Chapter Nine - word count 2282 - Download PDF
9.
      Dust motes danced in the last rays of sunshine flowing into the kitchen making the whole room feel warm.  The feeling of home was more than just late afternoon sunshine it was the mythos filling the kitchen, the laugher and mock arguments the smiles and the love – it was the love that made the kitchen feel like home.   
      Sorcha’s backside was sore from sitting on the hard bench but she wouldn’t have traded watching Seth and Kyle catch up for five hundred down filled pillows. Early on in the afternoon, Kyle had pulled Sorcha’s leg to drape it over his so that he could keep touching her without Sorcha having to sit with her hand on his arm the whole time.  
      The feel of his hard thigh muscle under her leg was something Sorcha was never going to get used to, every time he moved it sent an electrical tingle through her body.  Kyle had the sensual habit of making sure he rubbed against her arm or body as often as possible, and ever now and then, she’d catch him giving her a look that told her plainly he knew the effect he was having on her body.    
      Kyle glowed with happiness, he was in his element and the banter between the brothers was entertaining to say the least.  Sorcha could tell they had always been close.  If there was any of the normal sibling rivalry between them Sorcha couldn’t detect it.  
      Thinking of siblings made Drew turn to look at Brynn, now seated next to Drew.  She couldn’t know for sure without touching Brynn, but Sorcha was pretty sure the woman was not what she appeared to be, but at the same time Sorcha was positive that Brynn was unaware of her difference, the woman believed herself to be completely human.  
      Psy had a unique ability to tell if someone was masquerading as something other than what they were.  Some theorized it was because the Psy were so in-tuned to brain chemistry, most of their abilities having to do with the mind and using it in a way that far out shone the way normals or even other mythos used theirs.
      Sorcha’s musings were interrupted when Dante walked into the kitchen.  
      “I’m ready to roll when you are.”  He told Sorcha and Kyle.
      “Roll where?”  Seth asked.  
      “We’ve got to go see a guy named Murdock.  He owns a small store on the beach.”  Kyle told his brother.
      “Yeah, he sells ingredients and stuff for potions and concoctions.  Apparently he’s had a strange customer lately.  We are going to try and find out if the customer has anything to do with the missing Psy.”  Dante explained as he leaned on the bench, and winked at Brynn.  
      Ross came into the kitchen.  “Are we ready?”  
      “Lets go.”  Seth said as he stood up.  “I’ll get the rest of the crew.”  
      “Wait.”  Dante stopped him.  “Murdock can be twitchy at times, and if we all marched into his store he’s going to get twitchy.”  
      “Fine, but I’m coming with.  Drew would you mind staying?”  
      “I don’t like it, but I suppose someone needs to check up on Selph and Brynn and make sure they don’t get into mischief.”  
      “Hey, tonight is Ultimate Survival, if you think I’m missing out on Bear Grylls dropping trow for any mischief you’ve got another thing coming.”  Brynn joked.  
      “Ow, I almost forgot tonight was Bear.” Selphie grinned.  “Time to make popcorn.”  
      “For Bear I’ll stay here.”  Drew smiled up at Seth.
      “You’re going to pay for that later.”  Seth growled at Drew.  
      “You promise?”  She grinned a naughty twinkle in her eye.  
      “Pleeeaaase!”  Ross pretended to gag.  “Can we go already?”  
      Sorcha couldn’t help but laugh at their antics.  It must be really nice to be part of a family like this.  She tugged at the lacings of her wrist guard feeling a little out of place.  
      “Why do you wear this?”  Kyle asked touching the guard.  
      “Netta gave it to me when I was very young, she told me it would protect me and I should never remove it.”  
      A naughty smile played over Kyle’s face as he tugged the lacing loose.  “Protect you from what?”
      Sorcha frowned and slapped his hand away.  “I don’t know, but Netta was insistent.”  
      “Really?”  Kyle got the rest of the lacings untied and jerked the wrist guard away from her before she could stop him.  
      “Damn, you must have been a wiz at buttons and bra straps when you were alive.”  She scowled at him.
      “Still am, want me to show you Darlin’?”
      “Just give my wrist guard back.” She tried to snatch it, but Kyle raised it above his head.  
      “Come now children…” Ross started only to finish with. “Shit, why do I always have to spot those first.”  He grabbed Sorcha’s hand.  A low growl trickled out Kyle’s throat.
      “Oh chill and look.”  Ross said impatiently as he turned Sorcha’s wrist outward so that everyone could see the inside of it.
      “What?  Why is everyone looking at my wrist like I just grew another hand, it’s a birthmark.”  
      Drew shoved the sleeve of her right arm up and turned her wrist so Sorcha could see the inside of it.
      “It’s the omega symbol.  Though yours is slightly different. You have different symbols on the inside of it.”
      “Did you think that it was unusual to have such a complicated birthmark?”  Kyle asked her.  
      “I did, and questioned Netta about it, but she just told me that we are Psy, strange things are common place and that I shouldn’t worry about it.  I left it after that, she wasn’t going to give me a better answer than that.  My mom and dad never knew what it was, you could see they were baffled by it.”  
      Kyle pulled Sorcha’s hand out of Ross’s and looked at her wrist.  It was the same black omega symbol he had on his hip, but instead of the red paw she had a circle inside hers, and in the center of the circle were three symbols.  The top one was a red flame, under that was three wavy lines, and under those was a blue water drop.  
      “It’s the elemental omega symbol.  The symbols represent earth, fire, air and water.” His voice was low.
      “How do you know that?” Seth asked him.
      “I don’t know, I just know it.”  
      “I’m confused.”  Sorcha frowned.  
      Ross swiveled so his right hip was facing Sorcha, he pulled up his shirt and tugged his jeans down.  Flashing an expanse of tawny, muscle ribbed stomach.
      “Easy there Ross.”  Kyle warned.
      “Oh shut-up.”  Ross hissed as he bared the Omega symbol on his hip for Sorcha to see.  
      “We should have let Dante show you his, he pulls his whole shirt off.”  Drew chuckled, only to get a dirty look from Seth.  
      “What?”  Drew grinned all innocent.  She loved teasing Seth about Dante’s bare chest.  There was nothing wrong with Seth, he had body that could reduce her to a puddle, but every time she brought up Dante’s chest Seth got jealous and Drew enjoyed that.  
      “If you try it Dante, I will hurt you.”  Kyle warned him.  
      Dante raised his hands and said. “I’ll keep my shirt on Dude, don’t get antsy.”  
      “Do you have one of those?”  Sorcha asked Kyle, while she stared at the omega with the red paw on Ross’s hip.
      He nodded then took a deep breath and bellowed “GABRIEL”  
      “Damn it Kyle,” Ross dropped his shirt down shaking his head as if his ears hurt “long distance communication is painful, I could have called him with a thought.”  
      “Would someone please explain what’s going on here?”  Sorcha was starting to feel really stressed.  The mark on her wrist had them all tense and excited, she had a few suspicions why, but they couldn’t be right.    
      Gabriel walked into the kitchen.  “There better be something burning down to explain that form of summons Kyle.”  
      Kyle didn’t say anything he just showed Gabriel Sorcha’s wrist.  
      “Looks like the Omega just lucked out.”  A slow smile spread across Gabriel’s face, making the angel breath takingly beautiful.  
      “Please.”  Sorcha hissed through gritted teeth.  “What the hell is going on here?  I don’t want to guess, guessing can lead to misconceptions I want it spelled out.”  
      “You are an Omega.”  Gabriel told her, a lock of his hip length blond hair falling forward as he bent over her hand.  “An elemental Omega if I’ve got this right.”  
      “Thank you.”  Sorcha took in a deep breath, wow, this was mind blowing.  She’d come here to find the Omega, not to find out she was an Omega.  
      “That’s exactly what Kyle said, how did you know about elemental Omega?”  Selphie asked Gabriel.  
      “I just do.” Gabriel looked confused.  
      “Seems to be a trend.” Dante snorted.  
      “How long have you had that mark?”  Gabriel asked her.
      “All my life, I was born with it.”  Sorcha shifted, uncomfortable under the intense scrutiny.  
      “Why were you never told, surely someone recognized the symbol.”  
      Sorcha’s eyes widened.  “Netta!”
      “I beg your pardon?”  Gabriel turned vibrant blue eyes towards her.  
      “Netta knew what the mark was, she was the one that made me wear the wrist guard my whole life.  She was the one that insisted I be the one to go find the Omega.”  
      Gabriel straitened up then nodded.  “Looks like Netta decided it was time you be sent to the mythos you were born to be with.”  
      “Welcome to the family.”  Dante grinned.  “At least I’m not the new guy anymore.”  
      
      It was completely dark by the time they made it to Murdock’s shop.  Seth had talked Darius and Marcus out of coming, but only by making it an order.  Kyle had refused to stay behind, even after Seth tried to order him too.  When Seth had asked him why the hell he wouldn’t stay Kyle had answered.
      “Would you send your woman into a potentially dangerous situation without being there to protect her?”  
      Sorcha blushed, that sentence implied that she was Kyle’s woman, and the kitchen was full, everyone had heard it.  Embarrassed as she had been, it had also left her with a warm feeling in her stomach.  It was really nice to feel wanted, and something she was not used to.
      
      Seth pushed the door of Murdock’s shop open, a tiny bell tinkled above the door.  Seth took a look around the room.  There were sheaves of herbs and dried plants tied to the ceiling, the shelves in the shop were filled with herbs and other unidentifiable ingredients.   Bottles filled with liquid were stored on a shelf behind the counter, and floating in the bottles were things that you didn’t want to investigate too closely.
       A tiny man, no more than five foot stepped out behind the counter.  Sorcha would have gauged his age about twenty five, but then she saw his ears, the top tips of which were pointed, he was one of the fae folk, and that meant he was much older by centuries than he looked.  
      “Good evening, how can I help ye?”  He greeted them as they came in.  His accent had a more than a trace of Irish.
      Dante stepped to the front. Smiling a greeting.  
      “Oh, Dante me boy, how have ye been?”  Murdock stretched out a small hand to greet Dante.  
      “Good Murdock and you?”
      “I’m fine, no good ever came of complainin' now did it?”
      “That’s the truth!  Murdock, I’d like to introduce you to Seth, Sorcha, Ross and Kyle, very good friends of mine.  We’ve come because we need some help.”  
      “Nice to meet ye folks.  What can I be doin' for ye?”  Murdock smiled a greeting to each of the Omega.  
      “We are looking for some missing Psy, we heard from Mikey that you’ve had an unusual customer lately.”  Dante explained.  
      Murdock shuddered.  “Horrible being that one is.  Looking for the strangest things.” He paused considering for a moment.  
      “I don’t know about any missing Psy, but some of the ingredients he’s been requesting are used in a potion that would make a Psy compliant.”  
      “Could they be used for anything else?  I don’t want to throw a beat down on some guy concocting a love potion.”  Dante grinned.  
      “No, this is a rare herb, it only has the one use.  Poisonous in any other way.  I must be admittin' I’ve been having some troubles getting it.  It only grows in one place ye see, a valley in the Drakensberg Mountains of South Africa.  And the Mythos that be controlling that area is very difficult.  He’s been refusing to sell me any.”
      Seth had an idea.  “Can you give us the name of this mystery customer?”
      “No, unfortunately he’s never given me one, but he’s beginning to make me very nervous, he’s demanding that herb.”  
      “You’re sure it can only be used in one way, and that is to make a Psy compliant?” Seth asked.  
      “I know herbs me boy, and that is the only way you can use it.”  The small man told Seth with certainty.  
      “If we can get you this herb, will you allow us to lay a trap for the mythos that wants to buy it?”  
      “Oh fer sure, I’m wanting him gone from my shop forever.”  
      “Good,” Seth nodded. “Get me the name of this herb, we’ll get it for you.”  
      “Certainly, give me a moment.”  Murdock disappeared to the back of the store.  
      “How the hell are we going to deliver on that Seth?” Kyle asked his brother.
      “You’re forgetting one small fact Kyle.”
      “Oh and what is that?”
      “Darius is South African.”
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