“So, are you guys coming over?” I asked Uncle Dane, excited by the thought of seeing my family. I missed them. It felt strange, but the time I spent away over the past few days seemed longer than a couple days, almost like weeks.
“We’ll be over later this afternoon. I should probably let you go so we can start getting ready to leave. I love you kiddo. I’m glad you’re in safe hands.” He hung up.
I walked over to Jayce and wrapped my arms around him. I kissed his left cheek. “Thank you, Jayce.” Then, I kissed his right cheek. “Thank you, for making my life so wonderful.” Lastly, before I planted a kiss on his lips, I said, “Thank you, for being perfect for me.”
Sweetly, he returned his kisses in the same manner. ”Thank you, Shanntal,” he said leaving a kiss on my cheek. “Thank you, for making me so happy,” he said as his kissed the other one. “Thank you… for simply being you.”
A knock sounded at the bedroom door, interrupting us before we got too carried away. I giggled, remembering back to my earlier proposal. “Guess the plan of hiding out was pretty farfetched.” I rolled my eyes mockingly, unwrapping my arms from around his neck.
He leaned in, gave me another quick kiss and with a dreadfully sluggish walk, headed over towards the door. He looked back as he pretended the door was too heavy to open. I smiled at his comic attempt to buy us some more alone time. He grinned and then straightened himself up as he opened the door. “Yes, how may we assist you?”
Meriel stood in the doorway. “Good morning you guys,” she said smirking, giving Jayce a nudge.
“Good morning to you, Meriel.” He nudged her back.
Her reaction assured me that she was pleased I had spent the night with Jayce in his room. Nothing had really happened between us, just a few kisses and snuggling.
“So?” Meriel acted juvenile as she stood around the doorway. We knew what she was digging for, hoping to find out some news about what was going on between us.
I shot Jayce over a thought. ‘Don’t let her in on anything. Let her mind wander for a bit, it’ll be fun to keep her guessing.’
Jayce and I never said a word, remaining completely composed.
Finally, she had enough of the game and piped up, “I guess, this means you two are back together now. Are you guys coming downstairs any time soon, or are you staying locked up in here forever?” She flashed her big beautiful smile at us.
I laughed and she looked at me confused. I decided to confess my earlier proposal. “I tried persuading him to stay in here forever, but sadly he turned me down.” I bumped Jayce with my hip as I pouted.
“Jayce, is this true?”
“Actually Meriel,” I interrupted, before she could blast Jayce for not accepting my offer. “We were just on our way downstairs. I wanted to check in and see how everyone else was this morning. I’m quite excited, we made it through the night without any unwelcome guests.”
“Yes, we all made it the entire night.” She shot Jayce a look I wasn’t supposed to notice.
I pretended not to see and turned my attention to Jayce, who was grinning smugly at her. I shook my head. They were like siblings, poking and prodding at one another, just to see who could be more annoying.
“Hello? You guys?” I tried breaking up the unintentional mind war I’d created. “Well, isn’t this fun?” I rolled my eyes, standing there invisibly. I waved my hand in their faces only to get no response. Clearly neither one was paying attention to anything else around them. What were they saying? Finally, I blurted out, “Also, my aunt and uncle should be stopping by pretty soon.”
“Really? That’s great,” Meriel responded. “Can’t wait to see them.” She shot Jayce a glance, spun around and headed downstairs.
I gave him a look of disapproval. A mind war was totally unfair because I had no idea what was being said. Was it good? Bad? He smiled and his brown eyes sparkled as he teased me with another kiss. Overcome by his presence, I forgave him and we followed after Meriel. The three of us joined the others who were gathered in the living room.
Today was different because everyone sat in different places. Species mixed together and everybody seemed more relaxed and comfortable as they chatted with one another. The laughs were a sure sign — things were going well. As soon as they noticed Jayce and me, the room broke into a round of cheers and whistles. I turned a brilliant shade of red, as did Jayce. I was happy they all approved, but seriously, these rounds of applause were going to have to stop or we would all risk the possibility of us dying from embarrassment.
We sat down together. It felt really good fitting in with everyone. They’d accepted me for who I was and I didn’t need to pretend I was something I wasn’t. I just had to be myself. I wore the world’s biggest smile across my face because I couldn’t hold it in. I was so incredibly happy being surrounded by my true love and dearest friends. I listened in as everyone resumed his or her previous discussions. As the morning crept onward, my thoughts of Daray faded, as did the memory of my dream.
Meriel, Terran and the three shifter girls decided to make the most of the daylight and head down to Mystic Beach. Shea and the remaining fairies said they’d join the girls and promised to be back before dusk. So this left Jayce, Garrison, Aiden, Kaleb, Makan and Kael. The house was clearing out.
My protectors decided to stay close and get caught up on some of the sleep they’d missed out on by keeping watch. They figured if they went to bed now, they’d have plenty of energy to keep guard again tonight.
Kael let out a loud yawn as he stretched. His muscles flexed with every move. With his toothy smile, he said, “Yeah, you guys got it right. Sleep now, kick parasite butt tonight.” Punching his fist into his hand, he let out a loud bellowing laugh.
So now it was Aiden, Makan, Jayce and I remaining. Jayce shot Aiden a look, and soon he and Makan headed into the kitchen. We were alone again.
He leaned over and planted his electrifying kiss on me. I couldn’t keep my lips off him. I needed him. I burned for him. We started getting lost in our passion, as if no one else in the world existed. The sound of someone clearing their throat broke up our moment. Flustered, I looked over to see who had interrupted us.
Aiden was a bit red, more so than usual. “Sorry guys,” he said. “We’ve got company.”
“Who is it?” Jayce asked, breathing quite heavy.
“I believe auntie and uncle have arrived.”
We jumped up off the couch. “Right. Thanks, Aiden, for not letting them all the way in.” I fixed myself quickly. “Do I look okay?”
“You look perfect.”
I walked out of the living room and headed to the front of the house. I saw them standing there, looking around, clearly taken back by the grandness of the house. It made me smile. I was relieved someone else had the same reaction as I did when I first arrived. Their eyes moved over the room, scanning the artwork and décor. Noticing me, they rushed over.
“Shanntal, it’s so good to see you,” Auntie Steph said as she and Uncle Dane took turns hugging me. Auntie Steph took a step back. “Nice place. I can’t believe a bunch of kids live here. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before except, well…”
Uncle Dane and I giggled as we waited for her to continue her statement.
“A castle. Yeah, it’s like a fairy tale castle. I swear I just saw a place like this in the movie I went to the other day.” She took another step back to admire the beauty of the house.
Jayce made his entrance. “It’s nice to see you again, Dane. Oh, this must be your lovely wife Steph that I’ve heard so much about.”
Jayce injected his thoughts. ‘I knew she’d be easy to win over, even before I met her. Now look... there’s no need to try. She’s putty in my hands.’ He walked over, leaned in and kissed her hand. “A pleasure to meet you, Steph.”
She giggled and went a shade of pink I’d never seen her wear before. It made me smile. I wasn’t the only girl that was putty in his hands.
“Come on in. Let’s have a seat in th
e living room, it’s more comfortable,” Jayce offered.
Auntie Steph nudged me the entire way, acting like a schoolgirl who’d just found out who her friend had a crush on. Jayce clearly loved the attention. Jayce and Auntie Steph sat chatting, giving Uncle Dane and I some time to talk.
“I’m happy you decided to come. I wanted to apologize for how I behaved earlier. I now understand that you were only trying to help, but it felt like I owed Daray a chance to show me his side of the story.”
“I could never be mad at you for being fair. You are just so trusting. You tend to give people credit when they don’t necessarily deserve it.” He spoke low so we didn’t disturb Jayce and Auntie Steph. “He’s not the same man you once knew.”
“I know. He’s nothing like the person I was remembering. The Daray I knew is no longer there. I thought I saw a glimpse of him and then he locked me in a room.” I thought about the fear I felt around him and especially the others. I also remembered the frustration and anger that replaced the fear when he turned me into a prisoner.
Jayce entered my head. ‘Not to worry; you’ll never have to go through that again. I won’t ever let you go without a fight.’
Without saying a word, I turned and smiled at Jayce. I knew he was telling me the truth because he needed me as much as I needed him. We were a couple and there was no way around it. Splitting us up would be a challenge that I didn’t think anyone could overcome.
We spent the entire afternoon talking, laughing and visiting. The sun was beginning to dip down when Uncle Dane checked his watch. “Oh Steph, the time. We really should get back. It’s getting late.”
“We have to leave, already?” moaned Auntie Steph. “Really?”
“You can come back anytime you want. You’re always welcomed. But, Dane’s right, it’s probably best to get going before it gets too dark.” Jayce tried to help relieve the burden of a long good-bye.
Uncle Dane hurried Auntie Steph along and they were out the door before the sun totally set. A few minutes later, everyone began arriving back at the house.
Kael walked in the living room where everyone was re-grouping. “Tonight may be the night.” He punched his fists together, looking like a boxer trying to psych out his opponent. “Bring on the beasts.”
Garrison and Kaleb followed closely behind Kael. They’d bonded nicely and turned into quite the trio; a very large, muscular trio. I’d never want to go up against them in a fight; their size alone was intimidation enough.
The sun had completely set before I asked, “Where’s Meriel?”
Everyone began looking. There was no sign of her. I glanced over at Jayce.
“I’ve found her,” he said. “She’s still down by the beach. She knows she should’ve come home sooner, but was visiting with the mermaids. She’s on her way now.”
An hour went by and Meriel had still not returned. I looked out the window, the stars lit up the night sky.
“Jayce, I’m getting worried. Shouldn’t she be home by now?” I leaned in closer so no one could overhear me. “Should we be concerned?”
“I’ll check on her.” He closed his eyes to help his concentration. He spoke quite loudly when he connected. “I can barely see her. It’s dark. She’s in the forest.” So much for keeping this under wraps. Everyone overheard him and stopped talking so they could listen closely as he began describing what he saw. “Bushes are surrounding her. She’s not alone. Someone else is near. She’s hiding.”
People let out gasps of fear. It was dark and Meriel was alone in the woods. We had to get to her quickly. Kael transformed into a giant black wolf with purple eyes. He shot out of the living room, quick like a bullet. Garrison looked over at Kaleb who gave a nod and Garrison ran out after Kael. The others remained behind, in case the house was ambushed.
When Jayce connected to the elements it had a different effect on him. He was trance-like, almost as if he was sleepwalking. He didn’t act like this while connected to me. He was always coherent and could still carry on a conversation.
I wanted to know who was near her. Could he see who it was? Before I was able to ask, he started talking. “It’s Lakylee, she’s alone. She knows Meriel’s there and she’s looking for her.”
My heart pounded so hard it almost broke through my chest. Lakylee was unstable, her mood fierce and vicious. She didn’t have the same temperament as the other vampires. She was wild. What did she want with Meriel?
“Kael is getting close. So is Garrison, though he’s coming in on a different angle. Looks like they’re trying to cover as much area as possible.” Jayce gave us the play-by-play. “They’re planning on keeping her contained until they can find out exactly what she wants.”
It was so tense standing there, waiting to see what was going to happen next. Why was Lakylee alone? Where were the others? Was this a trap? My mind wouldn’t stop racing.
Jayce placed his hand on my shoulder. “Lakylee is getting very close to Meriel. She’s only about a hundred yards from her. The guys aren’t close enough yet. She’s going to beat them to her.” He pulled his hand away as he clenched his fists together. “Meriel, be still. She’s too close,” Jayce whispered.
He didn’t say or do anything for a few minutes. He stood as still as a statue. Suddenly, he cried out, “No… please… don’t!”
We all knew what that meant. Lakylee had reached Meriel first.
“What’s happening?” Aiden asked, visibly shaken.
“Lakylee is talking to her.” He seemed confused as he described what was happening. “She isn’t aware the others are coming. She’s let her guard down and is just talking to Meriel.”
“Talking?” Terran asked. “About what?” She held her hands together, trying to stop them from shaking.
“Do something! Why don’t you do something?” I pleaded to the elements. “Buy her some time. Help her like you did when I needed help.”
“We can’t,” Terran said. “We need to be together for our powers to work like that. We function as a whole because it’s too much of a power struggle working alone and, sadly, it separates us. Also, the more we use our powers, the weaker we become. It’s not safe for us to be vulnerable; it can be devastating for us — well, for everyone actually.”
Jayce continued onward. “Lakylee is asking Meriel about Shanntal. She wants to know why she left.” He paused. “Daray’s been causing them grief. He’s accusing them of slaughtering Shanntal’s family. The coven denies it, but he won’t accept it. Now, they’re splitting up and going on their own, but no one wants Lakylee. She doesn’t fit properly with the other vampires.”
I started feeling bad for her. It was true; she didn’t fit in with the vampires or the werewolves, for that matter. She was a lone walker. I wondered what Daray was up to now. Why was he bothering with my family? Was this another one of his ploys?
Jayce put up his hands to defend his face and neck. He leaned back until he almost fell over. My heart stopped as I watched him in horror. He was fighting something off and was still connected to Meriel while doing so.
Please don’t let her get hurt, please don’t. I thought to myself.
Jayce let out a curdling scream.
Makan punched the wall. Tears poured down his face. “Meriel!” he cried out, in an agonizing voice.
Jayce tumbled to the ground. Then, he slowly turned himself over and got to his knees. A minute passed and Jayce quickly leaped to his feet. “Meet your match, beast!”
Kael and Garrison must have gotten there. Jayce remained in his trance as he watched their battle unfold. He stopped filling us in on any details. About a minute later, Jayce let out a growl, putting everyone more on edge. He was still in the trance, but he looked like he was going to attack everyone in the room. He let out a painful yell and fell to the floor.
I waited a few seconds to see what he was going to do next. He didn’t move, he just lay on the ground looking dead.
“Oh my,” I gasped. “Jayce, who are you connected to? Jayce, who is it?”
I repeated. “What’s going on? Tell me now! Jayce, wake up!” I yelled. I dropped to my knees and grabbed onto his shirt, shaking him frantically. He slowly awoke, glancing around the room until his eyes focused on me.
I let out a heartbroken whimper. I knew whom he meant; he didn’t need to say because I felt the emptiness.
He reached his arms out to me. “I’m sorry.”
Aiden looked down at us. “Who was it?” he demanded.
“Garrison.” His voice broke. “I’m sorry Kaleb, Shanntal. He couldn’t fight Lakylee off. He was helping Meriel escape, but she caught him from behind. He never stood a chance. It happened too fast, even Kael couldn’t help.”
Escaped the Night Page 15