Broken (36 page)

"My sincere apologies that we weren't better
hosts. Please let me know if there is anything you need to make
your stay here more comfortable."

I stammered out a thanks as Donovan released
my hand. The rest of Alec's friends were already disappearing,
Isaac and Jessica around back towards the garden, while James and
Dominic were already inside his car, and backing down the lane.

Alec took my hand as Donovan opened the front
door for us. He walked with a definite limp, one that was all the
more painful when contrasted against his otherwise graceful
movements. I looked questioningly at Alec, but he shook his head,
so I stayed quiet as he led me into the house.

Rachel was waiting for us in a
luxuriously-furnished sitting room. "Mother's been asking for you
Alec. I told her you'd be back soon, but she's worried."

"I suppose this is a good opportunity to
introduce Adriana."

For the first time since I'd found out about
Alec's secret, Rachel was looking uncertain. She was suddenly the
old Rachel I knew from school instead of the confident young woman
who'd helped face down three terrifying shape shifters intent on
sending me back to Brandon.

"Are you sure, Alec? I could go help her get
settled into the Lilac Room."

Alec's smile was gentle. It reminded me of
how mom looked when I offered to take care of some especially
undesirable duty she'd been procrastinating.

"No, mother's still the mistress of this
house. We've waited too long as it is. If we don't take care of it
now it may be another week or two before we have a chance, and
Donovan will be severely disappointed in both of us."

They were both smiling now, as if in some
shared joke, but that didn't help diffuse the sudden feeling of
nervousness sweeping through me. Rachel followed us down a series
of corridors, and then waited as Alec knocked on a plain, oak
door.

A half second passed, and then responding to
something too faint for me to hear, Alec gently opened the door. A
slightly tilted eyebrow seemed to ask Rachel if she wanted to come
inside, but she shook her head, now with the slightest of quivers
to her chin.

Whatever I was expecting from Alec and
Rachel's reactions, I didn't get it. The airy, sunlit room we
walked into was almost like being outside. There were a number of
plants scattered about the space, some resting on the floor, others
on a variety of slender stands. The effect was ethereal. It was
hard to imagine that any of the spun-metal stands could support
anything more substantial than a box of Kleenex.

It wasn't until we were further inside that I
realized there was an entire alcove off to one side, almost
completely dominated by a black grand piano. The piano was so
breathtaking it was several seconds before I realized there was
someone sitting at it.

"Alec. I'm so glad you're safe. Rachel was
going on and on about some kind of problem with the pack. She's so
excitable. I told her everything would be fine, but she worries so.
Your dad was the same way. Always going on and on about some crisis
or another, but nothing ever really materialized."

Alec's mom was tiny. It was easy to see where
Rachel got her slight frame from, but there was more than just
genetics at work. I'd never seen someone with so little extra flesh
on their bones, at least not outside a hospital. It seemed she
should be wearing a hospital gown instead of the white, flower
print summer dress I was almost sure cost more than my whole
wardrobe.

"We're experiencing a time of more than usual
difficulty, mother, but that isn't why I've come by. I wanted to
present my friend Adriana to you. She'll be staying with us for the
next few weeks."

I got a distracted smile. "That's nice dear.
You remind me so much of your father. So serious and worried all
the time. Oh how I miss him."

Alec let his mother take both of his hands in
hers. "I know you do, mother. Rachel and I miss him too."

Alec's mom tossed her head. "You barely
remember him. Rachel's a good girl, but she was so young when he
died. She can't really miss him. Not like I miss him."

For a second I thought he was going to argue
with her. His tired smile had the feel of resignation, of something
that'd been well argued over the years.

"Will you play something for us, mother?
Adriana hasn't had the pleasure of listening to your songs."

I'd rarely seen anyone change moods so
quickly. "No. You know it isn't ready. I'll tell you when I've
perfected it. Yes, you can bring Rachel, but I can't let anyone
listen to it before it's ready."

Alec bowed his head in acquiescence, grasping
my hand as he turned to leave. His mother grabbed his arm before he
could complete the motion. He halted instantly, despite there being
no way she was strong enough to stop him. I doubted she had enough
grip strength to slow even me down.

"Don't be angry with me Alec. You're all I
have left."

"I'm not angry, mother, but you're wrong. You
have much more left than just me."

She shook her head with a youthful smile.
"Such a good boy."

Rachel, tears coursing down her face, stormed
off as Alec pulled his mother's door shut behind us.

I started to follow her, but Alec recaptured
my hand in his. "She just needs a little time. Donovan will alert
Jasmin."

My surprise must have bled through to my
face. Alec's smile had a tinge of sadness to it as he led me away.
"There's still a lot you don't know about all of the others.
There's much I could tell you about Jasmin, but it isn't my story
to share. Suffice it to say only Dominic has a greater capacity for
empathy."

I wanted to ask what Alec meant, but it was
more and more obvious he wasn't going to answer anything he didn't
want to. We walked in comfortable silence for several minutes
before turning off into what I could only assume was the Lilac
Room.

Donovan looked up as we entered the suite. "I
trust your mother was well, sir?"

Alec nodded, a short choppy motion that
eloquently conveyed his desire not to discuss the matter. He turned
towards me, only to break off as a cell phone rang.

"It's for you, probably your mom. Pretend
you're home, I'll explain once you're finished."

I almost dropped the phone, and probably
wouldn't have managed to figure out how to answer the call in time
if he hadn't reached over and pushed the green button for me.

"Hello?"

"Adri, honey, are you sure this is a good
idea? I haven't gotten on the charter plane yet, there's still time
to call this off if you're uneasy about being alone for so
long."

The last place I wanted her right now was
home though, so it was easier than normal to lie.

"Mom, this is the chance of a lifetime. Don't
worry about me, I'll be fine."

There was a long pause as her dreams warred
with normal maternal instincts. I could hear a plane start up in
the background by the time she finally responded.

"Ok, honey. If you're sure, then we'll do it,
but if anything comes up just call me. I'll keep my cell phone with
me all the time, and I made them promise to fly me back no
questions asked if it became necessary."

I stifled a laugh at the idea of mom making a
twelve hour flight back to the US because I stubbed my toe, and
instead tried to interject even more sincerity in my voice.

"I'll be fine mom. I even promise to stay out
of trouble. Have a safe flight."

I stared at the cell phone for several
seconds before looking up at Alec, who was just putting a cell
phone that could have been the twin to the one I was holding
away.

"You redirected our calls?"

"Correct. That's what Isaac was doing in the
kitchen after your mom left. I thought it might come to this, so I
had him bring along some of his toys. You'll want to change the
message sometime tonight, so you can let it roll to the voice mail
if she calls while you're at school."

"You really do think of everything don't
you?"

His smile was surprisingly bashful. "I don't
think you can go that far, but I try to anticipate most
eventualities." The smile disappeared, and his face seemed to put
on additional years. "For most of my life, there's been quite a bit
riding on my ability to do so."

Seeking to break the tension, I pointed to
his phone. "You got a call too?"

"Yes. I'm afraid something has come up. Will
you be ok here for a few hours?"

Normal human response was to make a little
white lie, but I got the feeling I wouldn't be able to get away
with lying to Alec.

"I rather suspect whatever 'came up' is
important enough I'll just have to be ok."

He flinched a little, like maybe my aim had
been a little too true. He looked for a moment like he was going to
say something, but then his phone started vibrating again, and he
simply nodded as he turned and walked away, moving much faster by
himself than he did when I was with him.

As I stared at the empty space where he'd
been standing just a second before, I felt my chest start to
constrict, and my breathing speed up. The sense of terror racing
along my synapses was completely irrational, and extraordinarily
powerful. Just as the room began to spin crazily around me, I felt
a gentle touch on my shoulder.

"Mistress, Paige, is there anything I can get
you? Something to eat perhaps? Or if you'd rather, I can show you
to the theater."

I chopped off a hysterical burst of laughter
just before it managed to emerge full force and totally embarrass
me. Of course Alec had a theater in his house. Probably a pool and
a gym too. Along with a half dozen other amenities I'd never think
of, but that the ultra-rich simply couldn't do without.

I pulled my erratic, pointless thoughts back
into a compact, nearly-sensible ball, and shook my head as I did my
best to give him a genuine smile. "No thanks. I probably won't be
hungry for several hours still. Is there a library in the house
perhaps?"

Donovan's smile had a surprising touch of
mischief to it. "Actually, you could say that we have two. In a
manner of speaking."

I felt a more genuine smile working its way
across my face. "Could we go to one of them? I really should be
doing my homework, but I'd much rather just curl up with a good
book."

Donovan picked up the cell phone that I,
unsure whether or not it was really mine, had left on the bed, and
handed it to me. "I believe you'll want to keep this with you at
all times. Otherwise it won't be able to fulfill its assigned
purpose. And yes, we can most definitely go to one of the
libraries. In fact, I believe you'll find the smaller one quite
satisfactory. It has a copy of every textbook currently in use at
your high school, in case you reconsider.

There were more turns than I had any hope of
ever remembering, but eventually we made it to a familiar looking
door. At a nod from Donovan I pushed it open, and then as the
furnishings registered, I turned back around. "This is Alec's room.
I couldn't possibly..."

Donovan shook his head. "Young Mr. Graves
instructed that you were to have every convenience. I'm sure that
included access to what we all jokingly call the second library.
Besides, this is where you'll find the copies of all your
textbooks."

It must have been obvious I wasn't convinced,
but Donovan wasn't dissuaded. He pointed to the cell phone, still
grasped uncomfortably in my hand. "In the event that you need
something, it is likely you can just say my name and I'll hear you.
If not, that wonderfully infernal device is, I believe, programed
to call me if you hold down the number nine. I am of course
completely at your service."

I opened my mouth to protest, but moving much
too quickly, even with his painful looking limp, to be a normal
human, he'd already vanished around the corner.

I stood awkwardly in the doorway for several
minutes, but I couldn't resist the draw of all those books forever.
I finally broke down and started tracing various spines as I
decided which one I'd start with. Unfortunately I found the
textbooks before I made a final decision, and then guilt over how
poorly I was doing in Biology and Spanish won out.

I was halfway through my second re-read of my
Biology chapter, when I heard a quiet knock at the door. Rachel
giggled a little at my guilty start. "Don't worry; it's just fine
that you're here. I ran into Donovan and he told me where to find
you. I just wanted to apologize for earlier."

I shook my head violently. "No, you don't
have anything to be sorry about. It...well, it was all so horrid. I
can't imagine how hard it must be for you."

Rachel stopped me before I could say anything
else. "It's pretty rough, but not for the reasons you think. Mom
isn't entirely healthy. Hasn't been since our father was killed. It
isn't really her fault she behaves the way she does. When we humans
get involved with shape shifters sometimes we pay a pretty serious
price."

It took me several seconds to understand why
Rachel's words seemed so odd. Ever since learning Alec's secret I'd
assumed everyone here was a shape shifter. Only I hadn't ever felt
the underlying hint of power and energy from her that I'd come to
associate with Alec and the others.

"Wait, you're not a shape shifter? How is
that possible?"

Rachel's expression as she tried to
understand my question was so surprised it actually managed to
lighten the mood.

"Oh, I forget sometimes how much you don't
know. I'm normal, and mom's normal, but everyone else is a shape
shifter. Human-shape shifter marriages almost never happen, but
when they do the kids can go either way. Alec became a shape
shifter, and I'm just a run of the mill girl without even a single
superpower."

We sat in silence for several seconds as I
tried to process how that new piece of information fit in with
everything else I already knew. The obvious, if somewhat selfish,
implication was that maybe it really was possible for someone like
Alec to want to be with someone like me. There were plenty of other
things to think about though.