Secrets - Chapter 9

Anne: I'm sorry I kept you waiting for so long and I know how you feel just waiting for the next chapter and I hope you'll forgive me

Christina: Thank you for your words. It is a comment like that, that will fuel me to continue on with another chapter

Crystalz: I couldn't see a way around the wedding completely so I had the wedding go ahead with an interesting twist at the end.

L.S.D.: I am glad that you like Katherine's gift :) Katherine's 'safe place' as I like to call it is a place that she can create in her head and go there. Like an alternate universe she can travel to.

Amber: I am glad to hear from you again and happy that you can't wait to read more

Chapter 9

Grayson's POV
I had fallen asleep in a chair near Katherine's bed when a knock came at the door. Not wanting it to wake Katherine I hurried over and jerked it open.
"Yes?" I asked agitated. I'd wished to be left alone and here they were knocking on the door.
Eliza looked at up at me. "I know that you didn't want to be disturbed but Father and The Keepers need to speak to you."
I nodded and looked back at Katherine. "Stay here with her Eliza and... keep her safe." I looked at her and she quickly nodded her head.
Walking down the corrdiors I quickly came to the thick oak door. Pushing it open, I entered the room and all attention was diercted on me.
"Hello my son." Father said from his perch on his chair. "I have called you here because I think it's time you learned about the Hunters."
"What are you talking about Father? They are just humans."
"No they are not my son."
What information has been kept from me?"
"The Hunters were created a long time along with the Guardians. The Guardians were made to protect and defend while the Hunters were made to destroy and get rid of all evil. When the Guardians were banished, they were as well too, to forever do what they pleased on earth. We've been able to outsmart them until they discovered our location and smuggled a beautiful woman in." Father's voice cracked with emotion which caught my attention.
"Someone sneaked in and gained your trust?" I interrupted.
He swalled and nodded his head. "Yes." I noticed the other Elders of The Keepers shook their heads in shame. "A woman. A beautiful woman. She pretended she was one of us...and we believed her."
"What happened to her?" All the men looked at each other. "How did she get in?"
"She claimed she was a daughter of a couple, the Wren's. They had decided when their daughter was born didn't want any children of theirs growing up in our society and so they'd ran far away from here. Their 'daughter' came to us in rags and told us her parents had been killed by the Hunters and she'd barely escaped. The last thing they'd gave her was a written message on how to get here. We looked into everything she'd said and it checked out...until three years later when some letters were found, exchanged between her and the Hunters. We learned everything about her. The Hunters had killed the couple and their daughter, and a hand picked had stepped into the daughters place and she just so happened to have the same name as well." William spoke from the corner
"My son, they want a battle and we have to concentrate on that. I'm afraid they will attack during the wedding."
"But the moon Father."
"I know my son, we cannot move the wedding, we will just have to be prepared for anything."
I nodded. "Why do you think they will attack on the blood moon?"
The men looked at each other again. "She...witnessed a bonding ceremony. She knew everything Grayson, the Hunters know everything about us."
I shook my head very slowly. "She got away didn't she?"
Father shook his head slowly. "She slipped away into the night." I looked at him in horror as I saw him look away, fore his eyes had started to glisten.
William cleared his throat. "We are relocating the very moment the wedding is over. Most of your stuff has been moved there."
"Relocating where?"
"To where our ancestors built our first home. In the mountains."
Katherine's POV
I woke up to a pounding head and parched throat. In attempt to clear my dry throat I coughed, but that just made it worse. I felt a hand slide under my head and tilt it up then felt cool water slide down my throat. Opening my eyes I was surprised to see Grayson.
"How are you feeling?" He asked.
I moaned in response and he chuckled slightly then began to prop me up. "Traveling to the past drained you of your energy and you need to eat, so please try." He said placing a tray of food on my lap. As I raised a hand I found that I was in fact very drained of energy, to the point where I had to force myself to move my jaw and eat the food.
"Why am I so tired?" I croacked when I'd eaten as much as I could. Grayson had been sitting on the edge of the bed watching me.
"I am not sure. For some reason when you travel an immense amout of energy is needed and that energy is taken from you and the fact that you traveled two times didn't help." He paused and I watched him as he took a deep breath."You became transparent at first and we cannot touch you as if there is a force field. If someone did interrupt your travel I'm guessing there would be grave consequences. Then, you slowly disappear all together. When you come back, cold air rushes around the room in such a gust it makes people stumble. You can't really talk or move when you come back because you are so cold and it makes me wonder why the consequences of you traveling to the past is coldness. You are a mystery Katherine."
"That's how I've felt everything about my life has been." I chuckled.
"I've forbidden The Keepers to try any experiments on you." He said looking up from under his lashes. Was he asking for forgivness? I swallowed not knowing what to say. "I am sorry for all the mistakes I have done Katherine and I am sorry that I have betrayed your trust. The Keepers cannot do anything to you unless you give them consent."
"Thank you." I said looking at him. The light reflected off his slanted face, showing his high cheekbones.
"The wedding ceremony is tomorrow night."He said. I nodded looking at my hands.
"What will happen at the ceremony?" I asked feeling his gaze on me.
"We have a special...how should you say...bonding ceremony of the husband and wife." He paused, looking at me. I snapped my attention to him.
"What do you mean?"
He smirked. "If I told you that would only ruin the surprise."
"That's not fair." I said and stuck my tongue out at him which only provoked a laugh. I suddenly felt myself getting more tired by the second.
"Go to sleep Katherine. I'll be here when you wake up." Grayson's sweet voice whispered in my ear, and like a spell I fell into a deep sleep.

* * * *

Katherine's POV

I was awaken by a slight shaking. Opening my groggy eyes, I saw Grayson's face. He smiled sweetly. "You have to start getting ready now."
"Ready for what?" I asked.
"The wedding. You slept a whole day Katherine."
I gulped and closed my eyes. I was going to be married tonight. I wasn't ready to be married. Grayson helped me get out of be and I was shocked to see five women in the room.
"Hello." I said a little shakily.
Then nodded their heads in acknowledgement.
"I have to go now. This is the last time you will see me until right up to the wedding." Grayson said.
I mumbled a goodbye to him, not able to look at him.. As soon as the door was shut, the women pounced on me. My nightgown was torn off and underclothes were placed on me as well as a corset, but very few petticoats that were quite light and not like the heavy ones I was used to. A dress was tugged over my head and my hair was being curled all while another woman was putting slippers on my feet. As this fanatic routine was going on my nerves slowly started to go into a frenzy. By the time they were done I was a nervous mess.
"Calm down honey." One of the women said in a comforting voice. "Just look at yourself." She turned me to the mirror and I felt like I was going to faint. I was wearing a rose white dress that clung to the very outline of my figure. My stomach was sucked in so tight I couldn't breathe and the low-cut square neckline was dangerously low. Every step would threaten my bossom to spill out. I gulped. The sleeves ended at the elbows and restricted my arms movements. I was surprised to see the lower half of the dress followed the contours of my hips and bottom and fell straight to the ground. It hadn't been designed for a crinoline. How odd. My hair was piled artfully on top of my head in beautiful spiral curls that fell over my right shoulder with red ribbon intertwined. The woman placed a blood red cloack over me and pulled down the hood careful not to mess my hair. I breathed in a small sigh of relief as the cloack fell across my shoulders and covered the whole dress. I smiled slightly as I saw that it shimmered at the slightest movement.
"Don't worry honey you look beautiful." I looked at her and smiled softly. That wasn't what I was worried about. "Come now." She opened the door and I was surprised to see the halls were very dimmly lit with candles along the floor. I let her guide me down the hall. The whole way my stomach getting tighter and tighter until I began to feel nauseous. Why weren't there lanters hanging on the wall?
"I can't do this." I whispered.
"What was that?" The woman asked.
"I can't do this." I said breaking away from her and slowly started backing away.
"Don't be silly, come here."
"No." I shook my head.
The women made a move towards me and I turned and took of down the hall. My fears rising. I couldn't do it. I just couldn't. I ran as I never have before. The dress and cloack forgoten. I looked back just for a second and slammed into what felt like a wall. Hands clamped down on my upper arms. Screaming, I kicked and tried to claw my way out, but the hands didn't let go.
"Katherine!" The voice yelled. I immediately stopped. Looking up I saw Grayson. Tears began forming in my eyes and I looked away. "What are you doing Katherine?"
"I can't do it, I can't go through with it!"
"Katherine." His hands lifted my face up. I looked up at his sharp, handsome face and suddenly the panick wasn't there. "You have to. If I could move the date of the wedding I would, but this is the only red moon for quite a while."
I shook my head keeping in mind that I wasn't ready for this. "Nothing about our relationship will change. We can still gradually get to know each other. "
I looked at him. His was wearing an all black tux that hugged his shoulder and back.Taking a deep breath, I slowly nodded. Grayson breathed a sigh of relief. "Come, we can't be late." His hand rested on the small of my back as he escorted me back down the hall. The women were no longer where they had been. As we came to a thick door Grayson paused and turned to me. I looked up and met his eyes. He reached up and pick up one of the curls that had come loose and pinned it back up. His hand slowly came to cup my cheek.
"You are not making a mistake Katherine. It is a part of destiny."
I looked away. "This isn't a wedding is it? It's a ceremony."
"Not the kind of wedding that you are use to. Come, it is our turn."
"What kind of wedding?" I asked not letting him change the subject.
Grayson held the small of my back again and began directing me towards a door. Stopping only for a second he pulled down the hood of my cloack, then opened the door revealing twisting stairs that went down. As we slowly went down them, the candles were fewer and fewer until I could hardly see Grayson or the steps. The only thing keeping me going was Grayson's hand on my back. "Where are we going?" I whispered.
"The Chamber." He said.
Before I could ask him what that was exactly an arched opening appeared. I saw figures in a dimly lit circle. As we past the arch I saw there were six hooded figures and six men all dressed exactly like Grayson. My eyes searched past them and I saw shadow figures. The moment I stepped into the chamber and smelled a very flowery scent was the moment I knew they had put something in the air, but I had already taken a couple of deep breaths to calm myself. My head was starting to spin. I didn't notice Grayson walking me over to the circle until we were there. A man in red stepped into the circle by a large bowl on a gold stand. He said something and the hooded figure and man stepped up to the man whose face was strangely familiar, then I realized it was Harrison, so the woman must be Eliza. The man handed them a goblet and the man took it and drank it then helped the hooded figure drink it. My vision started to blur again. Something flashed in the air. I gasped when I saw the man in the black tux slide a knife across his wrists and watch the blood drip down it. What was going on? Were these people crazy? Was I dreaming? He then took the hooded figure's wrist and slid the knife across it across her wrist. Grayson's hand moved up my back. My vision blurred completely and I felt my head start spinning. What was happening? What had they put in the air? I heard something that sounded like chanting. I got brief glances at what was happening. Flashes. Then I felt Grayson moving me forward. I saw him take the goblet and drink out of it. He put it to my lips and I sipped it, only getting a brief smell of the sweet scent and my head spun furiously. Suddenly I saw the knife. Fear rose in me but I couldn't move. My body was no longer mine. I watched horrified as it slahsed across Grayson's wrist. Blue blood slowly trickld out. Blue blood? As he reached for my arm, not even glancing at his own, I felt panick and tried to pull away but I couldn't as I had come into a drunken state and was helpless but to watch as it slid across my wrist and red blood came out. It stung for a second but was quickly replaced by a pleasing sensation. Another pair of hands took Grayson's wrist and my wrist and held them over the water while tying them together with . I watched as he placed them together. A single drop fell from the combined blood into the water which instantly turned purple. I started at it in amasement.
"It can't be." The man in the red whispered, so low only I heard him. I looked up at the man who was staring at the water. He looked up at me, panick in his eyes, then it was gone, and he dropped something in the water in a flash and it turn a bright red.
"Katherine of the Blackwell Guardians, do you accept Grayson of the Sinclair Guardians as your mate?"
I opened my mouth. The word no quivering on my lips."
"N..."Suddenly a loud explosion rocked the chamber.