Clan of Redemption (30 page)

The Meeting

When we got back to the car, I
noticed a piece of paper on the windshield. I can’t believe that
people actually solicit in these small towns. I opened up the paper
and found a note from someone in my Grandmothers staff.

Dear Jayden,

Your Grandmother has requested
your presence at her home at once. Do not delay.

“
Logan, what’s this, my
Grandmother tracked me down and left a note on my car. How did she
find me, this is just crazy,” I said as I folded up the paper and
put it in my back pocket.

“
She wants us to come to her house
early, right?” Logan said, like he knew this would
happen.

“
Yes, right now, with no delay!” I
said as it made me angry. The only person in my life that tells me
when I have to hurry is my coach and my Dad. I’m not use to people
telling me when and where to go, but I've always been one to go
with the flow. Maybe growing up means sticking up for yourself and
not following the crowd.

“
Well we better go, you don’t want
to upset her, I’ve heard that she has a habit of punishing shifters
that don’t listen to her,” he said as he jumped in the car after I
opened the door. "Plus I don't want you to have to show your hand
yet and her upsetting you will trigger the power you are
holding."

“
It just seems weird,” I said as I
got in the driver's seat and started the car.

I sure did like the feeling of the
monster of an engine that my Dad installed.

“
What’s weird?” he
asked.

“
That my Mother and I are related
to Catherine, she seems so evil and my Mother and I are so
opposites, neither one of us have a mean bone in our
body.

“
You and your Mother take after
your Grandfather; he’s a very smart and sensitive man,” Logan said
as he looked out the window.

“
So what’s going to happen today,
do you know what she wants to talk to me about?” I asked Logan,
even though I knew that he had no idea either. He seemed as lost as
I was.

“
I have some ideas, but not
really. I had some training from my mother and the time that I did
spend with my father he tried to teach me what he could until he
died. With your grandmother, she is top dog, and when someone
challenges her, she lashes out. To get past that you have to make
her not feel threatened,” Logan said as we pulled up the long
driveway to this monster of a house. I would say it’s the largest
house I’ve ever seen in person.

We pulled up in rounded about
driveway and some was waiting there to open our doors.

“
Logan, what is this, why are
there all these people outside. It looks like they’re parking cars.
I thought this was just us for lunch?" I asked him as we got out of
the car.

“
Well it seems that she has other
plans, which is not unlike her either. Just be on your guard, try
really hard not to have your feelings right in front; hide your
thoughts from her,” he said as we walked up the stair
case.

“
Easy for you to say, I have no
idea how to do that, well not really,” I said as I remembered
hiding some of my feelings from Logan.

“
You haven’t been very good at
hiding them from me, even though you think you are,” he said as he
sat at the front door.

“
What do you mean, what did you
hear?” I said while I was freaking out inside.

“
I’m sorry, this wasn’t the best
time to talk about this, just forget that I said anything,” he said
as the door opened before I could knock.

“
Please follow me,” a man
said.

“
His body language reminds me of a
robot, and he is so friendly,” I said sarcastically.

“
Good job, but let’s not talk too
much right now, you need to try and block your mind,” he said as we
followed this man into a room I hadn’t been in before. The room was
enormous, with ceilings that had to be over 20 feet tall. The
decorations in here were more from another time and place. There
was a long table to the right of the room with a few chairs facing
the rest of the room, and my Grandmother was seated at the one in
the middle.

“
Welcome, Jayden, thank you for
coming so soon. Please, come sit next to me,” she said as she
gestured for me to sit on her right.

Before I got all the way to the
table, a door that was close to the table opened and in walked
Grandfather.

“
Jayden, I would like to introduce
you to your Grandfather, Stewart,” Catherine said as she stood
up.

“
Nice to meet you,” I said as I
went over to shake his hand. This introduction was very strange to
me since I had to pretend that I didn’t know him.

“
It’s very nice to finally meet
you Jayden, you are a spitting image of your Mother,” he said as he
sat on my Grandmothers left.

I took my seat next to Grandmother
and Logan laid down behind my chair. I noticed that I was very
nervous and I wasn’t sure why, maybe because of all the stories
everyone has been telling me about my Grandmother, and because of
the choice that I have to make.

“
So, Grandmother why did you ask
me here early, I thought we were doing lunch?” I asked trying to
get to what she wanted.

“
In due time dear, but first you
need to come clean about your dog,” she said.

“
Come clean, what are you talking
about?” I asked as I looked back at Logan.

“
I wouldn’t suggest that you try
to lie to me, the punishment would not fit the small lie, and
besides, I would hate to see you in pain,” she said so
easily.

Before I could say another word,
Logan got up, walked around to the front of the table, and sat in
front of Grandmother.

“
I am sorry for the defiance, your
Queen, but I was told to guard Jayden and to stay hidden, and for
that I am sorry,” Logan said.

“
Well don’t think that I didn’t
know who you were the minute you walked into my house, but I let
you both think what you wanted. Now, I want to know on who’s
authority do you serve Jayden and not your Queen,” she asked. Her
voice was starting to raise, I think the time for hiding was
over.

“
I was ordered by my father and
the council to shift and protect the princess. I did not think that
I was doing anything against you,” Logan said as he lowered his
head.

“That’s where you were wrong….you
thought. Who on the council instructed you to shift and protect
Jayden?” she asked.

Oh shit.

“
I did,” said a voice from the
back of the room.

A person in a cloak walked into the
room and stood beside Logan.

“
And who do you think you are,
going behind my back?” Catherine asked.

“
With all due
respect, my Queen, she is the princess and she was to be protected
following her 18
^th
birthday,” The
person behind the cloak said.

Before my Grandmother could speak
another word, the person under the cloak slowly pulled back the
hood.

“
Father!” Logan yelled.

In front of everyone, Logan
transformed like a diamond finding it’s sparkle, into his human
form. Is this what they all saw when I shifted into my dog form, it
was amazing, beautiful, breath taking.

Logan was squatting on the floor
completely naked, but I had to go to him, I had to hold him. I got
up from my chair and ran as fast as I could and threw myself in his
arms, which knocked us both over. I was crying uncontrollably for
several minutes before Logan grabbed my face with both of his hand
and looked me in the eyes and said, “Well I’m glad to see you too,
but I was always here, just not in the same form.” He was searching
my eyes for something.

“
I know Logan, but it’s not the
same…you’re here, with me,” I said as I wiped my eyes.

“
I’ve always been here for you,
since the first day we met,” he said as he gave me that boyish grin
that I remember from kindergarten.

“
Jayden, I know that you are
excited to see me in this form, but I just found out that my father
is standing next to you, not dead, and I haven’t seen him in 11
years,” he said as he looked over at his father with those eyes
that say “What is going on?”

“
Right, oh yes, I’ll get out of
the way, I’m very sorry,” I said as I moved over so Logan could
face his dad, who was supposed to be dead.

Logan walked over and stood in
front of his father for what seemed like forever and finally hugged
him with every inch of his strength.

“
I missed you too, buddy,” Logan’s
dad said.

I could see the tears welling up
inside of both of them and I realized that I was still crying.
These emotions are becoming an everyday thing around here, I’m not
sure if I like this.

“
So, Xavier, I see that the rumors
that you are dead…were wrong,” Grandmother Catherine
said.

“
Yes, my Queen they were
wrong..I’m sorry for the deception, but I did it to protect Jayden.
It was necessary,” he said as he bowed to her.

“
Was it also you that told your
son to shift and fake his own death as well?” she asked.

“
It was the entire council that
made that decision, but since I am in the council I was part of
that decision,” he said.

I couldn’t keep my eyes off of
Logan’s Dad, Xavier. He reminded me of Logan so much, he was a bit
older of course, but he had those green eyes that looked like
jewels. He was a bit taller than Logan and his hair was a tint
darker than Logan’s, but what looked like blond high lights. His
face was oval like Logan’s but with a little bit more rounded
features.

“
I would like to know what right
the council had to make these types of decisions behind my back?”
she asked.

“
My daughter left of her own
accord, she did not warrant protection, and for that matter you
left our clan as well. What right did you have to protect any of
them?” she asked.

“
This is all pointless now that
Jayden is here, we need to focus on the issues at hand,” Xavier
stated.

“
You will answer my questions,
before I get angry,” she said.

“
Catherine, let’s listen to what
Xavier has to say. If the council was part of all this, and had
their consent, it is in his right to have done all these things,”
Grandfather said.

“
Huh, council, we don’t need a
council, we have a queen, me. I make the decisions around here,”
she said.

“
Forgive me Catherine, but the
council has been in place since our clans began and they are there
to make sure that our Queen does not step outside her boundaries,”
he said.

It seemed like Logan’s father was
not afraid of my Grandmother, but I sure was. I wasn’t raised with
anger and violence and I didn’t want to start.

“
Boundaries, I shouldn’t have any
boundaries, I am the queen of our people,” Grandmother Catherine
said as she clenched her fists.

It was like my mouth taken over
and I had no control. “Grandmother, could I interrupt for just a
minute please. I know that I am not your favorite person in the
world right now, but Logan here has saved my life and is standing
before you naked. Could we hold this discussion until we can get
him some clothes…please?” I asked her while I stood the straightest
I think I’ve ever stood.

“
Fine…..Emerson, would you please
find some clothes to fit our…..the boy Logan here,” Grandmother
commanded.

Emerson was the man that had
answered the door earlier and seemed to be at my Grandmothers side
all the time. He looked a little beaten down if you asked me, from
his shaggy black hair to the circles under his brown
eyes.

It didn’t take more than a few
minutes to get Logan a pair of slacks and a light blue button up
shirt.

“
There, now that we have him
clothed I would like to get back to our discussion….if everyone
doesn’t mind,” Grandmother asked with a calmer demeanor.

“
Actually, my Queen….the council
has asked for a meeting to discuss a few things and they will be
here shortly. I suggest that we take this opportunity to eat the
food that you have prepared. I know that you would like to have a
full stomach before you meet with them,” Xavier said.

“
Yes, you’re right, I am hungry
and I’m feeling a little weak right now.” Grandmother
said.

Her weak, I don't think
so.

It took a about 30 minutes for the
staff to get more chairs for the table and set up for the food. I
sat and watch Logan talk with his dad, it made me miss my Mom even
though I was happy for Logan that his Dad was still alive. Was
protecting me why he had to pretend that he was dead, what was the
point in all that? Was Logan’s Dad there when my Mother was killed
and was it an accident or had someone killed her? To this day my
Dad had never told me how my mother died. I had tried asking him a
few time, but he said that he didn’t want to talk about
it.