“I can’t go. I won’t! You can’t make me!!” Tammy blusters, her face grey with anxiety.
We are all in the large living room. The entire family is gathered. The servers are sent away, and the doors are locked. Not that it will help keep the news secret. They have already heard enough. The rumours are already spreading; the pack is already whispering.
The light of the morning sun is dancing on windowpanes. It’s a merry morning, far from the gloomy mood in this room. Standing at the window, staring out at the bustling fields, John’s face is ashen. Phyllis sits on a lonely chair by the empty fireplace looking caught and panicked. Sitting on the sofa across from where us girls sit, the boys look angry.
Adam paces the middle, looking trapped like a lion. It reminds me of our time in the study. This seems a habit, pacing around endlessly as he channelled his thoughts. His fists are clenched, dark dishevelled hair tumble on his forehead, hiding his red eye. From this angle he almost looks normal. Every now and then, his eyes land on Tammy waiting for her to gather herself, but she cannot stop shivering.
Gabe, on the other hand, remains calm. His face is composed, fingers intertwined to stop them fidgeting. Not a muscle flickers in his smooth face, only his eyes are wary.
My eyes catch his and he gives a reassuring nod. Everything will be fine. Everything will be all right as per our plan.
I exhale a shaky breath, hoping he is right. Yes, we had plans for this harvest festival, and I so fervently wished it all to go through, but if it’s not going right for Tammy, I’d rather hold off. This Triumvirate…I do not know what it is. The vampires want to ‘assemble’ it, which probably means they want to get everyone in one place. That must be their agenda if Damien wants to claim his mate.
“Please, mother. Father. I don’t want to go.” Tammy’s voice cracks with anxiety, wrenching me out of my thoughts. Her fists are clenched in my hands, unable to stop shaking. I squeeze them gently, trying to comfort her, but it does not work. She barely registers it.
“It’s not fair. You told me two years ago it won’t come to anything. You told me everything will be fine if we just ignore him!”
Her wild eyes dart from Phyllis to John, to Adam and Gabe. The younger ones are equally bewildered. My own hands are clammy. I remember what it was like to be in the clutches of that creature - a mere puppet on strings to do his bidding, and that was after spending just five minutes with him.
My throat goes dry as I clench Tammy’s hand. Oblivious to my touch, her eyes flicker from person to person in hope if an answer.
“I don’t think we have the choice, Tammy.” Phyllis says, her face set in a mask. I had expected her to be more animated than this. After all, she was always for this match but now that the time has come, she too looks grave. “There isn’t much we can do when a claim is invoked.”
John shakes his head.
“I never thought he would be interested. The mate bond is more than two years old. He never gave any indication.”
“But the question is, why now?” Adam stops pacing, this red-black gaze pinned on his father. His smooth left is towards us, rigid with anxiety for his sister. “He always said the bond was an unfortunate thing. He never meant to honour it. There must be something now that’s changed his position. Something that triggered…”
Unexpectedly, his eyes nip to me. I wince, as my face paling at the implication.
Does he mean my encounter with Damien has set this is motion? Is he saying I am responsible?
I glare in consternation. It’s preposterous and far-fetched. This is nothing to do with me. Nothing whatsoever!
Irritated, I wrench my gaze away. I do not want to share looks with this guy. I do not want to share anything with this guy. I hate his red-black gaze still has the power to unsettle me. It makes me uncomfortable. I prefer when he is away, out of sight, out of mind. If it were to me, I would not stay in the same room as him, neither breathe the same air as him. He gives me jitters. The hairs on my neck stand on alert as if to receive some unknown signals. My body shudders with electricity as if plugged into some power source.
I hate it. I hate my reaction to his mere gaze. It holds me in thrall, as if I am his slave. It reminds me of the night he branded my heart.
As per my YA knowledge, this could mean only one thing but that possibility is quashed. This is nothing to do with any mate bond. It's all my inagination, my stupidity that gives him this power over me.
Swallowing a lump, I stare at my feet. Memories of my dreams come back rushing, startling me out. I seethe at my helplessness. I must take a double dose of Arome’s potion tonight. I don’t need this. I do not need those memories in my life.
Closing my eyes, I count numbers as slowly my erratic heartbeat falls in a rhythm. I do not know for how long I was gone before Adam clears his throat.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
“Whatever the reason, now it’s done. Mother should never have invited Damien here. It’s given him an opening; now he’ll take full advantage of it.”
“I did what I thought was right.” Phyllis snaps, glaring at her son.
“Yeah, and now Tammy is going to pay the price.” John cuts her off.
“It’s not all gloom and doom, John. It might still work out!” Phyllis snaps at her husband.
“Yeah. And pigs may fly. Are you so stupid Phyllis…”
“Well, if you were not so arrogant…”
“Look who’s talking. It’s you who’s insufferable, Phyllis. It’s you who makes everyone’s life a mess.”
“It’s just you who’s a mess John. The rest of us are all fine.”
“Well, no one’s fine here…”
“Will you two please stop bickering!” Adam’s voice booms in the room. “Mother. Father. This is not about you. It’s about your daughter. Have some sense please.”
The air fills with embarrassment as the argument suddenly ends. I keep my eyes on ground. My hands firmly hold Tammy’s. She is still shaking. It does not look like she registered what just happened here.
“Mother, father. Please. I do not want to go!”
John sighs, shaking his head.
“It’s out of our hands now, Tammy. We are obliged to respect the Triumvirate rules.”
The room falls silent. It seems the end of discussion. Minutes pass as no one speaks. It’s a dead end and everyone knows it. Even Tammy, as she gets up sobbing, to run to her room.
Worried, I get up to go after her when Olly chirps.
“Oh jolly! So we are going finally! I hear the Harvest Festival is magical. It’s my best chance to turn and I can’t wait!”
I stumble at the door to turn and look. Olly is positively beaming. So far, she was sitting quietly on a corner sofa, listening to everyone but not really taking part. And now that she has spoken, everyone is stunned. Gabe watches her in disdain, Jeff raises a wry eyebrow and Billy just looks shocked. Phyllis’s eyes are turned to daggers.
I struggle to determine if Olly is really this callus of just her usual thoughtless self.
“Well then. Lucky you got your wish, Olivia.” John grunts, part astounded, part annoyed.
Olly shrugs.
“Yes, lucky me! I must start preparing now. It’s only a week left!” She bounces out of the door, totally oblivious. I sigh and follow her out to go to Tammy.
*****
Tammy’s door is shut. She obviously does not want to talk. All I hear are frenzied sobs. Curtains rip apart and furniture breaks to pieces. I knock on the door, calling her name but get no answer.
“Tammy, please. Open the door!”
Something cracks, twisting itself accompanied by angry, painful whimpers. A moment later, a wolf growls angrily. Stopping in my tracks, I listen from outside with bated breath. I wonder if I should be here, if it’s wise to wait here any longer.
Moments pass as I wait, holding my breath. Inside the room, a ragged chaos breaks loose. The growls grow louder, at some point turning into wails. My heart shudders as I bang on the door for the hundredth time.
“Tammy! Are you okay? Please let me in!”
For a moment it all stops and my heart leaps in the hope that she will open the door. But the next instant there is a loud crash as something shatters the windowpane. Pieces of broken glass clink on a hard floor filling the air with their clamour.
“Tammy!” I call in panic, but to no avail. I rush to the lobby window to find a red wolf running towards the forest.
It runs as if hunted. People look in surprise and scamper away as she runs for her life. Reaching the edge of the forest, she lets out a wail, then disappears behind the wall of trees.
“Give her some time, Danny. She’ll be back.”
I whirl back to find Gabe.
“But…she needs help, Gabe! We can’t just leave her alone.”
“Trust me. The best thing we can do for her right now is to leave her alone. She needs to come to terms with it. No amount of consoling will alter her fate.”
I stare at him, speechless. How can he be so calm in this situation? But then it’s good. It’s good to have a level head to talk some sense.
I drop my tired shoulders, letting out a sigh. This is all a dire mess. It’s a death knell for Tammy. She can’t possibly go with that wretched vampire.
“Is there no way out? Can’t we talk to this…Triumvirate? We can ask them to reconsider. Surely, they know this is a doomed match. Tammy hasn’t got a chance if—”
“It’s not that easy, Danny.” Gabe shakes his head. “The Triumvirate rules are set in stone.They are magically binding, and no one can break them. Doing so will invite trouble that no one can survive.”
I frown in confusion. “But what is this Triumvirate? Didn’t you tell me anyone can reject a mate if they do not want them? Then how can the Triumvirate force them?”
Gabe sighs. “The Triumvirate, Danny, is an apex council of wolves, vampires, and witches. Years ago, when the dark forces threatened to overrun our world, the three major forces decided to form a coalition. Not everyone was in agreement, especially some troublesome fanatics on each side who never wanted it to go through. Peace for them was a fantastical idea. There was age old distrust, there still is. It took years and years to bring everyone to the table. They agreed on some rules and matters only settled when it was made into a magically binding contract. Breaking it will spell doom for the entire Triumvirate. Thousands will die, and I am not even counting the loss of life for our human friends.”
I stare aghast. It never occurred to me this would be so complicated. There are thousands of lives at stake. No wonder everyone thinks Tammy should take the blow alone.
“It’s not fair.” I blurt haplessly as my eyes sting. “Can we…not negotiate? There must be a way to convince them. Something that will not break the magical contract but allow us to circumvent it? It’s not even like Damien is in love with Tammy.”
Gabe raises an eyebrow. “That’s a clever thought, but no. There isn’t any such way. Magical contracts work on perception. If they feel deceived, we have deceived them. And the Nightwatchers are not always a friendly bunch to negotiate with.”
My heart sinks as I chew my lips. Gabe comes closer to touch my cheek.
“And when it comes to love, my dear, vampires are not creatures of love. For them, the mate bond means something else. They need it to breed. Love has nothing to do with it.”
I stiffen with shock. It seems all doors are closed except for one, and that takes Tammy to a certain doom.
“Don’t worry, Danny.” Gabe pulls me into a bear hug. “Fate has a way to take care of itself. Whatever is Tammy’s destiny, it will work itself out. And if it doesn’t, no amount of help from us will change it for her.”
I lean into his shoulder as he strokes my back. My eyes stay on the forest, honed at the point where the red wolf disappeared into it. The afternoon has lapsed, and we are nearing dusk. The long shadows of evening touch the forest, casting their gloom. In the distance, a piercing howl goes up in the air, pleading to a moon that is nowhere in the sky. My heart breaks as I pray. I pray to the Goddess to help my poor friend.
***** *****