Summoned (The Brazil Werewolf Series)

by Dudley-Penn, Amanda K.

  I shifted, “He didn’t want my first kiss to be at our wedding.”

  She laughed as my face reddened further, “its okay. Andre was upset when he found out my first kiss was at our wedding,” she said and narrowed her eyes mockingly, “I’ll forgive you based on that. Still, Marco knew better. If Sophia finds out, it won‘t be pretty but I‘m pretty sure you won‘t tell her.”

  “No, I won’t,” I said, shaking my head. I did not want to make Sophia mad.

  “Don’t do anything else before the wedding,” she said, her words implying more than just a kiss and I nodded.

  The heat rose further in my cheeks as I made my way past her and to the bed that had been deemed mine during my stay there. She smiled as I found my gown and went into the bathroom beside the little room where my bed was. I dressed and when I exited the bathroom, she was still there.

  “I just wanted to say good night,” she said as I got into bed. She walked past me to her bedroom door where she turned and looked at me. She gave me a wicked grin, “I would say sweet dreams but I don’t think you’ll have a problem with those.”

  Then, she left leaving me smiling to myself. No, I didn’t think I’d have problems with sweet dreams. I had too many images of what had happened with Marco in my head.

  Chapter Five

  What History Does

  I awoke to voices talking loudly in the early morning hours. I opened one eye in the darkened room in which I slept listening intently. It took only a moment to realize that one of the voices belonged to Aurora. I was surprised at how familiar I had become with her in such a very short time. Even though I had only spoken to the other woman for a few moments the night before, I was pretty sure the other voice belonged to Mirella. I frowned as I realized that Aurora sounded annoyed.

  “Oh no, you are not going to do to Lilly what you did to me,” Aurora said, stubbornly, “When I told you we needed to go shopping for her I did not expect you to show up at my house at six o’clock in the morning. Nothing is open and though I know you don’t understand this but some people need sleep.”

  I listened as Mirella laughed, “I don’t.”

  “Well, she does and I do,” Aurora said with a huff, “By the way, you will not be here before six on her wedding day. You will let her sleep for a little while.”

  Mirella laughed again, “I‘m so not going to listen to you on that,” she said still laughing, “Worse, you won’t be able to stop me because mom is the one who wakes me up.”

  “It’s my house,” Aurora said, “I’ll lock you out.”

  Mirella laughed again, “Ahhh, Aurora. You aren’t being very fun. Besides, you know that Andre will let me in.”

  I sat up, shaking my head, realizing that I should get up before I started a family feud. When I walked into the living area, I found Mirella grinning at Aurora who was trying to keep the smile off of her face.

  “Good morning,” I said and they both turned to me.

  Mirella’s grin widened triumphant, “See she’s awake,” she said, laughing at Aurora’s groan of annoyance, “Now, you both have to get ready because we’re going shopping.”

  Aurora made a face and then, looked at me apologetically, “We’re going to buy some new clothes for you,” she said, smiling, “And we are buying your wedding dress. Though I honestly think we could have waited until the sun was up to shop.”

  Mirella raised a brow and looked out of the window seeing the sunrise, “The sun is up,” she said and then, turned to me, “So, go get ready.”

  I nodded. Mirella didn’t seem like the type of person who would give up on an argument. I searched for something decent to wear and then, went into the bathroom to take a quick shower. Twenty minutes later, I was showered and had pulled my hair into a ponytail, deciding that I wouldn’t be able to do anything with it while Mirella was pounding on the bathroom door.

  When I opened it, her gaze swept over me and then, she frowned, “Are you ready?’

  I couldn’t help but to laugh, “I guess as much as I’ll ever be.”

  “See, Aurora,” she said, loud enough for her to hear, “She’s knows that this will be fun. She’s not whiny like you.”

  Aurora stuck her tongue out at her as Mirella pulled me toward the front door. She followed quietly behind us, shaking her head.

  “Is Sophia coming?” Aurora asked as we walked to the door.

  “You know that she is. We’re shopping for her wedding gown. There is no way she‘s missing that,” Mirella said, rolling her eyes.

  She opened the door and we stepped out into the chilled morning air. I shivered as it caressed my skin.

  Mirella frowned, “The first thing we should get you is a winter coat. We don‘t want you sick on your wedding day/”

  Aurora nodded and I looked down, trying to ignore the cold. It was only a few seconds later that I felt the fabric of a jacket cover my arms. I turned, surprised to find Marco behind me.

  “Thank you,” I whispered, deciding not to argue with him. The memory of his kiss still lingered in my head and I blushed.

  He smiled crookedly but it didn’t reach his eyes. I frowned as I noticed the dark spots beneath them. It didn’t look like he had gotten much sleep but still; he seemed in a good mood.

  “Keep it until you get one,” he said, before caressing my cheek. I nodded and then, he turned and walked away.

  I looked at Aurora and Mirella who were grinning widely at me. I blushed but chose to ignore it by asking, “Why did he seem so tired?”

  Aurora turned to look at him as he walked toward Sophia and Gavriel‘s home. Pity was clear on her face. When she looked back at me, she seemed sad, “He’s staying up all night to make sure our father doesn’t come for you.”

  My mouth dropped opened, horrified, “He can’t do that,” I said.

  “Well, I said the same thing when Andre did it for me,” she said with a sigh, “But these men are stubborn.”

  I looked after him, “Will he sleep while I’m gone?”

  Aurora nodded, “Yes,” she said, giving me a soft smile, “He’ll be fine when we get back.”

  I nodded looking forward to our shopping trip if for no other reason than for him to get some rest.

  **********

  Exhaustion had settled in every muscle in my body by the time we entered the dress shop filled with wedding dresses. Still, I had to admit that I loved shopping. Aurora thought that I was crazy. She obviously did not share my opinion. Thankfully, Mirella did.

  “Thank goodness this is our last stop,” Aurora said, falling onto the couch which sat before a pedestal in the center of the shop.

  “We still have to find the wedding dress,” Mirella said, pouting.

  “Leave her be,” Sophia said, smiling lovingly at Aurora, “She’s carrying my grandchild. She can sit there while we look.”

  Aurora gave Mirella a large, mocking smile, “Let Lilly try them on,” she said, smiling, “I’ll sit here as she models them and I will tell her which ones look nice.”

  I smiled as I watched Aurora and Mirella make faces at each other. While I watched them, Sophia went through four racks and came to me with her arms full of dresses. She handed them to me and looked almost apologetic.

  “I know there is a lot of them but we’ll need for you to try these on,” Sophia said, caressing my cheek, “Show us the ones that you like and we‘ll decide together which one will be best.”

  I nodded suddenly feeling my stomach flip. Somehow, everything had not seemed real until I realized that I would be trying on the dress that I would wear on my wedding day. I nodded and turned.

  “Oh, Lilly,” Aurora said as if just remembering something important, “Make sure to check the rooms before you go in and lock the door.”

  I turned back to her, frowning, “Why?”

  “Because our father sent the man who he had chosen for me while I was in the dressing room alone,” she said, frowning, “He nearly took me.”

  “Should we tell her who that was?” Mirel
la asked and Aurora glared at her.

  “No,” she said, “I think he’s proven himself.”

  Mirella grinned, “He is a good friend.”

  Aurora turned back to me, “One day I will tell you everything that happened to me,” she said, smiling, “But right now is not the right time.”

  I nodded and turned going to the dressing rooms. A chill ran up my spine as I stepped into the room but no one was there. I began to try on dress after dress and then, modeled the ones I liked. Finally, we settled on a beautiful strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline. Silver ivy leaves were beaded along the side. A chapel train flowed behind it. The matching veil rested at fingertip length with a delicate lace border.

  Sophia smiled at me, “Go change,” she said with tears in her eyes, “I’ll pay for the dress.”

  I nodded and walked to the dressing room, peeking in just before entering and then, locked the door behind me. I sighed relieved that the day had come to an end as I changed out of the last dress, handing it to Sophia who waited on the other side of the door. I changed into my clothes as quickly as I could because being alone in the dressing room creeped me out.

  I had just buttoned my jeans when a knock sounded at the door, “One moment,” I said, jumping. I shoved my feet into my shoes and stepped toward the door but as I did, I inhaled. I frowned as I stopped in the middle of the dressing room.

  I stepped back as I inhaled again, making sure of the scent. I had never been able to discern between one person or another much less tell if there was another werewolf near but as I stood there I found myself able to do just that. I had no doubt that the person on the other side of the door was a werewolf and they weren’t from our family.

  They banged at the door again and I had to suppress a whimper. My breath caught in my throat as I stepped back until I could go no further.

  I pressed my back against the far wall, trembling as I looked around the small space. The knock sounded again, this time more forceful. Tears threatened to flood my eyes but I blinked them back to prevent them from hampering my vision.

  A moment later, the door flew inward and I screamed as loud as I could. The man before me was a little older than me. He had blonde hair but his eyes were the same silver as my father’s. He was tall with rope after rope of muscle covering his body.

  “Who are you?” I asked, pushing my back further against the wall.

  “Eli,” he said. The name trembled through me. He was the man my father had chosen for me.

  He stepped closer. His face was hardened in determination. I swallowed trying to think of any way to defend myself.

  “Leave me alone,” I whispered, putting my hands out. Still, he stepped closer. He had grabbed me and panic raced up my spine but a second later he was on the floor. Sophia stood behind him with a large metal vase in her hand. The curved side was dented inward where she had slammed it into his head.

  “I’m glad he wasn’t in transition,” she said, reaching her hand out to me, “I guess I should be happy your wedding is in three days too. We won‘t have to worry about this anymore.”

  I nodded as I grabbed her hand and she pulled me over Eli, “Let’s leave before he wakes up.”

  “Okay,” I said, breathlessly. We walked as normal as we could through the shop, picking up my dress as we did. Then, we raced to the car with Aurora and Mirella behind us. When we were away from the shop, I looked at Sophia.

  “How did you know?” I asked, frowning.

  Aurora smiled at me, “When you didn’t return, I got worried because of what happened to me.”

  I smiled grateful for my sister, “I’m glad you did.”

  “Well, be glad that I realize that history always does one thing,” she whispered.

  “What’s that?” I asked, frowning.

  “It always repeats itself,” she said, giving me a small smile.

  Chapter Six

  When Bad Things Happen

  I was horrified when Sophia called Marco to tell him about the attack. He hadn’t slept much and I knew he wouldn’t sleep past hearing the news. My heart ached for him. He could not continue going without sleep because of me.

  I tried to convince myself that I could be wrong. He could have returned to bed but my fears were realized when I arrived at Aurora and Andre’s motor home and found Marco sitting on the sidestep. Worry creased his brow as he stood and walked toward me. He was less than two feet from me when he stopped and studied me, allowing his gaze to sweep over me before he sighed as if relieved.

  “You’re okay?” He asked, still studying my face carefully.

  “I’m fine,” I said, sighing heavily. I looked at him pained, “You really should be resting. You didn’t get enough sleep last night because you stayed up to watch over me. You can’t just keep staying awake. That’s unsafe for you.”

  His mouth lifted in that half smile and something sparked in his eyes, “You’re worried about me.”

  I blushed before shrugging, “Yes. I‘m worried about you. You‘re going to make yourself sick.”

  It was silent for a few moments as he studied me further. His brow lifted and that half smile still rested on his face. He blinked and then, he looked at his mother.

  “What happened?” he asked as his eyes clouded again.

  Sophia rolled her eyes as if the attack had simply annoyed her, “Eli tried to kidnap her in the dressing room in much the same way that Aurora was almost taken…except Lilly had locked the door. So he had to kick it in.”

  Marco frowned as he looked at me again. It was obvious he was searching for injuries, “Maybe we should elope. I think it will be safer,” he whispered almost to himself.

  Sophia shook her head, appalled, “You are not eloping,” she said, harshly, “I will not ruin our plans because of Emilian and his family. We will have the perfect wedding for you and Lilly regardless of what he does and we will do it on the day we originally planned.”

  Marco looked at me and then, closed his eyes tired, “Mom, I don’t know about waiting. It’s too dangerous. I don‘t want her hurt.”

  “He did the same thing with Aurora,” Sophia said, stubbornly, “I will not let him ruin this for you…or for her,” she said pointing at me, “This day is one of the most important days of your lives.”

  Marco nodded as he emitted a long sigh, “Fine, but I’m staying with Aurora and Andre until our wedding,” he said, frowning, “Except for the night before. I wouldn‘t want to break tradition.”

  Sophia narrowed her eyes, “It‘s not proper.”

  Marco groaned, “Mother, this is not the seventeen hundreds.”

  Sophia raised her brow and then, she narrowed her eyes,” You promise that you will not be alone with her until your wedding night,” she said.

  “Aurora and Andre will be there. I won’t be alone with her,” he said as he groaned, “Mother, I’m doing this for no other reason than to protect her. I told you that I don‘t want her hurt.”

  Sophia studied him further and opened her mouth in what I was sure was a protest but Aurora stopped her.

  “Sophia, you know that we won’t allow anything to happen. I wouldn‘t want you to think badly of Lilly. This is the best way for everyone,” Aurora said, frowning as she looked at her, “You do trust me, don’t you?”

  Sophia caressed her face and then, smiled gently, “Yes,” she said, nodding her head, “I do.”

  “Then, he can stay with us,” Aurora said with a smile, “Besides; he’ll get more sleep this way.”

  Sophia nodded her head again as her shoulders drooped forward in resignation, “Yes, he can stay,” she breathed and closed her eyes, “I’m thankful that Lilly is the last one that we have to worry about this with.”

  “You know I was worth it,” Aurora said, grinning, “Lilly is too.”

  “Yes, you both are,” she said looking up at Aurora with a smile and then, turned to Marco, “I will bring some clothes for you later.”

  “Thank you, Mom,” he said, kissing her cheek bef
ore she turned and left.

  I sighed relieved but as I looked at him, my stomach began to flip pleasantly as I realized he would be near me much more.

  **********

  I found that falling asleep knowing that Marco was sleeping less than thirty feet away was the hardest thing I had ever done. I tossed and turned for hours finally falling into the complete darkness of sleep.

  The sound of my name woke me, causing my eyes to snap open. I frowned as my heart picked up speed. I could not place who had spoken it, even though I was sure that I had heard this person before. I trembled equally sure that the owner of the voice was dangerous.

  “Lilly,” he whispered again and I sat up in the bed, frowning as I looked around. He sounded so close but I found myself alone. I blinked, confused as I rose and walked toward the living room wondering if the voice had come from there.

  I stepped into the living room and looked around, finding only Marco sleeping on the couch. His face was relaxed in his slumber. I stepped closer intending to study him while he slept but my name sounded through the room again, frightening me because I was beginning to grasp who‘s voice it was and why it sounded so familiar. I swallowed as I thought of Eli in the dressing room. I realized with a bone trembling realization that the voice whispering my name was the same that had come from Eli’s mouth.

  “Marco,” I whispered, but he didn’t move so I said his name louder. His eyes snapped and met mine.

  He smiled for a moment as he studied me but the look on my face must have alerted him to the fear running through me.

  “Lilly, what’s wrong?” He asked, sitting up, exposing his muscled torso. A frown marked his brow.

  “It’s Eli,” I whispered, “He’s saying my name. He’s calling for me.”

  Marco’s eyes narrowed as he looked toward the door. As if Eli sensed that Marco was awake, something slammed into it, causing me to jump. Marco stood and pushed me behind him.

  “Andre!” He yelled and a moment later, Andre entered the room.

  “What is it?” He asked, looking around wildly. His eyes settled on Marco and then, me.