Show Me That Glasgow Smile

8.

She felt the shift in the air before the dark aura surrounded her in the forest. She stopped and turned, her dress twirling with her. "Don't be afraid. I know who you are still."

A grunt sounded from the trees before the shadows shifted into the moonlight with a hiss. Tendrils of shadows snapped from the mass, and countless yellow eyes stared unblinkingly at her. "It's getting so hard to hold shape," he said, his voice coming from all over, in several layers.

She took a few cautious steps forward. "I'm afraid I've found nothing. Father made you a unique case in our world."

"Yippe. What am I suppose to do? My birthday is soon. I have to make an appearance in front of at least some people. And Chloe…" The eyes shifted away. "I can't do that to her. Now I understand why Dad never let Mom see this."

She took off her emerald gloves and knelt before the mass of shadows, protected somehow by the snapping rogue tendrils. With the gloves in her lap, she put her hands to the mass, focusing her magic into the shadows. She gave a few deep breaths, and the mass pulsed with each one. Soon, he shifted to the form of a young man, his hair slicked out of his face, bringing full attention to the gold irises framed by dark skin. She opened her eyes and smiled. "There's my brother again."

He looked at his hands and pulled at his loose shirt to examine it. "So I am."

"I've sealed up the darkness for a few more days. Without extreme, life threatening stress, it should last past your birthday. Then when you're in Germany, we can work on this. And then Chloe can move in."

He looked guilty. "Can I even do that to her? That's a big move. She says she has to look for schools in Germany. She's been learning the language just for me. But… Em, the aging."

She gave a sad smile. "MiM has been known to grant the wildest of wishes. For now, don't believe it impossible for an immortal to fall in love with a mortal. Look at Father and your mother."

Drago frowned. "Mom said they didn't admit anything more than a platonic relationship only a year after she was turned. Dad says the same thing. He didn't love her, not at first."

The smile grew. "He'd like you to believe that. He'd like many to believe that. He may not have loved her, but he did have an influence in her upbringing. He just may not know it."

Drago shook his head. "That hardly makes sense."

She arched a brow. "Doesn't it? She was one of the very few females in her village that dared to read more than the bible. She grew up hearing noises in the shadows of her room, and she found they were comforting. She started to question things that said the darkness was evil. In that, she started to question everything."

Drago waved a hand in defeat. "How the hell do you know this?"

"I'm a lot older than your Mother. I have been observing Father for a long time, making sure he's kept to the balance. His… interest in her, I suppose you could say, interested me. In the end, it wasn't surprising MiM did what he did. If it kept Father calm, it was a welcomed gift to us all."

He grinned. "So what was my mom like as a kid?"

"Rebellious, hard working, loved to read."

"Just like Lyn, like Dad said."

She nodded. She wanted to say more, but frantic ethereal neighing caught her attention.

"Em?"

She held out her hands as a small Nightmare pranced in her palms, relaying its message. She frowned. "But I can't—" She stopped as it kept going. "I don't owe him—" She paled a bit. "Understood. I'll be there as soon as I can." She let the Nightmare return home as she stood.

"Em, what is it? He knows you don't want to see him. It has to be important if he's contacting you."

She nodded and whistled into the woods. "He needs my presence in your home." Branches snapped as a deep growl permeated the darkness. "Something is wrong with your mother. Something he cannot fix."

Drago stood still as a large wolf emerged from the woods, allowing Mother Nature to rest on its back. "What's wrong with Mom?"

"The Nightmare didn't know. Said she was sleeping, but bleeding and bruising." She watched as Bellini emerged from the shadows beneath Drago. "Your way home would be faster than mine."

He nodded and tossed her a shadowstone, one he kept to have handy at all times. "Do not let that leave contact with your skin. That is your link to the Void." He opened the portal in front of them, leading the way home.