Malevolence - Legacy Series Book Two (The Legacy Series) (8 page)

           
I’d rather stay in the bubble bath all night long and wash away the chaos of today.
 
I wish Oakley had been with me.
 
He would have known we were being played the minute we went to the museum.
 
I missed him so much, his touch, his eyes, his arms around me as we lay around watching vampire television.
 
I hadn’t felt his arms in almost a month but it felt like a lifetime on days like today.
 
I’d like to run my fingers through his shiny black hair.
 
Right after I left on the hunting expedition with Parker, Oakley decided to cut off his hair.
 
He said it was his metro businessman look.
 
I smiled, remembering what it was like seeing it the first time in person.
 
I thought he was hot with long hair; I almost died when I saw it short.
 
Oh man, my thoughts are about to get away from me.
 
I should call him and tell him about the craziness that we’re about to walk into tonight.
 
I can’t because it will only worry him more.
 
I couldn’t let anything distract him from his job protecting Abel.
 

           
I rolled back over to sit up, leaning over the edge to dry my hands.
 
My cell phone was right there; I could call Abel and tell him and make him promise not to say anything.
 
I did what I said I wouldn’t do, I called his cell but he didn’t answer. I leaned back and fought away the tears that promised to make an appearance.
 
Damn, damn, damn I should pack my bags, go back to Oklahoma and help Oakley protect Abe.

           
“Pru, are you okay in there?
 
I’ve got three dresses out here for you to
die
over.”
 
My mother said as she slowly opened the door.

           
“I hope there is at least one purple one,” I said, taking a towel and step out of the tub.

Chapter 9.
 
Shift

“
Marlinchen
was terrified, and began crying and screaming, and ran to her mother, and said, “Alas, mother, I have knocked my brother’s head off,” and she wept and wept and could not be comforted.”Juniper Tree ~ Grimm’s Household Tales

ABEL

           
It’d been a week and we were still no closer to knowing who Sam really was.
 
Every time I went on a coffee run to Big Bob’s, Imogene told me how much she didn’t trust her.
 
She said she was ‘shifty
eye’d
’.
  
Estelle didn’t mind the help in the kitchen with Dolly gone, and Sam seemed to like helping out around the house.

           
The front door swung open, letting in both Oakley and a small dose of the cold temperatures outside.
 
We’d been trying to get the farm ready for the never ending blizzard like weather. My parents extended their vacation by a week to avoid coming home to below freezing temperatures.

           
“We took care of the crops, and put the plow back on the front of the truck; which looks pretty sexy if you ask me,” Oakley said.
 
He took off his boots and set them on the new heated boot dryer he insisted we needed.
 
His hair stood on end as he took off his ski hat and static claimed his head.
 
“Don’t look at me like that, you’re jealous.”
 

           
“Too true, I’m jealous.
 
Shhhh
, Sam is sleeping on the couch.
 
I’m wondering if she is sick from her bite because she has been asleep basically the entire day.
 
She didn’t eat today either,” I said as we walked into the kitchen to grab a snack.

           
We helped Estelle put together food baskets for the church to give out at Sunday’s mass.
 
The economy was already hurting our little town, and the below zero temperatures were having people spend money on propane and heating bills over groceries.

           
“Did you hear that?
  
Oh shit, come on!”
 
Oakley yelled, tossing the jar of pickles into one of the boxes.
 

           
Screams of agony were coming from the living room.
 
We get into the room just in time to be witness to Sam’s first shift.

           
“Don’t get any closer, stay away from me!”
 
She cried through clinched teeth.
 
Oakley took a step towards her and she yelled so loud I thought the entire pack would show up ready for a battle.
 
Sam started pointing at Oakley “you did this, didn’t you?
 
That’s how you knew I was bitten!
 
You bastard, stay away or I’ll kill you!”
 
She was up on the couch perched like an owl ready to pounce on us if we moved.

           
“Sam, what you’re feeling is what we go through when we shift.
 
All you need to do is focus on peace and tranquility.
 
It will help you through the pain.”
 
I pleaded to her.

           
“Tranquility?
 
You’re
shitting
me.
 
You don’t honestly think I’m going to believe there is anything tranquil about what I’m feeling.
 
How stupid do you think I am?”
 
She snapped.
 

           
“Relax, it will be easier if you relax,” Oakley said. He mentally called out for a few of the pack members to meet us in the living room with what may be a wild werewolf at any minute.

           
“Go to hell you yoga freak!”
 
She threw her head backwards and let out a guttural howl.
 
“I hate you!
 
I hate all of you!
 
You ruined my life!”
 
She repeated over and over between howls of pain.

           
“
This isn’t going very well.”
 
 
I thought to Oakley.
 
“
We can’t let her suffer like this, can we?”

           
Oakley looked at me, looked back at the kitchen and back at me.
 
“Go get the emergency kit from Estelle.
 
There is a tranquilizer gun in it; it is the only way I can think of to get her calmed down.”

           
It took another twenty minutes for us to shoot her with the tranquilizer. Once she realized what we were about to do, she went rabid.
 
She jumped from the couch to the loveseat, over and over.
 
The way she moved her legs reminded me of the
cloggers
that had danced at the fair this year.
 
Half the pack was in the room ready to take action if needed.
 
It seemed to only add fuel to her fire as she hollered and screamed that this was our fault.

           
Her screams became slurred, her jumping became crawling, and her anger turned to giggles that sounded like insanity setting in.
 
Once her eyes closed and the tension in her body became slack, we picked her up from her strange position on the couch and gently placed her on the ground.
 
Oakley and I scooted across the room, opting to watch from the floor versus the comfort of a couch.
 
Her body twitched, she moaned and repeated one name over and over “Storm.”
 
Estelle sat over her with a damp cloth to wipe away the sweat.
 
Her frail little body twitched uncontrollably until the shift began.
 
Estelle had removed her clothes and folded them up; I tried not to look at her perfect body. I still couldn’t understand how Oakley did this for years with Pru.
 
I don’t care what they say, naked is naked and I like naked.

           
Her glazed over eyes looked around blankly with no recognition in them once she shifted into a wolf.
 
The tranquilizer obviously still affected her movement even though she had shifted.
   
Her fur was solid gray with a white underside, her eyes glowing a shade of xanthous, her tail lifeless on the shiny wood floor.
 
It was overwhelmingly sad staring at the girl with no name.
 
As much as I wanted to take away her pain, it was my duty to guide her as she became a warrior for the Phelan pack.
 
Without saying a word, either out loud or in pack, I could see Oakley’s eyes glisten with tears, obviously affected by Sam’s shift too.

           
I woke up on the couch, the smell of bacon wafted in the room and the aroma of blueberry muffins lingered in the air.
 
And there was Oakley, sprawled out on the loveseat snoring like a freight train.
 
Sam was still on the floor, half lifeless, and whimpering in her sleep.
 
She didn’t ask for any of this, and my heart went out to her.
  
I was sure that Storm was looking for her and missing her too.
 

Chapter 10. Ball

“When the dance was over she curtsied, and when the king looked round again she had vanished, and none knew whiter.”
Allerleirauh
~ Grimm’s Household Tales

PRU

           
I’d never been in a Rolls before, and here I was, about to ride in a Rolls Royce limousine.
 
We not only had one, we had two for the night.
 
Gus looked gorgeous in his new black Armani tuxedo.
  
I gave him a pair of amethyst cufflinks to match my dress.
 
I was impressed mom had a jeweler come over to accessorize us in diamonds; I’d never borrowed anything so extravagant.
 
I signed to borrow a stunning diamond and amethyst necklace by Cartier which matched my purple gothic style dress perfectly.
 
Wearing a full gown did have a few disadvantages; comfort was on the top of the list. It all felt exotic with the exception of spending an evening with vampires.

           
The hotel, with its lights accenting the antediluvian exterior, filled the air with the right ambience.
 
The simply stated sign over the entrance proved it to be elegant without flash and flare.
 
Photographers were causing the valet grief as they tried to open the door and allow us inside without being attacked by ambitious paparazzi.
 
Gus held onto my elbow, escorting me into the lobby where we were greeted by more photographers and media.
 
The enormous crystal chandeliers set off ambient lighting adding to the glamorous feel of the event.

           
“
Why are there so many reporters?”
 
Gus thought to me.

           
“
I’m sure it is something staged by our host.”
 
I thought back to him.
 

           
A reporter approached my mom wanting to know who she was wearing and what she thought of her visit to Paris.
 
Her jade green mermaid style dress hugged her curves; the strapless dress showcased her creamy flawless complexion.
 
Mom didn’t look a day over thirty, although she was ten years older and though she was a size fourteen, she wore it well.
 
Men would look at her like she was the most beautiful woman they had ever seen. She would smile and say she was blessed with good genes and we’d share a knowing wink with each other.

           
“She really is beautiful.”
 
Gus said to me.