Eternal Changes (Mikah)

by Tiffany Berry

  “Is it always like that?” Lucy murmured.

  Ashton shook his head in denial. “No. It’s never been like that.”

  “Good,” Lucy sighed as she leaned her head against the tree. Her body hummed and her heart soared.

  Lucy eyes widened and her head jerked up as a man appeared out of nowhere. His chest muscles bulged as he walked forward and grabbed her arm.

  “What’s going on?” Lucy asked as she tried to jerk her arm free.

  “Tell your leader that the pact’s been broken,” the man hissed at Ashton.

  Ashton started running towards Lucy, but it was too late. The forest and his beautiful face faded away and a large bedroom appeared.

  Lucy glared at the strange man still holding onto my arm. His raven black hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Every inch of him was chiseled in muscle.

  “Who are you and where am I?” Lucy demanded as she pulled her arm out of his grasp and backed up.

  “I’m not your enemy, little one,” the man soothed. “You’ll soon have the answers to everything you wish to know, but it’s not my place to tell you.”

  Lucy clenched her hands as her voice raised a few notches. “Not your place to tell me? But you felt it was your place to kidnap me?” she asked. She was so sick of the upheavals in her life. Every single time she felt like she finally had a grasp on things something happened to make it all slip away again. She sat down in the middle of the floor and pulled her knees up to her chest. She laid her head down on her knees as the tears poured down her cheeks like an overflowing river.

  “Please…don’t cry,” the man whispered as he gently touched her head.

  Lucy looked up at him with swollen puffy eyes. “Will you please get me a tissue?”

  Lucy tried to get her emotions under control as the man walked towards her with a tissue. She took the tissue from his hand and blew her nose.

  “Can you at least tell me your name?” Lucy asked.

  “My name’s Malachi,” he said as he patted her head as if she was a small child.

  Lucy’s eyes flared. “Will you please stop doing that?”

  “Stop doing what?” Malachi asked a little perplexed.

  “Stop patting my head like I’m five years old,” Lucy said.

  “Oh,” Malachi said as he dipped his head. “I’m sorry. I’ve been your protector from afar for so long that I still see you as a child. Please forgive me.”

  Lucy glanced up at Malachi. “My protector?”

  “I’ve said too much,” Malachi said as he turned and walked towards the bedroom door. “Caoilainn will be here shortly to speak with you.”

  Lucy heard the soft click as Malachi closed the door. She got up and ran over to the jade green door. She touched the gold knob and tried to turn it. It wouldn’t budge. Her cheeks warmed as she stomped her foot on the ground. “Was locking the door really necessary?!”

  “Are you ok, Lucy?” Ashton’s voice whispered in Lucy’s mind.

  “He didn’t harm me, but I’m so confused,” Lucy said.

  “I’m on my way back to the caves to speak with Talmadge about what happened,” Ashton said. “He should have the answers I need about the pact and he’ll hopefully know the way to where you are.”

  “The guy that took me, he’s not one of the Haemon, is he?” Lucy asked.

  “No, baby. You’re safe. Those who have you will not harm you,” Ashton soothed. “That, I’m sure of. I’ll find you. I promise,” he said as his voice faded from Lucy’s mind.

  A sigh left Lucy’s lips as she turned and looked around the room. Four wooden walls stared back at her. Lucy stepped back as the wooden walls each shifted into a different image. Her eyes widened as she touched the wall closest to her. A little girl with blonde hair and violet-brown eyes was smiling as she slid down a yellow slide. The image wavered as her fingers grazed across it.

  “That’s me,” Lucy murmured.

  “It’s ‘er, I tell yah,” a voice, tinted with a Scottish brogue, whispered.

  Lucy spun around. “Who’s there?”

  “Now yah gone and done it, Phitz. She ‘eard yah,” another voice whispered.

  “Please,” Lucy said as she looked around. “I need someone to talk to.”

  Lucy stepped back as a small gold and black creature crawled from underneath the large bed and stood up. The creature was no bigger than a Chihuahua. Its fingers and toes looked like oversized black vines and its gold coat shimmered under the light. “What are you?”

  The creature smiled, showing teeth that sparkled. “Mah names Mischuff an’ ah happen tae be Eirian. Phitz is under th’ scratcher an’ he’s Eirian, too.”

  “Wa did ye go an’ do ‘at fur?” a Scottish voice boomed right before a blue and golden head popped out from underneath the bed. The creature’s golden gaze bore a hole through Mischuff.

  “Och, hush, Phitz. Th’ girl’s a princess an’ a Mikah tae boot, so min’ yer manners,” Mischuff said.

  Lucy walked over to the large bed and knelt down by Mischuff. “Can you please tell me where I am?”

  “Ye happen tae be in Othniel, loove,” Mischuff said.

  Lucy’s eyebrows scrunched up. “Othniel?”

  Phitz climbed out from underneath the bed and stood up. “That’s whit Mischuff said. Dae ye got hearin’ problems lassie?”

  Mischuff glared at Phitz. “That’s enaw! Th’ poor lass doesnae hae a scooby she’s in a different warld.”

  Lucy’s eyes widened as she looked down at Mischuff. “Different world? What do you mean different world?”

  Mischuff rubbed her black foot across the floor as she placed her hands behind her back. She peered up at Lucy with a sheepish grin on her face. “Aam noe supposed tae say, but yoo’re in…”

  “We need tae go, Mischuff. Afair ye gie us in tae trooble,” Phitz interrupted as he grabbed Mischuff’s hand and pulled her under the bed.

  “Wait,” Lucy said as she lay down on the floor and looked under the bed. “Please!”

  Mischuff glanced at Lucy with sadness in her eyes. “Aam sae sorry,” Mischuff said as she disappeared into thin air.

  Lucy climbed up off the floor and leaned against the bed’s wooden post. She looked over at the oak headboard. Every type of animal was carved into the wood. Lucy walked over and touched the carvings. It wasn’t just animals carved into the wood, but gnomes, fairies, Eirians, and some other odd looking creature. The wooden posts of the bed had carvings of cougars that spiraled down it from the top to the bottom.

  A clicking sound floated through the air and Lucy spun around as the door gently opened and an ethereal looking woman glided into the room. The woman’s dress was fit for royalty. Her long, emerald dress was cinched with an elaborate gold plate around her waist. Cougars were carved in the plate and rubies adorned the metal. The dress flowed around the woman as she walked across the room towards Lucy.

  “You’re finally here,” the woman whispered as stopped in front of Lucy and pulled her into a hug.

  Lucy broke away from the woman and stepped back. “Who are you and where’s here?”

  “My name’s Caoilainn,” the woman said, “And you’re in your home.”

  Lucy’s blood froze as she stared at Caoilainn. Caoilainn’s golden hair glimmered and her amethyst eyes sparkled with unshed tears. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “I’ve waited to hold you in my arms and to look upon your face once again for the past seventeen years,” Caoilainn said as a tear slipped down her cheek. “The day you arrived in this world, my heart rejoiced and was saddened at the same time.

  Lucy sat down as her knees started buckle. She looked up into Caoilainn’s beautiful face. “Are you telling me that you’re my mother?”

  Caoilainn nodded as a single tear slipped down her cheek.

  Lucy laid her head on her knee as an image of her father flashed through her mind. “It’s not possible.”

  Caoilainn touched Lucy’s head. “I wanted to keep you, but I couldn’t. It was
too dangerous.”

  Lucy jerked her head away and glared at Caoilainn. “Don’t touch me. How do I even know you’re telling me the truth?”

  “Let me show you,” Caoilainn said as she walked over and touched the wall.

  Lucy stared at the wall as the image wavered and changed. There was Caoilainn lying on a large bed, holding a baby. The baby was wrapped in a furry pink blanket. Tears were streaming down Caoilainn’s face as she looked over at a dark headed man. Caoilainn kissed the baby’s blonde head before handing it over to the man. Caoilainn’s hands covered her face as her body shook.

  The image changed again and again as images of Lucy at different ages flashed on the wall.

  “How do you have those?” Lucy asked.

  Caoilainn stared at Lucy. “I’ve always had someone watching over you. You’re my only child and you’re so very special.”

  “I know,” Lucy said. “I’m part vampire and part human.”

  “No, Lucy,” Caoilainn said. “You’re not part human. You’re a Mikah. Part vampire and part shifter.”

  Lucy’s heart skipped a beat. “Shifter? What do you mean by shifter?”

  “Shifters can change into an animal at an early age, but it’s been repressed since you’re part vampire,” Caoilainn explained, “I’ve had Malachi check on you to see if there were any signs of the change early on. There was nothing. You were a normal, vulnerable child. This past year, Malachi’s noticed small changes in your scent. The scent of the cougar is stronger now. Soon you’ll be able to shift.”

  Lucy shook her head in denial. “That’s impossible.”

  “We have a very powerful bloodline, Lucy. Since I’m queen of the Daroch, you’re in line to succeed me as my only child,” Caoilainn said as she walked over to Lucy. “I had to protect you at all costs from those who would take your life. You were too vulnerable until you went through the change. The Haemon have a personal vendetta against your biological father. As his only offspring, you were at an even greater risk. They would’ve used you to destroy him.”

  “I feel sick,” Lucy said as the room started to spin. Her vision dimmed as she succumbed to the sweet oblivion of the darkness.

  Chapter 12

  Ashton stormed into the caves not caring who he awakened. It was a few hours before the sun would set, but the Dragomir were just going to have to deal with it. He needed answers and he was going to get answers. Ashton pounded on Talmadge’s door and walked in as he waved his hand and lit up the room.

  Talmadge immediately sat up in his bed with a stern frown upon his face. “What’s the meaning of this, Ashton?”

  “Malachi’s taken Lucy. He said to tell you the pact’s broken,” Ashton said as he walked up to Talmadge. “You need to tell me exactly what is going on.”

  “Just give me a minute,” Talmadge said as he ran his hand through his hair. “It’s a long story.”

  The bedroom door swung open as Jayde entered. “You must’ve completely lost your mind, Ashton. What’s the need for all the noise?”

  Talmadge sighed. “Close the door, Jayde and have a seat.”

  Jayde looked from Talmadge to Ashton as she shut the door and sat down in one of the chairs.

  “For over a hundred years, I loved a woman I never thought could be mine,” Talmadge said as he thought about his life. “Our paths would cross now and then and I would fall a little deeper every time, but I knew we could never be.” He rubbed his hands over his face. “I pushed my feelings to the side until that fateful night eighteen years ago. I couldn’t ignore them anymore and I kissed her. Everything around us faded away as our emotions got the best of us.” He looked over at Ashton. “That one night of passion led to the most beautiful creation. My daughter, Lucy.”

  Ashton stopped breathing as the news hit him like a freight train.

  “So, you fell in love with a human and had a child. It happens all the time,” Jayde said as she walked over to Talmadge and placed her hand on his shoulder. “It isn’t worth beating yourself up over it.”

  Talmadge shook his head in denial. “Her mother and I are from two different worlds. When we found out she was expecting, we knew we couldn’t keep the child. Our people hate each other. To have a child that was part shifter and part vampire was considered taboo among the Daroch. We vowed that we would put Lucy with a human family and not see her again until the change was complete.”

  Jayde stopped dead in her tracks and looked over at Ashton. “Did I hear him correctly?”

  “It’s true,” Ashton said. “I spoke to Caoilainn and she told me Lucy was her daughter. I just didn’t realize our great leader was the vampire who fathered her.”

  “You love who you love, Ashton,” Talmadge said.

  Ashton stared at Talmadge as he thought about his feelings for Lucy. If he’d been in Talmadge’s situation, he would’ve done the exact same thing. “I can understand that.”

  “How could you possibly understand it when you’ve never loved another?” Talmadge asked.

  Jayde agreed with Talmadge. “He has a point, Ashton.”

  Ashton looked from Jayde to Talmadge. “I understand because I’m in love with your daughter.”

  Jayde’s mouth popped open as she stared at Ashton. “You’re in love with Lucy?”

  Ashton inclined his head. “Yes.”

  Tears filled Jayde’s eyes. “And here I was, thinking you were going to announce you love me as I love you,” she whispered as a single tear slid down her cheek. “How stupid is that?”

  Ashton eyes widened as looked at Jayde “I had no idea,” he said as he walked towards her.

  “Just stop right there, Ashton,” Jayde said as she shook her head. “I really don’t want you to touch me right now.”

  “We’d never have worked out, Jayde. Never,” Ashton vehemently denied. “The difference between the love you feel for me and the love you’ll feel for your true love is eons apart. I’m so sorry, Jayde. I never meant to hurt you.”

  Jayde ran from the room before Ashton could stop her. He hung his head in shame. How did he miss the fact that his friend was in love with him? He was such an idiot.

  “Jayde will be ok in time, Ashton,” Talmadge said as he walked over and put his hand on Ashton’s shoulder. “So…you fell in love with my little girl.”

  Ashton looked at his mentor. “I didn’t have much of a choice, sir.”

  “That’s how it always happens, my boy,” Talmadge said. “You just get blindsided by it and everything changes.”

  “Why did Malachi say that the pact was broken if neither you nor Caoilainn have seen her?” Ashton asked.

  “That’s only part of the pact,” Talmadge said. “Did you feed from her?”

  Ashton stiffened as he looked at Talmadge. “We kind of got caught up in, um, well, she wanted to know what it felt like, and um…yeah.”

  “Then the pact has indeed been broken,” Talmadge confirmed as he let out a long sigh. “I should’ve told you everything before I sent you to look after her. If anyone from my clan drank a drop of her blood while she was still human, the pact would become null and void.”

  “Why would that be part of the pact?” Ashton asked.

  “That’s one thing that Caoilainn had trouble accepting,” Talmadge explained. “The shifters don’t harm anything on the Earth unless they’re left with no choice. She never liked the idea of a vampire taking blood from any human, let alone her only child.”

  “We need to get Lucy back,” Ashton said as he paced the room. “Do you how to get to where the Daroch live?”

  Talmadge sat down on a nearby chair. “Yes, but I can’t go until the sun sets.”

  Ashton’s heart thumped in his chest. “Then tell me how to get to their world and I’ll go get her.”

  “You’ll never find the way,” Talmadge disagreed. “Plus, Caoilainn won’t let Lucy leave just because you go barging into her home demanding that she releases the one person she’d do anything to protect. I’ll speak to her and try to put the piece
s of the pact back together until Lucy goes through the change. She can’t be kept prisoner there nor here. It’s too dangerous. She needs to stay with the family we picked for her until her birthday.”

  Ashton wanted to scream in frustration. “So, we just sit here and wait?”

  “That’s all we can do right now,” Talmadge said. “We’ll leave in a few hours.”