Cerys Chapter 14
I almost held my breath while waiting for Nico and Royal to answer Brax. Confessing all that I’d been experiencing, yet pushing them off as fantasies of my fertile mind had been hard. What if they thought I was crazy? They were used to what I told them, but only in a shifter or other supernatural. It wasn’t something a human experienced. They were stunned and searching for answers. I wasn’t sure why they asked Nico and Royal rather than one of the others until Brax explained.
“I asked Nico and Royal because they’re direct survivors of the plague, Cerys. They’re almost seven hundred years old. They’ve been around the world and others way more than us. If anyone has heard of this being possible, they likely have. They’re considered elders and should sit on the Council of Oracles, but they declined,” Brax said softly.
“What’s the Council of Oracles? What do they do?” I whispered back.
“Give us a minute to explain some background,” Brax answered. I tamped down my impatience.
“You want to know what the Council of Oracles is. I can answer that. Anyone who was a direct survivor during the height of the Black Plague, such as Nico and me, is eligible to sit on the Council. They are the supreme authority on the history of our kind. They are selected to represent the various types of shifters and supernaturals, and they total a dozen. They’re voted on for the position. They’re also mediators when major disputes between factions can’t be settled quietly and fairly. A ruling from them is final. They help to keep us informed yet hidden from the humans,” Royal explained.
“Okay, so where are they? How do you communicate with them?” I asked.
“They’re located in Greece, in the area called Delphi. Communication is like any other, via email primarily, although there is a central location for calls. However, strict protocols must be followed to communicate to ensure nothing is traceable, meaning nothing unencrypted,” Nico informed me.
“How can they oversee all the issues for shifters when you’re scattered all over the world? They can’t be everywhere. Are they like your police?” I asked in confusion.
I watched the guys exchange glances that I couldn’t decipher. Suddenly, I wasn’t able to sense any of their emotions. I stood up and turned to stare at Brax.
“What the hell is going on? You’re all looking at each other. There’s something you’re not willing to tell me. Why can’t I sense any of your emotions?”
He held out his hand. “Baby, come back here. There’s no need to get upset.”
“Like hell, there isn’t. You’re hiding shit from me, Brax. I thought this bite meant we were completely united and had no secrets,” I snapped, pointing to it.
“We are united, but I need to speak to the guys for a minute,” Brax stated.
It was hard to say, but I did. “Okay, you guys talk about whatever you haven’t told me. I’ll go inside.”
“Baby, it won’t take long. Cerys, if it were only my secret, I’d tell you right now,” Brax said.
Without another word, I walked off. I didn’t respond to his beseeching look or the hand he held out to me. If he thought I was kissing him when he was hiding stuff from me, and it wasn’t something insignificant, he was crazy. When I entered the house, I took several deep breaths while concentrating and tried to settle my emotions. Their emotions were still locked down. I meditated to bring myself to a peaceful point. As soon as I felt it, I hoped it meant they could no longer sense my emotions, which were a seething cauldron. Knowing I hadn’t much time, I grabbed my purse and car keys. Brax would come after me, but that was fine. I was making a point rather than trying to run and hide.
Slipping out to the garage, where the door was open, I climbed into my car and started it. I backed out of the garage and floored it. I saw Brax and the others come running around the corner. He was waving his arms at me and yelling, but I had the radio turned on. All of them were waving and shouting as I roared off.
Getting to their vehicles or bikes would take them a few moments. While they were fast in their animal forms, they couldn’t risk being seen, which left them to use vehicles or bikes. The bikes were fast, but I kept going. As I drove, I used my phone’s hands-free commands to make a call. Thankfully, it was answered after two rings.
“Hello, honey, what’s up? Twyla asked.
“I just left Brax’s place and have seven upset men on my tail. They’re keeping stuff from me. I’m not having it.”
“Say no more. If you want alone time, don’t come here. Head to LeeLee’s place, where you stayed before. I’ll leave here now so they won’t find me, and I’ll meet you there. We’ll talk and see how you feel. I don’t blame you. I’d be pissed too. Brax said he fully committed to you and claimed you.”
“I know, Twyla, and that’s part of why it hurts so much to know he has secrets. It came out when we were talking about other stuff. I’ll explain in person. Be careful. See you soon,” I told her.
As we hung up, I took a small side road. It wouldn’t take me into town like they’d expect. Instead, it would skirt it and take me to LeeLee’s place. It wasn’t far from Brax’s in the scheme of things. I swore I heard engines behind me, but still at a distance. I hurried to get beyond where they’d see me from the main road.
Ten minutes later, I was pulling up to LeeLee’s place. Lord, I never expected to be here again. Sadness filled me, but I fought to contain it. I had no idea how far away they could sense emotions. When I took off, they had been suppressing their feelings. After I drove off, they came flooding back to me. There was fear, astonishment, disbelief, and anger. I didn’t try to figure out who was feeling what.
I parked the car around the house so anyone passing on the road wouldn’t see it. No one appeared to be home. I went to the door. I recalled where LeeLee had me hide the key last time. Taking a chance, I went to it and found it. LeeLee needed to get a new spot. Unlocking the door, I quickly moved inside. There was a beeping from her security alarm. I entered the old number, and it worked, too. Great for me. Not so much for LeeLee, especially if she let numerous people stay here. With me safely inside, I waited for Twyla in the living room, but I paced rather than sat.
What could be so important that the guys would hide it? Hell, I knew they were shifters, for God’s sake. There couldn’t be something bigger than that. Could there be? And if there was, shouldn’t I have been aware of it before committing to Brax and our life together? Although, it was hard to imagine something I would disagree with so much that I would’ve refused his claim. It would have to be something horrendous. As I tried to figure out what that would be, I grew anxious.
Thankfully, I wasn’t alone for long to dwell on it. I heard the sound of a car coming. I assumed it was Twyla. It still took several minutes for her to arrive. Again, hearing something that was miles away and not knowing why I could suddenly hear and feel things made me apprehensive. Maybe Twyla would have answers. She hadn’t been surprised to know about shifters and other supernaturals. She’d always believed in fairies and other such beings.
I went to the door and swung it wide. She was getting out of the car. “I got here as fast as I could. I took the long way in case one of them was coming to look for you at my house. Let’s get inside, and you tell me what in the world is going on,” she said as she bustled toward me.
Before anything, I had to hug her. She squeezed me and held me tightly for several moments. Instantly, I felt more settled. A bit of tension eased out of me. After she let go, we sat in the kitchen.
“Talk,” she ordered.
The details just rolled out of me in a gush. I told her what happened at the house and how he was hiding something. When I was done, she was studying me closely. It was unnerving.
“Say something,” I finally said.
“I understand that this is upsetting for you. Anytime someone you love and trust hasn’t told you something, it makes you worry your trust has been misplaced. However, I don’t believe that Brax would keep something from you that’s a threat to your happiness and life with him, Cerys. He loves you. Anyone can see that. He’s the one you’re meant to be with. I think you need to sit him down and make him tell you. He said it’s not his secret alone.”
I sighed. “I want to believe that, Twyla. But what if we’re wrong? If they can share their secret forms with me, what’s this secret? How awful is it that he hasn’t told me?”
“If it is, and you can’t live with it, as painful as it will be, you’ll survive, Cerys. There’s nothing I can think of that’ll keep you down for long.”
Her confidence made me tear up. I got up, went around the table, bent over, and hugged her. She patted my back. It took me a minute or two to regain my composure enough to let go. When I did, I stood.
“I hope I’m as strong as you think. I agree. I need to talk this through with Brax. I left not to run but to teach him a lesson about keeping things from me. Or maybe I did it to allow myself time to think without him or the guys influencing me. I needed time to get over being upset and to talk to you. Okay, here’s what I think. I’d like to stay for a bit longer if it’s okay with LeeLee. Not the night or anything. Then I can go back and talk to him.”
“If that’s what you need, then do it. However, I think you should let him know you’re fine and that you’ll be home later to talk. Don’t make him worry. But if it turns out his secret is one you can’t handle, we’ll find a way to make him sorry he trifled with your heart.”
The fierce look on her face and the way she said the word trifled made me giggle. She winked at me. It took a couple of minutes of talking about anything but my life before she tore herself away and left me to my thoughts. Wanting to get it out of the way, I took out my phone and called Brax.