บท 16: Chapter 16
‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ K ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙
I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach, that just wouldn't leave.
She's fine, Kieran. She's with Roxy, and they should be home very soon.
I had told myself this at least every 5 minutes but the bad feeling just wouldn't let go.
I sighed heavily and picked up my phone and smiled at the picture that Roxy had sent me earlier when Amara discovered the combination of excellence that was a huge soft pretzel and hot cheese sauce. Her amber colored eyes sparkled with childlike wonder, and it was truly heartwarming to see her finally step out of Alexander's shadow. The city was a dangerous place for our kind, but as long as we were smart about where we went, it was okay to go from time to time.
Jake walked into the den, clenching and unclenching his fists, he seemed nervous about something as he looked out the window.
"What's wrong Jake?" I asked. I hadn't seen him this nervous since the day he asked me to make him a wolf so he could be with Roxy.
"I just have this very unsettling feeling right now." Jake sighed. "Have you heard from the girls at all?"
"I facetimed Mara while they were at the mall. They said they were going to eat and then come home, but that was an hour ago." I mumbled. Now I really felt like something was wrong, especially since it was not just me being anxious. Jake was too. Wolves know when their mates are in trouble.
"I can't track the GPS on Roxy's phone. She disabled it." Jake said.
"I'm going to kill that girl." I grumbled and went to look at my phone to see if I could track Amara but as I did a call from her came through.
"Speak of the devils." I smiled. "We're probably worried over nothing." I added and then answered the phone.
"Hello Darling." I said, completely unprepared for the response I got.
"Just let us go!" I heard Amara say on the other end and then I heard her grunt and there was a loud shuffling sound followed by a thud.
"Mara!" Roxy yelled and then Amara's voice came back through screaming for whoever, it was to let Roxy go and then the call ended.
I felt panic setting in. Roxy did quite well when it came to defending herself, but from the sounds of it, the situation was more than she could handle, and Amara was still learning how to channel her inner wolf and use that strength in her human form.
Jake looked at me, and my face must have said that something was wrong because he just grabbed his keys off the hook and went for the door. I stopped him.
"We need more than just the two of us. I don't know what we are walking into and shifting in the city is not a good idea!" I said. "Go get Connor and Rob while I'll track her phone." I added and looked up the GPS from her phone call as Jake ran off to get Connor and Rob.
‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ A ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙
I had scooted back on the floor to the bar in Granny's weighing my options. The two hunters that were holding Roxy back had a knife to her throat and I was begging her with my eyes not to move. She was the only friend I'd ever had and if something were to happen to her because she was trying to help me I would never forgive myself. I was beyond tired of people coming to my rescue.
What happened next, I could only describe as the feeling of being charged with static electricity. Something deep inside of me came to life. I put my hand around the leg of a bar stool as the hunter crouched down to me.
"Such a timid little thing." He mock-pouted. "Usually, your kind has a lot more fight. I've killed Rabbits that put up more of a fight." He snickered.
"Come on Tom. Just let them go."
I glanced over at one of the other men who had already been in the diner when Roxy and I arrived as he stepped forward to try and save the day.
"You can't just kill them here; it's a public place and the sheriff is right around the corner." The man said.
"Christ, Cassidy you are a damn disgrace. You are nothing like your old man." the one called Tom snorted.
"Well... I don't see how that's a bad thing." the other one shrugged.
"Make yourself useful and keep a lookout for the sheriff."
Wait. He's one of them? Why is he trying to help? I wondered.
The man looked at me, with apologetic eyes. I gave him a very discreet nod letting him know I'd be fine. He started walking out and looked at one of the men holding Roxy and nodded. That man nodded in return and let go of Roxy and followed him outside. There was something very strange about the two of them.
Tom turned back to me.
"Now. where were we?" He grinned. I gripped the bar stool tightly, and with one arm, and strength I had never had before I swung the bar stool hitting him in the head with it. He groaned in pain and fell over, and I stood up.
"I think we were there." I grinned and tossed the bar stool aside and stepped over him.
The man who was holding Roxy was distracted and lowered the knife, so Roxy bit into his hand, he let out a startled shout and released her.
"Where did that come from?" Roxy asked me with an excited grin.
"I have no clue." I admitted.
"Well don't stop now, duck!" she shouted.
I ducked, and very narrowly missed being hit in the head with a glass plate. I turned back around with my fists raised to Tom who had gotten up without me knowing. Roxy stood with her back to mine, focusing on the other guy.
My eyes scanned the diner for the staff. They had probably all gone into hiding to alert the authorities.
Tom pulled a knife from his belt and pointed it at me.
"You're dead." He snarled at me.
"You see, people keep saying that, but here I am." I smirked. He growled and slashed at me with the knife. I ducked out of the way and kept dodging his slashes.
"You good Mar?" Roxy asked I quickly glanced at her; she had the other guy already pinned to the ground with his own knife to his throat.
What the hell? That was fast.
I turned back to Tom and had to quickly dodge another slash aimed at my face. I hissed in pain as he managed to nick me just above my eyebrow.
"Ow! Yeah. I'm bloody good." I grumbled in response to Roxy's question.
"Don't worry sweetheart, I'll kill your friend quickly." Tom sneered at Roxy.
He slashed at me again and I reached out and caught his wrist gripping it tightly, trying not to be surprised by my own strength again as I squeezed and felt his bones crunching under my own hand. Tom howled in pain and dropped his knife. I quickly kicked the knife towards Roxy and let go of Tom's wrist. I pulled my arms back and shoved them forward and without even hitting him, he was somehow launched backwards, over the bar and at the wall.
That's...not right. No... my hands hit him. How else would that have happened? I thought.
I looked down at my hands and could have sworn for a second there was little sparks coming from my fingertips but before I had a chance to think on it they were gone.
You've fallen down the rabbit hole Mara. You've gone mad.
I shook my head and hurried to the bar, and put my hands on it, hoisting myself up and over. I grabbed Tom by the collar of his shirt and lifted him before slamming him back down on the bar holding him there.
"Mara!" Roxy said. I looked up and she tossed me his knife. I reached out and caught it with my right hand and put it to his throat.
"Don't worry, I'll kill you quickly." I growled at him.
He whimpered like a scared child under my grip, and it was oddly satisfying.
The back door to the diner was thrown open and Kieran, Connor, Rob and Jake were all rushing in. Kieran looked back and forth between Roxy and I with a look of both confusion, and relief.
"Hello dear." I smiled at him, "Impeccable timing, as always." I added and raised the knife to slice Tom's throat, but Kieran hurried over and caught my wrist.
"Not here." He said.
"So, they can kill us in our homeland, but we can't kill them in theirs?" I was clearly offended that he stopped me.
"There are those here that have no idea our kind exists, Mar. To them you're just human killing another human. There are police coming, we need to go." He said.
"And just let them go?!" I demanded.
"I know it's not right, but there is nothing to be done. I will not have you getting arrested. They aren't worth it."
I heard sirens wailing in the distance and looked back down at Tom.
"You. Tell the rest of your murdering friends to find a new hang out. Granny's is off limits." I said and glared at him. He whimpered and nodded in response.
"Good." I said.
"Let's go." Kieran urged.
I let go of Tom's shirt and Kieran let go of my other wrist and took the knife from my hand. I turned to walk away from Tom before I turned back and punched him directly in the nose.
Kieran took hold of my wrist again and nearly dragged me along behind him as a Sheriff car pulled up into the parking lot.
"Roxy, let's go!" he barked as Jake helped Roxy along out the back door with the rest of us out back.
"Get in the car, quickly." Kieran said coldly. Gone was the soft tone. He was pissed.
"Are you mad because you drove all this way, and didn't get to jump in to save the day?" I asked. Roxy snickered. He opened the car door and fixed the seat and turned and glared at us both. Roxy's shoulders sank and she looked down. She tossed him his keys and then she walked over to Jake and followed him to his car.
"Just get in the bloody car! He hissed.
I stood outside of the car with my arms crossed waiting for an apology for his behavior.
"Mar, we don't have time for your stubbornness, get in the car." Connor sighed and got in the passenger's seat as Rob got in Jake's car.
Kieran held his glare, and his eyes were so intense I thought they'd burn holes in me.
I scoffed and climbed in the back seat and Kieran shut the door and got in the driver's side. I watched his knuckles turn white on the steering wheel, as he was seething.
The drive home was quiet and intense, and I knew as soon as we got home, he would lay into Roxy and blame her for the whole thing, and I began mentally preparing what to say to take the blame from her. It wasn't her fault.
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‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ K ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙
I looked in the rear-view mirror at Amara who was watching the road going under the wheels. I had to admit, what I walked in on at the diner, was the last thing I expected. I didn't expect her to be able to hold her own so quickly. I also didn't expect her to be so ready to kill that hunter and that look of darkness in her eyes as she held the knife to his throat was not something I ever wanted to see again, and it was something that shouldn't have happened to begin with. I told Roxy not to go to places hunters frequented and she knew damn well Granny's was one of them. I trusted her and she broke that trust and put herself and Mara in danger.
When we got home, and inside the house. Amara put her shopping bags down on the coffee table and crossed her arms still glaring at me.
"Don't you look at me like that." I said, narrowing my eyes as Roxy, and the others came inside. I looked at Connor, Rob and Jake.
"Leave us." I said. The three of them turned to leave and Roxy tried to sneak off with them.
"Not. You." I said. She sighed and turned around and walked back into the den and stood next to Amara.
"What did I tell you before you left?" I asked.
"Kieran, I'm not a child." Roxy scoffed.
"Are you sure? Because I specifically told you to stay away from hunter hang outs and where do you two end up? A bloody hunter hang out!" I shouted.
Roxy went to defend herself, but Amara stopped her.
"It wasn't Roxy's fault." She said, stepping forward. "I told Roxy I wanted to go to Granny's."
"Roxy should have known better." I spat.
"Look contrary to popular belief I can make my own damn decisions. That includes, stupid and reckless ones. Roxy tried to tell me it was a bad idea, but I insisted so if you are going to scream at anyone, well... Still don't scream at me but at least leave Roxy alone."
I looked at Roxy and nodded for her to leave. She looked at Mara sympathetically and walked out of the room.
"Do you have any idea the danger you put yourself and Roxy in?" I asked.
"Well... I do now." She muttered. "I thought we had it handled pretty well though." She said and gave me a cheeky smile.
"You got lucky!" I snapped, wiping the smile right off of her face.
"I finally did something for myself, and you call it luck? Is that how you truly see me, Kieran? Just some helpless girl who needs you constantly?" She asked.
"That's not what I said." I sighed.
"That's what it feels like!" She shouted at me. "You're pissed off because for once I didn't need you to save me!"
"I shouldn't have let you go so soon you weren't ready." I said and shook my head.
"I was ready. It's you who wasn't ready, Kieran. I spent my whole life living in my father's shadow afraid of everything and I refuse to be afraid anymore, and I refuse to live in your shadow so if your intentions for me, are to stay behind you like a sheep and let you get hit with everything life throws at the both of us then you need to let me go."
"I will not let you go, Amara." I said and put my hand on her cheek. She put her hand over mine. "I can't." I added.
"Then you need to let me be a wolf and stand at your side where I belong. Where I deserve to be."
I sighed and leaned in, pressing my forehead to hers. Since when did this girl make so much damn sense? It had been far too long since someone of her caliber had knocked me off my pedestal back down to earth.
"No one has ever challenged me quite the way you do my love. I'm truly sorry for making you feel like a sheep." I said.
"Get used to it Quinn, you're stuck with me now." She smiled.
"Well at least you're pretty." I smirked. She snorted and slapped my chest and it actually hurt a little.
"Ow." I said with a small laugh. "Someone has been eating their Wheaties."
"Maybe it was the pretzel." She shrugged.
"Probably the radioactive junk they put in that fake cheese sauce." I snickered.
"You should apologize to Roxy." She reminded me.
"Aye. I should. Why don't you go unpack your new things and I'll be up in a bit?" I asked.
"Sure. I hope you have room for my socks." She grinned and picked up the huge bag of socks.
"Bottom drawer in the dresser is all yours." I chuckled as she made her way up the stairs.
‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ A ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙
I stood in front of the mirror over the dresser applying a bandage to my small cut above my eyebrow trying desperately to replay what happened tonight in my head piece by piece. I looked down at my hands. There was just no way that I moved that hunter without touching him, but I had to know for sure. I stepped back a bit and put my hand out focusing on the hairbrush on top of the dresser.
"What are you doing?"
I quickly spun around and looked at Kieran who stood behind me with his eyebrow raised.
"Nothing. I was just... Looking at my hand." I lied. He would think I was positively looney if I told him what I was really doing. I wasn't even sure what I was doing.
"Really? Because it looks like you were trying to make something move with your mind." He smiled and took my hand looking at the slight bruising on my knuckles from punching Tom.
"Have you shown Jake?" He asked.
"I will tomorrow. I'm too tired." I yawned.
"It's only 7:30 love." Kieran laughed.
"I had a long day, full of adventure, I deserve a nap but first I want to show you the pretty clothes I found!" I grinned and pointed at the clothes spread out on his bed. He looked down and smiled at my selection of clothes.
"They're beautiful, darling. I'm sure they'll look lovely on you. I'm very interested in this." He said and picked up a red lace lingerie set and winked at me.
My eyes widened and my face flushed.
"That's Roxy's. She put her stuff in my bag too." I said and took it from him and put it back in the bag. "Sorry to disappoint."
"I was teasing love. You don't seem like the red lace type." He smiled.
"No. I prefer purple." I smiled back and giggled as his cheeks and ears turned pink. He sauntered over to me and hooked his fingers into the belt loops on my jeans pulling me close to him.
"I think perhaps this whole shy innocent girl thing you do is just an act." He purred. I bit my lip and smiled at him.
"What makes you say that?" I asked.
"You truly are a little siren, you know." He breathed and his lips hovered over mine as he walked me backwards until the backs of my legs hit the bed and I fell backwards I reached and grabbed his shirt pulling him down with me. My back hit the cool fabric of his comforter and his lips crashed into mine in a searing and needy kiss.
Gaia, take the wheel!
It was getting way too warm in here. I kept my lips locked onto his as my fingers scrambled to unbutton the buttons on the plaid over shirt I was borrowing from him. I managed to get all the buttons undone and the shirt pushed off my shoulders.
Kieran pulled back to breathe and I tugged at the bottom of his shirt. He grinned and pulled his shirt over his head and leaned in placing tender kisses all along my collarbone.
And then, something metal from the bed onto the hardwood floor with a loud clunk, stealing both of our attentions. Kieran pulled back to look at what had fallen, and I put my face in my hands exasperated with the entire universe at this point.
Why did you push us together if you won't let us be?! I cursed any God who would listen.
"What is this?" Kieran asked. I peeked up at him through my fingers and looked at the long silver chain, with a large key at the very end of it. I sat up, curious now and took the key from him. I ran my thumb over the dirty metal of the key. There was a design in the metal of vines and flowers that weaved and wrapped around the entire key. It was clearly a piece of jewelry, but one I don't remember picking up.
"I haven't a clue what this is, I didn't buy it. At least I don't remember buying it. It's got dirt all over." I spoke.
"Surely it had to have come from the mall. It was a long day perhaps you just don't remember picking it out. Maybe it fell out of the bag and Roxy put it back?" Kieran asked, offering suggestions as to where the key may have come from.
"It's not yours?" I asked.
"No, I've never seen it." He shrugged and took it and put it on the nightstand.
"We'll worry about it later." He grinned and leaned back, placing his lips on my chest and making a trail of kisses down my stomach and I had already put the strange key to the back of my mind when a loud cry of agony ripped through the house.
Why? Why do you hate me?
Kieran stood, alert and ready to make a move and before another minute passed another cry of agony rattled my ears.
"That's Mary" he said and quickly pulled his shirt back on. I stood up and made sloppy work of the buttons on the shirt I was wearing and followed him in a hurry out of the room.
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