PANDORA

by Rebecca Hamilton

  Honest to God, I hate shopping and the mall makes me frustrated when I have to shop. I know as a girl, I’m supposed to be a shopaholic, but I absolutely abhor it. Don’t get me wrong, I can sit and hang out all day, but put me in a store where I have to buy something and I get crabby. Retail therapy so does not work for me. Saidie, however, can live in Macy’s. Jason brought us and then fled to Best Buy the minute Saidie started talking about the different dresses we should try on. Yeah, my brother hates shopping as much as me.

  I did, however, find a dress in less than an hour. Yeah me. I love the short little cocktail dress. The simple black concoction molds to my curves and makes my eyes look even darker than usual. Perfection.

  I step off the escalator and look up in time to see a man coming towards me. Hazel eyes stare at me from a face framed by auburn hair. I try to step out of his way, but he just keeps coming. I know he sees me because I can see his eyes.

  The wolf stirs to life inside of me. We sniff the air. This is not a scent we know. It smells of danger. I want to panic, but her presence keeps me calm. I take a step to the side and am not surprised when he steps with me. A tracker. The thought hits us with a violent shock.

  “Hello, little one,” he smiles at me. His voice, low and deep, hold a hint of a southern drawl.

  “Who are you?” we ask cautiously.

  He frowns. “We didn’t expect this,” he says to himself.

  “What?”

  “Your wolf is awake,” he replies.

  “How do you know that?” Uncle Sabien said it was a well kept secret.

  “I can see the amber circles in your eyes, little one.”

  Our eyes are amber? So cool. We wish we could see them.

  Two more men approach slowly from both sides, trying to corner us. We can sense something above us, waiting. No escape there.

  Help, we need help. Morgan . . . we think, our mind reaching out to find him.

  Bess? Morgan’s voice is alert. We open our mind to him and let him see what we see, hear what we hear.

  We need to buy time. “Are you a tracker?” we ask.

  “No,” he shakes his head. “I’m a witch like you.”

  “What do you want?”

  “Your magic.”

  We snarl at him and leap.

  Someone hits us from behind, causing us to fall forward. Our hair gets caught on something and it tears when w pulled away. When we look up they are gone. Oh no, they don’t. No one threatens us. We sniff, looking for the trail their scent leaves behind.

  No, Alex, you can’t track them by yourself, Morgan whispers. Saidie and Jason are coming, Go to the food court and stay there.

  Morgan . . .

  No, Alexandria. Not alone. His tone leaves little room for argument. We stalk to the food court, trying to find the scent of our attackers. We are calming down a bit and I am able to separate my mind from hers, at least a little.

  Jason finds us first. “Are you okay?” he demands, his eyes searching every corner.

  “We’re fine,” I say. I scratch my arms furiously. The crawling seems to have gotten a hundred times worse since meeting the stranger. Maybe the fear caused it. My magic does seem to act up more when I’m afraid or angry. Either way the itching is killing me.

  “I swear I can’t leave you alone for five minutes, Sis, without you finding some kind of trouble.”

  So not my fault.

  “Oh, God, are you okay?” Saidie grabs me up for a hug. Jason rolls his eyes.

  The wolf surges forward again as we catch a distinct smell.

  “We’re fine.”

  There. The scent . . . we can smell it. We dart left.

  “Oh no you don’t,” Jason grabs us. We snarl at him.

  “NO.” He grabs the bags and shoves us ahead of him and out of the mall. “No way am I explaining to Devon how I let you get yourself killed on my watch.”

  “What’s wrong with her?” Saidie asks once we are all in the car and on our way home. “Why is she saying “we”?”

  “Her wolf took over,” he explains quietly. “The wolf seems to come out when Al is afraid. She helps Alex to stay calm, but she also causes problems. Their minds sync up and Alex hasn’t learned enough control yet to fight the instincts of the wolf. Alex doesn’t think in terms of I or she. Instead she thinks in terms of ‘we’—she and the wolf, one mind, separate, but together. So when they caught the scent of the tracker who found her, the wolf wanted to follow it. Common sense says to run, but the predator inside of us says to fight. If I had let her do that, it could have gotten her killed.”

  “You know you’re going to suffer for this,” we growl.

  “Oh, what are you gonna do, Al?” he asks sarcastically.

  We smile our cattiest smile. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

  He frowns.

  Yup, Jason knows he is gonna get it but good.

  Chapter 35

  The room was aglow in candlelight. A lone woman stood in the center of the room, drawing a circle around her. Her soft sable hair shone in the candlelight. She placed four candles around the circle. She turned, facing the first candle. She began to speak, lighting each candle with the invocation she gave.

  “Wind, I need thy swiftness. I call thee to my circle.

  Fire, I need thy cleansing purity to burn away the ties that bind.

  I call thee to my circle.

  Water, I need thee to wash away the bonds of connections.

  I call thee to my circle.

  Earth, I need thy regenerative spirit to aid my quest.

  I call thee to my circle.”

  A light snap could be heard and felt as the circle closed. She smiled in triumph. She opened a package on the floor and placed it in the palm of her hand. She spoke again.

  “Sister of Power, I summon thee.

  Sister of Heart, I summon thee.

  Sister of Mind, I summon thee.

  Hear my plea, hear my cry.

  When he calls, you will follow.

  You will come to me!”

  She fell to her knees on the floor, the power flowing outward from her.

  “It is done,” she whispered with a smile, her obsidian eyes glowed with red fire.

  I blink my eyes open and sit up, trying to remember. What had I just dreamed? It is important to remember, but the more I try the fuzzier it gets.

  What do I need to remember? The urge to remember fades and my eyes flutter close. I am sound asleep soon, the strange dream forgotten.

  Chapter 36

  Thousands of twinkling lights are aglow in the gym. Purple and yellow balloons decorate the walls amongst streamers of the same colors strung artistically throughout. Saidie and I have just come in. Emma dropped us off. I’d asked Tom not to pick me up so that Saidie had an excuse not to ride in the car with her date. He’d gotten a little to over-eager on their date last night and she is a bit wary of getting back into a car with him.

  “Hello, ladies,” Tom greets us. He looks a little stunned.

  “You look great,” Tom tells me, taking my hand.

  “Thanks.” I smile up at him. I do look good. Alright, I’m not vain by any means but I worked hard on my appearance tonight. I wanted to look good in case I saw the hohag. My little black dress with its rounded neckline only hints at what is underneath. Trust me, revealing too much isn’t what a girl wants. It just makes you look either desperate or hoey. Emma insisted I let my natural curls come out and play. I have to admit she was right. They do look really nice even for Shirley Temple like curls.

  “Saidie, you look amazing as always,” her date, Andrew, grabs her hand. “Come on, let’s dance.”

  “Shall we?” Tom motions towards the dance floor.

  “I’d love to.”

  I spend the next two hours dancing and having the time of my life. Devon and the hohag are here somewhere. She looks amazing. I’d give her that much. But so did I, I remind myself. I don’t look as sophisticated and grown up as she does, but I don’t let that bother
me. Not much anyway (liar).

  Dancing is something I absolutely love. I enjoy every second on the dance floor and have to admit that despite running into Devon and the hohag, the night is turning out to be fantastic. Why had I been so worried?

  My feet start to hurt so I plead my way off the floor and send Tom to get us something to drink. Plopping down at an empty table, I jump a little when Saidie slides into a seat across from me.

  “Having fun?” she grins at me.

  “Totally, you?”

  “Yeah, but my feet are killing me.”

  Connor is there a second later, looking a little relieved.

  “Where’s Amber?” Saidie looks around for Connor’s date.

  “Somewhere,” he waves the question off.

  “You’re hiding from her aren’t you?” I grin at him.

  “I am not,” he denies.

  “Did we or did we not tell you, Connor, not to ask her out?” Saidie shakes her head sadly at him. “All the girl can do is giggle.”

  “She’s pretty,” he says defensively.

  Devon slaps him on the back as he joins us.

  Connor winces.

  “Some lessons are best learned the hard way. Hello, Amber.”

  Connor sighs.

  “Here you are, Connor,” she giggles.

  Connor’s expression becomes pained.

  “Can we dance, Connor?” Amber asks in a near whine.

  “Sure,” he agrees, standing. “Let’s go.”

  Tom appears then, holding a drink in his hand. “Sorry it took so long. I got waylaid by some friends.”

  “Not a problem,” I tell him and take a long drink of the pop he’d brought me. I frown and set the cup down. It tastes a little bitter.

  “Ready to go again?” he asks.

  “Sure thing,” I nod and let Tom lead me back to the floor.

  Five minutes later I stumble, feeling hot and more than a little dizzy. I blink, trying to clear my head.

  “Are you okay?” Tom asks, concerned.

  “Yeah, it’s just really hot in here.”

  “Do you want to sit down?”

  “No,” I shake my head, the need for clean fresh air overwhelming me. “I just need some air.”

  “I’ll come with you.”

  “No,” I say quickly. I don’t want Tom to come with me. I don’t know why, but I need to be by myself for a few minutes. “That’s okay, Tom. I’ll just be a second.”

  I turn and walked quickly toward the gymnasium doors, leaving Tom frowning after me. As soon as the cool air hits my face, I immediately feel better. Everything stops spinning.

  Hearing the slam of a car door I look up and see a man standing by a black Lexus. I can see him clearly as he’s standing under a light. Dark auburn hair and hazel eyes smile at me from a face that looks to be about twenty five or so. He has a strong jaw line and a slightly crooked nose like it’s been broken before.

  He smiles at me.

  I frown. Do I know him? Oh my God! Yes, I know him—the guy from the mall. That is the last sane thought that enters my head. When he speaks my mind sorta just freezes up.

  “Are you ready to go, little one?” he asks, opening the passenger door.

  “Yes, of course,” I hear myself answer.

  Odd, but I’m not afraid of him. I feel like I know him and it is most natural thing in the world to follow him. I don’t know him, though, and I know I should run back into the gym screaming, but that doesn’t stop me from moving towards the car. Something is very wrong here, but I can’t for the life of me say what. I don’t really care either.

  “Alex!”

  I hear my name being called, but I ignore it. Instead, I settle myself into the front seat of the car. The door closes and a moment later he slides into the driver’s side.

  “Hot?” he asks, noticing my flushed face.

  “A little.”

  He turns the air up to high and then we are moving. Closing my eyes, I lean back, content to let the cool air soothe my heated skin as he drives. There is no need to worry. Right?

  Chapter 37

  I blink, feeling the car stop. I must have dozed off. The car door opens and I look up to see the man holding out a hand to me.

  “Careful of the gravel,” he warns, grasping my hand and pulling me out of the car.

  I gasp. The moment he touches me, the buzzing in my ears stops and the crawly feeling on my skin disappears. I haven’t felt like this since my magic awoke. His touch soothes it away.

  He smiles down at me, his eyes full of shock and wonder.

  “How?” I whisper.

  “I’ll explain later. We must go inside now, but your friend must wait out here.”

  “My . . . friend?”

  He nods behind me and I turn to see Connor standing by his brother’s car. I frown. What is Connor doing here? Wait. What am I doing here?

  “Alex, are you okay?” Connor asks, taking a step closer. “I followed you guys here when you wouldn’t answer me. I thought you might be in trouble.”

  “No,” the man holds up his hand, halting Connor’s steps. “You will stay here.” Power radiates from his voice. Connor blinks and nods. It is similar to what Uncle Sabien had done to my father the night my magic came roaring to life. He’d told him to go to bed. Now this man has kept Connor from moving.

  “I . . . ” What’s going on? How did I get here? Why am I with the psycho guy from the mall? Ohh, this can’t be at all good.

  “Do not be afraid, little one,” the man soothes. “All is well.”

  “Who are you?”

  “I am Nathaniel Winters.”

  I don’t understand what is going on. My head is all fuzzy.

  “Alex, Devon is on his way,” Connor tells me softly, the strain evident in his voice. He must be fighting whatever hold Nathaniel has on him. “I called him on the way here.”

  “Devon?” I whisper. I look around and recognize the house. We are at the old Monroe House. It had been abandoned in the early 1920’s.

  “It will do him no good to come here,” I hear Nathaniel say and try to focus on what he is talking about. “She belongs to us—to me. Come, little one, we must hurry. Let’s go inside.”

  I nod. Yes, we should go inside. He pulls me along up the porch steps and I vaguely hear him order Connor not to come inside.

  He leads me into the foyer and then to the right. It looks to be a large room, maybe a sitting area. There are other people there as well, watching me. Their faces are full of some emotion I can’t define. They almost look . . . hungry. It scares me. I take an instinctive step closer to Nathaniel. I feel safe with him. Why I don’t know. But I do. Crap. What is it with me feeling safe with the most dangerous people? I must be more screwed up in the head than even I realize.

  “You have done well, little brother.”

  The woman who spoke looks young as well. She can’t have been more than twenty-five or so. Long red hair frames a lovely face with beautiful ivory skin and blue eyes. She looks like an angel. Her smile, meant to be welcoming, puts me on edge. There is something almost feral about her. Her eyes, I decide. Predatory eyes. They remind me of the look in the werecats eyes right before they attacked me.

  Attack! Oh no! My mind clears enough to remember that Nathaniel came to the mall yesterday with some friends to attack me. And what did little ol’ moi do? I let him lead me, pretty as you please, into a trap. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I need Morgan. He’d take care of everything. I just need to stay alive until he got here.

  Morgan?

  There is no answer. I can’t find him, can’t feel him. Panic hits me hard. My stomach knots up and bile rises in my throat as fear races along my veins. The wolf in me tries to surface, but something keeps her at bay, sleeping. This is bad. Very, very, bad.

  “No,” the woman smiles at me. “There will be no help coming for you. I made sure of that. You have been cut off from your mate, your compagnon d'âme. The potion you drank at the dance did the trick. You made it so easy f
or us, sweetling. So trusting you are. A true lamb to the slaughter.”

  Potion? I didn’t drink any . . . .oh, crap! The drink Tom brought me. I remember how bitter it tasted. Right after that I got sick and went outside and found Nathaniel waiting for me. Crap, crap, crap!

  “No,” Nathaniel shakes his head at his sister. “There will be no slaughter this night, Lorelye.”

  “We need her power, Nathaniel. There is only one way to get it.”

  “I’ll never let you harm her, Lorelye,” Nathaniel says, his voice hard and full of power. It lashes out at his sister.

  “What is this, little brother? How do you think we are to gain her power? It lies in her blood. In order for us to absorb it, we need her blood.”

  “She’ll become one of us, but we won’t harm her.”

  Lorelye narrows her eyes at her brother before smiling at him. “You always were the weakest of us, Nathaniel. It is of no matter. I will have her power.”

  “I won’t let you hurt her.” He pushes me behind his back. “She is my compliment.”

  “What?” Lorelye shrieks. “It’s not possible!”

  “But it is. Her touch soothes the burning in my blood as mine does hers. It’s a sacred bond protected by the ancient laws.”

  “You’re lying!”

  He takes up a defensive position in front of me, his feet braced apart.

  What the crap? Why does he want to protect me now? And what is all this nonsense about compliments?

  Lorelye’s eyes burn with rage as she stares at her brother.

  “It doesn’t matter,” she tells him calmly. “Her power will be mine. If I have to kill you to get it, so be it. Mother will be disappointed, of course, but she’ll understand.”

  “I’m sure she’ll understand that you tried to kill me once I explain to her that you wanted to destroy my compliment.”