by C. G Leigh
Anna insists on putting some music on, which causes a whole slew of people to start dancing, Shep gestures, I shake my head, "No I can't dance.”
"Come on, I'll teach you,” he whispers, pulling me onto the dance area. He begins by twirling me around the dance floor, making me laugh. Before setting my feet on top of his as he rocks us back and forth.
We all enjoy the night, as the dining and dancing come to an end, people start to head to sleep.
Shep watches me yawn, as he rubs my hair, "Come on let's get you to bed sleepyhead,” he leads me over to a sleeping bag, two actually. I climb into one of them, and he zips it up around me. He sleeps outside of his, just watching me.
"What?" I ask as he watches me.
"You're very beautiful, you know,” he states, making me look away.
He moves my chin so that I am facing him, "No one has ever said that to me before, but you can’t seem to stop,” I say smiling warmly.
"It's true you know, you're perfect,” he touches my hair, playing with it.
I shake my head, "No I'm not I'm broken,” I look away.
"No, you're not the world maybe, but never you. Do you hear me? Never you,” he whispers, making me look back at him, so that I would know he means every word.
He reaches into his pocket and pulls something out, "This is for you.” He hangs it around my neck.
I looked down to see the necklace I had liked from the fundraiser, "How'd you know?"
"Mom saw you eyeing it and set it aside for me. It's mermaidesk so I knew you'd like it.”
"Thank you I love it,” I say, touching it.
We watch the stars together, him rubbing my hair for me, "I want you to stay here with me forever,” he voices.
"You know I can't, I have a world to get back to, a home,” I say yawning.
"This could be your home, why go back there where only hate exists?"
"Because it's what I was born to do. I can't change what I've spent my whole life learning,” I whisper.
"You could be happy here, you are happy I know it,” he breaths.
"Please, when the time comes choose to stay with me,” he whispers moving above me.
"I can't promise you that,” I say looking away from him.
"You don't have to, just tell me you'll think about it,” he begs. I nod, "Alright.”
He leans down and kisses me with so much feelings. He pulls away, "There now go to sleep,” he tucks me in.
Leaving my heart a big puddle and my mind even more confused. "You're not going to make this easy for me are you?" I already know the answer. "Not a chance.”
"Didn't think so,” I whisper. As it gets later into the night, he pulls me closer to him, to warm me throughout the night, I can pretend not to notice. After all, Shep managed to do what no one before ever has, he managed to make me feel awful, to feel sick and anxious. To be all full of well, just as he described it to me a week before. He is making me feel all kinds of love, things that are too soon and too wrong to feel. The major doozy of a problem is that I don't hate it, I kinda feel something wonderful and maybe I want to keep feeling it, but that's just a thought.
I wake up still in his arms, needing to slink away to go to the bathroom and brush my hair and teeth. Everyone is still sleeping except for a few. Looking towards the woods, I catch a shape in the corner of my eye. Thinking it's my imagination, but being curious I head into the woods. Not too far, remembering the bracelet. Not very far in, I smell the air, just looking around for anything suspicious when I hear sticks breaking. Getting closer and closer I can only just make out a dark shape, before it steps out from behind the shrubbery. A giant bear, one thing that I was never trained on how to fight.
It's a huge, black bear with sharp teeth and claws.
I step back away from it, taking one look at me it growls, deciding that I seem like easy prey. It charges at me, I back away further as it moves to pounce. Preparing myself for pain, I shield my head, but a wolf jumps onto the bear's back taking it down before it can get to me. He wrestles with it, clearly having the upper hand and takes it down easily, I would know those golden eyes anywhere. He turns to me with an angry look on his face. I gulp, slowly walking back to the campsite, with him trailing to make sure I get back safely.
He heads for the barn getting changed in record time, "What were you thinking?" He yells angrily storming over to me.
"I'm sorry I thought I heard something,” I answer truthfully.
"You didn't think to wake me up, I was worried sick? If I was a minute later you would likely be dead. Do you understand that dead? He lectures me.
I look away from him, "I know, thank you.”
"Never go into the woods without me please, especially not now with everything going on with Samuel,” he begs.
"Fine,” I agree swallowing my pride, I was so close to death. I wasn't trained to do battle with a giant bear. I acted like such a scared little girl, because that's what I truly am, on the inside.
"Hey come here,” he says sensing my internal trauma, I move in close to him and he embraces me in a tight hug, his scent calming me.
Smiling, I wrap my arms around him in a tight hug, "Come on you two, come get some breakfast,” Anna smiles warmly at our display of affection.
"Hey Gemma come play with us,” Jed yells holding up a soccer ball as he and some of the other children pass it back and forth. I laugh and leave Shep, joining them in their game of pass, when Jed kicks it too hard and it goes further away from us. Really far, that kid has some strength in him.
I go after it checking my steps to make sure that I don't exceed my bracelet’s distance. Only a few feet from the limits, I turn back, and decide to go for it. Expecting to be shocked with the distance between Shep and I. He had gotten the bracelet back from Anna some time during the night.
Only I feel no pain, nothing, not even a tingle. Grabbing the ball I take another few steps, still nothing. Reaching for the bracelet, I wait for the pain to come, for some kind of attack, but as I remove it, I feel nothing.
It is now that I have a decision to make, go back or get out of town. I can call in the reinforcements, get us all out of here. But as I turn back to look at Shep who is standing laughing with his brothers, I make my choice. Putting the bracelet back on, I join the children in our continued game.
No one can ever know about this, I silently promise myself. Now knowing where my heart stands, my head seems to be falling right into place with it, a very dangerous combination.
After a while I join the others by the picnic tables, "So what did you think of your first Moon Day?" Noemi asks.
I smile, "Definitely the best experience I've had with camping. I didn't have to worry about being shot at or having someone try and suffocate me while I'm sleeping so that was a plus.”
They all turn to me giving me surprised looks, "It was for a Survivalists class I took Sophomore year,” I explain.
This earns me a few laughs, and knowing looks. Shep's phone rings, "It's Lex,” he reveals answering it.
"What?” he exclaims, his face growing serious, he quickly hangs up.
"There's an undocumented lycan in town, changed, and confused. Lex is going out of his mind trying to keep it contained,” Shep explains and we all jump into action.
Everyone piles into cars and trucks, "What did you mean by undocumented lycan?"
"Sometimes our kind have children and they either don't know about them, or they don't prepare them for the change and when it happens they can't control it,” Shep explains as we pull onto the street.
Lex is up ahead, the lycan across from him in full wolf form, this one is almost all white. Magi rushes to his son the rest of us trailing behind, "Stay behind me newly changed are unpredictable,” Shep explains.
Madgi approaches the lycan hands held up, "Shh it's okay, you're safe no one wants to hurt you. Just calm down, focus on me.” I have never seen Madgi act so gently towards anyone, but Anna.
The lycan begins to calm down, until Lou
isa comes out of the bar, "Get your mangy mutt under control he's interfering with my clients,” she yells. The lycan's focus switches and before anyone can stop him the lycan charges at Louisa. Just before it can reach her, Lex tackles him. Wrapping his arms around the wolf and holding it back.
"Nice catch son,” Madgi moves to help Lex contain him. Madgi places his hand on the wolf's forehead, "Shh it's okay, just relax,” he gently pets it's head.
I hear the snapping of bones and watch in fascination as it morphs back into human form. Only the human form is more surprising than the lycan one, as he turns into a she, Reese to be exact.
She collapses into Lex and Madgi, arms. "How is this possible?" She cries as Lex quickly pulls off his sweatshirt and wraps the naked Reese in it, "I'm supposed to be ordinary.”
"Remarkable,” Madgi exclaims.
"Do you know how rare a born female lycan is?" Charlie questions, stepping forward, "Unless, have you been bitten by one of us?”
She looks exhausted, her eyes are dark with bags around them, her skin jaundiced and she looks so weak. "No, no one touched me,” she bitterly remarks. Pushing away from Madgi and Lex, she turns to look at her Mother, anger in her eyes.
"You liar,” she screams.
"What, you wanted to hear that your Father is a lycan. That he's happy, has a nice family of his own. That he didn't want yah cause yah were born a girl. I was saving you the pain. I mean the only reason you're here is cause the man paid me to have yah and then as soon as your born he abandons us. Sends his checks in the mail, thinkin he can buy yah. You're mine, you hear me mine to torment,” she sneers.
"You are a monster Mother. I was supposed to be normal, supposed to get out of this town, to get away from you,” Reese shouts.
"You're ungrateful, the things I dun for yah,” Louisa hisses.
Reese scoffs, "Done for me, what have you ever done for me? When I was growing up you would forget about me, for days you would be gone. You would bring men home who would flirt with me, who would try and sneak into my room when you fell asleep. I paid Bryce Bloom, when I was twelve to beat me up just so that I would learn how to defend myself. My entire life you've ridiculed, humiliated and ignored me. You have lied to me my entire life about my father and because of that I was alone when every single bone in my body broke. I hate you so much,” she screams.
"Why you little,” Louisa lunges forward.
"Who's my Father?" Reese asks.
Louisa grunt, "You think you're so much better than I am, figure it out yourself,” she turns her back on Reese and goes back into the bar.
Reese sniffles, Lex places a comforting hand onto her shoulder. "You never have to go back to her.”
Reese reaches her hand up to place it on Lex's. "You're one of us now, we look after each other,” Magi confirms. He and Lex lead Reese towards one of the cars.
I follow Shep back to the truck, "I thought I had a complicated relationship with my parents.”
He nods, "I'm just glad that she's alright, we've known her since she was a baby.” When we reach the house, Lex carries Reese inside and everyone goes about as normal.
I follow Shep, as he leads me down a path.
The path leads us to a secluded beach with a blanket set up with a picnic basket on it, "What do you think?"
I smile, "It's beautiful, but I also think this is your way of secretly getting me to go on a date with you.
"Perhaps,” he murmurs, leading me over to the blanket. We sit down and I take a moment to experience the beautiful view, the smell of salt in the air. He watches me, moving my hair from my face, something he has become accustomed to doing.
"What?", I ask taking in his warming smile.
"Nothing you're just so damn beautiful,” he replies, making my face burn.
"So you've decided that you still want to go back? I had thought that maybe I had shifted your plans,” he remarks looking sullen.
"Why did you think that?" I am confused.
He looks at me pointedly, "I saw you earlier today take your bracelet off, and put it back on. I thought maybe you did it to stay here. I guess you’ve been planning to leave, that putting it back on was just a ploy to make me believe you still thought the magic held,” he stands up.
"That's not it Shep,” I say hurt at him thinking I would betray him like that.
"Then tell me what it is, or at least tell me that you feel about me the way I feel about you. Tell me you don't feel even a smidge of love for me,” he challenges me.
I look away from him the words only a moment away, but fear holding them at bay, "I can’t,” the words hurt as I speak them. Clearly injuring us both in the process.
"Very well then from now on I'll let you be. Feel free to go running off whenever you see fit. I know you must be dying to get back to your precious Academy. I thought that maybe, just maybe by being among my family you had learned what is truly right and not what those people taught you. I thought that you'd want to be here, but I guess I was wrong. You're just like those hunters, not caring who you hurt, shame on me for thinking differently,” he walks back up the path, leaving me a mess.
I feel like my heart has just been ripped out, and it's all my fault.
Making my way back up the path I decide to go inside, to get to my room before I completely break. I just make it up the steps, when Anna calls out to me. "Is everything alright?" she looks at me worriedly, Charlie beside her.
The words just pop out, "I want to see my friends,” they come out harsher than I intended.
A confused look strikes her face, "For all I know you people are off torturing them while trying to play some kind of mind game with me.”
A hurt look replaces the confused one, "Why you little,” Charlie takes an aggressive step towards me bypassing Anna, only to be stopped in his tracks by Shep's arm.
"You still don't trust us I had hoped you had grown to,” Anna voices her thoughts freely, "That's alright you will one day.” She turns away from me and looks off into the distance for a moment before focusing back on me, "It just so happens that the town is having its annual picnic in the square. Most of your friends should be there, we'll take you.”
Regretting the accusatory tone of my words, and with one last glance at them, I practically sprint back to my room.
Shutting the door I lean against it slowly sinking to the floor. I have to get out of here, my mind is all out of sorts. I need to get back to my old self, and my old motivation, killing vampires. I can't though, the Creed, my Grandparents, Parents, they all lied to me. I don't even know what I'm supposed to do now. Do I tell my parents? Stay here, get out? Am I even gonna be a hunter? That's all I know how to do.
I certainly can't let myself fall for some immortal older guy, even if he does make my heart skip a beat, and his kisses ruin me for all others. I can't think about his kisses, they just confuse me further, I need to put him out of my mind.
All I know for sure is that the Creed and my Grandparents had to have had a good reason for keeping all of this a secret and I know that right now only one person can have the answers I need, Dmitri Fuller. Luckily for me he's going to be at the picnic and I'll be able to question him, hopefully we can find a way out of this place. I don't know what I was thinking, I can't trust these people, I can't trust anyone, I just need to get out of here and go home.
SIXTEEN
The drive to the picnic is filled with idle chit chat, the tension in the air heavy. Ray is sitting in the center seat of the truck between Shep and I. At least, he's filling the awkwardness with his usual unfiltered talking. Lex and Reese chose to stay behind as she hasn't completely gotten a handle on her change yet.
"So you two seem great,” Ray mutters sarcastically. Neither of us have a reply for his comment of, "Trouble in paradise?"
"Dude,” Shep exclaims.
"No, no gross,” I add, "We are definitely not a couple".
"What do you mean by gross you weren't saying that back when we were in the fields?" Shep smirks.
"You know that word's pretty close to love,” Ray mentions. I ignore him, and both of them for the rest of the ride, trying not to let his words get to me.
I will never let myself love someone like Shepard Greybane, not now and certainly not in the future. I can't, I just can't, maybe I won't ever have to love anyone, maybe that'll save me some heartbreak, I hope so.