Daughter Of Light

Another Vision

Greer

I woke up in my bed, I wished it had all been a bad dream. Starting with waking up this morning. I didn’t feel as tired and my body didn’t ache as much as I thought it might. Moving my arm it brushed something and I felt the sparks. Jackson was asleep next to me. A book resting on his chest. I studied his profile, why did he have to be so handsome. Even in sleep his face wasn’t free from worry. I wished that all it would take was me to remove that, but I knew I might not be enough. While he might feel the intensity of the bond right now, how long would it be before he lashed out at me in guilt.

I wondered if I wanted to risk letting him in. The longer I stared at him the more I knew the answer. I yearned to touch him, to run my fingers over the contours of his perfect face. Balling my hand into a fist I snuck out of bed.

I quietly left, not risking waking him by changing and went to find the others. I knew if I gazed into his eyes right now I would lose all sense of reason and be at his mercy.

“As you should. He has been a perfect mate so far.” My wolfed huffed at leaving our mate.

“I’m giving him a chance, I just need to get used to the idea that something good could be happening. It’s not been been a day yet. Give me a break.”

I hadn’t had a whole lot of good in my life, mainly darkness and misery and I knew only a fool would run down the first brightly lit path. I wasn’t normally a fool, for the first time I wanted to be. I wanted to throw caution to the wind.

It was eerily quiet as I walked through the packhouse in search of the others.

“Iris?”

She had a block up.

“Iris?”

I couldn’t establish a link with her but I heard a commotion coming from just down the hall.

Flora was screaming like she was in pain. I stopped. Did I really want to deal with any more tonight? Honestly I didn’t think I did, the largest part of my wanted to go back to bed, snuggle up beside Jackson and play at mates.

Against my wishes I forced myself to walk towards the noise. I knew Zorina was playing a big part in this decision.

Flora was writhing on the floor of her bedroom and Marty looked panic stricken.

“Help her?” He asked me desperately.

“Isn’t that your job?” I replied unhelpfully, but I did grab her legs so he could het close enough to hold her, only earning one kick in my ribs for my trouble.

I hadn’t seen someone having a vision before so I assumed this wasn’t normal due to his reaction. I had no idea what to do other than link Thea.

Suddenly Flora quietened, and an eerie silence followed before her eyes opened and like a projector an image appeared before us. It was so dark it was hard to make out but a shewolf was in shackles of some sort, like ropes. They were lying on the ground and writhing in agony, presumably their blood spilled all over the ground, glistening. A figure stood before them with their back to us wearing a cloak so we couldn’t see them. They were holding some sort of dagger.

A voice or voices was whispering in the background, like a chant of some description and the figure with the bloody dagger raised it on the air.

As fast as it appeared, it stopped and Flora was still. I had to look to see if she was breathing, which thankfully she was, small rapid breathes.

Marty was gathering her up in his arms when the others came barrelling in.

Flora was shaking and Thea reached for her hand, instantly soothing her with her touch.

“Was that a vision or a memory.” I asked Flora when she was no longer hyperventilating, but curled up on Marty’s knee at the side of her bed. I noted how much calmer he was now.

“A vision I think, but I’ve never felt the pain before. It was awful I thought I was going to die.”

She had sounded like it as well, her voice rough. This must be the wolf we needed to save, and clearly we needed to moved.

I told the others what we had just seen, I didn’t want Iris to have to project any more memories. It looked like we needed to move quickly so she would be better saving her energy.

“Are we ready to go save this wolf then ?” I asked Luke. He seemed to have been nominated planner.

“You are coming ?” He seemed surprised.

I raised an eye brow, almost insulte. “Am I not useful ?”

Iris defended me.

“Of course she is coming. I agree we go now. Get anything you need and we meet outside, Luke can fill us in on route on the plan.”

“Guys this is madness. I can’t plan an attack when I don’t know who I’m taking. Have you told Kora and Ara? Marty I think you guys should stay here.” He was looking at Flora, she would be no help anyway for a while.

“Surely it’s easier if there are more of us?” Iris countered.

“No, we are hopefully sneaking our way in then fighting our way out. More wolves is more risk that I don’t get everyone out. You can only protect so many and please don’t be offended Greer, you might not be able to control your powers. Are you sure you want to come? I wouldn’t even let Thea come with us if I could help it.”

Luke looked a little scared of me. I felt a little of pride that he feared my powers but it probably wasn’t the time to let him see that.

“So five will be enough?” I asked my conformation that I wanted to help. Heck what did I really have to lose anyway. My life couldn’t get that much worse surely.

“Six, if you think I’m letting you go of on your own you are crazy and clearly not listening little mate.”Jackson appeared on the doorway, his gaze sending shivers down my back despite my efforts to remain unaffected by him.

I moved closer to him but not too close.

“I don’t need you to come and protect me.” I replied quietly.

“But I want to.” His continued to pin me with his gaze and if I let them my thoughts would wander to places I wasn’t ready to be, like back in his bed without our clothes on. I watched as he cleared his throat, as I struggled to break the spell he was placing me under. Until I pushed past him, ignoring the sparks and went to wait for the others in the hall.

I had nothing to take so I was ready already and now free from Jackson hooded gaze I let out the breath I had been holding and sucked in lungfuls of air that didn’t smell like him so my brain could rationalise again.

Spotting the piano in the next room I sat it to wait for everyone.

Lifting the lid, for the first time I was at a loss of what to play.

After staring at the keys for a while a song popped into my head. Sad and slow it gets fitting for my life right now. Playing the melody a few times I didn’t realise had started to sing the words until I heard my own voice.

“I was fine before, you walked through that door

now I’m so much more than I ever imagined

I was so sure, I knew exactly who you were,

but you were so much more than I could imagine.

In your arms I’m safe and sound …”

Slamming the lid down I couldn’t sing anymore. There lies the problem I did feel safe with Jackson. That was a stupid song to choose the words too raw, too close to the bone. I watched as sparks flew from my hands, not flying far enough to do any damage but memorising me with their beauty.

I saw Jackson arrive in the hallway but I didn’t want to greet him so soon after the startling realisation that I felt safe with him, scared of what this stupid bond might let me do. So I stayed put, hiding slightly from sight. His scent hadn’t hit me yet so I knew he possibly hadn’t smelled me either.

Ara appeared in the doorway.

“Where are you going ?” She asked.

“We are going to Black Diamond. To rescue that wolf.” He told her, I noticed he stepped back slightly when she touched his chest. I felt a hot rage start to prickle in my chest and I saw a ball of lightning appear in my head.

“Zorina!” I knew that was her.

“She needs to get her hands off what is ours.”

“We haven’t decided that yet .” I cautioned my wolf.

Who was I kidding I knew I had.

I reluctantly admitted todays version of him was pretty perfect. Until he continued to give his girlfriend the time of day. Jealousy flooded my veins, but I didn’t quite know what to do.

“Do you want us to come help?” Ara asked him.

He paused, and my annoyance climbed to a whole new level that he didn’t reject the idea immediately. She hated me and I wasn’t ready to be anywhere near her sister. I was about to intervene when he surprised me.

“Greer is coming, I think it would be too much for her.”

I couldn’t see her face but I felt her anger at those words.

“What about Kora, don’t you think you should be making Greer explain why she was kept like a dirty little secret while that golden child got to run around like a princess.”

Surprising me once again Jackson responded curtly.

“We don’t know that’s what happened, clearly Greer knew nothing and if you think for one second I’m letting either of you near her while you harbour any ideas of blaming her you have another thing coming.”

The sparks that appeared in my hand quietening down to a cracking just beneath my skin. Like they were just waiting for a reason to escape.

Ara had shrank back slightly at the sharpness of Jackson’s voice and I heard the others were coming down the hallway so I walked towards them. Suppressing a smile when his oaky scent hit me. Damn it why did he have to smell so good.

I saw him reach for my hand before dropping his arm and clamping it to his side. I walked up to him and placed my hand on his chest, hearing his breath hitch at my touch as I played with the buttons on his polo shirt. I hadn’t planned to touch him so the sparks caught me by surprise as my fingers graced his exposed chest, but the need to stamp some sort of possession on him was too great to ignore.

Not even looking at Ara, I looked up at Jackson, his breathing uneven as he reacted to my touch, clearly surprised by my action.

“Ready ?”

It looked like I had just made my decision.