Chapter Ten

Kiera backed away and stumbled.

She fell to the ground. She hardly felt the pain of the impact. Her head was too occupied with the figure she saw near the door and how terrible it was to behold. She struggled into a sitting position and when she looked at the door again, it was gone. The doorway was clear and there was nothing in sight.

She looked around frantically. Had it gotten inside the house?

Suddenly, the lights were switched on and they bathed the living room with light. She saw Simone and Kane emerging from the kitchen. Simone looked like she was preparing to go to bed and Kane looked disturbed, somehow. And agitated. He neared her and asked, "What's the matter? What happened?"

She pointed at the doorway. "There was something there. I saw something."

"Why were the lights off?" Simone remarked, looking around suspiciously. She neared Kiera and knelt beside her. She touched her forehead and then turned to her son once more. "Kane, why was the front door open?"

"I don't know, Ma," he said and began investigating. He walked outside and for a moment, Kiera was paralyzed. She imagined the figure she saw outside lunging at him. She held her breath as he looked from left to right. Nothing happened. He walked off, disappearing.

Meanwhile, Simone was stroking her hair and asked her questions. "What did you see? Was it a burglar?"

She shook her head. "It wasn't a person. It was—" she cut herself off and her face flushed, "a creature." Even as she finished her sentence, she knew how ridiculous she sounded. A creature? It made absolutely no sense. Her fear was dissipating and she was starting to realize that perhaps what happened was that she had been dreaming.

"What kind of creature?" Simone asked, equally as confused as her.

Kiera shifted uncomfortably. She pinched the bridge of her nose just as Kane walked back in. His brows were furrowed. He said, "I didn't see anything. There was no one outside."

Simone looked at him. "She said she saw a creature."

"What creature?"

"I'm sorry," Kiera began. A chuckle left her lips and she tried to stand. "I was dreaming. God, I've never felt more ridiculous. I'm sorry I scared you guys." She looked at Kane and said, "It was the creature from the silver statue you showed me the other day in my father's office. It was staring at me through the open door. It's...wow. I don't even know what to say. By the way, Kane, I want to talk to you about that. I'm—"

He put a hand up and the look on his face silenced her. He asked, "You said you saw that creature? Near the door?"

Her cheeks flushed. "It was just a dream."

He ran a hand down his face and looked at Simone. She glanced at Simone and saw that her expression was just as sour as Kane's. She said to them, "Look, I'm sorry. I know it's ridiculous. It's just that it was all so real to me. I woke up disoriented and the door was open. I went to close it and I saw it. Not all of it, like half of its body, but I knew what it was."

Simone rubbed her back and said, "Don't exert yourself. We understand. Come, I'll take you to your room."

She paused at the foot of the stairs. "I'm actually kind of hungry."

Simone laughed heartily and they went into the kitchen together. Kiera looked back at Kane but he was no longer in the living room. It made her feel bad, how quickly he brushed her off. She truly was sorry about what she said.

She'd have to try again as soon as he returned.

"We had dinner a few hours ago," Simone told her. "You were sleeping so peacefully that I didn't want to wake you. Maybe I should've."

"It's alright," she said, perching herself on the high stool. "God, my heart is still racing. That was scary."

Simone looked at her and smiled. There was something forced about her smile, though. Kiera wondered if she was imagining it. "You've never dreamt of such a creature before?"

"Never," she said. "It was all because of the thing Kane showed me the other night. I must have had it on my mind because I wanted to talk to him about it."

Simone served her dinner. Kane still wasn't back. She ate with gusto but she was worried about Kane. The last thing she wanted was for things to be bad between them. He was the closest thing she had to a sibling and she would never forgive herself if an immature moment ruined their cordial relationship.

He returned when she was on her second (and most probably last) slice of apple pie. He shook his head and sat down beside her. There were beads of sweat on his hairline. He exchanged a look with his mother and then turned to fix her a look. A playful smile curved his lips. "No werewolves were found," he announced.

She forked a piece of apple pie in her mouth and looked down, embarrassed. "Please don't tell me that you've actually been looking."

"Of course I have," he winked. "What kind of person would I be if I didn't?"

"I can't believe you," she said, but a smile wouldn't leave her lips. "I can't believe you. Kane."

He put his hands up. "Just doing my job."

Simone cleared her throat and they both looked at her. She wrapped her robe tighter around her body and said, "Well, since we're perfectly safe and there are no wolves prowling about, I think I should go back to bed. I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow. I'll leave you two to it."

"Good night, Simone," Kiera said as Simone made her way out of the kitchen. "The food was delicious, as always!"

"Is there more of that pie?" Kane asked her, walking toward the fridge. She nodded and he found it on the second shelf. He cut a thick slice for himself and sat beside her to eat it. She finished hers and they sat in comfortable silence. For starters, she was relieved that everything between them seemed to be good.

Kiera wanted to touch on the subject then decided against it. They seemed to be fine and she feared that mentioning what she said could make him more upset. Then again, maybe she was just a coward.

"About the artifact," he said after clearing his throat. She knew her plan had failed. She braced herself for his words. "You wanted to tell me something concerning that. Is there something particular you want to know?"

"No," she admitted, "I just wanted to apologize to you for what I said the other day in dad's office. About, you know. That miserable comment."

He put his fork down and turned to look at her with a crease between his brows. "Kiera. You can't be serious."

"I know," she said and laughed. "I know it makes no sense to you, but what I said has been on my mind for days and I thought that you were upset. I was angry because of Jared's unexpected visit and I guess I said the wrong thing."

"You didn't," he assured her. "Your response was perfectly normal. I understand you, Kiera, I really do. You didn't have much in common with him. I guess you harbored some resentments. I would, too."

"It isn't like that," she said, although it was. She couldn't complete her sentence. She stared at the crumbs on her empty plate and thought of anything to say to fill the silence but she didn't come up with anything.

Kane patted her shoulder and said, "It's alright, Kiera. It really is. I wasn't offended or anything."

She nodded, giving up. "Okay."

They tidied the kitchen up together and then he accompanied her to her bedroom. They walked alongside each other while he explained to her a little bit of what it was like to work at a butchery. "It's pretty gross most of the time but...I don't know. It's hard to explain. I feel at home there even though I shouldn't."

She leaned against her closed door. "Why a butchery?" she asked. The question had been on her mind for some time. "You have a bachelor's degree in economics. You fought tooth and nail for that degree." She remembered when Simone told her about it. It was a long time ago, but that hardly mattered.

Kane sighed and looked away. After a beat, he said, "I don't know, to tell you the truth. My old man did it. Ma too at some point. It just feels like something I should do."

"As long as you're happy," Kiera said.

"Yeah."

She bid him good night and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm sorry about the whole werewolf thing. I hope you were kidding about checking the neighborhood."

He smiled. "I was."

She opened her door but Kane put a hand on her arm, stopping her. She turned to look at him. He asked, "If you ever think you saw one of those things again, do you promise that you'll tell me?"

She couldn't help but laugh. "Kane."

"Promise me," he said, oddly serious. "Promise me you'll tell me even though you think it's the most ridiculous thing in the world."

"I promise," she said and closed her door.

She washed her face and dried it with a clean towel. She was staring at her reflection in the mirror. She didn't know what she was looking for and in any case, she didn't find it. It was funny how she felt so strong a few days ago and then all that strength seemed to leave her bones. She felt like the old Kiera. Maybe that was how it always was.

Jared hadn't tried to contact her and she was thankful for it. It meant that progress was made. She hoped that he would keep his distance and that she'd never again fall into his trap or the trap of another Jared. She would try hard not to let it happen. But she wasn't too concerned because deep in her heart she knew that Mikael was nothing like Jared, not even close. Mikael would despise someone like him.

She was safe with Mikael. She had even forgotten about the phone call that upset her. He made it up to her. He called her back. He wanted to see her. In a few hours, she'd be with him someplace where she'd need a coat and she'd feel whole again. She was prepared to tell him how she felt even though it was crazy to speak her mind a week in. But it would be crazier to not speak her mind, that was how she felt.

She lay in bed and stared at the dark ceiling of her bedroom. She thought of Mikael and the way he made her feel. When she closed her eyes and sleep finally took her, it was a few minutes past four in the morning, but she didn't check the time. She lost total track of it. She was happy in the safe place that was her mind where she and Mikael could be whatever they wanted wherever they wanted.

Nothing made her feel more liberated.