Page 14 of Bound by the Moon (The Ancients #4)

“Honestly, that’s something I would like to know myself.”

Jack answered.

“I know that I am bound to Jess and her line, and for now I am also bound to the baby she had with her on the other side.

Beyond that, I’m not entirely sure what I am.

I thought they were sending me back as a werewolf, just one that would live a lot longer.

I don’t feel the same as I did when I was alive though, so I have no clue.”

“He is, as my brother suggested, a Guardian Wraith.

It means that Jack isn’t alive in the same way that any of the rest of us are.

He straddles the worlds of the living and the dead in ways that even I don’t fully understand yet.”

Layla was eyeing Jack in a curious manner.

“He has more power to protect than that of the simple wolf he once was, and he will always feel the call to be near the white wolf, not just to be near them, but to protect them at all costs.”

Layla stepped forward and came within inches of Jack.

She reached out her hand and pulled up just short of touching his face.

“He appears to be alive in his human form.

I think we will see that in his wolf form, he will take on a completely different look.”

“Um, yeah, that of a wolf.”

Ashley chimed in.

I could almost hear her internally screaming, ‘duh!’ at Layla.

Layla schooled her face quickly to hide the smirk that had started when Ashley spoke.

“I meant that his wolf will not look the way anyone remembers.

I’m giving this an educated guess, mind you.

I think since he appears so normal now, that is where we will all be able to see his wraith traits in action.”

Layla spoke one on one to Jack then, “we can test that out later, if you like?”

Jack nodded his head, but said no more.

I think he was afraid to appear too curious about his new-found gifts.

As he pondered that, I just stood there staring down at my baby girl.

I thought of my dad, and how he would never get to see her growing up.

He would never get to watch her run with the pack for the first time, the way he had always wanted me to run with everyone.

He wouldn’t be there to see if I had any more children either. I don’t know when the tears started falling, but they did. After a few minutes a hand appeared in front of face, catching a tear that would have fallen directly on my daughter’s cheek. I looked up into the warm emerald pools of Mikael’s eyes, and I managed to get out, “I really need to know what happened to my dad. Please!”

“When Louis showed up, your dad was already fighting some stray dark ones.

I don’t know,”

Mikael started as he ran his fingers nervously through his hair.

“I think they did it on purpose to make sure the bulk of our toughest fighters were already busy when Louis showed up.

When he did, he saw me standing there, still holding Willow.

I imagine he put two and two together, and realized that the baby you went to rescue at the portal wasn’t yours after all.”

Mikael reached down and swiped his finger gently across Willow’s jawline then.

“I turned to pass Willow to Eileen, so that she could get her somewhere safe, but just as she reached for the baby, I felt the crack in my leg.

Your mom’s quick thinking saved Willow.

She grabbed the baby, and called out to your dad all at once.

I’m sure she gave him some boost to get their faster, or something.

She had to, because he was nowhere near us when Louis got there.”

“Your dad threw himself between Louis and I.

He jumped into his wolf form to attack, but before he could fully transform, Louis had his neck snapped.

I heard it breaking just as surely as I heard my own leg snapping under the weight of his original attack.

He was shouting that Jameson was just the beginning.

He had plans to send the lot of us straight to hell to greet our famed white wolf ruler, who he’d already put there.”

“He didn’t put me there.”

I whispered through my tears.

“We know that, now.

Before Louis could come for me again, Jonah showed up, and called out to him.”

Mikael looked over at Jonah then.

“I’m not sure why, but Louis turned as if he had no choice, but to listen.”

“You are correct.

He had no choice.

I wasn’t aware it would be like that for another Fiul Sange, but it was worth a shot.

I have a sort of control over the lesser beings like that are somewhat like myself.

My Aunt Bryn, she was believed to be the Valkyrie Brynhildr, was adept with the death arts.

She was much like my sister, Layla. I could not tell you if she were actually a Valkyrie, as she used to laugh at my inquiries as to how she chose the men who died in battle.”

Serena seemed to find that funny.

“I bet she did laugh at that.”

“Yes, well, she used to say, ‘why would I chose the men, when the women are the real power?’”

Jonah smiled at his own memory, but remembered his audience, and continued on.

“As I was saying, I seem to have inherited her abilities to commune with the dead, or should I say, those who have been to the brink and back.”

“I have been to the brink and back, technically.”

I spoke up nervously.

“Can you control me?”

“Jessica, come to me,”

Jonah called out with intent.

I didn’t feel a damn bit different, and certainly had no sudden urge-or any at all-to go to Jonah.

Mikael’s hand twitched forward, ready to snatch me back if I moved.

This amused Jonah to no end.

The side of his full mouth hitched up in a grin before he addressed me again.

“It would appear not. Nor, as we have already seen, was I able to control your Guardian Wraith.”

“What about Louis? What exactly did you do to get rid of him and his minions?”

“Oh, I sent him home with his tail between his legs, and his minions, as you call them, have been dispatched into the great beyond.”

“What exactly does, ‘sent him home with his tail between his legs’ mean to you?”

“Exactly that.

He has gone to the place he calls home, and he won’t be able to make another move until he builds another army, and is able to have my suggestion scrubbed from his subconscious.

I’m sure that’s something that my sister, Vivianna will help him with after she feels he has been punished for his failures long enough.”

I turned to address Serena then.

“Your family literally makes my head hurt with the weirdness that surrounds you all.”

“And you as well, my dear many-times-great granddaughter.”

Jack and Asi both snickered at that, but checked themselves, and stopped, when I sent them both my best evil eye impression.

“Jessica, I wish that I could have saved your father.

He was a good man.

He will be greatly missed.”

Serena then approached my mother, “I am here to help in any way until you are able to heal and move forward.”

“Thank you,”

my mother offered weakly.

“Actually, right now, I think I just want to hug my daughter for a minute, and then head off to bed for a bit.”

“Understandable.”

Serena moved away quickly so that I could get to my mom.

“Do we need to worry about Vivianna giving Louis a quick recharge?”

I asked as I shifted Willow so I could hold her on my left side while I wrapped my right arm around my mother’s shoulders.

“No.

I have already spoken to her.

She understands that no more of this nonsense will be tolerated right now.

Besides, even if she were going to ignore our warnings.

It takes a while to for the Fiul Sange to recharge their batteries after a creation.

For every dark one he creates in the future, it will take a lot of effort and some magical aid for each one from my sister’s part in order to make it work. He doesn’t have the ability to create new dark ones without the aid of a witch. That is one thing we all do have in our favor. It’s a very draining process for all those concerned when you’re starting from scratch.”

“Okay, I understand now.”

I looked at my mother then.

“Can I get you anything?” I asked.

“No, I’ll be fine.

I just really want to go curl up and sleep for a little while.”

When I gave my mom a concerned look, she nearly smiled.

“I’m not going to sleep permanently.

I do want to watch Willow grow up.

I just need some time to heal first.”