The Darkest Eternities

XLI. Shots

Jasper

"Yes, definitely," Cara said. Even from a distance, the cheer in her voice was clear as a crystal. Urging the bushes away with my hand, I stared at Merideth. Her eyes shone brightly under the yellow sun, her auburn locks moving easily with the zephyr.

A true vision.

A bright smile played own the healer's plump lips causing a rush of desire to flow through me. My desire fought against shame as I thought of how manner less I had been acting recently. Hiding behind shrubs I order to spy on women was a whole new low for me, but what was I to do, I was, as they say,' whipped'. The American doctor had me on my knees, literally.

She had not spoken to me in weeks. The woman just would not give me the time of day as difficult as it was to admit, it was killing me.

You mustn't succumb to this...not again , I told myself, determined that my heart would never be broken again. Having lost someone once, I didn't want it again, especially with a human. Come on, she was so fragile, truly temporary. A human could not survive eternity, let alone the love of a lycanthrope.

I got up from the ground, and walked away slowly, willing myself not to turn back at the new owner of my heart.

In my reveries I hardly noticed Grayson approaching at a fast rate. Had he not held his hand out before me, I probably would have crashed right into him. He recovered quickly, as for myself, it took a while.

"Everything alright?" he eyed me up and down. "You seem disoriented."

"Yes, of course..." I lied, praying he could smell the stench of untruth on me.

He did not question me further but stared at me sceptically. He pulled me aside, to the hall, away from any prying ears, though I doubt any servants would risk their lives by listening in on matters of the court. Eavesdropping was a crime that was harshly punished.

"Ivan wants a meeting at high noon," Grayson informed me. I wondered why he had not just sent a servant with the information. Then it became clear that we would probably be discussing serious matters and he did not want anything to get out.

"If I'm not mistaken, that is in less than fifteen minutes," I said.

"Then we better hurry."

***

"Ludicrous... a total lockdown? That is hardly possible and even if it is, it would take weeks to put into effect," I exclaimed.

"I can think of no other way..." Ivan expressed.

"So, you are just surrendering...accepting that she cannot be killed?" Grayson's anger seared in his words. His palms pressed against the wooden table with clear force, his eyes fixed on his sire.

"Caution is not a sign of fear and it sure as hell does not mean surrender," Ivan shot back, his eyes darkening with rage.

The king was right. Caution did not mean surrender, but the precautions themselves were difficult to administer. A lockdown was hard to imagine and it would be even harder to implement. True, Hirath had managed to keep up self-sufficiency but much of our population lived lives outside the boundaries of our barrier.

"If we were to do so, many would be locked out...the people..." I spoke, mostly to myself.

"It would only be for a while... portal magic is already limited, we just have to make a little push on the rules," Ivan attempted to convince us, even though our opinion mattered. His word vetoed ours, along with everyone.

"One push off a cliff and you're dead..."

Grayson was right. Sometimes catastrophe lay only a push away.