Her Pact

Part 21

Chapter 21

As soon as she stepped from his home, Zeke zeroed in on her.  Every move she made, he saw.  He had to wonder if she would take his bait and follow the scent trail he had left her, or use her memories.  Would she remember that Zeke usually masked his scent, or would she think that he was simply trying to see if she could find him?

He hoped that she would use her mind, not only her senses.  A shifter could attempt to rely on their senses, but without using their instincts, they would fail.  He knew that from experience, and the only way for Charlie to learn was the same way.  The woman had failed every test she had been put through this morning.

Zeke knew that, but he still had hope.  When his mother first started training him, he failed more often than not.  By the time his father took notice in him, it was too late; Zeke had formed his own person.  The only thing his father taught him was how to block the pain.    

Charlie took a step forward, bringing Zeke’s attention to her.  One good thing about this small test was that Peyton could be part of it too.  The more the boy was around, the more Zeke could understand why Ally sent him along.  Peyton needed work, but he had that underlining quality that shone through with those who were meant to lead.  Zeke had a feeling that Ally had plans for the boy.

“Zeke,” Charlie called out, making her first mistake. 

She should never make herself known unless it was a scare tactic.  Here, with him, she should have been silent until she found him.  She took another step forward, not once looking at the ground.  As she did, Peyton’s trap was triggered.  Charlie let out a scream as her foot was yanked out from underneath her.  She swung there, upside down with a shocked expression on her face.

Letting out a sigh, he stepped out from behind the tree.  “You should watch where you’re going,” he mumbled. 

Her eyes snapped towards him.  “Good,” she groaned.  “It’s you.  Now, you can let me down.”

He walked towards her, and as he did, Peyton came into view.  “Sorry,” Zeke said with a shrug, “but I can’t do that.”

“What do you mean?”

Peyton took a step forward and pushed Charlie, making her swing even more on the rope.  “This is a classic trap,” Peyton said.  “String you up in a tree, it’s not hard at all to do to someone, but it’s also one of the easiest to free yourself from.”

Charlie clutched her head, and Zeke knew that the blood was rushing to it, making her dizzy.  “If you don’t hurry,” Zeke said, in a flat voice, “you’ll pass out.”

“Just help me!”  She shouted, tears dropping to the ground.

Zeke looked towards Peyton, waiting for the boy’s reaction.  He may not have known it, but this was a test for Peyton too.  Could the boy do what he needed, or would he give in the first time a pretty girl begged for mercy.  Bending down, Peyton leaned towards Charlie.  “You have to be able to do this on your own,” he whispered, true regret in his voice.  “One day, we won’t be there for you.  One day, you’ll have to do this on your own.”

“Please,” she whispered.

As she did, Zeke kept his eyes on her.  If she had to endure it, he could watch.  He could watch as someone he cared for struggled.  Zeke may not have realized it earlier, but this was a test for himself too.  He had done anything in his power to keep Ally from being by herself, and that almost got her killed many of times.  Now, he had to let Charlie do this on her own, had to let her be her own person.

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

She stared at him with hurt eyes as she hung upside down.  Peyton straightened his back before looking at Zeke.  “She’s lucky, you know.”

“How am I lucky?” Charlie shouted.

Peyton stared at Zeke as he answered, “Because you have someone that cares for you.  When I did this the first time, Ally was the one who cut me down.  I was six.”

Without looking back, Peyton walked away from them, leaving Zeke to handle Charlie.  He turned towards the woman, trying to get the mental images from his mind.  He didn’t want to think about what Peyton, Ally, and the others from that pride had to go through.  So, for now, he would push the images away and focus on someone he could help, Charlie.

“Swing your body,” he told her.

She shook her head at him, anger in her eyes.  “What will that do?”

“There are a lot of ways to get out of this situation.  You could shift, but for now, were going to pretend that you can’t.  If you had a knife, it would be easier, take that into consideration.”

“Shut up,” she growled.  Her eyes glowed at him, letting him know that she was more pissed off than he thought.  He didn’t blame her though.  He would be mad if he were in her situation too.

“Just swing your body.”

“How about,” she started, reaching behind her, “I do this.”  Her hand swung up, showing him what she gripped.  Before he could move, a shot rang out.

Leaping forward, he caught her before she hit the ground.  “I didn’t know you could shot that well.”

“I can’t,” she mumbled, a small smile forming on her face.  “I got lucky.”

He smiled down on her while tightening his grip on her.  “Well, you could have fooled me.  Where’d you get the gun?”

“Your mom.”

“Figures,” Zeke whispered, leaning closer to her.  He reached a hand out, brushing a piece of hair from her eyes.  “I’m sorry.”

“You had to do it,” she mumbled with a sigh.  “If you told me how to do it, when I was in the situation, I would have panicked; I never would have remembered what to do.”

Leaning closer to her, he let his lips brush across her cheekbone.  “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Me too,” a voice called out, making him jerk away from her.

His mom stood there, an expression on her face that let him know that something was wrong.  “What did you see?” he asked, setting Charlie on her feet.

His mother shook her head.  “Sorry, honey.  I love you, but you have to leave.”

“That’s the second time I’ve heard that in the past few days.”  He stopped for a moment, thinking of how abruptly Ally sent him away.  She claimed it was because of Charlie, that the woman was causing too much trouble, but when had Ally ever run from trouble?  “You’re protecting me from something, aren’t you?” he asked, feeling the pieces of the puzzle begin to mold together.  “It’s why Ally sent me away.  She knows something too, something the two of you don’t want me to know.  Tell me what is happening, Mom.”

She walked towards him, her steps sure.  As she reached him, he could feel his body go on alert, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t move.  “I’m sorry,” she whispered, her hand coming up to touch his forehead.  “I’m not supposed to change the future Zeke; I’m not supposed to interfere, but you’re my son.  Ally needs you; you can’t die right now.”

He knew what she was going to do before she started, but there was nothing he could do to stop her.  Blackness entered his mind, one that he couldn’t stop. 

“We love you,” she whispered as the world dropped away.