“You always loved riding in the valley. You called it the green oasis,” Bethany said, taking in the breathtaking view of the green multi–colored blades of grass which stretched for miles before meeting the end of the forest, where the forest met the mountains.
“Did I?” I asked following her gaze. While in the future, I always thought that this never ending patch of grass looked like a whole bunch of nothing. I had to admit that I did appreciate Bethany’s spin on it.
“Yes, you loved the wide open space, and you always said it opened your mind.”
“Wow, this is incredible. Before today I really didn’t remember ever riding a horse, and now I feel like I’ve been riding all of my life,” I said, choking up.
“You see, patience is all you need. It will all come back. It’s inevitable, and it’s who you are,” Bethany assured.
I cleared my throat, wiping away my tears, and was about to tell Bethany something, but never got the chance when I heard another horse neigh nearby.
We weren’t alone anymore. From behind Old Oak, a familiar young man appeared, saddled on a gorgeous golden Palomino mare that had a striking ivory mane and tail. It was Lucas. I was stunned by his presence. Lucas was back from the dead and sidled right up to us. I suddenly got a flashback of him slamming into the marble bar in his parlor. I shook off the mental picture of his dead face. In person, Lucas was huge. He had a massive chest and his arms looked like they were going to bust out of his shirt.
“Well look at who we have here.” He eyed Bethany first, and then stared me down as if I was a succulent ribeye steak. Bethany reacted immediately.
“Shouldn’t you be dead?” She asked, with an icy smirk on her face.
“With so much left undone? I’m here to stay.” Lucas said, in a husky drawl.”
“Get on your horse, Delia,” Bethany said, calmly. “What do you want, Lucas?”
“Why is it that you always assume that I want something?”
“Because you always do. So – ”Bethany prodded.
“Is this the Divine one? Why yes, it is. Did you know that the leader of the vampire clan’s wife was torched last night? ” Lucas asked, never taking his eyes off me. I tried like hell to mount Gypsy but the second the words ‘vampire’ left his mouth, I seemed to have forgotten how to.
“Are you now the town gossip, Lucas? What do vampires have to do with us?”
“Hmm… I was wondering if the Divine One would like to accompany me tonight. It seems that she is a bit of a night owl like myself.” He said, as he dismounted his horse, and strode confidently in my direction.
Oh no! How does he know?
“Keep your distance Lucas or I’ll kill you myself.” Bethany threatened. Lucas stopped walking, and stood a couple yards away. “I’ll even keep your heart as a trophy.”
A low growl left Lucas’ lips as his eyes went from hazel to bright yellow. Huge fangs appeared in his mouth. My eyes automatically went to his hands that now had curled claws.
“Not so fast you brute.”
As his face stretched and made a painful, ghastly, grimace, Lucas knelt down in slow motion, and his body elongated grotesquely with limbs extending into hind legs and paws. His clothes disappeared into a shiny black coat of fur. The huge black panther’s eyes were bright yellow and a louder growl tumbled out of his mouth revealing even longer fangs long and glistening whiskers.
“What the fu – ” I had forgotten that Lucas was a shapeshifter, a werepanther.
“Cordelia, get on the horse now!” Bethany hissed cutting me off as the panther went into a pouncing position.
I stuck my foot in the stirrup and finally mounted Gypsy just as another, slightly smaller panther glided out from behind Old Oak. The second panther stood before us as if we were trespassing on her territory.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” My voice shook with acute fear.
The second panther’s piercing and blood curdling growl seemed louder than Lucas’. I was as stiff as a stone, staring at its huge long fangs and fluorescent yellow eyes. I needed to be away from here and these panthers this very second.
How the hell were we going to get out of this alive?
I knew after watching the large feline’s chase down zebras on the Discovery Channel that there was absolutely no way, our horses could out run either of these cats.
The smaller eased closer, and then got into a pouncing stance. Gypsy began to get agitated. I could sense her fear, as I bounced around on her.
“Please be still girl. Please.” I said. I didn’t want either of us to get mauled to death by these panthers.
I watched Bethany as she inched toward the two felines. The smaller one leapt into the air as Bethany smacked it away. Gypsy neighed, kicking her front hooves into the air and then all hell broke loose.
“Calm down girl, calm down.” I screamed, as I couldn’t believe my eyes. The larger panther was already in the air, and had knocked Bethany down. It stood on top of her, and I never felt so helpless in all of my life, as I watched Bethany brace herself before being eaten alive by this enormous feline.
But that’s not what was happening. Bethany was talking to it, and all of a sudden, it was like the hands of the clock turned counter clock wise. The large panther transformed back into Lucas. Lucas’ huge muscular frame lay naked on top of Bethany for a split second before she pushed him off of her. He lay still on the grass, and began snoring as if he were in a deep sleep.
Bethany was about to get up when I saw the smaller panther leap towards me.
“Bethany!” I shouted, throwing my arms up as Gypsy instinctively kicked up her front legs. The panther growled fiercely in midair, as Bethany moved with the speed of light and snatched it by the back of its neck. The cat looked the way a kitten looked being held by the neck by its mother. The feline fought to break free.
“Is that all you’ve got Sacha?” Bethany asked, and then just let the panther go.
Sacha? Of course. Lucas’ twin sister.
Sacha, or the panther rather, roared, and pounced again and this time Bethany stopped her with her hand. It was unbelievable. It was as if the panther was frozen in the air. Gypsy whinnied again, and distracted me, but only for a second. I watched as Bethany lowered the panther to the ground. Then Bethany did the strangest thing – courageous as hell, and bent down until she was face to face with the roaring panther.
“Oh my God!” I couldn’t believe what I was witnessing.
Bethany looked into the glowing yellow eyes of the black feline and spoke to it as she had done to the larger one. I heard her say something that sounded like, “You will go sleep now. You are extremely tired.” I’m not sure of what else Bethany said because she was practically whispering.
Even before Bethany was done talking, the transformation was complete from a stealthy black panther into a beautiful young woman with long spiraling brownish reddish hair. She was naked as she knelt on all fours. Her skin tone was as tan as Lucas’ and her eyes had reverted back to their natural hazel.
Bethany stood up, turned around, and walked toward me. Her expression was blank. She mounted Topaz, and all the while, I watched intently as Sacha sauntered over to Lucas, with her eyes practically closed, and lay next to him. She was snoring softly within a few seconds.
“We have to get back to the house now. Let’s go.” Bethany said, snapping me to attention. It was then that I noticed the red stained slits in the sleeves of her cream colored blouse. She followed my eyes, and it was obvious that she hadn’t noticed the scars which the panther had inflicted. Her blood had stained the fabric, but as Bethany peered through the slashed material, whatever scratches she had endured were long gone. “I’m fine. Let’s go.”
Ok,” I said, profoundly shocked by the entire encounter, and how Bethany handled it. “But how did you stop them from attacking us? What did you do to them?” I asked anxiously.
“Not now Cordelia, we have only a few minutes, or so before the duo wakes up and remembers what just happened. You first,” Bethany said, motioning for me to ride ahead of her.
“Full speed, Delia,” she commanded.
We headed back to the stables. I pushed Gypsy as much as I could, and was impressed with her speed. Bethany rode behind me as if blocking any chance of another attack by the twins. Once Night Wind took the horses into the barn, and we were back in Bethany’s house I attacked Bethany with questions.
“Are you going to tell me what you did to Lucas and Sacha?” Why did they fall asleep like that? How did you make them change back?” I asked hovering behind her.
“I changed their thinking, they became tired, and all they wanted to do was sleep.”
“You mean you Glamoured them.”
By now, Bethany was heading up the stairs. She stopped in mid step, and turned around. A sparkling bold smile spread across her face. “You remember.
Oh Delia, that’s wonderful!” Bethany exclaimed, and literally flew down the stairs in a matter of a second.
“What’s all the commotion about?” Neither Bethany nor I heard Nikolas come into the foyer. “Do tell”
“Cordelia is getting her memory back! Isn’t that just wonderful?” Bethany spoke as if the air had been drained from her lungs.
“Superb. Of course that’s wonderful. How did it happen?” Nikolas asked, and then noticed the slashes in Bethany’s sleeves. His face became pallid as his eyes narrowed. “What happened to you? What did that to you, Beth?”
“Oh that?” Bethany said, shrugging of the seriousness of being attacked by not one, but two ferocious panthers in the middle of the valley.
“Yes that.” Nikolas mimicked Bethany’s high pitched voice. I tried not to laugh. For some reason I thought Nikolas’ reaction was hysterical. It could be because I found being alive right now to hear Bethany tell the story, and not being brutally mauled by a panther exhilarating.
“It’s nothing to worry about Niko,” Bethany said. “We stopped for a quick break after riding up to Old Oak, and were met by Sacha and Lucas.”
“Lucas is alive?”
“Yes, very much. Lucas shifted into a panther, and Sacha followed suit,” Bethany said. “They’re taking a cat nap.” Bethany giggled. I wanted to laugh too, but held my joy.
Just then I Evan entered the foyer from down the hall. His eyes locked with mine, and I had to turn away. Those blue eyes were so intense.
“Unfortunately, not before they had a chance to do this.” Evan said, standing beside Bethany, and rubbing a small portion of the ripped fabric between his fingers. Evan had his eyes on me the entire time.
“It was amazing,” I said. “The way Lucas and Sacha shifted into panthers, and the way Bethany fought them off. She was incredible. My hero.” I said, smiling at Bethany.
“Stop it, Delia,” Bethany said, with a serious edge to her tone. I stopped smiling immediately.
“It’s much too soon for Cordelia to take morning rides through the valley. Who allowed it?” Evan asked Bethany in a condescending tone.
“No one allowed it. I just thought that –”
“It wasn’t a good idea Beth,” Evan said, silencing her. “Cordelia could have been killed, and so could you.”
“I Glamoured them, and I handled the situation, Evan. She was safe the entire time.” Bethany said, nervously. Her hands were shaking.
“Evan, Lucas is –” Nikolas chimed in. His voice was serious.
“Alive. I heard.” Evan nodded. “Lucas’ rebirth means only one thing, that Victor taught Sacha well.”
“What do you mean?” Nikolas and Bethany said, in unison. I didn’t understand what he meant either. None of us heard, or saw Thaddeus descending the long staircase until he spoke.
“What Evander means is, Sacha retrieved Lucas’ heart before it burned, and Victor has gained the power to resurrect a soul. He will be unstoppable soon.” Thaddeus said, in an even, yet bitter tone. When he spoke the last part about Victor being unstoppable, he was glaring at me.
Both Bethany and I went to our rooms to change out of our riding habits, and into our daytime dresses. I decided to lounge for a while in my tub. The temperature of the water was just warm enough to put you to sleep. Sun Paw quickly gathered my riding garments, and laid out what I had chosen to wear this afternoon. It was hard to believe that I was starting to remember. Real memories. The ride with Gypsy was proof of that, not the part about knowing about Bethany Glamouring Lucas and Sacha. That I had learned from the journals.
I wondered though, how Lucas knew about me killing that Apolluon vampiress – the head Apolluon vampire’s wife. Does Bethany know too? I doubt it, or she definitely would have said something to me, or Evan about it downstairs. Killing a vampire can’t be that bad. One less vampire means a much safer night for someone. And if I hadn’t gone to my house, then I would’ve never known about the journals. I also would have been clueless to the nifty trick Bethany pulled on Lucas and Sacha. Glamouring them was ingenious, and it had saved our lives.
I tried like hell to shut the idea of killing out of my mind. The water was very relaxing but I still couldn’t extinguish the horrendous thoughts from my psyche. I closed my eyes for a moment, and they emerged, the perfect pale faces and blood stained fangs of the Apolluon vampires, thirsty and more seductive then the glowing yellow eyes of the panthers. My eyes couldn’t have been shut for thirty seconds when I was startled by light knocking on the bathroom door.
“Crap!” I hissed.
“Miss Cordelia, breakfast will be served soon,” Sun Paw said, through the door.
“I’ll be right out,” I said, standing up, and grabbing my silk robe. I had been careful not to get my hair wet. If I had, I would miss breakfast entirely by trying to get it dry enough to style into a suitable bun. I wasn’t sure if wearing my hair loose was an option these days. Standing in front of my full length mirror, after Sun Paw finished helping me dress, permitted me to truly see the beauty of my lavender gingham dress. I’d still rather be wearing a pair of my comfy jeans, but I had to admit that I couldn’t get passed how elegant and demure I seemed. I found it strange that it was my own reflection.
Was this really me? I still felt so out of place.
The bustle was ridiculous and made my ass look beyond enormous, but it was the fashion of the day. No girl of my stature in this rural high society life, would ever be caught dead sporting a skirt without one. It would be a real Victorian faux pas. For a brief moment, I wondered what my mom; the one who wouldn’t know me now if she ran into me on the main street, would think if she saw me dressed like this. She would’ve probably thought that I was performing in one of the ‘Living Legend’ parades for the tourists on the weekends. I fought the urge to cry. I missed her.