CHAPTER SIXTEEN
- Tallulah -
The next couple of days go by slowly. I’m not one to sit around and do nothing, and the doctor’s strict order that I limit activities and rest has been hard. The guys have become tyrants. Every time I’ve gotten up, one of them magically appears and gives me the stink eye, then help with whatever I planned to do.
Last night was the final straw. I only wanted to use the toilet. All three of them immediately jumped up and said they’d retrieve whatever I needed so I didn’t need to move. Leverette and Henrique found it humorous, and Rosalina gave me a sympathetic smile.
I guess her mates can be just as annoying and bossy.
The whole family currently sits around the table, finishing up their breakfast. I listen to the conversations as it flows around me, but it stops when Dad enters.
He presses a quick kiss of acknowledgment to the top my head before he turns to Henrique and grumbles, “The DeLucas have arrived.”
From her seat next to Henrique, Rosalina sweetly asks, “Did you get what you needed from Glenda?”
Dad’s nose wrinkles in disgust. “I did, there should be enough to last for the duration of their visit.”
Henrique stands and wipes his mouth on his napkin before he leans over to kiss Rosalina’s cheek. “Very well then, let’s not leave our guests waiting. I’ll have someone tidy all this up for us.”
The rest of us quickly stack our plates together to not leave a huge mess for whoever gets clean up duty and follow Henrique. Instead of going out the backdoor to take the golf buggies parked at the back of the property, he heads straight for the front door.
Outside, Henrique, Leverette, and Rosalina make a dash for the trees.
Apparently, they all plan to shift and run all the way there. Sad, I take a small step back. They must plan to leave me here because I can’t shift with them. My guys give me curious looks when I point over my shoulder and stutter out, “I-I-I’ll wait here for you guys to return.”
Theo’s brows furrow when he frowns. He steps forward and wraps his arms around me. “You’re coming with us, Tally. You’ll ride on the back of one of us. It’s quicker than the buggies, and it saves you from any strain on your leg from running.”
Before I respond, branches rustle off to the side of where we stand. Theo’s arms loosen, and it allows me to manoeuvre around him to get a better look to see what is causing the noise. Two huge wolves push through the foliage. They have thick grey fur, but one has a white patch on his eye and the other has a white patch on his ear. Quimby and Kenji. My fingers twitch, wanting to run through their soft fur.
Their wolf forms are so much bigger than when we were little; their heads now come up to my chest. Both immediately step forward and dip their heads down to my hands to nuzzle and nip at my fingers. Laughter escapes me at the dopey expressions on their faces when they lift their heads back up.
Theo releases me so I can get closer. They both push their heads against my neck, and I almost get a mouth full of fur. Thankfully, I manage to snap my mouth shut before it happens. Even fur and drool does not stop the pleasure of the tingles as they shoot through my body. My fingers run through their luxurious coats. I’ll never feel better than when their presence is around me.
My eyes lift up in time to see Theo come out of the woods. I didn’t pay proper attention to the way he looked when he took down my attacker. Now, I allow myself a moment to take in the glory of him. He stands taller than Kenji and Quimby, but it doesn’t detract from their beauty. The three of them are a breath stealing sight.
He stalks towards me with a finesse most wolves don’t have. My heartbeat spikes. Kenji and Quimby must’ve felt it because they snuggle in closer to reassure me that Theo won’t hurt me. But I’m not scared.
Theo’s familiar eyes stare back at me. Kenji and Quimby angle their bodies to the side until Theo can step up, nose to nose with me. He pushes, and I grab a handful of Kenji’s and Quimby’s fur so I’m not knocked off balance. Theo rubs the side of his face against mine, back and forth.
Startled by the tingles as they shoot forcefully around and through my body, I tighten my grip on the wolves. If not for them, I’d likely have fallen from the sensation alone. Fur tickles my nose, a distraction from the tingles, and I fight back the urge to sneeze. Theo pulls back, and I clearly see the amusement dancing in his eyes as my nose continues to twitch.
A loud bark comes from the trail leading away from the house. I spot a huge wolf, whose familiar colour tells me it’s Theo’s father, Henrique. His wolf is the biggest I’ve ever laid eyes on, but I have never felt nervous in his presence.
Theo quickly ducks down, almost lying on the ground, in front of me. Confused, I don’t understand what he wants until Kenji and Quimby nudge me towards him. Then, I remember Theo’s earlier words to ride on his back. A snort escapes me when an image of Theo with a saddle fitted to his wolf, so the pups can have a pony ride, pops into my head. Shaking my head to rid myself of the images, I quickly hop onto his back. A snout slips under my backside to push me more firmly on Theo’s back. When it doesn’t move straight away, I turn to swat at it, only to see Quimby’s eyes full of amusement.
Huffing at him, I grumble under my breath. “Dirty pup.”
Tentatively, Theo begins to move. When he shifts into a run, I lean forward over his back and hold on tight to his fur so I don’t tumble off. He’s not running at the speed he’s capable of, but it’d still hurt if I fell off. My good leg hooks underneath him, but my injured leg dangles, pretty much useless.
My nerves steadily get worse the closer we get. It may be home ground, but vampires are a new element. Hopefully, they don’t consider me a food source, and Dad behaves. The last thing Henrique needs is some vampire attempting to eat the future Luna and my dad doing his best to beat them to death. I make a mental note to search for any information on vampires later. The last thing I need is to be in a situation with creatures I don’t know how to kill.
In no time, we arrive at the house I grew up in. Theo stops in the backyard and again lowers himself nearly to the ground so I can slide off.
Henrique, Leverette, and Rosalina step from the woods in their human form. When I see them all properly clothed, it’s with a sigh of relief. I would be permanently blinded if I was to witness my future in-laws naked again. Safely in sight of their parents, the boys leave me and swiftly scurry around the side of the house. We all wait the few moments it takes for them to come back. I almost wish they’d come back without clothes…
Kenji and Quimby grab my hands while Theo goes to stand next to his parents.
I glance up to Kenji worriedly, and he leans down, mouth nearly pressed to my ear. “You need to be able to control your thoughts and avoid eye contact with them. They’ll be able to read your mind.”
My palms instantly go sweaty. I attempt to pull my hands away so I can wipe them on my trousers, but they don’t allow me. Instead, I take a breath to try and calm my heart. “Will they hurt me because of my thoughts?”
A voice from beside us shocks me. “As long as your thoughts aren’t on how to kill us then we wouldn’t harm you, Future Luna.”
The DeLucas step between our two groups, and I duck my head in embarrassment. That’s exactly where my thoughts were headed before they made their presence known. A snort has me looking up in shock, only to see the three vampires are closer than I believed they were.
They stopped directly in my line of sight.
A quick sweep over the three of them, and their faces are almost identical. Their clothes are distinctly different too, which will make it easier for me to figure out who is who once they are formally introduced.
The one on the left speaks up, “To kill a vampire you must chop the head off. Although, I would suggest you not get within striking distance of the more mature ones. They have a dreadful bite.”
Stunned, I’m not sure how to react to his statement and I’m astonished they managed to so accurately interpret my thoughts.
The one in the middle glares at his brother. “Lazarus, you’re frightening the future Luna. And I don’t imagine having Idris sit on you, while her three mates beat your ass, will make your face look good, do you?” I watch in morbid fascination at their interaction before the middle one turns back to me. “Forgive us future Luna, I’m inclined to think the one he fed off this morning might have been on meds.”
As his words register, a laugh bubbles up and bursts out of me without warning. It catches everyone around me off guard, but I’m unable to stop it. The visions that go through my mind of vampires high on human medications and having weird side effects are too funny. I must’ve made eye contact with one of them without realising because a loud bark of laughter joins mine.
“Tallulah!” My father face is stern, and I try to control the laughter. As soon as I think I have it under control, another snort bursts up.
“I’m sorry, I promise, I’m done now.” I then immediately bite my top lip to stop the laughter.
“She’s quite a character, isn’t she?” the one on the right asks, then nods to the guys. “A good fit for the future Luna. You did well.”
I can only assume the exchange is a show of acceptance.
Henrique speaks up, “Let us see if the house meets your requirements.” Then he, Rosalina, and Leverette lead the way around the house.
As we make our way to the side of the house, I’m able to get a better comprehension of the mess the intruders made of the property. Bits of wood, upturned plants, and bushes litter the garden of what used to be my favourite place to play when I was young. It’s all ruined, but I vow to help dad get it all back up and running, and if possible, even more beautiful than it was before those assholes destroyed it.
I’ll need to check out the obstacle course later to see if they left it alone or if they somehow destroyed that, too.
There’s a thick white powdery substance on the ground, spread in a wide circle which covers twelve feet, if not sixteen. I can only guess the powder is from the smoke grenade I witnessed from the bedroom window.
Only a few short days passed since the attack, but it feels like a lifetime ago. Although, there are new injuries from my fight with Lana, the ache in my leg doesn’t let me forget. A small sense of dread spreads through me. Has she managed to find a warm place to sleep and food for her belly? Which is stupid to worry about since she tried to kill me, but my human side doesn’t want her to suffer more than she already has.
An arm comes around my shoulders, breaking me from dark thoughts, and the tingles caress my body. Kenji watches me. “You okay? You looked like you spaced out there for a minute.”
Mindful of our company, I don’t want to spill where my mind truly wondered off. “I’m good.”
He wants to say more, perhaps dig to find out more about it, but he doesn’t have a chance.
“They’ve really stunk up the place with that poison they shove into their bodies, haven’t they?” The vampire in the middle remarks, even if we can’t see his face, I’m able to clearly hear the disgust in his voice. “The whole area stinks of Wolfsbane.”
Henrique responds, but I’m not paying attention, instead my eyes are fixed onto the front of the building where Blood Moon gained access. What used to be the front door is now covered by a huge metal grate and secured with a padlock.
My father breaks away from the group and takes a set of keys out of his pocket.
Guilt swamps me as he unlocks the grate; I should’ve come back with him to help. We could have gotten the place fixed up, if I hadn’t gone off gallivanting with the guys and pups, maybe Lana wouldn’t have had the chance to attack me. Although, she might well have ambushed me if I’d been here.
A shudder runs up my spine. If I had been attacked here instead, there’s no way my father, the old fool, would’ve left me alone to defend myself. He’d have likely ended up hurt, or worse, killed because of some crazy chick and an evil rival pack.
When the heavy, metal shutter screeches open, it causes me to wince. Dad pulls the temporary door all the way around until it rests flush against the wall of the house. He haphazardly attaches the padlock before he steps over the un-swept shards of wood littering the porch and disappears into the house.
We carefully follow him inside, and I barely hold my tongue at the destruction. Chunks of plaster hang off the walls to expose the insulation. Dust, disturbed by the grate being opened, fills the air and starts us all into a fit of sneezing. A magnitude of crap that still litters the floor, forcing everyone to tread cautiously and step over obstacles as we make our way down the hall.
Everyone troops into the living room, and I see the extent of damage caused by the intruders. There’s no longer an entryway door; there’s not even a frame for the door to be attached to. Instead, there’s a hole big enough for three doors to be placed in side-by-side.
My stomach painfully twists. The invaders were on drugs, ones that affect their strength, stamina, and health. Based on the mess left behind, I would have thought they were all perfectly healthy. I have no doubt, if they had got hold of those babies and me, I never would have found out I had mates.
Dad appears from his office farther down the hallway, his arms heavily loaded down with paperwork. When he gets closer, the permanent frown he’s worn since we left the Alpha’s house deepens. Not missing a beat, he passes the paperwork over to Quimby. The guys step away, and Dad swiftly pulls me into his arms.
They must have all known what I was feeling.
Dad wraps his arms impossibly tighter around me, and his chin rests on top of my head. “It’s okay, honey. You’re safe.”
“I’m sorry. I guess the mess made me realise how close we came to being seriously hurt.” I snuggle closer. “And the house? Dad, what the hell are we going to do? There’s so much left to fix still. Is it even fixable?”
“Of course, it is. It may take a while, but there’s plenty of life left in this old house yet. And don’t worry, you think I have no sense when it comes to colour schemes, so I’ll let you choose the paint colours,” he teases, making light of the situation.
A snort escapes before I can stop it, and I pull back to peek at his face. “Thank, god! I doubt the visitors will appreciate lime green walls with pink spots. Poor buggers would leave with the impression they’ve had a bad acid trip.”
“Cheeky.” He places a kiss on my head and releases me. “Come on, let’s not keep them waiting.”
With a gentle nudge, we enter the living room.
Everyone looks up when we enter, and my cheeks flame. The guys turn towards me and concern shifts to relief as I meet their eyes in turn. Feeling more secure because they’re here for me, I join them on the huge sofa. Henrique, Rosalina, Leverette, and the vampires are all situated at the table with the paperwork spread out in front of them.
Dad makes his way over to the them, a scowl on his face. He stands slightly behind Henrique which blocks my view of the vampires on the other side. An unsubtle snort echoes. Someone cottoned on to what Dad’s doing. Saying anything would be futile at this point. He has enough on his plate right now without the worry of me suddenly becoming vampire food. I just hope the time we spend with them might loosen him up a little.
“Tallulah, honey, why don’t you pull up a chair? We might as well show you some of the ropes. It’ll give you plenty of time for the information to sink in before Theo takes over as Alpha.”
I nod and sit in the empty chair my father pulled out. Idly, I take note he purposely chose a seat on the opposite side of the table from the vampires.
Rosalina gathers a stack of paperwork off the table and drops it in front of me. My eyes shut tight, and my nose twitches from the plume of dust that puffs out from between the pages.
Wafting my hand in front of my face to try and clear the air, I open my eyes to see Rosalina with an innocent smile plastered on her face. “You did that on purpose.”
She gasps with a hand on her chest for dramatic effect. “A Luna would do no such thing.” Then she ruins it with a laugh. “Don’t worry, you’ll be able to do the same when it’s your turn to hand the reigns over.”
~
My back starts to ache from leaning over the table as I work through all the documents. Some of the papers initially outlined the more complicated pack laws. I leave them off to the side, so I can study them when I have more time. Others were about where my father went for food runs, and the old boot collected a mountain of useless receipts.
It’s only when I peek at the clock that I realise we’re only halfway through the afternoon.
Henrique grumbles before he takes out his phone and calls someone. After a few short words and a whole list of foods, he hangs up and announces a short break.
I stand and stretch upwards to loosen my cramped back. After a moment, I decide to check out my room. Maybe its familiarity will help me take in all the information I learned. It boggles my mind that six other packs spread out amongst the forest, even down to different species. Some, I’ve never even heard of.
Although, I shouldn’t really be surprised. I’ve been sitting around a table with vampires, so other species out there shouldn’t come as such a shock. I don’t bother to wait to see what everyone else is up to before I make my way up the stairs to my bedroom.
The slight shift in the air from the door opening disturbs dust that settled in my absence. It tickles my nose, and I barely contain a sneeze. So much has happened since that morning that I wasn’t sure what to expect, but my room looks exactly as it did the last time I stood here.
The book I was reading still rests on my nightstand, bookmark stuck between the pages I was interrupted on. I look around the rest of my room, and my eyes settle on the shelves my dad put up. It holds the little trinkets and silly things the guys have given me over the years, from little thimbles, cards, and a pinecone to a toy car Kenji gave me when he was six.
“Your father has started to relax.”
Startled, I spin around and come face to chest with Theo. His eyebrow arches in question.
“Dad will make himself grey from all the stress. I’m only adding to it.”
“He’ll be fine. I’ll get some of the pack to come over and help him get this place fixed up. It will keep him occupied, and he won’t worry so much over you.” Theo wraps his arms around me and sets off the tingles. “Besides, we’re here now. He can count on us to look after you.”
“Thank you.” Emboldened, I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him down into a kiss.
Theo tries to deepen the kiss, but I pull away before he has chance to keep us up here any longer than we should. I walk over to the window, hoping to put a big enough distance between us to slow the pulsing desire. Not because I don’t want something to happen between us, because I do, but it will be weird if something happens with outside visitors and his parents downstairs. I don’t think I can face more embarrassment. Plus, I don’t know how sensitive vampire’s noses are.
Theo sighs and drops onto the side of my bed. “No need to thank me. We’re only doing what we should’ve done from the start. I’m still surprised you’ve forgiven us so easily.”
I turn around and see the expression of guilt on his face. It makes my heart ache for him. I don’t want him to feel guilty over the decisions he made, and I want to put it behind us. I walk to the bed and sit next to him; my backside barely touches the bed before he scoops me up and settles me in his lap.
The tingles fire up again, and I catch my breath. Lately, they’ve become a little stronger every time any of us touch. I shove the sensation away and concentrate on Theo. “I don’t want you to continue to beat yourself up over things that no longer matter. Yes, keeping the mate bond from me hurt, but we need to let it be in the past. You’re here now to prove yourselves to me. Even if I didn’t want to forgive you, I’m tied to all three of you, and I don’t want our lives to be miserable by being bitter about circumstances none of us were truly in control of.”
“I love you. There is not a day that will ever go by where I won’t feel guilty for your heartache. But I promise, I’ll make it up to you in this lifetime and the next.”
We cuddle in my childhood bedroom and bask in the silent comfort between us. One of the three people I never thought would become a permanent part of my life is now mine. In fact, all three are mine.
A distant shout up the stairs lets us know dinner is ready. The interruption causes Theo to groan.
I give his cheek a kiss and chuckle. “Come on, the quicker we get food out the way, the quicker we can get down to why the vampires are really here, and we can sort this mess out.”
“Spoken like a true Luna.” Theo salutes me as he stands up then takes my hand to lead me down the back stairs. It’s hard not to dwell on the wreckage we pass. It makes my heart hurt to see the house in such a mess.
When we step into the living room, I spot the food lined up on the coffee table instead of the dining table. Confused, I glance over and see all the papers still strewn across it and realise we can’t eat at the table.
Tired, I spot a gap between Kenji and Quimby and plonk my backside in the gap. Two hands instantly slide onto my knees and once again, it sets off the tingles. I bite my tongue in hopes it’ll stop the sounds of pleasure from coming out my mouth. Both knees get a gentle squeeze, and I know, without looking, they both sport identical smirks.
Checking the room, everyone else is focused on other things. I stick my elbows out and catch them both in the ribs. Grumbles reward me.
“I’m afraid it’s every man for himself. Henrique has ordered a bunch of food without any consideration for what everyone wanted,” Rosalina explains while she drags a chair over and primly sits at one end of the coffee table. “Solomon has gone to grab some plates.”
Dad enters the room moments later and places the plates on the table. He has something else partially hidden in his hand. When he passes it over to the vampires, I understand it’s their meal. Fascinated, I tilt my head and watch as all three vampires give my father humour filled thanks before he steps away.
“That was kind of you, Solomon.” Leverette chuckles.
“I wasn’t doing it for them,” Dad answers with a growl, picks up a plate, and loads it full of food. “If they fill their bellies then they won’t be tempted by my daughter.”
“Dad!” I choke in outrage. “You can’t say stuff like that.” My eyes seek out the vampires. “I’m sorry, please ignore him. He didn’t mean it. He’s a silly old man and doesn’t know better.”
“It’s quite alright. He’s protective like any father should be,” the lead vampire explains before taking a bite into his bag.
My nose wrinkles at the sight, but I don’t look away, fascinated by how quickly he drains the blood. After he finishes his meal, my attention returns to the items spread out across the table. A plate full of different foods waits in front of me. With a smile, I offer thanks to the guys before I dig in and fill my belly.
Once we finish eating, we sit around the table once more to work on the paperwork. Dad surprises everyone when he disappears into his office and brings back a huge file. After we begin to paw through it, we realise Dad has been collecting information on Blood Moon for years.
Henrique growls when he reads over a single piece of paper. “How did you come across some of this information, Solomon? Not all of this is known.”
Dad rubs the back of his neck and sighs. “While I was doing the food runs and visiting the different packs, I spent my spare time gathering any, and all, information I could find. We’re not the only pack who have had run-ins with them, so it made sense to gather as much as I could.”
As the paperwork lands on the table in front of me, I fight the urge to be sick. Blood Moon has been the cause for several packs losing their females to suicide. They kidnapped them, abused or tortured them, and once rescued, some were beyond the ability to deal with the nightmares they were left with.
Pushing that away, I spot three slips of paper with the Argent crest printed at the top. Beyond curious, I pick them up only to immediately wish I stayed ignorant. There’s a list of all the misdeeds they’ve done to the Argent pack to find out who the Luna is. To find me. At the bottom of the last page is a list of seven names, and next to each name there’s a location of where their body was found and the condition they were left in.
So many lives have been damaged or lost because they were hell bent on finding me.
My blood boils. I take deep breaths to control the anger coursing through me, but it’s no use. My chair scrapes back as I stand. “I suggest we go to war. Now. Why the hell nothing has been done sooner is beyond me, but I won’t have more lives at risk because of me. It ends. Now!”
Leverette tuts, “That’s not very Luna-like behaviour, Tallulah. That’s something I’d expect from the boys. I understand why you’re pissed, but once the threats started, we needed to concentrate on keeping you safe. We needed to consider all possibilities before we could do anything. If your father”—he makes a point of glaring at dad —“had given us this information a few months earlier, then we could have done something before now. But, as it stands, we’re more than capable now to lead a war. Our pack is stronger, more able to carry the weight of a war than we could have five or ten years ago.”
Henrique holds his hand out for the paperwork I hold. “Our plan of action is to send the DeLucas in. They’ll let Blood Moon know that if anything else threatens the existence of you or other pack members, then they’ll force our hand sooner. But we need to concentrate on training the pack for such events because if I know Belcoot the way I think I do, it won’t be long before he decides to try something.”
When Henrique stops, Zadimus speaks up, “Once my brothers and I have been to Blood Moon, I’ll set things up on our end. It’s been a long while since we’ve been to war. It’ll be just what my vampires need.”
He chuckles, and it causes the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up. I rub my eyes and stare at the clock; it’s a little after five in the morning. We worked all night. The window shows the sky already lightening. Soon the birds will begin to sing.
My attention turns to the group around the table. The guys, their parents, and my dad all appear worse for wear. Hair is out of place, clothes askew from shifting and fidgeting from being stationary for hours in the same spot. When I turn my attention to the vampires, their appearance is the same as when they first arrived. Their clothes are immaculate, not a hair out of place, and no bags under their eyes.
Is that what blood does to them? How the hell aren’t they tired?
And don’t get me started on all the information Rosalina has shoved into my tiny mind. The amount of stuff I need to learn before I can be given the reigns as Luna truly boggles my mind. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to live up to Rosalina’s expectations.
The only thing I can do is try to go to her if I ever find myself stuck.