by Yana Guleva
“No, she’s not. That only means she should be able to do more.” Dakota said.
“Listen.” I came in saying, and now looking away from any faces. “Even if I can. I don’t want to try. Something tells me I shouldn’t.”
“It’s your heart.” Kierce said quickly. No one said a thing after. I knew what he meant, as well as everyone else. My heart told me not to because if I did, Kierce would leave. He would be trapped with the rest of the hunters, unable to break free.
After another few short minute of silence, everyone started getting up. That was the queue for the night being over. I agreed. After another few minutes, everyone went their ways for the night.
Chapter Seventeen – The Last Watcher
Running hunters. No, staggers. I saw myself running with them, as if I was one of them. I looked down at my feet, and I knew I was. They were coming with an attack.
“Staggers!” I woke up screaming. I felt myself slowly rising with tears. They were coming to kill us, and if not me, then definitely my loved ones.
“Are you okay?” Tae screamed running into the bedroom. “What happened? Why are you crying?” He asked me. After all this pain I brought him, I couldn’t believe he was still worried about my nightmares.
“No, the staggers are coming for us. I saw them. It was as if.. I was one of them.” I told him with tears still running down my cheeks. I tasted the saltiness on my lips and quickly whipped myself on my sleeve.
“What do you mean you were one of them?” Tae asked curiously. I, myself, was curious.
“I.. I think I was looking through one of their eyes. I don’t know how. It was so random, but I did. As soon as I realized they’re coming for us, I woke up.”
“It’ll be okay Amabel.” Tae told me as he came closer to me wanting to give me closure, but he didn’t. He didn’t make any other movement.
“No, it’s not okay. I knew this would happen, I knew it!”
“We have more people now, remember?”
“Yeah, that means more of my family will die!” I was furious at Tae. How could he think that it was a good thing?
“Listen Amabel. They’re coming, which means we can be prepared. I’ll go tell Len, and he’ll call the others. We’ll guard the house while Awan brings your mother and Zayley was away from here. With that alone, we’re already one step ahead of them.”
“Yes, but what if someone gets hurt again? Or even worse, dies!”
“Amabel my love. Please calm down. I know you care for all our health, but with the more of us there is, the less of a chance someone will get hurt or die.” He told me calmly. He had a point, but it wasn’t enough to calm me down. “Do you know when they’ll be here?” My mind then started skimming though what I had seen. I tried to remember anything at all, but the only thing I knew was that there were a lot of them, and they were impatient to get here.
“Wait, I remember. It was night time. Obviously it was! How can I be so stupid. I wasn’t dreaming, I was in one of their minds. That means they were running through the night time. They’ll be here soon!” I screamed. My heart started racing as I sat in the bed trying to take it all in. “What are we going to do?” I asked Tae, but it was more of a frightened statement than a question.
“We’re going to be ready. Don’t worry about a thing. For now.. just focus on your abilities. Can you do that?”
“I’m scared, not five.” I told him angrily. How could I even focus on my abilities right now.
Tae left the room and I heard him warn the others. A few minutes later, the house was empty. I knew my mother and Zayley would be safe, as well as Awan. For the rest of us, not so much. I quickly got out of bed and got changed in my most comfortable clothes. A gray long sleeved top, along with a pair of black skinny jeans. Followed by my leather boots and leather jacket. I brushed my hair and looked in the mirror. “Just a girl.” I whispered to myself, and walked out of the room. As I came outside, I noticed all the brothers were around the house. They were watching every direction.
“Where the others?” I asked Len.
“They’re on their way. Hopefully they’ll make it… Although I hope they don’t.” I understood why he said that. They were the ones already bonded to someone and it would be a terror if one of them died. Again, it would be all my fault. “Staggers.” Len added. With that simple yet terrifying word, everyone ran over to him. I saw Dakota, Tae, Kierce and all the brothers that I have gotten so close with. “They’re coming from there.” He added, as he pointed towards a part in the woods. I was glad that it was the opposite of where my mother went.
The staggers were now fully in our sight. They ran quickly and soon were only a short distance away from us. They stopped.
“Ahh, and you must be Amabel.” One of the staggers said. It sounded more like a dragged out whine. “And these must be your puppets. How sad that they will all die.” The stagger added with a smile on his face. It disgusted me. I felt my body fill with anger. I watched dozens of staggers staring back at me. Their slimy looking skin was light today, and their veins were a bright red. They were either new, or just fed really good. Again the anger flowed in. The thoughts of them tearing apart humans filled my mind.
“You fucks. Leave me alone!” I screamed, feeling my eyes starting to get heavy.
“We don’t listen to you!” One of the staggers almost growled back. I looked over at Len on one side and Tae on the other. As well as the rest of my family. I gave them a head shake, and each one of them transformed. Their sizes as lycans were almost the same as humans, but larger. Each one of them started growling, and the staggers didn’t wait any longer. They attacked.
I turned the connection on with everyone I could think of, not sure if it worked. Now it was just a matter of time until I felt the energy within me. I felt my eyes get more heavier and without able to keep them open, I closed them and tried to read within me. I felt the pain all the lycans felt. The pain from the staggers attacking them. I heard the howls from their blood escaping their new wounds. “Come on.” I whispered to myself. I felt the familiar tremble of my body. Kierce! I heard someone think. I quickly looked up and noticed him losing to a stagger. He wasn’t as strong as them. No regular hunter was. I heard his cries and suddenly my mind froze. I felt the rage come within me. Without taking any energy from outside sources, it arose in me with an ease.
There was a now a blue glow coming from my eyes. All I saw was the shapes of the body. Soon after, I had a red radiant orb around me. I felt the power, the power of a watcher. There was one thing on my mind, and it was to kill what wasn’t supposed to be out. The staggers. The weather changed drastically, and I noticed all the attention on me. I knew I wasn’t the only one who saw the red escaping my body. Without thinking, my mouth started talking with fury and demand.
“I.. am the last watcher.” I started saying, feeling my arms rise high. I felt such strong control within me as I continued to talk. “I am the last watcher, with every power of any watcher! I declare you staggers, to go back to hell! You will not roam this earth, as you are now banded!” My body felt light, as if I was almost floating. The red glow became brighter, and my hands rose higher. Screaming now, I continued. “Stop the temptation of killing and disappear!” I pushed my arms out with force and a blue light shoot out. It hit every stagger in my sight, and they all vanished. I stood there for a minute, making sure they were all gone. With a simple thought of relaxation, the radiant glows died out.
With amazed eyes from my family, I was now finally back to my regular mind state.
“What.. was that..” Dakota stated more than asked. I looked around to see if everyone was okay, and all I noticed was their stare. I didn’t understand why they were so amazed. I have had a glow before, it wasn’t much different today. Of course it felt different though. It was much easier and with less pain. There was one thing that had changed though. I felt an urge of hunger for something other than food. I needed a soul. As if that was my may of feeding. I wanted to take a hunter’s fa
ce and slowly suck the soul of him. No, what was I thinking. This couldn’t be it, this couldn’t possibly be the urge I felt right now.
“Amabel, it was like.. it wasn’t you.” Kierce told me, still holding his stomach from getting hurt in the fight. I realized I didn’t pay much attention to it, and as if it went by so fast.
“How long did the fight last?” I asked.
“That’s a strange question. You were right there Amabel.” Dakota answered. “But.. I guess longer than twenty minutes. You kind of.. took care of it.” Twenty minutes? I thought it was much shorter. I must have been thinking of what was happening too much.
“So what.. were you?” Len now asked me.
“What do you mean?” I asked in return. Confused that no one understood what happened.
“You were.. glowing, but… your eyes, were blue. And.. you were.. floating. It looked as if you were excepting something into you.”
“What? No, I was just trying to read within me. It came to me much easier this time. I..”
“Amabel.” Tae broke me off. “Now your last steps are complete. You are the last watcher.” I couldn’t believe it. As simple as that, I was the watcher. The only watcher left. “There will be changes to you, so don’t be scared. Some of them may be not for the good.” As his last words processed through my mind, I realized I knew what was one of the changes. My feeding desire on souls.
“Alright Amabel! Good shit on saving our asses tonight!” Dakota yelled and everyone applaud. I felt the happiness they had for me. It was truly amazing how this night ended. I had to force out a small smile. I felt much better about myself, in every aspect. As I looked to my right, I noticed Kierce running over to me. Without a word, he slows down before he reaches me and steps in for a kiss. Our lips touched, and everything faded. His lips were so warm against mine. His thoughts rattling with affection for me.
“Nice.” It was Tae. I separated our lips and quickly started looking for him. He was gone.
“Shit.” I whispered. “Where did he go?” I asked.
“He’s just inside.” Len answered. I completely forgot about Tae, and Kierce did as well. He looked at me and mouthed sorry. I wasn’t mad at him, not one bit.
“What should I do?” I looked at Len with some hope in my eyes.
“I don’t know. We feel his pain though. I think he’s more upset that Kierce stole your first kiss as the watcher.” Len told me. I closed my eyes and pictured the kiss once more. It was truly amazing. I felt so different inside, as if no one could hurt me. I felt confidence yet much more remorse. Tae and Kierce have showed me so much these past months. Each on a different side and level. I pictured Tae and how he showed me love and protection. Kierce on the other hand, showed me love as well and attention. They both loved me, but my heart couldn’t split in two. There wasn’t a simple way out, just a choice.
I decided to walk towards the house and try to talk to Tae. As soon as I came in, he was one step ahead of me.
“You don’t need to explain. I’m still here Amabel. I always will be. No matter if I feel pain or anger. You are my one and all.” I felt ease, yet still aching. I wanted to give him that back so much, but couldn’t. Not yet anyways. I gave off a small smile, and headed towards my room to sleep off the suspicious desire for another soul.
Chapter Eighteen – Betrayal
The nap felt nice on my mind, but not fulfilling. I still had the weird urge. There was more to it now though. I could picture myself in the act. I enjoyed seeing the light blue escape a hunter’s mouth. As the soul went down my throat and filled my body, I got filled with excitement in so many wrong ways. “What is happening to me?” I asked myself. Putting all this aside, I got up to try to find Tae. I wasn’t satisfied with our conversation earlier. I wanted to tell him more. As I left my room, I noticed everyone sitting around talking about the fight. They were explaining certain moves they have done and how the staggers disappeared after I sent out the mysterious light at them. The house was too chaos with a dozen people in here. I didn’t mind, but still a little crowded. I didn’t see Tae.
“Hey where is Tae?” I asked.
“Uhh.. couldn’t tell you.” Awan answered me.
“Oh you’re back! Is my mother and Zayley alright?”
“Yes, they’re fine. I took their car and drove them back to your house. I figured they would take it from there. I rushed back to help, but it was all over I guess.”
“Yeah.. I guess I kind of took care of it.” I told him with hesitation, still wondering where Tae went. “You guys make this house look like chaos.” I s It caught everyone’s attention.
“I’m sure we’ll be out of your way as soon as Luthius stops trying to kill you.” Dakota responded with a laugh.
“Ha ha. You’re just so funny.” I talked back with sarcasm. Dakota always tried to be a smart ass. I then realized my connection with any of them wasn’t off. I felt everything they did because there’s no way I was amazed at what I did. For some reason, I felt like it was just the right thing to do. Something that came as an instinct more than using someone else’s powers. Although, now they were my powers.
I made my way out the front door, and tried getting into Tae’s mind. I wasn’t planning on bothering him but just wanted to see if he was okay. With a slight concentration, my mind shot right into his. Oh how I loved her. She would have given up anything for me. I heard Tae think. That’s strange. Why did he say loved? He’s bonded to me, there’s no way that love can just leave. With curiosity, I continued listening. Sorry Elizabeth. I’m so sorry I got bonded to Amabel. I wonder if it was a mistake by nature. Maybe I’m not supposed to be with her. Fury arose my body. I felt it go straight to my heart. Without hearing anything else, I turned off the connection with Tae. I turned it off with everyone. I could feel my eyes focusing hard on this air.
“Are you kidding me? Are you fucking kidding me?” I screamed to myself as I kept walking around in circles. Kierce must have heard me since he came out here not long after.
“Hey Amabel. Are you alright?” Of course it was Kierce though. He could easily calm me down. He just had to be so thoughtful.
“Yeah. I decided not to bond with Tae.” I told him. His eyes were filled with excitement, yet concern just as much.
“What happened though?” Kierce asked, as he put his hand on my shoulder to make me stop circling myself.
“I heard him think it’s a mistake. He loves someone else. I just happened to be the one he bonded with. Fuck this, and him.” Kierce stepped back slightly noticing how much anger I had. He came right back though, and threw his arms around me. He held me tight.
“It’s alright Amabel. I know how it may have sounded, but what if that’s not how he meant it.”
“Why are you trying to help him with this? Shouldn’t you be happy that I’ve decided this?” He was too good to me.
“Yes but.. I want you to make your choice on how you feel, not the anger that you’re filled with right now.”
“Oh Kierce. You truly are amazing.” I told him, hugging him tighter. Still furious, I continued to walk around in aimless circles. At that moment, I noticed Tae coming through the trees. I stopped for a split second, and headed towards the house.
“Hey! Amabel hold on!” He yelled out to me.
“What do you want.”
“I feel, sudden pain. What have you done Amabel?” He now stood only a couple of inches away from me.
“What have I done? What have you done?”
“Amabel… I heard you”
“Yeah, well… I heard you too.” His eyes suddenly widened.
“No, no Amabel you got it all wrong. Please.”
“Tae, I don’t care anymore. I heard you say it was a mistake bonding with me. You think nature did the wrong thing. How could you Tae. How could you tell me one thing all this time and then think that instead?” I now looked him in the eyes, making sure he saw the pain I felt.
“Amabel.. No. You didn’t hear the rest of it then. You didn’t
hear when I said..”
“I don’t care Tae.”
“Listen. I didn’t know we were connected. I would have made sure you heard the right part. You must believe me!” I saw Tae’s face rise up with panic.
“You betrayed me Tae. You betrayed me and lied to me. I was honest with you every step. Yes I love you, but I love Kierce. I tear myself apart for you guys. I would do anything and everything for you. Instead, I get this in return?”
“Amabel..”
“No. No more.”
“Now you know how I feel.” Tae said. He was right, I did. But he didn’t know how I felt. I suddenly opened the front door and slammed it before he could follow. He has made his choice, as well as I have made mine.
Chapter Nineteen – Coinciding
The next day came quick. There were no scary dreams or horrifying thoughts. I didn’t hear my father or any other mysterious voice. Before I could fully function and wake up for the day, I heard voices next to me. My eyes opened wide and my protectors were sitting all around me.
“Whoa, you okay?” One of them asked me. I wasn’t sure who though since I was still trying to wake myself up.
“Uhh.. yeah.. why?”
“Amabel, you were.. screaming in your sleep.. as if you were getting murdered.” Len answered me. That was strange. I didn’t have a single memory of it. I looked around me and noticed Kierce sitting right beside me. His eyes filled with horror. Was it really that bad?
“I’m honestly okay guys. Thanks for worrying. I appreciate it.” I told them, with a half-smile on my face. I tried to focus for a minute to see if I would remember anything, but I didn’t.
“You worried me.” Kierce told me. I loved how sweet he was. Always so caring.
“Thanks Kierce. I’m honestly okay.. I think. But.. do you guys mind if I get ready real quick?” I asked everyone in the room. It was weird waking up to all the guys just staring me down. Surely, none of them felt anything for me and were family, but still weird in a way.