The Awakening

Luke

She could feel his eyes on her back as she walked back to the house. The heat of his gaze managed to both turn her on and turn her stomach.

"It's not your back he's got his eyes on," Rowan said, coming out of the shadows of the forest. She matched her steps to Ella's and for a time the two young women walked silently in the moonlight.

It hadn't passed Ella's notice that Rowan had heard her thoughts again. She had let herself get angry again. The Event had altered her in so many ways, but that one was probably the most irritating. Her very thoughts and feelings could be either felt or heard clearly by those around her. The clarity depended on the intensity of her emotions at the time and her relationship with the person (or persons) nearby. If she let go completely, she could alter how those around her thought and felt until they reflected her own.

"I won't let that happen ever again." She thought to herself, shielding her thoughts from Rowan. The young Were had already been subject to Ella's force once before. She had sworn to herself after that to maintain control.

"You know, I think he might never change," Rowan said with a chuckle.

"You know, I'm afraid you're exactly right," Ella replied, grimacing.

"You know, I can hear every word you beauties say," Luke said from Ella's right.

One minute they were alone, and then he was just there. Ella realized she had herself closed so tightly she hadn't even felt him draw near. She did notice that though she had jumped, Rowan was unsurprised and unfazed. Of course, the warrior was always alert and the wolf in her was always aware.

Rowan turned around, walking backwards down the trail in front of them. Her long legs kept stride with an ease and grace that still made Ella a little jealous after all these years.

"I'm bored, let's go hunting Luke." Rowan suggested.

Ella knew why she didn't include her in that invitation. The type of hunting a Were and a Vamp would do wouldn't appeal to her.

Luke looked at Ella for a moment before crooking his lips and looking at Rowan. "Think you can keep up, puppy."

A low menacing growl emanated from Rowan's throat. The sound always managed to give Ella goosebumps.

"Well, as much as I would love to join the two of you..." Ella let her words trail off as she started to walk up the trail again.

"You could you know," Luke said.

Ella turned and his eyes were on hers, deep and dark, calling to her. She felt his gaze like a physical touch on her face.

"Not tonight," she said. "I already lost my game."

"No problem, Lance is on his way anyway." she started undressing, unabashedly. "You don't mind if I go for a run, do you?"

"Of course not, you two go have fun. Bring something back for dinner." She smiled and waved them on.

One minute Luke was there watching her as though she were the prey and the next he was gone. She felt him go, he was the night. Ella looked over at Rowan, who at this point was naked except for a locket that always hung about her neck. She felt the heat start to emanate from her friend. Then a burst of wind and a flash of intense heat and the woman was gone and a large gray wolf stood there instead. Her head came up to Ellas chest. The wolf looked up at her with the same intensely unnatural blue eyes. Ella put her hand on the thick fur on her and kissed the top of her head.

"Be careful, and watch him." Ella told her.

"She always is," came Lance's deep voice from behind her. "It's him that needs to be careful."

Rowan looked at her father, then bounded, fast as the wind after the vampire.

“Sometimes I look at him and still see that little boy we found. He’s lost, trying to find you, but he doesn’t even know it.” Lance said without his usual casual drawl.

“I don’t know about that exactly. I think he’s just like the others. Drawn here without knowing why and stuck because he had nowhere else to go.” Ella replied.

She remembered it was so cold that night. Rowan had started teaching her how to use a bow, but she didn’t really need one.

She had never been a particularly fearful child and the Event had only heightened her reckless courage and confidence. So she hadn’t taken any weapons with her into the woods, but she was never defenseless. She might only just be starting to learn the extent of her fire but it was already awesome to behold.

That was how she thought of it, as fire, but that wasn’t really right either. It was heat . . .yes, and air . . .yes, and light, but it was more than fire. It was power. She felt she held the force of the stars within her when she called it forth. Tonight, however, she was only holding a small ball in her hand to help light the way. (And to hurl at something or someone in self defense if needed.)

Her father led the way through the forest, pausing at times to listen and commune as he did. She was right behind him with Rowan keeping pace. Calder was a few steps behind her. He knew he hadn’t taken his hungry eyes from her, but he was acutely aware of his surroundings. Lance held up the rear. He carried his staff as any hiker would a walking stick, yet Ella knew he was deadly with it.

They trudged through the snow, looking for tracks, when her father signaled to her to stay put. Ella held her breath and glanced back at Lance. He put a finger to his lips and then two to his eyes and then forward.

Ella watched as her father slowly walked forward. He held his hands out in front of him. She knew Robert wasn’t defenseless. She had seen the hawk and the eagle above them. Besides the birds of prey, he could call upon the trees themselves to aid him. He spoke softly to someone in shadow.

"It's ok. We aren't going to hurt you. It's cold out here and we want to help." Robert said soothingly.

"I don't want to hurt you." A cold young voice replied.

Then Ella saw the eyes. They were so unlike her green ones, or even the twins' unique blue and gold colors. The eyes that she saw were deep and dark reflective pools. The only reason she saw them was because they had caught the light of her power in her hand. That was the right word too. They caught the light. The eyes didn't reflect it back, but drank it in. As she looked on she felt as though she were falling into them, as if in truth they were deep pools. She felt hot and cold all over but was barely aware of what was going on around her until she heard a growl of warning emanate from Rowan.

The noise started to pull her back but she didn't really want to go. She wanted to see and feel what was at the bottom of those pools. She started to walk closer. Then he was there in front of her. He was young, closer to her age than Rowan and Calder were.

His arms went around her and he pulled her to him faster than she had a chance to recognize what was happening. He had taken her by surprise and she had let go of the power she held in her hand, but instead of it receding back, it engulfed her in molten power. He held her to his thin naked chest and she could feel how cold he was.

"So warm." He purred into her neck. She could feel his mouth there and then there was a deafening roar of which she had never heard. It was a beast or monster behind her. She shook with fear and excitement and tried to turn to see, but the boy held her tight. He turned them faster than she could breathe, so now his body was between hers and the unknown beast. He cradled her head protectively and shielded her by exposing his own naked back to the threat.

Ella felt anger then. Anger at whatever this new monster was. It would not hurt this boy who thought to protect her. It wanted a fight. Well, she would give it one.