Good Lord show me the way

O brothers lets go down
Let's go down, Come on down
O brothers lets go down
Down in the river to pray

As I went down in the river to pray
Studyin about that good ol way
And who shall wear the star and crown?
Good lord show me the way

O fathers lets go down
Let's go down, Come on down
O fathers lets go down
Down in the river to pray

As I went down in the river to pray studying about that good ol way
And who shall wear th robe and crown
Good Lord show me the way

O mothers lets go down
Come on down, don't you wanna go down?
O Mothers lets go down
Down in the river to pray

As I went down in the river to pray
Studin about that good ol' way
And who shall wear the star and crown?
Good Lord show me the way

O sinners lets go down
Lets go down, come on down
O sinners lets go down
Down in the river to pray

As I went down in the river to pray
Studyin about that good ol way
And who shall wear the Robe and crown?
Good Lord show me the way

If the silence was deafening before, now it was all-encompassing as the group stared at Crina. She sat in silence, observing the dancing flames, not acknowledging that she had just sung so beautifully that the others were speechless. Adam looked at his newfound mate in awe and enjoyed the blush that he saw creep up in her cheeks.

Rachel recovered first.

“That was amazing, Crina. You never told us you had such an amazing voice.”

Crina smiled as she looked at the healer. “It never came up.”

Jacque snorted. “That isn’t a good enough excuse. That was just, I mean, just wow.”

“Will you sing it again?” Alina asked with a smile.

As if anyone could deny a request from Alina.

Crina nodded. “Sure.” And she did. As she sung, her voice danced around them, the tune entrancing them as the words poured over them. Jacque felt like a fog was being wrapped around her brain, her eyes growing unfocused. She didn’t know if it was happening to the others; she didn’t really care. She just knew that she needed to get going. She needed to stand up and walk into the forest. Crina’s voice carried over the crackling fire and the wind that had begun to blow. Jacque felt the air blowing all around her, moving through her hair like the fingers of a lover’s gentle touch.

She kept walking, even as the light of the fire faded behind her. The trees towered over her, looming in their haunted grace, leaves rustling and branches swaying. Part of her knew that she should turn around and go back, but she couldn’t, she had to go. And even though she could no longer see the light from the fire, she could still hear Crina’s voice just as clearly as if she were sitting right next to her.

Jacque didn’t know how long she had been wandering through the forest, but she now saw a pond up ahead. The moonlight shone over the surface as it rippled, the wind disturbing the appearance of glass. The water called to her, or something in the water. She knew it would be refreshing, it would cleanse her. Surely she was dirty from all the trekking and running in the forest. Crina’s voice still carried over.

“O sisters let's go down
Lets go down, Come on down
O sisters lets go down
Down in the river to pray.”

Jacque found herself humming the tune. She continued to walk slowly toward the peaceful pond. A serene smile touched her lips as she thought of the peace that she would find in the water’s arms. Her feet came to the edge and, though she faltered briefly, she thought how silly it was for her to question the water.  The water wouldn’t hurt her; it would wash her. She took a step into the pond and the soft mud sunk in between her toes. At first the water felt cold, but then warmth rushed through her as she continued in. She heard her name being called but didn’t react until she was neck deep.

Just before her head was fully submerged, she turned and saw glowing blue eyes moving swiftly through the darkness. Her last thought was how beautiful those eyes were.

Chapter 15

“When you live in a world where you know other things exist, things that are not human, you become vigilant. You constantly look over your shoulder and peer into the shadows to see what lurks. Supernaturals rarely reveal themselves, however.  Eventually, as time passes, you grow complacent and go back to living in your bubble, just like those who know nothing beyond what their eyes tell them. Then a single phone call, one you think is bringing good news, tears through the security you had built into your bubble. And now you’re exposed, no longer shielded, no longer safe.” ~ Lilly

Mona stood in the crowded airport, waiting for her prey to exit the plane. She loathed such a place, which was filled with the sound of human chatter and the stench that they carried with them. Even in their ignorance they picked up on the threat Mona represented – they picked up on her “otherness”, though it was likely subconscious. Like any predator, being in the midst of prey simply made her want to attack. She smiled to herself as she thought about the havoc she could wreak in this place where mortals scurried like little ants. She could crush them with a simple twist of her hand. But then, where would the fun in that be?

Turning her attention from those around her, she zeroed in on the exit sign above the hallway where Lilly Pierce should emerge at any moment. She had rehearsed being nice in the mirror. Now that was sad, she had told herself, actually having to practice being nice. Her smile looked more like a sneer and her laugh could curl the toes of even the toughest men. She would just have to hope that Lilly wasn’t easily intimidated. And if she was, then she would have to do something to keep her calm until she was able to deliver her to the warlock King.

Yes, she thought, this promises to be an interesting day.

~

Lilly gathered her belongings, moving as slowly as possible. She thought back to the day she received the phone call. She knew it wasn’t Alina on the other end of that line, which was why she was standing on a plane that had just landed in Romania. Something was wrong. It had been a while since the sixth sense, as she called it, had made an appearance. But she could feel deep inside her that something was going on. She had made the decision not to call Jacque or anyone else in the Romanian pack until she knew more information.  Lilly could sense the “individual” she'd spoken with was extremely dangerous She didn’t want to call in the wolves before she knew if doing so would put Jacque in danger.