Mythical Link ▸ Link Neal {Book One}

128

Rhett screamed out, throwing his fists up in defense, his eyes wide. Link settled instantly, realizing who these people were, a big grin plastering his face as he took in all of their bright and cheery faces.

His entire crew was in the living room. Mike, Alex, Kevin, Morgan, and Drew were sitting on a brand new couch that he didn't have before. His jaw fell open as he took in the massive two sectional, microsuede pearl cushioning that had that brand new sheen to it. His eyebrows twitched as he tried to wrap his brain around how much that could have costed, when he noticed that Jen, Stevie, Becca, and Lizzie were gathered on the floor in a semi-circle with a box between them.

It was wrapped in an eloquent shimmery gold paper, a silver bow resting on top. Jen indicated with her eyes for him to look in the far corner of the room, and he raised his head to see a familiar face that he hadn't seen since before he nearly died. She wore a timid expression on her face, her eyes lowered while she twiddled her fingers. Chase was standing beside her on one side, while Eddie was on the other with his hands tucked in his pockets. Chase had his arm draped over her shoulder with a hopeful gleam in his eyes as he took in both Rhett and Link's expression.

Link followed Chase's gaze to Rhett's face, who had gone from alert to pleasantly surprised when they first walked in. Now his expression changed when his eyes fell on Terra also, his lips drawing into a tight line. His jaw tightened, his eyes hardened. They didn't hold the light, playful gleam that they normally did, and Link felt a lump form in his throat that felt like a cotton ball was crammed in there and was blocking his windpipe. The corners of Rhett's lips were drawn up just slightly, his muscles around his mouth and nose also tightening.

They had a whole laundry list of problems now, and he wondered where to even begin resolving them. Link sighed, feeling the tension seep off of Rhett in palpable tremors. Lizzie scooted from the floor, taking the box into her hands.

"I hope you don't mind that we did this for you," she said as she handed him the box. He looked in her eyes with a grateful smile on his face, not only because he was getting a present, but because this was a diversion from the war that was about to break out.

He took the gift from her hands and looked down, not wanting to tear the beautifully immaculate wrapping. At the same time though, the curiosity was biting at him and he slid a finger under the fold, tugging the paper open in an upward motion. After peeling all of the paper off and letting it fall to the floor, he unveiled the bland brown box, arching a brow at what was inside.

Link was looking at what he thought were the ugliest curtains he had ever laid eyes on. His gaze looked up from the curtains to Lizzie's expectant eyes, and he could see out of his peripherals the guys all snickering on the couch. The girls seated on the floor were shooting them dirty looks, and Link's face fell as he thought he had fallen victim to a very elaborate, well thought out joke. He looked at the curtains again and decided to pull them out of the box, letting them unravel.

They could easily fit his windows with enough to skirt the floor, if he had any windows left. The background of the fabric was a rich navy blue and in the foreground was a white laced checkered pattern. The curtains oddly had an earthy smell to them and he brought it up to his nose to inhale, taking in a wildflower mixed with soil scent. He had smelled this smell before but he couldn't put his finger on where he smelled it, and he scrunched his nose. Up close he could see the curtains had been hand woven, and his heart lurched painfully in his throat.

Lizzie and the girls made him these curtains out of the kindness of their hearts and he had that face that screamed he didn't think they were very appealing at all.

"We know what you're thinking. These curtains are uglier than the ugliest Christmas sweater. We weren't really going for looks more than we were to have them serve a very important purpose," Lizzie began to explain. Link narrowed his eyes as he looked at her, his curiosity piqued. Stevie rose to her feet and took on explaining from there.

"We collectively did some research to find out what werewolves weaknesses were, apart from what we already learned from experience," she gestured broadly to the crew as she spoke. "Taking the fact that they're susceptible to solar power and that nightshade is highly lethal to them, we wove together a few sets of curtains that not only collect solar energy, but contain enough nightshade to create a strong enough barrier to keep them out," just as she had finished saying that, Terra ran out of the room with Chase on her heels. Rhett and Link exchanged a quick concerned glance before running after her also, Link's eyes wide.

They stopped outside on the front lawn under the big tree, where Terra was leaning against the trunk and heaving for breath. Her complexion had lost all what little color she had left, and her body trembled as if she were being exposed to frigid temperatures. Link had a feeling that the curtains looked oddly similar to solar panels, and he should have known that the moment he took them out of the box, the nightshade seeping off of them would cause her to be sick. Terra fell to the ground, landing on her knee as Chase struggled to catch her. He had one hand under her armpit and the other around her waist, his brown eyes laden with fear.

"Is this going to kill her," he asked in a rush voice. Rhett was shaking his head. Link caught it out of the corner of his eye and looked up at him.

"It shouldn't kill her. She didn't ingest any of it. But being around it will weaken her considerably. I honestly don't think she would even be able to shift in Link's house now that the nightshade is present. That was a very clever thing of you guys to make," Rhett applauded, and Chase gave a curt nod of his head.

"It was mine and Lizzie's idea. The surprise party was Alex and Mike's idea, and replacing everything that had been damaged from the night of the full moon was Drew's idea," Chase lowered his eyes to Terra as he spoke, rubbing her arm consolingly. "It sounds like she's having an asthma attack." He looked up at Link with tears in his eyes, and Link mirrored his horrified look, his own eyes watering. Link knelt beside Terra, placing a soft hand on her knee and looking her directly in the eyes.

"Terra, do me a favor and take a deep breath and hold it as long as you can."

Chase and Rhett gave Link a look like he was a crazed murderer, but he shook his head, Terra looking into his eyes. Terra closed her eyes and inhaled deeply through her nose, holding it for several seconds. She exhaled slowly and repeated the same process a couple more times. She felt the erratic beating of her heart slow to a steady beat, and the tightness in her chest had been relieved completely. When she opened her eyes, she sat up straight and gave Link an incredulous look.

"What was that?"

Link smiled. "Just balancing the oxygen and carbon dioxide in your lungs so you don't feel like you're suffocating. I didn't expect it to work because normally that's what they have somebody with a panic attack do. I've done it a few times," Link admitted, sighing deeply.

Terra looked sympathetic.

"I'm glad it worked and you have a little more color to you now, because we need to talk."

Rhett's eyebrows inched upward just slightly, not expecting Link to grab onto the reigns so easily.

"Yeah, let's go for a walk," Rhett said and Chase helped Terra up to her feet. They decided they were going to take a walk around the block, soaking up the warm sunshine. Link admired the green grass and sparse gardens as they walked, and he waited for Rhett to take hold of the conversation. Terra's legs wobbled like jello as she walked, still weakened but doing a little better. Chase followed Link, Rhett taking up the rear. He fell in step with Link and Tessa, ready to place everything on the table.

If they were going to protect this chick, which was inevitable for stopping the Alpha, then she needed to know what the repercussions of her actions almost lead to. She needed to learn how to control herself, and if she needed help with that, that would be fine with Rhett. The more he could learn about werewolves and how they worked, the better off he'd be.

He had an idea in mind that he didn't plan on telling anybody else, not even Link.

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