Surprise Visitor

Surprise Visitor
Annie

“Annie? Annie, open your eyes, sweetheart,” a familiar voice called softly.

I shot straight up, looking around wildly, searching for him. When my eyes finally landed on Ezekiel, I let out a sob as I threw myself at him, wrapping my arms around him and squeezing his neck.

“Are you really here?” I cried.

“Yes, little sister,” he chuckled, hugging me for a moment before setting me back a few inches. “I asked our mother to give me a chance to come back and speak to you.” He stood up and held out his hand to me, which I took instantly. “Come. Let’s take a walk.”

He pulled me to my feet as the world around us shifted until we were walking behind Logan and Gerry. I reached out to touch Logan, wanting to let him know that I was okay, but my hand passed straight through him, making him shudder a little before looking around. Gerry copied his action before eyeing him curiously.

“What is it?” Gerry asked.

“It’s Annie. I can feel her,” Logan replied.

“But she’s with the vines. It hasn’t been three days yet,” Gerry told him.

“I know it hasn’t. I can’t explain it, but I know she’s here,” Logan replied.

Gerry patted his shoulder. “You are just worried about her. She’ll be back soon. The vines will protect her.”

“Whatever you say, Gerry. She’s here,” Logan replied stubbornly, but started walking again.

As they walked, Logan continued to look around, searching for me.

“I used to be envious of your bond with your mate,” Ezekiel mused from beside me.

“You were?”

He nodded. “I searched for my mate, little sister, but I never found her. I was forced to live a life of solitude. It wasn’t until I went home that I realized why I couldn’t find her. She wasn’t on Earth for me to find. The same person who took my life also took hers.”

“Who killed you, brother? Tell me and I will make him pay,” Marsha said, taking over.

Ezekiel sighed as he cast us a sad look. “You shouldn’t be so eager to hurt someone, Marsha. With the kind of power you hold in your hands, it is even more important that you keep a sound head on your shoulders. You can’t run around seeking vengeance. That will not only destroy you, but everything that has been built by our brothers and sisters who came before us. I understand that my death has affected you in a negative way, but I knew it was coming, just like I knew that all of this was also coming. I could have fought and won, but the cost of my winning would have done more harm than it would have done anyone good. I didn’t want that for our people. I didn’t want that for you.” He draped his arm over my shoulders, squeezing it a little as we walked.

“Right now, even though you’re angry, you have to put our people first. And that means that you have to save Giselda. For as important as you will become to our people, she is just as important. Without her being alive, every member of our species dies. You need to ensure our species' survival. I know that this is a lot to put on your shoulders at such a young age, but I know that you can do this. I know that you are going to make everything right.”

I forced Marsha back to look at him. “I want to save her, brother, but I don’t know how to do that. Can you tell me how to do it?”

He sighed deeply as he came to a stop, forcing me to also stop. “Listen to me, Annie. I need you to promise me that if I help you that you won’t use your power for revenge.”

“One second.”

I closed my eyes as I reached for my link with Marsha. ‘What do you think about what he’s saying?’ I asked. ‘Can you keep your anger in check? I know that you are angry. I’m angry too, but he’s right. We have the kind of power that others can only ever dream about. We have to uphold the laws that he put into place. We have to be a good leader, just like he was. I want to be loved by our people like he was. That’s how we honor him.’

She bared her teeth at me as she paced back and forth. ‘How can you say that?! He would still be here if he hadn’t been murdered! MURDERED, ANNARIA! He didn’t just die in his sleep from natural causes! Orion walked into his office and murdered him!’

I took a step away from her as my hands trembled. ‘Orion? You knew who killed him all this time and you didn’t tell me?’

She groaned as she stopped pacing and came over to me to nuzzle into my side. ‘Yes, Annie. I knew it the moment I smelled his body.’

‘How? Orion wasn’t a council member who came to the sleuth!’ I told her.

She sighed as she leaned against my side. ‘Do you remember all the training I did with Ezekial while you were sleeping?’

‘Yes. What about it?’

‘He would teach me how to track. He showed me how to fight through hidden scents. He also had me memorize the council’s scents.’

I ran my hand over her head and down her back. ‘Did he show you anything else?’

‘A lot, but we have time to figure it out together. There’s no rush. First, we need to find and save Giselda,’ she said.

I sighed as I scratched behind her ear. ‘You’re right. So, will you be on your best behavior?’

‘Yeah, but if someone crosses us, they will be punished.’

‘Marsha!’ I hissed.

‘I said I wouldn’t use our power for retribution. You never asked me not to punish people.’

I groaned. ‘Alright. Fine!’

I left our head, and when I opened my eyes, Ezekiel was studying me closely. “What did she say? Did she agree to the terms?”

I nodded. “Yes. Now, will you tell me how to save Giselda.”

“Yes.” He steered me in the direction that Logan and Gerry had disappeared. “I have spoken to the vinekeepers, and they have agreed to give you the rest of my blood. You will need it to unlock the power that I had.” He draped his arm over my shoulders again. “But the only difference is that you have to learn how to control it very quickly. It’s going to hit you hard, and it’s going to make you want to claw your eyes out. As soon as you get Giselda away from Kirkland and she heals, you need to have her lock your power so that it only releases a little at a time until you become of age. Once Mother Annaria deems you worthy of being able to control it, she will release it if you are ready before you come of age.” He glanced at me. “This is going to be a very difficult few days for you, Annie, but this is going to be the only way that you can save her. Do you think you can do this?”

I swallowed hard before nodding. “Yes, I can do this.”

He sighed deeply. “Very well.”

He let out a low hum that I almost didn’t hear, and instantly, vines exploded out of the ground to wrap around me, stabbing into me and causing me to scream out in agony. The longer I was wrapped up in the vines, the more power that pulsed through me until I was writhing in agony as my body heated from the inside out. When my skin started to itch, I tried to scratch it, but the vines kept my arms pinned to my sides, preventing me from tearing my skin off. And then my head exploded in pain, making my vision go dark.

By the time my vision cleared, I was lying on the ground, panting hard as my stomach rolled, while Ezekiel knelt beside me, rubbing my back.

“You’re okay, little sister,” he murmured. “Go ahead and throw up. I know you have to.” I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out except vomit. He smiled softly at me. “Good girl, Annie. Do you feel better?”

I closed my eyes for a moment before nodding as they opened again. “Yes.”

“Good. Try to sit up,” he encouraged.

I slowly pushed myself up until I was leaning back against a tree, looking at him. He tucked my hair behind my ear.

“While you were out for those few moments, I taught Marsha how to rein in the power. It won’t last forever, but it will last for a few days.” He leaned forward to kiss my cheek. “I’m going to miss you, little sister, but I know that you will be a better leader than I ever was.”

I hugged him tightly before leaning back. “I’m going to miss you too, brother,” I sniffled.

“I know you are, but it’s time for you to wake up now. Go get your beta, and protect her just as hard as she will protect you.”

“I will.”

I closed my eyes as the energy around me shifted, making me gasp loudly.

“Annie? Is that really you?” Logan’s almost hysterical voice asked.

My eyes snapped open, and I smiled up at him as he scooped off the ground. “Yes, Logan. I’m back. And now we need to get Giselda…”