Moonlit Dangers

Chapter Nineteen

        The air whooshed back out of my lungs as my father - Adam - merely cupped the side of my face with whisper softness. Attempting to cover my show of fear, I sighed as if I were happy with the show of affection. As he looked at me with strange pride in his eyes, I thought about what he had told me about the compound. I wondered if the Guardians knew that a den master could communicate mind to mind with the Lycans in their den. Now that I thought about it, it was the only explanation for why the lycan I had fought in the arena hadn’t killed me, and why Eric hadn’t immediately bitten me. My father must have wanted to do it himself.

        I rubbed my face against Adam’s hand like I enjoyed his touch. I had to keep him talking. “I’m so glad you found me.” I said adoringly, even though I desperately wanted to vomit. Trying to be subtle, I asked, “Father, why did you bring me here? You know, instead of letting me stay at home and getting to know me slowly.” I felt like I was laying it on too thick, but by the sappy look on his face, it seemed to be working.

        Needing answers, I continued. “I wouldn’t have resisted so much and ran away if I had known that it was you trying to reach out to me.” I placed my hand over his on my face.

        “I suppose I could of done it that way.” He said slowly. He withdrew from the cage, turning away from me to examine one of the paintings, his hands clasped behind his back. “I needed you with me though. I am no longer good at playing human for one thing. Because I have matured, I can control my shift. However, it’s been so long since I was one of you it’s a bit hard for me to relate. Your mother had helped me when we were together, but when she left…” He growled, before clearing his throat. “Anyway, I needed you with me. And we needed you with us.”

        “The Lycans needed me?” I said, to clarify.

        “Yes. You see Elle, you are special. Not only to me, but to our breed. There aren’t very many half-breeds born, for obvious reasons. Not only do humans and Lycans not mix, but oftentimes if progeny is conceived, the child is often lost before birth. Interspecies breeding I suppose. However…When there is a half-breed child born, all sorts of things become possible.” I didn’t like the sound of that.

         I bit the inside of my cheek hard to keep myself from whimpering. He had stopped speaking again, and I wondered how often he lost his train of thought.

         I took a fortifying breath, tasting blood as I asked, “What sorts of things?”

        “Hmm? Oh, yes. A half-breed has a unique opportunity you see. If bitten, they don’t become the mindless slavering lycan that so many of us are for the first few years. They are like a mature lycan. They only shift when they choose. Even better, each lycan that they create is in their image. They too can shift whenever they choose. Could you imagine?” He turned back to me, walking quickly to the cage and smiling, his eyes luminous with evil excitement. “It would be a new era! We would no longer have to hide in the shadows and regulate our numbers to avoid detection! We could create as many of us as we chose without the fear of one of the mindless new Lycans being discovered. And when we were ready…Oh, when we were ready…we could take over! We could be the new dominant species! And you, my dear darling girl, you would be the new Madonna! You would be the mother to all Lycans! You would be worshipped! And so would I, being your father, and the one who made you.” His voice had dropped to a whisper. 

         I stared into his eyes, weighing my choices. I had no idea if the Guardians knew where I was. I had no idea when they would find me, or even if they would find me, and it seemed like I had Adam eating out of my hand at the moment. I decided to go for it. Hoping that I had a similar gleam in my eye, I started out slowly, like I was still a little reticent. “Being worshipped is always nice…but, honestly, I just want to get to know you. I’ve always wondered about you. Mother told me that you had died.” I threw a little bit of truth in there to make it sound more plausible.