The Dormant: The 5 Goddesses

Episode 11: Pre- Fight

~Danielle~

We were chilling in the backyard, soaking up the sun, soaking up all the benefits of vitamin D and the fact that, for the foreseeable future, there was a less asshole to fight off in my future. Yeah life was good. I had my face turned to the sun when the doorbell suddenly rang.

"Pizza is here," Poppy said, doing a small victory dance. Charly looked at her and stood up.

"How can you eat this much? Don't you have a plate of fries beside you?" Charly asked.

Poppy grabbed one fry and ate it. "Yes, but pizza is better."

"You know, after the teenage years pass, all those carbs are going directly to your butt," I raised my eyebrow.

Poppy smiled and replied, "The carbs are already going, and my butt is molding just fine. Thank you very much. Now, my cute ass and I want pizza, so Charly please..." She pleaded. Charly shook her head and started walking.

She entered her house, put on a bathrobe, and took the money for the pizza from the counter. The doorbell rang again. She hurried to open the door, but instead of the pizza delivery, two police officers were standing in front of her.

She hurried back to the backyard, saying, "Guys, the police are here inquiring about Sean. I already told them my parents weren't home. Still, you two are my alibi, so..." Charly bit her lip, then motioned towards the front door. I sighed, scratch that the asshole even if he was not here, was still making our lives impossible. Couldn't he, I don't know, disappear quietly?

"I can't believe you, Charlotte," I whispered while standing up and fisting my hands on my hips. I motioned with a hand inside. Everybody knew this. "First rule of talking with the police: always have your lawyer present." Shaking my head, I looked inside where two men were waiting. I didn't care what was the worst that could happen. To be honest, it was only the fact that Sean Stacy told someone he was with Charly that irked me wrong. We entered the house, covering ourselves with towels.

When we reached them, Poppy took the first step and, with a smile, started the conversation with the men in front of her. "Hello, officers, I am Poppy. This is Danielle. Charly just told us you wanted to speak to us. How can we help you?" I looked at her, my eyebrow slightly raised, and wanted to scream, "Fake!" but I bit my tongue hard. It was funny seeing her trying to be so formal with her petite frame and wild red hair.

"Well, hello there, Miss Poppy, Miss Danielle. I am Detective Williams, and this is my partner, Detective Jones." I looked at the two men, squinting my eyes at them. Yeah, there was something that didn't sit well with me about these two men. Probably it was residual effects of what happened to Charly a few months back and how they did nothing then and now one of their own, kid, was missing and not even a week, and they were asking questions, double standards!

Williams was tall, in his mid-40s, with nasty armpit stains and an awful bald spot, he kinda reeked of bad B.O. and cheap perfume. Jones was short, white, in his 30s, and looked like he was constipated. Detective Jones appeared unaffected by Poppy's soft wouldn't her a lamb smile.

"We are investigating the disappearance of one of our own, the son of Detective Stacey. He hasn't been seen since last Friday night," he glanced at us with a sort of menacing look. "You may know him? He was your friend for three years. I got a report you filled out six months ago, but it was promptly dismissed," he said, looking straight at Charly.

I wanted to hit him. What was the nerve of bringing that s**t up? He was an i***t, right now everybody was an i***t, but I opted to answer him back. "Yeah, six months ago he hit her, and you guys buried that up deeper than a nun's s****l awakening," I said.

As little as she was, Poppy put a hand up to try to calm me down, and with the same sweet smile, replied, "Yes, we know him. He goes to our school, so everyone at Willamette has heard of Sean Stacey. If you are talking about a past relationship our good friend Charlotte had with him, that was over long ago. Since then, neither of us has spent any time with him outside the school grounds. Please excuse my hot-headed friend over here. She doesn't like men trying to take advantage of innocent young women with no one to take care of them.

"That's why I am speaking to you two right now, even though I am not their responsible adult or parent, so I can't talk on their behalf. Still, I can and will make sure to let their parents know that two detectives tried to communicate with their underage daughters without their legal consent." Poppy took a big breath and raised an eyebrow in defiance. Charly's mouth was slightly open. My eyebrows were permanently raised at this point. Okay, Poppy was good.

She continued verbally assaulting the detectives, her hand in front of her motioning at Charly and me. "Now, if you want to know where the three of us were on Friday night, we were trespassing over at Camp North trying to visit Michael Hughes.¨ Scratch that she wasn't that good. I turned to look at her with a ¨What the f**k dude look!¨ Didn't she know snitches got stitches and damn she was spilling the whole tea! ¨You can check with Noah Solvermond, Liam Farcas, Ben Paulson, and all the people over there who caught us breaking inside Camp North. We also decided to stay the night, and they brought us back in the morning. Now, our parents don't know about this, and if you want to go and tell them, it's okay. Then you will lose all cooperation from us," she finished, shrugging her arms.

Detective Williams went serious, and Detective Jones was flabbergasted, his jaw clenching hard. Charly was stunned and blushing, and I was looking at cute little Poppy as if she had just grown a horn from her, as she puts it, cute posterior. We were all speechless.

The silence lasted a few minutes, and then Detective Williams cleared his throat and spoke. "Well, ladies, Miss Poppy, that will be all for now. We will look at what you said, and if we have any more questions, I will be sure to contact you," he quickly finished while glancing at the little amateur lawyer. It worked? What Poppy did actually work?

"Sure, feel free to call me at this number," Poppy grabbed a piece of paper, scribbled her phone number, name, and age, and gave it to the detective. "I'll happily give you every detail of our escapade." She flashed them another smile. Turning on their heels, they exited the foyer, entered their police car, and drove away.

We were left standing at the house entrance, Charly and I looking at Poppy. "If you are going to speak, please do it now," she said, pointing at us.

"You told them everything. Why?" Charly asked, biting her index fingernail. I continued, "And you brought Michael into the picture. Why?" She put her hands up, shutting us both up, and calmly answered, "Well, if the little turd is missing and has got himself into some stupid Sean Stacey problem, it's best if we kept to the truth from the beginning. That way, they can't say we are dishonest. Michael, you told me he was part of the guys who took you, so he was there. We got at least thirty eyewitnesses of our whereabouts. If they come to our parents with that information, they lose three honest people. They would go to Camp North, ask around, and find out everything I said is basically true."

Putting my index up and opening my mouth, I closed it, then opened it again while narrowing my eyes. I wanted to protest but couldn't find any words. This girl was a genius. So, I did the second-best thing I could imagine. "You little monster, get here. Let me hug you," I started chasing her around the house.

~Benjamin~

I was drying off with a towel after my morning training with the middle-level warriors. I put on some clean clothes, busy thinking of my schedule when one of my patrols mind-linked me. It had been a year since stepping up as the second in command of the pack, I had a huge responsibility on my shoulders, and knowing the history behind my family, my father, and his cruelty, how my family had come to a downfall. I took the role seriously, knowing the previous Alpha hadn't stripped me of my role in this community, the way he did my father before me, made me loyal, it made me fight for this place more than ever. "Beta, a cop car passed the inner limit. Should we stop it?" Sighing, I closed my eyes, here came more trouble as I remembered Noah telling me there was a cop car at Luna's house, and adding that with Michael and Calvin's insights, I knew what they were doing here.

"Let them in and direct them to my office. Don't let them talk to anyone but me." As soon as I said this, I connected with Noah. "Alpha, the cops that were at the Luna's house entered the pack. I directed them to my office."

He mind-linked back. "Perfect, I am not here, and I would only come out if necessary. If the police are here so quickly, the girls probably told them some version of the truth, so keep to their story. I'll be listening."

"Perfect, now I am an antenna," I shook my head at my new job.

"The most tattooed and muscled antenna there is. Now go find out what they know," Noah mind-linked back. I rolled my eyes and finished getting dressed. Then I made my way to my office on the second floor, where the two detectives were waiting for me. The last thing we as a pack needed was to bring attention to ourselves from the local police. Every year they came once or twice to try to get information from the people in the compound or the people from the neighboring town making false statements about the place. Last time when the girls said cult, that was not the first time I heard that. It was always that, or drug compound. I opened the door to my office.

"Good evening, officers," I greeted them, raising an eyebrow as I saw the two excuses for men in front of me. The men in front of me were weak excuses for males, even for humans. One had bad hygiene, and the other one looked like a small beefed-up halfling, his testosterone at such high levels. It wouldn't be crazy if the man shot himself with steroids.

"Detective Jones and this is my partner, Detective Williams," The beefer answered. He emphasized the word "detective" while shaking my hand. He was trying to give me a hard shake, but it was a weak grip. I could understand standing beside a man who had at least three heads over you and was naturally dominant didn't bode well with the poor human.

"Well, officers, I am Mr. Paulson, Mr. Solvermond's on-site manager. Tell me, what can we do for you today?" I reclined on my table, crossing my legs in front of me with an easy smile at them.

He flinched when he heard the word "officer" again, making me grin harder. "It has come to our understanding that you had some visitors on your premises last Friday night. Do you know Miss Charlotte Addams, Poppy Johnson, and Danielle Starr?" Noah mind-linked me almost instantly.

"Tell them they were here. Don't mention Sean. Oh, and I forgot, I am sending the guard Michael to your office. That's what the girls told the officers,"

I shot back a question at him inside the pack bond. "How do you know that detail?" Again, I heard his voice saying, "Tell you later. Now get rid of them."

I pursed my lips, nodding at both Noah's request and the detectives. "Yes, we had the pleasure of meeting those three troublemakers. They tried to pass our gate without being carded. They were looking for one of our residents, another young teenager, Michael. He forgot to mention their visit to the guard's booth."

Williams glanced at me with a disapproving scowl. "And you knowing these were teenagers out of their house in the middle of the night. Why didn't you call the police?"

Before I answered the question, I grabbed the phone, saying, "Bring young Michael Hughes, please." I placed the phone down, and then it hit me, coming from Williams: a faint smell of something magical. For a moment, I was stunned, trying to take the scent in. It was not a witch, not a fae. I was lost in my world when I heard Jones loudly clearing his throat, taking me out of my head and bringing me back to the conversation.

Shaking the fog away, I answered, "I've asked Michael to come. He can tell you everything himself, but the minute they were found, knowing they were high school girls, we didn't want to jeopardize their future with a criminal record. There was no harm done, and we didn't want to place any charges. They stayed all night with Michael. As mentioned earlier, he is also seventeen, by the way. In the morning, they were driven back to their houses. We were going to tell their parents, but we guessed they better do that themselves."

"Is everything good with them?" I asked while that foul smell crept towards my nose. I wanted to sneeze at the faint peppery scent coming from the man.

"Everything is good," Williams said as Michael entered the office. "We were just wondering about their whereabouts that night. We have an essential member of Willamette missing. You may know him too." He turned towards Michael. "Sean Stacey, it has come to our attention that he was dating one of the girls who came to visit you on Friday night." He said while looking at his notes, passing pages until he landed on the one he wanted. "Miss Charlotte Addams."

I heard Noah growling through the mind-link.

"Well, the only trespassers that night were those three girls, but feel free to talk to Michael here. He can fill in the blanks." I grabbed Michael's shoulders and squeezed them lightly.

"They came here for you, Michael?" Jones asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, Poppy is my lab partner. We needed to get started with a project, and her friends came to see the village," Michael replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"Good answer," I shot a mind-link to him and looked straight at the detectives.

"And Sean?" Williams asked, pointing at his notepad with a pen.

"No idea. We don't hang out at school. I am more of a book kind of person. He is more like a jock," he looked at his scrawny self as he answered.

I had one eye on them and the other one on that scent. Where had I scented something like that before? It was another magical I could feel it. I looked into my mind, remembering my time in Rome when a memory came of Isabella killing..."Vampire!" my mind shot in excitement at realizing what the smell was.

"What?!" I heard Noah's voice as perplexed as mine through the mind-link.

"Easy Alpha, I'll tell you later. Get Liam to your office," I mind-linked, wishing I could grab the officers and question them myself. What the f**k did it meant he had been in contact with one of the bloodsuckers?

"Well, that's all. If we have any more questions, we will be glad to return." Jones finished questioning Michael.

"Please do," I replied while escorting them out of my office and the packhouse, and then watched them leave Camp North's main grounds.

I ran to Noah's office and entered. He was sitting on his chair, deep in thought. I sat on the couch, and as soon as I did, Liam joined in. He lingered a second, looking at Noah's face, and asked me, "Why are his panties in a twist?" Noah came out of his trance-like state, not realizing what Li had just said.

I shook my head at Liam, of the three of us he was the jokester and if we gave him a hand he took it a mile too far. I started talking, ignoring him. "Are you going to tell me how you had that information? How did you know the girls mentioned Michael?" Noah's face was grinning, but he also seemed confused.

"I was sitting here using you as my personal phone antenna, and an image of Charly crossed my mind. She was looking in the mirror, wondering if I was going to like what she was wearing." Liam's mouth opened, and I stuttered, "That means that... no, it can't be right. I never heard of mates sharing the last mate bond gift before they exchange blood."

Noah nodded, beaming, "Or mates feeling each other before one of the spirits is fully developed. That means two things: her animal is even stronger than we thought, and we are running out of time." Noah again entered into deep thought.

Liam, after the shock, said with a smirk, "Noah, you perv, you shouldn't be tapping her mind before she knows how to control it. Tell me you aren't speaking to her right now?"

If Noah's eyes could throw daggers, they would have killed Liam. "I am trying to explain to her she is not crazy, and tomorrow I'll explain everything. Now she..." Noah paused, then chuckled. "... She is embarrassed, and she turned the link off."

I laughed, looking at my Alpha. "Did she imagine something dirty and send it without realizing it? Oh, young love." He straightened up but was still smiling. Whatever it was, it must have been pretty good.

I thought of all the scenarios that could pass through a teenage brain. I almost forgot what I had found out. Noah reminded me of it when he asked, "Vampire?" I nodded my head saying, "Yes, one of the detectives has had contact with a vampire. The smell was really faint, but it was there."

Noah's eyes grew bigger as he thought about his mate in the vicinity of a vampire. His wolf was nearly at the surface as he started growling lowly with this information. "It's nothing we have to be worried about now. It could have been just a feeding, but we still need to be extra careful with the Luna. She is the only one in danger because she is not living inside the pack," I finished my statement.

"Again, someone please convince me why isn't she here sitting on my lap?" Noah questioned. I was about to answer, but Liam did it first.

"Numerous reasons, Noah: human parents, she's a seventeen-year-old pup, and you are an Alpha werewolf. Her spirit is not fully formed, and she is probably thinking she is going nuts. If you are not careful, you are going to send our Luna to the looney bin."

I shrugged my shoulders and nodded my head, agreeing. Noah sat at his desk, thinking, a hand grabbing his chin.

"You two know I am your Alpha, right?" I c****d my head to the side.

Yeah, he was my Alpha, but he was our friend first and the success of this pack was the fact we could speak freely to him. "Sure, but everything he said is correct. Hey, at least you know you are making her crazy." Noah let a tired sigh, shaking his head.

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[[ Ancient Memories]]

I ran for a while, feeling the wind on my fur, the warm soil on my paws, and seeing the humidity rising all around me. Soon, I entered a clearing. I slowed down as a deep-water pool came into sight.

I transformed back to my human form while looking around the almost magical place. The clear water was surrounded by black rocks. The luscious green jungle surrounding the structure was like an unnecessary oasis.

Why would the Father Spark have created this? I thought to myself, making my way to the deep waterhole border. The water was fresh, in contrast to the warm weather; it was inviting. I soon decided to go in for a perfect swim.

I quickly removed my dress's straps and caressed my neck; all this work could kill a light being. With the tip of my toe, I tentatively tested the waters.

Feeling happy about the temperature of the water, I entered the pool with a swift movement, one foot at a time. The refreshing water on my hot skin felt amazing. I massaged my muscles and started feeling a tingle on my back, but shrugged it off. I began to cup the water and bathe myself, enjoying every drop that fell on my skin using my hands. After I acclimated to the liquid's coolness, I plunged headfirst, getting my long hair wet. Underneath the water, the sight was so transparent. I could make out every crevasse, every rock form. I started to swim back up and began to come out of the water, freezing on the spot. There, in the thick humid jungle air, I could smell it.

I heard foliage around me crunch; someone was with me. Jumping around, ready to pounce on my form again, I said, "Come out; we can share." The vegetation moved, and a tall muscled man wearing a loincloth walked out. The scent he emitted was strong and intoxicating. He smelled like a summer night bonfire and caramel. It was the most amazing scent in the world; it shocked me and filled me with warmth at the same time.

His skin, brown as wood, was tattooed with different fire motifs, and his chest had the pattern of a jaguar. I grinned at this. He had long straight brown hair, fashioned in an updo. I was getting ready to react and run away, but he crossed the clearing and entered the pond without even flinching at the coldness. Before I knew it, he had me in his arms.

His arms made me feel safe, and the minute we touched, a fire deep down inside started building, telling me he was mine. I didn't know what he was, but what I did know was he was already everything. He opened his lips, with a growl escaping his mouth, he became my world when the word came out.

"Mate."

I gulped hard when he said it, and my whole body shivered. He had claimed me with that word. He slightly shifted his arms, firmly grabbing my back, and motioned himself down to kiss me. I blinked hard, breaking the hypnosis of his skin.

"Whoa, easy fellow," I said, smiling and pressing my hand against his chest, trying to create space between us. "Let's start with names. I'm Bastet, and you are?" I asked, smiling at him.