I burst out laughing first because Jessica’s tone was so dry and everybody else followed. The mood had been broken and I felt the familiar ease settle back between us all. I gave Jessica a nod and she gave me a half smile. It was the most I’d get from her.“I guess I’m in the inner circle of trust now.” I smiled at Robert’s words. He was indeed in the inner circle now.“Mia was the night we got arrested. Malachi killed her. We just dumped her body.” James was at full speed now and I watched Jessica’s reaction. There wasn’t one and I realized that Malachi had told her.James didn’t wait for an invitation and just carried on and I could see Robert was trying to keep up. “Kiran killed Paul in the woods, before we knew who he was, but that one was self-defense.”I shook my head at James. I was sure Robert didn’t need a detailed log of who we’d killed and why. “We’re all family here, Kiran. Honesty is the best policy.” Robert laughed at that one and Jessica just gave James a look even thou
The concoction worked fast. I could feel the fog entering my mind and I felt dizzy. Malachi physically helped me up the stairs as Adara walked outside and I could feel her anguish and her nerves. She was afraid for me.I was in bed shivering as the cold fever took me. Malachi placed another blanket over me as I closed my eyes. I felt so tired. I managed to make it to 2 p.m. before I vomited the first time. They took turns to sit with me in the bathroom as it just kept coming. Adara only left me when Kai needed her and at other times Malachi would tend to Kai so she could tend to me.At 4 p.m. she opened the faucet in the shower and Malachi helped me inside as I sat with my legs pulled up against my chest under the hot water. After five minutes she turned the water off and helped me undress and get into clean pajamas. I felt slightly better and got back into bed. My head started pounding and she had to close the curtains because the light hurt my eyes.It was strange to feel so sick wh
I kissed the top of Kai’s head as James looked at me questioningly. I knew he wanted to say something but he closed his mouth and walked outside. I kissed Adara goodbye, wanting to keep her against me for longer but I knew if I did she’d worry.“Please call me the moment it’s over and tell me he’s fine.” Adara was worried even though I pretended not to be.We drove to the den in silence and Malachi kept glancing over at me. “You’ll be fine.” I wondered who he was trying to convince, me or him.“I know, Dad.”I took a deep breath as we stopped in front of the den. I walked inside slowly and took the stairs to the basement as Malachi went into another room. James was lowering the rack from the wall and I looked at it in disdain.I had washed Dave’s blood from that rack and now it would be my blood that flowed over it. It was almost too funny. I was going to be strapped to it willingly. The irony of the situation almost made me smile.“Get on.” Jessica’s voice was steady and I pulled my
I had no essence of how long I’d been unconscious. I was still on the rack when I opened my eyes. The chains and rope were gone and I touched my ribcage tentatively. There was nothing there, no cut and no open wound.I sat upright as James turned around and gripped my shoulder with a smile. Malachi and Jessica stood to one side and spoke softly to each other. He had his arms around her and her face was pressed against his chest.“It was magnificent, Kiran! You passed out and then suddenly this green flame engulfed you and you just healed. You were still bleeding one moment and the next, nothing, not even a mark.” I saw awe in his eyes.I swung my legs over the rack and got up just as Malachi and Jessica reached me. “Well, I guess it was a success since I’m still here.”Jessica had a hand on her chest as she snorted. “Dude, I didn’t even know about the green fire. I nearly had a heart attack!”Malachi grabbed me into a bear hug and then he looked me over. “How do you feel?”“My mouth t
Almost twelve hours later, I woke up and I felt stronger, physically and mentally. I was on top of the world, I felt like I could do anything. I felt indestructible. I felt like myself, yet completely different as well, like there were now two versions of me inside my body.I walked down the stairs where everybody waited and Adara jumped up and ran over to me as soon as she saw me on the stairs. I was smiling at them, looking, and feeling like myself, just a much better version of myself.Adara wrapped herself around me. “I was so worried.” I felt everything more clearly, more defined and her emotions slammed into me. I didn’t care who was watching as I kissed her and pulled her closer to me.“Get a room!” James shouted from the kitchen table and I broke off the kiss.Adara looked up at me as I smiled. “Are you really okay?”“It’s hard to explain but I feel kind of reborn, stronger, unstoppable.” Her smile made my heart flutter and I hugged her close to me just as James pushed his cha
“Always envision the outcome of your spell, you have to see it, believe it for the magic to work its best.”I put Karani’s book down and looked at the beginner spell in front of me. Could it really be that easy, imagine it, say the words, and just like that it works? I laughed out loud at myself and rubbed my eyes.“Your talisman or amulet makes your magic stronger. I already made one for you, it will find you when you’re ready. Don’t overthink your magic. Be your magic. Become one with it and see it in everything around you. You should always keep your talisman with you, it will empower you and your senses, so that you’re never caught unawares.” I turned the page and there was nothing there, just blank pages. I closed my eyes briefly and reread the last paragraph.“If you have come this far then you have succeeded in harnessing my powers, be careful how you apply it, I will teach you what you need to know to survive the future that I saw. But fate can always be changed sometimes as
Christian turned on his heel and stomped ahead to the house. I stood there and watched him. Was that really true? Have I been so immersed in these books that I missed a whole day? I followed him back to the house and locked the sliding door behind me. I felt like a shitty father because while I couldn’t tell him exactly what I was doing, I hated him feeling abandoned.Christian went upstairs to his room and I heard his door slam shut. He was sulking. I left the empty bottle on the counter and sighed as I walked past his room. I closed the bedroom door behind me and sat down on the bed with Kai.The bathroom door opened and Adara walked out with steam billowing around her. “Did I really not eat dinner with you guys last night?” Her look was one of annoyance. It seemed I was pissing everyone off today.“No, you’ve been in the study since after dinner the night before.” Guilt slammed into me again.“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize.”“I understand that you have to do all this and why, but you
Time seemed to stand still as I sat next to the road holding Christian in my arms, his head lolled to one side and the pain seared through me. My own blood dripped onto his face and I felt a hand on my shoulder.“Kiran, you need to let go.”I turned my head sideways and looked at the police officer crouched next to me. Two paramedics stood right behind him and I let go reluctantly. One of them shone a light in my eyes and said something but I couldn’t focus.They were looking for a pulse but I already knew. Death had taken him from me and I’d never before hated him as I did in that moment. One of the paramedics looked back at me and I could see the pity in her eyes.“Sir…have you been drinking?” It was another police officer that had asked me that, someone I didn’t know.“No.”My Jeep was written off and I looked back over at Christian where they placed a blanket over him while two other officers made markings in the road and took photos of the scene. I took a breathalyzer test just a
Malachi watched me but made no move to meet me halfway. His face was void of emotion and I had a hard time reading his aura. I pushed harder against the mental wall and his aura appeared and his guilt showed.“Sorry, I know you wanted to discuss this but I kind of had my hands full,” he said to me and I smiled. “It’s okay,” I replied.“But you did well on your own, there’s nothing I would have done differently,” he said to me and slapped me on the back.I was about to say something more but kept quiet as our pack members started leaving the den and shook our hands. Carl and Frank stopped in front of us and I smiled. I knew Carl’s mind was working overtime already.“If it comes to it, we go with you and we kill Vincent.”Frank nodded his head. “And whoever else we need to.”“Yeah. You’re not going down for this shit, Kiran,” Carl said.“It’ll be fine. Vincent has to prove his claims and a truth seeker will know, so I doubt there’ll be a tribunal.”Carl smiled and slapped me on the bac
James and I stood outside, near the front door of the den. I had called another pack meeting so we could discuss and vote on the Mauritius situation. I had learned early on in my life that if I wanted to keep the pack’s respect, I needed to be honest with them.Robert was angry because I had denied him access to the meeting. Although we considered him family, he wasn’t a wolf. I wasn’t about to change hundreds of years of tradition just because I liked him.More cars pulled into the space in front of the den and I greeted my pack members warmly. Malachi was the last to arrive, smiling to himself as he walked towards us. ‘Only Jessica can be responsible for that smile,’ I thought to myself as Malachi grinned at me.I closed the den’s door behind me as the rest found seats. I walked to the front with James trailing behind me and hit the gavel once on the table behind me. “This meeting is now called to order.”The men settled down with low whispers as I leaned back against the table and
I was furious as I sat there behind my desk. Did the African Council not investigate my statement at all? Why was there no mention of that? John was right about one thing, I had approved the wedding and I wouldn’t be able to lie about it. John himself was a truth seeker and he would only have to ask me once to know what I did.I didn’t care much about the consequences at that point. I was too enraged and now I was more determined than ever to end this thing without having to send Malika back to Mauritius.I looked at my watch and typed my reply to him. Why waste the time when I knew that I wouldn’t change my mind? No matter how much I thought about it, I wouldn’t do it.“Dear John,I will not send Malika back to Mauritius. She is a free human, to go and do as she pleases. She also doesn’t want to return to Mauritius. If Vincent Pierre wants her so badly, he can come and get her himself, but he will have me to deal with if he sets foot in my territory and that goes for any other wolf t
I pushed the emails from John to the back of my mind, but it kept creeping up on me and I knew that at some point I’d have to make an effort to squash this thing before it became bigger. We hadn’t done anything wrong and I believed Malika when she said she never signed allegiance to Vincent.I sat down at my desk and opened the laptop. I only had one day left to answer John Whitcombe. I didn’t really have the diplomacy that Malachi had and I acted on my emotions much more than he did. It wasn’t necessarily a good thing, making emotional decisions often led to more trouble.I thought about how to correctly get my message across without being too forward about it. I hit the reply button on John’s email and started typing.“To Head Alpha John Whitcombe,I regret to inform you that Malika Luximon is not being harbored by me, unlawful or not, or the pack of Southern Alaska. Vincent Pierre is an idiotic, blubbering …”I laughed suddenly and hit the delete button. I couldn’t send that to Joh
“What now?” James looked quizzically at me. I had just told him my ideas about the email from John.“I’ll reply within five days, not that I see the point. I met Vincent and there’s no doubt in my mind that if Malika is sent back, he’ll kill her.”I sent a text to Robert and told him that they both needed to come to the house on urgent business. James and I walked back to the kitchen where Malachi stood near the counter tapping on his phone.“Everything okay?” I nodded at Adara and sat down at the table.“What did John want?” Malachi turned his attention to me and sat down across from me at the table.“A claim was lodged against me.”Malachi sat up straighter. “What claim?”“The new Alpha of Mauritius claims that I aided Malika in running from her Alpha and that I’ve been harboring her ever since.”“We should discuss this in detail. Do you want me to speak to John?” The look of worry in Malachi’s eyes worried me, but I wouldn’t back down.“No, Dad. Vincent doesn’t have a foot to stand
James lay on the ground and I had my legs around his neck. I squeezed slightly and James started tapping on the ground. I let go of him as he rolled to his knees and coughed twice. I saw Malachi by the tree line as I stood up. He was watching us.Malachi had an odd look on his face but I didn’t question him, he’d talk when and if he wanted to. I’d learned early on not to push Malachi. He was a very private person, even though we shared a lot, some things had to remain private.James was on his feet again fast and as I looked back at him from Malachi, I was too slow in blocking his kick. I spit the blood from my mouth and grinned at him where he danced like a boxer on his feet, laughing at me.He turned his head and looked at Malachi. “Do you want to cut in?”Malachi nodded, took his shirt off, and walked closer to me. He lifted his arms and I went into a boxing stance. I blinked as I lay flat on my back with James laughing so hard he struggled to breathe. Malachi’s face appeared above
“Hello, Malachi.” Adara’s voice was clear and she sounded happy even.“Jessica’s been vomiting the whole morning.”“Is she pregnant?” Malachi heard amusement in Adara’s voice but he ignored it.“She says it’s food poisoning.” Pregnancy was the first thing that had popped into his head when she threw up the first time.“I’ll phone her, don’t worry, Malachi.”Malachi parked his car in front of the court building and he pushed everything out of his mind and switched his phone off. He took his seat and opened his briefcase as his client joined him at the table. He breezed through the next few hours and finally got his client a settlement that he was happy with.Malachi sat in his car and switched his phone on again, surprised that Jessica hadn’t tried to contact him at all. An eerie feeling settled in his gut, a feeling he didn’t like at all. He opened his messages and started typing.Malachi: Are you okay?Jessica: Never better, stop worrying and stop frowning.Malachi laughed as he read
The conversation between Kiran and Malachi had kept replaying itself in his head. On one side he was relieved that Kiran accepted his relationship with Jessica because she was important to him but on the other side their age difference made him feel like an asshole.Malachi lay in her bed and watched her sleep. He smiled as he looked at her. A strong surge of love spread through him, so intense that it actually frightened him. He missed her every minute they were apart. He could never grow tired of her, but did she feel it as intensely as he did?Malachi knew that Jessica loved him but what kept him awake in the early morning hours was if she loved him enough to spend the rest of her life with him, to marry him and make a life with him.“You know that’s creepy, right?” Jessica’s voice was soft and her eyes were still closed.Malachi smiled. “What is?”Her eyes opened and softened as she looked at Malachi. “Watching me sleep.”“I made you coffee.” Jessica shifted and sat up straight, t
I woke up four hours later as the front door slammed shut and I jumped up. Both babies were still asleep, and I went downstairs yawning as I did so. I was still tired. Adara was placing bags on the counter.“The rest is in the car.” She didn’t look at me and started unpacking the two bags she had brought in.I went out to her car and opened the boot. My breath froze in my lungs as I stared at half a baby store crammed inside. It took me six trips to unload everything and the kitchen now looked like she had bought the whole store.“Did you empty our account?” I asked her jokingly and she smiled at me. At least I got a smile from her. She walked up to me and hugged me, and my arms closed around her.“I’m sorry. You’re right, she deserves parents that love her. I never had that and if I weren’t here I’d want someone else to love Kai completely.” I hugged her tighter because this was the woman I loved.“Thank you but you’re not going anywhere.” She let go of me and turned back to her shop