The Legacy of Kilkenny (15 page)

She jerks open the door to the Mustang, plops down in the passenger seat saying a few cuss words to herself. “Pru, you know you have your car here right?”
 
I look at her like she is nuts.

“Yes, I know where my car is, but I’m here to protect you. I can come back later and get the car.”
 
She leans back and slips her seat belt on.
 
“Hurry and back up or he is going to think we are discussing him and we don’t want him to think there is a chink in our command or training.”

She drives me crazy how calm cool and collected she can be when there is a
freakin
’ crazed Irish Alpha following us and we are just two teenagers one of which is a werewolf and the daughter of the most powerful Pack in the Midwest and there is me, the supposed great wolf of the world.
 
I told my brain to stop stressing and concentrate on getting us to Choctaw.

“Well hell!”
 
Pru yells out.

“What, what?
 
Did I miss a turn?”

“No¸ I left my cell phone in my gym bag, which happens to be in my locker.
 
I kind of flipped when I saw him with you through the locker room window so I rushed to get outside.
 
Let me have yours.
 
Please tell me you have it with you.”

“Yeah, it’s in the glove box.
 
I threw it in there at lunch today.
 
Hey,
its
okay you can stress but don’t holler out like that, it
kinda
scared the shit out of me.
 
Hey can you get my pike pass? You know those Oklahoma turnpikes like their money.”

Pru calls her dad and the Pack isn’t surprised to hear the O’Connell’s showed up early.
 
They expected it.
 

“Man, how many people does he have with him, there are three SUVs behind me.
 
I thought they kept their Pack small.”

“They do keep it small, for an Irish Pack.
 
But I’m sure they brought some other supernatural friends as back up if they think you won’t go with them.”

I feel my heart rate increasing, I take a couple of deep breaths and ask the question of the moment.
 
“What kind of supernaturals?”

PRU

Damn, I didn’t expect Patrick to show up at the school, he has a way of making surprise entrances.
 
Everyone was waiting for us with a few exceptions, a couple of the Pack will be stationed in various positions around the perimeters to assure other supernaturals that the O’Connell’s may or may not have brought with them will be dealt with before they break into our barriers.
 
A couple of witches from a local coven have helped by setting a few perimeter spells that will notify the Pack of a breach.
 
It really isn’t anything new, the coven requests herbs for their magic and we need extra security. The coven leader Michael came to Oklahoma from Ireland about the same time my grandfather came over and the two forged a peaceful relationship.
 

“Abe, as far as other supernaturals, I’m guessing they’ll have a few tricks up their sleeves.
 
Patrick swears they only rely on their Pack for protection but we aren’t fools nor fool enough to believe it.
 
I’m not sure what type he has with him, but he is known to travel with a banshee, and that still baffles us as to why.
 
There will be at least one or two faeries with him, not the cute little Disney kind either, they can be very unpleasant and perfect spies.
 
Fairies can’t break the barriers of witch’s spells so we are protected, however he can sneak one in the house disguised as a Pack member.”

“What the what?
 
A faerie can be disguised as a Pack member?
 
How in hell can they do that?”
 
He flung his head back a little overly dramatic but I’m sure it was too much for him to take in.
  

 
“It depends on what kind he has with him, some have become extinct but there are still some very rare species out there.
 
They’re like little tricky characters, some are good, but I can guarantee he doesn’t travel with the good ones.
 
If he has captured one of the rarest then you can be sure they can only survive on the blood of a child.
 
It’s complicated, to say the least.”
 
I put the cell on the charger.

“Blood of kids?”

“Yeah, creepy huh?
 
My dad said in the old days you could find them on playgrounds waiting for a kid to hurt themselves so they would bleed.
 
If it didn’t happen fast enough they would conveniently cause the child to fall by tripping or pushing them.
 
They would be so small most people thought they were a little gnat but it was a
faerie
bathing in the blood.
 
If it is in human form they have to have significant amounts of blood to sustain their disguise.
 
They find a lost child or a street kid and take them and fatten them up just to kill them and drain the blood.
 
They’re crafty by setting it up to drain the blood into plastic bags like the blood banks do and can drink a bag a week to keep their disguise going.”

“Then why don’t they just go to a blood bank and steal blood from them, they wouldn’t have to kill a kid to do that.”
 
His face showed the stress he was obviously feeling.

“First part of that answer is, you have to be 18 to donate blood.
 
Second, it has to be the blood of a virgin, most 18 year olds aren’t virgins anymore.
 
At least
they won’t spill the blood of a non-virgin, they have a little taste first.
 
If you consider that good.”
 
I was trying to prove there was a bright side to the story.

I put my head back on the head rest thinking about this chink in our training.
 
I couldn’t wait to see Oakley, he was going to be upset we were approached at school.
 
Abel seemed like he was okay, at first he look scared but now he just seemed to go with the flow.
 

ABEL

I felt goose bumps as she was told me the story of virgin kid blood lovers.
 
 
Before the day Pru told me and showed me the werewolf life, I’d never put thought into other faerie tales. Of course I’d thought about vampires and witches but I’d never really thought about folklore.
 
Since that day, I’ve done nothing but think about it. Well, that, and my death.
 
I’m starting to think this is the week I’ll die.
 
Pru isn’t going to have the chance to kill me because the O’Connell’s came for a fight.

Everyone played nice for the first half of the evening; the second half
notsomuch
.
 
Everyone came in for dinner, the guys that have been stationed outside went to pick up some barbeque for everyone.
 
The coven kept watch at the perimeters prepared with charms to protect them from any supernaturals that are lurking in the night.

I’ve never gone to one of the Pack meetings; it feels awkward because I still don’t identify with all of the issues that complicate Pack life.
 
The O’Connell’s act as if it is a done deal for me to go back with them to Ireland.
 
They don’t care nor did they want to hear what I have to say. HELLO doesn’t anyone get it?
 
 
I have a family that will notice if I’m missing.
 
That issue doesn’t seem to matter.
 
I am really ticked off and feel like my temper is going to get out of control any minute..

I am in the kitchen helping
Banba
clean up, she is a human from Ireland that has worked for the family for over 20 years.
 
I hear Patrick on the porch talking to Ernie when voices start getting loud.
 
Not just because my hearing is keen, no… because they are shouting at each other.
 
It is Alpha versus Alpha and I feel my skin prickle.
 
Banba
dries her hands and comes over to put her arms around me.

“Don’t worry Abel, your future is in good hands.”

I hug her back and thank her for the vote of confidence.

“How are you training him when he is in the kitchen like hired help!”
 
Patrick yelled.

“He isn’t acting like hired help!
 
He doesn’t feel entitled like you do!
 
He is a helpful kid!”
 
General Phelan yelled back.
 
Oh no, it is going to be an interesting night.

“He is entitled.
 
If he is the damn Great Wolf, he will be the king Alpha of all the Packs and you’re letting him act as if he is just a dog.
 
Throw him a bone and he’ll fetch too I’m sure! He should be training and obviously you’re not equipped mentally or within your own Pack to train him.
 
I’m booking the next flight out and he is coming with me!”
 
His voice got louder and louder until almost all of the Pack was outside on guard waiting for a showdown.

“Don’t ever say we’re treating him like a dog.
 
No one told him to go in there, he went on his own.
 
You’re not taking him anywhere!
 
You can’t just traipse into my territory and make announcements thinking my Pack is going to stand for it.
 
He has been trained well.”
 
Ernie’s voice is getting lower and lower, I knew it meant he is really pissed off.
 
The tension in the air is thick.

 
“Abel, can you come out here please.”

Oh shit, here it goes; and now I’m about to be tested. I can feel Pru trying to mentally scream at me to be cool and concentrate.
 
I walk outside. On my left I not only hear something but know someone is about to attack. He leapt over the railing and is in the process of trying to grab me by the shoulders to throw me over the porch.
 
I reacted faster than him, my instinct jumped in, and I did the
millstone palm chain
Oakley had practically drilled in my head.
 
It’s a temple blow he wasn’t expecting, and it rendered him unconscious.
 
No one moved, they just stood staring at me.
 
I looked over at Oakley, he gives me a slight head nod, and then I heard General Phelan’s voice.

“I think that was a pretty good demonstration on how not to sneak up on the Great Wolf, just in case you are wondering what that is.
 
Abel…that was excellent work.
 
Oakley, remind me to give you a raise.” He winks at me and I mentally jumped up and down.

With that, all hell breaks loose.

A couple of the Omega’s shifted to their wolf form, growling and waiting for the hand motion from Patrick.
 
Our group is really all I can think about.
 
I hadn’t realized until that very moment that I considered the Pack as
my
Pack.
 
I feel my skin crawling and feel an overwhelming desire to rip someone’s throat out.
 
I look over at Pru and she slowly scooted closer to me.

“What’s wrong?” she whispers.

“We’ll talk about it later” I concentrate on breathing, calming myself down.
 
No one is going to order my Alpha around, my head is spinning, and I can feel sweat beading up on my forehead.
 

PRU

When Abel came out ready to defend himself I was so excited to know our training was paying off.
 
His instincts were kicking in, I could feel the vibrations bouncing off of him. I sensed his discomfort and his need, his deep need to shed blood.
 
Oh crap!
 
We weren’t ready, his soul wasn’t ready.
 
It was a mess, his emotions were at every spectrum of the chart; he was going to shift if I didn’t do something quick.
 

I threw my arms around him and kissed him.
 
At first he was tense, but I could feel him start to relax and kiss me back.
 
I pulled back and took his hand to lead him into the house.
 

“We need to get inside, so you can calm down,” I say and grab his hand.