CHAPTER 8
ROSE
I watched as Mari, with the help of Jace, made her way over to where I was leaning against one of Dwight's legs. Audrey/Lexie was kneeling next to me with a look of confusion, but I could read it plainly in her head that she was just putting up a front for Dwight and Duke and the Guard. I would get her alone once this was over. I met Mari's eyes and we were both on the same page. As Duke took off running after Jordan, who had managed to slip away and follow Nathan, Dwight helped me to slowly stand up and. When it became apparent that my legs weren't going to hold me, he gently picked me up in his arms and carried me back down to the cars. Audrey followed us and Jace took up the rear as he helped Mari slowly walk down the steep path. "What happened?" I asked Dwight softly. "When you opened the door something knocked us all off our feet and suddenly Audrey...or Lexie or whatever her name is, was there. Nathan took the gun from Jordan and placed it in her hand, asking her to kill him, but she refused and then explained that she was Lexie DeWitt and she had no intention of killing someone she didn't know. It was chaos after that. Jordan wanted to kill Nathan on the spot, but Duke stood between them, but knowing Jordan, that wouldn't have stopped her. So I took off my vest and that got her to stop and gave Nathan enough time to run…" he trailed off slowly as we came into sight of the cars. Duke, Nathan and the rest of the Guard were all following, looking unhappy and severely disgruntled. "Your plan better work, Duke," Vince said seriously before he got into his car with Dave and drove away.
Once the Guard left Dwight gently set me down on my feet and Duke came over towards me, wrapping his arms around me. "Are you okay?" he asked softly and I nodded giving him a small kiss. "I'm just exhausted. We both are," I said, nodding towards Mari, who was only half-conscious against Jace. "How about we all reconvene at the Rouge?" Dwight asked softly, looking at everyone. When everyone nodded in response he quickly helped me back into Duke's jeep with Duke, Mari, Jace and Lexie getting in after me. Nathan and Dwight got back into bronco and followed us. I leaned my head against the cold window and slowly built a bridge between myself, Mari and Lexie. Audrey, I know you can hear me, yes this is Rose. Mari is connected as well. Do not react just think your responses. What's going on? I asked, hoping she would follow my instructions. She froze for a millisecond, but then relaxed. I don't know yet. I just know that I can not and will not kill Nathan. I love him, she whispered. Okay, then we need to figure out how to stop the troubles. Because that's the only thing that's going to solve this whole mess now. Jordan's gone crazy with anger and grief and heartbreak. She blames you and Nathan for everything that's happened in the past 6 months. I sent her images of everything that had happened, I felt exhaustion begin to weigh on me. I need to close the bridge for now. It's taking too much out of me. If Mari were more concious it would help, but she overdid it today. We will talk later… I managed to send before I felt the world around me fade to black.
When I came to I was in bed on the Rouge and it was dark outside. I could feel two people nearby and they were talking quietly. I searched for Mari or Audrey's presence, but they were no where to be found and even that small amount of magick drained me. I felt the presences that were near me and recognized both Duke and Dwight. They seemed to be discussing something important, but I couldn't fully concentrate on it so I let the slow tendrils of sleep take me.
"Tell me another story grandmother!" I said happily as she rocked me next to the fire. It was late and I was supposed to be going to bed. "One more, my love and then you must go to bed," she said softly and I nodded. "I will tell you the story of one of the luckiest women in our world. Her name was Catarina Stormcrow and she was a Rowanswand. She was a fortunate woman. She was beautiful and humble and powerful all at the same time and she was also blessed. She noticed that every time she was around two specific men there were sparks so both emotionally and literally. She told her mother and it was then that she learned that she was blessed by the Goddess with not one but two muirn beartha dans. One man who was her soul mate mentally and another who was her soulmate emotionally. Together they formed a beautiful and powerful triad. They were respected and beloved in their village. Unfortunately tragedy struck, as it always does in these situations, and Catarina was taken before her time, leaving the men on their own. The rest of the village fully expected them to go their separate ways, thinking that the only thing kept them together was Catarina. They were astounded however, to find that the men stayed together, living in the house that they had all created. What the village didn't realize was that it wasn't just Catarina that had the two muirn beartha dans. It was all three of them. They were all soulmates and it wasn't just her that held them together. When, many years later, both men passed away they were laid to rest on either side of Catarina. A large tombstone was placed above their graves and on it was written the words, 'Love is a many splendored thing and to share it with more than one person is the greatest blessing of all'
I woke with a start and immediately sat up, looking around the darkened stateroom. I needed to look at my Book. I could hear movement on deck and knew that Duke and Dwight were up there, thankfully the box that held my Book was just down the hall. I quickly moved and grabbed it, searching for the passage that retold that story and I couldn't help but smile as it confirmed what I had been feeling and noticing. I quietly put on a heavier jacket and made my way up to the deck. Using a small amount of magick, I located Duke and Dwight standing at the bow of the ship and I slowly made my way towards them, careful to stay quiet. "Duke look...I…" Dwight was saying softly as he leaned his forearms on the railing and looking down at the water. "Dwight you don't have to explain...I understand…" Duke responded softly, placing a hand on the other mans' arm. I smiled as I saw Dwight unconsciously lean into the warmth of Duke's hand. "Do you?" Dwight asked softly, looking over at him. "Because I sure as hell don't understand this. I know that it's there, but I certainly don't understand where it came from…" He pushed himself off the railing and turned away from Duke. "I don't understand how I went from being in love with Claire to this…" he whispered finally and Duke sighed. "I don't necessarily understand it either, but if there's one thing I DO know, it's that I try not to question what my heart tells me. I did for so many years and it almost cost me the opportunity with Rose. After Evi…" Duke paused and I felt my heart squeeze painfully. I knew that he still felt so guilty for her death. "I thought I was a danger to everyone around me. Then Rose shows up and there's this instant attraction and...I was so scared that if I let myself love her, she would get killed too. But then Audrey found out and she basically yelled at me for a good hour about how refusing what could be my true love would not only potentially ruin my life, but it would also ruin hers. So I took the chance. And it was the best decision I have ever made."
They stared at each other for a long moment and I decided that it was time for me to step in. I "accidentally" tripped over one of the boxes laying on the deck and fell to the ground. "Ow," I whined jokingly as both men jumped and came running towards me. "Are you okay?" they both asked urgently as they helped me up. I smiled and nodded. "Yeah, just still a little bit out of it. What happened?" I asked as I settled into one of the chairs. Duke moved back downstairs to get me a cup of tea, while Dwight stayed up on deck with me to try and explained that both Mari and I had passed out in the car and it was decided that Jace, Lexie and Mari would stay at Mari's apartment above the Gull while Dwight and Duke took me back to the Rouge to get some rest. When Duke returned with the tea we all sat and looked at each other. "So what were you doing before I woke up?" I asked, already having a good idea, but wanting to hear from both of them. They both shifted nervously and refused to meet my eyes for a moment and I sighed in frustration. "Does it have anything to do with this?" I asked as I reached my hands forward towards both of theirs. In the darkness it was easy to see the sparks between our skin. They both stared in amazement and then looked to me. I shook my head. "No that's not my magick. My magick is blue," I explained as I pulled my hands back and, with a flick of my wrist, produce a small ball of blue fire in my palm. "That was something much more powerful," I tried to explain. They both stared at me in complete confusion and I sighed again.
"In the Wiccan culture we have what are called muirn beartha dan, or soulmates. One person who fits you perfectly in every aspect. That's not to say that the relationships are perfect. There are always fights, but in the end you know it's going to work out. I had always believed that I wasn't worthy of having a soulmate, especially after my Coven was killed. And then I came to Haven and I met you, Duke, and it was like a taser shock when you first kissed me that night in my apartment. I knew then that you were mine." I saw Dwight's face drop and I quickly turned to him and placed a hand on his cheek. "I'm not done," I whispered. "Then, after the Barn, I was devastated and in so much pain. You were, for all intents and purposes, dead and I was stuck here. Dwight and I shared in our grief over Claire, and for some inexplicable reason on his part, over you, Duke. He couldn't explain it and, at the time, niether could I. He was grieving for you as much as I was. And then I felt that spark one day, when Dwight took my hand and I felt hope that maybe I had been given a second chance. But it's more than that…" I trailed off, standing. I wasn't sure if I could face them while saying this last part. "I have been blessed by the Goddess with two muirn beartha dans. Two men who are not only MY match in every way, but also each others match in every way…"
MARI
I woke up slowly, feeling every part of my body ache. As I made a mental note of each of my muscles, I realized there was somebody lying next to me. I focused and "heard" Audrey, dreaming about her time in the Barn. I saw the face of the man I must have heard with her. She must have come back here with us. But why? I thought to myself. And for that matter, how did I get back here? The last thing I remembered was Jace helping me into Duke's car. After that my mind went blank. Maybe Duke asked Audrey to come back here to make sure I was ok? Well next time I'd have to insist she take the couch. I wasn't one for sharing beds. As I thought about the couch I suddenly "heard" another train of thought in that general area of the apartment. Jace I suddenly thought acidly. Well that explained why Audrey took the bed. Damn him! I didn't need his help. I didn't want his help. I sat up and suddenly realized that may have been a bad idea.
"Ahh!" I said hitting the floor. As I had stood up, both my legs went out from under me not wanting to take the weight. Both Audrey and Jace shot up in their respective beds. "Oh my god!" Audrey exclaimed coming over to help me up. "Are you ok? What happened?" "What's going on?" Jace asked sleepily from the couch. Seeing me on the floor he suddenly jumped up as if hit with a taser. "I'm fine," I said sending calm towards him. "Go back to sleep." He sat back down, but didn't take his eyes off of me. Well at least he didn't put on his shining armour yet. I grabbed Audrey's outstretched hand and let her pull me up slowly. "I think I just stood up too fast," I said as she helped me up. "My brain is trying to tell me something." "Well maybe you should listen," Jace said from the couch. "We can't have you go falling around all day." I rolled my eyes and walked over to the kitchen to get some water. I wasn't going to let him see how much energy this was taking. Audrey followed close behind, afraid that Jace was right about me falling down. "What do you mean 'your brain is trying to tell you something'?" She asked as I sipped on my water leaning against the counter. "That's how we found you," I said plainly. "I could hear you, in the Barn. But it took a lot out of me to focus on you since I wasn't even sure it was really you. I mean we all thought you were gone and then suddenly I could hear you. It was like a weird episode of The Twilight Zone…although this whole town is like a weird episode of The Twilight Zone, so I'm not sure why we were surprised," I paused taking another big gulp of water. I could feel the confusion and the tension in the room. Was I really going to have to explain this to them? Because I really wasn't in the mood right now. I wanted to make sure Rose was ok. I knew that the events of yesterday had taken a toll on her mentally and physically too. I also knew that I had to talk to Audrey and figure out what the hell was going on with her. Not that I minded this new persona.
She had brunette hair, streaked with blond, a nose ring, and was wearing a leather jacket. Now this was the kind of girl I had things in common with. Not that I didn't have things in common with Rose or that I didn't like hanging out with Rose. I did. I really did, actually, if I was being honest with myself. But she wasn't exactly the type of girl I would normally hang around. But she was insistent and after lots of talking, mostly on her part, I felt myself, somehow, begin to open up to her and feel...safe...But I didn't have time to think about that right now. I had to talk to Audrey, or Lexie, or whoever she was and figure out what we were going to do about the Troubles. "Well, this has been immensely fun!" I said sarcastically to Jace. "But I think it's time you leave now. I've got to change and I'd like to get to know Lexie a little better." Jace's face showed hurt and anger on it. I felt a pang of guilt go through me. Damn him! I kept staring pointedly at him, trying to make my point. "Oh no, he doesn't have to go," Audrey said, trying to defuse the tension that was building in the room. "Yes he does," I said simply, turning around to grab a bowl out of the cupboard. Jace got up stubbornly and moved to the door. I continued rummaging through the cupboard. When I found a bowl I moved to get the cereal. I felt Jace pause by the door and "saw" that he was waiting for me to call him back, hoping I would change my mind. I continued to pour my cereal, purposely not looking at him. "Right then," he said deflated. "Bye." He walked out, closing the door behind him and I heard his foot falls on the stairs. I could hear his thoughts until he got to the road. They were a mixture of confusion, hurt, and anger, wanting to understand me, but not able to. And you never will I thought to myself and sighed. "You didn't have to kick him out," Audrey said, grabbing her own bowl of cereal and sitting on the bed. "I actually thought he was kinda cute! We could have totally-" I put my hand up, stopping her from finishing that thought out loud. I went to sit on the bed with her. "Firstly, he did need to leave. I don't want him here. And secondly, I know who you are Audrey," I looked at her pointedly, hoping she would stop the cherade. "There's no need to pretend."
She sighed and played with her cereal. "Yeah, Rose mentioned something about that yesterday in Duke's car," she said almost unwillingly. "It's too bad, I thought you'd like Lexie." she said looking up at me and smiling. "I think I modeled her after you a little." I cocked an eyebrow. "Really?" I asked half flattered and half annoyed. Nobody could copy me and my style. I was one of a kind! "Well you got the outfit wrong, though the jacket was nice! And you forgot the tattoos," I said looking down at my wrists. "Oh yeah," she said smiling. "I forgot about those. How many do you have again?" "Four," I said around a mouthfull of cereal. "One on each wrist, one here," I said, indicating my left side, "and one here," I continued, pointing to the back of my neck. "So," I continued, changing the subject, "What's the plan?" I asked. Audrey swallowed her bite of cereal before responding. "I don't know. Shouldn't we call Rose and make sure she's ok? I know she'd want to discuss this with us." Audrey asked, concern coloring her voice and thoughts. "She's fine, she's sleeping," I said, getting another spoonful of cereal. Audrey looked up at me in utter confusion. I pointed to my head with my spoon. "You can hear her all the way from here?" She asked me in astonishment. "Yeah," I said calmly. "It's easier to do when I have a connection with the person already. I know what to listen for, but I can do it with perfect strangers too. It just takes concentration. It's not immediate, like hearing the thoughts that are right around me," I said as I waved my empty spoon in the air, indicating the space around me. "The same is true for feeling people," I continued, still holding my spoon in my hand like a wand. "But I have to really focus for that." Although that might be because I don't allow myself to actually know people well enough...I thought. I put my spoon back in my bowl and realized I'd eaten all the cereal. I drank the rest of the milk and got up, walking back into the kitchen. "But…" Audrey said from the bed, still trying to wrap her head around what I'd just said. "How?" she finally finished. "I heard you didn't I?" I asked putting my bowl in the sink. "Just think of it like this. Imagine you are in a crowded room and there are hundreds of different conversations going on, but you can't actually hear what people are saying. But then suddenly you hear a voice in the corner you recognize. It's the same thing. If I'm not looking for any voice in particular, it takes serious concentration to hear someone's voice far away above the din of everyone else, but if I know what I'm looking for, it's easy to find." I came back over to sit on the bed. "When Rose wakes up, I'll let her know that we are awake and that she should come over. Until then, you need to start thinking of a plan because at this point, we are all kind of screwed!"
I cleaned the bowls from breakfast and went to the closet. I grabbed a pair of jeans, a white lacy see-through top, and a black undershirt. I went into the bathroom to shower, letting the hot water ease my muscles into relaxation and to clean off all of yesterday. I also wanted to scrubb Jace clean out of my head. Unfortunately no amount of shampoo or soap could do that. After I got dressed and put my hair up in braids, I went back out into the apartment to find that Audrey had gone outside to think. I could feel her anxiety but I tried to ignore it. I needed a clear head. I sat on the couch and listened closely, trying to hear if Rose was still dreaming or not. I imagined myself near the Rouge and was surprised to find that not only was she up, she seemed to be in deep discussion with both Duke and Dwight. That's weird, I thought. What was Dwight doing there? I mean I knew he had feelings for Rose, but thankfully for me, he'd been ignoring them. I think some part of him was actually afraid of what Duke would do to him if he ever found out. I focused all my attention on the conversation, imagining myself sitting with them on the Rouge. Suddenly my eyes flew open! She did not just say that?!No, not possible, she couldn't, she wouldn't! I listened harder wishing I could hear all sides of the conversation. I tried something I'd never done before; listening to two different people that I wasn't in close proximity with. This meant clearing my head of ALL other thoughts around me and focusing on Duke and Rose at the same time. I knew that I wouldn't be able to hear Dwight. I didn't know him well enough to be able to hear him and the other two all at once. Rose was telling them about this story that her grandmother had told her as a young girl. It was about a woman who had two "loves of her life". And she was telling them it had happened to them!? What? That's not possible!And he's ok with this? People couldn't love more than one person like that at once! This was insane! It sounded to me like a way for a girl to be with two guys at once. I suddenly realized that I could feel a rush of anger in the pit of my stomach. My brother deserves better than this! I was shocked at how quickly my overprotective side had kicked in. I would have to talk to Rose about this. Find out what her intentions were in a matter of speaking. I realized I wasn't breathing and took a deep breath in. I felt the calming effects immediately and kept it up so that I wouldn't sound as angry as I was. Rose, I called to her, reaching out. Audrey and I are awake. We need to talk.
