“What?” Daniel and I voiced out at the same time.
“See, our lines are ancient,” Gramps began. “Yes, they may get watered down a bit, but she would have been able to bear a child…” he pointed to Daniel. “Of that nature.”
“Okay wait. So if what caused my mother"s death? If it wasn"t the mixing of the lines?”
Gramps shook his head. “We don"t know. I was hoping you would tell me.”
“Great!” Daniel snorted. “Now I guess we have another mystery on our hands.
Julie, I truly love you…but your father kept more secrets that I imagine.”
“Well can you blame him!” I snapped.
“No, but I think I would have handled things a bit differently. I mean, my dad…”
“Daniel, Martin didn"t trust anyone with the truth. He was in love! Are you going to tell Thomas about me? The counsel?”
Daniel remained silent, contemplating his answer carefully. Maybe he would see the world from my father"s eyes. It was ironic, but Daniel was now walking in my father"s shoes and didn"t even realize it.
“I guess you are right. I would protect you. But you have to admit, Dad has been pretty good about the vampires.”
“He wants to kill them for Fate"s sake!” I shrieked.
“Vampires?” Gramps jumped in. “This isn"t good. Our legend has it that when the moon-eyed people and the Aniwayah unite once again, a great war will take place,”
Gramps shot out. “I"m afraid this is only the beginning.”
“What"d you mean great war?” Jason finally broke his silence.
“What do you mean once again? Does it have to do with the battle on Fort Mountain?”
“There is evil, something which is pure evil, hidden in the mountain. If it falls into the hands of the werewolves, no one will be safe. We"ll all be in grave danger.” Tess tossed in.
“According to legend, the great war will take place on Fort Mountain. The werewolves will not be the only thing fought that night. A pure evil will force itself through. In the words of the scribe, a pure evil shall be reconciled by the hand of its one true love. Anyone who touches this item will be consumed by its evil power. This is what we feel the werewolves are searching for.” Gramps added.
My thoughts ran back to Richard. He said he believed the werewolves were searching for something. Still we have no idea what the item was. Something pure evil.
What could it be? Was it possible that the vampires who brought the item to the mountain were still around? Were they evil? I almost laughed at my thoughts. The vampires were not saints, by any means. They were cursed just like the werewolves.
Dear Fate, who would help us now? Could we really trust the vampires?
“And we still have no idea what the item is. We do not even know where it was hidden.” Daniel shifted still holding me tightly.
“No. The only ones who knew what the item is are the moon-eyed people, the vampires who hid it. Well, yes, the Chief knew. The ancient carvings give its location.
We fear the item. We will not remove it.” Gramps stood tall and still.
“Wait. You said you would not remove it?” Daniel narrowed his eyes toward Gramps. “Then if the werewolves get their hands on it they will become pure evil.
Unstoppable. How can you allow this to happen?”
“Daniel, we can"t touch it. You don"t understand. The evil consumes those who touch it. We can kill evil only in its natural form. We can"t kill an item.” Aunt Tess returned sharply.
“So you are saying you want the werewolves to retrieve it? So you can kill them with the evil it contains? What if you fail? “Daniel"s frustration was now becoming clearer.
“We have faith, Daniel. Faith in our belief that good always overcomes evil.”
Gramps stated firmly. “We will be prepared. “ Gramps said, staring up into the night sky. “The scribe says to watch for the Blood Moon, a red moon. This will be the first sign of the beginning of this war.”
We all looked to the sky. The silver moon, shining bright and full had no appearance of any redness. I let out a sigh of relief. Daniel and I looked at one another carefully. What were we to do? Did this mean we were going to have to find this item?
Were we going to hunt for it in the middle of a huge pack of werewolves? Even if we did search for it, we had no idea what we were looking for. Something of pure evil. I didn"t even want to think about it anymore.
Daniel let loose a sigh. He felt like I did. Not only did we have the clans to worry about with the Dark Wolves, but the werewolves and the evil that resided somewhere deep in Fort Mountain. This life just keeps getting better and better. The more the mysteries begin to unfold in front of us the more danger we found ourselves in.
With no more words to say, we graciously parted with my family. The sadness in their eyes proved their own concerns. Daniel made a promise to them to keep the secret safe. He also promised them he would do everything he could to protect me. I knew in their hearts they felt the torment of my mother"s loss all over again. Watching me leave with Daniel was, in one way, a repeat of history.
I couldn"t dare bring myself to tell them I was pregnant, to give them any more to worry about. My mother"s tragedy dealing with Dr. Miller had brought shame and remorse to them. Not to mention, Taylan. Taylan was very proud. It was evident he was not thrilled with Daniel or the Council. According to them, the Council has gone astray from the old ways. Could Daniel rectify this? Could he be the one to bring peace to all the clans and unite the entire bloodlines? Was this even something my father had considered?
On the drive home, I remained silent in my own thoughts. Not to mention my own fears. Daniel knew he could never tell anyone what my mother was. Or who I was for that matter. Did Charlotte know? Did Thomas? She had said to Thomas and Daniel that she knew what my mother really was. Did she really know?
As I stared blankly out of the car window, I felt Daniel"s warm hand on mine. I turned slowly to him and he glanced to me, a gentle and assuring smile crossing his face.
“It will be all right.” He assured me.
I nodded and wrapped my fingers around his. He knew he had a lot to deal with.
At this point we all did. It was left up to us to decide what to do with our newfound information. Daniel was already in the lead position for the Council. I wondered if he would wait until the Clans were united and the Dark Wolves destroyed. My thoughts were so distraught I couldn"t clearly hear him.
Heather and Jason remained silent as well. I assumed they were chatting amongst themselves quietly, debating their own plan of action. I knew they were with us no matter what Daniel decided. There again, I had a few options opened to me.
Tomorrow, I was going to see Richard. That is, if he hadn"t already left to meet with Mithras. I would take my chances that he would at least help us. Maybe Richard could find out what type of evil lurked in Fort Mountain. Maybe even find a way to destroy it.
Maybe, I thought, Richard was our only hope. I would try.
Daniel would have his hands full with the Council tomorrow, which left me to Richard. I was sure Daniel would take Jason with him. This was a battle they were preparing for. The strongest of the Alpha males would be present and there would be no need for women. Heather could go with me to see Richard. I knew it would be wise for my safety as well. Soon we would know where we stood.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Our Monday morning started out as usual. I overslept. The chattering of voices and smell of coffee drew me to the kitchen. Daniel was downstairs with Jason and Heather eating breakfast and drinking coffee. I walked through the kitchen, and Daniel"s eyes lifted to me as I made my way to the coffee.
Jason glanced up, giving me a smile as he continued with his breakfast. I looked around the kitchen to see what Daniel had prepared. It seemed he went a little overboard with breakfast again. I grabbed my coffee and seated myself beside him at the table. Leaning over to me, he pressed a kiss to the side of my face.
“Good morning.”
His smile was radiant.
He was always such a morning person. It took me a few moments to wake up, even after a shower. I forced out a smile and grumbled my good mornings, trying to focus on waking up. Heather read the paper while sipping on her coffee, and Jason steadily enjoyed his breakfast. I reached over to Daniel"s plate and picked up one of the sausage links.
“So what"s on the agenda for today?” I asked as I bit into the sausage.
“Well, Jason is going with me to meet with the group the Council has rounded up to take out the Dark Wolves. Mom called this morning and wants to make the final arrangements for the wedding this weekend. The caterers are all in order. The flowers, etc. Oh, and she said to tell you not to forget to go by Nancy"s to pick up your dress. She has a family dinner party planned for Saturday night.” He made his announcements.
Saturday. Sunday was the big day. For some odd reason I had more on my mind than the wedding. Daniel made it sound like everything was normal and going as planned. We had not even discussed a honeymoon. Most of the wedding plans were already taken care of my soon to be mother-in-law Charlotte. I felt a little bad for almost forgetting Sunday was the day Daniel and I were getting married. There was so much else I needed to do.
“I"ll go by and see Nancy this morning. Heather, did you want to go with me?” I turned the coffee cup to my lips.
“Sorry Jewels, I need to run into town with Charlotte. She has some errands to do.
Something about the cakes.” Heather smiled gently looking up from the newspaper.
Great, leave me to my own demise.
A precarious look crossed Daniel„s face. “And what would that be?”
“What?” I almost choked on my coffee. Darn it, I needed to watch my thoughts.
“What kind of demise are you planning?” he persisted.
I gave him a blank stare for a moment. “I was going to check on the wedding gown.
And do a little research.” It was the truth. I just didn"t tell him what else I had planned.
Daniel eyed me carefully and his eyes narrowed slightly as if he didn"t believe me.
He slowly let his eyes drop back to his plate. Picking up his fork, he laid it across the plate then let out a sigh. In a quick motion, Daniel pushed himself back from the table.
He picked up his plate and went into the kitchen. I glanced up at Jason. Jason"s eyes followed Daniel, and then looked to me.
“Jason, love, are you finished?” Heather broke in.
Jason nodded. Heather pushed away from the table and took their plates. An uncomfortable feeling that ran through me. Daniel was upset. Jason and Heather noticed it. I had to deal with it. The door to the patio slammed behind him. I jumped, spilling my coffee. Daniel was far more upset than I had imagined.
I sat motionless in my chair as fear crept inside my heart. I took a deep breath and pushed my way from the table. Jason eyed me carefully. I could tell he saw the hurt in my eyes. Maybe it was a bewildering look. I wasn"t sure which one it was. I walked back through the kitchen. Opening the door, I saw Daniel standing on the patio. His back was turned to me. He stood motionless staring out beyond the trees.
The chill of the morning air swept over me. It sent a shiver down my spine. Daniel was staring out into the woods. He turned his head slightly to the side as I touched his back. Raising his arm, he slid it around me. I looked deep into his eyes and the heart inside of me shattered. Daniel"s teary eyes met mine. He was in pain, a very deep, emotional pain.
“Julie,” he began softly. “When are you going to learn to trust me? I couldn"t bear it if anything happened to you.”
“Daniel…”
“Listen to me.” He cut me off abruptly. “You are going to have to learn to trust me with your very life.” His voice was firm and forceful.
Daniel let me go and turned his attention back toward the woods. “You don"t know how much you are hurting me. Julie, I am not the same gangly young boy you once knew.”
“Daniel, I know this. You have grown into a wonderful strong man, who I love. The man I want to marry.”
“Do you? Do you really love me? Do you really want to marry me?” he sneered.
Again, the pressure pierced around my heart. “What exactly is that supposed to mean? Of course, I want to marry you! I love you!”
“Then you are going to have to trust me.” His black eyes peered deeply into mine.
“Richard will be here in a few minutes. There is no way of putting this off. I have to leave and go with the Council for about three days. Mom and Dad will be going with me, as well as Heather and Jason. Unfortunately, as bad as it sounds, the only ones I can trust at this point are the vampires to keep you safe.”
“You"re kidding me …right?” I couldn"t believe what I was hearing.
Daniel"s face shows no signs of humor, nor did he show any signs other than grief.
“No, I am not kidding you Julie. I discussed this with Richard earlier this morning. We have an agreement.”
“Agreement?” I snorted. “What kind of agreement?”
“The type of agreement that will keep you safe and alive until I return home.”
„What about you? Who is going to keep you safe while you are out chasing these Dark Wolves?”
“I have Jason and Heather. They need to come with me. You, on the other hand, need to stay here. AND I mean stay here in this house. Lance and Richard are going to keep an eye on you.”
“Daniel, I can„t bear the thought of being away from you. Isn„t there any other way around this?”
“No, Julie. This is the only way. I hate the thought of leaving you as well. Believe me when I tell you how much it torments me to have Richard around you while I"m away. But I know if he has any love in his cold body for you, he will be the best one to protect you while I"m gone. I see the way he looks at you. Believe me, if he loves you half as much as I do, you will be safe.”
“Daniel, I really don„t agree with this.” I stated firmly with my arms crossed over my chest.
Daniel didn"t speak. He turned and walked away from me. “It really does not matter at this point Julie. I am doing the best for you and my child. Conversation closed,” he said as he walked back through the patio door.
What in the hell was he thinking? Were we living in a time that called for drastic measures as these? Did he really trust Richard? Or was it me he was trusting. What kind of agreement did the two of them come to? I turned and followed him back through the house and froze.
Daniel wasn"t joking. Richard and Lance stood before me. My heart started fluttering when I saw Nathaniel. And then a tall blond stepped from behind him…Dear Fate it was Casey. She was breathtaking. The first thing I noticed about her was the once gold sun kissed skin was now pale. Her features were definitely hers, except she blended in more with Nathaniel. If there had ever been two people who looked as though they belonged together, it was Casey and Nathaniel.
“Casey?”
“Jewels?” She spoke softly, the tones in her voice tingled in my ears. She moved slowly around Nathaniel as he let her hand go.
We met in the middle of the living room, embracing one another in a tight hug. A little too tight for my taste, she was stronger than what I had imagined.
“Casey! Oh it is so good to see you! I can"t tell you how much I"ve missed you!” I streamed out.
“I"ve missed you too! By the way, Jewels, you smell funny.” She stepped back and wrinkled her nose.
My eyes widened as I backed away from her. What on earth? My smell?
“Casey, Julie is pregnant,” Richard spoke softly.
Casey turned towards Richard then back to me. “Pregnant? When? Why am I always the last to know anything around here?” She pursed her lips together, with hands firmly on her hips.
“Because you decided to go off somewhere and go vamp on all of us!” I teased.
Casey laughed and turned her attention back to me. “Well, I see I have missed quite a bit. We need to catch up. Dear brother here says you need
a baby sitter. Now I know why.”
“Yes, and I hope you are in control of yourself.” Daniel said giving his sister a stern look.
“Daniel, really.” She huffed and rolled her eyes. “So what do we do? How about a trip to the mall? Shopping and…”
“Um, Casey, I do need to remind you that you are not supposed to be around humans at least for a little while longer.” Nathaniel spoke softly.
Casey"s bright expression changed to one of sadness. “Oh, yeah.” Everyone could hear the disappointment in her voice.
“Hey, I know something we could do?” My eyes widened with excitement. “Let"s go for a walk and catch up.”
“Um, Jewels, I need to remind you,” Daniel began. “You are not to go out of this house unsupervised. You may consider the fact there might be werewolves lurking in those woods.”
At that point, Casey and I both let out a long sigh as we looked toward Daniel. It appeared we both were in a precarious situation. I was pregnant, and she was a new vampire. Interestingly enough, we both needed to be supervised.
Daniel turned to Richard. “So I trust we have an agreement?”
“You have my word,” Richard stated firmly. “And you?”
“Of course, if it ever comes to that.” Daniel stated flatly. A certain amount of remorse lingered in his voice. What type of agreement did they make? This was killing me.
Casey glanced toward Daniel. “I"ll make sure he behaves himself.”
“I am counting on it.” Daniel said as he walked over to his sister. “By the way, you smell funny too.” He wrinkled his nose. “You smell like a funeral home or something.”
Casey stared at her brother a moment then let out a soft laugh. “You do realize, I haven"t changed that much,” She said as she reached for her brother.
Daniel held his arms opened as Casey went to him. Her arms wrapped around her brother as he embraced her tightly. Suddenly, her body stiffened and she jerked back.
Daniel studied her face for a moment with a look of curiosity then a cloud of horror covered him. With a flash, Nathaniel rushed over to her side, clasping his pale hands around her arms. I heard Heather and Jason take gasp as Richard moved toward Daniel.
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