Hey!
Finals are done! I'm pretty sure I failed my math final, but oh wells - it's math. So, here's the next chapter! We're getting closer and closer to the end!!
~Lissa
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I awoke gradually, drifting between sleep and reality. Opening my eyes, I realized that it was early morning, really early, considering the sun hadn't made an appearance, yet. Usually, sunlight streamed in through the windows, stretching across the dusty floorboards. Rubbing my forehead, I looked over my shoulder, not surprised to find Drew snuggled against me, his arm wrapped securely around my waist. His mouth hung open as he breathed and every once in a while, a snore came. I took a deep breath and slowly, peeled his arm off me. He moaned in response, though his eyes remained shut. When his arm was off me, I scooted off the bed, quietly.
Glancing at him, I tiptoed across the bedroom and opened the door, stepping out into the dimly-lit hallway. It was awfully quiet; I wondered how early it was. I walked down several hallways, unsure of where I was going. I was wide awake, so there wasn't any point into crawling back into bed - I wouldn't be able to fall back asleep. I ran my fingers through my hair, surprised it wasn't tangled from the amount of tossing and turning in my bed. Lately, I hadn't been sleeping well; I blamed the stress of everything.
Stepping into the kitchen, I was relieved to see that I wasn't the only one struggling with sleep. My brother, Noah, was seated at the granite counter, sipping a glass of milk. He was shirtless with his hair sticking out in all sorts of directions; when he looked my direction, I noticed the dark circles underneath his eyes. He gestured towards the stool next to him and taking a deep breath, I walked around the counter and flopped down. Without asking, I grabbed his glass of milk and took a sip, handing it right back. "How long have you been down here?"
"Twenty minutes," he answered, quietly. "I can't sleep."
I sighed. "Same here."
There was silence as he took another sip of his milk. "So, I heard Caine is teaching you magic - Brody wouldn't shut up about how you're able to light a candle with your mind." I looked at him and shrugged, forcing a grin. He shook his head, spinning his milk around in his glass. "Wow, my little sister has magic. You know, I never thought we'd be here in this situation - with you being the mate of an Alpha and having magic. And, apparently, Mom had a mate, too. Jeez, things have gotten so messed up; I remember when our biggest concern was not failing school. Now, look at us - we're sitting in the Pack House of one of the largest packs in America willingly."
I tapped my fingers on the counter. "Yeah, things have definitely changed."
"And, we're going to war," he continued, shaking his head. "Against Dad and some f*cked-up werewolves."
I cleared my throat. "Have you spoken with him at all since you left?"
"I'm afraid to," he admitted, biting his bottom lip. "We both know he would start screaming, probably blame me for everything." He looked down at the milk in his glass, looking lost in thought for a moment. "You know, maybe this is all my fault. If I taught you better and didn't send you out hunting that day, you wouldn't have been taken - you wouldn't have even encountered these werewolves. Everything would be how it always was with us - "
"Noah, none of this is your fault," I told him, rolling my eyes. "Dad has always blamed us for everything; he blames me especially for Mom's death." His eyebrows knitted together as he looked at me in sadness. "After all, I was the one who found her dead - I think he believes I could've done something to save her. And, trust me, if I could've saved her, I would've, Noah." I nodded my head, blinking back tears as the image of my mother's ripped body appeared in my head. "But, sometimes, blaming others eases the pain."
"Sadly, I find that true," he mumbled, shaking his head. "I'm not saying that I like these werewolves - I still don't approve of you and Drew's relationship." I grinned and rolled my eyes, knowing there was some humor in his words. "But, I'm starting to see what you're seeing; they're not all terrible, Nora. I mean, Brody couldn't harm a fly and while some have taken lives, there are worse werewolves out there. They've made you happy; I haven't seen you this happy since before Mom died. And, for that, I owe them my loyalty in this war."
Still grinning, I responded. "I told you, they aren't monsters; these red-eyes are." He grabbed my shoulder and shook it, nearly shoving me off my stool in the process. I cleared my throat, gripping the edge of the counter, tightly. "What do you think Mom would say to us right now? Do you think she'd be angry that we've befriended the kind that murdered her?"
He was silent for a moment. "Honestly, I don't know. But, I think she'd be proud that we've stuck together - that we have each other's backs."
"She never liked it when we fought," I told him, shaking my head. "She always sent us to a corner when we fought, remember? We had to put our noses up against the wall and hold them there until we apologized to each other?"
He chuckled. "That was a cruel punishment to me."
I started playing with the ends of my hair as I thought back to our younger years. It was amazing how much we had grown up and where we were now. "Hopefully, she'll be watching over us when the war comes," he muttered, glancing at me. "Some crazy sh*t will be going down, Nora. There will be a lot of death." My mind flashed back to when Caine informed me about somebody in the room - Cole, Brody, Drew, Noah, Caine, me - dying.
I exhaled loudly. "I can't lose anybody else, Noah."
He forced a sad smile and extended his arm across my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. His bare skin rubbed against Drew's shirt and I placed my head on his shoulder with a tired moan. He pecked the top of my head and started rubbing my upper back, slowly. "Don't you remember, little sis? I'm a bada*s - so I won't be going anywhere."
I smiled.
* * *
"You're wasting your time," Drew told me, leaning against his office desk with his arms folded across his chest. It was mid-afternoon and for the last few hours, there had been an annoying tugging feeling in my stomach. It was almost as if butterflies were trying to warn me; I couldn't shake the thought that we were missing something. I pulled out another thick book from one of his numerous shelves and started flipping through it, skimming through the yellow pages. Drew watched me, looking bored. "Nora, there isn't anything on Killian in these books - I don't understand what you're looking for."
"It doesn't necessarily have to be about him," I responded, flipping another page. "I just have this weird feeling that we're missing something."
"There isn't anything we're missing," he assured, shaking his head. "Caine told us the story about Killian, remember? Now, how about we go eat some lunch? I'm starving; I heard Hulk is making his awesome bacon sandwiches."
I rolled my eyes. "How can you think about food right now?"
"Why not?"
"Did you forget we're going to war soon?"
He shrugged. "A man has to eat." In disbelief, I turned my attention back to the book in front of me. Realizing it didn't contain anything to help me, I slammed it shut and grabbed the next book on the shelf, flopping it down in front of me. Drew pushed away from his desk and started approaching me, gesturing towards the multiple books scattered around me. "Hey, can you at least put the books back when you're done with them? I have them in alphabetical order!"
I looked at him. "Well, why don't you do that? Prove yourself useful."
He frowned at me, though didn't argue with me. Instead, he flopped down across from me and started gathering the books, putting them back onto his bookshelves. Flipping through another book, I scanned through the yellow pages, seeing drawn pictures of werewolves. Some paragraphs described bone structures and the chemicals in a werewolf's blood, which allowed them their fast healing abilities. Disappointed, I slammed the book shut and grabbed another one, flipping it open with a moan.
"You know, I've been thinking," Drew drawled, slowly. I looked up at him, raising an eyebrow in question. He hesitated, before speaking. "When this is all over, I'm taking you to a tattoo parlor."
I laughed. "What?"
"You told me how you wanted three tattoos," he said, flashing back to that moment. "And, well, to celebrate our victory, why not get some tattoos?"
"How do you know we'll win?"
"I just know," he responded, grinning. "Come on, I'll be there to hold your hand." He stuck his bottom lip out in a pout, releasing a small sniffle. I rolled my eyes and closed the book in front of me, grabbing the next one on the shelf. I flipped the red-leathered book open, keeping my eyes glued on him. "And, you'll be there to hold mine when I get the one on my back."
My eyebrows shot up. "You want another tattoo? Of what?"
He winked. "It's a secret."
"Really?"
"You'll find out after the war," he told him, shaking his head. If we survive, I thought, biting my bottom lip. I forced a grin and looked down at the pages in the book, struggling to keep myself quiet about how Caine told me somebody was going to die in that room. If I told him, he would've forced me - no matter what - to stay at the Pack House where it was safe. But, I needed to defeat Killian; sooner or later, I was going to need to face him. Drew started placing the books back onto the shelf in alphabetical order, humming. Suddenly, a picture caught my eye on a page of the book in front of me; it was of a werewolf holding a woman in his arms. His teeth were sharp, buried into her neck; her eyes were closed, so automatically, I assumed she was dead.
I frowned. "I think I found something."
Drew looked at me. "What?" I started reading the two paragraphs next to the picture, feeling my chest tightening with each word. "Nora, what does it say?"
"I think Caine was wrong," I whispered, glancing at him. "Caine told me that Killian is testing me in my dreams, trying to figure out what I'm capable of. But, I don't think that's what Killian's main intention is, Drew." I skimmed over the last few sentences, gulping loudly at particular words. "I think he's trying to break me; he's using my weaknesses against me. In both dreams, my family was in them. The first one was only my mother who ended up dying and I couldn't do anything about it. . . because I couldn't move. The other one was my entire family and some men attacking us in our home - I had to save them. I-I don't think he expected me to win - I think my family was supposed to die in my dream, Drew."
He shook his head. "I'm lost."
"He's afraid he won't win against me, so he's been trying to break me," I said, feeling as if it was a slap in the face. "I-I think he wanted those dreams to have a huge impact on me."
"But, they're just dreams," Drew said, quietly. "Did he really think dreams were going to break you? He really isn't that bright."
I pointed at the paragraphs in front of me. "It'll make more sense when I read this to you." I cleared my throat and started reading the lines in front of me. "To achieve power, one must sacrifice. By ending a life of shared blood, one will be gifted with speed and strength for they'll be overwhelmed with the urge to kill. Though, to truly possess power, one must end one who cheated death. For they've cheated death, by returning to where they should've gone, Death himself with grant a wish to the returner." Gulping loudly, I looked up at Drew, seeing a concerned look on his face. He shook his head in disbelief, lost with words. "It makes sense, Drew. I cheated death; I died on the day my mother was giving birth. This is it!"
"There's no way. . ."
"Now, think about it," I told him, leaning forward. "What do you think Killian would wish for? He has a pack of red-eyes, all who've murdered their own blood and are loyal to him, but if you were in his position, what would you wish for?" He rubbed his forehead, his eyebrows knitting together. He thought about it for a moment, before his eyes widened. "If I was him, I'd wish to turn anybody into a red-eye with a simple bite; they wouldn't have to murder their own blood - he'd have more willing to follow him without killing their family."
He pointed towards the book. "But, that's insane, Nora! Death granting a wish?"
"Killian believes it - that's all that matters," I responded, shaking my head. "And, the only person standing in the way from that special bite of his, is me."
"Wait, so you think that's why he wants to fight you?"
"Yes, I told you that we were missing something - this is it." I looked down at the picture of the werewolf holding the dead girl in his arms and shivers shot up my spine in nervousness. "He needs to kill me to get his wish." Drew started nibbling on his upper lip in worry, gripping a book tightly in his hands. Judging by the look on his face, there were so many emotions happening with him. For me, I was mostly overwhelmed with shock and fear. "This is getting messier with each day, Drew. We need to tell the others - "
"Tell them what?" an unfamiliar voice came, startling me. I jumped in spot and whipped my head around, finding two men standing at the doorway of the office. Drew growled and rose to his feet, clenching his fists together. I stared at the two men, wondering if I knew them from Drew's pack. Both of them stood tall, though one had blonde hair while the other had brown. They were dressed in black from head-to-toe, which reminded me of my dream with my family. Their eyes shifted from Drew to me and slowly, I rose to my feet. "You aren't supposed to be in here."
Drew growled. "They aren't in my pack, Nora."
My eyes widened as the blonde one chuckled, tilting his head to one side. "It wasn't too hard getting past your members guarding the area - though, I must say, they put up one hell of a fight." Then, he dragged his finger along his black jacket and when he held it up, I noticed the thick blood. I gasped and squinting at them, I faintly saw the blood staining their dark clothing. Sh*t. Drew held out his arm and shoved me back behind him. "Come on, don't be difficult - just hand her over. We'll be out of here before you know it."
I scowled. "Let me guess, you're Killian's b*tches?"
The dark-haired one gritted his teeth together, though the blonde smirked. "Fiesty, I like." Drew growled and next thing I knew, the blonde added, "Lets get her." The dark-haired one lunged at Drew and tackled him into a nearby bookshelf, knocking multiple books off the shelves. I took a step forward to help him, but Drew glanced my direction and shouted, "Nora! Run! Go!" The dark-haired one swung his fist around, nailing Drew in the jaw while he was distracted.
Nearly forgetting about the blonde one, I whipped my head around. He was approaching me and with an evil grin, his eyes flashed bloody red. "Be a good girl. . ."
Drew pushed the dark-haired one off him. "Nora, don't fight him! Just run! Get out of here!" I looked at him, wondering why he thought I wasn't going to fight. But, when I looked at him, I noticed the desperation on his face, the concern on his face. He was pleading with his eyes for me to leave and I knew that if I stayed, he was only going to focus on protecting me rather than himself. The dark-haired one punched him in the gut when his attention was on me and I realized that I was right - he was more focused on me than himself. Gritting my teeth together, I rushed towards the door, but the blonde one stepped in my path. "Don't be difficult."
I started stumbling backwards, glaring at him. "Difficult is my middle name."
"Is that so?"
"Nora! Run!" Drew bellowed, tackling the dark-haired one to the floor. Nearing the wall, I realized that if I didn't think of something, I was going to be cornered. I glanced around, desperately. The blonde chuckled, obviously finding my behavior pathetic. At that moment, the craziest idea appeared in my head; my eyes landed on a window nearly five feet away. I'm going to regret this, I thought, wondering why in the hell I always listened to my own ideas, which most of the time, weren't the brightest.
I smirked. "Tell Killian I said 'f*ck you'!"
The blonde scowled with a hint of confusion behind his eyes. Then, I whipped around and took off, not thinking twice about it. Drew shouted my name in panic, though I didn't glance his direction. Crashing through the window, I felt wind smack into me from all sorts of directions, causing my hair to whip around, insanely. Shards of glass cut me in the air as I started plummeting to the ground below. There was a twisting in my stomach and I waved my arms around, holding back the breakfast threatening to come up. To be honest, I felt free; I felt as if everything was lifted off my shoulders. The war, my father, my mother's death. . .
But, then, I crashed into the ground with a painful thud! I released a scream as pain started appearing in my body. Shards of glass were stuck in different parts of me and splinters of it were buried in the palms of my hands. Gritting my teeth together, I slowly pushed myself onto my elbows and knees, feeling blood stream down my right thigh. I stopped myself when two shadows appeared in front of me, blocking the sunlight from my eyes. Hesitantly, I looked up, squinting at the two unfamiliar men standing before me. "Nora Myers."
"Well, sh*t."
Then, my eyes rolled back.