Chapter 10 The Talk (Could also be called History part 2)
Chris's POV
Bree had just arrived at the tree where we stashed extra clothes. She had already changed from her wolf form (black wolf with white tipped ears). I was still in mine (a white wolf with black tipped ears).
She glanced at me as she continued buttoning her coat. "Your back early. Have trouble fulfilling the crave?" she asked turning her back to me so I could change.
I closed my eyes, waiting for my human image to come to me, and always the pain and the light that surrounds us. The change is a time when we for the few seconds it lasts do not exist. The first thing I felt were my legs lengthening and my hands and feet forming. My spine cracked, then snapped into place. My face has always changed and I have never known exactly how it happens.
When I was able to speak I finally said, "Tara has had a vision."
"She didn't contact me," she said, back still turned while I got dressed. "She always contacts me."
"Fear told me," I said.
"Oh. When has she started doing that?" she asked uninterested.
"I thought you were finished being mad at her," I said.
"I am, but-" she started.
"But your too much like L to let any thing alone," I stated pulling up my pants.
"Am not. Unlike you I'm not messing with my fate," she said. "Speaking of fate, when are you going to finish telling Fear about hers?"
"Soon. Throw me my shoes," I said zipping my pants. "Why are you worried? Nothing will go wrong."
"She's promised, Chris," she said angrily.
"We don't know that for sure," I said quickly pulling on my shirt.
"Why else would they come into a house of weres?" she asked insulted as she turned back to me.
"I've been thinking about that one," I said as I started walking back to the path that led to the house. "They may have wanted to insult us, and what better way to do that than mark the alpha's room."
"They would have known it was no longer your room," she pointed out holding a branch while I crossed.
"Yeah," I thought a few moments. "Does Fear still smell human?"
"I can't tell anymore. Your all over her all the time," she laughed.
I rolled my eyes, "I'm serious."
"So am I," she said angrily. "How did she take the truth?"
"I don't know. She was scared when I left," I said walking faster. I heard Bree keeping up with me.
"How did she sound when she contacted you?" she said not even out of breath.
"She was a little nervous and pissed when I didn't immediately tell her where I was," I glanced behind me to see Bree trip. I caught her before she hit the ground.
She started laughing, "You'd think being a were would make someone less clumsy." She started walking ahead of me. "Why should she care where you're at?"
"She thought I was with another were. She said If I was she would skin me and her alive," I clarified.
"Oh. She's possessive of you. Good qualities for a mate. Skinning alive is a bit much," She looked over her black coat in time to see my upset look and laughed. "It could be worse."
"Like what?" I asked in disbelief.
"She could neuter you." she said running away from me.
"She would never do that," I said more to myself than to her.
"Come on!" Bree yelled a few hundred yards ahead of me. "First one home, gets to pick the next run." I quickly caught up to her. We ran side by side all the way home.
Fear's POV
I opened my eyes after talking to Chris and saw Tara smiling.
"Did you hear that?" I asked shyly.
"No. I did not hear, only saw his effect on you," she started laughing when I started turning red. "They are about an hour away. You'll have plenty of time to think through your feelings."
"You sound more and more like my advisor than friend," I stated. "Who says that?"
"What? Think through your feelings?" She asked absently playing with the incense holder. "Dr. Phill."
I rolled my eyes. "Next you will be listening to Sue Johansson and telling me all about my 'G-spot'" I said making the quote marks.
"Well, since you had your first kiss and all, I think it's time you and I had the talk," she said in her motherly voice. "We'll make some lunch for them while we have it."
I followed her downstairs. "My dad gave me the talk when I was sixteen."
"I know all about the run talk. This talk is going to be a little different," she explained.
I raised my eyebrows waiting for her to continue as we entered the sacred kitchen. It was beautiful. There was an island in the center that had two sinks on opposite end. Marbled countertops, polished floors, cabinet space galore, two stove ranges, two double door fridges, and two commercial ovens. I know this may not be as exciting to some, but considering my kitchen was only big enough for one cook, stove, fridge, and sink it was huge.
"Oh-my-God! This place is freaking huge!" I squealed excitedly.
She patted my shoulder. "Calm down, or I'm going to make you leave."
I tried to stand still but kept squirming. Tara rolled her eyes and motioned a stool near the island. "Sit," she said walking to the fridge.
"What talk?" I asked remembering the previous conversation.
"The one before his talk," she said absently as she grabbed the needed things to make sandwiches. "The one where you start to understand things a little better." She walked over to the stove and started frying ham.
"What more could there be?" I asked, propping up on the counter.
"A few hundred years ago, the vampires and were decided it was time to make a few laws in order to protect both species from complete extinction," she paused and started buttering bread and placing it on a cookie sheet. "They are to protect the children and human companions of both species. You know and accept more unusual things for a human."
I looked at her in time to see her red hair turn to a lime green color. It started from her roots to the end while she turned her head to get more butter.
"What are you?" I asked cautiously half expecting her to be pissed at my question.
"A secret," she smiled and met my gaze. "When the time comes, you'll be the first to know." She went back to buttering the bread.
"Where's your family?" I asked after a few minutes.
"Spread over the country. They are trying to find the Halfling." She answered without hesitation.
"Have any fount her yet?" I asked watching her every expression.
"They're not sure. Where was I in the talk?" she asked distracted.
"There are laws to protect children and human companions of both species." I supplied and propped my head on my knuckles.
"Yeah. There also ones concerning deals between all clans, packs, whatever. We have to honor the deal as best we can. In the vampire covens there is a thing as Promising. It is like arranged marriages," she walked to the oven and preheated it. "They like toasted bread and cold meat," she said more to herself than me. She looked back at me.
"Arranged marriages," I said. She nodded and tilted her head to the side. As her hair started to fall to her right side it changed colors to a hot pink. "How do you do that?" I asked.
"It changes on its own. If I want it a certain color it would stay. If I don't care, it changes every so often to keep the attention focused on me," She smiled. "I like this color. Back to Promising. Only parents or sires can make this pact. Most do it to form allegiances between other covens. Some parents do it to end an I.O.U. Like if that parent was human and about to die an untimely death, he or she can promise their children to the vampire in order to avenge themselves or whatever."
"That would suck," I said. "To be given away without your acknowledgement."
She smiled. "Yeah. Especially if you don't know your parent that well. What would you do in this situation?" She gazed away from me with a saddened smile lingering on her face.
"I don't know. Has this happened to you?" I whispered.
She turned her gaze back to me her smile slowly fading and eyes slightly glazed. A light started from within her in a voice that echoed through the kitchen but was no louder than a whisper she said, "You are still an innocent. Just being brought into the path of hope. Your destiny will soon be laid in front of you. You will have to choose between love and death. The question you must answer for yourself is which is which."
She shook her head. "There are ways to get out of a Promising. If the other parent interferes, then a council will be called to place the promised in the appropriate place. It's really complicated and boring."
"You said something about my destiny," I said still trying to understand what she meant.
"I did?" she asked. "It must have been meant for your ears only. I hope it helps in some way." She stuck the bread in the oven. "They're coming faster than I expected."
The rest of the hour flew by.