by C. B. Haight
“Demon child!”
Their horrible words still echoed in his mind and pierced Jarrett’s heavy, guilt filled heart. They were out there watching, preventing any possible chance of escape. The twelve-year-old Jarrett didn’t care. He didn’t want to escape. He only wanted to save Rowena. He knew they waited to hear Rowena’s and his last dying screams as the fire claimed their bodies and sent their unclean souls back to Hell.
Unclean soul. He heard those terrible words at the trial. These past days were a horrific nightmare. They were both subjected to unspeakable tortures, all in the interest of finding the truth.
Jarrett could still see the sad, broken look in Rowena’s green eyes as they examined her. Holy men looked over every inch of her trying to find the marks of Satan. Even at twelve, he understood all of it happened because of what he was.
Rowena could have probably survived if she had lied and let them have him. He’d begged her to do that very thing. At night, when they were locked up and alone, she begged him to focus, to induce his change, and escape. Neither of them relented to the other's wishes.
When the ministers found him guilty of demon possession, they took him to the village square, tore his shirt from his back, and lashed him repeatedly. Jarrett took the beating without complaint, and few watched closely enough to see the pain and torment in his expression. Deep down, Jarrett hoped the preacher would be successful in, “...beating the monster out of him,” as he promised.
Every lash cut through his skin like a burning knife, tearing flesh with each stripe. Rowena screamed for him. She begged them to stop with tears streaming down her cheeks. She tried, unsuccessfully, to free herself from her bonds and even pleaded with the people watching to release him.
Even after several lashings, he refused to scream or yell out. The crowd murmured about the unnatural way a mere boy withstood the severe beating. They gossiped about their surety of his parentage, and he heard every painful murmur and whisper. The worst part was that he believed them.
After finishing with him, the men turned on Rowena. They tied her to a post and stoned her in front of Jarrett’s eyes. The minister quoted scripture with frenzied excitement, and with every word, provoked and rallied the crowd even more. Jarrett looked at him, the promise of death was clear in his eyes. In his heart, he vowed if he ever escaped this hellish torture, he would kill that man first.
When a stone struck her head and knocked Rowena unconscious, it all became too much for his volatile temper to bear. Jarrett lost control. He growled and snarled. His fingers changed. Sharp, deadly claws grew from every tip. Not questioning small mercies, he cut his rope bonds and ran to Rowena to shield her with his own body.
The stunned crowd gasped. Without realizing it, long black fur had begun to sprout from his back, and his teeth were sharpening into white points meant for tearing and shredding. Partially changed, the small boy looked very much like the demon they accused him of being.
Panic spread throughout the crowd, and after shocked silence dissipated and murmurs began, the minister shouted, “They must cleansed by fire! Let holy flame reclaim their bodies and send their unclean souls back to Satan. They and all they have touched must be cleansed from the earth.”
Then several men seized them. Jarrett fought with every ounce of strength he possessed. Rowena remained unconscious throughout the entire ordeal. The crowd took them to their tiny home and violently threw Rowena on her bed. Then, as a precaution against his changing form, the blacksmith used heavy chains to bind his hands and feet. After shackling Jarrett, they left both of them inside as they boarded windows and blocked the door. He heard their cries for vindication when they put flame to tinder.
Now all he could do was sit inside his own home. The place that once gave him comfort, would serve as his coffin. Guilt consumed him, and despair took over as he awaited death. Even at twelve years of age, Jarrett was unbothered by the prospect of his coming demise. He accepted it—almost welcomed it—knowing death would end his torment. However, he treasured Rowena’s life, and anguish that he could not save her consumed him.
His lungs burned, and each coughing fit incited painful spasms down his back where he had stoically taken each of the flesh-striping lashes. The raw and swollen wounds on his back were beginning to close. He could feel the uncomfortable crawling sensation as the skin tightened and pulled together, staunching the flow of blood that trickled from the open sores. It didn’t matter though. He was sure he would not be able to heal from the fire.
Jarrett’s vision began to dim from lack of oxygen. As he accepted fate and gave up any hope of saving Rowena, he twisted and saw movement. He looked up and surprise covered his features upon seeing her. His worry over life and death flew from his mind as he could focus on nothing else but how beautiful she was. Her long, blond hair glowed with a soft, golden light that shimmered in the harsh, red light of the fire. The black haze made by the smoke drifted around her ethereally. He couldn’t look away from her mystic blue eyes, and feelings of calmness and warmth began to cascade over him.
He blinked and thought it must be a dream, or he must be dead already. As if she knew his thoughts, she put a finger to her lips to hush any questions he wished to ask. Then, using magic, she released his shackles.
Seeing her power, he felt hope rise within. He coughed out, “Ro…Rowe…Save her…” His hacking made it difficult to get the words out.
The blond woman shook her head sadly and moved to help him rise.
“No!” he insisted. “Not …me.”
The woman put a hand on his defiant shoulder, and he suddenly felt calm. “Be still,” she encouraged, and there was quiet authority in her tone.
Grabbing his arm, she urgently began pulling him toward the blocked window. Jarrett dug in his feet, stopping her. “Rowena!” he said firmly.
“I cannot,” she said with regret.
“I won’t go.” He shouted, “Save her!”
“I cannot.”
Jarrett’s desperation rose. “Not me. Save her. Please!” he pleaded. For the first time in several months, Jarrett felt like a little boy. Tears slipped from his golden eyes.
A sad expression covered her face. She turned and repeated quietly, “I cannot do as you ask.”
She stretched out her hand toward the window. Bright, bluish light came forth. It encompassed them, and forced Jarrett to close his eyes against it. When the light dissipated, Jarrett looked forward, and he could see the window was gone. In its place stood a blank, white space. He looked to her in shock, He was unable to comprehend such magic.
She was strong, too. Against his will, she yanked him forward, pulling him into the white void, and he found himself stepping out into the woods. Jarrett turned around to get his bearings. When he whipped his head around toward the north, he saw the black smoke, and recognized where they were.
They were miles from his burning home, the home with Rowena still inside. He fell to his knees and gave into the guilt and despair. He let go an agonized wail that turned into a mournful howl, and he began pounding the ground with his fists in frustration and anger. A long time passed before Jarrett remembered he was not alone.
He rounded on his rescuer. “You should have saved her!” he accused.
She only looked upon him with sad, blue eyes.
“Say something!” he screamed at her.
“You are my purpose in being here. I could not interfere with Rowena’s fate.”
He was shocked. “Her fate? I caused this fate! I made this fate for her!”
“No, Jarrett you did not. Rowena chose her own path, and therefore created her own fate. She understood the sacrifice she made and what it may cost to save your soul the day she spirited you away as a baby. It is hard to understand why we are given a certain path, but we must persevere and continue along to the very end. Otherwise, temptation seeks us, and we might become lost in the darkness. Rowena knew this. She knew she could not control the will of others—only her own choices and reactions. One day,
you will understand this.”
Jarrett didn’t want to understand. He needed Rowena back, and he wanted to be normal. He wished so desperately for everything to be as it had been months before. Seething and needing someone to blame, he charged at her, wanting to take out his anger on this strange woman. Only, she disappeared in front of his very eyes.
“I HATE YOU!” he yelled out at nothing. “When next we meet, I will kill you! Do you hear me? I will kill you!”
Then the broken boy once again fell to his knees and sobbed for the loss of the only mother he ever knew—the only person he believed would ever love a demon such as him. While in the shadows, darkness waited.
Chapter 4
Collett woke breathing hard. Her chest felt heavy, and her stomach rolled. Every second of the dream felt so real, and her heart screamed out for the small child all over again. She had endured the tragic images several times since her encounter with Jarrett, and she heard his promised shout of lasting hatred reverberate through her soul each time.
Except he hadn’t killed her, and they all knew he could have.
None could blame him, she thought and felt shivers crawl down her spine. If only I could remember. Every time the dream came to her, she tried to recall why she wouldn’t save the woman, why she’d let an innocent die. The event seemed clearer each time, and still she had no explanation for her actions.
That fateful night broke a child’s heart, and because she felt each feeling of his as sharply as if they were her own, she knew it remained broken.
She wiped at the tears on her face, composed herself, and realized something was wrong. It only took a minute to identify what felt out of place. When she reached over to the other side of the bed, her hand didn’t make contact with Cade. The sheets next to her were cold, so he must have been up for a while. Rising, she grabbed her robe off of the bed post where she had slung it earlier and headed downstairs.
Cade stood in the parlor of his friend Rederrick’s home and looked out the oversized window at the snow-covered ground. The frozen crystals from yesterday’s heavy storm sparkled as moonbeams reflected off the white-blanketed earth. The night sky was free of clouds, and stars twinkled in the vast blackness that was a direct contrast to the icy landscape. However, the soft winter beauty happened to be wasted on the stoic man staring through the glass.
She could see the shadow of his reflection in the window and sensed his thoughts were dark and heavy. With his arms folded over his chest and a deep scowl on his face, he was too lost in his inner ponderings to notice the winter landscape. A soft glow, coming from the nearby Christmas tree lights, fell over his strong features, and she felt her heart tighten with both love and concern.
She entered the room as quietly as possible so as not to disturb him, but Cade’s sensitive hearing picked up her soft footfalls as she came toward him. She covered the distance between them, and in a gesture so natural it seemed they’d always been together, he reached out and pulled her to him. She snuggled into his warm embrace, rested her head against his chest, and wrapped her slender arms around his waist.
She remained quiet simply offering him silent companionship. She could feel his brooding temperament even stronger with the contact. Sensing his emotions was easier than it had been when they first met. She suspected it was a result of their deepening connection.
After a few minutes, she observed quietly, “You’re thinking about him again.” Cade’s brow furrowed further, and he blew out an exasperated breath.
Collett pulled back slightly. She untangled her arms and put a hand on his chest and felt his heartbeat beneath her fingers. She tipped her head up to meet his eyes. “You’re worried about him.”
“Jarrett can take care of himself,” Cade grumbled. “I’m more worried about Cody. We still have no idea what happened to him. I can’t figure it out. Then there’s the note. . .”
“Alright then, I’m worried for him—worried for them both,” she admitted. “Go Cade. Go and try to find him—it’s time. He’s had a few days to think. Maybe Jarrett can tell you something about Cody too.”
Pulling away and giving her a stern look, he said sharply, “We’ve been over this.”
“Cade, it’s not as if there’s no one here to protect me. Besides that, I could go with you.”
“I don’t want you within a hundred miles of him.”
Narrowing her eyes, she admonished, “You judge him so harshly.” Silence followed her statement as each considered the other’s argument. Frustrated, Cade roughly pulled his fingers through his hair.
“He hasn’t given me a reason not to,” he said weakly.
“Really? Nothing?” she questioned gently. Her words held no incrimination, but Cade felt it all the same. They both knew that recent events showed Jarrett was not the enemy Cade thought him to be.
“What do you want from me, Collett?” he asked earnestly.
“I want you to find peace with your brother, and I want you to try and understand.”
“I don’t know if I can,” he muttered.
“It’s never been easy for him—not like it is for you. What you two are, I mean,” she stated softly, knowing in her heart it was true. Cade stood quietly again with a pensive expression. When it became obvious he wouldn’t reply, she added, “Most of all, I want you to do what makes you happy.”
“Being with you makes me happy,” he replied as he reverently cupped her cheek in his hand. She leaned into his touch, and he bent down and kissed her tenderly. Having just found her, he couldn’t stand the idea of leaving for anything, or anyone, for that matter. “You’re all I need,” he promised.
He saw the light in her eyes, but at the same time, he heard the serious tone in her voice. “I know I make you happy, but your relationship with Jarrett makes you unhappy. It eats away at you a little each day. Eventually, our happiness won’t be enough to sustain you. ”
“You’re all I’ll ever need. You’re my life,” Cade insisted.
Looking deeply into his eyes and thinking of the memories she relived earlier, Collett tried to help him understand. “Cade, we have been so blessed to find each other. You have been equally lucky to have people like Rederrick, Cynda, and their family to lift you up and embrace you as one of their own.” Sighing, she turned in his arms to view the scenery. He embraced her from behind as she continued, “What of Jarrett? Will you leave him to fight The Faction alone? I’m not sure you understand how it really feels to be completely alone. I do, and it’s a scary feeling. You can be surrounded by people on all sides, and still be utterly and desperately alone. I felt that from him. He’s not happy, Cade.”
“He doesn’t want my help,” Cade protested. She knew that was true too, but there was something nagging at her—an urgency in her belly she couldn’t explain.
Twisting her head around, she reached back and brushed her fingers over the nape of his neck, sending shivers through him. “No, he doesn’t want help, but he does need it. He‘ll see that eventually.” The words were said for herself as much for him.
Cade considered her words, and his resolve wavered slightly. “I wouldn’t know how to find him, even if I wanted to.”
“Look out there at the sky. A moment ago, you didn’t see a single star because you weren’t looking at them. And if you look even more carefully, you can see a few of them are dimmer than the rest-barely noticeable among the others. You only have to make the effort, and there they are as if waiting for you.” She sighed again. “It’s been a long day. I’m going back up to bed. Are you coming?”
Feeling slightly off balance, he mumbled, “I’ll be there shortly. Don’t wait up for me.”
“I love you, Cade, and I’m sure you’ll think of something.”
He turned and kissed her forehead affectionately. “I love you too.” Cade then watched as his new wife strolled from the room. My wife, he thought. He never figured he would get to say the word wife again. After the disaster with his first marriage, Cade swore he would never bring that kind of
pain to any other woman again.
Everything had changed so fast. He met Collett when she was being hunted by The Faction, and their relationship bloomed in days. Then Jarrett, who had been ordered to kill Collett, kidnapped her and whisked her away into the mountains of Colorado. When Cade realized he couldn’t live without her, his life turned around quickly.
Maybe he did owe Jarrett for that. If Jarrett and the other members of the Faction hadn’t been hunting her, he might never have met her, and her kidnapping bound them together in ways he never could have predicted.
The vague images of Collett’s past were still few and far between, but she tapped into Jarrett’s memories the night he took her and saw herself in a shared event from both of their lives.
She remained reluctant to tell Cade everything she remembered, and he could admit that bothered him a little. However, she did tell him how she helped Jarrett as a young boy on a horrible day of his life. It was confusing and crazy, but it meant that she was somehow older than the werewolf brothers. How much older was yet to be decided, but she had excitedly explained that it all made sense to her.
“Don’t you see? I did remember Juliet—her clothes, her hair, are real. She was real.”
Juliet, her sister, had been Collett’s first returning memory, but she originally disbelieved it because of the dated images. Seeing Jarrett’s memories, Collett understood why Juliet had looked so different in her mind.
The thought of her enthusiasm still brought a smile to his face. He recalled how her eyes sparkled and her smile lit her whole features when she told him that his immortality no longer mattered between them.
Cade grasped at the opportunity so swiftly that they were both still adjusting to it. He asked her right then to marry him, and after she accepted his abrupt proposal with teary eyes, he pushed for a quick wedding. As far as they knew, there was no need to postpone it for her family. She felt sure there was no one.