Shae appreciated Taylor’s attempts to be civil with them, but he certainly wasn’t going to stand up to Blain. Not that he could, anyway, as had been demonstrated more than once.
Joseph sat slouched in a recliner. A look of disgust, envy and seething anger flittered across his face in varying degrees, depending on where his gaze lingered. When his gaze landed on Sarah, he would leer at her until she would meet his gaze. When she did, he would smile at her in a way that made Shae think of George.
She disliked Joseph, but not as much as she disliked Blain. When Joseph glanced at Shae though, it was a look of calculation and she could see him appraising her and whatever he thought, she could almost read it on his face. He saw her as an ally against Blain . . . or a tool. If he thought that, he would be sadly mistaken. She would not be used again.
Joseph seemed to relish in taunting Blain to the point of violence. it was like he enjoyed being hurt, knowing he would quickly heal himself of any wounds. He would constantly throw snide remarks at Blain, implying incompetence or stupidity. Shae had only been around them a short time, but she knew Blain was neither of those things. If anything, it made him even more frightening. Behind his size and cruelty, he was calculating and smart. You could lose sight of that given his brutish appearance.
Whether Joseph had not noticed these things about Blain, or if he chose to ignore them so he could continue to throw barbs at the man, Shae wasn’t sure. If it was the first, then Joseph was the stupid one.
Blain sat up, and cocked his head towards the door, and everyone, including Taylor, who hadn’t seemed to be paying attention, tensed. Someone approached the door. It could be the ‘Lady’ or, despite Blain’s early insistence the Wolf and the Tiger couldn’t find her, they had indeed, found the “Lady’.
The sound of a click and a hum caused Blain to relax. He had left a key card at the desk for the ‘Lady’ and so it must be her. Blain moved out of the hallway as the door opened and one of the most beautiful and regal women Shae had ever seen entered the room.
This, without any doubt, had to be the ‘Lady’ Blain talked about. She was tall, with long, lustrous, black hair parted to either side of her face falling to the sides, like ebony waterfalls. She had pale, white skin which appeared soft and yet chiseled from stone, with sharp angles and high cheekbones. She wore a long flowing black green dress. It was a dark, forest green and seemed to shimmer the same way the woman’s hair did. The gown sported a deep V-neck, which revealed plenty of cleavage which the dress seemed to accentuate, along with the rest of the woman’s figure.
The ‘Lady’ was as near perfection in looks as anyone Shae had ever known, and she couldn’t help but stare, open-mouthed at her. There was a slight gasp from Sarah, whom Shae found to be a beautiful woman as well. Sarah paled in comparison to this woman, which of course left Shae feeling completely ugly in this woman’s presence. As the ‘Lady’ entered the room, Shae noticed Taylor stand, and Joseph managed to get off his fat ass long enough to stand before this woman.
The imperious look the woman graced them with left no doubt as to who was now in charge. Blain acknowledged the woman’s authority, if with great reluctance. When the woman’s gaze rested upon Shae and Sarah, it softened. Gone was the look of superiority and it was quickly replaced with empathy and an apologetic look.
Gracefully she crossed the room and Shae felt obligated to stand up from the bed to greet her.
“Hello,” the ‘Lady’ spoke with a strange accent. It was like Blain’s, but she seemed more uncomfortable with the language. “You must be Shae? I have heard many things about you. Not all of them meant to be positive.” She shot Blain a look who grunted and looked away. She glanced back at Shae and smiled mischievously. “But I took them to be.”
Shae warmed inside. She had been afraid this woman would have seen Shae’s earlier defiance and attack on Blain as a negative, something which needed to be punished. Instead, the woman liked that she stood up for herself.
“I am called Kestrel, and it is a pleasure to meet you, Shae.”
She offered her hand and Shae stared at it for a long moment before inwardly chiding herself and taking the woman’s hand in her own.
“Umm . . .” Shae still wasn’t comfortable with people who seemed genuinely friendly with her and struggled with how to handle herself. “Thank you?”
The woman smiled at her and again Shae felt . . . something. Something she hadn’t felt in a long time, not since first going to live with Anne before she was with George. When she had all of Anne’s attention and was made to feel special and loved. That is how this woman made her feel. Special.
The woman’s eyes moved to Sarah, who had yet to move from the bed and only stared daggers at the woman. Shae didn’t entirely blame her. From what she had been able to gather, the ‘Lady’ sent Blain to attack Sarah’s boyfriend, and because of this, Sarah became a Were and was now under the control of Blain.
The woman’s features softened more, and she squatted down in front of Sarah. Something she managed to do while still appearing graceful. It was remarkable.
“You. You are named, Sarah? Yes?” Kestrel didn’t wait for a response.
“I can understand . . .” That was all she got out, as Sarah moved with lightning speed. Grabbing Kestrel by the throat, she managed to not only gain her feet, but carry Kestrel up with her. Shae was so shocked by the sudden ferocity of Sarah’s actions; she could do little except stare dumbfounded in their direction.
Just when it appeared Sarah was going to snap Kestrel’s neck, Blain’s voice cut through to her. “Stop!”
Sarah froze, Blain’s will overpowering her. She still held Kestrel up in the air, with little to no effort. If the woman was startled or afraid by Sarah’s actions, she revealed none of it. Instead, she stared down at Sarah as if she remained in total command of the situation. Shae had to admit, despite being held up in the air, she was.
The looks Sarah shot Blain and Kestrel were full of hate. Shae understood that hate. She had the same for George and Anne.
Sarah lowered the woman down without Blain having to tell her and stepped in close.
“Understand something, bitch . . .” Sarah bit off each word, as if it pained her to have to speak to Kestrel. “You may have me under your thumb now, but when Clint finds you . . .” She took her eyes off Kestrel for a moment and glared at the rest of the room, though she didn’t look at Shae. “He will rip you all to shreds.”
With that, Sarah let her hand fall from the woman’s neck, turned and returned to her seat upon the bed as if the room hadn’t just been on the verge of violence. The tension in the room eased— a little.
“Is everything alright, My Lady?”
It was a voice Shae didn’t recognize and she peered immediately toward the door. Two men were just now entering. One was a tall, olive-skinned man with dark hair and exotic looking eyes, long limbed and slender. The other, was an attractive man of middling height, with sandy brown hair and tanned complexion. He had high cheekbones and a strong face. Green eyes rested under carefully sculpted eyebrows. He was a man who took pride in his appearance. Richly dressed, he had the look of a playboy, or at least, someone of wealth.
Upon seeing these two, there was two things Shae noticed right away. One, Sarah, for all her nonchalance a moment ago went stiff. She didn’t look up at these two, but her eyes were the only thing which appeared to not acknowledge these new men. That told Shae all she needed to know. They were Weres as well, and given their lack of deference to Blain, or each other, they were different types.
The other thing Shae noticed immediately, was a change in the dynamics of the room when these two entered. Gone was Blain’s posture of being the biggest bad in the room. With the inclusion of these two men, Blain’s position of power had been challenged.
The tall newcomer continued to look at Kestrel questioningly and so Shae assumed he had been the one who spoke.
“Everything is fine, Samuel.” Kestrel didn’t turn but continued to l
ook down at Sarah. “Just a misunderstanding that needed to be straightened out.”
The lips of the man she referred to as Samuel turned down momentarily before he nodded and moved farther into the room, followed by the other man. That man held all of Blain’s attention. These men couldn’t be more different in Shae’s eyes. Blain was a large, brutish, ugly looking man who wore his brutality like a second skin. This new man was attractive, classy and by all appearances, friendly as he offered up a smile to anyone who looked his way.
When he smiled at Shae, she smiled back, shyly. When the man looked to Blain, his smile slipped, but returned as quickly as it had fled. Blain sneered at the man.
“Boys,” Kestrel spoke up, still looking at Sarah, “you will play nice. There will be no violence among you.” How she knew of the quiet exchange between Blain and the newcomer, Shae did not know, but the woman spoke with utter command and left no doubt as to what might happen if they decided to go at each other.
In time, Kestrel turned away from Sarah and back to the group of men in the room who were all standing awaiting her command. Blain and Joseph stared daggers at the blond-haired man while Taylor stared toward Kestrel. The other newcomer seemed unaffected by the goings on and instead gazed contemplatively at Sarah.
Kestrel moved forward next to Samuel and rested a hand on his chest as she scanned around the room at everyone.
“At long last, we have all gathered.” She patted Samuel gently on his chest and moved to the middle of the room, central to those attending her, like a queen addressing her followers.
“Some of you do not know why you are here,” she indicated towards Shae and Sarah. “Others I have explained it already to.” She motioned to the rest.
“A war is coming.” Kestrel paused and regarded each in turn. “A war for the very soul of this planet. Man has ravaged this Earth long enough.” She paused for effect. “It is time to take it back and return this land to its natural state.”
This was not the way Shae thought this was going to go. She expected a speech calling for dominance, of taking control and ruling. She wasn’t a fool. She understood with their ability to turn others into Weres they could create an almost unstoppable army. What else would you do with an army but take over?
“To do this, we must first wrest control from these fools who befoul everything thing they touch!”
And there it was. Shae wasn’t surprised. It always came down to control.
Kestrel’s voice reached a fever pitch. Regardless of what Shae may think about this being a play for power, there was no denying Kestrel believed in the righteousness of her cause. “We will take control from these men and we will ensure they never do what they have done again. We will force them to live at peace with the Earth. If they refuse, they will be removed for the safety of the Earth.”
Shae shifted uncomfortably on her feet and noticed the others seemed equally as uncomfortable. The only one who seemed at ease with what Kestrel said, was Samuel. While she didn’t see the same fires of passion she saw in Kestrel’s eyes, it was obvious he was equally committed to her cause.
The uneasiness was not lost on Kestrel and she nodded as she looked around the room. “I know many of you do not share my concerns about the Earth, and care little for my cause.” Raising her hand up, she pointed at each of them in turn.
“That is fine, as long as you help me win this war. I will reward you for your loyalty and your assistance. After all,” Kestrel smiled cunningly, knowing all too well her audience, “I will need help to control this land. It is too vast for one person to control and so it will need to be split up between those who helped bring about victory.”
Shae could see Kestrel’s words were having their desired effect as there were quiet smiles around the room and a few small nods as the idea fully nested in their brains, to grow and mature. Kestrel held each of them now. They would do as she asked, if only for the promise of power and, Shae imagined for some, the violence it would take to win it.
That left Shae. She wasn’t sure how she felt about any of this. She cared nothing about ruling the world. She did not wish to wage war on humanity. She came here for answers as what had been done to her, and why? What brought her to this point? Why was she a Were and what did it all mean? Was the only reason she had changed was to be this woman’s soldier in a war she cared nothing about?
For the time being, the unmistakable tension in the air had left. They were all in agreement as to what they wanted.
“To this purpose, there will be things we will need to do as we move forward.” Kestrel continued, “We must find others who will be willing to join the cause and offer them the same power that now flows through your veins. We must create an army of Weres. Soldiers for you to command in the fight.”
“What do we do when the others come for us, eh?”
This came from the new guy. Surprisingly, he had an Australian accent which was unmistakable. She had never met anyone from Australia.
Kestrel turned to regard the newcomer.
“I mean. We already got into a bit of a row with one group of them. And you told me there were others who he,” he jabbed a thumb towards Blain, “mucked up a chance at taking out.”
Blain let out a growl and shifted, in seconds Blain went from being a hulking, menacing looking man to a horrific monster. Shae had witnessed this transformation up close once already and it still terrified her, even from a distance and she wasn’t Blain’s target for his animosity.
What happened next almost stopped her heart, though. The newcomer responded by shifting himself. His body immediately bulked up. Arms and legs became corded with thick, meaty muscles. Gone was the tanned skin, and instead, quickly replaced by dark, olive-green scales which flowed over his body to cover every inch. Bones snapped and cracked as his head flattened and his mouth jutted forward to form a large, elongated snout filled with sharp, knife-like teeth. He grew in height and weight and now stood as a massive crocodile on two legs with long sharp claws.
Shae stood in awe. This monster was undoubtedly a match for Blain in height and muscle mass. Where Blain sported two nasty looking tusks, this other creature had a large gaping maw that would have little trouble taking a sizable chunk of Blain’s hide.
The sides of the croc’s mouth slid back to reveal more teeth in what Shae could only assume was its attempt at a smile.
Kestrel strode between them.
What had almost been an epic battle between two powerful foes was halted by a woman. Her mere presence, enough to, if not calm tensions, to at least put them in check. She glared from Blain to the newcomer, and as quickly as they had shifted to horrible beasts, they were back to their human forms, with looks of murder passing between them.
“I said no violence between us, Blain, Gordon.” Gordon. That was the man’s name Shae realized.
“As to your question, Gordon. We made two attempts to end this war before it got started. Two attempts to catch our adversaries by surprise.” Kestrel’s lips turned down and she gazed off to the side. “We failed.”
She walked back over to stand next to Samuel who stopped staring towards Sarah, who had patently ignored him.
“We will not confront them again. That is not how we will win this war.” Her voice was hard. “I lost the last one because some of us arrogantly thought we could fight personal wars. We will not do it again.
“This war will be won by raising armies to attack the leaders around the world and taking control of their lands.”
“If the wolf and his friends come for us? Are you saying you don’t want me to destroy that piece of shit?” Blain snarled.
Sarah made a sound that, to Shae, seemed like a growl, but the woman made no other move.
Blain smiled a cruel smile toward Sarah but didn’t pursue the torture.
“For now, Blain. For now. We no longer hold the advantage of surprise. Sylvanis will be the one pursuing us. While she is doing that, she can’t work toward creating an opposing army to try and fight our goals. I
t is best if we string them along as long as possible. Also, as long as they are out there, the powers that be will be looking to deal with them just as they will be looking to deal with us.”
That bit of news seemed to hit them all with a reality that, for some reason, had been lost before Kestrel uttered it. If they were indeed going to try and raise an army to go to war with the world of men, how long before the world of men decided to stop them?
“For now, I need you to avoid confrontation with Sylvanis and her Weres. If you fail to do this,” she stared hard at Blain, “there will be consequences.” She waited patiently, never taking her eyes from Blain until he at long last nodded.
She returned the nod and looked around at the rest of them.
“Blain. Gather up Sarah and Taylor and go to room 8013. I have arranged the room for you.”
“This is our room . . .” Blain began, and Kestrel turned a cold stare at him. He met her gaze for a long time and the room held a collective breath as they waited for what might happen next between these two. In time, Blain let out a half grunt, half growl and turned from Kestrel.
“Taylor. Sarah. Come with me.”
Taylor stood, and Sarah followed suit, if with great reluctance.
“I will come to you later to tell you what I have planned for you, Blain.”
Looking over his shoulder as he began exciting the room, he asked, “And Joseph?”
“I have other plans for him. Don’t worry. I will return him to you soon enough.”
“You can keep him,” Blain grumbled as he shut the door behind him.
Kestrel turned to the remaining three men.
“Samuel, can you please escort Gordon and Joseph to the other room we leased?”
Samuel nodded and beckoned to the other two men to follow him as they left the room, leaving Kestrel alone with Shae.
The Gathering Page 6