Of the all buildings I had seen in this city, the Council building was by far the most imposing. I wondered what kind of sacrifice it took to build something so opulent, so supreme. It had a way of making me feel small, insignificant. The large silver doors reminded me of enormous jaws that might reach out and swallow me whole at any moment. Even the mural of the silver sun, so much like the one on my shoulder, felt wrong being there. Its beauty shouldn’t have been placed on a structure that housed such liars and traitors.
I shook my head at those thoughts and stared up at the building. I really had no verification to feel that way. I wasn’t absolutely sure that the queen and the Council were responsible for Soraya’s village. I still wasn’t sure what to think of that at all. And I also had decided that the journal was full of crap. I’d already said that the girl it mentioned couldn’t be me, so what would make me think that the parts about the “rulers of this time” being evil were true? Still, I found myself full of ambivalence. Maybe I was just upset about something being so luxurious while there were people living in poverty so nearby. I didn’t know what I thought.
Someone came out of the large silver doors as I was continuing my walk past the Council building. I stopped when I realized who it was. There was no mistaking the hair color and flannel shirt.
“What are you doing here, Jack?”
His face looked shocked for a moment before turning into a smile.
“Actually, I was looking for you,” he said.
“In the Council building?”
He shrugged. “Well, I went by your room, and you weren’t there, so I checked Nelly’s room and you weren’t there either, so then I thought that maybe the queen had called you in for another meeting or something.”
I hadn’t told Jackson about that meeting. I narrowed my eyes a little. “Jack, I never told you about my meeting with the Queen.” He didn’t miss a beat. “I know. Nelly did.” I would be verifying that with Nelly later.
I paused for a moment, shocked that that was my first thought. Why was I acting suspicious? This was Jackson; he wouldn’t lie to me. He was my best friend. He was my boyfriend.
“Oh,” I said stupidly. “Why did you need to find me so bad? What’s wrong?”
“Because I wanted to give you this,” he replied, handing me what he was holding.
My hand flew up to my neck and I gasped as I saw what it was. “Where did you find this?” It was my mother’s necklace.
He smiled. “I turned and went for a run earlier tonight, and I found it on the ground in the forest.”
I gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. I hadn’t felt it, but it must’ve fallen off on my journey through the forest today. I was glad he’d found it, because I would have been really upset when I realized it was gone. “Thank you, Jackson.”
He took my hand. “You’re quite welcome, darling. Come on, I’ll walk you back.”
As we headed back, I felt my mood lighten a little. Jackson always made me happy, and with so much mysterious drama going on in my life at the moment, I had almost forgotten that I had a boyfriend now. Jackson was my boyfriend, and even though I was still confused about my feelings for Kayden, I liked being with Jack.
His hand was warm in mine, and I found myself enjoying the moment. Being with Jackson, holding his hand as we walked together under the stars was simple, simple and easy and even a little beautiful. In a world where everything had become so complicated and dire, this was normal; this was peaceful.
I looked over at him, and he looked down at me and smiled. It made his green eyes twinkle, and I was reminded of how handsome he was. It’s not like I’d forgotten; everyone who saw Jackson thought he was good-looking. I guess I just hadn’t been paying attention lately with so much going on, but I was paying attention right now. I was paying a lot of attention.
“You’re kind of hot, you know that?”
One corner of his mouth pulled up in a crooked smile. “You’re just noticing this?”
I laughed and slapped his arm. “Yeah, you must have gotten cuter somehow all of a sudden.”
He chuckled. “Well, I guess if I were you, it would be hard to consider anyone attractive when I got to see such beauty in the mirror in every morning. It’s hard to compete with that.”
I giggled and pulled him closer so that I could rest my head on his arm as we walked. He was too tall for me to reach his shoulder. “Do you ever run out of cheesy lines?”
His face went thoughtful as I looked up him. “No, I don’t think so. But they’re not lines if they’re true, and you like them anyway.”
I considered the fact that I was still smiling. “Yeah, I do.”
“You know,” he continued, “your scent was pretty strong in the forest today, that’s what led me to your necklace.”
I stiffened a little and my heart jumped, but I tried to play it cool. “You don’t say.” Oh, yeah, real cool.
He raised an eyebrow at that stupid line. “I do say. Why were you so far out in the trees? It can be dangerous out there.”
I tried not to sound defensive. “I was looking for Big-Foot and the Jersey Devil, and I’m pretty confident I can take care of myself.”
He let the Big-Foot comment slide. “I’m sure you can, but be careful, the Wolves turn and run in those trees. I’m not sure what I’d do if you got hurt.”
I gave his hand a light squeeze. “I will be… What’s it like when you turn into your Wolf form?” Not the most subtle change of subject, but whatever, I was curious.
He looked up and sighed. “Its… amazing. The most incredible thing I’ve ever experienced. My senses are so much sharper and I’m so much stronger and faster. I feel powerful. It also always makes me want to see you.”
“Why is that?”
“Because when I’m in my Wolf form, the animal side of me is in the most control,” he hesitated, then added, “and Wolves like to be with their mates all the time.”
I almost stopped in my tracks. “Their what?”
He gave me a nervous smile. “I guess I should have told you a long time ago… My Wolf chose you as its mate… That’s why I’ve always been so protective over you.”
If I remembered my facts correctly from my animal science class back in the human world, wolves mated for life. I swallowed hard. “How similar are werewolves to real wolves?”
He tilted his head in a very wolf-like manner. Now that I thought about it, he did things like that all the time. “Very. When we turn, we change into real wolves, not the half-man, half-beast you’ve seen in movies, and because that is always inside of us, the traits of our Wolf carry over into our human form.”
I guess that explained a lot. If Jackson’s Wolf had chosen me as its mate, it made sense that he would get into so many fights over me in school before we came here, and how he was always concerned about me. It was both flattering and a little worrisome. I liked Jack. I might even love him. But I wasn’t sure if I was ready for a lifetime commitment.
He must have sensed my unease because he wrapped his arm around my shoulder. “Don’t freak out. It’s not a big deal.” “I’m not freaking out,” I lied.
He kissed my forehead. “Yes, you are, which is why I never told you before. I can smell it on you, your discomfort. Don’t worry. I’m not going to try to force you into an eternal relationship. I just want you to know that I would do anything to keep you safe, that I’ll always be here for you.”
“You can smell my emotions?”
He chuckled and shook his head. “That would be the part you comment on. But, no, not really your emotions. I just know you well enough to know what certain changes mean. Plus, your heartbeat picked up in pace.”
I gave a low whistle. “Impressive.”
We had reached my dorm, and I found myself not wanting Jackson to leave. He had a way of taking my mind off things and making me just enjoy the moment. But I needed to get some rest, because tomorrow was a school day, and I had some extracurricular activities planned after school.
&nb
sp; Jack pulled me to him for a hug, but instead, I reached my hand behind his neck and brought my face up to his. I didn’t have much to compare it to, but it was a sweet kiss. His lips were soft and gentle, as if he were afraid of breaking me. My stomach was full of butterflies and my fingers trailed down his strong back as we stood in each other’s grasp. He pulled away first, and I stuck my bottom lip out in protest.
His eyes had lit up into that beautiful Wolf-gold, and I got the feeling he was struggling to control himself. But he took a deep breath, and then laughed at my expression. “Careful, darling, my Wolf isn’t known for his self-control.”
I smiled wickedly. “Neither is my Warrior.”
He made a sound deep in his throat that resembled a low growl. Then, he kissed my lips once more and rested his cheek on top of my head. “Good night, my love,” he whispered.
I wrapped my arms around him. “Good night, Jack.”
He kissed my forehead and gave me a small smile before turning away. I went up to my room and threw myself across the bed. I was feeling good for the first time today, but at the same time, I was conflicted. Because, while I should have gone to sleep thinking about Jackson, I fell asleep thinking of Kayden instead.
Chapter Forty-Seven
I got up early again and headed to Patterson’s class. I was feeling a little bit weak because I hadn’t really eaten anything yesterday. I was also planning on skipping my meals today. It might not be the smartest idea, but Soraya’s theory about something being in the food had kind of made me curious. I wasn’t sure how long I could go without eating, but I figured I’d give it a couple of days and see how I felt then. Waking up this morning proved that this was going to be harder than I’d thought. I was starving already.
When I walked into Patterson’s class, once again, he was already setting up. Now that I had him alone, I remembered that I’d wanted to ask him some questions about my mother.
“Early again, Warrior?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
He studied me a moment. “Is everything all right? You look a little pale.”
Nothing was all right. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just couldn’t sleep last night.”
He looked like he wasn’t sure he believed me, but he waved his hand toward the equipment he was dragging out. “Well, since you’re here, you want to give me a hand?”
“Sure.” I walked over to the supplies closet and began dragging out the heavy floor mats. Then, I took a deep breath. “How well did you know my mom?”
Patterson stopped what he was doing and turned around to face me. After a moment, he said, “Very well.”
I stared at him for a moment, trying to imagine him being involved with my mother. I supposed they would make a cute couple. Still, it was hard to picture her being interested in anything other than training. Then again, maybe they’d had that in common.
I prepared myself to be denied an answer to my next question, but asked anyway. “Yesterday, you started to say something… something about how she would’ve never… well, I don’t know. What would she never have done?”
He hesitated for so long I was pretty sure he wasn’t going to answer. But finally, he sighed and dropped the equipment he was holding. When he looked at me, I could tell it was almost as painful for him to speak about her as it was for me. Any doubt I’d had about them having been involved vanished.
“She would’ve never let you come here,” he said at last.
I thought about all that had happened since I’d arrived at Two Rivers. I thought about my fight with Daniel and my fight with Victoria. I thought about Kayden and Soraya and the village. Things were obviously not right here, but really, nothing awful had happened to me yet. Despite that, I kind of had a feeling he was right.
“Why? Why wouldn’t she want me here?” I asked.
He looked down at the floor. “I’m sure she just wanted other things for you. To… let you have an easier life than you can have here.”
He turned away then, and resumed setting up the equipment. I guessed that meant that he didn’t want to talk about it anymore. So, like always, I said something stupid.
“You loved her, didn’t you?” I whispered.
He had his back to me, but his large shoulders slumped and his head dropped down between them. He didn’t turn to face me, and when he spoke, it was barely audible. “Very much.”
I looked down at my feet, fighting unwelcome tears. “I miss her so much.”
When he turned to look at me, his face was composed, but his eyes were haunted in a way that only the loss of a loved one could cause. He still loved her, had never stopped, and as inappropriate as it may have been, I wanted to ask him about their time together. I wanted to hear tales of my mother from someone who knew a side of her that I had never known. This also made me realize how much she must have sacrificed for me. I’d never thought about what she had left behind in order to keep me safe. I just wished I knew what she’d been keeping me safe from.
We stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Neither of us said a word, but so much passed between us. I felt like we understood each other perfectly in that moment. We both felt the loss of a woman we loved very much. It was both comforting and disorienting for me. I wasn’t used to showing so much emotion in front of others, but at the same time, it was nice to know that someone else shared my grief.
As students starting entering the room, we returned to placing out the mats. But when Patterson began to call the class to attention, someone came through the door. It was Mark, the warrior I had met the other day when the queen had asked to see me. I had a feeling he was coming to retrieve me again. This was confirmed as he went over and whispered something to Patterson, who looked at me and jerked his head so that I would approach.
“Warrior,” said Mark, with a small bow. “Queen Camillia has requested an audience.”
Patterson nodded to me, and I followed Mark out the door. When we were out of the classroom, I walked alongside him. “It’s nice to see you again, Mark.”
He smiled. “And you as well, Alexa.”
“Do you know why she wants to see me?” I asked, even though I was pretty sure I knew why.
“I wouldn’t know.”
“Well… do you know if I’m in trouble?”
He shrugged casually and gave a half smile. “Did you do
something to be in trouble?”
“Not that I can recall,” I lied. I’d learned long ago not to admit to anything until I was sure of what I was being accused.
“Then you should be fine.”
I studied him for a moment, wondering if he knew about the incident with Victoria, but his face gave away nothing. Then, he reached up to adjust his collar and a red satin bracelet on his wrist caught my attention. It was small, with a red cloth was wrapped around a silver chain, and it sparkled in the sunlight. It wasn’t a delicate or a masculine piece of jewelry. It was just interesting.
“That’s pretty,” I commented, pointing at his wrist.
He looked down at his hand and snorted. “Yeah, I guess.”
My brow furrowed at his reaction. “What is it?”
“A marker. We wear them when it is our turn in the Arena.”
I thought back to when Tommy asked me to see the fight with him this weekend. He’d told me that at the end of every month, there was a fight between the Warriors. My stomach clenched as the realization settled over me. I liked Mark. I didn’t want him to get hurt over the sake of entertainment.
“You’re the one fighting this weekend,” I said, more to myself than to him.
He nodded. “We wear the bracelets so that people can observe the contestants. So that they can place their money on who they assume is the strongest fighter.”
My jaw dropped as I processed what he was saying. “People place bets on the fighters?”
He glanced at me and nodded again. “Yes.”
Everything that went through my head to say to that involved multiple curse words, so I took a deep brea
th and tried to calm myself.
Of course there would be bets on the fights, why wouldn’t there be?
“I’ll be rooting for you then,” I said, as we continued our walk.
He smiled. “You’re going to the fight?”
“I wasn’t going to, but if you’re fighting, then yeah, I’m coming.”
He gave a curt nod. “Want to see how it’s done, huh?”
I laughed. “No, but someone has to cheer for you.”
He laughed as we ascended the stairs of the Council building. Like always, I got nervous as we entered the enormous silver-trimmed foyer.
Just like last time, he led me to the queen’s office and gave me a small smile. “Good luck.”
I hated when people feel they have to say that to me. I thanked him and took a deep breath before opening the door. I wasn’t excited about this meeting. The last time I’d been here, she’d given me the worst news of my life. That knowledge actually comforted me, though. There wasn’t much else that could hurt me as bad as learning of my mother’s death.
I entered the room and found the queen sitting in the same chair as last time. She was drinking a cup of tea again and wearing a professional-looking grey skirt and jacket with a silver shirt underneath.
I wondered if her attire always included silver. Probably.
“Young Warrior,” she said in greeting.
I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes. “Your Majesty.”
She gestured to the couch. “Please, have a seat.”
I sat down and waited for her to speak. When I was met with silence, I remembered how she annoyingly always made me ask questions before giving answers. I bit my lip and clenched my fists. “You wanted to see me?”
She studied me over her cup for a moment, and I felt my irritation grow. Why couldn’t this woman ever just come on out and say what was on her mind? You would think a queen would have better people skills. She was just skilled at pissing me off.
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