Imminence (13 page)

Marie’s mind was filled with the warmth emanating from the men surrounding her. Even though she couldn’t hear their thoughts, she got a share of them through Tiamhaidh’s mind. The men were rejoicing over her. How strange, Marie thought. At first she had been a captive, roughed up and forced to lie in a small storage room, and now she was part of the pack. How easily things had changed. Marie looked at the joyful men and smiled radiantly.

Tiamhaidh had never experienced anything this amazing. For once he, the shunned one, had found something valuable. He looked at Marie and saw the wonder in her eyes. How could he make this moment last forever? Marie was still so young and vulnerable. She couldn’t choose a wolf over human boys. How could he bear it if she didn’t want him? He would no longer want to live. He would go back to Senja and ask for permission to set his life aside. “Stop that!” Marie commanded as she invaded his mind. “Haven’t you wallowed in self-pity for long enough?”

Tiamhaidh glared at Marie, but she only turned to press a gentle kiss onto his mouth. Tiamhaidh was completely flabbergasted and this goaded the other men into raucous laughter. Suddenly the door banged open and Simon and Ciall stood in the doorway looking befuddled. Simon held a brown paper bag in his hand and stared at the others open-mouthed.

“May I present – Simon, the one staring at us with his mouth hanging open and that stripling of a boy next to him, Ciall,” Tiamhaidh presented in official tones.

After the whole situation had been explained to Simon and Ciall, they came abashedly to Marie. Simon stared at his shoes and handed her the paper bag. Marie took it, thanking him. Ciall grinned a tad bashfully and then surprised them by flinging his arms around Marie’s neck.

Six men at once offered her their mobile phones, but an enraged look from Tiamhaidh made them suddenly put them back into their pockets. Marie took Tiamhaidh’s phone, but before she had typed in the number, a furious howl rose from the yard.

“Gunward,” the men cried in unison.

“Marie, stay behind me,” Tiamhaidh said sternly. Marie moved behind him but could not help peering at the door from behind his broad back.

“Who is Gunward?”

“I’ll explain later. Please let me handle this.” Marie pouted and made sure the image of her sulking was transmitted to Tiamhaidh’s mind.

Two large, dark men filled the doorway. Marie gasped with fright. She had never seen anything as fearsome. The elder man’s golden brown eyes gleamed murderously and the younger man in his black leather clothes and longish, black hair seemed to have risen straight from the depths of the earth. The men glared sternly at the ones inside and Marie sensed the newcomers shouting at the other men in their minds. Everyone except Tiamhaidh had backed off and hung their heads as a sign of submission. Tiamhaidh, however, met the older man’s eyes without flinching.

This man was clearly the leader of the pack. Everything about him indicated danger and power. No one with their full faculties would ever have thought of challenging this man. Tiamhaidh, held his gaze and Marie sensed the man’s awareness slowly sweep Tiamhaidh’s mind. Abruptly his surprised stare moved to Marie and he muttered something to himself, then resumed his probing of Tiam’s mind. At the same time the younger man sowed terror into the minds of the other men. He filled their minds with the imagery of what Gunward would do to them once he was done with Tiamhaidh. He gorged on gory details and even though Marie could see how terrified the men were, she felt no fear, only curiosity.

“Get out of here!” Gunward yelled. “Everyone out except Tiam!”

The men slipped out of the door, heads bowed in submission. Everyone knew what was coming. Gunward had always been a just leader, but now the pack had stuck a knife into his back by defying his direct order. Before he had left, he had explicitly told all the young men to leave Sofia’s family alone, and they had disobeyed. Gunward had every right to punish them. They all knew that obeying the alpha was essential to the entire pack’s survival and that disobedience would be rewarded with the hardest possible punishment. Marie slipped away to observe the situation through the window and Tiamhaidh moved behind her.

Marie watched in silence as Gunward forced the youngsters to kneel on the ground. Then he went to each of them in turn and seized hold of their heads, staring directly into their souls with his baleful eyes. Adam stood farther off with two other men, conversing quietly. From time to time their gazes swept the window where Marie stood. She felt an odd sense of familiarity with these men, and recognized Tiam’s bafflement.

“Who are they?” Marie asked, pointing at the men.

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen them before, but obviously they belong in Gunward’s pack. Maybe they, like me, have been called to strengthen the pack.”

“There’s something familiar about them. Strange, isn’t it? I could swear I’ve never seen them before,” Marie wondered but try as she did to tear her eyes off the men, she found her gaze always returning to the direction where the men stood.

A sudden loud crash shook Marie out of her reflections. She pressed her face against the glass and felt Tiamhaidh tighten his hold around her waist. Matt was lying on the ground, holding his head. The other men had fled farther away, terrified. Gunward stood in front of Matt, seeming huge. Matt was not a small man, but Gunward was nearly two meters tall and his furious countenance was so threatening that Matt had shrunk to a small crouching heap that seemed to tremble. The wind shook Gunward’s dark hair and his narrowed eyes seemed to flame. He lifted his fist and struck Matt in the face. Matt made no move to defend himself; he only moaned quietly. Gunward lifted his fist again, preparing for another blow.

“We have to do something,” Marie whispered. Tiamhaidh quietly shook his head.

“There’s no way we can stop this. I’m sorry.”

A scream of pain rent the air. Matt sounded like a dying animal. Marie could no longer watch. She tore herself from Tiamhaidh’s hold and ran outside. She placed herself between the crumbled form of Matt and the raging Gunward, and met Gunward’s eyes defiantly.

“Stop it,” she told him implacably. “Stop it at once! Don’t you see how he’s suffering?”

Tiamhaidh ran to Marie and looked apologetically at Gunward. Gunward nodded surreptitiously at Tiam and he took a step away from Marie. Gunward looked inquisitively at Marie.

Marie stayed silent. The two strange men had surreptitiously moved closer to her, but she had not noticed. Gunward fixed his smoldering eyes back on Matt and he started moaning again.

“It’s my right to decide his punishment,” Marie said quietly. “He abducted me, roughed me up and locked me into a dark closet, so I have the right to decide how he’s to be punished.”

Marie’s mouth dropped open. How was this possible? Her mother had no brothers. She did not have any uncles, at least not until today. Tiamhaidh leapt to her side and stared sternly at the newcomers. He opened his mind and touched the other men’s thoughts lightly. Marie shared what he sensed and her eyes widened with amazement.

The men remained silent. Obviously Sofia had not told her family the truth. This was a new twist. None of the young males had known that Sofia had brothers who were strong shape shifters. They were clearly much older than the other males of the pack. Tiamhaidh saw the distress in Marie’s eyes and decided to help the girl. Gently, he took Marie’s hand in his and kissed it. Marie turned her teary eyes to Tiamhaidh. Tiam opened his mind fully to her and taught her to explore all his hidden memories. All the information he had concerning Sofia. Marie shook her head in disbelief.

“No!” she cried.

“No! What am I, then? Now I understand why they all think I’m a shape shifter. But you’re wrong! My mom is human, do you hear? She’s human!” Marie shouted hysterically.

Tiam pulled Marie gently into his arms and rocked the sobbing girl comfortingly. He fixed Gunward a look of reproach.

“Couldn’t this have waited?”

“She’s had to go through all too much. This has to stop now,” Tiamhaidh said. Gunward glanced at Matt, who was lying on the ground, and shook his head.

“No, Tiamhaidh, This isn’t over yet.”

“Mathanan, get up,” Gunward commanded. Matt clambered fearfully up off the ground. He knew nothing could save him.

“I banish you from the pack. You are no longer welcome in shape shifter territory. Not in Senja, not in Sarek.” Gunward threw an indifferent but implacable glance at Mathanan, who was trembling with fear.

“You may not approach other shape shifters before I give you permission. And I don’t want to see you hanging about in the vicinity of our pack. You will be completely alone, but remember that you brought this upon yourself and your punishment could have been much worse,” Gunward thundered.

Matt stared at Gunward, eyes wide with horror. He opened his mouth to speak, but Gunward silenced him at once. His implacable gaze gave Matt no opportunity to negotiate. He knew the decision had been a just one, but it terrified him none the less. He would have to wander alone for years, outcast. It might be several years until Gunward released him, if ever. He had known the risks when he’d made the decision to attack Sofia’s family, but as the attack had not been directed at Sofia herself, he had hoped Gunward would not care. Marie was only a little girl after all. Now, of course, the situation had changed. Now Marie was Tiamhaidh’s chosen one and thus one of the pack, and Matt would never do anything to harm the girl. It was too late for regrets, though. What had been done could not be undone.

The males were shocked. Gunward would never allow Matt to rejoin the pack. Matt had attacked Sofia’s family and Sofia was Gunward's soul mate. Matt nodded and slowly backed off towards the field just visible behind the yard. Gunward’s gaze followed the departing Matt and he was clearly satisfied with his decision.

Gavin and Daniel put their hands on Gunward’s shoulders, but he shook them off. Gunward turned his intimidatingly flaming eyes to Marie.

“Very well! For Sofia’s sake. How would you alter the decision?” Gunward sniffed.

“I don’t know,” Marie said. “Give me a moment to consider this.”

“You’ll have exactly five minutes. After that I will want this over and done with. My decision will stand and Mathanan will leave.” Gunward clearly had to restrain his anger. Had Marie not been Sofia's daughter, he would have thrust her out of his way and ignored her request completely.