Tides Of Fate

Chapter Eleven

It was dark when we pulled up into the driveway. The one and a half hour drive didn't help me relax one bit. I was still fretting. Usually Ash's temper never scared me this much, but there was a neon sign in my head warning me away from him.

The door opened and Dave stepped out, closing the door behind him. He had his hands in his front jeans' pockets and a huge grin on his face. We got out and walked towards him, our shopping bags in hand.

"Hi, girls!" he called out cheerfully.

"Hi, Dad. How's everyone?" By everyone I meant Ash.

"Fine." He hugged all of us when we got to the door.

"Explain fine?" I wanted to know what exactly to expect when I saw Ash.

"They were really angry about what you did, but when it got dark and you weren't home yet they got worried. They're waiting for you."

"Thanks. Why aren't you mad?" I had been wondering about that all the way home.

"I've watched all of you grow up so I know you better than they do. By default I'm a father to all three of you. I expected something like this." He chuckled, and then he was serious. "But you can't do something as idiotic as that ever again."

"Why?" Ann asked.

"When we hunt, we listen to the heart beats and follow the scent of blood. It's also dangerous to sneak up on us. We are all on our guard with the danger you girls are in now."

"Sabrina." The fear was back in Maria's voice. The memory of that night was still haunting her. She was unconsciously rubbing the hand Sabrina had almost broken.

The nightmares weren't as frequent, but she was still shaky. She would always get angry when someone sneaked up on her. She was also way more patient than she was before all this happened. Her world had been turned upside down, and she had no other choice but to accept it and try to adapt. In a way, she and I had traded places.

"Not forgetting Baku." Dave tried to sound at ease but his voice had an undercurrent of anger in it.

"What you're saying is, you'll attack and ask for identification later?" Ann spoke clearly her face a bit pale. My dad nodded. After a moment of silence, she exhaled and took a step towards the door. "Dad, how about we take care of the danger inside first."

"Okay." My dad chuckled as he opened the door. He ushered us in before he closed the door behind him. We waited for him to go ahead then we followed.

They were all in the living room, each with a glass in their hand. It smelt like brandy, no whiskey. Whatever they were drinking, it was strong.

Ash was standing by the stairway, Joe was on the couch while Billy leaned against the AA room doors. They all looked tense and worried. They stared at us as we walked in behind Dave, they didn't move nor did they say a word. That wasn't a good sign.

"Take it easy on them." My dad laughed as he walked to the kitchen. I felt nervous not having him around to shield us anymore. We stood there like sheep in a slaughterhouse not sure what to do next.

Maria walked to the couch and sat next to Joe. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kept sipping at his glass. Maria looked confused and worried but she didn't say anything; she inched closer to him, her hand fisted on his chest and waited.

Ann went to Billy and gave him a quick kiss. That seemed to work. His face relaxed and he smiled at her.

"What's in the bags?" Billy broke the silence that hung heavily in the room.

"Apology presents for you." Ann spoke seductively. Billy's eyes popped open with recognition, his grin deepened into one of his heart wrenching smiles.

I turned and looked at Ash, worried about the volcano that was about to erupt. All that I could hope for was that he wouldn't scold me in front of everyone. He placed the glass down and went up the stairs.

I felt a pang in my chest as he walked away from me. I preferred he yelled at me than ignore me. He walked past his room and reached for the door to mine. He walked in and left the door open.

My heart raced as I tensed up again, suddenly I preferred he ignore me than yell at me in private. Having witnesses is a good idea.

I walked slowly to the stairway then paused debating whether or not to go up. I could always make a run for it. I wasn't that far from the main door, and I was still holding my car keys. A quick getaway. It would take him a few seconds to catch up to me but it was worth a try.

"Merilee!" Ash's livid voice shook me and I dropped the keys. He used my full name—that's definitely a bad sign.

I slapped my forehead feeling incredibly stupid. How could I forget we could hear each other's thoughts? It was like planning a prison break with the warden in the same room.

I took a step up then went back down. The anxiety was eating me up!

"He won't hurt you." Joe's cool voice came from behind me.

"When I'm so sure of that, you guys aren't. When I'm not, you are. We need to be on the same page one of these days."

"Ash doesn't know how to hide his anger. He never had to in the past, so it's difficult for him to mask it enough not to scare you. Go up, you'll be fine."

"Is that what you're doing, masking your anger?" Maria's soft voice sounded timid.

"Yes. It's only fair. You didn't run off when you found out what I am, so I'm going to forgive you for your stupidity."

"Lee…" Ash sounded more impatient than angry. "Don't make me come for you!"

He was warning me, not informing me. I ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time and rushed into the room. He was standing by the window looking out into the dark. I dropped the bags and closed the door.

"It would be wiser to leave it open." His voice was low. He was really trying to control himself. I took a step closer to him and waited. It was better to stay quiet; I might say something that would fuel the already raging fire inside him. "Why do you test me so much? You keep pushing me to the edge."

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again." I sat on the bed with my hands folded on my lap. Keep the answers short and simple, don't argue just let him get it out of his system.

"I'm your boyfriend not your father so you can drop the act."

I shot off the bed and paced, thinking of the best way to explain. "We were curious about how you guys hunt and how you looked in your wolf form. By the way you looked pretty cute with that stripe over your shoulder—"

He cut me off. "How did you know that was me?" The anger was gone, he sounded confused. "And how did you find us in the first place?"

I didn't know how to explain, it sounded ridiculous to me. I sat back on the bed and thought of a way to put it without sounding absurd. When I couldn't come up with anything I just pointed to my nose.

He rushed to me and sat next to me. He looked amazed, happy and worried at the same time. "Whose scent did you follow?"

"Your scent. I picked it up immediately once I stepped out the door. It wasn't intentional but it was helpful, so I just followed it."

"But how could you recognize me out of all four of us?"

"First, I tried picking through your thoughts but I got nothing, it's like you muted me out. So I tried the nose thing again. Your scent is engraved in my mind; you were pretty easy to point out. I've spent enough time with Dad so that was also easy. I like that bronze patch on his belly. It suits him. By the way how did you get that stripe?"

He grabbed my hands and held them in his. "How about we stay on the subject? We'll discuss the rest later."