The Genesis of Evangeline (The Lost Royals Saga Book 1)

by Rachel Jonas

  Richie and Dad both shot me warning looks.

  I breathed deep. “I didn’t… I didn’t mean anything by that. I just meant I didn’t think that was really the kind of thing I needed to share.”

  Richie looked away after I apologized, but my dad didn’t. His glare softened, though.

  Mom continued to pry. “I just want what’s best for you. And with you leaving for college in less than a year… seems like kind of a strange time to decide you want to settle down, doesn’t it?”

  Knots tensed across my shoulders and it would have been so easy to call attention to the many times she got on my case about not keeping girls around long enough for her to even learn their names. About finding condoms in my drawer. Now, in her eyes, settling down was a bad thing?

  My fork was in hand, but I wasn’t eating anymore. Instead, I remembered the story my parents referenced the night before, the one about her dad not wanting her to have anything to do with mine. Then I remembered how she promptly reminded my father that this, between Evie and I, was different, implying that being around her was somehow dangerous.

  “I can handle myself,” was where I wanted this conversation to end. I didn’t want her to feel comfortable enough to share her thoughts about Evie. I didn’t want to have to tell her there was nothing she could do to stop me from seeing her. I didn’t feel like ruining what was left of my birthday arguing with my parents.

  So, I stood, deciding it’d be best if I just went to my room before things got out of hand. My head was killing me anyway.

  “I’ll, uh… I’ll see you all in the morning.” I didn’t look at anyone in particular. The quicker I walked away, the better my chances of this not turning into anything it didn’t have to be.

  Upstairs, I took a quick shower before laying on top of my covers, staring at the ceiling in the dark. I could still see perfectly as I tossed a basketball into the air, never missing a single catch. Today had been a mashup of events and emotions, but I chose to focus on the good ones. The best ones.

  And most of those involved Evie.

  From my window, I could see her bedroom light was still on and I wondered what she was doing, wondered if she was thinking about me, too. The possibility had me eying my phone on the nightstand and I finally gave in, sending a quick text, being more real and honest about my feelings for her than I ever had been.

  It read: ‘I can’t stop thinking about you.’

  My heart raced while waiting for a response, assuming my being transparent didn’t freak her out. When the phone buzzed in my hand, a smile came right after.

  ‘I gave up trying days ago.’

  And just like that, my mood lightened and I began to drift with an image of her behind my eyelids the instant they closed.

  *****

  “It’s too soon,” came a voice, one I couldn’t easily place. All sound distorted around me, like I was underwater.

  “This shouldn’t be happening for another couple years.”

  The room went silent again.

  A heavy breath of frustration came before more words. “We didn’t have time to warn him; time to explain anything; time to prepare him.” I now recognized the voice as Ben’s.

  “We all knew his first shift could come sooner than any of ours did,” Kyle added, confusing me more and more with all this talk of explaining and shifting.

  My heart raced a mile a minute as I struggled against the damp sheet beneath me. It was drenched in sweat as heat surged through my limbs.

  “Imagine what could’ve happened if Mom hadn’t come up to check on him before we left,” Richie chimed in. “We should’ve known,” he added. “All the signs were there. The thing with the truck last weekend, today’s headache, and… I know I’m not the only one who’s picked up on the kid’s scent lately,” he added.

  My first instinct was to lift my arms and sniff my pits to see what he meant by that, but I didn’t have the strength.

  “Potent,” was Ben’s contribution.

  “He smells like one of us now,” Richie added

  …one of us.

  Silence.

  Footsteps.

  “I’m worried.” This voice belonged to my mother and, in it, was a heavy sense of panic the moment she hit the room. “Maybe this is completely unrelated and what we should be doing is taking him to the hospital.”

  Completely unrelated to what?

  “Mom, feel his head again,” Richie said calmly, maybe hoping to relax her some. “He’s burning up—even more than when we first checked.”

  A small, cool hand pressed to my skin.

  “…It’s happening,” Kyle said with the same solemn tone as Richie a moment ago, adding, “…and it’s happening now.”

  “I’ll pull the car around. You guys bring him downstairs and meet me out front. We might not have much time.” Right after, Richie took a few steps toward the hallway, but it halted him when Ben spoke again.

  “What if Mom’s right? This isn’t how it’s supposed to happen; this isn’t when it’s supposed to happen,” he voiced. “Since when—”

  Richie cut him off swiftly and even I felt the urgency in his tone. “We don’t have time for this. We can either stand here and debate this thing while our brother experiences the worst pain of his life in about ten minutes. Or we can move now and get him chained up before he brings this whole house down.”

  Ben didn’t answer, so Richie said more, asking a question this time. “None of us can guess how strong he’s gonna be. He’s… different. So, if this is your way of volunteering to restrain him so he doesn’t kill us all, make it plain.”

  More silence.

  Lots of silence.

  “We’ll bring him down,” Ben finally conceded.

  All the while, I wondered what the heck was going on and why I could hear the conversation going on around me, but couldn’t speak. Couldn’t move other than writhing in pain as my muscles fired off at random.

  Heavy footsteps faded down the hallway and then took to the stairs like thunder. I was lifted into the air from my bed. My eyes wouldn’t focus no matter how hard I tried to make them. I was carried down to the first floor by two sets of arms I assumed to only be my brothers’, but it could have been my dad, too.

  Flashes of light from the chandelier above were even more disorienting than the darkness. That same small hand pressed to my forehead. Mom again. I caught a glimpse of her worried face right after and I tried to make sense of it all.

  Something was wrong with me, just like I suspected there was. My father stepped beside my mother and did his best to console her.

  She whispered in his ear. “This doesn’t feel right. It’s too soon. It didn’t hit any of our other boys this hard.”

  My father didn’t respond. Just hugged her tighter, but I got the feeling he was concerned, too, despite how well he hid it.

  Tires screeched outside and I was lifted into the air again. A chill hit my blazing hot skin and, just as I got a little relief from the fever, the headache took a turn.

  All my senses went haywire when a bone-splitting crack made me yell out. The only thing I could focus on was the pain. It had a life all its own—like a living, breathing entity that had taken over my body, tearing me apart from the inside out, so intense I couldn’t even think. The only thing I could do was feel; let the pain consume me.

  Unable to control myself, I screamed out into the darkness, holding my head when it felt like it might split into two.

  “Move, move, move!” Kyle yelled, urging Ben to walk faster. Shortly after, I felt the leather of Ben’s SUV against my back. Richie was behind the wheel and Ben took the passenger seat. Kyle had been tasked with the duty of keeping me propped up.

  But then, the feel of his tight grip around me—like a bear hug—made me wonder if his job was actually to keep me restrained.

  Rage filled me completely. Rage, hatred, and anger I couldn’t contain, starting in each of my limbs, spreading inward until the feeling reached the center of my chest. The
racket inside my head grew louder with each second and I fought against Kyle as he struggled to keep me still.

  “Control him!” Richie yelled.

  “What do you think I’m trying to do back here!” Kyle fired back, tightening his arms around my shoulders even more.

  The constant drumming of his heart beating against my back was distracting, and yet, I suspected it fed the rage within me, making me hyper-focused on breaking free. To loosen his grip, I flexed my arms and a vibration rolled up my throat and out of my mouth.

  It was a sound.

  Something I’d never heard before.

  “He’s turning! I can’t hold him!”

  In response to Kyle’s desperation, Richie picked up speed.

  At some point, I’d become more lucid, more aware of my surroundings. This winding road, it was the one that led to our grandfather’s estate. Years had passed since I visited, but I didn’t forget the way.

  A slow burn spread up my spine like acid and the dark sound instinctively flowed from my mouth again. The closest thing I could equate it to was the roar of a wild animal.

  Similar to that of a lion maybe—deep, hollow, frightening.

  It filled the truck, ricocheting off the hard surfaces and flowing right back into my ears where the pain had become so severe. Inside, it felt like my body was tearing itself apart and, in a moment of sheer irrationality, I tore at my clothes like an insane person.

  Maybe that’s exactly what I was.

  It was the only way to explain any of this.

  We left the road. It was the sound of gravel beneath the truck’s tires that alerted me. We jerked to a stop and three of the doors flew open. Kyle’s hold on me didn’t loosen and he had Ben’s help now. Richie pulled something from the trunk and, while I couldn’t yet see what that something was, I recognized the sound of chains right away.

  “I’ll find a sturdy tree to secure him to,” Richie yelled over my grunting. “There’s no time to go any further. We’ll have to make do.”

  The others didn’t protest. Instead, following behind Richie, using their feet to close the doors to his truck behind us. The rage still hadn’t subsided. It was like someone else had taken over my body, forcing me to thrash and writhe as I fought to get free.

  But it was then that I remembered something Kyle yelled to Richie a moment ago.

  ‘He’s turning!”

  But… turning into what?

  We were far off the road, deep in the woods, surrounded by the scent of moss and damp soil. I was strangely aware of everything—all of it hitting me simultaneously, but still one odor, one sound, distinguishable from the next. It was so hard to explain.

  We came to a stop and my back met the rough bark of a large tree with the force of ten men, not the two who carried me. My brothers were strong, but tonight… tonight I felt stronger.

  “We’ll hold him, but hurry. Kid’s getting more powerful by the second,” Kyle yelled, holding one half of my body in place while Ben held the other. Richie made quick work of wrapping the thick chain around my torso and arms. When he ran out of length, he secured the end with a huge lock.

  They stepped back, each of them winded, each wearing a look of uncertainty as they eyed the chain.

  It was Kyle who finally asked. “So, uh… you think it’ll hold?”

  Richie wiped sweat from his brow using the bottom of his t-shirt. “Let’s hope so,” he huffed. “If it doesn’t, I say we toss Ben to him as a diversion and you and me run like the dickens.”

  Ben responded with a nervous smile.

  “Lighten up,” Richie laughed, still trying to catch his breath. “There should at least be comfort in knowing he’ll be tearing you limb from limb on instinct.”

  Ben leaned against a nearby tree, but kept his eyes trained on me. “And how exactly is that comforting?”

  Richie shrugged and sighed heavily. “Just saying it won’t be personal. He’d only hurt you because he can’t help himself.”

  The vibration ripped from my throat again as they discussed me like I wasn’t even there. Like I wasn’t human.

  “We’re gonna have to gag him,” Ben suggested, pushing off from the tree he claimed. “Otherwise, someone might hear and we can’t afford for anyone to come snooping. It’s too dangerous.”

  The next second, he slipped his shirt over his head and came closer. The moment I realized his intent, a surge of energy and frustration came over me and I was determined to stop him. It was no use, though. The green, Michigan State tee was wound into a tight roll and then pressed to my mouth, tied behind my head to muffle my voice.

  I’d never been so angry in my life. Especially not at them—my brothers.

  Ben backed away and there was the unmistakable twinge of guilt behind his eyes. His hands settled at his waist and he breathed deep, holding my gaze while I panted and stared through the sweat pouring down my face.

  “We owe you one heck of an explanation, Nick. Trust us… we know. But you have to understand, this wasn’t how any of us intended for it to go.”

  “There should have been more time,” Kyle added, stepping forward. “I can’t begin to understand what you must be thinking right now, but, if it helps… we all understand the pain.”

  My breathing began to slow as I focused on them, forcing myself to conjure memories that made me want to rip them to shreds a little less than the second before—Richie taking the wrap for me breaking the garage window with my baseball when I was ten; Kyle teaching me how to shave and tie a tie; Ben staying up late to help me with homework. The more I focused on those things instead of the agony, I was able to control myself at least a little.

  “There are so many things you don’t know. About our family. About us.” Richie’s stare deepened. “About yourself.”

  Based on recent events, I couldn’t have agreed with him more.

  A look of frustration filled Richie’s expression and, without another word, he pulled his shirt over his head, then removed his jeans and tossed both aside.

  “The easiest way to help you understand,” he explained, “…is to show you.”

  There was a strange mix of emotion inside me. On the one hand, I wanted answers. On the other, I feared these answers would bring about a change that couldn’t be undone. I knew that, once I understood, there would be no going back.

  Kyle and Ben stepped aside, giving Richie space, and I counted my breaths. However, no amount of measured breathing could have prepared me for what took place right before my eyes half a second later.

  First, there was a sound—much like the foreign one I surprised myself with tonight. A growl, but it was different. As I watched and listened, Richie’s biceps swelled to nearly three times their normal size and his neck broadened toward his shoulders. His skin darkened to a strange shade of silvery gray and I closed my eyes.

  I didn’t want to see anymore. I didn’t want an explanation. All I wanted was to go home and go back to yesterday. Things were so much simpler then. The biggest thing I had to worry about was not looking like a tool in front of Evie.

  Now… I was beginning to think of myself as a monster.

  Another agonizing roar ripped from Richie’s throat, commanding my attention. I looked, but I didn’t want to. His facial features had distorted just that quickly, the bones taking on a completely new structure. His nose and mouth protruded into a snout, while long, sharp canine teeth grew over his lips.

  His new form was beginning to take shape and, completely alert now, I was sure of one thing:

  I didn’t want any parts of it.

  I would have taken off on foot if I hadn’t been chained to that tree. What I saw before me was the stuff nightmares are made of.

  Another roar spilled out into the night air as both his knees jutted backwards, opposite the way they were intended to bend. I could hardly breathe, watching my brother lurch forward, now on all fours, the gut-wrenching sound of bone snapping and breaking surrounded us, echoing off the varying surfaces of the woods. I wasn’
t sure what to make of any of this and it terrified me.

  Dark brown fur covered Richie’s entire body, fur the same shade as his hair. There were also thick, jagged claws that elongated from his nailbed and I noticed how his feet and hands had changed, too. They were more like paws now, but much larger than any I’d ever seen. He was much larger than any living thing I’d ever seen in person.

  Period.

  Before me, a beast paced to and fro… but it wasn’t my brother.

  He took a step closer and I felt my body become rigid with tension, only half sure Richie’s consciousness was still present somewhere within this thing.

  He took another in my direction and Ben acknowledged the low growl humming in my throat before I even noticed it.

  “Easy, Nick. He’s not a threat,” Ben warned. “It’s still Richie. He only shifted to show—”

  “Take the gag off.” Kyle’s words stole Ben’s attention, but he didn’t respond. “He’s calm now and he deserves a chance to react, ask questions, or… whatever,” he added. “Just… take it off.”

  Ben didn’t hesitate this time, but his eyes locked with mine as if to warn me not to try anything when he came closer. As soon as his shirt was removed from my mouth, I worked my jaw to loosen it.

  All three sets of eyes were fixed on me, including the otherworldly, yellow ones of Richie. Now that he fully transitioned, he didn’t seem to be in pain anymore.

  “Well?” Kyle asked, folding his arms over his broad chest. “Say something.”

  I stared at Richie and only one thing came to mind. “I don’t want this.”

  I expected a much softer response than the one that flew from Kyle’s mouth the next second. “Tough. This is what we are. It’s in our blood. Deal with it,” he stated flatly. “And if you’re smart, you’ll even learn to embrace it like our family’s done for generations.”

  A wave of disbelief swept over me. Not even all the strange events that led up to this point prepared me for the weight of Kyle’s words.

  “We’re… I’m a werewol…” Shaking my head, I couldn’t even bring myself to say the word. None of this could be real.