The First Touch (34 page)

Flora said incredulously, “Gregory?”

Drake
nodded, and Henry asked
,
seething
, “
What did he do?”

Drake
replied carefully, “His sent was all over her. Though I believe she said when she called me that it was because she was in fear for her life. So perhaps he had intended on trying to kill her afterwards.”

Ivan asked shaking now, “She called you?”

Drake
said, “Yes, I was in another room and she appeared in the doorway and called out,
help me
. When I arrived he attempted
to hide that she was awake.”

Flora asked, “She called out to you before she even moved to
phase
two?”

Drake
nodded, “She could barely move though and I do not think that Gregory had fed her yet, her eyes chan
ged though...after I set him
on fire.”

“
Did you kill him?”
Ivan asked perceptively.

Drake
replied, “No but I am sure you would rather do it yourself.” Ivan nodded and then he reached forward and
pulled Travis’s collar down hissing
when he found the bite mark on his right shoulder.
Asking, “Did she drink from any of the others?”

He shook his head, “No just me,” pulling
back instinctively
.
Ivan dropped his hand angrily ripping the collar. Then he turned toward the guards
, “
See to it that he and his men receive medical attention.” The guard nodded and walked from the room, talking quickly on a phone that he pulled from his pocket. The second man lifted Travis up and cut the ties from his wrists. Then
he
slowly pulled him from the room
as he steadily stared at Helen
pleading
, “
When you find her can I see her?” Ever
yone in the room ignored him, his brain still addled from Helen, as a cut on the b
ridge of his nose began to heal.

Henry held his hand out and Ivan handed him the letter. Then Ivan pushed his hand through his hair and s
at on the windows ledge
, “I am going to help Galen look for her.”

Henry nodded and said, “Flanagan see to it that Grayton and Serena are informed, and tell Serena that I need to see her.” Flanagan nodded once and left the room.

Ivan still sat on the ledge of the window that Galen had jumped from minutes earlier staring at the sill for a moment. Then he asked his face distended in pain, “Do you think
Autumn
was telling the truth...
” Flora stepped in now,
sliding her hand on to his back
gently
, “She did not say that she was not your mate, simply that she
did not belong with you.”

Helen
agreed with her now, “Perhaps she belongs to another clan.”

Henry said thoughtfully, “Yes that is a possibility, especially since she is declining the invitation to be tested.”

Ivan growled, “You were not going to give her the choice
. That is
why she
decided to escape
in a life boat
,
into the middle of the ocean.”

Flora
replied, “We were simply attempting to secure her future with us as soon as possible.”
Ivan puff
ed in response and then Flora continued, “And you were not against the test if I remember correctly.”

Ivan snapped then, “She has run because we did not make her feel safe. You lost her trust. Else she would be here now instead of sending that.” He gestured at the letter, “She does not forget or forgive those who cau
se her pain. Those were her
words!”

Henry replied from a place of strength, “And that was why we waited to test her.”

Ivan snapped his anger building as he made a realization, “If you had not made me stay away then I could have made sure that she sta
yed on that
ship
.”

Drake
snapped now, “
No, s
he awoke because she was in danger.”

Ivan shot back, “Well now we will never know will
we
?”

Helen spoke then hopefully, “If you find her, you could explain.”

Flora agreed nodding and pleading, “Yes she trusts you, tell her that she do
es not have to be tested.” Helen
frowned
offering
, “
Unles
s her mate is in another clan
and she is following his calling.”

Drake
spoke then
, “
If her mate was calling why
did she not just say
so?”

Flora interjected, “She is new perhaps she does not understand the pull yet.”

Ivan frowned, “No Serena explained it, and she used the term Mate and Match and
Autumn
did not use either in her letter.”

Flora interjected skeptically, “She might be attempting to lessen the blow, or perhaps she is intend
ed for someone in Mirth’s clan.”

Helen seeing Ivan’s face gray snapped at Flora
finally
, “Why are you so intent on matching her off elsewhere?”

Flora shrugged not looking at either of them, “Ninety percent of vessels females feel the pull, and the chances are not in his favor if she has not come to him.”

Helen snapped back
, “
She could be fighting the pull, or she might be a
part of the small percent that do not feel it at all.”

Flora added
, “
In which case Ivan is still not her mate, her mate has simply not been born yet.”

Helen puffed in
disbelief,
as Flora continued.

“
Serena did say that she thought the girl was to be the next
eye
, in which case
,
she will be the one to pull her mate in.” She looked at Ivan with wide eyes and he looked up at her disbelieving as she continued, “Many eye’s mates have died protecting them from insurmountable odds.”

Flora looked at Ivan incredulously, “You killed a lot of soldiers protecting her sleeping body...
,
” Flora let her words fade off then.

Then
Drake
finished her thought
, “
A
nd more importantly
,
he tried to kill us to protect her.”

Ivan huffed, his face looking grave and slightly confused, “I did not try to kill you all.” Henry spoke now, “Only because Grayton and Serena showed up and stopped you.”

Flora added
quietly
, “
You were quite
mad Ivan.”

Drake
nodded in solemn agreement, “You were gone, you did not even stop when Flora sang and Helen worked her magic. It was as if you were not in touch with this world at all.”

Helen nodded gravely, “Do you feel her calling you Ivan?”

His head sank and he replied, “No. Just pain,
”
then he pounded his chest
with his open hand
.”

Flora smiled then encouragingly, “Like a throbbing heart beat without a heart?” Ivan nodded still unable to meet their eyes. Henry looked at F
lora now, his eyes wide, “A
heart beat even when you are in vessel form?”

Ivan nodded now and looked up at them seeming concerned, “Yes is something wrong?”

Flora walked over to Ivan with her hand raised and said
, “
Your eyes are changed right now
,
you
are in full vessel form now are you not?”

Ivan nodded and Flora placed her hand on his chest and smiled brightly, nearly giddy with delight, “Henry.”

Henry crossed th
e room and placed his hand on
Ivan’s chest and he felt it as well
, “
I’ll be dammed. You are her mate.”

Ivan slid his hand to his chest and looked at them both wide eyed then
asked cautiously, “Are you certain
?”

Henry and Flora nodded, and they both smiled then
, Henry admitted
, “She must be very strong indeed; I could not be separated for nearly a century without feeling a tremendous amount of discomfort from Flora.”

Flora smiled, “The beginning was the most difficult for me as well, I would get terrible head aches. The thumping eventually travel
ed
to my head, especially if I was separated for too long.” Then she paused as her words began sinking in for Ivan, “If we ar
e right then, she
might be near delirium with pain right now.” Flora’s smile disappeared then she said seriously as her words sunk into her own head, “Ivan
you must
find her as soon as possible.” Ivan nodded and his face morphed into Galen’s as he let out a low growled.

Then he turned and jumped from the window saying in Galen’s voice, “I hope you are right this time Flora.”

Flora nodded, doubting tha
t she was wrong about this,
as she eyed Henry
, kno
w
ing
that he was thinkin
g the same thought.
“At least we know that she will listen to him when he asks her to come back.”

Helen jumped at his logic, “It does not mean that she will come back, she may simply convince Ivan to leave the council.”

Henry replied seeming more relieved, “
At least n
o one else will have
t
he
i
r power at their disposal.”

Drake
spoke then, “Let us not
forget
, if you both are right
,
then she
is very
strong, perhaps even the one.” They a
ll nodded in agreement
.

Flora added dead serious, “I told him we would not test her if she did not want to, and I will not change my decision Henry.”

Henry
nodded
in agreement with his mate, “Nor will I.”

Drake
shrugged, “Her skills will show themselves overtime. As long as we do not press the issue, she may learn to trust us
again
.”

Helen added hollowly
, “Let us hope
he finds her soon,
b
efore she goes mad
with the loss
.” T
hey all nodded in agreement
.

Henry added
, “
Send all available scouts out to search for her and alert all of the adversaries in the EU, and the states. She will likely go someplace that she is comfortable to hunt.”

***

Autumn pushed her hands through her hair, looking out at the ocean that she
was sailing
across. The boat that she stowed away aboard seemed to buy her story of
being shoved in a container,
which
she had managed to escape from. According to th
e good doctor on board, they
left port five days earlier at least that is what she figured since he only spoke broken English. Luckily
,
they were supposed to reach port in two days. They were headed to South America to deliver a large shipment worth a great deal of money, which she suspected was illegal. Autumn planned to jump ship as soon as she saw land, especially when she saw the crew’s interest in her.

She cleared that up by coming up with an elaborate lie aimed at the one use that they could have for a woman with no money. Autumn smiled at that thought, it worked like a charm, the men on board seemed to loose interest as soon as
she told them that she had that disease
. Even the educated doctor on board
,
would not touch her once he learned that bit of information. The only problem that she had now was staying clear of the council.

They would surely be looking for her and so would Ivan she guessed. She knew that the letter was not going to deter them from coming after her but she could always hope.
She knew
better than they did though
, she was only going to cause pain and death if she went to that island again.

According to what she saw in
Drake
’s head when she had fed though
, there were several covens that she could join.
Alt
hough she knew that she had no desire to do that, the only thing that mattered now
,
was getting away from Ivan. He was the true hurdle right now, the image of him protecting her sleeping body flashed into her mind. Even
Drake
had been scared of him that night
when the council had come to collect her
. Thank goodness Grayton and Seren
a had come along and stopped him from killing them all
.