The Tempering (The Mackenzie Duncan Series) (10 page)

I deserve the headache.
Without warning, images flashed through her mind. The severed, gnawed on hand, the tent torn to shreds, the bloody remains being buried. Falling to the ground, she cried. She needed to be stronger. This was her life now. She had no control over what had happened in the past. She needed to look forward. She needed to learn everything she could about her new life and she needed to make it work. No more tears. She had to make shit work her whole life. She did it then. She could do it again.

Wiping the salty droplets from her face with her sleeve, she stood. The resolve she had coursing through her made her stand straighter, breathe easier. If her father taught her one thing before he was locked up, it was how to
appear
strong until you
were
strong. Appearance is everything. If you allow yourself to
look
weak, you will
be
weak. She would no longer be weak, no matter how long it took for her insides to catch up with her exterior.

Analise came down the steps first with the car keys and popped the trunk open. The girls loaded their bags before Analise looked to Mackenzie with a sad smile.

“What?”

“I wish I had known that I would meet you. It would be nice to actually have someone to talk to that is going through everything at the same time I am. I know I can be a bitch, and I don’t apologize for it, but when they told me we had someone to find, I had no idea it would be another tempering pup. God, I hate that term, pup. I mean, I guess it fits, I am a bitch, and it’s only gotten worse since the fucker bit me.”

They both laughed at that before Mackenzie replied, “I know. It would be nice to know someone in the house. But, either way, we won’t be alone anymore.”

“Very true. Come on. Let’s get in.”

Mackenzie opened the back driver’s side door, expecting Analise to take the back passenger side. When she slid into her seat, she looked up and saw that Analise had taken the passenger side, just not the back.

“Why are you up there? I thought we would sit together.” Her heart pounded as she thought she would be stuck in the backseat with Geoff. Didn’t she have enough to worry about without developing a crush?

“Nah, it’s a long ride to the airport and I figure I will need some entertainment.”

“Bitch.” Mackenzie knew Analise wouldn’t be offended. She was proven right by the accepting smile and wink sent back her way.

“Oh, look, lover boy is coming! Better get all those jitters out!” Analise trilled, dancing around in her seat before starting the elementary school kissing song.

“SHUT UP! What if he hears you?”

The doors opened and both Margret and Geoff got in. “Too late. Super hearing, remember?” Margret said with a smile.

Mackenzie couldn’t bring herself to look up. No way would she let Geoff see her rattled by Analise’s taunts.

~*~

To keep herself from doing anything stupid during the car ride, Mackenzie caught up on some much needed rest. The calmness that always surrounded her around these three (unless of course, she and Analise were about to tear each other apart) made sleep come easily.

When the car came to a halt, the sudden lack of movement jarred her awake. Geoff had apparently fallen asleep, too, using her has a pillow. His head balanced precariously on her shoulder. His mouth hung open and soft snores filled the car.

Looking to the front, hoping that Analise had somehow missed it, she was met with a big grin and a shiny camera.

“Tell me you didn’t.”

“Can’t do that. I won’t lie.”

Mackenzie let out a little growl and shoved Geoff off her. He woke with a startle and sat looking around, muscles tensed as if in fighting mode.

“What happened? What is it?”

The girls in the car all laughed at him until Mackenzie realized her shoulder was wet. “EEW! GEOFF YOU DROOLED ON ME! YOU ARE A DAMN DOG, AREN’T YOU?”

That caused another round of laughter as they all climbed from the car. Geoff got all the bags and Margret turned the keys into the rental company. Walking over to the shuttle, Mackenzie’s stomach dropped. She didn’t have a credit card. She only had about a hundred and ten bucks left and she knew that wasn’t going to be enough to get a ticket.

“Margret, how much is a ticket to Montana?”

“Why?”

“Um, so I can go with you?”

“Oh, silly girl, I already took care of that. You do want to be in my pack, right? As pack leader, that’s my job. I take care of my kids. You’re now one of them.”

A sense of belonging fell over her. It was an odd sensation. She had always been an outsider, never really fitting in anywhere, not really. Sure, the high school teams tolerated her because she was good at what she did, but no one really liked hanging out with the convict’s kid or the girl who killed the curve on the test. The more time she spent with Margret, Geoff, and Analise, the more she trusted them. She couldn’t believe she had thought they had ulterior motives to begin with. They just wanted to help her.

“Thank you.”

“You are very welcome.”

~*~

Margret and Analise were going to be flying out to the California house after taking her and Geoff home. That sounded so strange to her, yet wonderful all at the same time. Analise couldn’t stop talking about what she had been told of the house she would get to call home. Apparently, it was just north of Los Angeles and Analise was beside herself with joy. But before anything, they had to get to the Montana house. Montana had a LOT of trees. Mackenzie could see that much from the airplane.

“You will have plenty of places to run out here. The house is right in the middle of three national forests.”

“Three?”

“That’s right. I know how to pick locations. Many, many years of practice. When you live as long as we do, you learn a thing or two.” Margret said with a smile and a pat on Mackenzie’s shoulder.

“Wait, what does that mean?”

“What how to pick locations? It’s easy, really.”

“No, about living as long as we do?”

“Oh, right. I sometimes forget how little pups know when they weren’t changed by someone who planned on sticking around. On average, a Werewolf’s life is ten times that of humans.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah.”

They didn’t talk anymore on the plane. Mackenzie had a lot to take in. She would be living for a long time. Everyone she knew and loved would grow old and die and she would still look like a young woman.

It was that train of thought that brought her around to Geoff. How old was he? If he was born a Werewolf, has he been able to change since he was a baby? Is he some creepy old man hitting on a nineteen-year-old girl? He sure didn’t look creepy, and nothing he had done so far would be even close to considered hitting on her. The disappointment in that did not go unnoticed and she chided herself for the thought.

The plane landed and four hours later, they arrived in Whitefish. It was a quaint little town with that same small town feel as the last place she stayed. The one where she killed and buried the camper. The town so small that everyone had to know everyone else and the citizens surely had gone looking for them already.

Shaking her head and chanting her new mantra,
I am strong. I am moving forward. I will not cry again,
she took in the sights. Geoff pointed out key locations—the coffee shop, the grocery store, the ‘best pizza in town,’ and the street that led to their house. There were very few houses along the way and they were spread out.

They pulled into the driveway where the house that stood before them was massive. It looked like a log cabin on steroids. It was three stories tall with a large wrap around deck on the second floor. A gigantic stone chimney adorned the front part of the house from the ground floor all the way up. Floor-to-ceiling windows filled most of the front space on the third floor. It could have been one of the sorority houses back at Harvard, no, one of the frat houses. Not the exterior of course, but the feel of the houses. The grandeur of them. The logs looked very rugged. Something that Mackenzie actually liked very much. The sorority houses were always so prim and proper and it drove her nuts. She wanted to go and plant some weeds in the yard just to fuss it up a little. She never did, but it would have been fun.

Snow covered the ground, and in the side yard, she could see a handful of guys throwing it around, trying to pelt each other.

Stepping out of the car, everyone in the vicinity stopped what they were doing and looked to Margret.

“Family meeting in fifteen minutes!” They all called out their understanding and began heading into the house. Mackenzie was marveled at how they listened to her, how they didn’t question her or ask who the new girls were.

“Come on, we can get your stuff put into your room before the meeting,” Margret said as Geoff ran off to the group of guys, picking up a handful of snow along the way. Before he even got close, he threw the packed ball and it sailed through the air, landing firmly against the back of some guys head.

“Sounds good. Thanks.” Mackenzie picked up her bags and followed behind Margret, trying to remember the layout of the house as they passed by each room. A brief look into what she assumed was a living room, or maybe a den, looked to have a large TV and shelves full of either movies or video games. With the throng of men in the room, and the hooting and hollering she heard long after they passed, she assumed video games.

“The boys can get a little excited. Don’t mind them. If anyone gives you any trouble, you let me know.” Margret smiled looking back over her shoulder at Mackenzie toward the ruckus the boys were making.

“Thanks.”

Mackenzie found her room on the third floor. The floor-to-ceiling windows bathed the room in sunlight, giving the amber walls a lovely glow. Although three bedroom suites adorned the room, each enjoyed plenty of space between them. This way, even though the girls shared a room, they wouldn’t feel like they were living on top of one another.

“Teresa and Natalie are in this room. Teresa has been with us for almost four years and Natalie for the last three. They tend to... well, let’s just say it takes a strong personality to room with them. But, I think you will be fine. You stood up to both Geoff and Analise, so I think you will be able to handle these two better than anyone else will. You have a couple minutes to check out the room, then come on down for the meeting. We will get you introduced to everyone and I will have the girls go over the house chores and rules with you. Okay?”

Mackenzie nodded and watched as Margret left the room, closing the door behind her. When she knew she was alone, she spun in a circle slowly, taking in her surroundings. Obviously, the bed by the massive window was hers and she was more than happy about that. She walked over to the bed, threw her bag on it, and gazed out the window. She could see for what felt like miles. Being on the third floor put her just about level with the tips of the tall trees across the narrow road. With the snow clinging to the trees and the setting sun hitting it just right, she felt like she was in the middle of a winter wonderland.

Sighing, she turned and looked at her new life. Just a month prior she was living a human life in a tiny apartment she had to work her butt off to keep. Here she was a Werewolf but at least she had the perk of an amazing house filled with people who can understand and help her. Accept her for who she is. She would give anything to go back to that apartment and to her life alone, but if she couldn’t it wasn’t a bad place to be.

The bed sank under her weight, but the mattress was pillow soft and Mackenzie couldn’t help but lie back and stare out the window. Sadness flooded through her, and as the tears started to slip out of the corner of her eyes, she wiped them away, reminding herself that she would not cry anymore. She was strong. She would make the most of her new life and say goodbye to her past.

The door to the bedroom opened and two girls walked in, stopping short when they spotted Mackenzie. Sitting up, Mackenzie gave them a little wave and a half smile.

“So you must be the reason for the family meeting.” A tiny red-headed girl, with slight blonde highlights, stepped forward with a small smile.

“That would be me. I’m Mackenzie.” Mackenzie stood up and walked toward the girls. The second girl, a dark-skinned girl with beautifully shaped yellowish green eyes framed by the longest lashes Mackenzie had ever seen, jumped in place a little and when Mackenzie was within range ran toward her, hugging her tightly. Not sure of what to do, Mackenzie stood still, with her arms to her sides, and her eyes wide, looking at the other girl, hoping for some clue as to how to detach herself.

“Natalie! Chill out! You want to scare her away before she even unpacks?” Natalie quickly let go and backed up. Her face was flushed with embarrassment, and she mumbled an apology.

“Sorry about her. She hasn’t quite gotten control of the emotions yet. Everyone conquers the stages differently. Teresa,” She said as she offered her hand.

“We better get going. Margret doesn’t like anyone to be late to family meetings,” Natalie said and motioned toward the door. “Family meetings are at the dining room table.”

The three girls left the bedroom and walked down all three flights of stairs. Mackenzie was instantly grateful when she found out the boys were all on the second floor and the girls on the third. If they made the kind of noise at night as they did earlier in the living room, she would never get any sleep.

The dining room was very large with three rectangular tables made out of what looked to be a red oak, pushed together to create one giant table with chairs around the perimeter. Nearly, every seat was full. Thankfully, they were not the last to arrive.

“Mackenzie, you’ll sit beside me for this meeting. After today, you may sit where ever you like.” Margret stood and pulled the empty chair out for her. Teresa smiled at her and took a seat next to a tall man. When he wrapped his arm around her and kissed her forehead, she knew that this “family” definitely did not have any dating policy. With a quick glance around the room, she wasn’t sure if she was happy or sad at that. At least if it weren’t allowed, she could give herself more reasons to avoid any feelings developing for Geoff.