Rayen had taken me through a maze of halls and stairs. We passed curious werewolves that eyed me with either intrigue or contempt. By the end I felt like I had either turned into an exotic jewel or a poison, and even I wasn't sure which one.
It was definitely odd, and I was content with ignoring it. That was until we were heading down the hall and a group of children were laughing and skipping towards us. They saw me and the laughing stopped instantly, most of them turned tail and ran in the opposite direction. One little girl with unruly black curls smiled shyly at me, waved and then raced after the rest of her friends, giggling almost as prettily as Rayen.
I turned a glare at my mates cousin, hands on my hips, and she did a wonderful job at ignoring me. I huffed and turned my glare on an older male werewolf who had taken the initiative to growl at me. I made sure to put the promise of death in my eyes, his growl sputtered in his throat and his head tucked. The wolf bowed to me, as he rightfully should. Death's promise was always upheld by me, he had been marked, I could see it on him, about as well as he could feel it. He knew I was his death.
I tsked and kept walking, I had no reason to kill him yet. But I would, at some point, and I'd do it easily, a smile on my face. Rayen regarded me and the permanently bowed wolf.
"That's why you're here." She stated quietly, barely more than a whisper. I lifted a brow at her, in the process of shedding my anger. She looked straight ahead as she elaborated.
"Some of the wolves aren't thrilled that their Alpha's mate is a banshee. Some think you're dangerous, others think you're too harmless. We're werewolves, we're untrusting of outsiders and we value everything by strength. Compared to us you're almost human." I tried really hard not to smile, it was easier with her attention elsewhere. It was clear what category she would place me in. I shook my head, I was anything but harmless.
She glanced at me and I dropped my small smile. She sighed and turned slightly to better face me.
"We're taking the long way. We went down a few floors extra and are now making our way back up to your brother." I stopped completely, she successfully pulled me along. "Look, the wolves need to see you. They need to figure out if they're going to try and accommodate you or if they're going to put up a fuss." Her voice deepened and curled at the word fuss and I eyed her.
"A fuss?" I asked and she sighed letting go of my arm as I willingly moved with her.
"Sometimes, and this is a rare occurrence, but sometimes an Alpha mates with someone of unknown strength. The wolves can petition to challenge the mate." I breathed. "Don't worry the rules state that they can not kill the mate. And it doesn't interfere with the Bond itself, but it would make you little more than the mate of the Alpha. We're trying our best to end it before it even begins. You really don't have anything to worry about." I smiled at her, she really was nice, if a little naive.
"Really, Rayen, it's fine. If they want to challenge me, let them. I could use some exercise." She froze for a moment, hearing the monster that lurked below my flesh. She turned to watch me and her back straightened. No doubt taking in the way I held myself. Arms at my sides, hands open, ready to grab a weapon. My shoulders relaxed and eyes forward, focusing my reaction on what I heard, not what I saw. I could hear all around me, but seeing, I was half blind.
She sniffed and muttered a curse directed at Tristan, something about withholding important information. I laughed lightly and watched her out of the corner of my eye.
"Did Lupin send someone to get my sword?" She narrowed her eyes at me and nodded. I had figured he would, though he hadn't said as much, he had taken a particular interest in my sword. I smiled, already comforted by it's promised presence.
For as much as it had been when Lupin left, his return was close to nothing. Like a bell, a swing, a knock, and a reverberation throughout my entire being, but that was it. The emptiness that had settled in my core faded, and it was only the relief of its absence that made me aware it had been there in the first place.
Rayen walked straight up to her cousin and punched him.
"What. The hell. Is. Wrong. With you." She asked, accenting each word with a punch. In his gut, on his shoulder, in his chest. I growled at her, low and long, the end spiking into a near snarl. They both turned to look at me surprised. The looks knocked some sanity into me and I shook my head.
"Sorry." I muttered to Rayen, embarrassed. She waved it off again, understanding.
"It's fine." Though thankfully, for my sanity, she took a step back from him. Then she hitched her hands on her hips and heaved a long exasperated sigh, eyes fixed on Lupin. His brows were furrowed at his disapproving cousin, he looked up at me impoloring but I shrugged. He looked back at Rayen and she clicked her tongue, shaking her head.
"Lupin, you know that women feel the Lack more significantly than men. Not to mention that this is really the first time that you two have ever been with each other for an extended period. Do you have any idea how hard that rocked her?" His face was pressed in a wince and he looked over at me, eyes apologetic. I shook my head at him and smiled small, it was fine. His jaw tensed and he turned back to his cousin.
"I forgot, I promise to take more care next time." She tsked again, but conceded. We started down the hall. I moved to be next to Lupin but resisted the urge to touch him. We got to the end of the hall, took one more flight of stairs and emerged into a bustling hall. Busy people, moving quickly to wherever they needed to be. Most were in tactical gear, gadgets buzzing and beeping. The others ran about in formal clothes, stacks of paper in hand. I almost laughed.
"You put my brother on this floor? What is this? The information-central hall?" I shook my head smiling, no wonder my brother was having a blast. Rayen arched an eyebrow.
"Most of us call it the Beehive. But you can call it that if you want." I rolled my eyes as she made her way to a door guarded by a group of unmoving people. As we moved closer, Tristan stepped out of the throng of tactical clad werewolves to meet Rayen. I realized everyone was here. Ava leaned up against the wall and Declan was huddled together with a girl I could only assume was Ember. She was almost the spitting image of her brother. Hair cut at her shoulders and just as dark, flowing around her face, but her eyes were a deep blue, more like the ocean and less like the forest. She was just as beautiful and she fit nicely next to Declan, they seemed to form some shelter around themselves, excluding the outside world. She saw us approach and her eyes trained on me, taking me in.
She stepped forward and extended her hand. I paused a moment but took it, she smiled and held it tight.
"It's nice to meet you, I'm Ember, Lupin's sister. If you have any questions, any at all about him, don't hesitate to ask. As his big sister it's my job to embarrass him." I smiled and tilted my head. For some odd reason I already liked her.
"It's my own experience that younger siblings have the same job." She rolled her eyes, but nodded.
"Yes but he already had his turn, now it's mine." She smiled triumphantly and chuckled.
"Have I ever said how happy I am that I'm an only child?" Rayen commented and everyone smiled at her. A young male wolf stepped out of the throng of guards, equally covered in black gear. He didn't watch me like I was a jewel or a poison, and I instantly liked him for that. I liked him more when he held out my sword to me. It was still sheathed in the leather bonding. I reached out and took it in hand. That unsettled, unsafe part of me easing for a moment, now I had my sword. I sighed and pulled it out of its sheath.
It was unmistakably my sword. I knew it like the back of my hand, the balance, the weight, it was etched into my bones. My sword, the sword I had trained with since I was a girl, named Urlatirce, and handed down to the females on my father's side of the family. Its seventeenth century Italian hilt, protruding metal twisting around my hand. The long thin blade of the rapier glimmering in the hallway light. The true material of the sword was unknown, time having forgotten. The metal looked like steel at first glance but to the touch it was soft like ivory. And in the sun, the silver metal reflected gold.
The only reasonable conclusion I had come up with was that the sword was crafted of magic. Which meant it could be made of anything. So far, it had yet to burst into flame or shoot water out of it's tip. Despite it's unusual substance, Urlatirce worked just the same as any normal sword. Except, of course, for it's unusual proclivity to never break.
I had discovered the power when practicing as a child. I was still very young and at the time, I was forbidden to touch my late grandmother's sword. I had disregarded that rule and as I was having such fun swinging it around, my hands slipped. I accidentally threw it all the way across the training room, it banged against the concrete wall and I was certain it was going to shatter. But the thin blade didn't even have a knick in the metal. After that I was enamored by the sword, I dedicated all of my training to swordplay. I was determined to be good enough to inherit the sword, and when I had surpassed even my father, he gave me the sword, a smile on his face.
Everyone around me marveled at Urlatrice. It was true my sword was breathtaking, and the first time you saw it was always a shock. There was no hiding that it was otherworldly, that it was Magic. I smiled and sheathed the sword, then wrapped the belt around my hips, buckling it and twisting the sword to rest against my left thigh. I looked up at the young wolf that still stood in front of me, staring at my sheathed sword. I regarded him, I think I would biasedly like him forever.
"What's your name?" His eyes snapped up to mine and he paused. He shifted his eyes to look behind me, undoubtedly at Lupin. I raised my hand and snapped in his face, his eyes clicked back to me. I tilted my head, waiting. He cleared his throat but didn't look away.
"Luca, miss. Luca Sullivan." I smiled at him.
"Thank you for my sword, Luca." He smiled shyly back, clearly unsure what to do at this moment. I raised my head up and smiled tightly.
"You may go." Everyone around me froze for a moment. It wasn't really an order, but it was clear enough that I wasn't to be disobeyed. Thankfully for him, Luca didn't look to Lupin, he didn't make the same mistake twice. He didn't even pause for very long. He inclined his head, turned around and disappeared into the crowd of wolves. I felt kind of bad using him, but I'd make it up to him.
I turned around and Lupin shook his head at me, but he didn't seem upset. In fact he looked amused. Rayen chuckled darkly.
"Of course, she has to go and pick on the Sullivan's kid." I raised my brow and Ember explained.
"The Sullivan's are well respected around here, Auden Sullivan, Luca's father, is old and strong. Their family name has been in the history books for generations, people listen to them." She shrugged. "Luca's the youngest of the Sullivan brood, he doesn't have much of a reputation. But he's still got the name, just be careful okay?" I nodded, I had no intention of hurting Luca, in fact, I wanted him as an ally, now more than ever. I flashed a smile at Lupin and he rolled his eyes.
"Ready?" I nodded and he motioned for the door to open. We all shuffled in, the room was medium sized and brightly lit. Arrow was pacing the expanse of the room and we all took a place. There was more than enough room for all of us. As the door shut behind us the din of movement and people quieted. Arrow looked up and surveyed us all. His eyes landed on me and he moved. Stopping just a few feet away, he looked me up and down.
"You look fine." He gritted exasperated. I cocked my head and clutched my chest in mock appreciation.
"That is the best compliment anyone has ever given me." Ember sniggered on the couch curled up with Declan. Arrow regarded them for a moment and then turned back to me, glaring.
"Do you have any idea what I've been through? You disappeared for two days. I thought you were dead." I smiled at him.
"I'm fine." I informed him, his glare intensified.
"Obviously." I shook my head smiling. He reached up and flicked me on the forehead. "No, Fable. It's not funny. I get a call in the middle of the night from a terrified Addie, convinced you've gone and died. I find a butt load of vampire corpses and your blood littered all over the scene. But your scent is gone, covered by wolves. At this point I'm convinced you've been abducted by your wolfish paramour, which was the entire reason I came to town. I run throughout the entire city trying to find your scent and find nothing. I get another call in the middle of the night, this time from Salem and this is what he says: she's alive. That's it, that's all he says, and then he hangs up. I tried calling him back but he wouldn't pick up. I called Echo, I even called Mom, they were no help. Convinced I was being overly dramatic." He threw his hands in the air and started pacing again.
"You are being overly dramatic." He growled at me and the wolves around me tensed. His growl was not one of an animal, it scraped like metal on metal, eerie and piercing. I rolled my eyes at him. "I'm perfectly alright, Arrow. Alive and un-abducted." He looked me over and the anger left his face, replaced by the fear he had felt. The panic we all knew, we held it close to us and barely ever let it show. But we had been through too much, me and my sibling, not to have the ever lingering fear that one of us would die. We had made it out of that hell, we had all survived, yet still we were scarred.
I moved to him and held him in my arms, my baby brother. Years had passed and he no longer required my protection, but he would always have it. He wrapped his arms around me.
"I thought you were dead." His voice broke and I held him tighter. I was aware of the wolves in attendance, though they had all taken to looking anywhere but at us. A brief moment passed where we just held each other and I was able to succumb to the pain and fear I had experienced when faced with almost dying.
"The vampires surprised me," I explained. "Some took a bite out of me and the wolves saved my life." I whispered into Arrow's ear and he nodded, accepting that and we separated.
"You're alright?" He asked, wanting one more clarification and I nodded. He sighed and then turned to the crowd. The wolves were awkwardly trying to give us some privacy, even in the enclosed room. They failed. Miserably.
When I turned, Lupin met my eyes and I smiled sadly. I felt the question through the Bond, he wanted to know if I was ok. I nodded soberly and he gave me a reassuring smile.
"Okay." Arrow announced loudly and all of the wolves turned to look at him. "Now that my raging panic has ebbed, I must be made aware which one of you is Lupin." I looked at him dryly and he shrugged.
"I called mom." He said as an explanation. I winced remembering he had said that.
"What'd she say?" I asked, trying hard to prepare myself. He gave a lopsided shrug.
"Well she was pissed. Went on a rant about keeping secrets and then hung up to chastise Salem. He's now rather pissed at me for ratting him out." I nodded. I was kind of pissed too, he rolled his eyes. "I called her back about an hour ago when your lovely dove-like wolf friends dropped me off in this room. I informed her that you were alive and kicking, and…" He scrunched up his face taking a few steps back. "I may have also told her that we were being magnanimously hosted by your new canine companion." I bared my teeth at him and he smiled tightly. "Suffice to say, she's jubilant." I groaned and had to fight the very strong urge to strangle my brother.
"I hate you." I stated and he blew me a kiss, I batted feverishly at the air and he chuckled.
"I don't get it." Ember said, drawing the attention to her. "Why is that a bad thing?" I laughed at her but Arrow answered.
"You obviously don't know our mother." She looked him over and was obviously unimpressed, she turned back to me.
"Why is that a bad thing?" She asked again, I laughed. Yep, I definitely liked her. Arrow, ever persistent, didn't give up.
"Our mother is a bit of a romance enthusiast and is increasingly excited that all her children are starting their love voyages." I shook my head at him.
"Echo's still a free little bird." He shrugged but nodded.
"Yes, but to her Echo's still a little baby so she doesn't count. Either way, in her mind, grandchildren will soon be spilling out of her wazoo." Rayen choked on a laugh as I stared at my brother. I opened my mouth trying to say something, I closed it, unsuccessful and tried again, once more I failed. Arrow winked at me.
"Don't worry, I'll wait." I picked up the pillow behind me on the chair and threw it at him, he caught it and threw it back, I dodged and it landed harmlesses on the floor. Ava leaned forward in her chair, brows raised, regarding Lupin.
"Your mate is acting like a child." I pursed my lips and crossed my arms.
"He started it." I muttered and Ava shrugged in an I told you so manner, leaning back in her seat. Arrow stepped forward, studying Lupin.
"So you're my sister's mate?" Lupin watched him unsure how to respond, he looked at me imploring but I just smiled. Arrow continued on, not needing social cues. "Would you mind if I took a picture of you? My mother wants a reference so she can be prepared for how attractive your children will be."
"Arrow." I reprimanded, he cackled gleefully, turning and snapping a quick photo of Lupin. He danced away, typing quickly into his phone, undoubtedly sending it to our mother. Lupin stared at me, extremely perturbed. I laughed at the look on his face. This was just one of my family members.
"Look what you've done to poor Lupin." I chastised teasingly. Arrow looked up at the two of us, narrowed his eyes and typed something more. "Now what?" I asked and he smiled, impishly.
"Just informing her that you're on a first name basis." I shook my head and turned to Lupin.
"I'm sorry, my mother's going to put our relationship into a novel." Arrow scoffed, still typing.
"I wouldn't put it past her." He muttered and I chuckled. I turned, feeling Lupin's eyes on me, he looked almost lost. I moved closer to him, he was sitting on a couch near the door. I stopped in front of him and reached for his hand.
"What is it?" I asked, for whatever reason, feeling slightly afraid. He squinted his eyes up at me.
"We have a… relationship?" I laughed and knelt down to look him in the eye.
"Whether this ends good or bad we definitely have a relationship. Convoluted as it might be." I shrugged and he smiled.
"Look at me." Arrow sang and we turned, he was three feet from us and snapped another photo. He gave us a thumbs up and walked away. "Thanks, that's a much better photo." I growled at him and he flashed me a cheeky smile.
"Is he always like this?" I turned to Rayen, who sat at the far end of the same couch, smiling from ear to ear. I appreciated the distance she was giving Lupin, I liked not wanting to rip out her throat. I nodded and rolled my eyes at her question.
"Yep, my entire family is insane."
"So are you." Arrow quipped.
"I'm a part of the family, idiot." I snapped back and all the wolves smiled at our banter.
"Didn't you say he took out all the wolves that went to apprehend him?" Declan asked Tristan. The brown haired wolf nodded, eyeing my brother while standing beside Rayen, leaning against the couch.
"They were all incompasistated in moments and Davis says he could have killed them if he wanted to." Tristan looked over at Lupin and I, arms crossed. "They all said he was made of shadows, claimed he was the commander of the dark, or something like that. Most of them were scared out of their wits, the others were in complete awe." I smiled small, that sounded like my brother. Ava's eyes slid to me.
"Can all banshee's do that?" I shook my head but explained no more. She watched me for a moment more than turned to Tristan.
"You believe what they're saying?" He raised a brow.
"They have no reason to lie. And their wolves, if someone beats their ass, they tend to form a god complex." I scrunched my face at him.
"Don't tell my brother that." He smiled at me and nodded. I turned to face Ava again.
"You think my brother isn't capable of it?" She shrugged.
"He just seems rather harmless." We all turned to watch my brother, smiling at his phone and typing something in response. I looked back at her and tilted my head, smiling pretty.
"But don't I also appear rather… harmless?" She shivered as I let the monster whisper the word. He scratched and clawed at the little room I had given him. I sighed, reconfining him, it had been too long since I had let him out. He needed to stretch, but not here, not now.
I looked at my brother, seemingly focused on his phone. Then I regarded the wolves and decided my game plan. Secrets were secret, and if they didn't have to be revealed then why reveal them? I pulled the Veil over myself, and stepped out of my body, standing in the Astral realm. It was the little foothold that banshee's used to commune with the dead, the inbetween.
I sent my soul there, my physical body still blinking and breathing and looking between the wolves, smiling at their jokes. Arrow's soul joined me soon enough, his own body still typing into his phone. He looked at me, his soul a translucent apparition of his physical form. His brows were raised, hands in his pockets.
"What?" He implored. "You don't trust your doggy-day pals?" I regarded him dryly.
"They saved my life and for that I'm grateful." He cocked his head.
"Oh, how formal you are."
"Drop it, Arrow." His shoulders sagged and his face pulled sad.
"You like them, Fable. Why can't you just admit that?" I shook my head.
"I have secrets they can't know, we both do." He rolled his eyes exasperated.
"None of us would fault you if you told them."
"And if they used it against us?" He shrugged.
"Then we'd deal with it. As a family, as we always have." I looked away and heard him sigh. "Look at me, Fable." I complied and his eyes were kind, the same warm brown as our fathers. "You are mated to the Alpha of the Pennsylvania Pack. Whether you accept it or not, you will always be connected to the werewolves. And this guy? Lupin? He's extremely powerful. The Shadows around here told me he was accidently elected into the position." I nodded. My brother sighed and continued.
"My point is that, even if he switched Packs, he's likely to be Alpha anywhere he goes." He chuckled, wickedly amused. "Fable, you're mated to the strongest werewolf there is." I scoffed, but knew not to disagree, only idiots went against my brother's intel. He shrugged at my still blatant disbelief. "It makes sense, in an odd way." I shook my head.
"None of this makes sense, Arrow." He threw up his hands.
"Fine, it's all coo-coo bananas. What did you want to talk to me about." I sighed.
"The vampires talked to me." He raised an eyebrow.
"And what splendid conversation did they give you?" I leaned on the back of my heels.
"They delightfully informed me that the Commander of Love and Desire plans to eat my heart." Both of his brows raised then furrowed.
"That's impossible, they're locked away. They couldn't possibly escape." I flicked an eyebrow at him.
"Are you positive?" I asked, simply because he needed to be, I needed him to be. A long moment passed while he mulled over the possibilities. His eyes met mine and I was almost positive he was going to cry.
"Fuck." Was all he said, and his aspiration was sucked back into his body.
☽◐⬤◑☾
Returning to my body after spending time under the Veil always makes me slightly disoriented. So though my brain was working feverishly, trying to catch up to whatever Arrow had figured out, my body was a little slower. I stood up from my squatting position, trying to turn to him at the same time. The weight of a physical body threw me off and I managed to trip over my own feet.
Lupin caught my wrist pulling me up and stopping the humiliating stumble I was about to take. I glanced at him, surprised and thankful. His eyes were creased with worry, he could feel my rising panic, I couldn't hide it.
I turned back to Arrow, he had always been better suited to the after effects of the Veil. The phone was already at his ear, ringing for the third time. He glanced at me, his eyes still filled with that desperate fear. I pulled away from Lupin and approached my brother, there would be an audience for this call, there was no way around that. Werewolves had excellent hearing, we'd have to figure it out as we went.
The call went through, and Salem's annoyed voice rattled through the speakers. My older brother, I smiled affectionately.
"What is it Arrow? I'm busy." Salem groaned, obviously preoccupied with something else. I looked at Arrow and tilted my head, letting my thoughts open for him. I felt his shadows, like slithering wisps of mist, cold and wet. They curled around my arms and up my throat, collecting my thoughts and bringing it back to him. Arrow flexed his jaw but nodded, pulling the phone away from his ear and putting our older brother on speaker.
"Salem, it's me." I announced. The line muffled for a moment and then cleared, my brother's voice darker and crisp.
"Are you ok?" I spared a glance at the wolves behind me. All of the faces were tight with focus, watching what we did, listening to what we said. They knew the only reason I had put the phone on speaker was because there was no other way. It wasn't courtesy, it was just easier if we didn't play the game. I sighed and turned back to the phone.
"I'm fine. A little stiff and tired, but I'll survive."
"That's great news." Salem intoned, his voice flat. He knew something was off; he just didn't know what yet. I sighed again, this was going to be tricky. Just because I decided we could have this conversation in front of the wolves didn't mean Salem would agree, and he called the shots.
Arrow understood what was going through my mind and gave me a look, shrugging. Right, I guess we'd find out.
"We have a question for you Salem, be aware, you're on speaker in a room full of werewolves." A long silence passed and then I heard the rattling of my brothers sigh.
"I suppose, I can assume your wolf is with you?" I glanced sidelong at Lupin, but he was staring intently at the phone, his face twitching with confusion. He must recognize the tone of voice, I thought. I had never associated it with my brother, but it was who we were. He barely ever used it with us, his family. But sometimes formality must be enforced, and it was clear in his tone who was incharge and who was to be obeyed. I groaned internally, no, this was not going to go well at all.
"Yes, Lupin Hunt, Alpha of the Pennsylvania Pack, as well as his inner circle are, in fact, all in attendance for this conversation." Arrow's eyes went wide and he surveyed the room again. I knew that he had already known this information, but he played the act quite well, he always did. Over the phone Salem scoffed, once.
"Of course." He muttered and I could hear the underscore of amusement in his voice, though it was beautifully covered by dark sarcasm. My family, ladies and gentlemen, excellent at playing pretend. Salem cleared his throat and the line cleared again.
"Are you certain it is wise that they listen to whatever it is you have to say?" I closed my eyes, just because they wanted to play didn't mean I had to.
"It is just a question, Salem. It is the answer that might cause a problem." Again he paused, but I knew Arrow was right. If I choose to tell Lupin my entire life story my family would support me. I knew that, I just couldn't bring myself to risk them in that way. So even though Salem hesitated and the wolves around me tensed, I knew he would not argue.
"Of course, ask your question, Sister." I took a deep breath, trying to relieve myself of the rising panic. I bit my lip, hesistanting, but followed his path. Speaking with my power made the fear lessen. It wasn't the same as the Veil, but it separated my thoughts from my feelings. It's what banshee's did when dealing with disputes. It puts anger aside and lets us create a fair solution. In this moment, it relieved me of the encroaching terror, because while Arrow had yet to confirm it, I could read his fear. And the very thought was too much, I refused it with everything I had. So I let my soul separate and spoke indifferently.
"The Erote's?" I asked. "Are they still in captivity, Brother?" A brief pause echoed my words.
"Of course, Sister. We would never release them, not only for the threat they issue to the world, but also for the threat they are to you. Why would you believe such a thing to be true?"
"My attackers communed with me, Brother. They claimed to follow her call, they sang that my heart would be her prize. I could surmise no other creature that fit the description."
"Yes, I conclude the same. I shall have the matter investigated. Please wait a moment, Sister." We waited for a long moment. I watched Arrow, refusing to look at Lupin's reaction. My brother looked bored, holding out the phone on the palm of his hand and studying the walls.
"Join us, Brother. Come over the Veil and make your assessment known to us." He squinted at me and then rolled his eyes. Looking pointedly at the werewolves behind me.
"I think it'd be best if, at least, one of us remained emotionally attached to this." He smiled and winked at me. I inclined my head, my face emotionless.
"Of course." I intoned. He squirmed and looked away.
"Is that what this is? She shed her emotions?" Someone asked from behind me, still I refused to look. But I knew the voice to be Ava, she sounded unsettled. Arrow nodded behind me, I could only assume it was directed at Ava.
"Yes, banshee's who are strong enough to step into the Veil can also rise above it. Separating their soul from their actions. It makes problem solving easier in political circumstances, getting rid of a person's bias and simply choosing the best course of action." He shrugged. "It's completely unsettling and really eerie, but necessary in some circumstances. I don't care to do it because I believe emotions are necessary when making decisions. My siblings have a different opinion." Arrow looked at me and winced, quickly looking away.
"Why is she doing this? This conversation can't call for her unbiased opinion, can it?" Arrow looked behind me, at Tristan, and shrugged.
"No, probably not."
"Then why?" Tristan pressed. Arrow sighed and glanced at me, I nodded, once.
"She's scared." He said simply. "My sister… well, she has a complex relationship with fear." He took a deep breath, trying to explain what I would not. "All my sister has is control. She holds onto it tighter than most. I think anyone could agree that the last few days, for my sister, have been completely out of control." He smiled, but he looked broken, preparing to crack and readying himself to pick up the pieces. "She just needs a break from feeling it all. Salem gave her an excuse to do it. She's Fable after all, she'd never give herself that break." He heaved a sigh. "If there's any word I'd use to describe my sister, it's selfless. She rarely thinks about herself." I stared at him impassively, because he was right, I felt nothing. Later on I'd feel his words, but at this moment, I didn't care.
Silence stretched on and we waited. Salem made no noise on the phone and Arrow's arm grew tired. He put the phone down on a glass coffee table and leaned against the wall. I stayed standing in the middle of the room, not caring.
"Are you ok?" Rayen asked, her voice a whisper, but we could all hear her. She sounded concerned but still I did not turn.
"Yeah." Lupin groaned, his voice sounding stranded. "She just feels so… wrong. The Bond is still there, but it's like she shut it off. It's like she's gone, like she never was." Arrow glanced at them, accessing my mate.
"I assure you she's perfectly fine." He cocked his head. "I agree it does feel odd when your mate steps over the Veil, but when she returns it will go back to normal."
"How long can she stay like that?" Rayen asked, worry coating her words. Arrow chuckled and shook his head.
"Even Fable has her limits, one can not stay over the Veil forever. Besides she's still in control, she will return whenever she wants to. And, I mean, all it takes is a surprise to bring her back. Slap her in the face and she'd go right back to normal." He explained snapping his fingers to underscore his point. A low growl rumbled from Lupin, Arrow rolled his eyes.
"Cool it, wolfy. I'm not going to hit her, just using it as an example." He didn't sound very reassuring but Lupin stopped growling.
"This... Erotes?" Declan started. "Fable's scared of her?" Arrow stared at him for a long while but then shook his head.
"I think that's something she'll have to explain."
"Should we be afraid of her?" Rayen asked. Arrow pursed his lips, thinking it over.
"We don't even know yet if she is the threat. It could have just been a freak vampire attack." He smiled at them, skillfully avoiding an actual answer. I disagreed with his response and so I spoke up.
"If the Erote's have somehow escaped they pose no threat to the werewolves. They only have a claim on my life, and mine alone." The wolves behind me snarled at my words, triggered by the oncoming threat.
"If they come for you, they come through us." Lupin growled, the wolves around him snarling to support his claim. I looked at my brother and he shrugged, mildly impressed.
"Sister." Salem announced over the phone, the room went quiet.
"Yes, Brother." I responded. Arrow pushed away from the wall standing nearer to the phone.
"We have investigated your inquiries and found them to be half true. Only one of the Erote's have escaped, the others refuse to tell us how it was done. I assume, Brother, that you have your theories." Arrow nodded at the phone, glancing up at me and then quickly away.
"Yes. Unfortunately, I could only think of one being, strong enough to release the Erote's from our confinement and also have the motive to do such a thing." He paused for a long moment, struggling with the words. He looked like he was going to be sick. He didn't want to say it any more than we wanted to hear it. "I think He is behind this." Arrow looked up, at nothing. "It's the only possibility."
My soul careened, shoved back into my body as the statement ran through my mind again and again. It was a slap alright. The thought that we had gotten out, that we were free, it was the only comfort I had from the nightmares. To think that He was still playing with us, that He could. It made my stomach turn.
I ran from the room, swinging open the bathroom door, and falling across the toilet. Barely making it. The door closed behind me and Rayen pulled back my hair. She said nothing as I heaved into the toilet. Images battered my mind, nightmares that I refused to visit. His face, His smile, His cruel mind, and the things I'd done. The things He'd made me do, made us all do.
But we were free, we had been free. Out of His hands, out of His control. He couldn't be doing this, He couldn't touch us. We had made sure of that, done what we needed. We signed away our souls, burned away our humanity and got out.
For nine years He had left us be, why now?
My stomach was empty. I shivered, my skin prickled and though my body wanted to be sick again, there was nothing left to give. I flushed the toilet and stood, I grabbed a nearby rag and wiped off my mouth. And though my knees wanted to give out on me, I marched back into the room, trying to keep what little dignity I had left.
I took in the wolves, they all looked ahead, pretending not to notice me. Giving me some semblance of privacy. Lupin was the only one of them that turned to me as I entered. He looked haggard, staring at me with unyielding wide eyes. I realized he could feel all I was feeling and with the Veil it must have hit him like a battering ram. But he didn't look at me with accusation but concern, so much heartfelt worry. I tore my eyes away, I knew if I kept looking at him I would just curl up and cry. I couldn't do that, not now.
I walked over to Arrow and stopped in front of the table that held the phone. My brother watched me with a gentler concern, understanding. I watched him back, his pale face and eyes dilated. We both understood each other's fear, we had been scarred by the same man, just in different ways.
"Fable?" Salem called, worry kissing his words. He too shared my scars, all of my siblings did.
"I'm alright." I replied. Everyone knew it was a lie, no one contradicted me. I took a deep breath. "Is this even possible? He's bound by a magic Deal, the trials are over, we won. It should be impossible."
"It should be." It was all Arrow said. I sighed, there was no point arguing this.
"What do we do?" I asked, my voice firm and assertive.
"We could plan a family vacation. I hear Philly's a lovely city." Salem suggested. I rubbed at my temples, a headache starting to take form.
"It's not." I sighed. "And even if it was, I wouldn't allow it. We shouldn't put all of us in one spot." Arrow nodded agreeing. He'd use it against us, just as He always had. Salem sighed over the line.
"What would you have me do, Fable? I'll have to inform mom and dad, the threat is too great to omit the truth. They'll want to come to you, I want to come to you, Echo will want to come to you." I groaned at him.
"Right now the threat is limited, the imminent threat is the Erote. There is nothing saying that He will even make His presence known. It's just another test, Salem, another one of His games. Arrow is with me and the wolves have offered their help, if you ask me the cards are stacked against Him."
"It does always seem to start out that way doesn't it?" Arrow muttered.
"Not helping." I snapped, Salem sighed.
"We'll stay out of it, for now, Fable. And if you need any help at all, just ask." The line crackled for a moment and then cleared. The voice of my sister-in-law coming out joyously.
"What he means to say is you better damn well ask for help when you need it, Fable. And if you don't, I'll know." A small smile picked up my lips. "Also, if it makes you feel any better, Salem threw up too."
"Adelaide." Salem groaned, I chuckled.
"Thanks, Addie. It does." She giggled.
"What exactly are we dealing with here?" Arrow asked, looking down at the phone. Addie sighed.
"If you're asking whether I've been given a vision as to what will conspire, unfortunately I can't confirm if any of you will survive." I shook my head, still smiling. "However, I can tell you that it was Eros that went missing. The others remain tightly locked away." I grimaced and nodded.
"Of course He had to free her." Arrow complained, I shrugged.
"Did you expect any differently?" He pursed his lips at me but said nothing.
"Thank you, Addie."
"Of course."
"How's Izze doing?"
"Oh, she's great, completely over the flu. She misses you." I smiled.
"I miss her too." Arrow rolled his eyes.
"Ok ladies, there's an important discussion going on here and while I love my niece, Isabel's info chart can be discussed at a later date." Addie clicked her tongue.
"Arrow sent me the photos of your wolf." She giggled. "He's quite impressive." I gave Arrow a pointed look, he balked.
"She asked." He defended. Addie scoffed.
"He offered."
"And she said yes." Addie tsked.
"Of course I did."
"Children." Salem reprimanded, interfering in their bickering, knowing it could go on for hours. "First of all, darling, I resent the fact that you didn't show me, and second of all, they're on speaker phone, with her wolf present."
"Oh, sorry." Addie called into the phone. "But you are quite impressive." I pursed my lips trying not to smile.
"Thirdly," Salem interjected loudly. "Arrow is right, there are more pressing matters." He paused for a moment. "I would like to speak with your wolf, Fable." My body went tense, not liking the idea. I turned involuntarily and looked at Lupin. He appeared less ragged, my panic had diminished relatively, thanks to Addie's distraction. She had always been good at that, being the light in the dark, perfect for my brother. Lupin raised his eyebrows at me and I shrugged, it was his choice. He nodded and stood, making his way across the room and stopping next to me.
"I am here." He said. Arrow scratched his head and gave me a pointed look, I ignored him.
"I realize you are my sister's mate, and so I will not prohibit her from choosing to trust you with this much information, even if I do not agree." Lupin glanced at me.
"If you ask me she has given me very little information."
"It is a good thing I did not ask you, then." Lupin tensed at my brother's words and I looked away. I was so not getting in the middle of this. "My sister has given you much, Wolf. There are many who would kill for the information you now have, and many more who would kill her for giving it to you. Yet still it is her information to give. I would be grateful, if I were you, that you know anything at all. Even I do not know all of my sisters secrets." Lupin's shoulders rolled as he adjusted to that information. "If you do choose to betray her, Wolf, know that we will kill you swiftly and mercilessly. You will find that we are family first, and Impiriuil's second." Lupin glanced at Arrow and I.
"This man you are all afraid of, how are you certain he played a part?"
"My brother said so." Salem answered, simply. Lupin narrowed his eyes, studying Arrow, who winked at him in turn.
"Couldn't he be wrong?" Lupin asked.
"No." We all responded instantly, Arrow hitting an air drum on cue with our response. I shook my head.
"Arrow is never wrong," I explained to Lupin. Arrow bowed to me, humbled, I rolled my eyes. "And he wouldn't suggest this unless he was sure." Arrow nodded, but his smile lost a bit of it's joy.
"And this man, why is he after you?" Lupin asked, he kept his voice flat, he knew he was reaching. Salem sighed.
"That is my sister's secret, and hers alone to share." Lupin sighed.
"And I suppose I shouldn't even try to ask what his name is." Both Arrow and I smiled, but it was Salem who answered.
"We do not know his name, no one does." Lupin looked over at me with a question in his eyes. I shrugged.
"We call him Carter." His brows raised.
"Why?" I shrugged again.
"He asked me to pick a modern name for him. It just so happened to be that Carter was the name of the boy that peed himself in front of the entire school in second grade." I threw my hands up in the air. "You know, coincidences, they happen all the time." Lupin scoffed and Arrow was grinning, it was one of the few things we got away with, and He never found out.
"So this… Carter." Lupin started. "He wants you dead?" My breath caught, any amusement that had been there before disappeared.
No, He didn't want me dead. He wanted me back.
I shuddered and Lupin started, he felt it, the fear, the dread, the pain, I couldn't hold it back. Not about Him. It was a nightmare and it was all too real.
"I'm sorry." Lupin whispered, I shook my head, it was not his fault. Not his fault that I was a monster and not his fault that I hated that I was a monster.
The monster under my skin turned, offended. I caressed him, calming him.
It's not your fault either. We are what we are. We are one.
He stopped his protesting and stroked me back. Claws scraping gently against my soul. It was not my fault either.
Thank you.
And at that he settled back into my bones. Sleeping until called upon.
"I think that's enough, Salem. Thank you for answering our question." I said realizing a long moment of silence had passed.
"Of course, Fable." I picked up the phone, about to hang up.
"Wait," Addie called. "Emmaline's been calling you, Fable." I winced.
"Tell her my phone broke." Addie tsked.
"I'll tell her, but that's not going to stop your mother." I winced again.
"I know, I'll call her. Kiss Izze for me."
"I will, bye." The line clicked and went silent. I turned off the phone and handed it to Arrow. He mumbled his thanks and pocketed it.
I turned around and took in the wolves. They all looked… confused. I suppose there were worse things.
"OK." Tristan blinked, sitting forward. "Who in the world are you?" Yep, that would be worse things.
"I'm Fable Walker." I answered simply, bluntly deflecting the question. Ava raised her brows at me.
"What is an Impiriuil?" I smiled softly.
"I am." I answered. She narrowed her eyes at me.
"I thought you were a banshee." I nodded, shrugging.
"I am. People can be two things." She snorted and sunk into the couch.
"You don't have to tell me that." The werewolf intoned. I smiled an apology at her and she cocked her head in acceptance.
"So you're going to tell us nothing?" Rayen asked, genuinely curious, a smile on her lips.
"I've told you plenty." I growled, some part of me still wanting to rip open her throat. This time the girl had the good sense to straighten her back and widen her shoulders, finally realizing the threat I presented to her. I smiled a little and shook my head, clearing the anger.
"Sorry." I told her and she relaxed, brushing it off once again. I sighed and addressed all the wolves in the room. "I will tell you what I am comfortable with you knowing, at this point. You may ask your questions and I may choose not to answer." I turned to Lupin. "Does that seem fair to you?" Lupin nodded solemnly. Everyone else agreed, it was only Rayen who spoke up.
"I understand the distrust, Fable, truly. But I can promise you that we will not betray you, at least not intentionally." Arrow nodded, stepping forward.
"I can vouch for that. None of them hold any ill will towards you, in fact, most of them have the best of intentions." He nodded towards Ava. "Only she is skeptical of you. But that only means she is the smartest among them." Ava smiled brightly at him and I chuckled, then turned back to Rayen.
"Unfortunately, your intentions change nothing. I do not trust you, and you can not expect me to so quickly." I shrugged. "I like you all, despite my better judgement. And I wish to trust you with time. That is why I am still here." I met her eyes, urging her to understand. She looked at me for a long while and then nodded.
"Let's start off simply." Declan declared after Rayen had agreed. "Who is Eros and why is she trying to kill you?" I squinted at the wall. Now, I had to actually figure out how to answer that, and how much of it I wanted to answer. Sheesh, lying is so much easier. I sighed.
"Ok, I figure everyone is familiar with Cupid?" I asked and they all nodded. "Great, well Erote's are winged creatures with a divine power to make any being love them wholeheartedly. The difference between the typical Cupid is that Erotes don't use arrows and they tend to eat the hearts of those that love them." I let that sink in for a moment. When no one asked any questions I continued. "Erotes, while they aren't gods in the traditional sense, are divine and thus killing them has its problems. Typically when an Erote dies they become Wraiths. Wraiths are the same to Ghosts, except for the fact that they are confined to the Veil forever, unable to cross over. Wraiths are a rare occurrence, and typically a banshee can live out their entire life span without running into a Wraith. However when such a thing does happen Wraiths tend to get clingy and try to hitch a ride back to the mortal realm. Of course it doesn't work that way, we can't resurrect people, even if we wanted to.
"Anyway, one day a banshee was strolling through the Veil and happened upon an Erote's Wraith. The Wraith came towards him, he was preparing to run, but then the Wraith did something unusual and stopped in front of him. They had a conversation, apparently it was quite riveting, because the banshee agreed to come back and talk to the Wraith the next day. It went on like that for about a week. Little did the banshee know that the Erote's Wraith was slowly making him fall in love."
"I predict this story ends badly." Tristan whispered, earning a sharp shush from everyone in attendance. I laughed as Rayen rubbed his hand, choosing to stay loyal. I started up again after waiting for everyone's attention.
"One day the banshee went to talk, once again, with the Wraith. Only this time the banshee professed his love for the Wraith. The Wraith took this declaration, smiled, and ripped out his heart."
"Told you." Tristan whispered, earning more shushes.
"As the Wraith ate the heart, slowly he regained his organic body. And with the last bite the Erote was alive once again." Ava tsked and turned to Tristan.
"It ended just fine for the Erote." Tristan scowled.
"But we're not rooting for the Erote. They are evil and eat people's hearts." Ava pursed her lips.
"She never said they were evil." Tristan hissed.
"It's implied." He gritted between his teeth.
"May I continue?" I asked. They both looked at me and nodded sheepishly. Beside me Lupin chuckled. I started once again. "Ok, so, the knowledge that the consumption of a banshee's heart could free the Erote's Wraithes was quickly spread throughout the Veil. Soon banshees were going into the Veil and never coming back. This presented a problem and thus the war between banshee's and Erotes began. We won, in the end, all the Erotes are dead, or as dead as they can be. We locked up all the Wraiths in a cell specifically designed to intrap the Dead, none have ever escaped." I sighed. "Well, until now. Eros, the one Carter has oh so graciously released, has a specific vendetta against me." I squinted. "You see, I killed her brother, and she believes that my death, by her eating my heart and thus regaining life, is a fitting end." Declan raised a brow.
"Why not give her brother your heart?" I winced.
"They were half siblings, I wouldn't even classify him as an Erote. When I killed him he passed on to wherever the Dead go, after the Veil." Declan tilted his head at me, realizing something.
"How old were you when this happened?" I pursed my lips.
"Well I was eleven when I killed him, it was an accident. An instinctual reaction to his presence. But the war of Love and Death predates me by a few centuries." He nodded and went back to his thoughts.
"Why vampires?" Tristan asked and I shrugged.
"Well she's dead, there's only so much at her disposal. The Undead are easy enough for her to control, and obviously effective, when your target is unarmed and unprepared." Tristan smiled at me, mischief sparking in his eyes. Tristan shifted his gaze behind me, to Arrow.
"How stupid is it to suggest sparring with her?" The wolf asked. Slowly a wicked smile grew on my brother's face.
"Very." He said, more a dare than a warning. I shook my head, boys. Rayen reached out and squeezed his shoulder.
"You can't spar with her, dear. She's decided to let the disgruntled wolves challenge her as they see fit. I figure giving her the element of surprise will help her to win." Lupin gave me a look and I shrugged.
"I needed the exercise, and besides, it's not everyday that you get to fight werewolves." He shook his head but didn't argue, it surprised me. I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Why was there no fight? What are you planning?" He looked at me sidelong, arms crossed over his chest.
"I'm not planning anything. They're my wolves, they won't touch you." He spoke with conviction and I knew he could do it. Make all the disagreements go away with one pointed snarl. I turned to face him fully, crossing my arms.
"Your wolves don't think I have what it takes, and you stepping in to stop them only proves them right. I need to prove myself or there is no point in this." He turned to me intrigued. "If there is any chance of this ever working out between us, I need to show your wolves who I am." He raised his eyebrows at me.
"You won't even show me who you are." I looked at him sadly, feeling his pain at the statement.
"No, Lupin, I won't show you what I am. Who I am is always open to you." He looked at me for a long time and then cocked his head.
"You want to fight some werewolves?" He asked, mildly questioning my sanity. I smiled real bright at him.
"I promise not to kill them." Ava scoffed.
"You have to kill them, those are the rules." I sighed.
"My skill is a surprise and I have to kill them? Where's the challenge in that?" Most of the wolves stared at me, convinced I was crazy. Tristan smiled, teeth on display.
"Can I please spar with her?" He asked no one in particular.
"No." Lupin growled.
"I'm always up for a good sparring match." Arrow suggested. Tristan glanced at me.
"Could he beat you?" I pursed my lips, thinking it over.
"Probably not, but he'd give me a run for my money. And he'd definitely beat you." Arrow nodded.
"Yep, the Shadow's have spoken and they say you're going down, Wolf." Tristan tilted his head, brows furrowed.
"Shadows?" He asked. I groaned internally, apparently we're telling them this. Arrow smiled at the wolf.
"Yeah, I'm Shadow Kissed." Every wolf in the room turned and looked at my brother, then turned to me, looked back at my brother and grimaced. I dragged a hand over my eyes. There were only three Shadow Kissed creatures in history. All of them were born as lesser Fae and the kiss from the Shadows made them powerful beyond imagining. One was a great hero, one committed horrible atrocities, and the last lived as a king. My brother is the strongest Shadow Kissed in history, and the fourth one to ever be born.
A long moment of silence echoed throughout the room. Slowly, Tristan smiled.
"Ok then, can I spar with him?" Rayen hit him in the arm and forbade him from doing life threatening things voluntarily. I laughed and felt the relief hit me like a wave. To know that they didn't resent him for being what he was. Deadly and overly powerful. They knew yet still they let him into their group. I realized Lupin was watching me and I looked up at him, he smiled kindly.
"We're all monsters here, Fable." My heart swelled, I don't think he'd ever understand the gravity the statement held for me. I smiled at him.
"If I have to kill the wolves, can you at least make it fair and let them kill me too?" Lupin sighed and was about to answer when the laughter of his friends made him turn. My brother had joined them in their little circle. They talked, laughing and sharing. Lupin turned back to me.
"You could really beat him?" I glanced over at my brother again and smiled.
"Yes. Your family might be comprised of monsters, but so is mine." He narrowed his eyes but nodded.
"Very well. I will let my wolves kill you." I giggled.
"Thank you."