THE LAST SECRET KEEPER Secret Keeper series books 1-4

CHAPTER 18

Lanecea watched as Deklan placed the shiny black candies in a straight line on the rectangular cake she had just baked, shifting restlessly in her impatience for her son to decorate the cake just a little faster. 

"What are you doing?" Jorken called out from the living room, but thankfully didn't bother to get up from his chair to check it out for himself.

"Baking," Lani hedged before whispering, "You need to hurry, Dekkie. We need to hide it before he sees..."

"It has to be perfect, Mom," Deklan frowned as he readjusted one candy less than a centimeter then stood back so mother and son could admire his handiwork.

"Almost perfect," Lanecea grinned before handing Deklan the sweet, shredded coconut. "Try not to get any on the black lines."

In less than ten minutes, the two stood side by side as the blaring of the mainstream media news that played constantly drowned out their whisper.

"Hail Victory!"

Their whisper was breathless yet filled with hope as they trembled from head to toe saluting the cake. 

"Hail Victory!"

Deklan's eyes were radiant as he looked up at his mother before they called out one last time, still whispering, "Hail Victory!"

"Happy Birthday, Wolfstein!" They said in unison before giving each other a hug just because they couldn't help it.

"What if Dad sees it?" Worry immediately replaced the hope in Deklan's eyes as he looked over his shoulder toward the living room.

"He won't," Lanecea reassured her son as she quickly took a picture of their masterpiece. "I'm going to hide it on the bottom shelf at the back of the fridge for now and then will slice it up once he goes to bed..."

Lanecea didn't have time to slip her phone back into her skirt pocket before Jorken shouted, "I know you are making me a cake. Bring it here."

"Don't do it, Mommy. He's going to kill you."

Deklan wasn't sure if his mother had heard him as he watched her lift the cake off the counter and walk towards Jorken, once more like a zombie.

"What the hell is that?!"

"It's Wolfstein's birthday. Would you like a piece?"

"Hell no!"

Deklan almost laughed, but instead he tugged on his mother's arm, pulling her back toward the kitchen when she'd remained standing in front of Jorken with unseeing eyes.

"C'mon Mom. Mom?"

Deklan frowned as he reached for the cake before placing it at the back of the fridge on the bottom shelf then wrapped his arms around his mother's waist, waiting for her to return from wherever she went when Lani no longer knew where she was.

"Do you know why Dad's so mad?" Deklan whispered as he stroked Lanecea's long hair away from her eyes. "He's just mad cus we did such a good job on the cake. It looks exactly like the picture you showed me, don't you think?"

Deklan didn't seem to mind that Lanecea remained silent, her eyes looking through him.

"Remember you said they are everywhere? Well, they are going to find us and that's why he is so angry. It has to be. Dad knows we are going to escape very soon."

Shimmering tears tumbled down Lanecea's cheeks as she reached for her son at long last, holding him against her heart. The shifter hybrid purred as they cuddled together on the kitchen floor in a corner pressed against the refrigerator as though they were attempting to protect its contents - the cake.

"Lorenzo - Dad - said the time is not yet, but soon..." Lanecea whispered against Deklan's hair. "I hope when they step out of the shadows, they will rescue us first. We need to be ready - it could be at any moment, after all, today is Wolfstein's birthday. Wouldn't that be so wonderful?"

"Yeah...but not before we have a piece of that cake," Deklan grinned as his announcement made his mother laugh, the sound of her laughter very rare.

****

At the stroke of midnight, when Wolfstein's birthday was officially over, Lanecea sliced up the red, black, and white cake until no one would be able to recognize the symbol of hope and hopefully Jorken would forget what he had seen a few hours before. Just on time, her phone lit up as Lorenzo, her "Dad" began his nightly messages.

"Are you alright?"

"He's gone to bed, so yes. We made it through another day. Thank you for asking. How was your day? I took a picture of the cake Deklan and I baked. I hope you like it."

Less than a minute later Lorenzo responded, "It's beautiful! I'm so proud of you both. Post it on my group - the wolves will love it too."

"Yes, Sir. Dad?"

"I'm here."

"I felt evil tonight. Jorken is cruel to us, as you know, but tonight I looked into the face of pure evil when I showed him the cake."

"You did what?! What were you thinking???"

"I wasn't, I guess... Hopefully he will forget what he saw, but I swear it was like looking into an abyss - as though his eyes were soulless and it gave me chills. I'm really trying... You know I'm so focused on Deklan. He needs me but...it keeps happening to me. I'm afraid something will happen to Dekkie when I can't remember."

"Does he know how to contact Hans? You need to show him how. I wish I could drive up and get you, but I don't think my heart would be able to make the trip. The doctor said it won't be much longer now. I'm not afraid of dying but I'm worried about you. I don't want to die until I know you will be okay - that you have someone to look out for you after I'm gone. That is the worst thing about knowing I'm running out of time..."

Lanecea attempted to swipe away the tears splashing her phone before it was ruined.

"Please don't leave me, Dad. Maybe Dekkie and I can meet you halfway. If we can get to New York... I'll think of something."

"Your brain is amazing, Sweetheart, but I don't think... Alright, well see if you can think of a few plans, but be sure to run them by me before you do anything foolish. Now, are you ready for your lesson?"

"Okay, I won't do anything without asking you first and yes, I am."

"Good. Tonight I'm going to focus on teaching you about economics. It is very important. By the end of WWI - also known as The Great War - Germany was in a state of devestation but within a few years, they were the first country to recover. I'll send you pictures in a few minutes, but as you will see, they were able to not only recover but thrive. One of the policies that were implemented was not charging newly married couples rent or mortgage payments. They had two years to save money and focus on what was most important - raising large families. Mothers who produced six or more children were rewarded. They also created their own money and men were paid based on their labor. Unemployment didn't exist. By-the-way, I want you to start thinking of skills that would be beneficial for you and your fellow priestesses to learn - skills that you can use to barter. I believe it would be wise and may be very important for survival in the near future."

"Yes, Dad, I will. I'm taking notes."

"Good Girl. Always remember who you are, no matter how bad your current situation is. You are extraordinary and Wolfstein would have loved you."

"Thank you. I'll do my best."

"I expect nothing less. Now get some rest. I have to go to the hospital in a few hours but will message you as soon as I return. Goodnight Sweetheart.  You are loved."

"Thank you, Dad. I love you too. Goodnight."