ABBY

Chapter 13

Staring at the empty bed in disbelief, Lawrence feels his heart shatter. Dean is howling in his head. The pain almost unbearable. Abby managed to disappear again. It's as if she never came to Windy Acres in the first place.  She's gone without a trace, again. She didn’t leave a note or anything. Looking out the window, huge white sails on the horizon are the only evidence he has that there was a foreigner in Windy Acres. His mate is gone.

Looking back at the disappearing strip of land, Abby feels an aching in her chest. A piece of her is staying behind in Windy Acres. Lawrence Collard’s face is haunting her. The green eyes and jet-black hair along with the perfect smile keep popping up in her mind. He’s tugging on her heart to return to the one place she wants to forget.

“What are your orders, Captain?” Samuel asks. His deep voice bringing her back to reality. With a long sigh, she turns to face him. “Set course for Castelena, Samuel. I’ve got a bone to pick with Captain Silver and his minions.” She says, her eyes having new fire in them.

“Aye, Captain.” He replies. Abby turns and takes her leave, walking tall and proud among her crew. Samuel follows the retreating back of his captain. A tinge of pride swells in his chest. But the dark cloud of a b****y war hangs on the horizon and the mood on the ship is starting to shift. The men are preparing themselves mentally to fight. The all feel the anticipation and Abby has a new focus ever since she walked out of the hospital.

Giving the orders on the deck, Samuel makes his way to Joseph’s cabin. The Warlock is busy with notes and arranging medicine in the storage units. Inviting him in, Samuel takes a seat on his bed as Joseph scrambles to get everything done. “Where are we going this time?” Jo asks, not stopping his actions. “We’re paying a visit to Captain Silver.” Sam answers.

Joseph comes to a halt. “Really? Interesting.” He says before continuing to pack away plaster and bandages. “I’m not sure where this is going, though.” Samuel replies with sigh as he leans back against the headboard of the bed. “I do, however think that our Captain has found her mate.” He continues. Dropping the bottle that he was examining, Joseph spins around and looks at Samuel with wide eyes.

“What? How do you know? Are you sure?” He asks, picking the bottle up and making sure it’s not chipped. “Who?” Joseph continues to pepper Samuel with all the questions, not giving him a change to draw a breath. Placing the bottle among the others into a crate, Joseph spins around and looks at Samuel again, who’s fallen silent.

“Who, Samuel?” He asks again. Samuel rubs the back of his neck and lets a long sigh escape. “I think it’s the young healer we met in die hospital when we took Abby in. His body language gave all the correct signs that he might be her mate. But since Abby’s not a werewolf or lycan, for that matter. It’s hard to tell.” Samuel explains. “This is great news, then, isn’t it?” Joseph continues as he rummages through the stacks of paper that is still littering his table. He’s trying hard to clean up but is fail with flying colours.

“I’m not so sure. He’s not a seaman. So that means, Abby might be forced to leave the ocean behind. What will happen to us and the Dragon’s Destiny, should she decide to take her role up in his pack?” Samuel replies with a hint of concern in his voice.

“I see your point.” Joseph says as he turns back to his desk. The will to tidy things up has left him. That is a good question, though. What will happen to them if Abby leaves the ship? Most of the men onboard don’t know anything else but sea-life and working on ships. These are hardened seamen. They fight and protect their captain and ship. They honour those lost at sea and celebrate new recruits. This is their livelihood, their survival.

Throwing a glance in Samuel’s direction, he sees that it’s bugging him too. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. By the look of things, Abby’s more focused on finding Captain Davidson again. Or maybe Captain Silver. Not sure about the order of things.” He states, reaching over the solid oak desk and pulls a premium rum closer as well as two tumblers.

Taking a sip, the dark brown liquid burns down his throat and warms his stomach. Samuel and Joseph fall into silence. Each with their own trail of thought. The noises for the deck, the only sound filling the small space of the cabin.

Abby retreated to her cabin after giving orders to Samuel, and while walking across the deck, her mind wanders once more back to Windy Acres. A community that she was born into, but it never truly welcomed her. Was it because her mother was half witch, half fay? Or because her father was a feared man? Apart from all those questions, Abby was never sure where she fitted in.

The witches made it clear that she wasn’t part of them. Morrigan tried her best to assist Abby where she could, but the elders made sure to give the Witch Mother a hard time. Abby felt unwelcome and left the caves. The fay on the other hand, did invite her in. But she shied away to keep them safe. Her malicious stalkers became bolder by the day.

She felt the safest among the seafarers. A pack of vicious, bloodthirsty seaman surrounded her and all they asked was rum, good food and a portion of the loot. None of them judging her or questioning her abilities.

Her three guardians made sure she stayed safe. Christopher Berger was a rogue werewolf she found on the Black Market. He was up for sale to be killed and skinned. Werewolf fur is becoming a priced possession in the upper classes of the social rankings. Samuel Gryphon was found in a ditch, heavily wounded. Later, Abby came to the realization the he was a Wanderer. A lycan warrior who stayed behind when the Castelena Lycan Pack packed up and moved to Windy Acres to step in as guards for the Vampire King once again. Then there’s Joseph Stern. A powerful Warlock who made the wrong choices in life and ended up on the streets of Castelena as a beggar. Shunned by his own kind.

Then, there’s Lawrence Collard. The younger of twins and future Beta of one of the most powerful and wealthy packs known. Standing at almost two meters tall, broad shoulders, jet-black hair and dark green eyes, he haunts her subconscious.  When she closes her eyes, he’s there. Looking into the depths of her very soul that she wants to hide from the rest of the world. He was always the one coming to her rescue when she got picked on when they were young kids, taking the branding from his older brother. Being called a lovesick pup and all, just to protect her.

Seeing him in the hospital room, made Abby’s heart skip a beat. She got butterflies in her stomach and it had nothing to do with the poison in her system. Her whole being is screaming to turn back. She’s heard the stories of lycan mates. A unique bond between male and female. The couple is totally devoted and committed to each other. They are willing to go to the ends of the world for one other. Can it be that Lawrence Collard is, in actual fact, her mate? She’s but a mere human.

Or is she?