Visions Unveiled Ch. 08

Leaving the door open, Faline stepped further into the entry which she realized served as a foyer to a suite of rooms. The dark hardwood floors continued here. She switched on a light and saw that to her left a small hallway extended with several doors leading to unknown rooms. Straight ahead there was an open seating area, decorated with an area rug, several comfortable looking chairs and a fireplace along one wall. Beyond that there appeared to be a small kitchenette with a sink, coffee maker and refrigerator.

It was the door to the right which drew her into the suite further. Faline stepped to the door and opened it slowly, her breath catching in her throat as the bedroom was revealed. The large room extended in a crescent shape, and Faline realized the bedchamber wrapped around the other rooms of the suite. On her left was a fireplace, which she knew was connected through the wall to the one in the sitting room she had just viewed. There were two sets of large windows with dark drapes and window seats below them. They reminded her of her favorite spot in her living room with Sophie, and suddenly this place instantly felt like home for that reason.

Between the windows rested a large sleigh bed. The queen-sized bed was a comfortable looking, yet humble piece of furniture. The strong frame appeared to be crafted out of a solid ebony wood which was a shade darker than the floors. The mattress rested high upon the frame, making it one of the highest beds Faline had ever seen. What captivated her most though, was that the bedcovers were colored in varied shades of grey. The sheets and pillow cases were a dark charcoal shade and smaller pillows were soft heather tones. The fluffy down comforter however, appeared to be a shade of shimmering silver which was startlingly close to matching the color of her own eyes. Ebony dressers and nightstands made striking additions to the bedroom. Walking further into the room, Faline found other doors which she figured were likely closets.

At the far end of the room she found the door to the bathroom open and reached out to turn on the light. The en suite was sparkling clean, and every surface gleamed. Against the wall on the right was a dark granite vanity with double sinks, and dozens of square mirrors placed together to make one large reflecting wall. Brushed silver fixtures also adored this room. To the left was a large, deep garden tub which was pristine, as if it had never been used. Opening two other doors in the bathroom revealed the water closet and a small linen closet.

The entire back wall of the bathroom housed the shower, which was of the door-less variety. Instead of glass doors or a curtain, there was a wall which extended three-quarters the length of the shower. In the place of tiles, every possible surface of the shower was covered with small rocks. The stones seemed to be meticulously placed, and Faline could easily tell the shower was custom built, each stone having been set by hand. At the end of the shower furthest from the opening there were three large rain showerheads. Frosted skylights above allowed starlight to filter into the room.

Exiting the bathroom Faline noticed a door directly in front of her. She reached out and opened it, revealing a stackable washer and dryer. Faline was glad to find these, as she needed to be able to wear her new clothes, but could not bear the thought of wearing them prior to cleaning them. She emptied out the new clothing from the store and returned to the bathroom where she found a pair of scissors in a drawer. She quickly removed the tags and tossed all of the items into the washer together, added soap, and adjusted the settings for a quick wash. She would feel so much better once she had her own things to wear again. She hoped that Shane wouldn't mind that she was using his personal laundry for her clothes, but from his earlier comments she did not think he would be bothered.

Gazing towards the shower, Faline desperately wished to be able to cleanse her body as well, but thought that would be crossing the line. She remembered that Shane would be downstairs for a while, and so she would just wait out the washer and dryer cycle, before returning her own room on the second floor.

Opening her satchel she took out her journal and read through several of her favorite passages while she waited for the washer to stop spinning. Once it had, she transferred the clothes to the dryer. She thought again about what Shane had told her about her birth parents. Knowing who had written these words brought so much new meaning to them. Slowly, Faline was beginning to realize how significant it was that Shane had come into her life. Suppressing a yawn, Faline turned the pages of her journal until she found a passage which had been written in Italian. The words on the page described the cable cars which climbed the mountains of Murano. Faline smiled as she recalled how powerful the words of this journal could be. This passage alone had filled her with the desire visit Italy years ago. It was one of the first times she traveled so far on her own. Sophie had been so worried for her, but despite her fears, Sophie always supported Faline's urges to wander. Thinking of Sophie brought tears to her eyes, and Faline prayed that what Shane said was true. That the wolf named Danvers would not harm Sophie, and she would soon be found safe from harm.

* * *

Kevin barely had enough time to push Faline behind him before Shane fully eviscerated the wolf. With a sickening thud, Burke's lifeless body fell to the floor, and Kevin suspected hell would break free at any moment.

He really shouldn't have been surprised that Shane had snapped so violently. It was a stressful situation already being outnumbered by a pack which consisted of more than one bloodthirsty werewolf. The Danvers pack was notorious for being violent. Their alpha never showed mercy, and was even rumored to have slaughtered those of his own pack for reasons which could only be described as petty at best.

Add to this mix a human female, whose importance was paramount. Not only did she need protection because she was innocent, but she was also the alpha's mate. If anything happened to Faline now, the Kellen pack would without doubt crumble.

Not that Shane was known to ruthlessly massacre as he had just done. But he had warned the offending wolf to not address Faline in any way. What Burke had suggested was beyond the pale, and with tensions being as high as they were, Shane simply snapped. Burke was now dead, Danvers would more than likely retaliate, but that wouldn't matter if they didn't survive the next minutes.

Taking a defensive stance in front of Faline, Kevin braced himself to fend off any attackers. Luckily, none had approached. Shane was tearing through his opponents with fierce agility, while Logan fought off Jeff. While the Danvers pack may have been made up of ruthless maniacs that did not mean they were equipped to battle an enraged alpha whose mate had been threatened. Logan had the upper hand against Jeff, but other wolves were closing in him. Kevin desperately felt the need to assist his brother, but he was tasked with protecting Faline. He had to have faith that Logan was the stronger fighter.

Each wolf Shane took on fell to an injury, or retreated before suffering as Burke had. To Kevin's horror, the wolves who were avoiding Shane began to turn on Logan.

"Can't you help him?" Faline gasped from behind him.

"I cannot leave you unattended."

"I'm fine, go, help him or he'll die."

Kevin spun towards Faline just in time to witness her eyes glowing as none he'd ever seen. She must have been experiencing a vision, and it chilled him to the core.

"Kevin, go. He needs you!" She said again.

Kevin shook his head stubbornly, "If one of them got to you, I can't risk it."

Their conversation finally had drawn the attention of one of the Danvers's pack, and he approached with a sneer. "What's the matter, Kev? You too good to fight like your brother? Or are you just a babysitter tonight, is that it? I'll watch her for you, doc. It will be my pleasure."

Kevin spread his arms wide, increasing his shield over Faline. He knew he could take this wolf in a fight, but that would be for nothing if another got to her in the process.

Suddenly a shout was heard and Kevin glanced up to see blood flowing form Logan's neck. Somehow Jeff had managed a deathly blow upon his brother, and Kevin felt fear take hold of him.

"Go to Logan! I will be fine!" Faline screamed again as the approaching wolf began to crowd them, but the wolf suddenly halted.

"What the?!" The wolf said, as he spun in a circle.

Kevin looked over his shoulder once more as Faline had spoken, and he too was also stunned. He could hear her voice, but the air around them shuddered and a moment later, Faline flat disappeared.

It only took a moment for Kevin to realize what had happened, she must have shielded herself. So long as Faline couldn't be seen, he knew she would be safe. Without thought, Kevin launched himself forward, easily downing the wolf before him, and then he rushed on to defend his brother against Jeff.

Against Jeff, Kevin gave as good as he got. He took several hits to the face and blocked a kick that nearly broke his arm at one point. Jeff had been severely weakened by Logan however and Kevin continued to rain blows upon him. His strategy had Jeff backing away with each hit until he finally managed to corral him into Shane's line of vision. Once he had, Shane quickly grabbed Jeff by the throat. Shane roared once he had Jeff in his grasp and every other wolf that was still able to stand froze in their tracks.

"Must I bleed each and every one of you dry? Is that what you want?" Shane spat at them. "Shall I end your alpha's beta? I can. I should!" He added with a deep growl. "But I won't," Shane pushed Jeff into the path of one of the enemies that hadn't yet fallen. "Collect your injured, and those less lucky. Leave this place, where you were never welcome. And tell your alpha, that if he does not return Sophie to my pack, then I will maul him until Luna herself be unable to recognize his corpse!"

The rage in Shane's eyes must have conveyed his message well. A moment later, the defeated wolves began to flee, carrying Burke's body with them. Kevin figured they should be grateful for the inclement weather, which kept many human eyes off of the streets, and would serve to shield this event as much as possible.

The instant his path was clear, Kevin sprinted to his brother's side. He pressed his hand as hard as possible against Logan's neck to stem the blood loss. He leaned down and sighed with relief when he heard both Logan's breath and heartbeat, though both were weak. "Just hold on, brother," he told him. Kevin was confident that if he could keep Logan's remaining blood in his veins, he would be in the clear. Kevin knew Logan still needed stitches and other medical attention, but the next few moments would be the most critical.

It wasn't until the last of Danvers's wolves had gone that Shane's body fully returned to his human form. The moment it had, he spun towards the twins. "Kevin! Where is-"

Before his sentence was through, Faline slowly began to materialize beside the counter. "Here, Shane. I am here," she said, though her eyes were fixed on Logan.

Absently, Kevin was aware that she wandered towards an overturned table near the window. Her eyes appeared far off, as if she was in shock, and Kevin knew she would also likely need care before the night was over. Kevin overheard Shane asking Faline if she was hurt. He glanced towards the couple when he heard Shane ask her what she was looking for.

"The hotplate was on and smoking, which meant the kettle was on before all this happened. Sophie was making tea. She always makes tea when she is working at this table..." Faline's words trailed off as she sifted through items scattered all over the floor.

"What does that mean?" Shane asked, "What is special about this table."

"It's an apothecary, but instead of medicines, Sophie has it filled with crystals." Faline said, "Some are relics. Some have calming properties. Some can heal. And I just remembered ..."

Crystals of varied shape and size were scattered now on the floor. Faline fell to her knees and began to sort through them wildly. Some of crystals were lose, but many were attached to squares of thick colored paper which contained writing.

Beside Kevin, Logan's breath was beginning to come in gasps.

Finally, Faline found what she was looking for and rushed to kneel beside Kevin. In her hand she had a medium sized stone which was deep crimson in color. This was one which had been attached to the descriptive paper, and Faline tore it off without glancing at it. Instead she passed the piece of paper to Kevin, "Please hold this," she said while reaching for Logan's hand with the other.

She pulled Logan's hand open and placed the gemstone in his palm, closing his fingers around the rock. Once he had a hold on it, she brought his hand to his chest, placing the stone directly over his wound. "Keep hold of this Logan, it will help."

The blood loss hadn't slowed, but Kevin was amazed that Logan's breath was instantly stronger. Behind them, Kevin heard Shane's footsteps. "What sort of rock is that?" Shane asked.

Faline was focused on Logan and so Kevin took a moment to glance at the item Faline had handed him. The square had handwritten calligraphy which he assumed was Sophie's and Kevin now read it aloud: "Carnelian. Healing properties include strengthening the circulatory system, aiding in repair of injured or diseased organs, increases blood production and regulates blood pressure."

"May I see that?" Shane said in a flat voice.

Kevin nodded, feeling dumbfounded, as Logan's heart rate seemed to strengthen. Without another thought, Kevin held out the square towards his alpha, who accepted it with a look of awe upon his face. Sophie's words of healing were written upon a square yellow card.

Which of course, was the final piece of Faline's vision.