Willow (Blood Vine Series) (27 page)

“The Knights of Andros.” This time Gage’s voice was full of ice. “It was formed by a follower of Andros by the name of Brock Evans. He was devoted to the vampire lord, maybe devoted isn’t strong enough.” No one said anything, no one even moved. We were all too transfixed by his raspy voice. “They rose to their height shortly after the ancient city fell,” he continued in a lower voice. “First they slaughtered every wolf within the city. Then they moved outward; gaining followers and momentum.”

“Why didn’t anyone stop them?” Jed asked angrily. “There must have been a pack strong enough.”

“Not then,” Gage answered, “the only thing they could do was run and hope they didn’t find them. The Knights had no discretion, they didn’t care if the wolves disobeyed Andros or not - they killed any they came across. Naturally, the packs were small then; no one dared bring too much attention to themselves. Males ran together with no females.”

“And the council was born,” I finished his story. It made sense now.

“Yes.” He looked at me, his grey eyes pleading for understanding. “Three males went to Andros. They offered their service if he called off his Knights.”

“Then why are the Knights still around?” Colby asked loudly.

“They grew drunk on their own power, blinded by hatred. In the end they turned on Andros, Evans was killed, and the group disbanded; but they are still out there - lurking in the shadows.” Gage’s face contorted with dark anger. “They don’t have anything to do with Andros anymore, they just kept the name.”

“Yeah right,” Rueben huffed.

“They don’t,” Gage insisted.

“How do you know?”

Like watching a tennis match, all our faces turned from Gage to Rueben and were now watching Gage expectantly. Gage did seem pretty sure, but how could he be, it wasn’t like Andros would tell the wolves everything.

“My brother is on the council,” he said quietly, as if it would come as a great shock to all of us.

“So are you,” Rueben reminded him.

Gage’s response was immediate and furious. “I am not part of the council,” he snapped. “I’m here as a favor to my brother. If it was left to me … ” His tongue darted out to run across his bottom lip. “ … I wouldn’t be here at all.”

“Anyways,” I cut in loudly when Rueben’s eyebrows furrowed together angrily, “they can’t be much of a threat. I’ve never heard of them before today. Bella would have told us.”

“It seems to me,” Gage responded with a scowl, “that Bella’s biggest fear was Mikhaul. But … ”

“You’re afraid of them?” I could hardly imagine Gage afraid of anyone.

“It’s hard to forget … hard not to see when I close my eyes … the terror they provoked … they still hunt our kind down … ”

“The Knights don’t travel in large groups.” Carlie tried to alleviate the tension that Gage had just put into the air. “They wouldn’t be able to touch you guys.”

“If they are in the area,” he glared at Carlie, “no one goes off by themselves.”

“They don’t even know we’re here.” I stopped myself from rolling my eyes.

“She knows.”

All the boys turned to Carlie with new eyes. She took a step back, but shook her head fiercely. “How many times do I have to tell you? I’m not going to tell anyone!”

“Get her home,” Gage ordered curtly. He disappeared quickly into the cabin.

“Gage!” I tore off after him, slamming the door behind me. “I trust her.”

“I don’t care.”

My mouth fell open slightly. “You are so … so … ”

He cocked one eyebrow. “Good-looking?”

“Not the word I was looking for.”

“Did you go into her house?”

I squirmed under his stare, remembering the uneasy feeling I had when Carlie’s dad looked at me. “For a little while.”

“Did you talk to him?”

“He can tell what I am by talking to me?”

“I don’t know what he knows.” He sighed noisily. “I don’t like being this close to one of them.”

“I’m sure he probably feels the same way.” I let his arms fold around me, pressing myself close to his chest.

“You said you want to move?”

“Yeah,” I nodded, my chin rubbing on his chest.

“Where do you want to go?” I shrugged. “That narrows it down.” His deep laugh vibrated through his chest, giving me goose bumps. I felt his hand come up against my head and stroke my hair. “Promise me you won’t go back there alone,” he whispered.

“I promise.”

I raised my head to look up at him. He bent down low and pressed his lips to mine. “And Carlie doesn’t count as someone else,” he smiled.

I stuck my tongue out playfully. “Ok.”

“Ok?”
             

“Yes.”

“All right.” He bent again to kiss me, this time more firmly. My heart hammered so hard it made my head feel dizzy. He let go abruptly and strode quickly back to the door.

“Where are you going? I wasn’t finished with you.”

He shook his head with a smile. “I’m going for a run.”

“A run where?”

“If there are others coming I want to know about it.” Before I had time enough to process what he meant and object, he had already left.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Just Breathe

When I came back out of the cabin a few minutes later the boys were still standing where I had left them, with Carlie right in the middle. “Where is he going?” Jed demanded.

“Didn’t he just say we weren’t supposed to go off by ourselves?” Rueben seconded.

“I’m … not sure,” I mumbled, heat creeping into my cheeks.

“I guess since he makes the rules he gets to break them, too.” Rueben was looking at Jed but I was sure he meant that for me.

“He doesn’t make the rules Rueben,” I snapped.

“What do you call that then?”

“Yeah, I thought you were the leader.” Now that Gage was gone, Carlie was a lot more relaxed.

“I am,” I said forcefully, “but Gage has been around for a long time. He knows what he is talking about.”

“If he is talking about me telling my dad about you guys then no he doesn’t.”

Rueben grinned. “I trust Carlie,” he declared happily.

“We need to listen to Gage,” I insisted.

“Maybe he’s just too old,” Carlie suggested.

“What do you mean?”

“He has seen a lot,” she took the few steps that would put her right in front of me, “just look at my dad.”

My top lip snarled up. Thinking about kissing someone who was as old as Carlie’s dad was gross. “He is nothing like your dad.”

“I don’t mean looks wise.” She imitated my grimace. “Eww.”

“Yeah.”

We both looked away awkwardly then burst into giggles. “I just meant,” she grabbed my arm, “my dad sees a monster in every shadow, every dark corner, and in all our closets.” She let go of me and looked around so she was talking to everyone again. “He still checks under my bed every night before going to bed.”

“Really?” Rodney looked half amused.

“Yes, really. So maybe that is how Gage is; he sees danger in everything. Does he go a little overboard sometimes?” Her well-trimmed eyebrows arched gracefully on her forehead.

“He’s just … careful,” I continued to defend Gage. I had never had a father before but I doubted if he was acting like one.

“Careful?” Rueben scoffed. “He doesn’t let us do anything.”

“That’s because everything we do turns to shit,” Jed pointed out.

“He doesn’t check under my bed,” I offered with a shrug.

“That’s because he’s too busy trying to get into it,” Carlie teased with a small wink.

“That is … is not true at all,” I sputtered. My face flamed so hot it was almost painful.

Jed laughed loudly. “But you are right, Willow,” he said loudly, “he doesn’t check under your bed.”

I puffed my cheeks out and blew the air out, making my hair ruffle. “Are you done?” I asked with a wave of my hand.

“I’m just saying,” Carlie continued with a wide grin, “maybe he’s just gotten too used to danger.”

“I don’t know.” Everything was starting to get blurry in my own head. I trusted Gage. I trusted him enough to put my pack into his hands, but I trusted Carlie too. And what she was saying made sense. Did it just take someone outside of the situation to make things more clear, just like at her house earlier? “I don’t know,” I said again, “but for now I think we should do as he says.”

“Which means I have to go home?” Carlie raised one eyebrow but didn’t look angry.

“Just for now,” I shrugged. “I’ll talk to him.” I sighed, but Carlie only smiled.

“All right, but just promise me one thing.”

“What?”

“You won’t leave without telling me.”

“I’ll see you at school tomorrow,” I said instead of answering.

“See you.” She waved a little at Rueben before getting back behind the wheel of her car.

“She won’t tell her dad,” Rueben said as we all watched her car disappear.

“Do you think the Knights are anything to worry about?” Rodney asked, turning back to me.

I shrugged. “Bella didn’t mention them.” And she wasn’t here to ask.

“Gage doesn’t think Mikhaul is a threat,” Steven murmured.

“And Bella
did
,” I finished his thought.

“Who’s to say which of them was right,” Jed added.

“Or if both of them are.”

I sighed, wrenching my eyes away from the now empty road. Even the dust had settled. “It doesn’t matter,” I said more firmly, “we have to be careful anyway. We turn into giant monster wolves, of course we have many enemies.”

“You want to know what I don’t understand?” Jed asked with a very serious scowl.

“What?”

“Why don’t you have any faith in us?”

“I … ” I looked around me, slightly surprised by the various stares of hurt directed at me. “I do.”

“You let Gage say whatever he wants about us,” Jed accused. “Why can’t you tell him that we’ll be fine without him?”

“Will we?”

“Will you?”

“Yes,” I said through clenched teeth. “But I don’t need to be, he’s here to stay.”

“For now,” Rueben muttered defiantly.

I rolled my eyes, sometimes it was impossible to get through to Rueben. “You guys feel like hunting tonight?” I asked grudgingly. I really just wanted to go sulk in my room over this new obstacle but the boys might need to hunt. There were a few nods of agreement but no one said much.




We stayed close to the cabin, making do with a few rabbits instead of going on a large hunt. Everyone seemed on edge and more than a little uneasy. “You know,” I said in my human form while we made our way through the night back to the cabin, “we’ll be moving soon so we don’t have to deal with any of this for much longer.” I had hoped to cheer them up, but if anything the mood became darker.

“I’m going to miss her,” Rueben said dejectedly.

“Carlie?”

“Yep.”

“Well I don’t know what you expected to happen.” I almost bit my tongue off, choking on the words. I sounded like Bella.

“I don’t know,” he shrugged.

“How do we just shut that part of ourselves off?” Colby asked, casting furtive glances at the back of Rueben’s head.

“The part that crushes on human girls?” I rubbed my hands roughly across my chin. I doubted even Gage would be able to help the boys on this one.

“Hey, but look on the bright side guys,” Steven said sarcastically, “sooner or later we won’t feel anything human anymore. Isn’t that right, Willow? One day we’ll just be pure wolf.”

“That doesn’t happen every time,” I denied, “look at Gage.”

“Ah, yes,” Rueben clicked his tongue, “may we all strive to be just like perfect Gage.”

“All I am saying,” I retorted forcefully, “is that nothing is set in stone. Who knows what the future holds.”




The boys went their own way before we actually got to the cabin; their heads held low in despair despite my calls of encouragement. I watched them go with mixed feelings, my own shoulders growing heavier.

They didn’t want to leave, and neither did I really. Maybe Carlie was right, she was good at being right - much better than I was. She had said everyone would forget about seeing Steven. After a while it would just become another rumor and anyway no one knew it was Steven. Maybe we could just …

“Hey,” Gage whispered from behind me. I jumped violently back in surprise but his hands snaked around my waist before I could fully lose my balance.

“Hey,” I whispered back with a nervous giggle. “You scared me.”

He smiled wide and kissed me quickly on the tip of my nose. “What are you doing out here alone?” He pretended to scowl but his eyes were lit with teasing.