The Revelation (7 page)

             
“This cedar incense only grows in Broxburn,” Nita's reedy voice held absolutely no apology as she replied. “I always procure some when I visit.”

             
“Incense? Incense?” The words were out before Yuna could stop them, making all four of the company start at the fierceness of her words. “Christ, Nita! I though Hunters might have gotten to you! We're all sitting in the car waiting while you've told no one about your little errand. I was about to have a fucking heart attack.”

             
The expressions on the faces before her ranged from amusement, in Viola's case, to shock, in Nita's. In the past months, Yuna had barely spoken a word to the woman while Nita had taken every opportunity to belittle her humanity. It was the first time she'd ever risen her voice to the elderly woman, and to be honest, she was almost as surprised as Luther's cousin appeared to be. Nita didn't seem to know how to respond to Yuna's tongue lashing, and while she was figuring things out, the young woman and her mate, along with Viola and Liam, steered her back to the waiting car.

             
“You... how dare you admonish me!” When Nita finally found her words, she was being firmly strapped into the car by Liam. “You're just a human. You don't know anything of our ways!”

             
“I'm smart enough to know that I'm not the only one who thought you might have been taken by Hunters,” Yuna snapped, fed up with the older woman's babble. “No matter what you may think of me, Luther and the others care about you. So please, have a care to mention something the next time you decide to take a little side trip.”

             
Her outburst dried up Nita's normally expansive arsenal of insults. With nothing left to say, the wizened old female just glared at her before settling down in her seat.

             
Luther winked at Yuna, making her sigh as she slumped back against creamy, soft leather and crossed her arms in a huff. Christ, these people were complicated.

             
Viola was giving her an appreciative look. Leaning over from her spot beside the young woman, she came out of her brooding loud for long enough to whisper her encouragement. “All hail the Alpha Mate.”

             
As Yuna cracked a small smile at the statement, she caught the eye of Luther's mother, who had fixed her with an inscrutable look over the back of the passenger seat. The woman stared at her until the car started down a winding road that led up to the forests at the edge of the sea cliffs. However, when she finally did turn around, Yuna could still feel her scrutinizing gaze.

             
It was extremely comforting to know that she was now only a short ride away from a place that would no doubt be filled with people that shared Marilyn Douglas' same adverse opinions about humans.

**

              The mother den was just as imposing as Luther remembered.

             
Nestled in the center of a forest that surrounded it on three sides, with the sea at its back, the centuries old estate sprawled over at least 200 acres of land. As far as Luther knew, his people and the Elders owned everything within fifty miles of the den for security reasons; and also because it was some of the most breathtaking land in the country.

             
They passed through three levels of security: Armed guards at the edge of the property, then an inner ring that fenced perhaps fifty acres, and finally the main gate, manned by no less than ten of their strongest. The largest of them stood a full head above Luther, and as he poked his head into the car to assess them, he growled lowly at Yuna's presence.

             
“You dare bring a human here?”

             
When his mate was concerned, Luther didn't bother himself with matters of strength or size. He would rip the insolent male apart. “This human is carrying my progeny. And we're expected by the Elders.”

             
Though the malicious expression on the male's face faded only slightly, it was obvious that he was taken aback by the claim. After taking in the rest of the car's occupants, he waved them through with a gruff command and Luther relaxed slightly. How long that relaxation would last, however, would depend entirely on the level of occupation in the mother den.

             
He had no idea how many of their kind would be in residence; though he was sure that the vast majority of them would have no love for Yuna.

             
He realized, as they bumped over the cobblestone drive, that there were more than a few moonkind loitering about the front entryway. No doubt word had spread that a human carrying wolf offspring was arriving. His first priority would be to get Yuna inside and to a safe place. Then, they could deal with the council.

             
The car pulled to a halt in front of an ornate brick staircase at least 10 meters wide. Reaching back, Luther found first Yuna's hand, and then turned to meet her apprehensive green stare. “You'll be fine. I'm here with you.”

             
Nita snorted, drawing his glare, and they opened the doors.

             
No less than ten of their kind waited on the steps, all looking unabashedly over every member of their number that exited the vehicle. When he finally helped Yuna out, the sight of her and the swell of her pregnant stomach caused several gasps, more than a few growls, and, to his surprise, one or two intrigued murmurs. Before anything adverse could happen, however, a tall, thin male with gray coloring his silver blonde hair parted the crowd and ascended the steps to greet him.

             
“Welcome back, Magnus. To you and your clan.”

             
“We thank the Elders for their hospitality.” The Douglas' patriarch returned humbly, taking his wife's arm. “They have always helped us in our time of need.”

             
“Our doors are always open to our own...” The male's expression twisted into slight distaste as he took in Yuna's travel weary form. “I take it this is the...”

             
“This has a name.” Yuna surprised them all by glaring at the tall man, her expression both exhausted and intolerant. “It's Yuna. I know you aren't thrilled that I'm here and I can only imagine what the great majority of your kind must be thinking, but I have been traveling for the past 36 hours. I'm tired, I'm dirty, and I'm fed up with being treated subpar. Sneer all you want, but do it once I'm asleep, if you don't mind.”

              The expression on the silver-haired man's face was priceless. Luther's chest swelled in pride at his mate's courage. She was headed quite literally into a den of wolves and she still retained her vigor and integrity. It was one of many reasons he'd made her his.

             
“This way.” When their greeter had finally regained his composure, it was only to direct them sullenly past the assembled group on the steps and into the huge dwelling beyond.

             
The entry hall was massive, decorated in deep shades of wine and gold that were lit by the bulbs of an ancient chandelier that Luther knew to be at least a thousand years in age. The lush chaises and embroidered couches, however, were all unoccupied. In fact, the entire foyer was empty, save for a single soul.

             
Before them, Dame Strauss waited patiently, her hands clasped, for them to approach. It made sense, Luther mused, for the most powerful of the Elders to meet them. She was also the council member who had saved Yuna's life by revealing her pregnancy. The German transplant to their land was far too enigmatic for Luther to ever guess her true intentions, but he also considered her the least dangerous of the Elders. At least, when it came to matters of blood thirst and recrimination. When personal matters were involved, the presence of this particular Elder always made Luther nervous. She had the imposing ability to read minds, and she'd also been blessed with the gift of foresight.

             
While, on this visit, Luther had nothing to hide, he noticed that Viola shrank back slightly from Strauss, as if the woman's presence cowed her. The last time they'd met, his sister-in-law had been arguing for the changing of old laws and the acceptance of emotion as a viable element in their society. Now, she seemed significantly diminished.

             
“Thank you, Elliot.” With a wave of her hand, the elderly woman dismissed her silver haired manservant. The man took a last, withering glance at Yuna before climbing the stairs to disappear. “Welcome Douglas clan. She looked from face to face, her gaze resting on each just long enough to glean what she would from both their expressions and their heads. “I trust your trip provided no difficulties?”

             
“None,” Luther answered, his voice ringing about the large space. “We thank you for taking us in.”

             
“We are glad you made it.” The Dame's reply was kind, but her eyes darkened as she spoke. “We have received word that your manor in Riley has been burnt to the ground. For a few hours, we were worried you had been inside.”

             
The knowledge slammed into Luther's gut with the force of a MAC truck. Next to him, Yuna grasped at his arm as her mouth dropped open in shock.

             
Their home was gone? The place of his childhood? Every memory and secret object... all his mother's pictures of Elias? Things he'd spent a lifetime collecting had been rendered to dust.

             
“Gone?” Marilyn was moaning lowly as she sagged against her husband. “All of it, gone?”

             
Liam was bristling as Viola curled her hand into his shoulder in an effort to contain his fury while Nita comforted Bran, March and Lyle, probably too taken with their material possessions to realize the true gravity of the tragedy.

             
“Not only that,” Dame Strauss continued lowly, extracting a piece of thick paper from her sleeve. “It seems they know you. Personally.”

             
What?

             
Without any thought to propriety, Luther snatched the paper from her to see what was written upon it.

             
He was greeted with a photo of the manor ablaze, red, yellow and orange flames lighting the night sky. Most of the windows had shattered from the heat and the stones had begun to blacken and char; but a message written in vivid red was perfectly clear. The gate had been forced open, and across the pathway hung a sign that made his stomach shrivel in horror.

             
AN EYE FOR AN EYE. THE CHILD WILL DIE.

             
“I won't let them have our baby.”

             
Much later, after Dame Strauss had questioned them, Liam had thrown a fit, and Luther's parents had disappeared with silent, numb expressions, Luther cradled Yuna against his chest. They sat on a bed in the comfortably decorated room they'd been given; but Yuna had found no joy in the drapes of the 400 thread-count sheets. No sooner had he locked the solid oak door behind him than she'd fallen into his arms, shaking. “They can't take him, Luther. They won't.”

             
“Shhh.” He comforted her lowly, stroking her hair as he tried to calm her. Far from being desolate when she'd discovered the threatening image, Yuna had been livid. She'd sworn that she wouldn't let the Hunters within a hundred miles of her child- that she'd kill them before they touched him.

             
Though Luther admired her courage, he hardly thought the hunters would wait until the pup was born to take its life. No, that wasn't their way. Which meant... they were probably on their way now to make sure the babe never took its first breath.

             
They had traveled thousands of miles for naught.

             
Though Dame Strauss had tried to reassure them that no Hunters had ever penetrated the Mother Den and that they were perfectly safe, Luther thought he had seen an inkling of doubt in her eyes. It had shaken him more than he cared to admit. Now, as he held Yuna, wondering how best to allay her fears, he found himself truly, for the first time since receiving the Alpha strain, contemplating the possibility of losing his clan.             

             
The possibility of losing Yuna.

             
A knock on the door made him groan as he clutched his mate even closer to him. “Not now!”

             
His words had no effect on the visitor beyond, as the knock came again.

             
Irritated by the callousness of the individual, Luther rose from bed to leave Yuna for long enough to yank the door open. His sharp words died on his tongue at the sight of his mother standing on the threshold, her expression one of grim resolve.

             
“Luther. I've come to talk to Yuna.”

             
Sighing, the young man ran a hand over his face, exhaustion rampant in his features. “Mother, now isn't the best time. She's upset, as I'm sure you can imagine.”

             
“We need to talk.” To his surprise, the woman merely ducked under his arm and entered the room. Mouth slightly open, Luther turned, closing the door behind him as he made to stop her.

             
“Mother-”

             
“Yuna, listen to me.”

             
To his utter shock, his mother took Yuna's hand in her own painstakingly manicured one as she took a seat next to her on the bed. What on earth was this? “I know that we haven't seen eye to eye, and that I've been stubborn when it comes to your acceptance into this clan. But now I am telling you that carrying the Douglas progeny within you is no small achievement. Your child will be the next Alpha. And coming here to protect it was the best choice that you could have made.”

             
Yuna had never been one to dwell on old conflicts; as such, she merely let Marilyn hold her hand as she gazed up into the older woman's eyes, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “Why?” She demanded, her voice tortured. “Why are the after us? Why do they hate moonkind so much?”

             
“It is an old hatred.” Luther's mother replied lowly, shaking her head in disapproval. “There was a time when there was open war between our kind and theirs.”

             
“But that must have been hundreds of years ago,” Yuna spoke hoarsely, her expression pained. “It has nothing to do with me and mine.”

             
“It has everything to do with us,” Marilyn returned, sorrow evident in her tones. “As our old traditions die hard, so do theirs. To them, every new pup born into this world is another of us they'll have to kill. And whelping time is when we're most vulnerable. This is why all expectant females have always retreated to the safest places to give birth. So few pups are born these days. They are more precious than you can ever imagine.”

             
“I can imagine.” Yuna's tone was suddenly fierce as her eyes glowed with conviction. “Pup or not, he will be my child. How could anything be more precious to a mother than her own child?”

             
The vehemence of the young woman's reaction made Marilyn draw back, her mouth slack in surprise. After a moment, however, Luther's eyes widened to see the beginnings of admiration in his mother's face as well.

             
She took back the hand that Yuna had yanked from her grip during her tirade and patted it gently. “I may have been wrong about you, girl. You are a good deal stronger than Laura ever was.”

             
Gods, was this really happening?

             
His mother, turned bitter by the death of her son at a human's hands, who had staunchly opposed his being with Yuna even to her death, was now speaking words of kindness? It seemed that the stubbornness of his clan didn't run quite as deep as he would have thought. As Marilyn continued, Luther sagged into a chair, exhaustion overtaking him. “But let me warn you, there are trials yet to come. I will be by your side as you birth the continuation of our line, but you will raise a pup of two entirely different words. It is a contradiction that has never gone well with our kind.”

             
For a moment, Yuna's eyes darkened and she looked away. It was several minutes when she spoke, and when she did, her voice wavered. But, her reply was firm. “I can't know the future Marilyn. All I know is that I'm not Laura. And I'm not any of the humans that have fallen victim that whatever differences our two species might have. Luther is not any moon-ripened of your lore and legends and we are not bound to their fate simply because it's what's happened before. Now is now.”

             
To those words, Marilyn could do naught but nod. As she stood, she hesitated slightly before placing a hand briefly atop Yuna's head. “For your sake, dear girl, I hope you're right.” With that, she swept from the room with only the briefest of glances at Luther.

             
As soon as she was gone, he was back on the bed beside Yuna, tilting her chin up to smooth the tears from her face. “It will be alright, Yuna. Whatever happens, this clan and our people will hold together.”

             
He only wished he was as sure in his heart as he was in his words. Yuna was still a human, and all the affection in the world, including their bond, couldn't save her from a wolf who meant her harm, or a Hunter bent on her demise.

**

              She needed to tell someone.

             
Anyone.

             
It was enough to deal with her own private demons as far as the hunters were concerned, but in the days that had passed since their arrival, Viola had realized that keeping her pregnancy to herself was almost more than she could bear. At the news that Hunters had found and burned Douglas manor, and were coming for them, even in Broxburn, Viola had only been able to think of the new life within her. She'd wanted Liam to hold her and comfort her, though she knew that revealing the existence of a child forged from their love could mean the end of its life.

             
There was a part of her that wished that the test had been negative; that she'd been violently sick from some horrible disease instead of found herself with child, but the fact was that she couldn't change what had happened. Now, she contemplated a future with a child that she wanted with her entire being- a child that was absolutely forbidden.

             
“Viola.”

             
The woman's head jerked up from where she'd been staring at her feet, leaning against the window of their room. Her mate had just emerged from the shower, and despite the whirlwind of emotions assaulting her, the sight of him nearly naked was enough to send tendrils of lust curling through her abdomen. Forcibly, she quelled them as she met Liam's gaze, attempting to reign in her own distress. “Yes?”

             
The man before her was wearing his usual frown. “You and Yuna are hiding something from me. I want to know what it is.”

             
What...Yuna? Viola was slightly lost at her husband's accusation. As far as she knew, Yuna had no idea that she'd taken a pregnancy test, nor had Viola let slip any concrete information about her condition.

             
“You're one to talk.” Defensively, she found herself changing the subject in an attempt to draw attention from her own nervousness. “You're the king of secrets.”

             
“Is it something about your being sick so often?” Far from being angry, Viola was slightly surprised when her mate dropped onto the window seat next to her to fix her with a gaze rampant with worry. “Have you been to the doctor for tests? Is there something wrong? Gods, Viola you can't keep such things from me.” Curling an arm around her shoulder, he jerked her against his still damp chest to inhale the scent of her hair deeply as he buried his face in the crimson locks. “Please tell me it's not serious.”

             
His muffled plea softened her heart.

             
This was the man she loved.

             
Though he was stern, and he could be fanatical, he cared about her... and he would care for their child. Certainly, he might protest at first, but there were times when Viola could see: Despite his dogged adherence to their laws, Liam wanted to be a father just as much as she wanted to be a mother. When he'd been told he couldn't have pups, he'd been crushed. Would he really reject the product of their love simply because it would be human?

             
“Liam...” She breathed lowly, her heart pounding. “I'm pregnant.”

             
Immediately, he stiffened against her.

             
A few terse moments passed before Liam slowly pulled away from her to hold her at arm’s length. The look on his face was a mixture of conflicting emotions: Doubt, confusion, elation, fury. They each scrolled across his features like storms cresting a mountain, and just as quickly melted away.

“You... you can't be.” He finally managed, barely choking out the words. “We've been careful... every time-”

              “However careful we've been, I'm still with child!” To her horror, Viola found tears welling in her eyes. She hadn't wept since she was a pup. Her sharp tone startled her mate and he drew back, before his eyes darkened.

             
“Viola... we can't. The baby will be human.”

             
“Liam, please.” Viola found herself pleasing, as the first in a series of crystalline drops slid down her face. “This is our child. I can't deny our child.”

             
“Don't.” The scarred man's voice was suddenly almost as sharp as hers had been, though his held a certain wild edge that hers had lacked. “Don't do this, Viola. You don't have the control and I... Gods, I wanted to kill a human when I first encountered Yuna in those woods.” Grabbing her shoulders, the dark-eyed man shook her, hard. “Her blood was singing to me, Vi. I wanted to rip her goddamn throat out!”

             
A sob tore from Viola's chest.

             
“Do you really want to bring a child into this... this hell? We hide from each other, we hunt and we are hunted. Humans amongst us are targets. We'll spend our entire lives fearing for its life and seeing danger in every shadow;  danger not only borne of outsiders, but from ourselves!”

             
“I'm not giving it up.” Through her tears, Viola found that she could still stand toe to toe with her husband. Insistent, even with her face streaked with moisture, she slapped her hand against the window seat, hard, at her fierce declaration. “I won't. The Elders can't make me! I'll die first!”

             
Liam's cursed, running his hands violently through his hair. “I'll not do this. You will not jeopardize everything that we've tried so hard to protect.”

             
“If you care for me,” the woman whispered, his word sliding off her like water from a pane of glass, “If you love me at all, you won't ask this of me. Liam, I don't want our family to end with us. I want to hold your child in my arms. I want to feel it growing inside of me. I want to laugh and love and watch it bloom. I want to be a mother. And you want to be a father.”

             
The dark-eyed man jerked at the low accusation, his gaze on her almost panicked. “By all the Gods, Liam, hold me. I'm so, so frightened.”

             
Her mate just stared at her, his gaze blank. For a moment, neither of them moved. Then, without a word, Liam turned on his heel and fled from the room, slamming the door behind him.