Mortal Obligation

Ree stood behind him, motionless. It was an incredibly inhuman thing to do, and she wondered if his sense of smell had been affected by his transformation to immortal. The way he suddenly changed direction and headed upstairs, still sniffing the air, she figured it must have. He motioned for her to stay close and she trailed right behind him. He went straight to his room and stood in the doorway, his anger obvious as he looked around. Once he moved and Ree could see into the room, she understood why he looked so upset. His room had been ransacked. She gasped and walked in, looking around.



“What happened in here?” She picked up some of his clothes off the ground and went to the laundry hamper that had been turned upside down. “Should we call the cops?” With that thought she stopped picking things up, worried she might contaminate the evidence.



“I don't think the cops can help with this, Ree.”



“What? That’s what they do! But why would someone break in to tear up just your room? You don't have any enemies.” She stopped and turned to look at him. Her mouth formed an O and then she grimaced. “Oh. Oh, no. The Dark Ones did this?”



He started going around the room and picking things up. “It wasn't very clean to begin with, so I'm not sure if they took anything. What would they have been looking for?” Ree didn't answer, because she had no idea.



Instead she helped him straighten his room by righting the desk chair and organizing the stuff on the desk. She picked up his cork board and hung it back on the wall. She noticed the calendar was circled for the concert, and there was something sticking out from the tack next to it. Without thinking she slipped it out and looked. It was the receipt for the concert tickets. He had spent two hundred dollars on those tickets. But he had said his friend had bought the ticket and couldn't go. Why would he do that? She stood there pondering the receipt and didn't notice when Paden walked up behind her.



“What are you looking at?” he peered over her shoulder. She took the receipt down and turned around so they were facing each other, which left very little space between them. She held it up for him to see.



“I thought you said your friend bought the other ticket?”



He gulped and looked from her to the receipt. “I knew you would like the band, but that you couldn't afford to go.”



“Paden! These tickets were almost a hundred dollars each.” She glared at him. “And you lied to me!” She stepped a little closer to him and waved the receipt in his face. She didn't think he had ever lied to her before.



He grabbed the hand holding the receipt and moved it down to their side. She had the sudden thought that this was the first time he had ever grabbed her hand, and her heart gave a little thud when his fingers didn't let go.



“Don't be mad, Ree. I had money left over from my summer job, and I wanted to do something nice for you.”



“Why?” Her voice was a little shaky, and she swallowed to try and wet her suddenly dry throat.



He moved a little closer but didn't say anything. She unconsciously leaned forward in response, her heart beating in her ears. Could he hear that? She almost didn't care. His eyes dipped down to her mouth and he finally responded.



“Because I really care about you, Ree.” His head leaned down and she closed her eyes. He was going to kiss her, and her stomach was doing all sorts of flips and rolls. The receipt in the hand he was holding fell to the floor, and their fingers entwined. Her hand felt small, pressed against his palm. Her heart was pounding so hard it almost hurt. She had wanted to kiss him for so very long, and here he was touching her in a way she had only dreamt of.



Just as his lips neared hers, the doorbell rang. Paden jumped away from her like he had been shocked. His face looked guilty, and he wouldn't meet her eyes.



“I should get that.” Without another word, he practically sprinted out of the room.



“You have got to be kidding me.” Ree sat down on his bed and muttered profanities under her breath. What had that been about? He was going to kiss her. She hadn’t imagined that, had she? He did everything a person did when they were going to kiss you. And he really cared for her? What did that even mean? That could mean anything! You really care for your dog or cat. You care for your Great Aunt Gertrude. She groaned in frustration. Maybe she had misread all of the signs. Maybe she had freaked him out by leaning into him. Had she been the one to wrap her fingers through his?



When she heard voices coming back up the stairs, she got up and started picking up trash to put back in the can. Bryce and Juliette were with Paden. They both stopped and Jules sniffed the room the way Paden had.



“It almost smells familiar,” Juliette said. She smiled quickly at Ree and walked into the room, still sniffing.



“I know. I just can't put my finger on it.” Paden said.



Bryce cocked an eyebrow at Ree. He sat down on the bed and whispered, “It’s a little weird that they keep walking around sniffing things. Think I’ll do that eventually?”



Ree smiled. “I have no idea. At least they aren't chewing on the furniture.”



“Hey, dorks! Our hearing is really good now, too.” Jules glared at them over her shoulder. She walked over to the closet and threw open the door. All of his clothes were on the ground, and someone had scratched a message into the back wall.



Better luck next time.



Chapter 14



Paden completely wigged out when he saw the message and ran around the house, smelling for the intruder. Apparently, whoever had written the message had lingered in his parents’ rooms and his father’s office. After Paden calmed down and finally packed a bag, they all went downstairs. He left a note for the maid to have a locksmith change the locks on the house and to take the rest of the week off. He didn't want anyone at the house in case the Dark Ones came back. He left voice mails telling his parents he had changed the locks because he lost his keys at the concert and to call him when they got back in town. Then Paden called Weylin to warn him of possible intruders at his house and agreed to meet him at the antique shop in an hour.



Over slices of the cake Ree’s mother sent, Bryce told them about the lecture he had received from his parents. Turns out it was only because he hadn't answered his parents’ phone calls. He had told them he was staying with Paden and Weylin for a movie fest this week, but he had to check in every night.



“Even at eighteen, you aren't really an adult in their eyes.” He sighed and ate a chip. “I mean, they act like I have a curfew.”



“Oh, hush. They just love you,” Jules said. Her story had been the strangest. Apparently her father had torn into her for being out all night with her boyfriend. She had glossed over the facts, but Ree knew her father didn’t like her dating a boy that wasn’t Japanese. Just when her father was about to ground her, though, her mother, who never intervened, came in and told him to stop.



“It was the weirdest thing. In Japanese she told my father the goddess had chosen me to do her work and he should be proud of me. And the best part? He shut up, but not before apologizing. Told me to do what I must, but to be careful.” She looked immensely happy with herself. “Can you believe that? Maybe this immortal gig isn't so bad!”



“So, what? You think your mom knows all about this stuff? I mean, it’s on her side of the family that you’re related to the goddess, right?” Ree asked.



“I guess she knows something. And it makes sense. Our family has always believed that, somewhere down the line, we were related to Amaterasu.” She blushed a little. “I know that sounds odd to people from the West, but it was the way we were brought up. Most of the family treated it like a superstition, but my grandfather was a big believer. Always said he knew it was a fact. I guess it’s possible he had seen something at one time or another. I mean, humans have to notice something around them sometimes. How could they miss it all?”



No one really had anything to say to that. Ree had noticed odd things as she was growing up, but now she knew it had to do with her being the Alastriana. She figured it was possible other people had gifts or noticed things. If the Dark Ones were feeding off of humans, it was possible someone escaped to tell the tale.



They left Paden’s car at his house and rode with Bryce. They could all fit in his SUV if need be, so it made sense to take his car. The antique shop wasn't far; nothing was really far in downtown Savannah. Sophie had been lucky enough to get a shop on Broughton Street that actually had its own small parking lot in the back. Bryce parked the SUV in one of the tiny spots, and they all went in through the back door.



Sophie was up front with a client, so they sat around in some of the old chairs in the work room. It was full of antiques waiting to be refinished and the tools that were used to fix them. There was a desk with a computer and disorganized paperwork littering it. A small kitchen area with a single sink, a small fridge, and a microwave filled the rest of the space. All of the real magic of the place was in the storefront. The antiques were arranged beautifully, like little rooms set up throughout the place and odds and ends tucked here and there. It was one of the best showcases Ree had ever seen.



The back door banged open and Weylin came in, carrying a sack full of burgers. He waved at the dust floating in the air. “Immortal Lady must not have heard of Swiffer dusters.”



Ree rolled her eyes. Leave it to Weylin to show up with food and jokes. Even though they had eaten at Paden’s house, the guys hopped up and snatched the bag from Weylins’ fingers. Paden started tossing the sandwiches to everyone. Ree tried to not be hurt by the fact that he still wasn't looking at her. He hadn't commented on anything she had said or done since the 'almost' kiss. She must’ve read that whole situation wrong and had freaked him out. Grimacing, she unfolded the wrapper of the burger in her hands but she wasn't really hungry.



“Hey, guys. I'll be back in a minute.” Sophie whisked through the doors into the stock room, grabbed some papers from her desk, and was back out the door before it had even closed all of the way.



“Does she always move that fast?” Jules was munching on her sandwich.



“Um, I've only worked here for like a week. She always seemed to have a lot of energy, but now I think maybe it’s from the whole Guardian thing.” She shook her head. “Or maybe she isn't hiding how fast she can move from us, anymore.”



“Do we know what all of the Guardian-Immortal benefits are?” Weylin asked.



“I can see a lot better than before. Not just at night, but during the day, too. Like, count the leaves on the tree at the end of the street better. It was an adjustment this morning.” Juliette looked at Weylin for a moment. “Even in this dim light I can tell you need to shave.”



“Hey, ladies like rugged-looking men!” Weylin protested.



“Don't forget a more acute sense of smell. Better hope you wore some cologne, Wey,” Bryce said with a smile. Ree giggled when Weylin pulled the collar of his shirt up to his nose and sniffed before shrugging his shoulders.



Paden rolled his eyes at them, before adding, “And our hearing is better.”



“Not to mention you're much stronger and faster,” Sophie said as she pushed through the doors once more. They all heard the doorbell ring, letting them know the previous customer was gone. She plopped down at her desk chair and slouched down. “That man wouldn't believe me about the antique if I had taken a picture of the stupid chair when I bought it in 1882. Has it been refinished? Are you sure it’s authentic? How many times can one person answer the same question before going insane?” She shook her head.



“Did you really buy that chair in 1882?” Ree was extremely curious.



“I sure did. It was beautiful craftsmanship. I knew it would age well and fetch a large amount of money later on. That idiot of a man wouldn’t know it, though.” Sophie shook her head.



“It was beautiful,” Ree agreed.



“So, not to be rude, but what do we do now? I mean, I feel like we should be doing something,” Juliette said.



“I'm going to close up the shop early today so I can go back to the island with you to start training. It’s time for the rest of you to be turned.”



Weylin and Bryce shifted nervously, but neither of them said a thing.



“Where’s Melanie? I thought she would be with you, Wey.” Ree looked at him with confusion. They were always together. Their family had been very close and the two of them had grown up like brother and sister.



“Yeah, well, Aunt Kay blew her top about last night. Last I heard, Mel was trying to call her grandmother to get some support. She said she would call when she could escape.”



Sophie pursed her lips. “She needs to be with us. No one can afford to have their training even a day behind. Let me make some phone calls and see what I can do.”



She got up and left, pulling her cell phone out of her back pocket as she went through the back door. Everyone sat there for a minute without saying anything, each consumed by their own thoughts.



“Sooooo,” Weylin said after a little while had passed. “Is this really happening? We're just going to accept what she says as the truth? Could we get, like, a second opinion?”



Juliette snorted and rolled her eyes at him.



“I think it’s true, Weylin. You saw how those guys chased us last night. You saw Paden and Juliette's fangs, you saw my eyes do that weird thing. I mean, what else should we think?” Ree shrugged her shoulders.



“I just feel like there’s something missing, here. All of our lives things go by like every other teenager’s life, and then BAM! We're some kind of super immortal battling evil? Am I the only one that thinks this is crazy?” He looked at the door furtively. “What if this is all part of some psycho lady's plan to kill a bunch of teenagers? I mean, she’s obviously well-funded. She could have hired people to chase us, or a special effects team.”



Ree shook her head. “No, Paden and I saw that creepy Dark One outside of the concert. And, I have…” She paused, struggling to admit just how crazy she was. “I've seen weird things my whole life. It got a lot worse around the time Tristan died. I just thought . . . .”



Juliette got up and went to sit next to her. “Well, now you know for sure that what you were seeing was real.” She put her arm around Ree and gave her a little shake. “And you should have told me you were dealing with that.”



Ree smiled shyly. “Yeah, well, I'm not sure it makes me feel any better to know it’s all real. I mean, I used to think people were outside of my bedroom window. Or the dark stuff I saw around Tristan before he died. The colors that flare around people at different times. And the way pictures would pop into my head when I was talking to people.”

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