by Tijan
"She fainted. She's not dead," Pippa snapped at me and stroked Emily's cheek. Then she went still and gasped again.
"What? What?" I reached out and clamped a hand on the wolf's arm. Instantly, I heard her thoughts and was in the swirl of her emotions. They were memories intermixed with images. I saw Pippa as a little girl with the same two braids and overalls. Then I saw her as a puppy. She had a coat of tawny-colored fur. She was running around, stumbling from paws that were too big for her. Then there was another image of a young man. His face was round in shape with brown hair that looked messily rumpled. His eyes stared straight at me, as if he could see me.
I ripped out of her, but not before I heard her shock, 'She's already met him. It's Pete!'
As I sat back on my heels, I knew Pippa was hurt that she hadn't been told this. Something in her had assumed she would've known right away.
She looked at me, dazed. "He saw you. He knows who you are. And he's going to tell her."
My throat had a knot in it. "Who is he? Who is Pete to you?"
"He's no one. He's another wolf. That's all." She jerked upright and grabbed our dresser for balance.
'Like hell he was no one to her.'
I stood, slower, and watched the wolf. A myriad of emotions were flashing across her face, one after another. I knew Brown saw it too and she came to stand beside me. Then Pippa shook her head again and muttered, "I can't handle this."
She rushed from the room. The door remained open behind her and a second later, hers slammed shut.
Brown jumped from the sound. "Oh wow. Geez." She looked at me. "Are all wolves like that? She's jumpy for how quiet she seems. They repress too much for their well-being."
"Werewolves repress a lot. They're very secretive."
"I know. It's not healthy. Humans have a better balance of their primal and logical side. Vampires are all about the primal and werewolves are all about the logical. It's not right. There should be something that fixes it and everyone can be happy. Hmmm. Maybe I could do a spell?"
I shuddered at the thought before I started to lift Emily to the couch. Brown picked up her legs and we placed her gently down. After I covered her with a blanket, I sat at my desk with no idea how to repair anything. There had been too much damage done.
Brown sat the edge of my bed. I felt her presence trying to comfort me. "Who is Luke Roane?"
What did I even say about him? "He's complicated."
"Are you two dating like that guy said?"
Hell. Were we? "No. We're not dating."
"But you want to?"
I glanced up and felt strangely vulnerable.
She smiled to reassure me. "It's okay if you said you want to. You wouldn't be the first girl to fall for a guy they couldn't have. It's common." Her eyes saddened.
Then I stopped thinking. I let it out. "It's not how Emily thinks. I didn't meet him through her. We met because, it's complicated, but it has to do with something that happened to me, something that no one knows about. He's been helping me with it or he did help me with it until recently. Things happened. We crossed the line, did things, but we haven't since—" I took a deep breath. "Since I found out that he's in love with someone else who is dead and who died because of—he still loves her and she's still dead. Then he has this other friend who hates me. Roane's come to see me a few times, but it's never just to see me. It's always to check on me. He wants to make sure I'm okay. He feels like it's his duty that I'm okay. And Emily knew him from a class. I knew she liked him, but I didn't realize how strong her feelings were until now."
"Who's Pete?"
I shrugged. "I have no idea. She hasn't told me about him."
"Do you blame me?" Emily asked. She sat up, looking pale. "I fainted, didn't I?"
Brown and I nodded.
Emily rolled her eyes. "That's so embarrassing."
"It happens to me all the times, especially when I try a powerful spell." She shrugged. "Or when I do any spell."
My roommate caught my gaze. "Is that true? Everything you just said?"
I nodded. I couldn't shake that vulnerable feeling.
She groaned and fell backwards. "How am I supposed to be mad at you now? You sound like you're in love with him and can't be with him. I hate this. I hate it."
Brown sighed, "I think it's romantic. She loves him, but he loves someone else. He still wants to make sure she's okay."
"Shut up," Emily said at the same time I did.
We glanced at each other and both grinned. Then I cleared my throat. "I'm sorry about Luke. I really am."
Emily dismissed me. "Don't worry about it. I'm not even that upset. I'm hurt. I feel like you went behind my back, but it's not like you're the only one keeping secrets. You know about Pete?" She blinked then. "How do you know about Pete?"
Uh, hell. "Pippa knows him and she figured it out. Don't ask me how. I have no idea." I gestured towards the door. "She took off. I think she's pretty hurt you didn't tell her about him."
"Why would I? I wanted to keep him to myself for a little bit. I hadn't even told you and I would've told you first. You're my closest friend here."
Warmth spread through me when I heard that. I felt so touched, honored. I realized then Emily had become one of my best friends. She might not know as much about me as Kates did, but she'd defended me at times. "Thanks, Em."
"I want friends like you." Brown blinked back tears. "You guys are so awesome to each other. You both are so understanding. It's so much. This is so great."
Emily sat back. "Do you do drugs?"
"See. Like that! You're so honest with each other, with me too." Brown laughed to herself. "And I don't do drugs, but I can see why you might think that."
Emily asked me, "Was she hurt that I hadn't said anything? I didn't know she knew Pete."
"I think," I chose my words very carefully. "I think she feels like she's closer to you than you think you are to her and yes, it looked to me that she knew Pete. It looked like there was some history between her and him."
"Who is Pete?" Brown plopped down between us. Emily looked down at her hands. Then Brown added, "Don't be shy now. We all know. You heard about Davy and this Roane character. Your turn?"
Emily looked back up and glared. Then she gave up the fight. "I met him at the grief group I've been going to. It's so amazing. He's so amazing. He's funny and smart and nice and just wonderful." She smiled to herself with a dreamy look on her face. "He's there because he lost someone close to him and needed to talk to people who understood. He said no one understood. When I went in and sat down at the first meeting it was love at first sight." She sighed. "I love him, Davy. He's so amazing. I feel like a part of me is home now. It's like I'm complete with him."
I smiled. "That's wonderful, Emily. It really is." I kept the sharp retort that she'd felt the same with Bennett in the back of my mind.
Brown's head swiveled between us. "If you're in love with this Pete, why were mad at Davy about this other guy?
The dreamy look vanished.
I sighed. It was now awkward again.
Emily stood up. "I wasn't mad about the guy. I was mad because she lied to me."
"What did she lie about? I mean, she just didn't tell you, did you?"
"It's different." I placed a hand on Brown's arm.
"It's not different. She's falling in love with some guy and never said a word to you, but she's mad at you. You never told her about this guy you fell in love with even though he's with someone else? So you're not even with him. You met him separately from her."
I gave a small shrug. "There were different circumstances, but Emily feels I betrayed her because she knew him and I never told her that I did."
"But you didn't because it was too painful to say anything. Who wants to tell someone that you like a guy she knows too, but he's with someone else? What's the point then? That's humiliating. I'd keep that to myself too. I don't think you did anything wrong."
Emily stood in front of her closet. Her head was bent. H
er door was still closed and she didn't move.
Brown looked at me. "You didn't do anything wrong. If Emily can fall in love with someone and not tell you, she wouldn't say a thing if she liked someone who loved someone else. She wouldn't want to be embarrassed in front of you and she would be because you're the more—"
I clamped a hand over Brown's mouth. Whatever she was about to say did not need to be said. After she quieted and sat back on the couch, I let go and watched my roommate. What was she thinking and why was I so hesitant to read her thoughts?
Then I closed my eyes. I had to go in there. I had to violate my roommate. And I heard, 'Pete said she wouldn't understand. No one would. He said that she couldn't know. Am I wrong in not telling her? I didn't lie because—yes I did. Who am I lying to? Myself? That stupid girl is right. I wouldn't have told Davy if Pete hadn't felt the same as me. What do I do now? Pete, come help me.'
Suddenly the whole room shook again. The ferocity of it shocked even me and I stood. This wasn't me. This wasn't Brown. What was coming?
Brown gasped, excited and scared at the same time.
Emily looked around, but there was a waiting look in her. That's when I realized that she knew what he was. She had asked for him to come and she thought it was him coming.
Pippa ran to our door and braced herself. "What's going on?"
Brown screamed, "Something's coming."
Then it stopped and the air felt eerie. I had a moment to wonder what stood outside our door before three bursts of light exploded from the hallway. Pippa fell to the ground. Emily crumbled. And Brown dropped. All of them were unconscious.
"What?" I gaped.
Saren stood in the doorway, in blue leather this time. The fire in her eyes was blazing and it smoldered in the air. A burning smell filled the room. "We have to go. Now."
"What did you just do?" I couldn't look away from their fallen bodies.
"They aren't dead, but they will be soon if I don't get you out of here."
"But—"
She grabbed my hand and both of us teleported. The room wrapped around us and we were on our feet in an alley somewhere.
I threw down Saren's hand. "What just happened?!"
She ignored me and scanned our surroundings. "We're safe. For now."
"Saren!" I clipped out. "Fill me in on what's going on or I'm going back. I'll figure it out for myself."
A burst of fire exploded from her eyes. It zapped and burned me before she retracted it. "Don't threaten me. I am still your superior and you need me if you're going to survive the near future."
"What?!" My mouth hung open. Again. "What are you talking about?"
She stopped and turned to me. "Do you know what kind of wolf you're roommate is mixed up with?"
"Like Pippa? She's harmless."
"The girl is. He's not. Pete Young is the next leader of the werewolf nation. He's at your school to unite the werewolves for an uprising against the vampires."
"They're going to war with them?"
"The werewolves have laid low for thousands of years, but they're strong. Their power is ancient, more ancient that the vampires and it's rising again. Pete Young is meant to bring them together. They don't want to replace vampires, but they want to usurp them. And this guy is the equivalent of your vampire to their species."
A part of me was proud of Emily. "But what does that have to do with me?"
"She called him. He was going to her, fast. The second he got there he would've felt your power and tried to drain you from it. He wouldn't have been able to stop himself."
"Vampires can't sense my power. Why could he?" Pippa hadn't sensed my powers.
Saren sighed in frustration and paced up and down the alley. She was tense, ready for a fight. "We should be moving and not talking. He probably sensed your trail and could be coming after us."
"Stop!" I held onto her shoulders and made her stand still. "He's just a werewolf, right? Right?"
Saren shook her head. "He's not just a werewolf. He's got power, magic in him. He was created using the essence of the Immortal thread from a dead Immortal."
"Talia?"
"Her mother. The wolves took her mother after Lucan and Lucas had left her. They took the essence of the thread that was still in her body with magic."
I had no idea how to figure this all out. "What, huh?"
She rolled her eyes and sighed in disgust. "It's like a boat that makes waves in the water. They caught the waves that remained after the boat had left. Does that make sense to your little human brain?"
"Hey! Back off, fiery witch from hell! You think I like this? You think I like running from magical beings?" I snapped at her and then ran a hand through my hair. She wasn't the only one on edge. "You said that my friends would've died if we hadn't left. Why? What would've happened?"
"When he tried to drain you, you would've defended yourself. You still don't know your powers. Your reaction would have been stronger than you wanted and would have not only killed him, but your friends too. I stopped it from happening. I stopped him from figuring out who you are, at least until we can figure out how to blanket your powers to him."
"Oh! So I can go back?" At her dark look, I added, "Sometime?"
Saren rolled her eyes. They looked like sparklers waving in the air. Then she stalked off with her leather-clad legs rubbing against each other.
I took in the sight of her black hair flowing behind her, sleek and shiny with her blue leather outfit. "You look like a superhero right now. Did you go for that on purpose?"
She sighed in disgust. The blue leather transformed into a black-colored outfit. The fabric was loose and seemed to flow behind her, billowing in the wind. She kept going.
"Can I do that? Can you show me how to do that?"
She barked over her shoulder, "We have work to do."
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
"Not to be a nag, but where are we going?" I followed behind Saren as we walked down another set of streets. We'd been walking in circles for the last hour. I wasn't sure if she was aware of the attention she was attracting dressed like a rich person in the back streets that accumulated the back street type of person. A few homeless. A few drunks. More than a few illegal activities were going on around us.
Saren kept trudging around and cursed underneath her breath.
She whipped back to me now. "What do you think I'm doing? I'm mixing your scent with all these other things. He's good. He's going to be able to pick your scent out of all these places, but I want him confused."
"I get that, but where are we going? Shouldn't we go?"
She rolled her eyes. "You are so human, it annoys." Then she grabbed my hand and we were whisked into another teleport. When we stopped, I looked around and saw only cement floors. There were no windows, just open areas in brick walls. A tree had grown in the corner of our room with vines that climbed up the wall and onto the ceiling. A few flowers intermingled among the vines.
"Where are we? Is this some magical place?"
"It's an abandoned castle, used by a coven that was killed off in the early 1800s." Saren left for another room.
I followed, wide eyed. "Castle? Are you serious? I didn't think we had castles in America."
She stopped and glanced over her shoulder. "We're not in America anymore."
My eyes went even wider. "What?"
Then she kept going, down some steps that looked like they had been put together with brick and cement by hand.
"Where are we?"
"It doesn't matter." She strode through another opening and then paused before an altar. A moment later, she lit candles on it. A banner hung from it with a sign that looked like a hand surrounded with weaving loops of rope. A tiny blade of grass grew out of the middle of the hand.
"What does that mean?"
Saren stopped and looked where I pointed. The hand seemed to turn till it was pointed at me. It looked like it was stretched for my hand to take it in a hold. Her voice was quiet. "It's the sign of the Immortal."
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"The sign of me?"
"No. It's the sign of its creator, the true essence of the Immortal, what created it from the thread."
I swallowed. "You told me before not to talk to Blue. Then before that, I was told that Jacith wasn't the real creator. The vampires all think he is. They think he's some super powerful. I don't know, but Roane told me before that Jacith created the Immortal. What's the real story?"
Saren watched me for a moment and then the air circled around her. It picked up speed and her eyes gleamed. Dust picked up from her feet and moved upwards. It covered her entire body until I couldn't see her through it. Then it stopped and everything fell back in place.
Saren didn't look like Saren anymore. The black hair was gone. The fire eyes had been replaced with soft almond ones. The black outfit was now a white robe wrapped around her body. Her hair was a golden wheat color, braided in crowns on top of her head. She smiled and I knew then this was not Saren.
"My name is Sireenia. I am a sister to Saren and Stepianhas, your last guide."
"Are you my new guide?" I wasn't sure I'd miss Saren.
She smiled again. It was a tender look. "No, but I will help you along the way. Saren is your guide for a reason. She will fight when you are unable to. No one will harm you and many will try. She is here to help you embrace your powers because you are very powerful, but you need to become your powers."
"Who is Jacith? How is my old sponsor involved?"
"You are ready for some answers. We can tell that you know more than you think." She gestured to the side where a chair carved in rock appeared. Another was beside it and we both sat in them. Sireenia folded her hands in her lap. All her movements were graceful. "Your empathic sponsor was assigned to you for a reason. She came from a long line of witches that worshiped their original sorcerer Jacith. Her attributes matched yours. You needed someone who was motherly, but aloof. She was that, but she also had a sense of purpose that you respected. She had humor that met yours. She was picked for you and her assignment was to bring you to Jacith when the thread went into you."
My eyes were wide and my soul felt like it had a hole in it. It was gaping open. Everything she said was true.