Guarded Hearts Ch. 03

All three put up their hands and bounced, Susan smiled, and it was great to be home.

****

Eric walked into his office he tossed his hat onto a chair and tugged his ruined shirt off. He went to a cupboard where he kept spare shirts and carefully pulled on a fresh one. He buttoned his shirt quickly but didn't bother to tuck it in. He sat at his tidy desk, some called him a freak for the way his desk was always tidy with everything having a place but he believed in order.

He grabbed a pad and started to write a report on what had happened but every time he tried to write it, all down he lost his train of thought. He sat back in his chair and opened the bottom left drawer, four brand new books sat in it. He had gotten them last night shortly after delivering Ghost to the hospital.

The shop owner had recommended these four books and in particular, she had put a thinner smaller book on top and told him to start here before turning to the other books. He lifted the book and closed the drawer. Were Life and Culture was written across the top of the book, Amy Luis's name at the bottom.

He opened it and started to read.

*

He turned to the door as Electra walked in several hours later and sat. "Just came to drop off the bullet Nathanael pulled from my arm," she told him as she put a sample bag down on his desk. She leant over and tugged the book from his hands, being careful not to lose his place. "Ma did a very good thing when she agreed to write this. Enough information to give the reader a broad understanding of the world around them but not too overwhelming as to turn them off learning all together."

She handed the book back.

He gave her a lop sided smile, he had almost devoured the book and was close to finishing it. Every word had been a revelation to him, opening his eyes to the very complex nature of the world he had just been thrust into.

"Your mother is good at what she does." He said honestly.

She nodded. "So..." She said in a leading manner.

He gave her a startled look. "It was an accident; I didn't mean to bump into her." He said panicked. He then frowned slightly, where had that come from; it had been an accident and nothing to feel guilty for. However, his thoughts afterwards had him instantly back peddling. He had wanted to kiss her, to lick the beads of water from her skin of her neck as his hands parted the towel to trace patterns on her back, he got hard just thinking about it. He quickly pushed those thoughts aside and focused completely on Electra. He didn't even understand his thoughts when it came to Maria, he wanted to grab her and not let go and felt himself falling in love with her even though he barely knew her.

She chuckled in amusement. "You bumped into her... that wasn't what I was going on about. But okay, I believe you."

"What were you going on about then?" He asked suddenly feeling stupid for his outburst.

"I want to know what you did to keep her so calm during the fire fight, she hasn't freaked yet." She asked.

He thought hard but came up with a blank and shook his head as he shrugged. "I don't know, I must admit after hearing what you said at Katie's I'm surprised she didn't freak out when we were both cramped under my car. She was tense but I don't think it was because of me, more the shock of being shot at. Or even shocked that a man had tried to protect her." He said hoping that one of those was the answer.

She frowned as she thought for several minutes, men had tried protecting her before and she had freaked. Also she had been shot at before, only recently to be exact when the manor was attacked, but that hadn't caused her to freak out. No something else had kept her calm, she may have been a little stunned by what he had done but something else had kept her calm. "How close did you get?" She asked as a new train of thought occurred to her, "Close enough for her to get a good smell of you?"

He thought for a moment then nodded. "Yeah I guess so."

She smiled and stood, she now had the answer she needed, she knew why Maria hadn't freaked out. The scent of her mate would have kept her calm, it worked on Mayhem and it worked on her. She knew and now it was up to him to figure out what she had. That Maria was now skittish around him because she didn't know what to think, how to think, her wolf had chosen it's mate, had chosen him, but her human side was either not ready or didn't want to listen to her wolf.

"What chapter are you at?" She asked as she went to leave.

"Eleven." He answered a little confused as Electra looked about to leave but they hadn't finished their conversation.

"Pay close attention to chapter twelve." She told him then quit the room leaving him a little bewildered.

****

Eric pulled up outside of Katie's the next day, he had trouble sleeping last night as he had listened to Electra's advice and paid attention to chapter twelve. What he hadn't been expecting was the title and subject of chapter twelve, Were Mating Practices. He reached over and grabbed his hat then climbed out. He had to read that chapter twice before he clicked on to what had Electra amused.

Maria's Wolf had come to the surface when they had been cramped together, had taken a deep breath and decided that he was the one she wanted and needed above anything else. That was the reason why she had remained calm. However, he also knew she was fighting it and that if she continued to ignore or even defy her wolf it would make her sick, insane even. He then thought about the fact that he had been 'claimed' by Maria and found himself pleased, she was gorgeous to his eyes and already his mind was picturing them making love.

He approached the house and Electra met him. "Can we talk?"

She nodded and they started to walk back to his car and pass it. "She can't hear us now." She informed him. "So... chapter twelve..."

"I don't get it, how can she be so sure that I am the one?" He asked.

"We didn't figure it out until immortals came around, this was ages ago. Immortals would find their mate then lose them, but they never just took another mate, they waited and eventually they would find their mate again. Others who survived the death of their mate and didn't choose to die wouldn't take another mate, no one would do. Were mate for life, for eternity, and back when we were evolving these instincts life was short, too short to fumble looking around for that one person who would complete us. So we evolved, we know our mates by their scent and then we are compelled to take them." She explained. "Love will grow quickly. Trust me I know."

He kicked a rock. "Really?" He asked.

She nodded, "Yeah... I have a mate; she was a victim of the slave cartel we broke up. I saved her life, didn't know but, she did. I was caught in the I'm her protector mind set. I fought my own wolf, she wasn't ready for this. But my ma turned around and said that how would I know if she was ready or not, I might be the only reason she recovers. That she needs me to recover. I haven't looked back, I love her so much and I didn't even know she existed a few months ago."

She checked her watch to check the time they had left before they had to get back. "You have to talk to her."

"She won't tell me." He argued.

"Make her." She pushed, "She won't let you close if you don't force the issue. She's been running away from it for a long time. But you can pull her out of it."

"How?" He asked.

She smiled, "I asked Tarval how he got close to Alanna, and she has the same past as Maria and I. He answered that he was simply there. Just be there for her, be her friend."

"If she'll let me." He said pessimistically.

She rolled her eyes, "You only get out what you put in to a relationship." She clapped him on the shoulder. "Make her." She started to walk back to the house.

"So you share a past?" He asked as he caught her up.

She nodded, "Yeah, we're all originally from the same pack, an Italian pack that was dissolved a few years back for crimes against Women." She explained.

He frowned, "Dissolved?"

She nodded. "It's a term we don't use often and haven't had to use. All the men of the pack are killed, those who are young enough are reconditioned, and the women are split up and are moved to other packs. Its assets are liquidated and split between those same women." She explained. "The Alphas haven't had to dissolve a pack in over three hundred years. But they chose to do it in an instant because ma said it had to stop."

"They killed all the men?" He asked.

She nodded. "We don't jail our grievous criminals, no point, we know that once such a trait like that is learnt it can never be un learnt, best to destroy the trait than let the cycle be repeated on another. Abusers, drug dealers, rapists... we try to nip it in the butt." She turned her head to watch him, "ever wondered why Were crime is almost unheard of."

He had wondered that very question, since Were had come out they had even let their crime rates go public. What there was of the crime rates.

"It's almost unheard of for that very reason." She explained.

"Gives a whole new meaning to zero tolerance." He said gently as they finally made it back to the house. They went around it and out the back to the old pool, which had been converted into a holding pen. Nathanael was next to Maria, they were both watching the wolf behind the bars. Katie held a phone, ready to hit the speed dial and get Amy here.

"You made it just in time; he should be coming out any minute now." Nathanael said as Electra joined them.

They watched Ghost carefully, waiting for him to come around. They watched as he tried to move, Nathanael had removed the splints this morning as the bones were fused enough to no longer need them. He growled when he noticed the bars and was suddenly on his feet, ignoring the pain in his body as his bones protested, they were healed enough for him to move a little but not enough for a fight but he would fight if he had to.

Be calm Ghost.Nathanael spoke directly into his mind.We didn't hurt you and the moment you are calm we will let you out.

Ghost snarled and threw his body into the heavy bars, which buckled and groaned in protest.

Stop we just put you back together we mean you no harm.Electra told him adding as much sincerity to her voice that she could.

Ghost growled showing his teeth. He wanted out; he did not trust these people.

"Okay." Nathanael said and together, he, Electra and Maria stripped, they then changed and approached the cage. Ghost watched them carefully, wondering why the second female was so small when she was obviously an adult like the others.

Maria was matt grey with white socks and a white bib, slight but well formed. She could walk freely under both Electra and Nathanael without having to duck, as they were both more than twice her size. Nathanael was a blue roan wolf, a rare coat type as it was let alone the blue hue to it, of the few roan coats around red was the most common.

We mean you no harm Ghost. Let your human come forward, end this now.Nathanael reasoned with the other male wolf.

Join us.Electra coaxed, a moment later, her head was back and she was howling a long eerie note. Nathanael and Maria answered her with their own howls.

Ghost twitched and pranced uncertain, he had never sung with his own kind before. Their voices had him wanting to belong, to be a part of something bigger, to no longer be alone, wolves were not meant to be alone. Electra took another deep breath and howled again, if he didn't join them this time then they would try something else. Nathanael and Maria joined her a moment later and a moment after that a fourth voice joined their song.

They howled together one last time then approached the cage letting him sniff at them to learn their scent; they wagged their tails in friendly greeting and licked at his snout. Ghost's tail started to wag in greeting and he licked at their snouts. Electra stepped back and shifted. Nathanael joined her.

"I thought that would have been harder." She told him, she had honestly thought that they were going to have to get her mother here and forcibly shift him into human form before getting him to trust them.

He nodded, "Same." Maria stepped back from the cage and tilted her head to the side then shifted. She went to her clothes and quickly pulled them on. They waited for him to change and join them.

Ghost stood still, his mind was looking for that dark remote place in his mind where his human side had taken refuge in all those years ago. When the wolf found him in his hiding place, he lunged at his human, getting a good grip with his teeth and dragged him to the surface of their mind flinging him back into life. He then went one-step further and went to that dark place himself, to force his human side back into life.

Ghost's body shifted slowly, reluctantly as it had been a wolf for a very long time. His body shrunk a little, his spindly legs started to thicken and his chest started to flatten. His hind legs started to change taking the shape of true human legs. His fur started to recede and his pale blond hair started to grow. His paws turned into hands and feet and finally his face started to shift loosing its canine features and gaining human ones.

When the shift was over, he panted and shivered on the smooth concrete ground, dried blood was plastered to his skin. While he had been shifting Electra and Nathanael had thrown on their clothes, they approached the cage and opened it. Maria walked in with a blanket and draped it over his body. Electra helped to wrap him up and together she and Nathanael lifted him and carried him into the house. Katie led the way to the room they had organised for him on the first floor of her home.

They laid him on the bed and Katie pulled the covers up and tucked him in. His blue eyes watched her for a moment then they closed and he was asleep.

"Is that normal?" Katie asked.

Nathanael nodded, "believe it or not but shifting is traumatising on the body. We get used to the stress of the change. He hasn't shifted in so long that his body has shut down." Nathanael quickly checked his pulse, "He'll be awake in an hour."

"And starving." Maria said from the door. "Mind if I steal your kitchen Katie?"

Katie gestured for her to go for it and that she didn't care. She was watching Ghost closely. "I thought... that he would... you know... show that he hadn't been human in so long." She made a motion with her hand indicating a beard.

Nathanael chuckled. "Doesn't work that way, his human body is the same today as it was the last time he was human. His hair will be the same length as will his beard, finger nails, toe nails as it was back then."

"Is that because he's immortal..." She asked as Electra slipped from the room.

He chuckled again and shook his head. "No... although if he had not been immortal his human body would have aged, hair gone grey but still be the same length as it was."

"Mind if I wait with you?" She asked as she pulled up a chair and sat, Scamper her scruffy ginger moggy hopped into her lap and turned his one eyed face to Nathanael before lying down and rolling onto his back so she would scratch his belly.

"No, in fact I insist." He sat and they both waited for Ghost to wake.

****

Serenity sat with her legs crossed in her room, she was completely focused on the bracelet around her right wrist. Thais sat before her and tilted his head wondering what she was up to. He didn't have to wait long as the bracelet, which was meant to be practically indestructible, shattered into a hundred pieces. Thais smiled at her accomplishment and clapped.

She smiled at her brother, stood, and skipped from the room. He was up and after her because he knew what was going to happen next and wanted to be there when someone learned her 'identity' bracelet was no more. All Were under the age of adulthood wore something on their body with their name on it, the theory was that while they were children they needed the identification while as adults they could shed it as they were grown and knew their place in the pack. Nine times out of ten however, most were so used to wearing their name on their body they felt naked without it and continued to wear it.

However, when it came to the twins, those identity bracelets were needed sometimes just to tell the two girls apart.

"Serenity... Thais..." Anna called, "Music time." She added. Both little people came to a stop, turned and ran to Anna. A month ago Thais had seen a cello being played and had loved the sound so much he had begged for one and since Amy could never say no to his pleading eyes she had caved. Luck had been with her, within the day, a cello had been found and Cleopatra had offered to teach him as she could play the stringed instrument.

Thais had proven a natural like Serenity and like his sister hadn't needed much instruction so the two now played and learnt together. They ran into the music room and up to their instruments, Cleopatra was laying out some sheets of music. Serenity sat at her piano and limbered up her fingers before gently stroking the keys.

Thais hopped into his chair and pulled his cello close, taking up the bow. He arranged his fingers, ran a tuning scale, and smiled at the sweet mellow sound. Anna frowned as she watched Serenity place her fingers on the keys, something was missing. It took her half the lesson to figure it out and when she did, she gasped.

"Stop!" She called out and both Serenity and Thais stopped playing. "Where is your bracelet?" She asked as she grabbed Serenity's right wrist where the bracelet with her name on it should have been.

"I broke it." She admitted, it was one of the things that Serenity always did, if she did something she always admitted it, whereas her sister either didn't admit or flat out lied.

"You... broke it." Anna said a little stunned, normally cubs started having problems with their identity bracelets shortly after their tenth or eleventh birthday. This was normally because they had their own idea on how to wear their name. By that age, they were finally coming to terms with who they were, who they wanted to be, and parents often allowed them to change their identity bracelets to suit their child.

However, the cubs were different, she could see Thais tugging at his bracelet and soon she knew he would figure out a way to break it. They were already having problems with the bracelets, as they already knew exactly who they were going to be and were confident with that knowledge.

"Okay lesson over." Anna said and gently tugged Serenity from the piano. "Come on Thais." He skipped after them. Anna walked them briskly to Amy's office, she knocked, a warning just in case Amy and Wolfgang were up to their normal mischief.

"Enter," Amy called immediately.

Anna walked in still with a firm grip on Serenity.

Amy sighed, "okay what have you done now Temperance?" She asked resigned.

Serenity gave her mother a hurt look, "Serenity." She corrected, she was always getting called Temperance mainly because her sister was such a menace.

Amy gave her daughter a look of sympathy, "Sorry honey but normally only your sister gets dragged in here like that."

"I know." Serenity answered.

"So why has Anna dragged you in here?" Amy asked.

"I broke my bracelet." She admitted.

Amy blinked in shock, "Broken..." She said slightly resigned, her eyes glanced to Thais and noticed that he was tugging on his bracelet. "Kind of not surprised." She admitted and stood. She as she stood Temperance appeared mid strike, her drum sticks raised. Boadicea had suggested since Thais was interested in music that maybe Temperance would as well, she had suggested a drum kit, something she could pummel and use to get rid of some of her excess energy. Amy had been willing to try anything to keep Temperance out from under Bastion's constant glares. The drum lessons were working, Temperance was much calmer now.