by Bryce Evans
“I think you’re correct, old wise one,” Brody said, his mouth curved into a beautiful smile. She really liked this man, and she liked being around him. Her heart felt light for the first time in years. “You ready to go?”
“Sure.” When she turned around to walk out, she noticed that Carina was still sitting at the table, watching her. She didn’t understand why the girl was staring at her. Or was she studying her? She never said a word as she passed by her. Sage smiled, hoping that would bring Carina to smile back but nothing, not an emotion crossed her face. However, Carina did continue to watch her as Brody escorted her out. As the door was closing, Sage looked over her should one more time and found Carina still watching her.
Odd, she thought. Sage figured if anything were wrong, she would have said something. Maybe Carina was just curious?
* * *
Brody noticed the looks that Carina was giving Sage through the whole meeting, but the question that kept eating at him was why. He watched as Sage studied the little witch as they walked past. What was Carina staring at, and did she know something about Sage? Those were all questions that were nagging at him, and he really wanted to ask because if Carina had a vision about her, or if her life was in danger, he wanted to know about it. He meant what he said that nobody would ever hurt his mate again. This was his vow and no matter what he was keeping it.
Lex was waiting by the SUV when they came down the ramp. “Good meeting?” He gave a half smile.
“I think so,” Sage answered.
“Wait here for me, I forgot something.” Brody didn’t wait for anyone to answer as he jogged back up the ramp and back into the conference room. He knew Lex would guard Sage with his life. She would soon be his Alpha female and Brody trusted him to watch over her until he returned.
Carina was still sitting at the table staring at the door as he walked back in. He walked around the table and pulled the chair out next to her and sat down. “Hey sweetheart, I need to ask you a question.” When Carina nodded, he continued, “You were staring at Sage the whole meeting. Is there something you need to tell me about my mate?”
Bast was still talking to Ryder and Me-Len, but he knew the elf was well aware of the conversation as he sat next to his future mate. “Yes,” Carina’s voice was flat as she answered. He waited for her to say more but Carina continued to stare off in space before she answered further. “She has been blessed with a great power from the Tree of Life. It will come to her in her time of need, but…”
Brody leaned forward concerned. “But what, Carina?”
“I told her to check her pocket. Did she check her pocket?” Carina asked, staring up at him now.
Narrowing his eyes, Brody glanced toward the table then back at her. “I don’t know. If she did, she didn’t say anything to me about it. When you say that she has been given a great power from the Tree of Life…what does that mean?” Brody asked.
“She needs to check her pocket,” Carina answered, then got up from the table and walked over to hold Bast’s hand. He looked equally as surprised by her actions. She whispered, “I’m ready to go now.”
Bast only nodded and smiled at Me-Len and the others, then said goodbye to them and walked out the door.
Me-Len and Ryder noticed Brody sitting at the table staring at the door. After a moment, Ryder asked, “What’s wrong?”
It took him a minute to speak. He couldn’t grasp what Carina had just said. Did this mean Sage was in more danger? “Carina said that Sage had been given a great power from the Tree of Life, and to check her pocket.”
When he glanced up at Me-Len, the color had left her face. “Me-Len?” Brody stood up and went to her side. “What does this mean?” Brody barked out, then touched Me-Len’s arm. He didn’t mean to yell at her, but this couldn’t be good.
Ryder pulled out a chair and got Me-Len to sit down. Brody and Ryder both pulled up a chair and sat beside her. Brody’s foot bounced up and down impatiently, waiting for her answer.
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen this before. The Tree of Life is something I can’t even explain. I don’t know where it gets its power from, or why it chooses only certain people to grant these gifts to. I really don’t know what it means, but I think Sage needs to check her pocket.”
Brody looked toward the door and abruptly got up and marched out. Me-Len and Ryder was right behind him, following him down the ramp. Lex was talking to Sage about something, but then he glanced up and saw Brody’s expression and stopped mid-sentence.
“Everything all right, Alpha?” Lex’s eyes darted around the room.
Picking up Sage’s hand, Brody took in a sharp breath, “Did you check your pockets when you got home yesterday?” Sage furrowed her brows. “Carina said that she told you to check your pocket.”
Sage gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. “With everything that happened, I just forgot. I left them on the laundry basket in my room. I never checked it.” Sage grabbed hold of Brody’s hand. “Did she say something to you?”
“She said that the Tree of Life had given you a powerful gift and for you to check your pocket.” Brody answered. “That’s all she said.”
“A gift?”
Me-Len inched forward. “We need to go and check your pocket.”
“What’s up?” London walked over smiling, pausing when she saw everyone’s expression. Sighing she asked, “Okay, what’s wrong now?”
“Carina said that the Tree of Life gave Sage a powerful gift and for her to check her pocket.” Ryder answered.
London mimicked the sound, “Dun, Dun, Duuuun!!!”
“This isn’t funny, London.” Me-Len admonished her granddaughter. Brody and Ryder didn’t see the humor in it, either.
“But it is. You see, if the Tree of Life gave my cousin a gift then we need to see it as that, a special gift for her to help us out. This is good news,” London explained.
“What if it’s not?” Me-Len replied.
“What if…what if the world ends tomorrow? We won’t have to worry about any of this anymore. But Carina said a powerful gift was given to Sage. Are you all not listening? A gift,” London emphasized, but nobody said anything. “Hello, let’s go check her pockets so you all will see this as what it is, a gift.” Shaking her head, she walked toward their vehicle and turned around. “Well?” Throwing her hands up in the air.
Brody put his hand on Sage’s back, guiding her to the SUV, and opened the door. The others followed suit and fled to their own vehicles. When Brody drove out and onto the road, she turned to him, “Do you think it’s just a gift?”
“I do, because if it wasn’t then I think the Tree of Life would have told her so. I think it’s something good. I think we are all so gun-shy right now we don’t know when something good hits us in the face,” Brody said, and then glanced over at her. He could tell she was worried now. Picking her hand up and giving it a little squeeze, Brody smiled as he glanced over at her, “I know this is good sign. I know it.”
Sage seemed to release the breath she was holding and nodded. He sped up to get them there faster. Deep down he knew it was good news, because the Tree of Life wouldn’t have inflicted anything bad on them. London was right and knew that, especially since she wore the Tree around her neck, and the amulet was always meant for good.
They didn’t speak until they pulled up in the garage. He took her hand in his and ran through the house, into her bedroom. Just like she’d said, her clothes were folded on the hamper. She walked over to them, and brought her blue jeans over and laid them flat on the bed and started feeling the pockets. Nothing was found in the first one, but she felt something in the second. Slowly, she pulled it out and opened her hand to show what it was. Ryder, London, Me-Len, and Meryl all walked in just as her hand opened. Similar to the Tree of Life, this stone was a crystal blue color. As they all leaned in to get a better look, the necklace holding the Tree of Life fell out of London’s shirt and started glowing. Like a magnet, the Tree of Life swayed closer to Sage’s hand. Sh
e had no control as her hand moved closer to London. They watched as both stones started blinking and glowed brighter. The Tree of Life was an agate gemstone, and very powerful, and whoever wore it would be given some type of power, but if the Tree of Life found you worthy then you would be granted more. Sage wondered if this similar stone would have that same power.
“What the hell?” Brody pulled Sage toward him.
“It’s a sister stone.” Me-Len laughed, looking at her mate.
“A sister stone?” Ryder asked.
“Yes, apparently the Tree of Life has a sister stone. When this stone was formed, another stone was also formed. I’ve never heard of this one, though. I have heard that sister stones existed but I’ve never seen one, until now. I guess it was ready to find you, Sage.”
“But how? I never picked it up. It just appeared in my pocket.” Sage questioned, examining the crystal closer.
“The Tree of Life can do some pretty awesome magic, so something tells me that her sister can too. I guess we need to research it to see if there is any mention of a stone that has a blue crystal color and…” Me-Len leaned in closer. “May I?”
“Of course.”
Me-Len picked up the stone from Sage’s hand and smiled. “Look.” Me-Len held the stone up toward the light. They all moved closer. A small tree could be seen inside of it. If she hadn’t held it up to the light, they would have missed it.
“That’s a tree,” Brody said, pleased.
“Yep. I believe you have the sister stone. It may have a name like the Tree of Life, but I’ve never heard of it. A long time ago, I read about the Tree of Life and remember some documentation in an old book about a sister tree. I had never heard of it before then and didn’t think much about it. The book said that the Tree of Life sat closely by the sister and both grew lush in the desert. It spoke of how dry the land was, but these two trees never failed to produce leaves or grow with the vigor for life. That was all that was said, but I should have known it was talking about the Tree of Life, and that there was a sister stone out there somewhere. I just never put it together. The Tree of Life has a twin, and yes…this is good news.” Me-Len nodded and smiled back at everyone. The tension in the room seemed to lighten after the news.
“It has a hole at the top where you can put a necklace through it.” Brody pointed. “I think I have something that will fit it.” Brody walked out of her bedroom in search of the chain.
He knew this was good news but he still couldn’t help but worry. Now Sage would be in more danger than before. If Claudia found out that there was another stone—a sister stone like the Tree of Life—she would go after Sage with a vengeance just to obtain it. The question he had now was how all of this would fit into the pieces of the Stone.
Brody pulled out his drawer where he kept all of his mom’s personal items. She’d had a gold chain that would be perfect for the sister stone. He opened the velvet box and took the chain out. Smiling, he remembered when he bought his mom the chain. He was only eleven years old. He’d had saved all year for it and purchased the necklace for Christmas. His mom cried when she opened the box. To say he felt ten feet tall that day was an understatement. She made such a big deal about it to everyone. “Look at what my son gave me for Christmas,” she said. She loved telling everyone that he had saved all year for that necklace. Before she died, his mom told him to put it up and when he found his mate to give it to her. She would love it as much as she had. Smiling, Brody turned around and carried the beautiful necklace to his mate.
“I found it.” Brody walked in and held out his hand. Sage gave him the stone and watched him as he put one end of the necklace through the hole then held it up. It would fit perfectly around her neck. “Turn around.” Sage smiled, pulling her hair up. Her neck was perfect, just like her. He wanted to kiss the back of it, but held off, knowing she wasn’t ready for that.
“Hey, isn’t that the necklace you gave your mom for Christmas one year?” Ryder asked, but before he could yell at Ryder to mind his own business, Sage was already taking the necklace off.
“Please don’t. It would mean a lot to me if you wore it,” Brody urged.
“I can’t take your mom’s necklace from you. You should give it to your mate—”
Brody stiffened as her words stabbed him in the chest. He just nodded and walked out of the room. Apparently, the thought of being his mate wasn’t something she wanted anything to do with. He thought she would come around and get used to the idea of being his mate, but he had thought wrong. Maybe she felt nothing for him and he was pushing this on her. Maybe she didn’t feel the same way about him, or even feel the mating pull. What are you talking about man, of course she doesn’t want to be with you, he thought. She’d jerked that necklace off so quick you would have thought it was burning her. He needed a moment to be alone and re-group. Walking out the back door, Brody jerked his clothes off and shifted.
Chapter Nine
It didn’t matter where he went, he just needed some fresh air and his bear needed some time out in the woods. Everything always felt better after he let his bear loose. Right now his hopes seemed derailed, but he needed time to think this through. The trees rushed by as he barreled through the woods. Swiping at the bushes as he went by, knocking them to the ground, Brody let out all the emotions he was feeling. Rage, grief, sadness, and pity were all the emotions running through him. But the one that kept bringing him back was love. He loved Sage, maybe he’d even fallen in love with her the first time he saw her. He didn’t know. The problem was that Sage didn’t love him back.
When he looked up he knew he was past his property line and on Bo and Cat Toland’s land.
Brody’s paws stopped and his nostrils flared. He could smell the shifters all around him. Instead of trying to outrun them, he just shifted and waited for someone to approach him. He knew it would only be a matter of time before one of them did. He was an Alpha and he never would run from a fight.
“You lost?” A man jumped down from the tree. Brody could tell he was not only a bear shifter but also a vampire. Judd made sure to let all of his friend’s smell how his scent had changed. It was a different scent that stood out and that scent was all around him. They had marked their territory to ward others off.
“No, but I got caught up in running and before I realized it, I wasn’t on my land anymore.”
Recognition dawned on the man’s face.
“You’re Brody King, of Alpha City?” The man asked.
“Yes, and you are?”
“Trent Sig.”
“You’re the beta for Bo?” Brody asked with a small smile. He could tell the man was watching his lips move because he was deaf, and when he told him who he was he looked surprised.
“When Bo called, he told us about his Clan. But he never said his beta was an Alpha as well.” Brody suggested with a knowing smile.
“He also told you I was deaf?” Trent asked, deflecting the topic of him being an Alpha.
“Yes he did. But I could also tell that you’re reading my lips. I had a cousin who was deaf and she taught me a lot.” Brody watched as men and women dropped from the trees and walked toward them. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to spook you. I got lost in the beast and lost track of where I was.”
“No problem, they will recognize your scent now.” Trent assured him. “Do you need a ride back?”
“No, I think I will run home. Just needed some time to think. Once you get settled, let me know so I can introduce you to my beta and guards. We should know each other’s scent.” Brody answered, then shifted back into his grizzly. Trent nodded and waved as he turned around and started running back. He’d needed this run.
When he got to where he’d dropped his clothes, he scented her. “Brody?” He turned around and found Sage waiting for him.
Shifting, he stood in all his glory, naked as the day he was born. Standing her ground, Sage’s eyes went from his head to his toes. As her eyes came back up, they widened as she took in his erection. The damn thin
g seemed to grow bigger as she took it in. Yes, just her being near him was making him hot.
“Something wrong?” He asked as he reached down and picked up his blue jeans.
Brody watched as she cleared her throat, “I…I didn’t mean it to sound like I didn’t appreciate what you have done for me. The necklace belonged to your mother and I didn’t want you to give it to someone like me.”
Bewildered, Brody asked, “Like you? What’s wrong with you? I happen to really like you. A lot, if you haven’t noticed.”
“But why? You could have anyone, Brody King. I’m…we aren’t compatible.” Sage blew the hair away from her eyes. “You will certainly get bored with me in time, and get tired of all the self-doubt…”
“And what, woman?” Brody bellowed. He knew what he wanted in life and he had already told her that he wanted her. She was anything but boring, but here she was telling him what he would do in the future! Women…what the hell was wrong with them? “What do I have to do to show you how much I fucking like and care about you?” Brody watched her gasp. “I said that out loud, didn’t I?”
Sage only nodded with a frown on her beautiful pissed-off face. Her red hair glowed as the afternoon sun sparkled through the trees.
Jerking his pants on, Brody wanted to yell, but that would surely run her off. Instead, he thought about all the times Zoey had told him she just wanted to be loved and to be showed that she was appreciated and loved. Stopping, he closed his eyes and blew out a deep breath.
“Sage. I’m trying to court you properly and show you that I’m not like the other men you have known. I’m your mate and I do care deeply about you already, and I want to spend every waking moment with you. I hate being apart from you, if you want to know the truth, and it made me feel good inside knowing that you would be wearing my mom’s necklace with the sister stone. So if that means that I’m going to tell you every day of our lives that you’re my mate and you’re not boring but simply fascinating, then I will,” Brody said, putting a finger under her chin and tilting her face up so he could look into her eyes. “Because that’s what I see. I’m not one of those idiots who have to be coddled by their mate. I want a woman who can stand on her own two feet and make decisions for herself, and you do that in spades. You volunteered to go into Hell to help stop Claudia Blackwood, for goodness’ sake. You are the gustiest woman I’ve ever met and there isn’t anything boring about you, sweetheart. I will show you every day how much you mean to me. If only you would take a chance on me.”