Silver's Bane

Chapter Nine Living with the Dead-1

Chapter Nine Living with the DeadJules pulled into Gabriel’s driveway. His front door opened before she could knock. Eileen stood in the entryway, smiling widely. “How is he?” Jules asked.

“A bit grouchy to be honest,” Eileen replied, none too quietly. Eileen turned back into the house, Jules following behind her.

“He’s fine,” Gabriel said from where he sat on the sofa, his nose in a history book he’d probably read a hundred times.

“He says that and yet he’s being grouchily defensive,” Eileen teased. “Come, get something to drink.”

Jules followed Eileen to the kitchen where she pulled a pre-poured glass from the refrigerator and handed it to Jules. Jules felt an overwhelming need at the smell of it. She took the glass and drank. The red liquid surged through her, soothing the thirst. She closed her eyes, soaking in the immediate calm. All her troubles seemed so far away. Nothing mattered, just the ecstasy of the blood.

“Jules, what’s wrong? You seem a little stretched?” Gabriel’s voice came from just behind her left shoulder. His question pulled her out of her blood-induced trance. “What happened Saturday?”

“Not yet.” Jules heaved a breath of air, then another, and wiped her mouth after drinking the last drop. Now, she felt ready for almost anything. The pair returned to the living room. With a relaxed sigh, Jules dropped onto the green couch, curled her feet underneath her, and stretched her neck back and forth.

Eileen stayed in the kitchen, most likely cleaning the glass Jules had just emptied.

“Are you ready to tell me now?” Gabriel asked, a tinge of annoyance in his tone.

“Stop badgering her Gabriel,” Eileen commanded as she rejoined them, sitting on Gabriel’s lap in the armchair. “She can have secrets, you know.”

“Do you have secrets from me?” he asked, almost playful.

“Not at the moment, but who knows, maybe I will someday. And, if that day comes, I expect you to honor my right to have them.” Eileen’s voice was unwavering. Gabriel hugged her waist tighter, seemingly appreciative of her opinion rather than angered by it.

Jules watched them closely. Eileen and Gabriel were born a century apart, and yet, the idea that a woman would speak to her husband that way hadn’t come around until the time when Eileen was growing up. Jules was glad to see Gabriel had adjusted to Eileen’s ideals, rather than the other way around. Jules’s homicidal ex preferred a firm hand to an open mind.

“My wife is right, of course. And normally you are allowed to have secrets, but right now it’s too dangerous.”

Jules offered a sigh of exasperation. “Gabriel, you may be one of my dearest friends, but my existence is my own.”

“But that doesn’t explain why you weren’t returning my calls,” he said. “At least tell me you are okay, that you are not in danger.”

“I’m not in any danger. I’m perfectly fine. Okay?” Of course, this was not at all true. Especially if the Alpha ever found out about her and Luca. “I silenced my phone for the day. I just needed some space. Is that so hard to believe?” Jules felt angry and guilty all at the same time. Angry at him for making her lie to him, and guilty because she had never lied to him before. But Luca’s safety was worth this lie.

“If that’s all, why didn’t you just tell me that? Or better yet, let me know ahead of time.”

“It wasn’t a plan, it just kind of happened. But everything is fine, so can we just drop it,” she said, keeping her voice calm but feeling quite irritated.

Gabriel did not look overly pleased, but he nodded in agreement, backing down.

“Now that that ridiculousness is over, anyone up for a movie?” Eileen asked. “I saw this great one the other day!”

“You two go ahead. I’m going to get some reading in,” Gabriel said, picking up the book he’d discarded. He tapped his phone several times and classical music began to play throughout the house’s surround sound.

“Unbelievable!” Eileen flung herself off his lap and onto the couch, head coming to rest on Jules’s legs.

“Romantic Comedy in the guest room?” She asked Jules, looking at her upside down.

“Actually,” Jules pulled a book out of her bag. “I’m almost on the last chapter,” she said with a sheepish smile.

“Fine. Be boring, both of you. I’ll be in the guest room with Kristen Bell.”

Jules giggled as she watched her go. Eileen slammed the door a little harder than necessary. Jules and Gabriel smiled down at their respective pages. They sat in comfortable silence, the disagreement between them forgotten. The soft tones of classical music fostered the peaceful atmosphere.

Many nights had passed like this, in the joint calm and comfort of a book. But tonight, Jules sat there pretending to turn page after page. When, in reality, she wasn’t retaining a single word. Everywhere she looked today, something or someone had reminded her of Luca. She couldn’t resist thinking about him. Not that she wanted to. She saw a man with his stature entering the coffee shop as she was leaving the outside table. One of the students she helped had hair like his. Another was wearing sneakers like the ones he wore the first time she’d seen him. She couldn’t help wishing that she would turn around and see him right now, in this moment.

Jules glanced up from her page, looking at the top of Gabriel’s blond head. She could just see his sharp nose over the top of his book. He had been her rock. She’d leaned on him for centuries. She couldn’t bear the thought of betraying Gabriel and Eileen. Gabriel was a brother to her. The only one she had now, but she couldn’t help how she felt. Or who she was falling for. Once Gabriel discovered her secret, she knew he’d feel betrayed. She could only hope that it wouldn’t separate them entirely. With this, she pushed Luca from her mind. For now, at least, she wanted to be in this moment with her dearest friend.

LUCA

As Luca’s humanity regained control, he brought the hunt to a close, hours earlier than normal. Some of them had a surprise wedding reception to attend. The rest of the pack followed his example reluctantly. Some of them, very reluctantly. It took him several minutes to locate the wolfy-form of the teenage boy he’d offered a ride too. Luca suspected that Ricky was in no hurry to start his new and abrupt life crammed into a place called the Den. Not that Luca could blame the boy for wanting to leave the wolf in control of his mind. He just saw his father murdered; Luca knew what he was going through. It took the Beta’s command for him to relinquish the animal inside.

After a few minutes of awkward silence and Ricky fiddling with the radio, Luca decided to voice something that had been nagging at his mind. “I’m sure your mother has asked you this, but, are you okay?”

Ricky’s hand fell from the dashboard. He froze, staring forward. “She hasn’t actually. She went into panic mode when she found out Dad was dead and hasn’t stopped since.”

“I’m sorry,” Luca said honestly. “Seeing a parent murdered is a hard thing to bear.”

“What would you know about it? You’re a Cain. I’m sure everywhere you go people worship the ground you walk on!” Ricky’s anger was understandable, Luca didn’t take offense.

“I am a Cain, you are not wrong.” Luca sighed. “I also saw my father murdered when I was sixteen. He and the rest of my family were killed on the same night.” It was a harsh reality and, to this day, hard to admit aloud. However, Luca felt that if someone had confided that they too had experienced his pain, it would have helped him process his grief sooner.

Luca glanced over. Ricky was staring at him. “Oh.” Ricky blushed scarlet; clearly embarrassed by his misplaced anger. “That sucks.”

Luca’s phone beeped. He ignored it as he continued. “It really does. It still haunts me. But, if you ever want to talk about what happened to you, now you know I’ll understand.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Ricky chewed on his lip. “Who’s Juliet?”

Luca glanced over and saw that Ricky had picked his phone up off the center console.

“Nobody. Put that down,” Luca instructed.

Ricky rolled his eyes but did as he was told.

“This is where you’re taking me?” Ricky almost laughed as Luca pulled onto the grass beside the Den.

“This is home,” Luca said, “for now.”

“Wow.” Ricky’s tone suggested that this was not said in wonder but in disdainful disbelief.

“Come on then,” Luca prodded. The sounds of revelry were already coming from behind the privacy fence’s chipping paint.

Ricky followed steps behind Luca as he entered through the front screen door. Luca spied Hayley through the back screen door, leading to the back porch. She was in the yard talking to her mother. She had somehow acquired a short white dress between the run and this backyard barbeque celebration.

“My girl looks great, doesn’t she?” Kyle asked while throwing an arm across Luca’s shoulders as he and Ricky entered the backyard. She did, of course, her hair fell in soft waves to one side and she wore the smile of real love.

“Do you really need me to answer that?” Luca retorted.

“Nah, my opinion matters more anyway,” Kyle shot back.

Ricky snorted.

Luca had monetarily forgotten he was there. “Ricky, this is Kyle, the groom.” Luca pointed at Kyle and then Hayley.

“Awesome, another of the Alpha’s flying monkeys.” Ricky rolled his eyes.

“Well you’re a bucket of cheerfulness, aren’t you?” Kyle quipped.

Ricky glared in Luca’s direction.

“Actually, I am neither flying nor a monkey if you must know,” Kyle added with a smile, tossing his hair.

Ricky narrowed his eyes.

“I’m just lucky my wife is celebrating a wedding tonight instead of preparing for my funeral.”

“Really,” Ricky said. It’s wasn’t a question.

“Our Alpha is kind of an overbearing control freak that may be losing his mind at this very moment…”

“Kyle!” Luca silenced him, motioning with his eyes toward Ben who had just walked through the back door.

“Anyway. This guy is our Beta and he’s a thumping good one.” Kyle whacked Luca on the shoulder. “Get it, ‘thumping?” he asked playfully.

“Shut up,” Luca replied, but he was teasing.

Ricky may have cracked a smile, whether with Kyle or at Kyle Luca couldn’t be sure.

Just then, Ricky’s mother approached them, jogging up the four wooden steps to the back porch. “Did you behave yourself tonight?” she asked, moved to ruffle Ricky’s hair.

Ricky yanked his head away and glared at her, blushing. “I’m tired. Where am I sleeping?”

“Carson has made up beds from us…” Demetria began.

“Where?”

“My apologizes Beta.” She nodded, a sign of respect.

Luca shrugged.

“This way.” Demetria led her son into the house.

Luca didn’t watch them go. Instead, he was distracted by a tugging on his hand. The girl who had greeted him at the preserve was pulling him toward the makeshift dance floor, as music boomed from a large stereo. “Not tonight,” he said, pulling his hand back.

“But you’ve danced with me before,” she whined.

“Not tonight.”

“Your rejection is to my advantage, thanks dude,” Kip whispered to Luca as he passed him.

The woman giggled as Kip scooped her into his arms.

Luca walked over to sit on the picnic table bench. He glanced up. The sunrise was a smearing of vibrant colors painted across the sky.

“He looks happy, doesn’t he?”

“Huh?” Luca asked, focusing on Hayley, who was sitting next to him.

“Luca, are you alright? You seem…” Hayley started.

“Distracted. I know. It’s nothing,” Luca replied staring past the partying pack.

Hayley patted his arm.

There were many times over the years that Luca wished this pack had never found him. He needed a pack, all wolves did, but he sometimes wished he wasn’t under Carson’s thumb. His obsessive, controlling personality was a lot to live with. But that was the price he paid, and it was well worth the cost of having Kyle and Hayley in his life.

CARSON

Carson scowled as he watched Hayley walk over and introduce herself to Demetria. Hayley was a young wolf, and Demetria had been away from the pack for many years. Hayley would have been such a radiant queen, Carson thought. Not only was she exceedingly beautiful, but she was also a pure-white wolf. This was extremely rare and, in fact, why he’s chosen her in the first place. But maybe his long-forgotten ex-girlfriend was his salvation. With Demetria at his side, Hayley jilting him could be easily buried. Even if she does have a brat child with her.

Max bounded up next to Carson, delivering the beer he’d instructed him to retrieve ages ago. He grabbed it from him and dismissed the hyperactive spaz with a wave of his hand.

Carson’s scowl deepened as Kyle wrapped his arms around the beautiful young wolf and whispered in her ear. She giggled and the pair headed to the dance floor.