How do you react to being introduced to your sister for the first time? What if it were a sister you never knew existed? In most cases, your parents bring home your new sibling wrapped in a blanket. They kneel down so you can inspect this new little thing to love. Or, if you’re the younger one, every day of your life is defined by being a little sister. There’s no memory before it. Reagan was too young to remember the day her brother had come home from the hospital. She only knew she’d always loved him, and life without him didn’t make sense.
Now, she was staring into the face of her sister.
Reagan didn’t doubt the news for one second. Everything in her body screamed acceptance and truth. Plus, there was no denying their physical resemblance. She knew she should be asking a million questions, demanding details about how this could possibly be. But she just knew.
Papa, however, wasn’t as easy to convince. “And why should we believe you?” His eyes never left Cheveyo’s face.
“Look at her,” Reagan said.
Papa took her advice and stared at Winona. “So, are we just supposed to believe that Susie had another daughter and forgot? That my daughter came to you begging for help, and then left one of her children behind?”
Trust God. All others bring data. It was Dad’s mantra, something he said all the time. Or the man Reagan thought was her dad. He’d be demanding proof just like Papa was. Cheveyo held all the cards, and she didn’t like it.
“None of this makes sense. You haven’t helped us at all today. You tell me I have a sister, and you take my father away from me, both in a matter of minutes.” Anger surged through her, mixed with a huge pity party. Was nothing about her life ever going to be normal? Life stripped her of grandparents, a brother, and a normal family. She wanted to take back control of her destiny and stop being a bystander in a life stranger than fiction. Like a tea kettle finally at temperature, she blew—releasing the scream that had been building for months. Her hands fisted beside her, she threw her head back and gave into her emotions. It echoed throughout the cave room.
In all her life, she’d never felt such anger and frustration. She wasn’t prone to fits or temper tantrums to get her way, at least not since the toddler years. But everything was building inside of her, taking over. Questions. Fears. Losses.
Then, calm. Her throat relaxed, and the scream faded. She crumbled to the floor, unable to move her limbs. A rush came over her like the time the orderlies from the hospital grabbed her and stuck a needle in her arm, giving her a sedative during a moment of panic and fear. Darkness threatened to consume her, even as she fought against it.
“Enough,” Cheveyo whispered.
“I was only trying to help.” Winona sounded like a scolded child.
Papa came to Reagan’s side. “Are you okay? Can you move?”
She nodded, and Papa put his hands under her armpits and lifted. Unsteady, she leaned against him. He slid a chair over and eased her into it.
“Enough games. If you aren’t going to give us answers, then it’s time for us to leave. I have friends outside, and I won’t put them in any more danger. From what you’ve said, Rafe knows how to get to you. If he finds out we’re here, and he seems to know a lot more than I want him to, we’re in danger.”
“I agree.” Cheveyo motioned for everyone to sit, and then began again, “Susie got pregnant after one try. Twins. One of flame, one of night.”
A lightning bolt wouldn’t have hit her any harder. She always hated poetry when she was forced to study it in school. Too many possible interpretations. Why couldn’t poets simply say what they meant? She felt like she was sitting in front of her English teacher, trying to decipher some poetry code. “So the prophecy is referring to the two of us. Red and black hair, that’s the flame and the night?” Why couldn’t her great-grandmother be specific? Twins, one with red hair and one with black, would’ve been so much easier to understand and it would’ve saved them a lot of time. Still processing, Reagan realized an even more important piece of the puzzle. “Sam isn’t part of the prophecy, is he?”
Cheveyo responded with a quick shake of his head. “I was not involved with your mother’s second pregnancy.”
Panic started to rise in Reagan again. If Rafe found out Sam wasn’t part of the prophecy, he was as good as dead. She turned to Papa. “Oh my God. What if Rafe finds out?”
“We’ll make sure he doesn’t,” Papa said, reaching over to squeeze Reagan’s hand. He held her gaze for a few seconds before refocusing on Cheveyo. “Earlier you said you gave a powerful mix to Reagan, and now we know also to Winona. You mentioned werewolf and witch blood.”
“Yes. Susie’s girls were destined to be werewolves, as the prophecy required. But I made sure their power would exceed that.”
Reagan felt like she was in an information tornado. Swirling around her were pieces to an intricate puzzle, moving at great speed. If she didn’t focus, she was going to miss something in the chaos. Werewolf blood. Power. “I don’t understand. I was made a werewolf the night of the attack. In Yellowstone. Sam, too.”
“Sam was. You, however, are a human-werewolf hybrid. Your werewolf side was awakened that evening,” Cheveyo said, shaking his head back and forth. “I should have kept you with me and trained you like Winona. But having both of you in one place was too dangerous. I considered coming back for you, but then your mother had Sam.”
Pieces were flying into place, and Reagan began to see the puzzle take shape. “You let Sam be a decoy. He didn’t have to be involved in any of this.” She hated this man for toying with their lives.
“I did what I needed to do. But your training suffered for it. Do you remember when you were in the hospital? The staff told you a doctor was coming; someone who could help you.”
She remembered like it was yesterday: being strapped to a hospital bed, faces floating in and out, and way too many drugs. Before she could meet the newest doctor, Rowan showed up and explained what was happening. They escaped. “That was you.” For months she’d faced one riddle after another. Finally, her deciphering skills were improving.
“No, I stopped the man who was coming. He was not a doctor. I intended to come for you sooner, but Rafe kept getting in the way. I knew Jed and Rowan would keep you safe and start your training. I also tried to come for a visit in the hospital, but Lucent stopped me.”
Another name, another riddle, another pause. Reagan noticed her Papa’s reaction to the name, his sharp intake of breath. “Who’s Lucent?”
“A vampire. He’s very powerful, one of the older ones in this area. He was the black smoke we saw on the monitors.” Papa laid out the facts.
Reagan remembered seeing the security footage, the eerie black smoke, and how easily the guards were rendered unconscious. “Are you saying we’re facing more than Rafe and the Devil? Now, we’re up against this vampire, too?”
“I’ve had dealings with Lucent in the past. He’s not on any side but his own. If Rafe needed his help, there was a stiff price to pay,” Papa said.
Reagan knew there was much more to the story and made a mental note to ask Papa about it later.
“We will worry about Lucent if and when the time comes. For now, Winona and Reagan need to train together. Reagan has come much further than I expected. I sensed that right away. There are some things I can still teach her, as I believe there are some things Jackie can teach Winona. May I offer a trade? Just for a little while. Leave Reagan with me, and take Winona back with you. In a week, I will bring Reagan back to you and the girls can train together at your facility.”
“And what do I tell Susie? I can’t just waltz in with a daughter she doesn’t remember. Plus, I’m not sure I trust you yet.” Papa ran his hands through his hair.
Reagan sensed his discomfort and conflicting feelings.
“You can trust him. You can trust me.” Winona’s voice filled Reagan’s head. Even without the words, she knew what Cheveyo said made sense.
“I agree,” Reagan said, as much to Winona as
in answer to Cheveyo’s offer. Papa opened his mouth, and Reagan knew he was going to protest. She continued before he could, “Papa, I know this is a lot to take in. I’m not sure I understand everything, but we came here for a reason. We knew Cheveyo had answers. Rafe gains power by the day, and he’s not going to back down. He’s only going to come after us harder.”
“Fine. One week.” Papa relented. “But we need a plan, and I need some basic answers. I gather you’re part of the blood equation in these girls. Who was the werewolf blood source?”
“Hemming.”
Only thanks to Rowan did Reagan know this name, but it didn’t make any sense. Hemming was dead years before she was conceived. “That was the leader of the pack before Rafe took over. Rowan said Hemming came to him at some point for help with Rafe, but that was years before Mom got pregnant with me.” Her heart ached for Rowan. When he found out Hemming was her father, the guilt would multiply.
“Hemming did not know. He requested my services for some help with a vampire problem years ago. I placed a protection spell on their pack, using his blood. I saved some. He was a good man.” Cheveyo pointed to the mark on Reagan’s chest. “I noticed your grandmother put the same spell on you.”
She realized the black tank top she wore left her mark exposed. Even though the air was getting chillier by the day, she was always hot and rarely wore anything other than a tank top and yoga pants. It was too hard to carry a bra and panties for these trips; but, in the cave, she did afford herself those small luxuries.
“I don’t care whose blood runs in my veins. Steve Cooper is my father. I’m not sure how I feel about your interference, but what really matters is making sure Rafe loses. You know what? Rafe is an unfortunate host. It’s really the Devil we’re fighting. Rowan doesn’t seem to know how his mom ended up pregnant with the spawn of Satan, but that’s what we’re up against. Not some forty-something-year-old man who looks like a college student.
“But I would like a few minutes to talk to my sister. Alone.” As much as she wanted to grill Cheveyo about the details of her birth and how her mother seemed clueless to her other daughter, Reagan needed a few moments with her new family member. Winona was as much a victim of circumstance as Reagan was.
“Fair enough,” Papa said. “Cheveyo and I will talk logistics. I assume you don’t have any problem with that.”
When Papa put his stern face on, Reagan suspected very few people challenged him. Cheveyo was no exception.
“Follow me. We can talk in my room while I gather some things.” Winona led the way down a dark hallway, ending in a small room with nothing more than a twin bed, an old trunk, and a small desk and chair. “This is my room. I rarely get to leave the cave, but I do have these.” She went over and opened the trunk. Reagan moved closer and looked inside. It was full of books, many of which she recognized.
“Well we have this in common. I love all these books, and I’m quite the reader. Of course, I had no idea anything I was reading about actually existed. Don’t know that I’ll ever read any of it again. I think I’ll be more of a romance or teenage angst girl now.” Looking up from the book titles, she peered into her sister’s eyes. “You knew all along this stuff existed, didn’t you?”
“Father, or Cheveyo as you know him, was honest with me. From early on, I knew about the prophecy. I’ve only known about you for the last ten years. Every day, I imagined what you looked like, what our mother looked like. It didn’t seem fair you got them, and I got this, but I didn’t have it that bad. I like training, and my father brought in the best tutors.”
A werewolf home-schooled in a cave. That was a new one. But it had to be lonely. At least Reagan had seventeen years of normal. She had a brother, mother, and father. She knew love.
“You’ll love our mom and grandmother. Oh, and Aunt Sarah. I’ve only gotten to know Nana and Aunt Sarah in the last few months. My mother, our mother, didn’t speak to them for a long time. And I only found out about Papa being alive a few weeks ago. I promise, in a week, when we finally get back together, we’ll tell them the truth. Although,” Reagan paused. Nana was very perceptive. What if she figured out the connection? Or maybe that wasn’t giving Mom enough credit. What if she remembered? It was still very hard for Reagan to believe her mother could block out giving birth to another child. “You know, the more I think about it, I’m sure we need to talk to Papa and Cheveyo. I don’t think we can just send you in there and explain away my absence. There must be a way we can convince them we should all go back to the cave and work through this together.”
Winona didn’t move, and Reagan feared she’d pushed too hard. Then, after slowly closing the lid of the trunk, Winona walked over to her bed and squatted down, feeling underneath. She pulled out a duffel bag. Laying it on the bed, she finally spoke, “I’m all packed. You know, I think you have a point. But I’m afraid.”
“I’m terrified. I don’t want to be responsible for the fate of the world, for trying to take down an evil that pre-dates us all by God knows how long. No pun intended.”
“Oh, yeah, I’m afraid of that, too. But I meant about Mom and your father—neither of them are going to be happy.”
Reagan knew it was raw honesty, but it was hard to imagine being as afraid of her parents as she was of the Devil. “They’ll be upset, but you and I can’t be blamed for their choices. My mother didn’t have to come here. It isn’t okay how Cheveyo played with our lives, but it’s done.” She was quite proud of her maturity in dealing with the day’s events.
“I’m not sure how I feel about everything, but I’m very glad to finally meet my sister.” Winona covered the few feet between them in a long step and wrapped Reagan up in a hug. At first, she let her arms stay at her side; however, she couldn’t help but return the embrace. This was her sister, and Reagan needed someone who understood what she was going through.
Papa found them like this. He cleared his throat. Reagan pulled away and put a hand on each of her sister’s shoulders. “We’re going to do this together. Agreed?”
“Agreed.”
“Papa,” Reagan said, turning to face him. “We’ve discussed the plan and we’ve decided we need to do this together. There’s no way Nana and Mom are going to fall for some random—”
“Enough,” Papa said, cutting her off.
She feared he was going to shut down their plan without even hearing them out.
Instead, he surprised her. “Cheveyo and I talked, and we agree with you ladies. We need to all go back to the cave. Susie needs to know she has another daughter, Jackie another granddaughter, and what’s in store for us in the next six months. Less than that now.”
Relieved, with an underlying queasiness about having Cheveyo able to hear her most private thoughts, Reagan took her sister’s hand and grabbed her bag. “Guess it’s time to go then, sis.”
Winona seemed to beam at the affectionate title.
Reagan was looking forward to introducing Winona to their mother. But there was one face that was going to break Reagan’s sudden sense of power and control—her father’s.
They might be giving Nana a granddaughter today, and her mother a daughter, but they were robbing Dad of one. He was devastated enough about what happened with Sam. Was Dad going to blame Reagan for leaving behind the only biological child he had left? She could only hope he believed as strongly as she did—that he could still accept her as his child. Then Sam’s face took over her thoughts. How would he handle all of this?
No way could she bear losing her father. Or Sam.
Papa went out first to communicate the new plans with Madeleine, Sasha, and Ricardo. They’d been out of contact longer than usual, and he wanted to calm them and explain. Winona and Regan helped Cheveyo gather a few things for the journey. He couldn’t run at their speed, so Papa was going to carry his guest into the closest town and rent a car. It was risky, and everyone was a bit concerned about it; but it was still dusk out, and all other options had been discussed and rejected. Madeleine would go
with Papa and Cheveyo, while Reagan and Winona would be flanked by Ricardo and Sasha.
It was quite a journey, and Reagan wasn’t looking forward to it. She knew she wouldn’t breathe until Papa and Cheveyo arrived, but that was only one thing causing her apprehension. She’d also have to face her parents. Deep in thought, Papa’s voice startled her. “Time to go.”
They headed back into the woods.
Reagan was relieved to see a much brighter night sky. A setting sun cast an orange glow against the cloudless backdrop. They’d run the first part in their human form, only shifting in the densest cover of forest. Once night settled, they’d take it in as wolves.
“Winona, this is Ricardo and Sasha. They have our backs.”
Winona shook hands with each of them.
“We best get going,” Sasha said. “You ladies go first, and we’ll bring up the rear.”
“You ready?” Reagan wondered if she was ready.
“Yes.”
They took off. Reagan was impressed with her sister’s speed. Then again, Winona benefitted from years of training; Reagan was only beginning to understand and manipulate her abilities. After an hour of running, the moon beat out the sun and darkness settled. They stopped for a brief break, and Sasha and Ricardo caught up within minutes.
“We shouldn’t rest long. I don’t like that we changed our plans. The whole thing makes me nervous,” Sasha said as she paced.
“I agree,” Ricardo said.
“Ricardo, I know I’m being silly, but do you mind giving me a moment of privacy? I only brought one set of clothes, so I’d prefer to pack them instead of losing them to the forest.”
Ricardo chuckled, as did Sasha. “Yes, I’ll go up ahead a bit. Once you pass, I’ll stay back with Sasha until we arrive.”
Reagan undressed and shifted, still uncomfortable hanging around the woods naked for long. Winona shifted next. Reagan noted her sister’s appearance. Her coat was a beautiful, shiny black which only made her green eyes more brilliant. The contrast of their two colors was dramatic.
Tala Prophecy: The Complete Series Page 28