“No. I can’t be worried about him and you.”
“Then I’m going,” Rowan said.
Hesitating only a moment, Papa agreed. “Yes, I could use another man. Grab two of our fastest. We’ll use them as decoys.”
Reagan stood motionless as the two men raced out of the room without so much as a backward glance. She admired their commitment and determination, but she couldn’t help feeling guilty for sending them into a dangerous situation. Still, it was her father.
Heading back to the library, she considered her options. Should she let her mom know what was going on? Reagan didn’t want to reveal any of her concerns about Sam’s loyalty; she hoped her worries were unfounded. Maybe he really was planning to break away and see his father. Her brother was always so close to their dad. If Sam was going to seek out an opinion, their father would be the perfect choice.
So many questions swirled in her head, the library entrance snuck up on her.
“There you are. We were starting to wonder if you left right away,” Aunt Sarah said.
“What’s wrong?” Mom asked.
How did mothers do that? She seemed to know something was amiss without one word from Reagan. It was a talent Reagan wished she had. “Papa and Rowan had an emergency come up. They had to leave immediately. Our plans to meet with Cheveyo were put off for a day.” She avoided her mother’s prying eyes, but they were on her like sunshine beating down on a hot summer day. “But the good news is you ladies will be staying here for the night. Let’s go get some dinner and get you settled. I have a lot to do tomorrow, and I’m sure we could all use the sleep.”
Everyone started gathering their few things and prepared to head out. Reagan’s heart was heavy with concern for her dad and guilt about not telling her mom what was going on. Mom had been through enough lately. If she knew the truth, she’d be concerned about her husband and son. She needed to be protected as long as possible.
“Wait.” Mom’s voice broke through Reagan’s internal struggle. “Isn’t your dad going to be concerned when we don’t come home tonight? I don’t want him to worry.”
“It’s okay. I told him.” It wasn’t a lie, even if it wasn’t the whole truth.
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d prayed, although there’d been plenty of opportunity for it in the last few months, but she knew she’d be praying tonight.
No matter how hard she tried, Reagan couldn’t go to sleep. Aunt Sarah and Mom were together in a bedroom close by, and Nana had been asleep for hours. Reagan considered reaching out to Papa or Rowan to find out if her dad was okay, but she didn’t want to distract them from their mission. With each hour that rolled by without contact, her worry escalated.
For all the gadgetry in the cave, there were few televisions or anything electronic to keep her mind occupied. What she wouldn’t do for her own iPod, for some mind-numbing music. Being in this dark room was driving her crazy. She threw off the covers and got up, careful not to make too much noise and wake Nana. Afraid she’d wake up and worry, Reagan scrawled a quick note explaining her absence.
A few people milled around in the halls. She never considered it before, but it made sense that people worked in shifts so everyone stayed protected. Not sure where to go, she headed to the gym. She had to grope around for a light switch. Every other time she’d used it, someone was already there. Almost blinded by the fluorescent lights, she stood still as her eyes adjusted.
For some reason, the weight area called to her. She grabbed a few hand weights and faced the mirror. Seeing her reflection, she realized she’d lost several pounds in a few days and there were dark circles under her eyes. She was only two bicep curls in when Rowan’s voice rang in her head.
“We have him. Will be back soon.”
Reagan dropped the weights, narrowly missing her foot. For the second time that day, she hit the ground, knees first. Tears started, and she didn’t have the energy to fight them off. Leaning back onto her heels, she covered her face and rocked back and forth.
A hand touched her hair. Before she could stop herself, she swirled her leg back, taking her potential assailant out at the ankle. She whirled around, still in a crouching position, to see Madeleine lying on her back.
“Oh God, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know it was you.” Reagan was on her feet trying to help Madeleine back to hers.
“No. I should’ve told you I was here, but you looked so upset. I just heard from Jed, and they’re heading back here with your dad. I went to your room to let you know, and I saw your note.”
Reagan used her sleeve to try and wipe away the evidence of her breakdown. “Thanks. Rowan contacted me a few minutes ago. I kind of lost it.” Embarrassed to be caught in such a vulnerable position, she busied herself by picking up the weights again. “Plus, I can’t sleep. I’ll feel better when I see Dad’s face and know Sam’s okay.”
Madeleine reached out and took the weights. “We all have our moments. Nobody can be strong all the time. Trust me.”
“Rowan told me what happened to you. I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine. If it makes you feel any better, I fell for Rafe for a short time, too. It was like some force beyond my control took away my better judgment. He’s quite mesmerizing.”
No response.
Reagan worried Rowan might have said too much when he shared his story before. “Oh, um, Rowan said you were okay with him telling me.”
“Yes. Still, it’s not a period of my life I like to think about.”
“Are you in love with Rowan?” Reagan startled herself with the question. She desperately wanted to know; if Madeleine loved him, Reagan was afraid she wouldn’t stand a chance with him. Still, she didn’t want to push for an answer, so she tried to backpedal. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you that. It’s none of my business.”
“Do you love him?”
Touché. Turn about was fair play. “I don’t really know what I’m feeling. Everything in my life is messed up right now. When I first met Rafe, I thought I was attracted to him. That didn’t go so well.”
“Rowan is nothing like Rafe. And yes, I do love him. He’s all I have. But I love him like you love Sam.”
Reagan didn’t realize she was holding her breath. She let it out when Madeleine finished. “Thank you for being honest. I better go. Papa and Rowan should be back soon with Dad. Once I see his face, I think I might be able to sleep. At least for a few hours.”
“I’ll walk with you.”
They headed toward the command center. Reagan wasn’t sure that’s what anybody else called it, but it seemed appropriate. Waiting wasn’t one of her better skills, so she pulled out the map and showed Madeleine where they thought Cheveyo was. She touched the map with her finger, tracing the area. Reagan could only imagine what was in her new friend’s mind. Seeing Cheveyo again could only conjure up painful memories for her. Killing a baby, even if it was a demon, must be a difficult decision to make.
“I never thought he’d be in the same place. Not sure I could’ve found it. I wasn’t in the best frame of mind the last time I went there.”
“Jed’s back.” A boy, who looked even younger than Reagan, although he could be in his mid-thirties for all she knew, announced Papa’s arrival.
Intent on seeing for herself that her father was okay, she made her way toward the front of the cave. About halfway there, she saw them. She ran to her father, throwing her arms around him. He stumbled back a few steps.
“I’m so glad you’re okay.” She looked up at her father’s face and then to her grandfather. People would probably think they were brothers, because they didn’t look to be more than a few years apart in age. Both were over six feet tall, although Papa had an inch or two on her dad. Grey sprinkled their hair and a few wrinkles decorated their faces.
Reagan took her father’s hand and followed Papa back to the place she just left. Dad barely walked into the room before he found a chair and sat. She knew that look in his eyes; she’d seen it way too much after Yellowstone. His
glare was a black hole, pulling you in but offering you nothing. He leaned forward and put his head in his hands.
Feeling cut off, she turned to Papa. He was busying himself with the computer. When she got closer, she noticed a series of maps on the screen. “What happened tonight?” She whispered the question.
Papa, never letting his eyes leave the screen, responded in an equally hushed tone. “I think your dad should tell you. But he’s not ready yet. Go get some sleep. I’ll watch him for now.”
“And when do you sleep?” She didn’t want to be a mother hen, but she was worried about everyone.
“I’ll be fine. Go.”
Although she wasn’t happy about it, she did as she was told. Surveying the room before she left, she noticed Rowan wasn’t there. She wasn’t sure when he left. A mental note was made to thank him later. On the way out of the room, she bent down and pulled her father’s hand from his face. “I love you, Dad.” She kissed his cheek.
Suspecting sleep wasn’t her future, she headed back to her bed to try anyway. Tip-toeing back into the room, she was relieved to find Nana still asleep. Crawling into bed, one hand before the other, Reagan eased her belly down onto the cool sheets, followed by her chest, and finally her turned head to let it fall onto the pillow. As exhausted as she was, too many images were assaulting her brain: Sam, her dad, the incident with Rafe in the woods, flames shooting up the shelves in the library.
“Sleep.” Reagan repeated it over and over again in her head, hoping it would work.
“Reagan, sweetie.”
She shook off the heaviness in her head and turned toward Nana’s voice. “Sorry. I must’ve fallen asleep for a few minutes.”
“You’ve been out for a while. We’ve all had breakfast. I kept coming back to check on you, but you looked like you needed the rest.”
“What time is it?” Reagan’s head was throbbing as she sat up.
“Almost noon.”
Panic hit. Had they already talked to her dad? “How’s Dad? Have you seen him yet?”
“He and your grandfather are in the library. They wanted to talk to all of us together. Here,” Nana said, extending a sandwich to Reagan. “I knew you’d be hungry.”
Bacon. Her senses were much better as a werewolf, and the smell made her mouth water. “A BLT, my favorite. Thanks. I’ll eat on the way.”
As they entered the library, she licked the last remnants of bacon juice from her fingertips and crumbled up her napkin. Aunt Sarah, Mom, Dad, and Papa were sitting around the table where just yesterday Reagan figured out Cheveyo’s location.
Nobody was talking.
Nana sat in the empty seat next to Papa and motioned for Reagan to take the seat next to her father.
“Glad you got some sleep,” Papa said.
“I hope you did, too.” Reagan wondered if the man ever slept. “Dad? What about you?”
Dad shook his head, and his gaze fell to the floor. “I just kept replaying what happened. I’m still not sure what I could’ve done differently.” Without looking up, he directed his next words to his wife. “I wanted to help Sam, wanted to let him know how much we love him.”
Mom reached under his chin and pulled his face toward her. “You saw Sam.” Tears started pooling in her eyes, and one dropped onto the table. “How is he?”
“Confused.”
Reagan could sense her father’s pain. Every word caused him to wince, like someone was stabbing him under the table. “Aunt Sarah, I have an idea. Could we join hands and have Dad concentrate on what happened last night? Maybe let him drink the tea I had yesterday, and then we can see what he remembers.” Reagan then focused on talking to her aunt without everyone hearing. “He’s having such a hard time trying to tell us. Please, let’s just make this easier on him.”
Aunt Sarah tilted her head up and down once in response. “Steve, we’re going to all hold hands. You won’t need to drink the tea, I don’t think. It’s such a recent memory, it should be very clear. By holding hands and concentrating with you, we’ll see the images from last night. Don’t break contact until it’s over, because we’ll lose the connection. Will you open yourself to us?”
Never looking up, he reached out and grabbed his wife’s hand on one side and Reagan’s on the other. “Okay.”
Reagan closed her eyes, slowed her breathing, and chanted, “Remember.”
A vision entered her head, dim at first and becoming brighter. It was like turning on those new green light bulbs her parents insisted on using, the ones that took forever to heat up. She smiled at seeing her home again. Her heart ached, and she realized how homesick she was. She couldn’t see her dad, though. Then it hit her, and she wondered for a brief moment if her natural hair color was blonde instead of red. She was seeing everything through her father’s eyes, so of course she couldn’t see him. Duh!
Sam walked into the kitchen, like it was any old day and time for dinner. Reagan hugged him, or rather her dad did—the vision was so vivid, she had to keep reminding herself that she wasn’t there.
“Good to see you, Dad.”
“You, too, son.”
“I had to see you. Nobody knows I’m here. I miss my family.”
“We miss you, too. I know your mom and Reagan would love to be here.”
Sam’s expression went dark. “Where is Mom?”
“She’s with your sister.”
In an instant, Sam was on his feet and his chair was flying behind him, slamming into the stove. “So you’ve seen Reagan.”
“Only recently. We met with her and your grandfather not too long ago.”
Pacing back and forth, Sam’s agitation was becoming clear. “Dammit. I didn’t believe him. Rafe told me my grandfather was still alive, but I told him Reagan would’ve said something. And now I find out you guys have met, that Mom is actually with Reagan right now, and nobody reached out to me. Maybe coming here wasn’t such a good idea.” He turned to go.
Dad reached out to grab Sam’s arm, only to be thrown to the ground. He bent over his father, close enough that their noses were almost touching. Reagan barely recognized the boy in front of her. Sam was rarely angry or physical, and he never would’ve hurt Dad.
“Did Reagan tell you Rowan broke away from the pack because he wanted power? So much so that he took Rafe’s girlfriend, his pregnant girlfriend, and forced her to have an abortion.” Sam’s accusation was so forceful that drops of spit flew in Dad’s face. Reagan wanted to strangle her brother for being such an idiot and believing a madman like Rafe. But her brother had only heard one side. If only he knew the truth.
“I’ve barely spoken to your sister. But I do trust your grandfather and he’s with Rowan. Nana and Aunt Sarah are back in our lives, too. I’m not sure you even remember them.” Sam straightened, allowing Dad to sit up. “Why don’t you come with me? I’ll get you some answers you can trust, and we can be a family again.”
Howling pierced through the night. Sam’s head jerked toward the noise. “I better go.”
Dad was back on his feet. “Please don’t go. I don’t want to lose you again. Your mother will be devastated, as will Reagan.”
Sam seemed to hesitate, but then Papa burst into the kitchen. “We’re out of time. The demon wolves are coming. We barely beat them here.” Rowan was the next to enter the kitchen.
Dad turned to Sam. “Son?”
Without answering, Sam took off toward the front door. Throwing it open, he headed out into the darkness with Papa, Dad, and Rowan close behind. Five wolves, eyes glowing red, stood in the front yard in a half circle. Sam walked up to them, and they separated enough to let him through, quickly closing the gap after he passed.
“No!” Dad screamed.
Sam stopped, his back still to them. Turning his head just enough to reveal his profile, he looked down and then sprinted into the darkness. Dad motioned to his truck and started creeping toward it with Papa and Rowan forming a shield. One wolf jumped at Rowan, then two. All Reagan could see was her dad fumblin
g with his keys, trying to start the engine.
“Oh my God, Rowan!” Reagan screamed, the brightness of the library almost blinding her. She’d broken the circle, terrified by the scene.
Everyone else pulled their hands in, looking stunned.
“I have to go check on Rowan.” She started to stand, but was coaxed back into her chair by her dad.
“He’s hurt, but he’s healing. Quickly, I might add. Your Papa jerked him into the truck, and we pulled away with two wolves hanging on the hood and one in the back. Susie,” he said, focusing his attention her way, “I don’t think we can go back home until this is over. It’s too dangerous.”
Mom hadn’t moved since they broke the circle, nothing but the slight movement of her chest taking air in and out.
“Mom, are you okay?”
“No, I’m not okay. Both my children are werewolves, for God’s sake! I ran away from my family to protect you guys and look at us.” Her hands were trembling as was her voice.
Torn between wanting to leave to check on Rowan and staying to comfort Mom, Reagan hovered over her seat.
“It’s more important than ever that we head out early to see Cheveyo. Rafe isn’t going to be happy that Sam broke away to meet with his dad. Plus, we’re running out of time,” Papa said.
“I should go with you,” Mom said. Five heads turned at once to look at her. “I brought him into our lives. After all my talk about leaving my family to keep you safe, I’m the one who sought out his help. I’m not sure what he did to me, but I know he’s part of this.”
Reagan’s thighs were burning from indecision, so she straightened up. “Mom, it’s not safe, and you’d only slow us down. I don’t want to hurt you, but it’s true.” Too late, she could see the pain on her mom’s face. “I love you. All of you.” A lump formed in Reagan’s throat, and she wanted to reach out to Sam to tell him she loved him, too. But all she could see was his angry face looming over their father.
“Reagan and I have to leave early, so I need to go make plans. All of you are our guests until… Well, until I think it’s safe for you to go home.” Papa was back in commander mode.
Tala Prophecy: The Complete Series Page 26