by Elaine Marie
My breathing is erratic, and I can’t catch my breath. The flowers start to wilt, so I turn my back and run from the walkway. The anxiety overwhelms me as I flee to the car. I look behind and see nothing as I stumble grasping for leverage to get away.
Something’s been here. I don’t know how I know, I just do. I press my fingers to the ground as I trudge up the side of the hill.
“Mr. Dameer’s?” The older man stands at the top. His eyes flare then simmer.
“Nevaeh?”
I nod as I reach the top.
“Why are you here?” I ask as he glances past me towards the house.
“You need to go. Run! Run and don’t look back!” He screams as a shriek comes from behind me, sending shivers throughout my body. “Now, Nevaeh! Run!” He pushes past me.
I’m not sure what’s going on but my father always told me to trust this man. So, I take off down the hill and run as fast as I can.
I follow the overgrown grass around and come out on the other side of the property where I parked my car. The shrieks and howls that echo from over the hill are torturous. My body trembles. I’ve never felt so frightened. Shit! Who am I kidding? I’m scared shitless.
I press the fob and the doors unlock as I approach and jump in. Inside, I waste no time starting it and slamming the shifter into gear. The tires screech, and dust and gravel kick up into the overgrown brush which lines the road. I have no clue what to do, but I’m shaking uncontrollably. Sweat is dripping from my hairline. I yank the wheel to the right and pull into the mini-mart gas station, slamming on the brakes.
Holy shit! What just happened? Is Mr. Dameer alright? What were those visions I saw? My mind is overloaded. I start to hyperventilate and my vision starts to blur as I stare out the windshield. I should go back, but I can’t move. With shaky hands, I reach for my cell and press Luci’s number and press speaker.
“Luc…Luc…come on!” The ringing comes and goes and my head starts to sway. Darkness is consuming me. A knock on the window draws my attention. Kato appears through the windshield. Behind him, a pack of wolves takes off into the woods which border the station. The direction I came from. I hear Luci answer her phone but no words come.
My head bobbles and I’m drowning with…fuck, everything is going dark. I drop my hand as I hear the words again. “Run! Run and don’t look back!”
“Sugar, talk to me.” It’s Kato, he’s cradling me against his chest, whispering, “Don’t you leave me. Please, Nev, I just got you back.” He tightens his hold and I feel our bodies shift. What does he mean, he just got me back?
Chapter Ten
THE SOUND OF the clock ticking. A whisper.
“I have to tell her. She has the right to know the truth,” Luci says. “It’s obviously too hard for her to see. If I tell her, maybe she can accept it,” Luci whispers.
“I thought the whole point was to let her find herself? Isn’t that why we’ve waited all these years?” Kato’s voice is strained. He’s concerned and worried, but about what?
“We have to help her. I think she’s fighting it without even knowing. If I tell her and she is truly your mate, she’ll forgive us. Then you can be together. If we don’t, she’ll find out on her own and never forgive us.” A firm hand takes mine, a tingling sensation runs up my arm and straight to my heart. The couch dips at my side.
“Come on, Nevaeh. Come back to us. I need you,” Kato whispers and his firm lips press against my cheek.
I force my heavy eyelids open and adjust to the dim lighting. I’m in Luci’s living room. How did I get here? Then I recall the events which took place and start to panic.
“Luci?” I force out.
She comes into view and smiles. “Glad to have you back. You scared the shit out of me.” She squats down and squeezes my arm lightly. She runs her hands over my arms, legs, and forehead.
“What are you doing?” I ask, as her hands glide along my skin causing a tingly feeling.
“You were unconscious, but no injuries. You’ll be good as new in a few hours.” She pushes off the couch and allows Kato to pass with a cup of water.
I take a sip and appreciate the coldness along my dry throat. I pull it away, the vision from earlier creeps into my mind and I gasp.
“Mr. Dameer? Has anyone seen Mr. Dameer?” I push from the couch, worried I left the man in harm’s way.
“My father’s fine. Sit down and relax.”
My eye’s fling wide in Kato’s direction and I take a step back. “Your father?”
He nods as if I should have known this. Then his face turns sad as if I crushed his dreams.
“You don’t know who I am, do you?”
I’m more confused than ever, and no, I don’t know who he is.
“Listen, we can talk later when you are rested,” Luci says pulling my attention away from Kato.
What the hell is going on, and what happened at my father’s home? What are they hiding from me? And why am I so out of the loop? I’ve been coming to this area my whole life and feel more lost than ever before.
Kato’s phone rings and he excuses himself. “It’s Levi. I’ll take this outside,” he says and walks towards the kitchen.
“Luci, what happened?” I sit back and pull the blanket over me as a shield. Luci hushes me.
“There’s a time and place for everything,” she says with her eyes telling me to shut up. I’m drained and confused and need answers. I reach up and wrap Luci in a tight hug.
“What was that for?” she asks and a tear runs down my cheek.
“I need to know, and I will never hate you.”
She swallows hard and nods, knowing I’ve overheard part of the conversation earlier. Luci understands how important my father was to me. Shit, he’s still important!
“Let’s get a decent meal into you. Kato will be staying for a bit. But promise, keep an open mind. Don’t be so pig-headed and let us explain. There is stuff that may not make sense, but in time it all will. I promise.” She releases and enters the kitchen, pulling things from the fridge.
***
Luci makes delicious lasagna, and I feel as if I haven’t eaten in days. We all agreed we’d have food first, and then we’ll sit outside on the patio and discuss what they were talking about earlier. During dinner, Kato was acting weird…nervous or something. I’m more than ready to know what the big secret is.
I’m nervous and curious at the same time. I know what I saw, but I know it wasn’t real. And who was making all those shrieking noises and why did Mr. Dameer tell me to leave? Suddenly the howls and noises replay in my head. He was fighting someone. No, he was fighting something. He may have saved my life.
“If you’re all done with that, I’ll clean up and we can head outside. You might want to grab your photo album,” Luci says as she leans over and grabs my plate.
I look up and question her with my eyes.
“We might be able to explain some of the pictures,” she says and takes the dishes to the sink. How does she know I have it? And more importantly, why is she willing to tell me now after all these years? I excuse myself and do as she requested.
When I come down the stairs from the loft, Kato is pacing and Luci walks out the back door with a tray, three beers, three shot glasses and a bottle of Jack Daniels.
“Am I going to need all of this?” I joke nervously, walking closer and sitting at the picnic table.
Luci half laughs and takes a shot. “No, but I do. Liquid courage and all.” Her statement unsettles me. It’s unlike her.
I wait patiently a few minutes and then let the question pour out. First, I turn to Kato. “When did we meet?” He’s uncomfortable with this conversation as much as I am, but I need answers. I deserve the truth.
“It was about twelve years ago,” he chokes out and hangs his head.
Okay, twelve years. Where was I twelve years ago?
I jump from the seat and walk out into the grass area placing my hands on my hips and looking out into the dark forest. A tear escape
s and I gulp down the pain. I was here with Daddy.
I feel Kato approach, but he stays a step behind me.
"You," I begin with a shaky breath. "You were the boy who I caught fireflies with. You're the boy who went into the woods." He steps closer closing the space between us, his arms wrap around my waist and he rests his chin in the crook of my neck.
“Yes, your father was friends with mine. I’m Dale Dameer’s son…one of them at least. Levi is younger by a year."
I never paid much attention I was so wrapped up in being Daddy's little girl and with Luci. I had someone to play with, so the boy didn’t really interest me.
"You…you were the one my father went after, aren't you? The one lost in the woods?"
The night my world crumbled.
The night the pale man knocked on the door.
Tears run down my cheek. It was the last time I saw him. The last time I felt whole.
“Your stepmother sent me out for firewood. She gave me specific instructions on where to go. It was dark, and…” He tries to tighten his grip, but I pull his hands away and head straight for the bottle of Jack. I down a few shots and chase it with the beer.
“You need to sit down for the next part. Please, promise you won’t get angry?” Luci places her soft hand on mine and I pull away, anger building inside. It’s too late.
“I’ve been missing my father all these years and it’s this mother fucker’s fault. But I’m not supposed to get angry?” I finish the first beer and throw it at the brick wall of the fire-pit watching the glass break into a million pieces. “I had to live with a monster. No love. No caring because this asshole couldn’t find his way back from the woods?” I take the bottle of Jack and walk back and forth on the patio. Kato runs his hands through his short hair in frustration. He steps in front of me causing me to halt.
"It's not what you think. Let us explain!" Kato yells but his eyes are full of fear.
Luci begins to cry and sits down in the farthest chair covering her face. I turn to Kato, my body trembling with revenge.
"Okay, fleabag. Tell me how you and your wolf instincts got lost in the woods. And how my father drowned while he was out looking for you.”
He steps back, surprise written across his face.
“Yeah, dog. I know more than you think. I’ve been researching.” I take a swig and feel the burn down to my stomach.
“Then you’ll know your father is a hero,” he says lifting his shoulders proudly. Why do people keep saying this?
“What makes him a hero?” I need to know. Barbara wouldn’t tell me and if Kato knows then he better damn well answer me.
He grabs the bottle from my hand, takes a sip and then places it on the table. He is full of anger, but determination at the same time. He steps onto the lawn and looks up at the sky.
"I have the right to know, Kato. Tell me, or for God sake, get the fuck out of my life." I yell at him.
He turns and faces me, his eyes wide with a warning. “That will never happen. You’re mine. I’ll tell you everything. Then I’ll give you a few days. But I will be back for you.”
I step back. If he did something to my father, I could never forgive him. But I have to hear it. I need to know. Defeated, I collapse into the chair and pull my hair back over my shoulder. Luci rubs my back for reassurance and Kato begins:
“Your so-called mother set me up. I went in the direction she sent me. When I finally made it to where she said the best wood for the fire would be, I was attacked. Three vampires surrounded me. I fought like hell taking the smallest one out first. Once she was dead, I turned to the smaller of the other two. That’s when your father joined the fight.”
I gasp. He didn’t just drown. There was a struggle. The thought of Kato and my father being attacked has me more confused.
This isn’t what mother-dearest told me. Daddy drowned looking for the lost boy. Why would she lie? But then again, she said the boy was never found either. Yet, here Kato stands. My mother-dearest’s voice pierces through my head. “Stay away or there would be consequences.”
But I need to know. With a shaky breath, I tell Kato to continue.
He looks toward Luci for reassurance. Her arm tightens around my shoulders as I rock back and forth concentrating on his words.
“Your father was a strong man, but no match for the older vampire. After clawing and sending the smaller one running, I tried to help. I swear.” He steps closer and the emotion in his eyes breaks my heart. “The vampire had your father by the throat. He was squeezing the life from him. By the time I was able to distract him, my father came howling with the pack through the woods. The vampire they called Jeremy took his lifeless body and threw it into the river and disappeared."
My heart crumbles. Daddy was murdered. It wasn’t an accident. All this time I thought…Oh, my! He saved Kato’s life. He is a hero. Yet I was told terrible, dishonest things. How could they keep this a secret all this time? Nausea builds in the back of my throat. I run from the table to the side of the patio and empty my stomach.
Thoughts of that night come rushing back. Oh, God! She did this. It all fits now. It was mother-dearest.
“My stepmother did this.” I let out in pain as I fall to my knees. My heart is tearing into a million pieces with love for my father. “She sent you and my father out there. Why Julia? Why?” I scream into the night sky.
"Nevaeh, what do you mean? Jeremy killed him, not your stepmother," Luci says.
I shake my head and push up from the ground. In stern strides, I grab the notebooks and pencil. If this is the boy from next door who caught fireflies with me, he also liked to draw and was damn good at it.
“Kato, if you’re that boy, draw the man you call Jeremy.”
He reaches for the pad and pencil. I need to wash out my mouth so I go into the house and rinse at the kitchen sink. The cool water feels good against my warm skin, as I run the events through my mind as if it’s happening right now. The sounds of my stepmother yelling, the banging on the door, the voice, the face of the pale man I’ve never been able to see…until now. His chin is sharp, his eyes are black beads, and oh, no…I stumble back against the cabinet and fall to the ground. The glass of water hits the tile floor and shatters around me. My sobs are uncontrollable. It can’t be.
Kato and Luci come running inside. “Are you okay?” they ask together.
I shake my head. No, I’m not okay. I glance at Kato’s hand and see the notebook. I take it from his grasp and my eyes widen with disbelief as I recognize his drawing.
“Oh God!“ I lean forward not sure if I may throw-up or run out to kick someone’s ass. The rage boils within. My knuckles go white from the grip I have on the sink.
“Nev, what is it?” Luci asks running her hands along my arms.
“I’ve gotta go.” I slam the paper down and run out the door and up the stairs into the loft. Kato and Luci call after me, but I see nothing but red. I’m going to kill him if it’s the last thing I do. I hear the door open and Kato pulls me up from the floor where I’m shoving things into a bag.
“Look at me,” he says and pulls my attention away from the task at hand. “You can’t do this.”
I push his hands away. “Don’t you dare tell me I can’t. That night he came to the house.”
Luci steps in and Kato looks confused. The tears won’t stop. I’m lost and I need to make this right. I wipe my cheeks. "He knocked on the door and my stepmother answered. She asked him if the job was done. The next thing I know we were leaving and never coming back. I couldn't remember his face when I thought about it. It was never clear…just pale and empty. When you told me the truth, now I see clearly. Jeremy, he…he’s my stepfather, and I bet my life the younger Vamp you injured is his son. He has a scar on his right eye," I say in a rush. My nose runs as fast as the tears rushing down my face.
Luci gasp and steps back covering her mouth. I kneel down and continue packing.
"There's more I have to tell you," Luci says. She places her hand
on Kato's shoulder and he steps toward the door.
“Keep her here. You can handle the rest. The enforcers will be here soon. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He storms down the stairs of the loft.
I call for him to stop. I can’t afford to lose anyone else I care about, but he doesn’t. He’s gone into the darkness of the night. I can’t let him fight my battles.
Chapter Eleven
KATO
THIS CAN’T BE. But she wasn’t lying. She was telling the truth. Why would Jeremy want her mother? Better yet, what was Joshua thinking? I’ve called a meeting. My father and the Wolfes’ are attending. They want to know what’s going on so they can prepare if need be.
I arrive at the station and walk into the garage. It’s packed.
“What the hell is going on?” Nate asks as he stops me by the door.
“I need to know about Jeremy Stone?” I turn and my father adjusts his stance.
“He’s been an intruder for years. But always seems to be one foot in front of us,” Dad answers.
This is nothing new to me.
“Any word on why Joshua was spotted in the area less than a week ago?” Nate asks and I nod.
“They want her. They want Nev, and I won’t let them have her. I don’t know why, but I’m sure of it.” I slide my hands in my pockets trying to control my beast. I wouldn’t have left her but I can’t afford to have Joshua roaming the area. I need to find him and destroy him once and for all.
“What are you talking about son?” My father asks. I clear my throat.
“Nevaeh, I’ve been informed Jeremy married her stepmother and she’s been living on and off with them and Joshua for years. I know Joshua and I have our issues and one day it will come to rest. I think the day has come.” He wants what’s mine.
My cell phone chimes and I slide the screen open. It’s a message from Lucienne: Finally. Attached is a picture of Nevaeh and Lucienne standing in the darkness of the forest. My beast immediately becomes enraged and I take off out of the station and into the woods.