The Prophecy (Saga of the Chosen Book 1) Page 5

  The girl seemed to slip into a deeper unconsciousness under his watchful eyes. Raoul noted Hawk’s concerned face turned towards the girl in the back seat, the Shifter’s expression a mixture of desperation, grief and regret. Raoul clenched his fingers into a fist. Had the girl known that she might reopen her wound if she used so much power? And had she gone ahead anyway, in a misguided attempt to repay a debt to the Shifter Pack that had refused to abandon her to the leeches! He glanced uncertainly at the frail girl whose life seemed to be bleeding out before his eyes. Had she knowingly sacrificed herself to help the Pack hold the vampires at bay, he wondered grimly. He glanced into Duncan’s wise eyes - the only person in the car aware that Raoul held the power to heal the girl’s wound should he choose to. Power that he had promised himself a long time ago he would never use! Power that he had chosen to walk away from! Dammit to hell, Raoul cursed savagely as he realized in that moment that he couldn’t allow the girl’s life to ebb away before his eyes. Not this particular girl – wizard or not.

  He clasped her injured wrist to tear through the strips of his t-shirt to lay bare her wound. The once clean strips were now soaked in her blood. He glanced around for something to clean the blood and gore amassed around the bite. He’d already sacrificed his shirt to bind her injury earlier. Duncan, already anticipating his wishes, stripped off the starched shirt he wore to hand it to Raoul. The Alpha used the shirt to clean the wound gently before bringing her wrist to his mouth. He silently called forth his gift of healing magic as he soothed his tongue carefully over the ridged bite wound. Under the collective astonished gazes of the Shifters in the car, the wound closed itself slowly to stop the bleeding. Silence reigned in the car as Hawk, Sara and Luis turned as one to stare at their Alpha in stupefaction. But Duncan’s wise eyes held a glimmer of what Raoul recognized as approval.

  Tasia awoke the next afternoon in a large sunny room with a lovely view of Telegraph Hill, one of the more famous views of the city. Apart from a dull throbbing in her injured wrist, she felt refreshed and rejuvenated. A young woman sat in a chair with her feet tucked under her and a paperback in her hand. She looked vaguely familiar. Tasia stirred in the bed, endeavoring to get a better look at the girl. The movement caused the young woman to look up from her book. Familiar bluish-green eyes gazed at her with an infectious friendliness.

  “Hello, I’m Sara. Are you feeling better? Doc said that you’d be fine by tonight if your wound continues to heal the way it has been.”

  “Hi” Tasia responded huskily. “I’m Tasia.”

  “I know. Hawk’s told me all about you. I was waiting to meet you last night” the girl chirped back with a smile.

  “Hawk’s your brother?”

  “My twin though I’m the good looking one. Can’t you tell?” she grinned and a cute dimple peeked out from one cheek.

  Tasia smiled back her, charmed by her easy friendliness.

  “Where am I - a hotel?”

  “Nope. You’re at the Pack House – we Shifters call it the Lair.”

  She scrunched up her nose attractively.

  “As you can tell, we’re trying to leave our beast legacy behind.”

  Tasia laughed, unable to help herself. Sara came over to sit by the bed as Tasia sat up slowly.

  “How much do you remember from last night?” Sara inquired with concern.

  Memories from the night before flashed rapidly through Tasia - the vampire, the bite, the man with the gold eyes, the desperate fight between the Shifters and the vampires, her magic sieve to hold back the vampires and finally a vague sense of watching her life ebb away as she bled onto the floor while her free-flowing blood helped reinforce her magic against the power of the Blutsaugers.

  She shuddered, closing her eyes briefly.

  “Tell me about it, girlfriend” Sara invited. “You gave everyone a huge fright when the Alpha brought you in with barely a pulse. Doc had to rush in and assure us that you were going to make it.”

  “Did the other Shifters … is everyone okay?” Tasia asked hesitatingly.

  “Oh yeah, a few broken limbs and ribs and some dislocated shoulders, but we’re a very hardy bunch. I suspect that they secretly enjoyed a good scrap. By tonight, we’ll be raring for another blood-letting, you just watch us.”

  There was an instant of pregnant silence. Then Tasia giggled and Sara joined in. Sara was like a ray of sunshine – it was hard not to be charmed when she was around.

  Chapter 4

  Tasia meets the Alpha Protector

  Hawk escorted Tasia up the stairs to the fourth floor where a young man stood guard watchfully by a massive steel door. Two chairs sat sedately by the door and Hawk ushered her to one of them.

  “That’s the Pack Room – it’s shielded to allow confidential communication” he explained, gesturing at the massive steel door.

  “I’ll come fetch you when it’s time, okay?” he added in a low voice.

  Tasia acquiesced silently, wondering at Hawk’s new solicitousness since her abduction. Little did she know how much Hawk had been affected by her plight at the vampire nest – her terror in the moonlit room with the dying vampire, the bloody bite wound on her wrist, the sense of urgency to get her out of there and under a doctor’s care. And finally, watching helplessly as the Alpha fought desperately to prevent her life from ebbing away before their eyes.

  Tasia waited patiently for about ten minutes, all the while pretending to be unaware of the Shifter sentry’s sidelong glances at her. Eventually Hawk emerged to usher her through the steel door into a huge room decorated like an old-fashioned English library. Book shelves lined the four walls from floor to ceiling. Her eyes were drawn across the width of the room to a stone fireplace and mantle. A lovely picture of a green meadow with distant rolling hills hung over it. She spied another steel door to the right of the fireplace at the opposite end of the large rectangular room. Cozy armchairs and couches sat scattered around the room, grouped together without any discernible order. A dozen or so people lounged on these comfortable seats.

  A deathly hush descended on the room as Tasia preceded Hawk into it. All eyes barring one turned to stare at her with varying degrees of curiosity and hostility. Mindful of Hawk’s warning on the significance of non-verbal communication when dealing with Shifters, Tasia avoided the glances directed her way. The twins had impressed upon her that Shifters, in their interactions, took their cues from posture and body language. Tasia intended to make sure that nothing in her deportment be mistaken for a threat or a challenge. She’d survived her brush with the Blutsaugers and had no desire or inclination for any kind of skirmish with the Shifters. She allowed her eyes to wander casually around, careful to betray no hint of her nervousness.

  Her gaze was drawn instinctively to the only person in the room who’d chosen to ignore her presence. He stood casually by the fireplace, his back to the room as he stared pensively down into the unlit fire. She didn’t need a glimpse to describe his face – it was etched in her memory. He was tall, well over six feet in her estimation though he carried his height with ease. He had broad shoulders and a deceptively lean body. She wasn’t fooled by his casual stance – she could still vividly recall how much power and brute strength he could generate when the need arose. She was learning that the lean muscle of a Shifter packed a lot more inherent power than the obvious bulk of other creatures. He was dressed informally in a plain black tee over a pair of well-worn denims that hugged his lean hips and muscled thighs to accentuate those long legs as he stood with feet splayed apart.

  Flashes of memories from the night before rushed at her. Awakening in the dark with that thing feeding at her wrist. The man crashing through the door followed by Hawk. Cowering in the bed, out of her mind with terror as he tried to soothe her. Her wrist being bandaged with strips from his t-shirt while Hawk muttered urgently to him about the vampire on the floor. Being carried through the dark house as he cradled her against him with surprising gentleness. She remembered how warm his body had felt
in the San Francisco evening chill even after he’d sacrificed his shirt for her. The nightmarish fight in that long hall. The high keening noises from the trapped vampires on the ceiling. And finally, the man with the strangely cold gold-colored eyes attempting to revive her as her wrist bled out on the floor.

  “What the hell’s going on here, Hawk! Why is the Pack at war with the blood suckers over some witch?”

  Tasia turned her attention to the middle-aged red-haired man whose angry words had been directed at Hawk. She recognized the hint of an Irish brogue in his voice.

  Huh, who knew Shifters could get to middle age. I thought they never aged.

  “Wonders will never cease. Owen O’Brien complaining about a fight! I thought you lived to scrap.”

  The vaguely taunting voice belonged to one of the most beautiful women she’d ever set eyes on. A face like a Boticelli painting with long dark hair to provide a dramatic contrast to her fair skin. She wore a light green sleeveless dress that matched the exact color of her eyes. From what Tasia could see of her seated figure, the dress hugged her voluptuous curves.

  I wouldn’t trust those beautiful green eyes though. There’s something not quite right about them.

  The red-haired man stared across the room with unconscious menace at the green-eyed beauty who’d taunted him. She met his gaze steadily with a mocking expression on her face. Before he could retort however, Hawk jumped in.

  “Tasia was abducted by the leeches last night and the Pack went to her aid” he stated quietly, turning to look the red-haired man squarely in the face.

  “Since when is the Pack in the business of playing bodyguard, Hawk?” the red-haired man spit out angrily. Hawk’s words had managed to successfully distract him from the green-eyed beauty’s honey-dipped barb.

  “Since she came to the aid of one of ours” responded an older white-haired man. His noble mien, thick white braid and the bronze tint to his skin indicated his Native-American ancestry.

  The simple words spoken with dignity effectively shut up the red-haired man though he still seemed to simmer with silent anger.

  From the surprised expressions around her, Tasia realized that this was news to most of the Shifters in the room. Well, almost everyone! The gold-eyed man with his back to the room hadn’t moved an inch. She observed that seated to his left and seemingly a little apart from the others in the room was another man with a carefully expressionless face. Tasia stared at him, momentarily unmindful of the principle of never staring down a Shifter lest it be taken as a challenge. He was enormous - one of the biggest men she’d ever seen. Huge with a craggy face and dark blond hair precisely cut and sleeked back from his forehead. There was an element of refinement in his comportment, in stark contrast to the craggy face and the colorful tattoos on the massive arms that peeked through under the rolled-up sleeves of the pin-striped shirt he wore. Silent all this while with a watchful gaze on the room, he now spoke up in a deep rumbling voice with an aristocratic English accent.

  “Hawk, why don’t you offer the young lady a seat before you inform the Council of the events of three nights past” he suggested calmly.

  Brought to his senses by the gentle admonishment, Hawk flashed Tasia an apologetic look before leading her to an unoccupied couch. He waited for her to seat herself before taking his place on the couch beside her. Tasia directed a discreet glance brimful of gratitude at Hawk, immensely thankful for his support. It would’ve been intimidating for her to walk in here by herself and face down this bunch, Tasia realized, very grateful to Hawk.

  “For the past fortnight, we’ve been hearing odd reports of non-Pack Shifters sniffing around town. A few days ago, the Alpha asked Hawk to check it out. I’ll let Hawk apprise you of his story.”

  The huge Shifter with the English accent had succeeded in diverting the attention of the room with his words.

  “Three days ago, I traced the Shifters to a warehouse in Oakland” Hawk recounted. “There were three of them. They caught me by surprise and we fought. I killed one of them but was injured myself. When I woke up, they’d put me in a cage whose bars burned my skin when I attempted to break out.”

  “Shifters held you in a cage reinforced with silver” exclaimed an incredulous voice. Tasia sensed a subtle shift in the room at Hawk’s cryptic reference to bars that burned a Shifter’s skin.

  Silver! So, the rampant whispers about silver being a Shifter’s kryptonite were more than just a rumor.

  The exclamation had come from an attractive man with chestnut hair and icy blue eyes who looked to be in his mid-thirties. He was seated next to the red-haired O’Brien.

  Tasia shivered with the sudden realization that she was a sheep trapped amidst a roomful of wolves. These were dangerous predators cloaked in human form. The English Shifter had referred to these Shifters as the Council. Their presence in the Pack Room for a meeting with the Alpha Protector could only mean that they were the most powerful in the Pack. Shifters had always moved and lived in were-packs since the beginning of time. The Ancients said that their beasts wouldn’t allow them to lead a solitary existence and couldn’t let them live amongst the humans. Until twenty-five years ago though, the were-packs had fought each other constantly, resulting in Shifters dying at an incredible rate. This had succeeded in keeping their population low despite their theoretical immortality. Then the Council of Chosen had been formed. The CoC was comprised of four representatives from the major factions of the Chosen – the Undead, the Wizards, the Wyrs (as the Ancients called the Shape-shifters) and the Ancients. The Ancients were a diverse and varied group of Chosen descended from the oldest and the most powerful magic. The rest didn’t really consider the Undead to be part of the Chosen collective but they’d agreed to give them a seat at the table since it was easier dealing with them through a titular representative.

  The Shifters were represented at the CoC by an Alpha – some said the most powerful Shifter in their long history. All Chosen whispered his name with respect – Faoladh. He’d divided all land into territories and forced the various were-packs in each territory to come together to form one big Pack headed by an Alpha Protector – the Alpha of Alphas. Faoladh had encouraged the Were-Alphas of the various were-packs in each region to fight it out to the death, if rumor was to be believed. The winner, the most powerful Alpha left standing, would then keep his new Pack in line – a way to ensure that the most powerful Shifter in the newly created Pack commanded it as its Alpha Protector.

  When teaching her about Shifter and Pack philosophy, her father had often reiterated that Faoladh was a very smart man. He let his new Alpha Protectors handle their Packs without any interference from him. The only time he ever got involved in Pack business was when one of the Alpha Protectors was defeated or killed by a challenger. In such situations, Faoladh made sure to preside over the leadership fights to ensure fairness in choosing a new Alpha Protector for the Pack. Each Alpha Protector recognized a set of Were-Alphas who led their various were-packs within the larger Pack. Each member of a Pack knew his exact pecking order within the Pack down to the last Shifter. The Alpha Protector was the absolute authority in Pack matters – a Shifter dared to offer even the tiniest hint of a challenge to any of his Alpha’s commands at his own peril. The Shifters were nothing if not control freaks when it came to strict adherence to Pack hierarchy and the chain of command. Tasia supposed that there was no other way to keep their aggressive and violent tendencies under control.

  An absolutely lovely bunch to come to the attention of - violent, aggressive and dangerously trigger-happy.

  “Yes, they did” Hawk acknowledged. “I was groggy and disoriented with my injuries and the brush with silver. Then Tasia walked in under the cover of darkness and opened the cage doors to set me free. She got me out of there and provided me with safe haven until I was strong enough to make my way back to the Lair under my own steam.”

  “Silver bars being used by Shifters against their own kind. And ambushing a Pack Shifter on Pack turf. They mu
st be mercenaries” Icy Blue Eyes concluded as he glanced at English Accent thoughtfully.

  I wish they’d introduce themselves, Tasia mused with a sudden spurt of amusement. At the current rate of identification, she’d soon run out of unique physical traits to distinguish them by.

  “That is why it is so imperative that we catch them before they have a chance to wreak more havoc” English Accent answered in his precise way. “I think we can all agree that trespassers on Pack turf need to be taught a swift lesson.”

  “Are you working with the mercenaries, pretty witch! Is that how you knew where Hawk was held captive?” the impossibly beautiful woman in the green dress addressed Tasia in dulcet tones.

  Tasia took a deep breath.

  Don’t blow this and don’t show any fear. Even a hint of apprehension in this roomful of predators will mark you as prey.

  “I was hired to Mfector the warehouse after the fight. The Shifter who hired me hinted at someone being injured or captured. I waited until dark to check out the house. Once I verified that the Shifters were gone, I went in to find Hawk in the cage.”

  “I got back to the Lair at dawn” Hawk continued his account after Tasia’s succinct recount of her part. “That night I went back to see Tasia with an invitation from the Alpha only to learn that the mercenaries had attempted to ambush her on her way home. She escaped unscathed by drawing the attention of some bystanders. She’d been lucky that time but it proved that she was now one of their targets. I was to escort her here to meet the Alpha the next night but the leeches grabbed her before she could make the meeting. We had Ian watching over her just in case and he followed the leeches to their nest. I asked Alph for assistance to get her back safely from the leeches and he agreed.”

  “The rest you know. Raoul made the decision to engage the vampires when they wouldn’t release the young lady” English Accent chimed in, in the calm manner Tasia was beginning to associate with him.