FAYEI was lying on the cold, hard tiles of the barely finished bathroom, bound and gagged. Briggs had dragged me here and left, but not before she muttered some words in a foreign language that I didn't understand. My head still dripped with blood. My body was numb with pain.I closed my eyes and dozed off into a fitful sleep, waking up some minutes later. The door knob rattled, and I got scared. Was the witch back for me?The door opened and to my greatest relief it wasn't Briggs, but a familiar face that walked into the tiny bathroom stall. I knew her face from somewhere, but I wasn't sure how or where I'd seen her. Carolyn and Zelda were right behind her."So I'm guessing that this is the famous Faye." She said just as Zelda bent to untie me and nodded to her question.Carolyn stepped away to make a phone call and returned just as Zelda finished untying me and helped me to my feet. She gave me a look of distaste before handing Zelda the fashionable scarf she had around her neck.
FAYE"Oh no. Nathan didn't give Briggs the moonstone, dear." Patrice replied with a small smile on her face."He didn't?" I asked dumbly."No, he didn't. They found you before the meeting for the swap." She announced."Really?" I asked her after a while."Yes. Now will you stop this and come so that I can finish treating your wounds?""Yes. Of course." I slid back to the edge to face her again. I had so much I wanted to ask, but I didn't know how to begin. "Finish eating first, Faye. And rest up. Then we'll talk about everything you want to know."I guess that was as good a plan as any. I could hold back the curiosity for a little longer. I had to know one thing first though."But Nathan. Patrice, where is Nathan?" Was he still with Briggs? Shouldn't they have taken care of her by now?If Nathan had gotten hurt I didn't know what I'd do. If the witch killed him… I couldn't even bring myself to complete the thought. "He'll be back." She said with certainty. I hoped some of her conf
FAYEThe cold air in the cell was so frigid, my fingers were starting to lose all feeling. I sat in the dark cell, at the extreme corner, cowering in the cold, unable to hold back the shivers. The sweatpant and sweatshirt did nothing to help my situation. My clothing was too thin for the cold and damp dungeon.Rubbing my hands together wasn't helping much. My head hurt. And the cut on my feet was starting to hurt. I really don't mean to cause so much trouble, but it seems like that's all I'm good for. All that blood on Nathan was Lannon's. I shut my eyes tightly, trying to keep my fear down. Lannon had a strong and powerful wolf. He was second in command for a reason. He just couldn't die! No! That would mean my sure demise. I had caused them this misfortune and I couldn't even do anything to help the pack. They hated me even more now; I was sure.And the look on Nathan's face. I whimpered in the dark. He'd been livid. I'd gone and incensed him, and now he cared nothing for me
NATHANI was angry at everything when I reclined back in my chair, eyes shut to the world. No one who saw me would know the rioting feelings inside me. The urge to hit something violently almost consuming me. I stood up restlessly and poured myself a drink. I needed something strong and the whiskey would do nicely.I downed the drink all in one go before I left the study and headed for my bedroom.My steps are forceful and people move out of my way much faster than usual. I went straight for the bathroom. I wore the bloody shirt still. My mind refused to settle. I waited desperately for news of Lannon. My eyes were bloodshot, and my bare chest was bloody as hell. I stepped into the shower and washed the blood off of me.Lannon's blood."Fuck!" I grunted and punched the wall, leaving a fist-sized hole in it. I looked down at my knuckles and saw they were now a light shade of pink. The fucking bruise had already healed. Why couldn't Lannon heal like this?If Briggs wasn't already
NATHANI saw red."He's going to die." Zelda whispered avoiding my eyes. "Wh... What do you.. what do you mean he's going to die?" Carolyn asked with a stutter."He'll die if something is not done." Zelda said. I shoved both hands in my pockets, flexing and unflexing them as remaining still was becoming a great difficulty. "You're a powerful witch. Isn't there something you can do?" I'm beginning to wonder if I should actually leave Lannon in Zelda's care, if she's already preparing to to pronounce him dead. Lannon couldn't die. I couldn't let that happen. I won't let that happen."There is only one herb that I know that may be able to help him." She finally said."Then fucking use it!" I growled."The herb is rare. It's almost extinct. I don't have it." She said with resignation in her voice.She really was giving up."Why not?" I asked her and I almost let the anger turn me."Calm down, Nathan." Carolyn said. My eyes had already changed and I knew I had to get a grip. I took in
NATHANI turned in the chair I was sitting in, rising out of the chair. I couldn't have heard right. I chuckled. This was a very good idea at pranking me during all the madness. Funny, but not funny. "There's absolutely no way she's pregnant, Maya.""Ooh, so you mean she's never had sex with a man?" Her brows rose to stare me down with ridiculous questions in her eyes."This isn't something I want to talk about. Not right now. Faye can't be pregnant.""Why, Nathan? Because you don't want her to be pregnant, or because she really shouldn't be?""Maya, are you absolutely sure?" Carolyn asked her, coming to stand beside me. "Of course I am. The test results don't lie.""Nathan?" Carolyn faced me now. I had no idea what they both wanted to hear from me, but I had to go find Zelda. "Maya, run those damned tests again. I'll be back." I told them as I walked past of Maya to the door. On getting back to the pack house, I took the last known location of Zelda's car and hurriedly left aga
FAYEMy eyes slid open and shut tightly against the blinding light. It had hit me with so much force I was almost blinded. Why was everywhere so bright and white?When I opened my eyes, it was to a stark white ceiling. The walls too, were a milky white. I looked down at myself. I was lying on what looked to be a hospital bed, in a hospital dress. What was happening?I looked at the drip pierced into my hand, and I could see where it hung over the bed. I was in a hospital. But why? Last I remembered, I was in the dungeon. Why was I in the hospital and who had brought me here?I raised my head up from the pillow and immediately dropped my head back. It felt too heavy on my neck. I was far too weak. I silently took in my surroundings, noting that the room itself was a big one compared to the smaller, often shared rooms in hospitals I'd been to before. My tummy felt tight from the need to pee and I considered what to do with the needle stuck in the back of my hand.Just when I went
NATHAN"She's awake, you say?" I asked Maya, who'd just returned from her hospital."Yes, she woke up just today." She told me and then smiled, a slow suggestive smile. "And the tests?" I asked her, interlocking my fingers and dropping them on the desk before me. "She's pregnant, Nathan. Nothing you do, no amount of tests will undo it."If the tests wouldn't undo it, something else had to. I've never wanted to be a father, and I damn sure would not be one cause some ridiculously wondrous miracle had made Faye fall pregnant even when I'd used protection the very few times we'd had sex. "You're going to get rid of her now, aren't you? Just like you did–""Maya, what gives you the presumption that I want to discuss my inner thoughts with you?" I asked her, staring her down. She sure had some nerve to waltz in here and try to bring up my ex-wife."I… I just thought… since she's still in the hospital, my hospital–""That I'd discuss plans for the pregnancy with you?"She looked chagri
Faye"Yvonne, this place is too much." I glanced around the fully decorated condo, my excitement simmering with the idea of this space being mine to do with as I please.The place is amazing. More than I could have hoped for, and I’ve only made it to the living room. There is a huge fireplace and a big soft gray sectional sofa that looks fluffy and comfortable. Big pillows line most of it and it looks so cozy. There is light everywhere, shining in from the floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over Vegas."That place is perfect." she told me on the phone."The security is top notch.You can order food whenever you want and they have a gym and a spa downstairs. Everything you need with only a call.""It’s safe," she pushed. "You could come stay with me if you’d prefer. I’d love to have you at home, but I thought you might want your own place."I'd started my post graduate studies, this time nearer to home and I'd gotten a whole condo to stay in for the duration of my studies. Staying wit
TWO MONTHS LATERFAYEI sat in front of Yvonne as she explained the dynamics of our business relationship with some other company.I wasn't listening to her. I was mostly just nodding, so she could continue to speak. "Faye? Faye? Are you listening?"I sighed and nodded, not knowing how to tell her what bothers me. "Faye tell me. You know you haven't spoken a lot about what happened in that forest with the Black Saint. I can't believe you went in there without letting me know." She still spoke of it frequently with anger l, but she was beginning to forgive me. It wasn't everyday a person's niece went to the forest of lost souls and made it out alone. I sighed again and she scolded me angrily."That's the fifteenth sigh today, fifteenth, and it's not even mid morning yet. Why do you sound like you lost a loved one, my dear?""Maybe cause I did lose a loved one?"I told her, my face falling as I remembered said loved one again. "Is this about Nathan?"I looked at her and nodded. I c
NATHANThe witch died how she had planned for me to die. A fitting end for someone who'd come with the sole aim of destroying me. Faye massaged her wrists where those damn fools must have tied her up before. I moved to her and held both her wrists in my hands, caressing them softly, so that the ache could go away.She wasn't responding to me. She just stood there, stiffly by my side. I looked into her face and I couldn't read anything.I missed the days when I would look at her face and see what she was thinking, what she was feeling. "Won't you go after him?" Faye asked, pointing in the direction Axel had run in. I shook my head. "Lannon will take care of him."Her mouth dropped open. "Lannon is here too?""Yes, Queeny. He entered the forest the night before we did.""I can't believe you have been lying to me this whole time. About everything!" She screamed in a hurt tone, stepping away from me. I rushed to her, brushing her still wet hair from her face and cupping her face in
FAYE"Briggs was my sister and you killed her!" she yelled, her voice rising on each word until my ears felt scraped by her shrill tone.Nathan looked bored with the whole thing. He didn't look as bothered by the fact that we were in danger, surrounded by our enemies who had upper hand."So that's why you want to destroy my pack so bad. Well I can't say I'm sorry, Vera. Your sister messed with the wrong pack, just like you're doing now, and she got what she deserved, just like you will." He said, with finality behind his words. She growled and screamed unfamiliar words at him, her magic sending him flying into the concrete wall. I winced as he landed with his arm and felt myself go weak for a second.I was still finding it an ordeal watching Nathan get hurt. It was a lot. "I guess we're done here."Axel said and shifted back from Vera."You can take care of them sweetie, do whatever you please."Vera smirked and strolled around to me.I saw Nathan's body tighten and get ready for a
FAYEMy heart broke at his words and I felt like a sham at his words. I'd believe I could be Luna because both Yvonne and Axel has stood by me and encouraged me. And now he said this?"Imagine my surprise when after years of devotion to the pack, Yvonne went in search of a daughter I had never heard about. A daughter that had never been around. I was passed over for you?" He said like he still couldn't believe it. "It's a fucking joke, my sweet." I felt sick at the stupid endearment.Tears formed in my eyes and I pressed them closed tightly.I knew Nathan's focus was on me, he would go ballistic of I cried. I wanted to hear all of it.No, I needed to hear everything."I didn't want Yvonne to go looking for you, prayed to the moon goddess that she didn't find you, but guess what? She did. Because this dumbass Buffon,"he said, pointing at Nathan, "threw you out. He couldn't even love you properly then and you still went back to him when you returned home. After all I'd done for you.
FAYEI was sitting in a chair with my arms tied down to the arms of the chair when I came to.The black bag over my face was still there, but it wasn't tight around my face anymore.I tried to look through it but all I could see was little light, peeking at me through the bag.All of a sudden the bag was yanked off my head and I found myself looking at Axel. I felt elated that I'd found him, but I also felt angry about what he'd done. And why did he send people to kidnap me?"Axel," I started.He raised a hand, cutting me off. "it's not just you I need to talk to. I want to talk to your lover too. I wonder what could be holding him back. Does he not love you as much as you think he does, perhaps?"I snorted and his gaze flashed with annoyance."Or maybe he's content to abandon you here. Not even bother coming to get you."I glared at him and said nothing.Axel laughed. "Well, either way, we've got more than enough time together. But first, I think your friend is going to want to mee
NATHANThere was a tinkle of laughter in the air when I woke up.The sound was pleasant to my ears and made me ache to find the owner of the laugh.My eyes slid open and rested on Faye. Something was making her happy this morning.I could relate too, cause I felt really happy too. Despite everything that had happened yesterday, it was great to see that we were okay.In fact, we were more than okay. We had finally talked about the part of me that I'd always locked away, never wanted to talk about with anyone, or show anybody.She giggled again, looking up at something I couldn't see and I had to ask her. "Heyy, Queeny." I said, wondering how she'd react this time to the nickname she was always irritated by. "Heyyy." She replied, not really paying me much attention. There was an excitement to her movements though, and a wide smile on her face. I could watch her smile all day, or just listen to her laugh and feel good when the day ended. "What are you doing?" I asked her.Not to
FAYEI held his bandaged hands in my hands. He'd scared the hell out of me when he had run out on me like that. I couldn't believe what I had heard. He'd said Dad, and then he'd started calling out mother.I didn't know what he'd been seeing but it sure felt very intense from where I had witnessed it.There was no one else in the forest except for me and Faye, everything else was false. I told myself repeatedly, trying to quell the worry I had now. What if I was the problem that needed to be stopped?What if I saw things just as clearly as Nathan had?I shook my head and refused to fall for it. "We need to keep moving." Nathan said to me and I agreed.We had to leave that area. We had both taken a drink of the potion now, and nothing more could happen to us for a few more hours.It was getting dark now. I didn't know if this was an effect of the forest magic or something else but we had to rest. We stopped and collected wood for a fire together.We stacked the wood and then s
NATHANI'd scared her badly.For her to have cracked and spilled those tears in front of me.She was so icy now, I doubted she ever cried infront of anyone.I had felt something change between us. She wasn't saying anything now, just walking stiffly beside me. I looked ahead, raising tree branches that hung low so that both of us could make our way through.We trudged on, the low bushes and weeds brushing against our thighs and lower legs.The roots that were off the ground were not easy to spot, and almost brought her down twice, with me reaching out to steady her and getting rebuffed each time.I could take that.For now. I would take it until she didn't want to throw me off anymore. Couldn't reject me.I walked around a tree and her eyes followed me sharperly, showing me she was watching me, even though she pretended not to be. I chuckled to myself, coming out onto the path we were walking.Something felt eerily quiet about the forest.It wasn't just that I already knew it was