The Keeping (51 page)

“Right.” She
snorted. Her disbelief was obvious and irritated him no end.

“Think about it!
You’ve been inexplicably ill for the past few days—”

“It’s not
inexplicable. It’s from the cut on my arm.”

“Well, the cut was
part of it, but didn’t you notice how quickly it healed? And
haven’t you wondered why, if the cut is gone, that area of your arm
is still sensitive? And what about the fevers that come and go? Or
what about this—have you been hearing voices in your head?”

That one got to
her. Ryne noticed how she paled at the mention of voices. So her
wolf had been awakening and trying to make itself known. She
probably thought she was losing her mind. Little wonder she was in
denial right now. Melody probably thought her grip on sanity was
rapidly slipping away and she was fighting it tooth and nail. The
thought of her distress softened his attitude towards her. He
inched closer and spoke softly.

“It was an
accident. A freaky accident that mixed my blood with yours and
awakened some hidden werewolf genes in your system.”

“I don’t have
werewolf genes—” There was a touch of anger in her tone that let
Ryne know he might be getting through to her.

“I beg to differ.
Somewhere in your family tree there must be a werewolf; maybe a
parent or a grandparent.” Melody started to speak but then paused
and seemed to be thinking. Good, at least she wasn’t totally
rejecting the idea. He pressed his advantage. “The genes might have
stayed dormant for your entire life and you would have shown only
trace characteristics, if you hadn’t become involved with me.”

“Trace
characteristics?” She spoke distractedly and Ryne wasn’t really
sure how much she was taking in, or if she was in shock and just
operating on autopilot. He suspected the latter. Whichever it was,
he didn’t have time to waste and ploughed onward delivering even
more information.

“Trace
characteristics include better than normal eyesight, acute hearing,
and sensitivity to smells. A strong immune system—I bet you were
hardly ever sick as a child and never visited the doctor.” He
watched carefully and caught her slight flinch. “There’s also a
tendency to instinctively submit to alpha personalities even when
you don’t want to and you tilt your head a bit to the side exposing
your throat...”

Ryne could tell
her mind was racing, sifting through past incidents that had seemed
trivial at the time, but in the light of the information he was
delivering, became significant.

Mel gave a short
laugh, shook her head, and rubbed her temples with her fingers. She
seemed to be talking to herself. “This is just so weird. I can’t
believe I’m having this conversation. I am awake, aren’t I? It’s
not just another dream, is it? Because sometimes I have these
really real dreams. There was this one about wolves and then the
wolf became a man and...” She stopped and blushed.

Ryne knew exactly
what dream she was talking about and tried hard to keep a straight
face. Somehow he didn’t feel this was the time for confessions of
that nature. “We’re awake. It’s not a dream. You haven’t been
drugged. Now listen while I explain...”

Chapter
36

“Cassandra! I told
you to stay away from the windows. It’s still light out and the
sunshine could bring on another migraine.” Greyson stood in the
doorway, looking at the young woman who occupied the upper room in
the west wing of his mansion. Her dark hair was pulled back in a
long braid, revealing the paleness of her skin. Her cheeks were
slightly sunken and dark shadows showed under her eyes. He tried to
not let his worry show.

“I’m sorry, Uncle.
It’s just such a sunny day, I thought it would be nice to go
outside.” She obediently moved back and let the heavy velvet
curtains fall shut.

Greyson stepped
into the room and gently took her by the elbow, leading her back to
bed. “In a few more days, when the danger of another migraine has
passed, you can go outside. Did you take your medication? I’m
surprised to see you awake.”

She looked up at
him with a tentative smile. “I forgot.”

He cupped her
cheek, noting the stark difference between his gnarled hand and her
soft youthful skin. She was such a beauty, just like her mother.
“You know what the doctor said. Prevention is the key. It’s a
monthly treatment; five days of pills and then you’re fine for the
rest of the month.”

Cassandra reached
out and squeezed his hand before stepping away. “I know. It’s
just...” She blushed. “Maybe I should see another doctor.”

“Doctor Friedrich
is the finest physician money can buy. You know what he told you.
Every girl’s body is different. This is how you react to the
monthly changes—”

“All right, Uncle!
Stop, just stop.” Her face was flushed with embarrassment. “I’ll
take the darn pill. Anything to keep from having this conversation
again.”

“Cassandra, I’ve
known you since you were a baby—.”

“But I’m not a
baby anymore. And my bodily functions aren’t a subject I wish to
discuss with you.”

Greyson chuckled.
“Of course. At seventeen, you’re so very, very old.”

“Almost
eighteen.”

“I stand
corrected.” He kept his voice even, resisting the urge to chuckle.
Ah, the young. Always wishing to be older.

“Old enough to
want some privacy in certain areas.” She folded her arms and
pouted.

“And you shall
have it, once you take your pill and get back in bed.” Greyson kept
his voice gentle, but firm. For a moment, she stared at him
defiantly and he noted how the green in her eyes darkened when she
was upset. After a moment, she looked away, sighing.

“One of these
days...” She muttered under her breath and she went to the bedside
table, swallowing the disputed medication.

He nodded in
satisfaction. “I’ll be back to check on you later. Rest, like
you’re supposed to.”

“That’s all I can
do when I’m on these pills. They make me so sleepy and I have the
strangest dreams.”

“An unfortunate
side effect, but well worth the benefits achieved.”

Cassandra stuck
her tongue out at him, but quickly changing the childish reaction
to a grin, she hopped into bed and picked up a book.

Greyson closed the
door and rested his palm on the handle for a moment while shaking
his head. She was a minx, but the light of his life. Who would have
thought that a crusty old man such as himself would have been
blessed with the care of one such as her? He smiled reminiscently,
thinking of the joy she’d brought him over the years.

At first, he’d
been unsure of how to handle the tot, but with the help a few
trusted employees, he’d muddled through. He made sure Cassandra had
the finest of everything; clothing, private tutors, individualized
lessons for sports and art, vacations around the world... And all
along, he’d managed to keep her out of the public eye. Only a few
hand-picked employees interacted with her; she always travelled
separately from him. It had worked perfectly until two years ago.
Then, as she approached adulthood, he found that he needed to have
a closer hand in her supervision. Unfortunately, even this
situation wouldn’t work for much longer, and then what?

He wanted her to
remain an innocent, naive little girl as long as possible, but she
was tugging at the reins, becoming headstrong, questioning... Even
taking her medication was becoming a source of friction. He
grimaced. The nurse should have been watching her more closely. Who
knows what could happen, if Cassandra missed a dose?

Letting go of the
handle, he strode down the hallway, in search of the nurse. He’d
have to remind the woman that if she didn’t carry out her duties
any better than this, then she might have to be...dismissed.

*****

Cassandra listened
to her uncle’s retreating footsteps and then grinned. She reached
into her mouth and pulled the hated pill out from its location
between her cheek and gum. There was a nasty taste in her mouth
since it had partially dissolved. Rats! Her plans to make it
through the cycle un-medicated were going sadly awry.

The nurse her
uncle hired never left the room until at least half an hour after
each pill was taken. Obviously the woman was suspicious and wanted
to ensure that even if her charge did manage to keep from
swallowing the pill, it would dissolve in her mouth. It was only by
surreptitiously resetting the clocks and ‘accidentally’ breaking
the woman’s watch, that Cassie had managed to get her out of the
room believing that there was still an hour before medication time.
She’d planned on flushing the pill down the toilet and then
claiming she’d taken it on her own when the nurse returned.
Unfortunately, her uncle had appeared first and Cassie had never
been able to lie to the man. Well, at least she wouldn’t be quite
as muzzy headed as usual.

Not for the first
time did she wonder about the mysterious migraines everyone
insisted that she had. Honestly, she couldn’t recall being sick the
first time it happened, but apparently she had been, for suddenly
her uncle had her meeting with a doctor who talked in medical
babble, gave her a few cursory pokes and prods and then issued
instructions for monthly treatments.

She didn’t have
many friends and there was really no one to talk to about the
situation, but her research on the internet led her to believe that
something wasn’t normal. She’d started her monthly cycles quite
late for modern females—just around her sixteenth birthday. And
strangely enough, they only occurred every three months, with only
minor spotting in between. Migraines could accompany menstruation,
but the medications she took made her almost comatose, too groggy
to do anything and strangely unaware of what was going on around
her. Somehow, that just didn’t seem right.

Dr. Friedrich, in
her estimation, wasn’t much of a doctor either. He hadn’t really
examined her. Not that she wanted him too—the man gave her the
creeps—but looking in her eyes and ears and poking her stomach
through her clothing really couldn’t give him much of an idea as to
her internal functions, could it?

Cassie knew her
uncle loved her and spared no expense when it came to her care,
but... Something wasn’t right and she was determined to figure out
what it was. Her first step was supposed to be going without her
medication, but so far that wasn’t working. Still, she’d managed to
avoid most of this dose. Hopefully, she’d be able to figure out a
way to miss the next one as well.

Cocking her head
to the side, she listened carefully. Good. No one was coming. She
climbed out of bed and made her way to the window. Carefully easing
the curtain aside, she took a peek. What was happening at the small
hut near the back of the property? Earlier in the day, a car had
been there and her uncle’s lawyer had carried something inside.
Then her uncle had talked to Mr. Aldrich for awhile and the man had
left, leaving the bundle behind. Her curiosity was piqued and she
longed to sneak out and see what was going on.

She chuckled,
thinking about how her ‘spying abilities’ had served her in the
past. Uncle tried to keep her sheltered from the world and his
life, but she knew more than he suspected. For example, she knew
about Mr. Aldrich even though Mr. Aldrich knew nothing of her.
She’d spied on several of their meetings, not really understanding
what was going on, but enjoying the trick she was playing on them.
As of late, her spying wasn’t so much a game as a desire for
knowledge. There was a mystery surrounding her very existence and
she was determined to find out what it was.

*****

Melody had
listened in stunned disbelief as Ryne spouted information about
werewolves, the mixing of body fluids and genetic heritage. It was
preposterous of course. Her father, whoever and wherever he might
be, wasn’t a werewolf. Her mother and grandparents weren’t either.
Nor was she turning into one. Yet, Ryne sounded so sincere and
there was the weird hallucination she’d just had where he’d changed
into a wolf... She’d pinched herself several times, trying to wake
herself up, but of course that only worked in fiction.

The whole
situation made her head spin, and she was starting to ache all over
again. If he said another word on the topic, she was sure she’d
scream. She leaned her head back against the wall. “Ryne, stop it.
Please. I can’t take any more of this.”

Immediately he
stopped the pacing around the room that he’d been doing while
lecturing her. Sitting beside her, he felt her forehead. “You’re
pale and getting fevered again.”

“Yeah. This
infection or ’flu or whatever—”

“I already told
you what it was. Your body is undergoing changes at the cellular
level.” He sounded almost angry with her that she didn’t believe
his tall tale.

She licked her
lips, suddenly too tired to argue. “Sure. Whatever. I hurt. My head
is swimming. Even my vision is blurring.”

Ryne suddenly
gripped her shoulders and made her sit up straight. “Blurred
vision? Any tingling?”

Melody frowned and
thought about it. “A bit. My hands and feet.”

“That’s a sign
that you’re about to transform. Fight it! Don’t give in. It’s too
dangerous for you to shift yet. Your body isn’t ready.”

“Fight it? Fight
what? And how?”

“It’s a full moon
tonight. Like I was telling you, the moon has an effect on us. The
younger you are, or the closer you are to your first change, the
greater the pull. You have to hold off as long as possible until
your body is able to handle it.”

“Easy for you to
say. How do you propose I do that?” Mel bit her lip as a wave of
sensation swept over her. It was strange, like someone was pouring
sand all over her, bringing to awareness nerve endings she’d never
realized existed.

“Concentrate on
being human. Think about your body as it is in a human state; how
it feels and moves. Don’t focus on the tingling, that will only
quicken the transformation.”