“You see many, many years before Aurelio’s time the blood of the lykan had found its way into the family gene pool. We’re not sure who, or when, as these things have a tendency to become confused and marred by rumour and gossip over the centuries. What we do know is that the Lorenço’s were a prosperous family of aristocratic lineage. Aurelio was in fact the brother of a Baron, Godofredo Lorenço. They were lykans but … two very different kinds. Godofredo, like the rest of his family and his ancestors, did not harm humans - in fact he married one. Aurelio, on the other hand, believed humans were beneath the touch of his family, and hunted them like game. He was furious when his brother married a human girl, and soon began causing trouble. Before, his murders had been committed outside of their county. Godofredo knew of his brothers crimes, and other than some fervent pleading with him, did nothing to stop him. He loved him, wanted to protect him. When Godofredo married, however, Aurelio began taking humans from their local village. The people only began to suspect the Lorenço family after Godofredo’s wife became one of the victims, and Aurelio showed no signs of grief. In fact, he seemed to revel in her death quite publicly. Godofredo was devastated, and banished Aurelio from the county. But it was too late. The people had grown suspicious of the true nature of the Lorenços, and they drove them from the county, and eventually the country. Our pack became nomads, visiting everywhere and settling nowhere. That’s one of the many reasons this pack forbids marriage to humans.”
He sighed and caught her gaze as she looked up at him. “We were settled before the Hunter, of course. And now, we’re settled again. But the history of the Lorenço family gives you an idea of why we have the rituals we have. With some nobility, and as was with the Lorenço line, the line is held through primogeniture. However, as seen with human nobility, sometimes a first born son never comes along. That’s why the Lorenço’s created what we call Lunarmorte.”
Caia shook her head, gazing in front of her, her cat eyes wide.
“What? What are you thinking?” He asked, and was surprised to realise that he really wanted to know. Ryder was right. Different was fascinating.
She laughed, a light feathery laugh that hit him low in his belly. “I’m just in awe, I guess.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe how old the pack is. I always thought we were a pretty young pack.”
“Well we are.” Lucien smirked. “We’re early modern. There are packs out there that can trace their ancestry as far back to Charlemagne.”
“Wow.”
“I’ll say. But that’s nothing compared to how old some of the families of the other supernaturals are.”
“I always liked history in school.”
“You said.” He smiled, and Caia caught his look, chuckling as she too remembered his awkward attempt at conversation with her yesterday in his car. It seemed a million years away now.
“Will we turn back?”
Caia nodded. “I’m pretty beat.”
His eyes narrowed in on the dark circles under her eyes; the weariness in them matched the limpness of her body. He sighed. “Tomorrow will be a better day.”
She nodded, but her eyes looked almost longingly behind him into the woods, and then she turned to gaze in the direction that would lead them to the house. Lucien felt his breath catch, watching the play of emotions across her face. She really didn’t want to be here with the pack, with him.
Well, too bad.
Without thinking he gently took hold of her elbow and started guiding her back to the house. He let go when she complied and ignored the questions in her eyes.
7 - Friend or Foe?
The rest of the week passed in a blur for Caia. There were so many members of the pack that came over to discuss their problems with Lucien, some even to introduce themselves to her again. It eased her worries a little. With the exception of Alexa, who hadn’t spoken to her since their last exchange in the lunchroom, and Yvana, whom she hadn’t seen again, the pack had so far been friendly and welcoming. Ryder hung around a lot and always made her feel like a long lost sister - joking with her, bringing her some movies to watch. It felt nice.
By the end of the week, her exhaustion was unparalleled, she was sure. But she had one more performance to put in because Jaeden and her family were staying for dinner that night. She was up in her room, beating her head against the wall over a problem in her calculus homework, when she heard the two cars come up the gravel driveway. She glanced at her watch. It was seven o’clock. The aromas coming from the kitchen had been mouth-watering since she had gotten home from school. Again, Ella had refused her help.
“I’d like to cook sometime. Do anything to, you know, do my bit,” Caia had told her as Ella physically shooed her out of the kitchen.
“Oh of course, honey.” Ella smiled brightly. “And you will. Just not today.”
“I could set the table.”
“Irini is going to do that.”
“I could tidy the sitting room.” She gestured towards said room from the hallway.
Ella frowned at that. “I did that already,” she replied, sounding piqued.
Caia laughed, abashed. “Of course you did. It looks great.”
“Go do your homework.”
She had obeyed the quelling look in Ella’s eye and left her to it.
Caia sighed and looked back at her calculus problem.
“Caia! They’re here!” She heard Ella call from the kitchen.
“I’ll be back,” she growled at her homework. “Maybe, somehow by magik, I’ll have the answer when I do.”
Stopping to checking her reflection before she left the room Caia was reminded once again, as her eyes washed over her jeans and plain white shirt, that no matter what she wore she really was the plain Jane of the lykan world. She glared back at her homework and then back into the mirror. Whoever came up with the phrase ‘you can’t win ‘em all’ obviously had at least one thing going for them; how about ‘you can’t win anything; nada; zilcho’, hmm?
“Ugh.” She shook her head at herself. “Self-pity is not a good colour on you.”
They were congregated in the living room. Dimitri with his family – there seemed to be a lot of them. And then Magnus. She grinned at him, feeling her nerves dissipate a little.
“Hey kid.” He grinned back.
This should be OK. Right? She glanced at Jaeden who smiled at her as she wrestled with a squirming toddler. Caia’s nerves began to melt away as Dimitri hugged her, followed by Magnus, and then pretty much everyone else. It was nothing like her experience with Yvana. Warmth emanated from them all, Magnus sticking protectively by her side. Dimitri’s wife, Julia, was introduced to her first; a gorgeous woman Caia presumed was ages with Ella - goddess knew how old that may be. Julia hugged Caia to her, and said it was good to have her back. Then there was Dimitri’s eldest, Christian and his wife, Lucia, who both were friendly and sincere. And then Jaeden came forward and introduced the bubbly three-year old in her arms as her niece, Jaela.
Caia was surprised as Jaeden suddenly pushed the child into her arms. “Say hello, Jaela.”
“Uh, Jae …” Caia nervously wrapped her arms around the child. She tried not to blush as everyone watched her hold the little girl awkwardly, but then Jaela grabbed onto a strand of her hair and Caia’s eyes locked onto the little one’s big baby blues. She smiled sweetly at Caia and made some gurgling noises, trying to snuggle deeper into Caia’s arms.
“She likes you.” Lucien suddenly appeared beside her. He turned to Lucia. “I thought I was the only one she liked?” His disgruntlement amused everyone. He was placated by the squealing Jaela when she realised he was there - she threw her arms out at him, hitting Caia in the face and crying out, ‘Luchy!”
Wincing Caia turned to him. “I think she wants Luchy,” she teased.
“Only Jaela is allowed to call me that.” Lucien grinned, taking the girl into his arms. “Ain’t that right, gorgeous.”
Caia sat with them, enjoying the peace and comfort that this small grou
p of the pack enjoyed with one another. They were obviously a family within a family, and so warm to her she felt herself being pulled in, despite her concerns.
“Dinner’s ready folks.” Ella smiled, looking sweaty from her slavery in the kitchen.
***
Dinner with them all was probably the best time Caia had had. She hated to admit it, but as Magnus and Dimitri took turns light-heartedly teasing her and each other; as Julia jumped flightily from asking her questions about school to asking Ella about cooking; as Jaeden threw her affectionate smirks; as Christian and Lucia whispered lovingly to one another; and as Lucien ate his meal whilst playing with Jaela and making her giggle throughout the entire dinner, she realised that this was what she had been missing her entire life. Not the pack. Just a family. An ordinary family having a meal together. It was so humdrum and yet it was the most wonderful feeling in the world for her right then.
When dinner was over the family decided to settle back in the sitting room with some coffee and cake.
“I’ll clear up, do the dishes,” Caia said to Ella as they got up from the table.
“No-”
“I’ll help.” Jaeden grinned, and managed to do what Caia couldn’t and shoo Ella out with the others. Lucien was the last to leave. He stood at the doorway, his eyes narrowed on Jaeden.
“All the times you’ve been over for dinner you haven’t once offered to clean up. What are you up to?” His glance shifted between her and Caia.
Jaeden laughed at him. “You’re so suspicious, Lucien.”
“Always. For good reason.”
She chortled at that and leaned past him, grabbing onto the door. “Bye Lucien.” She began closing it on him.
“If she’s bothering you, let me know,” he said to Caia, and laughed when Jaeden smacked him on the arm and pushed him out of the door. She turned back to Caia once they were alone, smiling at the bemused look on her face.
“He’s not suspicious at all. He’s just plain nosy.”
They were standing together, Caia washing up, whilst Jaeden dried and put the dishes away.
“So how was that for you?” Jaeden glanced back at the table. “I know you were pretty nervous about it earlier.”
Caia smiled shyly, not meeting her eyes. “Honestly... and you promise you won’t tell?”
“Of course.”
She sighed and shook her head. “Ugh, this is stupid. I don’t feel like myself here at all-”
“Bu-”
“No, don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean that... I just... I feel really goofy because...”
Jaeden grinned. “Because?”
Caia shrugged embarrassed. “Because I’ve never had a better time,” she spoke so quietly even Jaeden with her lykan hearing had to lean in.
“Aw, Cy.” She laughed and shoved at her playfully. “Did you have A Little House on the Prairie moment tonight?”
At that, Caia splashed water from the sink up onto Jaeden’s face. She merely sniggered and pulled back as Caia narrowed her eyes on her teasingly. “Oh I am never telling you anything again.”
“You did.” Jaeden wouldn’t let up. “Aw, I think my heart hurts a little.”
“Oh, you’ve done it now,” Caia growled.
What ensued was a water/bubble/washing-up liquid fight that ended with the two of them slipping on the latter and landing hard on their butts, screaming hysterically.
“What the Hades...”
Giggling, and trying to catch their breaths after having chased each other around the kitchen - which now looked like the great flood had hit it– they glanced up at the kitchen doorway to see Lucien and Ella gazing around in wonder. Magnus stood chuckling behind them.
“What have you done to my kitchen?” Ella squeaked.
“It’s totally her fault.” Jaeden laughed, flicking bubbles at Caia.
“What...” Caia’s mouth fell open.
They turned at the sound of Lucien’s laughter. “If you were going to have a water fight couldn’t you have told us? Some guys pay to watch that stuff, you know.”
“Lucien,” Ella admonished.
“What?” He laughed innocently, and then turned back to look at Caia. “Need a hand up?”
She shook her head, wincing at the pain from her butt when she’d landed on the hard floor. She laughed breathlessly. “I think I can manage.”
“I might need a hand.” Jaeden smiled flirtatiously.
“A hand? You need something, but it’s not a hand,” Caia groaned, getting to her feet and pulling Jaeden up with her. She turned to Ella. “We’ll clean it up, I promise.”
“Hmm,” she grunted, un-amused, and turned to leave.
Lucien and Magnus followed, and she could hear Lucien say, “Leave ‘em be. She’s just having some fun.”
Jaeden raised an eyebrow as she turned back to Caia. “Sounds like Lucien’s championing someone.”
Caia frowned distractedly, looking around them at the mess. “How did we do this?” She snorted.
Jaeden laughed wearily. “I don’t know, but we better clean it before Ella decides to end us.”
***
Sitting down at her desk, Caia smiled sheepishly at Jaeden who was sprawled across her bed, now in dry clothing borrowed from Irini’s closet. Caia’s clothes were all a little too short.
“You think Ella will forgive us?”
The kitchen was now sparkling clean after a thorough tidy up. Tired and a little afraid of Ella, Jaeden had followed Caia up to her bedroom rather than sit with the rest of the family.
“She already has, I hope.” Jaeden sighed, glancing down at the calculus work Caia had left on the bed. “Dude, what is this?” She tilted her answer book up at her.
“Drywall,” she replied sarcastically.
“Haha, funny.”
Caia smiled. “What are you talking about?”
“Uh, the genius solutions you’re apparently capable of.”
“What?” Caia knitted her brow in confusion and took the answer book Jaeden held out to her. Her eyebrows must have hit the roof. “What the Hades...”
Now in the once blank space next to the problem she had been unable to solve was a solution and answer. She had no idea if it was right. There was no way on Gaia’s green earth she would have been able to come up with that. It was gobbledy-gook.
“I have no idea how this got here.” She looked up at Jaeden, her eyes round with confusion. “Did you do this? Are you messing with me?”
Jaeden snorted. “Jeez, no. I wouldn’t even know where to start with calculus. Or anything to do with math. Math hates me.”
“Irini, maybe? One of the others?”
Jaeden sat up and stared at Caia like she had gone a little crazy. “You’re saying you didn’t answer this?”
“No!” Caia stood up abruptly. “This is just another in a long line of weird things that have happened to me this week.” She grimaced, and stared hard out of the window as if the forest would give her the answers. Images passed across her eyes - of water coming on of its own accord; of Alexa’s chair flying away from her without anyone having touched it. What was going on here?
“What other weird things?” It was Jaeden’s turn to frown.
Could she tell her? She felt like she could trust her, but she had only known her for a week, and telling her this stuff would probably only make her think she was a prime candidate for the insane asylum.
“I um...” Caia took a breath. No. This, she would have to keep to herself, until she could work out what was going on. “Nothing. You know... I forgot the teacher did this one as an example for me. I must really be exhausted, huh?” She laughed hoping it didn’t sound entirely fake to her. At first she thought Jaeden was going to argue, her gaze narrowing as if she were trying to see past something.
It seemed she gave up, however, smiling gently. “You’re cuckoo, you know that?”
“It’s been drawn to my attention on occasion.”
“Beside the cuckoo, I’m really glad you came
back. You’re sort of soothing.”
She smiled gratefully. “You were right before. I’m not used to being around so many people. I hope I can keep the names straight.”
“Yeah... you are kind of awkward.”
Caia grunted, “Well, thanks.”
Laughing, Jaeden threw a pillow at her. “I’m kidding.”
There was a moment of comfortable silence, and then Jaeden giggled as if she had just remembered something. “So, you ready to go commando on your first run with the pack?”
Caia’s heart stopped. “Go what?”
***
“Are things going to plan?” He asked his agent.
“Very well. I nearly have all the information I need to execute Phase One,” she purred back at him.
“You’ve raised no suspicions?”
“Not a single one.”
“Good. Make sure it stays that way. I want the information I need soon. Very soon.”
“You’ll have it, sir.”
“Hm, we’ll see. I’ll be in contact.” He turned to Lars as he placed the phone down on the receiver. His assistant was hopping from one foot to the other, like a puppy dog waiting on a treat.
“Well?” Lars asked excitedly.
“Do you have to be right at my back? Go stand on the other side of the room.”
“I take it things aren’t going well.” Lars’s face fell as he inched away from his superior.
“According to our spy everything’s going perfectly well. She’ll be sending the information we need over the next few weeks.”
“And Caia?”
“Integrating into the pack. By the time we get the little bitch, the pack may actually mourn her.”
Lars sneered. “Yes, but by then we’ll have all the information we need to destroy the rest of the mangy mutts … they won’t have time to mourn the abomination.”
A slow, lazy smile spread across his face. He liked it when his lackeys were particularly enthusiastic. “Sometimes, I do like your way with words.”
8 -Secret Worlds
“You nervous about the run tomorrow?” Sebastian asked, as he eased back on her bed. She’d been hoping to maybe sleep late, what with it being a Saturday and all, but Caia had been woken up by Ella, who told her she had visitors coming over. She’d reluctantly got up and showered, had a sleepy breakfast with Ella, whilst Irini sat sipping cup of coffee after coffee. She was going on an early picnic with Aidan. Caia hoped Aidan liked grumpy for brunch because Irini really wasn’t a morning person. An hour after she had gotten up Sebastian and Jaeden came strolling in, bright eyed and bushy-tailed. Goddess, they were superhuman.
Moon Spell: Part One in the Tale of Lunarmorte Page 8