Shifters Rule (Rule Series) (25 page)

It was an understandable mistake.
 
Rain plastered hair to his head and clothes to his skin as they made their way to the car.
 
He glanced sideways at Vanessa.
 
Her shoulders shook.
 
She looked frozen.
 
Digging keys out of his pocket, he prepared to race for the car.
 
The least he could do was to open the door for her before she reached it.
 
If he’d been thinking, he would have left her inside the hospital while he went for the car.

Because the raindrops blended with the tears on her face, he didn’t realize she was crying until they were inside the car.
 
She gulped heavy breaths.
 
Her shoulders shook harder.
 
Jack didn’t know what to do.
 
Comforting crying women was not his forte.
 
He froze in the driver’s seat, unsure of whether he should start the car or not.
 
Maybe she needed some time to vent.

They sat in silence in the car’s dark interior for a few minutes before she finally spoke.
 
“It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”
 
Her voice was a mere whisper.
 
“Andrew and I worked hard to train Silver to kill werewolves.
 
We prepared her the best we could for the final battle with the head werewolf.
 
In my wildest dreams I didn’t imagine it would be like this.
 
Andrew was supposed to be here with us.”

Jack remained still and silent.
 
There wasn’t anything he could offer her, no sage advice that would make her feel better.
 
He stared at the windshield.
 
It was raining harder now, and he could barely see through the glass.
 
Blurred headlights moved past them.
 
Jack’s hand tightened on his car key until it hurt.
 
He wanted to slide it into the ignition and drive away.
 
He wanted to go home and go to sleep, but Vanessa wasn’t finished.

Quiet sobs grew louder.
 
Wrapping arms around herself, she bent forward as if she was experiencing stomach cramps.
 
Once her tears subsided she said, “I’ve tried to be strong for Silver.
 
She lost her father.
 
I don’t want my grief to interfere with hers.
 
Do you get that?”

He nodded.
 
“She’s going to be okay, you know.
 
She’s strong and fierce, and we’re going to make sure she’s okay.”

The cloud in Vanessa’s eyes dissipated, and she smiled with warmth.
 
Her hand rested on his.
 
Giving his fingers a gentle squeeze, she said, “I am so glad my daughter has you.”

“We’re going to get through this.
 
Somehow we’re all going to survive, and Jersey Clifford is going to die.”

“Thank you for being patient with me and putting up with my meltdown.
 
I’m fine now.
 
We can return to the house.”

It was music to Jack’s ears.
 
He shoved the key into the ignition while holding back a yawn.
 
Somehow he needed to keep his tired eyes open for a couple more hours.
 
Instead of crawling into bed the second he arrived home, he was going to have to check on his brother.

.

*****

.

Ian put Billy in one of the mansion’s bedrooms.
 
It surprised Jack to hear this news because he was half-expecting to find Billy hanging upside-down in a dank dungeon no one but Ian knew about.
 
Ian explained the bedroom had werewolf spells written on the walls, windows, and threshold.
 
Billy wouldn’t be able to leave the room without assistance.

Jack wanted to see his brother alone.
 
He walked slowly to the bedroom, hesitant at confronting Billy.
 
It was hard to face the hatred in the kid’s eyes.
 
So much had changed since Jack’s return.
 
Sometimes he wished he had stayed a vampire, stayed away from home.
 
There was nothing more painful than losing someone you loved.

The bedroom door was open.
 
There were spells etched on the floor in white chalk.
 
Billy paced like an angry tiger, growling deep in his throat every few seconds.
 
Jack was able to study him before Billy turned and saw he was no longer alone.
 
The werewolf’s lips parted.
 
Flashing his teeth, he snarled at Jack.

Forgetting about the spells, Billy charged at Jack, intent on ripping him to shreds.
 
When he reached the invisible barrier, it knocked him backwards.
 
Fury erupted from his open mouth.
 
He tried to get to Jack again and again.

“Stop it,” Jack finally said.
 
“You’re going to hurt yourself.”

“No.”
 
Billy laughed and jabbed a finger at Jack.
 
“I’m going to hurt you, sucker.”

“Ian drew the symbols on the floor.
 
It’s no use.
 
You can’t get past them.”

“What is it with you and this Ian person?
 
I remember you saying something about him being our uncle.
 
The two of you have gotten awful cozy since then.
 
What’s up with that?”

“He isn’t our uncle, Billy.
 
He’s our father, our real father.”

Billy shook his head.
 
His hands went to his lean hips, and his eyes narrowed.
 
For a few seconds he was the old Billy again, the skeptic.
 
“No way.
 
He’s lying to you.”

“Think about it.
 
John Creed was a cold man, but only to us.
 
Other people thought he was great, warm and kind and generous.
 
I always thought he was disappointed in us.”

“He was trying to keep us alive.
 
He cared too much.”

A warning not to tell Billy everything came up in Jack like the rising tide, but he ignored it.
 
“Ian handed us over to John Creed because
his
father, our grandfather wanted to use us to control him.
 
If he’s telling the truth, our grandfather wants to make us like him.”

Billy shook his head again.
 
“I don’t get it.”

Jack told Billy the name of their grandfather and watched with some satisfaction as Billy’s eyes widened in understanding.
 
A touch of fear and awe darkened them.
 
“No way.
 
We’re related to the most powerful warlock the world has ever seen?”

“Looks like.”

“Wow.”
 
Billy approached the door slowly this time.
 
He leaned close, talking to Jack in a low, confident tone.
 
“Are you considering introducing yourself to the old man?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Why not?
 
He has all that delicious power.
 
There’s no telling what he could do for us.”

 
“Or
to
us.”

Jack should have listened to the warning.
 
He could practically see the tiny wheels turning in Billy’s head.
 
His idiot brother wanted to meet the evil warlock.
 
If Billy ever got free, he’d probably buy a plane ticket to
England
.
 
The changes in his brother were horrible.
 
Jack could barely stand to look at him.

“Do you know what
Jersey
’s plans are?” Jack asked, hoping to steer Billy in a whole new direction.
 

“I know he plans to kill you and the hunter.”

“How?
 
When?”

Billy sighed.
 
He stretched his arms high over his head and arched his back.
 
The yawn seemed genuine, but Jack didn’t fully believe it.
 
Billy went to the bed and reclined on it, pillow under his head.
 
Without looking at Jack he said, “I need to rest.
 
You can go now.”

He’d been dismissed.
 
Mouth tight, Jack walked away.
 
He wanted to spend a little time alone with his thoughts anyway.
 
Vanessa was upstairs telling the others about
Jersey
’s growing army of werewolves.
 
He hoped she would keep them busy for a while.
 
Jack needed time alone to plan his final strategy.
 
Reasoning with
Jersey
hadn’t worked.
 
There had to be something he could do to destroy the head werewolf.

Jack went to
Jersey
’s study.
 
He sat at the man’s desk and let his mind twist in vicious ways.
 
A sheet of plain white paper waited for the great plan to be scribbled onto it.
 
He sharpened three pencils while trying to come up with something.
 
Maybe he should make a list of
Jersey
’s powers versus
his
powers.

Remembering the coin in his pocket, Jack removed it.
 
He rolled the coin in his hand.
 
If it still had magical powers, what were they?
 
What could the thing do for him?

Closing his fingers, he squeezed it tight.
 
A silent wish whispered through his mind.
 
More than anything he wanted help in his fight with
Jersey
.
 
He concentrated on that one fact.
 
He didn’t know what sort of help he needed.
 
Something.
 
Anything.

The door opened.
 
Jack tried hard to hide his annoyance at being interrupted because he was sure it was Silver.
 
He looked up and received the biggest shock of his young life.
 
It was the last person he expected to see.
 
A slow smile raised the ends of his mouth.
 
Help had arrived.

.

*****

Chapter Twenty-Two:

DREAM WEDDING

.

.

Jack stared at the ceiling over his bed for an hour, wondering what it was like to actually be dead.
 
He closed his eyes and tried to picture what it would feel like to no longer exist.
 
His mind failed to comprehend the fantasy.
 
It was beyond his intellectual grasp.
 
Something strange occurred to him.
 
Death might be beyond his grasp.
 
Maybe he would be born again, reincarnated over and over for eternity.
 
Or maybe the people were right who talked about heaven, angels, and God.
 
He wished he knew for sure where he would go after dying.
 
Most importantly, would Silver join him there?

As if in answer to a silent summons, the door opened and Silver stepped inside.
 
She lay next to him on the bed for what could be the last time.
 
The mood in the house was sober since they’d realized the end was near.
 
Tension twisted muscles into knots.
 
No one talked about it, about what was probably going to happen.

Jersey Clifford was going to kill them one by one.

Jack wanted to tell Silver about his surprise visitor, but he couldn’t.
 
There was no way to tell her without putting the plan at risk.
 
She had to be kept in the dark, like the others, until it was over.
 
She would understand, eventually.

Silver played with the ring he’d given her, sliding it up and down her finger several times.
 
Her airy voice finally broke the silence.
 
“We should have gotten married.”

“You think so?”

“One of us might die and the survivor will always regret not making it official.
 
I wish we hadn’t worried about my mom so much.
 
Maybe she would have enjoyed putting together a wedding.
 
It might have taken her mind off the bad stuff.
 
Or we could have eloped without telling her.
 
We should have just done it.”

“Too late now.”

Silver sat up.
 
“Maybe not.
 
We can sneak out of the house and do it now.”

Jack considered it.
 
Problem was Lovely could have been right about their future if they tried to marry too soon.
 
One of them could die.
 
Then what?
 
Jersey
would win, and they would be reincarnated again.
 
Besides, Silver deserved a beautiful wedding.

Sometimes he tried picturing their wedding.
 
Silver would make Trina and a few other girls wear ridiculous dresses with
poofy
sleeves and ruffles.
 
There would be a huge cake with three or four tiers, and everyone they ever met would come to celebrate with them.
 
Silver would look like an angel in a flowing white gown.
 
She would smile up at him, her eyes sparkling as he recited the old-world vows.

He took her hand in the present and pushed aside visions of a future that probably wouldn’t happen.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

He didn’t answer.
 
Instead, he closed his eyes and willed them into
their
world. It took less than a second.
 
His power was growing.
 
He was semi-aware of Silver’s body collapsing next to him before they were both swept away.

In an instant, they were standing in a meadow, trees encircling it.
 
An invisible orchestra played the wedding march.
 
White and pink petals drifted down from the sky, and Jack was in a tux.
 
Funny how even in this world the tie felt like it was strangling him.

Silver gasped when she glanced down to find herself dressed in a fairy tale wedding gown.
 
It was made from creamy satin and had what appeared to be

hand-stitched embroidery on the bodice with tiny pearls and sequins.
 
Her golden hair was pulled back from her face on one side and pinned.
 
It cascaded down in wavy curls on the other side.

“It’s beautiful,” she breathed.
 
“Did you create this dress yourself?”

His imagination wasn’t that good.
 
He wanted to take credit for it, but he wasn’t going to start their marriage off by lying to her.
 
He’d already told too many lies.
 
A cartoon image danced in his mind.
 
The wedding dress came from a kid’s movie.

She twirled.

“I think I saw it on a princess in a cartoon movie once.”
 
He smiled.
 
“Do you like it?
 
Really?
 
Cause if you don’t, I can come up with something better.
 
You could even tell me what you want and I’ll make it happen.”

“No.
 
It’s perfect.”

It was the perfect gown.
 
She stepped away from him and twirled again, holding onto one part of the long skirt.
 
The gown shimmered with silvery highlights.
 
Absolutely perfect.
 
Nothing in the real world could compare to this.

He told her, “We don’t need a piece of paper, a preacher, or other people here to witness us getting married.
 
We don’t need to cross state lines to recite vows.”

Her smile widened.
 
“You’re right.”

Jack took both of her hands in his.
 
He stared deep into her eyes as he said, “I take you, Silver Reign, to be my wife.
 
I promise to always love and cherish you.
 
I will listen to your point of view even if I don’t agree with it, and I will always put your dreams ahead of mine.
 
I will be there for you when you need me.
 
Nothing, not even death will separate us.”

Her smile faltered at the word ‘death.’
 
It returned as soon as it fled.
 
She took a deep breath before saying, “I take you, Jack Creed, to be my husband.
 
I promise to love you and stand by you during hard times, not just the good ones.
 
I will never let my dreams overshadow us.
 
What we have is more important to me than a career, and I know that now.
 
I promise to fight next to you, not with you, to be your partner in everything.
 
I’ll never leave you.”

Using his imagination, Jack produced a male voice from above.
 
“You may now kiss the bride.”

Silver jumped, startled.
 
She giggled and leaned close so he could obey the disembodied voice.
 
Their lips touched.
 
The kiss sealed the deal.
 
In Jack’s heart they were truly man and wife, even if the state of
Nebraska
didn’t recognize it.
 
She was his forever, and he belonged to her.

The kiss ended.
 
Silver’s cheeks flushed the cutest pink hue.
 
Her eyes looked at everything but him.
 
She asked, “Now what?”

“Now we live our lives.”

A brilliant idea occurred to him.
 
No sooner had he thought of it than it began to take shape.
 
The woods vanished, replaced by the interior of a house.
 
He couldn’t remember where he’d seen the house.
 
It was the first one to pop into his mind.
 
He took her hand and they walked through the living room.
 
There was a stone hearth with a fire burning bright.
 
Above it, on the mantle were pictures from the life they would share.

Silver took each down in turn and marveled at it.
 
There was a picture of their wedding day, a photograph of her holding a baby, and another of two small children.
 
Both children were miniature Silvers.
 
Jack walked away as she continued to look at the pictures.
 
A searing darkness settled in his heart.
 
Maybe he shouldn’t have brought her to this place.

It wasn’t real.

He wished he could have done more.
 
His heart ached for something more.
 
He wished he had the power to allow them to live through some good times as a married couple.
 
Wouldn’t it be great if they could lose themselves in the fantasy for a while?
 
Especially if
Jersey
was going to win in the end.

“Is this our future?” she asked, hopeful.

“It’s a possible future.”

“How long can we stay here?”

“I don’t know.”
 
It depended on how much power he had, how long he could sustain the dream.
 
Being in the woods was easy, didn’t take any special power to stay there.
 
This was entirely different.
 
Power was draining from him at record speed.

Silver sat on the multi-colored sofa and patted the cushion next to her, signaling for him to join her, which he did.
 
She rested her head on his shoulder with a contented sigh.
 
Taking his hand, she entwined their fingers.
 
“I wonder if our kids would look like the kids in the pictures.”
 
She blushed.
 
“I mean, if we ever had kids.”

“It’s possible.”
 
Fact was Silver would probably marry some other guy and have kids with him because Jack would be dead.

“Would you want me to get married if something happened to you?” he asked.
 
“I mean, if things don’t work out and you die.
 
Would it hurt you to know I was with another girl?”

Her fingers tightened on his for a moment, crushing them briefly.
 
Then she relaxed again.
 
“I guess I would want you to be happy.
 
As long as I was really gone and wasn’t coming back.”

“Understood.”

“Would you want me to marry another guy?”

Hell no
!

“Sure.
 
I want you to be happy.
 
But the same condition applies.
 
You have to make sure I’m gone and not able to return.
 
I do that sometimes, you know?”

“Gotcha.”
 
She settled against him, and they enjoyed the quiet for a while.
 
Then she said, “Tell me the truth.
 
Do you think we have a chance against
Jersey
?”

Jack went over the obstacles stacked against them.
 
He still wasn’t very good at sucking souls out, but
Jersey
had done it to Isobel in three to five seconds flat.
 
Isobel was stronger than Jack.
 
That had to mean
Jersey
was unbeatable.
 
Right?

There was one thing
Jersey
didn’t know about: a secret plan.
 
Jack wanted desperately to share it with Silver, but he couldn’t.
 
The more people who knew about it, the harder it would be to keep
Jersey
from finding out.
 
Jersey
could use his power to spy on them.
 
For all Jack knew, the werewolf could be hiding somewhere in the house behind the chair or something, listening in on every word.
 
Jack knew it was safer to keep the plan in his own head.
 
But… maybe he could share a small tidbit with Silver, give her hope without spilling the whole thing.

Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out the black rock.
 
When Silver’s eyes widened like saucers, he shook his head.
 
“It isn’t real.
 
I found an exact replica, and I’m going to use it to fake
Jersey
out.
 
If I can throw him off his game, I think we can actually win this thing.”

“Great idea.”

He put the rock away.
 
“I don’t know about that.
 
It’s a great idea if it works.
 
We’ll have to wait and see.”

“Cowboy is still helping, isn’t he?”

“Last I heard he was supposedly on our side, but I don’t completely trust him.
 
When we go to fight with
Jersey
, make sure to keep an eye on Cowboy.”

“I will.”

Jack thought about his mystery guest, the one he couldn’t tell Silver about.
 
They had hatched the plan together.
 
He hated lying to Silver—again, but he knew she’d forgive him if the plan worked.
 
If it didn’t work, they would all be dead so she couldn’t be mad at him.

Either way it was win-win for him.

.

*****

.

It was late in the evening when Vanessa held her hands over Jack’s eyes and led him to the kitchen.
 
He stumbled once.
 
Her hands were cold.
 
She removed her hands.
 
Surprise!
 
Silver was sitting at the table alone.
 
There were two places set, his mother’s china, candlelight, and Silver was in a stunning baby blue gown.

“What’s all this?” he asked, stunned.

Vanessa replied, “Silver told me about your fantasy wedding.”

“Oh… sorry.”

“Don’t be.
 
These are hard times, especially for my daughter.
 
She tells me you gave her a magical wedding.
 
I only wish I’d been there.”