Fall of kNight (10 page)

Daniel‟s eyes peered past me. The twinkle in his eyes, followed by the twitch of his lips let me know she was headed our way. I buried my head against his chest. For the love of Fate, could I at least have a break today?

“Julie!” the old crow screeched.

“Nevermore! Nevermore!” I cried into his chest. This seemed like the appropriate thing to say at this damned gathering.

Daniel chuckled softly, leaning his head closer to my ear. “Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!' Quote the raven, `Nevermore„.”

Tears formed in my eyes as my body trembled with laughter. It would take Daniel to come up with a quote from Edgar Allen Poe to make the night complete. I turned around, watery eyes and all to face the raven rapping at my door.

“Hello Aunt Doris.” I lifted a finger to my watery eyes, taking note of the confused look on my Aunt‟s face.

“Doris!” Daniel spoke out in delight. “How are you, my lovely dear?” He reached past me to hug the old bat.

Aunt Doris staggered a bit before she reached her clawed feet toward Daniel for a hug. Uncle Dave reached around to give me a warm embrace when we noticed Aunt Doris wavering as Daniel stood her back on her feet. Daniel‟s eyes twinkled brightly.

The humor in it all had given new hope for the night.

“Oh Julie! I‟m so excited for you. I …” She immediately reached down to my hand to look at the ring again. “Now you two must work on having children. Julie, it is better to have them while you‟re young, you know.” She croaked, patting my hand.

“We haven‟t discussed children Aunt Doris.” I managed to strain out.

“You know, I was wondering,” Daniel‟s lips twitched. “Aunt Doris, what would you suggest would be the quickest way possible to impregnate Julie?”

I watched the woman as her eyebrows rose, her eyes widened and her mouth opened.

“Well…” She was not going to lose this battle.

“See I was thinking, if I put Julie on top and then grabbed her hips at the right moment…” Daniel rambled out.

The words were not nearly as funny as Daniel giving a visual of his idea.

Somewhere in the back of my sick and tormented mind I did find it a bit funny. The humor in his eyes was more than what I thought the old gargoyle could stand. I think she had a pretty good idea Daniel was not going to stand for her insolence any more than I did. She needed a taste of her own brew, and Daniel was the one to give it to her.

“I think there‟s a book or something you might want to read…Dave? DAVE!” She briskly turned around as a red glow danced on her checks.

Uncle Dave covered his mouth with his hand, his eyes danced with humor. He gave a gentlemanly cough, and then cleared his throat. Turning quietly, Uncle Dave gave me a quizzical grin as he was abruptly drug away by my embarrassed Aunt.

“Excuse me.” A deep voice announced behind us. Daniel and I turned around and noticed Thomas.

“The Council has sent over The Assembly to help you out with these Dark Wolves.”

Thomas turned the glass to his lips. “Any idea of who these rebels are?”

Daniel shook his head. “No. I hope we will find out soon.”

Thomas continued. “I heard from a neighboring clan that they‟ve already moved into this area. Daniel, I am afraid they are closer to home than I like. They have converted a few more clans, turning them against the Council with their lies. They are saying the Council is not the true Order of the Lycans. Also, there are rumors building that the Lycans have turned away from the old ways and have concealed the truth of the old ways.”

“Old ways? We have always lived by a strict code. Who are these wolves to challenge our beliefs? If they had the true hearts of the Lycans, they would not commit murders against their brethren.” Daniel took a sip from his glass.

“Daniel, be careful. There is much talk of warmongering among the clans.” His eyes darted around the room, as if searching for someone.

Daniel„s eyes narrowed. “What are you saying? Are you implying the Council is wrong?”

“What I am saying
is
that you should be careful. These Dark Wolves are very strong and dangerous.”

“Do you think they would actually attack us?” It appeared Thomas knew a bit more about these rebels than Daniel and I expected.

Thomas gave me a nod. “I believe they will not stop until they‟ve brought the Council down.”

“It sounds like they want absolute power.” I stated as I turned toward Daniel.

Daniel‟s gaze fell upon me, considering my words, he nodded. “We‟ll be careful.”

Daniel‟s arm slid around my waist as he placed a tender kiss on the top of my head.

“Excuse me Daniel, I will be right back.” Thomas darted off to the other side of the room.

The Dark Wolves were a new problem we really didn‟t need at this point. And the question remained unanswered; where did they come from? The thought of them killing their brethren upset me. They were a pack forming rapidly against the Council. It appeared for the moment, we had more than our share of worries. The list was growing with the threat of being hunted by werewolves, seductive vampires in our midst, and now Dark Wolves attacking us. There was no wonder why Daniel was stressed these last few days. I didn‟t know what to do to help him. One thing I could do, stay away from Richard. Daniel had enough worries. Eliminating the fear of being attacked by a vampire would help.

A slight touch on my shoulder and I jumped. It was Thomas. There was a very thickly built blond man standing beside him. I was caught off guard by his size. He was around the same height as Daniel, around six-four with a heavily pronounced chiseled facial structure. The squared jaw clenched as his eyes fell upon me. Daniel turned and instinctively took a step in front of me. I watched carefully as the blue eyes of this stranger sized me up. Daniel‟s spine stiffened as he noticed the stranger‟s interest.

“Daniel, I would like to introduce you to Holt Tanner. Holt will be your second in command. He is with the Assembly.” Thomas turned to the blond man. “Holt, this is Daniel, my son, and his fiancée, Julie Knight. They are to be married in a couple of weeks.”

Holt stepped forward and offered his hand to me. “Julie, it is nice to meet you.

We‟ve heard wonderful things about you, even in my part of the country.”

I reached around Daniel and took Holt‟s hand. “And what part of the country would that be?”

“Washington State.” His attention immediately went to Daniel. “Your news also has traveled very far. I hear your research has been ground breaking.”

“Well, I do my best.” Daniel replied as he shook the man‟s hand.

Thomas cleared his throat. “Holt has been informed of the situation with the werewolves and these Dark Wolves. We are ready to begin cleaning house when you are. I would like to discuss the plan of action with you.”

“Of course.” Daniel turned to me. “Julie could you…”

I nodded. My feelings were kept intact. I knew it was a man thing. Politely, I excused myself to allow the men their privacy as I mingled through the crowd. My stomach growled, which told me it was time I had something to eat. I inhaled the scents in the room. It was good to be a Lycan. Every scent of food in the room was clearly identified. I nodded for a server, who apparently had a nice tray of tiny meat sandwiches. She arrived and held the tray for me as I greedily grabbed two of the tiny sandwiches, and popped one at a time in my mouth. I was starving. I hoped Daniel didn‟t stay too long tonight. The expensive finger food wasn‟t going to stop the hunger pangs that were overwhelming me. I wanted meat, lots of meat. Real meat. A plate full of meat. Mouthwatering meat. My stomach growled loudly again. I turned and grabbed another appetizer from the next waitress who passed by.

As I was taking a sip of my champagne, Daniel‟s warm hand touched the small of my back as he handed me one of those finger sandwiches.

“I could hear your stomach from across the room. If you are ready, we can leave if you want.”

“Daniel, I need some real food. I‟m starving.” I pressed my hand on my stomach as it loudly growled again.

“I know you are. We should get you home before that thing jumps out and grabs someone.” He chuckled softly.

At this point, a small animal might do. Daniel and I both raised our eyebrows as the thought crossed my mind.

“Oh, no you don‟t! I have plans tonight and you are going to be a good little wolf girl. We have plenty of meat in the house to keep you busy. I think I stocked the freezer with half of a cow last week.” He mused.

I laughed out loud as Daniel led me back through the crowd. We chatted briefly, saying our hellos and goodbyes. My stomach remained silent for a few moments until we made it to the front door. Another growl erupted so loudly the butler gave me a curious look. Daniel took advantage of the moment to inform him that I may have him for dinner, if he didn‟t find our coats in a hurry. I think Daniel must have scared the poor man to death, because he was back within a few seconds with our coats.

On the way back to our house, Daniel explained to me that I was to stay home tonight. Holt was going to be my guard dog until Daniel returned from the run with the Assembly. I wasn‟t sure I like the idea of having a guard dog. Daniel didn‟t want to take any unnecessary chances that Richard would return when he wasn‟t there.

After Daniel dropped me off, I noticed another car pulling up behind us. It was Holt. Great, a guard dog that drove a blue BMW. Nice car, I admired. It was one of those new sportier models with all the sensor controls. At least he wasn‟t going to stay inside the house with me.

Daniel walked me to the front door, and gave me a quick kiss. “I won‟t be gone long. Lock the doors. Holt will be outside. You should be safe.”

“Daniel, does he know what he‟s protecting me from?” I asked softly, peering past his shoulder as the stout man stepped out of his fancy new sports car.

Daniel turned back to look at him. “Yes. He has had a few run-ins with vampires.

He knows how to kill them.”

“Kill them!” I shot out.

Daniel turned to me. “I am just kidding, Julie. Besides he is the best protection I can provide to you while I am out there in the middle of a bunch of werewolves. Please just do not worry.”

My disapproval was met by another kiss as I entered the house. Daniel waited until I locked the door before he turned around and headed back to his car. I set the alarm and headed to the kitchen.

After stuffing myself with everything I could get my hands on, I was finally full.

My stomach was quiet and happy. Well, for a few minutes anyway. I placed my hand on my chest. The tight feeling of gas welled inside threatening to erupt. I pounded my chest for relief as the bubble of gas escaped through my mouth. My eyebrows rose. What a manly belch. I hurried up the stairs to take something, and then retire to bed. I felt like an overstuffed turkey at this point. Just like the wolf I was, a full stomach and I was already beginning to feel the effects of sleep taking over me.

After preparing myself for bed, I slipped under the covers and fluffed my pillow.

Sleep would come on swift wings. I knew Daniel would be fine with a group of Lycans at his side. I, on the other hand, felt somewhat safe with Holt on duty. My eyes closed as I drifted away on the soft pillows.

Where the dream began, I don‟t know. My surroundings told me I was in a thick wooded area. The full moon brilliantly illuminated the darkness of the forest. I was in my wolf form, moving through the woods. The smell of water was in the air. I moved cautiously toward the smell. The sound of the water trailed in the night as I listened intently.

The smell of the water drew a thirst inside of me. The river was just ahead. I licked my tongue over my lips, anticipating the taste of the cool river water. Only a few feet away from me, I could hear it. I moved along side of the stream. There it was. Cool and refreshing. I peered over into the running water. The reflection of the moon danced on the surface. The sound of the gentle flowing river moved slowly down stream. Then there was the wolf. I moved back suddenly, startled as the wolf moved back as well. It was right behind me. I turned. No one.

I turned back again and peered into the water. There it was again. I realized it was my own reflection in the water, the shadowy reflection of a black wolf. Its large size and dainty head watched me cautiously. The ears of the wolf perked forward as I watched with curiosity. Almost in a playful way, my ears flickered as I let out a small laugh. The laugh came out as a small bark. Yes, this was me. I leaned closer and lapped generously, allowing the coolness of the water to flow over my tongue. My eyes closed tightly as I drank my fill, attempting to cool my thirst. But the cool water didn‟t quench the burning in the back of my throat.

A twig cracked in the distance. I jumped. The remaining water ran down the sides of my jowls as I stood in a frozen state. I held my breath and listened, focusing my hearing to determine the direction of the sound; another sound of leaves rustling in the distance. My attention snapped to the right of me. Whatever it was, it was moving slowly. I lifted my head in the air and inhaled a quick breath. Hundreds of woodland scents encumbered me, exhilarating my senses all at once. The strong scent of another animal caught my attention. I couldn‟t determine whether it was friend or foe. The smell was not recognizable. Another crackling noise, and I jumped again. The sound was closer than before.

The thick green brush moved. The foliage parted slowly as another wolf pushed its way through the thick brush. It was a black wolf. Its yellow eyes locked onto me. The scent was strong and woodsy. I sniffed the air again, the strong smell of spicy male musk tingled my nostrils. Immediately, I knew it was an Alpha male. He lowered his head as he moved slowly toward me. I took a step back. The natural instinct to lie down and expose my bare belly swept over me. The thought soon changed as a growl erupted from his chest. Before I had a chance to return the growl, the wolf bolted forward in a run. Every muscle tightened in his body, flexing as it galloped toward me at full speed. I couldn‟t move fast enough. My eyes widened as his body leaped into the air. My chest dropped to the ground, preparing for his pounce when his body flew over mine. A loud thud, then growls and snarls erupted loudly behind me.