I tried phoning James again and he answered the third time. “How is she?” I asked him, knowing that he wasn’t at home. He would spend every minute at the hospital with her.“She’s still asleep. I feel so angry and guilty because I couldn’t protect her. I couldn’t even protect our child,” he said. His voice was filled with anguish and I wished I could change everything about that day.“I’m sorry,” I said. What else could I say? Nothing could change the way he was feeling now and blaming himself was part of the healing process.“When do I have to be at the house?” he asked.“You really don’t have to be here, James,” I answered him.“No. I need to know what Karani saw when she looked at Shoran’s memories.” James was adamant and I knew that nothing I said would keep him away.“An hour,” I said and he ended the call.I didn’t call him back. We all grieved in our own way and I had done the same thing. I had switched everything off, and distanced myself. I would give James all the time he ne
Karani briefly closed her eyes and took a deep breath. I knew how hard this was for her. She didn’t like looking at people’s memories, especially painful ones like these, but she’d done it for Shoran without even thinking about it.“I went to Shoran’s hospital room and looked at her memories. The things I’m going to tell you now, are the things that happened to her. She was awake and alert for most of it. James is correct, by the time he got back to the house, Dave had already raped her once.She was pressed down on the table and Dave took the letter opener from the table and then he repeatedly raped her with it. Shoran had counted fourteen times that he stuck it inside her with force. She was bleeding profusely and she passed out while he laughed.”This time, Malachi had tears in his eyes as well and he squeezed Karani’s shoulders. James didn’t look at anyone, his gaze was fixed on the floor. He stood up without saying a word, wiped his eyes and left the den.I hurried out after him
The day after Christmas, Malachi stood next to Shoran’s bed and watched the same two police officers arrive and walk towards her room. A tear slid down Shoran’s cheek as she looked at Malachi. He gripped her hand tightly and she nodded her head.“Mr. Sinclair.” Officer Jones nodded in greeting. Officer Peters didn’t bother to greet either of them. “Morning Miss.” It was hard to look at Shoran and Robert felt extremely uncomfortable. “Morning, officers,” Malachi said. Malachi looked intently at Robert Jones because the other officer made his skin crawl. There was something about the man that didn’t sit right with him.“We really apologize for the inconvenience of this interview,” Officer Jones said. “Can you tell us what happened?”Shoran took a deep breath and looked at her hands. “James and I were housesitting for Malachi…er…Mr. Sinclair. We were busy in the kitchen and I realized that we needed a few things from the store. So, James said he would go and I stayed at the house. There
As James walked out of her room, Shoran began to cry uncontrollably. It hurt so much to see him walk away from her. Why had she taken her ring off? Why didn’t she tell him that she would come back? She felt more hurt emotionally than she did from her injuries and surgery. Losing the baby was one thing, but losing him too, it was too much and she broke down.Shoran wiped her tears away as her parents walked into her room, concern etched onto their faces. Her mother hugged her tightly and began to cry.“Don’t cry, Mom,” Shoran said and tried to comfort her mother.“I’m so glad you’re coming home, sweetheart,” her mother said and sniffed.“It’s just until I’m better, remember,” Shoran reminded her.“You can’t honestly want to come back to this place!” The look on her mother’s face spoke volumes and Shoran knew she had to rectify the situation.“Mom, nothing’s changed. I still love James. I’m just confused at the moment. I just need some time to figure everything out,” Shoran argued.“You
“This is a bloody mess!” Juniper said as Ramos threw his phone against the wall. Dave sat on the couch in the living room with a smirk on his face.“You started this mess when you told her to leave!” Ramos shouted at Juniper.Juniper was much too insecure to keep Adara in her house. Telling her to leave had been the only thing she could think of to do. She would do anything to keep Ramos. He just did something to her, and she would cling to him until her last breath.“You’re the one who had an affair with her!” Juniper shouted back.Dave burst out laughing. Ramos wouldn’t have an affair with that girl. They were cousins and the bad blood flowed through all their veins. Besides, this wasn’t the first time that Ramos and Dave had gone ‘rogue’ like this.“Will you both shut up,” Dave said lazily. He was still reliving that pretty, blondish girl from the drawing room. He got hard just thinking of her bent over that table. He stood up and Juniper could see he was aroused. She wished that s
Dave got into his truck and drove to the nearest bar. He sat drowning his sorrows and decided that he would go scout up the surroundings at the big house in the woods. There had been no new activity in town, so pack-affiliates couldn’t have arrived yet.He didn’t have a lot of knowledge about how packs worked, having grown up as a lone wolf for most of his life, he didn’t really care for pack etiquette. He had no desire to be an Alpha or any rank for that matter. He just wanted his cut, the cut of Adara’s inheritance that Ramos had promised him. Supposedly, the little girl was worth a few million and even more than the money, he wanted a taste of her.He stumbled to his truck for a bit as his body heat evaporated the alcohol. He felt slightly better and got into his truck. He sat there for a few minutes, making sure he was completely sober before he drove off.He drove towards the hospital, a route he hadn’t taken before, so any scents up there would be fresh and new to him. He doubt
Dave had finished dressing and thought he heard something move in the woods. He turned around.“Hi Dave,” James said, and swung the baseball bat as hard as he could. He cracked Dave’s skull and rendered him unconscious. James looked down at Dave and spat at him.He’d been watching Dave ever since leaving Kiran to manage the furniture removal for Adara’s resurrection ceremony. For once, Kiran hadn’t questioned him when he said he needed some time alone.He’d waited in the dark driveway between two houses across the street from their house and watched. He followed Dave to the bar and waited patiently. He’d followed Dave to the hospital and knew he was going to scout the Sinclair house. He had circled the hospital to the other side of the helipad and moved quietly toward Dave.He’d missed Dave by minutes, probably just seconds. He’d found Dave’s clothes between the roots of the old tree. James found a spot where he would be comfortable but would still be able to see Dave when he returned
“The baseball bat was a nice touch kid,” Dave said and cocked his head to one side to emphasize where James had hit him. “You know, I could show you a few tricks for your girlfriend.” Dave’s manic laugh had James seeing red.His anger boiled over and he took Dave’s head and smashed it into the bars of the cell. He stopped when he realized that Dave had passed out again, the blood gushing from his mouth and nose.He took Dave and placed him on the board and secured his hands tightly with the shackles. He couldn’t go anywhere now; he had yet to place the collar around his neck. He needed time to think. When he had started following Dave, all he could think of was Shoran’s screams and his baby, now dead, as Dave pressed her down on that table.Those memories had fueled his rage and anger, and he was determined to strike back. He hadn’t thought beyond the fact of what he would actually do when he had Dave. He had just focused on getting Dave alone.The bloodlust boiling in his veins had b
I heard the car pull up to our house. A few seconds of silence and then a car door opened and closed. I wasn’t particularly worried, more curious at what I smelled; it was Robert outside and he was afraid and nervous. I had become very attuned to the emotions of other people around me, even people I didn’t know.The doorbell rang and I opened the door for him. He was pale and very worried. I asked him inside and wondered what this could be about. I didn’t have the energy for this. I had been on my way upstairs to sleep. The ceremony had been very taxing on all of us and the pack didn’t linger afterwards.“Evening, Officer Jones,” I said to him and showed him to a seat at the kitchen counter. He was not wearing his uniform so I could only assume he was here in his personal capacity.“Kiran, I’m so sorry for the loss of your mother,” Robert said and I thanked him. I thanked him because it was the polite thing to do and Karani would want that.“Thank you, Officer Jones,” I said.“Call me
The house was eerily quiet and dark. I sat down at the counter and knew that on any other day, Karani would be in front of the stove. She would have something baking in the oven, bacon frying in a pan, the coffee maker would be filling the kitchen with its aroma. She would be smiling, and I would kiss her on her cheek.I broke down again. I cried and just let it out. It came out as a mixture of a scream and a growl. I couldn’t contain all of this. My soul felt empty although it was bursting with emotion. I was exhausted physically and emotionally. I just had to get through this day. I wanted to die.I shuddered as I remembered the last time I walked into this church. It was the day we buried the Goldman’s and before that, Sarah. Today was my turn to sit in the front pew. I wanted to turn around and run out, but Malachi put his hand on my shoulder, and I had to keep going.We sat down and I looked at the coffin in front of me. I could smell her there. I didn’t want to be here but if I
I was unconscious for three days following the emotional pain I took from Malachi. It had been accidental. I hadn’t meant to take all his pain. While I was subdued, Karani came to me in both her wolf and human form. I held her and cried for her. She held me and cried with me. She soothed me, and we talked for hours as Death sat nearby and watched me with keen interest.The pain from Malachi’s soul was so intense that my body needed that time to recover. I still carried that pain inside me, and I could barely function on my own. Everything hurt, from my soul to my skin and the thought of opening my eyes felt like too much of an effort.Buried deep in Malachi’s soul was a secret. It was a secret that hurt so much that I couldn’t grasp the reality that surrounded it. My mind was playing tricks on me, I was sure of it. Then again, I did see him with Karani. She had smiled as her image drifted away from me.“Kiran, you have to try to eat something,” Adara said to me.“Just leave me alone,”
Adrian Peters switched the television on and settled himself on the couch. The rest of his house was in darkness. It had been a week since his last killing and the news station was showing only highlights of the murders in Seward. He turned the sound up and listened to the news anchor describe his handiwork.“This is now the third home invasion in Seward that has ended in the brutal murders of the families residing at these locations,” the woman said and the television showed the outside of the houses with the bright yellow ‘do not cross—police’ tape cordoning off the area.“The first victims were Marrick and Susan Goldman and their four children, Jackson, Rupert, Sumari and Kyle. Two of the children died from poisoning while the rest were shot at close range. Nothing appeared to be missing from their home. The second set of victims were Peter McPherson, his wife Tanya and their daughter Michelle. Michelle was strangled to death but Peter and Tanya were shot at close range just like t
At the house, Adara concentrated on Edna. It was as if she could communicate with the illness itself, identify it and she instinctively knew.“She has pancreatic cancer,” Adara said softly.“How did you know?” Robert asked her in wonder.“I don’t know, it’s like I can see it. Can I try something Robert?” Adara asked him and he nodded.Adara placed her hands on Edna’s abdomen and started concentrating. She was whispering to herself, but her words made no sense to me. I was enamored with what she was doing. I could see a shift in Edna’s aura.“It’s working, Adara. I can see her pain shift. Keep going,” I encouraged her. I could sense Adara’s power rising, her aura started to glow, a deep bright white with a yellow tinge. It started turning light red.Thirty minutes later Adara slumped from her kneeling position and supported her body with her one arm. Her aura glowed a bright red, but she had done it. She had taken all of the cancer from Edna’s body, her aura throbbed and returned to it
“Adara,” Juniper said after we had all gone upstairs and left Ramos alone in the cell in the basement. Adara looked at her with no emotion.“I…I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” Juniper said in a small voice.“I told you!” Adara shouted at her so fiercely that I went to stand next to her in case she went for Juniper. Juniper took a step back at the ferocity in Adara’s voice.“I think it best if you just left Juniper,” Shoran said to her while leading her out the door and closing it in her face.Adara sat down on one of the chairs. “I’m sorry. I just…I don’t want anything to do with her,” Adara said, her soul exhausted at the ordeal we all just went through.“Adara, you never have to apologize for feeling the way you do about her,” Malachi said and then he surprised us all by hugging her.Adara broke down and cried in Malachi’s arms. I took that time to phone Karani and told her what had happened. She was crying and then told us to get back home immediately.“Malachi, Karani said to get home i
Bryan came back after an hour and took Shoran and James away. I had no idea what was happening downstairs, but I could guess that we were in for a long wait. Bryan came back and told Garrick, Stephanie and Karani to go outside. I jumped out of my seat and a strange man tried to push me down.“Where are you taking them?” I demanded, almost shouting.“They are free to return home. They have been declared innocent,” Bryan replied and took them outside. I heard a car start and drive off. I sat back down again and continued to wait.James and Shoran sat down as Malachi stood up and leaned against the wall. He smiled at them both trying to encourage them.“James Thomas and Shoran Thomas, you have been accused of kidnapping and murder,” John Whitcombe said to them.“James, did you take Dave against his will?” John asked him.“Yes, well he was unconscious at the time so I couldn’t ask him if he wanted to come or not,” James said and Malachi had to contain himself to not laugh out loud.“Don’t
Neither John nor Richard found anything suspicious in Marrick’s records. He had no enemies, and was well liked at work. They led a normal life and there was no reason to think it wasn’t a home invasion gone wrong. Malachi had sighed at this and said that it still confused him that Marrick could be caught off guard.I woke up as I heard the sliding door open downstairs. As I opened my bedroom door, Malachi stood behind it and put his finger to his lips. We remained quiet and crept down the hall towards the stairs.The smell was wolf and foreign. We went down the stairs as quietly as we could. I turned the corner and was struck by a fist full in my face. I went down as another man jumped Malachi and they were grappling in the dark. I was up on my feet again and grabbed the man by his arm. I pulled with all my strength and threw him over my shoulder. He landed with a thud on his back.He was quick, I had caught him off guard. He faced me with his fists raised when the light in the kitche
Malachi sat in silence for a while. He got up and went to his study. He came back with a list and gave it to James.“Phone John and ask him to go through Marrick’s financial records. I will speak to Richard to get us Marrick’s phone records and so on. We have to find out who did this and why!” Malachi said. On the list he had written down John’s phone number and the instructions for James.“Karani, speak to any mutual friends you and Susan had. Find out if there were any marital problems or concerns that could have led to this,” Malachi asked and Karani got up with her phone to arrange lunch dates with the friends.“Kiran, you need to go find Jackson’s friends. They will know who you are, Jackson liked to boast about you. Find out if they know anything. Kids talk more openly than their parents. They are more honest with their friends,” Malachi said and I nodded.“Adara, you can join Karani and take note of how she handles the humans,” Malachi said. He must have known that she would ev