Lunacy Read online

  "Ewww! Horse meat is so... gamey." Kenshin shot back, making a disgusted face.

  Conner stuck his tongue out at the blond young man and I couldn't resist a smirk at the way they all bantered with each other. You could tell that they were close, and the connection between the five of them ran very deep. It seemed that it went even farther than just lifelong friendship. Their blood and natures called to each other on an almost cellular level, and apparently I was now a part of that same calling.

  I wasn't sure how to deal with that. I was fairly accepting of the fact that a lot of things happened in this world that were out of the ordinary, things most people wouldn't even acknowledge existed. No one wanted to know that the monsters under the bed and in the closet were real. And if they did know, they wanted to forget and would go to great lengths -including denying concrete evidence right in front of them- to do so. I wasn't one of those people. I wanted to be, sorely, because ignorance is bliss. When people don't know how scary and awful the world truly is, they can go on their merry little ways and never have a doubt or a fear. I preferred the harshness of reality to some drug or therapy induced mental wall that cloistered me from the truth.

  "If you're so hungry, why not go make yourself something to eat?" Gavin put in, a touch of a growl under his words.

  Conner tensed beside me and made a move to get up, although whether to kick Gavin's ass or get some food, I was unsure. I touched my hand to the back of his and he seemed to calm almost instantly, settling back onto the couch and leaning more towards me than was probably proper. "I feel like I shouldn't have to be the house bitch for once, seeing as how teaching our Kongen the ways of shifting is a responsibility that I undertook when it should have fallen to the beta." Conner's eyes narrowed as he and Gavin seemed to face off on a mental level, their looks at each other nasty enough that someone should have been bleeding from the daggers they were glaring at each other by now.

  Something he'd said caught my attention. "Beta? You mean Gavin's the second in command?"

  Conner nodded, still not breaking the stare down between them. Must have been a male dominance thing.

  "Teigan's the gamma, Kenshin's the delta, and I'm at the bottom of the pack. I don't give a shit about what my rank is. I stand up and do what needs to be done when it needs to be, whether it's in my job description or not."

  Interesting. With his general take charge attitude, I would have thought Conner to be a bit farther up the political ladder than at the bottom of it. And the others listened to him, for the most part. Gavin seemed like the most difficult one of the group. But his propensity for being a dick was probably the reason he was second in command.

  Meaning, he'd been the one taking care of things before Jynxx had awakened. He'd probably been hoping that Jynxx would never become fully aware of who and what he was, then the seat of power would belong solely to Gavin.

  "So... Was this part of what you meant when you were talking about dissension in the ranks, Teigan?" I asked, fascinated with the concept of pack dynamics and politics. I'd always been into wolves anyway, from a research perspective. They were noble, beautiful, wild, free, and they mated for life. Honestly, what was there not to like? Granted, werewolves were a bit different from actual wolves, from throwing in the whole human personality factor, but they had a lot of things in common between the two species, from what I had gathered already.

  "Partially, Kacea. We've had more than our fair share of in-fighting over who was to have which seat of power, from a mere pack perspective. That pack being just the five of us. The Clan comprises a much larger number of people, and they've all had some... issues with Gavin being in charge. He can be a hot head, and tends to rub people the wrong way, but aside from that he has been a fair enough leader in Jynxx's stead."

  I nodded, not sure how I felt about someone saying that Gavin was a "fair" leader. Fair could mean he was awesome, or it could mean he was just this side of sucking terribly. But judging from his attitude towards Conner, I was pretty sure the "house bitch" would say that his leadership left something to be desired.

  "So, now that we've established a bit of order and everyone knows where they fall from a structural stand point... Who's up for ordering a pizza rather than cooking tonight?" Teigan put in with that smooth and cultured voice, his words seeming to cool a bit of the unnatural heat radiating through the air that felt thick enough to choke on from the tension between Gavin and Conner.

  That idea was phenomenal. Everyone pitched in a few dollars and half an hour later, a boy who looked very familiar to me brought five large pizzas to the door. It took me a minute to recognize him without his heavy makeup on, but I realized that it was Feign, the guy who'd been at the door taking money at the show not too long ago. The uniform made him look adorable, but I didn't comment on it.

  Conner came around behind me, his body precariously close to mine when he leaned out to greet their friend. "Hey, Feign! How goes it today?" He handed the orange haired boy thirty dollars and told him to keep the change.

  Feign shrugged, adjusting the ridiculous baseball cap that covered his pretty hair. "Been better, man. Today's sucked for tips. But tomorrow will be better. All the old ladies in town have a big bridge tournament on Sundays." He added the last bit with a grin that flashed a touch of doggy fangs that made me lean back a little without realizing it. It pressed me flat against Conner's chest and probably totally gave the guy in front of us the wrong impression. Oh, well. There would be time to correct social mishaps, of which I was the Queen, later.

  Conner chuckled. "You're terrible."

  "Meh. It helps pay the bills. That's really all that matters, to me."

  The boy behind me put his hand on my upper arm, leaning in more with a smirk. "And if they knew about your other job, you know they'd be ordering pizza more than on Sunday nights."

  His eyes sparkled a bit with merriment. "Dancing does well enough on its own with tips, but... Gotta have a normal front. Wouldn't exactly be looked upon kindly when it comes down to me needing to apply somewhere else in a year or two if that's the only job I've had."

  Dancing? Feign was a stripper..? His darkly masculine chuckle at me blushing was answer enough. I crossed my arms and made a point of studying the floor by his feet rather intently. "Oh, fuck you guys... It's not my damn fault I blush easily." I lightly elbowed Conner right in the diaphragm. "Dick."

  "Well, that is part of the job... Depending on who's paying." Feign added with a grin. Before I could protest further, he handed me the pizzas and made a salute to Conner. "Have a good night, guys. I've got some other deliveries to make before my shift's up."

  He half dashed back down the driveway and into his car, taking off and leaving me at the door with Conner and the food. We both stood still for a moment before I finally broke the uncomfortable silence. “Um... You mind getting the hell out of my personal space before I kick you out of it?” I said over my shoulder, not wanting to move and accidentally wriggle closer to him.

  His words were close to my ear and I heard him scenting the air as he said softly, “But you smell so good...”

  “What in the hell's taking so long? Get that pizza in here, you two!” I heard Jimmy's voice calling from the living room.

  Turning slightly sideways and shoving him out of the way with my hip, I pushed past Conner and ignored his man-chuckle, leaving him at the door and going to join the others for dinner. Dinner? Late lunch? Linner, perhaps...

  Chapter 14

  We ate in relatively comfortable silence, everyone being too concerned with stuffing their faces to be arguing and bickering like before. The boys had zipped up and it seemed like their territorial pissing contest was over, for the time being at least. Ah, food; the great peace maker.

  There was nothing left on the table save half a pepperoni and mushroom pizza, and I sure as hell wasn't going to touch it. Mushrooms... It seemed wrong to me, not to mention horribly unsanitary, to consume something which dined explicitly on decomposing matter and dead things. I sh
uddered at the thought and Jynxx gave me a confused look. “Nothing,” I said simply, causing him to shrug.

  A few more pieces disappeared to Kenshin, Jimmy, and Gavin. When naught but a single piece remained, the tension in the room rose significantly. Kenshin backed down, but Jimmy and Gavin had their eyes locked on each other.

  “Come on, pup... You really don't want to do this. You're still nursing that hangover of yours.”

  The younger teen snorted. “And you can kiss my ass, old man. I haven't turned yet, so I've got no reason to bow down and respect your position since it doesn't even exist, as far as I'm concerned.”

  They dove for the last slice at the same moment, and it was Jimmy who emerged victorious. The large piece of pizza was gone in three disgustingly huge bites and he held his hands curled into fists overhead triumphantly. Gavin rolled his eyes, sitting back on the couch and letting it go.

  “You're going to give up? Just like that?” Conner threw out the challenge, seeming surprised that Gavin hadn't reacted violently to something so small. It made me rethink my estimation as to how dangerous the beta really was.

  “I could snap his skinny ass in half like a tooth pick if I wanted to, and you know it. There's no reason to be a total prick over a piece of pizza.”

  Conner smirked, and it was full of venom and nothing nice or humorous at all. “Getting all sentimental and soft since there's another lady around, are we?”

  Gavin snorted, obviously not taking the Omega's bait. "Not hardly. Would you like to crush the pup for me, Conner? Would it make you feel better about yourself to pound the ever loving hell out of a boy who just turned sixteen and hasn't even had his first change yet, so he's unlikely to heal any of the damage done to his fragile human frame?" Conner's response was silence. The beta nodded, then. "That's what I thought."

  Jimmy looked a bit miffed at being dismissed so easily, but also seemed relieved that there hadn't been anyone happy to jump up and kick the crap out of him for scarfing the last piece of pizza. Gavin's standpoint seemed logical to me. But to be fair, I've also seen groups of normal human boys get into fist fights over things as simple as the last slice of pizza...

  It seemed as if the bomb had been diffused, so everyone started talking about the samling, and what had to be done to prepare properly for it. Gavin was giving Jynxx pointers, tips on how to speak to the entire Clan, and advice on how to keep his cool and not get eaten.

  Being the only two girls present, and not really privy to displays of dominance and aggression, Elomina took me aside. We were on the other side of the room, far enough away that the voices of the boys were much quieter and it was easier to focus on what she was saying and trying to teach me.

  "Being that you and Skadhi are as one, Kacea, there are many things you are capable of doing. She was a frost giant, and as such you should have much control over the weather and the element of water in general. Obviously, it should be easiest for you to work with snow and ice, but since it has not been quite cold enough for that outdoors yet... We shall make do with what we have on hand."

  She left the room, and me completely puzzled, before reappearing with a glass three quarters full of water in her hands. It was cold enough that perspiration beaded on the outside of the glass, frosting it from the heat of the room around us. She sat down next to me on the carpet and held the glass above her crossed legs. She motioned me to mimic her pose, so I followed suit and sat the same way.

  Scooting slightly forward so our knees were touching, I felt an almost electric spark when her legs came into contact with mine. She was full of power. Enough so that it made me terrified of what Elomina was capable of; for a brief second, anyway. I also knew that, thus far, she'd proven to be more helpful than harmful. Keeping that in mind, I gazed down curiously at the water in her hands.

  "So... What are you expecting me to be able to do, exactly?" I asked. Being straight forward seemed to be the best course of action, especially considering we could all be in danger if I didn't make a point of learning everything she felt I needed to know before next weekend. I didn't like thinking about the unpleasant possibilities, so I waited patiently while she seemed to ponder the most effective way to answer me.

  "You are going to make this water into a block of ice, firstly. Once you have mastered that, we shall see where it goes from there."

  Stunned? I wanted to be, but after what I'd just done a few hours ago, I had no doubts that I'd be able to do something as simple as turning water into ice. Earlier this morning, I would have scoffed at something that seemed so ludicrous and impossible. Clearly, it defied the laws of nature to be able to effect change in such a way with the mere power of one's thoughts. However, human beings use less than a paltry ten percent of their grey matter. Who knew what we could be capable of if we could find the key to unlock all that potential? Telekinesis, telepathy, pyrokinesis... The possibilities were nearly limitless.

  Feeling like a smart ass, I asked with a smirk, "I suppose that putting the glass in the freezer is not an option?"

  My response was a swift bop to the forehead with the tips of Elomina's fingers. "No, foolish girl. Using the freezer is not an option."

  I frowned at the glass. "How do you propose I do this, exactly?"

  She shrugged lightly. "It works differently for each of us. You managed to drag the beast from inside both Conner and Jynxx without much instruction. I believe you can do the same with something such as this. Try what feels right to you. Experiment, as they say." More pointed frowning on my part. "I do not believe that making a face at it will get you the results you are seeking however, Kacea."

  It was my turn to shrug. "Hey, you never know. Maybe I'd frighten those molecules into huddling together in fear, and thus becoming solid ice rather than liquid water."

  She rolled her eyes and I was awarded another bop between the eyes. "I am glad your sense of humor is returning to you, but you must focus, child."

  I nodded, turning my gaze from Elomina to the glass in her hands. I looked intently at the water, doing my best to see it in my mind's eye as the very molecules I'd just been talking about. Almost like it was a transparency for an overhead projector laid down on top of the glass. In my mental view, I saw two things simultaneously. I shoved all of those molecules close together, and I visualized the ripples coming to a halt and the whole glass being filled with ice.

  In reality at the same moment, the water went from liquid to solid so quickly that the glass exploded outward in a shower of shards that stuck into my arms and legs, but I'd thrown my arms up quickly enough to protect my face. Elomina had tossed up some sort of energy shield so the tiny daggers of glass bounced off the air around her harmlessly, falling to the carpet around us. Me, on the other hand... I looked like a damn pin cushion, and blood was starting to trickle down my arms from where some of the glass had flown past, striking me and dragging me open, but not sinking in.

  The boys rushed over immediately, even though neither Elomina nor I had made a sound. I lifted my head and saw that her silver eyes were full of mirth. "Do not fret, young one. The power is indeed there. In abundance, apparently. Rather than seeing what you are capable of from here on, perhaps we should work on some exercises that focus more on control rather than raw potential."

  I nodded and Jynxx and Conner both knelt beside me. Both of them were flustered and frantic, and it took me a minute to address either of them. It was a little overwhelming to try and think over the cacophony of their combined voices. "Get me some tweezers, a towel, and something to clean these soon-to-be very much worse wounds out with." I said simply, swallowing loudly against the bile that rose in my throat and my thundering pulse that threatened to choke me before adding: "Please." They both rushed off to get the items I’d asked for like someone had lit a fire under their asses.

  The pain was just now starting to register, sharply throbbing and insistent. Air hissed out between my teeth, but I still didn't move much, not wanting to drive any of the glass deeper under my skin. The possibil
ity of having to have some of it surgically removed did not sound like my idea of a picnic, so I stayed as still as I could. The worst part was the smell of the blood, my blood. It was a nearly suffocating wash of copper that assaulted my olfactory nerves, thick enough that I could almost taste it on my tongue, like being shoved face first into some musty antique coin collection. I’d always had a sensitive nose, but throwing this whole Goddess nonsense into the mix apparently heightened my senses. In some cases -this being one of those times- to intolerable levels.

  Elomina offered to soothe all the wounds for me and extract the glass herself, but I shook my head vehemently. “No,” I said forcefully. “Let me see if I have any freak healing powers yet...”

  She leaned back and sighed. “As you wish, but know that healing will take almost as much out of you as forcing the boys to shift did.”

  “I'll be fine. It's not even as bad as when I dragged my arm open in gym a little while ago...” I said through gritted teeth. Blunt force trauma I could deal with. Punches, bruising... No problem. But sharp, stinging pain? I freaked when I got a paper cut. This tingling, almost itching and burning sensation wasn't exactly on my Christmas wish list.

  Conner and Jynxx finally rolled back in, medical supplies in hand. Elomina got to her feet and moved out of the way, letting them set everything down within arm's reach for me.

  "Are you sure you don't want any help with this, Kacea?" Jynxx asked, his black eyes full of worry and concern.

  I nodded, not wanting to say it but feeling the need to warn him. "It's better if I do it myself. With the way this power's just been misfiring, the last thing I need is for someone to be touching me when it goes off and have someone get seriously hurt. I mean... I could probably turn you into an inside out quivering mound of flesh and nerves if I had a wrong stray thought right now, Jynxx... I'm not focused enough to feel safe letting anyone else assist." I looked up at him, my eyes feeling a bit watery from the constant stinging in my arms, and apparently my chest and stomach as well. "You understand, right?"