***
Kevan silently observed the entire exchange between Alexander Wulfson and the young man. It was clear that while they weren’t friends, there was some respect between them. Trying not to appear like she was watching, she wondered what they were discussing, until they looked in her direction. She didn’t know how she knew it, but she knew they were looking at her.
Her eyes followed Alexander as he strode out of sight, before she turned back to watch the man watching them. They were both tried to look like they weren’t watching each other, but she could sense his eyes on her every time he scanned the room.
Kevan’s sense of trepidation grew as her attention was distracted from the man watching them, to the sudden explosion of red and grey auras of the bad guys that were surrounding the outer edges of the club. The unusually high concentration of vamps and demons in one place, at one time, spooked the shit out of her. It was as if they appeared from nowhere. She observed a small group break off from the main body and move towards them, corralling the girls back towards their table. Her guts churned with anticipation; she knew her family was about to be thrown into the middle of something that would definitely change their lives. A wish that she had listened to Brennan flashed through her mind, before she quickly shoved it away. Dealing with what was about to happen was all she could focus on, because there was nothing she could do to stop it.
Grabbing Myrna’s arm as she walked by, she whispered in her cousin’s ear, “We have to get out of here, now.”
“If you guys want to go, go,” Myrna told her, not understanding what Kevan was getting at. “I’m working.”
“Myrna, you don’t understand what I’m telling you. We’re about to be smack into the middle of something, something really bad, and trust me, we don’t want to be in the middle. We need to get out of here right now!”
Myrna’s eyes widened as she shot a look around the club, seeing some of what Kevan was seeing.
“What’s happening?” she demanded, trusting Kevan’s instinct, as it was something that they all took very seriously; she was rarely wrong.
“I have no clue, I just know that we are getting surrounded by the bad guys and it isn’t good.”
Myrna looked around for a way to get out, but it all the exits were covered.
“Look, you get everyone together and I’ll find us a way out,” she told Kevan.
Kevan looked over the crowd, seeing the young man watching them again. “No, you get the others together; I may have a way to get out, or at least get some answers,” she informed Myrna.
Brody glanced around the club feeling a shift in the dynamics around him. Looking back at the group of women that Caleb had him watching and protecting. The one he’d thought had caught him watching them was gone; he pushed away from the wall, taking two steps towards the edge of the floor. He tried to appear nonchalant, as he scanned the room for her, a ragged breath of relief escaped when he spotted her winding her way through the crowd. He watched until it finally sank in, she was headed his way, her eyes drilled directly into his. Stepping back he attempted to lose her in the crowd, he fumbled for his cell phone; Caleb was going to kill him. But he didn’t even get the phone to his ear when she grabbed his arm, swinging him around to face her. Only with his adrenaline pumping, he reacted the way he’d been trained.
She grabbed his arm, and had it twisted behind his back and him forced against the table before he even had a chance throw more than one punch, her speed and agility surprised him. However, the kiss that she laid on him stunned him senseless. When she stepped back, he stared at her, shock rocking his face.
“What the hell,” he gasped at her, “why did you do that? If you were that attracted, all you had to do was ask.” His sarcastic personality flashed back as he grounded himself in reality.
“In your dreams, buddy,” Kevan laughed, but he could tell, it was forced. “You’re about to tell me what the hell is going on, and don’t try any double talk. I want to know, right now,” Kevan punched her finger into his chest, to get her point across.
“I have no idea what you are talking about,” Brody told her, as he caught her finger, resisting the urge to rub the bruise he was positive she’d caused.
Kevan smiled and stepped back, “You know, you may think you’re really good at playing the P.I. role, but honestly, you suck at it. So don’t play dumb, okay? For the past hour or longer you’ve been watching us, waiting for something. Here’s what I know: you have enough pull that after almost every bouncer in this club tried to throw you out, you, with one phone call, had Mr. Wulfson vouch for you. I wouldn’t call you two friends, the look that he gave you didn’t read friendly, but you’re someone: whether he likes it or not, he’s allowed you to stay. Be honest with me, I know something’s about to go down, I have family here, and I don’t want them in the middle of a fight that has nothing to do with us. So spill your guts, and we won’t have a problem.”
Brody shook his head, wanting more than anything to deny what she had thrown at him, but he couldn’t. It wasn’t very often that people shocked him, so when she did, he did something he only did as a last resort, he reverted to the truth.
“Look, get your family, find some place to hide, and we’ll make sure you’re safe,” he told her, as he pulled out his phone again, to let Caleb know what was happening.
“Hide, that’s your solution? That’s a really stupid idea,” she told him, as she used his chest as a punching bag for her finger once again. “My family’s here, because I wanted to come dancing. If my actions have put them into the middle of something dangerous, I want to make sure we all come out of this in one piece.”
“I don’t have time to explain,” Brody tried to beg off.
“Yes, you do, or I’ll go to Wulfson - you know, the werewolf that owns this club - I’ll tell him that you’ve caused a problem.”
“You know?” Brody whispered, stunned, “but you’re human.”
“Yeah, so are you, but it would seem that you know, too. Trust me when I tell you, it’s better to have us helping you than fighting against you.”
Brody’s sense of control was rapidly disappearing, “Can you fight?”
“Yeah, if you call having black belts in different forms of martial arts, and a couple of really good kick boxer’s, help.”
Brody’s mouth dropped open with surprise, “Seriously?” he asked again.
“Yes, seriously,” she told him.
“We definitely need to have a conversation.”
“Only if you tell me what’s about to go down.”
“That’s just it, we don’t know. The only information we have is that someone is going to attack Sanctuary. We don’t know when, other than it’s supposed to be tonight. We don’t know why, but the attackers don’t know we have a secret weapon waiting outside.”
Kevan demanded, “What kind of weapon are you talking about?”
“Oh man, you are new to this stuff; you need to stop thinking like a human! I’m not talking about a literal weapon. Well, not completely; some friends are waiting for me to call in the cavalry.”
“Who?” Kevan demanded again.
“Sorry, told you all you need to know right now,” Brody said. “Look, just trust that we have the good guys waiting to come to the rescue.”
Kevan took a leap of faith and nodded her agreement, “What do you want us to do?” she asked as she looked over at her family, reading their fear mixed with determination.
She could hardly believe that of all the nights that she’d picked to come here, they’d end up in the middle of the one thing that their family had been trying to avoid getting in the middle of, a turf war with the other Races.
“The only thing you can do is be ready for anything, and watch your backs,” Brody told her. “Stay together; don’t let them separate you.”
Myrna walked up behind him unseen. “Who are they?” she questioned, her voice making Brody jump.
“God, you’re as bad as
Caleb and Roderic,” he told them.
“Who?” Kevan wanted to know.
“It doesn’t matter who, just watch your back.” Under his breath he muttered, “They’ll kill me if anything happens to you.”
“I thought Sanctuary was supposed to be neutral ground, the one place anyone could come,” Myrna inquired.
“Yeah well, tell that to the ones planning the attack,” Brody spat. “We’ll see, maybe nothing will happen. I mean, do they really want to wreck the peace accord that’s been in place for the past 75 to 80 years?”
“Why now?” Myrna muttered before she moved on to her next customer.
“You’ll have to ask them,” Brody answered.
“Hey, why don’t we ask them,” Kevan nodded in the direction of the group of vamps making their way across the floor in their direction. Brody looked over, saw what she was referring to, and then looked around the club.
“Shit, I wasn’t paying attention. They’re going to kill me,” he swore grabbing at his phone.
“Look, I don’t know who your secret weapon is, but I would get them in here. Like now! We’re being surrounded,” she pointed out to him. “In actuality, I’d say they’re definitely after Wulfson; look at that,” she pointed out the dozen or more vamps and demons moving in on the door that lead to Alexander’s private stairs, drawing the attention of the bouncers.
“Oh shit, it’s an ambush,” Brody shouted as he started running. “Alexander, it’s an ambush!” he screamed at the top of his lungs, hoping against hope that they would hear him; an advantage of being a were, the improved hearing. “Damnit, we need the cairbare in here now.”
Kevan, who was racing behind him, stopped dead when she heard his words. “Are you crazy?” she shouted at him, trying to be heard over the rising music, as she grabbed his arm and pulled him around to confront him.
“The last race you’d want to help is the cairbare. They’re worse than the vamps and demons combined.”
Brody looked at her with confusion as he tried to shake off the hand that was slowing him down. “You have no idea what you are talking about,” he told her, “they’re one of the good guys.”
“Not according to my family. Trust me; they aren’t the good guys they pretend to be. Hell, they are probably the ones who orchestrated the attack on the club. They’re the bad guys.”
Brody looked over his shoulder for Alexander. He didn’t have time for this, but something told him that he had to take the time.
“Look, I don’t know where you’ve gotten your information, but you have no idea what you are talking about. The cairbare are the good guys; trust me. As for them being the ones behind the attack, considering they’re the ones that told Alexander, who also happens to be one of their very good friends, that’s bullshit. So when they get here, don’t do something stupid like get in their way,” he warned her. He glanced over his shoulder, and spotted Alexander cresting the top of the stairs. He carried a nasty looking sword in hand, Lorrella following right behind, a crazed look in her eyes, smiling at the prospect of bloodshed.
“I don’t have time for this. Alexander needs my help. Be careful, don’t get killed, if you do, it’s my head,” he warned, and then he raced towards Alexander.
Just at that moment, the music hit a huge note, the lights suddenly dimmed, and the attack began. The nasties moved faster than she ever thought possible. Why had she ever thought that all their training would have prepared them for this fight, because the minute she saw the attackers first moves she knew she and the girls were in trouble, big trouble. Kevan’s first instinct was to run, but she knew that wouldn’t help.
“Stay together,” she shouted at her family. “Watch your backs.”
She hoped her family had heard her over the screams of the other patrons watching the vamps and demons move in, confident that the humans would all be easy prey.
Kevan showed them how wrong they were as her fist landed solidly in the closest demon’s face. As another moved towards her, Kevan’s instincts for survival kicked in, landing a kick that sent him flying across the floor. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to do anything more than excite her attacker. She was completely grossed out when he ran his tongue over his oversized lips and rubbed himself in excitement.
The women took Kevan’s cue protecting themselves from the uglies coming at them. Even Aiden got in the game, grabbing a chair, swinging it like a bat; she connected with a head that sprayed out blood the color of its aura. The vamp, shocked that this tiny woman had just hit him, tumbled to the floor with a loud vibrating thump, trying to keep his brains in his head. Kevan smiled as she took a second to watch Aiden grimace in shock at what she had done, before she scrambled to the side of an over turned table, retching.
Outside, Caleb suddenly felt something in the air and it wasn’t just his desire for a good fight. The star filled skies suddenly vanished behind a cover of cloud that appeared from out of nowhere. The air around them shifted, and the smell of a brewing storm surrounded them, as a flash of lightning streaked across the sky.
“Caleb ...” looked to his cousin, who was raring to go, needing the battle. A smile crept across his face as the anticipation surged.
“Move,” Caleb growled as the thunder broke over the stilled warriors, and he released his small group. “It’s begun.”
Within seconds, the warriors crashed through the club doors, killing the nasties on guard, breathing in the stench and fear.
Her muscles shook with fatigue. Kevan had beaten away too many to keep track of, and they just kept coming. She wished that she felt stronger, like the female warriors of old who fascinated her.
At the exact moment that she made her wish, a flash of lightning crashed across the ceiling, which didn’t make any sense - lightning didn’t happen inside. Suddenly Kevan wasn’t so tired anymore; she was getting her second wind.
Her favorite song came thumping through the sound system, Nickelback’s Burn it to the Ground; she hoped that wasn’t what was about to happen. The song surrounded and energized her soul, as she felt someone approaching her from behind.
A quick twist, leg up, kicking, intent on taking off a head, or at least that was what she was aiming for. Her target held her leg for a moment, staring at her, before pushing it to the ground; then he grabbed her arm, hauling her out of his way.
“If you want to help, stay out of the way,” he growled, pushing past her, wading into the fight, sword at his side, ready for battle.
Her mouth dropped open, watching the ease with which her beach man took out the vampire coming at them, followed by the next two; he dealt with them as if they were of no consequence.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw one coming at his back. Without thinking, she raced towards him, stealing the short sword hanging at his side, swinging around and thrusting the blade into the vamp attacking from behind. It sunk deep into the flesh, his eye bulging in shock, as he drew his last breath.
The only thought that raced through her mind, was it shouldn’t feel like a real person; they weren’t human, it should feel different. Then the thought was gone as she spotted the next one headed her way.
She fought as she never had before, blocking every move the ugly one made. She knew how to stop it: she wasn’t sure how this was happening, but she would take any help that she could. She just hoped she wouldn’t puke; dying in her own vomit was not an option.
Caleb felt the hand at his side liberating his short sword, turning slightly to prevent whoever had taken it from attacking him. He saw her first stab at the vampire coming for his back. He saw her pause for a second before she took on the next comer, spilling the guts of the demon.
Smiling, he turned back to take care of the ones coming at him, comfortable in the knowledge that she knew what she was doing. Moving forward through the gore created, he concentrated on his own battle, watching the nasties pouring into the club. The numbers tickled his memory of battles gone by, refresh
ing stamina, increasing the gore and the limbs at his feet.
Across the club floor, Caleb saw Alexander in his glory, taking on three vampires at once, but Alexander didn’t see the demon coming at him from behind. Caleb yelled a warning, pulled his dagger and let it fly, knowing it would hit its target, as long as Alexander wasn’t in the way. Ducking as the ancient dagger sailed over Alexander’s head, embedding itself in the demon’s face.
Caleb grimaced, as the demon fell, he would have to talk to Kayne about a new blade, which was too bad, as he’d had that dagger for a long time. Caleb’s anger over the loss only renewed his desire for revenge. Alexander gave him a quick nod before returning to the fight.
Caleb’s scan around the room told him that they were holding their own, which he knew Marcus would expect, bringing a smile and cracking the drying splatter on his face. The sight of Kevan fighting as if she had been doing this her entire life really turned him on. He knew her arms and wrists were taking a beating, bones grinding with every hit of the sword, her face pale and becoming whiter as more gore splashed her.
Moving across the floor, as if part of a ritual dance, block, thrust right, slashes and splashes, it was the dance of eons. Caleb at one time had lived for the battle, the smell, the victory, and it had been a long time since the men had gotten to do more than train. He reveled in the battle gore and all that it brought, including the cries and screams that accompanied death.
Kevan pushed the vamp’s dead weight away from her as she risked a quick glance around the room. Her mind filed the sight of innocent bystanders being maimed and drained of life. She couldn’t think about that right now, instead focusing on her family, seeing her sister, Raven, stagger backwards and sink to the ground, as a demon, it hands raised above its head, howled its victory. Screaming Raven’s name, terror blooming, she raced across the club dance floor, slipping and sliding in blood and body parts.
The scream ripped through Caleb like nothing he’d felt before. His eyes watched in horror as one of the women staggered backwards, before dropping to the floor, a demon standing over her, arms raised. That was its final mistake, as Kevan slid to Raven’s side, her blade held high, gutting the enemy while it was celebrating. She rolled Raven over gently, checking the wound.
The blood poured out of Raven’s right side through a deep gash. Kevan applied pressure on the wound in an attempt stop the bleeding. Raven’s face was ashen and her eyes showed her terror.
“Hey, it’s going to be okay,” Kevan tried to reassure her. “We need to get her to a doctor, now,” she whispered to Myrna, putting more pressure on the wound, making Raven gasp in pain.
“How the hell are we going to get out of here? They still have all the exits blocked,” Myrna hollered, ducking out of the way of an air-born demon body, when someone suddenly towered over them. Caleb beheaded the body mid-air as he came to kneel beside them.
“Is she alive?” he questioned.
“She needs a doctor, now,” Kevan told him, willing to take help from anyone, even them, as she stared at her beach man.
“Was she cut by the demon’s blade?” he questioned
“No, it was a pastry knife!” Kevan shouted at him over the sounds of the battle, the cries of the people and the crashing of music still blaring through the speakers. “It was a knife being wielded by a demon, so I would say yes, it was a demon’s blade. We need a doctor now.”
“No, you need a healer,” he corrected, looking around for Kayne or Alexander.
“I don’t care what you call it. Healer, doctor, she needs medical attention!” Kevan shouted, her fear cracking her voice.
“You don’t understand. If she was cut by the demon’s blade, she needs a Healer, not a doctor,” Caleb told her grimly.
Standing up and looking around, as much as he didn’t want to end the fun, the life of one of the sorceress’s was more important than the thrill of the fight. Letting out a battle cry that shook the building to its foundation signaled his fellow warriors to finish the battle.
The battle that had been moving along at an even pace suddenly ramped into overdrive. Whereas before the fight seemed evenly matched, now the demons and vamps found themselves dropping like flies. The minute the battle turned, the uglies began to disappear. As quickly as it started, it finished, and all that was left was the cleanup.
Caleb started shouting orders, and Alexander joined them, Lorrella’s bloodstained muzzle and chest at his hand. Caleb told the she wolf, “Stay that way Lorrella. It suits your personality better than your human form.” Alexander stilled her snarl with his own growl.
“I’ll take care of the clean-up. You take care of the ladies. Is it bad?” Alex questioned his friend.
“It could be. Kayne, we need the car out front, now,” Caleb snapped. Kayne nodded, moving swiftly to do Caleb’s bidding.
“Everyone, I want you on high alert. They may be on the run, but they were still bold enough to attack Sanctuary.” Caleb turned to the women standing guard, watching with looks that varied from shock to amazement. Blood and gore clung to their faces and clothes, the smaller woman dry heaving, muttering about the stench of inhuman and human bodies. When he stepped over to pick up their fallen friend, the women closed ranks, forcing him to step back.
“If she doesn’t get the antidote to that poison, she’ll be dead within 24 hours,” he informed them, attempting to pick up Raven again.
“Our sister’s a doctor,” Kaitlyn told him, preventing him from getting any closer to Raven, “We’ll get her to the hospital.”
Caleb didn’t want to deal with the bullshit; he knew the cut came from a demon blade and they didn’t have a lot of time. He attempted to push Kaitlyn aside, surprised when she pushed back. He’d had enough. He stepped up to Kaitlyn, grabbed her by the arms, and physically lifted her out of the way, pulling the bleeding Raven into his arms. Ignoring the shouts to stop, he headed to the door. Kevan jumped to her feet, racing after him.
“She’s bleeding,” she shouted at him.
“I know,” Caleb ground out, as he continued towards to front door.
“You idiot, if you don’t stop the bleeding she’ll die,” she screamed after him and still he refused to stop. Running to keep up with his long strides, “Dammit, where are you taking her?”
“Where she’ll get the help she needs,” Caleb informed her as he continued towards the entrance.
“Not without me you’re not,” Kevan spat out, as she grabbed his arm. “You’re not taking her anywhere without me.”
“Fine, you want to come, come, but we don’t have the room or time to wait for the rest,” he stated.
“I’ll be one minute.”
“Move it,” he growled at her.
Kevan turned and raced back the others. “My purse, cell phone!” she demanded. “Where are they?”
“Kevan, seriously,” Kaitlyn shrugged. Kevan looked to the rest but they all shrugged their shoulders; those things had been lost in the fight.
“Go!” Brody ordered her, “Caleb won’t wait. We’ll find your stuff and I’ll get the ladies to the house safely.”
“Fine,” Kevan nodded, yelling over her shoulder, “I’m going with Raven. Find my phone, call Eve and get her to wherever we’re going.” With that she raced back out of the club to the waiting Hummer, jumping through the passenger door that stood open, allowing her to squeeze her way in.
It was hard to believe that a Hummer could feel small, but with four six foot plus, muscle bound men, the feeling that it wasn’t any bigger than a VW Beetle reigned.
Twisting, looking over her shoulder at the man in the back holding Raven gently in his arms, she asked, “How is she?”
“Burning up,” Kayne stated, as he continued to apply pressure to the wound on her side.
“What?” Kevan was alarmed, “Why is she getting so sick, so fast?”
“It’s a fast acting poison,” Caleb stated, wincing as Kevan unknowingly ground her hip into his gro
in.
“Where are we going?” she demanded.
“To Roderic’s; Rhiannon’s there, she’s dealt with this poison before, so she’s the best one to deal with it now,” Caleb explained.
“That’s fine, if you know who Roderic is and where he lives,” Kevan snapped, but he didn’t seem to get her sarcasm. “I’ll take your word about this Rhiannon knowing what she’s doing, but where does this Roderic live?”
“You aren’t very trusting, are you?” Caleb stated with a hint of amusement in his voice. She had spunk, and he liked women with spunk.
“Outside of the family, I don’t trust anyone,” Kevan stated without even thinking, “The address, now!”
“Roderic lives at 634 Princeton Avenue.”
Kevan looked at him with disbelief, “You’re joking, right?”
“I don’t joke,” Caleb, informed her.
“Isn’t that the old Winston Manor, I thought that it was abandoned?”
“Looks can be deceiving,” Caleb told her.
Kevan didn’t say another word, instead focusing her attention as best she could on Raven. It seemed to take forever, when in fact it was only about 15 to 20 minutes before they were pulling up in front of the vine crowded gates to the entrance of the legendary manor.
It looked like they hadn’t been opened in a very long time, but she watched the driver punch in a code that started the gates to silently swing open, allowing them entrance onto the estate. Once they passed the gates, it started to reverse, closing out the world once again.
Ahead of them was a house blazing with light. Coming to a stop in front of the door, the Hummer stopped and they stepped out, Kayne taking Raven back from Caleb as they all made their way through the front doors.
“Rhiannon!” Kayne bellowed. The sound vibrated through the house, bringing a woman to the top of the stairs looking down on them.
“You know I really hate when you bellow like that ...” The striking woman came to a stop when she saw Raven.
“What happened?” she demanded.
“She was cut with an Agares Blade; where do you want me to put her?”
“The room next to Marcus,” she told Kayne, as he walked up the stairs. “How long ago?” she needed to know.
“30 to 35 minutes maybe, we came straight here,” Caleb explained.
“Okay, you moved fast, that’s good, should mean we’ll probably be able to stop the spread of the poison before it gets too far along.”
“Rhiannon.” She turned and looked back at Caleb. “She’s one of them.” Rhiannon stumbled, and then quickly recovered.
“I’ll do my best,” she stated bluntly before running after Kayne.
“Who’s that, and where have they taken Raven?” Kevan demanded, as she almost collided with Caleb, “and what did you mean when you said, she’s one of them?”
“That’s Rhiannon. She’s a healer and that’s what she is going to do for your friend.”
“Sister...” Kevan informed the stranger who had just joined them.
“Caleb?” the man asked.
“Roderic, I’d like to introduce you to…” he looked at Kevan, waiting for her to supply a name.
“Kevan, Kevan Cameron,” she told them, as she started towards the stairs; “I’m going to Raven.”
“I think it would be better if you allowed Rhiannon to work without any interruption,” Roderic stated, attempting to redirect her to the main living room. “Kayne will watch over her.”
Kevan yanked her arm out of his hand. “Don’t do that,” she ordered, stepping away from him. “I’m going to my sister.” Roderic looked to Caleb, who shrugged his shoulders.
“The whole trust thing is a big sticky point with them,” Caleb informed him with a slight smile.
“Trust you? As if!” Kevan snorted with disgust. Distancing herself gave her a slight feeling of safety. “I don’t know you from Adam, and after what you did to our great grandmother, what do you expect?”
He hadn’t finished voicing his question. “What are you …” When the front door slammed open, Kevan looked up seeing to see Brennan standing in the entrance before she stormed in, her eyes blazing, warning all that she was ready for a fight, and it didn’t matter who she had to take on. Kevan smiled when she saw family, relieved that she had someone she trusted beside her, but suddenly concerned about what Brennan would do, considering her intense dislike of anything to do with the others, especially the cairbare.
Turning back to the men, “Oh man, you’re in for it now!” she snickered.
“Get away from my sister, you overgrown, steroid popping, he-man. Where the hell is Raven?” Kevan rolled her eyes.
“Who called you?” Kevan enquired, knowing Brennan meant well, but that she had a tendency to make things worse, not better, with her attitude.
“Not you, that’s for sure!” she accused Kevan.
“Oh gods, we’ve been here, for what, all of 5 minutes,” Kevan yelled back. “How the hell did you get here so quickly?”
Neither saw the amused smiles on the faces of the men watching them.
“You have a cell phone,” Brennan stated.
“Yeah, I have a phone, but it was lost when we were attacked by demons and vampires,” Kevan threw back.
“What the hell have you been doing; you look like you have been wrestling in jello?” Brennan looked a little closer, “Oh my gods, is that blood? Oh gods, I don’t even want to know what the hell that is,” she told Kevan as she flicked something off her shoulder with her fingers.
“Oh, would you two knock it off,” Eve snapped from the doorway where she stood watching them. “Would someone kindly direct me to my sister, Raven?”
Caleb started to say something, but she pointed her finger and used her doctor tone, telling him, “No arguments, no discussions, Raven, now,” she ordered.
Caleb stepped back beside Roderic, who gave him a look and asked, “Are they all like this?”
“How would I know?” he told his friend with a look and a shake of his head.
“I’m waiting,” Eve let them know. Roderic stepped away from Caleb and crossed the foyer to the base of the stairs. Holding out his arm, he pointed up.
“Third door on the right,” he told her. “Rhiannon is checking her out as we speak.”
“Is this Rhiannon a doctor?” Eve demanded, furious that her sister had brought Raven to a stranger’s house, and not to the hospital, where she would get the proper care that she would require.
“Not what humans would consider a doctor, but she has been well trained and has great healing instincts.” Eve looked at Roderic with surprise. “I think you’ll be pleased with the care she’s receiving.” he continued.
“I don’t know about that, we’ll see,” she mumbled as she eased by him, trying not to let her body touch his.
Leaning in, he whispered so only she could hear him, “I don’t bite, unless you ask me to, that is.” She drew a sharp breath, looking into his eyes before she slipped by him and hurried up the stairs.
Brennan walked over to Kevan and gave her a quick hug, grimacing at the gore and smell that covered Kevan from head to toe. “The rest, they okay?” she wanted to know.
“They were fine when I left them, a little bruised and a lot scared, but okay, mostly worried about Raven.”
“I told you not to go to that club,” Brennan threw at her; unable to resist the I told you so moment. “If you would just listen to me for a change ....”
“I knew you couldn’t resist. Stop acting like Mum,” Kevan hissed at her. “How the hell were we to know that a group of uglies would pick tonight of all nights for a surprise attack?”
“It wouldn’t matter. If Myrna hadn’t taken the job at that damn club, then you wouldn’t be so fascinated with these damn people!” Brennan accused her.
“Ah, excuse me, standing right here,” Caleb stated. Brennan looked up at him.
“Why the fuck couldn’t you have stayed out of our lives???
? Brennan hissed at them. “We were safe before.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” Kevan interrupted her.
“What are you talking about?” Brennan asked, her concern echoing her voice. Turning back to face Kevan, it was then that she noticed something. “What happened to your eyes?” She demanded, shooting looks at Caleb and Roderic. “What did you do to her?”
“Brennan, would you stop, they didn’t do anything to me.” Kevan looked around for a mirror. “What’s wrong with my eyes?”
“What are you talking about?” Caleb questioned. He grabbed Kevan’s chin, turning her head so he could see her eyes, but her pendant grabbed his attention as it slipped from under her blouse. Reaching out, gently picking up the cord the stone hung from, carefully inspecting it, avoiding its touch.
“Where did you get this?” he questioned.
“Why?” Kevan asked, stepping back. She couldn’t think straight standing so close to him.
“Just answer my question,” he asked quietly, but the force behind his voice stilled any argument.
“It’s a family heirloom; we all have one,” Brennan informed them, carefully watching their reactions.
Caleb looked to Roderic. His look had Roderic moving over to the stairs, yelling, “Catherine, warn Rhiannon and Kayne she’s wearing a shield stone!” he told his assistant.
“Thanks for the warning, better late than never. We already discovered it,” Kayne stated, sauntering down the stairs, following Roderic back into the parlor.
“Relax”, he told them. “Rhiannon realized what it was before we touched it, and the bossy one took it off.”
“And the girl, she’ll live?” Caleb questioned.
“Rhiannon says she’ll be fine in a couple of days. She got to the wound before the infection had a chance to really set in.” He paused. “I was kicked out by Eve; I believe she said her name was. Something about needing stitches.” Caleb smiled. His cousin didn’t take orders well, especially from a woman.
“They all have shield stones,” Roderic muttered to himself, more than to anyone in particular. He took a closer look at Kevan’s pendant, and with her permission, gently touched it with no problems. It was warm to the fingertips, warmer than her body, which brought his awareness to the bloody mess everyone was covered in.
“Why aren’t you worried about touching the pendant, when he was?” Kevan asked as she nodded towards Caleb, “and what does that have to do with my eyes?”
“Because you aren’t worried about me hurting you, not Caleb that is another story. As to your eyes, I’m not really sure. I don’t even know what they are supposed to look like; we just met.” His off-handed remark lightened the tension in the room, allowing them a moment to regroup.
“Where did you get these stones?” he asked Kevan, breaking the moment he had just caused.
“Why?”
“Please, could we have one answer without having to break through the barrier you’ve erected?” Caleb asked, as he joined Roderic, not liking his friend touching her, but pushing that long unused emotion of jealousy out of his mind.
“They’re from a family heirloom,” Kevan admitted.
“Kevan!” Brennan hissed. “Don’t tell them anything. Let me dole out what I think they can and can’t hear.”
“Oooh! Would you get over yourself, Brennan! Big deal, what are they going to do, steal them? Can’t you see that they are already wary - and I for one would really like to know why?”
“I would love to give you an explanation, but we don’t know a lot about them. We only recognize the power in the stones. How long have you had them?” Caleb asked.
Kevan looked up at him, her body reacting to his closeness. Closing her eyes, she drew in a deep breath, inhaling his scent mixed with the remains of battle, and found it intoxicating.
“Are you alright?” he whispered to her. Kevan opened her eyes, blushing as she stepped away from him, shocked at how she was reacting. What a time to get randy.
“What powers are you talking about? They’re just stones, what kind, I’m not really sure, but nothing special,” Brennan stated, even though she knew that she was lying, that the stones were special.
“How can you say that?” Caleb asked her. “You can feel the power pulsing within the stones. I’m just amazed that they still contain their strength, considering that they have been taken apart from the original.”
He saw the look that passed between the women, as they touched their pendants without even realizing what they were doing.
“What was that look for?” he demanded.
“What look, there was no look,” Kevan told him, trying to play dumb, but she knew it wasn’t working.
“Don’t go there, I saw it, we all saw it.” Caleb crossed his arms and continued to observe, and then it dawned on him, “Well, well, well!” he exclaimed, looking to Roderic.
“What?” Roderic questioned his friend.
“They have it,” he told him.
“What?” Roderic questioned, and then it suddenly dawned on him what Caleb was talking about. Turning to confront Kevan, “He’s right, isn’t he?”
“We have no idea what you are talking about,” Brennan told him defiantly, speaking up as Kevan stared at them, dumbfounded. “We need to get Raven and go home.”
“The Stones,” Caleb stated with awe, “the Stones of Tarian.”
“The what,” Kevan questioned, suddenly intrigued, “What are the stones of Tara?”
“Tarian,” Caleb corrected, “Don’t you know your family history, and how your family came into possession of them?”
“Uhmm ... no. How do you know?” Kevan questioned him, and then looked to Brennan. “How is it that a stranger knows more about our family history than we do?”
“Kevan, not the time or place, we really should get going.”
“No,” she told her older sister, “I want to hear what they know about the necklace and our family. I mean, until you took it apart, none of us even really liked anything about it but the stones.”
“Hold it,” Caleb stopped her, his face stunned. “Did you just say that she took it apart?” Excitement danced in his eyes.
“Well, not exactly,” Kevan admitted, looking at all in the room. “It’s mostly intact, but Brennan did her magic and took some of it apart, and made us each a pendant and earrings from one of the strands of the original a couple of weeks ago.”
Caleb and his friends stood in stunned silence.
“Why are you looking at us like that? It was a butt ugly family necklace with some really nice stones. We did what we always do, we made it work for the here and now, at least Brennan does, she’s very good at doing that,” Kevan explained.
The men looked to Brennan, who was watching warily, “What?” she yelled at them, “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“It’s amazing. The stones still retain their power even after you took the necklace apart. You are very talented.” Caleb expressed his awe.
“What powers are you talking about? You keep talking about powers and won’t tell us what kind, and if you are talking about magic, bullshit! They’re stones, they don’t have power,” Brennan barked.
“Those stones most certainly do have power, and for you to have broken up the necklace without harm from being essentially electrocuted, is amazing,” Caleb finished, and then turned to Kayne, “Close your mouth, you’re starting to drool. Anyone want a drink? I’m pouring.”
Brennan knew in her head it was a compliment, but she didn’t want to accept it. She was standing in the home of a cairbare warrior, and she was still alive, they all were, and now they were telling her what an amazing designer she was for taking apart an old necklace. She shook her head, recalling all the stories they’d been raised with that portrayed how evil and untrustworthy these men were.
“Look, we are getting off the topic,” she stated, trying to steer the conversation away from them being nice, and back into getting out of ther
e alive, “We aren’t here to become friends.”
“Brennan, oh my gods,” Kevan gasped, giving her older sister a look of shock at her rudeness. “That was completely uncalled for; there was no need to be rude.”
“Kevan ...” Brennan interrupted.
“Don’t Kevan me, you weren’t there!” Kevan informed Brennan, turning to Caleb. “Did they target us?”
“I’m not sure, but they seemed to know who you were.” Caleb looked to Brody and Alexander, who had joined them along with the rest of the women. “I don’t think they were there specifically for you, but they certainly did come after you when they sensed you.”
“Why?” she needed to know. “We’ve lived our lives minding our own business, staying away from the others. Why would they come after us?” Kevan fingered her necklace. “Could it be the power within the necklace?” she questioned when the thought popped into her head.
“It might be, but more likely they thought you were someone else,” Caleb stated, trying to throw her off the trail. Suddenly, he didn’t want to involve them in any of this; they seemed too innocent.
“The pendants might have put my family in danger?” Brennan gasped, suddenly feeling sick to her stomach at the thought she might have done something that could have harmed them. “But why now? These have been in the family forever; hell, I’ve had them in my possession for almost a year. Why wouldn’t they have come after them before now?”
“Don’t assume anything girl. We don’t know why you got caught up in this, but I don’t believe in coincidences,” Roderic told her. Brennan’s glare got even colder as she fumed.
“We’ll get rid of them,” Brennan’s hands grasped at the cord around her neck, “just to be on the safe side.”
“I don’t think that would make a difference. We don’t know you were targeted due to the stones. It could be something else, and the stones are a good protection for you.”
Kevan could see the fear in Brennan’s face. “Brennan you can’t blame yourself. Like he just said, we don’t know if the stones are the reason, don’t take that on.” Kevan tried to comfort her sister.
“But if I am the reason that Raven is upstairs fighting for her life...” Brennan whispered, grasping Kevan’s hand, her eyes stricken with anguish.
“Well! I certainly appreciate the vote of confidence you have in my abilities as a doctor, Brennan,” Eve stated from the doorway.
“Eve!” Brennan cried. “How is Raven? Do we need to get her to a hospital?”
Eve stared horrified at the state her sisters and cousins were in. She never looked that gory, even after her worst shift in the ER.
“Raven’s just fine or she will be. At the moment she’s resting, and no, we do not need to get her to a hospital.”
“Oh thank god you were able to help her,” Brennan sighed. “But they should have taken her to a hospital.”
“Normally, I would agree with you, but I can’t; it was all Rhiannon. I don’t know if what’s normal protocol in the ER would have worked. What Rhiannon did, it was unlike anything I have ever seen as a doctor. If you had told me that mixing tree sap and spices while muttering some words over a wound would work, I would have told you to check yourself into the psych ward. But it worked; I saw it with my own eyes. Magic is real ladies, believe me.”
“She’s being modest,” Rhiannon told them. “Given a few lessons in our ways of healing, she will be an even more talented healer than any of your ancestors.”
“What about Marcus?” Caleb questioned, his concern for his brother outweighing his desire to not involve them in their battle.
“Marcus is resting somewhat comfortably,” Eve informed them. “I’m going to check in at the house and see if there is anything of great grandmother Daphne’s that might help, seeing as she was a healer, at least according to Rhiannon here.”
“You’re joking, right?” Brennan spat at her sister.
“No, I’m not joking,” Eve told her sister. “He needs help, and as a doctor, if I can do anything that will help, that’s what I’ll do.”
“This is nuts, two hours ago we had done everything we could to avoid any contact with these …” Brennan looked at the men, “these people and now suddenly we’re standing in one of their homes, talking about helping another one of them. Tell me, what is wrong with this picture? Have we all forgotten what they did to Daphne?” Brennan reminded them.
“Hold it right there!” Caleb roared. “That’s the second time one of you has made reference to us being responsible for what happened to Daphne. I would like to know what you think we did to her.”
“You killed her,” Brennan spat at him.
“What, are you crazy!” Roderic and Caleb both exclaimed.
“I think you need to revisit your family history,” Kayne stated as he came to stand by his cousin and Roderic. “Why would we have killed Daphne?”
“We were never told why, but we all know the stories. We grew up on them,” Kaitlyn said, stepping up beside her sisters with the others gathering behind. “Our family has passed down the story about what you did to Daphne, to ensure that we protect ourselves.”
“Protect yourselves from what, us? Are you crazy?” Caleb felt his temper start to rise. “Daphne was our friend, and one of our greatest healers; why would we have done anything to hurt her.”
“She was helping one of you when she was killed,” Brennan threw at them. “Why would you hurt her when she was trying to help you?”
“Exactly,” Roderic’s voice rose above the growing murmur of voices. “Why would we hurt someone who only wanted to help? We’re not stupid men.”
Kevan watched their anger at the accusations thrown their way, and she finally spoke up, “Are you telling us that you had nothing to do with the murder of our great grandmother?”
“Of course we didn’t. We’ve tried more than once to find out who was responsible,” Caleb claimed. “Daphne was a great healer, but more importantly she was a great friend to the cairbare. Why would we do anything to hurt her when we needed her? It makes no sense.”
“But Great Grandpa Joe …” Eve stopped as it dawned on her. “He lied.”
“You don’t know that ...” Brennan argued.
“Your sister’s correct, we don’t know that,” Roderic stated, “but here are some facts. Before her murder, we had been friends with your family for a very long time, and after Daphne’s murder we were cut off without being given the chance to defend ourselves.”
“But why would he lie?” Eve inquired. “What would he have to gain by claiming that you were responsible for Daphne’s murder? Why insist that none of his family have anything to do with the care bear.”
“Not care bear!” Roderic roared, making them all jump. “It’s pronounced, “Kar-bare”
“Kar bare ...” Eve ran it over her tongue a couple of times to get comfortable with it.
“It doesn’t matter,” Brennan told them, “Care bear or cairbare, whatever, we want nothing to do with you, so if you would kindly get Raven, we’ll be on our way.”
Kevan looked over at the men, as she continued to run their version through her head when a thought occurred. “What if neither of them is lying?” she blurted out.
“Kevan, what are you doing?” Brennan asked, getting frustrated with her sister’s lack of concern. “What does it matter? We’re leaving.”
“You’re wrong, Brennan, it does matter,” Kevan stated. “If what they’re saying’s true, that there really was a friendship for all those years. Don’t we need to discover the truth? Don’t we need to know who killed Daphne and placed the blame on them?”
“We told you the truth. Your family and the cairbare have been friends for more years than we like to recall,” Caleb stated.
Kevan nodded. For some reason she believed he was telling the truth.
“It doesn’t matter,” Brennan told her again.
“But it does, Brennan. Listen to me, what if Grandpa Joe was telli
ng what he believed to be the truth, and they’re telling the truth, too?” Kevan looked back and forth between her family and the cairbare.
“It’s either the truth, or not the truth, no in-between,” Brennan sighed.
“That’s not right either. There is our side, there is their side, and then there is the truth, which lies somewhere in-between. We all know that,” Kevan argued with Brennan. “What if it was made to look like it was a cairbare,” she looked at Roderic, who nodded at her pronunciation, “only it wasn’t. What if it was a set up?”
Caleb was surprised at her deductions, “That would make more sense - cut off access to one of our healers.”
“Have you lost many since she was killed?”
“We’ve lost 5 warriors, almost 6, but Rhiannon has been fighting very hard to save Marcus,” Caleb told them.
“Would they have died if the relationship hadn’t been severed?” Eve questioned, picking up on what Kevan was getting at.
“I don’t know, maybe a couple, it’s hard to say,” Roderic glanced back and forth between Eve and Kevan. “Why would someone want to interfere with a relationship that has endured for so long?”
“Maybe, because it had endured for so long,” Kevan speculated. “I mean, think about it, only something as drastic would sever a relationship that you claim lasted for centuries. What’s more drastic then blaming you for the murder of our great grandmother? It certainly worked.” Kevan shrugged her shoulders.
“But why? What’s so important about our relationship that they were worried enough about it to murder her?” Eve asked the men. They all looked away, not wanting to meet her eyes.
“Okay, what aren’t you telling us?” Kevan questioned, frustrated with the evasive behavior. “Don’t start hiding things now. If you want us to believe what you’re telling us is the truth, you need to tell us everything!” Roderic looked to Caleb and Kayne, and then glanced at his watch.
Caleb spoke up, “Look, it’s not that we don’t want to clear up this misunderstanding, but it’s almost 3 in the morning. We all have bits and pieces of uglies on us, and I think what we all need is to clean up and get some rest. I promise we will explain it all in the morning; I don’t think any of us are ready to process anymore tonight.”
“What are you hiding?” Brennan demanded, a few of the women muttering agreement.
“Why are you so suspicious?” Roderic accused her.
“Old habits die hard,” she told him. “So, again I ask, what are you hiding?”
“Nothing that won’t wait until morning; it’s been a hell of a night,” Caleb told them.
“Fine, then we’ll be going if you’ll get Raven for us,” Brennan ordered them.
“I have a better idea. Your sister’s sleeping; why don’t you stay the night and we can finish this in the morning,” Roderic offered. “Catherine....” She walked in on his first call.
“Yes?”
“We need some rooms prepared for our guests...” Roderic started to instruct, but Brennan interrupted.
“I don’t appreciate the presumption that we will stay the night in your house! You’ll kill us in our sleep,” she finished under her breath.
“Enough Brennan; if you want to go home, then go. I’ll stay with Raven and you can pick us up in the morning,” Kevan told her.
“Like I would let that happen,” Brennan pronounced. “You already have enough of an attraction to them. Who knows what could happen before morning.”
“Oh gods, the conspiracy theories have to stop,” Eve told her, “I’ll stay with them too ... if that’s okay with you?” she asked Roderic.
“You’re more than welcome to stay,” he told her, “all of you if you would like, it’s your decision. I have lots of room.”
“Thank you,” Kevan looked at her sisters. “You make up your own minds, but I am staying here. I don’t believe that they’ll do anything to us. I’m sore, I smell and I have things clinging to me that I really don’t want to know what they are. I need a shower and a clean set of clothes, and then I’m going to pass out for at least 12 hours. The rest of you do what you have to do. Brennan, bring some clean clothes for me in the morning, will you?”
“I can’t believe you’re willing to stay here,” Brennan exclaimed.
“Oh, take a pill Brennan they aren’t going to do anything to me, are you?” Kevan looked to Caleb.
“Of course not,” Caleb said, pleasantly surprised that Kevan was willing to stay and had voiced reassurances to her family. “We need you more than you need us,” he told them.
Roderic looked to Catherine, who stood patiently waiting for further instructions. “Show any one that would like to stay to their rooms, and help find suitable clothes for those who require them. We can launder the ones being worn.” Then he turned to Kayne. “Escort those not staying to their cars.” Kayne nodded his agreement. “See that they get home safely.”
Brennan looked to Kevan and Eve, furious that she had no choice but to stay with her family to ensure their safety.
“Fine, fine, we’ll all stay,” she spat out, “but if I sense one thing that I think is suspicious, we are so out of here. First thing in the morning, you people are going to explain what’s going on, do you understand me?”
“Yes, we understand,” Roderic told her, stopping Caleb from blasting her, the hot head. “Young lady, you may think you know all there is to know about us, but you know nothing. We’ll prove our worthiness like we did to your ancestors all those years ago.”
“We’ll see,” Kevan told them, then turned to follow Catherine from the room. “My first born for a bath, lead on my good woman.”
The sounds of females laughing and voicing their agreement at the same time created a noise the cairbare hadn’t heard in a very long time, pleasing and disturbing at once.