Luke's Dream (20 page)

Clay snorted slightly, and Bethi turned on
him. “Something to say?”

That was a lot of angry in one tiny package.
If Clay was smart, he’d stay quiet. Oh wait, he didn’t know big boy
words yet.

“He’d hoped to see Luke get his butt kicked,”
Gabby said, honestly.

“Do you have any friends here?” Bethi asked,
giving me an arched look.

I grinned. “Probably not.”

Sighing, she dropped her hand and focused on
Emmitt. “He did dump the bike. Several times. Each time it was
because we were being attacked.”

It was more explanation than the arrogant ass
deserved.

Emmitt studied Bethi, inhaling slightly. The
scent of her blood still coated her.

“I would have been a lot worse off without
him,” she said.

Emmitt nodded. “It’s always
my
bike.”
The dark haired woman patted his back with a slight smile on her
face.

“Michelle,” Bethi said softly, staring at the
woman. “We need to talk.”

Michelle stared at Bethi in surprise as Bethi
studied Gabby.

“Thank you for sending him, Gabby.” Bethi
glanced at me sheepishly. “I wasn’t very cooperative at first.”

What the hell was going on here? How did she
know who Gabby was? Or Michelle? I didn’t even know who Michelle
was. I looked at Gabby, but she seemed just as surprised at the
moment. We’d both almost died getting here because I’d thought
Gabby had the answers. She was the one who sent me to Bethi and
started all of this.

“Well, Little One, here she is. Now what?” I
asked Gabby.

Bethi’s gaze narrowed on me, then she turned
to Emmitt. “I changed my mind. Hit him.” She walked away from me
and went back to stand by Winifred.

“Bethi…” I said, not understanding her mood
shift while Clay laughed.

“Everybody out,” Bethi said. “Except you
two.” She pointed at Michelle and Gabby.

Did she really think she could kick me out?
I’d fought countless males to get her here and had just watched
someone sew her shut. I wasn’t leaving until I understood what was
going on.

“Why?” Emmitt asked, still glaring at me.

“Because I need to talk to them. In private,”
Bethi said.

“This isn’t the place to do it, then,” Gabby
said. “Too many sharp ears here.”

Gabby turned and walked out the door. Clay
and Michelle followed. Emmitt gave me one last look of promised
retribution then did the same. I stayed and eyed Bethi. What little
color she’d started with was already gone.

“Do you want me to carry you?” I asked.

She snorted. “No, you can save your heroics
for Little One.”

Ah. She was jealous. It felt like everything
in me was expanding.

It would be wiser not to smile just
now,
Winifred sent to me.

Bethi looked ready to hit me as she shuffled
past with Winifred close behind. We walked the halls to the
infamous soundproofed room. It didn’t look like much. Just a
bedroom-sized space with a large table surrounded by chairs.

Everyone else already stood in the room,
waiting around the table. I stepped in behind Winifred. Emmitt gave
me a look as he moved to close the door.

“Private means the three of us,” Bethi said
firmly. She looked at Gabby and Michelle. “There are things we need
to talk about. Things no one else would believe.”

Gabby looked a little wary but turned to
Clay. He didn’t look too happy about leaving. Neither did
Emmitt.

“For Pete’s sake! What do you think’s going
to happen in here?” Bethi said.

“She’s right,” Michelle said, looking at
Emmitt. “We’ll be fine in here. You should check on the boys.”

Emmitt moved to kiss her before turning to
leave. Gabby stared into Clay’s eyes in a sickening moment of
silent communication. He sighed, touched her cheek lightly, and
exited.

The three women turned to look at me and
Winifred.

“She has new stitches and should try not to
pull them,” Winifred said, looking at Michelle.

“She’s right here,” Bethi mumbled as she
eased into one of the chairs.

Winifred smiled at Bethi and left.

“I’m not leaving,” I said softly.

Out in the hall Emmitt said, “If he’s not
leaving...”

“Just shut the door already,” Bethi
snapped.

I closed the door, cutting short the growl
from the hall, and leaned against it to settle in for some
answers.

“I’m Bethi,” she said.

“I’m Michelle,” Michelle said. “How did you
know my name?”

Bethi glanced at Gabby who remained quiet.
“You’re not curious how I knew your name too?”

Gabby glanced at me. “I assumed he told
you.”

“No. It would be a nice answer though. A
normal answer,” Bethi said as she continued to study the pair.
Bethi’s gaze carried a hint of sad defeat. “Are you ready for the
truth? The truth about your abilities, and why we are the way we
are?”

Abilities? I looked at Michelle and Gabby.
Both looked stunned by Bethi’s words, as if they made sense.
Michelle slowly sank into a chair while Gabby still stood.

“Well, to be honest, I don’t know all the
details, but I’m pretty sure I know more than you,” Bethi said. “I
remember. That’s my lovely ability. We’ve existed before and will
exist again…and again.” She took a slow, deep breath. “Each life
we’ve lived before, I will eventually remember. Each death. Each
emotion.” She swallowed hard.

“I can see what will happen with the stock
market. Well, I used to, anyway,” Michelle said.

“I know. I saw you. You were curled up in a
ball,” Bethi looked up at the ceiling, her gaze becoming unfocused.
“It felt like your head had already exploded, exposing every nerve
ending within you to even more pain.” Bethi looked at Michelle. “I
saw a man pick up your little brother by his arm and carry him into
the house. The other one was just a baby.”

Shock filled me. It was real. All her bad
dreams. All those deaths. All those lives she’d said she’d lived.
It was all real.

“I saw you too, Gabby. All those homes. You
could never let your guard down.”

Gabby sank into a chair.

“We’re not alone,” Bethi said. “There are six
of us. We need to find the others but can’t trust anyone. When we
do, we die...or worse.”

Anyone? Was I anyone or someone? I glanced at
Michelle who looked equally troubled.

“You said you knew why we had our abilities?”
Gabby said.

“Kind of.”

“I see lights,” Gabby said. “I just want to
know why.”

“Because you’re our Hope. But also, our
biggest weakness. With you, they would be able to find us all.”

“Six of us,” Gabby whispered as if suddenly
understanding something.

“And you,” Bethi said looking at Michelle,
“are Prosperity. You always bring fortune to those around you.”

“And you know all this because you remember?”
Gabby asked.

“It’s not simply remembering. I relive our
past lives through dreams. Not just my past lives but all of ours.
When I wake up, they stay with me—every detail. Our abilities and
how we used them in those lives.” She tapped her head. “We’ve died
so many times.”

“So you know what our abilities are for? Why
we are like this?”

“The dreams are still coming. I’m not naive
enough to believe I’ve learned everything. But I do know we exist
because something was needed to keep the balance between humans,
werewolves, and the dogs of death.”

The what?

“Excuse me?” Michelle glanced at Gabby as if
saying “did you hear that too?”

“Urbat. A cousin to Lycan. They’re close, but
not quite the same. They tried to wipe out the werewolves almost a
thousand years ago.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“Oh,” Michelle said, looking suddenly
enlightened. “I think Nana Wini told me something about that. But
she didn’t mention any cousins. Just that there was a huge
fight—they weren’t sure of the reason—and that it decimated their
numbers.”

“Of both sides,” Bethi said before turning to
Gabby. “Right? You can see the difference in their sparks. Are
there more werewolves or Urbat?”

Gabby looked slightly stunned. “I knew it,”
she murmured. “Two different kinds.” Her expression grew vacant and
then troubled. “There are more Urbat. At least double.”

Pieces started falling into place. All those
attacks…all the wolves I’d killed…they weren’t werewolves.

Gabby’s worried gaze flicked to the door, and
she chewed on her lip for a moment. “So what does it mean that I’m
Hope?”

“So far, I just know that you’re the key to
bringing all of us together. You know where the other three
are.”

Gabby’s attention returned to Bethi. “Two,”
she corrected. “Charlene is one of us, too.”

“Who’s Charlene? Where is she?”

“Here,” Michelle said. “She’s Emmitt’s
mother.”

“Mother? How old is she?”

Michelle shrugged. “In her forties. I’m not
exactly sure.”

“What’s her ability?” Bethi asked.

“She admitted she could control people.”

Relief and excitement poured from Bethi.
“Strength,” she said with a happy grin. “We are just missing Peace
and Courage.” She looked at Gabby. “Where are they?”

Gabby’s gaze grew slightly unfocused again.
Awe filled me at what I was seeing and hearing. Gifted women. I
should have listened to Bethi. Trusted her.

“Both on the East Coast. One is very far
north and the other just a little south.”

“One is with Blake,” Michelle said in a
quiet, deeply troubled tone.

“Who’s Blake?” Bethi asked.

“He kept me prisoner for my premonitions. I
thought he was a werewolf, too. But I’ve heard that word before.
Urbat. One of his men was talking about Urbat ruling the world. We
have to tell the others that another kind exists.” Worry filled her
gaze. “The Elders have been trying to find Blake through their
connection. But they can’t. After I met Emmitt, I had a vision of
Blake with a tall, blind girl. She called him Father. She seemed
okay with him.” She shrugged and explained further. “He definitely
didn’t strike me as a good person when he kept me locked up, but he
seemed to treat her well. Kissed her head and everything.”

Although Michelle painted a decent enough
picture, Bethi looked ready to vomit.

“I’m sure she’s one of us. The visions I’ve
had so far have all proved to be of us, people with abilities. I
saw you in the mall talking to some other girls,” Michelle said to
Bethi.

If I hadn’t already believed, in that moment,
I would have. I hadn’t told Gabby where or how I’d found Bethi. The
air had been clear of anything but human scents. No one else could
have known.

“And you,” Michelle said, looking at Gabby,
“sitting on the floor with Clay in wolf form by your side. You were
both reading. There’s only been five different girls in my visions.
The other is a really angry redhead.”

Bethi gave a clipped laugh.

“That would be Peace. We need her.” She
blinked slowly. I knew that look. She was fighting another
dream.

“We need her,” she repeated.

“Are you okay?” Michelle asked.

“No. I’m not. Sorry. The dreams I have are
less than pleasant, and they won’t let up.” She straightened
slightly. “Gabby, you pinpointed me enough to send Luke. We need
you to do the same for the other two.”

Gabby zoned out for a minute. “We can get to
one, but not the other. The one in the north is surrounded by the
other ones.”

“The one in the north, the tall blind one
that Blake has, must be Courage. Have there been any attacks here
since we arrived?” Bethi asked. Both women shook their heads. “Are
there any Urbat here?” Bethi asked Gabby.

“No, but I’ve seen them before. A few of them
attacked us. And then there’s Elder Joshua.”

My jaw clenched as I understood what she was
saying. Different colors meant different species. We had an Urbat
Elder.

“He was the one I contacted,” I said.

Bethi glanced at me.

“Someone betrayed us on the way here,” she
said. “That’s why there were so many attacks.”

Her blood was on him. I curled my hands into
fists. Elder or not, next time I saw him, he would die.

“There’s a lot more to discuss, but I’m about
to pass out,” Bethi said with another slow blink. “Gabby, keep an
eye on the Urbat. If they start grouping and heading this way, we
need to give everyone a warning.” She sighed and rubbed her face.
“The children should be evacuated, now.”

A sharp knock sounded at the door. The handle
twisted, and I stepped away to let the door open.

“Time’s up,” Clay said.

Gabby grinned and waved him in. Emmitt
followed closely behind, elbowing me on his way past. Ass.

“Please keep quiet about all of this,” Bethi
said, standing. “You have no idea what’s coming our way, but I do.
I’ve been raped, beaten, cut,”—she lifted her shirt to show them
the stitched gash—“starved, drowned, blinded, burned...you name it,
I’ve lived it.
We’ve
lived it. You just don’t remember.
Don’t trust anyone with your safety. When we do, we die. And I’ll
be the one who has to remember.”

Turning, she left the silent room. I
followed.

Winifred stood just outside the door, her
thoughtful expression on Bethi. She’d heard Bethi’s little reminder
at the end. Any sane Elder would have questions.

She’s about to pass out,
I sent
Winifred as I scooped Bethi into my arms.

Will you tell me what was said?

You wouldn’t believe a word of it if I try
to explain it. They need to tell you. I don’t understand
everything, but I do know trouble is coming this way and these
girls are at the middle of it.

Bethi
glared at me as I started walking back to the apartment. It didn’t
last long. Before we turned the first corner, she gave up and
rested her head on my shoulder. Her anger remained, though, in her
scent and the stiffness of her shoulders.