Eternal Changes (Mikah)

by Tiffany Berry

  Ashton followed the tracks. He paused as he looked around. The dirt and leaves had been scattered as if there had been some type of a struggle. Ashton kneeled down and touched the dirt. Paw marks and boot imprints were imbedded on the dirt. He stood up and took another breath. He was close. He scanned the area and stopped. The body of a cougar lay near a tree. Blood matted the fur.

  Ashton rushed over to the body and rolled the cougar over. “Malachi,” Ashton whispered. He touched the cougar’s neck. There was no pulse. He froze as he saw the gaping hole in Malachi’s chest. Malachi’s heart was gone.

  Ashton picked up Malachi and wrapped him in his arms. Ashton levitated off the ground and flew to the caves.

  Ashton walked to Talmadge’s room with Malachi’s body in his arms. He hesitated at the door and took a deep breath before entering the room.

  Caoilainn spun around and looked at Ashton before dropping her gaze down to Malachi’s body.

  Caoilainn brought her hands to her mouth as tears wavered in her eyes. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “No.”

  Ashton carried Malachi’s body to the couch and laid him on it. Caoilainn rushed forward and knelt down on the floor next to the couch as she ran her fingers through her friend’s coat.

  “I’m going to find out who did this and rip them to shreds,” Caoilainn hissed. “I will hold their murderous heart in my hand.”

  “Whoever did this to him has Lucy,” Ashton stated point blank.

  “It has to be the Haemon,” Talmadge said as he moved over to Caoilainn. He knelt down beside her and took her in his arms.

  Caoilainn’s voice shook. “Those monsters have our baby?”

  “There’s no one else who would do this,” Talmadge said as he rubbed her arms. “Hopefully Karver doesn’t know Lucy’s my child. If he finds out, he’ll do everything in his power to use her to kill me.”

  Caoilainn looked up into Talmadge’s face. “But, he’s your brother.”

  “He’s pure evil. If he realizes she’s my daughter, he’ll not care that she’s his niece. Every plan in his mind will revolve around using her. That’s how he’s always been,” Talmadge said.

  “Whoa,” Ashton said as he looked down at Talmadge. “Karver’s your brother?”

  Talmadge looked up at Ashton and nodded. “Not something I enjoy admitting.”

  A look of horror crossed Caoilainn’s face as she grasped Talmadge’s shirt in-between her hands. “Lucy will start going through the change tomorrow night.”

  Ashton shook his head in denial. “No. Her birthday isn’t until this weekend.”

  “That’s the day her human parents had received her. It isn’t her actual day of birth,” Talmadge said. “Caoilainn’s right.”

  “Is there anything else I need to know?” Ashton demanded as he looked from Talmadge to Caoilainn.

  “No,” Talmadge said as he shook his head. “That’s everything.”

  “Now what?” Ashton asked.

  “We need to locate where the Haemon are staying,” Talmadge replied. “We’ll send out our best trackers and we’ll let everyone know what’s going on. Then we’ll send Chloe and Landyn to hunt the Haemon down.”

  “We’re not only sending your people out to try to find them,” Caoilainn disagreed. “My people will want to find Malachi’s murderer.”

  Talmadge nodded his head in approval. “We’ll reconvene in four hours. Bring two of your best hunters and we will send them with ours.”

  “That’ll be perfect,” Caoilainn said as she stood and gently picked up Malachi’s lifeless body. “I need to take him home to his family.”

  Caoilainn disappeared from Talmadge’s room and reappeared in her meeting room. She was relieved to find that no one was around. “I’m so sorry my friend,” she whispered as she sat down on the floor and hugged Malachi to her. “You died with great honor and it’ll be recognized for hundreds of years. I promise.”

  Caoilainn laid his body on the plush carpet and slowly stood up. Sadness flowed through her as she pictured Malachi’s mate and each of their young. How was she going to tell them?

  Caoilainn stood in front of Malachi’s body as the meeting room door whooshed open.

  “I thought you’d arrived back home,” Bran said as he rushed forward and bowed.

  Caoilainn looked up at Bran and spared a glance back at Malachi’s body. Her dress was blocking Bran’s view. “I need you to go find Deidra and let her know I need to speak with her immediately.”

  “Did you find Malachi?” Bran asked as he straightened back up.

  “Yes. Now go find Deidra,” Caoilainn commanded.

  Bran hurried from the room to do her bidding.

  It wasn’t long before there was a knock on the door.

  “Come in,” Caoilainn said.

  The door opened and Deidra glided in. Sadness filled Caoilainn as she looked at her friend’s mate. Deidra’s red curly hair was tied back in a braid and her brown eyes were darting around the room.

  “Where’s Malachi?” Deidra asked as she stopped in front of Caoilainn. “I thought he’d be here.”

  Caoilainn took hold of Deidra’s hands as Caoilainn moved her dress exposing Malachi’s body.

  Deidra’s dropped to the floor beside Malachi’s body. “No!” she wailed. “No, no, no. Please, no.” She laid her face on Malachi’s head and delved her hands into his fur as the tears rolled down her cheeks. She gently touched her stomach and cried. “I’d been waiting for him to come home to give him the happy news,” she sobbed as she looked up at Caoilainn. “Now he’ll never hold the young I’m carrying.”

  “I’m so sorry, Dee,” Caoilainn whispered as she sat down on the floor next to Deidra and took the woman in her arms.

  Deidra’s voice was barely a whisper. “Who did this to him?”

  “One of the Haemon,” Caoilainn said as she stared solemnly into Deidra’s eyes, “I promise that he’ll be avenged. They won’t get away with this.”

  “What about the child he was protecting?” Deidra asked once she could speak again. “Is she at least safe?”

  Caoilainn glanced away to try to hide the pain in her eyes. “I honestly don’t know,” she whispered as she lowered her head. “Talmadge thinks that his brother has her.”

  “Karver?” Deidra gasped.

  “Yes,” Caoilainn said. “After all these years of trying to protect her from him until she went through the change and we’ve handed her to him on a silver platter.”

  “What are we going to do?” Deidra asked as she wiped the tears from her cheeks.

  Caoilainn touched Deidra’s cheek and looked into her eyes. “We’re going to give your mate the burial he deserves. In the meantime, I’ll send our two best hunters to find the Haemon with some of the Dragomir’s best trackers.”

  “I’ll take him and prepare him for the service,” Deidra said as she lifted up her mate’s lifeless body.

  Caoilainn watched as Deidra proudly carried her mate out of the meeting room.

  A sigh escaped Caoilainn’s lips as Bran traipsed into the room.

  “You didn’t tell me you found him dead,” Bran reprimanded.

  “I didn’t need to tell you anything, Bran,” Caoilainn hissed. “Remember your place.”

  Bran bowed and looked at Caoilainn. “My apologies. I was just overwhelmed at the loss of our brother.”

  “Sound the horn. I want our warriors in here within fifteen minutes,” she instructed. “I’ll meet with the others in the meantime.”

  Caoilainn walked out of her home and made her way to the middle of Othniel to give a speech to her people. She heard people whispering as she hurried past by the wooden homes of her people. Each home had carvings engraved in them that told the story of that family. As a new event happened in their lives, a new image was carved into the wood.

  Caoilainn walked through the entrance that opened up into the middle of Othniel. The sun’s ray washed over her as it shone through the glass roof. In the middle of the arena size room was a plat
form made up of white marble. Caoilainn made her way to the platform and walked up the steps and turned around. She scanned the area around her. Her people were already flowing into the room to listen to what she had to say. Murmurs flew through the crowd.

  Caoilainn put up her hands to silence them. “Today’s a sad day for our people,” she told them. “We’ve not only lost one of our dearest friends, but we’ve lost one of our brothers.”

  A gasp went through the crowd and Caoilainn put up her hands once again to calm the crowd.

  Caoilainn stared into the faces of her people. Tears flew freely from their faces. “One of the Haemon murdered Malachi, but there will be justice!”

  The crowd threw up their hands and roared. “I’m meeting with our warriors soon,” Caoilainn told them. “I need the rest of you to prepare the city for the burial that our lost brother deserves.”

  Caoilainn walked down the steps and the crowd parted to let her through. Hands gently touched her shoulders as she passed by. Her shoulders felt so heavy at times, but today her heart was the heaviest of all.

  Chapter 17

  He slowly walked up the porch steps of Lucy’s house and started to lightly knock on the door when the door suddenly flew open. Jean stared up at him with red rimmed eyes.

  ““Oh God, Ashton,” Jean said. “Have you seen Lucy? She didn’t come home after school.”

  Ashton looked deep into Jean’s eyes as he compelled her. “You and Lucy had a huge fight. She decided she needed a few days to herself. You’ve no desire to call her or check on her. You’re going to let me in to grab a couple of her things to take to her. Do you understand?”

  “Yes,” Jean murmured.

  “Good,” Ashton said as he touched her shoulder. “Now go get some sleep. You’re extremely tired.”

  “You’re so right,” she said as she nodded in agreement. “I’m exhausted.”

  Ashton walked inside and headed for Lucy’s bedroom. He went in and closed the door.

  Lucy’s dirty clothes were scattered across Lucy’s bedroom floor. He picked up a shirt and held it to his nose and breathed in. Her wondrous scent was all over it.

  Ashton walked over to the bay window and looked outside. He touched the window and it popped open. “That’s odd, “he murmured as he looked at the window. He froze as he looked down. A tiny drop of black glared up at him from the window sill. Ashton touched the tiny pinprick and brought it to his nose. His heart dropped to his stomach. It was vampire blood.

  Ashton’s knees buckled and he fell to the floor clutching her shirt in his hands. How could he exist without Lucy? It was impossible. Something wet slid down his cheek and he touched it with his hand. He looked at the red smears on his hand. Tears? He hadn’t cried since he was a human.

  A shaky sigh left Ashton’s lips. Two weeks ago, he was content with his existence, that all changed when he saw Lucy for the first time. Her life became far more important than his.

  A soft hand touched his shoulder and he glanced behind him. He looked up into Jayde’s concerned green eyes.

  “Talmadge thought you’d be here,” she explained. “You’ve been gone several hours and he wanted me to make sure you were ok.”

  “I don’t think I’ll be ok until I see her again,” Ashton whispered as he looked down at Lucy’s shirt. “I found vampire blood on the window sill. A vampire has her and not knowing if Lucy’s dead or alive is killing me.”

  Jayde knelt down next to Ashton and hugged him to her. “We’re going to find her, Ash. Talmadge has already told Landyn and Chloe everything. They’re the best of the best when it comes to tracking anything or anyone down. Bring Lucy’s shirt with you. They’ll need to get her scent from it.”

  Ashton stood up and wiped his face off. He was tired of feeling helpless and he was ready to do something, anything. He nodded to Jayde right before dissipating.

  A few seconds later, he solidified in Talmadge’s room. Jayde appeared right after him. Ashton did a cursory glance around the room. Chloe and Landyn were speaking with Talmadge. The caves were thrumming with activity. Voices outside the room and the sound of feet shuffling across the cavern floors floated through the air.

  “What’s going on?” Ashton asked.

  “They’re getting ready to reconvene with Caoilainn within the hour,” Jayde explained.

  Ashton shook his head. Had he really been gone for three hours? It didn’t seem possible. He would’ve sworn it had been a half hour at most.

  “Thank you for coming to get me,” Ashton said as he touched Jayde’s elbow.

  Jayde smiled and shrugged. “That’s what friends are for.”

  The shifters humble abode was also a flurry of activity as the warriors sat around the oak table in the meeting room. Their strongest and most skilled men and women sat with Caoilainn as her councilors of war.

  “As you have all most likely heard, Malachi’s dead,” Caoilainn said as she looked at the faces surrounding her. All of their nods confirmed that they indeed knew. “I’ve asked you here today to help me seek justice for our brother.”

  One of her warriors, Cail, stood up to speak. She nodded her head towards him, giving him her permission.

  “I think I speak for all of us when I tell you that you don’t have to ask, my queen,” Cail said before sitting down.

  “I’m very grateful to you all,” Caoilainn said as she looked around the table. “I need our two best hunters to go with me to meet with the Dragomir.”

  Gasps filled the room and the warriors looked at one another in shock as Cail stood back up. “A vampire murdered our own and now we’re supposed to go with you to meet with a clan of them?”

  “The Dragomir are not our enemies, Cail,” Caoilainn said as she glared at him. “The Haemon killed Malachi and the Dragomir are going to help us track them down. We will avenge Malachi’s death. Make no mistake about that.”

  “I think it’s pure madness,” Braelyn muttered across the table.

  Caoilainn wanted to pull her hair in frustration. She loved her people, but in their eyes all vampires were evil. They lived in their small mindedness unwilling to see what was right in front of them. “If my two best hunters come with me to meet with the Dragomir and the Dragomir betray us, I will step down from the throne.”

  The silence in the room was deafening.

  “Do you really have that much faith in them?” Cail asked.

  Caoilainn looked at Cail and nodded. “Yes.”

  “Then I’ll go with you,” Cail said as he bowed to her.

  Braelyn stood up and bowed as well. “So shall I.”

  “Very good,” Caoilainn said as relief poured through her. “Come. Grab ahold of my arm and we’ll leave immediately.”

  Cail and Braelyn walked over to Caoilainn and held onto each one of her arms. The meeting room faded away and was soon replaced with walls of rock.

  “Where exactly are we again?” Braelyn asked as she looked at all the vampires surrounding her.

  “This is where the Dragomir make their home,” Caoilainn explained. “This particular room belongs to Talmadge.”

  Talmadge walked up to Caoilainn. “Are you ready to go to the meeting room?”

  Caoilainn nodded. “More than ready.”

  “Let’s do this then,” Talmadge said as led her out of his room.

  Caoilainn stared around the meeting room once they arrived. It was the size of four football fields and was a perfect circle. In the middle was a large platform made of rock that was shaped like a stage. The walls around her were painted in murals that were exquisite. She’d seen something similar to them a long time ago on a ceiling in a church in Toulouse, France.

  One mural depicted the clashing of vampires who were dressed in Viking attire. Blood flowed like a river as the vampires sliced through the humans with their fangs. The next painting was of Karver ripping a little girl’s throat out. Caoilainn swallowed and looked away. She glanced over at the next wall. Hundreds of vampires broke away from the others with red te
ars running down their faces. She glanced at the last few walls. They were painted of happier times as the Dragomir rebuilt their lives in the caves.

  “It reminds us of where we came from,” Talmadge whispered as Caoilainn took in the paintings.

  Caoilainn looked back at him. “Who painted these?”

  “Jayde,” Talmadge said as he looked at the walls. “She’s been by my side from the very beginning and she’s a very gifted artist.”