© Amber Kalkes 2014
*Song Of The Chapter: "House Of The Rising Sun" By Lauren O'Connell
Chapter Thirteen: Reaping What You Sew.
Tulips.
It came to me as I stood in the lawn looking over the two fairly fresh graves in my yard. I said I was going to put a garden and damn it I was. After about two hours, a shit ton of money spent and one overly attentive Seth trying to help me I was finished.
Covered in dirt, the starters of a cramp in my hand from holding that damn spade and of course exhausted. I was doing a duty; at least that’s what I kept telling myself. Not that I owed Alek any favors at the moment but I did owe Seth a bit for defending me. So I bit the bullet did the garden work and stood back to admire my work.
Two lovely plots of tulips of yellow looked back at me. Daises would have been more of a puny choice but I wasn’t that heartless. One plot for Trent the headless wonder and one plot for Ethan the neck snapping disaster. I wanted to feel guilty about being so heartless about but I just couldn’t.
Maybe I was a sociopath? That would explain a lot.
“You're not a sociopath.”
I jumped about a foot high and turned around to see a wary looking Seth. He had worn the same expression towards me since the Ethan incident and it was starting to grate on my nerves. He looked at me like I was ready to have a breakdown at any moment and curl into a ball. And that simply wasn’t happening.
“You.” I said pointing a finger at him. “Need to stop doing that.”
“Doing what?”
I rolled my eyes. “Jumping up out of nowhere and reading my mind the peeping Tom you are! It’s just creepy and I don’t get to read your mind so it’s also unfair.”
“You can try to read my mind if you want to.” He shrugged.
“Why can you read mine so easily?”
“I’m used to it. With the pack link and everything being in someone’s mind isn’t as foreign a concept to me as it is to you. You’re going to need to practice that by the way.” he added as an after thought.
I waved him off. “Whatever.”
I turned back to my garden and bit on my thumbnail then spit. I forgot my hands were still covered in dirt. YUCK! I wiped my hands on my jeans and then sighed in dejection. Would it ever not look like two covered up graves to me?
What do you care? Apparently you’re a sociopath. My inner voice reminded me snarky.
Ugh. You again.
Oh yes me. You need time to think. Time away from Seth.
I could agree with myself on that one. I did need some hardcore thinking time away from Seth. But would he leave? Doubtful but I could persuasive when needed.
“Hey Seth?” I asked a little loudly.
I didn’t realize he was standing beside me, hands in his pockets, looking at the garden with me. His head was tilted to the side like the first time I met him in his wolf form. It kind of made me want to pet him or something when he did that. It was just adorably cute.
“Yes, love?”
Oh yes this nickname. It was a new addition to his “pet name” trilogy. Babe, Baby and Love. The last one made my stomach do a weird flip floppy thing that made me a bit off kilter. I wasn’t sure if I loved it or disliked but the feeling and hopefully Seth’s voice saying the dastardly word were staying.
“I need you to go to town for me.” I improvised.
His eyebrows rose in surprise. “Why?”
“I need you to pick my delivery from Annie’s she usually brings them up but I’m not in the mood to explain my new gardening hobby.” I sighed, and then added. “Annie is a dirty little gossip.”
Seth looked down at the ground and nodded slowly. He was thinking really hard and I tried to shimmy my way into his head through our bond but gave up quickly. I was too tired to try that right now. I needed a shower and some quite time. Seth’s ever lurking figure was reassuring but also set me on edge. He needed to get out for a while to clear his own head, I was sure.
“I can do that for you, Love. Do you need anything else?”
I almost sighed out loud in relief instead I smiled and shook my head.
“Nope, I’m good. Just my weekly order of daisies. It brightens the house up a bit.”
Seth shot me a smirk. “I can help you fix it up if you’d like.”
“He cooks, he cleans, and he kisses like a champion.” I mused out loud before giving him an obvious once over. “I may just keep you.”
He gave me deep rumbling laugh. “Glad I can please you, Sylvie.”
“Always.” I grinned. “Now off with you. I have some self cleaning to do.”
“Shouldn’t that compel me to stay?”
I shot him a dark look. “Very cute. Now scram.”
“Yes ma'am.” He chuckled as I walked back towards the house.
The sound of Penny’s drivers side door shutting and her engine roaring to life signaled his exit and I sagged my shoulders. I liked having Seth with me more than anything else. I had been lonely and isolated way too long me own but inside I was still a hermit. The silence had been my companion so long I was kind of unsure how to handle being around another person so long.
When I entered the bedroom I stripped off all my clothes and walked into the bathroom. When water was warm I climbed in and moaned at how nice it felt to start to get the dirt off me. Mud baths just weren’t my thing I guess.
Then I started to think about the past week. Shocking but true, it had only been a week since Seth had come into my life officially. Yet, it felt like months. Really I had packed in months, no wait years worth of life experiences into one week. No wonder I was so freaking exhausted all the time.
In summary: I had met my soul mate. I had been left by said soul mate. I had been on my first date with my non soul mate. I had buried not one but two dead guys. I had been threatened by a guy who I had been doing dirty chores for my whole life. I had seen someone get killed. I had been marked as belonging to a guy. Oh and to top it all off werewolves were fucking real!
I had to be a super hero because most people would have had a brain collapsing mental breakdown by now. I only had a minor one but it didn’t last long before I was making out with my boyfri---wait. Not my boyfriend. He wasn’t my boyfriend right? How did I introduce him as?
Oh hello! This Seth West, my soul mate and part time wolfie companion.
Yeah. That would go over awesome.
Ah fuck it. What did I care what we were? As long as there was a “we” I didn’t need a title. I meant something important to him and he meant something important to me. So why the hell should go with convention on this? There was pretty much nothing conventional about Seth and I.
So I didn’t expect marriage, rings, engagements, kids and the whole kitten caboodle. I didn’t need it if Seth was into it. I was learning how adaptable I could be and that was kind of surprising. I guess semi-old dogs can learn new tricks.
I got out of the shower and pulled on some clothes after drying my copper colored locks with an overused beach towel. Looking at the state of my hair I knew it was another top bun kind of day.
I pulled on some jean cut offs and an old band t-shirt that had belonged to my mom. Apparently she was a huge Aerosmith fan before she settled into life on the “Wolf Plantation”, as she called it. I pushed off thinking of my mom. I was supposed to be getting happy again and dwelling on her was a downer.
I jumped down the stares and made it to the entry of the kitchen before a deep all to familiar voice made me want to cry out in frustration. Couldn’t a girl get a break up in this bitch?
“Hello, Sylvie.”
Ah hell.
“Hello, Newman. Nice of you to break in.” I sighed turning around to face my new visitor.
Or shall I say visitors. His two lackeys, David and Bryce were there too. Both looked to be on different spectrums of emotion. David looked pissed and disgusted as he looked at me. Bryce, as always seemed a bit bored and uninterested in the situation. Newman? Well Newman looked about ready to blow a fuse and rip my head off without hesitation.
“Where is Ethan?” he snarled.
“Why would I know?”
“He told me he was coming to reason with you. Get you to understand the mistake of taking those…fleabags, side over ours. He’s been missing for twenty four hours and missed his scheduled patrol.” He informed me then stepped closer to me. “So I’ll ask again, where is Ethan Glenn?”
“Can’t keep track of you dogs anymore, Newman? Tsk tsk.”
Newman’s large hand wrapped around my neck so fast I barely had time to register it. It wasn’t until he squeezed and the air in my lungs became non-existent did I realize what a fucking psycho I was dealing with. I kicked and struggled but it was to no avail. So I closed my eyes and I centered my power.
Oh did I forget to mention I had power? My bad.
Opening my eyes I saw Newman go pale as I reached my arms out and used all my energy to propel him off me. The powerful hit to his sternum caused him to let go of me as he flew across the room into the living room. I fell to the floor and gasped for air coughing and wheezing.
So this was my secret. This was my big reveal. I was a witch and no one knew it. Well now Newman knew and his lackeys sure as shit didn’t miss the show.
Of course I didn’t know anyone else had entered the house until a deafening snarl of rage echoed through the room. At first I thought it was directed at me but I felt Bryce and David move behind me. I looked up to see Newman was still out cold from hitting his head on the marble top of the living room’s fireplace. The metallic smell of his blood made me want to hurl but I had no compulsion to.
I was getting way to use to this for my own good.
Calloused warm hands shooting sparks across my skin made me look up to see Seth looking at me in concern. His eyes darkened when his sight caught the already sore bruising I could feel ringing around my neck. Had he seen what I did to Newman? Would he hate me now?
“I did see.” He said, making me look up into his eyes again. “I always knew you were special, Sylvie. I just didn’t know how special until now. I’m not mad. Actually, I’m a bit relieved. I like knowing you can take care of yourself.”
I shot him a shaky but relieved smile. “That’s good.”
“I killed Bryce and David.” He informed me suddenly.
I sat up a little and saw the still twitching foot of David visable as the rest of his body was strwened into my hallway. Blood was all over the main enterance rug, so that was a big hint. I looked aronund and found Bryce with his eyes dead and dull like they were in life, open and staring into nothing. His jugular was ripped out and his arm was hanging on my a tendon.
My only thought as I looked at the newly made corpses in my house?
I’m going to need more tulips.