by Holly Hook
I wonder where he is now. Alex left last night with Callie and Earl, probably to keep an eye on her.
The Hunter trail stays together through the woods, circling around town. It's when we get a couple of miles away from Olivia's house that I realize something weird.
"The Hunters didn't head back to Colling," I say. "They looped around to the other side of town."
Cayden steps in front of a tree and inhales. "You're right. It's almost like the Hunters were heading back to our cabin or your house."
"My house?" I choke.
The four of us look at each other. Why would the young Hunters go back to one of our places? Unless they were--
"Maybe they took your aunt home," Remo says.
"If they'd let her go she would have found us by now," I say, breaking into a run. Home is the place I least expected them to have her and I'm not sure how to feel about that.
Remo carries Leonora as Cayden and I run ahead together. It doesn't take us long to circle around and follow the trail, which gets stronger the closer we get to our houses. I reach the trail Cayden and I have taken home from school many times and it's clear the young Hunters have found it and taken it. But instead of going all the way to Cayden's cabin, it veers off to the field behind my house.
I stop and face him. "The Hunters went to my house. They might shoot us if they see us coming."
"You're right. After the display we gave them, they could," Cayden says. He looks right at me, asking a silent question as he works his jaw.
He wants to go ahead of me and act as my shield.
"Why don't we just circle around and take the street to my house?" I ask. "No one will want to shoot us where there are witnesses."
"I was going to suggest that," Remo says.
"That works," Cayden says with a hint of disappointment.
So that's what we do. I'm glad Cayden won't put himself on the line for me again and glad that I won't have to hurt humans to defend him. Edwin was one thing. That was a group activity and none of us delivered the fatal blow. The guilt is spread among us all and I only got a small dose. The Hunters would be different.
As we circle around and walk through the Lowes' yard, I listen. By the time we reach the street, I can hear that there are five people inside my house and one of them is making tea. The kettle whistles and feet shuffle inside the kitchen. "That doesn't sound very threatening," I say. "Maybe Aunt May is just making her captors some tea?" But why not let us know she's okay? I can't imagine the Hunters are forcing her to make some for them.
Cayden forces a smile. "You'd never know. She might be. But why not tell us she's fine?"
I don't like that. I eye my house as we approach. The curtains are shut. Aunt May's car is in the driveway. But at least no one points a crossbow out of our windows as we approach the house. I wait for Aunt May to throw the door open--I can smell her meadow scent coming from inside--but she doesn't. Instead, one of the young Hunters parts the closed curtains, peeks through, and closes them again. Something's not adding up.
And something tells me I should knock.
"Let me go first," Cayden says.
"Go first," I tell him. The last thing I need to do now is cause more tension between us.
Cayden gets in front of me and knocks. Then he pulls on the door as I join him on the porch. Locked. Remo and Leonora stay on the steps. I breathe out. I have nothing against these young Hunters, these distant cousins of mine. None of them wanted to work with Edwin.
One of them opens the door for me, a young, well-built man in his twenties who's cursed with a baby face. Clad in leather, he stands there, speechless as he tips his matching hat. I expect his jaw to fall, but it doesn't, which is weird considering he's the Hunter Cayden pinned down last night and held in place.
"Is my aunt here?" I ask. "We're not here to fight anyone." Of course, that's a stupid question. I can smell her in the house, in the kitchen. I just want to know how much these Hunters want to cooperate with us.
"She is," the Hunter says. He's got a voice that's smooth and rehearsed.
"You know, we didn't want to fight you guys last night," I say.
"And we appreciate it." He offers a weak smile, which looks odd considering he's still clad in a leather jacket and hat. "I'm Steven. And you didn't hurt any of us."
Well, an introduction helps drop the tension level. "Did Alex tell you what Edwin did and why we had to attack him?" This Hunter must be dealing with his own wave of nerves.
Steven nods as the color drains from his face. "We blame none of you for doing what you did to him. Alex showed us the journals late last night. My party was shaken up."
They did hear us killing Edwin. Awesome. I exchange a glance with Cayden.
"Well, we're glad that's cleared up," Cayden says. "We're just here to make sure Brie's aunt is okay. Can we see her?"
"She's fine," Steven says. He hesitates to let us in, then moves aside.
Something's bothering me about this situation. Linking hands with Cayden, I step into the house. Even though I can't see into the kitchen from here, I'm certain my aunt and three other Hunters are in there, standing around. "Hey, Aunt May."
"Hey, Brie." She doesn't sound scared, but nervous. And then I smell the adrenaline.
I march into the kitchen to find the other three young Hunters, who sit at the kitchen table while she mans the stove. The others come in behind me and Steven shuts the door. The kettle lets out steam with a squeal. She forces a smile, but there's not much color in her face.
"Why didn't you tell me you were safe with a full guard?" I ask as Cayden walks to stand next to me.
"You had too much going on," she says. "I thought you were getting caught up on sleep and I didn't want to interrupt your rest." Aunt May's giving me a good act, but it's still obvious there's something under the surface.
"Something doesn't feel right," I say. "You can tell me what it is. Edwin's gone."
"I agree," Cayden says. "Maybe you should just tell Brie what's really going on so we're all in the clear."
"I know he is," Aunt May says. "He was a horrible man. Alex just found that out. And now that I think about it, he acted the way he did because he knew what he did was horrible." Aunt May curls her fingers around the counter as if she can gouge it.
"He thought killing me could undo what he did," I say. "News flash. Didn't work." I want Aunt May to hug me but she shows no signs of peeling away from the counter.
Cayden intertwines his hand with mine.
The kettle dies.
Aunt May looks to the three Hunters, who make no motion to draw weapons. Steven remains behind Remo and Leonora.
Then she speaks to me, looking more at the closed kitchen curtains. "Brie, I have something to tell you. I've always known I was a Noble Royal and how important we are to continuing the Nobles. And that it wasn't fair to leave continuing the line completely on you. What if you were attracted to girls instead of boys or didn't have an interest in having children?"
This conversation's going in a direction I didn't expect. All I knew was that Aunt May wanted to hide our real nature from the world and even ourselves. "Well, I'm attracted to boys and I might want to have children someday. So it worked out, right?" I wink at Cayden, wondering if he feels the same. Does he? All we've talked about is surviving and not our future. Neither of us have wanted to raise any false hope in the other. "I didn't realize you thought about this so much. Are you going to drop a bomb on me? Do I have a cousin I don't know?" My heart races. All of my reality has shifted and changed, not just me.
Aunt May shakes her head. "I have thought about it more than you realize. My parents always told your father and I how important the Noble Royals are to the rest of our kind. Your father wanted to have children. I never felt the urge, so to do my duty just in case things went bad, I froze my eggs back in my twenties as a backup plan. Even if something were to happen to you, the Noble Wolves could come back."
"Huh?" The news shouldn't feel like a sack of bricks h
itting me in the chest, but it does. "But aren't you just outside the range where you can, you know, thaw them out and have kids? I'm not sure how it works--"
" Remo?" Cayden asks, looking behind him. "You're the science minded one."
When Cayden says the word science, it clicks and I understand why my body's tensing and reacting this way. Edwin said something about using science and Aunt May to bring the Noble Royals back. Edwin. He knew she's done this.
Edwin and Aunt May talked at some point. Remo must see the look on my face as I glance at him because he doesn't speak. The air turns tense, making my skin crawl.
"Did you let Edwin and these Hunters capture you back there at the gas station?" I ask my aunt. My voice rises higher with each word. "Did you work with him?"
One of the Hunters pushes back his chair, ready to get up.
"What am I missing?" Cayden asks, eager to get in on the drama and be my shield. But there's nothing he can do here. I shake my head at him.
Aunt May licks her lip and glances at the kettle for a moment, like she wants to offer me tea, and finally gets up the bravery to face me again. "I went with them. Yes. This was something I agreed to years ago in case things were looking bad for you, Brie. In no way did I try to lead them to you. So I was protecting you in any way I could. One of the women on your mother's side would have carried the child to term, had we gone through with the plan. Or she will, if we must."
The room goes silent. No one moves now. They're uncomfortable. Does everyone in this room know what I came from and what a danger I am? My secret was less of a secret than I thought.
"Well, since Edwin tried to kill me, the pack had to kill him," I say, no longer caring about it being in the open. "Even you think I'm tainted. So I'll go and solve this whole thing with Cayden." The corners of my vision blur not with darkness, but with tears. Aunt May knew the whole time about my forbidden heritage if she made this plan. She worked with Edwin, knowing he knew. And now that it's in the open, I can never look at her the same way again.
"I never thought you were tainted," she says with desperation.
"Everyone needs to give Brie a break," Cayden shouts. He steps in front of me, trying to put up the only wall he can. "It's not her fault her parents got together and she shouldn't be made to feel bad about it. If anything, you should go and find Remus's resting place instead of her."
Cayden backs away, trying to force me out of the kitchen and away from Aunt May, but I'm already backing up. I crash into Leonora and Remo. Leonora puts her hand on my shoulder and pulls me back to the door.
"Brie, this is not about you. This is about me," Aunt May calls.
But I'm already turning and storming out the door. The house I called home all my life seems dark and fake. Like a lie. Aunt May worked with Edwin and even if she didn't know his plans for me, she still worked with Edwin, who had a known hatred for me.
"Brie," Cayden says, following me.
But I'm breaking into a run. I bolt down the street, leaving my not-so-home behind. Let Aunt May stay with her Hunters like a precious jewel. What else hasn't she told me about?
She doesn't call for me again. I run until I make it to the Lowe cabin. I circle around at a supernatural pace and collapse into the swinging couch they have in the back.
"Brie." Cayden kneels beside me and throws himself over me as I start to sob. I'm the alpha and I'm losing it, but at least it's just in front of Cayden.
"Does everyone hate me? Am I really that bad?" Faint pressure settles into my chest as I think of the implications. I thought I was too nice. Now I'm too tainted, too evil. Maybe Aunt May is upset that I had to order the pack to kill Edwin.
"Your aunt doesn't hate you, Brie. Maybe she just agreed to a backup plan because Edwin pressured her. He pressured everyone. Maybe your father asked her to do it because they were the only two Nobles left at the time. We don't know her motivations. Your aunt loves you. It's obvious. I love you."
I breathe out, letting Cayden lean over me. "I'm still leaving to go find Remus's resting place. Aunt May can stay here and be the last holdout." I had been hoping we'd rescue her and go to the former Roman Empire together. That we could fight side by side. And even though I know her plan could save us Nobles if I fail, she knew how dangerous I was and never told me. Or prepared me for what I could face.
Cayden hesitates. "So be it. She knows you're stronger than she is and you have a better chance of winning than she does."
I hiccup. "I'm glad she's confident I'll win."
Chapter Four
I get up from the swinging couch an eternity later. Cayden helps me inside the cabin, where I lie down on his bed. He pours me a glass of water. I listen to the water trickling into the glass in the cabin's kitchen while I turn over, inhaling Cayden's scent. It's permeated into the fabric of the bed sheets and his pillow. I've laid on Cayden's bed before, but right now it feels like the only solid ground in the world.
Even if being around Brett still brings out all the underground tension between us.
He brings me the glass of water and sits beside the bed. "Drink up," he says. "You'll feel a little better."
I do. "Thanks. This has been an awesome day for me. Getting Aunt May back was supposed to be a happy moment, you know?"
"I don't think she did what she did because of you. I bet she froze her eggs before you were even born. Saying that in front of her wouldn't have been good since I don't think women like comments about their age."
"Good point," I say, not feeling much better. My stomach turns as I face Cayden. "I'm not mad she did that. I'm mad about everything else."
"Brie, maybe she worked with him before he sold out your family to the Savages. And he just did that because he was a coward."
"Maybe. But when he tried to kill me, she went to him."
"I see your point." Cayden rises and leans over me like he wants to kiss me, but he holds back. "Maybe she didn't have a choice. Your aunt might have thought she could convince him and the Hunters to leave you alone. Looks like she might have helped convince the Hunters before Alex did. They're not trying to hurt you anymore."
"But why keep that from me and not let me know she's okay?" I don't want to say my real concern out loud: that she knows I'm tainted. No one can deny that.
Cayden swallows. "I don't know. But no matter what, I'm by your side."
Then he leans over and kisses me. When our lips touch, I leave all the drama behind. We kiss for what feels like minutes, when it's probably just seconds. When we're finished, I groan as the happy tingles fade and I come back to reality.
"Why did you have to stop?" I ask.
Cayden frowns. "Because we have things we have to do?"
"True." I sit up and check my phone to see if Aunt May's tried to call. Nope. "We're taking Brett's lead to that gravesite and contacting Remus's spirit."
"That might be risky."
"It is risky." There go all the happy tingles. "Because Brett still cares about his sister and he'll want to make sure she's in his sight at all times. But we need him to make sure we get to where we need to go. That means we have to take Karina with us."
Cayden sighs. "I'm afraid you're right."
* * * * *
"Once we leave, we're taking Karina with us," Brett demands.
We're back in Olivia's house. Brett's standing in the living room, with no indication on his face how the meeting with his sister went. But the energy drain I'm feeling gives me a clue, even if it's faint. Downstairs, she's gone silent again, despite Nan, one of the Colling Wolves, trying to discuss the weather to distract her from any mental magic. The sounds of mopping join in. Poor Noah and Olivia are trying to clean up the mess and get as much of the water down the drain as possible.
"I was afraid of that," I say, looking to Cayden. He slaps himself on the forehead.
"Karina is dangerous to what we're going to do," Cayden says. He wants to protect me from her, too.
"I know she is, but I want to keep her alive and out of the cult
for good," Brett says. "I'm not here to help out the pack. Sorry, alpha. Well, unless I get something out of it. Call me dark, but that's the way I am and all I know."
It's the closest thing to a sincere apology Brett will give me. I back away from him because the first weakness is starting to creep into my limbs. He might not be sucking the life out of us with intent anymore, so the effects don't come as fast, but it's going to be a while before we can safely be around him. I could boss Brett around, but the whole energy-draining thing is holding me back. The worse of a mood he's in, the more he's going to affect us.
"You have a point," I say. "But we need to make sure Karina's not going to hurt us. Remo and Leonora have gone to the school and they're going to come up with a way to knock her out safely." I know she can hear me down below, but I don't care. "That way she can't explode any more water heaters. What if she makes our plane crash?"
Brett pales, but he doesn't deny it. That's great. Cayden and I look at each other again.
Finally the warlock speaks, keeping his voice so low I can barely hear him. "She could."
That's great.
"I don't like this plan," Cayden says. "Brett, you and Karina are taking a private flight while the rest of us are safe in commercial. Do not tell Karina our flight number."
"And where is this graveyard?" I ask.
"You're speaking like Karina doesn't value her life," Brett says. Pain runs under the surface of his words. As he speaks, my knees tremble. The connection Cayden and I share darkens and strains.
Horrible thoughts push at the edges of my mind. I'm bad and that's why Aunt May had to lie to me. She knows. I'm tainted--
Cayden pushes in front of me. "She doesn't value yours, Brett, or any of ours. I'm sorry to tell you that. At least, she doesn't right now. Having her with us could destroy every chance we all have of surviving. And I'm including you."