Alec Graves
Graves Estate
Sanctuary, Utah
I left Kaleb's office wobbly on my feet from blood loss and mentally and emotionally exhausted. Part of me wanted to just go curl up on my bed and sleep off the worst of my injuries, but I knew that would only solve my physical problems, so I headed the other direction, away from my bedroom, towards one of the few sources of solace that I still had.
My mother's suite of rooms occupied nearly one whole side of the wing that housed them. Built during a happier time, back before Kaleb had been able to wrangle himself a spot on the Coun'hij due to the sheer size of his pack, Mom's rooms hinted at what Kaleb might have been if he hadn't decided to pursue power at any and all cost.
It took more than five minutes to cross the length and breadth of the house, but the journey was worth it. I knocked on her door and then at her invitation I entered into what felt like an entirely different world. Most of the house seemed to consist of dozens of long halls with no natural light, but Mother's rooms were liberally sprinkled with windows that allowed plenty of light in regardless of the hour or season.
The masterpiece of the entire suite was the receiving area in its center which was a giant solarium that contained dozens of plants, an exquisite grand piano, and half a dozen simple chairs scattered into different corners of the room. Some of the tension seeped out of me as my mother and my sister Rachel looked up at me and smiled.
Mother was dressed in a light cotton dress that looked like it belonged on a runway in Paris. "Come sit down, Alec, you look like you've had a rough day."
As I made my way around the greenery that seemed draped on every horizontal surface, Rachel jumped to her feet.
"Can I get you something to eat or drink, Alec? You probably need to build back up your reserves after being in another fight."
"Thanks, Rachel, the usual would be great."
"Right, one baby elephant, raw, coming right up."
I rolled my eyes at her as she left, started to sit down, and then stopped as I realized I'd get Mom's chair bloody if I did that. Mother turned the fountain at the center of the room to full strength and then motioned at the chair again.
"Please, Alec. Sit down. The chair can be cleaned up later, but you look like you're carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. What happened today?"
The fountain served very nearly the same purpose as Kaleb's white noise generator, but was much more pleasant than the hissing and pops that the small boxes produced.
"Vincent has been baiting Jasmin for days now. She's done a decent job of keeping her cool until today. She said something that really pissed him off and he was pretty much ready to rip her head off, so I intervened."
An uninformed viewer might be forgiven for thinking my mother frail, but while her body was indeed slender to the point of almost being unhealthy, there was something in her eyes that gave lie to that appearance of weakness. Mother would never go toe to toe with someone like Vincent, not given that she was only human, but there was a strength of will to her that exceeded anything I'd ever seen out of anyone else.
"I can't fault your loyalty to your friends, Jasmin especially, but you risk so much each time you put yourself between one of them and Vincent or the others. If your father decides that you're getting above yourself the consequences may be profound."
"I know. I've already been to see Kaleb. I got off on a technicality, but I think he mostly went easy on me because he started to expose a little bit of his master plan to me today. He's hoping that I'll manifest an ability soon, and that it will be strong and useful enough that he'll be able to set me up as a counterweight to Brandon."
I almost missed the fine tremble in her hands as first she and then I mentioned Kaleb. Someone else probably would have thought that there wasn't anything wrong, but I'd had years to learn the subtle signs. She was still occasionally able to maintain her composure enough that I didn't notice what it cost her to talk about him, but today wasn't one of those days.
Mother noticed my stare and shrugged away my concern. "It's not as though we can avoid talking about him. I actually relish the withdrawal symptoms. It means that I've succeeded in staying away from him for longer than I thought possible at one point."
Of all the things I hated Kaleb for, addicting my mother to his touch was at the very top of the list. All shape shifters gave off an energy that provided a subtle high for the humans who came into contact with their skin, but the effect was magnified for the most powerful hybrids and Kaleb was one of the most powerful shape shifters currently living.
"Why do you let him re-addict you?"
She sighed and then looked towards the door that led to the kitchen where I could just hear Rachel pulling together a light snack for us.
"I wish I could give you an answer and feel like it was the full truth, but I'm not sure I really know. I keep telling myself that I stay because of you and Rachel, that I stay because of the innocents that are born into the pack every month, that I'm doing all of this because, although Kaleb has a terrible hold over me, I also have a different kind of hold over him. I'm doing good by being here. I wrangle concessions out of him that make life better for the weakest members of the pack, but there is a tiny part of me that whispers late at night that I don't leave because I don't want to, because his hold over me is stronger even than I want to admit."
It was a rare moment of vulnerability for my mother and I didn't know how to respond, but she shook off the brooding air that had come over her while she'd been talking and smiled at me as Rachel walked back into the room.
"Sorry, Alec. I'm afraid that we're fresh out of baby elephants in there, but I did round up some cheese and crackers."
"Thanks, Rach. That sounds perfect."
Rachel set the large silver tray down on the low table that our chairs were arranged around and then frowned.
"You guys have paused like you were having a conversation that I'm not allowed to participate in."
I saw a flash of alarm in Mother's eyes, but lying to Rachel was a simple matter compared to dealing with other shape shifters.
"It wasn't anything big, Rach. I was just telling Mom about my latest run-in with Dad."
There was an innocence to Rachel that usually made me refer to Kaleb as our father in her presence. At fifteen she was more than old enough to understand all of the ways in which he didn't deserve the familial title, but she still held out some kind of childlike hope that we'd find some kind of justification for the worst of what he did and that would in turn allow us to be one big happy family again.
"How did things go?"
I shrugged, unwilling to disillusion her further. "About like normal. He told me that I'm not measuring up and threatened to punish me if I can't get my act together."
Rachel frowned, but Mother had pulled herself together enough to defuse the situation. "Rachel, dear, why don't you go to my bedroom and grab the bags from our last trip down to Vegas. I've been thinking about that black cashmere sweater we bought. I think we should give it to Jasmin, but let's see what Alec thinks before we actually wrap it up."
Rachel rolled her eyes at us. "I know that you're just trying to lose me so that you can go back to talking about stuff you don't want me to know, but I'll go as long as you agree to take me shopping again next week."
Mother smiled. "I should know better by now than to try to pull the wool over your eyes, my darling. It's a deal. Will Las Vegas suit or do you want to range further afield than that?"
Rachel shrugged. "I'll think about that and get back to you tomorrow." A second later she'd disappeared into the hall that led towards Mother's bedroom.
"I'm glad that your conversation with your father went okay, Alec. How did you feel about his offer to set you up as a pack leader?"
"It was tempting, but the more I think about it the more I realize that you can't be set up as a pack leader. It's the kind of thing that you have to earn yourself or you'll always be looking to whoever installed you as alpha in the first place to secure your position."
Mother's smile and nod was like a ray of sunshine. "I think you're absolutely right there, and I think that you would find that the arrangement your father has in mind is less about you helping put the brakes on Brandon and more about you and Brandon occupying each other so that he can remain in ultimate control with the minimum amount of effort possible."
I picked some crackers up off of the tray and nodded as I chewed. She watched me for several seconds before frowning.
"There is something else bothering you."
"Yeah, I guess there is. Kaleb said that he is working for a greater good again. What if Rachel is right, what if there is just some kind of misunderstanding that's making us view his actions in the worst possible light?"
"I…well, I think that it reflects well upon you and Rachel that you both want to believe the best of your father. I'm not going to tell you that he's completely evil, but you've had enough interaction with him to know at least some of the things that he's capable of. The only caution I can give you is that in the more than twenty years that I've known him I've found myself wanting to trust him again and again, but each time that happened he used my trust to further some goal of his own at my expense. Be careful, Alec."
I swallowed past a lump in my throat. "You're right. He as much as said that I should have let Vincent kill Jasmin today rather than putting myself at risk like that."
I could hear Rachel making her way back to us, so I let the subject drop. Rachel reappeared a few seconds later with the black sweater that Mother had sent her for, and a black, long-sleeved t-shirt for me which I slipped over my head with relief.
I wasn't anywhere near as powerful as Kaleb, but there were times when I was pretty sure it was all that Mother could do to stop herself from brushing up against my skin regardless. Now that my arm was safe to touch, Mother reached over and patted it.
"Alec, there's something else bothering you still. What is it?"
Rachel frowned. "Does this mean I have to leave again?"
I shook my head. I hadn't realized it until it had been pointed out to me, but my mother was right. There was something else bothering me.
"No, Rach, you can stay. It's not any kind of big deal, I just had that dream again."
"The one with the blonde girl?"
"Yeah, the one with the blonde girl."
"Did the two of you talk this time? If you're having the same dream, of the same person, this frequently then it's significant."
I snorted. "It's just a dream, Mother. My power hasn't activated yet, so there's nothing significant there. I didn't talk to her in the dream because she's not a real person."
"Alec, you live in a world that most people would tell you was impossible, a world where people shift into wolves and hybrids and go off to do battle against werewolves. Just because you can't explain it doesn't mean it's not important or any less real for having occurred entirely inside of your own mind. What do you remember? Was there anything new at all this time?"
"I don't think so. It was pretty much the same as always. I watched her from a distance and then she disappeared. The only thing odd about it is how she made me feel. It was like I was supposed to be with her, like she was important, but in a way that I knew I wouldn't remember when I woke up."
"Did she feel familiar?"
"I think so. She felt like someone I'd known for years. It was like she was an anchor I could latch onto and feel really safe for the first time since I was a kid."
Mother patted my arm again. "I think that these dreams are significant, but I don't know how exactly. For now I think you should write down everything you remember of them when you wake up and keep an eye out for the girl in case you run into her in real life. You never know…"
Whatever else she'd been about to say was cut off by a knock on her door. Donovan, our butler, stepped inside the room a half second later.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, my lady, but I'm afraid that I must announce a visitor. Your husband is on his way."
The tremor was back in Mother's hands as she picked up a large bottle of perfume and sprayed it into the air, but she kept her composure admirably. "Thank you, Donovan."
I was already standing by the time that Mother turned back to Rachel and me.
"The two of you should leave now. You can take the garden exit."
I helped a greatly subdued Rachel to her feet and then followed her out of the solarium. We threaded our way towards the west garden door, but some impulse made me stop short of the exit.
"Go ahead, Rachel. I'll be along in a couple of minutes."
"Alec…"
"It's fine, Kaleb probably hasn't arrived yet and I need to tell Mother one last thing."
Rachel didn't have the advantages of one of the moonborn, the shape shifters, but she seemed to know that I was lying regardless. She shot me an unhappy look and then opened the garden door and disappeared behind one of the tall hedges that were liberally sprinkled throughout the garden.
I crept back towards the solarium, stopping with enough doors between Mother and I that I could just barely make out her heartbeat. With the fountain positioned as it was in the middle of the solarium it would tend to push the sounds of her and Kaleb's voices towards me at the same time that it muffled and prevented the sound of my heartbeat from making it to Kaleb. I'd noticed months ago that everyone in the pack seemed to assume that once a white noise generator was activated they were safe from being overheard, but it actually mattered quite a bit where the noise generator was positioned.
I didn't have to wait very long before Kaleb arrived.
"I was right, you did have visitors. You never spray that damn perfume unless you've had someone here within a few hours of my visit."
Kaleb took a deep breath. "Alec and Rachel. I suppose that shouldn't come as any surprise. Rachel hardly leaves your side and Alec usually comes running to you after every time we meet."
"You're guessing, just like always. You know that I've sprinkled scents from nearly all of the pack into that perfume mixture. I don't know why you bother trying to ascertain who I'm entertaining, you know I won't confirm or deny any of the names that you throw out there."
"I guess, as you call it, because I want you to know how ineffective your little efforts at subterfuge really are."
"No, you guess because you want to see my reaction each time. You continue to hope that I'll give something away on one of your visits. You know I won't do anything of the kind."
"You're a magnificent woman, Samantha. Few humans are so adept at concealing their thoughts and feelings from the moonborn, but your control over yourself isn't perfect. You let things slip still, not as much as I might like, but much, much more than you realize."
"What do you want, Kaleb?"
"I've honored your wishes. I allowed Donovan to announce me well in advance of my arrival, I gave you time to send our children scurrying to safety, and I entered through the designated door, leaving all of your other bolt-holes unwatched. I've complied with all of your little rules and in return I'd like to spend some quality time together with my wife."
"I have some demands that will need to be met before that can take place."
"Of course you do. Not surprisingly I have a few demands of my own. Shall we let the games begin?"
The tremble from before had made it into my mother's voice now.
"You're a complete monster, Kaleb."
"Of course I am. Just be glad that I've never decided to put your willpower to the test, my love. I've considered doing so a thousand times, but I have a feeling that in the end you'd break and if that were to happen, then you'd be so much less fun than you are now."
"You greatly overestimate your charms, Kaleb. You're welcome to try to break me any time. My willpower is equal to anything you can bring yourself to visit on me. The mere fact that you've waited so long to try is plenty of evidence to the fact that you know you'd fail, that you'd finally free me of the last hold you have over me. You just can't bring yourself to destroy one of the few remaining spots of decency in your life."
"That's an interesting theory, my dear, but the truth is that I'm simply reluctant to risk permanently damaging you. I rather suspect that I would have to look far and wide in order to find another woman able to fight the skin addiction, the Ja'tell bond so well. I've taken other lovers over the years and I can honestly say that once they are addicted most of the sport is gone. You on the other hand provide me an unending source of fun."
It sounded like she threw something at him, but he must have caught it because he was laughing as he set it down.
"It's been quite a while since you've gotten that riled up so quickly. The withdrawal effects must be especially bad this time around. You know, the mere fact that you've stayed around for so many years is the best evidence of all that you can't bring yourself to let go of your shameful little addiction. You'd have left years ago if you'd had the willpower required to truly kick the habit."
"No, Kaleb, it isn't your touch that keeps me here, it's the thought of what you'd do to the few remaining decent people in this pack if I weren't here to negotiate concessions from you. If I thought that I could take them all with me and disappear to someplace where you'd never find me, I'd do so in a heartbeat."
"There's your first mistake. There is no place where you could go that I couldn't find you."
I turned and crept back towards the garden door. I'd heard enough. If I'd had any doubts about the fact that my father, that Kaleb, presented a different face to Rachel than he did to my mother or others, they were settled.
I no longer had any questions where Kaleb was concerned. If only it was as easy to solve the riddle of my recurring dream. I had a lot of other things that I knew should be more important, but the question that kept surfacing inside my mind was who was she?