Gabrielle Demonico (21 page)

Her mother interrupted and said, “
Jessi you are a grown woman and I can’t tell you what to do but, they are
strangers,
honey. You don’t know the
first thing
about who they are or where they come from -
nothing
. You should be glad no harm came of it and keep your distance.”

Jessi rolled her eyes and gulped - she
’d already given the brothers directions and everything. There was no stopping the inevitable so she winced and said, “Well,
that’s
going to be hard to do, Mom.”

Her mother paused in mid-chop and looked at Jessi. She placed the knife down slowly and said, “
And
why
would that be?”

Jessi bit her lower lip and said with a sheepish grin, “
Well, because they are on their way over?”

“
Jessi!
What were you thinking?” her mother demanded.

“
What?!!” Jessi yelled back.

“
Jessi, you
know
I don’t want strangers in my house! Now what you do in your own life, even though I may not approve of it, is your own business. But this is
my house
and I don’t want them here today…”

Jessi sighed, “
Why? Just because you don’t know them?”

“
Jessica, my reasons are my own. This is my home and if I say no, I mean
no
.”

Jessi jumped up from her chair and said, “
Mom, come on. You are being ridiculous!”

“
Okay, fine Jessica. Give me
one
good reason why I should. Just
one
and I will consider it.” Her mother said with her hands on her hips.

Without missing a beat Jessi replied, “
They may have saved our lives last night mom.”

“
What!?!” her mother and sister shouted in unison.

Her mother pointed towards the stool Jessi had gotten up from and said, “
Jessica, sit down right now and tell me everything that is going on. This has gone far enough…”

“
Fine…” Jessi said as she acquiesced to her mother’s demands. Over the next fifteen minutes she proceeded to tell her mother and sister the entire story of what had happened at the Sidewinder - except for one minor detail.

“
Well, I suppose I am grateful to them for that…” Jessi’s mom said.

“
Well, uhmm, there’s just one
teeny, tiny
other thing.” Jessi said nervously.

Her mother sighed and said, “
Of course. Just tell me, Jessica.”

“
They’re wolves.” She replied dryly.

Her mother shook her head in silence. Jessi knew her well enough to know that she was close to giving in. After
all, how could she not after what they’d done - wolves or not?

Finally, she spoke and said, “
Jessica you know that wolves aren’t welcome in these parts. They haven’t been for over a hundred years. Your father will never stand for it.”

“
Mom,
please.
When have I ever let you down as your daughter?” she begged.

Her mom knew the answer - there was no denying it. “
Never.” Her mother said. “You’re a wonderful daughter. Both of you girls are. That’s not the point here.”

“
Mom I know that you, and Dad for that matter, only want the best for me and Megan. They are good and decent men. You will see, I promise.” She clasped her hands together, drew them to her chin and said, “Won’t you at least give them a chance?”

Her mother took in a deep breath and released it.

After a few moments of silence she said, “Okay, but
just this once
and
just for
today
. I will be keeping a close eye on them Jessica, you have my word on it.”

Jessi practically floated across the room to embrace her. As she hugged her close she said, “
Thank you, Mom. You won’t regret it.”

“
I hope not Jessica…” she said sternly.

In the midst of their embrace, there was a knock at the front door.

“They’re here!” Jessi beamed.

She bolted from the kitchen down the long hallway to the front door. About halfw
ay there she slid to stop and examine herself in the hallway mirror. A quick touchup here and there, a clothes straightening and a lipstick check later she was ready.

Once that was finished, she took a moment to collect herself. The drama with her mother h
ad frazzled her a bit and the last thing she wanted was for that to show when she greeted them. Feeling ready, she walked to the door, turned the handle and opened it.

The brothers smiled broadly at the first sight of her.

Her instinct was to throw herself at Daryn. More than anything she wanted to swallow his mouth whole inside of hers once again. Of course, that would have been rude to Theo and so she managed to get her desire under control just long enough to resist it.

“
Hi!” she exclaimed. “I’m so glad you could come!”

“
Thanks for having us Jessi.” Daryn said.

“
Yes, thank you Jessi. It’ll be nice to have a home cooked meal again.” Theo added.

Jessi smiled and ushered them inside. As they passed, they each hugged her hello but in a polite way, remaining respectful of the fact that they were in her parents
’ home. Jessi thought it was the sweetest thing. Old fashioned
and
smoking hot - how could her mom resist?

Jessi walked passed them and waved, “
Come on. I want you to meet my mom and my sister.”

The brothers nodded and as she passed, she noticed that Theo had something behind his back. About halfway down the hall, she stopped and turned back towa
rds them. “Theo, what is that?”

Theo moved his arm slightly to conceal the object. “
What’s what?” he asked innocently.

She rushed over towards him and tried to reach around behind. But, he was too quick for her and no matter which direction she moved, he e
vaded her.

“
Fine!” she said. “I didn’t want to know anyway.”

“
Good.” Daryn said. “Because it isn’t for you.”

She raised her eyebrows and replied, “
Oh really?”

“
Yes. Really.” He said. “Now, are we going to meet your mom and your sister or are we going to stand out here and discuss gifts that don’t belong to you?”

“
Hmm!” she scoffed. She turned her back to them and began to walk towards the kitchen.

The brothers smiled at one another and followed her.

They crossed the threshold of the kitchen and Jessi said loudly, “Mom… Megan… I’d like you to meet Daryn and Theo.”

However uncomfortable the women might have been, it simply wouldn
’t be proper to be rude - not for bears. And so, both women greeted the men warmly and made a bit of small talk.

Finally Jessi
’s mom said, “I understand that our family owes you gentlemen a debt of gratitude.”

With a puzzled look on his face, Daryn asked, “
Ma’am? I’m afraid we don’t know what you are talking about?”

Her mom continued and said, “
Oh, forgive me. Jessi told us the story of what happened at the Sidewinder last night. She said that without you two, there was no telling what might have come of all of it.”

“
Oh yes, that.” Daryn replied. “We were just glad that we got there in time.”

“
In any case, thank you.” Jessi’s mom said.

T
heo then spoke up and said, “Excuse me, Mrs. Wilder?”

“
Yes?” she replied.

“
Obviously by now you know
what
my older brother and I are. We are aware of the fact that wolves have not lived in this territory for many generations. And, we also know of the great bear legends of mistrust between our kinds. Like you, there is nothing we can do to help what we are born as. We must all shoulder the burden of the luck of the draw in that regard. But, we want to show our respect for you and for your people.”

He paused
for a moment and then began to move his right arm around to the front of his body. The object, whatever it was, was covered in thick blanket of wolf fur. He positioned it about waist high and then Daryn began to speak.

“
Mrs. Wilder. Beneath this pelt is a token of our respect for your ways. It is a gift from our pack to your people.” He nodded in the Theo’s direction and his brother slowly removed the pelt to reveal a palm sized stone. At a distance, it appeared mostly black but depending on the angle at which it was viewed, it dazzled amongst all colors of the rainbow. Jessi thought it was one of the most beautiful things she’d ever seen.

She glanced at her mother who was visibly moved by the gesture.

Her mother spoke and said, “My goodness. That is lovely. May I ask, what is it?’

Theo replied, “
It is known as the wisdom stone. Well, actually, it is a shard of the much larger wisdom stone that is in our homeland. When we left, it was given to us by someone very special. It is said that the wisdom stone will glimmer for you until the question that vexes you most has been resolved. Tell me, do you see colors?”

Neither Jessi
’s sister nor mother saw any colors. Feeling uncomfortable, Megan quickly asked, “Wait. I don’t see anything. Is that bad?”

Daryn laughed. “
No, not at all. The wisdom stone does not judge, it only guides in the direction of the solution to your problem. Whenever you face difficulty, the wisdom stone knows it and will illuminate.”

Jessi interrupted and said, “
Well,
you two
must see colors… right?”

The brothers turned and looked at one another. “
Not anymore.” Theo replied.

Jessi wa
s confused.

How could it be that she saw colors but neither them, her mother or sister did? This was especially true considering the story that Daryn had told her in the car the night before. Everything about their life seemed to be in a complete state of
upheaval but, according to them at least, they saw no color.

Daryn smiled and said, “
Mrs. Wilder, would you please accept this small token from us?”

To Jessi
’s disbelief her mother seemed overwhelmed by the gift. She came around the kitchen counter and said enthusiastically, “Of course, it would be my pleasure. I’ll find a place to keep it safe right away.”

Theo cleared his throat and said, “
Mrs. Wilder. With all due respect… The wisdom stone is not meant to be hidden away or forgotten about. Please, if it shines for you, it means that you must resolve that which troubles you. If you are not willing to use it in this way, then I am afraid we cannot offer it. That is your choice of course but please do not be insulted if we are unable to part with it.”

The st
atement caught Jessi’s mom off guard but she paused for a moment and listened to him carefully and thought that perhaps she would reconsider.

She smiled and said, “
Forgive me if I insulted your gesture, it was through my own ignorance. I would be happy to accept the wisdom stone. And, you have my word that it will never be locked away or kept from being used in the way your people intended.”

Jessi
’s mind was literally coming apart at the seams. She simply could not believe the transformation she was witnessing in her mother. She’d known that there was more to them than met the eye but she never could have imagined her mother coming around so quickly. She watched as her mother took the stone from Theo and placed it upon the counter. She then turned to the men and said, “Thank you again and welcome to our home.”

The men nodded and Daryn said, “
Thank you for inviting us.”

The group made small talk for a few more minutes until eventually the final preparations for the meal had been finished. With the men
’s help, they all headed out into the backyard.

One after another, members of her family from her father to her cousins seemed to take to the brothers right away. For the better part of an hour everyone ate and drank and got to know each other in a relaxed and comf
ortable atmosphere.

Toward the end of the meal, Jessi
’s mom turned towards her and said, “Oh! Jessi! I forgot the desserts. They are down in the basement. Would you mind running to get them? Just take Megan with you.”

“
Okay mom.” Jessi replied.

Theo was se
ated to Jessi’s left and overheard the discussion. He leaned over and said, “Jessi, I can help if you want.”