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Authors: Jennifer Loiske

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“Has Marie had
any seizures today?” Adam asked
calmly.

Tiamhaidh shook his head.

“We can solve this. Come on,” Adam
said and left the angry
Tiamhaidh behind him.

“What are we waiting for!” I yelled and started to push him towards the house.

Tiamhaidh was like a rock. And my pushing didn't move him much. Frustrated, I pushed him as hard as I could. He still didn't move.

“Very well. Keep on sulking. I'll go and see what's on his mind,” I said and left Tiamhaidh alone on the edge of the mooring.

A mild voice beh
ind me told
that he had decided to follow me, after all. I laughed, but so silently that he had no chance of hearing it. I couldn't risk him turning back, so I tried to silence the joy that seemed to drip out of me. Marie could survive!

I found Adam in the living room. David had brought Marie in front of the fireplace and Adam had pulled a chair next to her. Adam's hands were holding a book.
Disney’s Treasure P
lanet, I guessed, and even though Marie wasn't looking at the pictures, she was smiling slightly. Adam read about the handsome adventurer, Jim Hawkins, and his low
voice painted the text so vividly
that Marie heard nothing but him. I quietly whispered to David everything that Adam had told us and he pulled a chair in front of Marie. We put more chairs next to his, and soon our living room looked like
a small theater. Marie was playing the
main role and we were her audience. Marie didn't mind, though. She was mesmerized by Adam's voice and the exciting story.

Tiamhaidh sat grunting next to me, and I told him to look into Marie's mind. In that way we would know at once if she was about to have a seizure. The others came into the living room as well. We all stared at Marie. The story ended, but Clarissa gave Adam another book. Halfway through the third book, Tiamhaidh hissed.

“Now!”

We stared closely at Marie's eyes and just before she started to convulse her gaze sharpened for a moment. Her eyes went narrow and a soft honey gold flashed in her eyes. Adam laughed triumphantly. We stared at the convulsing Marie, shocked. Adam was the only one who could move, so he grabbed her in his arms and carried her to the sofa. He medicated Marie and took care that her limbs didn't hit anything hard that would hurt her. We, the others, were frozen.

“Unbelievable!” Clarissa sighed.

Tiamhaidh moaned in Gaelic and I hugged David and jumped around my stunned pack. Tiamhaidh quieted down and went to Adam. He knelt down humbly and absentmindedly wiped drool from the corner of Marie's mouth. Marie was already recovering and the convulsion had stopped.

“I owe you my life,” Tiamhaidh said and looked deep into the depths of Adam's eyes.

Adam whisked his hand awkwardly but Tiamhaidh grabbed his shoulders tightly.

“Anything, whenever you want, brat
hair, gu bráth,” Tiamhaidh said
seriously, and Adam nodded, confused.

The
second my grateful mind reached Adam's, I knew what we had to do. The color ran from my face. I lurched and David was there. I swallowed and looked at him.

“We'll have to take her to Senja.”

David stared at me, disbelieving. He knew, as well as I did, what awaited us in Senja. We, however, didn't have any other choice. David nodded and sighed.

“Adam, could
you tell my parents and Gunward
that we're coming there as soon as possible,” I said and kept my eyes on David.

Well, now I said it and the earth didn't quake. Gunward. I had to find a way to harden myself against him. Easy peasy, right? I shivered from fear and excitement.

CHAPTER 32

I sat at the kitchen table and stared at the numbers on the microwave clock. Half past four. A couple of hours and the kitchen would be full of awakening people. I couldn't sleep, so I had decided to count the minutes alone in the dim kitchen. I could've stayed in David's warm arms, but I was afraid. I didn't know how I could go back to Senja. The last time I was there, Gunward was my lover. I wasn't sure I was strong enough to face him and
still stay away from him. Even the
thought of him made my cheeks blush and my heart beat faster.

The decision we had made last night, though, was the only right thing we could do. We needed to take Marie to Senja. Everything humanly possible had been done and there still was no cure or hope for her. I knew this was right. I just didn't know if I could do it. After we had made the decision, Gunward had filled my mind completely. Even if I didn't want to, I couldn't help myself. Images of Gunward and I together kept flashing in my mind, and the longing I felt seemed to crush my heart. I pulled the soft blanket on me and sighed.

A pair of warm hands touched my shoulders. I lifted my eyes and met David's asking ones. I took his hand and tried to smile.

“Worried about Marie?” David asked and exhaustion came throu
gh his voice. He couldn't sleep either though
his reasons were much more innocent than mine.

I sniffed lightly, and nodded dishonestly. I shut my eyes as I couldn't meet his eyes when a lie burned in my tongue.

“Don't be, Fia. I'm sure your parents know the cure and can help Marie. I've already called my office and told them I'm on vacation, so I'll be here for you as long as you need,” David calmed me down and gave me a cup of steaming, nice smelling tea.

I nodded to thank him and opene
d my mouth. I closed it quickly
though. How could I explain to David that I couldn't come to Senja with him? Could he ever understand what a great temptation he would lead me to, when he took me back to Gunward? I lifted my gaze and faced David's asking eyes. I had to tell him, before it was too late.

“David,” I started, carefully, but stopped as I noticed the warning glimpse in his eyes.

I heard so
meone walking upstairs. But who
ever it was went to the toilet and I decided to continue, before we would have company.

“I'm not going to Senja,” I blurted.

David stared at me, stunned.

“I'm sorry, but you'll have to do this without me,” I whispered.

David stared at me, disbelieving. I got up to shuffle to the nearest lounger, but David grabbed my hand tight.

“Gunward,” David pointed out
angrily.

I shook my hand off and buried
myself in
the lounger, pulling my legs under me and hiding myself under the soft woolen blanket.

“Exactly,” my voice said somewhere from the depths of the lounger.

David stood up and took the blanket away. He stood in front of me, burning with hate. Jealousy blurred his eyes.

“This is your child we're talking about, Sofia! Your child! Not Gunward!” David shouted.

I couldn't face his eyes, but stared cowardly at the floor.

“Do you hear me! This is about Marie! And you're going to Senja with her, because she needs you. You, not me! You can help her in a way I can't, so you are coming! End of discussion,” David thundered.

“You don't understand, Dad. Mom can't go to Senja. And if she does, she may never come back,” Clarissa said quietly from the doorway and came to sit on the armrest of my lounger.

I looked at her thankfully. She understood and I knew the rest of the pack would. Even Marie. I just needed to get David to understand it. David let his gaze wander from me to Clarissa and back to me. Clarissa stood up and went to him. She put her arms around him and led him to the sofa. Clarissa touched David's cheek gently.

“The bond between Mom and Gunward is too strong. She can't r
esist him again,” Clarissa said
quietly.

“Every second she's away from Gunward will burn her soul like hell. The thought of being separated is unbearable. Gunward is a part of her and Mom is a part of him,” Clarissa said and looked at David's sad broken eyes. “I know, because when I can't see Adam for an hour, it burns my soul, and I can't stand that. And if it's like that for me, I can just imagine how it must feel for Mom and Gunward.”

The anger
vanished from David's eyes and all I could see in his deep blue eyes was enormous pain. He understood all right. He just couldn't accept it.

“She's right,” I said and moved to sit next to David. I pressed my head on his shoulder and breathed his familiar scent. “I don't think I can face Gunward now. Not when my mind is confused about Marie. I'm sorry, David. That doesn't mean I don't love you. I do. I just can't deal with him now.”

David sat still between us. I could feel how he struggled as the jealousy tried to overpower his mind. His pride didn't let him admit I was never only his. He would have to share me with a man who owned my soul in a way he could never do. He let his head fall down to his chest.

“Do you even w
ant to resist him?” David asked
silently.

My eyes met Clarissa's and I nodded secretly. I couldn't lie and the truth was, I really wanted to resist Gunward, but I knew that the moment I saw him, I would be his. My will would be second. He was my soul mate and now as Adam and Clarissa had joined their lives together, Clarissa knew exactly how I felt. Before I had a chance to answer David, I saw Adam slip into the room. He grinned at me.

“She doesn't have to resist Gunward's charm,” Adam said and smiled his familiar, arrogant smile.

I stared at him and a wolfish grin flashed on his face. He leaned on the wall and crossed his strong hands on his chest.

“
Gunward has gone to Sarek,” he
said and looked enchantingly at Clarissa.

“But why?” I asked, stunned, and David glanced at me sharply.

“Because your mom ordered him there,” Adam said like it was the most obvious thing.

“Your mom knows exactly what will happen if y
ou and Gunward meet. This is neither
the ri
ght time nor the place for that
. The most important thing is to get Marie better, right?” Adam grunted and leaped next to the sofa. He lifted Clarissa up and started to lead her to the stairs.

I looked after Adam, stunned. What had just happened? I was still a little bit confused. I could go to Senja, after all. And everything would be fine. We could get Marie back and I didn't have to worry about losing David. For the first time in weeks, I felt hope lifting its head inside of me. I hugged David tight, and pressed my face on his warm neck. I knew I had survived like a cat from the gate this time, but I didn't care. I hoped David would let it be, and we could focus on the trip together. I lifted my head and smiled at David.

“We're going to Senja.”

David smiled and nodded.

“We're going to Senja,” I repeated happily, and the knowledge of seeing my family and the home of my childhood for the first time in almost two hundred years filled me with enormous joy.

TO BE CONTINUED...

LEXICON:

Baz - a wolf in Hebrew

Farkas
- a wolf in Hungarian

Gur
- a wolf in Kurdish

SCOTTISH-GAELIC LEXICON:

Faol -
a wolf in Gaelic

Tiamhaidh
- sad

Mathanan
- bear

Ciall
-
sense

Gormal
- Gormalia

Anndra
- Andrew