Selene
When Lila and I reached New Town, the streets rearranged themselves before my very eyes. All of a sudden the world around me transformed: the cars and modern advertisements faded, reverting to styles and campaigns from the forgotten past. New restaurants and shops disappeared, replaced by businesses which have long since closed.
Everything appears as it did fifteen years ago – the last time I truly spent time here – the last time I walked these streets before my mother died and Garrick took me prisoner. After I escaped I rarely came here. I avoided this neighborhood like the plague. But here I am again, ten years old and about to lose everything I ever knew and loved.
“This is it, Mommy?” Lila’s tiny hand squeezes mine, her beloved voice jolting me out of my reverie.
“This is it.” I confirm. “I grew up in that very house.” And lost everything there too. Luna adds.
Hush. I tell my outspoken wolf.
“Can we go inside?” Lila asks eagerly.
“Okay.” I agree hesitantly.
Walking through the unlocked front door feels like stepping straight into the past. It’s even worse than being out of the street. In this familiar foyer, I feel like I’m no taller or wiser than my pup. The house has been emptied, but the lingering scent of my childhood remains.
It’s not all bad. I was right when I told Bastien there were some happy memories here. I remember coming home from school to find my mother pulling freshly-baked cookies out of the oven, or building blanket forts with her in the middle of the living room.
I can still see her smile, I can even imagine I smell her perfume. Being here evokes sensations I never thought I’d feel again, feelings I want to hold onto and never let go. However the moment I look at the heavy basement door, I see only darkness.
I turn away from the door with determination, watching Lila wander the deserted space. “Mommy, dere’s no furniture.”
“There was when I lived here.” I explain. “There was furniture and artwork and all the sorts of things we have at home.”
“Where’d everything go?” Lila asks curiously.
“Well,” I explain, gathering her into my arms. “My mother died when I was still just a girl. So after I met your Daddy, I went to live with him. There wasn’t a reason to keep anything here.”
Her little head cocks to the side, “what bout your Daddy?”
A heavy weight settles in the pit of my stomach. I’ve never talked to Lila about Garrick, and I don’t plan on doing so until she’s much older – if ever. “I never knew my Daddy.” I state calmly, sticking to the truth without revealing more than I have to.
“The way I didn’t?” She reasons.
“That’s right, of course your Daddy found us, so now you’ll always know him.” I smile, trying to force the unwelcome memories of Garrick from my mind.
“I sorry, Mama.” Lila squeezes her arms around my neck, “I wish your Daddy foun you too.”
Returning my pup’s hug, I almost want to cry. She’s so innocent, so pure. The thought of anyone doing to her what Garrick did to me makes my newfound power surge to life, rising inside me like a tidal wave of protectiveness. Suddenly my fury towards Blaise Denizen hits a fever pitch, and I have to smother the energy pulse fighting to burst out of me.
It seems now that I’ve unlocked my power, controlling it is going to be the true challenge. It’s enough to give me emotional whiplash. This time last week I couldn’t summon my strength for anything in the world, now it pulses like a wild thing inside of me, but I can neither harness it when I desire, nor hold it in when it’s not needed.
It’s better this way. Luna assures me, Better to my out of control than completely helpless.
I have to agree, though it does worry me to have this kind of force at my disposal when my precious pup is so nearby. “What do you think, angel?” I ask Lila, “Have you seen enough.”
My pup nods eagerly, “can we get i’ scream?”
Giggling at the way my daughter pronounces “ice cream,” I decide nothing has ever sounded more appetizing. “You bet.” I promise.
As we step out of the house I notice that the same black SUV which was driving behind us when we first arrived, is now parked a few spaces down from our car. The windows are tinted, but I can just decipher the outline of the driver, who still sits inside – waiting.
A spike of unease pulses through my nerves, but I remind myself that there could be a perfectly reasonable explanation. I buckle Lila into her carseat, then slide behind the wheel and turn the car towards the ice cream parlor.
I barely remember the drive. I don’t think I looked forward for more than one second at a time through the entire route. Instead my eyes were glued to the rear view mirror, watching the black SUV crawling along behind us. It’s definitely following us, I’m certain now.
When I park in front of the ice cream shop, the SUV stops too. I yank Lila out of the car and stride into the parlor as quickly as I can, pulling out my phone while my toddler presses her nose to the glass case holding the cold treat, oohing and aahing in delight.
The shrill dial tone rings for only half a second. “Baby, is everything okay?” Bastien answers immediately.
“No,” I breathe nervously. “Bastien, I think we’re being followed.”
“Are you sure?” He asks, instantly on edge.
“Yes,” I insist, “someone has been following us since before we got to New Town. We left a while ago and went for ice cream, and they’re parked outside right now.
I don’t have the first clue why, but somehow Bastien sounds more relaxed now, “what do they look like?”
“I’m not sure. It’s a black SUV.” I report. “I can’t see their face – and I can’t scent them. But it’s a man, he looks pretty big. Wearing dark glasses and a dark hoodie.”
As we speak, movement flashes inside the car, and I’m able to see my stalker raising a phone to his ear.
“Is he taking a phone call?” My mate asks with psychic precision.
“Yes,” Drawing out the word suspiciously, I add, “how did you know that?”
“Alright, it’s okay.” Bastien sighs with relief. “It’s just Jerome.”
“What do you mean it’s just Jerome?” I demand. “Who the hell is Jerome?”
“He’s the sentey I assigned to guard you two.” My husband explains, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world.
“What?” I question
“With everything that’s going on, I didn’t feel comfortable with you and Lila running around the city without protection.” Bastien rumbles.
“When did you do this?” I question sharply, “before or after I told you our plans for the day?”
“Before.” He answers easily, “but trust me I was very glad of it this morning. How did it go?”
“Oh no, don’t you go changing the subject on me, mister.” I object, “maybe I’ll consider telling you about our visit – after you explain yourself.”
“Baby, I’m not going to apologize for looking out for you and our daughter.” Bastien proclaims coldly.
“The problem isn’t the protection.” I complain in exasperation, “it’s the fact that you didn’t tell me about it!”
“Sweetheart-“ Bastien begins in a placating tone.
“He scared the hell out of me, Bastien. Did you not consider that having someone dressed like a complete creep trailing after me would be alarming?” The teenagers working behind the ice cream counter shoot me a few curious glances, and I lower my voice, “hold on a second.”
Crouching down to Lila’s level, I tickle her round belly, “do you know what you want munchkin?”
“Can I has a sundae?” She requests with big eyes, practically bouncing up and down.
My supernatural hearing picks up on Bastien’s voice through the receiver, not before lunch! Nonetheless, I ignore him, “you can have whatever you want, angel.”
While my pup gives her order to the grinning girl on the other side of the counter, I return my phone to my ear. “I know you heard me, little wolf.” Bastien gripes.
I snort, rolling my eyes into the back of my head. “Hey if you get to make security decisions about my pup -“
“Our pup.” Bastien interjects.
“Our pup,” I amend, digging in my bag for my wallet, “without consulting me, then I get to make food decisions about her without consulting you.”
“Selene, I’m sorry Jerome startled you.” Bastien exhales heavily, “the idea was that you would never know he was there. I thought it might make you more afraid to think you needed a bodyguard, rather than comforted.”
“Bastien Durand.” I hiss, managing to hold onto my temper even as the waitress hands a humongous banana split to Lila. “it doesn’t matter how I might react or feel about the situation. I have a right to know either way. We’re supposed to be partners, you can’t keep excluding me from decisions about our family.”
“If you recall the last time I tried to exclude you from something and you forced your way in, you came to regret it.” He retorts, referring to the revelations about the safe house.
“Well you know what?” I lash out, feeling irrationally angry for reasons I don’t even understand, “much more of this and I’m going to begin regretting coming back at all.”
