The Beast Within (The Elite Series) - By Jonathan Yanez Page 0,26
but mindreading isn’t one of them. That expression on your face tells me all I need to know.”
Connor let go, willing to take a leap of faith into the unknown, “It was you in my dream last night, wasn’t it?”
“There you go. And?”
“And I want to know…” Connor hesitated. Taking a deep breath, he plunged ahead. “And I want to know who I am. Why have I felt this force inside of me my entire life? Who is my father? Who are all these strangers in town? And who are you? Why haven’t you said anything?”
Connor was shocked with his sudden outburst. He felt as though he had tried opening a water faucet and instead unleashed a fire hydrant. He didn’t mean to let it all out, but he did and it felt great.
“There you go, Connor,” Mrs. Hayes said with an approving nod of her head and a glimpse of yellow teeth. “Now you’re ready to know.”
“I can answer most of your questions but there are those you will have to answer yourself.” Mrs. Hayes stood up as she addressed him. She seemed taller somehow, younger, and that’s when Connor realized he wasn’t imagining her taller and younger, she was taller and younger!
Every muscle in his athletic frame tensed. Brown eyes wide, he stared as Mrs. Hayes went from stooped and old to tall and fiercely graceful. Her grey and white hair gave way to raven black. Her crooked yellow grin changed into a perfect smile and her clothes even transformed to a blouse with a plunging neckline and a fitted white skirt.
The woman who stood in front of him now looked as though she were a few years younger than his mother. The change in her appearance revealed her pendant as well. It was made of the same kind of metal as Laren’s, but a different symbol hung from Mrs. Hayes’ neck. A symbol Connor didn’t recognize.
Connor’s heart was beating out of his chest. Running a hand through his thick black hair, he forced his mind to believe the unbelievable.
“I know it can be a bit much the first time, but you’ll get used to the changing.”
“How did you do that?”
“Let’s just call it magic for now until you have a better grasp of our history. The why part is a bit easier. How old do you think I am, Connor?”
“I don’t know—before, I would have said in your eighties? Now, in your forties?”
“That’s very sweet, Connor, but in reality I’m closer to five hundred years old.”
Connor’s mouth dropped open.
“I have to keep up an aging appearance for public reasons. You can imagine if you had a neighbor who never aged. Good moisturizers and great genes would only be able to justify so many years. Acting crazy was just something I started for fun, but it worked perfectly; people left me alone and I could pretty much get away with anything I wanted, so I kept it up.”
“Okay.” Connor couldn’t contain himself any longer. He got up and paced back and forth from the kitchen to the window in the main room. “Okay, so let me get this straight.” He quickened his pace. “The woman I’ve known as long as I can remember as Mrs. Hayes isn’t a senile, crazy women? She’s actually a five hundred year old witch?”
“Hmmm, hmmm.” Mrs. Hayes cleared her throat.
Connor stopped his pacing. “You’re not a witch?”
“We prefer ‘sorceress,’ and you can just call me Morrigan.”
“Morrigan? As in Morrigan le Fay the wit—” Connor caught himself. “The sorceress from King Author?” Connor gave her another look of disbelief.
“Connor, please, let’s not be ridiculous.” She feigned a smile. “I’m not that old.”
As crazy as it sounded, Connor was beginning to accept his new reality. “So, where do I fit into all of this?”
“Well for that we’ll need a history lesson.” She clearing her throat. “Since the beginnings of mankind, there have been those individuals possessing more than just the normal set of abilities or skills. Call it what you will—natural selection, mutation, chance—but a select few have stood apart from the rest.”
“Every people or race has their own name for these beings. The Germans call them “The Rulers” or “der Herrscher,” the Irish—your ancestors—chose the word “Roghnaithe” which means “Chosen,” and in ancient Rome, the Latin word was “Beastia” or “Animal.” The abilities these individuals possessed closely related to many of the abilities found in animals; heightened senses, increased speed, and strength. Another bonus for these select few was the aging process. We still