Sun and Earth Ch. 07

His kiss was as it always was, warm, sensual and gave me a profound sense of safety. But this time I felt warmth spreading across my lips, for a moment I thought I wasn't controlling my sun gift enough and that my emotions made it expand into our kiss. After a quick mental check on my emotions I realized it wasn't me spreading the warmth...it was Micah.

I pulled away and was shocked to find a slight amber glow coming from Micah's hands. It wasn't enough to cause any real heat but it was a sufficient amount to make me wonder how much power we had actually shared that I had given him some of my sun gift. Out of everything I thought he would receive from me, that was the one thing I felt sure that he wouldn't get.

"Micah...your hands." I whispered as he pulled away and stared at his palms in shock. A grim smile broke out over his face and he leaned his forehead against mine. I let myself enjoy the sensation, relishing in one of the few peaceful moments we have had with each other.

"This is astounding!" Micah exclaimed. I couldn't tell whether he was happy to have acquired more power or he saw this as a new level of being connected to one another. Honestly, I didn't think I wanted an answer to that question. "Have you felt anything new?" he asked with a slight fervor.

"Actually..." I went on to tell him about my newly acquired ability to see auras. He listened with an analytical ear, asking me questions every now and then about the sensations I feel while I hold the other sight. He had me switch to viewing his aura so he could observe if there were any physical changes to my appearance while I was viewing an aura. Fortunately I just looked like I was thinking hard about something, no glowing eyes or shimmering skin. Soon I would be able to use this ability as mages do, I just had to learn how to control it.

Micah pulled me into his arms again, this time he just held me. I nuzzled the skin on his neck with my nose and mouth, nipping his shoulder playfully. He stroked my hair which was in desperate need of a brushing and we enjoyed the peaceful breeze.

"Oy, freaks!" My head whipped around and I saw Eric standing in the doorway, a cocky grin on his face. "Come help Imogen bring chili to some of the pack, it'll be a good way to introduce you and Micah to everyone."

As Micah and I re-entered the kitchen hand in hand, we saw Chris and Bob helping Imogen pack another ten bowls of chili onto a tray along with glasses of sweet tea.

"It must be exhausting feeding all the people living here." I commented as I began to fill the new glasses with ice and tea.

"Well they all don't live here, most of them have gotten jobs in the surrounding towns. We want everyone to view this place as less of a pack and more as a support group. We want to create a sense of a family when they are in need, no matter what race they are. I think it's nice to provide an evening snack for those who want it." Imogen explained. She went to pick up one of the heavy trays and I gently pushed her away. Micah pulled a chair out for her to sit it.

"You've been cooking for who knows how long, Eric will show us where to bring this stuff. You sit and relax." Said Micah. I smiled to myself at his gentlemanly behavior.

"Christ, Parker. You've bagged a good one haven't ya." Eric laughed

"Maybe you would get a girl if you showed an ounce of gentility and manners." Imogen sniped at Eric. "You Irish think all you need to bag a woman is your accent, that may work up north but you're in the South now darlin'. We measure a man by how far he opens the door for a lady." We laughed at her southern expression. Eric stuck his tongue out at Imogen and began to stuff his face with Chili, I thought this was a wise choice.

I walked over to Imogen and took her hand in mine. "Thank you for looking after my brother. When he told me that you two were married his face just lit up. I'm sorry for not being around for the ceremony." Imogen put her hand over mine and smiled.

"He talked about you and Chris a lot." She glanced over at Eric and then back to me. "They both did actually. Corbin is tough and so is this group of misfits we've collected, but if your intentions are truly to want this war to end then you are welcome in this home. We've all suffered one way or another because of this pointless war. I'm just happy I'm goin to see the end of it, finally." She kissed my cheek, which surprised me a bit and I grabbed one of the trays of Chili. Chris, Bob, Micah and I followed Eric out of the kitchen and down the hall. We climbed a short staircase and turned off into what looked like it could have been a large study.

There were leather couches and recliners strewn about the large wood paneled room, a flatscreen TV was playing some sort of sporting event in one corner. In another corner there was a group of people huddled over a board game of some type and the far wall was blazing with a beautiful fire in a marble framed fireplace.

Eric let out a large whistle and the movement in the room stopped. About 20 faces turned to us and I felt like the new kid in a high school.

"Alright, chaps we have some friends who will be stayin in the house for a couple nights so play nice." Eric motioned for us to put the food down on a large folding table near the wall. After we did he turned back to the massive group of people who were standing to come and get their food.

"This here is my sister Parker and my other brother, Chris. With them is Parker's mate, Micah and their friend Bob." Eric turned to me. "Didn't you have someone else you were travelin with?"

"Mina, but she ran off when we arrived. I don't know where she is." I shrugged in honor of her absence.

"What is she?" a girl called out from the board game. "What race?"

"Lora..." Eric warned in an unfamiliar gravelly tone.

"Just so we know what to look for..." the girl looked sheepish. I agreed with Eric and Corbin were doing in mixing the races but that doesn't mean they should deny what they are and try to live as humans. I didn't think it mattered one way or the other who was what and if the people of this house wanted to know.

"She's a Vrykolakas." I told the room. The girl nodded at me in acknowledgment.

"Well I'm sure she'll turn up. Enjoy, eat and play nice!" I couldn't help but notice Eric's glance to the two men sitting near the fireplace. Micah caught my line of sight, he bent down to whisper in my ear.

"I know them." His low voice shot down mine spine and I suddenly wanted to get him alone. "They're old mages...does your brother have a screening process before people are allowed to live in this house or become part of the group?"

"I don't know, I can ask." I kept my eye on the men. One of them leaned over and whispered to his companion who's face was clouded in shadow.

"They would have been on my list as the last mages on earth that would ever side with a wolf." We looked at each other with wary glances and I made a mental note to ask Corbin about who they let in the 'pack'. Micah saw another set of mages watching the TV show and told me he would go talk to them for a bit. I gave him a kiss on the cheek and turned back to Eric.

"Eric!" A girl jogged over to Eric with a grin on her face. She had long blonde hair that was pulled into two braids to frame her petite face. She had a small figure that made her look very young, but what stood out was her eyes. One was bright blue and the other a solid black, there was no white to be found. She was a Dimidium Lupus. A person bitten by a full blooded werewolf on a moonlit run. She would never be a full wolf and would suffer the consequences of it for the rest of her life. Her changes would be forced, painful and incomplete. I had seen Dimidiums or halfies as full blooded wolves called them, change on few occasions and it was brutal and bloody. It would take a halfy at least 2 days to heal the after effects of a forced change.

"Whats up Rory?" Eric asked

"I thought you could introduce me to your sister?" She looked me up and down, trying to elicit a challenging response from me. She was testing me to see what my reaction to her nature would be. Even in this new kind of 'pack' she was probably treated differently, not full blooded like the rest of the creatures living together. I couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl. Halfies weren't accepted into normal packs so she must have lived on the outside since she was changed and who knows how long ago that was. The only true benefit of becoming a Dimidium was the immortality that came with the package. Unfortunately this could be a curse as well as a blessing as many Dimidiums will see their human families and friends die off around them.

I held out my hand as a peace offering and made my face open and welcoming. There was a time when I felt that Dimidiums were lower than full bloods like myself, becoming the outcast sure does change your outlook on life.

"My name is Parker, it's nice to meet you." Rory observed my hand skeptically for a moment before slipping her hand into mine and grasping it firmly. Pushed by sheer curiosity, I slipped into the other sight and did all I could to keep my expression neutral by what I saw. Up until now all the auras had been represented by ribbons of color and texture but Rory was the first to have a physical manifestation of her being shown to me. Literally, half of her body took on the form of a wolf clothed in shadow. The other half was doused by white...the sign of innocents...humans. I shook myself out of it and tried to pay attention to life going on around me.

"My name is Rory. Rory Evans." She withdrew her hand satisfied that I wasn't going to cajole and tease her about her half natured being. In truth I was now closer to her in nature than I was a natural wolf. Dimidiums would feel their wolves inside them as a separate entity but while I have made peace with mine, they spent their lives attempting to control and reign in the beast.

"How long have you lived here, Rory?" I asked wanting to look casual.

"I don't technically live in this house. The majority of us live in the surrounding towns, it's easier to commute to our jobs that way. But I've been a member of Eric and Corbin's pack for 25 years." She beamed with pride in her unbalanced eyes, it was an astonishing thing for a Dimidium to claim they belong to a pack. I glanced around the room and saw that Micah, Bob and Chris had spread out to talk among the various pack members.

"This is revolutionary, Eric." I smiled at him and he wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"I know! Did you ever imagine Corbin and me heading up a new type of pack? I mean we can't really call ourselves a pack, we have so many more races here than just wolves." He sighed in contentment and guided me toward a soft leather couch. We relaxed and moved over for Rory to join us after she had gotten a glass of sweat tea and large bowl of chili to stuff her face with.

"MMmm. The drive out here is totally worth it for Imogen's cooking. It's going to blow when she has that baby." Rory exclaimed through a full mouth.

"Why is that?" I asked

"Well...Eric does the cooking when her and Corbin are occupied with a new kid and-"

"Be very careful of the next words out of your mouth." Eric commented with a quiet ferocity.

"It's alright I remember how Eric fucked up porridge when we were kids. I mean it's porridge, pretty much the simplest thing you could make." I laughed at Eric's affronted expression.

"Porridge? Gross, who eats porridge?" Rory made a face and stuck out her tongue in disgust. The girl may have been in her 40's but she still acted like the 20 something year old she was when she had been attacked. Unfortunately this might be something that never changed.

"Well...we were children in the 1700's. Porridge was a common breakfast..." I began, remembering what it was like to wear heavy skirts and corsets. This past century had been a blessing to women everywhere, the girls of this era did not know how fortunate they were that pants were now gender neutral pieces of clothing.

"But we also got to drink beer whenever we wanted." Eric grinned at Rory's raised eyebrows.

"Why?" she asked, her interest in our history lesson was quite endearing.

"There wasn't much else to drink that was clean besides wines, ales and cider." I replied to the eager girl.

"Who's talking about the good old days?" We looked over our shoulder toward the table with all the chili. A bald, dark skinned man with a broad smile walked over and sat down across from us. I took in a deep breath and prepared myself for the onslaught of visual rainbows. I scented a spicy desert and could almost feel the hot wind on my skin. When I opened my eyes I saw the color of the earth, deep browns and greens intermingling with each other. Earth Breather...this man was a mage. My metaphysical hackles rose automatically, my last encounter with mages that weren't connected to me through Micah did not exactly end well.

"Oh you know how we love remindin' ourselves what life was like without TV, Internet and showers." Eric supplied receiving a large 'Eew' from Rory. We laughed and some of the tension in my shoulders eased. I had to remind myself that this was Eric and Corbin's pack and that they would hardly let just anyone in.

"Parker, this is Jareb. He was one the first mages to become part of our rather odd family when we first got off our feet." I shook Jareb's hand taking note of the callused and burned feel of his skin. The older Mages I knew back in California also had callused hands, I wondered if Micah's hands would one day reflect these men.

"When did you start this shindig by the way?" I turned to Eric.

"About 10 years after you and Chris had run off. In those first 10 years we made contact with open minded Weres across the country who were willing to spread their wings, so to speak." Eric glanced around the room at the various occupants, some enjoying their chili and talking amongst each other, others going back to their sports shows and what I now know had been a game of Clue.

"So, Parker when were you born?" Jareb asked me wiggling his eyes brows. I lowered my voice and leaned forward.

"I was born in 1727." I sat back in my seat. "But if anyone asks, I'll deny it."

"Not anymore!" I gasped as Micah swooped down behind me and kissed me on the cheek. I got up and hopped over the back of the couch, swatting at him in mock frustration.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you that eavesdropping is rude 'Mr. Gentility'?" I had planned to side step to my right and perform a roundhouse kick to his face, all in good fun of course, but Micah stretched out his foot causing me to trip. He caught me mid fall to the ground with surprising speed.

"Nice reflexes there, buddy." I whispered and his eyes told me that he was equally surprised with his agility. He pulled me up and we shared a quick kiss before going back to the couch to join in on the conversation.

"1727....you're a cradle robber." He laughed in my ear, I ignored him this time.

"Sometimes I wish the ladies still dressed as they did back in the colonial era." Jareb sighed as he experienced some sort of flashback in his mind.

"You're only saying that because you didn't have to wear all that shit!" I scoffed at the mage. "Powdered wigs, bustles, corsets, shoes that cut off circulation-"

"Well the shoes haven't changed!" Rory barked inciting laughter throughout the room.

"We basically had to re-arrange our insides for fashion" I continued. "The 21st century suits me just fine thank you!" I received an array of cheers from various women around the room.

"Oh please, Parky. Like you ever kept the clothes on that mum and da dressed you in." Eric laughed at me, Micah raised his eyebrows. "Yea she was a regular wild child this one, we tried to be civilized but I remember this one time we were in the local village buying some cheese and the little girl caught the scent of some cured meats and dashed off at inhuman light speed. She zoomed away so fast we couldn't see where she went, but all we really needed to do was fallow the trail of shed skirts and petticoats." I rolled my eyes and hid my grin on Micah's shoulder in embarassment.

"We found her a few hours later stark naked, swimming in a nearby stream, talking to the trees on the bank and chewing on a piece of raw meat. Wild child. You should have been a jungle cat!" Chris joined in on the memory that I had no recollection of thank goodness.

"Well, that shit you all dressed me was just uncomfortable."

"Alright so the fashion wasn't exactly sweatpants and sneakers but you have to admit there are some aspects of that century that can never be duplicated." Jared sighed and leaned back into the plush leather couch.

"What I particularly miss are the burnings!" A voice from near the fire place rang out. "The screams of our kinsmen as religious tyrants who called us demons burned the flesh off their bodies in front of our eyes. The best part though, in my opinion, was that you couldn't even attempt to save them or you would be up on a stake right next to them."

The man who spoke stood and moved towards us, his friend followed closely at his heals. This particular stranger had curly black hair that clung to his angular face. Thin lips and large eyes gave him an alien quality that could have been replicated in any sci-fi B movie. His body was quite proportionate to face in that it was thin, long and almost emaciated looking. If you passed this man on the street you would think him frail and week. I knew better than to judge a person on physical appearance alone. His friend stood slightly behind him, with the glare of the fire backlighting him I couldn't get a good look at his face.

"Ahem, yes of course revealing ourselves to the humans was a wise decision but there are still small pleasures to be taken from that era. I'm sure you would agree with that, Nasa." Jareb continued admirably. It seemed they have had this discussion before.

"No, I do not agree with that as you well know. That view comes from a privileged life, to be poor in any century before the 20th was to know only endless suffering."

"I think to be poor in this century is also to suffer, Nasa." Micah interjected. His face looked barred and cautious. "It may be a different kind of suffering, to be sure but we all know with money comes comfort and security."

"Micah..." Nasa nearly hissed at him. I felt my girl's hackles rise as she stirred within the dark space she claimed in my soul. My calm was stolen away from me and I felt my heartbeat pick up a quicker pace. She was getting ready to pounce if this man posed a threat to our mate.

"Micah you have never suffered a tragic life, you have always been comfortable. Do not insult me by presuming to understand what life was like-"

"Why dwell on things past?" Eric stood and raised his hands between Micah and Nasa. "We are in the present, we are all living comfortable and secure lives in a century where the humans accept us. There is only a future of peace to look forward to." If my girl hadn't been so jacked up I would have been impressed with Eric's diplomatic words. As it were I could nearly feel my nails begin to grow and my teeth starting to elongate. Why was my girl reacting so violently to this man?

I knew I needed to get out of there as quick as possible. If Corbin saw that I was losing control of my wolf he would blame it on the scindo and never give Micah and I the support we needed. I squeezed Micah's hand and stood up, I stared into Nasa's eyes for a second making sure to get my message across. You touch my mate, you die. With that I made the excuse of needing to find a bathroom and walked briskly from the room seeking solitude.

The house was so big I soon found myself lost among darkened hallways and narrow staircases. I sat on a step that I was confident was far from the room where that man had been. The hook behind my navel was tugging very hard so I knew I was nearing the 100 yards of separation from Micah. I felt sorry for the pain my separation would cause him but I needed the time to myself just to breathe.