OLIVIA…
The tense silence remained after Gabby’s announcement that Jim was clear of the Urbat but that Gregory was no longer with them. Whoever Jim and Gregory were, they seemed pretty important given the group’s reaction.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” I said softly to Winifred, masking the pity and sorrow I wanted to feel.
“Thank you,” Winifred said. “Gabby, if it’s safe, can you find us a place where we can stop for the night?”
“Sure,” Gabby said. “There’s a town a ways to the south that looks good. Maybe another hour or two. I’ll text Michelle.”
“Good,” Winifred said.
I could feel her gaze on me. I wasn’t unaware of their vague conversations about where we were going and understood that Winifred, and probably the rest, didn’t trust me. Not that I blamed them. Blake had hurt so many in his reach for power and control and would continue to do so until the end. That I’d lived with him for most of my life but couldn’t tell these people anything significant about his plans hadn’t endeared me to anyone. Yet, their feelings toward me changed nothing.
“Blake needs to be stopped,” I said, looking out the window. “Soon.”
“How do we do that?” Winifred asked.
“Complete the Judgement. The dreamer has the answer to that, even if she hasn’t dreamed it yet.”
“That’s just fucking ducky,” Bethi mumbled.
No one said anything more, and I hesitated to again bring up the need to decide the direction of our Judgement first. Blake had pushed them all so much already. If I did the same, they would trust me even less. And, I needed their trust.
For the next two hours, we traveled in silence. It was something that I was very used to, but a small part of me had hoped it would be different when I joined my sisters.
Bethi slept frequently, usually waking with a curse. Luke would murmur assurances to her; she would calm then sleep again. I didn’t envy her gift. I didn’t envy any of our gifts. But, I did envy Bethi’s connection with Luke. And Gabby’s with Clay. Although those two never spoke, he would turn often to look back at her. What would it be like to have someone honestly care about me, not just because of the role I would play in the Judgement?
Courage, the echo of the Lady’s whisper brought my attention to the Others. I forced my mind away from thoughts of caring mates and waited for our next stop.
When the vehicle finally parked, Bethi woke up.
“About time,” she said, reaching for the door.
I sat still, waiting for the rest to leave first. The grey swirls outlined the door and the people as they hopped out of the car but not the floorboard or the ground. I would have to try to judge the distance for myself. Before I could move to get out, another person came to stand beside the door. Based on the angle of her face, she was watching me.
“Can I help you?” a female voice asked. It took a moment to place it with a name.
“Thank you, Charlene. I think I can manage, though.”
I gripped the side of the door, just in case, and slowly stepped out. My toes hit the ground an inch sooner than I anticipated, and the door saved me from stumbling. Still, Charlene reached out to steady me. Her offer hadn’t been an empty, polite gesture after all but one of true caring.
“Thank you,” I said.
“It’s no problem. Can I walk with you?” she asked.
“Sure. Is this a paved parking lot?”
“It is.” She wrapped her arm through mine, and we slowly walked to the entrance of a building. Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t stop myself from enjoying the simple contact.
“You’re different from the rest of us,” Charlene said. “Not just your eyes. When I touch the other girls, things happen. Michelle sees a white room filled with images of the future. Bethi sleeps. Gabby sees her sparks better. And each time, it seems to drain me. But not with you. What happens when I touch you?”
I checked the swirls.
“Nothing. Well, you do make me feel more confident that I won’t trip or run into something.”
She chuckled.
“Why are you different?”
“Probably because my purpose is different,” I said honestly.
“What’s your purpose?” she asked.
“I’d rather wait until we’re all together to talk about it.”
“Fair enough. Michelle and Emmitt are getting room keys. Would you mind staying in a room with Winifred?”
Winifred. Their unspoken leader. I understood what they all were thinking. Keeping me close would ensure their safety if I turned out to be a threat.
“I wouldn’t mind at all,” I answered.
We approached the rest of the group who waited just outside the entrance door. Three people stood slightly apart from the majority. The largest of the three staying protectively close to a smaller person. Charlene steered us toward them.
The smaller person moved a lot. Just little bits of movement that the Others picked up with their swirling presences.
“I don’t know who I’m with if I don’t hear your voices,” I said when we stopped.
“It’s Winifred, Carlos, and Isabelle,” Isabelle said. “I have to say, you are a relief. You’re almost like Carlos. A pleasant void of emotion. Not even Winifred has managed to cap it off that well.”
I turned my head slightly toward Carlos, the larger person. Keeping everything hidden took years of practice and usually stemmed from some kind of desperate need.
“You must have had a very strong motivation for keeping what you feel hidden,” I said to him.
“Winifred told us about werewolves living with you,” he said, not acknowledging my comment. “Females taken when they were cubs. Did you know a Sophia?”
It surprised me to hear the name of the oldest female werewolf who had still lived at Blake’s complex, but I kept that surprise carefully bottled away.
“I did. I wasn’t allowed to see the werewolf women. But she was pregnant and felt better when she walked. I ran into her twice. She was very close to giving birth before all of this happened.”
“Pregnant.” Pain filled his voice with that one word.
Isabelle staggered slightly, as if hit, and gripped Carlos.
“I’m sorry,” he said immediately.
“What was that?” she asked. “What happened?”
“Just something from the past.”
“Who was she to you?” I asked Carlos.
The entrance door opened and two more joined the main group who listened to us. Everyone waited for his answer.
“She was my sister.”
Charlene gasped. Isabelle wrapped her arms around Carlos. Another man came over. Everyone started asking questions. Why hadn’t Carlos told anyone? How long had he known he had a sister? What happened to her? Did I know how to find her?
“She died,” Carlos said. “I felt her link disappear just after we left New York.”
“Link?” Sam said. “You’re not an Elder. Links only happen with Mated pairs and Elders.”
“And twins,” Winifred said, her voice soft and filled with pain.
As much as I truly felt sorry for Carlos and Sophia, I knew more grief would come to all of us if we didn’t hurry.
“Perhaps we can discuss this inside?” I said.
“Yes,” Winifred agreed.
Michelle started handing out keys.
“Everyone should meet in our room,” Charlene said, her hand on Carlos’s arm. “I’ll order all of us something to eat since we missed dinner.”
That statement almost made me cringe. Not because I wasn’t hungry—the snack bar Winifred had given me was long since digested—but because every minute we wasted meant more suffering. How long had it been since Blake called Frank back into his office? Two days and seven hours? A little more maybe. I purposely tried not to think about it or what would happen when my time was up.
“Could I speak to the Judgements alone, first?” I asked.
The Others showed how Winifred and Charlene exchanged looks.
“Why do we have to go through this every time?” Bethi said irritably. “Talking to people alone shouldn’t be this big of a deal. Yes, Olivia. We’ll all talk privately.”
Bethi moved to my side and took my arm. She also plucked something from Winifred’s hand.
“What?” she said. “I just spent the last two hours being burned and skinned alive. Are you going to do something worse? If not, let’s just get our shit done.”
Although I appreciated her sentiment, her angry tone worried me. Luke, too, apparently.
“Bethi, luv—”
“Don’t worry about it,” Isabelle said. “Come here you little crack head. Time for your next fix.”
Bethi immediately released me and walked to Isabelle. The woman put a hand on Bethi’s arm. A moment later, Bethi sighed.
“Thanks. I needed that.”
“I could tell,” Isabelle said. “Let’s go inside and hurry up this talk so Carlos and I can spar.”
Isabelle nudged Bethi forward. I carefully followed, relieved when Charlene once again looped her arm through mine.
“Thank you,” I said.
“I don’t want you to fall.”