Her Pact

Part 16

 Chapter 16

Charlie waited for Zeke, knowing that something was happening, but not knowing what.  Ally had looked at her, a little bit of sadness in her face, but also a little bit of finality.  She had stared at Charlie for a moment before turning her back and walking away.  The way Ally had looked at her, didn’t make Charlie believe her life here would be a good once.  Worse, the King had no words for her.  The man preferred ignoring her to anything else.  She knew it was because she was putting Ally in danger with her presence, putting his children in danger. 

“Charlie.”

She turned, not even hearing him come up from behind her.  He stood there, blank expression on his face as always.  Letting out a sigh, she turned away from him.  “Yeah, Zeke?”

“We need to go.  We’re going back to the cabin for a minute, but after that, we need to go somewhere else.”

Hope hit her; she had the perfect place.  “We can go to my home.”

Before she finished the words, he was already shaking his head at her.  “Too predictable.  I have a place where we can go.  Now, come on; we don’t have much time.”

He ran past her, not giving her another thought.  Tilting her chin up, she ignored the hurt she was feeling.  She wasn’t used to these type of people, the ones who kept their emotions in check, who didn’t show affection towards one another.  In her family, they all said how they felt, giving a hug to someone they barely knew wasn’t uncommon.

Shaking her head, she followed Zeke.  Going back to the cabin would do her no good besides grabbing some clothing.  If they were driving, clothes would be nice to have, but if they were running, there would be no point in bringing clothes.  They would get them wherever they stopped.

He stood at the door of the cabin, waiting for her to come.  It looked like he really did care.  She shook her head, tired of the way her thoughts kept going.  “What is it that you need?  Should I grab some clothes?”

He shook his head while walking into the cabin.  “You won’t need clothes; we’re running.  Just need to talk to someone before we head out.”

He didn’t turn towards her, but the way that his voice lit up, let her know that whoever this person was, they meant a lot to him.  He walked into the living room, nodding at Drew who had the triplets surrounding him, each laughing at the ridiculous faces he was making.

“Nothing,” Zeke answered, even though Drew hadn’t said a word, hadn’t even looked in their direction.  “I just need to talk to Jesse for a minute.  She’ll let the other two know what is happening.”

Drew shrugged as Jesse began rising on her own.  Charlie glanced around the room, waiting for Adam to come into view, but when Zeke let out a sigh and mumbled, “Come on Tony,” the man came into view, holding Jesse in his arms with a big smile on his face.

Charlie shifted uncomfortably.  “How long have you been able to do that?”

“Turn invisible?” he asked, looking at her as if she were a child.  “Since I was born.  It was my starter power.”

“Starter power,” she echoed.

Drew looked back at her, winked before nodding towards Tony.  “Some start off with what we call a starter power,” the man said, his voice flowing through the room, but having no effect on her.  “Whatever that power is, you need to prefect it before you shift, which is when you get your true power.  Antony has been able to turn himself invisible since he was born. Good thing is that you can always tell where he is.  When he sits on the couch, theirs an imprint.  When he gets something on him that wasn’t there when he changed, you can see him.”

“It was my job to find out all the benefits and downfalls of this before I shifted,” Tony said, handing Jesse over to Zeke.  “The thing is that being able to disappear isn’t uncommon.  Some have it as their only power, some as a starter power like I do.  Just remember that when Zeke, Peyton, and you run off.”

Zeke, who had looked to be having a silent conversation with Jesse, froze.  “What do you mean Peyton?”

“Ally wants him with you.  She didn’t say why, but it’s Ally.  There has to be a reason for her wanting him to go.”

“I’m not taking him,” Zeke growled.

The change over the twins when Zeke said that was outstanding.  The once laughing expressions turned blank, Drew rose to his feet, still near Noah and Zoë, but his eyes on Zeke.  “It’s an order,” Drew said, his voice devoid of emotion.

Zeke looked between Drew and Tony, his face as blank as the other two.  “You would follow her over me, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes,” they answered simultaneously without a hint of hesitation.

Zeke nodded, a smile forming on his lips.  “I’m proud of the both of you.  Putting Ally before all else is the true job of her guard.  Doesn’t make me happy that she’s ordering Peyton to tag along, but I’m still proud of you.”

They shrugged at him, Drew dropping back to the ground.  “You would do the same in our position.”

“Not true,” Zeke said, walking towards Tony to hand Jesse back.  “I would have threatened you, kicked you out myself, sent you as far away from Ally as possible if your presence could even hint at harming her, which is why I’m leaving without an argument.”

“Ned takes your spot in your absence,” Tony said, a look on his face that said he didn’t understand the decision.

Zeke walked towards the other two triplets, pressing a kiss to each of their cheeks.  “Baron kills before asking questions, Adam is now bonded to her, and you two will do what she would want, not what is best for her.  Ned is the only one who will think of Ally and only Ally.”  Zeke raised a hand as he stood to his feet.  “I didn’t mean that you would listen to everything that she says.  Tell me, if there was an attack, and she looked at you and said, ‘Please get my children.’ What would you do?”

“Get the triplets to safety,” Drew said, Tony nodding along with him. 

“Ned wouldn’t,” Zeke continued.  “He’d ignore her and stay by her side.  There is nothing that would keep that man from saving her.  He doesn’t think about the fact that if her children were hurt, she wouldn’t want to live, that without Sebastian, she wouldn’t want to be here.”

“I understand,” Tony mumbled before nodding towards the doorway.  “Glad you’re finally here.  Throw your bag down; you won’t need it.  You’ll be running.”

“Damn,” Peyton mumbled from the doorway, tossing his bag on the couch.  “I don’t get why I have to go with them anyhow.”

“Ally’s orders,” they all said, leaving Peyton looking between them with a confused expression. 

Walking towards the younger man, Zeke patted him on the shoulder.  “Come on; it’s time to go.”

Peyton nodded, leaving behind Zeke.  Looking back at the twins, Charlie smiled at them.  “I’ll see you both later.”

“If you come back,” Drew started.

“Make sure they’re both with you,” Tony finished.

They both brought their attention back to the triplets, dismissing her in a way that wasn’t harsh, just a small warning, one that she would heed to.  Walking from the cabin, she saw the two leopards waiting for her, Zeke with his white fur and Peyton with yellow-brown fur.  Taking a breath, she let her change take over her, surprised when it was easier than the last time. 

Zeke bumped into her shoulder before taking off in front of the both of them.  Knowing that he was the only one who knew where they were going, she followed after, hoping that they would both be safe.  Charlie felt like she was being put to the test.  Hopefully, she would pull through on top.  If not, she didn’t want to know what would happen.