Lone Wolf Rising (Paranormal Romantic Thriller) (The Winters Series) (34 page)

For a moment things felt normal.
  It was like it was before she made the decision to become a wolf and throw away a heritage she had no idea she had.  Rebecca would get up early for a run, and have a tea with grandmother while the house was quiet.  It was their time, and she missed it.  But this was not like those times.  Rebecca saw the hurt still in her grandmother’s eyes.  Rebecca was sad that she turned her back on the family; even though she had no idea what she did. 

"I’m sorry
, grandma."  Rebecca told her as she poured some honey and milk into the tea. 

Grandmother nodded and put her cup down.
  "I know."  She handed Rebecca a necklace, similar to the one that Savvy wore, only different in slight ways.  "I need to know you are protected.  I’ve already made one for Hunter and for Savvy.  Yours was a little more difficult, but here it is."

Rebecca looked at it.
  It was made up of multiple stones encased in a gold locket.  When she opened the locket it had a picture of Hunter and Savvy.  It was hard to speak around the lump forming in her throat.  When Rebecca did find her voice it sounded raspy and unlike her own.  "It’s only missing one person."  Rebecca tried to manage a smile, only her lips shook as she fought back emotions. 

"I
’m part of the locket.  I made it.  So you have a complete representation of your family."  Grandmother said, as though she read her thoughts.  "Natalia tells me you created an air block the other day."  She said it like she was talking about washing the dishes or doing the laundry, not like she was talking about manipulating one of the four elements. 

Rebecca decided she would have to talk to Natalia about confidentiality.

"Don't be mad at her.  She came to me because she was worried about you.  Werewolves should not be able to control the elements.  That’s a power reserved for witches."

"And warlocks like my father?"

Grandmother nodded, a smile curving her lips.  "And warlocks like your father.  We’re entering uncharted waters, and hiding information from each other is dangerous."

"So why don't you tell me why you hid the fact that we’re witches from us?"
  Rebecca didn't mean to ask it so coldly, but it was irritating that she couldn't see how they were more alike than different.

"Fair enough.
  Your mother and father
spellbound
all three of you; restricted you from accessing your powers.  I’ve been trying to unbind you since you arrived.  Until I did, I saw no point in telling you about your powers."  Grandmother took another sip of her tea.  "But now, I see that was a mistake.  You’re tied to the supernatural world as tightly as any of us.  I just wish I’d made this realization before you became what you are now."  Grandmother placed her hand in Rebecca’s.  Rebecca could see the emotional battle she was facing internally.  “When you are responsible for other people you sometimes make mistakes.  The best you can hope for is doing what you think is right and hope it works out.”

Rebecca smiled warmly, understanding in her eyes.
  "I don't mind what I am now grandma.  It was my choice, my consequences to face - my decision.  But I think it’s time to tell Savvy and Hunter.  They need to know.  And I’ll help anyway I can."

She looked at Rebecca, eyes sad, full of remorse.
  "You have your own challenges to face."  That knowing spark twinkling in her eyes for the briefest of moments. 

"Which is something I want to talk to you about."
  Rebecca slipped the necklace around her neck and waited for her grandmother to look at her. 

"I have to remain neutral.  I can help you like any other supernatural
, but my commitment to the coven is to remain neutral.”  She added.  “I’ll be watched very carefully now to make sure I stick to that promise."

"And I would never ask you to break that promise.
  I just need help understanding my new place in this world."

"I’ll happily offer advice whenever asked, but you must make those decisions on your own."
  She warned. 

Rebecca nodded.  "I’m meeting with the rogue wolves tomorrow.
  Gabriel has warned me that some of them think they were treated unfairly.  Tomas made arrangements with them, to… strengthen his numbers."

Grandmother nodded.  "I expected as much.
  Tomas was never one to be trusted."

"I’m thinking about accepting them all in the fold and letting them earn their place or expulsion."
  Rebecca told her.  "Wiping the slate clean and giving everyone a fresh start."

"That’s a dangerous plan."
  Grandmother continued using her warning voice, but offered little advice.

"Yes, but I hope they’ll realize, it’s a fair plan."
  Rebecca drank the last of the tea.  "What I’m really concerned about is the lack of evidence from the investigation.  The danger that Tomas and the pack faced is still out there and I’m not entirely sure it was the vampires that were involved."

"The vampires and werewolves have been at war for many centuries.  It’s a safe
 bet they are involved somehow."  Grandmother began washing the cups in the sink while Rebecca dried.  

Becca pressed her lips together and frowned.
  "I met with Celestia and she paints a very different picture.  She wants a truce."

Grandmother dropped the cup and they both watched as
 it shattered into pieces at their feet.  Grandmother grabbed Rebecca’s hand and forced her to look at her.  "Celestia is a very dangerous vampire; she blames our family for her problems.  You need to be very careful around her."

"Dangerous I get.
  But why does she blame our family?  Is it because her crown was taken after our parents' deaths?"

"Celestia's issue with our family goes farther back than that.
  She has been on the wrong side of many Matthew witches." 

Rebecca nodded letting grandmother know she understood. 
She wanted to know more about her mother's family past with Celestia but she was running out of time.  She would have to talk to her more about this later.
  "There’s an old saying,
keep your friends close and your enemies closer
."  Becca told her as she went to get the broom and dust pan. 

Grandmother shook her head, snapped her fingers, and whispered some words.  Rebecca dropped the broom and dust pan as she watched the cup piece itself back together in front of her very eyes.
  “That was amazing.”  Rebecca’s eyes got large like saucers.

"I’ll see if there are any rumors on the
 vampire front to help you make this decision.  I’d like you to be there this weekend when I tell Hunter and Savvy.  Once I tell them about their heritage you’ll no longer be bound to keep your secret from them." 

Her words sent relief to every inch of Rebecca’s body.
  The idea of being able to talk to her siblings and grandmother about what’s going on in her life was a gift from the heavens.  "Why not tonight?"  She asked anxious to make this dream a reality.  She already felt better being able to talk to grandmother and wanted that great feeling of freedom to continue with the rest of her family.

Grandma pressed her lips together and shook her head.
  "Let them have this dance, after Saturday their lives will be completely changed.  They’ll no longer be normal teenagers with normal problems."

Rebecca nodded
.  It made sense.  She put the broom away.  “Grandma, I also found something about mother I would like to ask you about.”

Grandmother Catherine tilted her head and offered a smile.  “What is that, dear?”

“I found an excommunication order signed by Francesco to remove mother from the Phoenix coven.  It was dated a week before her death.  Do you know anything about this?”

Grandmother’s hand shook as she placed another dish in the dish drainer.  “That’s news to me.  Where did you find this?”

Rebecca could tell she was hiding something.  “It doesn’t matter.  I just thought it might be important.  Do you think it has something to do with her death?”

Grandmother put her hand on her forehead, shielding her eyes for just a moment.  It was another sign to Rebecca that she was hiding something.  “Well, she was never excommunicated from the coven, so I don’t think so.”  She returned to drying the rest of the dishes.  “Both the Authority and Convent decided this was a human crime, not supernatural.”

“Yeah, I’ve been hearing that a lot lately.  Between you and me, I’m not buying it.”  The doorbell rang.  Knowing it was Lucky, Rebecca headed towards the door to let him in.  Before she could leave the kitchen grandmother grabbed Rebecca’s arm once again, “you need to stop digging into your parents’ death.  Please.”

“I can’t.”  Rebecca stated sadly.  “I’m sorry but I have to know what happened.”

Grandma sighed heavily.  “Can you at least promise me that you will let me know if you run into any more problems with the air element? 
I can send you to someone to help you control it better."

Rebecca nodded, "of course."
  She didn't expect to have anymore issues with magic.  Since that day, she hadn't seen any sign of magic coming from her.  But it was nice to know she had someplace to go. 
She then flashed a brilliant smile as she went to answer the door. 

Lucky pulled Rebecca into his arms and across the threshold the moment the door was open.
  She felt overwhelmed and cared for in that instant.  It was overpowering and she closed her eyes waiting for the kiss, the kiss that never came. 

"Gabe and I made a promise to not..."

"Push me.  No kissing until I decide which one of you I want."  Rebecca finished his sentence.  It was the same one she heard from Gabriel last night. 

He let her
 go and she caught the guilty look cross his face for a second before it was replaced with a dazzling smile.  "So I’ll not be kissing those irresistible lips today."  He leaned in close and whispered "and I probably shouldn't have hugged you, either, but I was worried about you.  I had the strangest dream."

Rebecca felt his warm breath on her neck and was drawn in by the scent of
vanilla, cloves, and cinnamon.  The effect made her shiver and his comment about the dream made her feel guilty.  "Well, he told me about the deal, and I must say, you two sure do know how to fight for a girl."  It was meant to be a playful statement, but it hit him hard.

"We’ve never fought over a girl."
  He ran his fingers through his hair, frustration coming off of him in waves.  "Our friendship is facing the ultimate test, and even after you choose, I’m afraid it may still suffer."  He offered a weak smile.  "But that’s not your problem.  You have enough to deal with."  He opened the car door and waited for her to get in. 

She smiled when he got in to the driver’s seat.  “Savvy and Hunter have late practices today so she is going to drive them both in.”

“So we get to ride solo today, huh?”  He pulled the vehicle in to drive. 

Chapter Twenty-Three

~”I like to push characters to extremes so they have to make really tough decisions and there is no life more extreme than that of an athlete.”             

~
Chris Cleave

Hunter

Hunter rushed back to the locker room, tired of being beat up daily at practice.  Practice of the very game
 he loved so much.  It was the only connection he still had to his father.  And there was no way he would give it up for that very purpose alone.  Who cared if his
co
ordination was off and he
couldn’t run very far towards the end zone
before one of his teammates
took
him down?  Without even thinking Hunter’s hand moved to ru
b the pain
ou
t from his knee.  Natalia had grown tired
of 
watching
s
o she left, unable to watch him get crunched between the ground and another bigger, st
ronger player on his team.

While the rest of the team barreled into the locker room, Hunter closed his eyes and focused on the pain in his knee.
  Natalia taught him an interesting trick earlier this week.  He wasn't sure how much he believed it, but he was still impressed with the results.  The pain was throbbing so he decided to try it again.  He imagined pulling energy from a large healing light in the sky and allowing it to flow through his hands into his body
.
  As he concentrated on the area of pain, miraculously, he started to feel relief.  She called it energy healing and she
prom
ised him more lessons;
let
ting him know there was plenty more to
learn
.  If the lessons all show the same effective res
ults he was ready to
try 
them all.