CHAPTER 11

Bo

"So." I said, sitting down at a table with Tanner in the coffee shop. He was dressed now, wearing jeans and a parka and hungrily munching down on some pancakes with syrup. "You want to tell me about what happened to your sister?" He sat back in his chair as I sipped the coffee I ordered. He awkwardly shoved a piece of pancake into his mouth with his fingers and chewed for a little bit.

"What do you want to know?" he asked around a mouth full of food.

"What happened when Lauren told you to run?" He swallowed and chugged half of his milk.

"Um…" he said, eyes narrowing in thought. "She was on the floor of the cave we were staying in and she was shaking real bad, like she was cold or somethin'. When I asked her what was wrong and tried to hug her and keep her warm, she moved like this" he arched his back off his chair, hands falling back against the wooden seat "and she started crying a lot." My heart hit my chest like a sledge hammer. I could see the image so vividly in my mind that it scared me. I saw her lying on the dirty floor of some deserted cave, withering in agony, her six year old brother trying to help her but only making things worse. I suppressed a shiver and listened to the rest of what Tanner was saying. "And it looked like…" He looked away like he didn't want to continue.

"Hey," I said, leaning towards him across the table "Tanner, I know it's scary, but I need to know what happened the last time you saw your sister so I can figure out where she could be, okay?" He nodded slightly and inhaled a deep breath.

"It looked like her bones were moving around underneath her skin." I stopped myself from reacting in the way that I wanted and instead nodded coolly. Keeping it together right now was the best thing I could possibly do if I wanted to get as much out of Tanner as I could. "And, when I was running out of the cave, I heard her yelling really loud and a big rip and things breaking." He looked down at his hands "I shouldn't have left her alone." He said almost too quiet for me to hear him. "But I was too scared to turn back."

"You did the right thing, Tanner, getting yourself out of there and calling me was the smart thing to do. At least now we can go find her and help her." He nodded, but didn't seem convinced.

"When she used to visit me in my room," he began after a long pause. "she used to be really sad. I mean, she'd act like she was happy and all, but she never seemed to be as happy as she had been when I was little." I was confused at his sudden change in topic until I realised that I wasn't talking to an adult. He wouldn't stay on a painful topic if he knew a different topic would make him feel better.

"yeah?"

"Mhm. And then one day she came in to my room with a smile on her face. I asked her why she was happy and she said that she met a very, very special person. She said that she met someone who was lots different than adult she had ever met. She said that the woman she met would one day change the world. But she wouldn't tell me who." I couldn't help but smile slightly, the mental image of a happy Lauren was far better than a terrified one. "But then I saw Lauren's necklace on you, and I knew that you were the person she met a long time ago."

"How?"

" 'Cause she'd never give Mama's necklace to anyone who she didn't trust. Lauren doesn't trust much of anyone anymore." I nodded and he scarfed down the remainder of his pancakes. I dug into my pocket and put down enough money for the coffee and food and stood up, holding my hand out to Tanner.

"Come on, I think it's time we found your sister."

+/+\+

"So this way?" I asked, trekking through the knee deep snow as we wandered further and further into the mountains. Due to his short stature, I was forced to carry Tanner on my shoulders or risk losing him in the white stuff around me. He held on tightly as we waded our way further and further in. We'd been walking for well over an hour now; he seemed to get more and more nervous as we went along.

"She said not to come back." He murmured, resting his chin on the top of my head. "She meant it too."

"That's Lauren's only fault." I said, feeling a little out of breath, wishing I had fed before heading out. It would've been the smart choice; it would've ensured I was strong enough to run with the kid on my shoulders. "She's too selfless and caring for her own good."

"Bo?"

"yeah?"

"Do you love Lauren?" I blinked and heaved up over a log and down the other side

"Yes, why? Does she love me?" I felt him shrug.

"I dunno. She wouldn't actually say the word 'love' but she always smiles when I ask about you."

"What were you asking about me?"

"If you were pretty and nice and stuff like that."

"What did she say?"

"Not much, just noogied me and told me that I would find out for myself one day."

"And what do you think now?"

"I think you're nice and pretty and real smart. And I'd like it if you were my sister-in-law." I stumbled and caught myself on the nearest tree before I fell face first into the snow.

What?

"Why does everyone nearly die when I say that?" he asked, exasperated.

"Who else did you say that to?"

"Lauren. She nearly choked to death on soup when I asked if she was gonna marry you." I shook my head and chuckled. He was so bluntly honest with what he was feeling, it was almost refreshing.

"Marriage is a heavy commitment."

"Well, I think you two should get married."

"It's a lot more complicated than just getting married, Tanner. Your sister and I aren't even officially dating yet."

"How come?"

"Because, I'm fae, like you, and Lauren—"

"Is human?"

"Well, yeah."

"So what?"

"There're rules about that sort of thing."

"Who cares about rules? Lauren told me that you went against the rules of the light and the dark fae and decided to choose the humans."

"Yeah, and I caused a lot of trouble for myself by doing that. I don't want to bring Lauren into the crap storm with me."

"What if she wants to be brought into it?" I opened my mouth to say something but stopped. That was a really good point actually. One that I hadn't considered before. What if Lauren did want to join in the shit storm that I was the centre of? I mean, it wasn't really my decision to make, was it?

Marriage was definitely something I was not ready for but it wouldn't be too terrible if I had someone other than Kenzi by my side, would it?

Seeing as Dyson had been all 'pro-tradition!' back at the club house, he pretty my surrendered his 'team succubus' membership card.

The Jerk-face.

"You know," I said, jumping down off a high rise. "You're probably the smartest kid I know."

"Lauren says the same thing all the time. But she's the smart one out of the two of us. She's the doctor and stuff—"

A low growl echoed behind us and I stopped dead in my tracks for a second before turning around slowly. A pack of rather pissed looking wolves stared back at us.

"Uh oh." Tanner said quietly. These were wolves. Not shifters, the actual big bad 'I'll eat you and be happy doing it' kind of wolves. I swallowed and grabbed Tanner's legs tightly.

"Hey, Tanner?"

"yeah?"

"You know that shadow thing you do?"

"Uh huh."

"Can you do that while airborne?"

"I've never tried before…"

"Then I guess we're about to find out." With a heavy heave, I tossed him in the air high above my head, distracting the animals for a moment. I watched until Tanner disappeared in a puff of smoke, then I took off down the slope, jumping over fallen logs and massive boulders, the sound of pounding paws chasing after me. "Shit!" I said as I lost my footing for a second and regaining it. Teeth snapped just inches from my heel before I took off again. "Double shit!"I jumped through the snow, long bounding leaps to try and get away from the furious fur balls at my heels.

This would happen to me, wouldn't it? I would get caught in the snowy mountain side with a pack of savage wolves chasing me down. This was fantastic. Brilliant even. Made my day.

Unfortunately, the blinding whiteness around me made it impossible to see the three foot fall in front of me. My foot slipped off the edge and I tumbled forwards, promptly smashing my head against the rock buried beneath the snow. Despite the blinding pain coursing through my body, I shoved myself to my feet and staggered forwards a few feet before falling back to the ground. I managed to look over my shoulder at the four wolves waiting there for me. The approached as the light slowly began fading out of the world around me.

I thought for sure it was over now. I'd failed both Tanner and Lauren, not to mention Kenzi would freak out. There was no way I had a hope in hell of making it out of this alive. My head throbbed agonizingly, a warm trickle of blood leaked down the side of my face slowly. I swallowed and pulled myself forwards with my fingers, feeling the burning of the snow as it froze my skin.

Then something amazing happened.

A miracle.

An angel fell out of the sky and landed directly on top of the leader of the wolf, the crunch of bones echoing from its body sickeningly. It's midnight wings fanned out fast enough that a stiff breeze blew my hair back from my face. I felt tears roll down my face slowly, in relief and thanks.

I'd been raised religiously, but, after finding out who I really was, I didn't really believe in that stuff anymore. But now, seeing an angel standing in front of me, fighting off the wolves that were going to kill me, a small amount of belief came back to me.

So, I started to pray.

"Our Father who art in heaven, hallow be thy name," She lashed out with her hand at one that lunged at her, hitting it hard enough that it flew through the air and smashed head first into a tree. Her wings flared out, knocking a wolf to the ground. "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven." One latched onto her wing and she let out a cry of agony, her head throwing back. "And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." She turned around and grabbed it by the scruff and tearing it from her body, tossing it off into the woods somewhere, a whip of scarlet blood throwing from the bite mark after the dog. "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,"

My vision started to blur as the rest of the pack ran away, stumbling over themselves in their haste. "For thine is the kingdom" I let my head fall to the snow as the angel turned around to face me, its chest heaving. "The power and the glory." I couldn't see much. I couldn't move. Still the words trickled from my mouth barely forming before falling out. A soft hand smoothed over my forehead and I couldn't hold back a whimper. "Forever and ever…"

The last thing I felt was two warm, strong arms slide under my body and the soft brush of feathers caress my skin. A familiar voice whispered softly

"Amen."

Your reviews are a soothing balm after having to watch Lauren lock lips with her not-so-comatosed-girl friend right in front of Bo…

It's a sad day for Doccubus fans everywhere…