Broken

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Someone was calling my name, but I really didn't want to wake up. I was still so tired, and I'd had the most wonderful dreams. They were a little foggy now, but they seemed to involved Alec coming to my rescue, and then holding my hand as I went to sleep.

It wasn't until I finally placed the familiar voice, that everything started coming back to me. I sat up with an abruptness that nearly knocked Alec off of his perch on the edge of my bed. Him still being there, looking at me with a barely restrained amusement glimmering in his eyes, calmed my racing pulse.

"You're still here."

"You sound disappointed. Do you want me to leave?" His expression had taken on the guarded blankness I still hadn't learned how to read, so I wasn't sure whether he was joking or not.

"No, not disappointed, just surprised. I figured I'd wake up and find everything had just been one amazing, crazy dream."

I'd hoped that my reassurance would make the mask drop, but if anything Alec was looking at me even more seriously.

"Would you prefer things to take that course?"

It took me several heartbeats to understand what he was getting at, long seconds in which his face seemed to grow increasingly remote. "No, how could you think that? Why would I possibly want to have you vanish when I've just now finally found out it's you that's been watching over my mom and I since we got here?"

Alec looked away for a moment, and then stood up and walked over to the window. "It would be for the best you know. I could arrange for you both to leave the state, and never have to come back to Sanctuary again. You'd be safer."

I felt my mouth drop open as his words hit me with almost physical force. I wanted to turn and run away, but the quasi dream from the night before was just barely vivid enough to keep me in the room.

"Is that what you want? Not what's best for me, or what you think is best for me, but what you really want?"

The silence seemed to stretch into hours before Alec finally shook his head.

"Good, because I don't want to leave. You said last night that your life felt meaningless before I came here, well mine was even worse. The only thing that's kept me sane has been your behind the scenes help. I want to stay with you. I want to be with you."

Alec studied me for a moment longer, and then nodded, a short, choppy motion with little if any of his usual grace. "Very well then. It's just after ten o'clock. Your mom is about to pull into the driveway. Do your best to convince her you spent the night safely at home. We'll stay here and watch over the two of you. Also, if you can convince her it's safe to leave on an extended trip, that would be very helpful. Once she's gone, I'll come back for you."

I opened my mouth to ask him what he meant, only to be distracted by the sound of the Jeep's engine as it rolled to a stop on the cement pad.

As I looked back, Alec's eyes seemed to capture me. "You're sure this is what you want?"

I managed a nod, and then the downstairs door crashed open. "Adri, honey. Where are you?"

Alec was gone when I looked back, only the slight sway of my curtains gave evidence he'd just casually jumped out of my second story window.

I heard mom's equipment bags hit the floor one after another. The sound of her tromping up the stairs finally roused me from my state of shock.

"I'm in my room mom."

Apparently the sound of my voice was at least slightly reassuring, she was only a little wild eyed by the time she opened the door and stuck her head in my room.

"Oh, there you are dear. I was worried you were gone."

I forced a chuckle. "Please mom. Where else would I be? Saturdays are one of my only two chances all week to actually sleep in. It isn't like I'm going to climb out of bed at the crack of dawn and go hiking or something."

Mom's chuckle was almost genuine. If Alec hadn't implied she was going to suspect I'd been up to no good, I probably wouldn't have even noticed how off she sounded.

"You're right dear. I shouldn't have doubted you. I just had a few kids come hiking past this morning talking about this massive party the entire school was at last night. I know it's completely irrational, but I kept thinking about you there with all that alcohol."

I was so nervous about answering her question, that I didn't realize she was headed over to shut my window until she was already so close that there was no hope of intercepting her. Hopefully Alec had kept moving after he'd jumped. Otherwise mom's questions were about to get a bit more pointed.

"Mom, how could you think that? I've never even had the slightest desire to do something like that." The lies were starting to add up, but Alec had acted like it was important not to be grounded right now. That and I really didn't want to get into the kind of trouble the truth would bring.

"That's a good point, but you can't blame me for being worried sweetie. I mean with this new boyfriend of yours. You know I don't trust boys that drive sports cars. Especially not the really cute ones who have a way of making every female in sight go all gooey on the inside."

She slid the window shut with a sigh, rather than screaming in shock, so Alec wasn't lying on the ground with a pair of broken legs.

Apparently Brandon's charms were enough to make mom forget herself while he was around, but not so great as to keep her from worrying when he wasn't. I shrugged uncomfortably. "He's not my boyfriend, mom. I mean he wasn't really ever my boyfriend, but even less so now."

Mom looked away from the skyline, a new batch of concern painted across her features. "I'm so sorry dear. I didn't particularly approve of him, but I wasn't going to get really vocal about it. Not when he was your first boyfriend. What happened?"

I didn't have to pretend to be hurt and disappointed. Even knowing that Alec was everything I'd thought Brandon was, I still felt used and disappointed. "I just wasn't what he was looking for. He made it very clear the last time I saw him."

Mom crossed the distance from the window and wrapped her arms around me. "Teenage boys are so cruel. I'm sorry. Do you want to go out for ice cream this afternoon?"

My smile came much easier than it would have if Alec hadn't magically come into my life. "That is the time honored method for dealing with breakups."

Whatever mom had been planning on saying was interrupted by the perky jingle of her cell phone. She shot me an apologetic look as she answered it, but I already knew Mr. Peters had taken to calling her at unusual times to get updates on where she was at with her shots for the tourism brochure.

"This is she. Yes, I'm doing well thanks, may I ask who's calling? Yes, I am a photographer. Why yes, I did have a couple of pieces that I submitted last year, but they never got printed. No, I've never heard of...yes, of course. Well that's really not my area of expertise. I might know of a person or two who might be interested in helping you out..."

Mom's face was nearly as surprised as the time Dad had come home from work and announced he'd just taken the next two days off and we were going up to St. Cloud for a vacation starting in twenty minutes. I wasn't sure who'd called, or what exactly they were after, but it was looking like she was going to have a really good story to tell when she managed to get off of the phone.

"I appreciate your interest, but as I said, that really isn't the kind of thing I do. Oh. Well, I have commitments here, projects I'm working on. For three weeks?"

She looked at me with wide eyes. "I'd have to confirm that. Can I call you back in half an hour?"

Mom stood there with the phone up against her ear for several seconds before shaking herself and looking at me. "That was some kind of promoter. She wants me to go out and shoot a fashion show in Paris. For a week and a half, and then another one in Italy. I've never heard of either of the shows, but she's offering me twenty thousand dollars for just three weeks."

I felt my eyes go wide at the idea of something so unbelievable happening to us, and then even wider as I realized this must be what Alec had been referring to. 'Convince her it's fine for her to leave' indeed. He hadn't been kidding about getting us out of the country.

"Mom, you have to go! This is the biggest opportunity ever!"

She looked doubtful. "Sweetie, I know it seems exciting, and heaven knows we could use the money, but that just isn't my kind of thing."

I shrugged. "Ya, but once you've had some paying photography jobs it's sure to help land others. It isn't your ideal kind of work, but it's still a good start, and you never know where it might lead."

"I can't leave you here alone. Not only that, I've still got the brochure to do."

Obviously I was going to have to work harder. "Mom, I'll be fine. Just think of it as an extended hike. You'll even have cell phone coverage, so you can check in with me as often as you want." At least I hoped we'd be able to arrange that somehow. "As for the brochure, you've got scads of great shots already. Maybe if you call up Mr. Peters you'll be able to work something out."

Actually I was positive Mr. Peters would be amiable to the idea. At least he would be if Alec had remembered to work whatever magic he'd used on the Mayor the first time. Of course it was possible he'd forgotten to make the arrangements, but somehow I doubted it.

Mom looked like she was starting to waver. "It does seem like a great opportunity, but there just isn't any good way to know for sure it's legitimate."

That didn't sound like Alec at all. "Are you sure, mom? They didn't arrange anything you could use to verify they're for real?"

I suddenly realized why parents got such a big kick out of catching their kids doing something wrong. Mom looked so sheepish I almost laughed.

"Well he did say he'd arrange for an immediate advance to be wired over to our bank, but it's closed on Saturdays, and it isn't like I can go calling up the bank president for something trivial like that."

I opened my mouth, still unsure what to say in response to her latest excuse, only to be interrupted by her cell phone again.

"Yes, this is she. Mr. Kard? Oh, hello. A wire? Really? I didn't realize you even had anyone working today."

Mom listened for several more seconds and then hung up. "They just sent the money. Apparently it's for real. The bank president was just calling to tell me the money has been confirmed, subject to my accepting the job."

Now was the time to strike. "Mom, go call Mr. Peters, and I'll start pulling your stuff together."

It's amazing how quickly you can pack when it's for someone else, and they aren't around to tell you what you can or can't throw into their suitcase. Even with my lack of sleep starting to catch up with me, I was still essentially done by the time mom wandered into her room, staring at her phone like she wasn't sure it was really possible for it to have just told her what she'd just heard.

"He says it's fine. He'll swing by next week to pick up the shots I think are the most promising, and then he'll see if he can't put the brochure together from that."

She seemed to notice the suitcases and the empty hangers for the first time. "Honey, there isn't any reason to be in such a hurry. We haven't really decided to take the job yet, and even if we do, I'm sure we won't be able to arrange a flight for another day or two."

Right. If Alec really had arranged this incredible trip, literally overnight, he'd have her on a plane much faster than anyone else would've believed possible.

"Mom, we've already gone through every single one of your objections, and they've all been taken care of. I'll be fine, the brochure will still be completed on schedule, and the job is as real as it gets. The only thing left to do is call them back and accept before they decide to offer it to someone else."

It obviously hadn't crossed Mom's mind that they might decide to go with someone else. Waffling over whether or not to take the job was one thing when she was sure she'd have it in the end. It was entirely different when it might cost her the biggest break she'd ever had. She nodded jerkily as she stepped out of the room, already dialing.

I felt my eyelids drooping by the time she came back. "They want me to leave right now. She said she's already arranged for a charter plane out of St. George. If I leave in the next ten minutes, we can make the flight out of Salt Lake International with something like half an hour to spare."

We both sat there in silence for a few seconds as everything sunk in, and then Mom exploded into motion. She ran downstairs to repack her photography equipment, all the while yelling upstairs to verify that I'd packed all of the other essentials she was going to need.

Almost before I'd even finished assimilating how quickly Alec had pulled everything together, mom was backing down the lane as I waved goodbye.

Alec appeared within thirty seconds of mom's departure, Isaac close behind him. "We need to go. One of Brandon's people just got close enough to smell us. They left before we could tell for sure who it was, but the odds of them coming back with lots of help just went through the roof. If we're still around when they do, things will get ugly."

Part of me wanted to break down into a gibbering wreck. The rest of me just nodded calmly, and turned to head upstairs as Isaac politely passed me, apparently on his way to the kitchen. Alec gently grasped my shoulder before I'd even managed to take a step.

"There isn't time. We have to go now."

As soon as we were out the front door, Alec motioned for me to jump on his back, and then we were off with a speed I suspected an Olympic athlete couldn't have matched. The lane between our house and the road flew by faster than I'd ever driven it in a car.

The wind created by our passage was strong enough to make my eyes tear up, but I resisted the urge to close them. I occasionally saw shadowy shapes darting through the trees ahead or to either side of us, but there wasn't any way to be sure it was Isaac and Jasmin instead of Brandon and his entire pack.

A faint howl from behind us caused Alec to put on another terrifying burst of speed as we left the lane and turned to parallel the road. The sight of branches clawing at us as we slipped by them with little more than inches to spare was too much. I finally closed my eyes and ducked down as close to Alec's neck as I could get.

With one less sense distracting me, the rest of them seemed to kick into high gear. I could feel every step, including the occasional slide as the rough gravel we were running on wasn't up to bearing our combined weight without slipping. The bitter taste of fear along the back of my tongue was surprisingly strong, but even so I found my thoughts dwelling on the sheer pleasure of having my arms wrapped around Alec's rock-hard upper body.

The high-pitched scream of a performance engine pulled me away from my absurd musings. James' blue and white Accord passed us doing the better part of twice the legal speed limit, and then flipped around with the distinctive squeal of overworked tires.

Alec veered up onto the road as I looked back to find that even as fast as he was running, the Accord was still gaining on us at a prodigious rate.

As the car pulled even with us, Alec smoothly reached over, pulled the passenger door open, pried me off of his back, and slid me into the front seat without losing even a single step.

If everything had happened at something approaching normal speed, I probably would've started hyperventilating, but it was all so quick my mind didn't have a chance to fully register what was going on before I was safely ensconced next to James.

Jasmin and Isaac appeared alongside the road, seeming to materialize where there'd only been trees a half second before. Faster than I would have believed possible, all three of the shape shifters piled into the moving car, and then James stomped on the gas hard enough to break triple digits before slowing slightly for the first turn.

The mirror on my side of the car was perfectly positioned for me to be able to see three or four flashes of tawny brown sliding through the trees before the windy road carried us out of sight.

Alec nodded as I looked back and met his eyes. "They were pretty close. There weren't that many of them, but they could've decided to push the issue regardless."

I spent the rest of the trip, expecting someone to jump out of the trees, but faster than I'd have believed possible, the wrought iron gates I'd noticed on our trip out last night were swinging open, and we were turning off onto Alec's asphalt lane.

A distinguished-looking gentleman in his fifties was waiting for us as we screeched to a stop. His slightly disapproving frown hinted at decades of practice letting his 'bosses' know when they'd just crossed some kind of line, all the while never crossing any himself.

The shape shifters all exited the car, most before it had even stopped moving, and then Jessica and Dominic both appeared as I made my comparatively-slow way out of the vehicle.

"...everyone's ok. I was somewhat worried about taking so much of our strength away. I'm glad it worked out."

Alec turned towards the older man as I made my hesitant way over to the group. "Donovan, this is the young lady we hosted last night. Adri, this is Donovan."

Feeling even more awkward than normal, I stuck out my hand, only to feel my eyes widen as he gracefully took my hand in his own, and bent down to brush his lips across it.

"My sincere apologies that we weren't better hosts. Please let me know if there is anything you need to make your stay here more comfortable."

I stammered out a thanks as Donovan released my hand. The rest of Alec's friends were already disappearing, Isaac and Jessica around back towards the garden, while James and Dominic were already inside his car, and backing down the lane.

Alec took my hand as Donovan opened the front door for us. He walked with a definite limp, one that was all the more painful when contrasted against his otherwise graceful movements. I looked questioningly at Alec, but he shook his head, so I stayed quiet as he led me into the house.

Rachel was waiting for us in a luxuriously-furnished sitting room. "Mother's been asking for you Alec. I told her you'd be back soon, but she's worried."

"I suppose this is a good opportunity to introduce Adriana."

For the first time since I'd found out about Alec's secret, Rachel was looking uncertain. She was suddenly the old Rachel I knew from school instead of the confident young woman who'd helped face down three terrifying shape shifters intent on sending me back to Brandon.

"Are you sure, Alec? I could go help her get settled into the Lilac Room."

Alec's smile was gentle. It reminded me of how mom looked when I offered to take care of some especially undesirable duty she'd been procrastinating.

"No, mother's still the mistress of this house. We've waited too long as it is. If we don't take care of it now it may be another week or two before we have a chance, and Donovan will be severely disappointed in both of us."

They were both smiling now, as if in some shared joke, but that didn't help diffuse the sudden feeling of nervousness sweeping through me. Rachel followed us down a series of corridors, and then waited as Alec knocked on a plain, oak door.

A half second passed, and then responding to something too faint for me to hear, Alec gently opened the door. A slightly tilted eyebrow seemed to ask Rachel if she wanted to come inside, but she shook her head, now with the slightest of quivers to her chin.

Whatever I was expecting from Alec and Rachel's reactions, I didn't get it. The airy, sunlit room we walked into was almost like being outside. There were a number of plants scattered about the space, some resting on the floor, others on a variety of slender stands. The effect was ethereal. It was hard to imagine that any of the spun-metal stands could support anything more substantial than a box of Kleenex.

It wasn't until we were further inside that I realized there was an entire alcove off to one side, almost completely dominated by a black grand piano. The piano was so breathtaking it was several seconds before I realized there was someone sitting at it.

"Alec. I'm so glad you're safe. Rachel was going on and on about some kind of problem with the pack. She's so excitable. I told her everything would be fine, but she worries so. Your dad was the same way. Always going on and on about some crisis or another, but nothing ever really materialized."

Alec's mom was tiny. It was easy to see where Rachel got her slight frame from, but there was more than just genetics at work. I'd never seen someone with so little extra flesh on their bones, at least not outside a hospital. It seemed she should be wearing a hospital gown instead of the white, flower print summer dress I was almost sure cost more than my whole wardrobe.

"We're experiencing a time of more than usual difficulty, mother, but that isn't why I've come by. I wanted to present my friend Adriana to you. She'll be staying with us for the next few weeks."

I got a distracted smile. "That's nice dear. You remind me so much of your father. So serious and worried all the time. Oh how I miss him."

Alec let his mother take both of his hands in hers. "I know you do, mother. Rachel and I miss him too."

Alec's mom tossed her head. "You barely remember him. Rachel's a good girl, but she was so young when he died. She can't really miss him. Not like I miss him."

For a second I thought he was going to argue with her. His tired smile had the feel of resignation, of something that'd been well argued over the years.

"Will you play something for us, mother? Adriana hasn't had the pleasure of listening to your songs."

I'd rarely seen anyone change moods so quickly. "No. You know it isn't ready. I'll tell you when I've perfected it. Yes, you can bring Rachel, but I can't let anyone listen to it before it's ready."

Alec bowed his head in acquiescence, grasping my hand as he turned to leave. His mother grabbed his arm before he could complete the motion. He halted instantly, despite there being no way she was strong enough to stop him. I doubted she had enough grip strength to slow even me down.

"Don't be angry with me Alec. You're all I have left."

"I'm not angry, mother, but you're wrong. You have much more left than just me."

She shook her head with a youthful smile. "Such a good boy."

Rachel, tears coursing down her face, stormed off as Alec pulled his mother's door shut behind us.

I started to follow her, but Alec recaptured my hand in his. "She just needs a little time. Donovan will alert Jasmin."

My surprise must have bled through to my face. Alec's smile had a tinge of sadness to it as he led me away. "There's still a lot you don't know about all of the others. There's much I could tell you about Jasmin, but it isn't my story to share. Suffice it to say only Dominic has a greater capacity for empathy."

I wanted to ask what Alec meant, but it was more and more obvious he wasn't going to answer anything he didn't want to. We walked in comfortable silence for several minutes before turning off into what I could only assume was the Lilac Room.

Donovan looked up as we entered the suite. "I trust your mother was well, sir?"

Alec nodded, a short choppy motion that eloquently conveyed his desire not to discuss the matter. He turned towards me, only to break off as a cell phone rang.

"It's for you, probably your mom. Pretend you're home, I'll explain once you're finished."

I almost dropped the phone, and probably wouldn't have managed to figure out how to answer the call in time if he hadn't reached over and pushed the green button for me.

"Hello?"

"Adri, honey, are you sure this is a good idea? I haven't gotten on the charter plane yet, there's still time to call this off if you're uneasy about being alone for so long."

The last place I wanted her right now was home though, so it was easier than normal to lie.

"Mom, this is the chance of a lifetime. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

There was a long pause as her dreams warred with normal maternal instincts. I could hear a plane start up in the background by the time she finally responded.

"Ok, honey. If you're sure, then we'll do it, but if anything comes up just call me. I'll keep my cell phone with me all the time, and I made them promise to fly me back no questions asked if it became necessary."

I stifled a laugh at the idea of mom making a twelve hour flight back to the US because I stubbed my toe, and instead tried to interject even more sincerity in my voice.

"I'll be fine mom. I even promise to stay out of trouble. Have a safe flight."

I stared at the cell phone for several seconds before looking up at Alec, who was just putting a cell phone that could have been the twin to the one I was holding away.

"You redirected our calls?"

"Correct. That's what Isaac was doing in the kitchen after your mom left. I thought it might come to this, so I had him bring along some of this toys. You'll want to change the message sometime tonight, so you can let it roll to the voice mail if she calls while you're at school."

"You really do think of everything don't you?"

His smile was surprisingly bashful. "I don't think you can go that far, but I try to anticipate most eventualities." The smile disappeared, and his face seemed to put on additional years. "For most of my life, there's been quite a bit riding on my ability to do so."

Seeking to break the tension, I pointed to his phone. "You got a call too?"

"Yes. I'm afraid something has come up. Will you be ok here for a few hours?"

Normal human response was to make a little white lie, but I got the feeling I wouldn't be able to get away with lying to Alec.

"I rather suspect whatever 'came up' is important enough I'll just have to be ok."

He flinched a little, like maybe my aim had been a little too true. He looked for a moment like he was going to say something, but then his phone started vibrating again, and he simply nodded as he turned and walked away, moving much faster by himself than he did when I was with him.

As I stared at the empty space where he'd been standing just a second before, I felt my chest start to constrict, and my breathing speed up. The sense of terror racing along my synapses was completely irrational, and extraordinarily powerful. Just as the room began to spin crazily around me, I felt a gentle touch on my shoulder.

"Mistress, Paige, is there anything I can get you? Something to eat perhaps? Or if you'd rather, I can show you to the theater."

I chopped off a hysterical burst of laughter just before it managed to emerge full force and totally embarrass me. Of course Alec had a theater in his house. Probably a pool and a gym too. Along with a half dozen other amenities I'd never think of, but that the ultra-rich simply couldn't do without.

I pulled my erratic, pointless thoughts back into a compact, nearly-sensible ball, and shook my head as I did my best to give him a genuine smile. "No thanks. I probably won't be hungry for several hours still. Is there a library in the house perhaps?"

Donovan's smile had a surprising touch of mischief to it. "Actually, you could say that we have two. In a manner of speaking."

I felt a more genuine smile working its way across my face. "Could we go to one of them? I really should be doing my homework, but I'd much rather just curl up with a good book."

Donovan picked up the cell phone that I, unsure whether or not it was really mine, had left on the bed, and handed it to me. "I believe you'll want to keep this with you at all times. Otherwise it won't be able to fulfill its assigned purpose. And yes, we can most definitely go to one of the libraries. In fact, I believe you'll find the smaller one quite satisfactory. It has a copy of every textbook currently in use at your high school, in case you reconsider.

There were more turns than I had any hope of ever remembering, but eventually we made it to a familiar looking door. At a nod from Donovan I pushed it open, and then as the furnishings registered, I turned back around. "This is Alec's room. I couldn't possibly..."

Donovan shook his head. "Young Mr. Graves instructed that you were to have every convenience. I'm sure that included access to what we all jokingly call the second library. Besides, this is where you'll find the copies of all your textbooks."

It must have been obvious I wasn't convinced, but Donovan wasn't dissuaded. He pointed to the cell phone, still grasped uncomfortably in my hand. In the event that you need something, it is likely you can just say my name and I'll hear you. If not, that wonderfully infernal device is I believed programed to call me if you hold down the ninth button. I am of course completely at your service."

I opened my mouth to protest, but moving much too quickly, even with his painful looking limp, to be a normal human, he'd already vanished around the corner.

I stood awkwardly in the doorway for several minutes, but I couldn't resist the draw of all those books forever. I finally broke down and started tracing various spines as I decide which one I'd start with. Unfortunately I found the textbooks before I made a final decision, and then guilt over how poorly I was doing in Biology and Spanish won out.

I was halfway through my second re-read of my Biology chapter, when I heard a quiet knock at the door. Rachel giggled a little at my guilty start. "Don't worry; it's just fine that you're here. I ran into Donovan and he told me where to find you. I just wanted to apologize for earlier."

I shook my head violently. "No, you don't have anything to be sorry about. It...well, it was all so horrid. I can't imagine how hard it must be for you."

Rachel stopped me before I could say anything else. "It's pretty rough, but not for the reasons you think. Mom isn't entirely healthy. Hasn't been since our father was killed. It isn't really her fault she behaves the way she does. When we humans get involved with shape shifters sometimes we pay a pretty serious price."

It took me several seconds to understand why Rachel's words seemed so odd. Ever since learning Alec's secret I'd assumed everyone here was a shape shifter. Only I hadn't ever felt the underlying hint of power and energy from her that I'd come to associate with Alec and the others.

"Wait, you're not a shape shifter? How is that possible?"

Rachel's expression as she tried to understand my question was so surprised it actually managed to lighten the mood.

"Oh, I forget sometimes how much you don't know. I'm normal, and mom's normal, but everyone else is a shape shifter. Human-shape shifter marriages almost never happen, but when they do the kids can go either way. Alec became a shape shifter, and I'm just a run of the mill girl without even a single superpower."

We sat in silence for several seconds as I tried to process how that new piece of information fit in with everything else I already knew. The obvious, if somewhat selfish, implication was that maybe it really was possible for someone like Alec to want to be with someone like me. There were plenty of other things to think about though.

"Wow, is that hard? I mean living with people who can do all those things?"

Rachel's shrug was surprisingly sincere. "It was a bit at first, especially right after Alec first started manifesting. Ok, maybe I was crazy jealous then, and again a couple of years later when it became apparent I wasn't going to manifest anything, but I got over it."

My raised eyebrow was completely involuntary, and apparently more eloquent than I'd realized. At least it earned me another laugh. "It wasn't like it was easy or anything, but Donovan gave me some good advice when things were the worst. I don't remember his exact words, but essentially it came down to the fact that there'll always be people who're better than me at something. Even gaining super powers wouldn't change that. What's important is that I do the best I can with what I've been given. As crazy as it sounds, Alec's pack needs me."

I mentally reached around for something similar and then finally nodded. "I guess I can understand that. My mom would have a hard time functioning without me, so I try to do the best I can at taking care of her."

Rachel's smile seemed to light the room up. "That's it exactly. Anyways, I mostly just wanted to stop by and see if us girls can take you shopping tomorrow."

The non sequitur really threw me for a loop. "I left my money at home. I'm not much of a shopper anyways."

That last part sounded pretty weak even to me.

"Don't be silly. Alec hustled you out of your house so quickly you didn't get to bring anything but the clothes on your back. Jasmin's clothes will fit you pretty well, but that's only a short term-solution. We need to get you stuff to wear, and since it was Alec who created this mess, it's only fair he be the one to pay."

I was absolutely sure there was no way I was ever going to fit into anything Jasmin owned, but girls being girls, there was no point in protesting. Regardless of the truth, Rachel would be obliged to say I was just as skinny as Jasmin.

"I don't think Alec exactly got me into all of this. It was more like my own stupidity that landed me in this particular batch of trouble."

"Please, as if any girl who didn't know what a jerk Brandon was, would've done anything different. He's gorgeous. It isn't until you realize just how hollow he is, that anyone has a chance of resisting him."

There wasn't really any response to that. "So, what's going to happen now? I mean with Brandon's pack? Everyone seemed really worried last night."

"I'm not sure. Not really. It won't be straightforward; nothing involving Brandon ever is. His pack is bigger, but we've always had the laws on our side before this..."

Rachel broke off as she saw my eyes get bigger. "Sorry, that's touching on some of the things I'm not supposed to tell you."

I shrugged, pretending indifference. "How soon will we know if it's really bad or just a little bad?"

"I don't know. Things were already pretty tense. That's probably where Alec is right now actually. Brandon's people are always skirting around the edge of our territory, but tonight they'll be out in greater numbers than normal. If things don't boil over now, it's pretty much guaranteed that there will be some kind of confrontation Monday at school."

The word confrontation seemed to reach out and grab me. It took a second before I realized it was dragging up memories of the near fight between Alec and half his pack. "What happened last night...it was for real wasn't it?"

Rachel didn't ask what I meant; she didn't even bat an eye. "I'm afraid so. Don't hate the others too much. Sometimes when you're that scared it's hard to keep things in perspective. Now that they've calmed down a little nobody would really trade you to Brandon on the tiny chance it might smooth things over. Not when we'll eventually end up in exactly the same spot."

"It felt kind of like a game of capture the flag, with me as the flag." It wasn't the most flattering comparison ever invented, but at least it allowed me to try and convince myself I'd imagined the near violence.

Rachel's laugh was short and bitter. "That would be quite the understatement. I've known all five of them for quite a while. Most of them my whole life. Even so, I don't really know what it's like to be a shape shifter. Most of the time it just means they're faster and stronger than me. That they can heal from things that would kill me almost instantly. Sometimes though, the other side of their nature shows through."

I felt my heart speed up as Rachel met my eyes with more gravity even than normal. "They aren't always completely in control, Adri. They try, and some of them are really good. Alec is probably the most controlled person I've ever met, and Isaac is so disciplined he's almost immune to the power plays. Even so, sometimes it's like they operate on a shorter fuse than the rest of us."

My throat was so dry it took me two attempts to clear it. "Could Alec have won?" The question stuck in my throat, reluctant to come out. It felt disloyal to Alec but I had to know.

"I don't know. Individually Alec could take any of them. There's a reason he's dominate to all of the rest of them. James is a hybrid too. He isn't even second in the pack because Isaac is a better fighter than him, but he makes for a strong third. Jasmin is essentially fourth, although sometimes she gets away with bossing James and even Isaac around. Apparently she's a lot tougher than a normal wolf should be, and she's just crazy enough to fight to the death over something that the other two don't think is really all that important. Jessica is pretty much the most submissive, not by temperament, but because she's the weakest fighter we've got."

I felt my eyes go wide at all the new terms, but kept my mouth shut because I was worried Rachel would clam up if I started asking questions.

"I'm pretty sure Alec could take two of them, but not all three. They knew that, which was part of the reason they were pushing so hard."

I felt shivers crawl up my spine, but what could someone say after something like that? Rachel reached over and gave me a hug. "Try not to think about it too much. Just remember that Alec's dominate to everyone here, and he'd die for either of us without even a heartbeat's worth of hesitation."

After Rachel left I spent the next hour trying to get comfortable in Alec's desk chair. It was likely the discomfort was more due to the subject matter than the chair, but I just couldn't get comfortable. I finally moved my books over to the bed and sprawled out on it. Spanish, Math, History, Biology, English. The subjects all blurred together as the hours passed by in a blur of academic exhaustion.

I wanted to go to sleep long before dark, but couldn't justify it, so I just kept grinding along. I'd long ago learned that changing subjects and studying something new was almost as good as a break, so I swapped out books on a regular basis, and persevered despite increasingly-frequent head bobs.

The attack came as a complete surprise. One moment I was quietly studying, an instant later hordes of shape shifters were pouring into the mansion. Most of them looked just like Simon and Nathanial, pony sized wolves moving with blinding speed as they tore through doors and raced down halls.

Brandon came in immediately behind the first batch of wolves. There was no way I could've known that the gray monster who casually sliced through walls and two by fours with his wickedly curved claws was Brandon, but I was somehow certain. He was built just like Alec had been Friday night, only so much bigger that he had to crouch forward to avoid hitting his head on the unusually high ceilings.

Donovan faced off against one of the first wolves, but it was obvious he was no match for the grace and power of his opponent. The gentle, aging butler was knocked to the ground between one heartbeat and the next. I was mercifully spared from seeing the wreckage left when Brandon's wolves moved on, but there was no doubt in my mind that Donovan was dead.

Screams, distant enough that they had to be coming from the other wing of the house, reached out and pierced my heart. There wasn't any way to be sure whether or not it was Rachel or her mother, but ultimately it didn't really matter. Brandon was going to kill all of us.

Another door caved in under a blow from Brandon's fist, and I suddenly realized that he was now standing in the Lilac Room. "Spread out and find her."

The words were nearly unintelligible, coming as they did from a throat that shared little in common with Homo sapiens, but the venom behind them was unmistakable.

I fled the bed where I'd been studying, and hid in Alec's studio, but I could hear them getting closer, the dissident melody of growls, howls, and destruction growing stronger as they rampaged through the house.

Terror seemed to stretch time out, but even so it felt as though only seconds had passed before I felt Brandon enter Alec's suite. I crouched frozen on the floor as my death crept ever closer. As Brandon crashed through the studio's far wall in an explosion of plaster and lumber, I tried to shield my eyes, only to find that I couldn't move.

The incongruity of being restrained when I couldn't see anything constraining my movements was enough to finally snap me back to wakefulness, but it was still several seconds before I stopped thrashing and realized it'd just been an extraordinary terrifying nightmare.

As soon as I stopped moving, the iron band around my arms relaxed and slipped away. "Are you ok? I'm sorry about that, I was afraid you were going to hurt yourself."

Alec's even tones caressed me like a calming breeze. I finally oriented myself enough to realize that the warm, solid surface my back was resting against wasn't a wall.

"I'm sorry. It was a nightmare." My voice came out raw and scratchy, like I'd been talking for hours, or possibly just screaming for the last minute or so. I wanted to tell him about what had happened, but now that I was awake my fears felt foolish. I tried to distract myself by looking around, and then felt my face heat up as I realized I'd fallen asleep in Alec's room.

"I'm so sorry Alec. Donovan and Rachel told me you had copies of our textbooks in here. I was studying and must have fallen asleep. Please don't think..." I felt tears start to gather at the corner of my eyes, but there wasn't any way to tell whether they were attributable to simple terror, acute embarrassment, or a combination of the two.

Alec's arm was back, and he gently hugged me against his chest. "It was all just a dream, and you don't have anything to be sorry about. I don't mind you being here. I'm sorry I had to leave you alone for so long, it was inexcusable."

I wanted to say something, wanted to tell Alec he didn't need to worry about me, that I'd spent enough time by myself lately to be happy with my own company, but the words wouldn't come out. The sheer pleasure at having him hold me so close was like a drug. I could feel the pleasant, tingly sensation I'd started associating with his touch, and it was like the best full body massage, tied up with chocolate and reading a classic.

Unaware of my mild state of euphoria, Alec continued on. "Actually, I owe you another apology. When I returned and found you here I meant to carry you to your room. I was only going to sit down for a second, but apparently I was more exhausted than I realized. I hope you don't think my actions are inappropriate."

I managed to slowly shake my head no, despite my lassitude. Alec waited several seconds, and then sighed. "Well I suppose I'd better get you off to bed."

The words initially didn't mean anything to me. I heard them, but my mind refused to assign meanings to the sounds. It wasn't until he'd moved his arm and rolled out of bed with his characteristic speed and grace that I finally realized he meant to take me to the Lilac Room and then return here to sleep.

I suddenly had a hard time breathing. The idea of lying alone in the dark, in the very room I'd just seen Brandon demolish, sent my heart into an erratic rhythm. If there'd been an EMT present they'd already be charging up the defibrillator.

Alec turned around while I was still trying to get my throat to work again. "You stopped breathing. What's wrong?"

The tears his touch had dried up a few seconds before were back, and just seconds away from escaping the corners of my eyes by the time I finally pulled myself up onto my knees and managed to speak.

"Please don't send me there. Not after my dream."

There was just enough moonlight trickling into the room for me to see his expression change. My stomach seemed to reach up and wrap itself around my heart as I realized it was the expression he used when it was important to him that people not know what he was thinking.

"I'm not sure that's the best idea."

The tears finally made their escape as I crumpled back onto the bed. "You're right. I'm so sorry to be such a bother." The words were broken by gasping sobs, but they were understandable, if only just barely.

Alec's hand on my shoulder just made me try to roll away. I didn't want his pity. Not after everything else he'd already done for me. Guilting him into helping me more just felt wrong.

He captured me in his iron grip, stopping me from getting up and running away. "Adriana Page, it isn't that I don't want to be with you. Point of fact that's what I want more than anything else right now. That's why I'm not sure it's such a good idea."

His face had somehow gotten so close to mine that I could see his eyes, and they were dead serious. I'd never noticed how clear his eyes were. They were the purest blue I'd ever seen, and looking into them was like trying to plumb the depths of a bottomless spring. I could see further into him than I ever could with Brandon, and there wasn't any deception there.

I nodded, and then buried my face against his chest as I cried myself out. It was several minutes before I was able to speak again.

"You're so ready to send me away it's hard to believe sometimes that you really want me here."

Alec stroked the side of my face, ending by tucking a strand of hair back in place behind my ear. "I really want nothing as badly as I want you here. If I were to be completely selfish I'd never have even made the offer, but that wouldn't have been fair to you."

I snuggled closer to him. "Well I just want to log my vote for you to be more selfish."

Alec's dry chuckle hinted at old hurts. "According to my father, we shape shifters were created specifically for the purpose of not being selfish, of watching out for the dayborn even at the expense of our own desires."

"You miss your dad. I can tell it in your voice."

His shrug would've been imperceptible except for the fact his arms were still wrapped around me. "I do. I don't really remember him, but I've read through his journals dozens of times. It seems crazy to miss what you never really knew, but there are days when I really wish he were still around to give me advice. I think that's what I missed the most. That and his stories."

I smiled. "That sounds nice. We never really got stories at my house. Dad played with us plenty, but bedtime was bedtime."

"Donovan said he used to tell me stories every night. After he died Donovan took over telling them to both Rachel and I. It wasn't until after I grew up that I found out they were legends about where we came from. That we weren't normal like everyone else."

"Like the..dayborn? What did you mean earlier?"

Alec was quiet for so long that I thought maybe he wasn't going to answer. "That touches on the things you shouldn't know."

"Please. It will help me go to sleep. I need something else to think about." It was a bit of a white lie. As soon as he'd touched me everything else ceased to matter.

"Once upon a time the Sun and the Earth loved each other. So much so that the Sun sent her children down to live upon the Earth's face."

I was relaxing so quickly that I wasn't sure how much longer I would be able to stay awake, but his story was already different than any other I'd heard, and I resolved I wasn't going to miss any of it. As long as he was willing to talk I was going to fight off sleep.

"Something happened though to break the bonds between the Sun and the Earth. Some say the Earth insulted the Sun, who is incredibly vain. Others believe the Sun's children somehow marred the face of the Earth, and that when she refused to discipline her wayward family, the Earth swore in his wrath to destroy them."

Alec adjusted his pillow and continued. "Whatever the cause, it's commonly held that this was the point at which the Earth ceased to be a paradise. Bountiful gardens were replaced by weeds and thorns. Hurt and betrayed, the Sun distanced herself from the Earth, lessening the number of life-giving rays warming his surface. Possibly that was his plan. If she'd totally abandoned him then her children would've all died."

I felt my eyelids begin to flutter, as my breathing slowed to match Alec's

"Whether that was his intent or not, the Sun didn't completely abandon him, either out of respect for what they'd shared, or possibly out of concern for her children. Once it became apparent that the Earth and Sun were through with each other, the Moon began to court her. Doomed to touch only briefly during the rare solar eclipses, they nevertheless became beloved, one to the other. The greatest sign of the Moon's devotion to the Sun came about when he sent his children down to the Earth to watch over and protect the sunborn, or dayborn as they are most often called."

Alec's pause was long enough that I think I nodded off, but the sound of his voice once he resumed talking pulled me back awake.

"Originally there were just two of the moonborn, a pair of brothers called Adjam and Inock. Unbeknown to the Moon, the Earth had anticipated his great gesture of love, and sent forth a plague upon the land. As Adjam, the elder of the brothers, descended from the heavens and touched down upon the Earth, he collapsed to the ground in pain. Despite his agony as the very bones of his body rearranged themselves, he managed to call out a warning to Inock, to flee back to the Moon. The love of Inock for Adjam was so great that he rushed to his brother's side, where he too fell victim to the Earth's plague."

I wanted so very badly to remain awake, but wrapped comfortably in the warmth of Alec's arms, I couldn't fight of exhaustion any longer, and I felt myself drift off into dreams of two brothers who survived the plague, rising from the ground after seven days, one a wolf, the other a jaguar.