Memento Mori -- Chapter 8
#10 of Eben Black Series -- Memento Mori
© All characters and storylines involving said characters belong to me: Eben Black.
Basil's manor house looked like something out of the eighteenth century, hard wood floors, slender rugs lined the middle of the corridors, smooth oaken doors, polished surfaces, paintings lined the walls, windows with thick velvet drapes done in deepest crimson to lightest maroon. Kane lead me through the winding corridors and soon we found what we had looked for. A set of rich double doors overlooking the back yard. I grabbed Kane's hand as he tried to reach for the double doors. He stopped and refused to look at me, something really was bothering him. Sawyer had been somewhat unhelpful with his abrupt approach, but right now I needed Kane to open up to me. I slowly pulled him back and closed the gap between us. I touched my lips to his before embracing him. He went stiff against me for a heartbeat then mellowed a little around the edges. I pulled back enough to look him in the eye. He'd never moved, and now looked at me with a similar look that Basil had given me. Sadness haunted those deep brown eyes.
"What's wrong, Kane?" I asked.
"Nothing."
"Please, don't lie to me," I replied with a gentle smile, "I know when somethings wrong with you."
"Am I that transparent?"
"A little, but its only something that someone close to you can spot."
"I suppose that's not such a bad thing."
"So what's wrong?"
"I'm...ashamed. There, I said it." He shrugged and gave me the full weight of those sad brown eyes.
"Ashamed? What do you have to be ashamed of?"
"I'm supposed to be Donovan's guardian, the one who shields the alpha from harm. And instead I played messenger while you guys took a beating." He cursed under his breath and looked away.
I raised a hand to his face and turned him to look at me. Tears sparkled in those deep brown eyes. "Kane?"
He looked down at me, listening hard.
"You have nothing to be ashamed of. Donovan asked you to do something, and you did it," I explained with a smile.
"Still, I should have argued and remained at his side," he replied.
"Is this because Donovan hasn't woken up yet?" I asked with a raised brow.
He considered me for a second and then nodded. "I was worried you were all in a coma, or something. I kept thinking what was going to happen."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, what happens to the coalition? What happens to the wolves? What would I do if the ones I loved died or were lost to some coma forever?" he choked as he spoke. More tears ran as he stared at me.
"Kane, we're all alive and we're all okay. Donovan and the others will wake up in no time. We just need to wait. They were hurt more than I was so they need more time to heal."
"But if I'd been there...if I'd been there to stop Jasper..."
I squeezed his hands in mine as he looked at me from inches away. "Jasper is insane, not to mention one of the most powerful alphas I've ever encountered. You'd have only been harmed too. You'd be asleep now too."
He looked at me and for a second anger flared in those tearful eyes, then he eased, the tension in his shoulders dropped and he accepted what I'd said was true. "Fair enough."
"You'll see, Donovan will wake up and so will everyone else, and then we'll discuss what needs to be done next."
"Promise?" Kane asked.
I stopped dead and replied, "Excuse me?"
"Promise that things will get sorted?" he asked with a defiant look.
"I cannot predict the future, Kane, but I swear we'll do what we can. When Donovan wakes up everything will be set in motion," I said with a subtle frown.
"I suppose it was wrong of me to ask for a promise. You'd have only lied to me in the end," he turned and dropped my hands as he opened the double doors and stepped out. He padded across the stone veranda overlooking an amazing rectangular swimming pool and the beast we'd come to speak with. Kane looked over the swimming pool and leaned against the stone banister. He glanced back and gestured for me to follow. He was annoyed with me. I could see that in the way he moved and gestured. I sighed and did as he asked. I padded across the sun baked stones of the veranda and stepped up beside Kane before looking down over the swimming pool. I was in awe of the image that greeted me.
Leon stood at around six foot six, he was broad, muscular and looked like a pro wrestler. His sleak white fur looked damp as he sat perched on the edge of the pool, one knee raised, a thick white tail draped over the edge and sank beneath the surface. White-blue eyes gazed ahead of him as he sat dressed in nothing more than a pair of loose swimming trunks that reached passed his knees in length. A set of six pack muscles bunched as he eased back and leaned on one elbow. He draped one arm over his raised knee and there was what made me stare down at the lion with a look of awe. The water of the pool rippled near the surface and spiralled upward, it coiled around like some form of serpent and slowly glided through the air toward Leon. It slithered around him as he watched with patient eyes and then sank back inside the pool, another gentle ripple and the water stilled.
"He can control pool water?" Kane remarked with a raised eyebrow.
"Funny guy. He can control water in general by the looks of things," I replied. I nudged him on the shoulder and then headed down the sloping steps to the poolside. It looked like Leon was indeed a Level Three.
Leon sat up and slowly glanced over at me. "You like what you saw?" he asked. He hopped up and straightened up, those stomach muscles stretched and strained under that white furred flesh.
"Yeah, not bad at all."
"If I knew I'd have an audience I'd have charged you for the seats," he said.
"I'm Eben, by the way. Maximillian's friend."
"I know who you are. Your the wolf Maximillian thinks so high of."
"He does?" I replied with a shocked look.
"You had no idea?" Leon asked.
I shrugged.
Leon smirked and said, "Somehow I thought you'd be more arrogant, what with you having such powerful abilities too."
"You've heard about those then?" I replied.
"Maximillian filled me in on what you can do. Looks like we both handle an aspect of water one way or another," he said with a smile.
"We do?"
"Ice and water aren't disimilar, Eben. Its just the difference in form that pulls them apart from one another," Kane said as he walked up behind me.
I thought about that and then nodded, "Yeah, I suppose we are more alike than I thought."
He shrugged and said, "Maximillian asked that my lions help out with the coalition. In return I asked that my people have somewhere to call home."
"And you have that here, do you not?" Kane asked.
"I suppose so, but I feel times are strained what with the beast council homing in on you and your coalition. I feel I may have pulled me people from the frying pan and into the fire."
"Maximillian said you felt like that," Kane replied.
"He did?" I asked with a confused expression.
Leon considered me for a moment and opened his mouth to speak, when Kane intervened, "He's been awake all of one hour. He doesn't know what we've discussed."
I looked apologetic as Leon nodded. "Maximillian assured me that whenever I want to, I can pull my lions and run. You understand that right?" he asked, looking at me now.
"I have a feeling your in need of some kind of assurance?" Kane suggested.
"For a mere bodyguard, your more wise than I thought," Leon smirked as he spoke.
"And I'd have never pegged you as an uber-powerful alpha, but there you go," Kane shrugged with a grin.
"What can I do t prove your in safe hands?" I asked with a confused look.
"Fight me."
"Excuse me?" I replied.
"I want to see what your power is like," he explained. I was still confused.
Kane decided to intervene again. "He wants to test your strength, to see how powerful you are. Believe me, the rumours have painted you as a truly powerful alpha."
I looked a question at Kane.
"Well, considering Donovan banned you from transforming, the rumours are kind of exaggerated."
"Your not allowed to use your abilities?" Leon asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Donovan's my alpha, and I haven't had much time to practice using my...abilities. I don't have the control you do, so can we put this little sparring match on hold until Donovan wakes up."
"Good to see there are still some who respect their higher-ups," Leon replied. He turned on his heel and walked forward. He walked forward and stepped over the edge of the pool. I expected him to sink, but he stood atop the surface like he was standing on level ground. "I hope you understand that until I test out your abilities, I won't be lending the white lions strengths to you and yours?" he added with a sideways glance.
"And you believe your lions have strengths to lend?" Kane asked as he tensed his grip upon his sheathed sword.
"We may be few in numbers, but we are all alpha," Leon explained.
"How many lions are in his pride?" I asked.
"Around a dozen, but I have sensed them around the manor house. Their power is significant, even when being subdued," Kane explained with a frown.
"Impressive. Sounds like an understandable request," I replied.
"Its not a request. It is a mere fact. Until I have seen your potential first hand, all I see is a bunch of alphas looking for some hopeless way out of a bad situation. I won't endanger my people if I can help it."
"Fine. Do what you want? We have enough on our plate without having to worry about you and yours," I replied. I was starting to like Leon less and less. He was too...proud of his people's power and strengths. He reminded me a lot of how Basil was when Donovan and I first met him. I tensed and turned, I needed more to eat and another talk with Maximillian. He'd said the white lions were a good addition to the coalition, and now they were threatened it seemed they were backing out? No. I wasn't sure we needed someone at our back who would bolt at the first sign of trouble. Kane frowned at Leon as the lion turned his back on us and closed his eyes. Meditation? Made sense I suppose. He had this whole uptight surfer attitude about him. Kane padded after me quiet like a true bodyguard should be.
God I needed Donovan awake!
Kane and I reached those rich double doors when Kane stopped dead. I froze and looked at him. He was looking down the hallway. I followed his line of sight and found a familiar sight. Donovan stood, slumped against one wall. He was bandaged heavily and seemed to be exhausted for some reason. I saw blood seeping through his bandages as they wrapped around his abdomen and shoulder. He was naked from the waist up and looked run down. Kane was a blur as he dashed passed me and caught Donovan as the wounded alpha collapsed. He looked up with a distant look. Was he passing out again? This was bad. Donovan was hurt more than what I remembered. This was bad!
Donovan was soon sat upright in the dining room. Fiona, the wolves' resident doctor was looking over the wounds across his abdomen, she peeled back the bloodied bandages and inspected them closely. Fiona had pulled back all that deep auburn hair and bound it while she looked him over.
"You need to ease down until these wounds heal, Donovan," she said as she pressed the bandages closed.
He winced and replied, "I've slept long enough."
"I don't think so. Your still heavily wounded and you need more rest. King or no, there is a time for leading and a time for rest."
"I'll rest when we discuss what to do next," he growled as he tried to stand and walk. His legs buckled and he almost collapsed again.
Kane and Fiona braced him.
"Your not doing yourself any favours, Donovan," Kane warned the alpha.
"I cannot help those I love when I'm horizontal!" he snarled back.
"And your no good to us bloodied and dying either," I snapped.
Donovan frowned at me. I think it was the first time Donovan had looked angrily toward me. "I'm not dying, Eben."
Kane pushed Donovan back and sat him down.
"So I exaggerated. So what? Your still badly wounded and spilling blood all over Basil's carpets," I replied.
"Wouldn't want to do that now, would I?" Donovan sneered.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You bound yourself to him."
"It solidified our bond with the black tigers. What's the problem, Donovan?" I demanded.
"He's a bastard for one."
"He's not as much of a bastard as we once thought, actually," Kane replied, "What bastard would open up his home to us?"
"So this is Basil's place?" Donovan asked with wide eyes looking at Kane. Kane nodded.
"He decided it would be best if we all stayed here until we figured out what to do next." I looked defiant for a moment and then smiled, "Please rest up, Donovan. One more night of rest and we'll take care of things."
Donovan looked at me, considered me for the longest moment and then nodded. He eased back against the seat and exhaled like he'd been holding his breath.
"Now what do we do?" Fiona asked, looking around with a raised eyebrow. Fiona was never truly involved with the goings on of the beast council, so it must have been strange for her being here.
"Sorry to have dragged you into this, Fiona," I replied.
"Don't worry about that. Donovan's been good to me as an alpha. I don't mind helping you guys out when you need it," she assured me, she touched a hand to my shoulder and smiled warmly.
"We'll let Donovan rest up and then tomorrow we'll all sit down and decide what happens," I explained.
"Promise?" Donovan asked with a slight smile. I looked at him and it reminded me of the promise Kane had asked for. I looked at him and nodded. A promise was a promise. One more night and we'd take care of things as one.