by Sheryl Lee
So saying he pulled a pair of sweats over what Zora belatedly realised were black boxers and damn he looked good in them. Shrugging a t-shirt over his head Powers wasted no more time in talk and left the room. Zora stared at the closed bedroom door for a few seconds, then shrugged and went to sit in one of the chairs. May as well do as he said, especially if he came back with tea. She hoped it was a pot and not just a cup.
When Powers came back she was sitting in the chair, looking out at the sunrise. Her hair and skin were glowing and she was holding her pendant. She looked magnificent. He paused, appreciating the view of this glowing goddess dressed in ridiculous but cute purple pyjamas. Zora looked around when she heard the door, but her gaze slid past Powers and straight to the tray he was holding. On it were two pots, one tea and one coffee judging by the glorious smells rising with the steam. There were two cups, a jug of milk, and some buttered toast. She sighed happily. Powers set the tray on the table between the two chairs and took the unoccupied seat.
Zora poured his coffee and then her tea, before reaching for the toast. Tea and toast in the dawn light – the concept had some merit she conceded. They sat in silence while the sun made its stately journey into the sky.
Once Zora had poured her third cup Powers commented quietly. “It’s really not that bad getting up this early Zora. You need the strength from the sun’s rays and you need to connect to Gaia, especially now while you adjust to this new life.”
Zora sighed. “I’ve been very selfish haven’t I? You’re right, it’s not much to wake a bit earlier each day. At least I’m waking, not like those poor victims.”
They both resumed staring out the window. Some thoughts were too heavy to consider when the world seemed peaceful and birdsong filled the air. Zora stirred first. “I need a shower, I feel so rumpled this morning.”
Powers checked her over, his appreciative gaze making her blush. “You look wonderful, but go ahead. You had a disturbed night.”
Zora blushed deeper at this reminder of the earlier incident. She rose abruptly and started gathering clothes for the day, stopping when she remembered they were travelling again. “Powers, what should I…?”
“Just something comfortable will be fine. We will refresh at the Melbourne house before we meet any more people.”
She smiled her thanks, for the moment not troubled by his ability to read her mind.
She took a quick shower, then packed her bag ready for travel. Powers showered while she was packing, and they walked to the dining room in companionable silence.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Over breakfast Axel outlined arrangements for their travel. “We will travel as we did yesterday, except today Clare you will have a companion.” As they looked at him expectantly he continued, “Jake is going to come with us, to liaise with the Melbourne werewolf pack.”
Powers nodded his head. “That’s good, Jake’s a good man and it’s always better to have another wolf introduce us to a new pack.”
Sunny smiled happily. “And he’s cute too, right Zora?” Ignoring the frown Marcus directed at her she winked at Zora and turned to Shax. “He is, isn’t he Shax?”
Shax looked up from feeding a sausage to Frenchie. “He’s ok, if you like wolves.”
Sunny grinned, not at all put off by this dismissive answer. Zora looked from one to the other, puzzled. Sunny was right though, Jake was a cute wolf, with his ice blue eyes and tawny hair. Muscles in all the right places too. A soft growl from Powers had her compressing her lips in exasperation. Really, was there no privacy?
They finished their breakfast and headed off to their rooms to pack and get ready. Powers left the room before Zora who took some time to try to prepare mentally for the day. She felt a deep sense of dread about this next phase in their journey, which was understandable since they were going to the same city as the werewolf. But she was almost sure there was something else. Something deep inside her was screaming a warning, only she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was. Did she have some sort of precognition? That could be useful, but not if she couldn’t decipher it. Giving up, Zora picked up her bag and took a deep breath before leaving the room.
Jake was already there when she joined the others. He gave her a hard stare but his nod in her direction was friendly enough. No doubt he had reservations about her usefulness and she didn’t blame him for that one bit. Axel arranged them much like the previous day, and each group left in a swirl of mist. Zora was still preoccupied and paid no attention this time to the colours in the mist. As before Axel left their departure until the last.
When Zora took the hand he held out for her he looked at her quizzically. “Something is wrong little Zora?”
Zora shook her head. “I don’t think so Axel. I have this feeling of dread, like a warning. But I think it’s because we are going to the same city as the werewolf.”
“It may be that little Zora, and it may be that you have a touch of precognition. Pay attention to these feelings, but don’t let them blind you to what is happening around you. Now, ready?”
Stifling a sigh Zora nodded agreement. As they dissolved her thoughts were still directed inwards, so that when they reformed she would have fallen ignominiously if Axel had not caught her around the waist and hauled her up to her feet. Way to make a great entrance Zora, she thought to herself. There was nobody else in this garden, just the home guard waiting to escort them inside. She spared a brief glance at the gorgeous exterior but was feeling such nausea that she was unable to fully appreciate it. Axel practically carried her to the sumptuous lounge room where everyone else was gathered. Once there Zora sank down gratefully into the nearest chair to wait for the nausea to pass. The look Jake cast her was censorious which she interpreted to mean he thought she was showing unsuitable weakness.
Axel produced a glass of water for her and Zora sipped it, enjoying the feeling as the coolness slipped down her throat. Feeling better she looked around the room. Everyone was there in varying stages of recovery. For the fairies and Marcus of course there was no recovery time necessary, but the rest of them were not looking so healthy, even Jake she saw now that she was looking closely. She supposed that since he was a werewolf he had a bigger need to present a show of strength. Yay him she thought tiredly, this mist travel might be convenient but it had some nasty side effects.
“Truly little Zora, it gets easier with practice.” Axel patted her paternally on the head from his position in the chair next to her, then smiled in appreciation as a pretty little fairy came in pushing a trolley loaded with refreshments. Zora sat straighter in her chair and sniffed the enticing aromas floating in the air. Food seemed like an excellent idea and she could see everyone leaning forward eagerly. The little fairy stopped the trolley at Axel first, dipping a cute curtsy to him as she did so. It was the first time Zora had seen such behaviour towards Axel and it served to remind her that he was fairy royalty and a very powerful creature.
Axel smiled indulgently at the fairy before greeting her by name. “Emma my dear, it’s always such a pleasure to see you. Please, there is no need to serve us all individually. Just leave the trolley by the table there and we will serve ourselves. I see the kitchen is producing wonderful food as ever, please pass on my thanks to everyone.”
The little fairy smiled, showing cute dimples as she did so. “I will pass on your kind words Highness. Please call if you require anything else.” She bowed her head and left the room in a gliding walk that had Zora mesmerised.
Talk was general as they ate and drank and recovered from the travel. Zora sat back and watched the interplay between them all. The fairy guard was friendly to everyone but they stayed watchful and on guard. Marcus focused most of his attention on Sunny, but she was so taken with Sabrina that she barely noticed. At least that was how it seemed but as Zora watched she noticed the frequent sideways glances Sunny was casting at Marcus when the latter wasn’t looking. She narrowed her eyes at Sunny, who looked up at her just at that moment, flicked her eyes at Marcus and wi
nked. Ok then, so Sunny was playing Marcus. Zora wondered if it was wise to play with a vampire, but Sunny seemed unconcerned.
She shifted her focus to Shax. The witch was feeding a biscuit to Frenchie – that dog seemed like an eating machine. She liked Shax and her irreverent humour but noticed that even though Shax seemed outgoing she also kept to herself a lot, like today. As Shax looked at Jake with an unreadable expression Zora remembered Sunny teasing her about him earlier in the day. Did that mean Shax liked him or had a problem with him? She was pretty sure Jake had a problem with her, he seemed friendly enough but she could feel the disapproval emanating from him every time he looked at her. She didn’t know if it was personal or just that he was concerned about her abilities when the time came. She had her doubts there too so if that was his concern she could totally understand it. Still it didn’t feel good to know someone in the group seemed to feel she did not belong.
Powers and Axel were seated on either side of her, and were having a conversation behind her head which Zora had completely tuned out. Tuning back in now she realised it was about cars and tuned out again. Men, whether they were fairy or shifter or vampire, they still seemed to be all the same.
“Little Zora, you are very quiet, you are feeling well?” Axel touched her arm as he spoke, a touch that gentled and reassured without any of the heat she felt when Powers touched her.
Turning her head to him she smiled. “I’m fine Axel, just a little tired today.”
“Well the defenders in town are not able to get here until this evening so you have the afternoon free. Perhaps you, Sunny and Shax would like to go into the city and do some shopping?”
Zora frowned, it seemed a bit frivolous to go shopping with everything going on.
“No little Zora, it’s not frivolous. It’s some necessary down time for you. Things may become very difficult in the days to come. You need to rest, to clear you mind of everything that has been going on. You have made some very big adjustments these past few days. An afternoon off is exactly what you need right now.”
So saying Axel leaned forward and told Sunny and Shax of his decision. Sunny pleated her brow in a worried frown but Shax, apparently in sync with his thinking agreed instantly and then turned to Sunny to explain further.
Axel addressed the fairy guard. “Clare and Samantha, you are to go with the girls into the city. The rest of you stay here and talk to the resident guard to see what they know. Powers you stay here too. Clare and Samantha can take care of Zora very well. You, Jake and I will go to see the Melbourne pack and I need your intuition. Sunny and Zora need some time out, they have had to deal with a lot in a short space of time. Shax, Clare and Samantha, you will keep communications open with me at all times. If anything unusual happens I wish to know immediately.”
Zora wondered briefly exactly how fairies and witches kept communication lines open, but Shax began hustling her and Sunny out of the room so she filed it in her mind with all the other questions she had for another time.
Once out of the room Sunny baulked. “We’re not going by mist travel are we?”
Shax grinned at her. “Nope, we have a car at our disposal, I’ll drive us since I know the way.”
Zora repressed a shudder, she wasn’t sure being a passenger in a car with Shax was a better way to travel. Trying to look on the bright side she reasoned that Shax hadn’t killed herself yet so maybe she had some sort of witchy way to ensure their safety on the roads. The little fairy Emma appeared at her side to show her to her room, so she went to change, promising to be back at the front door in fifteen minutes.
True to her word, Zora was at the front door in less than fifteen minutes, and shortly they were all on their way in a very nice bright red sedan. Not wanting an up close vista of Shax’s driving style Zora elected to sit in the back, Sunny sliding in beside her. Samantha took the front seat while Clare waved them both further across so she could take the back seat on the opposite side to Samantha. Seeing the sense in their seating choice Zora made no complaint and sat resolutely staring out the side window during the drive. This was mostly so that she didn’t have to watch Shax driving, although it didn’t stop her stomach from lurching at each erratic lane change.
As they drove Zora thought back through the events of the day. She had been so preoccupied that she hadn’t really paid any attention to the travel to Melbourne but now she realised that Shax hadn’t travelled with any of the fairies. She had gone with Frenchie and Sabrina. She must have used her own witchy style of travel and Zora had failed to notice. It was a small thing, but she was sure she needed to be more alert in the days to come. As Axel had said, she mustn’t let her preoccupations keep her from noticing what was happening around her.
Once in the city Shax parked the car in the back of a business that belonged to Axel and they piled out. Zora and the others followed Shax who seemed to know exactly where she was going. Although still uncertain about the wisdom of taking the afternoon off she decided to just go with the flow and stop thinking. That sense of danger was still there, but really what could happen during the day? Well except to run into the werewolf in human form, but in a city as large as Melbourne that was not very likely.
A couple of hours later Zora conceded she was having a good time. Perhaps Axel was right, and she had needed to step back from what was happening for a little while. Even Samantha and Clare had relaxed, although she was sure not their constant surveillance. They had wandered the streets window shopping, occasionally going into a store if one of them expressed an interest and were currently sitting outside one of the quirky little coffee shops that were so prevalent in the side streets and alleyways of Melbourne.
“Why did you decide to go outside the family business Sunny? Did you have an issue or just wanted to try something different?” Clare seemed genuinely interested, leaning forward with an intent expression on her face.
Sunny took a sip of her coffee before replying. “I didn’t ever have a problem with the family business. I saw plenty of vampires since I used to work for my parents whenever and wherever they needed an extra pair of hands. I’m used to vampires, they really are pretty good folk on the whole, and I’ve never been squeamish about our product. I just wanted to go out on my own, make my own way. I’ve always loved to write and I’ve always been nosy, so I decided it would be pretty cool to be a reporter. I haven’t been doing it for that long, but so far it’s been good – present situation possibly excepted.”
They all smiled at her tagged on comment. Zora leaned back in her chair and studied the small group. From the outside they simply looked like a group of women enjoying a leisurely afternoon. There was nothing at all to indicate how different every person in the group was from all the other people around them. This led Zora to consider the possibilities. Her whole life until now had been a lie, she had been surrounded by things that were not as they seemed and had been completely unaware of it. How was that possible? Surely some part of her must have noticed shifters and fairies and vampires. She fingered her pendant absently, wondering how many times it had tried to warn her of the supernaturals around her and how many times she had not noticed.
She looked at the people seated at the other tables and those walking past. How many of them were simply human and how many had other abilities? If she tried, would she be able to tell human from supernatural? Zora decided to experiment, and tried to use her extra sight to see the auras of the people around them. It seemed easier this time, an indication that as with any other ability practice made perfect.
As she watched, auras appeared around the people closest to them. Zora stared at them, entranced by the rainbow hues that had appeared on an otherwise grey Melbourne day. She saw all the colours of the rainbow, except for purple or blue. Did that mean there were no witches? Clare and Samantha were surrounded by the colours in their mist, aqua for Clare and green for Samantha and for both gold and silver. Zora remembered Axel had said auras meant different things for fairies. The other people at the tables closest
to them were cloaked in shades of orange, red, green, brown, yellow and even black and a little bit of white. Zora sighed in frustration – she didn’t know what any of those colours meant, she had to find the time to do some research on auras. Axel had told her to do it, but there simply hadn’t been time for it.
As she gazed around the street her attention was caught by an odd looking aura. It was the least attractive one she had seen, with a blend of dark and muddy colours in shades of red and green and black, unrelieved by anything brighter. Zora took her attention off the aura and looked at the person it belonged to, a perfectly ordinary looking man dressed in a business suit and carrying a slender briefcase. He had dark hair and eyes and was talking on his phone, paying no attention to the people around him. She watched as he strode towards them, switching her attention from his aura to him. The contrast between the muddy colours of his aura and he himself was marked and held her attention.
“Zora? Are you ok?” As she spoke Sunny reached out to touch her hand where it rested on the table.
Zora pulled her attention from the man and focused on her friend, noticing the others were looking concerned as well. “Sorry guys, I was just distracted looking at all these people and wondering if any of them are different like us.”
Shax smiled in understanding. “You’ve just learned about us all, of course. I keep forgetting what a big adjustment you are going through. Once you have fully adjusted to your new powers you will find it quite easy to recognise a supernatural when you see one.”
Zora touched her pendant and returned her gaze to the man who was almost level with their table, still talking on his phone. Looking back at Shax she asked curiously, “How will I be able to tell? I know my pendant warns me, but it is always cold these days with all of you around me. Although it’s warmer than it usually is, maybe like Axel said it will recognise allies and no longer get so cold around you guys.”
Suddenly alert Samantha asked, “It’s warmer? How much warmer?” She sat straighter in her chair and Zora could see that she was scanning their surroundings, as was Clare.