Scorpion (12 page)

And that’s just it.  He didn’t answer.

“What do we not KNOW?” I shouted in his face now.

He furtively looked at my father for help.

“It is not for us to tell.  We are bound to them in more ways than we want to admit even to ours
elves.  You will find out on your own or they will tell you personally.”

Who
is
They
?  “NO!  NO!  I’m tired of the games.  We need to know.  This is my body.  Our bodies.  WE can’t go on not knowing if we are going to grow horns or extra arms or whatever?”

I made fake horns on the top of my head for mock entertainment. 

“Stace, be reasonable.  We have no choice.  We knew this day would come.  We were just fearful of the outcome.  No one wants to possibly lose their children, be it the gods or not,” Lord Green said.

I looked at my watch.  “Fine, but I will ask more later.   And you will tell me.  For now, the
Were leader is waiting.”

Everyone was back in a circle wanting to avoid the previous conversation at all cost. 
Except me.  “What’s the plan?”  I asked.

Cas spoke, “We will meet at the clearing at the Trinity River near downtown.  Ryan will be there with his men and mostly likely weapons ready.”

“Time?”  Calum asked.

“In one hour.”

We broke separating and heading to the cars.

The ride was mostly quiet.  Cas ditched the Bronco for a Silver Hummer that I hadn
’t seen before that allowed lots of seating.  Having Calum and Szar ride in the car with Cas and I was a stress bucket filled with raining icy stabs of pain.  And all of us could feel the tension between us.  And to boot, Lee was in the back seat with them by Lord Green's insistence.

Cas was uncomfortable with the light of day, but the discomfort of what was to come was worse.  Every one of them took turns making grunting noises
letting the otherwise quiet thicken.

“C
ontrol yourselves.  Reading you is killing me.  If this is what I am in for, I’ll be dead by week’s end from male testosterone alone.”

The sky was quiet.  Traffic was not!  The boys were...silent.

Finally we arrived all filing out and gathering quickly to create a wall of us versus them.  The Weres were already lined up across the lawn fifty yards away from us.  I felt claustrophobic being hidden from view of the Were leader as Cas and Calum had agreed in the warehouse to guard me on either side and now quietly deciding in male telepathy to cover me.

I surveyed between their biceps that the same had been done to their leader.  Funny that.  Our leaders weren
’t covered, just me.  And him.

Their scout was sent out, ours too.   They met in the middle and agreed on a position to meet and scooted back to tell us.  This felt like a battlefield, not a meet and greet.

It was then that Cas and Calum grabbed both arms and proceeded to walk me to the middle.  I began to wonder how I’d made it to this point.  This situation.  The idea of making peace with the factions.  I was about to talk with the Were leader
.
What was his name?

Cord Ryan.

Thanks.
Cas was so in tune to my every thought and move it made me almost nervous to do anything when he reminded me.  He was so often silent.

We walked fluidly fast to the middle watching the group of
Were boys walk towards us.  Many of them were good looking and matched the stereotype I’d coasted them with.  One was covered in long hair and fit his wolfy unkempt stereotype.  The two others were tall and lanky, covered in scars and scratches.  Above them, tons of gnats swarmed their heads, the daytime sticky air at its best.    As to whether a few of the others might really be good looking, one would not know for the fact that their faces were hidden from battle scars. 

The one in the tight white t-shirt and
designer jeans standing aloof and serious faced staring me down from the time we began our waltz across the field.  I presumed he might be the leader, well dressed or not.  It was the way the other guys, his men, swarmed around him.   

The fluttering in my body, the pain in my spine, well they
’d never left me since I was so close to both boys.  But something wasn’t right.  Something different was welling up inside.  My head felt like it wanted to explode.  Little vampire bunny rabbits were biting the insides of my head.  I touched the side of my face pressing my temple in on the left side beside my eye.  It was like a searing headache coming on really quickly.

At the same time I no
ticed the white tee shirt ingenerate stretched and grabbed the side of his head also, his fine-boned jaw gritting steel shut.  His spiked black hair ending in blonde streaks tilted towards me giving off the great effect of a GQ model, but a little rough around the edges.  In a good way.  The gleam of a silver diamond stud earring caught my eye as I glared into his black as black eyes with sooty dark lashes to match searching for why he’d grabbed his head.  We both seemed to be expressing the same vibes of emotion towards one another—fear of why this headache came about.  Another step closer and suddenly I could read him loud and clear.

Still not knowing
who the leader was but having a really great guess, I stared this guy down.  He was directly in front of me now and I just knew.  He was the leader.  And one of us.

I remembered my bodyguards then.  They both had a hold of my arms still.  We
’d stopped now and I was very aware of the emotions vibing off of my boys and theirs. 
How again did I end up the only girl in this equation?

I
’ve wondered the same thing.  It seems we all want the same treasure.  You!

I glanced sideways giving Cas a look of disdain.  The dull ringing in my head lingered on.

“Scorpion?” the guy beside the muscled white tee shirt boy said strong and seriously.  His hand went up at him giving off the order like a mafia boss.  A long staff sat diagonal across the back of him igniting a memory.

Scorpion?

Cas put his arm around my hip.  I glanced down at the death hold he had on me.  Calum was scowling at the Weres.  I looked back ahead of me all the while my headache getting stronger.  No, it’s not a headache.  It’s like my ears were ringing.

We were all waiting for the first move. 
Wasn’t this their party?

“Princess Anastacia.”  The boy in front of me vibrated out with hi
s deep buttery, arrogant tone. It held the sound of a drum. Really deep. His fists were drawn in.  He’d forced his hand away from his head, so I followed suit.  His subtle wink in my direction didn’t go unnoticed by the others.  He’d apparently recovered rather quickly but I let myself go just long enough to lose my wits about me and show my head was warbled by him somehow. 

I nodded indifferently to regain control, ice queen ready and able.  I briefly th
ought that perhaps I should stick with the “let’s work together” attitude, but decided this bad boy Were leader wasn’t in the mood since he expressed the same emotional frustration I felt. 

So I decided.

“The faction leaders have informed me of the past transgressions confounded upon you.  I have on good word that the ultimate goal was for my safety only and it was not the intention to outright lie to your faction if not for your apparent disregard for the other factions having a say in how we can work as one team.”

His face didn
’t show anything at first, but I sensed a small amount of fury escalating.  He watched me, then not.  Then again.  “I’m over it.  I agreed to aid the Hunter faction’s leader to housing the twin Valkyrie’s heir in the warehouse.  I agreed to tracking you down and making sure you didn’t come to any harm, but to make sure it appeared so.  I agreed to stay out of your life for your safety.  But now that has to change.”

What is he talking about?
  “What do you mean?”

Cas didn’t help me.

His voice was deeper the more sentences he added to the one statement.  And an accent was there.  I heard it before, but from someone older.  Who?  I couldn’t place it.  His masculine clip of the vowels didn’t make him hard to understand, but you had to listen to be sure you heard him right.  It was a voice girls heard and melted right under.  And I think he knew it too.

“I am Cord Ryan, son of Luper Ryan.  I would be most welcome to talk with you alone if that is permissible with your bodyguards?” his malevolent smile telling me much.  He was too calculated.  His face made all kinds of movement but for the life of me I could only read
a certain coldness in them, yet his eyes had warmth when he watched me for long spells.  By long spells I mean more than five to ten seconds.  I just met the guy and he was making me feel naked.  His stance suggested power, but not completely moral or without the need for retaliation if wronged.

“Why?” asked Calum, the muscle in his jaw working silently under his
skin.

He is one of us Stace.  He knows already.

How do you know this? 
I turned to Cas.  He looked me in the eyes, begging me to just walk away.  But he knew I couldn’t. 

“I will not hurt her.  It is my own safety I should think to be worried about.” 
              He looked me up and down like he’d be able to x-ray my body and find evidence of divine magic or something dangerous to his health maybe.  I could arrange it!

“I
’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”  He was one smug boy.

I huffed.  Maybe he was right to get it over with.

“I know Lord Green and Lord Hathown are with us so there is no cause to worry.  I just want to...talk.”  His eyes watched me so intensely.

“Fine,” I gave him.  Why did
Lord Cross
not count in the line up?  He left out a faction.

“We back up the lines, I watch your every move, one move out of line, I
’ll strike you dead before you look my way,” Calum seriously had some major
save Stace from the bad guy
going on.  I thought this was a good guy?

I didn
’t flinch though.  I was too caught up in the fast moving events. 

His wall of men moved back at his nod.  Our people moved back when I stepped forward.  We were alone.

“Am I supposed to know what you mean?”  I looked at him argumentatively.   All this heartache for the possibility that this is the human my mother hinted would come.  If he's it, we are doomed.

“Your Vampire boyfriend hasn
’t enlightened you?”

I detected something in his voice I wasn
’t sure I wanted to analyze and casual comments with the attempt at controlling the sarcasm didn’t seem to go over well with him.  I chose to damper my first choice in words for fear of what malice it might bring forth for the simple fact that I was working on a bigger plan.  Information.

“I
’m guessing you’re about to tell me hence the separation.”  I spread my hand out unambiguously showing the crowd all watching.  I knew that Cas could probably hear anyway.  He is a Vampire. 

“You are the goddess.  You tell me.”

I gave him a sure-fire dose of
are.you.serious
from the look on my face.  “I’m not sure that’s accurate, but for moving this on a little faster, surnames now announced, let’s proceed.  I have you to smooth over, fathers to appease, and my hair to wash, so if it pleases you... ”

He smile was teasing and deceptive as he scratched his unshaven chin,
  “You’re not at all what I expected.  Feistier than ever.”

“That seems to be the consensus, yes.”  I wish he would just get on with it.

His playful attitude diminished, “Anastacia, you are in great danger.  I was there at the bonfire for your birthday.  You took down my right hand man and made the way for me a little sooner than expected.  You are well protected, but I have on good word also that the ones who want you dead are well guarded and I’m left at the other faction’s mercy.  I was there at the party, but Thorn had you before I could.  Guess he won the pissing contest. I will admit I have been unmerciful towards the other factions for any action that might have been taken to endanger our way of life, or yours, as was my job before this one.  We cannot control our natural instincts and therefore I have to preserve our people and yours and manage some kind of peace.  The other factions want you to believe that I, my faction, is disagreeable but I aim only to ensure our way of life and yours.  Our people are not expendable and nor are you.”

He paused wanting my reaction not letting him down in the dirty look department.  I hadn
’t expected a plea for acceptance.  What really went down with my father and the other leaders?  That included Cas as a faction leader decision maker.  “I don’t believe that anyone is expendable.  I’m sure they have a good reason for leading you to believe what you do.  However, I think now that I am safe and there is no reason to spend so many resources on keeping me that way, we can spend more time finding a way to work as one team, as a group.  This danger you say I am in, who from?”

“You don
’t know?”

No freaking no! 

I was offended but then smiled devilishly, “No, I only recently found out what I do know, so knowing any enemy other than you was not on my know list.”  He’s not dumb at least.  But if he knew about Borgon I wanted to hear him say it first.

“Well, mark me off as your enemy but not anyone else.” 

He was playing a game again with me just trying to get me into an outrage so I played a move back.  I couldn’t figure him out yet and refused to let him see me trying.  “Done, but who have you derived at naming my enemy?”

I could see two kinds of person in the Cord Ryan, like two skins.  He wore the tough guy one right now.  I wondered what the other one was like.  Maybe all of us in this little bubble of superheroes were second skin kind of people. 
Something to hide.

“The group that calls thems
elves the new leaders who include Borgon and his death wish cronies would have you dead, my lady.”

My smile showed
him I was aware of the fact.  “Let’s say we are not enemies.  Let’s say that we can come to an agreement where you will work with the other factions—

“No!  I will work with you, not the factions thems
elves.”  He touched his hand to his temple and then his ear.

“Okay!”  I so don
’t get this.  I have to know.  “Why?”