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Kieran dropped me off at the corner where Zaraëlle was. He didn’t want Tasha and Elias to see him. I know it sounds strange, but I thanked Kieran for saving my life. Before we went our separate ways, we swapped numbers, just in case something happened to me again.
“Don’t let on to anyone, Tali. I’m being serious. Not even your brother,” Kieran warned.
“Okay, okay. How many times are you going to tell me that?” I let out a sigh and walked away, waving goodbye to him.
I went to see Tasha and Elias. I half expected Elias to be annoyed with me, but he was my big brother and always gave in when I started to tear up.
“Oh my – what happened to you?” Tasha asked. Elias didn’t say anything and gave me a look that said he was worried. Tasha did my hair and looked down at my neck. “Is that blood?”
“Talia, what happened?” Elias finally asked and came over to me, inspecting my neck.
“I tripped on my way back here,” I said, even though that wasn’t true.
“So, why has the blood dried out so quickly?” Elias asked, sounding a bit suspicious.
“Honey, there’s no need to ask questions right now. Let’s take her to the hospital,” Tasha answered and gave Elias a friendly smack on the shoulder.
“No, no. I’m actually doing well. I’ll just get Aunt Mabel to sort this out for me. It’s just a couple of scratches and dirt. No harm done,” I said, quickly shrugging off the situation.
“OK,” Elias agreed. “Let’s go. And Tali, you better not be lying to me.”
Just to let you know, I’ve got a few more things to add.
After Aunt Mabel cleaned my wounds and asked me a bunch of questions, I was pretty tired. I got the exact expression I thought Aunt Mabel would give me. It was complete and utter horror.
Elias, Tasha, and Aunt Mabel asked me questions, and I did as Kieran told me. To lie to them. I felt bad, believe me, but I had no other choice.
My story was pretty straightforward. I was running from the library because I didn’t want Elias and Tasha to have to wait for me. I didn’t see the bump in the pavement, so I took a tumble and hit a couple of broken beer bottles that some drunk guys had left behind. Tasha and Aunt Mabel had faith in me, but Elias wasn’t having any of it.
I was gobsmacked to find myself in this situation. I couldn’t believe I was thrown into a world I thought only existed in movies and fiction novels. I definitely felt like a heroine. She reminds me of Bella in Twilight. She’s a bit like Lois Lane in Superman, you know.
I let out a sigh and told Elias and the two ladies that I was going to have a bath and then head to bed. I was absolutely knackered. I had a very long night and I was really looking forward to getting into my warm, safe bed.
I still had this feeling that someone wanted to kill me. Who on earth is it from and why? I haven’t done anything wrong recently. I thought I’d finally get a fresh start and be normal. Normal wouldn’t even describe my personality.
I hurried up the stairs and went into my massive bedroom. I went into the bathroom and switched on the light. I looked in the mirror to check how bad I looked.
I was paralysed, couldn’t even move a muscle. There on my mirror was a paper that was taped to secure its place. It was written in black Sharpie marker and said:
Just because you got away tonight doesn’t mean you’re safe. Watch your back, Tali. Your precious little boyfriend won’t be able to save you for long.
Love, The Iron Justice.
With shaky hands, I tore the paper off my mirror, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it at the far side of my bathroom. I was absolutely terrified, and I couldn’t stop shaking.
How did they get into my bathroom? Was this some kind of sick joke? My room was locked the whole time I was out.
I got out of the bathroom quickly and dialled Kieran’s number.
“Tali, what’s wrong?” Kieran answered the phone quickly.
“Can you come here, C?” I stuttered, not being able to keep calm. “I’ve found that…”
“Tali, what’s happening?”
“H-home. P-please come,” I started tearing up. “Please.”
“I’ll sneak in through your window. I’ll be there in five.”
He wasn’t messing around when he said he’d be here in five. I opened my window quickly and let Kieran in. But he wasn’t on his own. Luca and Knox were right behind him.
“What did you find?” Kieran asked calmly.
“An-note. It’s in the b-bathroom,” I said, still shaking in fear.
Kieran went to the bathroom while Luca and Knox had a look around my room. I started sobbing, and Knox looked over at me.
He came over to me and gave me a hug. I cried into his shirt. “We’ll find them, Tali,” he promised.
Before I could say anything else, Kieran came out and stared at me and Knox for a while before clearing his throat. I backed off from Knox pretty sharpish, having a good idea of the kind of feelings Kieran was currently experiencing.
His face clearly showed it all. He explained what a mate was and how effective it could be, and then he showed me how he was feeling.
Kieran clenched and unclenched his fists while handing the note over to Knox to read. “I’m going to kill whoever this Iron Justice is,” Kieran said, gritting his teeth.
Luca seemed lost in thought as he climbed out onto the balcony. “Tali, is that your necklace?” He asked, holding up a silver chain with a diamond-encrusted S hanging from it.
“No,” I replied calmly, knowing I was safe for the time being. It was stunning and I stared at it for ages. I’ve never seen that necklace before, and it did a great job of giving me goose bumps.
“Hey, I’ve seen that necklace before…” Kieran said, drifting off into space. His eyebrows went up. It was obvious that he was trying to remember where he’d seen it before.
“Kieran, that’s Maren’s necklace,” Knox finally said after thinking. He blinked a couple of times and repeated, sounding a bit doubtful. “That’s Maren’s necklace.”
I can’t believe I was sneaking out. I wasn’t one to disobey my mum, mainly because I was scared of her. Secondly, I had enough respect for her to follow her simple rules. No drinking, no sneaking out, no keeping secrets. I think I’ve broken two of those rules already.
I wouldn’t have snuck out otherwise. Could Maren be planning to kill me? But why? I suppose I had to wait and see what happened.
Kieran threw a last-minute meeting at the pack house with both the Eclipse and Moonfire packs, but left Maren out. I had to come along because Kieran was worried it wasn’t safe for him to be on his own any more. I was happy to take his offer, as I didn’t want someone to come and kill me while I was asleep.
The Pack House was small but cosy. Knox had told me that it was the place they held meetings at and such. The little fireplace was lit and warmed up the room to a nice and cosy temperature. Knox was sitting next to me on the couch while Luca and Kieran had a quiet chat.
I was struggling to accept that werewolves were real and that someone was out there trying to kill me. I’m talking about Maren Brown in particular. A month ago, Lila introduced me to her. She was stunning. She had white blonde, perfectly straight hair and sapphire eyes that screamed friendly and innocent. I’d say she was friendly because she was one of the people who stood up for me while Kieran tortured me.
But I guess those are the types of people you just have to look out for.
“Tali, just clear your head for now. Maren’s going to be in a lot of trouble once the Experts find out,” Knox told me.
“Cheers for trying to cheer me up, Knox. But I’m afraid it’s not working,” I sighed.
I heard footsteps and a bit of a murmur down the hall. Lila, Beck, and Cruz came in, followed by Brielle, Damien, Roman, and Avery. They looked pretty serious, and they shot me a quick glance before taking a seat on any chair they could find in the small room.
Kieran and Luca came in and stood up. “OK, as you all know, Tali’s not safe,” Kieran said, knitting his eyebrows.
“You’re starting the meeting without Maren?” Brielle asked. I jumped when I heard her name.
“Darling, she’s not here. She’s with her mum right now,” Beck answered.
“Don’t call her babe!” Damien shot back.
“Why are we even meeting with the Moonfire Pack?” Cruz asked, folding his arms restlessly.
“You might find out if you’d just keep your mouth shut,” Roman said in a low, threatening voice.
“Keep it down, guys!” Luca yelled over the arguing. The room went quiet. “You’ll listen to Kieran.”
Everyone in the room nodded at the two alphas. They had no choice but to listen and follow orders. I still find that fascinating and quite confusing.