Chapter 24

Kristine paced in the confines of her room unable to sleep as thoughts of the evening raced through her head. When she and Zachary had returned to the barn earlier that evening, the two of them had taken their time saying goodbye.

After Zachary had left, she had made her way to the house only to find her parents waiting for her in the living room. Amy had immediately started in on her, asking her where she had been since it was nearly six in the evening.

Even Kristine’s excuse about needing to be alone in the barn loft for a while wasn’t enough to keep Amy from going into the spiel about how dangerous it was for Kristine to be alone anymore since the gang had already taken Nikki.

“You have no idea how much worse things are now Kris! Your father and I are even thinking maybe we should pull you from school since there’s only three weeks left anyway.”

“What! You can’t do that! How am I supposed to graduate then?”

“You already have Kris. We know that the last couple of weeks are just fillers until the ceremony, so it won’t affect your grades at all. It’ll be safer for you this way.”

“And what am I supposed to do then?”

“Stay home where the gang can’t get you.”

“You want me to just hide in my room in fear of those thugs? Are you mad? I’d be climbing the walls!”

“Kris! Don’t raise your voice like that! We’re just trying to keep you safe.”

“I don’t need to be treated like a prisoner!”

“You will do as we say!”

“Stop treating me like a child!” She screamed and ran to her room, slamming the door shut and locking it.

Kristine had heard her parents voices continuing to talk after she’d retreated to her room. It had been nearly an hour later when there was a soft knock on her door followed by her father’s voice, “Kris, honey? Can I talk to you for a second?”

Kristine opened the door since there wasn’t a hint of anger in his soft voice. Felix gave her a gentle smile and sat down on the bed that was once Nikki’s when Kristine had returned to her own bed.

He looked at his daughter and said, “There’s something you should know Kris. It’s why we are getting concerned about your safety.”

Kristine frowned, “What is it?”

He sighed, “You know we’ve been having more meetings lately.” At Kristine’s nod, he went on, “Well, it’s official, we are going to take the Mayor and the gang to court.”

Kristine’s eyes went wide, “What! When?”

“As soon as it’s been approved by the judge, which should be very soon. Judge Lawson is on our side, his wife has been to every one of our meetings so far. She was the one who suggested we hand in the petitions to her husband, instead of taking the chance it would fall into the hands of a corrupt judge. When it’s approved, there’s going to be the trial, if the Mayor and the gang even show up for it.”

Kristine nodded, “Right.”

“Do you see why we are worried, now? Once the judge approves this and word gets out, there’s a chance the gang is going to retaliate. It doesn’t take much to figure out who they are going to target first.”

“The families of the ones taking them to court.” Kristine stated.

“Yes. And now you are all your mother and I have left. We don’t want to lose you too.”

Kristine sighed, “I know dad, I know.” She looked her father in the eye as she asked, “But wouldn’t it look suspicious if I just stopped going to school? And even if I stayed here, they could still get me. Not even the safety of my own house would be safe, that’s what happened to Nikki’s family and the oil field owner’s family.”

Felix nodded as he ran a hand through his hair, “You’re right, I know.”

Kristine moved to sit next to her father, “At least you’ve told me what’s going on, so I know what to expect. I will be careful dad. I’ll go straight to school and come straight home. And if I stay in the barn for a bit, that should be okay too. You know I have plenty of hiding places in the barn. You and mom don’t even know where all of them are. If my parents can’t find my hiding places, I don’t think the gang’s going to find them, even if they knew I go to the barn in the first place.”

Felix looked at his daughter for a few moments, processing what she’d just said. She was right. No one knew that barn was actually a part of the family’s holdings since it hadn’t been used in years. The last time it was functional had been when Amy’s parents had owned the farm. When it had fallen into Felix and Amy’s care, it was quickly forgotten. No one noticed when it had begun to be used as a sort of playground for two young girls. No, no one would notice if Kristine hid out there.

He grinned at his daughter and squeezed her hand in his, “How did I get lucky to get such a smart daughter?” His face turned serious as he asked, “I need you to promise me that if there is ever any danger at all, to any of us, that you go to the barn and hide, Kris. I need you to protect yourself first, no matter what happens to the rest of us, you think of yourself first. Got that?”

Kristine nodded, her eyes wide with fear, “Of course, i-if you’re sure.”

“I’m sure, Kris. And don’t ever tell me or your mother where you hide. Just in case, okay?”

“Okay.”

Felix hugged his daughter, holding her for a moment longer, before he pulled away and patted her arm, “Get cleaned up, okay? I’ll bring you dinner in a bit.”

“Thanks, dad.”

He had nodded and left her alone in the room. She had been allowed to have her dinner there, then she’d done some homework before her dad had come to tell her goodnight. She had told him goodnight and that she loved both him and her mother. He had responded that he and Amy loved her too before shutting the door and allowing Kristine to go to bed.

Kristine had tried to, but had tossed and turned as she’d continued to think of her parents and the fight they had against the gang. Since sleep eluded her, she had slid out of bed and began to pace her room.

Now she could feel her eyes getting heavy, despite the fact that her mind still seemed to be chaotic. She finally slid  back under the covers and closed her eyes. Her last thoughts were of Zachary and the things she now had to tell him as sleep finally caught up with her.

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Nikki slowly drifted out of sleep, as her body began to remind her of the previous night’s activities. More evidence of the long, enjoyable wedding night littered the entire bedroom. Clothes, bed sheets, pillows, and other items were scattered around the floor and on the furniture.

She smiled to herself as she remembered how her husigos had shown her just how a wahani loved his mate. Xavier had been extremely thorough in showing her. Over and over again. Until her body had been so satisfied and so pleasantly sore that she’d fallen asleep the instant her head had hit the pillow.

She chuckled to herself as she realized that had been the first time her head had been anywhere near the bed all night long. She and Xavier had made love throughout the entire room, except the bed. As she felt his arm tighten around her waist, signaling that he was awake, she thought that it was time to put the bed to good use despite her soreness.

Turning around, she smiled at him as he blinked the sleep from his eyes, “Morning, dimo husigos.”

He smiled sleepily, “Mm, morning dimo feigos.”

She chuckled before leaning over and nuzzling his neck while breathing in his scent. He held her tighter and groaned as her tongue slid over his pulse then traced his jaw.

“Nikki…” he hissed as her hands slid down his chest, grazing over his erection the moment she covered his mouth with hers. He continued to moan into her mouth as she began to stroke him to life.

His own hands wandered down her back and moved around to cup her breasts, teasing her nipples with his thumbs. It was Nikki’s turn to moan as she slowly slid him onto his back and proceeded to straddle him. Their mouths continued to hungrily devour each others as she rose to her knees. She still held him in her hand and began to guide him to her silky folds as she lowered herself down.

In the next instant Nikki’s eyes went wide and she sucked in a huge breath, quickly sitting up on Xavier’s hips.

Xavier opened his eyes with a frown, “Nikki?”

She stared at him for only an instant before her body jerked off of his and she went tumbling off the bed.

“Nikki!” Xavier yelled as he dove after her.

Nikki couldn’t respond. She lay on the floor, her body jerking as if she was having a seizure. Her eyes were wide with fear as she stared at Xavier helplessly. A soft moan of pain escaped her lips, as her body arced off the floor before slamming back down onto it.

Xavier saw the tears beginning to spill down her cheeks and he leaned over her, trying to still her body. “Nikki, talk to me, what’s wrong, mo’ba?”

Nikki could only groan as she reached out one hand towards her husigos. They both gasped as they realized the difference. Xavier stared in shock at her hand as she curled it in pain. Her fingers were slowly forming into claws, similar to the kind he had when in wahani form.

“Od’yia dimo! Nikki!”

She let out a hiss of pain and Xavier grimaced as he saw the hint of fangs in her mouth. “No! This isn’t happening to you! Mo’ba, I’m so sorry!”

He reached out and tried to hold her in his arms, but the pain continued to make her body convulse. All he could do was hold her and try to keep her from hurting herself.

Xavier what’s happening to me? her voice sounded so small in his mind.

He looked into her eyes and swallowed at the sight of her brown eyes blending into red. I don’t know, mo’ba. He replied, but I think somehow you’re changing.

Her eyes flashed to green, Changing? How? 

He stared at her for a moment, taking in the elongating fangs, the claws which were now digging into the skin of his forearms, and her ever changing eye color. He knew what he saw shouldn’t be happening, but there it was. You’re becoming like me. You’re becoming a go’halla wahani.

Her eyes went wide and turned a deep dark red, No! That’s not possible. How is that possible? She shrieked in his mind.

I don’t know. But I’ll find out, dimo agalo. I promise. As another seizure took hold of her, he whispered, “Please baby, try not to fight it too much. Let it happen. If you let it happen, it won’t hurt so much.”

Nikki tried to listen to his words of encouragement, his vows that he would find out why this was happening, and that he wouldn’t allow anything to hurt her. She tried to focus on the soothing notes of his voice, but the pain continued to ripple through her body.

Xavier’s head snapped up when he heard a rattling noise. His eyes immediately noticed how various objects had begun to vibrate or slowly levitate. He knew without a doubt that Nikki was doing that. Somehow she was gaining the telekinetic powers the wahani had. He knew that because objects in his room had begun to rattle, levitate, and bang against other objects when he had been just learning his powers.

As the noise increased and the objects began to hurl themselves at nothing in particular, Xavier could hear the sound of footsteps getting closer to their bedroom. Quickly he reached out, willed a blanket into his hand, and wrapped his feigos in it just as the door flew open. Hugging Nikki to him, he turned to see Zachary standing in the doorway with two guards behind him. All of them stared wide eyed at the tornado forming in the room.

“Od’yia kago!” Zachary muttered before ducking a vase which ended up shattering against the wall next to him. Straightening up, he stared at Xavier as he tried to hold a convulsing Nikki. “Is she doing this!” He yelled, dumbfounded.

Xavier nodded and yelled back, “Yes.”

The moment the word left his lips, everything stopped in it’s tracks and went still and deafening silence filled the gaps. Xavier looked down at Nikki, who had gone limp a split second before everything had stopped. He stared at her in shock as he watched her chest rising and falling in a regular rhythm. She had passed out. And the claws and fangs were slowing receding right before his eyes.

Zachary moved into the room and leaned over Xavier, taking in the fading changes. He sank to his knees and stared at Xavier, “How is this even possible?”

Xavier’s lips trembled, “I don’t know. I’ve never heard of anything like this before.” He lifted a hand to tenderly brush the hair from his wife’s face. “Could you wait outside for a moment? I need to put her back to bed and put some clothes on.”

Zachary solemnly nodded before striding to the door and closing it behind him and the guards. Xavier rose to his feet and carried Nikki to the bed, he found a simple gown to clothe her in before tucking her under the covers and pulling on his own clothes. It was a few moments before he heard more footsteps moving up the stairs hurriedly.

A knock sounded on the door, “Xavier? I’ve brought the healers, son. They need to see Nikki.”

Xavier sighed at the worry in his mother’s voice. Obviously the entire castle must have heard the ruckus and had come to find out what it was. His mother had gathered up the healers just like she always did when it sounded bad. As another impatient knock sounded, he leaned over and placed a kiss against his wife’s forehead before going to let the cavalry in.

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At first all Nikki could hear was mumbled voices. Then they became clear enough for her to recognize. She could hear her husband’s deep voice laced with fear and worry and his mother’s higher pitched voice trying to sound calm and soothing.

“That’s not possible. Nikki is human! She would have known otherwise!”

“She is human Xavier. And maybe no one ever told her.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this before!”

“I thought she was human too.”

Nikki groaned and opened her eyes, blinking as Xavier’s face came into view.

He was leaning over her, giving her a reassuring smile, although there was worry in his eyes, “How are you feeling, mo’ba?” He asked in a low voice.

Nikki frowned as she tried to make sense of the conversation she had heard, “What did she mean, she thought I was human?”

Xavier stiffened and stared at her like a deer caught in headlights. His mouth opened and closed once.

Nikki prodded, “What did she mean? I am a human! I know it!”

Xavier swallowed and ran his fingers through her hair, “It’s nothing, dimo agalo. Let’s just concentrate on getting you to feel better then…”

She batted his hand away and turned to glare at Devnet, “Am I human?”

Devnet shook her head, “Not anymore.”

“But I was once, right.”

Devnet didn’t take her gaze away from Nikki’s, “I think you might have only been half.”

“Half?”

“Yes. It would explain why you reacted the way you did…” she paused as her eyes flicked to her son before adding, “…to the mating.”

Nikki frowned, “Both of my parents were human. They never showed any sign of being like you are.”

Devnet nodded, “It may have only been one of them. And whoever it was may have not known how to use their powers. You know that every wahani has different degrees of power. Depending on how much you use it. One of your parents may have never used it and it remained dormant, especially since they mated with a full human.”

Nikki nodded as she followed Devnet’s train of thought. “So one of them passed the gene on to me.” She turned to look at Xavier, “And since I just mated with a full wahani, it just became the dominant gene.”

Devnet nodded, a pleased look on her face. “Exactly.”

Xavier reached out and caressed her cheek with his hand, “I’m sorry, dimo agalo. If I had known…”

Nikki placed a hand over his lips, silencing him. Then she finished his sentence, “you would have what? Not mated with me? You would have risked losing your sanity to save me from becoming like you?”

He just stared at her with a hopeless look in his eyes. Nikki sighed and shook her head. “I’m not sorry.”

“What?” Xavier gasped, eyes widening.

She looked at his shocked expression and smiled, “I’m not sorry. So one of my parents was a wahani. Maybe they didn’t even know it themselves.” She turned to look at Devnet, “I vaguely remember my mom’s parents. My grandfather died when I was five, and my grandmother a year later.” She looked back at her husband once more, “But I never knew my father’s parents. Dad said he had been raised by an aunt and uncle. He was told his parents died a couple of months after he was born. The story was that they were caught in the middle of a gang fight. He never asked about them at all.”

As Devnet nodded Nikki finished, “Dad didn’t know what he was. His powers never came out, but he passed them to me.”

“And I woke them up.” Xavier whispered.

Nikki nodded, “I’m not sorry.”

“Nikki…”

“No Xavier. Think about it! It’s fate, don’t you see? I was meant for you. I was meant to come here, to become your soul mate in every way. You once asked me to just reach out and feel you. I did. Now I know why. It was always there. You sensed it from the beginning, but you didn’t know what it was. Our souls are two halves of a whole. Now we are whole. I am whole.”

Xavier stared at her for a moment as her words sank in. He knew she was right. He’d been telling everyone from the beginning. He didn’t know how he knew, but she was his ulhi’maos. He didn’t know how they could communicate telepathically or how they were able to sense each other no matter where they were, but it had been as easy as breathing.

Now he understood.

If she’d been fully human, she shouldn’t have been able to do any of those things ever. They had all just taken it for granted because she had been the only thing that could have saved him. His eyes went wide at that realization. She’d just traded her humanity for his life.

Nikki shook her head, “No Xavier. I didn’t give up my life for you.” She slid her hands into his, “Don’t you see? I didn’t have a life until I met you. You gave me my life back.”

He couldn’t help the smile that spread over his face at her declaration. That and the words whispered in his mind were all he needed to know that she was still the strongest woman he’d ever known.

Idi agalo esu, Xavier. Dimo ulhi’maos. Dimo bi’li. Dimo husigos. Idi maie dikoyo, vergita.


Translations
dimo husigos - my husband
dimo feigos - my wife
mo'ba - baby
od'yia dimo - god my (my god)
go'halla - girl
wahani - wild
dimo agalo - my love
od'yia kago - god good (good god)
ulhi'maos - soul mate
idi agalo esu - I love you
dimo bi'li - my life
idi maie dikoyo - I am yours
vergita - forever