Crimson Dahlia (10 page)

Lila
opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. She frowned for a moment as she
tried to remember where exactly she was. And then it all rushed back. She was
in her bed at the castle. She’d finally gone to sleep around two in the morning
after they’d tried – unsuccessfully - for hours to wake Selene’s parents.
Adelaide had come in here with her afterward, and they’d sat up talking for a
while. At first, nothing specific, just sister stuff. But then Lila had asked,
“So what’s the deal with Nate?”

Adelaide
had frowned. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Nothing’s
going on there?” Lila pushed.

“He’s
helping take care of Talia. He seems to be the only one she trusts,” Adelaide
said.

“Anything
wrong with that?”

“I…”
Adelaide hesitated. “You wouldn’t think so. But something seems off.”

“Off
how?” Lila asked.

“I
don’t know. Maybe I’m just a jealous girlfriend.”

Adelaide
picked at the fringe on the blanket, and Lila raised her eyebrows. “You’re more
than a girlfriend. You’re his
te’sorthene
.”

Adelaide
ducked her head. “I know.”

“Have
you talked to Nate yet?”

“And
ask him what exactly?
I
don’t even know what’s wrong.”

“Good
point.” Lila thought for a moment. “Have you checked your relationship?”

Adelaide
gave her sister a harsh scowl. “I don’t do that to Nate.”

Lila
held up her hands. “Okay. But I think you should trust your instincts. If you
think something is wrong, then it probably is.”

Their
conversation had wound down after that. As soon as Adelaide had left, Lila had
knocked right out the moment her head hit the pillow.

What
had woken her though?

She
sat up, her ears straining for any little sound. She heard a slight scuffling
sound just outside her door. Lila threw back the covers, hopped out of bed, and
went to investigate.

She
opened the door just a hair and peeked outside. Nothing.

And
now I’m hearing things.

With
a little shake of her head, Lila closed the door. As she turned back to her
bed, she froze, horrified.

“Hello,
Lila,” Maddox said calmly.

Lila
opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out.

“Griffin!”
she yelled in
her mind, hoping he’d hear her thoughts.

Maddox
just shook his head. “It won’t work,” he said. “You’re not awake.”

I’m
still in the stasis in Maddox’s prison,
was Lila’s first panicked thought. But
she shoved that thought away. Maddox had dream control. He’d used it on Selene
before.

“What
do you want?” she asked.

“You,”
he said simply.

“Why?”

He
tipped his head to the side.

“Why
me?” she clarified.

He
gave her a cold smile. “That’s my concern. But I’ll make a bargain with you. If
you come to me, I won’t harm any of your precious family.”

“I’ve
heard that offer before. When Gideon said the same to Ellie,” Lila said.

“Ah,
yes. That didn’t work out so well for him though. Did it?”

Lila
tried her ability to see the truth, not knowing if it would work in a dream. 
But sure enough, Maddox was glowing with that light that told her he believed
every word.

“No
more Svatura can be harmed if I agree to this,” she said.

He
made a strange noise that reminded Lila of a snake hissing. She shivered.

“You
know I can’t agree to that, Lila. Not all of them are worthy.”

“What
do you mean not worthy?”

He
shrugged. “Few are meant to lead. Most are meant to serve. And some…” He gave
her that cold smile again. “…Some are meant to die.”

Fear
coiled in her belly. The combination of emotion and belief that she could see
tied to those words scared the hell out of her. This was a deeply held
conviction… something Maddox considered the ultimate truth.

“And
your
wolves are the leaders?” she asked. “What about the rest of the
Vyusher?”

“Do
we have an agreement?”

Lila
took a step back. “No.”

Maddox’s
smile became a hard mask of displeasure. Lila wondered if she risked trying to
push him out of the dream. She still wasn’t sure if he could take her away
forcibly in this state. But was her power stronger?

“That’s
not very wise of you,” he said.

“I
don’t know why you want me anyway. I have no powers that could possibly be
worthy enough for you.”

As
she talked, Lila pushed at the edges of the dream with her power. She felt the
world expand and contract just slightly – as if she were trapped in a bubble.
Maddox didn’t seem to notice what she’d done. Lila started gathering that
feeling of strength inside her.

“You
let me worry about what you can bring to the table,” he murmured. “I’ll give
you one last chance. Come to me.”

“You
really need to get a new line,” she retorted. The power continued to grow
inside her, and she could feel the pressure building behind her eyes and in her
hands.

“So
your answer is still no?”

Lila
smirked. “My answer is
hell no
!” And with that she released every ounce
of the force inside her.

She
didn’t know quite what to expect. Everything around her shimmered. For a brief
flash, it looked like the screen of a TV that needed tuning, with all the lines
and colors blurring together. And then everything faded.

Lila
woke and sat straight up with a gasp… and promptly whacked her head right into
Ramsey’s face.

“
Ow
!”

“Oh
my gosh, I’m so sorry!” She reached out to him, but he recoiled.

“Dang
it, Lila. What the heck?” He pulled his hand away to reveal a bloody nose, and Lila
cringed.

“I
said I was sorry. Here.” She pulled some tissues out of the box on her bedside
table and handed them to him. “Tip your head back.”

With
his chin in the air and his hand on his nose, he muttered, “Are you okay?”

“I
hit the back of my head, so I’m fine—”

“No.
Are you okay? Something was wrong. I could feel it.”

“Why?—”
Lila stopped herself. “That darn link,” she mumbled.

“You
might be more grateful. That link saved your life, you know.”

Lila
made a face that he couldn’t see.

“So,”
he continued, “I’ll ask again. Are you okay?”

Lila
briefly considered saying nothing. But even though she wouldn’t go with Maddox,
she also knew she couldn’t stay here now. Not if he was after her.

“Maddox
came to me in a dream,” she admitted.

That
got his attention. Ramsey tipped his head and looked directly at her. “What did
he want?”

“Me.”

A
grim look passed over his face. “Did he say why?”

“Not
really. He offered to let our family live if I went back to him.”

“But
you said no, of course.” Ramsey laid his hand over hers.

“Why?
Would you miss me?” Lila teased, as she eased her hand out from under his and
tried to ignore his intense stare.

“Yes.”

She
glanced away, unsure how to respond. “I’m pretty hard to forget, I guess.”

“Don’t.”
Ramsey took her chin in his fingers and angled her face toward him.

“Don’t
what?”

“You
don’t know what it was like when you went missing. I never want to feel
anything like that again. Don’t joke about being missed. It’s not funny.”

Lila
was about to make another sarcastic comment but stopped when she saw the raw
pain in Ramsey’s eyes. He truly meant what he said.

“I’m
sorry,” she whispered.

Ramsey
let go of her and sat back. “So you’re not going to him.”

“No.
If I were going to do that, I wouldn’t have told you about it first. I’d have
just left.”

Ramsey
chuckled under his breath. “Yeah. I guess you would’ve.”

“I’ll
tell the others in the morning.”

Ramsey
thought for a moment. “I’ll stay with you the rest of the night. We can tell
the others in the morning.”

Lila
hopped off the bed, intending to walk him to the door. “You don’t have to do
that.”

“What
if he comes in a dream again?”

Lila
stopped mid-stride and looked at him. “I pushed him out. I think I can keep him
away now.”

Ramsey
raised his eyebrows. “That dream control is getting pretty strong, I guess.”

“Weird,
huh?” she agreed. “But I think you can leave me alone safely.”

“What
if he shows up here with that teleporter and just takes you?”

Ramsey
made a good point, but having him so close by wouldn’t really help her sleep,
either. She’d found that out just the other night in the tent. But still, he
was right.

“Okay,”
she finally agreed.

Without
another word, she hopped back in the bed and lay down. After what felt like an
eternity, she felt the mattress shift as he crawled over to the other side. The
bed was large enough so they could share it without touching.

Lila
didn’t expect to drift off. But, somehow, having him near gave her the peace
she needed.

A
knock at the door pulled Lila from her reverie. She was in the middle of
packing but was taking her sweet time about it. She’d only just been rescued
from Maddox and reunited with her family, and now she had to leave again.

“Hey,
Lils,” Ellie called from the other side of the door. “Something’s happening.”

Lila
glanced at the clock on the nightstand. Seven in the morning. Almost time to
leave. “Come in,” she called.

“What’s
this?” Ellie asked as she entered.

Lila
shrugged. “I’ll tell you about it later.”

“Okaaayyy.”
Ellie crossed the room and gave her a hug. “I’d love to catch up, but we have a
situation that needs to be dealt with.”

Lila
grimaced as she headed to her closet. “Which, out of the many possible
situations, would that be?”

“The
Vyusher suspect Selene’s relationship with Griffin,” Ellie said quietly.

Lila
froze with her hand on a hanger, her mind spinning with the implications and
ramifications. And with the secret knowledge she harbored.

“We
need you,”
she heard Griffin’s voice in her head.
“If you can make it to the Great Hall
in the next fifteen minutes or so, please come.”

Not
ten minutes later, Lila and Ellie entered the room where it seemed as though
every Vyusher had gathered. She saw Adelaide tucked into the corner, and they
joined her there. They didn’t have to wait too long before Selene arrived,
projecting her icy control and calm. The crowd parted before the Queen as she
made her way to the front. Once all eyes were firmly on Selene, Griffin snuck
in and stood beside Lila. When Selene reached the throne, she turned and
regally sank into the chair.

She
waited for silence. “What is this about?” she asked.

Oren
approached. “My Queen, our people have some questions for you about your
relationship with Griffin Aubrey.”

Lila
glanced at Griffin. His expression was carefully neutral.

Selene
said nothing as a low murmur passed though the gathering. She trained her gaze
on the crowd, slowly moving from person to person. They shifted nervously under
her intense scrutiny.

“Why
was this not brought up through the High Council first?” Selene asked.

“We
wanted to hear directly from our Queen,” a voice called out.

“I
see.” Selene drummed her fingers on the arm of the chair.

Lila
saw no visible signal. But suddenly Griffin moved to stand beside Selene.

Selene
rose gracefully to her feet. “Griffin Aubrey is my
te’sorthene
.” An
audible gasp rushed through the room, but no one spoke. “Because Griffin is not
a wolf, we wanted to wait to determine the best course of action before
informing you. I will do what is best for our people, first and foremost.
Always.”

Lila
looked around the crowd, gauging their reaction to the news. After a heartbeat
of silence, someone yelled, “Only a
wolf
can lead the pack.”

The
crowd erupted into chaotic shouting.

Cries
of, “We’ll never accept him” and “We should never have let those outsiders come
here” sounded throughout the Hall, and Lila cast a wary gaze around the group.

Suddenly
Adelaide gave a little cry. She looked around wildly and then clapped her hands
over her ears.  “Make them stop. Make them stop,” she pleaded and crouched to
the ground.

Lila
dropped to her knees beside her sister. “What’s wrong, Delia? Is someone
hurting you? What is it?”

“The
voices! Make them stop!”

“Griffin,”
Lila called
mentally.
“Can you hear voices in her head?”
She glanced up at the
throne where he was standing next to Selene. Selene gave him a questioning
glance, and Griffin grimaced.

“It
sounds like all the noise of the people in here. I can’t tell if I’m hearing
her thoughts or just the sounds in here,”
he thought back.
“I’m calling
Hugh. Get her out of here. Selene says she’ll try to get this sorted out
quickly.”

Lila
and Ellie each grabbed an arm and dragged Adelaide toward the door. They were
almost there when the angry crowd surged toward the throne, and a few people
turned toward the three girls. But after a few steps, the hostile mob slammed
into some kind of invisible barrier… Griffin had thrown up his shield. Confused
and enraged, the crowd started yelling more loudly, but was unable to penetrate
the protective shield.

Adelaide
sobbed in Lila’s arms. Selene shifted into her wolf form. Hackles raised and
teeth bared, she brought the full weight of the alpha female to bear on her pack.
At the Queen’s silent command, all but a handful of the strongest Vyusher
immediately shifted into their wolf forms, all cowering before her. Just as
suddenly, Selene resumed her human form. She stood silently, her hands folded
neatly before her and waited.

And
Adelaide seemed to calm a little.

When
the group was silent once more, and every eye was trained on her, Selene spoke.

“I
am not my brother. I will never oppress you or make you do anything against
your will. And this pack’s wellbeing is my primary concern. But I am your Queen
and your alpha, and you will respect that. And while we are Vyusher – a wolf
pack – we are also Svatura. Our ability to shift comes from the same place that
Griffin’s telepathy or Hugh’s healing. Skills that have saved us all. And you’d
do well to remember that.
Te’sorthene
is not a gift that should ever be
taken lightly. But understand I will be very open with you.”

Selene
looked around the room, satisfied when most everyone’s gazes humbly lowered.

“In
the interest of that open dialogue,” she continued after a brief pause, “I want
to share with you one other important discovery recently made. Many of you may
know that my parents, the King and Queen, were found alive among those rescued
from Maddox. They are still in a form of stasis. We’ve been unable to revive
them so far. But if and when they awaken, we will determine the appropriate
next steps.”

There
was an excited buzz, and Selene held up her hand for silence.

“I
will rely heavily on the High Council in both of these matters. No actions will
be taken for some time, as our current focus is on the rebuilding and
protection of the Vyusher people. If you have any specific concerns, I
encourage you to address them via your direct Council member. There are other
matters we still have to investigate following our rescue of Maddox’s
prisoners. The High Council and I will be meeting about this over the next few
days.”

With
that, Selene stepped off the raised platform. Lila and Ellie swept Adelaide
away with them. They got to Adelaide’s room and found most of the family
already gathered there. Adelaide started trembling.

 “The
voices,” she groaned.

“I
think everyone needs to leave the room. Now,” Ellie said.

“What’s
going on?” Hugh asked.

“I’ve
seen this before,” Ellie said. “I think I can help her.”

That
was all they needed to know. As the rest of the family filed out of the room,
Lila helped Ellie move Adelaide to a chair and then left as well. The last view
she had was of her sister slumped over with her head in her hands. Ellie knelt
down and placed her hands on either side of Adelaide’s face.

“What’s
going on?” Selene asked as she and Griffin appeared in the hallway.

“Seems
like Adelaide’s developed telepathy,” Griffin replied.

“What?!?!”
Lucy screeched.

Hugh
grabbed his wife’s hand. “How is that possible?”

“I’ve
got a theory on that one,” Lila spoke up. “But I need to talk to Ellie first
and see what she thinks.” She glanced at Ramsey.

 “
Maddox
,”
he mouthed.

She
shook her head, but before she could stop him he said, “Not to add to the
insanity, but we also need to talk about getting Lila out of here. Hiding her
somewhere.”

“What?
Why?” Lucy asked.

Ramsey
levered himself off the wall he’d been leaning against. “Maddox visited her in
her dreams last night. Told her he’d leave us alone if she went back to him.”

“You
know, during the fight, I caught a couple of stray thoughts in Maddox’s forces
that sounded something like that,” Griffin said.

“If
he needs you badly enough, then he’ll come after you again,” Charlotte gasped.

Lila’s
shoulders slumped, but she nodded. If he could take Sheila from the castle so
easily, then no one was safe. “I need to leave today.”

“So
soon,” Lucy protested. “You’ve only just got home.”

Selene
shook her head, “I’m afraid she’s right. Things are moving too fast to give her
time. And she’s in too much danger here if Maddox is trying to get to her.”

Ramsey
looked down at Lila, taking in the stubborn tilt to her chin. “I’m coming with
you,” he said.

“I
don’t need you,” Lila insisted.

He
looked at Selene. “I’m going with her.”

Selene
glanced back and forth between Lila and Ramsey and then cleared her throat.
“All right. Both of you get packed. We’ll figure out where and have Charlotte
take you there as soon as possible.”