The Legacy of Kilkenny (42 page)

“Hello beautiful.”
 
Arien pulls Chrissy in for a hug and kisses her on both cheeks in the European style.

I’m going to start carrying a stake with me for moments like this.
 
I need to talk to General Phelan to learn more about killing these fanged beasts.
 
There is no way I am giving her a good night kiss after he slobbered all over her.
 
I start pacing.
 

“I’m actually here to give Abel’s parents the itinerary for our flight to Reno, my uncle was kind enough to loan us his pilot and plane.
 
Prudence, would you like to join us?”
 
Arien winks at Pru.

“My parents aren’t here, you can give me the information and I’ll make sure they get it.”
 
I said as flatly as possible.
 
I start praying that Chrissy would have to go to the bathroom or anything that would take her inside the house.
 

“That is so generous Arien, as a matter of fact I’d been thinking about going to Reno to visit, maybe I
will
go with you.”
 
Pru says as Oakley steps closer ready to attack at the drop of a pin.

Oakley and I ask in unison.
 
“You would?”

Of course she would, she is Pru, and she is a glutton for punishment.
 
I know without listening to her thoughts why she agreed… to protect my parents.
 
She has never been hotter to me.
 
I sigh.
 
Protecting my family even if it is a sacrifice for her. Chrissy takes my hand and I feel a slight vibration, my hand tingles as if it fell asleep and I hear her voice.
 
In my head.
 
I turn and look at her quizzically.
 
Are you kidding me?

“Abel, don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.
 
I’ll go with Pru and we can both protect your parents.”
 
Chrissy thought.

What?
 
Surely I am losing my mind.
 
Great timing to do so.
 
I look down at her trying to figure out if I heard her mentally or she said it out loud.

“You’re not imagining it Abel.
 
Really, it’s okay, I’m one of the good guys, so to speak.
 
We’ll talk later and no I don’t think your friends realize what I am.
 
I thought Pru did but I’m pretty sure she doesn’t.
 
Don’t worry.”
 

“Pru you should take Chrissy with you, make a party of it.
 
We video chatted tonight and I think you girls would have a good time.
 
I think you should take Shaynie too.”
 
The words just started falling out of my mouth.
 
I don’t have any idea why I said that.

Pru looks at me and I hear her thoughts and she wonders if I’d suffered some type of stroke.
 
“Abel, are you okay?
 
Your words are a little slurred.”

“I’m serious.”
 
I blurt out without thinking.

Arien looks at us, shaking his head back and forth. “Oh goody, that sounds like an estrogen party.
 
Maybe I’ll bring a couple members of my family too.”
 
He squints against the setting sun.
 
“I’ll see you at the airport Sunday.
 
Chrissy, it was a pleasure seeing you again, you’re as pretty as always.”
 
He takes her hand kissing it.
 
“Pru, I look forward to our flight.
 
Get plenty of rest, we’ll be very busy.
 
Abel, Oakley, I’ll see you around.”
 
He gets in his car and burns rubber driving away.

Oakley came over to me, “Would you mind telling me what that was all about?”
  
I wonder if his eyes are going to bulge out of his head as he stood there giving me the stink eye.

“No I’m not crazy, I don’t have any idea why I said it, my instincts just took over.”
 
I brace for the chewing out I am about to suffer.

He pats me on the back.
 
“I understand.
 
Good enough.”
 
He let out a whistle and
Alistar
came running over to him.

“Good enough?
 
That’s all you’re going to say?
 
I’m worried about
you
.”
 
I said.

Pru is already climbing into the truck, a strange look on her face, her eyes so gray my heart skips a beat.
 
She waves bye to Chrissy before closing the door.
 
She rolls down the window.
 
“Abel, it’s okay.
 
We get it.
 
We’ll talk later.”
 
She motions for me to get closer, I lean in the window and she whispers, “That is when we say the Alpha has spoken.”

Huh?
 
I’m not Alpha.
 
Then it dawned on me, not just any Alpha,
the
Alpha.
 
What fun is that?
 
No one even fights you over your decision.
 
Interesting.
 
“I’ll call you later Pru.”

My parents pull
 
in as they pull out of the driveway.

“Why didn’t your friends stay?”
 
My mom asks as she struggles to get out of the car with the drink caddy dangerously rocking back and forth.

“Oh, they wanted to go out jogging so they left.”
 
Not really a lie.

We grab our limeades and tell my mom we are going to go for a walk to the park.
 
All of my thoughts are a mess, but Chrissy communicating with me is the top of the list of mysteries to solve.
 

Our walk to the park is quieter; the dogs are either eating or have gone inside, oddly enough it is completely silent.
 
We sit on the park bench, sipping the limeade and not saying anything.
 
“How’d you ---”
 
I shake my head trying to find the right words.

She takes the lid off her limeade, takes the cherry out and eats it, playing with the stem in her mouth.
 
Nice.
“Abel?
 
Okay, here’s the deal, I know you’re sitting here trying to figure out how I can talk to you with my thoughts, just like I’m doing now.”

“Yeah, how are you?”
 
I said.

“
No, you need to think your words, we don’t know who might be listening.
 
You’ll get the hang of it.
 
 
Just sit there like we’re enjoying the silence and the park.”

“Interesting.
 
What are you?”
I
think
to her.
 
I try really hard to grasp the whole talking with thoughts.
 
I can hear other people but they aren’t
talking
to me.
 

“
Just be open minded, I am.
 
Well, I am now, but I was skeptical of others until I started meeting them.
 
Here’s the story, just hear me out.
 
Okay, here goes, I’m clairvoyant, and no I’m not a witch.
 
I’m a little like Josie, a sensitive to things that go on.
 
Before you ask, yes I know Josie.
 
I also possess another trait; I’m an animal telepath, which is how I’m able to speak to you this way.”
 

If anyone had told me last summer, that I’d be sitting in the park having a beautiful girl talk to me through thoughts because I’m a werewolf I’d have driven them to the loony bin myself.
 
“I’m confused.
 
Why didn’t you say anything to Pru or Oakley?”

“Good question.
 
I’ve been instructed not to communicate with them by General Phelan.
 
If I leave anything out, don’t hesitate to ask.
 
I am on the Council, a position that I inherited from my parents when they died.
 
You see, my mother was a clairvoyant and my father could speak with animals, he was a healer too.
 
It sounds all kooky I know, but it is just something that I grew up with and never had to explain it to anyone, it was our secret.
 
My dad had the ability to fix the soul that was bruised as well as physical illnesses. It worked since the animals could tell him what was making them sick, he was able to place his hands on them and cause healing with a white light.
 
I loved watching him heal, it was very spiritual.”
Her eyes well up with tears that she pats dry with a tissue she pulled from her purse.

I put my hand on her shoulder to console her
.
 
“Wow that is pretty cool.
 
Your dad could heal, that’s awesome.”

“Yes, it really was.
 
Sadly not all animals can be healed, nature has a natural order, if an animal lives a full life and is at the end of their life cycle, he was not to interfere.
 
My dad left journals for me to read after he died, and I read how he met the General and eventually earned his place on the Council.
 
A Pack member had been in a terrible fight with a wildcat, Mr. Phelan had gone to a local feed store to get some horse medicine, I’m guessing that is what he figured would help.
 
My dad was in there picking up supplies and heard his thoughts of stress, so he knew he wasn’t all human, the rest is what I guess they say is history.
 
I’ve never been able to heal, trust me I’ve tried.
 
I had a pet parakeet that died and I desperately tried bringing that silly bird back to life to no avail.
 
Listen, we can talk about all of that later, I just want to touch the basics with you.”

She and I sit out there for the rest of the evening talking; we did use words when we weren’t talking about what she is.
 
I learn that she can bond with an animal; she tells me about her cat Nosey that is bonded to her; not exactly like imprinting, but similar since they will spend the rest of their lives with each other.
 
Nothing can break the bond between them once it has been made.
 
I don’t think that is the same with werewolves.
 
I heard imprinting can be broken, not easily though.
 
I tease her about it being a good party trick if she has her cat do tricks by thinking it to him.
 
She tells me that Nosey would rather lick a dog than perform on demand.
 
Good point.
 

“We won’t be going to Reno after all.”
 
She looks off into the distance, tilting her head as if to hear better.

“Huh?
 
How do you know that?”
 
I crunch on the last of my ice, trying to look nonchalant.

“Clairvoyant, remember?”
 
She put her hand on my knee and smiles.

I kept thinking to myself that she isn’t just pretty, but she is
freakin
’ amazing.
 
“
My bad.
 
What’s going on?
 
I mean, do you get details and such?”
 

“I know a little.
 
It looks like the future timeline has been set. The way it works for me is this… I can quote un quote see things that have happened and I can see things that will happen.
 
It is all subjective though.
 
Alistar
just heard from Pru, I guess she was
Skyping
with Allie telling her she is traveling to Canada to do a scene for the movie, it will be a closed set and she won’t be able to spend time with any of them.
 
She told her that they are leaving tonight so she’ll call everyone when she gets back.
 
Oh, and I guess she
Skyped
with Arien on his phone right before contacting Pru and he is disappointed.
 
That’s all he told me.”
 
She stands up dusting off any dirt from her pants.
 
“I probably should get going.”

“Hold on.”
 
I pull her close.
 
“
Alistar
, how do you know him, I know you saw him earlier, but how are you communicating with him?”

“He is over at Pru’s house, they are about to leave to take him to their farm, first off.
 
Second, well, we go way back, even before I knew of the Council.
 
Mr. Phelan and my dad were pretty good friends, they had poker night at our house every Tuesday for the last few years, up until his death of course.
 
Anyway, he would bring
Alistar
, giving me a playmate to hang out with.
 
Trust me, Nosey is not a fan of his either, and
Alistar
has been nothing but a sweetheart to him.
 
That is how he ended up over here, he was looking for me to see if I was on the case or not.
 
Well, I better tell you the rest real quick.
 
I’ve been working at Ta Ta’s because I-35 and I-40 intersect here by
Bricktown
.
 
It’s a good way of smuggling supernaturals across territories. That is a whole other subject, there is big money in supers.
 
Example; witches buy fairies, humans that have discovered us will pay enormous amounts for people like me that get future predictions.
 
Spies or what we refer to as jackals are everywhere. We stay on the down-low but it gets difficult if we use our skills inappropriately and humans or jackals find us and sell us. There has been talk of vampires moving to Oklahoma and some want to move to New Mexico. It was bad enough when the vampires moved up to Sioux Falls and went on feeding rampages.
 
We have wanted to keep them out of Oklahoma and New Mexico so we’ve been stationing people in various areas, knowing that supers have a way of yapping their mouths.
 
Arien came in a few months ago, I thought he was just passing through, he never led me to believe anything other than that, so I didn’t report it to the Council.
 
Bad decision on my part, as we could have had a jump on the activity.
 
Unfortunately me being new and all to the secret society I don’t know everything yet. Everyone on the Council has been very good to me and my learning curve, I say everyone but I know there are few that are apprehensive about my status, as am I.
 
Arien doesn’t know about me, most supers don’t get a vibe from me, a great advantage for me.
 
Vampires are incredibly untrustworthy, their motives are self-serving and they have no intentions of helping other supers, yet we do everything in our power to keep their secret from humans.
 
Back in the 1910s a vamp by the name of
Nosferatu
wanted to be famous and romanticized in the new picture shows. Everyone thinks the movie was based on Bram Stokers’ book, but it wasn’t.
 
Nosferatu
actually killed all of his ‘children’ and on August 22, 1918 he bit three people
Enrico
Dieckmann
,
 
Albin
Grau
, and
Henrik
Galeen
.
 
They wrote the screenplay that ended up being the silent film “
Nosferatu
” in 1921.
 
I’m pretty sure that is how it all went, the Council has me study all of the supers so I know what I’m looking for and who has ‘
outted
’ us so to speak.”