Bizarre Life of Sydney Sedrick (25 page)

A girl who liked a boy worried about the normal stuff, like the boy seeing someone on the side. The girl may also worry if the boy was just seeing her because she was willing to have sex with him, or that the boy was waiting for the right opportunity to break up with her because he found someone else he liked better. Instead, Brianna’s boyfriend was a werewolf, and he had to participate in pack activities in which he had to hide from her. And I, the big sister, knew all about it. I felt guilty as sin for not telling her myself, especially since I knew she was feeling really insecure. If she knew the truth about Michael, she wouldn’t have to worry about where he went, and what he was doing when she wasn’t with him.

I sighed into the phone. There was only one thing to do. I’d have to call Blake, and have him tell Michael to talk to Brianna about their being werewolves. He would have to bring her up to Kenosha to do it, and I would be present, too. If he wasn’t willing to tell her the truth, then I’d have to.

When men go around hiding information from women, keeping their phone calls secret, making mysterious plans with family members while making sure she knew she wasn’t invited, well, those things led a girl’s imagination to go running wild, and not in good healthy directions. My sister didn’t deserve to suffer by thinking her boyfriend was out doing something nefarious when he was just doing what all of the werewolves did when the full moon rose.

“Brianna, you should just ask Michael, and tell him what’s been bothering you. The sooner he’s able to put your mind at ease, the better.”

If Michael told her he had no control over turning into a werewolf when the moon was full, it wasn’t likely to put her mind at ease. It would probably do the opposite, and then she’d be able to know about my being the Selected. My motives may not be purely innocent. It may be best for Brianna to stay in the dark about everything that was going on, but it would make my life less complicated. There wouldn’t be all the lies. I wouldn’t have to sneak around going to vampire and werewolf events when she came to visit. Maybe someday she would be able to come with me. Yeah, that would probably be a bad idea.

The door chimes sounded, and Blake walked into the store.

“Brianna, a customer just came in. Just talk to him, okay?”

“You’re probably right. The thought of him thinking of me as being too invasive worries me, but we’re getting pretty serious. When he has these family meetings up at Uncle Morris’ house, and doesn’t want me to go with him, it makes me worry. That’s all.”

“I know. Just talk to him, and hopefully everything will be better. Talk to you later.” I hit the end-call button on the cell phone and stowed it back in my purse. I really appreciated the gift of the phone Blake had given me, even though I gave a good fight before accepting it.

When I looked up, Blake was sitting on the couch next to the lit fireplace. Our eyes met, and he patted the cushion next to him with that sexy mischievous grin that curled my toes.

I grabbed my coffee and went over to sit next to him. The heat rolled off his body. Even without physical contact between us, the heat still warmed my skin just by sitting next to him. By being in the same room as him, the air took on a heated, sensual quality. His silence made me a bit nervous. He was usually Mr. Talkative.

“So, what’s up?” I said, my voice too bright.

“How are you feeling this morning?”

I eyed him. He was all business, and trying to read him sometimes was like trying to open a new CD case with very short fingernails.

“I feel fine. Did something happen?” Straight and to the point. I had things to do.

“There’s been another sighting of a rogue. Two rogues, in fact. My father’s hunch was correct. At least two rogues are working together, maybe more.” That’s when his grin took on a devilish touch. “Our pack found some creeping around our hunting grounds behind the den. They ran off before they could be identified, but at least two different sets of paw prints were in the snow. The patterns their prints left proved they were hunting together.”

“That doesn’t mean anything. So they were hanging out in the forest. Isn’t that what wolves like to do? So far they haven’t done anything really alarming. When that rogue came to the store and made those threats, it was only a one-time thing. He hasn’t been back, and I’ve talked to both the wolves and the vampires since. So, his threat was empty as far as I’m concerned.” A chill ran down my spine, making me shiver. The rogues were becoming more confident, and the danger was mounting.

“My father would like to impose upon you, for your own safety, to have someone stay at your house. He said to tell you that if you don’t allow someone to stay with you, then he’ll be forced to organize the pack to monitor your property, or wherever you happen to be. You don’t really want to make the wolves have to take shifts and hang outside your house in the cold, do you?”

Wow, he was really good with the guilt thing. No, making anyone have to stay out in the cold weather, watching my house for the possibility of some rogue stalking the property wasn’t the right thing to do.

“I’ll have to talk it over with Aunt Judith. If she’s totally against it, then yeah, the wolves will have to do whatever they feel obligated to do. I’m not going to make my aunt more uncomfortable with the situation than she already is.”

Blake nodded, and said, “I don’t blame you for wanting to keep your home a sanctuary for both you and your aunt. But remember, your safety is of the utmost importance. Don’t be too stubborn that you put yourself or your aunt in danger unnecessarily.”

“I’ll think about it.”

Then it dawned on me. Brianna wanted me to give him a chance. It wasn’t something that happened every day, a non-boyfriend trying to tell me what to do. What would Blake be like if he really was my boyfriend?

“I’m not a fool, Blake, don’t worry about it. I’ll call you right away if my senses pick up the presence of a rogue anywhere near me.”

Shortly after he left the store, the local deliveryman, Dale, brought in a package. He carried in the box and set it on the counter. Dale brought in a lot of packages to the store. He didn’t need to bring them all the way inside. Most mailmen would have left them at the door. He either had an interest in the store contents, or the only store employee, me. Luckily, he kept whatever his interests were to himself. I had enough complications in my life with the world of werewolves and vampires. I didn’t want to add another one in the form of a local deliveryman trying to gain my attention. My plate was already filled to the brim with the wild and weird.

Dale was nice enough, but in no way was he attractive. He carried himself well, despite the growing beer belly, common for the men in the area to have. Many of the locals supported the breweries a few cities away by going to the local taverns and consuming the golden liquid quite often.

In the box, there was a note neatly written in an old-styled penmanship. The curls and the unusually sharp angles of the words told me without even having to read the letter that it was written by Kieran. From the appearance of the ink on the paper, it looked like he used a calligraphy quill and inkwell when he wrote it.

Dearest Sydney,

You are invited to my home tomorrow evening. We have things to discuss, you and I. The rogue vampire you exposed at my latest gathering has divulged a great deal of information. Apparently, there are many rogues working together as we discussed. He confirmed this before he was dealt with. Unfortunately, he did not disclose the location of their hiding places as they frequently move from site to site. Hunting parties have been deployed. Each are led by a Knight, and their mission is to find the rogue nests and rid us of their contemptible selves once and for all.

Enclosed is a copy of
Wolf’s Bane
, a very interesting fictional tale regarding the lives of werewolves. Much of the information written within is quite close to being truth. Someone close to the wolves composed the novel. Nonetheless, read it at your leisure. Become aware of what you are associating yourself with. Take care.

Inside the box was a leather-bound hardcover novel with the outline of a werewolf howling at a full moon in the sky sketched on the cover. Another book to read? I didn’t have enough time to read more than a few passages from Grandma’s journal as it was. Did people think my days were empty, and they needed to give me things to do?

The picture of the wolf on the cover was part human, part wolf. There were no signs of gender in the picture, but it looked like the wolf was male. The musculature underneath the shading of fur covering the entire body was extremely well defined. Each muscle group was separated, outlined in a display of raw animal power. The wolf’s mouth was elongated and lined with large pointed teeth. Dripping saliva glistened off the mouth from the light of the moon. Its chest was larger than any human man’s I’ve ever seen, and its waistline was unusually narrow in comparison. The arms, corded by long, lean muscle, extended just above its knees, and were thrown back behind the wolf’s body. Talons longer and more pointed than any bird of prey in existence tipped the fingers and toes. The head was lined with a mane of long hair that reached the wolf’s lower back.

I had never seen a werewolf in animal form. Hopefully, it would stay that way. Blake said wolves in a pack were able to think consciously of what they were doing when the moon was high. The collective thoughts of the pack calmed and organized one and all. The wolves that went rogue didn’t have the benefit of a conscience, and that’s what made them attack anything that moved, including humans.

The thought of Blake transforming into something that resembled the wolf on the book cover sent chills down my spine. He would be a magnificent sight to behold, but it wouldn’t be a good idea to trust that he would have control over his wolf instincts with me around. I’d rather not find out anytime soon. Blake was already difficult to fight off in human form. I suspected dealing with him would be worse when he was a wolf.

The fact Kieran was aware of my affiliations with the wolf pack shook me. How did he know? It wasn’t like we talked about it at his party. Did he know who came to visit me at my house and store during the day? I’d have to make a list of questions for him to answer.

How cozy did Kieran and my grandmother become during their working relationship of Selected and vampire coven leader? What did the Knights do to that rogue? Pressing Kieran to give me that sort of information might not be wise. He may want me to give him information in return, about the werewolves. Blake said if the vampires ever did anything for me, there would be a price to pay later, of their choosing. The more vampire resources expended doing anything for me would determine how high the price that would have to be paid. Blake wasn’t talking about money.

Shoving those thoughts aside, I made up the free recipe cards to give out with every customer’s purchase starting tomorrow, and I made a display sign to put in the window that the store hours were now going to include Sundays from one o’clock to four o’clock in the afternoon.

Cataloging the ancient runes, spells, and ward tomes didn’t take as long as I expected. Since my goal for the day was accomplished, it was time to sit behind the counter, and read some more of Grandma’s journal.

All vampires fear the Elders, including Kieran and his brother, Cian. The Elders, they say, are older than time itself. The Elders are the keepers of the scrolls of knowledge. They interpret the scrolls and the prophecies that are written within them. Kieran said there is a Selected, different from any other Selected, that will change the entire vampire population. If the special Selected offered her blood freely to a vampire, that vampire would then be able to walk in the warmth of the sun, without dying, or suffering deep painful burns wherever the sun touched their skin.

Dear Granddaughter, I am not the special Selected. To my own shame, Kieran has received my blood freely. Please do not judge me for doing so, for a time we shared a true love as a woman loves a man. He said he felt the same. Unfortunately, vampires are not people as we know them. Vampires have their own ways of seeing things. They are able to control situations and humans alike with the mere glance of the eyes and a slight push from their minds. My feelings for Kieran have not lessened, and deep down, there still remains a small portion of the big heart he once had, before the political coldness that is the way of vampires chilled his humanity to almost nothing.