Scorpion (5 page)

I geared the conversation immediately to the coming events of the night hoping that I wasn
’t showing all the signs of not caught up to the present emotions. 

The room busied again
with Cas leading them back, who was obviously listening. Valkyrie ears didn't miss it either. Oh wait, Hunters have the severest sense to. So in all, everyone heard. They should have just remained in the room.  No one said a word upon entering and Cas started us off this time with the time frame we had before we started.

Each time any of them pelted me with strong signs of their uneasiness or spikes of anger with the mention of harm caused
to me or our families, it made me pause.  It was a bit overwhelming at times, but respectable and awe-inspiring to know they cared that much.  But this love junk was disarming.

“I believe that the docs will create a game plan for the long run.”

That’s what I thought too.  Borgon’s family dead, he would have it well thought out.  My standard thumb to lip thinking position took effect.  Calum laughed rubbing his five-o’clock shadow.

“What?”

“You’re thinking!”  He pointed to my thumb.  I knocked his arm sideways.  And like that, we were best buddies again like at the Hunter school.  In time, he will see this.

We both laughed as Cas returned from answering a text.  He
’d heard everything I’d said and no doubt stood close enough for his Vampire hearing to hear everything Calum had said in "private".  His eyes softened as he neared me waiting till I made the move.  I stood reaching my hand out to his smiling unwillingly when fingers warmed instantly.  At least, that’s how I saw it.

Calum was gone to the other room to eat and we were left alone for the few minutes remaining before the docs arrived. 

That was very brave of you. 

That was not brave.  That was cruel and arrogant and insensitive. 

Not hardly.  And he’s a big boy.  He will be fine.

I glared at his too calm eyes and felt the quick indignant anger that rose in my chest. 
And how would you be if the role was reversed?

His vampire face paled three shades lighter.  That
’s not what I intended. I felt like the horrible heathen girlfriend that I was. 
I’m sorry.  That was wrong.  I don’t ever want to see you hurt in any way.  And never by me.  I’m sorry.

He curled around me making me rolled into him. 
I don’t want you to hurt.  I want you to be happy, Kissa.

I am happy.

Are you?

I leaned back looking up into those glorious beautiful deep pools of emotion that seem to only speak to me. 
I know I pretend to have this cold ice girl on the outside for people, but I can’t do this Cas.  I can’t.  I’m not this strong person that they make me to be.  I’m just me.

Cas watched me intently which in itself was powerful, but talking to me internally and keeping his soft gaze locked on mine was above and beyond
the typical young love.  It was more.

And that is exactly wh
y you are the person we need.  You re selfless. 

I
’m the most selfish person I know.  I get what I want and don’t know how to be told no.  Leaving home was the best thing I’ve done.  I am so selfish.

Stop! 
He gave me slow nod before squeezing me to him.

I buried my face in his chest. 
Let’s get ready.

Ste
pping away, I composed myself.   Since it was hard to hide my feelings from Cas, I found it easy to turn on my ice to mirage my feelings in front of others.   

The docs arrived exactly on time. Cas and I sat on my father’s sofa with Szar beside him who refused to sit beside me saying I was too high on myself at the moment.  Calum and Dr. Green sat in the two winged back period chairs across from us that had been in my family since before I was born.  Dr. Quinn was invited because he was the acting headmaster and was sitting alone perpendicular to my father on the opposite side of the room.  Lee was there too acting as a partisan to the Hunters but it was never identified as to why we needed him there. 

My father stood choosing to get the party started.  The silence held us in check long enough before father assured our conversation was private by shutting the doors.  Yeah, but two traitors were seated right next to us. 

Why is Lee here?

He is technically a liaison for the factions hired by your father originally and acquired by the rest when he pulled off the Anastacia episode as some call it.  He is good at retrieving information.  Forgive me.  I thought you
’d want to know the truth.

I jerked my head too fast alerting others I was not at their full attention. 
And you didn’t tell me about my father hiring him?

He said nothing.  I
’m
sure
he was just sparing my feelings.

My father started off in that same droning tone he c
arried that only a parent or a supernatural faction leader can.  “We will escort Lord Green to the Hunter palace at dawn tomorrow.  We arrive with ample security from the Hunter court.  Our two will sit close by or in disguise as needed.  If a plan B is needed then radio copy will be “abomination” with no response needed.  If such a case, all regroup at the newly located warehouse at the fastest ETA.  If compromised only by normal circumstances, then abort and return to current residences.  Dr. Green assures me he has the utmost security in motion for any such event.  However, if something unmistakably out of sync happens on your watch, then all precautions will be taken to ensure the new leader’s arrival to his court.”

At this point no one had been allowed to speak other than him.  I, of course, knew this was typical.  Control was his hidden middle name.  I refused to move my face in any direction for fear of anyone assuming I yay-ed or nay-ed the situation.  Nothing has ever happened before on inauguration day, but that didn
’t mean it wouldn’t.

“With that in order, what of Stace and Szar?”  Dr. Green asked.
And he didn’t just mean for the single event.  My father has hinted to pushing in a younger leader and making himself the shadow.

“They will make their own decisions.  Szar will remain here.  One will stay behind for the security of the future.  He will take on as the heir to the throne.” 

I knew he was only securing the throne.  Everyone was already aware of all of this.  I looked over at Lee who was...watching me.  I still wanted to know the “real” reasons why he was here.  Crap.  I wanted to know now!

“Stace will stay at the Cross Manor where better protections are in place.”

“What?  I get no say?” I slapped the front of the sofa with both hands.  Throwing an “I’m now independent and get a say so” fit was important no matter how childish it may look.

My father neither smiled nor frowned, “Anastacia, you are no longer safe at the Hunter school.  I have cut off efforts with Borgon so it will not be long before he starts attacking in larger forms aside from the one the other day.  There are too many open places for your removal from the wrong hands.  Lord Cross has graciously allowed me to move your needed things over.  He has the protection you need that no one else can give.”

Well then.  La-te-da!  Choices taken away again.  I wanted to protest, but knew he’d never relent.  If I needed to escape, I could.  And he knew it.  I saw Calum’s pained face and folded my arms to seem a little more perturbed for his sake.  He smiled painfully at me, but it was a smile.

“And they will join us only if plan B is put in action.  She will be seen in the motorcade and then Lord Cross will take her out before anyone has any ideas.”

Hello, why is everything about me?  At least I’d have a radio.  Maybe I could make waves of panic just to keep them guessing.

Kissa.

I made the huge mistake of looking at Calum out of a purely new habit called “care too much” that recently moved into my heart.  He was in complete heartache showing none of it on the surface, but I knew.  It seemed like I recently realized how in tune with him I really am.  I can predict his moves and him mine
. 
What’s more hopeful is that he might accept the idea of a being great best friend.
  I need him.

He knows that.

Cas, he is in pain. 
The idea of me not at the school and housed up in the Cross Manor was eating at him, but he stayed silent. I eventually dropped my eyes away from Cas and back to Calum now.

Dr. Green cleared his throat. 

“We need to deal with the matter of what will happen next with the four of you.”  The Doc’s eyes circled one by one stopping at each of us for an intense three seconds each.  “And Cord needs to be brought in.”

I chose to lead wanting my say to matter.  “I want
to know what else I don't know that you know.  The whole truth.  And nothing left out.  What do I not know?”

My father hesitated.  Dr. Green started to speak and stopped when my father
’s hand flew up.  “Before your mothers died, all four, they began to seek out the four lines that would carry on the factions.  The Were’s were unattainable at the time.  This didn’t hinder them in the least for it went well with their plan.  We fell in love so easily and….”  He looked at Dr. Green for some kind of understanding, comfort, or something else—I didn’t know.

“We were easily trapped.  We were told a week before each of your birth of each other
’s reality and how all four would be born at midnight on the twenty-ninth of February eighteen years ago.  We tried to rebel initially but you’ll find that the gods and goddesses are stubborn to say the least.”  He looked at me to give me an osmosis charge of guilty.

“After being forced to comply, we watched all four of you arrive somehow only seconds apart from each other.  Szar arrived less than two seconds after Stace but within the first sixty seconds of the day.  The late Lord Cross being able to read minds naturally made us painfully aware of just how connected you were to each other.  I assume Stace and Thorn have already come to the conclusion of just how connected they are?”  This was a question waiting for an answer.

I avidly nodded though with a recalcitrant air about it.  I feel like everyday something brings me closer to destinies I have yet to uncover.  But, nonetheless, I’m struck dumb with every outtake that finds me breathing fear.  Words were sometimes like ammo.  They could strike you with fear worse than an arrow.  And worse was sometimes knowing ahead a time what the words were.               

“What do you mean?” 
His voice trailed off with a hint of bitterness looming around it.  Calum lifted his Conan sized foot erratically to his leg as he asked undeniably scared of the full implications.  He folded and refolded his tree trunk-sized arms showing me just how bothered he was by it.

My father looked to me for permission or to say.  I said neither.

“They can communicate with their minds.”

Calum
’s gasp was louder than the fans in the summer gazebo that I wished I could sit under at this very moment to escape this cruelty.  “How long have you known?”  He looked at me.

Lee was choking across the room.

I searched Cas’ eyes for what he wanted me to say
.  Is it mine to reveal?

We can
’t have secrets if we are to keep his loyalty.

I looked back at Calum.  “Since he rescued me at the party.”

“And you?”
 
He directed to Cas. He’d guessed more than I thought he would.  He really shouldn’t show his intelligence behind the Hunter look.  He comes off so
HUNTER
.

He is one Stace.

I turned to Cas still strategically far away from me with an exasperated look.
  I know!  I sure as hell know it.

He was so clinical and soldier like when he was in his Lord Cross character.

Cas answered him, “Many long years.  I arrived in the world knowing her name.”  He was usually more aloof, but of course
now,
he wanted his point made. 

You
’re usually really good at evading direct questions. It would be nice for you to have that now.  I WILL remedy that.

How may I ask? 
He didn’t move a muscle or give away that we were chatting so to prove my point, I worked to make him flinch.

I am not oblivious to what you are doing to show your ownership.  Distractions work both ways.

Any time.

Our little private conversation was not so private with the way I
’d moved closer and brought my face up to his, no help on his part.  It was too obvious what we’d been doing.  And my facial expressions hadn’t improved with hiding it even if his are blank.  Cas did this on purpose so I’d challenged him right back. I tried even after I realized to make my face lukewarm and unreadable like his.

Calum was watching us with such intensity that I couldn
’t decipher malice or fascination.  Maybe, both.  He came out of the stare and back into focus when Szar pushed father to continue.  “Also, the connection between Calum and Stace.”

Cas crossed his leg over his knee in standard manly fashion.  He was uncomfortable now.  Oh, the webs these gods weaved.

Calum followed Cas' gesture but stood his chest erect in a classic standoff pose while seated and spit out a half laugh that should have eased tension, not added more.   I didn’t want to speak much so I chose a demo hoping for a quick and easy assessment from the crowd.  My fingertips barely touched the back of his hand when we both jumped backward from the jolt.  It had been days since we touched like this so it seemed stronger.

“And forgive my intrusion, but what did it do when you were closer than that?”  Szar pushed.  I want to kill him right now for stonewalling me.  This instant.

“I never said that!” I seethed knowing Szar was trying to push me to talk.  He used my own words to retaliate filling the air with an impenetrable fog of curiosity.

“Just.Did!”

My fingernails pinched the skin in my fists.  I wasn’t entirely sure what his aim was but I went for it anyway since it was out there now. “It was painful.”

“But we both took the pain with the pleasure,” Calum had to throw in looking at my white knuckles and raising the hair on the back of my neck. 

Cas raked his body up a foot.  I slammed my hand flat into his chest.  I glared at Calum and sneered, “That was out of line.  The pain grew the more we touched so don’t make it more than it is.”  Okay.  End this, please.

My father did only after his own discomfort was acknowledged with a long attempt at clearing his throat.  “And we come to Szar.  He was created to right the Valkyrie court when the prophecy was fulfilled.  Now that I believe much of it has occurred I may just be bold enough to share the rest.”  He paused looking around at each of us again as if reading our eager faces seeing his fear looking out at our own.

"What about the Were?  He has to have it too."  Calum made the room gasp. Men gasping in unison just wasn’t right in my book.

"We will get to him," my father added.

“The gods needed a Valkyrie leader, a Vampire leader, and Hunter leader, a Were leader, and the one leader who would forgive the cliché, rule them all.  Stace, you are not Valkyrie, you are not of my bloodline as Szar is.  You are as Thorn has told you, the goddess Anat in her true form on Earth to right the wrongs of man and what the factions have done to our world.  We will unite them into a world that will one day work together to accent one another and cohabitate, not destroy each other.  You can and will do this.  It is said.  Do not doubt your capabilities.  I have seen you talk a Were into giving up it's only weapon, make allies with Hunters, best my greatest warriors with a sword, and land three knives in the chest of one of my very own guards."

"That was an accident. He was dressed as a Hunter."

"You killed a Hunter?" Calum clipped.

"Whom was trying to kill me first," I clipped back. 
Beside the point.  And he didn’t die till later so I don’t count him as a kill.

"You command more than you realize."

I pondered greatly for what amounted to only about thirty seconds before I swallowed and said pensively, “What assures you I am all this?”

“My wife of one year and nine months told me.  She gave me the prophecy and predicted every day of your life to me.”  His eyes glazed over as if the memory haunted him.  “Because she took my hand and showed me every minute of your life and what comes to pass.”

I was on the edge of my seat now with
understanding
. “You already know the future?”

His head went to his hands now.  He cried.  My father actually knows how to cry.  I
’d never seen it.  I looked to Szar for help.  He and I both rose together and hit the floor in front of him.