the story about how our ancestors made a bargain with the Queen of the Nymphs, Orea, before they could make Ash Island their home. They had settled upon a few seemingly easy terms. She had decreed that our pack of wolves could inhabit her island as long as three rules were never broken. The first and most important of them being, we keep their existence secret. The second rule was that we were to never allow humans on the island. And the third and final rule was that on the Night of Rebirth, which is a sacred ceremony between The Queen of the Hydriads and The King of the Meliads, the wolf pack was charged with the well-being of the trees and the nymphs while the royal couple was otherwise engaged in the ceremony. To put it simply, we take over their guardian duties while they screw and bring forth twins. A new water nymph for the lake, and a wise male spirit to inhabit an ash tree. The ceremony happens once every century. I have stood guard over two of them so far.
I turned back around and looked at everyone. I sucked in a deep breath and spoke in as level a tone that I could muster. I needed to make sure they understood how serious, what I was about to tell them, really was.
"When we walk to the dock, it's very important that you never look directly into the water. Not even a quick glance. Keep your eyes forward. No exceptions."
I will give Milo a direct order to do as you have asked. As his Alpha he has no choice but to listen, Collin sent to me.
I was so grateful that I was able to share my secrets with him now. After our bonding, which is equivalent to a ritual mating, he was now considered pack, and as pack, was privy to the lake and island secrets.
Thank you, Collin. As you know, there can be no mistakes.
I know, Love...no worries, he sent.
I leaned over and kissed his welcoming lips and sent back to him in reply, No worries at all. I nodded my head at him and continued to explain to the group what needed to be done.
"Is there a special reason why we have to go through the same motions of someone trying to escape the fire pits of Hades’ realm?" Harper asked me.
She unzipped her purse and pulled out a tube of lipstick. When she finished flawlessly applying it to her lips without help from a mirror, she twisted it closed and looked at me. "Well?" she asked impatiently. "Am I in sudden need of a million SPF Sunblock?"
"Get your facts straight, Vampire Barbie. You can't look behind you while leaving the underworld...that has nothing to do with water," Nathan said.
She stuck her tongue out at him in response and said between chuckles, "Shut up, Fido."
I quickly tried to figure out a way to explain to her why I made such a strange request. I wasn't allowed to tell her that if she happened to make eye contact with a water nymph, she would be under its spell within seconds, completely hypnotized and a slave to its whims. Not to mention, if someone that I brought sees one of them...yeah, you guessed it, I would have broken the pact. I shivered at the thought of both possibilities.
"I can't tell you why, Harper. I just really need all of you to trust me on this one."
Brady backed up slowly. His face flushed red and then it completely washed out, leaving it so pale it was almost blue. "Are you alright?" I asked him. He shook his head vigorously. He continued to back up until he was stopped short by the truck. "Wha...wha, what is that?" he asked, pointing towards the lake. I followed the line of his finger and almost yelped.
Everyone else turned and looked at the same spot with confused expressions.
"What are you talking about, dude? There is nothing there," Milo said.
Boy was he wrong. There was most certainly someone there.
"Get back in the truck now!" I yelled. "Roll up the windows and lock the doors. Don't look anywhere but at each other."
The tone of my voice must have been warning enough because, before I could check to see if they had complied, I heard the doors to the truck slam shut.
I'm not leaving
I turned back around and looked at everyone. I sucked in a deep breath and spoke in as level a tone that I could muster. I needed to make sure they understood how serious, what I was about to tell them, really was.
"When we walk to the dock, it's very important that you never look directly into the water. Not even a quick glance. Keep your eyes forward. No exceptions."
I will give Milo a direct order to do as you have asked. As his Alpha he has no choice but to listen, Collin sent to me.
I was so grateful that I was able to share my secrets with him now. After our bonding, which is equivalent to a ritual mating, he was now considered pack, and as pack, was privy to the lake and island secrets.
Thank you, Collin. As you know, there can be no mistakes.
I know, Love...no worries, he sent.
I leaned over and kissed his welcoming lips and sent back to him in reply, No worries at all. I nodded my head at him and continued to explain to the group what needed to be done.
"Is there a special reason why we have to go through the same motions of someone trying to escape the fire pits of Hades’ realm?" Harper asked me.
She unzipped her purse and pulled out a tube of lipstick. When she finished flawlessly applying it to her lips without help from a mirror, she twisted it closed and looked at me. "Well?" she asked impatiently. "Am I in sudden need of a million SPF Sunblock?"
"Get your facts straight, Vampire Barbie. You can't look behind you while leaving the underworld...that has nothing to do with water," Nathan said.
She stuck her tongue out at him in response and said between chuckles, "Shut up, Fido."
I quickly tried to figure out a way to explain to her why I made such a strange request. I wasn't allowed to tell her that if she happened to make eye contact with a water nymph, she would be under its spell within seconds, completely hypnotized and a slave to its whims. Not to mention, if someone that I brought sees one of them...yeah, you guessed it, I would have broken the pact. I shivered at the thought of both possibilities.
"I can't tell you why, Harper. I just really need all of you to trust me on this one."
Brady backed up slowly. His face flushed red and then it completely washed out, leaving it so pale it was almost blue. "Are you alright?" I asked him. He shook his head vigorously. He continued to back up until he was stopped short by the truck. "Wha...wha, what is that?" he asked, pointing towards the lake. I followed the line of his finger and almost yelped.
Everyone else turned and looked at the same spot with confused expressions.
"What are you talking about, dude? There is nothing there," Milo said.
Boy was he wrong. There was most certainly someone there.
"Get back in the truck now!" I yelled. "Roll up the windows and lock the doors. Don't look anywhere but at each other."
The tone of my voice must have been warning enough because, before I could check to see if they had complied, I heard the doors to the truck slam shut.
I'm not leaving
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