Bloodmark (6 page)

We drove in silence. I was thankful for the warmth of his jacket, but I didn’t trust him. I still had no idea where we were or where we were going, but I let the rhythm of the bike soothe my mind as I watched the world whip by. There was nothing but the ocean and grass as far as I could see, and the occasional outcrop of limestone and cattle pastures.

I allowed my mind to let go and just be there. I would have to bury the pain deep to forget, if I were to survive this. I knew someday I would have to deal with these feelings, but right now, I was content burying them. My mind and body were numb.

5

Broken

We entered a small coastal village on the eastern side of Ireland
. It was more rustic than modern in appearance—livestock-filled streets were a way of life here. It reminded me of home, and I hoped he would leave me here. I could live among these quiet people, protect their village, and find my purpose. The bike slowly crept down the dirt streets, the livestock scattering out of the way and turning to look at us.

A small Irish man with wide-set shoulders and drab hair was staring at me. I wondered what he was thinking from the vast expressions that twisted his face. Mostly it looked like concern.

From far away, a deep howl echoed through the sky, but it was close enough to even make the stranger in front of me sit straighter on the bike. The eerie sound made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end—it was Adomnan hunting me.

“Hang on,” he said, “they’re coming for you.” I wrapped my arms around his body and buried my face into his back. Another howl answered the first call, and the people began to scramble back into their homes, gathering their children and as many animals as they could. I smelled their fear, and it called to my soul to protect them.

On the other side of the village, we reached a cliff, and the ocean came into view. The bike leapt forward in a thunderous jolt, and we slid down the side of the cliff toward water. His leg scraped the ground, and he fought to keep control of the bike. The howls were closer now, and I felt my pulse pounding in my ears. I was certain they were already in the village searching for us. The bike ripped up rock in a storm behind us.

“Willem!” he called to a man at a dock. Willem, whomever he was, frantically started untying the ferry and barking out commands to two dockworkers. When I caught his scent on the wind, I was certain he was a wolf too.

We neared the dock, but seven large wolves erased the earth between us. They saw me and howled as the pack closed in on me, their prey. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the fierce rage in Adomnan’s green eyes.

“Cast off!”

“Bloody hell, hurry!” Willem said.

The ferry engines gurgled to life, sending bubbles to the murky surface as it started moving farther away from shore. We weren’t going to make it in time. I was frozen stiff with fear and adrenaline.

“Let them take me,” I said. “Save yourself.”

I hung my head with acceptance of what was to become of me, but I made the right decision. No one should die for me; he owed me nothing.

He laughed so hard, he shook the bike and me with it. He caught me by surprise; I didn’t even know what to say. Was he straight-up crazy? Just what I needed—to be traded by my own father to an insane old man to save me from Adomnan. I wasn’t certain whom of the three I trusted more.

“I don’t give up that easily,” he replied.

The ferry was at least fifty feet out in the water now. Willem looked as panicked as I felt. The two humans with him were revving the engine. What was my captor thinking? This was insanity. We would hit the water and drown or have to swim back to shore to them. I shuddered at the thought. Both options seemed rather bleak to me.

“Please—don’t die for me.”

He laughed again. “I don’t plan to,” he said.

He hit the throttle, and we sped down the wooden dock toward the water. We drove up a ramp and soared into the air. We floated between earth and sky for what seemed like an eternity. The wolves howled and pawed the dock just moments behind us as we barely landed on the ferry, cracking the boards under the bike’s weight. We slid across the deck, and I lost my grip, slipping off the bike, cracking my arm into the metal rail. I cried out in pain as the bike came to a stop. The pain vibrated through my bones. He was next to me in a moment, looking at my arm, mumbling again. I couldn’t make out a bloody thing he said.

The humans were stunned with fear staring at us, but they quickly resumed their work. I watched the wolves as they grew smaller in the distance. This was the second time I had gotten away from Adomnan. The pain from my arm blurred my vision, and my head was spinning. If I shifted, it would heal in minutes, but there were humans on board, so I would just have to endure the pain.

I looked at the strange man before me. His Bloodmark was a four-point Celtic shield burned into the flesh of his wrists. The blood-red color was unmistakable. He was thin, but obviously strong. He was good looking for his age. His dark jeans were ripped, and there were cuts on his legs. I stared into his black eyes, hoping to find some truth there.

He placed his hand under my arm and pulled me to my feet. He stood there watching me. It was more than I could endure. I felt overwhelmingly self-conscious, and I blushed as the rain cascaded down on us.

“Thanks for the coat,” I said.

He just kept staring at me as if he were waiting for me to transform into a leprechaun. I hated the silence.

“Who are you?” I said.

“Baran,” he replied. He smiled and walked away.

That was it? That was all he was going to say? One word? What the heck was wrong with him? Definitely crazy, I decided. But I wasn’t going to stand for this. I was going to get some damn answers.

I marched right up to him, ready for a fight, but he turned on his heel just as I approached, and I nearly walked right into his chest. He smiled again, looking down at me.

“Come have a seat out of the wind,” he said, gesturing toward the covey behind the captain’s area. “I’ll be right back.”

He walked away to the motorcycle, picking something up. Returning, he sat down, crossing his long legs out in front of him. “Or stand if you prefer,” he said.

I was still standing. Feeling quite dumb, I sat down, leaving plenty of space between us. However, this decision did leave me in the wind and rain, drenching me, but what little was left of my pride wouldn’t allow me to move any closer.

He shook his head. “My name is Baran Killian. I am a very old friend of your mother’s. I was born to the Killian pack of Scotland, but the Killians were exterminated in the seventeenth century. My nephew, Willem, and I are the last of our pack.”

He was quiet, lost in thought. I knew the legends of the Killian pack. They used to be one of the most powerful royal packs, but I had never heard of Baran. Why hadn’t anyone spoken of him before if he was a trusted ally?

“Your father has bestowed you as my ward.”

“To take me where?”

“I can’t tell you just yet,” he said, nodding toward the humans who were obviously trying to listen. They were suspicious of us but didn’t ask questions. “It’s not safe. But I vow to protect you.”

I sighed and studied my hands. The dark shape on my right ring finger caught my attention and stopped my fidgeting. I remembered Mother putting it on my finger. I recognized it immediately—intricate Celtic knots carved by Ragnall Boru for his betrothed, Calista. It had slightly tarnished with age, and as long as I could remember, it had had a place on Mother’s hand. A wave of sadness rolled through me, and I wept as I studied the ring both Calista and my mother had worn.

Baran wrapped his long arm around my shoulders, pulling me to him, out of the rain. I buried my face in his chest and cried. “There now, child, it will be all right,” he said. His tender response only made me sob harder. I hadn’t expected this rough-looking man to give me any comfort, and I showed him all my weakness. I didn’t know how to deal with my feelings; I just felt broken. “The worst is over now.”

“I don’t feel I am strong enough to survive.”

“You’re stronger than you know. The legends speak to this.”

“What legends?”

He placed the hand-stitched leather book Mund had given me in my hands. It felt at home in my fingers, as if it had been there every day of my life, though Mund had just given it to me at the Rock.

“Once you’ve read this, ask me again,” he said and stood up. “I have to speak with Willem. We’ll talk more soon.” With that, he walked away.

I studied the book; it had the most beautiful handwriting, but most of it was in ancient Greek. It would take me months to translate. My answers were hidden in a language I didn’t speak. It was frustrating. As I paged through, I noticed I could read the parts written in Old Mother’s language, the language of the Bloodmoon. Old Mother’s language was the one thing Mund was adamant I learn, and this book would tell me why.

I was cold, soaking wet, and irritated with everyone. Instead of spending years teaching me the language of the Bloodmoon, Mund could have saved us both time and just told me what this stupid book said. Everyone was always trying to protect me from something, but making me ignorant didn’t protect me from anything. I curled up into a ball, hugging my knees to my chest, and closed my eyes, hoping I would wake to find it had all been a bad dream.

With the ferry bobbing on the rough waters and the fear that still pulsed through my veins, my mind didn’t allow me to rest, but soon we were on land. I slowly sat up and looked around. I saw Willem first, standing at the dock, writing something down for a portly, bald man. They continued to converse quietly.

Willem turned to me. “Ahhh, you’re finally awake,” he said.

My stomach did all the talking with a loud grumble. He smiled and tossed me a heavy package. “Eat up. Baran will be back shortly.”

I hastily unwrapped the butcher paper and started shoving the meat in my mouth, not even tasting it. I think it was dried venison, but I was too hungry to care. There was a constant aching pain in my heart that the meat wouldn’t ease. Willem stood before me, and he put his palms to my cheeks.

“That is the saddest face I’ve ever beheld. You could break the very heart of me.”

“Thank you,” I said, smiling a little before shoving the last piece of meat in my mouth.

“Any time,” he said with a wink.

The loud thud of footsteps drew my attention back to the dock. Baran had changed his clothes. He was fresh and clean again but rugged all the same. He carried a black plastic bag, and he smiled when he saw me.

“We’re in Queensborough, outside London,” he said, handing the bag to me.

I peeked inside. It was a black leather motorcycle jacket with a mandarin collar and crisscross stitching over the sleeves. It was simple but elegant. I took off his jacket and slipped on the new one. It fit perfectly. I smiled at him.

He looked embarrassed suddenly. “I wanted mine back,” he said. I almost laughed, but I handed him his jacket. “It’s time for us to go. Take care, Willem. Give my love to Khepri, and I’ll contact you when we’re safe.”

Willem nodded, and if I knew him better, I would have said he was sad to see us go. Baran ushered me to a waiting cab.

“Heathrow Airport,” Baran said to the cabdriver.

As we drove away, I looked back for Willem, but he was already gone, probably on his way back to Scotland. It must hurt them to be apart, as it had always left a hole in my soul being away from my family. We were pack animals, and living a solitary life was against our ways. We were meant to be one with each other.

I was too distracted to notice the drive as we arrived at the airport. I stood on the sidewalk, waiting for Adomnan to come for me. I smelled the air, but I didn’t smell anything out of the ordinary, beyond Baran and I. We were the only animals here.

He rushed me into the airport with smooth, long strides. I almost had to run to keep up with his pace. He knew his way through the airport with ease, and he had all the proper paperwork for me. I just followed him like a lost puppy. If he moved, I moved. We drew the attention of the humans, but trying to be discreet wasn’t really an option for the two of us.

Once seated in first-class on the airplane headed for New York City, away from everyone’s questioning and judging eyes, I finally thought to ask, “Why are we going to New York?”

“We land in New York. Then we will get my bike and drive to my home.” He studied my face for a moment and corrected, “I mean, our home.”

I tried to smile, but there was nothing left. I felt empty or too full of emotions I didn’t know how to deal with. He took my hand in his.

“You will be posing as my niece. You lost your parents, and I’m now your guardian. You will start your junior year in high school in a little over a month. You’ll have to try to fit in.”

I turned away from him, looking out the window into the foggy unknown. I didn’t know how to fit in. My cheeks turned red, and my vision blurred with tears. I didn’t want to let him see me cry again. I wasn’t a child anymore.

I heard the flight attendant stop bustling about and lean over to me. “Are you well, dear? Can I get you anything?” I tried to smile at her and shook my head.

Her voice was saturated with empathy. I wondered if Baran could hear that in her voice as plainly as I could. If he did, he gave no indication. “She’s lost her parents, but she’ll be fine. Thank you for asking,” he said. “I’ll take a water, please.”

She handed a short plastic cup of ice water to Baran and touched my shoulder. “Oh darlin’, you just let me know if there is anything I can do to help you two,” she said. With that, she finally wandered away.

I wished it were easy to leave everything behind. How could I tell my brain to stop hanging on to my heart and to just let it go? I should have been excited for my first flight, but I couldn’t feel anything as I watched the city disappear under the clouds. I was too angry, scared, and lonely.

6

Lost

The ten-hour flight went by so fast, I didn’t have time to collect
myself or my thoughts. But I knew I had to gain a little self-control. The captain interrupted my self-indulgent thoughts, asking everyone to take their seats and buckle up as the plane prepared to land in New York. “’Bout time,” Baran said. “I’ll get you home real soon, safe and sound.”