Sanctuary

Chapter 2 Infuriating

I took me almost five minutes to tell him what was going on. That one of the shapeless, a sister that no longer lived within the Sanctuary, hadn't checked in when scheduled. After three days of hearing nothing from her, High Mother Damaris had become concerned.

"What does this have to do with me?" I knew that would be the first questioned he'd ask.

"Because she lives in Chicago." I let my answer sink in and was interrupted before I could continue.

"Oh, and because all of you hate humans so much, Damaris wants me to go and find her. Is that it?" Varden crossed both arms over his chest. He was so cute when he scowled.

"Yes, and no."

"What does that mean?"

"She does want you to find her," after a long breath I continued. "But you're not going alone. I'm going with you." The sharp laugh that broke from him had me jumping where I sat.

"You? There are many things you're good at, but this is not one of them."

"You think I can't handle it, don't you?" I shot back.

"Look at you right right now. You can't stand being here, and this is a smaller city. Chicago is huge. You'd freak out in a place like that."

"Thanks for trying to take care of me. But I don't exactly have a choice. This is an order from the High Mother."

"An order for you or me?" Varden really didn't like Damaris, so her giving him an order was never a good idea.

"For me, a request for you. You know, she still is trying to get you to live in the Sanctuary. She even asked me to ask you if you'd come back and talk to her before we left for Chicago."

"Ha! I bet she did. If we leave from here, it'll cut four hours off our travel time," he looked at his watch. "We could be there by nine if we left right now." He hopped off the table's edge and started for the door.

"Varden wait, I don't know how to explain this to you any plainer, so I'm just going to cut through the crap Damaris wanted me to tell you," with a deep sigh I continued.

"We've been keeping you secret for these past three years from every other Sanctuary on the planet. But the other three branches of our order have begun to ask some very pointed questions about you." I walked up to him, staring him in the face.

"And what has that to do with me?" He asked.

"Because the only reason Damaris doesn't have you in the Sanctuary under house arrest is me. I know that would kill you, so I struck a deal with her. I'd keep tabs on you and come and check on you every few weeks until you would willingly come to the Sanctuary. Varden," I held his gaze. "That time is now."

"Why now? I've been doing just fine on my own ever since you found me. Why is it suddenly a problem now?" The dojo was empty now, so we didn't have to worry about being over heard.

"Because of High mother Zhoa. She's the High Mother of the Asian Sanctuary and the oldest of us. If she finds out you're alive, she will come to claim you, and none of us will be able to stop her." Finally alone, I melted into his arms.

"Oh, Var, I will not let her take you. I just found you." I grabbed his face in both of mine. "That's why you have to come back with me. If you were at the Sanctuary, we could keep you hidden. We'd be together all the time." He pulled away from me and walked to the door.

"Yeah, and I'd suffocate. You know how I feel about that place..." He stopped and turned back towards me. I'd tried to stop it, but with his increased senses he'd heard it, a single sniffle.

"Oh Cat," he picked me off the floor in a bear hug. "I'll go back with you, if that's what you want. But you'd better warn the rest of the sisters. If any of them as much as touch me, I will not be liable for my actions."

"I warned them before I left to come here. Not to worry, they will all be on their best behavior." I turned towards the door, but Varden didn't let go.

"When are we going to tell her?" He asked the question I'd been dreading.

"It's too soon. If she finds out we're a couple, she'll go ballistic." I looked up at him. "She's just starting to tolerate you as it is."

"She still hates me for making her look bad almost three years ago? Hold a grudge much?"

"She has a photographic memory. We all do. She doesn't forget anything, and yes, she still hates you. Now for not wanted to live among your own kind, more than anything else." I pulled away from him, grabbed his hand, and headed for the door. "Come on, I told Jeffery that I wouldn't be too long in fetching you, and I would hate for him to get bored waiting."

"All I did was defend myself. She attacked me, you know." He told me as we exited onto the sidewalk. All the ladies that had been hovering in front of the window were gone, so we were able to make good time back to my transportation.

Turning the last corner there sat a hummer, but not just any hummer. This one had been stretched to almost twice its original length, the extra room in the middle taken up now by a spacious cabin for its passengers.

Even though it had been painted to look like a civilian model, underneath, it was as close to military grade as was allowed. Bullet proof glass in every window. Armor plating throughout the cab, with enough around the passenger compartment to stop and or contain every land mine known to be in manufacture. The only thing this hummer missed was the ma deuce sticking out of the rear luggage racks. Boy, Varden would have loved it if it had one, though. The fact that it got about four miles to the gallon was no draw back to the Sanctuary.

I watched Jeffery, my driver, step from the driver's seat and hurry around to open my door as we approached. That was when Varden darted forward and opened my door before Jeffery even got close. My driver's face drained of all color as he skidded to a stop, at the breach of Shaper etiquette.

"You are not supposed to do that!" I growled, hoping my voice would intimidate Varden. I should have known better.

"Why not? Am I not a man? Doesn't that make me inferior to you? That makes it my job to serve, does it not?" He grabbed the door handle, and with a soft click, swung it open with a flourish, bowing with his head low as I approached.

"Stand up, you're humiliating yourself in front of your inferior." I told him, not wanting Jeffery to see him like that. Too late.

Jeffery came around the corner of the huge vehicle and stopped. His eyes bugged out, and he stifled a laugh. I glared, Varden returned the laugh. I spun to see him looking at me, a broad grin plastered on his face. That, of course, just made my anger boil even hotter.

"Get in the damn car." I roared, jumping past him and into the back of the huge vehicle.

With another laugh, Varden shouted something to Jeffery and stepped in behind me.

I whirled on him as soon as his butt hit his seat.

"How dare you do that to me? You just humiliated me in front of the entire Sanctuary!"