by Lilly Wilder
“Did you take it?” His face paled.
“No. I ran some water on it and prayed they wouldn’t notice.”
He exhaled sharply. “We’re lucky you’re so fucking smart. Whatever they were interested in, it wasn’t straight up. I’m glad you trusted your gut.”
“Well, here’s the thing…” I was afraid of Gerard’s reaction, but I knew that it was important information. In order to be loyal to the tribe, I had to divulge Arkan’s mistake.
“You see…during tryouts…” I looked to Vivica for support.
“Arkan, Kara, Cat, and I all had a foursome during our tryouts.” Vivica blurted out. Rip off the Band-Aid my dear. Thanks a lot.
“Wait a second. What? You can’t be…I can’t.” Gerard looked in physical pain. He turned towards Adam.
“Warriors are the only shapeshifters that are supposed to even touch the breeders.”
My blood ran cold. “You mean that our tryouts were…abnormal.”
“Not only were they abnormal, they broke almost every law regarding the breeder and warrior dynamic. It’s extremely messy if breeders and shapeshifters just randomly boink. We need to know lineage in order to keep the tribe healthy and thriving. It’s just simple organization.”
Well I guess that made sense. So it isn’t really a jealousy thing. More of a…what? “So he broke the rules. Why?”
Ian interrupted. “Can you just take us through everything from start to finish again. We need to figure this out. Considering the level of law-breaking that Arkan and Kara have committed with your tryouts, I’d be willing to bet my ass that they were behind the kidnappings. We just need to figure out why.”
After recounting the tale of our tryouts from start to finish, I was emotionally spent. A dull ache began gnawing at my skull. I peeked at Adam’s notes. He’d transcribed nearly three pages worth of notes about our experience. Hopefully, I wouldn’t have to go through it again.
“There’s something else. He told me that the disappearances were runaways. Why would he believe that? Hasn’t it been announced that the girls were recovered?”
Gerard clapped his hands together. “I apologize. I should have told you, but we were so focused on interviews this afternoon that I forgot. We kept the facts about the abductions and the recovery as a need-to-know basis. In fact, no one but us knows that you were actually in the room when Vivica was taken. We wanted to stay ahead of the kidnappers. If they felt safe, they wouldn’t start acting erratically.” That was smart.
“Except…aren’t Arkan and Kara acting erratically? I mean, what else would you call coming over here and making me take a pregnancy test?”
“Well. It really depends. It’s possible that an unexpected pregnancy is part of their plan. I have a sinking feeling that old Arkan thought he could get some money for a first-born shapeshifter witch. Unless, he just wanted to get his own name in the history books.”
Arkan’s bloodline. Didn’t his child die? I’d forgotten to ask if he had any surviving children. “Does Arkan have children?”
“All of his children passed before him. Time has not been kind to our tribe. His family in particular. And after he retired from the warriors, two more of his kids died in battle. He wanted to rejoin, but it was against our rules.”
My hand flew to my mouth. The poor guy. His whole family dies and then when he wants to make more, the rules are against him. If that wasn’t a motive, I didn’t know what was. Gerard saw my reaction and misjudged.
“Don’t you feel sorry for him, Cat. He’s known the rules a long time. We’ve all suffered from them. The difference is we all share the burden. We’re fair and just. That’s the thing you can count on in this tribe. The rules won’t work for or against any group in particular. They work for us all.”
I understood perfectly. “It’s not that. I just am relieved to know that I didn’t cause this. I know this sounds crazy, but for some reason I’ve been feeling guilty. Responsible even.”
“That’s insane.” Ian came around and began to massage my shoulders. “Why would you feel responsible?”
“Well, because I represent change. I’m the first witch. That brings attention to people. Causes them to act strangely.”
Adam spoke up. “No matter what, we’re the ones that invited you here. Nothing is your fault. I promise.”
“I promise too.” Ian whispered in my ear.
“And I swear to it.” Gerard laughed. “Now what’s this plan of yours?”
Vivica and I began to fill the guys in on the details when the doorbell rang.
“Get back.” Gerard pointed towards the door to the bedroom. Vivica and I shuffled towards it. Another urgent knock on the door caused the guys to rush forward. Vivica and I huddled together in the frame, listening. There were a few muffled exchanges, then the door opened.
“It’s an emergency. All hands-on deck. The tribe that kidnapped the girls has attacked the South side of the compound. We’re outnumbered severely. Come on. Let’s go!” The young warrior looked familiar, although I couldn’t remember his name. Was it Alberto?
“We can’t leave our breeders. They’re…um…in some trouble.”
“You’ve got no choice. We’re going to lose our territory if we don’t get some more shapeshifters out there.”
Gerard called out. “Vivica. Cat. Get in here.” We both scrambled from out behind the door. “Listen. We’ve got to go. Lock the doors and windows and turn off the lights. Stay in the dark. We’ll be back as soon as we can.” I knew what he couldn’t say in front of the young recruit. If Arkan was going to try something, he was going to try it now. The distraction was too timely. And I knew exactly what I was going to do. Unfortunately, it was the opposite of what Gerard wanted, but I had to trust my gut. When they left, I grabbed Vivica's hands and looked into her eyes. I needed her on board.
“Listen. I’ve got an idea. Do you trust me?” She looked a little apprehensive but intrigued.
“Yes of course. But Gerard said to…”
I cut her off. “I know what he said, but do you want to sit around and be a sitting duck? Let’s take control and bring Arkan and Kara to us. Let’s figure out what they want. It will be easy.” I hoped.
“How in the hell are you going to do that?” She began chewing on her fingernails.
“I’m going to give them the same treatment I gave you. Just a whole bunch stronger.”
“What treatment did you give me?” Her eyes were squinty and searching.
“When you first arrived, you were in shock. I wasn’t positive, but it seemed as if you were under a spell. Your aura and behavior had changed. To someone else, maybe you could have passed along unnoticed, but I pay particular attention to emotions. It’s my specialty.
“So, you think that they are under a spell.”
“I’m not sure, but I’ve got a hunch. Witches can sense other witches. Why else would that witch with the raven have come to me? And how does she fit into all of this?”
“But, why would she try and break down the tribe?” That I wasn’t sure. But, maybe if we could stop her, we’d find out.
“Just tell me what to do and I’ll help.”
“I will lure them here. You need to stay hidden until I tell you to. Then when I call you, come out and I will take care of the rest. Of course, if anything goes wrong, you’re supposed to come save my ass.”
“No pressure.”
“No pressure.” This had to work. I felt my limbs tingle. This was just a seduction of a different kind. I could do this. Seduce the truth. My life might depend on it.
“I’m going to make the call. Are you ready?”
“I’m ready.”
“I need to make a call.”
A click and crackle of the house speakers made me wince. Would I ever get used to this?
“Please deliver a message to Arkan. I’ve taken another test. You need to come, now.”
“Of course. Just one moment.” We held our br
eath in silence. “They’re on their way.”
Now, all we had to do was wait. And make a pot of tea. The kettle had just begun to boil when the doorbell rang. I turned off the burner and threw in the herbs to steep. A quick glance reassured me that I didn’t have anything telling lying around the room. As I crossed the room to answer the door my heart thudded against my chest. I really hoped this was going to work. Arkan was at the door. Kara followed in behind him. Perfect.
“I’ve made us a pot of tea.” I went to go prepare the mugs. Hopefully, they couldn’t see my hands shaking. The glasses clinked together as I moved them from the counter to the table. Grabbing the kettle and a tray of tea biscuits, I began to pour three cups.
“I don’t want sugar in mine.” Kara waved her hand.
“Me neither.” Arkan sat down next to Kara.
Perfect. I had rehearsed several guilt trips to having them try my tea. Glad to know I wouldn’t have to work around it.
“Well, I’m sure you know the reason I’ve called you here.”
Arkan looked up at me. “We’re here to figure that out.”
I took a deep breath, letting their anticipation linger. The longer I waited to tell my story, the more tea they would get in their system. “Well, see that’s the thing. When you guys came over, you really surprised me. When I went to the bathroom with that test, I didn’t know what to expect. In fact, my life was flashing before my eyes. I was afraid. What if I was pregnant? Would Gerard and the others understand? And I was worried what would happen to you Arkan, when they found out you broke the rules. So, I was pretty nervous and when I’m nervous I get fumbly. So, I was sitting on the toilet trying to pee, and I was kinda nervous so I peed halfway into the toilet bowl.” Arkan continued to sip. Kara put her tea down. She looked annoyed. “And you see, I was pretty sure I splashed it on there, but I wasn’t sure. I’ve never taken a pregnancy test before, so I just didn’t know what I was supposed to do.” Come on, drink more. I’d put enough in the tea, that all they had to take were a few swallows, but I didn’t want to risk it. “And you know I was just crazy nervous, so—”
“Get to the fucking point!” Kara interjected. Well, someone’s true colors were showing. Hanging all out there. I feigned shock at her outburst.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” I buried my head in my hands and tried my best to pull up tears. Arkan put his hand on my back.
“It’s okay dear. Kara is just desperate to hear why you called us back here.” The heat from his glare radiated through my shirt. He was at least curious to see if his spawn were inside me. I knew it. That was his wish and weakness. He wanted me to get pregnant. That was on purpose. And I was going to use it. I lifted my head.
“I well…I think I made a mistake on the pregnancy test. Because I took another one and it was positive.”
“You took another pregnancy test?” Kara gasped.
“It was positive?” Arkan tried his best to paste a serious look over his grin, but his joy was obvious.
I nodded vigorously. It looked like they were both done with their tea.
“So, I’m not sure what to do. Gerard was the one that went and got me the test, but I didn’t tell him the results yet. I didn’t know what to do. Because I think the baby is yours. It hasn’t been long enough for a pregnancy from the others to show up.”
Kara stood up, clearly agitated. “Are you sure? How can you be sure?”
“Well, I mean aren’t those tests supposed to be accurate?”
“There is room for error. You should take another one.” Kara began to dig through her pockets.
“Another? But, I’ve taken two already.”
“Yeah, but you need a tie breaker. Duh.” Kara handed me a pregnancy test. Fuck.
“How many of those do you have in there?” Arkan quipped.
“Well unlike some people, I like to be prepared for all outcomes.” Kara retorted. Outcomes. As if a baby were an outcome. Fuck. I didn’t count on her pulling another test out of her pocket. What the hell was I going to do?
“Go take it. Now.” Arkan encouraged.
Kara got up. “Let’s go. Where’s your bathroom?”
“Um. I think I can handle it.”
“Obviously not. You fucked it up once today already. I need to know whether you are pregnant or not.” Bitch. True. But bitch! Fuck. Now, I was going to take the test and I wasn’t going to be pregnant. What the hell was I going to do. I still had a few minutes before things would kick in. Well, I guess I might as well. Hopefully Vivica would get the hint and get the fuck out of the way. Kara followed me back into the bathroom and watched me pee on the stick. I propped it up on the counter as we waited. She said it would take five minutes. At least I could know for sure that most likely they would be under the influence by then. But they weren’t showing any signs yet, so I really needed to be careful. Five minutes passed by at a glacial pace. Arkan poked his head in the door.
“So, what’s the deal?” Kara grabbed the pee stick and showed it to Arkan.
“I don’t know what I’m looking at.”
“Two lines. Congrats.” Wait. What?
“Let me see that!” I snatched the stick away from her. Two blue lines. Holy shit. I was pregnant. What an interesting twist of events. Well, the good news is that my potion should be taking effect just about now. I only needed to test it.
“So, any word on those disappearances?” I had to lob one right down the plate before I tried to change it up.
“What disappearances?” Arkan squinted and held the pregnancy test up to the light.
Kara’s eyes bulged. “Oh, um. You know those girls that ran away.”
“Some of our girls ran away? Who?”
Okay, well that was interesting. So Arkan’s been under someone’s spell and order, but Kara hasn’t? Does that mean she’s been working willingly against the tribe?
“You know what I saw in my kitchen the other day? A raven.”
Arkan laughed. “You must have been dreaming. There isn’t a raven around here for miles.”
Kara looked like she was about to vomit. She might not have been under someone’s spell initially, but you could bet your ass, now she was under mine.
“Kara. I’m going to need you to tell me the truth.” Her eyes grew glassy. She sat down hard on the countertop.
“What’s wrong with her?” There was nothing wrong with her. She just drank a huge dose of nature’s truth serum.
“She’s fine. Tell me why you helped that witch steal those girls.”
“What girls? What the hell is going on?”
“I’m sorry Arkan, but I’ve drugged you both. You’ve been under the influence of a witch. Kara’s been working with her to help derail the clan. And I’m trying to find out why.”
“That’s ridiculous. Kara would never do anything like that!” Arkan expressed hotly.
“Tell him Kara.”
Tears streamed down her face. “It’s not fair.”
“What’s not fair?”
“I gave this tribe everything I had. My whole life. My body, my mind, my soul. And as soon as I turned forty, I was no good to them anymore. They stuck me in a shitty cabin alone. No one wanted to visit me. No one cared. My warriors got assigned to other parts of the forest, far away. My children got sent to wars and died for causes they couldn’t even explain. And now, we’re getting cut from the orientation process.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“The council informed me last week. All because of this stupid witch here. Something about intertribal relations. They need to be on their A-game because they’re being watched. So, I decided that I would steal their precious half-witch baby and make a fortune. Fuck the tribe.”
Arkan’s jaw was hanging open. His face was red and sweaty. The sleep effect was starting. I wouldn’t have much time with Kara.
“But, why would you kidnap all of those girls?”
“It was a good distracti
on. Now they are all trying to figure out who kidnapped those girls and they left you all alone.” Her eyes rolled back in her head. She was right about that. The guys did act predictably.
“But, how would you be able to sell my baby? I mean I am still here.”
“I was just going to feed you some line about Arkan getting kicked out of the tribe for impregnating you. Actually, it doesn’t really matter. Since we weren’t supposed to fuck you during the tryouts anyway, him cumming in you wouldn’t have made a difference. But, you believed us, so I figured I would make the most out of it. Again, I was just taking advantages of opportunities.” Kara began to wobble.
“Catch her.” Arkan’s hands shot out and grabbed her. “Now go lay down. I know you’re both sleepy.” Arkan dragged Kara to our bed and climbed inside.
Vivica jumped out from behind the door. “Oh my God that was amazing! How did you do that?”
“Just knowing nature. Everything’s on the earth already. You just have to know how and when to use it.”
“You’re like a superhero! Now, how long are they going to be asleep?” Vivica eyed the bed nervously.
“Well, the dose that I gave you put you out for twelve hours. Their dose is ten times as strong, so I’m not really sure. But I think we’ll be okay until the guys return. I only wish I had some proof.”
Vivica held up her cell phone. “I taped the whole thing.”
“You fucking human, I love you!” I wrapped my arms around her and squeezed. Who knew obnoxious human inventions could have a worthy purpose.
“So what do we do now?”
“Just wait for the guys to come back and let them know what we’ve found out. We’ve done our job. It’s up to them to take care of the rest.”
And wait for them we did.
-25-
The guys didn’t return from battle for forty-eight hours. Luckily, Arkan and Kara still slumbered. We locked them in the bedroom and slept with knives on the couch just in case. When the guys arrived, they were shocked to know what had happened and extremely pissed that we’d disobeyed them. But, of course, they were grateful to know that we’d taken care of things while they were gone. And of course, Vivica had prepared a special surprise for them all. Once we’d explained everything, the men got to work taking Arkan and Kara to the Council. A few days later, their sentencing was broadcast. Ex-communication. Although I thought it was unfair that Arkan was punished along with her, I had no say in the matter. The tribe had little concern with influence. Actions were actions.