13Chapter Eleven
Isanity
To my own credit, I didn't scream. Of course that might have had something to do with the fact that I didn't believe him. Kayne Volkov was clearly... deluded. Yes, that was the best way to put it. There was no other explanation for it anyway. How could it be possible that he was a... that he was a werewolf. Those kind of things did not exist.
I stood up slowly, shaking my head. "You're not funny Kayne," I snapped. "You promised that you would tell me the truth. I kept my end of the bargain and the least that you could do is pretend to keep yours."
He frowned, as if he wanted to say something but wasn't sure how he wanted to say it.
"What?" I demanded glaring at Kayne. "Do you really expect me to believe you? Do you? I mean are you crazy? There are no such things as werewolves," I snapped. "They don't exist."
Kayne frowned and looked down at himself. "Well than that is news to me," he admitted. "Because if that is the case than my brothers and I don't exist," he confessed. And he didn't like the thought of that if his tone told me anything. Well, I didn't like his answer so I thought that turnabout was fair play.
I shook my head as I looked away. "Honestly Kayne," I sighed exasperated. "Look, I am not going to believe something so insane. I'm not stupid. I hate that you would think that I am. Why can't you just tell me the truth? You're already in my house it's not like I can stop you at this point. Doesn't mean I won't if you try something but-"
He held up a hand and shook his head. "You've got it all wrong Emma," he said. "I am telling you the truth. Sometimes the truth is harder to believe than a lie. I had to get permission to tell you any of this in the first place. So please, just believe me Emma."
"I can't believe a fairy tale," I shot back at him. "I'm not a little girl. I have never been a little girl and I refuse to be treated like one. So stop lying to me and just tell me the truth Kayne! What did you really come to tell me that night? I need to know. I want to figure out what is going on and I can't do that if you don't want to be honest with me."
The young man sighed and started to pace again. I was apparently driving him crazy at this point. I didn't care. I really didn't. I wanted to know the truth. I needed to know. And he refused to give me that much. He didn't even want to give me that curtsey and it was driving me mad. I sighed as ran my hand through my hair. I just wanted all of this to make sense, and it didn't. He wasn't helping any of that either. "Please just, just tell me," I whispered shaking my head.
Kayne finally stopped pacing and turned towards me. He moved forward slowly until he stopped in front of me and got down on his knees. Even at that height, his head came up to my chest. I felt so tiny next to him. Tiny and yet I knew that he wouldn't hurt me. I knew it just by the look in his eyes. So why wasn't he telling me the truth? I just needed to know. Kayne reached up and gently put his hand on my cheek. "My lunatov," he murmured. "You're so beautiful. So much more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. And I want you to know the truth. It is why I told you. I am a werewolf. We don't know if our mother was one. Our father probably was," he confessed. "My brothers weren't there with me the other night because they couldn't be. They were wolves. They turned and I didn't. It was how I knew for sure that you were mine, destined for me."
I was trembling. His tone, his words, they were sweet. But they were also utterly insane. They made him sound that much more like a stalker and it terrified me. I tried to take a deep breath, to calm myself but it was almost impossible as I shook. "Please Kayne," I whispered. "I have my little sister and I don't want-"
Kayne was shaking his head. "It's not crazy Emma. I wish that I could tell you it was, but it's not. This is real. This is very, very real."
"He's right you know." I looked back towards the kitchen and Xavier stood there. He was leaning against the door frame, his wiry form filling it as his golden eyes watched me warily. "Honestly brother, you would think that you would have chosen someone intelligent at least," he snorted. "Someone who could believe."
"It's not about choice," Kayne growled. "And even if it was, I wouldn't care. She'll believe in time."
"Excuse me," I snapped. "She is right here. And she thinks that you are all nuts," I snapped glaring between the two brothers. Xavier simply grinned at me and then went back into the kitchen. I hated it. He could drive a person mad. I wanted to strangle Xavier, I really did. How was it that his brothers had been able to handle him for so many years without killing him? It didn't seem possible and yet he lived. He lived to annoy and piss people off all of the time. And he took pride in it as well. It was rather sad really. But what could I do?
Kayne stood back up and took my hand. "Let me show you," he begged looking me in the eyes. "Let me show you the truth." His eyes were honest as he watched me. I didn't know if I should believe him or not thought. I didn't know if I was supposed to. Maybe the brothers had escaped from the looney bin. But if they had, how was that even possible? I shook my head. No, I just, I had to think straight. I had to get out of this.
"Kayne-"
He squeezed my hand gently. "Please, let me show you."
It was stupid and reckless. "Only if Emma goes and stays with Susan and her family next door."
He flinched away from me and looked down. But that didn't stop me from seeing the hurt in his gold eyes. I had insulted him, hurt him because of the fact that I wanted my sister to be somewhere else. "Think about it from my point of view, Kayne," I whispered moving forward. "Think of how I feel. This is my sister. I have to protect her. I have to make sure that nothing ever happens to her. You can understand that can't you?" I asked.
Kayne nodded slowly but the hurt didn't go away. I wasn't going to back down though. Not because he didn't like what I was telling him. No, Carrie had to come first. She came first over everything. I didn't care who I had to insult or who I offended. My little sister meant everything to me and I would do anything for her. "Alright," I said. "Just let me, just let me wake my sister up."
I moved past him and into Carrie's room. I knew that Susan and her family would be up by now. They should have even come back from church which would be a good thing. It would be one less thing to worry about. The sooner this happened, the sooner that it could all be done and over with. I took a deep breath as I knocked on my sister's door before opening it and slipping into the room. "Hey Carrie," I called with a smile. "Hey sis. Come on sweetie, it's time to wake up," I murmured shaking her gently.
Carrie groaned as she opened her eyes and looked at me half awake. "Do I have to get up?" she mumbled.
I couldn't help but chuckle as I ruffled her hair. "Of course you do sweetie," I teased lightly. "Come on, I have some friends over. They're making us some breakfast and then I'm going to take you over to see Susan and the girls. Would you like that?"
Carrie nodded sleepily and started to move. I slipped back out of her bedroom and to the kitchen where the three brothers had congregated. All eyes moved to monitor me as I stood in the doorway. "Look, let's just eat something first alright?" I suggested. "Maybe food will make us all that much more rational.
"You really don't believe us do you?" Adam asked confused. "Why don't you believe us?"
I sighed. "Because it sounds a little nuts and more than a little stalkerish," I pointed out. "I have no reason to believe you guys, Adam."
"And you have no reason to doubt us either," the brunette countered. "But you still do. I find it interesting Emma. Maybe it is best that Kayne takes you out."
"Yes, after I make sure that Carrie gets over to Susan. I told her that I would," I shot back.
The three brothers exchanged a look and started spouting off in another language. I had no idea what it was though. "What are you three saying?" I asked. "I would really like to know. It kind of makes me nervous being kept out of the loop."
They looked at me silently before Kayne shook his head. "No, we can't do it like that. I refuse to let it happen."
Adam shot off at his brother in the language again. This didn't make sense. It really didn't. I wanted to know what the brothers were saying. "Will you just speak English and tell me what's going on?" I demanded.
The brothers exchanged a look again. They sighed. It really did make no sense. Then again, I was beginning to wonder if I was stuck in some kind of dream that wouldn't let me wake up. The urge to pinch myself was one that I only just resisted. The brothers were going to drive me crazy. I wanted to strangle all of them. Couldn't they just speak English? Or maybe they could make up their minds and not be insane.
I shoved a hand through my hair before stomping back into the living room. I threw myself into the chair, watching the hall and the kitchen very carefully. The boys were in there speaking quietly in that language of theirs. I could hear them softly exchanging words, but what it was all about, I could only guess.
A knock came at the door and I groaned. God, couldn't this day get any better? I really wanted to know. Could I not catch a break? I moved to the door and looked out of the small peephole. The men on the other side weren't familiar. But they were large, built a lot about the three brothers in the kitchen. "Who is it?" I jumped as Xavier spoke behind me.
"Do you have to do that?" I demanded frowning.
Xavier shrugged and pulled me back. "Of course," he said easily as he opened the door. "I was wondering when you'd come. Kayne is screwing things up royally."
The men came into the trailer. God it was overwhelming having so many people in my home. So many big men who were all easily twice the size of me. And I had gotten myself and my sister into this. I heard footsteps and felt someone put a hand on my shoulder. "Alpha," Kayne murmured. "To what do we owe the honor?"
"Kayne, your brother told me there's been some trouble," the one in the center said. The man was at least as big as Adam, but with all the hardness of a fully grown man. Amber eyes surveyed the scene before him from a face that could have been made of granite. He was the kind of person who didn't look like he was used to being crossed: ever.
Kayne's arm wrapped around me and pulled until I was flush against his chest. "No problem," he said resting his chin on the top of my head. "Simply...honest frustration," he hedged.
The man crossed his arms and planted himself firmly, the two men behind him following suit. "Kayne, I told you how this works," Alpha stressed. "I don't like the situation anymore than you do-"
The sound of a door opening had all of the men stiffening as Carrie trudged out of her room and across the hall to the bathroom, utterly oblivious to what was going on. I guess that I had been granted that one little blessing. Using the silence I slipped from Kayne's hold and shoved past Xavier to stare down a man who was at least a head taller than I was. "I did not say you could come into my home." I felt stupid as I said the words. God what was I thinking? This man was twice the size of me. But there was amusement in those gold eyes as they watched me. Somehow, I had entertained the man.
He shook his head as he looked up at Kayne. "This has gone far enough Kayne," he said. "You know what has to be done."
"But I don't," I snapped. "And I am sick and tried of all of this. Kayne, thank you for being so kind to me-" A hand clapped over my mouth as I was drawn away from the larger man. Taking a quick assessment of the men in the room, I realized that it was thrice-damned Xavier Volkov who had done it. Given that this was the second time in less than forty-eight hours that someone had done that to me, I threw an elbow back into his stomach. The only reason it worked was because I took him by surprise. That and Kayne had already been stepping forward and was pulling me away as soon as my elbow made contact.
I found my face buried in Kayne's chest and my body held tight against him so I couldn't struggle away. "Alpha," his voice vibrated through his chest and into my body again. It was the strangest sensation I had ever felt in my life. "Please. Your own lunatov is human. Did she believe at first?"
A heavy sigh was the only answer for several moments. "I'm sorry Kayne. But my lunatov was not in the danger that yours seems to be in and we cannot afford the exposure that this would bring."
Kayne deflated and his grip eased on my a little until he could bring his forehead down to rest on the top of my head. "I am sorry Emma," he whispered. "This wasn't how I wanted things to happen."
Author's Note: To not detract from this chapter, I thought I'd put the note here at the end. There are not enough words in existence to apologize for this lapse. I've actually had this chapter ready for quite some time, but I never posted it, because, well, due to other life issues I forgot. But that's not an excuse. My goal now is to have this story finished in the next month. I know I can do it as long as the muse remains with me and I hope not to have to apologize to all of you ever again.