This is my crossover of Darkest Powers and the Otherworld books. Someone told me to put it in the Darkest Powers category to get more exposure. So I did. This is set after Kelley Armstrong's The Belonging. It's possible I'm messing up what Jeremy, Jaime, Elena, Clay, and the twins are doing, but I just wanted to incorporate all the characters I love into one story. I'll try my best to make the timing, as well as the mindsets of the characters, accurate. This first chapter is mainly about The Darkest Powers Characters, but I will put more Otherworld characters in as the story progresses.
Disowner: Kelley Armstrong owns both of these worlds (Darkest Powers and Otherworld) and all details I use to create this fanfic.
Jaime Vegas, was getting tired. Tired physically, emotionally, and mentally.
"Jeremy, it's been…" a quick glance at my calendar on the dashboard of the rental car I was driving told me it was April 23. "In two days it will have been exactly a month since I've seen you and the twins." I tried to not to whine into the phone and took a deep breath. My already exhausted eyes, fluttered closed for the second time in ten minutes. It had been almost 37 hours since I had last slept it was catching up with me.
I'd been driving for only an hour; my last show finished on my Louisville tour and I'd left, heading to a hotel in Richmond, which was a town away. Jeremy had called to ask me a few questions on Necromancy for some Council business. He had stayed on the line only because I had told him I needed a distraction to make it the last fifteen minutes to the next town, and my hotel room.
I jerked my head forward and managed not to swerve too wildly into the lane next to me. It was good there wasn't much traffic tonight. I rolled the window down, hoping the cold air would wake me up.
"Seeing Elena and Clay for a day was great, but that was two weeks ago. I want to come home." I'm not sure when I'd started thinking of Stonehaven as home. The property where Jeremy and his family had lived since his grandfather had bought and named the place was huge; it had become my base for between tours since Jeremy and I had started seeing each other.
I heard Jeremy's sigh and wished I could take back my last words. I probably sounded like a whiny brat. I knew that Jeremy got complaints all the time and as a general rule, tried to complain as little as possible myself.
I sat straighter as I began to downplay how I was feeling. "Sorry, I didn't mean to complain. I know I'll see you in a few days and like I said, I am so tired, the only thing keeping me awake is talking." Deep breath to clear my head. "Anyway, how are the twins?"
"Jaime," Jeremy said my name with a sigh and I knew I hadn't downplayed my melancholy over not seeing him enough to fool him. I doubt I would have been able to lie to him even I was wide awake and firing on all cylinders. Jeremy always knew what I wasn't saying and how I was feeling.
I could picture him clearly, now, sitting in his chair in his office at Stonehaven, one hand over his eyes, the other holding the phone to his ear. He was probably leaning forward as he talked to me on the phone with his elbows resting on his knees. "I miss you, too."
In those four words I heard that he'd been just as lonely as me in the past month. Jeremy loved the Pack, and keeping it safe had been his life since he was in his thirties. But he was training someone else to take over as Alpha, to take on all the responsibility he'd had to shoulder for half of his life. Being Alpha meant always knowing what to do and always being in control. I could sympathize; I spent almost every day onstage, acting and playing a part. Jeremy had that torture to a larger degree. He was never offstage and he had people's lives at stake if he messed up, whereas I just went on with the show if I goofed. But I'm not saying that Jeremy isn't suited to being Alpha.
Jeremy was the best, most progressive, Alpha in Pack history. According to Clay. Apparently, since Jeremy became Alpha, foreign matters with other Packs had improved as well as the policy toward other werewolves in America. Mutts, werewolves not in the Pack, were no longer hunted for sport. Also, werewolves had rejoined the supernatural community by joining the council.
All this, in one Alpha's lifetime, was huge. And Jeremy was…not getting tired, but ready to pass on the duty.
I wished all the more to be with him when I heard how tired he sounded. I was relieved that Elena would be taking over as Alpha in a few years. She couldn't sooner because she and Clay had just had two kids, twins, and they weren't old enough yet. Elena needed to concentrate on her family right now, not a pack of werewolves.
I clutched the phone tighter to my ear and blinked hard. "One more show." My voice was a plea and a promise.
Jeremy sighed and I heard him move. Sitting up, I thought. "One more show," he agreed.
(The next day)
"Take a left here," Derek instructed, semi-calmly. His left hand gripped the armrest and his right hand gripped the door handle. His body language gave away his anxiety. I ignored his anxiety and just tried to do what he told me to do. He wasn't making it easy, though.
The turn was ten feet away: not a lot of time to make a turn, but I'd try. I started to turn left, just the way Derek had instructed me to. Unfortunately, a car was coming from the other direction and I didn't see it until it was too late. Both cars swerved as we avoided hitting each other and I squeaked in alarm, yanking the steering wheel wildly. The car honked as it sped by and Derek reached over to yank the steering wheel straight again.
As soon as I could, I pulled over to the side of the road and tried to get my breathing back under control as well as my heart rate. I gulped air and looked out the window at the Burger King sign advertising for whoppers.
I didn't want to, knowing he'd be upset, but looked over at Derek anyway. He was gripping the door handle too tightly and it was starting to creak like it would break. I quickly looked forward again.
Derek had promised me driving lessons almost a month ago and so far I've realized that either I'm a very bad student or Derek is a crap teacher. Or maybe our driving lessons would be more productive with more driving, rather than parking.
I heard Derek take a breath and clear his throat but his voice was still a little growly when he spoke. "Turning into oncoming traffic usually isn't a good idea, Chloe."
I felt my eyes narrow; the dam of frustration from the afternoon of driving with Derek barking orders at me broke.
"Maybe you should give more of a warning before I'm supposed to turn!" I yelled, turning to face him. I was breathing rapidly again, this time with anger, not fear.
Derek's jaw clenched and he growled. Then he blinked and stopped the noise, clearing his throat again before looking away from me, first out the window then down at his lap.
"In fact," I began, my voice deceptively calmer, "why don't you stop yelling at me every time I switch lanes, or turn, or stop, or change the radio station. How about you actually teach me to drive, instead of dictate me!" By the end, I was yelling and I could feel my face heating up with anger.
Derek's head dropped a little lower, making him look almost contrite. But I knew better. I had seen him do this just the other day with my aunt, Lauren. She had yelled at him for a good five minutes for not bringing me home early enough from our date. The whole time she yelled, he had been silent and avoided eye contact, a sign of submissiveness. He'd looked down at his shoes and had been appropriately repentant, but ten seconds after she left the room, he'd gone and done 350 reps on his new weightlifting set, all the while muttering how prejudiced, spiteful, and just wrong Lauren was. Then he went outside and had punched a tree. It broke.
He was probably thinking of, and rejecting, a million replies, all beginning with "If you…" and ending with something I did wrong. However, he was smart enough not to say anything, knowing I'd give it right back. And the last thing he wanted was to get into a fight with me. I usually won.
And this driving time was all the time we got during weekdays to be together, alone. Because it hadn't worked out in the last town, we weren't pretending to be step siblings anymore and were allowed to date now. However, my aunt and Kit agreed that we could only go on dates on weekends and during the week we had to make an effort to spend time with other people. Usually Tori and Simon, who still weren't getting along, despite finding out they were half siblings, for real. Actually, it might be because they knew they were half siblings that they were still fighting. Anyway, neither Derek nor I wanted to argue while we had this rare time together to practice my 'driving.'
As I thought that last bit, I took a deep breath before speaking. "No. I'm sorry. I should have seen the traffic and waited." I tapped my fingers on the wheel, avoiding his look. "You're right. Driving into oncoming traffic usually isn't a good idea." I saw his mouth twitch out of the corner of my eye. My tone changed from "let's forget this and move on" to "but you're not off the hook yet." "But…You still should have given me more warning." I crossed my arms over my chest and gave him a reproving look.
Derek looked up from his lap, smiling now. He looked like he was trying not to be amused, but didn't really care if he showed it. He looked so different with that smile that I had to concentrate on what was going on so I didn't end up just staring at him. This has happened before, on more than one occasion. I was beginning to wonder if Derek knew that he flustered me with his smile and was now using it as a weapon whenever he was about to get in trouble. I narrowed my eyes at that smile and it faltered before coming back, full force.
He chuckled. "Don't look at me like that. You're right." He lifted an eyebrow in wry amusement. "I just hadn't planned on taking that turn until I saw it. It was just…" he trailed off, looking for the right word.
"Spur of the moment?" I asked, surprised. That wasn't like Derek. He usually has everything planned out. I get the feeling that he plans every driving lesson we have, even the ones when we don't really do much driving.
His head tilted, making him look dog-like. My lips twitched, picturing a dog and Derek sitting side by side, both of them with tilted heads.
"Yes. Spur of the moment." A faraway look crossed over his face and he said, "I don't usually do things like that."
I had to agree, and he laughed focusing on me again. He reached over and grabbed my hand. The mood had lifted. I was glad, but then wondered if Derek's smile had done it again and I was about to get irritated, before realizing I didn't want to.
"So, now what?" Derek asked. "Want to try again?" His eyebrows were drawn together and his mouth turned down, clearly showing this idea wasn't appealing to him. I laughed.
"No. Let's be done with driving today." I leaned over the seat and pecked his chin. "Let's do something else."
He smiled and hopped out of the car. I followed suit and we switched seats, so now Derek could drive. I watched his face as he pulled out into the traffic and did a U-turn. I couldn't help thinking that I'd probably never be able to make a regular turn, much less a U-turn.
"Well," Derek said, cutting off my wistful thoughts about U-turns. "I'd say that we made considerable progress today."
I looked over to see if he was being serious. His eyes were narrowed in concentration as he paid strict attention to the road. But then his nose twitched, just slightly. He was trying not to laugh.
"Ha. If you call hitting the garbage can as I backed down the drive way progress, then yes. Considerable progress, indeed." I slumped back into my seat and looked sulkily out the window ahead. I wasn't actually upset, and my tone was mocking.
Derek laughed. "I would. You didn't hit the mailbox or the cat. Therefore, progress."
We both laughed. I had hit the mailbox my first day, and the cat that is always returning to the farmhouse we were staying at now, had gotten in the way last week. I'd only run over his tail and he was perfectly fine afterward. I had gotten out and cuddled him for twenty minutes until he'd stopped yowling long enough for Kit to make sure his tail was okay. It was. I still felt guilty and the cat was staying far away from me.
"I feel bad for Kenny," I said a minute later. Kenny is what Simon named the cat. He was really excited when he realized the cat wasn't afraid of Derek. Most animals are, and dogs are even worse, but this cat was different. "I hope he'll forgive me soon."
Derek lifted an eyebrow. "You ran over his tail. Don't expect him to ever forgive you. I heard cat's hold grudges."
"Oh, you're just jealous." I said.
"Really?" Derek didn't sound convinced. "I'm jealous of the cat?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
I smiled. "You'd rather I spent more time with a certain dog."
Derek started to smile at that, but pretended anger. "Are you calling me a dog?"
I smiled wider and looked at him. "Wouldn't dream of it," I said innocently.
He laughed. I loved the sound of that laugh. I heard it so rarely, except during private moments like this, when it was just the two of us relaxed.
He drove us to Burger King and ordered five whoppers and a kid's meal burger for me. Derek paid the cashier at the window without looking straight at him or talking to him. I called a "thank you!" to him as we pulled away. Derek looked over impatiently at me and I gave him the same look. I was trying to get him to be more civil and polite around strangers. We'd made very little progress, so far.
As we ate at the nearby park, still sitting in the van, I said, "You know, I really should learn how to drive. These lessons have been going on for a few weeks, but haven't really learned much. And I'm taking the test in less than two months." I took a bite and chewed while Derek mulled over what I'd said.
"Well, then next time we'll bring Simon along. He'll teach you drive, then we can drop him off at the mall for the rest of the lesson." He took and big bite of burger and that was that. I nodded agreement and he took off eating, sure I wasn't going to ask anymore. Nothing more was said until the burgers were gone. Then we headed home so Aunt Lauren wouldn't give Derek yet another lecture.
When we got home, Aunt Lauren wanted us to finish our homework before we all went out to eat. We'd just eaten, though, so we told her and she said we didn't have to come along, but honestly, we shouldn't have eaten when we had both known that everyone was going out to eat tonight. After we got out of going, Tori of course had to object.
"Well, what's the point of us 'all eating together' if not all of us are going to be there?" she asked in a snotty tone.
Aunt Lauren sighed. "I guess there isn't much point. I'll call Kit and tell him to cancel the reservations. We can go a different day." She turned for the kitchen, looking disappointed enough to make me feel guilty. I went after her.
"Aunt Lauren," I said. She turned around and leaned against the counter next to the phone. "Sorry about tonight. We forgot that we had all planned to eat together."
She sighed. "No, it's fine Chloe. I just…Well, we haven't all been together for a meal in weeks. All of you kids are so independent that I feel like I go days without talking to any of you." It's true, we were all pretty self sufficient. We didn't ask for much, just got it ourselves. "I think it's important to know what's happening in all of your lives, especially since you've all joined programs at the local Rec Center. I just wanted to touch base with everyone, get everyone caught up."
I understood now why she'd been pushing for 'family' dinners for the past two weeks. We all ate separately and at different times. I realized I hadn't had a long conversation with Tori in a few days.
I nodded. "Again, sorry. We'll get it set up again and I promise, Derek and I won't spoil it by eating beforehand." She smiled and I left to do some homework.
I walked into the big room that connected with the kitchen and dining room, on opposite sides, and had two big couches and a tv. I dropped my math book in front of where Simon was sprawled on the floor in front of the couch Derek was laying on. "Help."
Simon laughed and pushed his sketchbook away. I couldn't see it very well, but the sketch looked like dog next to a tree. Simon picked up my math book and said, "Well, I can try but I am crap at math." Derek grunted and I assumed it was in agreement.
I dropped next to him and grabbed back my book. "Not with math."
Derek looked up from his book and Simon looked confused. "With what?" Derek asked before Simon could.
I held up a brochure. "I found this in the trash." It was a brochure for a college two states over. Tori had been antagonizing Kit to let her go to college next year. She'd been relentless for the last month. He'd said that it would fine if she went to college. But one in-state was preferable.
Tori had been bombarding Kit with arguments that she was perfectly capable of going off on her own and living in a different state. So far, both Lauren and Kit hadn't been convinced, what with the microwave and several hallway pictures spontaneously blowing up. Coincidentally, all of the accidents had happened during Tori's temper tantrums.
She hadn't brought it up in a few days and I didn't want her to bring it up anytime soon.
"It's not that I'm against her going to college. Or any of us going to college. It's that I'm sick of her arguing with Kit all the time." Both boys were frowning. Derek looked uncomfortable. "I'm not saying we should try to get her to give up. I want help getting her to let up for awhile. How do we do that without her getting so mad she blows up the house?"
Simon rubbed his hand over his mouth and said, "We could always duct tape her mouth shut for a few days." He smile devilishly at me. I smacked his arm.
"Actually, I don't think you'll have a problem." Derek said it very slowly. I looked at him and he was staring at the brochure.
"Why do you say that?" I asked. He looked tense, nervous again.
"She hasn't said anything for a few days now. I think she's realized that she needs to prove she can keep her temper under control and show she's responsible rather than just argue that she is."
He said it all very matter-of-factly, like it should be obvious.
"Okay." Simon laid back and rested his head on his hands. "Seems right. She has been milder in the last few days. And the brochure was in the trash." He looked over at me. "Maybe she gave up and threw out the brochure." He puts his hands together like he was praying. "Maybe she's realized there's no hope of her ever leaving." With a dramatic flourish, he brought his hand up in a swoon.
Derek wasn't impressed by Simon's 'Hopeless Girl' act.
I looked down at the pamphlet. "I hadn't thought about that. Seems right because it was in the trash." I took a closer look. I hadn't realized it before, but this college wasn't advertising for technologically advanced programs. It was a school of science. I glanced up at Derek who was staring stonily at the wall.
"Or maybe, it wasn't Tori's at all." Simon had said exactly what I was thinking and I jumped, startled.
He was looking at Derek, too, who had rolled his eyes to look over at us, but hadn't moved a muscle. His jaw clenched and he gripped his book tighter.
Simon sat up. "Derek, dad always said you'd be able to go. I don't imagine that's changed. Tori's just…" He stopped talking.
"Unstable?" Derek growled. "Well, how would you describe a werewolf who can only control his changes less than half the time? I'd say that's pretty unstable, too."
The bitterness in his voice caught me off guard.
"You don't actually believe that, do you?" I blurted, incredulous. Derek looked over at me, meeting my gaze. "That you're unstable? I don't think Tori is either."
As I said that, Tori walked in the room looking mad as Hell. "What did you say?"
I sighed. "I said I don't think the reason Kit and Aunt Lauren don't want you going to college is because you're unstable."
She narrowed her eyes. "Damn straight. I am not unstable. I am perfectly stable. And thank you very much for talking about me behind my back, Chloe. God, you just keep doing shit like this. You'll never make any friends if all you do stab them in the back."
Derek was up and off the couch in an instant. But Tori was already backing up, her arms raised and head shaking. "No, no, no. Sit down, Derek." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "I guess that last little rant doesn't do anything to prove I'm stable, does it?" She sat down on the couch, looking miserable. "God, you're right. I'm a mess."
She looked at me. I didn't meet her gaze and looked at the wall determinedly. I was sick of how Tori treated me. Then again, she treated everyone that way so it wasn't like I was getting special treatment because she really hated me.
"Chloe you know that wasn't true. I didn't mean it." She sighed and I knew she was telling the truth.
Even if she wasn't entirely 'stable,' she had come a long way. Before, she never would have admitted she was wrong or apologized. It was enough to make Derek sit back down, though he was far from happy. He hated it if anyone treated me badly and Tori did that a lot. I always forgave her and that irritated him almost as much as her being mean to me. I think Derek held this scale of checks and balances he kept in his head. Tori tipped the scale in the wrong direction and I don't think she was anywhere close to tipping back to the right side.
Simon stood up. He made some excuse to go to the kitchen. Tori and Simon still had trouble talking to each other if they weren't fighting. I had thought it might have been getting better, but I think they were just getting better at avoiding each other.
I didn't say anything to Tori and turned back to Derek. "Derek." When he'd stopped glowering at Tori, he finally looked at me. I got up and grabbed his chin so he couldn't turn away. Of course, he could have done anything he wanted, but this gave the illusion that he had to listen to me.
"You are responsible. You are strong," and I didn't mean physically. "You are brave and smart and a million other things. You can do anything you choose. Why the Hell would you think you couldn't go to college?" I loosened my grip on his chin and placed my hand on his cheek. His eyebrows were pulled together in a brooding way. "Just talk to Kit." I gave his nose a nuzzle then bit it lightly. He jumped, then looked pleased with my little bite. He nodded then stood up from the couch. I stayed kneeling on the floor as he walked away.
"I'm gonna go for a run." He nodded when I said okay and he left. He had some thinking to do and he could think the most clearly after a run.
Tori was wallowing in her chair, thinking and sulking.
She looked up when I sat down and started to do some math homework. I had finished four problems when she spoke.
"Have you found anything useful yet?" I knew what she was talking about and immediately felt my mood plunge.
I'd been doing research for the past few weeks, trying to find out as much as I could on necromancy. I hadn't been able to find any reliable sources yet and most of my information was either fiction or didn't work. And the worst of it was that even if the stuff I was trying wasn't fiction, it might just not work because I was doing it wrong or it could be my 'modifications.' There was no way to tell for sure if I was just wrong, the information was wrong, or if my genetic material was wrong. Either way, everything Derek and I did wasn't helping. I had no sure fire way to get rid of ghosts.
Ghosts like Diane Enright, Tori's mom, who had threatened me the last time I'd seen her. I'd promised to find a way to keep her away for good, but so far I was nowhere near a solution.
I put my pencil down. Tori was more composed now and looked like she was desperate for me to continue the conversation.
"Nope. Nothing yet."
Tori nodded, looking genuinely sorry I hadn't. "What about you? Do you think any of that yoga or other calming activities have been working?" I kept the sarcasm out of my voice as much as possible.
She snorted. "Are you kidding? Were you here five minutes ago? I just chewed your head off and insulted you over something stupid. No. It's not working."
"Maybe you don't really think it will work, and that's why it's not working."
She glared. "You sound like Lauren."
I shrugged and went back to my math. A few problems later she asked, "I could help you look for some things. Maybe try out a few rituals with you. See if anything works."
I looked up, surprised. Derek always offered to help, but no one else did. They all were too uncomfortable with the dead bodies that eventually came crawling to me. Every single time we tried something new, zombies arrived.
Tori didn't look disgusted by thought of helping me, though. "Sure. I'd really appreciate some help. Actually, I had thought about asking you for help, but never thought you'd actually do it."
She made a face. Oh well, it was the truth and I was getting better at not apologizing for everything I said that wasn't perfectly nice and complimentary.
She nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But I want to help now." I did a few more problems, then "Why did you want to ask me? I mean, before? Was there a specific reason, or did you just want someone besides Science Boy for a change?"
I was beginning to think I was never going to finish my homework, but set down my pencil anyway. I smiled. "Well there was that. Derek gets a little too logical sometimes. Most of the time, it's comforting, but it gets frustrating, too. But actually I thought it might be more helpful because you're a witch. Since witches do rituals, I thought maybe you could provide some kind of insight into what I'm doing. Simon and Kit gave some advice, but none of it really helped."
Tori chewed her lip and thought for a minute. "Well, I actually barely know anything about rituals. I only learned a few tips from Gwen and nothing before that. I need help, too." She said that last wistfully.
"Well, we can collaborate. We both do research and help each other."
I held out my hand. "Deal?"
Tori took my hand and gave it a sharp shake. "Deal."
