Chapter 69: Chapter 68 - Takeshi

Monday 4 January

~*Takeshi’s POV*~

“Thanks, Auden. For everything; not just for looking after me the last few days.”

Nat was clasping Auden’s hands as tightly as she could, while Auden mumbled something about how anyone would have done the same if they were in her shoes. I think she was still struggling with everything that we had just heard and witnessed.

Soon enough, Nat and Cody were on their way back to their apartment, leaving Auden, Nahi, and I in the hospital room. Nahi was still standing in the bathroom doorway, while I had returned to my seat.

Auden turned around to face the room and placed her hands on her hips. “I guess we all need to talk about that.” She looked cautiously at Nahi, which was a step up from the recent antagonism she’d been exhibiting around her.

With my eyes closed, I massaged my forehead to ease the stress headache that was forming. “I think we do, but can we move this to my apartment so we can eat? I have a feeling a meal will do us all the world of good.”

Nahi nodded, then stepped back into the shadows of the bathroom and promptly disappeared, presumably to transport herself upstairs.

“I hate when she does that,” Auden muttered as we walked out of the hospital and headed for the elevator.

I chuckled. “I figured you’d be used to it by now.”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t still hate it.”

We walked into my apartment to find Nahi settled on a barstool at the kitchen bench. Gidja was already in the bowl of birdseed, having a grand old time clucking at her feast.

Auden sat down next to Nahi, while I busied myself behind the kitchen bench to prepare dinner for everyone. Cooking calmed me down, and I desperately needed to be calm after what I’d just heard.

“Nahi, you said you wanted to discuss Cody and Nat’s training?” I asked as I turned the oven on and got the cookware out of the cupboard. May as well start the conversation on a lighter topic.

“I was under the impression that Cody would be travelling with you for training soon,” Auden said, sounding slightly confused. “Is that not the case?”

“Yes, Cody was meant to study with me this year,” Nahi said before sighing. “I had arranged for her training to begin next Monday with the rest of the Bunyips.”

“So soon?” I asked with a raised eyebrow, as I put the slab of beef and the vegetables into a roasting pan and popped it into the oven.

“The sooner we start a Bunyips training after they’ve been discovered, the better off they are over the long term,” Nahi said. “With Cody, though… She’s proving to be different.” She frowned.

“What do you mean?” asked Auden. “Cody’s always been a little free-spirited, I’ll admit, but she’s never shirked her studies.”

Nahi raised her eyes to Auden’s with a look of understanding at Auden’s defensive tone. “Oh, no. It’s not that. Cody’s powers are simply coming along quicker than I had expected.”

Auden blinked in shock before she recovered. “Is that a bad thing?”

“No,” Nahi said, smiling as she stroked Gidja’s back softly. “Quite the contrary. She’s proving to be more powerful than anyone I’ve seen at her age for decades, possibly hundreds of years.”

“How do you know?” I asked, getting the salad ingredients out of the fridge to wait until it was time to throw them together.

“Her vision down-payment was the first indication,” she said. “She disrobed a Yara Ma Yha Who. As far as I can ascertain, no-one’s been able to do that for at least the last five hundred years. Admittedly, it was in a shared vision and not in the present day, but still...”

“Disrobed a what?” I looked at Auden, who shrugged. At least I wasn’t the only one who didn’t recognise the term.

Nahi removed her hand from Gidja and peered at me. “Australian vampire sub-species.”

I froze for a moment before continuing my meal prep, wiping my hands on the tea-towel. “Australian vampire?” Like every werewolf pack member, I knew about the traditional vampires that sucked blood and were apparently the enemy of werewolf kind. Admittedly, I’d never actually met one, as they tended to live in cities where there were a lot of people, so I elected to withhold judgement until I had. “Should we be worried?”

“Possibly,” Nahi said, chewing her bottom lip with her brow furrowed.

It always unnerved me when I saw her anxious. It didn’t happen often, but it seemed like it was happening more and more often recently. I paused what I was doing, put my hands on the kitchen bench and waited for her to continue.

Nahi took a long breath in before letting it out slowly. “Yara Ma Yha Who’s don’t have the power to kill you quickly like a traditional vampire. They much prefer to cause chaos and mayhem that will end up resulting in your death instead.” She grimaced. “They love to manipulate humans and werewolves into doing their dirty work for them. It’s all a game to them.”

“And you’re saying Cody found one?” Auden asked.

“Cody was able to identify the one I’ve been tracking for the last few years. I’ve come across her a few times previously, but I was never able to see under the hood until Cody came along.” Nahi stood from her seat and started pacing. “Cody said the Yara Ma Yha Who was her former best friend, Zelda? I’m assuming that she remains a Matlock pack member?” Nahi looked questioningly at us.

I could feel the blood drain from my face. “Yeah,” I said, dragging my hands down my cheeks in dismay. “Zelda is still one of our pack members.”

“Wait, you said the last few years,” Auden said, rubbing her temples. “How long is that?”

I looked at Auden with curiosity. Where was she going with this?

She noticed my unspoken question. “It could explain Tatum’s change. We were assuming it was Tatum’s wolf that was driving his violent tendencies. What if it was Zelda all along?”

“Zelda’s been a member of this pack since she was three. She was born to werewolf parents. How could she be a vampire?” I frowned, trying to work out the timeline.

“I first started getting inklings that something wasn’t right about five years ago, but I couldn’t get a distinct lock until about three and a half years ago,” Nahi said, still pacing. “Just like your regular vampire, Yara Ma Yha Who’s can turn people, including werewolves, and they love to target children. It is entirely feasible that Zelda was turned into one.” She paused as her eyes flashed purple for a moment, before returning to grey. “Yes, she was turned,” she muttered to herself. “That’s why I could suddenly get a lock.” She frowned and started pacing again. “But by who? And why?”

Auden turned to me. “From what Bells told me, Tatum didn’t start getting violent until he turned sixteen. Zelda would have been around fourteen and a half when she was turned.” She cracked her knuckles. “Plenty of time to start whispering in Tatum’s ear before he turned sixteen.”

“Oh, fuck…” I breathed. If what Auden said was true, was Tatum the only one Zelda manipulated? Or could there have been others? I scrubbed my hands on my cheeks as I thought. The ramifications of this could be huge.

Auden turned to Nahi. “We can think about this later. Getting back to Cody; have there been other indicators of her powers?”

Nahi nodded, dragging her thoughts back from Zelda. “Cody’s instincts are exceptional. She knew which way to lead Alex after Nat shifted. They didn’t stop running until they found a water source close to the Bunyip border.” Nahi moved to sit back down on the barstool and faced Auden. “She knew instinctively how to wake Nat up and did it anyway after you warned her not to.”

I raised an eyebrow at Auden.

Auden shrugged. “I felt an electrical charge when I touched Nat. I didn’t want Cody to get zapped.”

Nahi chuckled. “That’ll happen to everyone Nat touches from now on. It’s her early warning system.”

Auden furrowed her brow. “The what?”

“It’s a Rainbow Serpent thing,” said Nahi. “The current helps her determine between friend and foe upon first meeting. You won’t feel it more than once.”

Auden started laughing when she saw the look on my face. “You haven’t touched her yet, have you?”

I gulped. “No. I’m kind of wishing I had now.”

Nahi joined in on Auden’s laughter. “The anticipation will be worse than the act itself.”

“Goddess, I hope so,” I muttered under my breath as I started plating everything up.

“Cody’s instincts aren’t why I decided I needed to change her training though,” Nahi continued. “It was the memory show she gave Nat.”

“Her what?” Auden asked.

“Memory show,” said Nahi, who was eyeing her plate with anticipation. “Cody showed Nat what Nat had missed while she was unconscious. Like a slide show or a movie, but in fast forward.”

“It must have been when Nat threw her head back, Auden,” I said, handing their plates over. “Right before Nahi showed up. Nat looked confused after it happened. It looked like she thought it came from Cody.”

“It did,” Nahi said as she inhaled the aroma of her meal. “But Cody shouldn’t have been able to do it because it’s a taught thing. She could do it with no training.”

Auden blinked, holding her fork halfway to her mouth. “How is that possible?”

“As I said, Cody’s exceptionally powerful.” Nahi chewed slowly, savouring every morsel. “It could also be because of her proximity and friendship with Nat.”

“You think Nat’s Rainbow Serpent thing is accelerating Cody’s skills?” I asked.

“Could be,” Nahi mused. “All the Bunyips felt the power surge when Cody did the memory show. That’s why I came calling. None of us could remember the last time we had felt that kind of power.”

“And here I was thinking it was because you missed our wonderful company,” Auden muttered under her breath.

“Auden,” I warned, but Nahi just laughed.

“That’s what I needed to talk to you about,” Nahi said when her laughter settled. “The other Bunyips think that if her proximity to Nat is what’s enhancing Cody’s powers, then it would be a disservice to Cody to take her away from Nat.”

I nodded slowly as I thought about what she was saying. “For how long?”

“I had thought a year, but with Nat in the equation, it could be less,” Nahi said, still working her way through the food on her plate.

“Wait,” Auden held a hand up, still gripping her fork. “Does this mean that you need to live in Matlock while you train Cody?”

“Not necessarily, but it would be simpler if Cody runs into an issue that needs urgent handling.” Nahi looked at Auden, then at me. “I could also help Nat and Alex. I worry that Alex may have forgotten some of his abilities, as it’s been quite some time since he’s survived this long with a wolf.”

I considered the logistics. “We should be able to give you one of the apartments in Building Two to use. We can put Nat and Cody together in one of the two-bedrooms on the second floor.”

“Hang on,” Auden interrupted me with a raised eyebrow. She was clenching her fork so much that her knuckles were white. “Are you seriously considering this, Takeshi?”

“Of course,” I said, nodding at Auden. “If we place Nahi on the top floor in one of the four-bedrooms, she could use the spare bedrooms as classrooms or workshops for Cody’s training. We don’t have any classrooms spare, so this would be the simplest solution.”

“But what about the rest of Matlock?” Auden asked, her brow furrowing. “We can’t exactly have someone who’s not a wolf wandering around naked all the time. The council would have a field day.”

I scratched my chin before turning to Nahi. “Auden does have a point, Nahi. Would it be workable to ask that you wear some form of clothing outside of your apartment whilst you stay in Matlock? I know you’re more comfortable without them, but there’d be fewer questions.”

Nahi tilted her head in agreement. “As long as I am not restricted in the apartment, that would be acceptable.”

“Wonderful,” I said as I collected their now empty plates. I could hear Auden grinding her teeth from across the kitchen bench. “When does this arrangement need to take effect?”

“The sooner, the better,” Nahi said. “As I said earlier, I had planned on starting Cody’s training next Monday. Would that be possible?”

I nodded, putting everything in the dishwasher and starting the clean-up process. “It should be. Let me call the Carmichael’s tomorrow morning and see if they can complete some basic remodelling to the spare bedrooms in time for you to teach by then. I’ll let you know.”

“Thank you, Takeshi,” said Nahi.

“You were also talking about training Nat, weren’t you?” Auden asked Nahi, before turning to face me with a concerned look on her face. “Nat got into the Warrior Training course, didn’t she? How would training with Nahi work along with her Warrior Training?”

I furrowed my brow. “How many hours a week do you need with Nat, Nahi?” This was going to be trickier to work out.

“The more time I can have with her, the better, but a minimum of four hours over the course of every week would be a good starting point.”

I closed my eyes, letting my mind visualise the Warrior Training timetable. They always did the human and wolf training sessions in the morning and the specialty classes in the afternoon. I knew I couldn’t move her out of the specialty classes without affecting her course work, but the morning training sessions, I could potentially alternate her in and out of. “The training sessions run from eight until twelve-thirty every morning. Her human fighting skills are exceptional, but I don’t know what her wolf training skills are like yet. I could have her substituted out of two of the two-hour human training classes per week for extracurricular training with you. Would that work?”

“Perfectly,” said Nahi. “I can certainly work with that.”

“Good. I’ll talk to Casey about sorting out the timetable.” I grabbed my phone out to take note of who I needed to speak to tomorrow. “The Warrior Training course doesn’t begin until the eighteenth. If you’re starting with Cody next Monday, you could talk to Nat about training her full time for that first week before she starts the Warrior Training course. It’s your decision, though.”

Nahi nodded. “I’ll talk to them both once I hear from you about the renovations.”

“Excellent.” I switched my phone to sleep and turned it face down on the kitchen bench. “I’ll let the leadership team know tomorrow of your temporary accommodations and plans.”

Nahi rose from her barstool and walked around the kitchen bench to hug me, her white lines glowing like normal once contact was made. She pulled me down to whisper in my ear, quietly enough that only I could hear. “You and Auden? I approve. You both deserve happiness.” She released me and stepped back, a broad, knowing smile on her face.

“Thanks Nahi,” I muttered, my head ducked to hide my embarrassment. Nothing had happened between Auden and me since last Thursday, what with Nat being in hospital and the changes to the pack leadership team, but a tiny spark of hope that meant that would change soon flickered within me.

She walked over to pick up Gidja. “Thank you for the wonderful meal,” she said, before turning to Auden, while she placed Gidja on her head. “And the wonderful company.” She grinned cheekily at Auden and winked. Auden couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth tipping up ever so slightly as she shook her head and rolled her eyes at Nahi, making Nahi laugh.

Nahi headed for the always open balcony, stepped out and over the balcony wall and disappeared.

Auden crossed her arms in front of her. “That’s another thing she does I hate.”

I laughed as I wiped the kitchen bench down one last time. “And it couldn’t possibly be because you wished you had that ability.”

“Oh, shut up, you.” A hint of a smile played in her voice before her tone became serious. “Do you think it’s wise having your Bunyip friend stay on Matlock grounds?”

I chewed the inside of my cheek as I thought her question over. “Both Nat and Cody need training and having them taught together makes a whole lot of sense for several reasons.” I hung the tea-towel over the cupboard door before I walked around the kitchen bench to sit at the barstool that Nahi had vacated. “And I think you’ll be much happier with Cody still on Matlock grounds.” I raised an eyebrow, daring her to deny it.

Auden grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, you got me there.”

“There won’t be anyone staying on the fourth floor while she stays on the top floor and trains Cody. You know what she’s like. She’ll prefer having her privacy, and I’ll play it off to the council that she’s a visiting dignitary, which is why she’s been placed on the top floor of Building Two. That way, they won’t be able to ask too many questions.”

Auden tipped her head to the side as she thought through my reasoning. “True.”

“Honestly, I’m more concerned about what Nat told us about James.” I pinched the bridge of my nose as I frowned. “No wonder Kinglake’s numbers have been high at the Borderlands since Nat showed up.”

“We’re going to need to do something, Takeshi,” Auden said with worry written all over her face. “Those poor girls… It’s going to keep happening if we don’t put a stop to it.”

“I know,” I said sadly. “The Australian Werewolf Justice League will demand hard evidence, though. Nat’s memory won’t be enough, not for something so serious.” I scratched my chin. “I’m going to need to call Kennedy in on this before we take it to anyone else, including the council. We’re going to have to handle this delicately to avoid an all-out war.”

“Do you think things could get that far?”

I looked at Auden wearily. “This is James we’re talking about. What do you think?”

She gulped. “Fair point.” She sighed before getting off her barstool and stretching. “I’m going to head off to bed and read for a while. The last few days have been just slightly stressful.” She grinned. “I’ll see you in the morning, yeah?”

“You certainly will.” I smiled at her. “Sleep well, Auden.”

“You too, Takeshi.”

I decided to stay up to do some paperwork in my personal office before I went to bed myself. It was a good two hours before I finally turned my computer off and turned all the lights in the apartment off. I was brushing my teeth in my ensuite when I heard Auden knock at my bedroom door.

“Takeshi…?”

I wiped my mouth before I went out to my room. “Hey Auden.” She looked pale. “Everything okay?”

“Um… I’m not sure…” She looked nervous, her hands wringing in front of her.

I walked over to her and clasped her hands to settle her. “What’s the matter, Auden?” I asked softly as I tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

Her eyes filled with tears as she gulped.

“I’m pregnant.”