Crimson Secrets

by Garnet Davenport

  I heard a knock at the door that startled me. “Who is it?” I asked, but I could feel who it was. When I heard no answer, I set the book down and covered it up then I responded, as I opened the door. “Duncan?”

  He was standing there with his famous pose of arms crossed over his chest.

  “Did you need something?” I walked away from him and back into my room. “What? Come on, what did you want?”

  He just looked at me. I couldn’t tell about what he wanted from his expression. “May I come in?”

  I looked him up and down. “Sure.”

  He walked just through the door then shut it. “I wanted to let you know that I would be leaving tomorrow. My grandmother wants me home as soon as possible.”

  I turned back to him. “Yeah?”

  He looked down at the floor and then back to me again. “Yeah, I didn’t want any awkward goodbyes tomorrow, so I figured that I would do it tonight.”

  I turned away from him but could still see him in the mirror on the dresser in the room. “Is that it?”

  He looked down then back up at me. “Yeah, umm.”

  He ran his hands through his hair and up and down his face. I’m pretty sure he was frustrated. “And I wanted to say that I’m sorry for what happened between us. My brother has always been a sore spot for me and now he wins again.”

  I turned to him. “Wins? Excuse me?” I was angry. I was not a prize to be won in some game.

  “I didn’t mean it like that. I meant that if he is lucky enough to be your mate he has won something more than just a mate.”

  I turned away. “Oh. Well, good save.”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, I’ll never really be good with trying to talk to you where you don’t take it offensively.”

  I flat out laughed. “You, Duncan Callamore, are a good man. If there is any hope that you will love again, I will hope that for you. You deserve happiness.” I walked closer to him and he looked into my eyes. I started to feel something in that moment that I had never felt before. I cared about Duncan. He straightened up a bit in surprise.

  “What was that?” he said.

  I turned around quickly. I was just trying to make sure that he couldn’t see that I cared about him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  He stepped forward. “No, your eyes.”

  I turned around. “What?”

  He couldn’t stop looking into my eyes. “They glowed a deep red. I’ve never seen that ever before.” It happened again. “Are you okay?”

  I panicked. “I really don’t know what you’re talking about. I think you should go. Just remember to tell Declan that I’m all right and that I’m going to go through this on my own.” I never had seen any deep red tint to my vision, so I couldn’t tell if my eyes were still changing color.

  I turned back around to him.

  “Shay?”

  Without hesitation, I said, “Leave. Please.”

  He started to back away. “I want you to remember, you can control your own future. I hope I will see you again soon.”

  He backed up more. He said something like what Victor Gahlonaghan said in his note.

  “Goodbye,” I said in a harsh tone.

  He opened the door. “Bye.” I turned and he was gone. The door was shut. I was all alone. And I felt alone.

  ➢15 Broken Bonds

  I awoke to rushing movements. There was something happening, I couldn’t tell what was going on. I went to go look out the window. There were so many guards outside walking the estate. Sophia burst through my door. “Shay, it’s Declan. He crossed the border.”

  I stood there panicked that he would be killed. After everything I had learned, I wouldn’t blame Victor Gahlonaghan for wanting to hurt him. I didn’t know what to do. The only thing that made sense to me was that I had to take this journey on my own, and Declan was going to get in the way. “How do I get him to leave?”

  “They say he is getting close to the grounds of the estate. He will be taken prisoner for trial.”

  I ran out the door to Duncan’s room, banging on the door. “I need you!”

  He opened the door half asleep but panicked at how I was speaking. He just had on a pair of pajama bottoms and was trying to get me to calm down. “What’s wrong?”

  I had worry in my eyes. “Declan broke through the border, and he is on his way here.”

  Duncan looked into his room at the window, I suppose trying to hear how close he was getting. Then he looked at me. He looked like he was trying to come up with some miracle of a plan to save Declan.

  “Do you trust me?” He held out his hand for mine.

  I looked at him and thought for a brief moment. “Yes.” I grabbed his hand.

  He pulled me as we ran through the halls and out of the mansion. With our bare feet, we raced through the grass.

  I just then realized he was running into the area that Victor Gahlonaghan said he couldn’t protect Duncan. “No, Duncan, you can’t be out here. It’s not safe for you.” I pulled back a bit until we stopped.

  “He is almost here. I will be fine. You have to make a decision right now to save him and break him at the same time or let him be prisoner?”

  I was confused.

  He never let go of my hand. “Break his heart. And you will save him, I swear.” He looked at the edge of the woods.

  “I don’t understand.”

  He looked back at me. “I don’t have the time to explain.” He made a grunt which was borderline growling at me, and his eyes, normally a dark brown, instantly glowed blue. He looked at the edge of the woods again. “Yes?”

  Then turned back to me with glowing blue eyes and I nodded my head yes. It was almost like slow motion with him turning back to me and then he let go of my hand and grabbed that spot on your neck that leads into your jawline that you can only dream of being grabbed and kissed passionately, he pulled me close to him. His lips were on mine before I could do anything. It was the most passionate kiss I have ever had. I felt his heart and his soul. I could see images in the darkness of his childhood and the way he had anger and love for his brother, then the pain of losing his mother, of the love and loss of Hellena, me, and the separation of him and his father. He took my breath away. I felt a tear in my heart as I made a slight gasp for breath. He slowly pulled away from me, his hands still on my jawline, his fingers wrapped right behind my ears. His eyes were open, looking at me when I opened my eyes. I saw his eyes had a red glow, but that quickly faded. He let go.

  I turned to the woods. It was Declan. He was on his knees. His heart had broken. I had broken him. The expression on his face hurt even more. I didn’t know exactly what had happened but I knew it changed my bond with both of them.

  Victor Gahlonaghan was at his front doors. “It is over. Declan Callamore, you will return to your territory. There is nothing for you here. Guards, escort him to the border.” He turned around to go back into the mansion.

  Duncan grabbed my hand; we walked back to the mansion. On the way I put my hand up to my chest in pain. Duncan looked over to me. “It had to be done.” We walked through the front doors, and I fell to the ground. It hurts so much. Duncan bent down to my level. “Hey, it was the only way.”

  I couldn’t move. I was overcome by sadness, tears streaming down my face.

  Victor Gahlonaghan came into the foyer. “My dear, if Duncan hadn’t done this, your Declan would have been executed. Not only did he save Declan for you, he gave you some of his heart to challenge the decision of mates.” I looked up at Victor Gahlonaghan. “Now, if it was real, you will find your way back to each other. But you have broken the bonding process. You will no longer have that bond with him until you make the decision yourself to return to him.” It was silent.

  Victor Gahlonaghan motioned for someone to pick me up.

  Duncan motioned and then spoke. “No.” He reached around me and picked me up. He carried me all the way through the mansion to my room as Sophia walked silently behind us. Sophia ran to open the
door, and Duncan walked me in and set me down on the bed; at this point I felt like I was catatonic. This was the same feeling that I had felt before when I was trapped inside my own body all those days at the Callamore mansion. Then he walked over to the window to look out.

  Sophia walked over to him. “Why did you do that?”

  He breathed deeply and spoke softly. “For her.” He looked back at me.

  “You are very brave—stupid, but brave. And I am sorry.” She put her hand on his shoulder.

  He turned to her. “I was lost either way. Now I won’t ever be alone. It is one of the most selfish things a mac tire can do. But she will heal, and never feel this way again.” He looked back over to me. “And she will make her decision when the time comes. There will be no one to force her to do anything she doesn’t want to do. She can decide on her own time.”

  Sophia looked back at me then at Duncan. “I will hope she makes the right decision, for love.”

  Duncan looked at her then walked out of the room.

  I woke later that day, still filled with sadness, but more so now I had anger. My mind was clearer. I knew that I came here for answers, and I needed to get them.

  Sophia stayed by me as much as she could during this time. I wanted to call Tommy. “Can I use your phone?”

  She pulled her cell phone from her back pocket. “Yeah, of course.”

  I took it from her and dialed the number.

  I was so happy to hear his voice when Tommy answered.

  “Tommy, it’s Shay.”

  He spoke with excitement. “Shay? What the hell is going on?”

  I tried to gather all my thoughts so I could explain. “I was picked up on the road just outside the Callamores’ property by the Morrígan. When I escaped from her, Duncan saved me, and we made our way to the Gahlonaghan’s territory. I’m trying to find out more information about the Morrígan. Do you know anything?”

  There was a pause. “I’ve never been told much. She has always been described as a goddess, and it was said there was no one that could challenge her and win. What does she have to do with you being at the Southern Territory?”

  I thought about the direction that we had been traveling. “Duncan followed me when I woke and started to walk toward the Gahlonaghan’s estate. I don’t know what was pulling me in this direction. I couldn’t change my path, and I couldn’t speak. The strangest thing was that I was hot. Like an uncontrollable hot.”

  It was quiet for a minute. “Shay, I’ve only heard about this with the Morrígan. Because she was a goddess, she had these unbelievable abilities that no one else had.”

  I didn’t know what to say. “So we are related to her?”

  He was silent for a moment. I could only hear him take a deep breath. “I had heard that.” I was stunned.

  Sophia had motioned at me. “Okay, Tommy, I’ve got to go. I’ll talk to you soon. Just stay safe and don’t trust anyone. Okay?”

  There was a pause. “Okay.” He said it really weird.

  “Love you, Bye.”

  He responded, “Love you most. Bye.”

  It was hard for me to hang up. I hated that I couldn’t see him. I knew he wasn’t telling me something, I just didn’t know what. But I was going to find out. I handed Sophia her cell phone back.

  “Where is Duncan?” were the first words that came out of my mouth.

  “He was told to stay with you because of his challenge. He is welcome to stay here with you, but he doesn’t want to stay here for long. He has plans to leave soon. Would that be okay with you?” She asked, turning away from me for a moment.

  I had no answer. “I don’t know. He was going to leave me either way. Should it make a difference now?”

  Sophia looked at me shaking her head. “I can’t believe you don’t feel it.”

  “What should I be feeling?”

  She stood and started to walk back and forth in front of my bed. “Duncan.”

  I was confused. “Duncan?”

  “Of course Duncan. Didn’t you feel anything when he kissed you?”

  I looked straight at her. “I felt broken.”

  She was murmuring quietly. “What is going on?” She continued to pace. “You really don’t know much about bonding do you?”

  I was embarrassed by the question.

  “Not like that.” She paused. “When you pick your mate, if you don’t bond with your mate you can have another possible mate challenge the right to claim you.”

  I nodded my head. “Yeah, Mrs. Callamore was talking about this when I thought that my mate was Duncan, but I had such strong connection with Declan.”

  She stopped walking back and forth and came over to sit on the bed. “He challenged Declan’s bond and made a claim for you breaking the bond that you had made. This gives you a decision to be able to choose the one that you truly love, not just the one that you have that connection you can’t stop.”

  I smiled. “So I can still be with Declan?”

  Sophia shook her head. “You don’t understand. With a challenge, there will be a winner and loser. If you choose Duncan you will be his mate and you will never feel anything that you felt for Declan ever again, he will feel it for the rest of his life, but if you choose Declan both your hearts will be repaired, but Duncan will die. Literally from a broken heart.”

  My jaw dropped. “What?” I didn’t believe her.

  “When Duncan kissed you, he didn’t just give you a small piece of his heart. He gave you the love of his entire heart. You will break him if you don’t choose him.”

  I shook my head. Who would do something like this? Their philosophy on life and love was different than in the human world. “How could he do this? That was the most selfish thing I’ve ever seen him do.”

  She stopped me. “Selfish? The moment he realized he could lose his brother and you, he did the only thing that he could. He is risking his life to save both of you. He must really care about you both.”

  I had sat for a moment only thinking about Declan. “How did it save Declan?” I didn’t understand.

  Sophia looked away. “In our culture, one of the most important things in life is to find your mate. It bonds us to each other and to the pack and territory. This is one reason why it was important for Hellena and Duncan to bond. They would have brought the territories together. This is important to gain land and the mac tires in the pack. It makes us stronger. Declan broke the bond that had started between Duncan and Hellena. She didn’t get the opportunity to transition. My father could have had a female mac tire in the family. But no one could have known for sure. Because Declan broke the bond he either had to pay for it with his head or his heart. Now that he is broke, he has made his payment.” I just sat there in shock. How did Duncan know that it would save him? So many questions were running through my head. I blinked.

  I continued to sit quietly for a long time before I realized that I had to see Duncan. I needed the truth, if he and Declan had challenged each other for Hellena, and what he was expecting me to do. “Where is Duncan?”

  Sophia smiled at me. “Oh, I knew it. He so deserves to be happy.”

  I nodded my head. “I just have questions for him, and I think he is the only one that will give me the truth right now.”

  She looked surprised. “He’s out in the barn learning close contact combat with our strike team.”

  I did a double take when she said that. “You have your own strike team?”

  She laughed. “Our territory technically.”

  I looked at her. “Of course. Will you take me out there?”

  “Sure. But I have to warn you, they get really intense.”

  I nodded my head. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

  She laughed. “Let’s go.”

  She looked at me from head to toe. “Umm, why don’t we get you in the shower, comb your hair, put some fresh clothes on? You know I think I have the perfect outfit for you.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t like getting dressed up like a dol
l.”

  She stood and grabbed my hands to pull me up. “You focus on being clean. I won’t dress you up. I just want you to look like you.” I nodded my head and stood up then walked into the bathroom to start the shower.

  As I stood in the bathroom looking in the mirror at myself, I felt different. I felt broken, and I wondered if that was how Declan was feeling. I couldn’t feel what he was feeling anymore, I was scared. In fact, I was horrified that I was going to make the wrong decision and it was going to destroy lives. I finished putting my hair up in a ponytail and put on the clothes sitting on the bed. I looked at them—dark colored jeans, an ivory sweater with a high neck, brown knee-high boots, and a brown leather jacket to match the boots. This honestly looked like something a little nicer than what I would normally wear, but it was better than the dresses I was coerced to wear at the Callamores’.

  I started to think about Edness Callamore. She was probably so worried about both of them. And Duncan made it my decision. I wish I had Tommy here. He would know what to do.

  I walked out of the bathroom. “Now, there’s the strong courageous girl I met all those years ago. You look great. You don’t have to tell me, but what are you going to say to him?”

  I looked at her. “Honestly, I don’t know.”

  “All right then, let’s go.”

  She got up off the edge of the bed and started walking out the door. I quickly followed behind her. “You can’t hurt him more than how much he is right now. I’ve heard that the time spent during the mate challenge is the most painful part for the males. If you know it’s not him give him the time to say goodbye to everyone.”

  My throat sunk into my stomach. We walked out to the barn, where there were a lot of fighting and combat sounds coming from inside.

  I started to slow down as we approached the barn door, it got quiet, and the door slid open. An older man stood at the entrance to the barn. “She can’t come in here.”

  I stopped in my tracks.