Unknown Touch

Werewolf Series - Book One

by

Gina Marie Long

Black Rose Writing

www.blackrosewriting.com

© 2009 by Gina Marie Long

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publishers, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a newspaper, magazine or journal.

The final approval for this literary material is granted by the author.

First printing

All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

ISBN: 978-0-9825542-5-8

PUBLISHED BY BLACK ROSE WRITING

www.blackrosewriting.com

Printed in the United States of America

Unknown Touch is printed in 12-point Times New Roman

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to sincerely thank the following who have helped make this book a reality: my husband for enduring the constant chatter of my werewolf plot ideas and even "tossing me a few bones" for inspiration; my parents for their support, reading through my first draft and all my phone calls; my sister-in-law, Lynne Boekhout-Phoomsathan, for devoting her time, proofreading skills, suggestions and brainstorming about future books; teenagers Kelsey and Maddie for being my test readers for Chapters 1 and 2; my wonderful beauty salon customers for letting me rattle their ears off; Maddie James, author, for all her writing knowledge and extremely helpful advice; Emily Kirkpatrick for her honesty and skills in creating the book cover; and my publisher, Black Rose Writing, and Reagan Rothe for accepting Unknown Touch for publication.

FOREWORD

Werewolves...they just don't get enough credit or attention quite like vampires do. Now don't take me wrong - I have no problem with vampires, the good ones, of course. As a matter of fact, I even know several of those mesmerizing vampires and consider a few to be close friends. Most of them mean no harm to the average human being. Some have accomplished miraculous deeds throughout the centuries. But, stories about werewolves just aren't as popular or common. Most are pictured as dirty, hairy, evil, snarling beasts that want to rip your throat out then savagely feast on your body. Sadly, that is true for some of the uncivilized werewolves who have struggled to find a balance in this modern world and slipped to the dark side. I have personally come to know many well-mannered, gentle and caring werewolves that just want to blend in with society. Of course, they do occasionally have to deal with those in the pack that have become too aggressive, that have committed violent crimes and are heading down a path of destruction. Attempts are made to get the wild ones under control (one way or another) and to keep the existence of werewolves hidden from society. That is all easier said than done...let's go back a bit and I'll explain where I fit into this intriguing little story.

Chapter 1

Introduction

It was a dreary, cold November morning. I hadn't slept soundly through the night. In fact, I'd been having trouble sleeping for several weeks. My dreams seemed so vivid and realistic that when I woke up, it took a couple of seconds to force myself into recognizing I was actually awake and not still dreaming. One particular dream I had every night involved a mysterious, exceptionally masculine man who seemed to be very disturbed with life...but I just couldn't remember it all...

"Kara! Are you eating breakfast here this morning or not?" my overly-concerned mother shrieked from downstairs. I knew Dad was lounging at the kitchen table sipping his usual cup of black coffee, munching on buttered, half-burnt toast while reading the morning paper. Mom had already finished eating, cleaned up her mess, and was pacing the floor wondering why I hadn't come downstairs yet.

As I am the only child in my family, my parents had a tendency to treat me as if I was still 14. They hated to see me grow up. Well, in another few weeks, I would turn the ripe old age of 21. Yippee. Perhaps since I was still living at home, had chosen not to attend college, basically had a dead end, low-paying job and no steady boyfriend, my folks felt they had the right to treat me like a teenager.

As far as boyfriends go, I had gone through several over the years, but none held my attention and most frustrated me to the point I always did the breaking up. The dating would start out normally with their trying to impress me. After about a month I'd notice their true boring, egotistical sides. I would try to drop hints and ideas hoping they could miraculously change their personalities to specifically suit me. Sometimes this persuasion actually worked…for a while. But then the whole relationship took on a very phony tone that made me uncomfortable and eventually I'd break up with the poor, unsuspecting losers.

I stared at myself in the bathroom mirror as I meticulously brushed my teeth and hair and tried to hurry myself along. My dark, blonde hair could have used some highlights but I just didn't want to bother with it lately. And my bloodshot brown eyes looking back at me in the mirror did not appear at all well rested from sleeping. I looked like I had experienced a nightmare.

Finally, I wandered downstairs to eat my lukewarm oatmeal at the kitchen table. Soon, I'd be heading out the door to my lovely little job at the local bakery. Exciting... Oh boy, another fun-filled day whipping up nice calorie-ridden cakes, pies and cookies. I didn't even like baking.

Glancing up from his newspaper, Dad inquired, "So, are you coming directly home from work tonight to help me with raking and burning the leaves?"

"Gee, I suppose that's the plan. What else have I got to do?" I sarcastically replied.

"You can drop the attitude, Missy. Just wanting to know if I can expect you or if I should tackle it myself."

"Yep, I'll be here." I grabbed my purse and with a sigh, mumbled, "See you guys later. I'm off to work."

I trudged out to my trusty (and rusty) Chevy Cavalier which was parked outside while my parents' vehicles sat all toasty warm in the garage. During the month of November in the tiny town of Marine, Illinois, you had a 50/50 chance of having to scrape your windows off in the morning, which I fully hated with a passion. On those days I was forced to scrape frost, I would end up with four ridiculous and dangerous one foot by one foot circles of cleared off glass that allowed me to peer through on all sides of the car. At least there wasn't any frost to be found that morning. It didn't take long to drive the whole six miles to work in Highland; sometimes I wished for a few extra miles of driving just to get my head on straight for the day. I would attempt to relax and listen to some music, if you could find any broadcasting at that time of the morning.

As I crossed the dam which stretched over Silver Lake, it seemed like my steering was not under my control anymore. It felt as if someone else had remotely taken over my car and rendered me totally useless as the driver. I was absolutely terrified as I attempted turning the wheel left and right but nothing was working at all. The brakes, gas pedal – nothing responded. I knew I was in trouble and everything was happening so fast I didn't know how to react. My car veered off to the left, crossed the opposite lane that luckily had no oncoming traffic, crashed through the guard rail and plunged head first into the lake. The impact of the car hitting the water caused the airbag to deploy. I was brutally forced backwards into the seat. Terror flooded my mind, while water slowly flooded the car. I was absolutely freaking out and saw no possible escape.

Suddenly a dark image passed near the passenger side window. Was someone trying to rescue me? How could anyone have found me so fast? Then with a loud explosion, the window burst inward from the pressure of the water, or had something smashed into it? I wasn't sure. I just knew I was going to drown in this freezing cold water. That's all that kept bouncing around in my head. I was going to die. My heart was pounding so hard I felt like it was going to jump out of my chest...and then at that point, I must have passed out.

I'm not sure how long I was unconscious, probably about an hour if I had to guess. An unfamiliar voice was trying desperately to awaken me. "Kara? Can you hear me? Are you alright?" a person next to my right ear kept repeating the questions. There was a sense of urgency in his voice and I responded to him immediately.

"I'm okay, I'm okay, I think. What happened? Where am I?" I felt like I'd run a four hour marathon and had collapsed from total exhaustion.

"I'm Dominic. We rescued you from your car in the lake. I know you're terrified but everything will be explained to you in detail. This is a special underground facility that is completely safe and very private. You are here because we need your help…To be blunt - you can be very useful to our group," he stated with complete honesty.

I stared at this man as if he was truly insane. What in the world was he talking about? I just about drowned for heaven's sake and he's telling me some group needs MY help?! I thought I was the one needing help here.

It appeared I had been placed on an old hospital bed of sorts, completely covered with thick blankets. I was drenched from head to toe and felt cold and clammy in my wet clothes. I did not understand what had happened to me and felt at a loss for words. The last I recalled, my car took a nose dive into Silver Lake and since I was not much of a swimmer...well, drowning seemed pretty evident at the time. Now here I was with a stranger staring at me assuming that I should just casually accept what was occurring and what he was telling me as the truth. Dominic handed me dry, fresh clothes and pointed to a restroom about twenty feet away.

"Here – take these and get yourself cleaned up. I'll explain everything when you return."

I didn't question him at that moment as I headed to the restroom. I was wondering, though, how could he have known what size clothes I wear. Just the fact that there were extra clothes sitting around this place to begin with seemed odd. As I stared at myself in the bathroom mirror, I noticed a large, red bump on my forehead, obviously from the accident. Otherwise, I appeared unscathed, just smelly from the mucky lake water and suddenly realizing I was freezing from the wet clothes.

There was a shower in the far corner and Dominic did say to get freshened up. Maybe the hot water would warm me up and clear my head. My brain kept asking itself, should I be screaming for answers or running for my life? And yet, my curiosity level was piqued as if on some great adventure. I assumed this was the local hospital and some hero brought me here after saving my life. I ought to be grateful for the rescue but instead felt an unnerving twinge of doom. Wait! Dominic mentioned this place was underground. Hospitals are not normally built underground and I knew the local one definitely was not buried in the earth. That doom feeling was definitely calling my name loud and clear. Panic was setting in.

After I emerged from the restroom, Dominic was waiting faithfully and patiently at a nearby counter.

"Kara, come with me to a conference room and you'll get your explanations."

I followed him obediently. What else was I going to do? We walked down a long, dimly lit hallway. This was not a hospital by any means. I stifled the urge to take off running because I didn't know where I would go. My heart was racing and my head was pounding. I felt sure an anxiety attack was coming on since I was prone to have anxiety issues. I tried to breathe deeply and focus on my surroundings. We entered a large room with an oblong table at which three people were seated. They all abruptly stood up when we approached. They were complete and total strangers to me.

"Let me introduce ourselves to you, Miss Kara McBride." A rather tall, thin, pale man stepped forward. The mere fact he knew my name sent chills down my spine. Maybe they located my driver's license during the rescue and learned who I was. "I'll just keep with first names for now. Easier to remember. My name is Eli. And this is Zac and Tessa. You've already met Dominic, of course. We call ourselves The Liaison. I'm sure your mind is shooting off in a million directions wondering the purpose of all this. Well, I'm not going to sugar-coat this or baby you about anything. I think in order to gain your trust, it's best to be honest with you up-front. So, first, let's all sit down."

Eli jumped right in with the details at that point. "Kara, you have an ability - a special gift - that you may not be completely aware of yet. It is considered a type of mind reading plus a suggestive thought implanting process. If you think back in your life, you should recall incidences where this ability has come into play. Most of the time it occurs when you sleep. But, also, if you really want something to go your way in particular, or someone isn't reacting the way you want them to, you may be using your gift to influence their behavior even while awake. It's usually very subtle…so subtle that you may not have realized what you were doing to them."

"Oh...my...God!" Memories flashed through my head of those old boyfriends and how I had wished they could just change a few of their ridiculous habits which would then make them more suited to me. And then for a period of time it did seem like the relationship went along smoothly. Obviously it never lasted very long since here I was all alone again. Could Eli be telling me the truth? Had I been influencing their behavior?

I blurted out, "Yeah - I guess there have been some weird things going on with me now that you mention it. And I should point out that I've had a horrible time sleeping over the last couple of weeks. I keep dreaming of some man. I haven't a clue who he is. He's really ticked off or upset over something happening in his life."

Eli continued, "Well, I'll get to that soon. As I was saying, we have been monitoring you - shall I say, keeping an eye on you - for about six months. But you were still fairly young for this venture and we disliked the idea of disrupting your life too early until we absolutely had to. More recently, though, we had become aware that you were not happy with yourself and felt lost and depressed. We also knew your abilities had grown stronger. In the meantime, our "situation" had gotten much more serious. So, we all took a vote and agreed this would be the best time to introduce you to our group.

"I'm sorry, this sounds harsh, but you cannot go back to your old life. At least not right now. To all your family and friends, it will appear that you have run away. I know it seems like we're holding you captive, but we are desperate and greatly need the help we believe you could provide. Please listen with a totally open mind because you are in for quite a shock and more than likely won't want to believe us."

I sat there speechless; feeling completely helpless and all alone. Tears welled up in my eyes and spilled down my cheeks. I really, truly was being held captive no matter how they worded it. There was a terrible foreboding feeling deep inside me that my entire life as I knew it was literally on the brink of being turned upside down. And what was Eli referring to every time he mentioned their "situation?" It didn't sound positive and yet here I was being forced to go along on this wild ride.

Eli readjusted his chair to find a more comfortable position. He was definitely tall, probably 6'4" if I had to guess. He obviously was the person in charge of this group by the way he took command of the conversation. He remained very calm while I undoubtedly looked as if I would burst at the seams in hysterics. Eli truly seemed concerned about my well-being by the look on his face. He was so much older than the rest of them, perhaps in his 60s whereas the rest looked to be anywhere from 23 to 35 years old. His eyes, his face radiated with the immense amount of knowledge I knew he possessed.

Dominic had been sitting right next to me during Eli's introduction and was now attempting to console me, hoping to prevent any nervous breakdowns. His warm hand reached out and gently touched my shaking arm for a few brief seconds. I wiped at my tears and somehow felt a slight connection to Dominic. I wasn't sure why at the time but his concern for me actually did relieve a tiny bit of my tension so I started to breathe a little easier. He had adorable wavy, brown hair, studious looking glasses, was of average build and carried a deep, serious look on his face. No malice in it, just a seemingly all knowing, penetrating gaze.

After a few moments of gathering his thoughts, Eli went on, "I am a physician and a scientist. I've had several successful inventions and the profits have provided me with a very comfortable lifestyle. I own this facility here. And, yes, you are still in the Highland area, just underground. It is part of an old military base built in the 1950's. There are tunnels going for miles in several directions connecting unused, vacant missile silos. If you can imagine, one of those silos is under Silver Lake. Very few people are even aware this base ever existed.

"Anyway," he continued, "getting back to who we are…Dominic has psychic abilities similar to yours along with some telekinetic skills that he has greatly developed over the years."

Dominic broke in at that point, "And I used to be a Special Agent with the FBI in a secret department best described as The X-Files - if you remember that TV show. I dealt with investigating the odd and unusual cases and many times was required to use my psychic skills. I also had to be involved with some of the cover-ups when they didn't want the general public knowing certain things. A few years ago, Dr. Henderson...uh...Eli as he prefers to be called, was brought in to help me with one of my investigations for a couple of weeks. Then about a year ago he contacted me on his own and requested I join him on a very private mission."

Dominic sensed that I was completely overwhelmed, shocked and wondering what in the world they wanted from me. What was this all about? He stated, "Kara, we really are trying to get to the point of all this as quickly as we can for you."

Tessa spoke up for the first time as if she had been waiting her turn. "We want you to know who we are and hopefully then we can better gain your trust. Please believe me, we mean you no harm whatsoever." I noted Tessa's natural beauty at that moment. She wore no makeup, not that she needed it with her perfect complexion and olive skin tone. She had dark eyes and medium length black hair pulled back in a low ponytail. She was definitely in top physical shape and looked ready to punch someone's lights out if threatened.

"I am an ex-CIA agent. I did a lot of undercover work out in the field. I'm excellent at tracking and hunting. I also happen to be a whiz on computers and am able to gain access to places I really shouldn't have access to anymore." Tessa gave me a sly grin after that statement.

Last but not least, Zac took his turn telling his super summarized personal story to me. "And like Tessa, I'm also known for my awesome tracking skills. I am an ex-Navy SEAL and have always been up to a challenge. I blend in to my surroundings and have superior hunting and survival skills." With that, Zac casually leaned back in his chair, crossed his muscular arms, and waited for someone else to take the lead. He was tall with very short dark brown hair and was undeniably good-looking. He obviously spent a great deal of time working out, training, and doing who knows what to create and maintain this perfect body. There was no doubt in my mind he would use his body as a deadly weapon should the need arise.

Now that everyone had their chance to speak directly to me and plead their case, I felt an opportunity to sneak in a few words. "Okay…nice, interesting group of people you've got here but what dire situation do you keep referring to? And more importantly how can you possibly think I can do anything to help?!"

Chapter 2

Situation

Eli cleared his throat, fumbled with the buttons on his shirt, and prepared himself to launch into the next segment of my induction into their secret world. "Kara, you and your family went on a vacation down in Kentucky about a month ago, correct?"

"How would you know about that?" I questioned.

"Well, I take that as a yes," he responded. "Remember, earlier I mentioned we had been watching you, so we do know quite a lot about you and your family. That trip down to the Kentucky Lake region was a pivotal point in what's happening here and why we brought you onboard right now. We couldn't believe the coincidence of you going directly to the very area where all the trouble is and where we'll be heading soon. We've tried to figure out how that was possible. Dominic and I came to the conclusion that because you both have psychic abilities and are within a few miles of each other, you were subconsciously or unconsciously homing in on or drawn to Dominic. Or he could have been picking up on your brain waves. Since he has been mentally checking in on you anyway, a connection had been established between you two, even if you were not aware of it."

I did not like the idea of Dominic keeping tabs on me and diving into the depths of my mind. I glared over at him as he looked sheepish and guilty. How much did he truly know about me? It made me sick to think about it. I chose to sit quietly and continued to listen.

"Either way," Eli spoke excitedly, "you must have unintentionally plucked that exact location from Dom's thoughts and then made that suggestion to your parents for a family trip. While you were in Kentucky, you appear to have made some kind of psychic or physical contact with our acquaintance, Daniel Taylor. Your mind was drawn to him, since he also has a type of psychic ability and has been very upset lately. He's emitting a type of energy that you naturally picked up on. This triggered your series of dreams about him. We were planning on your ability of mental persuasion to eventually assist us with his problems. But you have already made the contact and things are heating up. It is time to tell you what is really happening.

"Are you ready for this? Daniel Taylor is a werewolf - but a good one. He is not bad or evil."

Dead silence in the room.

Everyone was staring at me waiting for my reaction. I blinked. My head shook back and forth. "What?!" I whispered.

Dominic reeled me back in and explained, "This all relates to one of my assigned FBI investigations. The government is completely aware of the existence of werewolves (among other things we can chat about at another time) and tries carefully to cover it all up. Everything had been pretty calm for a period of time but Eli knew there was trouble brewing in Kentucky. So, he created this covert operation and handpicked each of us to work together and try to help Daniel resolve the disputes within the werewolf packs. If the wolves draw too much attention to themselves, the government will step in and things will get messy. Daniel's pack has had a lot of disagreements about how they should be allowed to live their lives. A small renegade group had decided to split off from Daniel's pack and have become rebellious, careless, and dangerous to animals and humans. He is at a loss on how to control the "big, bad wolves" - a little pun there if you will."

Dominic's breathing was very shallow as he tried to contain his anxiety when he spoke. "Everyone would like to find a resolution before it becomes a total killing spree. I suppose that sounds pretty bad, doesn't it? But Daniel is being threatened by Stephen (one of the bad wolves). He warns that if Daniel does not back off from interfering with the new pack's lifestyle, he can expect a war. Daniel only wants their race to coexist peacefully with humans and to keep their true identity under wraps. You can imagine the consequences if the general public knew about werewolves. They would be hunted, captured, killed, and who knows what? Daniel has been spending a lot of energy covering up the accidents that have occurred in Kentucky mainly stemming from Stephen. So, enter our little group here - The Liaison - to intervene and neutralize the situation. That's it in a nutshell."

I thought, "I don't suppose you're making this all up, huh? Or that it's some science fiction movie you want me to be a superstar in? Or maybe I'm under the influence of some drug you injected in me? Or perhaps this is all a nightmare and in ten minutes I'll wake up?" I wished with all my might that it was. Wouldn't that be awesome though if I was being interviewed for some fabulous movie part...What was I thinking?! Then reality hit me upside the head and I knew by their behavior and stares that this was for real. No joke. I stated, "This is crazy. So you're telling me I am actually dreaming about a werewolf named Daniel. And I'm supposed to miraculously get into his thoughts and convince everyone to be good little werewolves?"

"Actually," Tessa joined in, "you need to get into Stephen's head because he's the bad guy…or wolf. If he's better able to control his emotions and feelings, then his aggression and wild behavior will also be under control. Hopefully, if and when he is under control, the werewolves' lives will return to normal, or what would be considered normal for werewolves. We don't want to kill any of them, if that can be avoided. But Stephen has gone off the deep end. We are positive he's murdered at least one human, if not more, even though it seems that he was provoked with that particular incident. He was backed into a corner, and we know what happens with animals when they are cornered. He was trespassing on some farmer's land and was caught in the act of mutilating and eating one of this man's cows. The hillbilly had his gun with him and took a shot at Stephen but because Stephen was in the shape of the werewolf, the human had no chance. Stephen was just too strong, too fast and agile to get hit by the bullet. He attacked and killed the farmer."

Zac had barely said a word except for his introduction. Suddenly he explained, "The majority of werewolves really do want to fit in with humans. There aren't that many of them and in order to survive they must lay low and keep out of the public's attention. They look like us when in human form. They eat the same foods we do and try to behave like us. But Stephen going on the hunt for landowner's livestock is definitely not something he should be doing. When they turn into werewolves, they are much larger than a regular wolf - about twice the size. And watch out for their power, strength and speed when they're in werewolf form. They can be dangerous, even deadly. We've kind of nicknamed them "good wolves" and "bad wolves" - the good wolves are really great, cool people to be around. I say "people" at times because they don't shape shift into wolves very often since they feel they don't need to or have to for the most part. They blend in. They are really smart and creative, too, I might add.

"But then as we've mentioned, there's Stephen. He is totally out of control and barely cares at all about his actions and the effect they could have on his race. There are about five bad wolves that formed this new pack about a year ago; although by far, Stephen is the worst of the bunch. Like Tessa said, it's Stephen first and foremost that we want to focus our attention on by getting his emotions and aggression under control."

"Kara, that's where your skills are needed," Eli smiled tenderly at me. "We are hoping to save a unique race of beings before they self-destruct and either start killing themselves off or exposing themselves to society and causing harm. People could die if we don't step in and attempt to help. Dom wants to practice some psychic techniques with you and see what you're capable of doing. Hopefully this will give you proof and convince you of our situation."

I sat on the edge of my chair leaning forward with my pointy elbows digging into the table, hands on both sides of my head. I didn't know whether to speak or not. Everyone else had kept talking, filling my head with more and more information that I was supposed to take as the absolute truth. There was no way they were making this up. Why would anyone make this up? No one was threatening me. No one had hurt me. I remembered my dreams of Daniel. He did seem so real. I was drawn to him for some reason. I felt compassion and concern for him and didn't want him to be hurt or killed. My present life was totally at a standstill. I had nothing going for me. Still, I would miss my family and friends and was worried how they would handle my sudden disappearance. Eli said they would make it look like I ran away or some other scenario that we could work around. I bet Tessa would have a hand in that deception with her computer skills and past CIA experience dealing with people.

"I'm in," I mumbled, completely surprised at the ease at which I plunged into this new world. This whole new way of life. "Not that it seems I have much of a choice having been abducted and all."

Dominic looked as if he wanted to hug me. I could have probably used a hug right then and there. Eli smiled broadly and nodded his head in approval. Tessa and Zac gave their positive looks of encouragement. I sighed. "I'm still terribly confused about many issues here. I have so many more questions and don't have a clue which one to ask first."

"Why don't we take a break and I'll give you a tour of this place." Dominic volunteered. "I prepped a room for your stay here. I'm sure you want to check it out. And by then it will be getting close to lunch time. Everyone could meet back in the kitchen at noon. How's that sound?"

Eli responded, "That's a good idea. Dominic, continue to fill Kara in on anything she wants to know. We each have a lot of work to do especially if we're heading down to Kentucky Lake soon."

Everyone stood up, stretched and started filing out of the conference room. Tessa approached Eli and promptly stated she needed to finish taking care of my unusual disappearance to the outside world. I figured that one out accurately. Tessa to the rescue.

Dominic smiled sincerely at me and glanced in the direction of the door, which instinctively gave me the indication he was ready to be my tour guide.

"As Eli said," Dom started off, "this place was built in the 1950's. It hasn't exactly been kept up over time. Basic maintenance to keep it from completely falling apart and that's about it. Zac has been handy with some remodeling where needed."

We walked down a long, narrow, dimly lit hall. The walls and ceiling looked like that institutional pale green with the paint peeling off in some areas. It was cool and clammy.

"Eli said something about being under Silver Lake? A missile silo?" I asked.

"We aren't under the lake right now. But near the lake is a hidden hatch that leads down into the silo area. That spot then connects to a tunnel that travels several miles underground and shoots off to other missile silos and leads to this facility here. Zac rescued you from the car, brought you down into that silo area and hopped on a little four-wheeler and zipped on over here, a few miles from the lake. We've tried to make this place more like a home but outfitted it with anything else we need in dealing with this mission. Well, here we are: your home away from home!" Dominic held out his arm, gesturing for me to walk inside.

"Hmm…not bad." I absorbed the look and feel of the room. It reminded me of an old-fashioned hotel room which was not necessarily a bad thing. It was relatively clean and seemed to have all the amenities, including a TV.

"Except for a bathroom." Dominic replied. I hadn't said that thought out loud. He had just read my mind. Oh, great. This was going to take some getting used to. Dominic's face turned bright red as he looked down at the floor.

"Sorry about that." He went on, "I naturally gravitate towards people's thoughts and feelings. I should have warned you about me beforehand. Not that there's anything that needs an actual warning! It's not like I'm dangerous or anything. Well, I am telekinetic, though, and once in a blue moon things go flying off in the wrong direction than where I had intended them to go…but most of the time I've really got it under control!" His eyes were pleading for me to understand. Poor Dominic looked like he was going to wet in his pants.

I decided at that point I really liked Dominic. He made me smile and laugh and there was a sense of calmness from being around him. If I truly was getting as involved in this endeavor as they led me to believe, then it was high time for a little experimenting. Why not, right? After all, Eli said we needed to test my skills. At that moment I focused my mind to totally zone in on Dominic and mentally asked him, Where are you taking me next?

He casually answered, "I'd like you to see where all our rooms are, then off to the kitchen." He stopped suddenly and quickly turned to look at me.

Give me an answer with your mind, silly! I'm testing myself. I winked at him and gave him a big smile then completely concentrated on his thoughts.

Well…can you hear me now? He joked without moving his lips.

Using my mind, I replied, Yes. Yes, I can.

I could actually read his mind. Totally amazing. It came so easily to me. Had I always been able to do this and just been closed off to the possibility, the reality of it?

Yes. Dominic flatly stated in my mind. He returned to regular speech, "Well, we can cross that test off the to-do list. Aren't we just moving right along! The next part of the mind-reading is distance. But I have a feeling you won't have a problem with that."

"What do you mean?" I countered.

"You've been having those dreams, right?"

"Yeah, but I had no clue they were about a real live person! Or should I say werewolf, for God's sake."

"Kara, they aren't dreams. Well, they are and they aren't. You're asleep when this happens to you, so in that regard it is considered a dream. But you made a psychic connection with Daniel when you were down at that resort and now it's as if you two are communicating while you're snoozing. On his end, he thinks he's having recurring dreams about some stranger, just like what you were thinking was happening to you, until we shot that theory all to pieces when we informed you otherwise. This isn't the werewolf we had intended for you to help, but seeing that Daniel is so disturbed, you can very likely help him, too, and maybe all these connections will be a great benefit."

"You believe I can actually be sitting here awake and make this mental connection with Daniel?" I couldn't comprehend being able to accomplish something like that.

"Don't demean yourself. That is counter-productive. You have to believe you can do it. And obviously you can because you are doing it while sleeping, so why not while you're awake. The bad boy, Stephen, is going to be a different story. We do NOT want him to be aware of you plopping happy thoughts into his head because I can imagine he'd get pretty ticked off. And since he's already not the happy camper, we don't need to provoke him anymore. I'm going to openly allow you access to my glorious brain and see how well you can implant a feeling or thought and how I react. See, if a person is totally aware that you're trying to mess with their brain, they're guarded and probably any thought manipulations aren't going to work. But I'm going to accept what you're trying to do and we'll see what happens from there. Fun, huh?!" Dominic had said a mouthful.

I had an idea, "What if I unexpectedly try messing with your brain on my own without telling you first? You wouldn't be on guard then." I smiled almost seductively. Wow, what was I thinking?

"I…I guess…I would prefer being forewarned," he stuttered, obviously self-conscious. "Although I see what you're getting at because if I don't know when you're going to do it, it would work better. I think, though, since we've talked about it now, I'm already on guard in a way, if that makes sense."

Yes…we'll see. I purposely thought the words as I stood there with a mischievous look on my face. A look of anxiety appeared on his face. I almost laughed out loud.

We walked down the hall just a few feet and Dominic stopped, pointed to different doors and said, "That one is my room, then there's Zac's, Tessa's and Eli's rooms. All the rooms are tiny, but at least we were able to each have our own private room that way. You were already in the huge bathroom. And, yes, we all have to share it. There are a few other rooms we'll get to later. Another twenty feet and here's the kitchen. Not bad, if I do say so myself. Especially since I'm the cook."

"You've got to be kidding me! You can cook, too. Unbelievable." I took in a deep breath and thought how much I hated cooking. Well, at least I wasn't going to go hungry with this group.

Chapter 3

Experimenting

We walked into the narrow kitchen, trying to keep from bumping each other's elbows. Dominic started working on a simple lunch for the group...our group. I had to start thinking in those terms that this was a tight-knit group of people that I now belonged to. I couldn't believe all that had transpired in a matter of a few hours. It felt like days had passed already.

Soon, the others started filing into the kitchen area and plopped down at the old, scratched-up table. Obviously, interior decorating was not a priority. I wandered over and found an available chair that no one had nabbed up yet. It was quite amazing to think we were hidden underground, in our own little world. I suppose since my life had become so dull, devoid of any excitement at all over the last several months, that this did appear like an adventure to me. Still, I couldn't shrug off how my parents were going to react to my disappearing off the face of the earth.

I glanced over at Tessa and inquired, "You're not going to make it look like I died, are you? I just don't want my parents to be so heartbroken and devastated thinking I'm dead and yet they can't find my body…"

"Oh, Kara, no I won't do that! I'm scheming on you being a runaway. That you got into your car this morning and literally took off for points unknown. Probably in a day or so we'll have you call your parents to touch base and lead them into believing you are heading out west somewhere and just need time alone. After all, you haven't exactly been Miss Sunshine lately, from what I've been told. Hopefully this little story we're telling them won't shock them. It shouldn't seem completely out of character for you considering how you've been behaving lately."

"Wow. You guys have everything figured out. Weren't any of you worried about how I would react to being kidnapped? That maybe I'd go off the deep end and freak out?" I sighed heavily, shaking my head and looking down at the plate of food Dominic sat in front of me. I wasn't hungry at all but didn't want to disappoint him so I took a nice size bite out of the sandwich. Eating was a bit of a distraction at least for my boggled brain.

I rambled on, "I still can't believe I'm here and agreeing to go along with this craziness. I must be losing my mind. I even feel as if I've been here for days not just hours."

Eli piped in, "Kara, I believe you were looking for a change in your life. Dominic has mentioned that at the times he's touched your mind over the last month, you seemed greatly distressed and upset. I realize you've also been having those unusual dreams of Daniel, which didn't help matters, but even before and beyond that your life was unsettled. Even though you were unaware of your psychic abilities, you still performed simple persuasion techniques on a few people. This was probably done subconsciously and had you disturbed, too."

"There were times when I wished a person would just do something a certain way," I reflected over the last year or so, "and all of a sudden they were actually doing it. I had weird feelings during those times and I suppose I did wonder what a major coincidence it was for them to go through the motions of what I was thinking."

Dominic spoke, "You now have awareness of your gift. Knowing that you have abilities makes all the difference in how you'll think and look at things now. And from what I can perceive, your psychic powers are pretty strong."

"Interesting." That was all I could say as I kept munching on my sandwich. I felt like I had a million questions still needing to be answered and yet my mind was drawing a big fat blank.

Everyone finished eating lunch and Tessa volunteered to clean up the mess. I believe she wanted to allow Dominic as much time to work with me as possible.

"Well, Kara, let's head over to the research room and see what we can discover about you!" Dominic was about to bounce off the walls with anticipation.

"Oh, gee, I guess I'm the guinea pig to experiment on." I could completely sense his excitement and devotion to working with me. I, on the other hand, felt an ache in my lower back from all the tension and anxiety.

I followed him like a lost puppy as we headed back down that dreary hall. Even though I was putting up a pretty good front, I was undeniably feeling very alone and scared. The extreme vulnerability in this situation of just handing myself over to complete strangers was blowing my mind.

"We're here." Dominic announced as I slammed into the back of him. This whole place was so small that within mere seconds you were already in another room. There was nothing special about this room either. As usual, everything looked very old and dingy except for the fancy equipment and a few computers set up on desks.

I was definitely feeling jittery and my back was totally killing me. As I went to sit down on one of the few chairs in the room, my balance was off and I could feel myself tripping over my own two feet. For a moment I knew I was going to end up on my rear end looking like a clown. Suddenly that particular chair I had been heading for was shoved under me before I could hit the ground. Dominic was standing a few feet away and smiled suspiciously at me.

"Remember when we told you I have the ability to move objects with my mind? You just witnessed it. So, you're welcome for me saving your rear end or face from smashing into the concrete floor." He was still beaming at me and trying to keep from laughing.

"Impressive!" I was pretty amazed since I'd only seen acts like that on television specials.

"Yeah, I've been working on moving larger objects than chairs and from a greater distance. It's been going fairly smoothly. My concentration has to be unbelievably focused, but it also works well when I'm all wound up about something. It ties in with my emotions. Fear and anger seem to fuel the telekinesis.

"Your back is bothering you, isn't it?" Dominic obviously sensed this or read my mind. "Eli stocked some meds in the closet. Let me get you something."

He handed me the medication with a glass of water which I downed in a split second. With sarcasm I commented, "So, you didn't just try to poison me with those pills, did you? Or give me some drug so you can commit terrible crimes to my mind or body?"

"No!" Dom's eyes about popped out of his head. His face was suddenly burning red. I reached into his thoughts a bit, testing my newly discovered abilities. I realized I made a mistake with my accusation. He was seething with anger that I could possibly think him capable of hurting me. At the same time, he felt embarrassment about the "crimes to my body" comment I made. I could read in his mind that he never would do anything like that and instead felt the need to protect me. I actually had tears in my eyes. I was half joking with my statement and yet Dominic took it seriously.

I had an idea. And I don't know where all these brave and daring ideas were coming from lately, but since I'd been abducted, my brain was on super overdrive. I decided to put up a mental block, or at least what I assumed was a block to keep Dominic out of my head for a moment. I wanted to catch him off guard. According to this group, I had the ability to use mental manipulation, implanting thoughts into others. I was going to attempt to calm Dominic down. Not that this was a huge blow-up he was having. It was actually pretty minor and he'd probably shrug it off in another few minutes, but here was my chance.

He was walking away from me shaking his head, heading for the computer. He was totally unaware of what I was about to do. I mentally crept into the edges of his mind. Immediately I replaced his agitation with happy, calm thoughts. I felt like one of those commercials that tries using subliminal messages to encourage a potential customer to buy their products. I was actually thinking the words - relax, calm, happy, positive, cheery, blissful. Then I pictured in my head a waterfall, a beach, snowy mountains. Anything beautiful. Only about one minute had passed.

I was staring at him when he looked up from the computer and his face suddenly glowed with contentment. He gave me a big, toothy grin and it seemed as if my accusation towards him drugging me never took place. It was like I disrupted the previous unpleasant thoughts he was having so much so that I gave him new material to deal with. A different emotion - happiness. It reminded me of changing a television channel to something else.

I couldn't help myself but I had to reveal to Dominic what clever little experiment I just tried on him. And succeeded. "Aren't you just the happy camper now? How's that waterfall playing out in your head?"

The look of utter shock on his face was priceless. "You did that to me? I had no clue."

"Well, I felt guilty about the "drugging me" comment and I sensed you were pretty ticked off. What better time to catch you with your guard down and see if I could give you an attitude adjustment. It worked, didn't it?!" I was tickled with my achievement on Dominic, especially since he had told me earlier he tended to keep his guard up most of the time.

"I suppose you passed that test, too. I didn't sense you reading my mind or even trying to communicate through our minds at all. I should have recognized something. I'll admit I'm a tad disappointed in myself that you caught me off guard. But I'm mega proud of what you accomplished here today," Dominic was overjoyed. I preferred him that way. He was interesting to be around.

I clapped my hands together, applauding myself and then patted myself on the back. The moment I went through those motions though revealed my medication hadn't kicked in yet for the back pain. Dominic was on his feet heading over to me as if he thought he could make the pain go away.

"You know, there is that mind over matter thing to consider here. If I can ease your mind then maybe some of the back pain will go away and before long the meds should start to take effect. Can I try?" Dominic looked like he was pleading with me to say yes. And his eyes were so darn intoxicating to look at.

"Go for it. What do you want me to do?"

Dominic calmly explained, "Turn around in the chair so you're facing it and can lean forward. Let your mind be open to mine. And don't talk out loud."

He tenderly placed his hands on my back starting a light massage.

Lower back, I mentally pushed at him. He kept his hands on the lower part of my back. I had to trust him and so far I had no reason not to trust him. Considering what I'd been through this day, common sense should have slammed me upside the head to scream at him to keep his distance. But I'd been in his mind and he had been in mine. I did trust him and it felt nice - his touch - both mental and physical.

For the next fifteen minutes he massaged my back as I leaned forward hugging the chair. At the same time, I let my mind be completely open and blank as he filled it with soothing words. Healing words. Thoughts and feelings that the pain in my back was going away, being drawn out, gone. Then he stopped.

"Are you better now?" Dom asked.

I slowly turned around in the chair, careful not to move too quickly which could trigger the pain again. I did feel a lot better. The pain was almost non-existent. I really appreciated what he did for me. "Yes, you made a huge difference in how I feel." After making that statement, I realized it could be taken in two ways. I didn't have a problem with how Dominic might comprehend my meaning.

There was a long pause as we looked at each other. I don't know how to explain it. It didn't feel wrong to me, it felt right, even though I just met him. I was told he had been monitoring my activities and feelings over the past six months and perhaps that was why I felt as if I'd known him for longer that just this one day. He had been in my mind often and in an odd way, he really wasn't a stranger to me. Being able to relate to another person on the level we just experienced was electrifying.

"Alrighty then…" Dominic broke the silence, swallowing hard, swiping at the tiny beads of sweat that had formed on his forehead. "Kara, I don't think I'll push you anymore for now. You really have been through a lot since you got here and ought to at least lie down for a while to get your thoughts together."

At that moment, Tessa knocked on the door and entered. "I just talked to Eli and he thinks you should go ahead and call your parents now. Otherwise, when you don't come back home tonight, they are going to worry and start making phone calls, probably involving the police. We'd like to keep this on the quiet side and try to not have a full blown police investigation and search on our hands. So, like we discussed earlier, the story to your parents will be that you made an impulsive decision to take off to…where would you like that to be?"

I thought about two seconds and spit out, "California. Yep, I definitely like California."

Tessa nodded in agreement, "Fabulous. But NO specific towns because they could again try to track you down. Are you going to be able to handle this, Kara?"

"I still feel like this is all a dream. This day tops the list for being the most scary, confusing, stressful time in my life and in the same breath it's also the most thrilling day I've ever had. I feel that I'm a part of something very important," I was on the brink of tears again. "Tessa, I'll be able to do my part. Don't worry, I can handle my parents, even though I'm positive they'll be freaking out about me."

Dominic had a thought, "You know, Kara, you could try to work your magic on your parents to soothe their worries. Obviously, they will still be concerned and mad, but if you're able to tone that mood down some, it's worth a try. One other thing, if they choose to put out a search for you with your car and license plate info, nothing should turn up. After sabotaging your car to lose control and dive into the lake, that car is history. No one was around to see it crash and sink. Over the next few days, Zac will further dispose of it or whatever it is he chooses to do to make it disappear and not connect it to you if it is ever found."

The realization of my car being rigged to crash didn't sit well with me along with the fact I could have been killed. "So, did you ever consider just asking for my help instead of almost killing me and in the process ruining my car, even if it was a clunker to begin with?"

"Well…after all, we didn't think you'd believe us about werewolves and would consider us crazy people. And we figured you wouldn't just come along nicely. The last dilemma we hadn't figured out was how we wanted to make you disappear. The choices were either to make it appear that you died in the car accident in the lake or have you get amnesia from the accident and take off with some stranger or have you impulsively take off like a runaway to try out a new life. Seems like the last choice is what we're going with, so I do apologize on the team's behalf for destroying your lovely little car." Dominic explained with a snicker. "And Eli has so much money he can easily buy you a new one."

"Really? Eli would actually get me a new car? If that's so, then by all means, have Zac take the old one and torch it, mash it, dissect it into tiny pieces for all I care!" Oddly, I was now distracted, thinking about zipping around in a nice, new, black sports car.

Tessa burst out laughing and exclaimed, "Zac is already working on that project and having a blast with it. He likes destroying stuff. It must be a guy thing. Oh, another thing I should mention in case you had suspicions or sensed something going on with Zac and me - we are married." She chuckled again. "Blows your mind, huh? I'm the brain and some brawn, he's totally the brawn AND brain, too. I wasn't originally invited on this mission. Zac was called into play, but since we're married, it would have been impossible to try to go about having a married life and still have him live this lifestyle without me. It just wouldn't have worked. So, since I had my own set of skills I could offer to this venture, Eli said to come aboard and help out. You would have figured it out soon enough that we're married by how we talk and act with each other, but I thought I'd be up front and tell you. Okay, let's make that phone call to your parents."

Tessa reached around her side and unhooked a cell phone from her belt. This wasn't just any old cell phone. It made me think of something James Bond would use. It had to be very expensive and sophisticated. The phone needed to be powerful in order to get reception where we were down in the bowels of the earth. Dom and Tessa stepped back deeper into the room to give me some space to talk.

My dad answered the phone and of course the first thing he was wondering was why I didn't come home to help with raking the leaves. Of course. That breakfast conversation between my father and I seemed an eternity ago and in reality it occurred just that morning. I told Dad to get Mom on the other phone extension so I could explain to both of them about the bizarre, spur-of-the-moment adventure I had decided to embark on. I completely stuck with the same brief, bogus story that had been discussed with my new acquaintances. During the conversation with my parents, I was constantly trying to instill a degree of calmness in my voice and thoughts. I envisioned them accepting what I was telling them as the truth. I promised I would keep in contact so they would know I was getting along just fine. Once again, before saying goodbye, I mentally pushed feelings of comfort, peace and love at them.

Chapter 4

Alone

The time spent in the research room during the afternoon had passed so quickly that I never did get the little nap Dominic had suggested I take. I had already decided after supper I would go collapse on my bed at that time. Dom and I zipped back over to the kitchen so he could whip up supper for the group. He was definitely multi-talented with his skills. I know I was impressed as I'm sure everyone else had to be, too. I wanted to be useful and not be watching his every movement, so I offered to set the table and pour the drinks. Before long, the gang all arrived waiting to be fed. I could tell by the looks on their faces, Tessa had probably given them an update regarding my status in my new surroundings.

Eli prompted, "Kara, according to Tessa, I hear you're fitting in rather smoothly here, is that right? And you've talked to your parents?"

"Yes, that phone call was really rough but I got through it. Dominic recommended I use some of my psychic powers on them to keep them as calm as possible. It seemed to help. And I kept the story short and sweet like we had talked about."

Dominic piped in, "Let's not forget to mention how superb you have been with those powers. Eli, she pulled a fast one on me. I was not prepared for it and had my guard down. I was just not expecting her to fast forward through some of the experiments like she did, totally taking the initiative into her own hands. Okay, I know, get to the point. First, we are able to read each other's minds and have a regular conversation going on in our heads with no problems at all. But the biggest accomplishment was after I got ticked off when she oh so wrongly accused me of trying to drug her with ibuprofen to help her back pain. Can you imagine me doing something like that?! Anyway, she sensed or read my mind that I was very upset and without my awareness at all she implanted opposite thoughts of being calm and happy. Almost instantly it worked. She actually had to prompt me to even recognize what she had done to me. I didn't even know! This is awesome!"

Eli turned to look at me in delight. Satisfaction would be another descriptive word for that moment. I started smiling and blushing at the same time. What I was able to do seemed very natural to me. I didn't experience any difficulty using these skills.

"I love it! You one-upped Dom on his own playing field," Zac reached over to high-five me.

Eli said, "This is excellent progress, Kara. But I insist after supper you get some rest. And this would be considered doctor's orders as it seems I would be your new doctor now." He smiled warmly at me and glanced around giving everyone else the look to leave me alone for the night. I think I could follow those doctor's orders without any problem at all.

"You won't get any arguments from me, Doc. I'm zonked." I nodded in agreement.

Everyone finished their meal with lots of small talk about the upcoming days' events. I tried absorbing all the information as each mentioned different things they would be working on. Eli was going to call Daniel down in Kentucky and check on Stephen's condition; making sure things were not completely out of control with him, yet. Zac was dealing with disposing of my car properly and would then work on building maintenance. Tessa would be digging around on the computer through highly secretive stuff. And Dominic and I were going to continue improving my psychic powers and his telekinetic skills over the next week or so. All of these actions were in preparation for our trek down to Kentucky. From what I gathered, we would be attempting to neutralize an explosive situation and in doing so save the werewolves from self-destruction.

The Liaison, as I remember Eli telling me that name earlier in the day, had slowly begun leaving the kitchen table. Before everyone scattered for the evening, I had the sudden urge to try one more little stunt for the day. Even though I was exhausted this was meant to be all in the sake of fun. I figured then there shouldn't be much exertion on my part which equaled a minimal amount of mental drain. So, while everyone was still in sight, I focused on Zac and placed the image in his mind of him giving Tessa a hug and kiss – right in front of everybody.

He performed to perfection! He immediately reached over and grabbed Tessa, planting a smooch right smack dab on her mouth and gave her a bear hug. The silence in the room was astounding. You could have heard a pin drop. I laughed and announced with a smirk, "Yep, that public display of affection was provoked by none other than me. But Zac, Tessa did drop the bomb that you guys are married, so I thought I'd help out in the romance department a bit."

"Unbelievable. Now she's messing with my head. It was like the thought was completely my own - it was just there," Zac complained as he stared at me. Yet, I could tell he was impressed and it seemed Tessa got a big kick out of it.

"Okay, Kara, off to your room. Enough for one day. Do you remember which one is yours?" Dominic asked.

"I actually do remember. So goodnight and wake me in the morning when you've made my breakfast," I jokingly replied as I looked Dominic straight in the eyes with all the warmth I could muster. Then I turned and walked slowly down the hall to my room, really wiped out and looking forward to that bed.

A person could almost get lost down here and wander into the wrong room if they didn't pay attention. Luckily I had counted the number of doors from the kitchen to my room. I plunked down on the thin mattress hoping I could get comfortable enough on this thing to get a good night's sleep. I curled up and tried not to think so hard about the day's events. It was so overwhelming. I believe that would have to be the word of the day. Overwhelming. And now I had no one around me. I was finally alone. Totally alone. Solitude…drifting off into sleepy land…

As I slept, my mind wandered to and fro…in and out of dreams…hmm…I was having a familiar dream now. Similar to the dreams I'd been having over the last several weeks which occurred almost nightly. Here and there a night was skipped but rarely. This time it felt much more realistic. This time the person in my dream I now knew to be real and alive. He wasn't something made up. He had a name. Daniel.

I somehow comprehended what I was experiencing and remained asleep, not wanting to wake up and ruin the moment.

Daniel was in a dream state, too. I could sense that he wasn't walking around awake having conscious thoughts; he was definitely sleeping. I suddenly felt like an intruder. During the last few weeks I had just thought these were all some freaky dreams I was having; brought on perhaps by a horror movie I'd watched. Although I had been concerned about having these same dreams for weeks on end, now I was a part of this man's-oops-werewolf's dreams. We had been dreaming of each other for weeks and I was witnessing his conflicted emotions relating to his current day to day problems. There had been very few spoken words during these previous dreams. Nothing made any sense to me and I could not even recall what was said. It was all a bunch of blurry images.

Not anymore. Now that I knew what was happening, it was time to turn the tables. It was important for him to know I was real, too. And I wanted to help him, to comfort him.

The fact that we were dreaming made things feel like a fairy tale. I knew from my mental telepathy with Dominic that if Daniel and I were awake this experience would be quite different. It would seem like a regular conversation. But, we were not awake and I feared that my concentration could easily slip and start drifting. The seriousness I was trying to achieve could be lost and Daniel would not believe I was real.

I started to say his name in my dream, in my thoughts…

Daniel. Daniel-look at me. Notice me. Pay attention. Daniel.

In the dream it was as if he became clearer to me. His image, his facial features stronger to my perception. And he was silent as he stood frozen in place. He responded with, And you are…?

My name is Kara. And this is not like a normal dream. I am real. I am in your mind as you have been in mine for several weeks while we've been asleep. Do you understand?

No…this can't be. This is just a dream. He paused though. I had caught his attention.

I continued. I have psychic abilities. As of today I was recruited by a group called The Liaison. Eli and Dominic know you. I was down at your resort a month ago. I didn't know anything about you then but must have seen or touched you while there. It created a mental bond between us and I started dreaming about you and obviously vice versa. Dominic realized what was happening to you and me and brought me into this venture. I am here to help you.

In the dream state I stepped closer to Daniel. It appeared I was standing about a foot in front of him. He was tall, muscles rippled over his body, power radiated from his every pore, aggression brimmed under the surface like a leopard ready to attack and yet he held onto perfect control with every ounce of his being. His long, dark hair fell in breathtaking angles around his face and onto his broad shoulders. His eyes were almost black, piercing into the depths of my soul, seeking for truth to what I had told him. I had to admit, I was mesmerized, speechless. He reached out with his right hand to touch my face. I swear I could feel the actual touch and yet he was hours away from me.

You are speaking the truth. I can feel it. This seems so impossible but I do believe you. The things you've told me and the reality of this is too convincing for this to be a dream, Daniel revealed from the heart. I could sense this and had to kick myself mentally to keep talking. He was making my pulse soar sky high.

Daniel, to prove myself to you further, Eli is planning to call you in the morning and tell you about me. Obviously he isn't aware of this dream we're having right now. I am not being monitored unless, of course, Dominic is psychically checking up on me, but I assume he is asleep in his own little dreamland. I am aware of your distress. I have felt it over the last few weeks even though I did not understand what I was dreaming about. I didn't know you really existed until today. You are in conflict with Stephen and maybe others. I was told you are a werewolf… I stated as much as I could to get my point across loud and clear.

Then I quickly threw in, You are good. Not evil. I know this. I found myself taking another courageous step forward, reaching up to wrap my arms around his upper body to give him a comforting hug. I wanted to show as best I could I was not going to be afraid of him. I should be afraid of him. My God, he was a werewolf for goodness sake. But all I could feel was a need to give him support, help him with his dire situation, to save him from self-destruction. As I gave him this simple hug and went to step back away, he didn't immediately let go of me. He bent his head into the crook of my neck. I could honestly say I heard and felt him drawing a deep breath. He was taking in my scent and I knew it for what it was. Then his mouth went gliding down the skin on my neck from my ear down to my shoulder. I know every hair on my entire body had to be standing on end with goose bumps adding to the mix. But I knew this was still a dream, he couldn't possibly be drawing in my scent. Could he? He released me very slowly. I was trying to keep from falling over from the intense emotions darting around in my head.

Almost in a whisper, Daniel said, I cannot wait to meet you in person. I hope it will be very soon. The Liaison people have treated our kind well and if you have truly joined up with them it is a great blessing. I have these resorts as you now know which gives me the illusion of being an outgoing, friendly type. This helps us blend in better with society. But it is somewhat deceiving as we tend to not have that many true, deep friendships with humans. It seems safer that way…so we stick with our own kind but over time those relationships are put to the test. There is a lot of aggression we have to control and some have a much harder time dealing with it than others. I am single, too. Alone. I had a wife but she died a very long time ago. She was killed violently. I have remained alone for centuries trying to keep our kind alive. The sadness in his voice was tearing at my heart. He seemed to drift from me for a few moments and I thought I had lost him in the dream state. Also, the mention about him being alone for centuries freaked me out a little. How old was he? I needed to find out way more information about werewolves. I guess I suspected them to have long lives, like vampires. Gee, I was going to have to ask about that, too. If werewolves existed, were vampires also leeching around? This was not the time or place to think about that. At some point I was going to have to tackle Dominic with those questions. I had to re-focus now.

Daniel, I am so sorry for all you've gone through and what you've got to deal with now. Trust me; I will do what I can to help you. My psychic powers give me the ability to calm and comfort people. Even to plant ideas into people's heads to change the course of what they might do next. I'm supposed to work my magic on this Stephen character I've been hearing about. Of course, doing this without his knowledge would play out better but Eli says we'll have to see how things go. I'm sure he'll tell this to you during the phone call.

Daniel barked out, I do not like the idea of you messing with Stephen. He is extremely dangerous. He has the beast inside him that keeps lashing out and would not think twice to destroy anyone who tried disrupting his new found freedom. He is now the Alpha male of his own pack. They were all part of my pack at one time. It hurts me to see this disloyalty. And he's so territorial and will fight to the death to ensure his new way of living. If something were to happen to you, I don't know if I could control my own beast that lives inside of me.

Daniel's confession surprised me. I think he surprised himself when he blurted this out. But he wanted to make sure I knew this. He wanted to protect me from any harm. I felt all cozy inside. I knew I was falling under his spell.

Daniel, there's so much more I want to know about you. Thank you for caring about me. Let's play it by ear with the Stephen thing for now. I don't want to argue with you about it. I have tons of questions I want to ask about you...and werewolves in general. But I feel both of us slipping in and out of this dream or telepathy or whatever this phenomenon is. And if you can imagine, I started the day out driving to work and the next thing I know my car crashed into a lake, I was abducted by complete strangers, told werewolves exist and that I've been dreaming about one - YOU - also that I have such awesome psychic powers that are going to save you guys from total pandemonium. Ahhh! I was really starting to lose it and feeling the connection with Daniel fading more and more.

Sleep, baby. It's time for you to simply sleep now. We will connect again tomorrow.

Daniel's concern for my well-being and sanity was evident in his voice. He tried to soothe me by caressing my hair and ended with holding my chin so tenderly with two fingers. In ways I didn't feel so alone anymore. And I don't think he did either. But what did any of this really mean?

Good night, Daniel…take care…, I mumbled, lost the mental path with him and this time was out like a light. Not remembering any other dreams.

Chapter 5

Revelations

A barely audible, light tapping sound interrupted my snoozing. After the telepathy session with Daniel during the night hours, I had miraculously gotten a nice rejuvenating sleep. Perhaps now that I understood what and who the heck I was dreaming about, I could settle myself down a bit and get some peace. It had been exciting talking mentally with Daniel last night. I did look forward to another nightly session and was anticipating actually meeting him in the flesh. I would have to ask the gang when that would be. That irritating tapping sound was pecking away at my brain again and getting louder by the second.

"Am I going to have to throw a bucket of water on you to wake you up?" Dominic had chosen to open my bedroom door and was standing in the door frame, snickering at me.

"Oh, don't even mention water after my near drowning incident yesterday." I moaned with extra emphasis. "So, what's for breakfast?"

"It isn't ready yet. I'm working on it so if you need to get cleaned up, you know where the bathroom is. We have more clothes for you and personal goodies. I believe Tessa put a bag in the bathroom for you. Meet up in the kitchen when you're done." Dominic stated with a note of anticipation in his voice. I wondered if he knew about my telepathy experience with Daniel over night. I figured I would tell him later once I got cleaned up.

"Thanks, Dom," I said as I bounced out of bed. A shower and brushing my teeth sounded so delightful; I scampered off to the community bathroom.

After I spent a good forty-five minutes in there, I did feel very refreshed and ready to tackle the day's events. I knew without a doubt to expect more experimenting with my capabilities. Dominic more or less conveyed that to me last night at supper. I was really developing a wider and deeper perspective to the significance of this undertaking. Understanding my role in this mission to help the werewolves was important to me. I didn't want to be left out of the loop. I would press Dominic, Eli, or whoever to gain all the knowledge and information I could take in. I didn't want there to be any secrets. So far, I didn't sense any lies or deceit from the group, but I also knew there was so much more to learn about this situation and about werewolf history.

Breakfast ready? I mentally asked Dominic. I figured any extra practice I could get in using my skills would be beneficial. And Dom would be tickled I was diving into this so wholeheartedly.

Hurry your butt up. It's been ready for a while now. Dominic pushed at my mind.

You should know women take longer in the bathroom than men. I can't get ready in just a mere ten minutes like you can, I laughed mentally for him and out loud as I took off for the kitchen.

He had made quite an impressive amount of food. At least to me it seemed like a lot since all I was used to eating was a boring bowl of lukewarm oatmeal every morning of my life. I dove in with zest and filled my plate with pancakes, eggs and sausage. I could get used to being pampered like this.

Dominic was partially picking up a few threads of my thoughts and replied, "We're all having a big breakfast and then everyone is on their own for a light lunch of their choosing if they even choose to eat. All this meal cooking takes up so much time, although I do love doing it. If we are on our own for lunches, everyone can get more accomplished working on our tasks then."

The whole team had assembled at the kitchen table and were vigorously chowing down. This was obviously a common pattern for them of having big breakfasts, little or no lunches and reconvening for a decent supper meal. I could live with that. There was a nice, compassionate feeling in the air as everyone ate, mostly in silence. Minor chit chat, but it always seemed to be their preference to wait until after they ate to begin any major talks.

Eli, having finished his breakfast, stretched back in the chair and looked over at me. He gave me that warm, fatherly, knowing smile and said, "Kara, I've had an interesting conversation with Daniel early this morning. As you know, I planned on calling him today and thought I would do this before he got too busy with his resort responsibilities. Well, to my surprise, he was definitely expecting the call. He even seemed relieved to hear from me since that was confirmation for him that he wasn't losing his mind in reference to a dream he had last night. And you, Kara, were a participant in that dream from what he reports. It appears you were able to establish a vivid conversation with complete clarity with him this time. That is extremely remarkable."

"Gee, Eli, you kind of stole my thunder as the saying goes! I wanted to tell everyone myself once we finished eating so I could brag about how well my little experiment went." I frowned slightly at him.

Dominic about dropped a plate on the floor after this revealing announcement from Eli. I suppose he hadn't eavesdropped on my sleeping last night after all. I touched at his mind and sensed a tiny bit of insecurity and concern.

"I didn't bother snooping into your thoughts while you slept. I figured the chances of you and Daniel connecting last night were pretty slim since you were totally exhausted." Dom had this look on his face like he had failed or not done his job properly. He thought it was his duty to keep a watchful eye on me and any psychic occurrences I encountered.

I said, "You know, Dominic, you don't need to be in my brain all the time. Everyone needs to sleep including you. Do you really think you can prop yourself up on your bed every single night and zone into my brain the entire time I'm sleeping, monitoring every detail of my dreams? That's impossible. You're going to turn into a zombie or have to start sleeping during the day. And puh-lease don't tell me there are really zombies now…?"

"Umm…" Zac started to speak but everyone glared at him, "I think we'll save that topic for another time."

"I have a lot to learn, don't I?" I stated.

"Well, Kara, is there anything more you can tell us about this dream, this telepathy thing you had going on with Daniel last night? This is so exciting," Tessa was sitting on the edge of her chair about to fall off waiting for more information.

I noticed Dominic's eyes jump from Tessa to me. He definitely wanted to hear more, too, but there was apprehension and uneasiness in that look he had. Even jealousy? Oh, come on, I had only met him the day before. He couldn't be jealous.

"After I went to bed, at some point during the night, I recognized that the dream I started having was familiar to me. From what everyone told me during the day, this had to be Daniel I was dreaming about. Basically, I focused on making a mental connection with him to try to pull us out of this whacky dream state and make it seem more real. That way we could talk to each other like when Dom and I communicate with our minds. It worked really great. At first I had to convince him he wasn't totally dreaming all of it and that I was a real, live person not a figment of his imagination. I told him about how we were going to help him and about my psychic abilities. I said Eli would call him in the morning as proof of my existence. And, of course, Eli you did just that, making a believer out of him." I decided not to divulge all the personal, emotional details I had experienced during my contact with Daniel. I even put up a slight mental block against Dominic, fearing he would detect there was something more on a deeper level that I wasn't telling them. I didn't want to ramble on like a schoolgirl about all those wonderful, loving sensations Daniel made me feel. It would be embarrassing and uncomfortable to discuss such things except perhaps with Tessa…maybe.

Eli reported, "Daniel said that at this moment, Stephen hasn't done anything violent since he killed that farmer, which he claims was done in self-defense. Although, he's still acting too aggressively and Daniel fears Stephen could snap at any moment. He commented he will be glad when we arrive down there knowing we've got a few tricks up our sleeves to help him out." Eli then looked over at me and winked. I knew I was one of those tricks he was referring to. I hoped I could work my magic to everyone's satisfaction and perform a good deed without letting anyone down.

Before long, everyone started parting ways again. Each had their own designated duties to take care of for the day. Dominic and I headed off towards the research room. I wondered when I would be allowed to go to the surface, to be outside, or if I should consider myself part mole from now on. And so far it had only been about a day of living down here but it felt like a week. I realized I couldn't go trouncing around Highland with the story of my departure spreading through the grape vine. After all, I was supposed to be taking off to the great unknown on a road trip to California. I could not be seen by anyone in this area or it would blow my cover.

"Dom, when are we going to Kentucky Lake? And the town is called Hamlin, right?" I asked.

He shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Probably in about a week. We want to make sure you are ready and not stumbling into this blindly. You have far surpassed our expectations with your progress and skills. So I'm pretty sure it will be a week and we'll head down there. Yep, it's in Hamlin, Kentucky. Daniel actually owns several resorts and campgrounds around that whole area and the one he lives at is where we'll be staying. We may move to a different location if necessary but we'll start out there."

"Wow, I can't believe he owns so many places down there. He must be loaded to be able to afford all that and the cost for the upkeep." I was fishing for information.

Dominic casually responded, "You need to keep in mind, he's been around for a long time. Let's see here, if I calculated correctly, he is 342 years old. And when you've been around as long as he has, a person has the ability to invest money again and again over time which just keeps making more money, if you see what I mean. He is very smart and many years ago he bought up a lot of stock in certain high-profile companies that have done unbelievably well. That keeps him rolling in the money. Also, it's interesting to know, that they are the original owners who established those getaways. The resorts are meant to give him and the others in his pack something to do. It helps them blend in and usually keeps them busy and out of trouble. Plus they do make money from the resorts and campgrounds, too. Just an added bonus."

I nodded. Did I hear him say 342 years old? Daniel looked awesome for being so old if that was the case. I fished a little more, "In my dreams, Daniel doesn't look old at all. How come?"

"He became a werewolf when he was only 26 years old back in 1693. He will remain looking the way he does forever. He won't age. So in some ways, he is still only in his mid-twenties. Weird, huh?"

Definitely strange. At least I was learning more bit by bit. This was good but there were many more questions I needed answers to yet. I fully intended to keep asking every chance I got. For the next several hours, we practiced our mind reading skills in various forms and functions. For fun, and to allow me to work on mind manipulation some more, Dominic had me place an image in Tessa's mind of bringing us some drinks and granola bars. It worked without a hitch because within two minutes of putting that thought in her head, she arrived at the door with our midday snack.

"Hi guys! I thought you two might like something to munch on," Tessa announced as if this was such a nice gesture she had come up with all on her own. Dom and I smiled and thanked her and off she went feeling good about herself. We decided not to reveal to Tessa the little trick I had played on her mind. We discussed how some of the team could eventually get aggravated with me if I kept messing with their minds. In fact, they might start to distrust me. So, I would keep the mind games to a minimum within our gang and wouldn't broadcast to everyone each time I did experiment on them.

Dom said, "Let's go outside. I need to work on my telekinesis with bigger objects."

He took the lead, since I wasn't sure where the door to the great outdoors was located. It didn't take long and we were standing in front of it. I swear if you blinked too many times you could walk from one end of the command center to the other end. The exit was near the community restroom. He swung open the heavy steel door and we walked up a set of steep stairs as our footsteps echoed eerily in this tight area. Then he reached out to unlock another steel door, a few more steps, and I was joyfully breathing in fresh air from outside.

I followed Dominic down a little trail that led further into a wooded area. An old tractor equipped with a blade for shoveling snow sat nearby. I noticed a fire pit area with a neat circular picnic table set up next to it. I sat down to watch Dominic practice his mad skills. He was zeroing in on some wood stacked up for burning. It was nice to see this laid back setting and the ground showed evidence of a recent bonfire I'm assuming they had. Suddenly, my peripheral vision was aware of activity. Dominic was mentally moving the stack of firewood, piece by piece, into the pit.

"That's too cool," I proclaimed.

"Now keep talking to me as I'm moving things. It'll help improve my concentration if you try to distract me."

I babbled about miscellaneous stuff, even reciting the alphabet. He continued moving the firewood around from spot to spot doing very well.

"How about a moving object? Can you stop something I throw at you in mid-flight?" I prompted him. At that moment, I reached down, grabbed a fairly heavy limb and lobbed it directly at his torso. Half way to its destination of hitting him the limb bounced off some invisible wall and fell straight down to the ground.

Dominic gleamed, "I deserve an "A" for that one! Honestly, Kara, I don't believe I ever tried that before. The objects I've always moved have been still. That was a good idea to try out."

"I would think that skill could be used as a form of protection if someone was trying to hurt us." I contemplated several images in my head of dangerous scenarios playing out and Dominic coming to the rescue.

Dom gave me a huge smile, since he had picked up what I was thinking about him having the role of a superhero. His ego was going to explode if he didn't watch it and if I didn't watch what he was grabbing out of my brain.

He suggested I try some more experimenting with mind reading on Tessa or Zac or even Eli. Dom said I should be able to have mental conversations with others that don't have telepathic abilities as long as I initiate it. Obviously they could not read my mind, but if I entered their minds like I did so easily with Dominic, and made them conscious I was there for a chat, then in theory they should be able to communicate with me.

I sat back down at the picnic table and focused on Eli. I figured it was his turn for me to test myself on. And I knew he'd be impressed. In my head I pictured what Eli looked like and the aura of his being. To be polite, I didn't want to scare him to death with my instant intrusion into his mind, so I gently thought his name several times and pretended as if I was knocking on an imaginary door to get his attention.

Then I said, Eli, it's Kara. Can you hear me in your head? I realized that had to sound pretty silly but whatever worked.

Kara? Eli sounded thrilled with this mental connection.

I answered, How am I doing? Am I coming through loud and clear?

Yes, I can communicate with you just fine. I see Dom is doing a good job encouraging you to keep pushing yourself. You're a natural at this. Try Zac and Tessa out. This will be extremely important and helpful in our future endeavors, he affirmed.

It sounded like a fun plan to me. I told Dom what I was up to and proceeded to make mental connections first with Tessa and then Zac. I sensed Tessa gasping from the surprise of me talking in her head. Zac grumbled a bit having been caught off guard but was glad that we could keep in contact with this alternate way of speaking. Dominic was able to do this type of telepathy with them at any given time. He only chose appropriate times to use this skill though; otherwise it tended to drive the others crazy.

I decided to try connecting with Daniel next. This time I would be awake instead of dreaming and I figured the experience should feel different.

Daniel, it's Kara, are you there? I really tried to focus but was having a hard time with Dominic walking around. Again, Daniel, I'm trying to contact you while awake, are you there?

If you could imagine trying to talk to someone who is on a cell phone with a horrible connection, that was what it felt like. I thought I mentally heard him say my name, but couldn't swear to it. I definitely wanted and needed to work on this project some more. Perhaps Daniel and I both had distractions that could be interfering with our mental bond at that precise moment. Who knew what he was actually doing down in Kentucky right then. I doubt he was just lounging around staring at the ceiling waiting for me to start up a telepathic conversation with him. I'm positive I sensed that he was aware of my effort to contact him, though.

It was getting late in the afternoon and Dominic mentioned we better return to our underground quarters so he could make supper. I was starving and as long as I didn't have to make anything, I was content to head back down and help out with other chores.

As we walked, I kept trying to think of intelligent questions to ask. I remembered one in particular and blurted out, "Do vampires exist, too?"

Dominic got a kick out of supplying me with information. He proceeded as if he were giving a speech, "Yes, there are good and bad vampires just like there are werewolves. And vampires can transform recently dead people into zombies. They can also turn humans into their own personal servants. These poor, unsuspecting people are completely under the control of the vampire but haven't been turned into an actual vampire yet. A complete conversion is not done on them when they are to be used as servants. Let's see, what else…there are various types of demons scattered around and witches seem to be making a comeback."

I stared at him in horror. How did the mainstream public not know about all this? He did mention before how the government had their hands in this and are very capable of cover-up stories.

Dom filled me in on how he and Eli had been covertly working together on this mission and a few smaller ones over the last six months. He admitted that within days of his arrival in Highland he had sensed my presence in the area. Dom informed Eli of my psychic potential and started monitoring me around that time. He checked in on me about once a week to observe how I was doing. During those six months, they drove to Kentucky in an attempt to help Daniel with the disturbances between the two wolf packs. They had little success but while down there they got to know the area fairly well. Another trip was made to Daniel's resort once Zac and Tessa came on board. Eli wanted to make sure Daniel knew The Liaison people and felt comfortable being around them. The idea was to try to be a mediator. But if violence and killing were the only thing on the bad wolves' minds, then Zac would step in and basically kill the ones causing all the trouble. Dom explained how some werewolves and vampires teeter between good and evil. There are the ones that can be helped and persuaded to come back over to the good side and try to co-exist with humans but those that are too far gone, too evil, have to be killed.

As we ate our supper that night, each of us took turns and openly discussed how productive his or her day had been. Eli agreed with Dominic we would be going to Hamlin, Kentucky within the week. Everyone was visibly pleased that my psychic skills had progressed to a level beyond what they had expected from me, at least so quickly. I was tired after all this talk and wanted to flop down and relax for the evening, maybe even watch a show on TV. I drowsily excused myself and went to my room.

After a few hours, I fell into a wonderfully relaxing sleep. Sometime during the night, almost like clockwork, I had that familiar dream creeping into my head again. Without a second thought, I knew it was Daniel, looking as seductive as ever. I started to reel him in to a clearer mental bond with me and to let him know I was there.

Daniel, I'm here.

He looked deeper into my eyes and the realization of what was happening showed on his face. You tried to contact me today, didn't you?

I smiled and said, Yes, but I did that while we were awake. It didn't work very well. Can I keep trying to make that mental connection during waking hours, if you don't mind? I think it would be useful… I trailed off with that comment. Not totally sure what I meant by useful.

Absolutely, Kara. I would like that very much, Daniel seemed distracted and his face appeared frustrated.

What is wrong? I can see and feel that you're upset about something, I pressed him for an answer.

It's Stephen. I fear for the safety of anyone near him, including animals he should leave be. One day he behaves and the next day he pushes the limits of our rules we've always lived by, Daniel clarified.

Let me try to calm you. It's one of my abilities. I offered to help him. He stood still with a look of anticipation. In our unconscious states, I took his hands into mine and looked up into those beautiful black eyes of his. With intense concentration, I placed feelings of comfort, calmness, peace into his mind. I even threw in the graphic images of waterfalls and laying in a hammock between two pine trees for good measure. I sensed he was going to "his happy place" now, slowly shifting into a different frame of mind.

Kara, you are a miracle worker. I do feel better now. It's as if you've taken away my anger and replaced it with good thoughts. Daniel was ecstatic that I could do this for him. He immediately grabbed me up in a hug and swung me off my feet. Then he planted a gentle kiss on the top of my head. It was so sweet and his gratitude dripped off of him.

At that moment, and I swear it sounded like fingernails on a chalkboard, Dominic's voice broke into this scene between Daniel and myself. It was only his voice, but nonetheless it was still intrusive. From what I gathered, Dominic had decided to drop into my mind for a few scant seconds and encountered my mental connection with Daniel. Can you say, weird?!

Oops! Sorry if I interrupted anything here. Dominic seemed to be snickering.

I replied, Well, you'll be glad to know I was able to use my skills to help Daniel calm down. For some reason, I had this unsettled feeling with Dominic popping in as he did. I felt like I was caught doing something wrong, in a way. After this awkwardness, all three of us said goodnight and faded out.

Over the next several days, life seemed like it was more or less repeating itself. Practice and experiment with our skills, have meals and discuss the latest accomplishments and most nights I had brief mental bonding encounters with Daniel. Since we knew Dom could drop in anytime he chose to, Daniel and I didn't pursue any deep conversations while we slept. During the day, I was starting to have better awake sessions contacting Daniel, too. Dominic was usually standing nearby when these took place. The telepathic link was getting much stronger and clearer during these awake states, in part, I believed, because of the nightly contact and getting more familiar with each other. I knew Dom was jealous of Daniel and me. I sensed this and he couldn't hide it from me. I didn't want to think too deep or hard on that right now, because I greatly cared for Dominic too.

Tessa recommended I keep calling my parents every few days, maintaining as close of a relationship as I could with them. Hopefully it would ease their worry and prevent them from sending out a search party for me. With Thanksgiving being so close, we knew they would be more emotional since I was not going to spend the holiday with them.

The day before Thanksgiving, Dominic had a major achievement with his skills when he moved the tractor with his mind. This was a first for him to move something of such weight and size. We felt this could be beneficial for all of us as we imagined the things he could have control over now, even ways to protect us from harm.

Thanksgiving Day arrived and Dominic was busy in the kitchen whipping up the fanciest meal I'd ever seen. That man truly liked to cook and I absolutely hated it. He realized that cooking was not my specialty and didn't push the issue by asking for any help. I made myself useful by setting the table, washing the dishes, and general cleaning when needed.

Our little team gathered round the table and made the best of it. The food was delicious without a doubt. We took a little extra time off for the day to relax, chit chat and try to acknowledge that it was actually Thanksgiving. As the day ended, tension started to fill the air as everyone wandered off to their rooms. We had to pack and get prepared for the next day's drive to Kentucky. It was time to go meet the werewolves.

Chapter 6

Moving

I woke up on my own that Friday morning. No one had to wake me and no alarm clock was needed. My emotions were having a battle between excitement and fear over the upcoming events. Daniel and I had a brief telepathic connection as I sat on the edge of my bed before I joined the others for breakfast. We would soon be seeing each other in the flesh instead of just in our minds and in our dreams.

Daniel, by early afternoon we will arrive at your resort. I can't wait to see you. I couldn't help myself from gushing out the thoughts.

He replied, Yes, it will be my pleasure to give you a real hug in person. But we all know that this trip is not for fun and games. I can't help but worry about your safety.

I'll admit, I'm pretty wired, but I have improved my psychic powers tremendously over the last week or so. Dominic has also been beefing up his skills and his ability to control objects with his mind is amazing. We have all been prepping ourselves for this mission. I'm ready for a little mind to mind combat. I was psyching myself up and trying to ease Daniel's concern at the same time.

Daniel quickly snapped back, Kara, I don't want you having ANY type of combat if it can be avoided. But I understand why Eli and Dominic brought you on board. You will have to attempt calming Stephen with your mind. But I promise you this…I will not let Stephen harm you and if he does, then he must be killed.

Daniel, I don't know what to say. Thank you…I should get ready now. I'll see you soon. I ended the mental connection with a powerful push into his mind relaying comfort and thankfulness.

Over the next two hours, our team had breakfast, tidied things up around the facility and loaded up the van with the necessities. Zac and Tessa kept reviewing a checklist which dreadfully sounded like items that could be used in hunting or a combat scenario. I tried not to pay too much attention to them as what they discussed made me nervous. Eli always seemed to be more the brains behind the action. He hadn't been as involved in the previous week's preparations. Eli was always in research mode being the scientist and doctor he was. He also planned to use his mediation skills when called upon. Dom and I really didn't have to think much about what to take. Clothes and personal items were all we needed to take since our minds were our weapons, and of course we didn't need to pack those.

Zac chose to be the driver with Eli sitting in the front passenger seat. Dom, Tessa and I sat in the other seats, trying to make ourselves as comfy as possible. We drove in silence for about thirty minutes. Everyone was engrossed in their own thoughts wondering what to expect on this mission and hoping for success. The radio was playing low for background sound, which I appreciated. I sat staring out the side window as I daydreamed and tossed a few things around in my head.

I had never met a werewolf face to face before today, or not that I was aware of at the time if and when I had. After all, my parents and I had been down to Daniel's resort back in October and I must have come into contact with werewolves then. I just didn't know it. They had blended in perfectly with humans. I didn't recall anything out of the ordinary during that trip. Daniel had not introduced himself to us, either, although he was definitely out and about in the area at that time. According to the time line laid out by Eli and Dom, Daniel was probably dealing with trouble that Stephen had gotten himself in to. And, like Dom had told me, werewolves have heightened senses and that would include the sixth sense of perception and intuition. Without realizing it at the time, I had picked up on emotional turmoil and aggression Daniel was actively pumping out. This had continued to strengthen the mental connection between us. How interesting. How very disturbing.

I asked, "How many werewolves are down there?"

Eli responded, "There are approximately fourteen from what I last remember. Daniel has nine in his pack. They all live at one of the three resorts or near the campgrounds he owns. Stephen's pack has about five. We're not completely sure that all the wolves in Stephen's pack have turned bad, though."

"Well, what made the pack split up?" I prompted. I knew I should have asked these questions over the last two weeks. The team had filled me in a little with basic information but now I wanted some serious details.

Eli continued, "We know there were disagreements between Daniel and Stephen over living arrangements and day to day responsibilities at the resorts. They also argued greatly over what was considered acceptable werewolf behavior to avoid exposing themselves to the public. It is of the utmost importance that they not bring undue attention to themselves. They absolutely must be a normal part of society. They simply cannot go around acting like primeval beasts, threatening or killing humans."

"So, needless to say," Dom chimed in at this point while Eli caught his breath, "Stephen did not want to listen to Daniel chastising him anymore. Stephen got a few others wound up and got them thinking they wanted to break away from Daniel, too. Without much notice, five took off about a year ago and lived in a dilapidated cabin out in the middle of nowhere for about a month. Then one of them, named Simon, bought a wood-working business and most of them work in it now. Simon does have good business sense. Stephen takes off a lot and just doesn't follow anyone's rules. He is considered the Alpha male in that pack now, although Simon owns and runs the business. You would think Simon would be the Alpha male, but because of Stephen's major macho attitude and aggression, he's the leader."

I kept going, "I don't believe anyone has mentioned female werewolves in this pack, are there any?"

"Oh, definitely!" Eli took his turn explaining this time. "I guess we tend to get so caught up referring to the men, the male werewolves, and haven't talked about the females. Let me think for a second…there are three females with Daniel's pack and two with Stephen's pack."

I jumped in with a faint memory of something Daniel had told me during our dream telepathy, "Daniel said he had a wife who was violently killed. That's all he said and left it at that."

"We don't know all the details," Eli went on, "and I'll probably let Daniel, if he chooses, fill you in on that one. What I do know is that her name was Mary and she was wrongly killed - hung by the neck as a matter of fact. This was very long ago and Daniel has remained without any true female companion ever since. It is all rather a sad story. He does have a brother and sister who live at the resorts. The sister is married and they have kids. But I'm positive Daniel still feels very lonely and confused about life in general. He carries a huge weight on his shoulders since he is the Alpha male in this pack. It was devastating for him to have the pack split up after so many long years together. He feels responsible somehow."

I had another question, "How come we're just now having this conversation? Why didn't we talk about some of this before?" I actually felt a little irritated, like I had been left out of the loop after all.

"You didn't ask. It's as simple as that, Kara," Dominic explained, "The Liaison, as a group, had voted unanimously to keep from bombarding you with too much information. We knew you were totally overwhelmed with this endeavor. Remember, we did kind of abduct you? That first day or two you were with us, I had to try so hard to keep from rambling on and on about every little detail. I wanted so badly for you to understand everything and know all about us and the mission and stories about werewolves and other races…ahhh…But it's complete overload for anyone's brain to handle during the short time we've had you under our wing. We just gave you what you needed, hoped you wouldn't freak out and as you gradually started asking questions, we'd fill you in." Dominic had that sweet look about him as he sat next to me in the van. I touched at his mind and discovered his concern for me and extreme compassion. I reached over and rubbed his arm. Mentally I said to him, Thanks, Dom. You've handled me pretty well. Oh, gee, that rolled off my mind wrong. 'Handled me'? Yeah, I bet he'd like to handle me from some of the emotions I had picked up from him over the last few weeks. I about burst out laughing, but tried to stick with a huge smile.

Interesting choice of words there. How about this one? I've got a lot more to cover…with you? Another play on words that could be taken one of two ways. Dom smiled back with that male cockiness just oozing off of him. I flicked his right arm in playfulness. Tessa glanced over at us, shaking her head, assuming the two of us were mentally bonding with our unspoken conversations we frequently had.

I entered into her mind, gently making my presence known, and said jokingly, Tessa, Dom here needs to get out more often. I think he's full of himself.

She thought, This is so awesome. Have I said that before? Yeah, he does seem to like you a bit, I'd say - or think! She was getting a kick out of this. As the three of us sat in the back seat, smiling and not saying a word, Zac looked into his inside rearview mirror. Dom and I noticed his head and eye movement immediately. Zac had this puzzled look as I searched his thoughts and heard, Now what is going on back there?

In unspoken unison, Dom and I dove into Zac's mind and said, We're reading minds! Zac slightly jerked at the steering wheel caught off guard by our instant intrusion. Sorry. Again, Dom and I together mentally spoke to Zac.

I had an idea as I established the mental path with Tessa. Tessa, I want to try something. Dom, are you there, too?

Yeah, what's up?

I was excited and had to remain focused. I continued the telepathy with, Okay, the three of us are now communicating. Let's pull Zac and then Eli into this and have a group conversation. It's like a chain!

Dom and I concentrated, keeping Tessa linked to us and stared at Zac. I don't know that the direct eye contact had anything to do with it, but at that moment, it seemed to make it easier connecting to Zac. He popped his head up looking into the mirror again when he realized his spunky little wife was also in his brain besides just Dom and me. Tessa and Zac had this look of amazement on their faces since the link established by Dom and/or me made it possible for them to read each other's minds. We were like a conduit or a medium. Next up, Eli. With the same method used on Zac, Dom and I created a link into his mind. Eli turned in his seat looking at each of us wondering what to say or do next. He looked so proud at what we had done.

Dominic thought to the group, This was all Kara's idea. I can't believe we hadn't tried this before. It's a little awkward for me trying to maintain the links with three non-psychic people, but I'll get the hang of it soon enough. Kara, how are you doing on your end?

I agreed with his analysis and mentally said to the group, It is draining my energy level a little bit. I feel like I'm holding up a big tray filled with huge drinks and that at any moment it might fall out of my hands, crashing to the floor. But, like Dom, I can do this. I'll make it work when it's needed. I was aware this skill, like others we had been experimenting with, would be very useful if we all needed a silent way to communicate with each other. What if we had so carefully mapped out a plan of attack on Stephen or some other wolf and had to suddenly make a spur of the moment change? And what if the physical distance between us was too far that we couldn't speak directly to each other? And cell phones were not always reliable in obscure places. Yes, this group telepathic communication was critical to our safety and success.

We played around chatting in this strange manner for several more minutes. Soon, Dom and I were feeling more drained as time ticked by and all the mental links were starting to dissolve. Zac broke up the madness first by speaking, "Okay, enough already. It's making me go bonkers. We need real talk with the mouth and lips moving and sound coming out."

I leaned back against the headrest and felt elated over another accomplishment. Everyone was actually smiling. Some of the tension had lifted as we were able to have some fun and relax a little. Dom allowed himself to sink back in the seat and chill out, too.

Eli started feverishly typing on his laptop. He either had that computer or a 3-ring binder filled with paper attached to him at all times, or so it seemed. It was almost musical the sound of his tapping away at the keys. From what I had been told, Eli was currently writing a thesis on telepathy. He was the tried and true scientist to the core of his being. Research was a huge portion of his life and always would be no matter what. I suppose his involvement with the werewolves was like research to him. Learning about and studying their lifestyles, how they survive, had to be fascinating to him. Heck, it was fascinating to me. I guess he couldn't write about them, though. That had to be frustrating. If he wrote about werewolves and other beings, people would think him to be insane. Or worse yet, if anyone believed him, it would put the lives of these alternate species in jeopardy. They would be feared and hunted and experimented on and even killed. I immediately pictured Daniel in my head and realized what a delicate balance had to be maintained to avoid their exposure. I wanted to thump that Stephen as hard as I could for upsetting that balance.

"I can't believe I was just down at Daniel's very own resort just a little over a month ago. And now I'm returning under very different circumstances," I stated bluntly and sighed.

Tessa commented, "Too bad we're being pushed to dive into this during late fall. By now the trees have lost most of their leaves which doesn't give us much cover and I hope the temperatures don't drop too much. It could hinder our progress if nature plays against us. The werewolves are not affected by the cold nearly as much as we are. If Stephen doesn't want to play nice and we need to launch a hunting expedition for him, then he's got an advantage over us."

I added, "Yeah, I hate winter. It's not so much the cold but worrying about what the weather is going to do - snow, sleet or ice. I really hate having to drive in that stuff. And things are so dreary in the winter."

"We'll be in tons of backwoods - real forest type areas," Zac said. "Daniel has four-wheelers, thank God, because I'm sure we'll have to use them to get around. Kara, you got any experience driving one of those?"

"No. I can see I'll be stuck sitting behind someone hanging on for dear life, though. I have a feeling I know who that person will be," I looked over at Dominic who, of course, sat there smugly smiling at me. Again, he gave off the air of male superiority. I flicked him on the shoulder again. That shoulder was going to get pretty sore if he didn't watch it.

"Hey! Enough abuse for one day!" He said with a twinkle in his eye.

I felt another odd question escaping my mouth, "Does the moon have any effect on werewolves?"

Eli took the bait this time and answered, "Well, Kara, yes the moon does have some effect on the wolves although not quite the way it's portrayed in the movies. When werewolves make a physical change, they do take the form of an actual wolf but much larger, stronger, faster and more vicious. I believe Zac talked about this on your first day with us. The change is voluntary - at will. Different cycles of the moon can enhance their emotional state which may influence their choice to transform to a wolf. Even the howling from another werewolf or normal wolf can influence their behavior, tempting or triggering a response to transform. The pack we're dealing with chooses to stay in human form for the most part. If they do transform, let's use Daniel as an example, he does so for recreation and to be free and run with nature. Not to terrorize humans and kill livestock as Stephen has done."

"The mind of a werewolf," Dom took over, "is primarily that of an animal, a beast, when in wolf form. But, according to Daniel and his brother, Isaac, they have told us firsthand that even when they transform, their human knowledge to assist in tracking and hunting their prey, in avoiding traps, using human craftiness and recognizing individuals for who they are, remains. They are still extremely dangerous and very touchy in wolf form, so I wouldn't be joking around with them at that time." Dominic glared over at me, suspicious of my curiosity over this matter.

"Gee whiz, this is wild. How much longer till we're there, Zac?" I wondered.

"About another hour to go."

Again, I slouched down in the seat and tried to absorb this new information presented to me. Besides Zac who had to focus on driving, everyone else decided to take a break and rest for the remainder of the trip. I let my eyes drift shut as I'm pretty sure Tessa and even high-strung Dom did, too. I thought of Daniel, first putting up my secret mental block against Dominic so he couldn't pick up on what I was doing. I kind of felt guilty whenever I did that to Dom, but it was really awkward when all I wanted to do was privately talk to Daniel and not have Dom sitting on the sidelines listening in to every word. He had been known to do that before which I found to be very rude eavesdropping on us like that.

Daniel? It's Kara…am I contacting you at a bad time? I carefully asked as sweet as I could.

Kara, is everything all right? Daniel was instantaneous with his response time.

I'm fine. I've just been learning more about werewolves. YOU are very intriguing, which I will soon find out for myself in person. One hour to go and I'll be there. I really sounded like I was teasing him, almost flirting.

I could sense that Daniel's emotions were running high, but in a good way. Not something to fear or be worried about. He was contented, smiling. I will try my best not to disappoint your expectations of me. I can feel your tiredness. Get your nap in. You'll need it for all I've got planned once you arrive. See you soon, baby.

Wow. I loved it when he called me baby. There was something so warm and fuzzy about it. No, warm was not the right word…it was more like a raging hot fire ready to consume anything within its path. And on that note, almost sensing a command from Daniel to do so, I blissfully drifted off. After a few minutes, I slumped over onto Dominic's shoulder. Ironic, huh? But he, too, was already in la-la land.

Chapter 7

Intros Again

I awoke while still leaning against Dominic. I'm sure he was tickled pink with my openness to have slept on his shoulder. He gloated and whispered in my ear, "We're here. Time to meet everyone so be on your best behavior."

I rolled my eyes at him and jumped to attention. We filed out of the van, one by one. Immediately I started surveying the surroundings and looking for any form of life. Several people (or were they actually werewolves?) casually walked out of the front door of the resort. One was in the lead. Daniel. Our eyes locked onto each other as if no one else was around for miles. I wanted to run to him, hug him with all my might. But I knew that would be inappropriate and I would disappoint and shock Eli with such actions. As it was, Dom kept darting his eyes back and forth between Daniel and me. He was worried. Jealous.

"Welcome to my resort and home, again. I wish it was all for relaxation instead of business, though," Daniel broke the ice by speaking first.

Eli politely reached out to shake Daniel's hand and he responded. Eli said, "Daniel, good to see you again, friend. Yes, I agree that one of these days I need to just come down here and go fishing and not worry about anything else in the world."

Zac and Tessa had gone around to the back of the van, unloading our suitcases. Daniel offered, "I have your unit ready down at the far end. Why don't we get your possessions put away then meet back in the cafeteria. It's noon and I'm sure everyone's getting hungry."

I meandered around the side of the van, almost hating to lose eye contact with Daniel. I was picking up my suitcase and mentally pushed, I really want to come over to you this second but it doesn't feel right to do that with everyone watching.

Kara, there will be time to talk later. Try to not look like you're about to explode! Daniel silently laughed with a huge smile lighting up his whole face. He was so handsome

Then our little group followed Eli down the sidewalk, each carrying our own suitcases. We looked like baby ducklings trailing after the mother duck. Eli had been here a few times before, enough to know his way around as did Dominic. Though I had been here about six weeks ago with my parents, it seemed as if I was seeing this place for the first time through a different set of eyes. When I had been here before, it didn't mean much of anything to me. My parents had wanted to take a quick weekend fall trip and the images I picked up from Dom led me to suggest we come here. I spent most of my time lounging around reading a book, usually sitting outside on the balcony. We had only stayed two days and went back home. At that time, the whole incident was relaxing but didn't stand out in my mind. Needless to say, there were things going on under my nose and in my brain that I wasn't aware of yet.

Now, I completely took in the serenity of the woods. Breathed the fresh air in deeply. Even though it was approaching winter, this area was still so peaceful and beautiful. It wasn't too cold either. The predictions had stated we were due for a warmer November and December. We would take any advantages we could get if this mission turned out to be based mostly outside, in the natural elements, dealing with whatever Mother Nature threw at us.

Our unit, cabin if you will, was one of the larger ones available. It could house up to eight people. It sat at the tail end of a row of cabins and ensured the most privacy. I wasn't sure how many total units were on the property, as they were scattered over a great expanse of land, mostly intertwined with sidewalks. I would have to take a walk later. Maybe Daniel would give me a detailed tour of the resort.

Each of us chose our sleeping quarters, settled in with our luggage, used the restrooms and generally got a feel for the place. Log cabins were so rustic and old fashioned looking, yet this was built in modern times. Absolutely gorgeous and well taken cared for and meticulously cleaned. I would be sure to give out the appropriate compliments later. I walked out the back sliding glass door onto a huge balcony that overlooked Kentucky Lake. I spied a tiny hiking trail leading down to the boat dock and further over, an actual road that went right to the water's edge for boat access. Even from my distant vantage point, I could still tell that the water was sparkling clean, glittering as the noon sun reflected off it.

We walked back to the main building of the resort and found the cafeteria. Several others were gathered to eat some lunch. A young woman approached us and said, "My name is Rebecca. I'm Daniel's sister as most of you know. But, Kara, I'm glad to meet you for the first time."

"Hi," was all I managed to squeak out.

"We figured it would be best to get lunch out of the way then head back to the conference room. That way we will have privacy for our business discussions and be able to talk more freely." Rebecca nodded as she looked around the cafeteria, indicating there were regular people staying at the resort that should not hear our conversations. I'm glad she clued me in to that fact, otherwise I was ready to jump into werewolf questions again. I could just picture the visitors sitting at the table, turning to look at me as if I'd gone completely loony tunes.

I saw Daniel sitting at a nearby table with others, also eating his lunch. Obviously the tables were only so big and I couldn't expect him to be joining us if there wasn't any room at our table. Because I was staring at him so long, it must have caught his attention, and we smiled at each other. I continued eating my lunch, having idle chatter with the gang. Finally everyone was done in the cafeteria and the time couldn't have come soon enough for me. Everyone proceeded to the conference room, ready to delve into some deep discussion.

Someone had arranged the tables in a large circle to make it easier for everyone to hear and see. There were the five of us, The Liaison, sitting directly next to one another at the table. Across from our group, sat the werewolves. I had to keep reminding myself of that. They were werewolves. They looked so normal. It was disturbing if you thought about it too much. I counted nine, just like Eli had estimated. They all looked about the same age, mid twenties and early thirties. I noted that none looked weak or fragile, not even the women. I sensed their power, cunning and confidence.

Daniel had seated himself slightly apart from the rest of the wolves. I believe this was to draw attention to himself as he was going to be the main speaker. He began, "We all know and understand why we are here today. Obviously, if Eli's team, The Liaison, have arrived it is because we cannot control one of our own. If Stephen can be saved from the dark side then we must allow them to step in and try. We also agree that if Stephen is too far lost into evil ways, he must be destroyed. As it stands now, his existence threatens our very own and that of humans as well.

"The reason for this meeting is clear but I suppose we should spend a little time with proper introductions. Many in this room are complete strangers. Every single being in here has not met one another yet. Some of you have briefly talked with Eli, Dominic, Zac or Tessa during their previous trips. Get this in your head - it is of vital importance, perhaps even for an individual's survival, that a sentiment of trust and honesty be created amongst us. We are all friends. Comrades striving for the same goal. The Liaison was formed to help neutralize violent situations in as non-violent way as possible. They have discovered a type of mind control persuasion, a way of manipulating emotions and can influence behaviors. We hope this method can be used on Stephen, without his knowledge for best results. Which brings us back to introductions, doesn't it? Kara is the new psychic on their team that possesses such a wondrous gift." Daniel about made me fall off my chair with his instantaneous announcement. There was so much pride shining from him, for me.

To be respectful and with complete sincerity, I said, "It's very nice to finally meet everyone. I vow to do everything I can with my psychic powers and skills to help you."

The looks on the werewolves' faces were that of admiration. One dabbed at her eyes as if to wipe away tears. I tried to use my senses to touch at their emotions and if possible pick up on some thoughts. It seemed they wanted to believe that I could solve this problem with Stephen. They wished it so. But they also knew that Stephen could be deadly to me. They feared for my life. They were astonished that I would make such a promise when I truly didn't know them. We were strangers! Yet here I was wanting to help save their species from being exposed to society and possibly risking my life in doing so. Still going after Stephen was the only way to help them.

Daniel actually choked up when he spoke again, "Thank you, Kara. I know you mean what you say. Eli, would you like to take over the introductions?"

Eli proceeded, "Well, I'm Eli, what you would call the leader of our group. I am a doctor, scientist, philanthropist, researcher, and would like to help be a protector for your kind. Next to Kara is Dominic. He is another psychic with telekinetic skills and had previously worked for the FBI. This is Zac, an ex-Navy SEAL and his wife, Tessa, an ex-CIA agent. If you have any questions or concerns about what our specialties are, please don't hesitate to ask."

Daniel took back the reins and introduced every single one of the werewolves in the order in which they sat. He kept it short and simple. It was too hard to remember all the names. Most of them I could recall instantly, but others would come in time as I dealt with each of them more and more.

He began, "This is my brother, Isaac. Next is my sister, Rebecca, with her husband, Samuel. This is their son, Anthony, and his wife, Sarah. And then their son, Phillip. Next to Phillip is Rebecca and Samuel's other children, Matthew and Abigail."

Isaac suddenly broke in, stating, "Daniel, I think for the record, we should state who is in the other pack now." Daniel nodded in agreement with a gesture for Isaac to continue.

"The Alpha male over there, as you all know, is Stephen, who is single. But then we have Simon who is married to Lydia. They have a child, Rachel, who has a husband, David. David has a big question mark on his back as to whether his aggression is also out of control or getting to that dangerous point. It's hard to track them to watch their actions. They catch our scent very easily. When that happens, they either quickly leave the area or flat out confront us about tailing them. But, they don't suspect humans or pay much notice to their scents. Humans are all over this place fishing, boating, camping, hunting deer. With The Liaison joining us, they won't be suspicious of human scent in the area at all. Zac, if you're needing to track Stephen, and maybe David, I don't believe they would catch on for a period of time. Of course, still use all your stealth and skills to the maximum, and don't let your guard down." Isaac finished. He was very long-winded just like his brother, Daniel. Both of them were excellent at explaining things. I was following along like a pro and priding myself on not getting lost in the discussion.

Rebecca added, "Also, I feel it's important to make sure of the status of Stephen's mind by at least two individuals in here before making any rash decisions about his life. Whether those individuals are humans or werewolves, that doesn't matter. If two people are in agreement and have determined that Stephen is too far lost to us and converted to evil, then at that time he can be destroyed. I don't want to kill one of our own, one who has been with us for hundreds of years, if there is a way to save him. To save his soul. I don't want to make a mistake with his life."

Daniel spoke with an air of authority, as if he was relinquishing a major secret. "It is not easy to kill a werewolf - to kill us. We are virtually immortal," he was looking into each of the human's eyes. My eyes. "We are immune from aging and almost all diseases. Our bodies are constantly regenerating physical tissue. We tend to stop our aging once we're in our twenties, perhaps early thirties. We have a heightened healing factor that allows us to recover from injuries almost ten times faster than a human could, that is, if the human would even be able to heal from the injury at all. Things that would kill a human, normally we will survive it. We can be killed, though, by a lethal wound that destroys the brain, the heart, the lungs or cuts through a major artery causing us to bleed out. Also, oxygen deprivation as in a hanging will kill us."

The room was silent. Obviously, the werewolves knew exactly how they could be killed. This information wasn't for them, it was meant as a refresher course for the humans, The Liaison. It was new knowledge for me as I filed it away in my brain, hoping I would never have to use that piece of data to kill one of them. Not that I'd have much of a chance against their super strength, speed and heightened senses. I noticed how the werewolves all sat at attention after Daniel finished explaining how we could kill their kind. I put myself in their shoes and realized how vulnerable they felt. The males seemed to have taken on a "don't challenge us" attitude. Even though we knew them to be the good guys for goodness sake. Gee, you could have cut the air with a knife, the atmosphere in the room felt so heavy.

Isaac threw in one more piece of information. His choice of timing right after Daniel's explanation of how to kill a werewolf was interesting. "We do have within us the natural instinct of the animal we take after. We have a strong feeling of nobleness and greatly value our pack structure. We will fight to the death, if need be, to protect our family and even close friends from harm. We do not fear for our own safety in those times. Anyone who hurts our family will pay a high price because we will get back at them. And this mentality is the same for Stephen, too. So keep that in mind as we start dealing with him and his pack. He is very territorial."

"I think it's time to take a break. Everyone needs to stretch their legs and shake off some anxiety," Daniel announced. The mood had become pretty intense in the conference room. Everyone could feel it. No one was upset with each other but rather with the situation presented to us. It was sad how Stephen's actions had stirred up everyone's emotions. And he wasn't even in the building to personally ruffle any feathers. As I looked around, I was thrilled to see humans and werewolves intermingling with one another as we took our break.

After about an hour, Isaac cleared his throat loudly to get everyone's attention. "Why don't we call it a day and meet again in the morning. I need to head on over to the other resort and check in on things."

Daniel took up his suggestion gladly. He said, "I agree with Isaac. It will be time to eat supper before we know it. Rebecca, I imagine you and Samuel are also feeling the urge to check in with your resort. Okay then, meet back here at 9:00 in the morning."

Even after Daniel had adjourned the meeting, it was interesting to see how four of the werewolves still hung around and chatted with us. I was learning from them the hierarchy of who ran which resort or campground. Daniel was definitely at the top rung of the ladder, owning all the properties. He enjoyed dealing with all the aspects of the businesses: the paperwork, the management side of it, money issues. He made a ton of money in the stock market and other investments, too. Some of the other wolves had fabulous investments, but all made their successes with Daniel's recommendations and advice.

Daniel, of course, took care of the resort we were staying at with the help of his niece, Abigail. His brother, Isaac, with nephew, Matthew, ran a resort a couple of miles away. His sister, Rebecca, and Samuel took care of the third resort, a few miles away in the other direction. Anthony and Sarah took care of the two campgrounds, also within three miles of Daniel's main resort. Philip, their son, floated between all the properties, helping with maintenance where needed. I couldn't believe I was remembering all this, but when the four wolves that remained behind to chat kept talking about who does what, the information was really sticking with me.

I glanced around, wondering where Daniel had wandered off. He and Eli seemed to have finished a conversation. Soon enough, Daniel was heading straight for me, casually taking me by the elbow to guide me out of the conference room. Dominic's head about popped off his shoulders as he witnessed us leave together. I so badly wanted to stick my tongue out at Dominic, but thought that might be too childish on my part. Instead, I mentally put the image in his head of me doing just that action and gave him a monster size smug grin.

Daniel led us into the cafeteria. His niece, Abigail, was just getting ready to prepare a meal for those of us staying at the resort. She was walking into the kitchen, so at that exact moment no one was in the dining room. Without any warning, he reached out and gave me that big bear hug I so desperately had been waiting for. It felt wonderful being in his arms. Safe and protected. Warm and loved. He plunked me back down on the floor and kissed the top of my head, just like in our telepathic dream state. He stood a foot taller than me and it was an easy enough thing for him to do.

Daniel called for Abigail to come into the dining room. He told her to hold up with the meal preparation. He wanted to eat later, around 7:00, and to alert the others in the conference room on the change in the meal time. He explained to her how he wanted to give me a quick tour of the resort before it got too dark outside. The others, referring to the humans, already knew the entire layout of the resort and the surrounding area. I, on the other hand, had never taken a tour of the place when I was here with my parents. Heck, they probably got to know every nook and cranny while I preferred to lie around reading books. So, I was definitely at a disadvantage as compared to all the others here.

We headed out the main entrance, following the never-ending flow of sidewalks. I could not help myself but I had to keep looking up at Daniel every few seconds. He was so excruciatingly good looking. He was a living being not just an image in my dreams anymore. I had every detail of his face, his body memorized. And he was a werewolf. It seemed impossible that he could transform into that creature. I wondered if, when, I would see this happen.

He showed me all of the cabins including everything else he could think of on the property. Then, we carefully made our way down the little trail to the dock so we could view the lake. He guided me and at times held my hand if he thought I might slip on the trail. I knew I wasn't going to fall. I was very sure-footed and the trail was safe enough. But it was really sweet how he seemed so concerned about me. We stood on the dock, looking out across the water. The sun was setting fast and the view was spectacular. I wished I had a camera since the scene was postcard worthy. I worried about it getting dark and trying to make our way back up the trail.

I asked, "I guess you know your way around here pretty good, huh? It's going to be dark in minutes and trekking up that trail could be a nightmare."

Daniel chuckled, "I'm a werewolf, remember? My sense of sight is ultra heightened even in human form. I can see in the dark, so no problem. In fact, ALL my senses are ultra heightened," he smiled, leaned down and briefly kissed my lips.

"Oh," I smiled back at him and gulped.

Chapter 8

History

After Daniel easily guided us back to the resort in the dark, everyone started to gather in the dining area for the evening meal. Abigail was a pro in the kitchen. Maybe she and Dominic should get together, I inwardly giggled. She made a delicious, satisfying meal which The Liaison people raved over, including myself. The werewolves' hospitality was truly sincere which reminded me of an earlier thought.

"I would like to compliment whoever takes care of the cabins," I stated. "They are so unique and beautiful. Well maintained and extremely clean."

Daniel and Abigail looked at each other with approval. Daniel said, "We all chip in around here wherever needed. The ones that maintain the campgrounds, Anthony and Sarah, sometimes do not have very much work and will float around to the three resorts, helping out. Thank you for the compliment; I'll pass it on to the others. We enjoy positive feedback."

"Well, I don't know if it's because I'm the oldest one here, but I'm ready for bed or at least to just lie down," Eli softly sighed.

"Actually," Abigail teased, "Daniel is the oldest one here. And by quite a few years, Eli."

Everyone got a big laugh out of that. I thought how ironic that was. Daniel was hundreds of years older than Eli, but retained the look, the youth and the vibrancy of a man in his mid-twenties. Dom had mentioned he became a werewolf when he was 26 years old. But how did he become a werewolf? I could kick myself a hundred times over for not asking that question.

I wondered if Daniel had picked up that idea in my head somehow. He announced, "When we meet tomorrow morning, I would like to go over our history. Werewolf history. Dominic and Eli already have a decent amount of knowledge on this subject. I am concerned that Zac, Tessa and especially, Kara, need to be more informed. I'm sure that some of you have unresolved questions. And that curiosity is probably getting the best of you when wondering about us and our past. I'd also like to see with my own eyes some of your increasing talents, Dominic. We can have a little show and tell tomorrow."

We got up from the tables, lingered around a while longer, and soon our group took off for our cabin. It was getting colder outside now that the sun was down. The five of us, The Liaison, huddled close together during our walk back. Dominic put his arm around me for added warmth as he could see I was shivering. He hadn't had a chance to ask about my jaunt out and about with Daniel. We entered our cabin, took turns in the bathroom, and then each one of us literally collapsed on the beds. Dominic showed up suddenly standing next to my bed. He startled me so much I about screamed.

He gently asked, "I have an extra blanket if you need it. Here, let me go ahead and cover you with it. I'm hot-blooded and don't need so many layers."

"Thanks, Dom. You are so sweet for thinking of me like that," I felt humbled with his unselfish actions, concerned about my comfort. With that, he reached over and kissed my forehead. My head was sure getting a lot of attention tonight. First, Daniel kissing it and now, Dominic. I tried to conceal that thought from Dom, not sure if I was quick enough to put up the mental block before he might have caught that thought. I was exhausted and fell asleep within seconds.

* * * *

By 9:00 in the morning, the gang was all there. There being the conference room again. The gang being The Liaison and the werewolves. Daniel brought the group to attention and suggested that Dominic and I show off our skills first. All the wolves were immensely curious as to what we were capable of doing. Daniel figured we could experiment for an hour or so and then some of the wolves would leave to go about their duties for the day. They were not all needed to sit in on the next session which was werewolf history.

Dominic was not shy to dive into showing off his abilities. He took on the facade of a magician, performing his act to perfection for the small audience. First, he started with moving objects with his mind. Small items to begin with, like the pen sitting on the table. Then he moved a chair, the table, the huge (expensive) LCD TV, and I held my breath until it was firmly put back in place. Gradually, he had worked up to the grand finale when he asked me to throw one of my shoes at him. I looked at him and mentally said, Couldn't you have come up with something better than my shoe?!

Sorry, spur of the moment idea. Just do it for me, he pleaded.

I took off both of my shoes for a double whammy. I knew he could handle it even though he had requested only one shoe. We had practiced such things back at Eli's facility. I stood up and with all my strength threw first one, then two shoes directly at him. Both shoes stopped in mid air as they hit the invisible barrier Dom mentally put up and fell to the floor. I walked over to retrieve my shoes, feeling a little weird, like his stage girl or something.

Isaac inquired, "Very impressive. This can be put to good use. I'm wondering; have you ever tried moving or stopping a living being?"

The room was quiet. It was a brilliant question. And something we had not practiced or even thought of. I looked at Dominic as he stood still, unsure how to respond. I sensed his tension and embarrassment for not having thought of that very idea himself. I entered his mind, Dom, quit feeling so awkward. It's showing on your face. Tell the truth. And take a brave stance and tell them we'll try it out right now. You can use me.

He was so grateful and replied, Okay, if you're up to it. I don't know what will happen if anything. Why, oh why didn't I think of trying this skill on something alive instead of just inanimate objects?

Get busy, Mr. Show Off, let's see what you can do. I prompted him.

He proceeded to tell the group what we had mentally discussed. The wolves appreciated his honesty and sat ready to observe his next moves. When Daniel heard Dom say I would be the test subject, I swear I heard a tiny growl escape Daniel's lips. He did not like the idea that Dom had never tried this before and now I was the guinea pig. I think some of the wolves glanced over at Daniel when he growled but I don't believe any of The Liaison heard him. I was the only human who did catch his reaction.

This time I pushed at Daniel's mind, Daniel, do not worry. I will be fine. Just watch.

I played out my part in the experiment. Quite simple since all I was going to do was walk at Dom and see if he could halt my approach. I took off at him, probably a little too quick, when all of a sudden, bam, I hit his invisible wall with my face and literally bounced backwards and fell on my butt.

Immediately I blurted out, "I'm totally fine everyone. Chill out. I didn't think Dom had thrown up his barrier so fast. Well, Isaac, your question has been answered. Dom can stop a living being in mid-tracks and quite well, I might add."

"Can you physically move or shove at a person with your mind?" Isaac was sure onto something here. I realized it all had to do with providing safety for any of us coming up against Stephen. Defense against an enemy.

Daniel stood up and asked Dominic, "Do you feel like trying it out? This time, use me as your test subject."

Wow…head to head combat between two men I really adored. I shouldn't say actual combat. To them, this was just men horsing around, pushing things to the limit. I plunked down in my chair and watched with enthusiasm, sitting on the edge of my seat. Everyone in the room held their breath in anticipation, too.

Dominic was gaining more confidence. He nodded his head in agreement to Daniel to try the experiment. They both respected each other and were definitely considered friends. None of this was meant to be aggressive. But if Dominic could fight with his mind, could move people, shove them away with his thoughts, this was a huge achievement.

Daniel approached Dominic slowly, almost circling him as if going after prey. Their eyes were focused only on each other. Dom concentrated and attempted a push at Daniel. It appeared Daniel did feel some sort of brush at his body but it was not enough to stop him.

"You've got to try harder than that, Dominic. You can't hurt me with what we're doing here. Give me all you've got," Daniel tried to provoke Dominic.

Without warning, Daniel lunged at Dominic, hoping he would take the bait and really push his telekinetic skills to the max. Milliseconds before Daniel's hands made contact on Dom's throat, Daniel was shoved away by some invisible force. He landed ten feet away, hitting the conference room wall with a hard thud.

I think everybody in that room jumped up out of their chairs in astonishment. Under normal circumstances, Daniel was not one to be shoved into a wall. But, he had given Dominic instructions and permission to experiment on him. And it worked.

Thank God the look on Daniel's face was of pure fascination and pride in what Dominic had just done to him. "Dom, my boy, you just went up against a werewolf and knocked me right off my feet. That is not something easily done by anyone."

Then they shook hands. Men will be men, I realized, knowing they joke fiercely with one another and try to one up each other all the time. I thought it was simply adorable how they could roughhouse then turn around and have a good laugh. I had tears in my eyes. I was thrilled with Dom's skills. I was equally enthralled by the camaraderie they shared. We all shared. It felt like a family setting.

We moved on to mind reading and mental manipulation. The best way to demonstrate these abilities was to perform them on some of the willing werewolves. Daniel already was one step ahead of the game since we shared a common mental path. We had done plenty of mind reading over the past weeks and I had soothed his emotional state more than once. Throw Dom into the mix and we had experienced a three-way telepathic conversation a few times. I wasn't sure how much the other wolves knew about the mental bond that Daniel and I shared. He may have told them the basics of how we had communicated but I doubt he would have given out any personal information about our connection. It was very personal for me.

My mind reading gift seemed to work the best when I had either touched or been very near the person whose mind I was trying to read. We also came to the conclusion that if a person or werewolf was emitting strong enough emotions within the immediate area, I was able to pick up on that and usually be able to read their minds then. This had seemed to be the case with Daniel and me as I did not recall having seen him or touched him during my initial vacation trip to his resort.

I took turns reading several of the werewolves' minds, as did Dominic. We felt like we had to prove ourselves to them, but I accepted that. We kept things quick and simple and they got the idea behind it. The highlight for my own little magic show was getting the chance to use mind manipulation on one of them.

"I want to try implanting a thought into someone's mind. You could call it mind manipulation or mind control, although I hate that word control. My team has already had me experiment with them," I turned and eked out a smile at them. "So one of the werewolves would be best for the greatest effect. The catch is, if you know positively I'm going to try something on you, your guard is up and it doesn't work quite as well. Is it all right if I randomly choose someone? It won't hurt and I'm not going to program you to beat someone up, so don't worry about that."

Daniel revealed, "Kara has done this trick on me when my anger was getting the best of me. It works like a charm. Let her try."

And with that I sensed that the wolves were giving me an open invitation. Still, I felt their guards would be up anyway so I struck fast. As I stood there at the table, I casually reached over to pour myself some water. They believed I was preparing to say a little more before the experiment. Instead, I zapped into Isaac's brain, attempting to mentally mask myself so he wouldn't discover my presence. I had only planned this out ten minutes before but there was no hesitation on my part.

As Isaac saw me pour the water, he jumped up, and came over to me almost at a full run. He grabbed the pitcher out of my hands and exclaimed, "Kara, let me get you a lemonade instead of this water. And I bet you'd like a mid-morning snack, too. Cookies sound tempting. I am absolutely starving to death. I'll be back in a sec; don't do anything more till I get back." And out the conference room door he ran. I started laughing. I couldn't help myself. The werewolves realized that I had made Isaac behave overly hospitable and put the idea of lemonade and snacks into his head. The whole room was almost rolling on the floor laughing at this point. We waited a few minutes for Isaac to return with the goodies. After all, cookies did sound good. Why not indulge a bit?

Isaac walked in, still acting a bit goofy, and plunked everything down on the table. I said, "Wow, how thoughtful of you to do this, Isaac." I withdrew any coercion I had placed in his mind that might be lingering so he would get the immediate effect and understand what I had just done to him.

He sat back down in his chair slowly. "It felt like it was my idea. I wanted to get the snacks. No one told me to do it. I just did it," Isaac stared at me in amazement. "If this works on Stephen, we have hope for him then."

Daniel said, "And remember I told you Kara did calm my nerves before. Here, she merely put this idea of food and drinks into your head. Plus, she had you acting like she was a princess, waiting on her hand and foot. That was hilarious."

Eli spoke at this time, "Daniel, you mentioned we should discuss werewolf history this morning. Kara will find this quite intriguing."

"Yes, let's move on to that. As for Dominic and Kara demonstrating their skills, I speak for all of us when I say - outstanding. For those who want or need to leave, go right ahead. You already know your own history," Daniel spoke directly to the werewolves with that last statement.

Daniel was the only wolf that remained with The Liaison. I didn't expect the rest to hang around. I burst out with, "How did you become a werewolf? Were you born that way?"

"No," Daniel began, "I, personally, was not born a werewolf. Let us go back in time…It was the year 1693 in Salem, Massachusetts."

Daniel told the story of how he, Isaac, and Stephen were hunting for witches during the time of the Salem Witch Trials. None of these men were werewolves at that time. All were in their twenties, the prime of their lives. Daniel was married to a young lady named Mary. The other two, single. They had brought in several witches to the jail cells, awaiting trials for their crimes. Most of them were later hanged. But there was a group of very powerful witches that had still not been found yet. The entire area feared them and the spells they could cast. Their dwelling had not been found and they continued to elude capture when spotted.

One night, the three men recognized explicit signs of witchery on the grounds they were hunting. Daniel knew they had to be close to discovering the witches' hideout. Well, the witches were quite aware of how close these hunters were getting to them. They had spies everywhere. They could be in the form of a bird or a cat. The spies must have reported to the witches that the men were approaching fast. There were numerous witches gathered together during this specific night, which was not a good thing for Daniel, Isaac and Stephen. Who knows what type of ritual or sacrifice they were preparing for. The witches joined hands together in a circle, knowing there was power in numbers, chanting an ancient curse, while their sorcery, their power increased tenfold. They were ready to lash out at the men who were hunting them. If they were captured, the witches knew they would most likely be put to death by hanging. They were fighting for their lives. They would not let these men take them in.

As the men stumbled upon the scene, flames burst straight up in the air from the nearby bonfire. The air crackled, electricity zipped through the atmosphere. A lightning bolt screamed through the night and blasted the ground about fifty feet from them. Their skin was tingling from the aftershock, hair was standing on end. The witches, perhaps six of them, all turned simultaneously and glared at the three shocked men. The curse was almost complete. Another few mantras in a strange language and then the men were knocked back off their feet by an unseen force. They immediately felt different. Something was wrong. The witches cackled and clapped their hands in approval of what they accomplished. They had cast the Lycaeonia Curse onto those poor unsuspecting men. Turning them into werewolves.

Things just kept getting worse. The men took off running through the woods. Their fear, their confusion, their emotions were at an ultimate high. As they ran, suddenly their bodies transformed into what we know as werewolves. Clothes were ripped to shreds, fur covered their entire bodies, eyes were pitch black, claws gripped at the dirt, as they found themselves on all fours. They came to an abrupt stop when this transformation occurred. In the background, they could hear the laughter of the witches.

By the time they arrived close to their homes, they had turned back into the form of men again. They were exhausted and perhaps because of this loss of strength, it allowed them to transform back. Over the next several days, if you can imagine, things continued to get worse. The three cursed men were unfamiliar with how to control themselves, how to prevent from transforming into the werewolf. They had no knowledge of these things. No one to tell them what to do.

As a result, they all did, at some point, revert back to a werewolf and accidentally converted a few others into werewolves through their bite. Daniel bit his wife, Mary. Then, Isaac, fleeing to their sister, Rebecca, for help, bit her. Soon, Rebecca bit her fiancé, Samuel. Stephen, desperately seeking counsel, went to his friend, Simon, and ended up biting him. Poor Simon then bit his wife, Lydia. Lydia was pregnant with their child at that time. When Rachel was born, they knew she, too, was a werewolf. The few others in the pack came later through birth. And two more from a bite.

Obviously, with what had happened early on to these people, they stayed to themselves while continuing to live in Salem, Massachusetts. It became difficult to hide what they had become. Friends and relatives wondered why they had become so aloof. One day, Mary was accused of witchery. Without any warning, men hauled her off and she was hanged. No trial. Nothing. Instantly killed. The pack knew they could not fight an entire town of villagers. Quickly, they packed what little they could on short notice and fled in the middle of the night.

They traveled and moved around many times during those first seventy years. It was hard to settle down any place where too many people already lived. The werewolves were still on a learning curve with how to blend in and not draw attention to themselves. Gradually they gravitated westward more and more and eventually ended up in what became the state of Kentucky.

I took in every detail of what Daniel told us. I sat on the edge of my seat about ready to scream and cry at the same time. I mentally relayed my feelings to Daniel, trying to surround him with comfort, Oh, Daniel, I feel for you. This was a true horror story you lived through.

Chapter 9

Plan

Daniel had finished the storytelling of their werewolf history with a long sigh. Even Eli and Dominic who were familiar with most of this history had heard a few new pieces to the puzzle of Daniel's life. Out of respect, no one said a word for a few moments. Daniel appeared to be composing himself, ready to launch into the next topic.

Then he looked down at his watch and said, "Maybe we better take a break and eat lunch. I promise I'll resume where I left off."

We ate our lunches fairly fast. Abigail stuck with ham sandwiches, some fruit, chips and the drinks. Hardly anyone talked as we were aching to get back to the conference room and let Daniel tell us more. After only about twenty minutes, we scurried back, plopped down in our designated chairs and waited patiently for Daniel to begin again.

"I would like to clarify a few matters. As I was heavily engrossed in telling this story earlier, I wasn't sure if everyone understood how you could actually become a werewolf. One way, as in my personal situation, is being cursed by witches. Another way, which is very similar, is when someone is given the power of shape shifting through sorcery. A third way to be turned into a werewolf is by being bitten by one. And the fourth way is being born a werewolf. Our blood is basically tainted in all of these cases," Daniel was clearly explaining himself. Everyone kept quiet and let him speak.

Daniel cleared his throat, and continued, "I have been a werewolf for what I consider to be a very long time. There are other werewolves around the world that are much older than me. I'm guessing, Kara, they have informed you of other beings, like vampires, that are also in existence?"

I flat out stated, "Yes."

"That's good for you to be aware of other species. It is possible you may meet vampires someday, hanging out with this group you now associate with," Daniel tried his best at some humor. "Believe it or not, we werewolves have a few vampire allies. Anyway, as I was getting at, I have diligently practiced over these centuries how to maintain my control and keep my aggression in check. But, I'll openly admit, if anyone significantly provoked me or hurt someone I care deeply for, I do not know how much the beast that lies within me could be contained. I would definitely transform into an actual werewolf and in that state, my anger and strength greatly increase. I can be lethal. I'm stressing these points because Stephen has chosen to no longer maintain control of himself. He has let that beast come to the surface far too often. He is violent, restless and left uncontrolled, he will eventually hurt those around him and may even hurt himself," Daniel paused. He had me completely spellbound with his voice and this huge amount of information. I hungrily grasped at and absorbed everything that spilled out of his mouth.

Daniel hesitated, not sure about his next intention. "I do have the ability and control to transform whenever I want to. I do not have to be provoked or be angry for the transformation to take place. A full moon is not going to make me change, in case you're wondering. Well, I guess you could say the stage is mine for the next magic show."

I wondered what in the world he meant by that. He knew I was the only one in the room who had not actually seen a werewolf in the flesh. Then, immediately, without a second thought, he looked straight in my eyes and transformed into a werewolf. Right there on the floor he stood, on all fours. I jumped out of my chair so fast it fell backwards. Dominic reached over, grabbed at my arm and steadied me, perhaps even prevented me from doing anything stupid. I think my jaw about dropped to my knees. The others had a look on their face almost as if they were thinking, "What did you expect?" I could have entered their minds to read their thoughts but didn't bother. Daniel no doubt had their full undivided attention, but they remained very calm sitting in their chairs.

As I stared at Daniel in wolf form, I noticed how beautiful he actually was. His coat was black, shiny, healthy, and clean. He definitely was larger than the average wolf. His size was that of a bear, which did look odd because I was staring at a wolf, not a bear. His head was enormous, with monster size jaws that could easily rip someone's throat out. Strength and confidence oozed off him. But, he still had those same black, piercing eyes looking back at me. I wanted to touch him, run my hands through his fur. A curious idea, an experiment, popped into my head.

I tried to make a mental connection with Daniel in the werewolf shape. Daniel, are you still there? Can you understand me?

Kara, I AM here. Do not be scared of me. Please. Daniel pleaded.

I could barely believe what was happening and what I was seeing. Suddenly, Daniel trotted over to me and brushed against my leg like a dog would do when wanting to be petted. Instinctively, I reached down and rubbed him behind his ears. I ran my hand through his silky fur. This was so weird. I had to keep telling myself I was petting Daniel as if he were some pet. A rather huge pet, mind you. Reality kicked in as Dominic coughed, and it dawned on me I had an audience watching my behavior with Daniel.

Daniel gave a big swish of his furry tail as he turned and retreated a few feet from me. Again, he kept his eyes on me as he transformed back to a man's body. As he changed back, he made sure he was near the clothing that had fallen off his body when he changed into a wolf. Grabbing at the remnants of the clothes so fast it was a blur, he proceeded to cover up his private parts.

"This is always an issue we have to deal with. When turning back into human form, we're naked. Not very convenient. Give me a couple minutes to get new clothes on." Daniel didn't seem fazed at all as he stood there holding what remained of his shirt up to his groin area. He smiled, walked backwards, and disappeared into the restroom. I bet he had a stash of clothes in there.

"Wow!" I exclaimed in pure awe, as I turned and looked at the team.

"We wondered if he might pull that stunt on you," Tessa laughed. "Since we had all been here before, he had demonstrated his abilities to us then. We needed to know what we were up against. I'm sure he was thinking the same thing today in showing you his other side. You, obviously, do need to be aware of what werewolves look like, as there is a good chance Stephen will take the form of a werewolf during our little intervention down here."

A few minutes passed, and in glided Daniel, proud of his previous little display. He prompted, "Any questions?"

Of course, I started babbling, "Did you feel any aggression or rage in the form of a werewolf? Aren't you normally all bent out of shape and ticked off when you're a wolf?"

Daniel replied, "At that moment, I was in complete control. I transformed while in a calm state of mind. So, I remained relaxed. Kara, you also kept me calm when you accepted what I was and took on a carefree attitude by petting me. There is the animal in me, and wolves, just like their relatives, the dogs, like being rubbed. Think about it - that is very enjoyable for the animal. I felt no aggression at all. But, as I mentioned earlier, it takes very little to awaken the beast inside. Being threatened, injured, one I care for being hurt, etc. would bring on the rage."

I asked, "So, if you started out in human form and got really mad about something and then turned into a werewolf, I take it, you would be a bad thing to be around."

"Yes. Very bad. Although, from years of practice, depending on the situation, I would still be able to control myself to a point." Daniel tried to explain.

Eli finally spoke up, "Well, we need to come up with a plan for Stephen. How are we going to approach this?"

Dominic suggested, "I think we should find him, try to persuade him to come with us back here and Kara can put her whammy on him."

"I seriously doubt that Stephen is going to willingly follow us back here," Daniel stated matter-of-factly. "He will suspect a trap."

Zac piped in, "Maybe we could track him, capture him there on the spot and you two psychics can do your thing right then and there."

Several people all voiced their concern, "No way. He would become super violent if we actually did trap him. He'd never trust anyone again. Whatever psychic influence was put on him would never last once he was freed."

"The fact that outsiders, your team, have been brought in to help isn't going to go over well if or when, Stephen finds out. He'll again have the feeling of being attacked," Daniel said.

"And we're not sure how many in his pack have begun acting up, like him - bad?" Zac asked.

Daniel replied, "No, not really. As I mentioned before, the one named David is a strong possibility. I do not believe the others are out of control. It was upsetting for me to see those five members of the pack leave. We had been together for so long. But the more I thought about it, I came to a conclusion, even though I don't know if it's accurate or not. We had several males with stubborn, willful personalities in our pack. Sometimes a pack does split off to avoid the constant head-butting. I guess Stephen was pretty persuasive, promising a lifestyle with more freedom. I will admit, I ran a tight ship around here. I didn't put up with much insubordination, which is how we had survived so long undetected. Perhaps I did keep them reined in too much and Stephen caused a mutiny right under my nose. Stephen is going to blow it for us all if he's not brought under control."

"Daniel," Eli interjected, "Keep in mind that Stephen, along with you and Isaac, were all cursed at the exact same time. So, in some regards, all three of you would be considered Alpha male status. It's not like you were the only one cursed, then you turned the others into werewolves. All three of you had a part in it. I could see how it might be difficult for the three top dogs, so to speak, to continue living together in such a tight knit group forever."

Daniel nodded in agreement. It made sense to everyone what Eli was saying. Although we still hadn't come up with a plan of attack yet, which was getting discouraging. Thankfully, everything was quiet on the home front. No one had heard any new reports of strange happenings in the area. Or of livestock being killed or unusual deaths. Yet.

I threw out a suggestion, "Since Daniel and I have this mental connection thing going on, is it possible I could try entering Stephen's mind through Daniel's? Dominic, remember on the drive down here when all five of us were linked together through our minds? I wonder if I could link into Stephen's mind in a similar way. I don't know. It's so confusing how all of this psychic stuff works."

Boy, I had them all thinking now. The look on their faces, mainly Eli, Dom and even Daniel's, was puzzlement. The doctor himself, Eli, shook his head not knowing what to say or guess.

"So much of this is trial and error," Eli said. "What one person can do with their psychic talents can be totally different from another individual. We won't know till we try, I suppose. This method is definitely the least invasive to Stephen. He, hopefully, would not detect your presence in his mind. We would remain here at the resort, so he wouldn't even come into contact with any of us. We avoid a confrontation. I say we try. If we're successful, hallelujah! If not, move on to Plan B."

Everyone sat there wondering what Plan B might entail. We did realize that plan more than likely involved a confrontation, of some sort, with an angry Stephen and possibly David.

Daniel made the next suggestion, "The afternoon hours would be the best time to try this out on Stephen. He tends to be more aggressive and restless during the evening and early morning hours. When afternoon arrives, he gets groggier, as we all do, humans included, to some extent. He should be more relaxed then and easier to make a mental connection with at that point.

"Unless some other tragic event comes up in the meantime, I say we can all take a breather until tomorrow afternoon," Daniel concluded. "Hey, Eli, maybe you'll get a day's vacation in here after all!"

"Is it time for supper yet?" Zac was famished as usual. But I think everyone was hungry after a full afternoon of more revealing information, Daniel's act of transforming, mainly for my benefit, and brainstorming on salvaging Stephen's mental state. This had been a long day. All of it was spent in this conference room.

As if on cue, Abigail entered and announced supper would be ready in about thirty minutes. This gave everyone time to freshen up a bit and use the restroom. We desperately needed to stretch out our entire bodies and move around some. It was unusual but my legs had become cramped up from sitting so long. The whole Liaison team made a quick trip back to our cabin which allowed us to rid ourselves of the restlessness we were feeling.

On the way back to the resort's dining room, I asked Dominic, "So, you think this will work or not; my using Daniel to connect to Stephen? I'm afraid it's a long shot, but I want to try."

Dom disappointingly replied, "Kara, I don't know. I agree it's a long shot. You have had absolutely no physical contact with Stephen ever. He hasn't even been around this immediate area for you to pick up on any possible emotional energy he could be emitting. We still have to try, though."

I sighed heavily. Dom was right. I felt like we were trying to cheat our way through this instead of meeting the problem head on. At least I had till tomorrow afternoon before my skills were put to the test. I tried to think if there was any more experimenting I could do in the meantime. But I couldn't think of anything else to do or any way to try duplicating this upcoming dual psychic connection through Daniel to Stephen, with a twist of mental manipulation thrown in on Stephen's mind. Whew, what a mouthful, let alone trying to think about it clearly. There was nothing to do except wait for the real thing, the actual process.

We made it back to the dining room just as Abigail finished putting out all the food. Once again, it was the five humans and the two werewolves. The wolves ate just as heartily as we did, nothing at all different about their eating habits. That was good to know. I was hoping they didn't have to turn into werewolves and chase down prey every night for nourishment.

After the wonderful meal Abigail prepared, I offered to help her clean up the dishes. I just didn't think it was fair for her to go through all this work and have a huge mess to clean up all by herself. Daniel seemed impressed that I volunteered to help. Although he did have this look indicating I didn't have to do that. I mentally told him, Daniel, let me do this. I want to. I'll join you guys in a little while.

You're a doll. But you will discover by Abigail's actions, that she really doesn't need the help. She's pretty fast, Daniel seemed to be snickering, but smiled and let me take the dishes into Abigail's kitchen.

The rest of the team and Daniel had chosen to head out into the main lounge of the building where they continued various conversations. That room was actually part of the entrance area and was quite open and airy. There were no other patrons milling about which gave our group freedom to talk. It was a gorgeous, comfortable room with a fireplace and numerous couches and chairs. A monster size television hung on the wall, but none chose to watch it that night.

Abigail thanked me several times for offering to help her, saying I was a guest and shouldn't be doing such things. I mentioned how Daniel said she was fast and how he laughed after he said it but didn't explain what was so funny. She proceeded to show me. She zipped through the dishes in lightning speed, almost in a blur. That even included drying the dishes off. Considering how fast she was moving, you'd expect something broken. Nothing. Perfectly clean, too. I stood there, not having done anything but bringing her the dishes from the other room. I thought I'd dreamt the whole thing, it happened so fast.

She said, "Amazing, huh? That awesome werewolf trait of super speed is a blessing with getting work done around here quickly. That's another reason we don't usually have to hire outside employees. We take care of just about everything ourselves. We can move so much faster than humans. We do have to be careful not to let the humans see us moving that fast, though. I believe we would freak them out. Oh, on another subject, Daniel really has a thing for you. You knew that, right?"

I turned a little red in the face, but answered her, "Yeah, I kind of thought so. We've had a psychic connection - a mental bonding for over a month now. He is special to me."

Abigail smiled warmly. We walked in to the lounge together as if we were the best of friends. Everyone looked up for a moment from any discussions they were involved in, saw it was just the two of us, and knew it was safe to keep talking to their hearts' content about whatever unusual things they wanted to. Daniel and I had lengthy eye contact until I found a chair to sit in. I was remembering earlier in the day when he had transformed in front of me. And I was intensely recalling his nearly naked body when he turned back. Both were images etched into my mind, never to be forgotten.

Chapter 10

Downtime

After an enjoyable evening, relaxing in the lounge, everyone decided to turn in early. It had been a long but informative day. There was so much for me to go over in my mind and to make sure not to forget anything important. The shock of Daniel transforming in front of me kept playing over and over in my head. Yet, it was an amazing experience and completely intrigued me. I was glad he did it. I just wished I had more time alone with him. This was a business trip, you could say, not a trip for pleasure. As I settled down under the soft, warm blankets, I had the urge to contact Daniel mentally. First, I had to put up my mental block against Dominic, so I could freely talk with Daniel without Dom's interference.

I started out, Daniel, are you listening? Are you busy?

He jumped right in with, I'm here, Kara. I can hear you loud and clear. I'm in my own room now. Good timing. Are you all tucked in for the night?

Yes, I'm in bed now. I needed to talk with you. During all the big group discussions and tossing around ideas over the last day and a half, it has been overwhelming for me. I'm fine, nothing to worry about. I really wish we could have our own time together with no one else around. I guess I'm sounding greedy wanting to have you all to myself. I knew that last sentence could be taken a few ways. But it just came out.

Daniel reminded me, Kara, tomorrow, the whole morning will be free. Remember, we won't be trying out our experiment on Stephen until the middle part of the afternoon. So, you can have me all to yourself. It sounds like everyone is looking forward to doing their own thing for a while tomorrow. This downtime will be a good break for everybody.

I was thrilled with this turn of events. I suppose if I had thought about it, the whole gang had been spouting off what they had planned to do tomorrow morning and into the early afternoon. Eli was going to attempt fishing out of a boat if it didn't freeze his butt off. I believe Dominic was toying with the idea of joining him for a while. Then both wanted to indulge in a nap, if you can imagine. Zac and Tessa wanted to check the area out some more and do tourist type of things.

That just left me, out of our Liaison team, with the freedom of enjoying Daniel's company. The others would be involved in their own forms of relaxation and wouldn't intrude upon the time I wanted to spend with Daniel. I knew he had just given me a tour of the resort and boat dock the night before. I swear that felt like it was days ago, not just the previous night. That wasn't enough time for me. I wanted more.

What time do you want to meet? I thought I would jump up and down on the bed like a kid in delight.

He answered, The earlier, the better. It gives us more time together that way. How about 7:00 in the dining room for breakfast. And then we'll go from there.

Perfect! If you could shout mentally, I think that's what I did in his mind. He was laughing at me. I went on, Well, I'm going to sleep now so I can get up early. Daniel, I'm really looking forward to tomorrow. Good night.

His last response was, Night, baby. Gosh darn, there was that word, baby, again. It just sent little quivers up and down my spine.

One issue I had about the mental bonding that Daniel and I shared was that during an awake state, we were basically hearing each other's voices. During a sleep state, we were in the dream, what appeared to be physically there in our bodies, and having conversations. Even though we had just talked mentally, I started speculating whether I would have a dream tonight with him in it. I wanted to have that dream.

I didn't have to wait long to find out. I probably wasn't asleep more than thirty minutes when, sure enough, that ever familiar dream with Daniel walking around aimlessly drifted into my thoughts. I could always pull back, if I wanted to, and observe Daniel while he's having his dream. But I felt that was rude, like I was spying into his private thoughts. And I didn't want to be hidden in his dreams. I absolutely was addicted to the sensations those dreams gave me. Dreams with Daniel.

Tenderly, so as not to startle him out of his sleep, I made him become aware of my presence in his dream. I concentrated, even though I was sleeping myself, to bring up the clarity of the dream state. To make everything more crisp, to increase the comprehension for both of us.

Daniel, looks like I found you again in our dreams. I'm sorry for intruding. I hope I don't disrupt your sleeping tonight, I found myself apologizing. After all, we had just spoken psychically about half an hour ago. Obviously, he must have fallen asleep immediately as I did, after we had spoken.

He looked directly at me, focusing his eyes and his attention. Within the dream, he strode over to where I stood. You can disrupt my sleeping any time. And I wouldn't call it a disruption, either. It is a wonderful experience we can share. Plus, we don't have any nosy people looking at us.

I wrapped my arms around his waist, giving him a long-awaited hug. His unbelievably powerful but gentle arms came quickly around me, returning the hug. I thought of his werewolf form all of a sudden, and said, So, you really did like me rubbing on you like a dog today, huh?

Daniel had such amusement on his face, as he grinned and said, Yeah, in animal form, you were giving me positive reinforcement. You were showing a love for animals. And the petting is a good thing. I could get used to being rubbed.

His tone changed as he carried on, Kara, I have to be honest with you. I'm feeling emotions and having thoughts I haven't had in a very long time. As you know, I've stayed single ever since my wife was killed. I have suffered extreme guilt over the whole incident. I felt such a responsibility to our pack and its safety. I always fear the risk of exposure. I also knew we had to have a source of income to survive so I became very business oriented. I've had quite a bit to deal with over the years and that has kept me busy. I didn't want to get involved with anyone. And unless another female werewolf crossed my path, it wasn't likely I would have a relationship. The only other way was if I bit a woman and converted her to a werewolf. There are two wolves in the packs that have done just that over the past one hundred years - Anthony and Rachel. Before finding their mates, they were depressed and very lonesome. They craved companionship. We worried for them that they would turn evil as they harbored much rage. Both allowed themselves to venture out more and have regular human contacts, and found people they fell in love with. They explained to their future spouses what we are, and after a period of time deliberating, the humans chose to be converted to werewolves. Remember, since we do not age past about thirty, having a lifelong commitment would eventually become awkward and very unnerving, probably more so for the human than us. Although, the grief and guilt of witnessing our spouses grow old while we remained young and vibrant, would be hard to bear. We would not age, yet the humans would. It could be done if that's what their decision was, but Sarah and David were steadfast in their choice to become werewolves. To be able to stay the same, the way they were. They were bitten, to be blunt, by their spouses and went through the conversion. I just wasn't ever sure I wanted to go through the act of converting someone I loved, again, as when I unintentionally converted my wife. To completely change a human's life, which includes physically and mentally, into a werewolf is not something I wished to dwell upon and so stayed living as a bachelor…, Daniel took a few moments to collect his thoughts.

Then out of the blue, you come along, He was flabbergasted, like he just couldn't believe what had happened to him. You have changed me. I feel more alive, excited. I know we have Stephen to contend with, and, ironically, it's because of him that you are even in my life now. I now have to remind myself that I am no longer human, and you are not a werewolf. I do not know where this relationship is going from here. But I cannot deny my deep feelings I have for you. He ran his fingers through my hair.

I loved listening to him speak, even if at that moment this was all in a dream state. His voice was so mesmerizing. I could easily forget what day it was gazing into those penetrating, black eyes of his. I knew I felt the same for him as he felt for me. I had tried not to think too far ahead with this relationship. I was afraid it would be impossible to make it work out. I still had to confess my feelings for him.

I am falling hard for you, too, I began my confession, I, also, am worried about how this is going to turn out. I do know some things: I love when you touch me, when you call me baby, the way you look at me, your need to protect me and your kiss turns my insides into flames. I don't want to lose you. Any past boyfriends, which there weren't many, were nothing compared to you. I have never felt this way before in my life.

I desperately clung to him at that point. He tilted my head up with one finger and kissed my forehead then my lips. This kiss was so sweet and loving and lasted longer than others. And keeping in mind, this was all happening in a dream state. I couldn't imagine, but hoped I would find out by the next morning, what this kiss was truly like in reality.

We decided to let the mental connection drift apart by this time. I wanted to get some much needed sleep so I didn't look like a zombie by morning. Where was this all going to end up? I had no idea and melted away into a deep slumber.

* * * *

I was up before the crack of dawn. I wanted to take extra time so I would look my best for Daniel. I was practically bouncing off the walls with enthusiasm. Dominic finally asked me, "So, what do you have planned for our designated free time today? I'm going with Eli out on the boat. Someone's got to make sure he doesn't drown himself."

I carefully, without trying to ruffle any feathers, announced, "Daniel and I are having breakfast at 7:00 and I'm not sure what we'll do after that."

The look on Dominic's face was prize-winning. I wasn't necessarily trying to make him jealous, but anyone could see he was not pleased with my announcement. I really liked Dom. And I had seen and felt all the signs that he was truly hoping I would become more than just a friend to him. He looked at me with intentions of us dating. And soon. I had flipped the idea around about him and me, but at this time, Daniel stood out in my heart. Dom edged closer to being what I would call my best friend. I'm sure he wouldn't be thrilled to know Daniel, a werewolf, beat him out of the boyfriend category. Not that Daniel was actually my boyfriend. Yet. Or was he? In some secretive sort of way? It just seemed so weird. I imagined no one would approve of this relationship with Daniel, either, especially Dom. And what about my parents? That was another whole issue itself. And would I contemplate converting for Daniel, if it came to that point?

Too much to think about and Dominic had by now folded his arms in front of himself. He leaned against the wall and continued giving me that look. "What are you up to, Kara?"

I got a little defensive with him and said, "Really, Dom, I can do whatever I want with my downtime. Daniel had an open schedule and offered to keep me company since I had nothing to do. I don't have any problems with him and feel very comfortable around him. So quit worrying."

"Just watch yourself, okay? You haven't dealt with so many and such unusual circumstances before you came into contact with us. Keep your head on straight," Dom warned me.

Eli popped his head around the corner and prompted Dominic, "Well, bud, you ready to learn how to fish from a pro?" I had a sneaky suspicion that was meant as a joke.

Off they went with one final mental push from Dom, I'm going to be mentally checking in on you.

Great. I just love having a babysitter at my age. I did smile back at him, to let him know I appreciated his concern. I also decided to implant the emotions of relaxation, confidence, and trust in to his over-worked mind.

Zac, Tessa and I left the cabin at the same time. They hoped I would be able to chill out for a while and let everything I had learned settle in my mind. Tessa thought it would be beneficial for me to have some personal time to myself. I, personally, would be tested that afternoon on my abilities to connect with Stephen. She trusted that this free time would give me a chance to gain some clarity and balance. They climbed into the van and left.

Yippee! I was now alone and walked into the dining room to meet with Daniel. There he stood, looking so handsome, so powerful, so pleased to see me. No one was around to watch us. I ran the distance to him, throwing my arms around his neck and gave him a tight hug as he returned the favor.

"Aren't you looking all adorable this morning," Daniel teased. We sat down at the table which already had the food set out ready to eat.

"You're looking extra special today, yourself, Daniel," I teased right back.

We enjoyed a nice, light breakfast of eggs, sausage, toast, and orange juice. I found out he prepared it all by himself with no help from Abigail. That was a nice gesture. It showed his independence and that he was quite capable of doing things on his own. He wasn't making Abigail into his own personal servant, which I appreciated. I wondered if Abigail knew we were spending all this time together, alone. I bet she did. I liked her personality.

Daniel discussed how he wanted to walk down to the boat dock first thing, so we took off. He knew Eli and Dom were taking one of the boats out and wanted to make sure they hadn't had any major problems casting off. Neither one was all that skilled at operating a boat. They led you to believe they could handle it without a problem, but Daniel wanted to ensure they were safe. We made it to the dock and Dom and Eli were nowhere around. That was a good thing since it meant they managed to get the boat in the water, at least.

Daniel pointed to a boat and said, "There they are. I'm impressed with their boating know-how."

I was staring in the direction he pointed and all I could make out was a blip in the distance. I had no clue that was Dom and Eli out there. It dawned on me that Daniel had heightened senses and, of course, that included sight. He could see much farther and better than me. I remembered when we were at the boat dock the other night in the dark. He had no problem seeing in the dark to get us back on high ground.

The lake was really beautiful. That sun hit the water and made everything glitter like silver and gold. It was nearly blinding at times. I was thankful the sun was out since the early morning temperature was a little too cold for me. Daniel sensed I was chilled and immediately placed his arm around me. The warmth that radiated off him was awesome. I warmed up in no time but hoped he would keep his arm in place. He did.

I mentioned, "Our psychic connection during the dream state last night was very revealing. Are you able to recall everything from it once you wake up?"

"Completely. I remember all the details. I suppose we need to talk person to person, instead of just in our dreams, huh?"

"Yeah, I think so. Daniel, everything I said last night is still ditto for today. Nothing has changed over night with how I feel for you. And I'm very torn and confused," I gravely admitted.

We stayed on the dock a few minutes longer, each in our own thoughts on what to say next. Off to the side, on the outskirts of a vast forest of trees, we watched two foxes playing. They were rolling around, chasing one another, a male and a female we assumed. It was peaceful to stand quietly by and observe them. Then Daniel took my hand and led me back up the trail. We leisurely strolled down the sidewalk on the grounds of the resort, his arm slung around my shoulders. Not caring if anyone saw his actions. And I didn't care either.

Daniel led me to his own private living quarters on the resort. I felt some apprehension entering his space, and at the same time, pure joy to have him to myself. Before we plunked down on the huge, comfortable sofa, he fetched a fluffy blanket from the closet for me. With his body temperature being a few degrees warmer than my own, he liked to keep his room cooler than what most humans preferred. He draped the blanket over my legs and sat within inches of me.

"Daniel, what's going to happen to us? I assume the situation with Stephen will get resolved, whether it be this afternoon or over the next few weeks. What then? Do I head back to Illinois? Am I supposed to forget any of this ever happened? Forget you? Do we try to carry on some kind of a long distance relationship, which usually never lasts?" I was now in tears. I couldn't help myself. So much had happened in the last few weeks. My entire life had been turned upside down. In fact, I didn't know anymore what was up and what was down. It was crazy enough I had these psychic powers I was contending with, of which I wasn't fully aware of until recently. And then I'm supposed to perform a magic act with these powers and keep a werewolf from going off the deep end. To top it off, I was falling in love. With a werewolf.

Daniel was getting emotional, too. I saw it in his eyes. Once again, this emotion was not something I feared would make him transform. He was under enough control for that. He choked out, "Kara, I don't know what the answer is. I think we do need to keep focused on the main picture of what brought us together in the first place. Stephen. After we get him straightened out, in whatever form that means, then we can make some decisions about us and our future. You do need to get focused and I'm afraid I could be distracting you too much."

"No!" I blurted out. "You are NOT distracting me. Don't try to walk away from me during all this. I think you are making me stronger. You're giving me another reason to push myself and my psychic skills towards a successful outcome. I need you." By this time I had turned sideways, facing him on the couch.

He reached out and grabbed my face with both hands, looked directly into my eyes, and vowed, "I am not going to walk away from you unless that is what you truly desire."

He passionately kissed me with all his heart and soul pouring forth. I gently touched his mind with mine and was flooded with all the love he had for me. It was very real and intense. I sensed a tiny amount of uncontrolled, wild desire trying to come to the surface. In fact, I noticed his breathing had gotten more labored. A barely audible, yet high-pitched whimpering, long in duration, escaped from Daniel's lips as he kissed me. He was not at all aware of his sound effects or that his actions were getting wilder by the second.

I pulled back from him, not afraid, and went deep into his mind to help him get control of himself.

Daniel, calm down. Listen to me. If you care for me then you will relax. You are too aggressive right now. Down, boy. I knew this was a critical situation we had gotten ourselves into, but I couldn't help myself with that last little pun at the end. It worked. He snapped out of it and looked embarrassed.

"Kara, I am so sorry!" Daniel hugged me tightly. "What just happened?"

I turned a bit red, but told him, "Well, you got too excited. You were losing that solid as a rock control you harp about. You were making whimpering noises and breathing hard enough to be considered, with your background, panting. I didn't know if you were going to transform or get too rough with me or what, so I entered your mind and used calming techniques to influence your behavior. Everything is fine now." I rubbed his shoulders to offer my comfort.

"You have to believe me - I swear to you - I would never hurt you, Kara. I haven't experienced any feelings of desire for anyone in so, so long. Hundreds of years. I was just overcome by emotions. Now that you've brought me around to my senses, made me aware of what just happened, I can monitor myself better. For next time. And maybe you won't have to give me the command, 'down, boy'. Cute!" Daniel was back to his fun-loving self.

I hugged him, gave him a quick kiss and thought it best if we just put a chill pill on the lovey-dovey stuff for now. I snuggled up against him with my blanket, although after two minutes I realized I didn't need it. He was putting out heat like my own personal blast furnace.

Chapter 11

Brainwaves

The afternoon rolled around faster than I preferred. The time I got to spend with Daniel was priceless, though. We totally enjoyed each other's company, even if we had no clue where this whole relationship would end up. Dominic had checked into my mind closer to midday to make sure I was fine. During the majority of the time I was with Daniel, I had attempted to put up that mental block against Dominic. I wasn't always sure how strong a barrier I had erected against Dom. With all the emotions Daniel and I had gone through, I'm sure there were pinholes in that barrier. Well, it was what it was. I had a feeling Daniel and I were not going to be shy about showing the feelings we had for one another in public anymore. We would obviously be modest and show respect for the situation at hand, though.

Everyone reconvened in the ever familiar conference room. Good thing there weren't too many visitors at the resort this time of year. And the ones that were there could not have cared less about using the conference room.

Isaac returned from his resort to observe and give any possible support he could. We hoped this would turn out successfully. But everything Dominic and I had batted back and forth when discussing this experiment, just didn't give us much hope. As Dom had said before, I had never had any form of contact with Stephen. I hadn't touched him, hadn't seen him, hadn't even been in his immediate area to pick up on his emotional distress. It was surely a long shot. But we had to try the easiest plan first.

We moved tables and chairs around in the room to allow everyone to be within close proximity of each other. We did not want to be scattered across the room. Dominic was on one side of me, Daniel on the other. Dom had no connections with Stephen either. The Liaison contacted Daniel after hearing about the problems Stephen was causing. And, by then, Stephen's newly formed pack had split off from Daniel's and were on their own. Dom was still hoping he could lend his psychic powers to me, adding more leverage to make the connection.

I had been told werewolves had a pack mentality and that this created some small mental connection between each of them. Both parties had to allow it to occur and, of course, Stephen had closed his mind to Daniel. Not that one of them couldn't mentally tap-tap at the other's brain, as if saying, "Hello, are you open for a chat?" Our goal was NOT to tap-tap at Stephen's mind, but sneak in and hopefully catch him off guard since he would not be expecting me. I might have the ability to by-pass his mental block he had put up against Daniel. Then, I could read his mind, gain any knowledge that would be useful to us or put us on alert if he was planning anything devious. I would attempt to work my telepathic magic by placing positive thoughts and images into his head, using my calming techniques that worked so well during my experiments on the others. Including Daniel, just that morning. I was able to bring Daniel's emotions under control, without a flaw. Now, would it work on Stephen?

I had my right hand in Daniel's and my left hand in Dominic's. Talk about a strange feeling I had the moment we all touched. Jealousy. I knew Dom and Daniel were friends, but at that instant, there was a flare of male possessiveness in the air. Individually, I gave each of them the mental message, "Stop it now. We need to concentrate." It brought them back to the present situation. Both actually had this look like they regretted acting the way they just did.

"Okay, Daniel. You need to be focusing on Stephen. Anything and everything you can think of. The way he looks, the way he acts, talks, walks, smells. Whatever. Keep a strong mental picture of him in your mind for me. We know he's closed his mind off to you, but get as close as you can to making that mental pack connection with him, then step aside. I'll be right there in your mind with you, just let me try accessing his mind, so hopefully we don't clue him in to what we're trying here. I'm pretty sure he won't approve of an outsider, like me, messing with his mind.

"Now, Dom, you need to fully merge yourself into my mind so we can create a more powerful link between all of us, kind of like our group did driving down here. Don't hold back merging, but don't distract what I'm trying to focus on. Ready?" I glanced at both of them, they nodded, and I closed my eyes to concentrate.

I dove into Daniel's mind. At least that was an act I had become very familiar with performing. Dom was merged with me. I could feel the extra strength; the links between the three of us were powerful. It was amazing that when we all put our minds to it and were not just casually goofing around, the telepathic connections became super clear. Vivid. I felt a surge of energy which had to be coming from Dominic. I sought out the images and information about Stephen from Daniel's memories.

Stephen was, like Daniel, tall, muscular, confident. He exuded power, arrogance, and the stereotypical bad-boy image. Daniel was trying to pull up from memories a time he and Stephen had spoken with each other. He hoped this would give me something more to work with. He kept the image of Stephen plastered in the forefront of his mind. I now pushed Daniel to hold those images in his mind, and then move on to create the mental pathway to Stephen for me.

Things started feeling very perplexing as I followed Daniel's mental connection to Stephen. Dominic acknowledged his disorientation, too. We agreed to remain calm and collected in our thoughts. Focus, focus. Searching. An empty void. Nothing but a wall of darkness. I let my mind drop back away, as Dom and Daniel followed suit, from what should have been the mental pathway leading to Stephen's mind. Inside Daniel's head, I softly asked if he was close enough to establish the first step to the connection. He was, but feared if he pushed, Stephen would suspect something. We all came out of our trance-like behavior.

Isaac was asking, "Well, did it work?"

All three of us, Daniel, Dom and myself, answered together with, "No."

Isaac again, "Can you bring me into this mental linking thing you've got going? Maybe I could be an additional source of power to crack through Stephen's mind block."

He had an idea. I had to give him credit. Although the more people involved, the more likely it was that Stephen would figure out something was happening to him. Dominic and I played out a scenario of how we would go about pulling off this feat and realized it couldn't hurt anything. Eli was contemplating the whole scenario, too. He reminded us that the longer we kept trying to maintain all these psychic links, we would eventually drain ourselves. He explained how Dom and I were psychics and so there really wasn't any mental drain between the two of us. When we read non-psychics minds, there might be a slight amount of energy drain. But, as on the drive down to Kentucky, the moment we mentally connected three non-psychics to us and kept up quite involved mental conversations for awhile, we were drained a pretty fair amount. I remembered that incident and Eli was right. He was the scientist and this was his field, his specialty, the workings of the mind. Dom and I were worn out after that experiment. Excited, but we felt like we'd run a mile. And then Eli brought up the fact that we were dealing with werewolves' minds that are different from our own. They do have a slight psychic connection to their own pack members, but we are not part of their pack, let alone we're humans. So, we obviously could read their minds, it just wore us down faster. And it sure would have helped if I had some physical contact with Stephen or at least been closer to him to pick up on his vibes.

We all agreed to give it one more try using Isaac as an additional source of power and leverage. It definitely looked like we were having a séance by the time all four of us assembled our chairs in a tight circle. Since I was the one needing to enter Stephen's mind, we thought Isaac should be touching me instead of going through Daniel or Dom's hand contact for a more direct effect. So, Isaac brought his chair in further to reach me and placed his hands on my knees. Daniel possessively gave him a similar look he had given poor Dom earlier. This look also conveyed, "Don't get too friendly with her, brother." I thought, here we go again, but Daniel quickly gave me an innocent, boyish grin like nothing was wrong.

The four of us went into a trance-like state. We were determined to give it our all. Dom merged with my mind, next we entered Daniel's mind and lastly, reeled in Isaac. It took Isaac a few minutes to calm down as this was a new experience for him and he was somewhat disoriented. We knew we didn't want to waste any time, though, as Eli had reprimanded us heavily that Dom and I would continue to lose our energy the longer we engaged in this activity.

Daniel and Isaac together sought out the mental pathway to Stephen's mind. They kept the image of him firmly in their thoughts for me to absorb. At the precise moment they were about to establish an attempt at contact with Stephen, they pulled up quickly to allow me a chance to break through. There was something there this time. A momentary flash of emotions. Bitterness. Frustration. Boredom. I tried hard to suppress my intrusion into his mind. It was difficult. I felt Dom's presence trying to give me power, but he thought he would lose the group's mental linkage if he spread himself too thin by helping. He backed off and continued to focus on maintaining the mental links we were sharing. Daniel and Isaac didn't want to come too close to where I was at in this psychic phenomenon. Stephen would surely recognize their presence and we would lose the element of surprise. I knew if that were to happen, I would absolutely have to attempt to get as physically close to Stephen as possible in order to pursue any further telepathic manipulation.

I concentrated as much as I could without passing out, and tried to enter Stephen's thoughts one last time. I knew I was starting to feel the early signs of wearing out. Dom was, too. I quietly, calmly pressed myself into this mental pathway created by Daniel and Isaac, taking with me the physical image of Stephen. Again, a few catches of emotions, but I had nothing at all to work with. I think the addition of Isaac did help with me identifying some emotions Stephen was feeling, since before Isaac I had a blank slate. But we weren't getting anything accomplished.

As I withdrew from this mental pathway, Daniel's mind jumped too quickly back to me. For that split second, until I drifted further away from Stephen, I could have sworn I felt a warning as Stephen's mind seemed to question whether someone had tried to contact him. I think he caught remnants of Daniel's presence and hopefully not mine. As we opened our eyes and leaned back in our chairs, I proceeded to fill in Eli, Zac and Tessa on what had happened. It just wasn't much of anything.

Now we had to go on to 'Plan B'. This probably meant my getting as close as possible to Stephen so I could see him with my own two eyes, not through someone else's eyes. I needed my own personal view of him, to be able to take in his aura, see him in action, pick up on his emotions. I knew Daniel hated this idea. He was concerned for my safety. We sat in silence for several minutes, contemplating our next move.

Well, it was time for supper. Abigail, once again, treated us to a wonderfully prepared meal. Tonight, I would not bother offering to help clean dishes; since I witnessed the speed and agility she displayed taking care of them herself the previous night. Amazing! Afterwards, we adjourned to the lounge and made ourselves at home. There was a fire crackling and popping in the fireplace giving a sense of warmth and security. Daniel mentioned he had better check in on a few business matters since he had been involved with either me or the group the entire day. He promised he would be back in an hour.

This gave Dominic time to make his move on me. Or so he thought. We crashed onto one of the monstrous sized sofas, sitting only about a foot apart. The room was rather large, so our group was not necessarily making a point to sit on top of each other. We kind of spread out through the room that night, trying to relax and did not worry about talking the entire evening. The flat screen TV was playing some movie that the others were getting interested in. Eli was partially watching the movie and typing on his laptop, again. Dom would be able to speak freely to me although he would have to keep his voice way down. We were exhausted after our frustrating afternoon and had severe mental drain. Regardless of our weakened states, he was still going to try his best to win me over.

"Kara, this thing with you and Daniel, isn't going to work out. You know that, right? I can tell you're falling for him." Dominic stated this so matter-of-factly. All it did was put me on the defensive.

"How do you know what's going on? It's my life, I can make my own decisions," I spewed at him. If he was trying to win me over, this was not the way to do it. And I allowed him to read those thoughts. He had become very aware that I was putting up mental blocks against him, more and more frequently it seemed. And he wondered what I was up to during those times.

He tamed it down a bit, and tried again, "I'm sorry. I know I can't tell you what to do. I just care an awful lot about you, Kara, and I don't want to see you hurt or disappointed. We've spent a huge amount of time together over the last several weeks. It feels like months to me. But in a good way because of the time I've spent with you. I've noticed you don't allow me into your mind as often as you used to, which could be detrimental if I need to contact you telepathically for an emergency. Although, to be honest, I think if I really, really wanted to push it, I could break through your little mind barrier." He was bragging now.

"Dom, if something was truly wrong, I would get your message, don't worry. I would sense your urgency and yes, you could break through it. It's only a flimsy shield meant to momentarily stop you and make you think that maybe I want some privacy at that moment. And if it's nothing critical or life shattering, maybe you'll respect that privacy for a bit," I explained.

"Okay, I get your point, I understand. Getting back to who likes who-I can see Daniel getting possessive of you. Territorial. Next thing you know, he's going to lift his leg and pee on you," Dom was serious but I started laughing. He, too, finally started laughing. It definitely brought up an interesting image in your mind.

He went on, "I really am being serious, Kara. You need to watch yourself. Be careful. You could fire up emotions in him that he might not be able to control."

I sat there with a look of "having been caught" on my face. Guilty as charged. I admitted, "Well…actually…this morning I had to dampen his highly charged emotions a tad bit. But, nothing happened. He's under control. He's aware of himself now. I'm fine. I'm just unbelievably wiped out after today's events."

"I don't suppose I could just go ahead and pee on you now, huh? And then take you on a real live, human date?" Dom barely could get the words out, he was almost falling off the couch, chuckling.

Laughing and gagging at the same time, I responded, "No, on the peeing! And you could take me out, pizza sounds great, but I'd rather not consider it a date, Dom. You are like my best friend, do you get it?" I tried to emphasize the word friend. I also pushed feelings of comfort and affection into his mind.

He answered, "Yeah, I get it. But I will always be here for you, Kara. Remember that."

And on that note, I gave him a sincere smile of gratitude, grabbed one of the pillows, threw it on his lap, plunked my head down on it to rest and catch what remained of the movie on TV. And to wait for Daniel's return. Dom was not sure what to think about my head being in his lap, although there was a huge pillow between us. I had a feeling he was reading too much into it. I was just looking for a way to collapse in a horizontal position. He readjusted his posture to allow himself to slouch back down and make us both comfortable.

Dom and I drifted off into a light sleep that lasted about thirty minutes. Daniel entered the room, noticed I was sleeping with my head on Dom's lap, and cleared his throat loudly to wake us up and get everyone's attention. I could tell he wasn't thrilled about the position I was in, but chose to dismiss it for the meantime since obviously he had more pressing matters to tell us about. He looked distraught. Something bad had happened. Dom and I were fully awake now. We sat bolt upright.

Daniel relayed to us, "I've heard through the police and the locals, there have been more livestock mutilations, and a camper at a campground near Stephen and Simon's place was found murdered today. I called Simon, luckily he answered, and said Stephen hasn't been around the main house or at the woodworking business lately. He's probably hanging around the old cabin they originally lived in when they left here. Get ready because tomorrow morning we're heading out. Stephen will be found."

Chapter 12

Off Road

After Daniel's abrupt announcement, everyone started talking at once. We had to assume it was Stephen who feasted on the farmer's cattle and killed the camper. Unless, of course, we could prove otherwise. Rebecca had clearly stated, she wanted us to be positive on our actions against Stephen. At least two people had to be in agreement that Stephen was completely out of control, that he could be declared evil, and only then, he would be destroyed.

Daniel rallied the troops together and stated, "We are now on Plan B. I want to keep this hunting group small. I will be the only werewolf going. As it stands, that gives us six total. Zac and Tessa, you have your weapons in case we need to use them. We still must determine that Stephen is the one who committed these crimes. So, don't shoot to kill. At least not yet. I will confront him alone. He won't feel as cornered, or feel that it's a trap, if I go to him by myself. The rest of you will remain very close, but hidden in the woods, able to view and hopefully hear everything between Stephen and myself."

"Is this cabin easy to get to?" Zac questioned.

"Not like it used to be. The dirt road is barely considered a road anymore. It is massively overgrown with tree limbs, weeds and debris. I'll hook up the car trailer to the truck and load the four-wheelers. Let's see, if we double up riding on the ATV's, then we'll need three of them. Lucky me, I've got about four on the property. Zac, I would appreciate it if you'd help me with that tonight," Daniel politely asked Zac.

"Yes, sir, no problem," his military discipline was kicking in.

Daniel continued, "Tomorrow morning, we'll drive to the campground nearest his cabin. Then, do some off-roading with the ATV's until we can get a little closer. We'll walk the last half mile to his cabin to eliminate the noise from the vehicles. He very easily could be out and about and discover us anyway. Once we are near the cabin, you guys can hunker down in the trees as I head up to the front door. Zac, you can position yourself however you deem necessary. I can handle my own fights, but if something goes awry, it wouldn't hurt to have you in a prime location to take a shot at Stephen. Again, I wouldn't attempt a shot meant to kill, just to slow him down. My hope is that he will be honest and confess to these acts of violence, if he did commit them. Many times, our kind likes to brag about things we've done, to show off, and maybe he'll do just that."

I piped in, "Your kind? Ha - males in general, of all kinds, like to brag."

All the men in the room, at that exact moment, turned and scowled at me. Then, it seemed, they were nodding in agreement. Yes, definitely some strong male arrogance could be found in that room. I loved them all, though.

"Anyway…," Daniel went back to the plan of attack, "His answer to whether he is the responsible party will determine what happens next. With Kara being so near to him at that point, hopefully she will be able to make a mental connection with him. Even as I talk to him, Kara, if you're able to work your magic on him right then and there, go for it. Do your psychic manipulation on his emotions. Or if you and Dominic can read his mind, pick out any important details, a way to let us know if he has slipped to the dark side, obviously do so. After confronting him, I plan to just walk away, if he'll let me. There are so many possible scenarios that could play out here. We're going to have to wing some of this. We don't have a crystal ball, and unless you two psychics can see into the future, we have no way of knowing what Stephen's answers will be or how he will react to me."

Eli spoke up, "As soon as Zac and Daniel finish loading up the ATV's, everyone needs to get to bed."

The group broke up and went their own way. Tessa mentioned to Zac that she was going to quickly prepare the guns and choose some other weapons that the rest of us could carry for protection. Lovely. I could just see me wielding some long-edged knife trying to defend myself. Maybe she had some mace. I could handle that.

Eli and Dom seemed to be chatting up a storm about the situation tomorrow. Dom looked over at me and held up one finger, then he mentally said, Give me a second then we'll head back to the cabin.

Zac and Daniel were heading out the entrance door. They would be getting the trailer and four-wheelers ready to go. As Daniel walked by me, he paused, and said, "Interesting position you were in earlier while you took a nap. I hadn't forgotten that little scene, in case you were wondering. Don't worry. I'm not going to beat him up or anything. Dominic and I are friends, but that doesn't mean we can't have a little playful bantering. Just to let you know."

While most of the group were still in the lounge, Daniel gave me a lengthy hug, then glanced up at Dom who was, of course, watching us, and winked at him. Then, he walked out the door to catch up with Zac. I sensed everyone's curiosity with Daniel's affection towards me. I stood there, smiled and gave a wave as if to say, "Hi - I'm standing right here and can see you're all still staring at me."

Dominic walked over to me as Eli headed back to the kitchen. He thought he'd engage in some good-natured teasing with me. He must have read pieces of Daniel's mind a few seconds ago, as he said, "So, are you ready to hit the bed?" Again, that was another expression that could be taken two ways. He deserved the flick I gave his shoulder. We waited a few minutes for Eli to return, and the three of us headed to our cabin.

* * * *

The next morning arrived and everyone awoke early to make the final preparations for the day's undertaking. The land that Hamlin occupied was on a peninsula. We would be driving to the opposite side of this peninsula, where Blood River flowed from Kentucky Lake and offered more beautiful scenery. Blood River. What a fitting name considering what we were dealing with. I was actually curious how it came to be called that. And I wondered if it had anything to do with legends about werewolves or even vampires.

We entered the campground and drove as far back as we could get the truck and trailer. There were no campers or visitors on site at this time. I know I sure wouldn't be out here camping at the end of November. Too cold for my taste. I was quite surprised when Daniel said someone at a campground had been killed. But Daniel had mentioned how some people go hunting during this time of the year and will park trailers at the campgrounds. The lone hunter had unwittingly crossed paths with, we presumed, Stephen, and met his untimely death. This was not the actual campground where the hunter had set up his trailer. That particular campground was presently flooded with detectives, who were seeking evidence in the murder investigation.

Daniel brought up, "I hope we don't inadvertently bump into the police while on our escapade. Stephen's cabin is located a few miles from here, so I imagine they'll stick close around the area where the murder took place, which was only one-fourth of a mile from his trailer. And I haven't heard any warnings to stay away from or cease all activity in other campgrounds or areas. Obviously, we can't go nosing around the scene of the crime, but we should be fine parked here. "

We piled out of Daniel's extended cab truck. I made sure before we left to layer my clothes as we had no idea how long we'd be outside. Everyone seemed to be thinking the same thing as I glanced around at the attire. Zac and Daniel immediately started unloading the ATV's.

Tessa suggested we take a quick detour to the farmer's property where the cattle had been killed. Daniel had previously talked with Tessa and Zac about the possibility of doing that before we left the resort. With both of their superior tracking and hunting skills, especially Zac's, perhaps they could identify some specific footprint, track, anything, to help clue us in on who to blame for that incident. As far as we knew, the police were not surveying the pasture for any evidence, they were focused on the human killing. The farmer's property was just a mile away, and it would be foolish not to check it out.

Daniel locked up the truck and secured the trailer. Zac and Tessa had attached various weapons, guns and gadgets either to themselves or onto the four-wheeler. Tessa handed out some knives with sheaths for the rest of us. Just in case. I watched as Daniel strapped his own personal knife, one that he had removed from under the seat of his truck, onto himself as well. The ATV's were ready to go. Obviously, Zac and Tessa would ride together. Dominic and Daniel had full intentions of driving their own vehicles. Eli and I stood there not sure who we should climb on board with.

Dominic spoke first, "Come on, Kara. Let's go."

Daniel spoke second with, "Yeah, Kara, you can ride with me. Hop on." He was fairly firm in stating this. I knew I wanted to ride with Daniel, but poor Dom's feelings would get hurt.

I mentally said to Dom, Sorry.

Without further ado, Eli got on with Dom, and I excitedly climbed on with Daniel, snuggling close to him for warmth, comfort and the closeness that I craved from him.

We traveled the short distance to the farmstead where the cattle had been killed. Daniel's heightened senses were called into play as he sniffed out the exact spot where it had happened. Daniel did have an idea of the approximate location, just from what information he had picked up from his contacts the night before. But the blood is what Daniel's sense of smell homed in. There was a tremendous amount of it splattered in a large area, and even remnants of the cow's body, still all over the ground. He had also made sure the farmer wasn't anywhere near so we could thoroughly investigate the area without being caught trespassing.

Daniel immediately made an observation, one that only he would have been capable of doing. He was confused as he said, "I am catching the scent of Stephen in the area, but there is something unfamiliar to me. Something, maybe, that is masked? Cloaked? Something trying to remain undetected…I can't be sure. The farmer had already disposed of the cow's remains, as best as possible, after he had found it late yesterday afternoon. But, there is still so much blood all over, too messy for a werewolf kill or even the removal of the body by the farmer…it makes me think the wolf had literally rolled around in the blood to cover up his scent. I know that sounds strange."

Zac found footprints of a werewolf. Perhaps two sets, it was a little hard to tell, since most footprints all looked about the same. Daniel stood observing the tell-tale marks in the dirt. He said, "Two different sets. I am assuming one set has to be Stephen's. I don't know who to guess for the other, unless possibly David. Remember me telling you, we weren't sure about his mental state? This just doesn't seem like anything David would do, though."

Zac, Tessa and Daniel carefully surveyed the area one last time, but nothing further was gained. We walked back to the ATV's, which we had parked about two hundred feet away. We were mystified by the fact that there were two werewolves seemingly involved in this attack on the cow. Daniel did not doubt himself in his ability to identify two sets of footprints. We climbed on the vehicles again. This time we were headed to Stephen's cabin.

I held onto Daniel tightly as we bounced along through the wilderness. We had to go through some pretty precarious spots which included crossing a stream. At times, we really had to slow our pace and crept along trying to get around trees, limbs and rocks. I sensed Daniel's tension and confusion with having to confront Stephen. I gently touched at his mind, easily reading it. Daniel didn't know what to honestly believe about this situation. I decided to use my psychic ability to instill thoughts and emotions of confidence, strength, and cunning to out-wit Stephen. I completely understood Daniel not wanting to have a true conversation with me at this time. For one thing, he needed concentration on maneuvering us safely through the woods to get to Stephen's cabin. Secondly, he was mentally sifting through all the information and knowledge he had attained about Stephen and this latest killing spree. He wished we could have scoped out the spot where the hunter had been killed. There might have been more evidence and clues at that crime scene. He was also playing out the different possible scenarios during the impending confrontation between Stephen and himself.

Daniel acknowledged my presence in his mind with a quick squeeze on my hands that I had wrapped around his waist. I was fairly sure he was even aware I gave his emotions a positive boost. He would suspect I would to try to help stabilize his mind, to balance his thoughts, in a time that required clear thinking on his part. We were entering enemy territory. He had to be in control of himself and all moves he chose to make. He needed to be one step ahead of Stephen, and be ready to react smoothly, making use of all his resources, everything around him.

Daniel slowed down our pace, signaling to Dom and Zac to follow suit. We came to a complete stop and Daniel turned off the ATV. He had me climb off first, then he got off and said to the group, "From this point, we walk. It's probably a half mile away or less. Zac, Tessa - bring all you have and hand out what you need help carrying."

Most of the items Zac and Tessa had were easily transported by themselves. In fact, I think they preferred it that way. After several minutes of shuffling around duffle bags and securing weapons, a metal case, was handed to Dominic to carry. Then we stood there, as a team, and looked to our guide, Daniel, to lead the way.

It was mid-morning. Thankfully, the sun was partly out. The temperature was a brisk 55 degrees. The winds were calm. The atmosphere was acceptable at this time, but we had heard the forecast for the afternoon was not so fair. The temps were going to drop and possibly rain. If it got too cold, then it could sleet. Daniel had mentioned that the lack of breeze was a very good thing, since it could carry our scent, and his scent, and alert Stephen of our arrival. We were trying to go for the element of surprise so Stephen would not have time in advance to plan a counter attack. Daniel was surmising that if Stephen had been running wild of late, then he would have been out during most of the night hours. Since it was morning now, chances were very good that Stephen would be found at the cabin, probably sleeping, and not scanning his surroundings for intruders.

I walked next to Daniel. At this stage, the whole group had to know that Daniel and I had strong feelings for each other. You'd have to be blind not to see that. Not once had any of them made any snide comments about our relationship, except, Dominic. And that was because he had hoped I would become his girlfriend. I know he kept that option open, not wanting to close the door to the possibility I might have a change of heart. He didn't shun me, although it appeared I was choosing Daniel over him. He would never win in a physical fight with Daniel over me and I would never approve of them fighting. Also, I would never forgive Daniel if he hurt Dominic due to fighting over me. As we kept pace with Daniel, I grabbed his hand to show my support and affection for him.

As we got closer, Daniel distanced himself many feet in front of us. He was pushing his senses to their full maximum capability. After several minutes, he signaled us to slowly, quietly walk closer to where he was.

He whispered, "I believe Stephen is in the cabin. I am sensing another wolf, too, but the scent is not fresh. As we discussed earlier, Zac and Tessa, position yourselves in the trees or bushes for the best visibility of the front porch but stay concealed. If you have headsets to communicate, discreetly use them. Eli, Dom, Kara stay back behind these bushes, but Kara, try to get a clear view of him."

We all started moving into our designated positions. I hesitated the longest as I wanted to privately wish Daniel luck. As the others cautiously crept away, I turned and gave Daniel a powerful hug, burying my head into his shoulder. He pulled back enough to lean down to kiss me. I hoped to God that no harm came to him. Again, I psychically shoved all those positive emotions and images of success, confidence, strength into his very being, hoping it would help somehow. But I didn't have any control over how Stephen with his emotions would react or behave.

Daniel walked me over to where Dom and Eli were crouched. They were staking out the cabin, trying to find the perfect break in the bushes for me to peer through, that way I could get the best view of Stephen when he walked outside. The closer I was to Stephen improved my chances of picking up his vibes, his emotional state and enhancing my ability to enter his mind.

Daniel and I squatted down right next to Dominic. They looked squarely at each other. Daniel seemed to be sizing him up, then simply stated to Dom, "She's under your protection for now. I trust you and know that you care for her. Do the best you can to keep her safe. I'll return."

It felt like Daniel had just handed me off to Dominic. He physically moved me directly next to Dom's side as he stood up. He entrusted Dom to protect me while he went into the battlefield. Tears were hanging on the rims of my eyes, as Daniel walked off to meet Stephen head on.

Chapter 13

Confrontation

Everyone remained absolutely still as Daniel made his way to the front porch. My heart was pounding from the anxiety. No one really knew what was going to happen next. We were on high alert, completely in tune with our surroundings. I watched as Daniel walked up the rickety old steps. The cabin was falling apart from years of neglect. It was amazing that anyone would attempt to live in it. Then again, we were not dealing with a human, but a werewolf.

I quickly sent a mental message to Zac and Tessa, Do you have him clearly in your line of sight?

They answered in unison, Yes.

Daniel was now standing on the front porch. He pounded on the door twice and shouted, "Hey, Stephen! It's Daniel. I know you're in there. We need to talk."

There was the distinct sound of a snarl coming from within the cabin. A few moments passed. Daniel stood patiently waiting, taking two steps backward. I would assume we had caught Stephen off guard, possibly sleeping, or maybe he needed to get dressed before coming outside. That snarl was definitely meant as a warning.

And then the door flung open. Stephen. He made his grand entrance, stepping onto the porch. The images that Daniel and Isaac had given to me during my failed effort to enter Stephen's mind were very accurate. I was now able to gaze at him in the flesh. He was a superior being. And he knew it. His arrogance to that fact dripped off him so heavily it was sickening. Even so, he was handsome, in an Old World sort of way. I memorized his features, his physical traits, any interesting idiosyncrasies he displayed. At this point, he was still too distant from me. Like a stranger. No contact. I kept focusing.

"What do you want?" Stephen glared at Daniel. "You are in my territory."

Daniel took a deep breath, and calmly stated, "I am not here to fight with you, Stephen. I know you are looking for any excuse to let loose on me. I am here to talk and ask you some questions. I hope you will give me honest answers."

"I'll see what I can do," he sarcastically replied.

Daniel and Stephen remained on the small porch. Stephen had closed the front door and was leaning up against it. Daniel positioned himself a few feet away, near one of the porch's rotting posts.

"I'll get straight to the point," Daniel began, "I heard the news about the livestock being mutilated and the hunter that was killed. Did you do it?"

Stephen shook his head from side to side and laughed in mockery. I suspected he was playing a game of cat and mouse with Daniel. He replied, "No, it wasn't me. Although I'm sure you sniffed out my scent in the general area."

Daniel knew this was going to be like pulling teeth, trying to get information out of Stephen. "If it wasn't you that committed these acts of violence, then who was it?"

"That is the big question of the day, isn't it? Well, I'm not at liberty to say at this time. He would rather like to keep his identity private."

"Why are you covering for him?" Daniel pushed.

"He gives me the opportunity to be my real self. To not downplay what we truly are. We may have originally been humans, Daniel, but we aren't anymore and haven't been for over three hundred years. I've become tired of pretending to act like a human. To blend in with society, as you constantly kept cramming down my throat all these long years. You were always the calm, cool and collected one. Even back when we were hunting those wretched witches that had started this whole mess. You were the one that said we needed to leave our homes in Salem. To start out fresh somewhere else. No one would know about what we truly were. As long as we kept quiet and listened to everything you said. I just couldn't take it anymore. I wanted out. To be free and not have a care in the world. And not to have to bow anymore to your every beck and call. I really don't care anymore what anyone thinks. At one time, I actually thought I had found some happiness. A light at the end of the tunnel. But I still wanted to break free from your Alpha male control and I couldn't have both that light and my freedom from you at the same time…" Stephen trailed off.

He had revealed a surprising amount of details in this little tell-all. The problem was trying to decipher what some of his rambling actually meant, especially that last bit of about a light and happiness. Thankfully, Daniel was wondering the exact same thing and proceeded to ask him about it.

"What stint of happiness are you referring to?"

"It doesn't matter anymore. That was the past and I lost my chance at that light since I couldn't handle being around you at the same time. The wild kept calling to me, as it had been for so long. I couldn't deny my werewolf side, the urges I was having," Stephen tried to explain. It sounded like a confession.

Daniel tried to direct him back to the reason he was there in the first place. The dead cow and the murdered hunter. Somehow, Stephen had become sidetracked with this story. Maybe he had intentionally sidetracked Daniel to get him off the subject of the mystery werewolf. I could sense several emotions coming from Stephen, although probably anyone could do the same simply by listening to him. The emotions that surged forth were of depression, sorrow, anger and revenge. I still could not directly enter Stephen's mind to either read it or do any mental manipulation on him. Frustrating.

Daniel tried again, "Okay, again, who is this other werewolf? I thought there was a possibility it was David, but this doesn't sound like him at all. And the scent is unfamiliar."

"Just a loner, passing through the area for a short stay. I don't want to bring any unwanted attention to him. He's been holed up here lately. On and off."

"What?!" Daniel was confused by Stephen's reply. "I think he's brought quite a bit of attention to himself if he's the one committing those crimes! And that unwanted attention could expose the existence of all the werewolves to the wrong people. We would be hunted. The government would most definitely step in at that point, too, and our lives would be ripped apart. Is that what you want?"

"I don't know what I want anymore. I don't look into the future. I only live in the present. I can survive in the wilderness and go into deep hiding if necessary," Stephen was clearly thinking only of himself.

"Why did this other wolf kill the hunter? Was that necessary?" Daniel probed.

"Look, we were out running in the woods, in our wolf shape. He had a raging hunger for some beef and I guided him over to the farm where I knew cattle were. I did not directly kill that cow. He did it, although I admit I did feast on it with him. As we were heading back here to the cabin, we were pretty high from the taste of the meat, the blood of the cow. We literally stumbled upon the hunter. Almost ran right into him as we ran carelessly through the woods. We hadn't bothered scanning the area for the presence or scent of others. The hunter was undoubtedly shocked by our appearance. He had his rifle with him and raised it to shoot at us," Stephen paused and was on the defensive, knowing he would get lectured by Daniel at any moment.

Daniel said, "So, did it occur to you guys that you could have just taken off? Run away? With your speed and strength, and your knowledge that someone is holding a gun at you, chances were very much in your favor that you would have escaped without a scratch. No harm done. Just a hunter with a story about two large wolves that he came across. The end. But no, you had to kill him."

"I did not kill him. The other wolf merely reacted in self-defense, his natural instincts for survival had kicked in. Without a second thought, he lunged at the hunter's throat. And it was over just like that. We immediately left the area. This was similar to the incident several months ago when I accidentally killed that farmer in self-defense as he fired his gun at me," Stephen was not realizing how he had options. Different choices that could have been made during any of these incidents.

Daniel spewed at him, "And that farmer wouldn't have taken a shot at you if you weren't there in the first place chowing down on his livestock, Stephen. Do you think you have the right to do those things? Do you want to jeopardize yourself and the rest of us? Where is this other werewolf acquaintance of yours right now?"

Stephen answered him, "His name is Cassius. And I really don't know where he is exactly. It's not my duty to keep tabs on his whereabouts and I'm sure he'd be highly ticked off if I did. He is a loner, a wanderer. He answers to no one. He is not part of any pack. He is traveling through and I happened to come across him while out on a run one day. We have a common interest in how we want to live. To survive. I admire his longevity in this world. He is very powerful and immensely aggressive. I do not want to provoke him in any way. That's it."

"Stephen, are you that dense? He is using you for your knowledge of the area and could not care less about any bond of friendship. He has a shelter to stay in whenever he chooses and easy access to food. Your willingness to accept him as he is makes it easy for him to hide behind you to protect himself. You are defending his actions. He knows you could easily be the one people point their finger at if anything bad happens, since you've already stirred things up with the pack. Obviously, if he had his own pack, he would have the Alpha male status. And he is influencing your behaviors, your emotions. He is trying to turn you completely to the dark side, which you border so close on as it is. We want to help you if it's still possible, to work with your emotions," Daniel explained.

After Daniel said the words "we" and mentioned trying to help his emotional state, Stephen's face took on a look of comprehension. Daniel realized he shouldn't have used those words as it tipped off Stephen that something was askew. Stephen moved away from the door he had his back up against, walked past Daniel and down off the porch and scanned over his property. He used his heightened senses of sight, sound and smell. Even the sixth sense of perception was being used to check for intruders. His body tensed, ready to defend himself if needed. He felt a trap had been set for him.

"Who is out there?" Stephen swung around, glaring at Daniel.

Daniel tried his best to remain calm, and answered, "I have brought several people with me. They want to help you if you will allow it."

"Humans. I knew I could smell them. You are dealing with those humans known as The Liaison, aren't you?" Stephen's temper was rising.

"Yes, I know you're aware of them from previous trips they've made down here. All for the purpose of getting your emotions under control. We want to understand what is happening to you and offer our help," Daniel had now moved off the porch and stood a few feet from Stephen.

Mentally, I asked Zac and Tessa, Do you still have a clear shot of Stephen?

Zac replied, Yes.

Tessa replied, No. My heart sank when I heard that.

Quickly, I relayed this information psychically to Daniel, Zac has a clear shot. Tessa doesn't.

Daniel responded, Do not kill him. Shoot for the shoulder only if he is clearly attacking.

I mentally pushed this information into Zac and Tessa's minds. Dominic was reading my mind as this went on, so he was aware of the situation. Throughout the whole confrontation between Daniel and Stephen, I continually tried to access Stephen's mind, but no success. Dom was getting absolutely no where, either. I was picking up the emotions better than ever, but could not break through the mental barrier. I felt like I needed the physical contact with him or at least be a few feet from him. Just something about Stephen or his mind was not letting me in. He had been blocking Daniel for quite some time, and perhaps the constant withdrawal from psychic connections, and his awareness of that, interfered with my ability to gain access.

Suddenly, Stephen seemed to notice that someone was trying to read his mind. He pressed at his temples with his fingers. It was not Daniel. He looked out into the woods, in my direction. He was putting two and two together rapidly. Daniel stepped closer for fear Stephen might come after me.

"There's a female…she tried this before with your help. I saw a flash of it and thought I was imagining things. I don't appreciate someone, a stranger especially, trying to mess with my mind. Who do you think you are to try to control me? I have my freedom and I will live the way I choose to. I won't play by your rules anymore, Daniel. Leave." Stephen declared with fury rising up from deep within him.

At that moment, he transformed into a werewolf. As did Daniel. It was a sight to behold. The two were in a stand-off. Zac wasn't sure if he should shoot or not. Eli, Dom and I actually rose up from our crouched positions behind the bushes. It didn't matter anymore if Stephen saw us. He knew we were there.

The two powerful wolves circled each other, snarling and growling, back and forth. Neither taking their eyes off one another. Their lips were curled back, displaying long, sharp, deadly teeth meant to kill prey. And both were predators at this moment. Saliva dripped from their open mouths. Daniel looked so much more beastly, more lethal, during this transformation than I recalled from the first time I ever saw him turn. He seemed friendly at that time, but not now.

From what I understood, Daniel had only come here to question Stephen. He would not be the first to attack. He did not mean to be the aggressor in this duel, but had to transform to meet Stephen equally on the playing field. All at once, Stephen dove at Daniel's throat, and in that split second a shot was fired. It was Zac. He hit Stephen squarely in the right shoulder, as Daniel requested. Stephen hit the ground with a yelp of pain, and he retreated immediately, limping off, trailing blood. He knew he would not win this fight today. There were too many of us surrounding him. And he had to tend to his injury. He would completely heal from this type of wound, probably within just a mere day.

Daniel, still in wolf form, came running full speed towards us. He slowed his pace a few feet from me and padded over to a bag that was lying on the ground. He nudged at it with his muzzle and looked at me.

Mentally I asked, Daniel, what is it you need?

Clothes, he responded with urgency.

Of course, I should have realized that. I ran quickly to the bag, unzipped it and pulled out basic clothes for him. I folded them in a nice bundle and presented the items to Daniel. He took the bundle of clothes carefully from my outstretched hand with his mighty jaws. It was empowering for me to help him in this awkward situation. Then, he ran behind a nearby bush, transformed back into human shape, and got dressed. That act of turning from human to wolf and wolf to human was going to take some getting used to on my part. It was terrifying and yet amazing at the same time. He stepped back into view from behind the bushes.

Daniel looked at everyone and plainly stated, "We need to go right now."

In the distance, we could hear the sound of a wolf howling in distress.

Chapter 14

Storm

With great speed, almost at a run, we headed back to the location of the four-wheelers. Daniel flew through the woods with ease. He knew which direction to go and the layout of the land. Even in human shape, he had the essence of the wolf's traits projecting from him. Speed, strength, cunning, balance. He continually had to slow down his pace for us, mostly referring to Eli, Dom and myself. Our breathing was very labored. Our lungs hurt from inhaling the cold air. But, Zac and Tessa, who were in peak physical condition and carried several weapons, weren't even bothered with all this exertion. I made a mental note that I needed to work out more vigorously after this little jaunt. My immediate concern was for Eli's health, as he was about sixty years old, and it was difficult for him to keep up with the rest of us. He did make it; although, that half mile run probably seemed like an eternity to him.

We jumped on the vehicles, and kept the same seating order as when we drove out. Daniel looked at everyone with concern.

"I should have brought my brother, Isaac, with us. I had no idea there was a rogue werewolf on the loose in the area. Stephen called him Cassius. And after this incident, he will seek out Cassius for help in retaliation against us. We need to get back to the truck, load up the ATV's and get to the resort. We're vulnerable like sitting ducks out here in the woods," Daniel said with urgency.

With that, the drivers started up the vehicles and proceeded on the next leg of our journey. It was a couple of miles of rough riding to get back to the truck. I clung to Daniel for dear life, afraid I would get jostled off the back. I'm sure the passengers on the other ATV's felt the same way. At least if you were the driver, you were in control of where you were going, could see what was up ahead and attempt to ready your body for jolts. When the day began, I was actually enjoying this off-road travel. It was something different I was not used to doing in my life. I was excited to be able to sit behind Daniel, holding myself close to him, putting my safety in his hands. And now, I was so ready to get off that contraption, to be back at the resort, and sitting in front of that big, roaring fireplace.

It was midday. We obviously weren't going to worry about eating lunch until we got back to the resort. I doubted that anyone was even hungry. We had a sense of danger hanging in the air. A foreboding feeling. The temperature had started to drop. We were aware that rain, possibly sleet, had been forecast for the afternoon and evening. This was not an ideal setting for humans. The werewolves were much more adapted to handling adverse weather conditions.

I mentally asked Daniel, Do you think they'll come after us?

Yes. But right at the moment, Stephen would be treating his injury. So we have some time. I don't expect him to be following us immediately. Daniel replied.

I thought it would be important to pass this information along to the rest of the team. Since we were still traveling on the ATV's, it was hard to talk, so using my psychic skills, I entered their minds, and told them what Daniel had said. I figured they shouldn't be needlessly worrying about an assault that was not going to happen right now. Everyone needed to concentrate on getting back to the truck.

Finally, the deserted campground was within our sight. The men drove directly to the car trailer and everyone climbed off. Daniel pulled out the ramps on the trailer so the ATV's could quickly be loaded. I tried to stretch my legs out as they had gotten cramped up. My whole body was aching.

And then it started to lightly rain. It wasn't cold enough for snow. Snow might have been easier to deal with, though. Rain had a tendency to soak into your clothes, hair and shoes which made a person feel miserable. We saw a few ominous streaks of lightning shooting across the sky, which was strange for that time of the year. The recent warmer temperatures were responsible in creating such a peculiar visual display.

The men finished loading the ATV's on the car trailer. Daniel and Zac were properly securing them so they wouldn't roll off. Dominic was dealing with the trailer ramps, trying to shove them back in place. Eli had gotten into the truck already. Tessa was standing guard, watching the woods. I had to pee. I couldn't help it. But when it started to rain, the urge came upon me. I noticed a nice restroom facility about fifty feet away. Since we weren't quite ready to leave yet, I knew I had time to go. I signaled to Tessa what my intentions were by pointing at the restroom, and said, "I'll be back in two minutes."

Tessa was not aware how the restrooms were setup. If she had known, she would probably have come with me. It appeared from her location that there was a privacy wall erected directly in front of the doors leading into the men's and women's restrooms. She figured if anyone was approaching, she could catch them in the act. I entered on the women's side of the privacy wall. I was thrilled to locate a functioning light switch and plenty of toilet paper. After I finished and washed my hands in the sink, I noticed that this was one of those restrooms that had front and back doors. You could walk right through. In one door, out the other.

For no reason in particular, I decided to walk out the back door instead of the front door I had originally come through. I guess I thought, what difference does it make what door I go out? As I just started to come out from around the back of the building's privacy wall, an arm reached out and grabbed me. I had not made it around the side of the building, so Tessa did not have a chance to see me and to know I was in trouble. She was expecting me to walk out the front door, since she didn't even know about the back door. Violently, I was pushed up against the wall, staring into Stephen's raging eyes.

Situated a few feet back from us stood Cassius, watching to see how Stephen was going to handle this. Cassius. This one was pure evil. He had turned to the dark side. He was purposely encouraging and deviously swaying Stephen to fully come to the dark side with him. To be his comrade. I looked over at Stephen's shoulder where Zac had shot him and was amazed to see that it was no longer bleeding. It still needed a little more time to completely heal, but it wasn't slowing him down much, as when he was initially shot and limped off into the woods back at his cabin.

Stephen saw me look at his shoulder and roughly said, "Yeah, good thing I heal fast, isn't it? And lucky for me, my buddy, Cassius, wasn't too far away at the time one of you shot me. He heard the gun go off, then my howl for help and came to my aid. We effortlessly tracked you back here to the campground. As we were planning on what action to take next, here you come walking in our direction to use the restroom. All alone. Three seconds more and we would have been in there with you. Fortunately for us, but plain stupidity on your part, you walk out the back door, right into our hands."

I tried to sweet talk my way out of this, "Stephen, we don't want to hurt you. The only reason you were shot is because you made an attempt to attack Daniel. We want to help you turn your life around." This was difficult to have a conversation with Cassius looming so closely over us.

"The Liaison. You are humans. You are outsiders and strangers and have no business getting involved. I can't believe Daniel contacted that doctor, Eli, and asked for help. You're a psychic, aren't you? I know I sensed that. You want to mess with my mind," Stephen spat the words out.

Even as he said that, I was eerily feeling a bit more of a mental breakthrough with Stephen. I don't think he was aware of it. It dawned on me that not only was I up close and personal, and we were talking directly to each other, but I now had that physical contact with him that I so desperately needed in order to gain full access to his mind. That didn't necessarily mean I could do so instantly. I wasn't feeling that ability kick in for me, although there was progress. He still had a psychic block against everyone but perhaps Cassius. It was ironic that this one thing he was trying to prevent, which was my using thought manipulation on him, just backfired, without him having a clue. Although he should have realized the closer he got to me, the physical contact in capturing me, the more he jeopardized his ability to keep up that mental barrier.

Unless, of course, Stephen and Cassius had planned on killing me. Then I'd be out of the picture. A thorn in his side, their sides, removed.

He had me pushed up against the wall, holding me there with his brutally powerful arms. I knew I was going to be bruised from this abuse. The rain was coming down harder now. I was getting drenched and feeling the effects from having been out in the cold too long. But the weather didn't bother the werewolves at all.

I returned to his last question. "Yes, I am psychic. I was brought into this group very recently. Stephen, I can help you if you'll let me."

This time, Cassius stepped up to me and spoke for the first time, "What makes you think he needs help? I see nothing wrong with his way of living."

I knew the situation was getting dangerous. I should have already alerted Daniel or any of The Liaison to my predicament. I was so caught up in my own confrontation with Stephen, trying to learn more, still trying to de-fuse his volatile behavior. And on top of it, a rogue werewolf that none of us knew about, had entered the picture. I was assuming Daniel or Zac would try to kill Cassius. He was too much of a threat. He was bad and I could no longer help him.

I decided I better connect mentally with Daniel while I had the chance. It had to be fast or else Stephen or Cassius would catch on to what I was doing. And one of them would likely kill me on the spot, probably Cassius, unless Stephen wanted to show his allegiance to Cassius by killing me himself. I wasn't convinced that Stephen had completely turned evil. He was bordering on it, but the emotions and senses I absorbed from him told me we might be able to save him. If it came right down to it, I don't think he could kill me, even though he sure was acting the bad boy part in front of Cassius. Since no one had arrived yet in my defense, they assumed they had the upper hand. Perhaps they thought I was so shocked and terrified, I couldn't focus to make a mental connection to call for help. In reality, I was creating that link at that exact moment.

Daniel, help me! Stephen and Cassius are holding me at the back of the building, I sent out the mental communication. Short, simple, to the point.

Daniel responded, I'm coming.

Cassius looked at Stephen and prompted, "What are you waiting for? She needs to die. She's a bigger threat to you than our own kind. The longer she stays around, the more of a nuisance she becomes."

Stephen was torn between his options. Kill me or not. Here was his chance, as I stood in front of him. Helpless. No one around to save me. At least not yet. In a mere second, he could slash my throat and escape the scene of the crime. But he hesitated. I was picking up his emotions, flashes in my head. He was a terribly tormented being. And to have Cassius in on the action, putting peer pressure on him, made the situation worse. To Stephen, killing me would be a way of bonding the friendship between Cassius and himself. It was a way of proving himself, of showing his loyalty.

Cassius was getting irritated. Restless. Tired of playing this waiting game. He knew the longer Stephen wavered, the chances increased tenfold of being discovered by the humans. My friends would start to wonder what was taking me so long and come looking for me. Cassius was a cold-blooded killer. Another person's life meant absolutely nothing to him. He seemed perplexed as to why Stephen wasn't taking advantage of this prime opportunity to rid themselves of me. He decided to take matters into his own hands and pushed Stephen aside, which allowed him to have full access to me.

Cassius's eyes were blazing with pent up rage. He spat out, "We don't have time for this anymore. Say goodbye, sweetie."

His hands flew up to seize my throat, and just at that moment, Daniel made a spectacular entrance. Finally! I had started to wonder what was taking him so long. He must have alerted the rest of the team to my predicament and they went into combat mode, coming to my rescue. Daniel, with his super speed, had reached me first. The sight of him charging around the corner of the building distracted Cassius long enough for Daniel to shove him backwards, away from me.

Daniel had his knife drawn, ready for the fight to ensue. I expected Cassius and Daniel to transform into their animal bodies, but neither changed. I imagined with the surprise attack, it didn't allow enough time to go through a complete transformation, without inadvertently giving the enemy a chance to strike during that change. And Daniel was up against two werewolves at once, not very good odds. I expected Zac or one of the others to arrive any second, so they could aid Daniel in the fight. Since we did have guns, and the wolves did not, I chalked that up as an extra point in our favor.

"You will not be laying your filthy paws on her again," Daniel was trying to delay until the others arrived. He directed his speaking to Cassius. "And you are not welcome in this territory. You have stirred things up enough around here and that chaos will end today."

Cassius was not one to back down. Stephen appeared to hang back a bit, as his emotions were conflicted in what to do. With Daniel and Cassius circling one another, Stephen acted as if he would step in if needed, otherwise would let the two fight it out, especially since he was still recovering from being shot in the shoulder earlier.

"Try to stop me," Cassius taunted. "I follow my own rules. I go wherever I want and do what I choose."

Cassius's next move was smooth, quick. He dropped to the ground, swung out his right leg, which caught Daniel's legs, knocking him off his feet. Daniel hit the ground, landing on his back. Cassius was on top of him in a blink of an eye. The knife Daniel wielded made contact with Cassius's arm, slicing a deep, bleeding wound. He had aimed for Cassius's neck, but during the struggle, it didn't make it to that destination, which should have been the lethal blow.

I noticed a partial transforming of Cassius's hands. His fingers lengthened, his nails had grown an inch longer into sharp, dagger-like claws. Some ragged, black fur had sprouted on the top of his hands. He took a swipe at Daniel and the claws connected with his chest. There were four distinct rips through his shirt, which instantly revealed the damage done to him as blood soaked into the material. I gasped and held my breath, fearful of what might happen next.

Just then, I noticed Zac creep around the corner of the restroom. He squatted into a controlled position, giving himself the best shot at Cassius. The gun rang out with all its glory as he fired at his target. Cassius had no idea what hit him. Zac, with all of his military training, years of practice, disciplined behavior, and precision with his skills, delivered the deadly shot to Cassius's head, as if it was nothing. Cassius fell to the ground, dead. He would not recover from that injury.

Stephen stood off to the side, looking at the scene in shock. The one being that had encouraged Stephen to release his emotions, to be wild, untamed, aggressive, was now lying on the ground, lifeless. Gone from Stephen's life. Taken away from him in a heartbeat. Cassius had been overbearing, domineering, but he had given Stephen that rush of adrenaline, an excitement in taking risks. Power.

Dom and Tessa had arrived behind Zac and had seen the shooting take place. Everyone was staring at Stephen, waiting for his next move. He knew he was outnumbered. I merged with Daniel's mind and told him, He held back when Cassius told him to kill me. He easily could have taken my life, and he didn't. He's really confused.

Daniel said, Tell Zac and Tessa, without speaking aloud, not to kill him.

I put that information into their minds. Zac questioned holding back, but agreed to follow Daniel's orders. It was unlikely that Stephen would attempt anything further that day. An invisible line divided the five of us from Stephen, standing alone as a single, rogue, werewolf. No one on his side. No one to back him. His pack, who had left Daniel's circle of protection, wasn't even behind him on his actions. Maybe David could be influenced by Stephen to run wild with him, but we hadn't confirmed that yet. And that was something we had to keep our eyes open for.

Suddenly, Stephen transformed into a werewolf. He looked so desolate, miserable, desperate in what to do next. He paced back and forth, on the edge of the woods. I felt pity and sorrow for him. I tried again to connect with his mind and all I got was those flashes of emotions and a few images of running through the woods. Nothing that was solid for me to work with. He definitely had a mental block against me. He sensed what I was attempting to do with connecting our minds, and violently shook his head. I did feel confident that I was actually getting closer to opening that little door into his mind.

He didn't like the fact that I kept persisting to gain access to his mind. Stephen took a few steps towards us, I believe towards me, in retaliation. Dominic decided this would be a good time to make use of one of his skills. As Stephen took another step, Dom stopped him in his tracks with his mind. Stephen could not move forward at all. It was strange to see him try again and again and not get anywhere. It reminded me of someone placing their hand on my forehead and then I would try to walk towards them, and couldn't. Dominic was doing a great job keeping Stephen at bay.

After about five tries, Stephen looked totally defeated, turned on his haunches, and launched himself into the woods.

Daniel stated, "He's gone. Zac, Dom - good job. Now we need to burn Cassius's body. We don't need anyone to come across another dead body in the area."

I went running to Daniel, almost in hysterics, "Daniel, you're slashed up and bleeding. What can we do?"

He lifted up his ripped, bloody shirt to show proof that he would be perfectly fine. The four slice marks in his skin were still visible, but the bleeding had basically stopped. His heightened healing ability had kicked in and saved his life. I was so relieved and let out a big sigh.

Eli popped his head around the building. Everyone had forgotten that he was sitting in the truck this whole time. When I made my mental call for help to Daniel, they decided to leave Eli in the safety of the truck and come to my rescue.

"What's going on back here? Did I miss out on something?" Eli asked. Daniel pointed to Cassius's body. Eli's jaw dropped to his knees in astonishment. He also took note of the blood all down the front of Daniel's shirt.

Zac replied to Eli, "Go get the gas can. It's time for a bonfire."

Chapter 15

Regroup

The cold, drizzling rain was not easing up. The only one who seemed unaffected by the weather was Daniel. The rest of us were chilled to the bone, damp and tired. Within an hour, the sun would set, and we'd be in the dark. Daniel had encouraged everyone to inspect the grounds for any telltale signs that there had been a fight resulting in someone or some thing being killed. Daniel and Zac had carried Cassius's body further away from the restroom facility. They located a fire pit, placed his body in it and proceeded to ignite him. Tessa was sweeping over the ground with a rake where all the blood had pooled and remnants of body tissue had splattered. Since Cassius had been shot in the head, it was a rather disgusting mess. A few times, I had the urge to throw up. I kept reminding myself to be strong and to get through this so we could leave and go back to the comfort of Daniel's resort. Hopefully, very soon.

The immediate threat from Stephen had passed. None of us felt or sensed he would return or try anything else today. We won this battle and Stephen knew he had been defeated. But that didn't mean he would give up his reckless behavior. I was worried the loss of Cassius could actually fuel the fire, the loneliness and rage he felt. Thankfully, there were no other visitors around to have witnessed this nightmare. Eli was keeping a watchful eye out for any people who might decide to drive through the campground. He was standing by the truck and would alert us if someone approached.

Finally, our cover-up of the incident was complete. We briskly walked back to the truck and climbed into the nice, dry, warm interior. Daniel was trying to decide whether he should change from his bloody, torn shirt into a new one.

I said, "Why don't you wait till we get back to the resort. Then you can take a shower, tend to your injury and put on a new shirt. There's no point in putting a clean shirt over your filthy body and ruining it."

"Gee, thanks for the compliment," Daniel gave me a crooked smile. "But you're absolutely right. Soon enough, we'll be back and I'll take care of it then. I'm sure Abigail has started to wonder why we haven't returned yet. Knowing her, she's got supper ready, trying to keep it warm for us. She's a great niece. I don't know what I would do without her."

All of us chimed in with similar compliments for her: "She is so sweet." "Man, can she cook up a storm and enough for an army." "She has a charming personality." "She's so at ease with us and has a good sense of humor." These honest, positive statements made Daniel break out into a huge smile.

"I am starving," Zac admitted, hungry as usual.

Tessa shook her head at him and replied, "How can you possibly be hungry after what we just went through? Ugh!"

He answered simply, "All that action burns up the calories, my dear. And it is that time of the day to eat anyway."

The drive back to the resort didn't take long and by that time, the sleet had stopped. The roads were still in good shape, as the ground temperature was too warm for anything to stick or get icy. We arrived at the resort with Abigail standing at the main door, arms crossed in anticipation, a look of worry on her face. One of us should have called her on a cell phone and given her an estimated time of arrival.

She saw Daniel's shirt, the blood had almost dried on it by now. It was a dead giveaway that we had encountered a problem with our day.

Abigail exclaimed, "Oh my lord, Daniel. Are you okay? You've been gone so long; I knew something bad must have happened. Let's go inside and you can tell me all the details."

The Liaison team decided to go to our cabin and freshen up a bit. Our clothes were damp and dirty as were our bodies. Daniel recommended using an additional cabin's bathroom since we all needed to take a shower at the same time. This would speed things along so we weren't waiting as long on one another to get out of the bathroom. Abigail retrieved a key to a cabin situated next to our original one.

I mentally connected with Daniel, I'll see you in an hour. Get cleaned up.

He answered, I'll fill Abigail in on today's events. You get yourself dry and warm.

Everyone divided up, going to their designated locations to get clean before settling down for supper. Since women take longer than men in the bathroom, Tessa and I decided that if speed was of the essence, then we would each go to separate cabins. Eli, Tessa and Zac were in one cabin, Dominic and me in the new cabin. We wanted to return to the dining room as soon as possible.

Dom and I were done first since there were only two of us. We walked over to the other cabin to fetch the remaining team members. Eli was questioning me about any new developments with reading Stephen's mind. He wondered if the closeness I had with Stephen finally made a difference in my ability to psychically connect with him.

I suggested, "Eli, let's wait till we can include Daniel, and even Abigail, in on this conversation. I will say, though, to hold you off, I am making some progress in that direction."

Dom touched at my mind, Kara, I can read you, don't forget. You still aren't able to completely access Stephen's mind in order to influence his behavior yet. To manipulate his emotional state.

I'm closer than before, Dom. Tomorrow, I want to practice my abilities, as long as we don't have something else to do, I stated.

No problem, Dominic offered himself up for practice. I am a willing candidate for you to experiment on, He just loved to play around with double meanings as he nudged me with his elbow.

We entered the dining room. Abigail had arranged a huge spread of food, again. I would have to start watching how much I ate down here; otherwise, I could easily see myself putting on several pounds. I remembered having this same thought over the last few days. Daniel was standing by the table, popping some edible appetizer into his mouth, looking as healthy as ever. You would never know he had almost been sliced open by Cassius's claw. And, of course, another shirt was donned for the evening.

Everyone was famished by this time of the evening, regardless of the horrendous day's endeavors. I thought Zac was going to take my arm off as we both went in for the same piece of chicken. It was hilarious as he pretended several fake pokes at my hand with his fork. At that moment, I felt at peace. It was nice to be able to joke around and tune out some of the tension we had all been experiencing. I had people, and werewolves, around me that I truly cared for and enjoyed being with.

I remembered something that was bugging me. I asked Daniel, "Daniel, you really have a clothes issue, don't you?"

"What do you mean exactly?" he questioned.

"Every time you transform, your clothes get ripped apart and fall off. Then, when you go back to human form, you're left standing there naked. Two problems I see here: 1) you're naked, and 2) you have to buy a lot of clothes," I giggled.

Everyone, including Daniel, was laughing intensely. "Yes, those are problems lately. Under normal circumstances, I'm not transforming that often. And when I do, it's been planned and thought out ahead of time. So, I simply take off my clothes in advance, lay them aside, and poof - change to my werewolf form. For example, if I was out taking a run through the woods, then I'd come right back to where my clothes are, transform to human shape, and get dressed. And I had packed some extra clothes to take with us today. I had some in that duffel bag when we were at Stephen's cabin, thankfully. Plus, I always keep a set of clothes in the truck in case of some unlikely event, where I would have to transform, then I'm prepared. I would merely keep my body in wolf form until I ran back to the truck where the clothes are."

Eli had been patiently waiting to ask me, with everyone at the table, "Well, Kara, tell us how your ability to mentally connect with Stephen is coming along."

I gave my answer, "Ever since Stephen touched me, and believe me, he had a death grip on my arms; I have been seeing more flashes into his mind. I cannot do a complete mind merge with him yet. But I keep picking up more and more all the time. It's like a broken connection. I think it has become much harder for him to block me out. If he puts all his focus into the mental block, I believe he's able to completely keep me from connecting to him. But, he can't keep that up all the time, twenty-four hours a day. I don't think he had any idea that the physical contact he had with me would actually increase my psychic ability to read his mind, to feel some of his emotions. But, as I said before, it's more like flashes, bits of his thoughts I capture, not totally reading his mind or being able to mentally have a conversation like I can with all of you. I want to try a more concentrated effort by psychically linking myself, Dom and Daniel together again. I want to do this tonight."

"Hmm," Eli began, "Nothing like diving right into the fire. If the others feel like it after supper, go for it."

Within fifteen minutes, we hastily gathered in the conference room. Daniel approached me with a look of concern on his face. "Let me see your arms. I want to see how badly Stephen hurt you."

"I'm fine, Daniel. Don't make a big deal out of it," I tried to skirt the issue.

He persisted, "No, slide your sleeves up; you're going to show me now."

I pushed up one sleeve of my shirt. I knew Daniel would have a fit when he saw my arms. They were starting to show the signs of large, red and purple bruising from Stephen's rough hands. Stephen had brutally held me up against the wall long enough to cause damage to my arms, even if it was temporary and would fade away in a week or so. Daniel inspected my arm thoroughly. Without bothering to ask my permission, he reached for the other arm to discover that it looked just as bad. I sensed his anger raging at Stephen for having hurt me. He also felt disappointed with himself for letting this happen in the first place. Immediately, I merged with his mind to calm his emotions. If we were going to attempt to connect with Stephen tonight, Daniel had to get his head on straight and be more relaxed.

Suddenly, Daniel drew me into the protection of his arms. He held me gently, so as not to cause me any additional discomfort. I instantly responded by hugging him back, his cheek rubbed on the top of my head. In the meantime, everyone was getting situated in chairs and trying not to stare at us. They were not sure what to say or do about the affection Daniel was giving me. And, I was openly returning the affection, not at all concerned about their reactions.

Daniel and I released each other and sat down in the chairs provided. Dominic was not thrilled about our behavior, but he would just have to get over it. It was time for the three of us to get serious with the next move in this game. On my right was Daniel and on my left was Dominic. The rest of the team stayed many feet away so as not to cause any distractions.

"Okay, guys, let's do a little mind merging," I smiled deviously at each one before I closed my eyes. First, I entered Daniel's mind, waited a moment, and then sensed Dom's presence. We put into motion the ability to keep linked together as we sought out Stephen's mind. This time, I didn't need as much guidance as compared to the first time we tried this out. Of course, during that experiment, I had not had any form of contact with Stephen at all. It was a different story this go around.

Daniel, only back away when you have brought me as close as you can to reaching out to Stephen's mind to connect. Dom, stay with me the entire time, if you can. Don't let the links between the three of us break, but try to help with reading Stephen's mind, too, I explained.

The first several minutes reminded me of a roller coaster ride. Or, perhaps, like an old black and white movie that kept breaking up and you'd miss parts of it. The three of us worked perfectly together, our strength was impressive, but it was Stephen's mind that locked us out. When someone, as in Stephen, was completely aware of what we could be doing to him, trying to access his mind, and in no way was a willing participant, it only stood to reason that he would try to prevent such an invasion.

Still, I was picking up images. Those disorienting flashes of his memories and thoughts. He seemed to be actively having a conversation with someone. No – several werewolves. I stayed very quiet and focused as I slid in and out of his mind, never quite gaining a solid hold in it. I listened. Dominic was also trying his best to pick up any insight into Stephen's actions. I absorbed everything I could and would give a full report to the team as soon as we ended this experiment.

We were able to remain mentally linked together for a good fifteen minutes. I believed Daniel and Dom gave me the extra power and ability to touch at Stephen's mind for that length of time. But, all of a sudden, my luck ran out. Stephen abruptly ended his conversation. He fully comprehended that I was there, a tiny presence on the outer edge of his mind, trying to find a crack to slither through. Dominic was either cloaking himself better than I was or had already dropped back, not trying to sink as deeply into Stephen's mind as was my intention. I sensed Stephen's uninhibited anger and frustration. He just wanted me to leave him alone. He, in turn, sent me the image of a very ticked off werewolf with deadly fangs bared, lips curled back, jaws snapping together, growling as it charged at my mind. I pulled back immediately and ended the connection with Stephen.

My eyes popped wide open as I stared out at my audience. I sat in the chair, my hands trembling, breathing heavily. Daniel and Dominic may not have caught all the images and thoughts I had from Stephen, but that last display of rage, was so violent, such a show of defiance, that it was impossible for them not to feel or see the same image that I was shown. Daniel wanted to console me, to calm my nerves. He swiftly stood up and brought me to my feet from my position on the chair. Dom was on his feet, too, concerned about how I would handle this ordeal. My left hand slipped out of Dom's hand. Once again, Daniel's arms surrounded me as he offered his protection and comfort.

"Kara, are you all right?" Daniel asked.

I replied, still shaking, "Yeah, he just freaked me out for a second. Which is the exact reaction he wanted in order to get me out of his head."

Abigail had just entered the conference room, after cleaning up the dishes from supper. She was interested in how successful the psychic connection had turned out, if I had made any progress in helping Stephen. Eli encouraged me to relay what knowledge I gained from the experience. I asked Abigail if the lounge was clear of visitors. I had the urge to sit on the cozy couches by the fireplace instead of staying in this stuffy room. She said that no one was out there and we would have the opportunity to talk freely.

Everyone retired to the comfort of the lounge and settled down. Daniel and I sat next to each other on a sofa. The others had tried to pick spots as near as possible, even turning chairs to face me, if needed. Obviously, the spotlight was on me, even though Dominic could add valuable details to this psychic experience.

I began, "First off, I'm just fine now. Stephen attempted to rattle my cage and it took me a couple minutes to relax. I thought it would be a great idea to chill in here. This room is so much more soothing and since it's getting late, I figured we should be comfortable while I explain what I picked up from his mind.

"Stephen definitely considers me a huge threat to his way of life. His lifestyle. I have been consistently attempting to enter his head over the last week. He's not used to that. What little amount of psychic ability werewolves have with each other, and I am not trying to downplay that, is nothing compared to what I personally have been doing to him. He doesn't seem to have it in him to be a cold-blooded killer, but if his life is at risk, he will fight to survive. Of course, we already know that from the farmer he killed a while back, which was done in self-defense. Stephen had a chance to kill me at the campground. Cassius was urging him to do it. But, he didn't. Regardless, I think he's hoping to scare me off. That I'll give up and leave. He doesn't know what to do about me. I am a threat.

"Next. Stephen was engaged in a conversation with several werewolves. Oh, let me interject, a lot of what I'm telling you, I am guessing as to what it all means. So, speak up if you think I'm on the wrong track. Back to what I was saying...I'm assuming Stephen had run back to his pack to rile them up and gain their support. Maybe he even wanted sympathy. I can't tell if he's wanting a full-blown fight or to sabotage something. Like I've said before, these are flashes, images, emotions that I get. Not a clear cut, flowing picture.

"One of the other wolves appeared to show signs of aggression. He seemed easily excited, as if he might be swayed by Stephen's words," I put the image in my mind and sent it to Daniel.

"That would be David," Daniel responded. "He is one of the younger werewolves. He was turned about fifty years ago, and does not have a good hold on his emotions yet. This is not a good thing."

I continued, "I sensed that the remaining wolves were not agreeing with Stephen. It felt as if they did not want to go up against Daniel and this pack. They don't want to fight."

"And I'm sure that would be Simon speaking out," Daniel offered. "There are only five of them. Three men and two women. I guess Stephen kept hoping he would turn Simon more and more against me, but it doesn't appear to be working. Simon may not want to be under my rule anymore, but that doesn't mean he wants to kick my butt."

"I didn't feel that Stephen had made any decisions or plans of attack," I was wrapping it up now. "Nothing is organized or strategically figured out yet. Revenge and retaliation are high emotions he's going through. The other emotions and thoughts are obvious: rage, loneliness, aggression, loss of respect from the other wolves, confusion. That's it, folks. That's all I got. I still can't get inside his mind to influence his behavior, to give him positive emotions and images. Basically what I've done, Dominic could probably have done just as well. I'm not able to use my ability to its full extent on Stephen. And that is extremely frustrating."

Eli was quick with his pep talk, "Kara, you are an exceptional person with incredible psychic talent. We all need to remember that you are still fairly new to this type of world. You are going up against the mind of a werewolf that is trying his best to refuse you access. It is different when people want help. When someone doesn't want to be helped, it is going to be much more difficult. Tomorrow, you will practice your skills. There are a few more tricks you can work on to broaden your range. Zac and Tessa, it would be a wise idea to make use of your surveillance techniques. Undercover, not stomping around in full combat mode. Act like tourists, or hunters, or relatives coming for a visit. Keep your distance from Stephen and his pack, but keep your eyes open."

"I am so tired. I can't believe what a long day this has been. I could sleep for days," I commented.

Dom slyly announced to the group, and was proud of knowing this fact, "Well, Kara, you can't sleep through tomorrow, after all, it's your birthday, or did you forget?"

Chapter 16

Practice

The next morning arrived all too soon. December 6. My birthday. I was officially 21. I clambered out of bed to embrace the day. Dominic almost gave me a heart attack when he suddenly popped into my room at that exact moment. I was trying to stretch the kinks out of my back and almost pulled a muscle with his shocking arrival. He smiled from ear to ear. Oh, lord, what would I have to endure from him on my birthday?

"Happy birthday, Kara!" He practically shouted. If anyone in the cabin was still asleep, they weren't anymore. "What are we going to do on your birthday?"

"Well, as far as I'm aware, we'll be working on our fancy psychic skills. But, thank you for acknowledging my birthday, Dom." He waltzed over to where I was leaning on the bed, reached out and hugged the life out of me. And he couldn't help himself but to sneak a kiss on my cheek at the same time. I felt a little awkward since I just woke up and my hair looked like I had stuck my finger in a light socket. Not very lovely.

He merrily commented, "Yes, you're right. We will be practicing today. But, at some point in the afternoon, I'd like to slip away and borrow Abigail's kitchen to whip up something special for your big day. Let's get real – you only turn 21 once in your lifetime."

"Yeah, I bet you'd love to get into that kitchen. Having someone else make all your meals for you lately is probably strange. I know how much you enjoy all that baking and cooking stuff," I told him with a look indicating I, personally, did not like cooking.

Within an hour, Daniel, Abigail, and The Liaison members assembled in the dining room for a light breakfast. Everyone gave me a hug and wished me a happy birthday. I mentioned that I should probably call my parents today. It had been quite a few days since I had last spoken to them. With this being my birthday, they would expect to hear from me. And they'd be frustrated with me that I hadn't returned home yet. I knew they had bought presents that they didn't have a clue what to do with and since I hadn't given them an address, they didn't even have an option to mail anything to me. The gifts would sit on a table, and remain unopened, with no celebration.

Eli agreed that I should call my parents. Perhaps I could hint to them that I was about to make a decision with my life or move somewhere more permanent. Giving them some kind of hope might keep them subdued a little while longer. In all reality, I actually did need to figure out what I was doing to do with my future.

Before Zac and Tessa left for their undercover field surveillance of the other werewolf pack, I borrowed their high-powered, untraceable cell phone. My parents were both home, as I knew they would be. It was an emotional conversation, with a lot of tears on both ends. I kept trying to push pleasant, comforting thoughts into their minds. I explained that I was perfectly fine and in good health. No harm had come to me. I just needed this time for myself to reach out into the world and see what I could discover. They just needed to bear with me a few more weeks. I told them to hold onto those presents of mine because I'd be home soon enough to enjoy a belated birthday party with them. I mentally projected emotions and feelings into their minds of them having trust in me and my decisions. To have confidence that I knew what I was doing and hadn't lost my sanity.

After that call was over, I knew Zac and Tessa were ready to head out on their mission for the day. I asked them to wait a few more minutes.

I announced, "I have an idea for an experiment. And Zac, Tessa, you could try this while you're out and about today, that's why I stopped you before leaving. Think about this concept...Dom and I are psychics. The werewolves have a slight psychic ability. Zac, Tessa and Eli are not psychic at all. I can enter their minds and read their thoughts. I can also have a conversation with them in their own minds as they think the words they want to say to me. And we know I can suggestively implant ideas, actions and behaviors. But on the three of them, I have to initiate the contact with their minds. Dom and Daniel to a certain extent can initiate contact with me first because of the shared telepathy. I want Eli, Zac and Tessa to experiment with trying to call for my help. If I am made aware you need me, then I can take over with creating the mental connection."

Everyone was silent. They were replaying my words over in their heads. Eli was tapping his finger on his jaw. Dominic was gazing up at the ceiling in deep thought, truly considering this as a possibility that it could work. Daniel stood nodding his head in approval, comprehending how beneficial this could be if it were successful. Zac and Tessa, mostly Zac, stared at me in total confusion.

I continued, "You see, it would be like a 911 call to me personally. I would suspect you'd have to really concentrate, to focus on screaming my name in your head, or maybe out loud if you chose to, but depending on what's happening, screaming my name at the top of your lungs could be a bad idea. So, I know you're not psychic, but if I'm able to pick up on these things, and I've already had tons of mental connections with you, then perhaps if your emotions are supercharged to reach out to me, I might be able to grasp that mental call for help."

Eli jumped in, "Yes, I totally agree this is something we need to try out. I know we have our little cell phones to call each other, but there could be a time when the phone is dead, broken, not with us, or there's no time to dial a number. If we could instantly make a mental call out to Kara for assistance, then she could establish the path to enter our minds and to ask us what is wrong. At that time, she can alert the rest of us and we can take whatever action is required."

"I will definitely give this a shot today," Tessa replied.

I reminded them, "I have a strong suspicion you'll need your adrenaline pumped up pretty high to make this work. In other words, I doubt you'll catch my attention with a casual, 'Hey, Kara, how's it going?' Your emotions and thoughts will need to be screaming for me as if your life depended on it."

We covered a few more minor details then Zac and Tessa proceeded to leave, heading out on their covert operation for the day. Eli planned to work on his writings, while Dom and I had to beef up our psychic abilities. Or at least I had to, since it seemed the pressure was more on me to perform. To work my magic powers on Stephen's warped out mind. No one else in this group had that skill to use mental manipulation on people's emotions and feelings. Dom could read minds easily and had the gift of telekinesis, but that's where it stopped. I hoped Eli, Zac or Tessa would attempt to experiment calling out to me. I would try to keep my mind open to them. They would have to make the effort, though.

While the team split up and went their separate ways for the day, Daniel and Abigail dove back into business as usual. Daniel had some normal resort responsibilities to catch up on and needed to check in with his other business ventures. He hugged me once more and said he'd look for me later. I touched at his mind and almost laughed out loud as he was literally going through a long list of to-do's and concerns. He was undeniably thorough, organized and intelligent.

Dom and I moved to the conference room. I was starting to not like that room very much, but since there were a few guests in the lounge, we couldn't go in there. I thought it was ironic how Daniel had his to-do list and Dom and I had our own checklist to work on, too.

I suggested we drop in on Stephen's mind for the morning and make sure he wasn't up to anything bad yet. Dom was not sure that would be a good idea with only the two of us. I convinced him that I was not going to try anything intrusive on Stephen. Unless, of course, the opportunity was wide open for me to access his mind, and then it would be considered foolish if I passed up the chance. I doubted very much that I would get that lucky. Dom reluctantly agreed. He reminded me to stay on the outskirts of Stephen's mind, and to completely cloak myself.

We sat on two chairs facing each other, holding hands. Our eyes closed at the same time, and our minds joined together, which created a strong, virtually unbreakable link. We made sure our concentration was solely placed on Stephen's mind, his aura and his emotions. Quietly, carefully, we found what we were searching for. We stayed a safe distance away from making complete contact with Stephen. We constantly masked our presence. He wasn't aware of us, yet. And I could tell at this degree of touching his mind, I would not be able to attempt any mind manipulation on him, unless I got closer. Dom knew what I was thinking, and firmly indicated that I should not try that trick as it would immediately make Stephen aware of us and enrage him even more than he already was.

I tried to absorb any emotions or images that flowed from Stephen's mind. He seemed to be running in wolf form. Another wolf was with him. Probably David. Lots of trees. I sensed Stephen was releasing pent up energy. And anger. Always anger. He stopped moving. An intense feeling of hunger. Meat. He was salivating as he gazed at an elk. A peaceful, beautiful elk. And then he attacked. Dom and I quickly, but cautiously, pulled away from Stephen's thoughts.

I said, "Well, that was just sad. That poor, defenseless animal doesn't have a chance against Stephen, and I'm guessing, David. I'm sorry, but I didn't want to feel his emotions at that moment and have those disgusting images in my mind."

Dominic added, "I'm with you on that. At least he isn't sitting around obsessing over some devious plan of attack on us. Yet."

We were still sitting on the chairs when I felt something strange. I even looked around the room to make sure we were the only ones in there. No one else was in the room, just the two of us. I scrunched up my face, concentrating. I could have sworn I heard my name. I cleared my head, trying to have a blank slate. Tessa. Tessa was screaming my name! I grabbed Dom's hands again and he immediately merged with my mind to understand what was happening to me.

Tessa! It's Kara. You did it! I felt you, I heard your call for help. I'm in your mind. Are you okay? I was thrilled with this accomplishment.

Now that I had connected to her mind, she could talk to me. Kara, I did it, didn't I? We are totally fine. Zac and I had an argument about what was the best way to camouflage ourselves. I realized how ticked off I was and felt like screaming at him. So, instead, I blew off steam by screaming for you. Cool, huh? Tessa was definitely not upset anymore. In fact, I sensed her giving Zac a hug because of her achievement.

I pulled Zac into this group mental link. Zac, ol' buddy, Kara and Dom here, Zac was startled, as usual, with this form of communication. I want to congratulate you. Because of your bullheadedness, Tessa was so mad at you, she issued a call for my help! Ta-da - it worked!

Zac, you need to try this sometime, too. If Tessa was able to get through to Kara, I'm sure you'd be able to reach out and call for her the same way, Dominic was encouraging him.

Zac replied, Okay, okay. If we're done having a gabfest inside our brains, I would like to get back to the job at hand here. Remember, we have a violent werewolf on the loose?

That comment made me recall Stephen's current activity. I proceeded to tell them what images and emotions we had gathered. I did not know Stephen's actual location, though. But if they came across a dead elk, most likely it was of Stephen's doing. Dom and I wished them luck for the day, and drifted gently away from their minds.

We continued to review different psychic skills. My stumbling block was in gaining full access to Stephen's mind. He was resistant and not a willing participant in this intervention. He had thrown up a strong mental barrier to prevent anyone from entering. I was at least able to touch the edges of his thoughts. I had an idea to try on Dominic. I basically wanted him to do the same thing Stephen had done to me, to us. Erect a solid mental block. Don't let me in. While Dominic was preventing me full access to his mind, I would, of course, be trying to break through.

Dominic was ready to play. He thought it was a great idea, but he also knew the chances were slim of it working. He and I were friends, not enemies. We had plenty of mind reading experiences between the two of us. Neither of us had the mindset of Stephen or his life experiences that had shaped his attitude in the first place. The anger Stephen held against us, against me, was not something that Dominic could just recreate. It wasn't in him. But, we thought we'd try.

In the first attempt, we both sat on our chairs staring at each other. I totally blew threw his mental block. It didn't help matters any that we were about to burst out laughing during that try.

In the second attempt, we decided to move to different locations in the room so we weren't eye to eye with each other. Hmm...I thought I might have felt a bit of a resistance on Dom's end; but, I still blasted through his flimsy wall. All of this reminded me how I would try to put up mental blocks against Dom when Daniel and I wanted privacy. My mental blocking ability must have been fairly good, because I don't think Dom broke through. Then again, when he sensed I was blocking him, he didn't push the issue, and backed away.

In the third attempt, I tried a different angle. I flared at him, "Dom, I am going to pick your brain about your old girlfriends and any wild flings you might have had. I will know every private and embarrassing detail about your endeavors down to the color of your underwear or lack thereof."

The look of panic was on his face. Perfect. Maybe this would work since I'm sure he didn't want me to know any of that stuff. I walked to within a few feet of where he stood. I focused on entering his mind and purposely seeking out those memories. I couldn't get through. I hit a brick wall. I could sense his emotion of self-satisfaction. I lifted my eyebrows at him, giving him the look that I was really going to try hard now. That wall budged a little, but he was quick to concentrate on keeping me out. Hmm.

"Well done, mister. It seems I touched on an area you'd rather me not know about. That's fine. Because the idea is, I have to discover a way to hack through, just as with Stephen. I still don't think this is exactly the same as with Stephen, but it's something to work with," I commented.

Dom replied, "Let's see what you're capable of."

I noticed Daniel was standing within the conference room, trying not to disturb us. He shooed his hand at me to continue. I'm not sure how long he had been standing there, probably long enough to understand what Dom had been able to do and that I might be on the verge of a breakthrough.

I mentally sent Daniel a message, I am trying to break through a mental block Dom's put up, comparable to what Stephen has done. I think I know at least one way to break it down. I will not say what it is in case he is monitoring my thoughts. So, don't freak out.

Dom was wondering why I shared a mental link with Daniel at that moment. Regardless, he reinforced his concentration, and was ready for my attack. I wandered over to Dominic and stood about one foot in front of him. I reached out and straightened Dominic's collar on his shirt, caressing his neck as I did so. I let my hand slowly slide down the front of his chest, his stomach and then stop at the waist of his jeans. Without breaking physical contact with my fingers, I traced along the top of his jeans and headed back up his torso to his neck. With my fingers holding his chin, I leaned in as if to kiss him, paused and smiled, and just in that split second, his mental block came crashing down. I pulled back from him, and flicked him on the shoulder.

I declared, "Mission accomplished. The art of distraction. And by the way, do you recall skinny dipping with a well-endowed, blonde girl?"

He looked defeated and mortified. Maybe I shouldn't have used a seductive tactic, but it did break his concentration and the mental block. I realized that was probably mean and unfair of me to do that to him. I started to feel guilty. Daniel was having his own conflicting thoughts over the situation. Jealousy and yet proud of my cleverness in what I had done.

I told Dom, "When your barrier broke away, I let the first memory, your strongest thought, enter my mind and then I backed out. Don't worry, I don't have all the dirt on your past. You still have your privacy intact."

He seemed to breathe easier and sigh with relief after I revealed that I didn't invade those thoughts and memories. Then, he smiled.

"Distraction. We know you're not going to seduce Stephen, but if we can come up with some type of distraction, maybe he'll let his guard down long enough for you to break through and create some soothing, calm thoughts and images in his head. Let's think hard on that one. Oh, hey, Daniel, do you think Abigail would have a problem with me using the kitchen? I'd like to make supper tonight in honor of Kara's birthday. And I've really been feeling the urge to cook lately. I haven't done it in a while and I don't want to lose my touch," Dominic waited to make sure Daniel didn't have an issue with it.

Daniel chuckled, "I don't have any problem with that at all. I'm sure Abigail will be thrilled to have a break from being the cook. She's in the front office right now if you want to alert her so she doesn't start preparing anything in the kitchen."

Dominic rushed out the door with concern that he had failed to mention anything to Abigail about this earlier in the day. He hoped to catch her in time. Daniel coolly walked over to me, happy that Dom had left the room. He circled his arms around me and playfully lifted me up, about a foot off the floor. I had my arms around his neck. At the height he held me, I could look directly into his eyes.

Daniel innocently asked, "So, when are you going to experiment on me, birthday girl?"

"How about right now?" I teased as I leaned in for a deep, sweet, long-awaited kiss.

After several seconds, Daniel gently pulled away from the kiss. He confessed, "You know, Kara, when you were touching Dominic and almost kissed him, I thought I would explode with jealousy. But I didn't want to make a fool out of myself and I knew you were working on an experiment, so I kept quiet. Dominic is my friend and I would not want to hurt him. Or, heaven forbid, make you mad at me."

"Daniel, I don't know what I'm going to do with you," I laughed.

He grinned eagerly, "I could make a few suggestions..."

"Hmm...," I giggled, "Any chance of getting a bottle of fancy champagne on my birthday?"

Chapter 17

Sparks

The meal for that evening was outrageous. Dominic, with a little assistance from Abigail, created a feast plentiful enough to feed an army of hungry werewolves. Dom had preferred to work on the majority of the dishes himself. Abigail had no qualms and enjoyed letting someone else do most of the work. He quickly established his first-class aptitude and comfort level in playing the role of a chef. With time ticking away, she had politely offered to bake my birthday cake, as long as that didn't infringe on his creativity in the kitchen. She found the whole thing to be very amusing. Dom had to think about that offer, since he had planned to bake the cake himself, but he feared he would run out of time. He decided to graciously accept her help.

We ate to our heart's content. Dominic was very pleased with how the meal had turned out. He noticed the satisfied reactions on people's faces as they ate the various items he made. I touched at his mind and sensed fulfillment, happiness, and the joy in being able to give back, to offer his services without reservation. Dom turned to look at me, and I mentally showered him with my thankfulness.

Abigail brought out the birthday cake, complete with twenty-one flaming candles. It was a chocolate cake covered in thick, creamy icing. I had such a sweet tooth that my mouth watered just from the sight of it. She revealed, "Dominic gave me his permission to bake this cake. Just wanted to let you know that this was my own little creation."

Everyone chuckled knowing how in charge Dom liked to be in the kitchen. I was wished a happy birthday for the second time that day. I openly relayed my sincere appreciation to all of them as tears made my vision blurry. I took a deep breath and went to blow out the candles. Of course, Dominic couldn't help but play a little joke on me. Using his telekinesis, he stopped my airflow from reaching the candles, therefore, the candles did not get blown out. I knew what he did the second I realized my airflow was disrupted and not one single candle went out. I gave Dom a sideways glance with one eyebrow up, and proceeded to try again. This time, he let me blow them out.

A series of hoots, whistles and claps followed. Daniel and Abigail fetched fancy glasses and several bottles of wine and champagne. It appeared Daniel had remembered my request from the previous night for that fancy champagne after all. Abigail circled the table and did the honor of filling the glasses.

Daniel immediately stood up, making sure he would be the one to offer a toast to me. He held up his glass, and the others followed suit. "Here's to Kara. You are a beautiful, compassionate person. Happy 21st birthday, sweetheart!"

Everyone clinked their glasses together across the table. Abigail suggested we go to the lounge which would be more comfortable on our full bellies. We had finished devouring every morsel in sight and she was getting itchy to clean up the mess. It was cute how each of us had our favorite seating in the lounge that we designated for ourselves. Some would be on chairs, some on sofas, but each person would be drawn to a certain spot.

After ten minutes, Abigail joined the group. I'm sure she had completely cleaned up the kitchen and washed the dishes in that short time frame. Not something a human could have possibly done that fast. She had well-tuned her body to take full advantage of the super speed werewolves were equipped with. She knew that ability would come in handy for various reasons, and chose to practice on perfecting it.

Abigail carried in a wrapped gift for me. I was not expecting any actual presents, so this threw me a curve ball. She handed it to me and said, "Did you really think you weren't getting any presents?"

Tessa piped in, "Most of us have had the opportunity to get away from you long enough to pick up a gift." She reached behind her chair to pull out another surprise for me. Of course, she and Zac had been away from the resort all day and would have had time to buy something.

I looked down at the gift Abigail gave me and started to gently peel the paper off. She shook her head and said, "Just rip it off, girl."

I smiled like a little kid and tore the paper off the box in two seconds. I lifted the lid and inside was an expensive black leather jacket. I had never owned anything like that before. I thanked her as Tessa handed over the present from herself and Zac. They gave me a pair of rugged hiking boots, which were much-needed with my current activities and several shirts and jeans. Tessa gave me a hug and I thanked them.

Eli cleared his throat, and said directly to me, "Catch." He threw a set of keys at me. I looked down at what was in my hand. Keys. Oh my God...Dominic had mentioned a few weeks ago that Eli had so much money that he could easily buy me a new car. Since he was involved in the destruction of my old car, I guess he decided to get me a replacement. The keys looked brand new, not used, with a Dodge emblem dangling from them.

"Eli, you really bought me a car? Is it here now?" I was shaking as I stood up. He slyly glanced at Daniel and nodded to him.

Daniel said, "Follow me to the garage. We hid it in there."

I eagerly followed Daniel as did the rest of the group. Not everyone had a chance to view it yet, so the curiosity level was intense. Daniel opened the door that led into the attached garage and let me walk in first. There sat a brand new, Dodge Challenger. Black as night. The shine on it was almost blinding. Absolutely awesome and according to Eli, all mine. Everyone carefully inspected it, holding back from drooling on the paint job.

After ten minutes, we headed back to the lounge. I still had a couple of people who had gifts to give me. I was floating on air with excitement. It all felt like a dream and I definitely did not want to wake up from it. I had hugged Eli, and thanked him over and over for the car. He beamed with his victory of having pulled off this caper. He had totally surprised me, which was his full intention.

Dominic had his turn coming and explained, "Well, now, I don't know that I can top a brand new car, and since I haven't had a chance to slip away from here, that's why I decided to make a spectacular meal - my gift to you. But, you have another gift that should arrive any day. I was able to get on the internet and place the order. Here's an I.O.U." He handed me a card. On it was taped a picture of a new notebook computer.

I gave Dom a huge hug and thanked him, "Dom, that meal was the best I've ever ate in my life. Thank you, especially since you know how much I hate cooking, I can really appreciate what you went through to make that meal. And a new computer? Whatever I have back at home is many years old and glitchy. I've missed having my very own laptop. This is great!"

The last present was from Daniel. He must have grabbed it on the way back in from the garage. He was sitting right next to me on the sofa and simply handed it to me. The room had grown silent. I was trying to control the slight tremble I had in my hands. In fact, I think I had even quit breathing. It was a type of box made for jewelry. I opened the hinged lid. Shining back at me was an exquisite, high caliber gold necklace. Attached to it was a beautiful, gold, open-faced heart that slid freely over the chain. I knew that if Daniel had purchased this, he would have chosen the best quality available. The value of this gold was very high, without a doubt, although I would not know what to guess. I kept gazing at the necklace, running my fingers over its smooth texture. One just doesn't casually buy a gift like this for another person. This kind of gift is given to someone who is greatly cared for and loved. Treasured.

Daniel asked quietly, although everyone heard him, "What do you think, Kara?"

I held firmly to the necklace, still in its box, and reached over to hug him and kiss his neck. The tears had sprung up in my eyes again. "Daniel, this is so beautiful. I can't believe you bought this for me."

Mentally I said to him, since I was afraid if I spoke my words would get all choked up, Thank you so much. And then he took the necklace out of my hand and placed it delicately around my neck and secured the clasp. Since I still faced him as we sat on the sofa, he maneuvered the clasp around so it landed on the back of my neck. Everyone in the room watched this interaction, fascinated with how we responded to each other. He kissed me on the lips at this point, not in the least bit concerned that we were being observed. It was a simple, sweet kiss. Nothing wild, but filled with love.

"Well," Dominic interrupted, "We are still sitting here, you two. Hellooo..."

I burst out laughing as did everyone in the room. One big, happy family. I once again thanked everyone for the presents. I let them know they had all caught me by surprise. And I was shocked at the amount of money they had spent. That was totally unnecessary to go so overboard with the types of gifts some of them had bought me. But, I appreciated and loved all the presents and joked that there would be no exchanges necessary.

Eli hated to bring up the next topic, but it was important. "Kara, I don't want to ruin your birthday, but a reminder to all of us as to why we are here. Stephen. We have re-grouped from yesterday's ordeal. Zac and Tessa have been out in the field, and Kara and Dom have tried to work out some kinks with mentally connecting to Stephen and breaking through his mental block. I suggest tomorrow that Zac and Tessa go out into the field again, perhaps staking out Simon's place. And, to alert us if we need to take immediate action. I doubt Stephen will try to go up against Daniel's pack all by himself. So, I'm sure he's looking for a partner in crime. Probably David. He'll continue to stir up the rest of his pack, to attempt to convince them that they should back him up on whatever revenge he wants to enact. Luckily, his pack members don't seem too eager to follow his lead of behaving so aggressively. I would suggest that within a day, we should still take some form of action against Stephen instead of waiting for his next deadly act of violence. "

Everyone sighed heavily. We knew we couldn't keep idling our time away, day after day. Stephen would misbehave again and it would be best to capture him before another innocent human died. I had a feeling that we would be going on a hunting expedition. Soon. I wasn't quite sure what would happen once we caught him. I guess that's when we would have to play it by ear, take it one step at a time.

We decided to call it a night after Eli's somber mood brought us back to reality. It was pretty late in the evening anyway. Slowly, everyone dispersed, going their own directions. Daniel and I walked to his room to have some privacy without an audience. Our affection towards each other really freaked out most of the team. I'm sure the first thing going through their heads – she's human and he's a werewolf. Abigail seemed easy going about it, though. But she had lived this lifestyle a very long time. I would have to ask her what her actual age was. She was Rebecca and Samuel's child, and if she had been born to them soon after they became werewolves, she would be around 300 years old. It was sad she didn't have a husband or boyfriend. Maybe that was why she was so happy to see her Uncle Daniel have such an interest in me. She didn't want him to be alone. But did that also mean she hoped I would become a werewolf myself?

Daniel opened the door to his room. The last time we were in there, I had to mentally calm his emotions which were going into overdrive. I wasn't sure at that time if he would transform or get too rough with me. So, as I stepped over the threshold once again, I kept my fingers crossed and remained positive.

I said, "Daniel, this necklace is incredible. I have a feeling it cost a lot of money. You shouldn't have spent that kind of money on me."

He took my hands and brought them to his mouth. He tenderly kissed each one and replied, "I am very wealthy. I can afford this jewelry without it making any dent into my finances. And I think it's perfectly fine to pamper someone I love. You are worth it and you deserve this. It is one of the ways I can safely show you how I feel about you, Kara."

I slipped my hands free of his and circled them around his waist. I snuggled up to his chest, placing my head over his heart. What was it about his chest...I pulled back, realizing it had only been one day since Daniel was attacked by Cassius. Those horrific slash marks that were emblazoned into his gorgeous chest. How in the world had I let that slip my mind? I was well aware of his superhuman healing abilities. Not more than fifteen minutes after the injury, he was barely bleeding anymore. I suppose with Daniel walking about today, not expressing any signs of having sustained such an injury and no indication of pain, all of it passed right over my head. I had not wanted to remember the nightmare of it and he didn't discuss it today. But I had to see for myself that he had healed properly.

My facial expression was that of panic and concern as I jerked up his shirt trying to get a good look at his chest. He peered down at me, head cocked to the side, trying to understand what I was doing. I just about had his full chest exposed when he grinned with amusement, comprehending what I was searching for. His poor shirt was now bunched up under his chin as I held it with one hand, and inspected his chest with the other. Daniel had healed. No stitches had been required, no ugly gashes, no raw flesh that needed weeks to repair itself. It only looked as if a cat or dog had scratched him with its nails. I looked into his eyes with amazement.

Still grinning, he commented, "Those marks will be gone by tomorrow. See, nothing to be all worried about."

I leaned in to kiss each of those marks. I felt guilty for not having asked him about them earlier in the day. Everything was just so overwhelming. There were so many things to think about. I felt his chest muscles quiver with each kiss I gave him. He took the part of his shirt I still had stuffed under his chin, and lifted the entire shirt up and over his head. He was awesome. He could win awards with his body. I couldn't believe I was standing in front of it – his body – him. Daniel. My brain was turning to mush. In a good way.

He took my hand and we walked over to his bed. He reached for the remote control to turn on the TV. As he turned around to face me, he sat down and reclined back against the headboard of the bed, looking so delicious. He gently tugged at my hand, inviting me to sit next to him on the bed. He wasn't aggressive; in fact, it appeared he just wanted to watch TV with me by his side. Remembering his need for self control, I dove into his mind to check on his emotions. He was completely focused on keeping his wild, animal behavior under wraps. He was extremely content, still aroused and excited but in a levelheaded sort of way. I sensed so much love coming from him. And a need to protect and care for me. I jumped right on the bed with him, and stared into his eyes.

"Daniel, you are doing very good staying in control of your emotions," I was proud of him. "Probably better than I am tonight. My own emotions and hormones are skyrocketing. I know I have to be careful not to push you too far."

Daniel replied, "You are not doing anything wrong. It's natural what you're feeling and how you're responding. You're 21 years old. You're human. I'm a werewolf. It's all a matter of me getting used to you. To this. To us. For me, I need to gradually build up my resistance to the werewolf side, the animal side of me that desperately wants to burst forth when you make my thoughts go wild. I will not hurt you, Kara. I haven't experienced anything like this, as I told you before, in several hundred years. I don't want to scare you or have you leave me, either. If ever I lose my self control, and you are unable to mentally manipulate my feelings fast enough, don't be alarmed if I turn tail and run away from you. Perhaps literally in that sense. I would do this to protect you, for that moment in time, from me. I would return when I'm calm and under control again. But, I do not plan on it ever getting that out of control for me. Kara, I love you."

Daniel just had something over me. I was head over heels for him and I let him know. "I love you, too, you big, fluffy wolf." I burrowed down onto his chest. He was ecstatic with my mutual feelings toward him.

I had several questions I knew would shock him. "If I was a werewolf, would you have to be so cautious with me? And if we are going to continue this relationship, you've already fully explained that I'm going to keep getting older and you won't. That's not very fair. I can just picture that after about fifteen years of us being together, and you still looking ungodly young and sexy, I don't think I'm going to like aging one bit. If I asked you to, would you willingly turn me into a werewolf? I'm NOT saying that's what I want. I don't know what I want right now. I just want to know if I chose that life, would you turn me?"

Daniel sat me up on the bed as he brought himself to a sitting position. He almost had a look of terror on his face. He had to expect this conversation at some point. We couldn't keep skirting the issue of our future and what it actually meant. And what decisions would have to be made. Choices. We couldn't be together, have a life together and live in denial of the facts. I'm human. Daniel is a werewolf. Those were the facts.

I was absolutely serious about wanting some answers from him. I made it clear by the look on my face that I wasn't being funny or making jokes. He kept staring at me. I'm sure he was debating back and forth in his head what to tell me. I let him have his privacy and did not invade his thoughts. And he seemed aware that I was allowing him this time.

He grabbed me, held me close to his chest, and sweetly whispered in my ear with absolute conviction, "Baby, if that is what you truly desire in your heart and soul, then yes, I give you my word, when you are ready, I will turn you into a werewolf."

Chapter 18

Eavesdropping

Daniel kept holding me tightly. I think he wasn't sure if I was about to ask him to bite me or not. Well, I wasn't planning any such endeavor at that moment. I just wanted to be clear on his stand, his feelings, about that issue. If I came to him and requested he turn me into a werewolf, I wanted to know in advance that he would go through with it for me. That he wouldn't pitch a fit and argue over the situation. I knew he was terrified and shocked with my bluntness on the subject. In fact, I wasn't sure if he was going to ease up on hugging me or squeeze all the air out of my lungs.

"Daniel, relax," I attempted to calm him verbally instead of entering his mind. I pushed at his chest. "I am not making any split second decisions right now. I only wanted to know if you honestly would turn me if I asked you to. And you forgot to answer one of my questions..."

He reviewed in his mind what I had previously asked him. It was the very first question of my rantings. He smiled mischievously and said, "If you are the same as I am, a werewolf, I would not have to be so careful and cautious with you. You, too, would have all the abilities and attributes that I possess. I am including the animal side of being a werewolf: strength, speed, immortality, super healing powers, heightened senses. I would have to help you learn how to control the beast that would reside within you, depending on what we're doing at the time. If we are both werewolves, it is highly unlikely we could cause any real harm to each other in the act of passion. Now, on the flip side, if you got really, really mad at me for not taking out the trash or picking my clothes up off the floor, that's a different story in itself. You could probably do some physical damage to me, as Cassius did." He laughed.

"I can see many advantages in choosing to convert, Daniel," I seductively smiled as I ran my hand over his chest and settled down by his side. "And, I can understand the disadvantages, too."

Daniel and I were reclined back on the huge, supportive pillows propped against the headboard. We behaved ourselves, and simply relished being in the company of each other. It was late in the evening, around 11:00. The others were probably worried about me, wondering why I hadn't come back to the cabin yet. They should know that if Daniel and I were together, I would be safe, protected by him. But since he was a werewolf, I'm positive they held some fear for my safety, even though Daniel was one of the good guys.

I felt a tiny thud at my mind, not in my mind, but at it, like a little "knock, knock". Dominic. He was checking in on me, but trying to do so mildly, without completely invading my privacy. He wanted to make that mental contact to ensure that I wasn't in any trouble. At first, I was aggravated that he was being nosy again, but it was late, and I thought it would be polite and respectful to alleviate his concerns.

Yes, Dom, I know you're there. I am fine, I had opened up my mind freely to him.

He responded with relief, What are you doing? It's late. Don't you think you should be back at the cabin by now?

Great. He was reenacting the role of a father figure. Again. Or that of a would-be boyfriend. I am with Daniel, as I'm sure you already know. We are watching TV and talking about things. I swear to you, that's all. I'll be back at the cabin before the clock strikes midnight. Hmm, was that in Cinderella?

I don't know! I'm just concerned about you and I can guess what the two of you have been discussing. That's all. He sounded a little depressed. Poor Dom. I'll be paying attention to whether you get back on time. With that, he drifted out of my mind, breaking the connection.

Daniel sensed my distraction by how quiet I had become during those moments Dom and I were mentally talking. With Daniel's light psychic ability, and our close emotional ties to each other, he could put two and two together. Daniel may not have been able to totally read my mind all of the time, but could pick up enough emotions, sensations, and partial images that led him to the conclusion it was Dom speaking to me.

"Let me take a wild guess. Dominic?" Daniel laughed, rolling his eyes upward.

I answered, "Yes, he was worried about me and wondering when I was going to return to the cabin. I would love to just stay here, sleeping next to you all night, Daniel. Just sleep. Nothing else that could make you flip out, although you do seem to have your emotions controlled rather well tonight. I'm impressed. Regardless, to be thoughtful of my team, I should go back to the cabin. I told Dom I'd be back by midnight."

Daniel sat up on the edge of the bed, nodding his head in agreement. I was gazing at his back as he reached for his shirt. The muscles rippled in his biceps and forearms as the shirt was pulled on over his head and down over his powerful torso. He turned and looked at me.

"What?" He innocently said as if he had no clue at all as to why I became so silent. Why my eyes were glazed over with lust and a tremendous amount of love for him.

I threw a pillow at him. "You know what. Don't give me that, 'I didn't do anything' look of yours!"

He reached for my leg and dragged me across the bed. He politely bopped me upside the head with the pillow I had thrown at him. It was all out war now. I nabbed that pillow back up and before I could take a swing at him with it, he tackled me backwards on the bed. He had my arms above my head and the pillow had gone flying across the room. I tried to wrestle my way free. Then he had to show-off. He used just one of his giant hands to hold my arms in place, still above my head. His body was possessively covering my body, firmly but carefully, so as not to crush me. I couldn't budge an inch. To top it off, he faked a yawn, as if this was no exertion on his part whatsoever. So unfair and I was very vulnerable in this position...but I loved every minute of it.

Instead of wrestling to break free, I would use my latest technique of distraction. Since his face was only inches from mine, I leaned up and started to kiss him. I felt many things shift their positions at that point, which included his hand losing its grip on my wrists. I made my move, my attempt, to win this wrestling match. I quickly slipped my arms down to his waist in hopes he was ticklish. Daniel started to smile as he kept kissing me and squirmed around from my tickling, breaking lip contact. As fast as humanly possible, I grabbed at his waist, wrapped a leg around his body, and with all my strength rolled him over so I had the dominant position on top of him.

"Ha! Victory!" I barely got the words out of my mouth when the next thing I knew I was on my back again and he was on top. It was a blur – it happened so fast. I was stunned with his superhuman speed. I didn't even have a chance to realize what was happening to me until it was over. I think I blinked once.

He grinned down at me. "No, baby, I think you're mistaken. The victory is mine."

"Yeah, yeah. You win this time. Look, we better get going. It's close to midnight and Dominic will have a temper tantrum if I'm not back at the time I promised. I'm assuming you'll be a gentleman and walk me back to my cabin, right?"

"Of course! You think I'd let you walk around in the dark with a crazed werewolf on the loose?" Daniel was totally serious with that statement.

And that reminded me...I should have sought out Stephen's mind that evening. Maybe Dominic had already done so. To just lightly touch at Stephen to make sure he wasn't up to something terrible. Sometimes I could completely forget about the psychic stuff I was capable of doing. Daniel and I could have attempted this together. I told him my thoughts on this and he said he would at least do a perimeter check on the resort before going to bed. He would explain what he meant by that after he dropped me off at the cabin.

We headed back to the main office first where I had placed all my birthday gifts for safekeeping. Daniel helped me carry some of the items. I again thanked him for the beautiful necklace and let him know how much it meant to me. He walked me to the cabin, gave me a long kiss and hug, and handed me the gifts he had helped carry.

We were still ahead of the midnight deadline I had promised Dominic by about ten minutes. Daniel explained he was going to do a quick patrol of the resort's perimeter. He would use his senses to try to detect anything out of the ordinary, which meant Stephen. Daniel told me to stay on the safety of the lighted porch but to watch him as he walked off the edge of the sidewalk onto the grass and out of any direct lighting. I about melted with his next action. He was only twenty feet away and started to strip off all of his clothes. He was somewhat in the shadows, standing next to a tree, but the moon was bright enough to make him quite visible to my eyes.

In the next instant, he had transformed into that silky, black, majestic werewolf. It was incredible. He took a few steps in my direction. I laid my gifts down and walked to the very corner of the porch. He requested that I not leave the porch area, and so I sat down on the porch step. Daniel accepted my invitation as I reached my hands out to him as I would a dog. He padded over to me and placed his head on my lap, looking up into my eyes. I ran my hand over his head and down the length of his back. I rubbed behind his ears, and his eyes went half closed. I knew he enjoyed what I was doing. I gave him a quick, playful kiss on his nose and the top of his head. He rubbed his head one last time against my leg, and off he trotted into the woods. How absolutely cool.

I knew I had to get inside before Dominic came storming out to look for me. Sure enough, by the time I made it into my room, he was standing in my door frame. He was wide awake and waiting up for me. I tried to keep the conversation light, as I was tired and it was now midnight. He finally walked away and went to bed, wishing me happy birthday one last time. And what a birthday it was!

* * * *

The next morning, Zac and Tessa dressed the part of hunters, and drove over to Simon and Stephen's general area. Since the two locations were not that far apart, they would keep surveillance on both throughout the day. Daniel's sister, Rebecca, and brother, Isaac, came by to visit and check on any progress or developments with Stephen. Between Daniel, Dominic and me, we were able to bring them up to speed on Stephen's situation.

Rebecca reinforced what she had told us a few days earlier. At least two people would have to be in agreement that Stephen had totally turned evil before disposing of him. She didn't want one person to just carelessly make a snap decision and take it upon himself to kill him. I specifically told her that Stephen was definitely aggressive, wild, out of control, but not necessarily evil. He had a chance to kill me and chose not to. And when Cassius and Daniel fought, Stephen held back and did not join in the fight. We think he knew that we weren't going to take any dirt from him, especially after the earlier incident when Zac shot him in the shoulder. Daniel felt that if he was in the vicinity of Stephen, close enough to read him, then he needed to be one of the two people to determine Stephen's fate.

Rebecca seemed relieved to hear all of this. We weren't making it sound like we had to hunt and kill Stephen. There was a good chance he could be saved. Daniel informed Isaac to be on alert if we called for his help. In fact, Eli had recommended that strategically, within a day, we should seek out Stephen, capture him if need be, and have an intervention with him. Isaac reminded us, not that we needed to be reminded, that Stephen wasn't going to be too thrilled about our hunting him.

Between the psychic capabilities of myself and Dominic, and the power and brute strength of Daniel and Isaac combined, we had a fair chance of making this work. We had to try to save Stephen from the dark side. If he chose that path, it would ultimately lead to his death. And if he had turned evil, how many violent crimes would he commit in the interim before we could capture and kill him? Of course, it hadn't come to that yet. He hadn't gone on a killing spree. Another reason we had to intervene was for the sake of keeping the existence of werewolves a secret from society. Stephen and Cassius had drawn too much attention to this area with their antics. They had already risked their exposure too frequently.

The group meeting, minus Zac and Tessa, started to fizzle. Rebecca and Abigail wandered off together, whispering back and forth in some deep conversation. I happened to sense from Abigail feelings of weariness, sadness and fear. It never occurred to me to try reading her mind. There was never a need for it. She suddenly saw me staring at her, gave me a big smile, and then she and Rebecca disappeared around the corner. I thought of dropping into one of their minds to see what was up, but Isaac distracted me as he started talking.

"Hey, I heard you turned 21! Happy belated birthday, Kara! Sorry I missed it, but my brother didn't bother to inform me until today."

I gushed, "Thanks, Isaac. Did you hear what everyone gave me for presents? I'm still freaking out from it all. And look what Daniel gave me!" I held up the necklace that I wore so proudly.

"Wow!" Isaac was stunned. "That looks very nice." He looked at Daniel, punched him playfully on the shoulder, and winked at him. I couldn't help myself, but I touched at Isaac's mind, without giving myself away. Isaac was not suppressing himself or trying to keep anyone out of his mind, so he was like an open book for me to read. I still wanted to keep my presence hidden, so I stayed on the outer edges of his mind, only picking up some emotions and stray thoughts. Isaac was worried about Daniel's affection for me. He was more concerned about what the future held for us since I was human. But, he was happy that Daniel was happy and not lonely anymore. Isaac liked me. It pleased me tremendously to have his support. He thought of me as a brave and good person. He would not stand in the way of what we chose to do. Whatever that might be.

I had to watch myself, because I could feel tears of joy wanting to make their appearance. Isaac looked at me with all seriousness and said, "Daniel really cares for you, Kara. I'm assuming you already know that. Back to the subject of your presents...what's with the Dodge Challenger out in the garage? I can't believe that belongs to you!"

I didn't want him to leave out or to not acknowledge the other fabulous gifts I had received, so I added, "I know! Isn't it awesome! Plus, I got clothes, boots, a leather jacket, a computer, and a fancy meal! Everyone went completely overboard."

"Geez, now I feel bad for not getting you anything," Isaac actually looked a bit embarrassed and awkward with that realization.

Daniel asked Isaac if he could hang around another hour or two. He wanted to review some paperwork for investments and other financial items that I didn't understand, with Isaac and Rebecca. Daniel politely asked me if I would be all right on my own for the rest of the morning. I frowned at him and explained I could easily come up with something to do for a few hours. I didn't need to be entertained or guarded every second of the day.

I pulled him aside, as I hadn't had a chance to talk to him privately since the previous night. I didn't encounter him in my dreams either, probably because of my pure exhaustion and the fact we had already spent so much time together. I asked him if he had discovered anything during his nightly patrol of the property in his wolf shape. Daniel shrugged his shoulders and relayed that everything was secure. Nothing unusual.

I whispered, "I loved your moonlight show. No complaints on my end. Quite revealing. Daniel, you are so handsome even as a wolf. I'd like to say cute, but you might take offense to that word. It's so magical running my hands through your fur. I guess after you finished patrolling, you came back to that same spot, transformed, and put your clothes back on. Too bad I missed that part of the show."

"No offense taken to the word cute. I like it. Keep in mind you were seeing the relaxed, happy, contented wolf. You witnessed a little of the big, bad, aggressive werewolf when I had that encounter with Stephen. Luckily, Zac took a shot at his shoulder to slow him down, which made him retreat. We didn't engage in an all-out wolf fight which is terrifying to watch. Kara, you really haven't seen the full-blown, ticked off, raging werewolf side of me. I hope you never have to see that side, either." Daniel kissed me at that point, gave me a protective hug, and sauntered off to where Isaac stood watching so intently. This time, Isaac winked at me and the two left the room.

I looked around, found Dominic slouched down on the couch and walked over to him. He stood up as I approached, gently took my arm, and said, "Do you want to head back to our cabin?"

I answered, "Okay. And I want to touch at Stephen's mind this morning if it's possible, too."

We hurried over to the cabin as it was cold that morning. There was no dawdling around, no leisurely stroll. Dom and I sat on the couch and positioned ourselves to face each other. We held hands and immediately merged our minds to seek out Stephen. As usual, we wanted to sneak in as close as we could to accessing Stephen's mind without setting off his internal, instinctive alarms. I always hoped his mental block would be completely down, freely exposing his mind to allow me to enter. It wasn't. But, at least, I was picking up those images, emotions, flashes and a few words here and there.

Stephen still seemed to be experiencing all of his normal negative, aggressive emotions. Gee, no surprise there. I sensed he kept returning to his pack, trying to stir them up. He was trying to cause an uprising against Daniel's pack. I saw the image of David. But there really was nothing new or anything that called for us to take action immediately. Dom and I silently, and carefully drifted away from Stephen's mind.

We opened our eyes but he kept holding my hands. I responded, "Well, I feel better now that we checked in on Stephen. Tessa and Zac are out in the field, as they call it, and will let us know if they discover anything disturbing."

Dom still hadn't let go of my hands. His face showed a look of concern. It almost resembled pain. I sensed many emotions projecting from him. Feelings of loss, loneliness, frustration, desperation, worry and love for me.

It dawned on me that Dom had to know how deep things had gotten between Daniel and me. It was obvious. Everyone knew. We weren't hiding anything anymore. I think Dom kept hoping I would come to my senses (ha!) and would back away, maybe even fear Daniel for what he was, and not pursue that relationship. I already had a discussion with him before about Daniel, but he wasn't giving up. And since Dom and I just completed merging our minds to check on Stephen, he could easily have done a quick inventory of my thoughts, images, and intentions while he was linked with me. He would have discovered my true feelings for Daniel.

Dom reached out to hug me. I felt myself crying as I hugged him back. I purposely opened my mind to him, to let him hear and read my thoughts, and I knew he would sense that was what I wanted him to do. It was too difficult to talk, to say the words out loud. We remained holding each other.

I let my thoughts flow, Dom, I don't want to hurt you. I want you to remain my best friend forever. I know you desire more than that and I can't give you that type of relationship. I do love you, Dominic, with all my heart, but not in a romantic, boyfriend/girlfriend kind of way. Don't be mad at me or hate me.

He pulled back from hugging me, and I had a strong premonition of what he would attempt next. First, he said, "Kara, I could never hate you. Please..."

And, I let him kiss me, as it would give both of us proof of my feelings towards him in comparison to Daniel. When Daniel kissed me, I knew exactly what those feelings and emotions meant to me. Now, I decided to test my reaction by letting Dom kiss me. To give him a chance. Or, at least, let him feel he tried his best to win me over.

Dominic was ever so tender, almost shaking as he held my face with his hands and leaned in for the kiss. He wasn't sure if I was going to slap him off or not, so he hesitated somewhat, being extra cautious and gentle. When he realized I hadn't pushed him away or punched him, he continued and let himself loosen up so he could give it his best shot. He went in for a deep kiss. I allowed it.

Dom was a good kisser, I'd have to admit that, but after ten seconds...I pulled away. I couldn't look him in the eyes, as I knew the pain I would see there. I didn't need to say a word. He could and would read my mind, sense my emotions. I did care for and love Dominic, but it didn't feel right to kiss Dominic in that way.

My heart belonged to Daniel.

Chapter 19

Restless

I couldn't keep sitting there facing Dominic, with my eyes cast downward, without eventually having to look up at him. I had tears flowing down my cheeks. His finger captured each tear and lovingly brushed them away as his own tears spilled forth. I was the cause of his sadness, his feelings of being rejected. Seeing him cry in front of me was almost too much for me to take. I got up, went to the bathroom and quickly returned with tissues for both of us. I plunked down on the couch again.

Dom questioned me, "Kara, I will always be there for you. Make sure you never forget that. But, what do you plan to do now? How many times do I have to remind you that Daniel is a werewolf? You are human. Any relationship would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to maintain long-term,. Unless you're thinking of converting...?" The look of absolute fear shown on Dom's face.

"I don't know what to think or what I want anymore," I replied. "My brain is bouncing all over the place. I have two wonderful men that have been vying for my love, and in the meantime, we have to capture an enraged werewolf and get him in control of his emotions. Gee, I can't imagine why I would feel stressed out and confused."

"But," he prompted, "you wouldn't actually have Daniel turn you into a werewolf, would you?"

I looked around the room nervously. As I stared off into space, I answered Dominic as honestly as I could, "I'm not sure. My answer is not 'no' and it is not 'yes'."

"Do you understand how your life would be completely changed? And how your body and mind would react differently to your emotions? How you would have to control yourself so you didn't turn out like Stephen or Cassius? And dealing with transforming...and what about your family? What would you tell them? You must think this through. I don't want you to change. I want you to be just the way you are," Dominic pleaded. He had brought up many issues that I had been tossing around in my head.

We sat in silence for a few minutes. I searched the table and couch, trying to locate the remote control for the TV. Dom saw I was getting frustrated and he simply used his telekinetic skills to turn the TV on. I smiled and burst out laughing, which broke the silence, the tension in the room.

I shoved at him and said, "That's pretty convenient, isn't it? Now, can you turn up the volume?"

I leaned up against him as we watched the ending of a movie. I did not want him to misread my actions as romantic, and very lightly reminded him of that. The closeness, our physical contact that we shared right then, was not meant to be taken as anything more than comfort, security and friendship. I felt both of us needed that bonding.

By noon, we walked back to the dining room in the main building. Abigail was very routine and organized so we knew she'd have lunch ready by a certain time. Zac and Tessa had packed lunches, so they weren't around. Isaac and Rebecca had just left after their meeting with Daniel, having discussed financial matters. Lunch was simple and light, which I preferred. I commented that since it was a little warmer today, I wanted to walk down to the boat dock. Daniel said he had one short phone call to make and he'd be ready to walk down there with me.

"I want to go alone. I need time to think without someone constantly being around me. I'm feeling overwhelmed and want to regain my focus and get some things straightened out in my head. Is that okay with everyone?" I said it more as a statement, because I was determined to have some time to myself. Everyone was staring at me in wonderment.

Daniel didn't like the idea of me walking around by myself. No one did, but no one argued with me.

I headed outside, wearing my new leather jacket Abigail had given me. The sun was out, no breeze, not a cloud in the sky, about 60 degrees. For December weather, I could not complain. Even though it was a beautiful day, I knew I wouldn't stay out long. I was just not a winter person, and always got cold so fast. I took my time as I strolled down the winding sidewalk. I observed the beauty of the resort and glanced up at the huge, towering trees over my head. Eventually, the sidewalk joined the pathway that led down to the lake. With no difficulty at all, I followed the path until it popped out by the boat dock. I stepped up on it, went to the side facing the lake, and leaned onto the wooden railing. I looked out across the water and let my mind wander.

Of course, I didn't really think I'd get away without a few of my admirers having to check in on me.

Dominic mentally asked, Only a second of your time, I promise. Are you fine right now?

I'm on the boat dock. It's very peaceful. I'm fine. Thanks for checking, I replied.

Before he drifted out of my mind, he said, I know you need to do some deep thinking. Remember to review what I talked to you about this morning. See ya' in a while. Bye.

I appreciated his concern. I was also thankful that he didn't linger in my mind and had chosen to respect my privacy by giving me that time to myself. Time I had requested to be alone.

I had sensed from the time I stepped onto the boat dock, Daniel was nearby. I attempted to keep my mind clear and to avoid contact with him, since the whole point of taking this walk was to not have any outside influences swaying my thoughts. I couldn't ignore that I knew he had followed me.

I acknowledged him with a psychic message, Daniel, I know you're out there. I turned around on the boat dock to survey the trees.

Heavy with guilt, he simply stated, I'm sorry. I'm staying hidden and quite a distance from you. I want to ensure that you are safe out here, Kara. I will not interfere with the time you need alone. Act like I'm not here.

Okay, my own personal bodyguard. Acting like you're not here is easier said than done. Unless I'm in danger, please, Daniel, stay out of my thoughts and don't approach me. I'm not trying to be mean, but I need to do this on my own. I want to think about the big picture here. You and me. The future. I pleaded with him to give me the solitude I desperately needed.

He understood, I won't intrude. Do your thing. And with that, we dissolved the mental link. I was aware he would not leave me alone out here, but at least if I didn't physically see him and he kept out of my thoughts, I could speculate about my future plans.

It was time to review what was happening to my life. I knew, without a doubt, I loved Daniel. And, I did not romantically love Dominic. I saw Dom as my best friend. The kiss we shared confirmed that for me. I loved him as a friend, but not as a boyfriend. I didn't want to lose Daniel or Dominic. I wanted both to remain in my life. I wanted them to remain friends with each other.

When the issue with Stephen was resolved, would I go back home to my parents in Illinois? And leave Daniel? Could I handle a long-distance relationship? No, No, and No. Which meant I was staying here. I had to discuss this with Daniel.

What about The Liaison? What if they asked for my psychic help again with another whacked out werewolf, or some other being, for that matter? They did originally abduct me, for goodness sake. But, I understood their motivation for doing so. And how could I forget all the money they spent on me for my birthday! I couldn't just blow them off. Helping people, helping this race's survival, did truly make me feel like I was doing something very worthwhile, very important with my life. Again, I needed to talk to Daniel about that. And then my team.

Lastly, would I tell Daniel to turn me into a werewolf? Would I go through the conversion? In some ways, I completely wanted it. In other ways, I was terrified. At least I had not fallen in love with a vampire. I could see even greater problems in dealing with that. Having to drink blood and sunlight burning my skin were pretty good examples. The werewolves looked like normal humans, even if they were unbelievably physically fit. They ate regular food and walked around in the daylight. They were virtually immortal, had superhuman speed, strength, heightened senses and healing properties. That didn't sound so bad. Yeah, they did have huge rage issues to deal with, and probably had to spend a lot of money on clothes since they kept ripping them to shreds. Also, I had to consider the reality of living a very long life. Daniel was 342 years old. He in no way had taken on any characteristics of aging beyond that of a 26 year old man; that was his age when the witches' curse had been placed on him, turning him into a werewolf. Did I want to be in a position where I would eventually see all of my human family and friends die and I would continue to live on and on? And, of course, the knowledge of werewolf existence had to remain hidden...or be hunted down by fanatics, the government or the local people.

I did not have to make a firm decision right now on whether I wanted to be a werewolf or not. I was the one who had shocked Daniel when I had started asking him questions about becoming a werewolf in the first place. Daniel was not pressuring me in the least bit. He never once brought up anything about turning me into a werewolf. It was my idea. My curiosity. And my wanting confirmation from him that if I did choose to be turned, that he would carry through with it and not fight me on it. So, it was totally my decision. Daniel remained neutral and would go along with whatever my choice was. And I didn't know right now. I would make up my mind later. There was no need or reason to rush into that type of life changing decision immediately. I needed to talk to Daniel about that, too.

I took several more minutes to breathe deeply. In and out. In and out. I stretched my arms up and then bent myself over, letting my arms dangle to get a good stretch in on my back. I felt much more relaxed since I had this chance to self reflect, to be alone, and to not have others influencing my thoughts. It was time to find Daniel. Since I knew he was out in the woods watching over me, this would not be much of a challenge.

Daniel, would you come to me now? I want to talk with you in person, I mentally reached out to him. Hopefully, my statement didn't sound negative. I felt that I had basically positive things to tell him.

In a mere five seconds, he was standing in front of me in all his glory. He was so gorgeous. I hugged him and said, "Let's go for a ride in my fancy new car! I have things to tell you."

"What? You just spent the last hour tossing around ideas about major life decisions and now you want to go joy riding? Can't you tell me now what you've been thinking about? You can't imagine how difficult it was for me to stay away from your mind and respect your private time. I about went crazy. Not only that, but to keep myself hidden far enough back in the trees so you couldn't see me. My God, I felt like I was stalking you!" Daniel was highly emotional with anxiety. He did not have a clue what I wanted to tell him.

I reached out and put my hands on his chest. Calmly, quietly, I soothed him. "Daniel, relax. Breathe with me. I have nothing bad to tell you. Close your eyes." I went into his mind, not to read it, since it was quite obvious what he was thinking, but to flood him with warmth, love, comfort. I implanted beautiful images of a great forest filled with ancient trees and a rock-filled, bubbling stream. The stream led to a breathtaking two hundred foot waterfall that cascaded down into a small, clear lake.

Daniel was very content. I had been able to manipulate his behavior successfully. I grabbed his arm, and said, "Okay, now that you're not flipping out on me, let's go for that car ride."

He shook his head, but knew I had won. I started running up the trail, with Daniel in hot pursuit. I wanted to get back to the garage as soon as possible and hop in my new car. More importantly, I had several things to talk to Daniel about and I was about to burst wanting to get on with that conversation. The joy ride in the car was just an added benefit for fun. We made it back to the garage in record time and took off in my shiny car.

I started out driving around Hamlin, getting comfortable with the feel of the car. It was nice and handled so well. It looked so awesome, too. Daniel knew since this was the first time I had driven it, it was probably best not to distract me by forcing me to talk. He guided me around town and pointed to different places of interest since I was not familiar with the area. I had no idea where I was going. Poor Daniel was getting anxious again, and wanted to know what I had to tell him. After a total of fifteen minutes of driving around, I pulled over, tossed the keys to Daniel, and told him to drive. I was satisfied with my time behind the wheel. I loved the car to pieces and would have to thank Eli again.

I didn't want to divide my focus between driving and having a deep conversation with Daniel. Maybe we should have just stayed at the resort and sat down to talk. It wasn't fair of me to put Daniel in a position of responsibility over my car. But since I was going to be doing most of the talking, and he had many years of driving under his belt, I figured he could handle it.

I had to tease him a little first. "So, what was it we needed to talk about?"

He lifted an eyebrow at me, and said, "Your life."

Well, that did sum it up. I began, "Daniel, be prepared, because I'm going to ramble on. First, and foremost, I love you."

He stopped me. "Kara, I can't drive around like this and have you tell me things like you're starting to do. Hang on, just around the corner I can park the car in a spot that gives us a view of the lake. People park there all the time."

I realized how shaken he was if he couldn't even drive the car. He maneuvered it into a parking space, turned it off, and looked at me. "Begin," he stated.

I did as he requested and dove in, "Okay, as I said, I love you with all my heart and soul," he grabbed my hand, kissed the back of it, and didn't let go. I could barely go on and I had only just started. He brought tears to my eyes with his display of affection.

I said, "You are aware that Dominic has a thing for me. I have explained to him that he is like my best friend in the whole world and that is all. And that I love you. He isn't thrilled with our relationship. He's very concerned about the choices I might make. But I'm begging you to accept him as my best friend. And not hurt him or force him away from me. You have already been friends with Dom and I want that to continue."

Daniel responded, "My turn...I love you, more than you can comprehend. And I can deal with Dominic in a respectful, non-threatening way. Of course, I will not stand idly by and have him chastise me about our relationship or attempt to threaten me. I will have my say with him if he pushes my buttons too far."

"I understand," I told him. "Now, onto a decision I've made, if you'll agree to it. After this situation with Stephen gets resolved, I do not want to go back to Illinois and live with my parents. I want to stay here with you. I am very sure of my feelings on this subject. I don't know what I would tell my parents. At the moment, they believe I'm rambling around in California, by myself, seeking out my true destiny. All I know is that I do not want to leave you. Your turn."

Daniel smiled and jubilantly said, "Of course, you can stay here. I want you to stay with me. I'm feeling a bit selfish, but I don't know that I could even let you go. We might ask Eli's opinion on what to tell your parents. We'll figure it out. You are an adult and your parents cannot force you to come home."

I covered one issue at a time and kept going. "Next...speaking of Eli...I have thought about my little team, The Liaison. They brought me on board rather abruptly and violently, but I have come to love them all and what they stand for. You understand their purpose and goal. We are presently working on that goal. To save Stephen from the dark side. To prevent him from committing any more violent crimes. To save the werewolves from exposure to society. Daniel, before I became a part of this group, before I met you, my life was boring. It had no meaning. I was aggravated and depressed. I felt my life was going nowhere and that I was completely useless. At that time, I had no boyfriend, my friends and I were drifting apart, I had a low-paying job I hated, and still lived at home with my parents. Now, everything has changed for me. You, especially, are in my life now. But, I have this wonderful psychic ability that has made me feel very useful. I feel like I can and should do something good with it. To help people, or different species. If Eli would call and ask for my psychic assistance in the future, what would I tell him? Would you allow me to go?"

"Kara," Daniel said, "Allow is a rather strong word. That makes me sound like a tyrant and that you wouldn't have any choices with me. That is not true. I would never rule you. If Eli or anyone with The Liaison calls and asks for your help, and you willingly want to go, I will assist you on your trip. You know, I could be quite useful to them. And I do need to get out more often. Abigail can easily handle running the resort without my constant presence. I always fear for your safety during the times you make contact with other beings, obviously more physically than mentally. I have enormous strength that could greatly help provide protection to you and the others. So, I can deal with that, too. What else?"

I was coming to a close in our discussion. "The last thing I made a decision on was whether I wanted you to turn me into a werewolf." He had that "deer in the headlights" look on his face.

"I've made the decision to not decide for right now," I smiled at Daniel. What a relief to have this all out of my system. He reached over and hugged me, which was difficult since we were still sitting in the car.

He responded, "I think that is a good idea. I am not pushing you either direction, as I want this to be completely your decision. We have plenty of time to enjoy ourselves, to be ourselves, and not to worry if we will alter the type of being you are."

I whispered in his ear, "Just to let you know, I am leaning more towards you turning me into a werewolf."

Just at that pivotal moment, I sensed that someone was trying to mentally connect with me. And it wasn't the ever familiar sensations of Daniel or Dominic. I held up one finger to Daniel to be still while I opened my mind more freely, letting it be a blank slate so I could focus on the mental contact. I heard my name with the image behind it – Zac! I sought out his mind to initiate the telepathic link.

Zac, it's Kara. You did it! You reached out to me and I heard you. What's wrong? I felt panic racing through my body.

Zac explained, Stephen has gotten David pretty wound up. David is willing to follow Stephen's lead. He's still stirring up the rest of his pack, too. We're heading back to the resort now. I think we've been spotted by Stephen so we need to leave now. See you in a little bit.

I looked at Daniel and said, "Time to go."

Chapter 20

Reveal

Daniel looked back at me, bewildered, and asked, "What now? Who were you speaking with?"

I explained to Daniel what Zac had told me, which was extremely brief, but to the point. We needed to make a move on Stephen soon. Daniel had already started up the car. Within minutes, we were back at the resort. We arrived before Zac and Tessa, so Daniel and I decided to round up the remaining troops for another meeting.

While Daniel looked for Abigail, I went to the cabin to fetch Dom and Eli. Eli was elbow deep in research papers, as Dom sat in a chair reading a book. The three of us quickly walked back to the main area of the resort. Dom poked at my arm with his finger, and quietly asked, "Did you make any major decisions I need to know about?"

"Yes," I answered, knowing full well that he wanted details. "Look, we don't have a lot of time to talk right now. Let me give you a summary: I love Daniel and I'm staying here with him after this ordeal with Stephen is over. If the team needs my psychic help in the future, I'm all for it. Give me a call. I have decided to not make a decision at this time about converting into a werewolf. That covers the main points."

Dom was tremendously relieved that I had chosen to put on hold any ideas of being transformed into a werewolf. I'm sure he figured that could give him more time to try and convince me to never make the conversion. And when I mentioned how I wanted to keep helping The Liaison in the future, he smiled and rubbed my arm. Of course, I failed to mention that Daniel would be coming along with me on those missions. But, Dominic was content for now. He knew there would always be more situations that would develop, dealing with the hidden species of the world. I would be called into play, and Dom would get to spend time with me. Together, we would use our psychic powers to fight evil and bring about peace and tranquility. Hmm...I think I had plucked that last sentence word for word from Dom's thoughts.

Everyone had reassembled in the lounge, including Zac and Tessa. Abigail suggested that since she had prepared supper already, that perhaps we could move to the dining room and dive into the discussion while we ate. She seemed fidgety and hurried us along, as if the food might get cold.

Zac and Tessa took turns describing the results of their surveillance and what they had witnessed throughout the day. Most of their time was spent staking out Simon's place. They had used a type of sound amplifier, a listening device, in an attempt to hear conversations. With the use of some high-powered binoculars, and a few other James Bond gadgets I couldn't remember the names of, it had been a fairly successful day. If any of the werewolves decided to roam around and discover them, Zac was ready to camouflage their gear, and play the role of a husband trying to show his wife how to hunt.

Excellent cover story, I had thought.

Stephen had managed to sway David's opinions and thoughts some. David was the youngest, as far as how many years he had been a werewolf. He still had very much of a wild, uncontrolled side. He transformed frequently into the werewolf form and enjoyed chasing wildlife. But, he was not as aggressive and did not hold such rage as Stephen did. Stephen persuaded David to join him in a little revenge against Daniel. He wanted to sabotage either Daniel's truck or set on fire the boat dock. According to Zac, no decision had been made by Stephen. He was having too much fun playing around with different ideas. From what they could hear, David and Stephen were laughing together over the matter, like partners in crime.

Tessa had commented that the other werewolves, Simon, Lydia and David's wife, Rachel, were not in agreement with Stephen and David. They remained calm so as not to anger or provoke Stephen. But they appeared to be firm in letting Stephen know that they would not be involved in any acts of revenge. Stephen acted like he didn't need their permission or assistance to do as he pleased. He patted David on the back, like he had just found his best buddy in the world. Tessa said she saw Rachel look at David in anger and then she shook her head and walked away, like she didn't know what to do about him.

Zac and Tessa mentioned a few other nonessential details about their surveillance. They didn't spend much time near Stephen's cabin as it did not have a decent road leading up to it, making it harder to sneak up on him. Luckily, he spent most of the day at Simon's place.

Daniel had remained quiet and attentively listened to Zac and Tessa's reports. He bluntly announced, "Well, we better head out tomorrow morning before Stephen and David get a chance to sabotage anything. Right now, it sounds like we've got a little time since they haven't decided exactly what their plan is yet. We'll go to Simon's house and speak directly with him. I want to hear what he has to say about all of this. If we're lucky, Stephen will already be hanging around there and we can nab him up for our little intervention. I doubt we'll get that lucky. And if he saw all of us coming, he'd probably take off anyway. So, be prepared to hunt him down and David, too, although I imagine he'll change his mind pretty fast when he sees we mean business. Let's keep the focus on Stephen, unless, of course, David becomes violent with any of us. I seriously doubt that from him, though. We'll capture Stephen, in whatever way we deem necessary at that time, even if that means shooting him in the leg. Then Kara and Dominic can work their psychic tricks on him. Hopefully, having those two almost sitting on top of him, Kara can break through his mental block and instill positive thoughts, images, and behaviors. If he'll allow himself to feel soothed, relaxed and in control of his aggression, maybe he'll see the light and recognize how he's been on the path to destruction. He needs a different perspective on his life, to have his bad thoughts be replaced with good thoughts."

We sat at the table, and nodded in agreement with Daniel. I barely remembered what I ate during the discussion. I understood why everyone preferred to eat first, then go elsewhere to talk. Everyone had finished their supper and there was a moment of silence.

Suddenly, Abigail burst forth with a confession, "I can't hold this in anymore. I'm going to make myself crazy. When Stephen was still part of the main pack, before he split, we had been seeing each other secretly. We were falling in love. I suppose we had gone beyond falling; we already were in love. There was just something about his bad-boy image I found appealing. He wasn't as aggressive and uncontrolled then...as he is now. Rebecca, my mother, she knew about us. I don't think anyone else ever found out about us. There were a lot of reasons we didn't tell anyone. We craved the thrill and excitement of meeting on the sly and fooling everyone. It was our own little secret. We felt a little awkward starting a relationship after having known each other for over 300 years. We feared the other werewolves would shun us, would say it wasn't acceptable since he was so close to being like a brother to me, even though there isn't any actual genetic blood relation. Mom was concerned about Stephen's wild behavior, too. We knew that Daniel and Stephen didn't get along very well. They didn't see eye to eye on many issues, and here I was working for and living at Uncle Daniel's resort. Stephen felt like I was consorting with his enemy. But I love it here and I didn't want to leave." Abigail was about to have a nervous breakdown. Or transform into a werewolf right on the spot, I wasn't sure. I rushed over and knelt down in front her. I grabbed her hands, held them firmly, not at all afraid.

"Abigail! Look at me. Let me into your mind. I can help you calm down," I insisted. She was sobbing uncontrollably and by that time, I had tears in my eyes, too. But she did look up into my eyes and brought my hands closer to her heart. I entered her mind and flooded her with comfort, reassurance and calm images. I let Abigail know that we were all here for her and we would not be judgmental. I encouraged her to take a few long, deep breaths, and to feel free to continue with her story.

Abigail hugged me and whispered, "Kara, thank you. I can see why Daniel loves you so much." That statement made me feel like a million dollars. I knew Daniel was able to hear what she had said and I looked over to smile at him. It also confirmed she was completely aware of how serious our relationship had become and the deep feelings we shared. I squeezed her hand and moved back to my chair.

Abigail's vulnerability throughout her confession was heartbreaking. She was opening herself up to possible criticism from family and friends. Feelings of guilt, shame, embarrassment kept trying to surface and I stayed partially merged in her mind to keep those negative feelings at bay. She was conscious of the fact that I continued to monitor and adjust her emotions ever so lightly, not forcing anything into her mind that she didn't want. She freely accepted my help, the waves of comfort and love I mentally sent her.

She sighed heavily, and continued, "As I was saying, I liked being here, but it did create a conflict between Stephen and myself. We bickered over it many times. He really wished I would leave here and go to live at my parent's resort. Before long, he started a mutiny within the pack, as everyone obviously knows, and convinced several to leave with him and start a new pack. Stephen begged me to come with him. I still loved him but he had radically changed from the early days when we had started our little affair. At times, I was even terrified of him. I told him that I would not leave. I did not want to split from Daniel's pack. And I knew my parent's had absolutely no intentions of breaking away from Daniel. We were family and loved one another. I suppose when Stephen, Simon and his family moved away, that's when we officially broke up. He kept secretly pleading with me to come with him all the way up to and including the day they left. He said since others were leaving, too, no one would suspect that we had anything going on between us. I think he had fooled himself into believing that more would follow him. He wanted to outnumber Daniel's pack. But, that didn't happen. The majority of the werewolves had chosen Daniel's side. I am positive that our break-up was the icing on the cake that sent Stephen over the edge." Poor Abigail looked so exhausted, although relieved, after revealing all of this information to us. Not one person jumped down her throat about this, as she feared could happen. Stephen was the issue, not Abigail.

Daniel cleared his throat and made another revelation of his own. "This all makes sense now. When I had confronted Stephen at his cabin the other day, he was talking in circles, but he had made a comment on how he had found happiness. A light at the end of the tunnel. But he had lost that light. The light was you – Abigail. He said he couldn't have that light and his freedom from me at the same time. He lost you."

Eli made his own speculations. He said, "No wonder we've got such a ticked off werewolf on the loose. Let's tally this up, folks. According to Daniel's accounts over the years, Stephen's been a wild child from day one. He's just gotten much more uncontrolled and violent of late. He can't get along with Daniel. He didn't persuade as many wolves to join him in creating a new pack as he had planned. Most of that pack doesn't really approve of his actions anymore, so there's turmoil there. He briefly finds a new buddy, Cassius, that we politely kill. We're on his case almost daily trying to curb his bad behavior. And, gee, to top it off, he's lost the love of his life. Yes, we've got to find him before he loses all control and turns completely evil."

"I'm going to call Isaac tonight and request his help tomorrow in hunting Stephen," Daniel relayed to the group.

Abigail blurted out, "Please, don't kill him. Try to help him if you can. Kara, you're a miracle worker with your psychic gifts. What you did for me tonight, when you reached deep into my mind and soothed me, please, try to do that for Stephen. I know this might sound stupid, but I do still love him."

"I promise Abigail, I will try my best to break through his mind and implant calm, positive thoughts. Does he know how you feel? Have you talked to him at all?" I asked.

She said, "No. I stopped all communication with him after he left."

"Hmm...," I was thinking, "Did you have any psychic connection to Stephen when you were seeing each other?"

Abigail explained, "Most of the werewolves have tiny amounts of telepathic links to each other if we focus really hard. But, just to remind you, it's nothing even close to what you are capable of doing. You're able to have complete conversations in someone's head, full sentences, as if you were speaking out loud. You're able to read their minds, to capture their thoughts, as they are mentally speaking to you. Amazing. Werewolves can't do that. The extent to our telepathy is like a presence tapping at the other wolf's mind. It is so elementary, so basic. It can let another be aware who is near. It's like saying, "hi", "come", "stay" or "danger". I would compare it to teaching a dog simple commands. I know, I know. I shouldn't be comparing us to dogs. But, think about it. If we are werewolves, that is part animal, and a wolf is related to a dog. When using human language or signals with teaching dogs tricks, it's usually one or two words. So, in answer to your question, I'm not able to mentally speak with Stephen in the way you're thinking."

"Kara, what are you getting at?" Dominic wondered.

I wasn't really sure myself what I was getting at, but I felt an idea, a plan emerging. I said, "I thought Abigail could touch Stephen's mind. Let him know she still loves him. Maybe if he thinks there is still some chance to reconcile with her, it might chill him out enough for us to work with him better."

Abigail commented, "I see what you're getting at. But he'd probably think, what is the point? If I still refuse to leave Daniel's pack to move in with his dysfunctional pack, then we are back to square one. Nothing would have been resolved. He might even suspect a trap, knowing full well I'm right in the mix with The Liaison and Daniel. I don't think he even has a phone at that crummy cabin, so I can't call him, either. Not that he would even answer a phone if it did ring. He's really been rejecting technology. Trying to live without all the modern conveniences. It fits his natural, animal side better; at least, I think that's what he told me once."

It was getting late in the evening once again. We had been sitting so long our rear-ends ached. And the dishes were still scattered all over the table. We needed to sleep. But, I wanted to be polite and asked Abigail if I could possibly help her with the dishes, even though I knew her speed was incredible. She laughed and said I'd probably slow her down. It was good to see her smile again after the stress of the evening. Daniel still had to call Isaac yet to ask for his assistance. We knew to set our alarm clocks for an early time. Everyone stood up from the table, stretched and scattered for the night.

I gave Daniel a hug and kiss before retreating to my cabin. Abigail was still in the room. I told them, "I have an idea that might work to catch Stephen off his guard. As all you guys call it – the element of surprise and the art of distraction. I'm getting so devious in my old age."

Chapter 21

New Plan

Another morning. Another gathering of the great minds in the infamous conference room. This meeting was meant to be short and to the point. Daniel had mentioned we would go to Simon's place in hopes of locating Stephen. If he was not on site, Daniel wanted to question that pack about Stephen and David's whereabouts and actions. He planned on divulging our intentions of capturing Stephen and what I would attempt to do in order to calm his mind.

Zac and Tessa were prepared to engage in tracking the enemy. They would provide a variety of weapons for our protection and defense. Daniel and Isaac would be capable of following Stephen's scent. Needless to say, besides Zac, they were the muscle, the strength, of the group. If needed, Eli would act as a mediator, since he had great psychological understanding and speaking skills. Dom and I were, of course, the psychics and would use our abilities when the time arose.

I brought up my idea of using a distraction once we had Stephen in our grips. If we could get his mental block to break down long enough for me to slip into his mind, I felt I had a much greater chance of succeeding. But, I didn't want to blow the element of surprise by having Stephen figure out ahead of time what we might use against him. We would have to be cautious and use methods of concealment until the time was right to throw the distraction at him in full force. To literally take his breath away. Daniel was not too sure about my idea, for fear of it backfiring, and Stephen's rage becoming uncontrollable and then hurting someone.

I said to Daniel, "Oh, come on. Between you and Isaac – two powerful werewolves holding Stephen down on the ground and Zac and Tessa pointing guns at him, I can't imagine him breaking free and being allowed to hurt anyone."

I'll admit, I was throwing them a challenge. Getting them psyched up for the hunt and take down. And I truly believed all of them could contain Stephen. I had complete faith in their abilities. Everyone, including Daniel, finally agreed to use the form of distraction I had in mind. We just had to keep it under cover.

We took two vehicles to accommodate everyone and drove to Simon's place. We tended to call it Simon's place because it consisted of his house and the woodworking business. Both structures were located on the same property, side by side. Since it was the other pack's home and business, it made more sense to refer to it as Simon's place.

We arrived at 8:30 in the morning. Simon sauntered out of his workshop to meet us. He appeared to be on high alert, concerned, alarmed with the number of individuals stepping out of the vehicles on to his property. Anyone would be nervous seeing our unified group walking towards them. Heck, I'd take off running for the hills. He contained his aggressive side quite well, though, since he had a pretty good clue why we were there. It wasn't for him. Still, being outnumbered, he was careful not to be backed into a corner or stuck in a building. Simon made sure he was out in the open. His wife, Lydia, and daughter, Rachel, boldly came outside and stood next to Simon.

Simon spoke first and politely asked, "Daniel, how can I help you?"

"Simon, it is good to see you. I'm sure you have figured out why we're here. It's for Stephen. Is he here now?" Daniel asked.

"No, he and David are out running and I assume hunting wildlife, again," Simon shook his head and glanced at Lydia and Rachel.

Daniel prompted, "Are you aware they are planning to sabotage my property?"

Simon looked stunned and stuttered, "I, I, heard them toying around with possibilities...I don't think they had definite plans yet. How did you know?"

"We have done our own surveillance. So, did you think to call me and warn me about this?" Daniel was really attempting to stay calm, but it was difficult.

"I guess I was trying to stay out of it. I don't know. I should have called. If they had said they were heading out to destroy something of yours, I would have called then." Simon clearly gave off feelings of guilt. As it was, he was looking in the eyes of the one person he had defected from. Left. Deserted.

Daniel explained to Simon, "We believe that you and the women are not the problem. We don't have any concerns or issues with the three of you. We're definitely going after Stephen and are suspicious about David's behavior. It should come as no surprise to anyone standing here, that Stephen's rage and actions have gone well beyond any acceptable behavior and can no longer be tolerated. We have to protect humans from any werewolves that have gone rogue and turned evil. And we have to keep our existence hidden. Stephen is drawing too much attention to this area, risking our exposure. We will capture Stephen, and David, if necessary, and use the psychics' skills to attempt manipulating their destructive emotions, thoughts and excessive aggression."

At that moment, Daniel gestured with his hand for me to come forward. "Simon, meet Kara. She has incredible telepathic power to soothe and calm the beast that resides in all of us. I can vouch from personal experience, as can most of the others with me, for her extreme capabilities. And, she is my girlfriend."

With that statement, no one moved a finger, no one breathed. It was rather shocking hearing those words. Girlfriend. Yet, I obviously knew it to be true. My entire team had witnessed the relationship progressing between Daniel and me. Recently, we had started to show our affection for each other in public. We no longer hid our feelings or pretended like nothing was going on behind closed doors. The shock of Daniel's statement was probably felt much more by Simon's pack. They knew, they could sense, I was not a werewolf, but a human being. It had been almost fifty years earlier that the latest werewolf had entered the pack. That was David. Rachel had changed him to have a lifelong companion. And now, here I stood, next to Daniel, with his arm possessively around my shoulders. I'm sure they were wondering what our future plans were. Was he going to turn me?

Simon broke the ice, stating, "Nice to meet you, Kara." Total awkwardness in his voice, but he went on, "Daniel, I want you to understand that Lydia, Rachel and I had no intentions of ever attacking you, any of your pack or your property. We don't believe in such things. We have no feelings of revenge like Stephen seems to carry within him. We thought splitting away from the main pack with Stephen would give him the opportunity to be an Alpha male. To feel he wasn't under anyone's control or influence. We didn't mean to reject you, Daniel. I was actually trying to avoid conflicts between all the werewolves so everyone could live in peace. And since I had my own little family circle, we had each other to rely upon. I figured we could handle moving fifteen minutes away from your area, in order to prevent an upcoming death match with you and Stephen fighting it out. That's why we agreed to go with Stephen. And I didn't want to tell you, since we all have that little mental link, I didn't want Stephen to pick up on my real reason for leaving you. I don't believe in his ways, his lifestyle. He has influenced David, too. But, David thinks this is just a game, and will back off when he recognizes this isn't all for fun. So, please, try not to attack David. We don't think he's dangerous."

Rachel stood next to her father, tears in her eyes. She said, "I'm coming with you on the hunt. I want to be there to help pull David back to me. He isn't lost to us, just confused because of Stephen's insane peer pressure and ridicule. If he is in wolf form, he will be very aggressive, and maybe if he sees my dedication to him, he'll chill out."

Simon said, "I know when Stephen and David took off early this morning, Stephen was exceptionally ticked off with us because we couldn't see things the way he does. He expected all of us to agree with his lifestyle, his way of living. He wanted our support on sabotaging your property, but we wouldn't acknowledge him or accept his plans. He feels that his pack is a failure as we aren't treating him with the respect an Alpha male deserves. I'm sorry, Daniel. You do deserve all the respect in the world. You always looked out for us and did your best with providing for the whole pack. I hope you forgive me, forgive us, for deserting you. We were only trying to resolve the issue with Stephen. It obviously hasn't worked out very well."

Simon bowed his head, as did Lydia and Rachel, in what would be considered submission. It was strange. There were strong sensations of guilt emitting from all three of them.

Daniel walked directly up to Simon, and held out his hand to shake, "Simon, you are a good man. We have been through so much over these last 300 plus years. You are forgiven and remain my friend."

Simon gave Daniel a pat on the arm, and Lydia and Rachel hugged him. Thank God we were all on good terms with these three now. Lydia felt the need to explain, "Daniel, we even bred and housed rabbits for the sole purpose of enticing Stephen into chasing after them when he chose his wolf form. We had hoped it would release his pent up, wild, animal side and keep him away from the larger prey, like the livestock he's gone after before. We tried to re-route his predator instincts by offering our own form of prey for him, but he complained that the rabbits were too small and didn't excite him like the cattle, wild turkey, deer, or elk could. And the rabbits didn't offer up much to feed on."

Daniel nodded in approval of what this little werewolf family had tried to do to prevent Stephen from making poor choices. They had tried to guide him and set him straight. He was totally blind to the fact that they were attempting to save him from the dark side. Of course, Stephen seeing them as fellow werewolves, couldn't understand why they didn't want to follow his lead. He took it as insubordination on their part or as his own incompetence in overseeing his pack.

"They will probably head to the old cabin," Simon suggested. "It's always a good resting place after they've been out running for a while. But, you could find them anywhere within a few mile radius between here and there."

After Daniel and Simon had resolved their misunderstood differences and renewed their friendship, I stepped back and rejoined the rest of the team. We basically stood still, watching the interactions and listening intently. It seemed the right thing to do. To keep quiet and respect their one-on-one conversation, instead of different people interrupting them.

As Daniel and Simon discussed Stephen's likely areas to roam, and the initial direction they took off that morning, Rachel kept glancing at me. Finally, she sighed with apprehension, then made her approach. I tried to do a quick mind read or at least absorb her emotions, but there wasn't much time. All I could pick up on were the mixed emotions of anxiety, fear, aggravation and curiosity.

"So, you are able to help us? By using mind control?" She questioned with an air of uncertainty.

Great. Now I had to deal with a non-believer. Or else one that felt threatened by my telepathic abilities. And there was that negative word of "control" used again. I really didn't like that word. It was time to put on a smile and try my best to win her over.

"Yes, I am able to help you. Honestly, now that I think about it, I've used my skills, in some form or fashion, on everyone in our group. And believe it or not, no one had any complaints. It's for real, what I can do. I'd hate to call it mind control, though. That sounds so negative. I've really helped relax, comfort and ease anger and rage with these guys. I can implant images, thoughts, ideas into the mind. I can help to create certain positive emotions in order to manipulate behaviors. None of them have bonked me over the head when I've entered their minds. So, I guess, I must have done something good. Feel free to ask them," I responded.

Rachel seemed pleased with my answer. She tentatively asked, "I know your main focus is Stephen, but maybe, you could try to work with David, too. Stephen has really messed with him, leading him down the wrong path."

I replied, "Rachel, I had planned on doing that already." I very gently touched her arm to suggest we walk a few feet away from the rest of the group. She thankfully moved with me without an argument.

I offered myself to her, "Can I help you right now with anything? Is there anything you want to tell me?"

I was unprepared when she grabbed my hands and said, "Just read my mind, please. You'll see why I'm so concerned about David."

Daniel cocked his head at me when he saw Rachel's look of exasperation and physically reaching out to me. He didn't know whether to be worried about her actions or not. I gave him a quick, She wants me to read her mind. It's okay.

Rachel's hands were nice and warm on this winter day as I tenderly squeezed them. I gave her a heartfelt smile to convey that I was no threat. I'm not sure if I would have needed to touch Rachel in order to read her mind. I had been standing so near her during Daniel and Simon's conversation, I think I could have entered her thoughts just from the close proximity. Regardless, the physical contact and her willingness, her acceptance, in allowing me access to her mind made it effortless on my end.

Rachel? I'm here. I didn't want to startle you. You can think your words in your head and I can hear you. You can either speak to me or just let your mind flow about what's bothering you and I can pick it up. I explained.

She chose to speak to me in her mind, Kara, this is weird. I keep wanting to use my mouth to talk out loud. The telepathic powers of the werewolves are very limited. I'm not used to this.

It's okay. You're fine. The others will understand what we're doing, so don't worry about it if they look over here. They're probably thrilled you're opening up to me and letting me do this with you. And I do thank you for coming to me. Oh, I am aware of the limits to your psychic abilities, so I can imagine this is a new experience for you. Pretty cool, though, huh? I added that last bit in to ease the tension.

Rachel nodded in agreement and then she grew serious again. Kara, you've got to work your magic on David and get him to settle down. He is my husband, and I do love him, but if he follows in Stephen's footsteps, we're going to have problems in more ways than one. I'm pregnant.

Whoa. I was not expecting that one. I kept staring at her, as she gazed at me and then her eyes started to well up with tears. I started to realize the significance of this. Most of them had lived hundreds of years, and not many children were born to them during that enormous length of time. That was unusual, now that I thought about it. In fact, it might have been two hundred years since any children were actually born. I let these thoughts flow into Rachel's mind.

I will do what it takes to save him from turning to the dark side, Rachel. This is a monumental event. Oops-I forgot to say congratulations! But this is his baby, too, and you will need him to be in his right mind to share in raising this child. Does he know yet? Does anyone know? How far along are you? I flooded her with questions.

I haven't told anyone yet, because I literally just discovered it myself. I wasn't sure if I was actually pregnant, but I'm starting to show just a tiny bit. No one has noticed yet with the clothes I've been wearing. I'm guessing I am about three months along. Keep in mind, it's not like werewolves go to see regular human doctors. I've fully intended to have a family meeting and tell them about my pregnancy. But, of course, that's when David will decide to act up or do something stupid with Stephen, then I get mad, and I don't feel like making that type of announcement. Rachel had totally opened up her mind to me. She went from being skeptical and apprehensive when she first approached, to the complete opposite, of now believing in me and having confidence in my abilities.

I mentally told her, Rachel, you said you were determined to come with us on the hunt. Once we catch up to Stephen and David, and Daniel and Isaac tackle Stephen to the ground, David is probably going to be stunned by all the action and the sheer number in our group. I think you should blurt it out at that point that you're pregnant. It will catch everyone off guard. And with David viewing what I'm afraid will be a pretty violent take-down of Stephen, you will have your own little element of surprise to throw at David. It will get his attention as he's trying to decide whether to go all-out bad boy and attack or to back away from the commotion with Stephen. You should be able to draw him to you. Reach out to him. Even attempt to use your own psychic power, no matter how limited it is.

Rachel then spoke aloud, "We've got our own plan, don't we?" She smiled. I sensed determination and a feeling of camaraderie.

"Yes, we do. There are several plans all needing to fall into place, but certain people will be in charge of different plans. You know which plan you're responsible for now. And I know you will handle yourself perfectly with your announcement," I smiled back at her. We shared a secret that was going to be blown sky high within the next few hours.

Daniel wandered over to us, curious as to what we had been mentally discussing for so long. I chose to keep the secret to myself, which meant I had to temporarily put up a tiny mental block around this new knowledge of Rachel's pregnancy. The confession from Rachel had to have maximum shock value in order to create the effect we wanted to achieve, mostly on David.

"Kara, as you two have been getting all buddy-buddy over here, which is great I might add," Daniel announced, "Simon and I realized you needed to be made aware of a werewolf phenomenon that Isaac and I are most likely going to use today. It has to do with transforming from human to wolf form. You've seen me as a wolf, which is the form we almost always transform to. But, there is another shape we can take. Rarely do any of us choose this other form, as it isn't necessary and if any humans happened to see it, our exposure to society would be greatly at risk. At least when we appear as wolves, we may be much larger than the average wolf, but if a human catches us, it's not as likely to draw as much attention as this other shape we can take. It's more man and less wolf but quite terrifying to the human eye. It could be considered an in between stage of transforming. Half human, half wolf. You see me now as a human man. And you've seen the large wolf I can become. But, you haven't seen this beast shape I can take. I am just forewarning you so you don't freak out at a critical moment during our attack on Stephen."

"Thanks for the advance notice," I grimly stated. And here I thought I knew everything about werewolves by now.

Chapter 22

Caught

Daniel dropped a bomb with his revelation to me. I thought werewolves were either in human form or wolf form, not an alternate option of a half-man, half-wolf creature. No one had ever mentioned this to me. I replayed in my head Daniel's process of transforming into a wolf. It had always occurred in the blink of an eye and the next thing you were staring at was a large wolf. If I slowed down the process in my head, I vaguely could picture what did resemble a horrific looking beast, just for a brief second, as his body magically converted itself into a four-legged animal.

"So, when were you planning on showing me this side of yourself?" I gruffly asked. I felt hurt that he had never explained this to me. I looked over at the rest of The Liaison members as they stood and shrugged their shoulders as if this wasn't a big deal.

Daniel explained, "As I said, we rarely take that shape. During part of a normal transformation, we can decide to make a clear and conscious effort to pause it mid-way through, before turning into a wolf. At that point, we'll be in the shape of a true beast."

"I want you or someone to show me right now," I insisted. I, again, looked over at my team of humans and asked, "Have any of you seen this alternate shape shifting?"

Eli admitted, "Actually, no, we haven't. We are aware of their ability to take that shape, though."

Daniel and Isaac had brought extra clothes along in case of any spur of the moment body changing since that tended to destroy any clothes they were wearing at the time. I knew this information, and since I felt they owed me this, I didn't care how many clothes they ruined. I wasn't expecting both of them to show me, but together they walked away a few feet, made sure they had everyone's attention, and proceeded to let their bodies ripple and reshape themselves. I swear they had grown about six inches taller, shirts burst off, but their pants only ripped slightly, as powerful muscles and dark furry hair made an appearance all over their bodies. Their heads turned into that of vicious wolves, very gruesome, with huge muzzles and sharp teeth. They had rigid, tall, pointy ears that twitched, trying to capture the sounds around them. Hands became deadly claws. I remembered Cassius had turned his hands into that form when he and Daniel had fought. Before this display, Daniel and Isaac had luckily kicked their shoes off, knowing their feet would also change into a cross between feet and paws. They stood up right, towering over me.

Needless to say, I was shocked. I had to keep telling myself not to be scared, they were not going to hurt me. Eli, Dom, Zac and Tessa were also intrigued to get the opportunity to see this phenomenon. At least they were already aware of this side to the werewolves, so they weren't quite as freaked out as myself. I thought to test my mental connection with Daniel.

Daniel, can you still hear me in this form?

He immediately answered, Yes, I can hear you. So, I doubt you would still consider me a cute wolf anymore, huh? Don't flip out, though. I realize I look like a monster, but this change was completely voluntary with no underlying aggression. I'm in control.

He reached out to caress my face, ever so carefully, as he now had razor sharp fingernails that could slice through my skin. I sensed that almost everyone held their breath and a few gasps slipped out as Daniel touched me. My peripheral vision caught Dominic moving towards us, as he suddenly feared for my life. I quickly sent Dom a mental message indicating everything was fine. I closed my eyes for a few brief seconds while Daniel's hand cupped my chin. I felt strangely safe. I don't think Daniel could ever hurt me. He would do something to himself first, to prevent any harm coming to me. He was positively wild to look at, but I had to allow acceptance of what stood before me. I did love Daniel and this was a part of him I could not be in denial of.

I asked him, "Can you speak out loud?"

Daniel cleared his throat, which sounded more like a dog coughing, and attempted speech, "Rough."

I smiled. "Okay, was that word rough or was that like ruff, ruff? Tell me psychically." I could not believe I made a joke of this.

Nice one. His facial expression appeared to take on some form of a smile, or at the least, it had a contented look to it. The word was meant to be 'rough'. As you can see, speaking out loud is very difficult. The shape of my mouth has changed into a long muzzle plus there are other internal differences as compared to a human mouth. Sometimes I can bark or growl out a word or two, but it's usually hard to understand what I'm trying to say. My mind still functions the same, as I'm able to speak to you with our normal mental link without any problems. Okay, I'm going to step away and transform back to human shape now.

Daniel and Isaac were like synchronized swimmers as they instantly appeared in their human shape once again, both at the exact same time. Personally, I think they were showing off.

Isaac explained, "As you can imagine, we can kick ass better in that form. We're stronger, faster, and have full use of our hands, plus our size is an advantage that will help bring down Stephen. We're much more dangerous as a beast, and can be extremely destructive. We don't think he has enough control over his emotions and transforming skills to even take the shape of a beast right now. He just switches between human and wolf form. But, you never know. He could have been practicing and learning how to take that shape over the last few months."

Daniel started up, "Enough show and tell until later. Good chance you'll get to see this act again. Isaac and I are going to the truck to change into new clothes. Then, let's get Stephen's scent and follow the trail."

Partially ripped jeans was about all that remained on them. They quickly made the trip back to the truck, changed clothes, and rejoined the group. Daniel brought with him a small backpack for me to carry. Inside were clothes for himself and Isaac, obviously they were prepared for future shape shifting. Zac and Tessa retrieved their weapons, once again handing Eli, Dom and me knives or guns for self protection.

Simon pointed out the direction into the woods that Stephen and David had taken that morning. Daniel and Isaac knelt down to the ground and sniffed four or five times. They wanted to have those scents accumulate in their nasal passages to ensure better success with tracking. Daniel announced, "Let the games begin."

The rest of us followed Daniel and Isaac into the heavily wooded area. We stayed fairly close to one another, with Eli, Dom and me more centrally located within the group. This was for our protection since we were the weakest links, the ones less able to defend ourselves against an attack. Dom and I had never met David, so there was absolutely no mind reading capability with him. Any time we tried to connect to Stephen's mind, it always ended up being the same scenario. He still had a mental block erected against anyone trying to gain access and all we could gather were the usual emotions he emitted pertaining to aggression. Occasionally, I'd get a glimpse, just basic images, such as trees or another werewolf he spoke to, which I assumed was David, or an animal he was tracking. None of that was helpful at the moment. It didn't give us an exact location to catch him. Simon had informed us that Stephen was going hunting for deer. And that meant in his wolf form, not as a human hunter with a gun.

We slowly plodded through the woods. Daniel and Isaac were on high alert and had a definite scent they were following. It was odd but interesting to observe their behavior. They were still in human form, but took on some traits of a dog or wolf. Daniel would pause to take in several quick sniffs, then raise his head to the breeze which would confirm that he was heading in the correct direction. Some of the scents were actually urine markings on trees or simply the ground; after all, Stephen and David were in the form of wolves, and they did feel the need to mark their territory. Daniel and Isaac had taken in the scents of both wolves, although each tried to concentrate on only one. Daniel, I knew, would insist on tracking Stephen, and Isaac would focus more on David. If the wolves split up, they would know right away.

We were only in the woods for about fifteen minutes, when both Daniel and Isaac stopped abruptly, their heads cocked to the side, listening intently with their acute hearing. Daniel bent low to the ground and once again checked all the scents available. Something was up.

Daniel signaled for everyone to come close, and he whispered, "Stephen and David are together. I believe they are just around those trees up there. The sound we heard was them attacking a deer. I can smell the blood. It just happened within the last minute or so. They are completely distracted with their kill and feeding at the moment, so I'm fairly sure we are undetected for now. But, we need to make a strategic move. There isn't enough time to surround them and they would become aware of the sounds of our approach by the time we could even try to do that. So, we'll spread out our line somewhat, and surge in on them while they're still finishing off the deer. Most of this will be a play it by ear situation. But we each have designated roles to fill, so, everyone, get prepared quietly and move in."

Daniel immediately hugged me, gave me a kiss, and mentally said, Kara, I love you. Please be careful. Don't get close to Stephen until Isaac and I have him under our control. Good luck.

Daniel, I responded promptly, I love you, too. You are heading into a fight. You be careful.

Daniel and Isaac removed their clothes and shoes and transformed into the beast – half human, half wolf. United, we stealthily crept forward and peered through the trees and bushes into the clearing at the scene. Stephen and David were feeding on the deer. They were about done, just picking at it, shoving it around with their noses, looking for any spare morsels. I could not comprehend that they didn't sense our impending attack. I suppose they were so confidant in themselves, so arrogant and were thoroughly engrossed in this feeding frenzy that they truly didn't have a clue what was about to happen. I wasn't about to try a mental link with Stephen right then, as that could draw his attention away from the deer and tip him off to my close proximity.

Daniel and Isaac nodded and signaled to everyone along the line to make their move. As we entered the small clearing, some of us were tight up against the trees, and all, but two, made sure their presence was well known. Stephen and David, still in wolf form, jerked their heads up from the deer carcass. They looked left and right, taking in all the individuals showing themselves. I could sense their fear, anger, and confusion as to what to do next. Stephen's body was slightly sloped forward, feet braced, hair bristled on the shoulders, back and tail. His lips were curled up which exposed the gums and sharp teeth, visible wrinkles could be seen above his nose, ears were held aggressively forward. We could hear a slow, low-pitched growl that seemed to come from the chest and finally direct eye contact was made with Daniel.

At the same time, David had taken on some similar body signs, but with much less dominance and a very unsure nature. His feet were braced, hair bristled up only on his shoulders, his tail wagged slowly in a low position, and his lips curled up revealing some teeth. David's eyes were blinking, not really staring directly at any one in particular. His ears were pulled back flat, with some wrinkling on the forehead. I could hear a higher-pitched growl that was almost a bark. He was not expecting to be hunted down by so many humans and werewolves. I had a feeling we wouldn't have much trouble from him.

Daniel and Isaac, in beast form, started their approach. The tension in the air was unbearable. I wanted to scream. We didn't want either Stephen or David to get away, either. Their madness was going to end today no matter what. Everyone in our group was bound and determined to resolve this situation or at the least, get Stephen on the right track with his life. David realized this was a losing battle and turned tail to run. Just then, Rachel stepped out of the woods behind me.

She screamed out, "David! Stop!"

David heard her cry out to him. He stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her. He paced nervously, trying to decide whether to disappear into the woods or to stay and find out why Rachel was here. I knew Zac or Tessa would take a shot at him and bring him down before he could get away, though. Rachel came further out into the clearing, but kept a good distance away from Daniel, Isaac and the enraged Stephen. As she was half way to David, Zac and Tessa had also taken steps closer to where we knew the action was going to take place. Stephen. They wanted to protect Rachel from any attack Stephen might make on her since she was so exposed walking out by herself.

Rachel paused, took a deep breath, and with tears streaming down her face, proclaimed, "David, please, don't do this anymore. You know what is right and what is wrong. You know the rules we try to live by. Please, come back to me. I need you. I'm pregnant. I am going to have your baby."

I was the only one who was not shocked by this huge announcement. I had promised Rachel I would keep the secret. We wanted it to have full shock value when she spoke those words. And it did. Everyone was silent. Mouths dropped open, eyes boggled out. Stephen's head glanced over at Rachel and shook back and forth for a second. David quit pacing and just stood still by the trees. Then he sat down with one paw raised and sighed. A single, loud, high-pitched bark signaled for Rachel to come to him. She made her way across the short distance to David. He transformed back to human shape and stood up then instantly held Rachel tightly to his body. She had brought spare clothes for him, since he was standing there naked, although Rachel was in front of him.

I very gently tapped at Rachel's mind, Rachel, is everything okay?

We're good. He's going to put clothes on, Rachel quickly informed me. I zoomed this information mentally to several of the team members so they knew Rachel was safe. Time to focus on Stephen, as he was still in a delayed stand-off with Daniel and Isaac.

The thought occurred to me that once again, Stephen was being abandoned. This time by David. He had lost Abigail, Cassius, his pack didn't respect him, and now David was no longer his partner in crime, a buddy to share his wild ways with. He knew positively that if Rachel was pregnant, David would be spending time with her. Pregnancies with the majority of werewolves were not that common. And most of the females in this group simply chose not to get pregnant. It was difficult enough for the adult werewolves to blend in with society, and control their emotions, let alone attempting to raise a baby that is also a werewolf.

Knowing his sense of loss, I relayed this to Daniel and Isaac. Stephen would be extremely dangerous. I was getting an overload of his emotions. I snatched thoughts out of his head. Unbelievable amount of rage, loneliness, and self-destruction. He knew he was outnumbered. He wanted to be killed. He felt no point in living anymore. He could not win this fight, but would take down as many as he could with him. Which meant he would fight to his death.

Only minutes had passed since Rachel walked into the woods with David, but it seemed an eternity. No one was making the first move in this stand-off. Daniel, Isaac and Stephen kept up this agitated circling like the wrestlers do in a match just before one steps forward to start the competition.

Suddenly, Stephen lurched at Daniel, but he hit an invisible barrier. As he landed back on his feet from the jump, a log came zinging out across the ground and knocked Stephen onto his back. Two points for Dominic. He used his telekinetic skills expertly and with perfect timing. Daniel and Isaac jumped on top of Stephen to hold him down, but he somehow squirmed out of their grasp and attempted to flee. A shot rang out. Zac hit him in the back leg as Stephen howled out in agony. He could not run anymore in that condition. He was still trying to limp away, but it was futile. He would heal quickly from this injury, but there was plenty of time for Daniel and Isaac to capture him.

As they tackled him to the ground, Daniel had a hold of his upper body and Isaac held down his lower body. Stephen wasn't ready to give up yet. His leg may have been shot and he was in terrible pain, but he had plenty of fight left in him. To everyone's surprise, he transformed into the beast shape, the same as Daniel and Isaac were in. This made Stephen stronger, larger, deadlier and at better odds against the other two werewolves.

All three were thrashing and struggling on the ground, each trying to get the upper hand in this battle. It looked like a whirlwind of arms and legs and bodies flying around. I knew without a doubt there would be substantial injuries, even possible death. How could there not be horrible wounds sustained when they all possessed dagger-like claws and vicious, snapping jaws let alone the super-human strength and speed that aided them in an all out fight.

I was warned to stay back until Stephen was restrained and I could understand why. Daniel didn't need to have me so near the action that he would also have to worry about my getting injured, too. He and Isaac had enough to concentrate on. Especially trying to keep from getting their throats slashed wide open. With two against one, they were wearing Stephen down, though. The movements, the fighting, suddenly ceased. One more time, Daniel had Stephen's upper body pinned to the ground, and Isaac was lying across his lower half. Zac and Tessa rushed in to help and used their body weight, one on each arm that Daniel was attempting to keep down. Now that four of our team had him restrained, I stepped up to do my job. Dominic and Eli followed me.

I stood and looked down upon Stephen. He looked so pitiful, in a way. He glared back up at me with an icy stare that was full of hatred. He growled, low and deep from the pit of his stomach. Stephen tried to vocalize, as we heard him mumble, "Never." I suppose that meant he would never allow me to help him. To soothe, comfort, calm him. To give him pleasant images, positive thoughts, with my power of suggestion. No, he did not want me anywhere near his mind. He didn't want to be controlled, although what I did was not mind control. He just didn't understand and didn't care anymore about anything. He was now teetering on a precipice, right on the edge of falling to the dark, evil side. I tested his mental block to me, and even though he was weary, he still maintained and fought to uphold that barrier. It was some semblance of power to him, one battle he felt he had won. A battle of the minds.

I knew Dominic couldn't mentally reach him either. Stephen and I kept direct eye contact with each other, which was basically a show of wills. I was prepared to dive into his mind at any second, once his relentless barrier could be broken down. It was now time to pull out my ultimate plan of attack. I would utilize the art of distraction, a technique I was successful with in my experiments back at the resort. Distract Stephen, catch him with his guard down or lowered, and finally, fully access his mind with Dominic's added support. I signaled with one finger to someone behind me to come forward.

Abigail. The Distraction.

Stephen's lost love. In person. Right there. He was no longer having a staring contest with me. Abigail had his full, undivided attention. With tears running down her face, how much more distracted could he get? He was so shocked, so caught off his guard, his mental block came crashing down so fast, I thought I could almost feel it like an earthquake.

And just like that, I pushed into Stephen's mind, with Dom linked up with me. Dom could not do much except be an additional distraction, if needed. Since he only could read minds, he was not capable of mental manipulation as I was. So if Stephen started to rebel against me, Dominic would start mentally talking with him, which would allow me more time to place positive thoughts and ideas into his head, in hopes they would work and take effect immediately.

I remained solely focused on my task, Dom next to me, while Abigail knelt down next to Stephen. Daniel, Isaac, Tessa and Zac continued to hold him firmly in place on the ground. Eli stood off to the side as did Rachel and David who were many feet away but had emerged from the woods and watched intensely. I tried to work harmoniously with Abigail, implanting images and emotions that matched the things she was telling Stephen.

"Stephen, I still love you. I never stopped loving you. Let your anger go. I want to make things work out for us. But you cannot keep up this destructive behavior. If you want to have a life with me, you have to abide by our own werewolf laws. We can do this, if you're willing to try. We can learn to control your aggression. You can see by now that this lifestyle you've been attempting to embrace, is not going to be tolerated. You don't want to threaten humans. You're not a murderer. And you don't really want to risk all the werewolves' exposure, our hidden existence, do you? You cannot bring unwanted attention to this area. Do you really want the people, fanatics, the government hunting us down? Hunting and maybe killing me?" she pleaded.

I kept feeding Stephen's mind with positive emotions, pleasant thoughts of Abigail's love for him, reassurance she wanted to be with him. I implanted images of them together, walking through the woods, hand in hand, smiling, laughing, enjoying themselves. I added an image of them in wolf form, just running free, letting the wind flow through their fur. That would show him it was still acceptable to transform into a wolf, and that he didn't need to associate it with rage and crimes of violence. I flooded his mind with waves upon waves of comfort, blissful feelings at the exact same time Abigail continued pleading with him, and then, gradually...something shifted in his mind, body and soul. I sensed it. I felt it. I could see his expression change on his human/wolf face. Dominic and Abigail could see something happening to him, too.

The evil that had started invading Stephen's spirit, that had tried to consume him, was departing. It was losing its grasp on him. The good was seeping in, slowly replacing the bad. He relaxed flat out on the ground, still with Daniel, Isaac, Tessa and Zac on top of him. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, opened them, and tears slipped out both sides, trailing back into the long hair on his head.

Abigail gently, lovingly, stroked his head with her hand.

Chapter 23

Mediators

Without any advance warning, Stephen transformed back into human shape. The team holding him down to the ground had to quickly maneuver their dominant positions and grip on him as his body changed form. Stephen did not protest. He did not try to fight or push them off. He remained submissive.

Abigail and I stated at the same time, "Let him go."

Daniel looked directly at me, and questioned in his beast form, "It's okay?"

I answered, "He's not bluffing us. He's really surrendered. Stay nearby, he's very confused, but you can get off of him."

As Daniel, Isaac, Tessa and Zac tentatively released Stephen, he drew his body up into a ball, sitting on his rear, with his arms curled around his legs, head down. He was totally naked, very exposed both physically and mentally. I reached into the backpack to retrieve a pair of pants for him to put on. I handed them to Abigail, and she instinctively rubbed the pants over her chest and arms to put her scent on them. They belonged to Daniel, and his clothes, his scent and mine, needed to be toned down for Stephen to make it more acceptable to wear.

Everyone stayed on high alert. They backed away from Stephen a few feet to give him some space. Abigail rubbed his head and back which helped to console him. I continued to monitor his mind, and to make my presence not so overbearing for him. I tried to fade into the background of his thoughts. And, yet, a majority of those thoughts are ones I had created, along with many new, positive emotions. Stephen was being very quiet, unmoving, as his mind processed everything. Abigail suggested he put the jeans on as she touched them to his hand, letting him be aware they were readily available.

Stephen looked so defeated at Abigail and said, "I don't know what I'm doing anymore. I'm sorry. Help me."

And with that last sentence, he glanced up at me, and then turned back to Abigail. He hugged her tightly and took the jeans from her to put on. We didn't turn our backs on Stephen as he dressed, but we discreetly looked another direction to give him privacy. After the jeans were on, it almost seemed like Abigail was supporting his weight on her shoulder. He leaned on her as if he had very little strength or energy left in his body.

I looked around to survey the damages. Stephen's leg had been shot, and blood was actually seeping through the jeans he had just put on. He had several cuts, gashes and bite marks, which were scattered over his body. Daniel and Isaac didn't have any gunshot wounds, thankfully, but they still had many nasty, bleeding injuries all over them. The three of them looked pretty messed up to me. But I knew that werewolves heal fast, and it appeared that none of the wounds involved any major organs, and even though they were bleeding from cuts, none would make them completely bleed out and die. Zac and Tessa were on the receiving end of a few slices themselves, but had only stepped in when Stephen was restrained by Daniel and Isaac. Eli would have to check Zac and Tessa out to make sure they didn't need any stitches or other first aid.

Abigail spotted some fallen trees that could substitute for a chair or couch. She guided Stephen over to that area and they sat down. The rest of us followed, not sure what to expect or do next. We did feel that the showdown was over and now it was recovery time.

Daniel gestured to the woods that we had emerged from and said gruffly, "Clothes."

He momentarily left our group to transform to human shape and put clothes on. The second he returned, Isaac followed his lead and did the same. They did not have their shirts on yet, as I assumed they wanted the wounds to completely stop bleeding first. At least this time around, before we attacked Stephen and David, they remembered to undress first to prevent destroying more clothes during a transformation. Now that the fight ended, they were able to retrieve those clothes from where they had left them. And, of course, I had the handy dandy backpack on me, stuffed with additional clothing, as back-up, which worked out well since Stephen had no clothes available.

Eli had carried his own backpack, equipped with medical supplies. He gingerly walked up to Stephen, squatted down in front of his injured leg, and asked, "May I take a look at it?"

Stephen nodded his approval, but also stated, "I doubt you'll need to do much to it."

Having Eli in on the action allowed him to make use of his wonderful mediator skills. He wasn't a psychic, but with his vast knowledge in psychology and his medical degree, he knew how the mind functioned, and could say just the right things at exactly the right time. Eli was able to get people (or werewolves, in this case) to open up, to speak freely, and then he could offer his guidance, his counsel.

Eli peeled up the pants on the injured leg, inspected it, touched and probed. Suddenly, he removed a bullet that had wedged itself in the muscle of Stephen's calf. Stephen only slightly flinched, then gave a small nod of gratitude that Eli had removed the bullet. As Eli applied pressure, he very quickly looked around for something substantial he could sit on and spotted a nice log a short distance away. Eli asked Dominic if he could move it with his mind to the designated spot he pointed to, and Dom complied without hesitation. Once he was able to sit more comfortably, he disinfected the area, applied more pressure to stop the new flow of blood, and began his counseling with Stephen. And Abigail.

The rest of us respected the authority and confidence of Eli. I was well aware that Stephen was no longer a threat. The physical battle appeared to have ended. The others could even sense, without having psychic skills, that the incredible tension in the atmosphere had dissipated. Stephen's rage, aggression and need for revenge were under control with my help and massive behavioral manipulation. Dom and I stood on the opposite side of Abigail and Stephen, that way they would not be talking to Eli and have to be looking at us at the same time.

The remaining members in our group lingered nearby, just in case Stephen decided to flip out again. David and Rachel rested against a tree. Daniel, Isaac, Tessa and Zac cleaned up their injuries using some of Eli's supplies, which kept them busy for a while. I noticed Daniel playing nurse to Zac, which I was vastly proud of and sent a subtle mental message to him, approving of his kind actions. Daniel kept his eyes on Zac's dreadful gash, but psychically responded to me with an emotion of love and concern. It looked like Daniel was actually stitching up Zac's arm like a pro. Amazing! What else was he capable of doing?

Dominic tapped at my mind with a suggestion that if we moved back another foot, we could lean on a tree instead of hovering over Abigail, Stephen and Eli. I agreed. I was getting tired, too. I wasn't necessarily exhausted, but I definitely felt weak from all the excitement of the morning and the tremendous mental drain I experienced after having diligently worked my psychic magic on Stephen. And I was still monitoring him at that very moment. I had just ceased the mental manipulations, as I figured he could concentrate better and perhaps carry on a conversation more easily with Abigail and Eli if I wasn't infiltrating his brain so heavily.

Stephen was instantly aware that I had drifted back to the far corners of his mind, to monitor only, and he looked over at me with fear in his eyes. He was afraid that I was now abandoning him. Just as so many others had. Leaving him to fend for himself. To fight his demons alone. He wasn't sure of himself. He didn't trust himself. I had taken away some of the bad emotions and ideas and made him feel better, feel different. He wasn't filled with rage anymore, but he had a hard time understanding and dealing with the positive feelings. He was more sad, confused, fearful of the future.

I jumped into his mind, speaking directly to him this time, Stephen, I am here. I am not abandoning you in your time of need. I am merely stepping back, allowing you to work with what I've given you. Review all the wonderful images, the good feelings I've brought to your attention that are there for the taking. That you need to hold on to with all your might. I am here to guide and show you how to keep your own sanity. But, Abigail is your anchor to life. She is sitting right next to you. Reach out to her. She loves you, Stephen.

Thank you, Stephen managed to relay as he reached for Abigail's hands to hold.

I summarized what had just occurred with Stephen and me, and his mental state, to Abigail and Eli telepathically. He was going to need a lot of support. He reminded me of a drug addict or an alcoholic that if tempted, or under stress, could easily sink back into his old, destructive habits. Dom was linked up with me and was completely sensitive to the delicate nature of this situation. He gave me a quick squeeze around my shoulders, letting me know he was impressed with my abilities. And, I knew that his side hug also indicated to hang in there. I silently sighed.

Eli had stopped applying pressure to Stephen's leg wound, dabbed it with antiseptic and attached a large bandage in its place. Stephen didn't need it. When Eli had pulled back the medical dressing to check for bleeding, it had already stopped. Stephen's super-charged healing ability had kicked into gear. But, Eli was used to following proper procedure and went through the normal motions of treating an injury.

Stephen broke out into a half smile and said, "Hey, Doc, I'm fine. You don't need to do anything more to my leg."

Eli responded, "Absolutely incredible how fast you werewolves heal! Well, Stephen, how are you feeling? Do you want to talk about all this? I would like to help you, too, if you'll let me."

"Well, I guess I feel very confused. It's like I woke up from a nightmare. I'm seeing things differently now. I know Kara has shown me a new way to look at my life. She's helped me calm down and release the bad vibes. Abigail's appearance today was not at all expected. I never dreamed she would come out with everyone to hunt me down," Stephen confessed.

Abigail piped in, "I, personally, wasn't hunting you, Stephen. I was searching for you. I wanted to find you and let you know I still have strong feelings for you and love you. I just said an awful lot of "you's" there! I guess I'm nervous and afraid you might switch over to the evil side if I close my eyes. I want us to be together, but not if your rage and violence can't be controlled."

Eli brought up, "Stephen, no one came out here with the intention to kill you. We all wanted this to have a happy ending. We wanted to help you, as long as it wasn't too late and you would allow us to help."

Stephen looked down and shook his head. "Abigail, I don't think I can live with you at Daniel's resort. Daniel and I are both Alpha males, and we'll never be able to handle living under the same roof. I'll admit it is extremely hard for me to say this. But with these new feelings I am having, I think I can understand Daniel's ways and the reasoning behind his methods and rules. I can respect him and what he's trying to do."

Stephen glanced up at Daniel, and took notice of the unselfish, kind act Daniel displayed as he finished up Zac's stitches. Daniel knew darn well Stephen would rather get teeth pulled than openly compliment him or show him any respect, and yet, here he was, doing just those things. Daniel nodded and grinned in acknowledgment at Stephen.

Stephen went on, "But two Alphas under the same roof is just NOT going to work out."

"Don't worry about that right now," Abigail said. "We can figure that out later."

Daniel added, "Several things will be changing in all of our lives. We need to look out for one another and lend support when we can. Stephen, I understand and agree with you, that both of us living under the same roof would not be realistic. Even with your rage under control, we would be butting heads too often. Abigail, you are under no obligation and will not be forced to stay at my resort. That decision will be yours alone as to where you want to live. Don't feel any guilt if you feel you need to move out."

Isaac made one of the best suggestions of the day, "Why don't we start heading back to Simon's place? That's about a fifteen minute walk and it's past noon by now. The sky looks like it could snow and it would be nice for the humans in this bunch to be back in a secure, warm place before any nasty weather sets in."

Abigail, Stephen and Eli stood up from their makeshift seating arrangements. The entire group loosely formed two lines, and began the trek back through the woods to Simon's place. I was off the hook for a while having to deal with Stephen. I didn't sense anything with his attitude or emotions that I needed to worry about. At least for the moment, he had control of himself. It would be impossible to monitor him 24 hours a day, even if Dom and I took twelve hour shifts. We would have to put our trust in Stephen that if he felt negative feelings or thoughts coming on, he would alert us, ask for our help.

Daniel and I walked together, his arm wrapped snugly around my shoulder. We both replayed what had transpired that morning in our heads. Suddenly he looked down at me and exclaimed, "You kept a secret from me. Rachel's pregnant. Although, I can see why you wanted to use it for shock value on David."

David and Rachel were leading the pack and overheard our conversation. Rachel peeked back over her shoulder and gave me a big smile. Daniel wasn't going to let such a monumental event just slide by. Congratulations were in order! He picked up a stone and zipped it at David's head to get his attention.

David started whistling, messing with Daniel, as if he wasn't even aware a stone just hit him upside the head. That's all it took for the horsing around to begin. Daniel ran up behind David, knocked his knees out, which made him almost fall down, and wrestled him into a headlock. They were playing. Rachel and I rolled our eyes and shook our heads laughing.

"So, what's this I hear about Rachel getting knocked up?" Daniel jokingly asked, with David still in a headlock. "Are you ready to break the news to her parents?"

David groaned, "In case you forgot, we are married. And have been for a while. Let go of me, you big lug."

Daniel very briefly whispered something into David's ear. I almost didn't catch the subtle movement and I didn't have time to enter Daniel's mind to find out what they had planned. Then, David twirled around inside the headlock, broke free and grabbed Daniel's arm that had been wrapped around David's head. He jerked Daniel's arm up behind his back and triumphantly had the upper hand, so to speak. Well, I knew that wasn't going to last very long. Daniel happened to be facing the rest of us at that precise moment. He was having fun with this. He gave everyone this totally confidant, cocky smile, and purposely aimed his facial expressions at Stephen. With the agility of a gymnast; he back-flipped high up over David, which freed Daniel from David's hold. He was now standing behind David and in the blink of an eye, had David thrown flat out on the ground and down for the count. How cool! Daniel won that match, but there was a point being made here, I realized.

Daniel ruffled David's hair for added teasing, jumped up off of him, extended his hand to David, and pulled him to his feet. They were done roughhousing for the moment. Daniel looked seriously at Stephen and explained, "Do you see what we did here? We were able to release some energy, wrestle around, without having all the aggression and violence mixed in. Stephen, none of us are saying you have to abstain from letting loose every so often. We don't expect you to chain yourself down. As long as you can keep yourself under control, go ahead and transform into the wolf, but do so discreetly and without terrorizing animals and people. David, this has been a learning experience for you, too. We were concerned about losing you to the dark side, but felt it was more peer pressure than anything else that was making you act out in ways you know are not right. Stephen, I really wanted to show you this example of David and myself goofing around, play fighting, if you will, just like wolves do in the wild. Do the two of you understand what I'm getting at here?"

Stephen, once again, seemed to have made another revelation about how his lifestyle could be changed, improved, and how he could actually have the best of both worlds. He had Abigail back in his life. He could live a peaceful, harmonious existence with her and still be allowed to let some of his wild side free, minus the rage that had accompanied it in the past. Somehow, over time, he had just lost the ability to control his emotions. And now, was regaining that control back, that power, to overcome the werewolf aggression, the animal side of him.

Stephen responded, "Yeah, I do get it. I see your point. Just don't give up on me. Don't drift too far off..." He looked at me when he said that last part. I nodded at him in support. David nodded in agreement and comprehended the entire situation, too.

"So, Daniel," Stephen abruptly surprised us with an upbeat tone to his voice and a teasing comment, "Are you trying to freeze your woman to death out here?!"

I had to put my two cents in and replied, "I wondered about that myself, Stephen!" I turned my eyes to Daniel and continued, "Yes, it sure must be nice possessing that lovely little werewolf trait of walking around in the winter time without feeling the cold! But I'm freezing! Can we go now? Are we there yet?" I smiled like a little kid sitting in the backseat of a car.

Chapter 24

Return

Daniel rushed over to warm me up after Stephen's mocking comment that I was freezing. We had been outside for several hours, and I had become much colder as time wore on. I was physically and mentally drained from my heroic act of saving Stephen's soul. Abigail had played a huge part in that, providing the distraction to break down Stephen's mental block and allow me inside his brain to do my work.

Daniel mentally said to me, I'm sorry, Kara. I forgot how cold you can get. Keep close to me and take in my body warmth. We've only got five minutes to go and we'll be back at Simon's. He felt guilty. I thought it was tremendously sweet.

You should have been wrestling with me instead of David, while you were proving your point to Stephen. That would have heated me up instantly, I teased.

Daniel gave me a huge hug, rubbing his hands up and down my back to warm me, and whispered in my ear, "You're putting ideas in my head, baby. Watch what you wish for."

I announced, "Okay, everybody, let's get going. Did I mention yet how I'm cold, and tired, and starving?"

I knew Zac would jump in on that last one. He was always hungry. "I totally agree with Kara on starving. It's about 2:00 and we haven't eaten since five this morning. Stephen, you think Simon will feed us? At least toss us a bone? Well, since you're werewolves, you might actually have bones lying around. So, forget the bones, how about real human food?"

We were trying to draw Stephen into conversations to make him feel part of a group. To be needed, wanted, accepted, to help him stay balanced and not feel like an outcast. He, in reality, was an outcast, one to be carefully watched because of his previous actions. Everyone was still being cautious around Stephen, looking for any signs of violence or wildness waiting to erupt. But, we had to play it cool with Stephen and create an atmosphere of belonging, of friendship, with him. Some of us still feared for his ability to control himself, but we had to give him a chance, and try to trust him.

Stephen replied, "I'm sure Simon's got plenty of food around to feed you, right, Rachel?"

As Rachel was Simon's daughter, Stephen figured she would know how stocked up they were with food. She laughed and said, "Mom and Dad always stockpile food. I'm sure they will be ecstatic to throw a little snack attack together for everyone. Especially since we have a few things to celebrate." She glowed with happiness.

Everyone was silent for a minute, pondering Rachel's comment. It was true. There were several things to celebrate. Stephen's return to sanity, even if he was walking a thin line, at least he was under control for the moment. And Abigail and Stephen resuming their relationship. David had had some sense kicked into him before having the chance to turn too violent from Stephen's bad influence. Rachel's pregnancy was a total shocker. And I would be staying in Kentucky with Daniel. Not everyone knew that yet. In fact, I believe the only ones with that bit of information were Daniel and Dominic.

We emerged from the heavy tree line into Simon's yard. I can imagine we looked like a small army charging forth to his house. Simon and Lydia immediately flew out the front door and down the steps to greet us. Their eyes scoured over the group, making sure everyone was accounted for. Of course, their daughter, Rachel, was the uppermost priority. Seeing her standing with David and looking very content, made Simon and Lydia relax instantly.

Daniel, always in charge, explained, "Simon, old friend, everything has turned out well for the day. But, the humans are cold, tired, some of us have been injured and everyone's starving. Lydia, your daughter insists you can get us something to eat. But, I don't want to be an inconvenience."

"Heavens, no! I'm thrilled to see everyone here together. This is wonderful!" Lydia was so polite and truly breathing a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, Mom, we've definitely got some things to be thankful for and need to fill you in on the details," Rachel was about to burst, wanting to spill the beans about being pregnant. But, she knew her mom needed to rush into the house to prepare for the onslaught of all these people. With the super human speed that a werewolf possesses, it wouldn't take Lydia very long to get everything together. Simon had us follow him into the house. He led us to a large family room that could accommodate our group. Rachel decided she better go help her mother whip up some platters of food.

Simon walked over to Stephen and patted him on the back as a way to say that things would be just fine. Stephen was still feeling awkward and not too sure of himself. Anyone looking at his face could tell that. I touched at Stephen's mind gently, and asked, You doing okay? We're all here for you. Remember that.

I'm okay. Still confused, but I have held onto the good thoughts you've given me, Stephen replied honestly. I was so glad to have broken through his mental block. We nodded at each other with a mutual understanding.

Before long, Lydia and Rachel popped around the corner carrying several trays of goodies. I thought Zac's eyes were going to bulge out of his head. It was absolutely hilarious. I had to admit, I was famished, too, and all the finger foods looked so delicious. Everyone filled a plate, settled down and proceeded to pig out. As in the past with meals, most of the time, we would try to get the meal eaten first before diving into massive conversations. And there were a great deal of revelations, discussions, decisions to be made. Simon and Lydia were chomping at the bit wondering what had transpired out in the woods. Our group didn't feel we should discuss every single detail about the actual take down, the fight, between Stephen, Daniel and Isaac. We thought that would be difficult for Stephen to listen to, as it was so intense and emotional, and he didn't need to live through it again by the rest of us talking about it while he just sat there.

Finally, we were finished stuffing ourselves, and in about five minutes, Rachel and Lydia had the entire mess cleaned up. I wasn't as comfortable here at Simon's as I would have been back at Daniel's resort, but it was an interesting, rustic looking house. I just had never been here before, so I was having a harder time relaxing, but all that food I ate did help. And I was nice and toasty warm.

Daniel explained to Simon and Lydia the main points of what had happened out in the woods. He briefly passed over the fight scene and focused on Abigail making her surprise appearance, and my telepathic skills helping Stephen overcome his aggression. Eli had acted as the mediator, a counselor, letting Stephen speak freely about his emotions and actions.

Abigail, with the utmost respect, asked, "I would like to stay here with Stephen tonight. He needs me and I want to keep an eye on him. Do you have any objections, Simon?"

"Of course not! Please, you are welcome in my home any time," Simon adamantly exclaimed.

Abigail went on, "Stephen and I want to give our relationship another chance. I do still love him." She smiled and rubbed Stephen's arm. I thought Stephen was going to cry. I, especially, could sense his emotions. I entered his mind and pushed in calm, comforting thoughts. He was feeling as if he didn't deserve Abigail after all he had done. I quickly corrected that thought process, letting him see that she, alone, made this choice to come to him. No one had forced or bribed her to seek him out today. He needed to embrace this love, accept it, roll with it. He glanced sheepishly up at me, knowing full well what I was doing to try to help him understand and to cope with this new way of living.

Stephen gave me a mental nod and looked directly at Abigail and declared, "I love you, too, Abby. I've missed you so much." He called her by a nickname. How sweet. I could relax again.

Simon added, "Stephen, if you're feeling any aggression or unease creeping up, would you please keep me in mind to come and talk to? We want to see you happy and want to help as long as you'll let us."

Stephen was in awe with the fact that so many were reaching out to him. To help him. Before today, he looked at the others as if they were chastising him, punishing him or trying to discipline him. And he was not going to allow anyone to tell him what to do. Especially Daniel. But, in reality, the other werewolves were trying to protect their race, their existence, human lives, and save Stephen's soul from the dark side all at the same time. He could now see that. He had put them all at risk.

Stephen answered Simon, "Thanks, Simon. I appreciate it. I'm sorry to have put you and your family through hell. And don't be too hard on David. I really put pressure on him to join me in my dangerous pursuits."

David spoke up for himself and admitted, "Stephen had this exciting, daring, kick-butt attitude that I was drawn to. It pulled me into a different world when I was running with him. I felt some higher levels of aggression, at times, but I don't feel I was engulfed in rage or filled with violence."

"I have an announcement to make," Rachel began, "Mom, Dad, all the others here already know what I'm about to tell you. I burst forth with this revelation out in the woods to catch David's attention."

"And, boy, did it ever!" he interrupted her.

Lydia was nervous. "Rachel, what's wrong?"

"Well," she tried again to tell her parents, "I am pregnant!"

Lydia and Simon became visibly pale and shock emanated from them. Lydia asked, "How?"

"Gee whiz, I think you know how, Mom!" Rachel teased. "I'm just as shocked as you are. David and I have been married for over fifty years. We wanted to have children, but just figured getting pregnant was a very rare thing among werewolves. Suddenly, we got our wish."

With Eli being a doctor and scientist, this subject matter was right up his alley. He politely asked, "Rachel, I think you're aware I'm a doctor, and if you like, with your permission, it would be a great honor to do what I can to help you with this pregnancy. It's not like you can run to the local hospital. I may not know everything about a werewolf's inner workings and chemistry, but I have done immense research and study on your species. I'm probably your best shot with my devotion to your continued, safe existence. Think about it."

Rachel looked at David and her parents, hoping they would give their opinions. Lydia spoke first, "Rachel, he is a doctor and he has knowledge of our kind. If we're at all concerned about this surprise pregnancy, it would be a good notion to let him examine you and have him keep an eye on you throughout the entire pregnancy and delivery. Is that what you have in mind, Eli?"

"Exactly my intentions," Eli responded. "Plus, I would like to do some more research on the reason why pregnancies are so uncommon in your race."

Rachel had made a decision, "Eli, yes, I would like you to be my doctor. I think it will make me feel more comfortable knowing I have you, a real live physician, who is looking out for my well being and the health of my baby. And it would be wonderful if you made some discovery about our rare pregnancies and I would be thrilled if I can help with that in some way, as long as it doesn't jeopardize the baby."

Eli was so excited, I could see the beads of sweat on his forehead. He said, "Absolutely, Rachel. We've got a deal. We'll set up something here, in a room of your choice, where you feel the most at ease. Perhaps over the next few days, we'll get the exam taken care of and I'll ask a series of questions so I can ponder your answers. I would like David present during these visits. I think it will help you stay relaxed and comforted having him with you. And it will be good for him, too." He nodded at David.

"Can Kara be in the room with me or nearby where she can link with my mind? I know she can help with my nerves...I've never had a doctor look at me for anything before..." Rachel was a little embarrassed to be discussing all this with so many people in the room listening to every word.

I immediately jumped in, "Rachel, don't even think twice about asking me. I will be wherever you want me. Now that we've already mentally connected several times over the day, and physically being around you, I bet I could link to your mind from Daniel's resort. We need to experiment with that. And that reminds me of something else. As long as I've had enough contact both physically and mentally with anyone here, I have discovered that if you think and concentrate very firmly for me in your mind, scream my name in your brain, then I will sense or hear your need, your call for help. I can initiate the telepathy with you and we can talk – in our minds at that time. So remember that, guys."

Eli made a strong suggestion. "I would like myself, Kara and Dominic to hold some behavioral sessions over the next week. Daniel, you should be around, as we are all humans, and we want to keep a balance that doesn't make any werewolf feel threatened or awkward. Call it counseling, guidance, whatever you choose to consider it to be. Obviously, Stephen will be the main focus, but David is important in this, too. And, actually, I believe every single werewolf in both Stephen and Daniel's packs should sit in on a session, whether it is an individual or group session. Hmm, I guess you could even call this anger management classes."

Daniel gave his thoughts, "That is a good idea. I'm sure some of the wolves will feel a bit odd getting together, but it all makes sense in the big scheme of things. Hopefully, if they are very aware of their emotions, it could prevent any devious behavior down the line. I'll let the rest of the pack members know what's going on."

Isaac had walked to a window and gazed out, checking the weather. He warned, "It's going to snow. I can feel it. And the temperature has dropped outside. Maybe we better head back to the resorts, as long as we've got things wrapped up here for the day."

I suspected everyone wanted me to touch at Stephen's mind, just to make sure we were leaving him in a solid, calm state. I did so easily and asked, Stephen, if I leave for what remains of this day and night, are you under your own control?

Yes, Stephen seemed fairly confident. I'm a little shaky, tired, and still confused, but Abigail will be with me and that makes a huge difference. I can reach your mind if I need help, right?

I was very proud of Stephen, he was using his surrounding resources to aid him, which included me. Yes, if you focus very strongly on linking to my mind and think my name loudly, I should hear you. You need to keep your mind open to me, too, as you're doing now. I may check in on you myself. I promise I won't be nosy or intrude in your privacy. I am proud of you, Stephen. Keep thinking good thoughts. Okay?

Okay, Stephen smiled, gave me a thumbs up sign, and lastly said, Thank you.

Everyone was completely aware of the psychic conversation Stephen and I had from the looks on our faces. A sigh of relief rippled through the room when Stephen's expression revealed that he still retained his emotional control and would be fine throughout the night. Daniel motioned for everyone to get ready to leave. I thought it only polite and respectful to walk over to Abigail before I left and briefly chat with her.

"Abigail, stay close to him. I'm sure you were planning to do that anyway. Like I said before, you can connect to my mind, too, if something is an emergency. Then again, we do have phones. I almost forget about those things!" I reached out to give her a hug and with sincere gratitude and thankfulness, she hugged me back.

She said, "Kara, we owe you big time. You are a miracle worker. Thank you so much. Now, maybe you can have a nice, relaxing evening with Uncle Daniel. I need to call my parents and tell them what's going on. Mom will be so relieved about Stephen. Tell Daniel he doesn't have to call them since I will, okay?"

"No problem. I'm sure we'll be seeing you again tomorrow, unless the weather is bad," I said.

Daniel was waiting at the door for me. Everyone said their "goodbyes" and we walked out to the truck. It was snowing and like Isaac sensed earlier, the temperature had dropped. I felt like I could sleep for a week, but I knew my job wasn't completely done. As Eli had mentioned, over the next week, we'd be conducting meetings with all the werewolves to discuss anger management techniques and basically to determine if we had any other wild cards on our hands. I was tired but my spirits were soaring. I leaned against Daniel in the truck, snuggling up to his warmth, as we drove back to his resort. Isaac had his own truck with a few passengers that needed to be dropped off at Daniel's before heading to his resort for the evening.

It was odd arriving at the resort without having Abigail standing at the door, as she usually did, arms crossed, waiting for the latest report. And her meals that were always ready for us to devour. So delicious. Dominic realized that he had full reign of the kitchen, and was almost beside himself with excitement. Daniel told Dom to make himself at home, the kitchen was his since Abigail was now with Stephen. I was very happy to see Daniel treating Dom so kindly. We had an idea that Abigail might not be returning to work for Daniel, but nothing was set in stone yet. She would most likely stay with Stephen at Simon's place, but this was one of the things that needed to be worked out over the next week.

Daniel and I walked to his personal room, exhausted. What a day. Most of us were still full from the mountains of food Lydia and Rachel had prepared, so we didn't plan to eat again. I had a feeling Dom was whipping up a snack for himself and Zac, though. It was now mid-evening. Daniel and I stood looking out his window as the snow silently, softly fell to the ground. He stood behind me and had his strong, muscular arms wrapped around the front of my body.

"How are your 'ouchies' doing from the fight today?" I teased him. "Can I see?"

He peeled off his shirt and miraculously whatever wounds he had received earlier in the day from Stephen's claws and teeth were almost nonexistent. I would be forever amazed at how fast the werewolves healed. And I would be forever captivated by Daniel's gorgeous, sexy chest. I ran my fingers across what appeared to be the remnants of his wounds. His chest and stomach muscles rippled from my touch.

"Let me take a shower to rid myself of the grunge from today's fighting match," he bent to kiss my lips, as my hands refused to move off his chest.

I let him go, finally, and flopped on his bed to wait for his return. I flipped on the TV and within two minutes, drifted off to sleep from pure exhaustion. But, I dreamed quite vividly about Daniel and what I would like to do to that bare chest of his...among other things.

Chapter 25

Sessions

I woke up peacefully, letting my mind replay the last thing I remembered. I was still in Daniel's room, on his bed, blankets tucked up under my chin. I had fallen asleep waiting for Daniel to return from taking a shower. He couldn't have been in the bathroom for very long. I must have been totally worn out from the day's events. I glanced around the room trying to find an illuminated clock to see what time it was. 1:00 A.M. We had entered his room at about 8:00. I couldn't believe I had been sleeping for just under five hours. I wondered what the rest of the team thought about me spending the night with Daniel. Oh well.

And there he was, in all his glory, laying flat on his back, right next to me. He only had one, thin blanket covering his body. He must have come out of the bathroom, saw that I was out like a light sleeping, and dug out extra blankets to cover me up so I could get some much needed rest. I suppose he carefully slid onto the bed, attempting to not wake me, and fell asleep himself.

I hadn't made any real movements since waking up. Only my eyes and head had slightly surveyed my surroundings. I ever so gently propped myself up on my elbow, and stared at Daniel as he slept. He was so masculine, so sexy, it made my insides flip flop and my heart race. He didn't have any type of shirt on and had the blanket pulled up onto his stomach, which exposed his entire upper body. One arm was tucked behind his head, the other rested just below his rib cage. His long, dark hair flowed back onto the pillow, with a few wisps that had slipped down around his neck.

I could not stop myself. I placed my hand tenderly on his chest, and hoped I wouldn't startle him. My touch immediately brought a grin to his face as his eyes opened and he turned his head to look at me. He pulled me over to him with his arm holding me snugly against his body. It felt wonderful being there with him. So protected and loved. And he was so hot. Literally. He was putting out so much body heat, I actually shoved a blanket off myself. He chuckled.

Daniel joked, "Yep, I'm sooo hot, aren't I?"

I rolled my eyes and admitted, "You are hot. In both ways. Which I immensely love about you. Daniel, I know we have to be very careful when we're alone and fooling around. You have to stay in control and not let the wild animal loose on me since I'm still human. Well, you appear to be very relaxed, and I'm about to explode, so let's see if you can handle me now."

I caught Daniel off guard as I climbed on top of him. I was at a better angle to see his face and capture his mouth. My hands were slowly traveling all over his chest, tracing intricate patterns with my fingertips. I leaned over to kiss him, letting one hand slide into his beautiful hair. The kiss was passionate, deep, our tongues played with each other. His body was building with power, tension. I bent my head to kiss his chest. Daniel moaned with pleasure. But I sensed it would not be wise to push this act much farther.

I pulled up and seductively smiled down at him. "See, you're doing pretty well. But it looks like I'll be having my own one-on-one sessions with you, which I take it you won't mind a bit. Although it's not anger management you need, but more along the lines of "make-out management to keep from ripping your human girlfriend apart" sessions. I'll have to check my schedule, but I think I'll be able to fit you in here and there. Especially these late night get-togethers seem to work out rather well for me. How about you?" I was having so much fun with this.

Daniel yanked me back down to his mouth for one last, hungry kiss. His voice and body were filled with need, but he maintained control and said, "I love you, Kara. And, yes, please give me as many sessions as you can possibly fit in to your busy schedule this week. Ha-ha. Practice makes perfect, you know. I'm sure you did the right thing stopping when you did tonight. Now, let's see if we can manage to fall back to sleep. But I want you right here next to me, baby. You're not going to escape me. I want to feel your touch against me, hear you breathe, smell your scent, see your face, taste your skin and to know in my soul that you're mine."

I exclaimed with tears in my eyes, "Oh, Daniel, you are amazing and say just the right things. I love you, too. But do you think I could go to the bathroom first?" We both burst out laughing.

* * * *

Daniel woke me at 6:00. I got cleaned up and we walked over to the kitchen where the team was assembled. Dominic was the acting chef on duty and had proved his worth with a fantastic breakfast layout. No one gave me a hard time about spending the night with Daniel. I suppose everyone had been observing this relationship develop over time. They could tell it was inevitable that something like this was bound to happen. Although, nothing had really happened. I just spent the night. I wanted to clear the air on the topic of Daniel and myself with the group as a whole.

"Okay, guys," I began, "Enough speculation on your part about Daniel and me. Dominic knows pretty well everything, but I want to make things clear. First, Daniel and I are in love. I know, it probably freaks you out and you're worried. I have also decided to stay here in Kentucky with Daniel. Hopefully, you don't try to abduct me again. Just ask if you want anything this time. I'd hate to have the new car from Eli end up in some lake like my last car did. I want everyone to remain friends and in contact with each other, too. And, if you have more covert, soul-saving missions to go on, please give me a call. I want to continue helping. I feel very satisfied using my psychic skills in the way you taught me. Lastly, and I'm sure everyone's holding their breath, I have not decided on whether I will go through a conversion and become a werewolf. But I'm definitely keeping my mind open to that possibility. So, there you go."

Everyone seemed to accept my decisions. I was surprised there weren't any arguments, but maybe since Daniel was sitting right there, they chose not to pitch any fits in front of him. They were thrilled that I wanted to continue going out on missions. I explained that Daniel would be accompanying me, and how he would be a huge added benefit to the team, with his speed, strength and heightened senses. Zac actually shook Daniel's hand as a fellow soldier and comrade after hearing that news. Zac had been extremely impressed when Daniel gave him first aid and stitches after the brawl with Stephen left some nasty gashes on his arm. A bond had been formed.

Tessa mentioned that it was about time to call my parents again, as many days had passed since I had last talked to them. I always dreaded calling them. I was still leading them to believe I was out in California, and remained elusive with any real details on where I was staying or phone numbers to call. I couldn't believe I was able to manipulate their thoughts and emotions enough to prevent them from calling the FBI or some agency to locate me. I borrowed the special, untraceable, cellular phone Tessa always carried with her and dialed my parent's house number. It was the normal conversation, with them wanting more information about where I was exactly. And when was I coming home. I had to push firmly into their minds that I was perfectly fine, healthy, and enjoying myself. Once again, I implanted calming thoughts and modified their behavior a little to ward off depression and anxiety about my being gone so long.

I felt that once this week had passed, I could not keep up this charade much longer with my parents as we were getting closer to Christmas. I wanted Daniel to drive up with me and visit them. Maybe have Christmas up there together. And if that happened, I would have to come up with a new story on how in the world I ended up in Kentucky after spending "time" in California. Not only that, but to end up at the same resort my family had stayed at in the fall. To top it off, I had fallen for the owner of the resort, Daniel. That was going to be very interesting on how I would try to pull that off. Some of it was true. Some of it was made up.

Eli reminded us that we needed to check in on Stephen and give him a pep talk and have a counseling session. My God - I hadn't bothered mentally touching Stephen's mind all night long or yet this morning. Shame on me. Although I had specifically told Stephen and Abigail very firmly that if they needed me at all to reach out psychically for me. Or for that matter, pick up the phone and call.

I wandered over by the counter in the kitchen, to get away from all the chatter, and to connect with Stephen. Stephen, it's Kara. Are you there?

A few moments passed, where I imagined Stephen was gathering his wits from my mental invasion. I understood that when I entered people's minds with no forewarning, it would obviously feel intrusive and even confusing. Stephen replied, Kara, yes, I'm here. It's strange this mental talking thing. I made it through the night without anything bad happening. Having Abigail with me made a huge difference with my state of mind. I still feel somewhat lost and mixed up at times.

Stephen, we'll be coming for a visit this morning to have a sit down session with you. In the meantime, I want to praise you for behaving so well and keeping the aggression away. See you later!

We fiddled around cleaning things up and preparing to leave to drive over to Simon's place where Stephen and Abigail were staying. One of the other werewolves, Phillip, was just pulling up outside to help Daniel run the resort during the time we'd be gone. At the same time, a delivery driver arrived with a box. It was my new laptop that Dominic had ordered for my birthday present. I was excited to have received this gift, as I had been without my very own computer for a while. To show my sincere appreciation, I gave Dom a smothering hug that about squeezed the air out of him and thanked him several times. The laptop would have to wait till later to play with, as the rest of the group was ready to drive to Simon's.

About fifteen minutes later, we arrived at Simon's place and were greeted with open arms. It was nice to know we were welcomed and not about ready to walk into a war zone, like we had experienced over the previous few weeks. Daniel, Dom, Eli and I settled down in their spacious family room with Stephen and Abigail. Zac and Tessa were being given the grand tour of the woodworking business by Simon, to be followed by some target practice as a chance to release some built up energy. Simon's property was very private, perfect for Zac and Tessa to have some fun. Lydia was dealing with administrative paperwork for their business, while David and Rachel were back in the shop creating beautiful pieces of furniture for customer's orders.

Daniel asked Simon if he had a chance to call some of the other werewolves and relay what had transpired over the last day. There were still a few needing to be contacted, so Daniel excused himself to the kitchen, where he could make the last phone calls without disturbing us. We had tentatively planned to meet with the different sets of werewolves over the next four or five days. To make them as comfortable and relaxed as possible, we would go directly to their homes. It would be considered an evaluation of their behavior, an observation of the level of aggression they held within themselves. We were attempting to help them ward off any future violent situations. No one wanted another "Stephen" running amuck. If needed, Eli, with his expertise in counseling, would offer guidance and suggestions to help the wolves deal with their wild, animal side. Also, if needed, I would use my psychic skills in manipulating their thoughts and emotions, to provide them relief.

Eli began his session with Stephen and Abigail. It was completely like sitting in a psychiatrist's office, as he went through his series of questions and answers. Dom and I happened to be the flies on the wall, as we listened in to everything that was discussed. We sat a distance away from the three involved in the session, to allow some form of one-on-one therapy. They would have to twist their heads to the side to get a full visual of Dom and me. I hoped that was enough to put them at ease. The therapy was very personal, very private and it was critical that the wolves felt they could open their minds and their eyes to new possibilities and better ways to control themselves.

Abigail did not have an issue at all concerning her emotions. She loved Stephen and wanted to support him and to be involved as much as possible with his new transition in life. When the discussion came around to living arrangements, and the fact she had been working for Daniel, Stephen's emotions spiked. I felt anger building quickly throughout his body. He thought she might want to go back to the resort to work, or for that matter, keep living there. He strongly preferred she didn't. In fact, he wouldn't be able to handle that. Even though Daniel was her uncle, Stephen was jealous of the amount of time she would end up spending there. It was true. Stephen had a valid point. Abigail really needed to live at the resort in order to take care of everything she had previously been doing. It would be a hardship to drive back and forth and she would be gone from Stephen for too long a time. His hands had started to quiver, and he looked like he was about to lash out. Or transform. The room was dead silent, as everyone looked to me as the savior to quelling his emotions.

Instead of pushing into Stephen's mind to soothe him, I spoke up, "Abigail, you stay right here with Stephen. Don't worry about the resort. Daniel and I are together now, and I have chosen to stay here with him at the resort. I can take over your job! But you'll have to show me what to do. How's that sound?"

Daniel was standing in the door opening, beaming from my announcement. Stephen and Abigail were so overjoyed that both came running over to hug me and show their appreciation. All aggression had left Stephen's body and mind. Abigail said, "Oh, Kara, I can't believe what you're saying. Thank you so much!"

Stephen said, "Yes, that sounds very good to me. It removes a huge hurdle that I was having a hard time getting over. Thanks. And that keeps you here so we can come running to you if we start to lose our minds!" He laughed.

Daniel and Stephen gave each other small nods; it meant they had come to terms, to an agreement, between themselves. Abigail could be with Stephen and not have to split her time between the two of them. There was no doubt about the rivalry, the territorial aspect, of both of these powerful men. Two Alpha males needed their own space, and did not like sharing things, but could still learn to respect each other, as was now the case with Daniel and Stephen. Thankfully.

"You won't be as fast as me," Abigail considered. "It will take you longer to get stuff done. But, I'll gladly show you the ropes and what to do."

I mentally told Abigail with a mischievous grin, If I turn into a werewolf, I'll be fast then. I'm still thinking on that one, though. She about tripped over her own two feet with my revelation that I was at least weighing the idea of becoming a werewolf.

During the rest of the day, we discussed with Stephen different scenarios that could arise and cause him stress or anger. We acted out some of those scenes, giving him advice on the best way to handle himself during those moments. I stepped into his mind several times during those practice sessions to add some behavioral modifications to help him out. He was learning control and reached out to us for help when he felt he needed it. We were making progress.

* * * *

The next day, we returned to Simon's place again. This time, we had a session with David, Rachel, Simon and Lydia. Eli, Dom and I had a little routine with how we worked through the therapy. More or less, it was a repeat from the previous day which had been quite successful with Stephen and Abigail. It was interesting to see how different werewolves reacted to situations that we created for them. Obviously, they acted just like humans would, but their emotions were very much heightened, which could make them dangerous. That's what we had to focus on.

In this group, David was the only one we had to watch. He still had a carefree, wilder attitude, which was actually a fun personality trait of his, but it could get him into trouble. He would get so excited, or have the instant urge to let the animal side out to explore, that he would suddenly decide to transform. We were concerned with his actions getting too violent or of not being cautious when so near humans during some of his transformations. He could easily be spotted by people and then gossip would fire up in the area. We kept reminding him the importance of keeping a low profile. I pushed into his mind the idea that he was perfectly capable of controlling his feelings. That he was a good person, and he just needed to stay focused on his surroundings. And be aware when his body gave him the signals that he was about to transform, and to calm those urges.

Rachel had her exam performed by Eli that day, too. At this early stage of the pregnancy, there really wasn't much to it. Rachel asked for me to be in the room with her, and I sat in a chair up by her head, to respect her privacy during the physical exam. David was on the other side of her holding her hand. Eli took a blood sample and asked her for a urine sample then ran through routine checks on her. He was constantly scribbling on a notepad, especially when he asked her questions about her health, when she thought she became pregnant, etc. He was elated to be allowed involvement in her pregnancy. I knew he'd spend many hours researching his notes, trying to understand the mystery behind the rare werewolf pregnancies, and just the honor, the fulfillment in his mind, in helping her through this.

* * * *

Over the next two days, we traveled to Isaac's resort and Rebecca and Samuel's resorts. We proceeded in the exact same way as the previous days with our therapy sessions. In a total of four days, we had met with all the werewolves from Daniel and Stephen's packs. Every one of them allowed me access to their minds. They were grateful for my intervention and were amazed with how my mental manipulations truly made them feel calm, happy, and in control of their actions.

It was the end of that fourth day, and our little team had just returned to Daniel's resort. Everyone crashed in the lounge on their favorite chair or sofa. No one moved. We all felt such relief and a sense of accomplishment in what we believed we had achieved. Salvation. Peaceful werewolves that could live a quiet, hidden existence, blending in with human society.

Dominic stretched and headed off to the kitchen to prepare the evening meal. I was resting my head on Daniel's lap which made me think of the time Daniel caught me with my head on Dom's lap a few weeks ago. Of course, I had a pillow under my head then. And I was so exhausted at that time, I just wanted to lay flat out. Dom happened to be sitting right on the couch where I wanted to lay down, so his lap got put into service as an extension to my pillow.

Daniel had entered my mind while I was having that memory. He chuckled and said, "Yeah, I remember that, too. It seems like that was forever ago. I walked in here to find you're all nice and cozy with Dominic. That was self control then, baby. I had to report my findings on Stephen at the time, otherwise, you might have seen a bit more jealousy flying out of me. Dom's a good man, Kara. Don't worry, I won't rip him to pieces. I do consider him my friend, after all."

I commented, "He doesn't want us together. He's been really quiet about that lately, probably due to all these sessions with the werewolves that have preoccupied his mind. The Liaison will be leaving from here soon, and I sense that you and/or I will get confronted by him or the others soon about me staying here."

"Kara, I love you," he leaned over to kiss my forehead. "We'll get through this. It's not like you haven't warned them that you plan on staying. They already know."

"I'll need to deal with my parents soon, too," I added with dread in my voice. "Especially since Christmas is only a few weeks away.

Daniel rubbed my arm and said, "I know. We'll figure it out. And, by the way, I've been told by several of the werewolves, that they are absolutely thrilled that you're staying. You have made many friends here, Kara. Some would even call you family. Most say you are almost like a drug to them. Very strange. You're addictive. Your mental links with them have become something they look forward to. It's how you can help them, soothe and relax them, and that you are so dedicated; you have them completely won over. A few compared your psychic skills to getting a massage, only mentally. You amaze me! I feel like I have to share you with everybody, though."

I grabbed him by the neck and brought his head down to mine, and firmly told him, "Don't be jealous over this. I'm working my magic and it feels right. Just like this does." And I kissed him passionately on the lips.

* * * *

The next morning I awoke in Daniel's arms, knowing this was the last full day that The Liaison team would be here. They were leaving the following morning. I instinctively knew I'd be receiving phone calls and emails from them constantly. And more than likely, some other catastrophic situation with these hidden, unknown species would emerge and I'd be called into action. With Daniel by my side. Eli was planning on numerous trips down here to check in on Rachel and her pregnancy, too. So, I'd get a chance to visit with him fairly often.

We had a wonderful breakfast prepared by Dominic. I was going to miss his superb cooking talent. I wondered if that meant I would have to start cooking around here. With Abigail staying with Stephen, and Dom leaving in a day, it would only be Daniel and me. That was a scary thought. Not being alone with Daniel, but the cooking was the scary thought. During the winter months, there were rarely any guests to contend with, so we hadn't had to worry much about cooking for anyone. I really needed to discuss my inability to cook with Daniel. But, later.

Everyone planned to take the day off. Nothing pressing had to be done. It was lightly snowing outside and life seemed serene for the moment. About twice a day, I had been making a point of checking in on Stephen's mental state to ensure his emotions were still under control. Not only that, but the fact he knew I would be establishing a mental link at any given time, kept him on his toes with maintaining a balanced mindset.

I was chatting with Tessa in the lounge, and Daniel decided he better look into a few business matters for an hour or so. First, he went to the kitchen to fetch us some drinks before he went to his office. I was in the far corners of his mind, having a light mental connection with him, as I watched him walk away. He was so confident, so gorgeous, so powerful. He entered the kitchen, and I was about to drift out of his mind, when I sensed he was being confronted by Dominic. Through Daniel, since we had such a strong telepathic bond, I was able to hear the words being said to him.

Dom approached Daniel and blurted out, "You know this can't work between you and Kara. You won't age and she will. Eventually, it's going to be awkward and weird and you'll get tired of her. And the whole thing is cruel to her. And that doesn't mean I'm telling you to turn her into a werewolf to prevent aging, either. Please consider letting her go."

Daniel firmly explained, "Dom, my friend, I understand your concerns. This is your last ditch effort to try to take Kara back to Illinois with you. I don't blame you. But, I have to remind you, she is the one who made up her mind to stay here with me. I never once pressured her. She thought long and hard about this situation, and made up her mind without any influence from me. I am not forcing her to stay and would never do that. And, as far as her converting into a werewolf, that will be her choice. That is something I have definitely not tried to sway her thoughts on. I try to stay neutral on that issue. I love Kara and respect her wishes. Whatever they may be."

Dom groaned, "Which means you would turn her into a werewolf, right?" His voice reminded me of the sounds a little boy might make when the big scoop of ice cream completely fell right out of his cone onto the floor. And all he could do was stand there and stare at it with no way to fix it.

"Yes," Daniel admitted, and I could feel his love for me deep within his soul, "If she requests that I convert her into a werewolf, yes, Dominic, I will do it."

Daniel grabbed some sodas from the fridge and returned to the lounge. As he handed me a drink, I said, "I was able to hear everything through you. I had a feeling Dom would confront you."

"Not a big deal at all," Daniel casually said. "But he sure looked so defeated and sad. Kinda like a kid dropping his ice cream on the floor."

"Hey!" I joked, "That was my exact thought you so conveniently plucked out of my head!"

Chapter 26

Departure

The remainder of that morning was spent relaxing, watching TV and sleeping. Most of us stayed right there in the lounge area, even though we had a cabin close by. If there were guests at the resort mingling about, I imagine we would have chosen to chill out in the cabin then. Every single one of us felt it was a treat to have the opportunity to take a nap. It very much felt like family togetherness to me. I loved every individual in that room and by the next morning, four of them would be leaving: Eli, Zac, Tessa, and my recently acquired best friend, Dominic.

At noon, Dom fixed us a light lunch. We figured we would continue our reign of laziness and hanging out together for the rest of the afternoon. The snow was still lightly falling, exceptionally damp, clinging to everything it touched. Trees appeared pure white, almost no bark showed through. The temperature was in the forties, no real breeze to speak of. Only animals were out and about, as most people were probably hibernating inside their houses. The sun peeped out from the clouds every now and then, which made the snow glitter with such intensity it was blinding. But beautiful. As I looked out the sliding glass door, I wished I had my camera to take some pictures.

I walked over to the couch I had taken possession of during my morning laying around session and discovered Daniel reclined in a horizontal position. Right in my spot. Well, he looked at me with a sideways grin, fully knowing he stole my couch. That would not do. I wanted to lay down there. I would just have to get him up.

"Try me," he teased, obviously having read my mind and my intentions. He sucked himself up tight to the back of the couch, and indicated that I could lie alongside him. Hmm...that would work and he provided great body heat, too. I snuggled up against him, with his arm draped over me. Dom glanced up from his recliner to see what we were doing and shook his head.

I quietly talked to Daniel, so as not to disturb anyone else in the room. I mentioned how it was so pretty outside with the snow covering everything. It was good packing snow for snowballs and building snowmen. I wasn't even one to like winter, cold weather or snow much, but I still couldn't help myself from appreciating the beauty and wonder of it all. I told Daniel how I had seen a few rabbits bounding about and a pair of foxes frolicking through the snow. Perhaps those were the same foxes we had seen the other week down by the boat dock.

All of a sudden, he sat up on the couch, about knocking me off of it. He grabbed me around my waist to keep me from hitting the floor. He looked excited. He had an idea. I was about to access his mind, when he exclaimed, "I know what we can do this afternoon. Instead of lying around here like bums, we're going outside to play. I need to make a few phone calls. I'll be back."

And just like that he took off for his office. The Liaison members were mystified as to what Daniel had planned for us. Whatever it was, he was in a playful mood about it. I decided to not push into his mind, and let him surprise us with his idea when he returned. It was early afternoon and we still had several hours of daylight to "play" as he called it.

Daniel returned about five minutes later ready to fill us in on his plans. He had just invited several of the other werewolves over for a romp in the snow. Winter was a difficult time of the year for them, since the businesses they ran were mostly busy during the nice weather months. During the winter, the resorts and campgrounds were mostly deserted. The werewolves got bored very easily during those times, and Daniel had thought to get a group of them together for entertainment. Theirs and ours. Not only that, but Stephen was invited to come over, too. This would be another perfect chance for Stephen to wrestle around, release some pent up energy while practicing control over his emotions, and renew bonds with some of the wolves.

I inquired, "I'm inclined to think you won't be wrestling around in the snow in human form. Right?"

"We could," Daniel explained, "But, a wolf, just like the dogs you've witnessed in your past, like to play in the snow and toss it around. I thought this would be interesting for you humans to see us, as wolves in a pack, enjoying ourselves in nature. Not as humans, not as beasts, just as wolves. I can guess what everyone's thinking. Kara, I actually do know what you're thinking. I realize, we don't look completely like normal wolves when we take that form. You'll be observing larger, super powerful, faster wolves with greater agility and more intelligence than the norm. Eli, in particular, will probably be so excited viewing us that way; he won't be able to write notes fast enough in his binder!"

Everyone scattered about to find the right clothes, coats, gloves, boots, scarves, hats to prepare for the outdoor weather. I was so bundled up I looked like I was going to the North Pole. Daniel, on the other hand, looked like he was ready to take a summer-time stroll. Not fair. We headed out the back door of the resort into the enormous yard. Luckily, there were picnic tables that we could sit down on after we brushed off the snow. The Liaison members, including myself, were anticipating, and were somewhat apprehensive, about what we would soon witness. So many werewolves all transformed into wolves at the same time, wrestling around, which was just a step down from fighting, left a human feeling twinges of fear. What if they turned on us?

The werewolves arrived, looking ever so dashing and elated that Daniel had thought of this idea. Even some of the women showed up. They had been getting a bit restless with not much to do lately. I was aware of this, but felt all of them were in control of their emotions. Just normal boredom like humans have. Everyone was mingling about, chatting with each other, a regular party atmosphere. The werewolves in attendance, besides Daniel, were: Isaac, Stephen, Abigail, David, Rachel, Simon, Rebecca and Samuel. That wasn't all the werewolves, as some were actually busy doing other projects, but this was a large number.

Zac reached down and patted together a rather nice, large, hard snowball. I was keeping my eye on him since I really didn't want snow down the back of my coat. With a gleeful smile, he zipped the snowball at Dominic. It stopped short of hitting Dom in the arm by about two inches and burst into a million pieces, falling to the ground. Dom, of course, had used his telekinesis to stop it in midair. Now that ticked Zac off. He wasn't going to give up. He quickly rounded up about three snowballs and tried again to pop one at Dom. Nope, it wasn't going to work. Dom was one step ahead of him, easily protecting himself from Zac's onslaught, and even yawned for effect. Everyone was having a good laugh.

Daniel walked over to me and said, "I think I'll round up my troops and we'll give you guys a good show." I must have had a look of trepidation jumping off my face, as he next said, "What's wrong? Are you scared of the big, bad wolves?"

"That's not funny," I warned him. "After everything we've all been through, I surely hope there aren't any bad werewolves in the bunch. You can be big, but not bad, okay?"

"Kara, I can guarantee your safety above anyone else here. As I've said before, I have been told by all the wolves how much they adore you and look highly upon you. None would turn on you. And as far as the rest of the humans, I have complete faith that they are safe, too. The Liaison has been good to us. Helped us. We have no need or desire to hurt any of you. So, quit freaking out. Sit here and watch us have fun doing our animal thing. Get it? Normally it would be a guy thing, but I changed it to an animal thing?"

"Ohhh...," I rolled my eyes and groaned at his joke.

We humans, sat very still on the picnic table. Dom and I sat on the table top while Zac, Tessa and Eli sat on the bench. I knew for a fact that Zac and Tessa had concealed on themselves guns and knives, for self defense, in case something went terribly wrong during this freak show. That really wasn't the right phrase, and I didn't mean it in a negative way, but this was going to be something incredibly wild that most humans never, ever saw in their lives.

I quickly asked Daniel through our mental link as he walked away with the other werewolves, How am I going to know which one you are? Do you all look exactly alike?

You will know me, and no, we don't all look identical. There are differences, Daniel left it at that.

I scooted closer to Dominic, and I knew he recognized my nervousness with this whole situation. Mentally he pushed into my mind, Kara, if something goes wrong, I can protect us with my psychic skills. I can shield us from any danger. This really should be interesting, though, so chill.

Thanks, Dom. You're right about your mad skills and how you could use them if need be. I sometimes forget about your telekinesis. You don't use it very often. I know you can't go around moving objects all the time, as that really would scare everyone. You have made me relax some, I thanked him.

All the werewolves had gone behind a thick bunching of trees. We knew they were undressing and transforming into wolves, ready to make their grand entrance. Our anticipation was well worth the wait.

Two wolves trotted out from the trees. They were in the lead, followed by the rest of the wolves. Two Alpha males. Side by side. Daniel and Stephen. It brought tears to my eyes. I recognized Daniel almost immediately. One thing about werewolves, they maintained their human eyes with any transformations. And I knew in my heart those were Daniel's eyes looking back at me. I had seen him several times before as a wolf, but I was worried I wouldn't be able to identify him among so many other wolves. But, I could sense it, feel it deep within my soul, see it in my mind, exactly which one was Daniel. I knew the pack was showing off for our benefit, making a regal, majestic, very formal entrance into the yard. All padded through the snow towards us, holding their heads high, as we sat stunned by the sheer control each one displayed, none breaking their stride or formation. Their ears were up, tails down and relaxed, mouths slightly open. Absolutely awesome.

They stopped, and mentally I felt a push at my mind. It was Daniel, Look over by the wood pile. Throw us some sticks. We're ready to play!

Oh my God! This was too weird. I told the team, "He wants us to throw sticks at them to fetch. Can you believe this?"

Zac said, "Let's do as he says. We want them to be happy."

All, but Eli, as he was too busy taking down notes, got off the picnic table, walked over to the wood pile, found several sticks, and excitedly threw them at the wolves. Every one of the wolves went berserk, running in all directions, chasing after those crazy sticks. We made sure to throw as many sticks as there were wolves, so each wolf had the chance to find one stick. It was invigorating and adorable to see them cut loose from all inhibitions and to let their animal side be free.

I encouraged Dom to help me do very quick mental scans to see if we could detect any strong aggressive behavior. Obviously, there would be some aggressiveness from playing around, but we were checking for true rage or violent emotions that could be developing. Nothing. Excellent. As we stood there, we realized, what do dogs do when they chase after sticks? Bring them back to you to throw again. Well, there the wolves were racing towards us, bounding through the snow, with sticks in their mouths. It was a terrifying sight, seeing nine wolves charging right at us. I prayed they would stop in time and not knock us over. They all came to a fairly abrupt stop about two feet in front us, which made snow come flying up from the ground in all directions.

We were surrounded by wolves. Initially, I thought I would become frantic in a situation like that. Instead, I now felt their love, their playfulness and their craving for our attention. I read it in their minds and saw it in their actions. I looked at Dom, Zac and Tessa and we smiled. I think I even saw tears in Zac's eyes. This was truly an amazing thing we were experiencing.

Daniel, especially, was rubbing up against my legs, but all the wolves were behaving the same way. We reached down to pet them, to rub them behind their ears, to run our hands through their beautiful, soft fur. Some were bowing to us, with their front legs extended and their rear and tail up in the air. They were definitely in play mode. We offered to take the sticks from their mouths, as they gently released them into our hands. They were very careful with their teeth, not letting them come into contact with our skin. Once the sticks were in our possession, they were zigzagging back and forth, barking, prancing, tails wagging, waiting for us to toss the sticks way out into the yard again. We must have tossed sticks out to them ten times before Daniel signaled, barked, at them to let us sit down for a while.

Now, they were playing games with each other. Again, I thought Dom and I should keep an eye on this wrestling around, as one could get a little too rough with another, and some unprovoked aggression could emerge. I had a feeling the werewolves were honestly on their best behavior, as they knew we were monitoring them. It seemed that even when I did simple, light psychic links with them, and only for a second or two to check on their emotions, they became aware of my presence, and as Daniel had already told me, enjoyed the contact. You'd think they would get sick and tired of my nosing around in their business, but it was the opposite. I guess it gave them some peace of mind.

It was hilarious watching them. They would play-bow often to each other, indicating this was an invitation to play and was all for fun. Suddenly one would dash off and then come charging back at the other, running in circles. Some were playing keep away with the sticks; as one would approach another wolf, he would drop the stick on the ground, enticing the other to try to go for it. The moment the other made an attempt to grab the stick, the first one picked it up again, and took off running with the other in hot pursuit. When one of the wolves caught up with another, wrestling ensued with massive amounts of growling and yelping. Those wrestling matches were definitely being monitored by Dom and me. At one point, Stephen was wrestling around with another werewolf, we weren't sure which one, and I touched at his mind to assure him I was watching and to praise him on his joyful, playful behavior. He acknowledged my contact, but wasn't about to lose his focus on that particular wrestling match. I think it was against David. Just by looking at them, I only knew about half from their wolf appearance alone. If I accessed their mind, immediately I knew who I was in contact with.

Dominic sat next to me on the picnic table as we continued to watch this display in awe. I sensed something was boiling up in Dom, and he opened the flood gates with, "Kara, I'm giving this another try. Please come back to Illinois with us. We can make trips back down here every so often to visit the wolves. But I think it's best for you to leave here and go back home to your parents. We can end their worry and confusion by telling them you've experienced life on your own out in California and made the decision to come back home. We'll cook up a story that you've found this wonderful job, working for Eli, as his assistant in research or his secretary or something. And that the job has travel requirements occasionally, but that you'll return back home after the job has been completed."

"I see you've put a lot of thought into this, Dom," I responded, somewhat irritated. He had mapped out an entire scenario of what I could do next with my life. I had been through all of this with him before, and he had tried to convince Daniel to let me go, too. Dom was not giving me up without a fight. I was irritated with his persistent persuasion on this issue, and yet, I felt grateful that he cared so much for me. In his mind, he was only looking out for my best interest, or what he, personally, thought was best for me.

He continued, "As a matter of fact, I have thought about this a great deal. Kara, as you are well aware, The Liaison is leaving tomorrow and we would really love it if you would come with us. It seems like I'm the only one who has the nerve and is willing to speak up about it. How many times do I have to remind you that you are human and these are werewolves. Staying with Daniel will get more difficult as time goes on. This is not the way things work."

Suddenly, Daniel, still in wolf form, ominously loomed before us. He had noticed the deep conversation Dom and I were involved in, and sensed my distress over it. In fact, he had either read my mind as Dom and I talked or with his heightened hearing actually listened to our discussion. His emotions were that of jealousy over Dom's closeness with me. He felt possession, almost territorial, of me. And his aggression was growing. A soft, low-pitched growl emitted from Daniel's throat. He stared directly at Dominic. His stance was that of dominance, confidence, very stiff-legged with the fur raised on his shoulders. His nose was wrinkled up, ears forward, tail up and bristled, teeth exposed. This was not good. All the werewolves had stopped playing and the humans didn't move a muscle. Daniel was supposed to be the good guy, the one that set an example for the rest of the wolves, and here he was showing aggression. The standoff continued, with no one moving and barely breathing. It reminded me of two gunslingers, both waiting for the other to draw their weapon first.

I entered Daniel's mind, What are you doing? Everyone, and I mean every single being here, is staring at you. At us. I love you, Daniel. Dom is just trying one last time to sway my decision to stay here. Even you said to me, you couldn't blame him for trying. I am staying here. It's okay. Set a good example, please. Show how you can turn this situation around. Don't do anything you'll regret. Immediately, I flooded his mind with soothing, calming thoughts and images. I surrounded him mentally with my love for him.

Daniel answered me, Kara, I knew you were upset and my instincts forced me to respond to your need, come to your rescue. He visibly relaxed as he talked to me telepathically. I am fine. I'm sorry for scaring everyone. My actions were more of a threat, I was not going to attack. I wanted Dominic to quit harassing you. Please explain to everyone.

I clambered off the picnic table and knelt down to hug Daniel and ruffle his fur. A big wet kiss lapped up the side of my face. That felt weird. And too sloppy. I had to laugh. Everyone was so confused they didn't know what to think, say or do.

I explained, "Chill out, everybody. Daniel sensed and could hear that Dom was questioning me about going back to Illinois. He merely wanted Dom to back off. And Daniel feared losing me. Since he's in wolf form, his reactions to this were that of a wolf, an animal. And so, he took a threatening pose, to get Dom's attention. That's all. I know with our constant watch over your aggression, you jumped to the conclusion that this would turn out bad. But, nothing happened. Daniel reeled in his emotions and we're good now. Back to play time!"

I breathed a sigh of relief as I gave Daniel another hug and shoved him off to play with the pack before he slobbered another wet one on me. And I threw one of the sticks for good measure to get the mood playful again. Daniel went charging after Isaac, stopped short and took off the opposite direction to entice Isaac to chase him. I plopped back down on the picnic table and gave Dom a look that meant 'don't even start talking about me leaving here again'.

After another thirty minutes of hilarious antics watching the wolves at play, we, humans, were getting rather cold. Daniel registered my discomfort by reading my mind and barked at the wolves to wind it down for the day. They made a mad dash, a final all out run, to the thick line of trees where they transformed back to human shape and to get dressed. They emerged all smiles and were very content as they walked up to us. There was so much camaraderie in the air it felt electrified. This was a wonderful idea Daniel had to get the werewolves together, both for their benefit and ours. Even with the little incident Daniel had over Dominic, it was an afternoon I would never forget. The other wolves said their goodbyes, and we headed back into the house for the evening.

The night was uneventful, rather quiet, a somber mood as we lounged around, enjoying each other's company for one last night before Eli, Zac, Tessa and Dom left in the morning.

* * * *

I woke up in Daniel's arms again. He was so protective over me, which I realized was in his nature to be that way. He asked, "This is your last chance to change your mind and leave with the team. Are you definitely staying here, with me?"

I flicked him on the chest, as if he needed to ask. "Of course I'm staying here. That doesn't mean it's going to be easy for me to see them go. Remember that when you watch me saying goodbye to all of them. And don't get all jealous when I give Dom a hug. He will be the hardest to say goodbye to. Even though he's driven me crazy with his persistent attempts to drag me back to Illinois, I understand his concern, as you should, too. Just give me some breathing room to say goodbye. Okay?"

"I love you, baby. And I love the compassion you have towards others and respect the close bonds you have made. I will stay away as you say goodbye to them," Daniel said.

I implored, "No, Daniel, I want you there with me. I don't want you to run off and hide. You need to say goodbye, too. Just give me my moments with them is all I ask."

"I'm there for you."

About an hour or so later, we gathered in the kitchen for Dominic's breakfast bonanza. We had some final discussions, more or less confirming a few things before they left. I was staying with Daniel, and had not changed my mind on that. I would contact my parents over the next few weeks with the next stage of the story we had woven together to tell them. The Liaison would be contacting me if, or when, another incident arose where my psychic powers could be put to good use. And Eli would be making another trip down here in a month or two to check in on Rachel's pregnancy. In the meantime, I had not made any plans, as of yet, to convert into a werewolf. That was an especially touchy subject to talk about with all of them sitting there.

It was time. They packed the van and were prepared to leave. Everyone stood around helplessly, awkwardly, not really wanting the moment to end. Not really wanting to leave, but there was no reason or purpose for them to stay any longer. I knew deep down inside that we would all be together again on another mission before too long. It's just a feeling I had.

Daniel broke the awkward silence as he walked up to Eli and shook his hand, then proceeded on to the next person. He thanked them for all their help and loyalty in dealing with the problems that werewolves were prone to when meshing in with humans. Daniel praised their skills, appreciated their desire to protect the wolves, and to keep their existence hidden.

My eyes spilled forth streams of tears as it was now my turn to say my goodbyes. I hugged Eli and thanked him again for the new car, which I barely had a chance to drive yet. I told him to keep up the research and to be sure to call if they needed my help. I looked forward to seeing him in a few months when he came to see Rachel.

Zac was next, and I thought he was going to squeeze the air out of my lungs when he gave me a hug. He lifted me off the ground and plunked me back down. I razzed him about keeping up his workouts as we didn't want him getting all soft. And to be good to Tessa.

I hugged Tessa and thanked her for all the support she had given me. She was the only human female that I could go to and talk girl stuff with. I thanked her for the clothes she had given me on my birthday as they ended up being much needed. And she had to keep Zac in line and to kick his butt with their target practice.

Dominic stood there next, and last, in line to say goodbye. I put up a mental block against Daniel, which I felt guilty in doing, but this was a private moment I wanted between Dom and myself. It didn't matter that everyone was standing around watching, we spoke mentally as we hugged each other.

I began the mental link, Dom, I have put up a mental block against Daniel, so feel free to say what you want. Let me speak first. I will miss seeing you every day. Thanks for everything you've done. I know you care for me and are concerned, and I appreciate that. You have opened up an entirely new world to me. Be sure to call and email. You are my very best friend, and I love you dearly. Tears were pouring down my face and I started sobbing. Thank God for our mental communication as I don't think I would have been able to speak out loud.

Dom mentally took over the intimate conversation, Kara, I will always be available to you even if I'm not physically here. Remember that. Don't forget me. And if you truly need help, I will drive down instantly. Please keep in mind what we've discussed about you being human and Daniel being a werewolf. I care deeply for you, so much so that my heart aches at times. I do love you, even if it's different than the way you love me. It hurts, but I'll live. I want you to be safe and happy. And we should still be able to communicate mentally even with the distance between us. We'll have to experiment, just like we did before when we practiced our psychic skills. I love you, Kara. They're waiting on me to go now.

We pulled apart, and said the words, "Bye." Eli, Zac, Tessa and Dom piled into the van, and drove off. They were gone. I was crying so hard, I could barely breathe through my nose. Daniel was right there behind me, offering his support, as I turned into his chest and fell into his consoling arms.

Chapter 27

Arrival

After my friends, The Liaison, had driven away, no longer within my sight, the realization of what I had chosen to do, really hit me. I felt such a rush of conflicting emotions, all I could do was stand there and cry. Daniel guided me back into the resort and gestured that I relax on my favorite couch in the lounge. He tended to the fire, making sure there were enough logs in the fireplace to not burn out any time soon. He also knew that the fire comforted me and he wanted to soothe me in any way he could. He placed a soft blanket over my legs and snuggled up next to me on the couch. He turned the TV on to offer some background sound as we sat in silence.

Daniel was completely aware of my chaotic thoughts and feelings. How strange to think I had been the savior in helping the werewolves with their emotions, aggression, violence, and now here I sat, needing behavior modification done to myself. I knew it was just a matter of time and I would get over my sadness, my sense of loss. This wasn't the end of The Liaison, but perhaps, could be considered the beginning. We were just on a break for the moment from saving society from evil beings. Somehow, I truly knew this to be true. I almost questioned myself if I was having premonitions, since that feeling was so strong.

We were alone. Daniel and I. No guests were checked in at the resort anymore. Abigail, who had stayed here for quite a length of time, was now with Stephen at Simon's place. There was no one else at Daniel's resort, just the two of us. I had been living within a group setting for over a month. Day after day, I had been on this mission, this covert operation pulled together by Eli, working with him, Zac, Tessa and Dominic. And now the resort seemed so eerie, so empty, without the hustle and bustle of my team members roaming about.

"Daniel," I asked, "can you understand why I'm so emotional, so sad?"

He instantly replied, "Of course. I've touched at your mind and felt what you're going through right now. I am here for you, Kara. You're not alone. You have me."

"Maybe Abigail can come over today and show me what she did to keep this place running so smoothly. It would be easier to learn when there's no one here to disrupt us. And it would keep my mind busy instead of laying around, drowning in emotions all day."

Daniel agreed that would be a solid idea for the afternoon. He grabbed his cell phone and gave Abigail a quick call. She wholeheartedly agreed to come over, and Stephen had absolutely no problem with her visit since he knew I would be taught Abigail's job, that way she could remain with him.

She arrived in the early part of the afternoon and dove into explaining and showing me everything she did. It was a bit overwhelming, but when I opened my mind to the big picture, and used some common sense, I could easily understand the flow of things.

She asked, "So, you are seriously considering converting into a werewolf?" Abigail always said what was on her mind. Except, of course, when she held back about dating Stephen. She had kept that a secret for a while.

"Yes, but I haven't made up my mind yet. And I don't see a huge need to rush in and make a decision."

She nodded, but I knew she was extremely excited with the possibility of a conversion on my part. Abigail's heart and soul were very pure, even if she was a werewolf. Stephen did need her. She was his light, she kept him grounded. I knew she would be there for me if I needed help with anything. Whether it was issues at the resort, or a friend to talk to about changing into a werewolf. She didn't insist or suggest that I convert, but I'm positive she hoped I would choose to do so. She was a great listener, and filled with compassion for others.

That night, as Daniel and I settled down to go to sleep, he asked me, "Are you glad you stayed?" He was very worried that I would end up regretting my decision and leave. He didn't want me to go, he feared losing me. He hadn't experienced love in so many long years and rejoiced in the fact we had discovered each other.

"Yes, yes!" I insisted. "Just because I'm missing my friends, doesn't mean I want to leave you. It's just a transition I've got to deal with. And I'm feeling stressed with learning Abigail's job and not making any mistakes. And I'm still monitoring Stephen and occasionally David's behaviors. What else? Oh, I still need to figure out what to do about my parents and their suspicions that I've flipped out by running off to California, as I lie next to you here in Kentucky. Hmm...and I'm reviewing advantages and disadvantages of converting into a werewolf. But no worries, right? There's just a lot on my mind, Daniel. But, in answer to your question, yes, I'm very glad I chose to stay with you. Don't forget that."

I was exhausted as Daniel brought me closer under his shoulder as we cuddled next to each other on the bed. That closeness was another reason I toyed with having Daniel turn me into a werewolf. We knew we had to be cautious of getting too passionate, as Daniel had some control issues when he got excited. If I wasn't ready to be changed into a werewolf yet, or had chosen not to ever be changed, then we couldn't let Daniel's animal side break through. If his own body changed to that of the beast or the wolf, then he would have the ability to bite, or nip, or scratch me with his teeth, and at that point a conversion on my part was likely to occur. It was a delicate balance that I felt we teetered on during those times when we were all alone. I wanted to explore his body, to be able to kiss him for longer than a minute without him having to break away because he feared transforming. Sometimes, he explained, he didn't always feel that he would physically change form, but was afraid he might get too rough with me, too aggressive, too forceful, because of his wild, animal side. At times, I did push him to his limits. I couldn't help myself, and yet I knew better. But how would we know how far those limits stretched unless we kept testing them.

"Well," Daniel mused, "I don't care if it seems selfish for wanting to keep you here with me forever, but it's the truth. Kara, you are the world to me. Before I knew anything of you, my existence had become bleak, boring, no excitement, and I just went through the motions of living day to day."

I slid out from under his arm, and sat on top of him, gazing deeply into his dark eyes. I think he got a kick out of me being in a dominant position, since he was the Alpha male type, and here he was flat on his back, submissive, at this point. I leaned down to kiss him as passionately as possible. My mouth moved to his neck and then his chest, covering him with soft, loving kisses, as one arm kept me propped up and the other hand massaged his upper body.

"You are so awesome," I murmured as I continued to arouse him. "Am I making things more exciting for you now?"

I could hear him moan as he was attempting to keep that delicate balance with his emotions. So easily I knew I could push him over that edge into the land of the wild. The power I wielded over him was intoxicating. Not to be outdone, he reached up, grabbed my waist, and slung me down on the bed, and that put me in the submissive position. He smiled with that male smugness and his eyes danced with amusement. With his incredible strength, I obviously wasn't going anywhere. And that was just fine with me.

Daniel answered my teasing question, "Baby, you always make things exciting for me." He supported some of his body weight by leaning into the bed with his elbows, while framing my face with his hands. "And you were testing me, I know you were. I think I'm doing rather well with my urges, if I do say so myself."

He leaned down to kiss me, very seductively, and yet very in control. I whispered, "Impressive. What else can you do?"

Daniel's right hand slid away from my face, his strong fingers feather light as they traced a path down my neck, glancing off my collarbone, and straight down the center of my night shirt, and landed with a twitch on my stomach. I knew that was the extent of our experiment that night as he then flopped over on his back, breathing, panting heavily.

I couldn't help but snicker at him as I again resumed a spot under his shoulder. I placed my hand solidly on his chest. I knew it would be torture for him if I made any further advances with our make-out session. I would behave and just snuggle up against him.

"No laughing," he pleaded.

I praised him, "Daniel, I love you so much. I'm not trying to be mean by laughing. I think it's cute. And I applaud you for the effort. You did great with your control and I didn't enter your mind at all to try and help your emotions. You knew when to pull back. I left it in your hands."

"Well," he reminded me, "don't just assume all is perfectly tame in my mind every time we play around like this. I am proud of myself, but the things you do to me, the ideas that go through my head, makes the beast want to surface. As long as you are human, we must be very careful."

I seriously asked him, "Do you want me to convert, to become a werewolf, Daniel?" I linked to his mind in order to read his thoughts on this issue, and was surprised he had a mental block up against me. With such a direct question, he must have been afraid to let me read his mind, to hear his raw feelings on such a life changing decision.

He tried to remain neutral and replied, "Kara, it is your choice. It's your life that will be altered. I have told you before; there is no rush on making this decision. Whatever you decide, I will stand by it and honor your wishes."

I swear those last few words of his made me think he probably wanted me to become a werewolf. But, I'm sure he didn't want to carry the blame, or the guilt, for pushing me into converting and then I turn around and hate him for it, hate what I had become. He could never forgive himself for that. I would have to decide all by my lonesome on this one.

We drifted off to sleep. I had a lot on my mind, many things to toss around, but in general, I felt happy. I was glad to be with Daniel at the resort. I found the other werewolves intriguing and many of them I greatly cared for. And above all else, I loved Daniel with all my heart. And he loved me.

* * * *

Over the next week, life for me fell more into a routine. I was very thankful for that, as it offered my recently overactive mind some much needed peace. The werewolves were all on their best behavior, not to say there wasn't normal aggravation or boredom with their day to day lives. All the emotions humans experience, the wolves did, too. We just wanted to make sure their emotions didn't erupt into rage or turn into some violent act. When one did get upset about something, I would either sense it or maybe I'd get a phone call at about the same time, and establish a mental connection with them. I would aid them with behavior modification, implanting positive thoughts and images, and always flooded their minds with relaxing, soothing emotions. It wasn't often I had to do this, which was a good thing. I felt pride and honor in helping them. It gave me such a wonderful, unique purpose in life.

One evening, sometime well after dark, an alarm wired to the main entrance door of the resort, went off. It was installed to alert us if someone walked in to the front reception area while we were elsewhere in the building. Usually after 10:00 p.m., Daniel locked that door, but it wasn't that late yet. We were in the lounge area, watching TV, at the time the visitor arrived. Both of us walked out front to see who was there.

Daniel stopped dead in his tracks the moment he had eye to eye contact with this individual. My senses flared out to scan the mind of this man, and instantly rammed into a mental block. I did not sense evil, but supreme power. This man was no ordinary person. In fact, I didn't believe him to be human, and yet I wasn't feeling he was a werewolf, either.

He read my mind and replied, "You are accurate, I am not human. And I am not a werewolf, as my friend and ally, Daniel, is. If you weren't able to grasp what I am, then I suppose this is your first introduction to a vampire. As that is what I am, my dear."

Oh...my...God. I actually got weak in the knees and had to lean myself against the front desk. Now I was expected to deal with vampires?! I was just getting cozy with my life with the werewolves.

Daniel walked up to this vampire, shook his hand with great enthusiasm, as both tried to overpower the other with their handshake...that male dominance thing, of course. Daniel looked to me and gave an introduction, "Josiah, meet my girlfriend, Kara. She is a full blown psychic with mental manipulation powers."

Josiah extended his hand in a formal greeting and I wobbled over to him, trying to be polite, to shake his hand. As I reached out, he gently took my hand into his, and in Old World fashion, kissed the top of my hand. I had my senses on full alert and this Josiah wasn't giving any indication that he was violent. I still couldn't fully read his mind, but his aura is what I was absorbing. He was tall, had long, dark hair pulled back into a band, exceptionally handsome, very physically fit but not as muscular as Daniel. His clothes were immaculate, expensive, and, of course, had a trench coat. What's with those vampires always wearing trench coats, anyway?

He read my mind again, darn it. Daniel was picking up on some of it, too, so he wasn't totally out of the loop with Josiah's response as he said, "Thank you for those compliments. We do look dashing in this attire, don't we?! But I would like to put you more at ease, Kara, as you are giving me the impression you might faint. Please try to believe me when I say that I'm not an evil vampire. A little help here on your part, Daniel...?"

Daniel stepped over to me, especially since Josiah had planted a kiss on top of my hand. Daniel was territorial, possessive of me, and I know I had heard a low growl escape from Daniel when Josiah did that little display of affection. I got the impression that Josiah did that on purpose to get a rise out of Daniel, messing with him just for the fun of it. And because he so easily could.

Daniel frowned at Josiah, with one eyebrow up, but did defend him with, "No, he's not evil, but he sure does like to joke around. He is a friend, Kara. We have joined forces as allies in the past when the need arose to protect ourselves and to fight off the true, evil vampires and werewolves that have entered our territories. It has been a while since we've seen each other. Let me lock the front door and we'll go visit in the lounge."

Daniel and I sat on our favorite couch, while Josiah nabbed up a stately recliner that seemed to fit his personality. Now, having a vampire in my presence, I had a million questions to ask, just like when I was discovering everything about werewolves. Josiah was calm and cool. He seemed old. Very old by the way he talked and acted. And dressed. Power, in many forms that I couldn't quite decipher yet, seemed to pour from him. Much more power than the werewolves.

Josiah asked, "Kara is your girlfriend, as is the term nowadays. How did this come to be? She is human, Daniel. At least at this point in time, she is."

I interjected, "I am sitting right here and can hear you."

Daniel laughed and explained, "Kara, he takes a little getting used to. He attempts to blend in with society, as the werewolves here do. He is much older than me, and still has retained many of his old fashioned traits, which makes him seem eccentric or odd. Vampires have a difficult time going out in the sun, which is why he is here under the protection of the night, but that also makes blending in tricky. Okay, back to you, Josiah."

Daniel proceeded to summarize to Josiah what had transpired over the last two months. He seemed to have no qualms telling Josiah many personal details of which I felt rather uncomfortable having a stranger know about me. But, I had to trust Daniel's judgment in divulging this story to someone he considered a friend. Josiah found it extremely interesting about my indecision on whether to convert to a werewolf or not. He, too, did not try to influence my choice, and kept that a neutral topic.

Josiah explained that he owned several homes scattered throughout the country, and took turns living in different ones during the year. As he was traveling through our area, he thought it would be a wise idea to drop by and update Daniel on some underground intelligence. Plus, he hadn't seen Daniel in a long time, and wanted to touch base to renew their friendship. He had heard rumors about a resurgence in the number of witches using black magic. Coincidentally, a few of these were the actual descendants of the witches that had put the original werewolf curse on Daniel and his friends back in 1693. He warned us to keep our ears and eyes open for any unusual occurrences that might indicate witches entering our territory. Most of the problems seemed to be on either the east or west coast.

Suddenly, Josiah paused, and eerily studied me with his piercing black eyes. He cocked his head to one side, and stated, "You do have strong telepathic abilities. As I've sat here, my mind has been drawn to your unique power. Calm down, Daniel, I'm not trying to court your girlfriend. Although, you do have quite a catch here. I have a splendid idea, though. Since I can be a bit hard to locate with my constant nomadic tendencies, I think, Kara, you should perform a mind merge with me to create a common link between us. With my superior, far-reaching psychic power, if you needed me in an emergency, I do believe that even at a great distance, with your own abilities, you could make the connection to my mind. If the pack was in trouble, or you feared an attack, or maybe you learned more about those demented witches, you could alert me and I could come to aid you. Do either of you disagree with my suggestion?"

I was very leery about establishing a mental link with Josiah. He was a vampire. I wasn't even aware of all the things he was capable of doing. Although, I had a feeling I would eventually be finding out. I just met him two hours beforehand.

Daniel requested, "Josiah, I understand what you're saying, the importance of being able to contact you at a moment's notice. This is up to Kara. I do think it is a good idea; although, I have a jealous streak a mile wide, so don't go flirting around in her mind, if she agrees to this."

Both of those gorgeous beings turned their gazes on me. The way they could mesmerize and captivate a person was downright amazing. They were waiting for my answer. I'm sure they hoped I would agree to this additional method of strengthening our forces. Of gaining an advantage over the enemy by telepathically alerting our comrades immediately to any trouble at hand. Good vs. Evil. I had been having strange feelings, almost like premonitions, of evil looming in my near future. I had to say 'yes'. I wanted to say 'yes'. This was part of my life now.

I firmly stated, "All right, let's get down to business."

Daniel moved off the couch to allow Josiah to sit and face me. I reached out for his hands since a physical touch was the best way to get a concrete, mental connection. I sensed Daniel's overprotective nature toward me and touched at his mind, Oh, give it up, Daniel. You're standing right here. Like he's going to swoop me off my feet and start kissing me or something.

Yeah, it's the something I'm concerned about, he managed to mentally say with a sigh.

Josiah was tickled with our little display, as I'm sure he was reading both of our minds. He recommended that Daniel sit directly behind me on the couch. And it wouldn't hurt to be holding my arms, to add to the power of this mind merge, since Daniel had his own slight psychic ability that might enhance the whole experience.

Normally, I would have closed my eyes to concentrate, but Josiah's penetrating, unblinking stare, held me captive. We merged our minds, created a mental link, a lasting connection for all time.

Mentally, Josiah exclaimed, Kara, I'm very glad you allowed this. I want to share some conversation in our minds to completely establish this link, this specific path, so you'll always be able to find me. You are a remarkable human and very brave. Daniel cares deeply for you and is very loyal and committed to your happiness.

I replied, Thank you. I apologize for having my doubts about you. I am able to sense your emotions are well under your control. I will need to learn more about your kind.

As I started to drift out of his mind gently, Josiah instantly popped out of his mental link with me. Because of his extreme power, which I was not familiar with, the abrupt way he ended our connection was like a rug being pulled out from under my feet. I was flung against Daniel's chest, since he was still sitting behind me. He jerked his head back to prevent our heads from crashing into each other. Luckily, Daniel suspected there might be a repercussion from merging with a vampire as powerful and ancient as Josiah and was prepared for such an event. I wasn't hurt at all; it had just taken the air out of me.

Josiah immediately reached out to me, apologizing, "I am so sorry, Kara. Daniel, forgive me, I didn't mean any harm. I sometimes forget my own strength when dealing with a human. Kara, I'm so used to breaking off the mental link when I know we're done, and I wasn't aware you eased out of it so gently. I should take notes from you, as that is a more polite and less shocking way of ending a mind merge."

At first, Daniel was not too happy with Josiah being so careless, when he knew he was dealing with me, a human. He should have known better. But, after Josiah fumbled around and tried to apologize the best he could and then commented on how he should take notes from me on proper psychic skills, Daniel and I burst out laughing. After all, this was a vampire of tremendous power, knowledge, abilities, and longevity. I was just a mere human, only 21 years old and really had only recently developed my skills.

While still holding onto one arm of Daniel's to reassure him and keep his jealousy under control, I leaned over and gave Josiah a one arm hug. He was surprised and was silent for a moment, not sure how to respond. It touched him emotionally that I would show him affection, in a friendship type of way, of course.

"Josiah, don't worry about it. It just caught me off guard, but now I'll be prepared in the future so I don't get knocked off my feet when we mentally link up," I nodded my head and smiled at him. "Daniel might not always be standing there to catch me!"

We sat around for another hour, and continued to talk about the previous month's incidents. I started to yawn when it got to be 1:00 in the morning and even Daniel was wiped out. Daniel offered Josiah one of the cabins, especially since there were no guests at the resort this time of the year. He graciously accepted, and reminded us he would be asleep most of the daylight hours. When he awoke in the evening, he would then come to us in the lounge area.

Daniel and I went to bed, totally exhausted but excited with the arrival of Josiah. He informed us he would stay two nights in the cabin. We decided to take advantage of this time with him and use this as a learning experience for me since this was my first contact with a vampire. Even Daniel could pick up more knowledge and information from Josiah as he had so much to offer. We were concerned about his warnings regarding the witches, too.

Half asleep, I mumbled, "I guess I should call Eli and the team about these witches. I'm sure this is right up their alley. Maybe they already know about the uprising."

Daniel whispered in my ear, "Get some sleep, baby."

"One more thing," I had to get this out, "I want to go see my parents for Christmas. It's only about a week away and I want you to come with me. So, we need to work on our cover story. The one honest truth I can tell them is that I'm in love with you and am staying here. All of the rest of what has happened to me and what I'll be dealing with in the future, has to remain hidden from them. You and Josiah are the unknown. I just happen to be one of the few, privileged humans that have been allowed to enter into your world. And I still may choose to fully cross over, to become one of the unknown myself...(yawn)...okay, Daniel, I'm going to sleep, but beware, I'll be seeking you out in my dreams where anything can happen."

THE END

© Black Rose Writing

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