Destiny of Three (10 page)

“You’re all crazy if you think I’m going to allow Star to shoot me with electricity.  Oh hell no.”  Lilly crossed her hands over her chest, shaking her head.

Sky, River, and Star all started laughing. 

“No, you goofball, it’s my turn.  All I want to do is read your mind, if I can.  Later, Star can shoot the stool out from underneath you,” River said, giggling.

“Tell me what I’m thinking now.”  Lilly crossed the room and whispered in Sky’s ear, “I’m thinking of the number seven and about horses.  If she gets that then she can read my mind.” 

River sat down and did exactly what Sky said he’d done, picturing Lilly and then relaxing and waiting.  She laughed when she heard Lilly say,
‘I’m thinking about the number seven and about horses, yes River, horses, you heard me, horses, horses.’ 

“Horses and the number seven,” River whispered.  “Why on earth would you be thinking about horses and the number seven?”

“You did it!” Lilly shouted, running over to River and hugging her.  “I’m so amazed at you three.  I think we can really do this.  We can send that vampire straight to hell! But you know that some vampires and shifters can shield themselves from others.”

“You mean put up mental shields so you can’t get into their minds?”  Star asked.

“Yep.  You might not be able to connect with someone like Reece, because he’s such a strong vampire.  You need to practice just to make sure, then we can kick some ass.”

Everyone laughed except Star.  She was worried now.  “What if I can’t hit my mark and I hit someone else by mistake?  I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

“You can do it, Star.  I’m so confident that you can that I’m willing to put a big fat apple on my head and pray like hell you knock it off,” Lilly said.

“Hell no.  I wouldn’t dare try that.  What if I missed?  I appreciate the show of faith, Lilly, but no.” She shook her head and walked over to Sky’s desk, took three apples he’d brought to eat that day, and lined them up on the table.

“This is just like having a gun and hitting my mark, so everyone back up just in case it hits something and ricochets off of it.”  Star made sure everyone was behind her before she started. 

Star slowed her breathing just like she was taught to do when shooting a gun.  She decided that she’d use the same principals.  She pointed at the first apple and in her mind she shot it, but instead of a bullet hitting the apple, Star shot out electricity.  She repeated the process until every apple had been shot off the table.  She turned in shock.  Why would the Gods give them this type of power?

“I think you’re all set.  All you need to do is practice and practice a lot, so that when the time comes, you’ll be ready for him.  But I do encourage you all to tell your mates and the Unit.  I think we’ll need all the help we can get if he brings a lot of people with him.  Something about this situation tells me that we’ll be out-manned and out-gunned,” Lilly said as she got up.  “Hey, if you guys don’t need me anymore, I’ve got to go do some more planning for the Valentine’s Dance.  Apparently, there are going to be a lot of shifters coming this year.  We had to get the hotels downtown and in the surrounding area to give us some rooms.  We’ll shuttle them to the lodge but they’ll have to sleep somewhere else.”  Lilly waved, then walked out the door.

“What do you think?  Should we tell your mates and Jansen and Banks?”  Sky asked his sisters.

“No,” Star answered quickly.  She couldn’t stop her anger from coming out.  She was mad at them, and every time someone mentioned their names she couldn’t let it go.  They hadn’t even called her to say, “Hey, just letting you know if you even care that I’m out of town,” or “I’ll be back soon.”

“What’s wrong?”  River asked, rubbing little circles over her back.

“Nothing.  If you want to tell Reece and Jonas go ahead, but I’m not telling Jansen and Banks.  I think it’s best that we keep it to ourselves until we get more practice in.” 

“Ok, sweetie.  But I have to tell my mates soon.  I don’t want them so mad at me that it messes up what we have,” River explained.

Star nodded. 

“I’ve got some stuff to do for Larken today on his computer.  We need to get back to the lodge before anyone gets curious,” Star said as she hugged her brother. 

“Why don’t you come over for lunch at the lodge and practice some of your mind tricks on Jonas and Reece to see if it works on Alphas?”  River suggested as she hugged her brother good-bye.

Star sat at Larken’s desk, putting a program he wanted onto his computer.  The longer she sat waiting for it to download the angrier she got, thinking about Jansen and Banks.  How could they do this to her?  And why did she even care?

“Damn fools.  If this is how they want to play, then so be it.  They didn’t even call to tell me they were okay,” Star muttered.  She thought she was alone, but the door creaked, alerting her that someone was standing there. 

Star looked up as Lilly walked inside and said, “You mad at the bear and the wizard?”

Her eyes widened as she looked back down at Larken’s computer.  “No.  Why do you say that?” 

“I thought we were friends, Star,” Lilly said.

Why couldn’t she have kept her big fat mouth shut?  Now she had to tell Lilly why she was so mad. 

“They could have called and at least said that they were okay.  I thought they were my friends too,” Star complained.

“Really?  Friends?  I always thought you couldn’t stand Jansen and Banks.  All you do is argue with them, and Ash said you punched Banks in the nose when he tried to show you how to hit properly so you wouldn’t break your hands,” Lilly commented.

“I mean, they’re always bossing me around, but I don’t hate them.”  Star jumped up and started pacing in front of Lilly.  “I thought we were all friends.  I guess you’re right.  Maybe I don’t know how to be friends with people.  I guess I need to…”

“Stop it, Star.  You’re a good person, and you would give the shirt off your back to any of us.  They should have called you and at least said they were okay.  I agree with you, but what I was trying to say is that maybe if you cut them some slack, they’d do the same for you.” 

All Star heard was that maybe she should cut them some slack.  She’d been her usual bitchy self and Lilly was calling her out.  “I’m sorry if I was that way to you,” Star said, sitting back down at the computer.  “I’ve got to finish this before your brother gets back.” Ending this conversation was all she could handle right now. 

“Sure.  I’ve got lots to keep me busy.  The dance is tomorrow and I’ve got a lot to finish.  You’re coming to the dance, right?”  Lilly got up.

“Not real sure.  I think you’ll have your hands full with the people coming in looking for their mates.  I’ll try to drop by.”  Star tried to smile, but it was no use.  She’d just been told that she was acting like a bitch. It wouldn’t have been so bad if it hadn’t come from Lilly, the one person who she thought really liked her, but if Lilly thought that then everyone must think it, and just put up with her because of River being her sister. 

“I better see you there!  I’ll need my friends close by in case something happens like bears getting into a fight or cats doing cartwheels on the dance floor.”  Star tried to smile at Lilly’s joking but her feelings had taken a big fat nosedive to the bottom of the ocean and she didn’t know how to handle it.

Lilly came around the desk and stunned her.  “Remember, if your friends can be honest with you then you know that they’re your true friends.  I love you, Star Johnson.  You’re a great woman, and I mean that.” 

Star nodded and half hugged her back.  All she could think of was how awful she’d been to everyone, especially Banks and Jansen.  She didn’t deserve mates.  They didn’t need someone like her.  Maybe she was too damaged. 

Lilly walked to the door and waved good-bye.  Star sat and stared after her for a long time before she decided maybe she needed to take a break from her family and everyone here at the lodge.  Maybe a little day trip was in order.  She could leave before lunch and come back tomorrow night.  Jansen and Banks wouldn’t care; they hadn’t notified her, so she didn’t owe them the same courtesy.  She’d call River from the road and tell her that she needed a moment to figure out her future and she couldn’t do it there with everyone.  Plus, she wanted to be alone.  She sighed, letting her frustration come through for a moment. 

****

Jansen sat down with his Ne-ma while Banks took his shower.  They were leaving in a few minutes, and he needed some time alone with his grandmother. 

“So tell me about your mate?” his Ne-ma asked.

“How did you know?  I haven’t had a chance to tell you about her.”  Jansen smiled back.

“I already knew.  The moment you met her, I could feel it in here.”  Ne-ma touched her heart. 

Jansen shook his head.  “You always know when something’s going to happen.  Do you know who the vampire is that’s in their dreams?  I don’t know what I would do if anything happened to her, but she drives me crazy, Ne-ma.”

Jansen’s grandmother laughed aloud, then slapped her knee and said, “I knew your mate would be a handful.  She needed to be strong-willed, or you, my dear, would get bored very quickly.”  She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.  “Take care of her, I feel trouble brewing for all of them.  They will face this vampire soon, but know that he is more powerful then all of you think.”

“Do you think he’s alive and will get the message?”  Jansen asked, worried.

“I don’t know boy.  I can only pray that he gets it.  I feel you’ll need him to defeat this monster of a vampire.  He has a lot of followers coming with him,” Ne-ma answered as she stared off in space. 

“How many are we talking about?”  Jansen narrowed his eyes, praying that she’d know.  They were going to need help if his Ne-ma was right.

“I don’t know; all I know is that I see many of them.  More than a hundred, but most are lying in wait until he calls them,” Ne-ma said.  She started shaking as she continued to concentrate.

“Do you know when, Ne-ma?”

“No, son… No I don’t,” she answered with fear in her eyes.  If his Ne-ma feared this vampire, then they didn’t have time to waste.  They needed to get home.  He needed to make sure he had Star under lock and key until they could get enough help to protect them.

Banks came out of the bedroom carrying his bag.  He saw Jansen’s expression and immediately came to his side.  “What’s wrong?”

Jansen shook his head.  “Let’s get on the road.  I’ll tell you in the car.”  Jansen reached over and helped his grandmother up, then kissed her on the cheek. 

“Ne-ma, please keep trying to get the message to your contact.  I love you.”  Jansen loved his grandmother and he knew without a doubt that she loved him.

“Remember, if you stay together nothing can get through you,” Ne-ma said. Then she looked up, in a trance, and said: “Trust in others and the one that you love, even during desperate times.” 

Jansen arched his brow.  He had been around his Ne-ma countless times when she made predictions like this, and he had no clue what they meant.  His adrenaline was pumping hard through his veins, urging him to get back home.  Right now, he only needed to be with his mate.  Seeing Star would help him calm down, but his whole body would on edge until he got to hold her again.

“Take care, boy.”  Ne-ma hugged him good-bye. 

“It was nice to meet you,” Banks said, but Ne-ma wasn’t having any of his hand-shaking.  She grabbed him and hugged him close to her.

              Ne-ma pulled his head down and whispered in his ear, “You’ll be the rock that holds the three of you together.  Think before you act and remember, together you can stay alive.  No matter what, stay together.”

Banks nodded, then followed Jansen out to the car.  He had no clue what she meant, but sticking close to his mate was exactly what he planned to do.  They both waved good-bye as Jansen pulled out of the driveway. 

Star packed her backpack, then got in her car and headed north.  She wanted one day to get her head on straight and figure out what she wanted to do with her life.  Jonas was helping her out because of River, but did he really need her?  The answer was probably no; there were plenty of paranormals out there who had better talents then her.  Sky could take a piece of wood and turn it into a masterpiece.  River could build programs with her computer skills that made her wanted by every agency, both human and paranormal.  What could she do?  Oh yeah, shoot fire out of her ass.  She snorted at herself.  Well, shoot electricity out of her hands, but the thought made her laugh even if she wanted to hit something. 

Where was she going to go?  Star continued to drive until she saw a sign for Hubbard’s Bed and Breakfast.  She plugged the name into her GPS and followed the directions until she came to a big, white Victorian house with rocking chairs all around the front porch.  She could see smoke coming from the back of the house and figured that an outdoor fireplace was already in use.  There was still snow on the ground, but people didn’t come to Colorado to stay indoors.  They brought the inside out with the outdoor fireplaces. 

Star pulled up, grabbed her bag out of the backseat, and walked up the steps.  She loved homes that were old and restored to their original appearance.  The outside looked just like that.  She opened the door and walked inside, into a room that looked like a sitting room rather than a living room.  She examined some old pictures of men and women dressed in 1930s clothing sitting on a side table.  

“Can I help you, Miss?”  Star turned around to see a lady standing there, wiping her hands on a hand towel.  She was dressed in an old Victorian dress, with her long gray hair pulled up in a bun. 

“Yes ma’am, I’m looking for a room for tonight,” Star told her.  She watched as the lady smiled back at her.

“Well you’re in luck, we had a group just leave today. I have plenty of rooms for tonight, but tomorrow I have another group coming in.  We’re trying to help out the Meadowland Lodge.  Apparently they have a party going on tomorrow and they’re out of rooms.  Will that be okay for you?” the lady asked.  Her smile made Star feel better.  She just needed a night to herself without Jansen and Banks, and without worrying about what was coming.

“That would be perfect.  I have to leave tomorrow anyway,” Star replied.

“Just follow me and I’ll show you to your room. Then you can come back down and we’ll have dinner ready.  Since it’ll be just the three of us, do you mind if we eat in the kitchen area?  Unless you want to be alone.” 

“No ma’am, that would be great.  It smells delicious,” Star said as she followed the lady up the stairs to her room. 

“My name is June, my husband Bill and I own the bed and breakfast.  If you want to wash up, dinner will be in about thirty minutes,” June advised as she opened the door to her room.

Star wanted to laugh, because the room was just like the house, with old-style furniture and bedding.  The bed had a big quilt draped across it.  Everything was as it should be if you loved Victorian times and Star loved every minute of it.  That was what was so charming about Hubbard’s; it felt being transported back to the 1900s.  She inhaled and caught the scent of fresh flowers and pine needles.  She looked and saw fresh-cut flowers in a vase above the fireplace.  The calm atmosphere of the room was just what she was looking for. 

“There are fresh towels in the bathroom, and I’ll get Bill to come start your fire.  You’ll be nice and toasty tonight.  People say that they feel snug as a bug when they go to sleep.  It can get cold here since the house is so old, but you should be very warm with the fire.”  June went over and turned on the lamp, since it was starting to get dark outside.  “I’m sorry, I didn’t even ask your name.”

Star hesitated, then stuck her hand out.  “Hi June, my name is Star… Star Johnson.”  She prayed the lady hadn’t heard about her since she was helping out the lodge.  She didn’t want anyone to know who she was.  Right now all she wanted was peace and quiet, and to be normal.

“Well Star, you get settled in and then come on down. Bill will come up and start that fire for you.  If you like to read, we have a library with books that we lend out to the people who stay here.  Might be something for you to check out, sweetie.” 

Star smiled and sat down on the bed.  June closed the door and went back downstairs.  Star could hear her light footsteps as she descended the steps.  What did she want to do first?  Rubbing her hand over the quilt, Star could feel how soft it was.  She leaned back as the bed seemed to call for her. 

She sighed, knowing that if she didn’t get up she was going to lay down and go to sleep.  Instead she got up and washed her hands, then went looking for that library.  She loved to read and hadn’t taken the time to do it in a while.

Quietly, she walked down the steps, looking for the library.  She followed the hallway to the left since June had come from the kitchen area, which was on the right side of the house.  Down at the very end of the hallway she found what she was looking for.  The library walls and shelves were made of dark mahogany, and it was simply beautiful.  The lighting had old world sconces, which had to be original, hanging from the shelves. 

“Wow,” Someone had started a fire, which made this place absolutely perfect.  She reached out and rubbed her fingers across the books as she searched for her favorite,
Pride and Prejudice
.

“Bingo.”  Star laughed and pulled the book down off the shelf.  She almost dropped it. 
It can’t be an original,
she thought.  The book appeared to be old, but still in great condition.  Star opened the first page and there it was, Jane Austen’s signature. 

“Holy shit,” Star whispered.

“You like the classics?”  Star almost screamed out.  She hadn’t heard June walk up behind her.  “I’m sorry.  I thought you heard me come in.”

“No…no, it’s alright.  I was looking at all your wonderful books.  You have my favorite, and to be honest, I can’t believe you have an original.  This must have cost you a fortune.  You should put this up.”  Star was afraid to even hold the book for fear of damaging it in some way. 

“Oh honey, I’ve had that book since Jane wrote it.  I was just a pup when my father purchased it.  I read it every year.  I have other copies if you would rather take another version to your room.”  June smiled at her like it was nothing that she’s lived since the eighteen hundreds when Jane Austen was alive. 

“You’re a shifter?”  River backed away.  She should have known she’d stay at a bed and breakfast owned by shifters.

“Yes, we are, hon.  Does that bother you?”  June asked.  Star could hear the hurt in her voice as she waited for her to answer.

Star shook her head before answering, “No ma’am.  I just didn’t know.” 

“I’ve heard about you from the Alpha.  He talks about you and your sister and brother.  He likes you three a lot.  Your family seems like good people.”

“I’m sorry, you said your Alpha told you about me?”  Star asked, concerned.  Nobody should know about them.

“Yes, my husband Bill is the Pack doctor.  I think you met him the night your sister was taken.  He thinks the world of all of you.  Said that you three were the strongest people he’d ever met, and that tells me a lot if my mate said it,” June commented as she bent down and stoked the fire. 

“Oh, now I see.”  Star sighed, thinking that now everyone would be calling her.

“What’s wrong, dear?  Maybe I can help.”  June asked.

“I would appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone I’m here.  I wanted some time to be alone.  I hope you can understand that.”

“Yes, dear, I do understand that and nobody will know.  Bill had to go out on a call for the pack so he won’t be joining us for diner.  You can leave your book and come back and get it later,” June advised. 

Ever since she arrived at the Hubbard B&B she could smell something cooking, and it smelled heavenly.  She put the book down and followed June to the kitchen.

“I hope you like country-fried steak?”  June asked.

“Oh yes, and it smells wonderful.”

“Sit down and let’s eat while it’s hot.”  June set a plate full of food in front of her.  She licked her lips and waited until June sat down with her plate before she dug in.  Jonas cooked a lot, but this was country cooking at its finest and she hadn’t had country-fried steak in a long time.

“This is wonderful, June.”  Star complimented her as she stuck another bite into her mouth.  She could taste all the different spices as she savored her food.

June smiled.  “Thank you.  I haven’t had a young person here in this kitchen in a long time.   I lost my Jimmy a while back.  He was shot in the woods while he was in wolf form, killed by someone who hated shifters.” 

Star put her fork down and turned to her.  “I’m so sorry, June.  There are so many mean people out there in this world.  Just because we’re different.”

“To be honest with you, we think it was another shifter who killed him.  He was such a good kid; he was honest and helped others.  I just hate that I couldn’t tell him I was sorry before it happened,” June explained.

“What happened?”  Star could see that it pained June, but she needed to talk about her son with someone. 

“Before he went on his run we got into an argument.  He wanted to go out with a certain girl, but we let our prejudice dictate who he dated.  He got mad at us and I got mad at him.  I told him he was being pig-headed and didn’t care about what his parents told him.  He stormed out of the house and went for a run, and we never saw him again.  I didn’t get to tell him that I loved him and that I was wrong.”  June’s pain came out in her voice. 

Star moved next to her and put her hand on hers.  “He knew, June.  I know that if he knew anything, it was that you loved him.”  Star smiled and patted June’s hand.  “Something tells me he got his honesty and helpful nature from you and your husband.”

“Thank you, Star.  You’ve helped me so much today with your kind words.”  June wiped her eyes and nose, then picked up her fork and started eating again. 

Star nodded.  “You have to be the greatest cook.” 

“You must come again and stay here.  I would love to have you,” June assured her. 

“I think I will.  I just needed some time away from everyone,” Star mumbled.

“Now that I’ve told you my worst fear and you helped me out so much, please let me help you.  I’m all ears, and I give great advice too.”  June smiled and put her fork down, giving all her attention to Star.

“Are you sure?  It’s a long story,” Star asked.  For some reason she felt the need to tell June everything that had happened.

“I think I have time,” June answered with a smile.  “Plus, we have banana pudding to eat after this.”

****

“Where is she?” Jansen yelled. 

“Now you listen here, Jansen. My sister asked everyone where you were at, and I understand that Jonas couldn’t say anything about what you were doing, but if you’re really my sister’s mates you sure as hell don’t treat her like it.  You think I would stick around if Reece or Jonas left and didn’t even say good-bye, or didn’t have the damn decency to call me and say, ‘Hey we’re fine, we’ll be home tomorrow’?  Did it ever occur to any of you knuckleheads to do that?  No.  You just left, beating your damn chests all the way to God knows where, without even a phone call.  She left a note saying she needed a day by herself.  I don’t know where she went, but I know she’s safe.  I can feel that much.”  River exhaled slowly, trying to calm down. 

“It’s okay, baby.  Calm down,” Jonas muttered.

River’s brow rose in anger as she stalked toward her mate.  She got very quiet as she got in his face and poked her finger into his chest.  “Now, you all listen, and listen very carefully, because if I have to say it twice, who knows what I’ll do.  My sister didn’t deserve this.”  River turned around and let her anger out on Jonas and Banks.  “I understand that you two have never had mates, or apparently learned how to treat a woman, but she did not deserve to be left waiting, worried that something had happened to you two.  We have lost enough.  Don’t you know what that does to us, to her?  We didn’t grow up in packs or have families that cared like all of you did.  We had nobody.  We only had ourselves, and that wasn’t all that long ago.  We fell in love with you all, and we never want to be without you.  And if something ever happened to you, I don’t think she’d survive it.  She acts tough, but deep down she’s scared of loving you two because she doesn’t know for sure if you even love her back.  You didn’t even call her.  Now, let’s
all
calm down and find my sister.  Stop yelling at me, Jansen.  I don’t deserve that.”

Jansen lowered his head in shame and did the only thing he could, which was to start apologizing.  “I’m sorry, River.  I’m scared.  I have a bad feeling that we need to find her soon.”

That got everyone’s attention, and River looked over at Jonas.  “Can we get everyone together and see if they’ve heard from her, or see if she told someone else where she was going?” 

Reece walked in the room. “Okay, we know where she’s at.  She’s at Hubbard’s B&B.  Doc Hubbard was at the lodge examining a kid who fell at the skating rink, and when he saw Larken he wanted us to know that she’s safe with his wife June.  She said she wanted a night alone.”