© 2016 SilverStream22. All Rights Reserved.
~
Afraid to lose control
And caught up in this world
I've wasted time, I've wasted breath
I think I've thought myself to death
~
Draver's sleek Jaguar pulled up to the high rise loft. Sunshine glinted off the building as high noon hit.
"This is where Lorena lives. She fought with us in the war against Orion. Her daughter, Iris, was a good friend of ours before she passed away." Draver filled me in as we rode the elevator up to her floor.
"How old is she?"
Jazz grimaced. "Maybe not best to ask her that. She was born around Grecian times. So very old. But she doesn't look a day over 30."
"Hook me up with her skin care," I muttered under my breath.
The elevator doors parted and we were greeted by the sound of musical laughter. The sound settled in my ears, bringing me into a state of almost tranquility.
"What is that?" I murmured as Jazz and Draver led me out into the loft.
"That's Lux Xerxes," Jazz answered. "The daughter of the werewolf girl we were protecting. She's fourteen now- comes to spend summers with Lorena in New York. Her middle name is Iris, named after Lorena's daughter that died in the war. In a lot of ways, Lux is like Iris. She's smart, brave, a tad bit shy. She prefers to observe rather than speak, and when she does, it tends to be a sarcastic comment."
I was a bit hesitant to ask the next question. "Does she have powers? Like the two of you?"
"No, I don't. And they're not powers- they're affinities."
The melodic voice belonged to a small girl who walked out of the kitchen. Her blond locks cascaded down her back in thick waves- half of her hair was pulled up in a bun, with a few stray locks framing her face. Soot lashes with blond tips accentuated her almond shaped cerulean blue eyes. A faint splash of freckles dotted the bridge of her nose.
This girl outshone me, a grown woman, by a light-year.
"Faye McAllister, right? Jasper and Draver told me all about you." she stuck out a hand, so tiny and frail, I was scared that I was going to break her.
Jasper. The only people I knew who was allowed to call Jazz by his given name was Draver and I- in fact, most people didn't even know his real name.
I carefully shook her hand. "And you're Lux?"
She flashed me a grin that almost had me blinded. "That would be me. Lorena is cooking up some moussaka in the kitchen, and Ramon is grilling the souvlaki outside. We're eating by the pool. Mom and Stark should be back anytime."
Lux led us to the pool on the top of the building; a similar set up that was done by Jazz and Draver for breakfast. She catapulted into the pool. From beside me, I saw Jazz twitch, as if he was resisting the urge to swim as well.
A fiery red haired woman with a sleek figure deposited a slice of moussaka on a plate before I made it out the door, handing it to me. It looked like lasagna without all the color.
"Lorena Morrisey." her smile was soft with a hint of sadness. "Pleasure to meet you once more, Faye. I'm not sure if you remember, but you used to come here often when you were little. My daughter Iris and I would offer your daycare to bring up the children to play in the pool."
From the behind me, I heard Draver grumble about "Carl and his stupid applesauce".
"I don't remember that much from my childhood, other than all the families I ruined when someone tried to adopt me," I let out a forced laugh when I realized how bad that actually sounded out loud.
A tan muscled man stood in front of the grill, with an unbutton short sleeved shirt. He had flip flops on, and a skewer in his hand as he pierced meat and vegetables onto it before setting it down on the grill. He had short cropped black hair and his eyes were magnified slightly by thick framed black glasses. Despite his good looks, he wasn't as...blinding as Lux, Lorena, Jazz and Draver.
He flashed me a Colgate smile, "Faye! I've heard a lot about you. I'm Ramon, Lorena's husband."
"Are you one of them?"
Draver growled low. "Them? What is that supposed to mean-"
His voice was muffled and I saw Jazz had shoved a slice of moussaka in his mouth.
Ramon laughed heartily. "Oh no, I'm human. I'm not Lorena's mate though. That was Kyros, however he died a long time ago, and she moved on to me. Which is quite rare for werewolves and Lycans. Lorena told me that most kill themselves without the other. Said something about a tale of Zeus fearing the strength of humanoid creatures when they were in their original form, two heads, four arms, four legs; so he split them into two beings and they spent the rest of their lives searching for each other. Quite romantic actually."
I nodded in agreement, surprised that Ramon knew that. "I've read about that myth."
Jazz leaned down, his mouth brushing the corner of my ear. "It's far from a myth, Faye."
I cleared my throat, feeling the blush creep up my neck and stain my cheeks. It was confirmed when Draver set a hand on my hip and murmured quietly. "Your skin turns pink so beautifully."
Wriggling forward, I continued speaking to Ramon as he turned the skewered meat on the grill.
"About Iris- Lorena's daughter- is she yours or Kyros'?"
Unlike Lorena, Ramon smiled fondly; like he was reminiscing in the moments that he spent with his daughter. "She was mine." Ramon then looked over my shoulder, an even brighter grin lighting his face as he waved an hand.
In a flurry of yellow, Lux ran out of the pool. I turned around to see her leap onto the back of a man dark wash jeans and a blue t shirt. He caught her around the waist, spinning her around before tossing her off his shoulder back and into the water.
"Try again, Lux. You can't sneak up on me with a battle cry." his dirty blond hair was ruffled from Lux's attack.
Silver eyes met mine the same time the slender woman next to him who had the eye color of dark bark called out my name.
"Faye! It's been so long- I'm not sure if you remember me, though."
She was dressed simply; flip flops, jeans, and a flannel, and I realized that all the Lycans had their heads tilted down slightly as she walked across to me.
She seemed to be glowing with each step she took to me. She was slightly taller than me, but not enough for me to crane my neck. The silver eyed Lycan shadowed her, slowing to a stop in front of me as well.
"I'm Katya Anosova, head of the Anosova Royal family, Luna of the Lycans. When we met, I was just Luna of a pack."
That made sense- why everyone was bowing to her.
I awkwardly shook her hand. "Faye McAllister...NYU student and Classicist major."
"Alpha Xerxes." I heard Jazz address the Lycan, who gave Jazz a lazy half smile that lasted for all of two seconds.
The Alpha's eyes turned to me, and a shudder ran through his body as he reached his hand forward and ruffled my hair. "You and Carl's applesauce problem,"
Draver snorted. "That's exactly what I said."
Jazz guided me to a chair where we set our food down as the Alpha and Luna got their food.
Draver sat opposite me, jerking his chin to the Alpha and Luna. "That's the two people we were at war for. Alpha Stark Xerxes and Luna Katya Anosova."
"Why aren't her eyes silver?" I blurted out. "Or Lux's?"
Jazz filled in for Draver as he started gulping down his food. "Stark is a Lycan, so his eyes are silver. Katya is a Royal. Royals are werewolves, not Lycans. Silver eyes don't get passed on genetically, they only come when you're made into a Lycan. Her blue eyes are what Stark's were before his eyes were changed.
I nodded, slow in taking in all of the information that they were throwing at me. I was surprised with myself at how at ease I was at learning about the hierarchy of the werewolf world. Werewolves, Lycans, Royals, Lunas, and Alphas- it was all part of a world that I've never known until a few days ago. Then it hit me, a shiver running down my spine when I realized just who I spoke to.
"Is she the one?" I gulped.
Draver's eyes met mine. "That's her. She's the one who took down the Vampire King Erebus, the one who took on the power of the Moon Goddess as her own when possessed, the one who avenged her pack through bloodshed and led an army of Lycans against the vampires. She's the Luna of the Lycans- our Queen- and the only mated royal in history. If there's anyone who can answer questions about you besides the Moon Goddess, it's her. She's been studying the pattern of the moon phases and astronomy to read the fates of mates for years. Not to mention she has a two way connection with the Moon Goddess ever since she was possessed by her."
Jazz emphasized the importance of that last part as the power couple came to sit with us. "We'd rather you talk to the Moon Goddess through her than in person. Although the Moon Goddess created you, she has a sort of aversion to humans- you in particular. Think about it like a mother who feels like she's losing her two sons to another woman."
Draver's upper lip curled into a sharp snarl. "More like favorite toys. All she does is toy with us using Faye. It disgusts me- the lengths she goes to in order to make sure that we fall into a false sense of security just to rip it all from us in your brutal death."
He seemed to get riled up even more, and I was too. "Wait, I died brutally?"