wondering what he thinks of this all. We need to prepare for the ceremony. At the same time, there is little we can do to ready ourselves for the approaching inevitability.
Noah nods and I can feel his curiosity. There is a lot we still don’t know about the Fae.
Looking back at my brother, I nod. “It would be a privilege.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Driving down the highway, I’m glad that Orin insisted I come to this. The tension of tomorrow is a solid weight in my chest, hard and cold and unmoving. Hopefully a Fae crowning can provide a brief distraction. With all of the Phelans coming, two cars were necessary. I took the opportunity to drive here early, needing some time to myself.
I slow when I see a great big truck up ahead. Bright orange, it looks like it belongs on a construction site. The breath that I suck in as I come closer hits the back of my throat with force. She couldn’t have…
I pull over, eyes struggling to process what I’m seeing.
What should have been a wall of brown trunks and proud canopy is now gone. An entire strip of forest has been razed to the ground. Completely obliterated. The protective barrier that once stood between the Glade and the rest of the world is gone.
My hand covers my mouth but an anguished groan slips out. A broad road has been forged, a straight line heading directly to the place that has always been a secret. The bare ground looks violated, the air feels defiled.
What hits me in the the hardest is the knowledge that my own mother did this.
I creep forward, tires crunching over branches that were left behind after the carnage. In the distance I can see what no other human has ever seen.
The Glade looks bare and vulnerable, one side now an open wound. I pull over, knees weak as I walk the last few feet.
The Pre
cept Rock stands where it’s always been, but it’s no longer protected. A handful of workmen are walking around, long tapes stretched out, lasers looking at where to level.
And one of them is my mother. Alexis is striding forward, smiling the smile of the satisfied. I think it’s the first time in my life I haven’t seen her in heels.
She spots me and the smile fades. After a brief pause, she changes trajectory. Stopping before me, I wonder what she can see on my face. There’s too much horror and pain to be able to hide the emotions. My heart aches for the damage that has been done. “Why did you do this?”
Alexis’s sigh is impatient. “How else were people going to get here? That rutted track that led to nowhere?”
“But—”
“What did you think was going to happen? The sooner we start on this, the sooner we see progress. Levelling this area is our first job. Then we look at digging the foundations.”
“You’re going to build it here?”
“Yes. James spoke to the builder. This natural clearing has great aspect.” She takes a few steps forward, taking in the beauty she wants to desecrate. “And that cliff face back there will be a wonderful backdrop, like nature’s own feature wall.”
Nausea is climbing up my throat. I stride over to the Precept Rock, brushing back the long grass that protects its face. “What about this?”
Alexis looks at the stone, her face blank. “What about it?”
I wait for her to join me, which takes several moments. Alexis looks like she would prefer to walk away. Whatever the reason, she comes to stand beside me, staring at the proud monolith before us.
My heart sinks. “You don’t see it, do you?”
“The rock? Of course I see it. I hope it won’t be too hard to shift. I believe that’s where we’ll be putting the entrance.”
I deflate. In desperation, I’d been willing to risk the secret of Weres, maybe even Fae, to show Alexis what she’s doing.
But she can’t see it. She’s so disconnected, too self-absorbed. The most wondrous crossroad of where this could all come together is right before her, and she can’t see it.
The weight that’s been pulling everything down snaps. I recoil, the sensation a physical pain. “Never speak to me again.”