Loving Lucius (Werescape) (5 page)

"Father said noble daughters marry at eighteen."

I stand corrected. "Well, you might find things different out here."

"You didn't want me discussing the aliens, did you?" she whispered.

At least she had the wherewithal to whisper. "It's better we don't speak of them again. That part of our life is over. Now, we must focus on the future."

"Do you think we'll see Father again?"

Not likely.

"Who cares?" Sherry blurted barking words. "He's sent us to live like the cavemen we studied."

Tacitus groaned from his saddle and shot Red a scowl.

Well, she finally got under his hide. "Shut up, Sherry. You don't have to insult them."

Sherry rolled her eyes at me. "We aren't cattle. We have minds. Thoughts. Feelings. I'm emotional. The world just has to deal with it."

How could I get stuck in the middle of nowhere with a narcissistic sister? We're doomed. Sherry would be our demise. "They don't have to take us anywhere. So, bite your tongue and swallow your comments. Or we'll find ourselves servicing a whole village of disgusting Normal males who don't bathe or ever cut their hair." Or comb their hair to boot.

Sherry grimaced. "I hadn't thought of that." She squirmed in her saddle and eyed the Shifters.

Like it suddenly dawned on her how our future rested in these Guardians' hands.

Sherry leaned toward me.

In a blatant display of secrecy.

"But I'm chewing the big one's ass out every time he follows me when I have to relieve myself," she whispered.

Such stupidity isn't going to achieve anything. But how can I control her? She's twenty-one and set in her ways.

****

The merciful day dwindled at long last. Before we shut ourselves inside a metal building with the Shifters locking the large door, Lucius endured Sherry's bitter snips as he searched through our belongings while kindly reassured us he had every right to know what supplies we carried. That Father had sent the supplies along to help with the difficulties of the journey. To save us. So, I couldn't hold his actions against him. He is what was necessary to keep us alive. We need to cooperate with him. But Sherry tore into the unreadable leader with caustic insults. Lucius merely turned a deaf ear to her. Hopefully, the big Tacitus would do the same when the time came.

Now, the failing sunlight waned where it faded in the small elevated windows. This enormous space must serve a purpose AEI. But I can't fathom what it was from the few things that littered the space. One large metal barrel, a pile of metal parts in one corner, and a hook suspended on a thick chain from the rafters. Anyone could have holed up here. Brought things with them. Removed everything initially left inside the tall walls. The room would remain a mystery long after our departure.

The horses snorted in the shadows at one end of the huge space where they'd been left with feed bags.

All in all, the warehouse-type building wasn't a bad place to sleep. Just an ominous dark place. I couldn't see a thing once the sun set.

"It's so dark," Violet whispered, curling a fistful of fingers around my upper arm.

No more complaining. Sherry's badgering had managed to kill the decent mood we had among us once we stepped through the doorway. I patted Violet's hard knobby knuckles.

Something sparked and shushed in the impenetrable black void.

A light. Flaring from perhaps a stick. Growing stronger. Brighter. Gilding Tacitus' face with amber light.

He squatted, extending the flame to some type of holder, and left it there to burn. He slid a glowing amber Wolf gaze toward us. "In your bedrolls before you lose the light."

I wasn't going to miss the chance to sleep, lying down with a bedroll. Violet and I retrieved our sleeping bags before Sherry bothered to stand. Within moments, we'd tossed out the rolled-up quilted material and yanked off our boots.

The only person who struggled with her bedding was Sherry.

Tacitus snorted and scowled as the sputtering flame waned. But the dying light revealed he left Sherry tucked into her sleeping bag to claim his own bed.

Darkness devoured the space.

"Elise?" Violet whispered where she stretched out with her side against my back.

She might as well have yelled. "What?"

"Don't they have lanterns out here?"

"Sh. Go to sleep."

"This place seems so--"

"Crude," Sherry groaned.

Her rude declaration echoed off the metal walls.

"Shut up, Sherry," I groaned.

Silence consumed the darkness.

"Everything's going to be okay, Elise," Violet whispered.

"Yes, it is, little one. Now go to sleep," the darkness said.

Rather, Lucius.

His comforting voice bounced around the murky void.

Driving away the world outside. Yes. Finally, thank goodness, finally, I feel safe. If only for a moment.

****

With his infrared vision, my Wolf watched the orange heat radiating off the females.

Where they slept. The little one throwing her arm across the eldest's chest. Tacitus' golden stare showed he also drew from his Wolf's abilities to study things around us. Speaking would be risky given any one of the sisters might be listening. So I nodded at my childhood friend.

He smacked his head.

Jokingly, because he made no sound. Most likely in reference to Red's actions. She was a handful. But Tacitus enjoyed challenges. His Wolf had probably already chosen that one. Oh, the self-inflicted torture. Now, Elise is far more agreeable. Pleasing to the eye. But who wants a mate he can't trust? And now I have to rationalize taking her on to the compound. How would Tacitus react if these females are found to be spies?

Tacitus leaned back, stretching out on his bedding, and threw an arm over his eyes.

Probably to force his Wolf to stop surveying the garage.

Violet smacked her lips in her sleep

Protect
, Wolf snarled and focused on his new interest.

Like I wouldn't guard the little one. The beast worried needlessly and really needed to stop commanding me to protect these females. I am. Besides, Violet isn't what one would expect reared as a spoiled warlord's prized daughter. And the way she reassured her older sister showed she thought of others. Unlike Red. I glanced back at Tacitus who hadn't moved.

Easy for him to sleep. But things always went more smoothly when someone was on watch at night. And Wolf had no intention of resting.

Nothing happened for hours until a loud yelp threw Red into a sitting position.

Violet's body jackknifed as well, sitting, reaching for Elise who had shoved onto an elbow, scanning what was absolute darkness to me when Wolf wasn't in my eyes.

"Sherry, wake up," Elise called.

Red turned to the voice. "I'm awake," she condescended.

"Was it the aliens?" Violet demanded Red's direction.

Elise clamped a palm over Violet's mouth, her heartbeat suddenly thrashing like a fish out of water.

"Nightmares are nightmares," Sherry groaned and turned her back to her sisters.

Maybe nightmares are. But bad dreams are stemmed in something anchored in reality. Something happened. And that's the second mention of aliens by the little one. The second time Elise panicked at the mention of extraterrestrials. She's hiding something.

"Try to think of other things, Sherry. Just close your eyes." Elise settled back down on her bedding, never removing her hand from Violet's mouth. "We all need to sleep." She slowly withdrew her hand to her chest.

Cautiously. As if to hide her actions.

Violet stood beside her eldest sister, both colorful heated blurbs lying across the room.

As if both are in on the deceit. What are they hiding? We'd discuss this at dawn.

****

Wolf let me sleep for half the night. Solid uninterrupted sleep that kept a warrior's wits about him. At least, until the sisters confessed. Which would be right after their bedrolls were tied to their saddles.

Elise helped Violet and skirted her red mare to check on Sherry.

Always the helpful eldest sibling. Like my brother who'd gotten himself killed trying to fight off a Shifter larger than Tacitus. A Shifter attacking Hadrian. Live and learn. I'd teach Elise that skill before long. Before she committed suicide helping Mouthy Red.

They finished packing, Elise joining Violet on the horse's left side, and pointed at the little one to mount.

Time to get to the bottom of things. "Wait."

The women shot me curious stares.

With innocence in their gray eyes. But I'm not about to fall under a spell cast by beauty. "We need to talk first." I waved everyone to come close.

Although, Marcus wouldn't be present because he guarded the weed-infested road outside. I'd fill him in later. I stepped close to the huddle of females.

"It's confession time." I eyed all those shades of gray eyes.

All at some hue in the range of the color of gray. Crazy. Like I'd never seen those color eyes before. Pale blue I'd seen. Or deep blue that clothing seemed to cause to appear gray. Yes. Not true gray.

Elise's head tilted slightly.

I'd ease her curiosity. Whether she appreciated the question or not. "Twice I've heard Violet mention the aliens. I want to know why."

Elise wagged her head. "She's young and suspects they're following us." Her heartbeat tattled at how she struggled with the answer.

Lied.

Violet's mask twisted into a scowl.

As if she felt she'd been made to look the fool. I'd let her answer. "What about that, Violet? Is that why you mention the extraterrestrials?"

Elise clamped her fingers around the younger girl's shoulder.

"No. I--"

Must have pinched hard to cut off the little one's words. I slid my gaze to the pale gray eyes of the dark-haired woman. "What are you hiding from us?"

Her brow knotted, and she wagged her head slightly.

Denying my accusation. She'd tell us the truth. I pulled Wolf into my eyes and ears.

Her pinched features stretched with awareness.

Her heartbeat rattling out a staccato. "You know I can measure your response, Elise. That I can sense a change in your heartbeat. So, tell me the truth. Tell us what we're getting into escorting you across country. And keep in mind that I don't want to endanger my relatives by taking you to my clan's outpost. So, think long and hard about how you can cause yourself problems by withholding information from us."

Her perfectly-sketched mouth opened and closed in silence.

Violet leaned her head back to look at the taller two women. Neither sister bothered glancing the little one's direction. Violet rolled her charcoal gray eyes back down to meet my gaze and blinked.

Contemplatively. Thinking. Perhaps something the other two didn't want her to do. I'd work on Violet while appealing to the older sisters. "I said we'd protect you. Don't lead us into a trap." What the aliens are notorious for doing with Normals. Trapping Shifters. Usually those who were mated. Mates caught together were hot commodities on Earth. But these females couldn't possibly think we're valuable without our mates. They have to be waiting for us to lead them to our homes. Our mates. If they wanted anything at all.

"We're healers," Violet blurted.

Elise's face drained of color and her eyes slowly closed.

Sherry smacked Violet's shoulder.