The Legacy of Kilkenny (25 page)

“You think it’ll be soon?”
 
I ask as I dig in my pocket for some chap stick.

“Abe, I have no idea.
 
No one really ever knows, sorry I can’t be more help. I think Pru would be the most informed.
 
It isn’t like we have a sign that says Abel will shift on May 10, it just happens.”
 
He scratches his head.

“Why do you think Pru would know then?” I ask.

He looks at me and laughs.
 
“She is the shaman wolf queen.
 
Before
you get your snout all bent out of shape, you know she can’t tell you if she does know.
 
We can’t interfere with fate.
 
If you’re ready, I’m going to shift now. You don’t have to turn your head, I’m not ashamed of my sleek physique.” He poses.

“Dude, that is just wrong.
 
Wrong on just so many levels.
 
If you’re going to shift, get on with the show.”
 
Awkward.

“I’ll talk you through what I’m going through, until I can’t talk anymore.
 
Since I’m trying to do it in slow motion, I’m going to get on the ground, it will be easier to
will
different parts of my body to shift.
 
Ready or not, here I go.
 
First, I feel tingly all over, like when your foot is waking up from being asleep.
 
My saliva is getting thicker and my mouth is very full of spit, excuse me if I drool a little bit since I’m talking.”
 
He takes a hand and wipes his mouth off.
 
“Sorry about that.
 
I feel intense heat, it is spread from my neck to my toes.” He shakes his legs. “Okay, now my body is going to start shifting on the outside.
 
My heart is speeding up.” He started to sound winded like he had just been out running.
 
“I feel pressure on my lower spine.” His tail starts to appear.
 
“I’m trying to just shift my legs first, the pain is intense but the longer you’ve been shifting the easier it gets, and one day you learn how to control it.”
 
He curls into the fetal position and I watch in awe as his body turns him into a magnificent beast.

I stand there, amazed by his incredible stature.
 
He walked over to me and I just stare at him.
 
He is a very large wolf, his fur mostly black, his ears look like velvet and are so alert.
 
His mouth and forelegs are light brown; it is the only part of his body that isn’t covered in pitch black fur.
 
The most impressive animals, ever
, I think.
 
He bowed his head down a little and I put my hand on his head, feeling his fur in my fingers.
 
He stood on all fours about five feet, his paws were huge, I’m sure they’re so big to hold such a massive animal.
 
He walked around me and stood before me again, his brown eyes alert, almost like he was willing me to hear something, but I didn’t.
 
I’m trying to hear you but I can’t, if you can hear me nod your head
, I think.
 
His head bobbed up and down.
 
Of course, he can hear me but I’m not wolf enough to hear him.

He squats down and I see he is shifting back to his human body.
 
After putting his jeans back on he comes over and pats me on the back.
 
“
Whatcha
think?
 
We have a photographer come out once a year for ‘family portraits’ that is when I first realized how big we get.
 
I’ve been my wolf size since I was about 12.
 
I was tiny when I was younger so I was stunned the first time I saw pictures of me.
 
We’ve only been doing the family pictures for a few years, I had no idea before.”

“I bet it was interesting to see.”
 
I rock from foot to foot, still thinking about when I’ll get to shift.

“Don’t sweat the small stuff Abe.
 
Really, it will work out and everything will be fine.
 
The Pack is warming up to you and I know the General is very impressed with you.
 
Come on, I think Dolly made us some barbeque ribs and smashed taters.”
 

“Well, my sniffer works perfect because that is exactly what I was thinking about.
 
I’ll race you, I’m getting really fast.”
 
We both ran to the house.

PRU

It’d been three days since our dinner in Stillwater.
 
I’d been dream walking with Quinney the last two nights trying to find out if they had any new information.
 
It seemed as though whatever the vamps were up to, they were keeping it secret.
 
His group he dispatched to Louisiana was planning a trip to Oklahoma next month.
 
He told me that he had them rent a house and join the chamber of commerce to find out the goings on in the town.
 
Apparently one of the guys was an American that was an attorney too, so he filmed a commercial on how he could help them recover money if they were an accident victim.
 
Nice, an ambulance-chasing supernatural.
 
What America needs more of, sweet.

I hung up with Allie after asking if she wanted to do some last minute shopping for prom stuff.
 
Lucky for me she was on her way to town anyway for a family get-together tonight.
 
Abe hadn’t said anything about a get-together so I was a little surprised.
 
We agreed to meet at the mall at noon.

The house was easier to get out of then I expected.
 
I look at my car and take a mental note that it needs to be washed this weekend.
 
Spring rains on dirt roads make for muddy clay and I had a serious clay problem both in and out of my car.
 
The mall isn’t busy so I find a parking place without too much problem. I got to the mall early just to get my game on. I wanted to make sure Arien wasn’t with her hiding in one of the corners.
 
I was guessing the stories were right about their keen sense of hearing and smell so I needed the upper hand.
 
We agreed to meet in the food court.

She arrived dressed in Burberry’s latest ad campaign featuring Emma Watson.
 
I know she can’t afford the clothes so I was guessing Arien had financed a shopping spree.
 
“Wow Allie, you look amazing!” I gushed, I’m not really a gushing kind of girl, but I can appreciate designer clothes.
 
Allie did a little spin to show me the back.
 
“I love it.
 
You look like you just walked off a runway.”
 
She was looking thinner to me, can vampires be heavy?
 
Good question.

“Don’t you just love it?
 
Arien saw me looking through a magazine last week and he ordered everything from their summer catalog for me.
 
I’m still shocked!
 
He is so sweet.”
 
She was radiant.
 
Great, this may be harder than I originally thought.

I looked around trying to get a feel for Arien, but I didn’t sense him.
 
“That was really sweet of him.
 
I’m surprised you let him buy you such extravagant gifts being you just met him.”

“Actually, I didn’t just meet him.
 
We met a couple of months ago when he was in town visiting his uncle.
 
We met at the Broken Hearts’ Ball they have every year at the
C’est
La Vie club.
 
You really should go there with me.
 
It’s like Goth meets glamour, black décor but they have cool crystal chandeliers and the drinks are served in crystal.
 
One of the girls I went with tried to tell me it was Waterford crystal but I really doubt it.
 
I do think the chandeliers are Waterford though.
 
I just love the place.
 
They play really great music and the guys are all like Arien.
 
Seriously, they are.
 
They’re like the old movie stars that are on the oldies TV stations.”
 
She bounced around like she was slightly tweaked on something.
 
She reached in her Gucci bag and pulled out some designer lip gloss “Want some?” she held it out to me.

“Uh, no.
 
Sounds like a fun place.
 
Is it one of those role-playing clubs?
 
Does everyone think their name is Edward?”
 
I sounded a little more sarcastic than intended.

“No.
 
I’m not a loser, seriously Pru, you know me better than that.
 
Don’t you?”
 
She thrust her lip-gloss back in her purse.

I felt like I was treading on murky water with her.
 
I put my hands up, “It’s cool, let’s go down to Claire’s and find some earrings for my dress.”

We walked and talked and hit every store.
 
Arien apparently got her a credit card without a limit and told her to spend all she wanted.
 
I’ve never gone without anything but I’m careful with my money. All of that designer stuff could be found in no name brands for a fraction of the cost.
 
I’d rather have a fancy trip or nice cars then a $1500.00 purses.
 
We stopped at Starbucks, as we sat sipping on coffee I decided to go in for the kill.
 

“Hey Allie, I need some help with my hair, do you think you can come over Wednesday night or I can go to Stillwater.
 
I want to do a practice run before prom.”
 
I crossed my fingers.

“You’re cute, as if you need help with your beautiful hair.
 
I’ll check with Arien, he said something about having a surprise for me this week.
 
I’ll def be able to make it for Saturday.”
 
She sipped on her coffee making a face like it tasted terrible.

“Oh, okay.
 
I really wanted to get in a practice run.
 
I want to look perfect for prom.
 
I’ll be your best friend forever.”
 
I put my hands together in prayer and made my best puppy.
 
“You’re killing me.
 
When did you get so needy?
 
You have to come to Stillwater, I have class at 8:00 am on Thursday and I can’t be late.
 
I’ve been sleeping in from staying out so late with Arien.
 
He is
so
good to me.”
  
She says, her eyes dreamy and smoldering.

I turned and looked at her “You’re not sleeping with him are you?”
 
I tried to play dumb just in case our conversation was being listened to by ears I couldn’t see or smell.

She sat there with a mock shocked look on her face.
 
“Prudence, what makes you think I’m sleeping with him?”
 
She puts her hand to her mouth trying to look innocent.

“I don’t know, maybe the way you two were all over each other the other night,
that
might be a small clue,” I say a little snidely.
 
  
I couldn’t figure out if she was for real or not.

“You should see your face.
 
Ha!
 
Don’t say anything to Abe okay?”
 
She leaned in closer. “Yes, he is amazing and so considerate.
 
He would have waited but I’m the one that instigated it.
 
I couldn’t help myself.
 
If you could see what he looks like without a shirt on, you’d understand what I mean.
 
Seriously, that club is full of Oakley types.
 
I don’t know why you aren’t all over that man, he is delicious.
 
Maybe if you had a little sexual interlude you wouldn’t be so uptight and serious.”
 
She shook her head back and forth as I sat there mouth hanging open.
 
“I’m being mean Pru, but you come off very strict sometimes.
 
I’d suggest you have a fling with my brother but I think you need a man with a little experience under his belt, and Oakley def has experience.”

Oh no she didn’t.
 
I didn’t even want to think about Oakley with another woman, come to think of it, I’ve never heard him talk about going on a date.
 
“I’ve got too much to think about right now to have some sexual interlude.
 
Didn’t you take Health classes?
 
I’d be too afraid of catching something, I’d rather wait until I love someone.
 
Don’t even look at me like
that
, seriously I just wouldn’t do
it
.
 
You’ve seen my family, they’d kill me and the guy.
 
You’ll just have to trust me on that.”
 
I felt a little embarrassed talking about her sex life, mainly because I don’t have any experience in that department.
 
Sure I’ve kissed guys but I’ve never really liked anyone well enough to go all the way.
 
Call me a romantic or whatever but no one will call me easy. “Back to prom.
 
I’ll come out Wednesday after school, be ready for a girls night in.”