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The next few weeks were torment, but Patience left me alone, for which I was infinitely relieved. That didn't mean I had it easy; Faith linked me to her to not only give me the necessary healing energy I needed, but to also keep me on the straight and narrow. And she did it brutally. By the end of the first week, I was wishing for Patience to be in charge of me.
It didn't help that I'd lost my job during my recovery, and by the time I was able to walk again and see out of both eyes, I had no friends left. I was, in essence, cut off from everything and everyone, and the first time I ventured out, I got shunned every time I opened my mouth. My heart sank right to the bottom of my toes as I realised Faith was employing a new tactic; making me out to be a pariah in town and turning everyone against me. No one would give me the time of day, and I was red with anger and humiliation as I returned home. Faith, luckily, wasn't in the business of regulating my emotions like Patience had done, but she offered me no sympathy.
"This is all your fault," she told me. "If you'd played straight with us the first time, you'd be enjoying a good life. Now you're reduced to circling the dinner table, hoping for a scrap or two to fall your way." She sighed and shook her head. "Get out of my sight before I turn you over to Patience."
She wouldn't do it; she didn't want me being beaten to the point of permanent damage, and Patience had the look of a woman who'd gladly do it a hundred times over, if for no other reason than to take out her frustrations on losing her favourite chew toy. That didn't stop Faith from using it as a cowing tactic, and it worked.
Apart from being a pariah both in the town and in my own home, I was more or less allowed to do as I pleased. I wasn't made to do more than my fair share of the chores, and I still had a bed, clothes, and food. But Faith and her sisters went out of their way to make sure I felt as alone as it was possible for a person to do whilst in a household of eight, and whenever I watched them having night after night of pool parties, I felt sick inside. 93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7R23T8rqkR
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I wanted so badly to be a part of the fun, but every time that thought came up, I squashed it down. It meant accepting I truly was inferior to my sisters, and any kindnesses they showed me would be purely out of pity, much as their kindnesses of food and clothing were used as tools of pity, not out of filial kindness.
Even so, it was hard during the summer nights, as I watched my sisters frolick and play with their guests, and as I watched them make nice to their male guests, either on dry land, in water or underwater, I wished to be amongst them, to have fun, to laugh, joke, play, swim, and do other things. I was, at the ripe age of twenty-six, a virgin, and I hadn't even been kissed. Then came the thought that if I went on bended knee to my sisters, apologising to them for being all the things they accused me of, it was likely I could be a part of all the fun they were having right now.
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It finally got too much for me, and as my twenty-seventh birthday approached, I broke down and went to Faith. Years of abuse, isolation, torment and being persona non grata in my own town had finally taken their toll. I was ready to do anything to be a part of things again. 93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0DVU0UYbUE
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Faith studied me as I knelt before her. "I'm surprised it's taken you this long to admit defeat," she said, her mind busy probing mine. I had no secrets from her this time around; I really was ready to rejoin life and regain my sense of self. I had no artifice in me at all; years of abuse had worn me down to the point where I had nothing in the way of subterfuge. "Well," she said at last, "I can't say I'm not a forgiving person. Very well. Stand, sister."93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpiup0dghon
I got to my feet, favouring my right knee, which had come in for some particularly savage treatment years ago. "What would you have me do?" I asked.
Faith tapped her lips thoughtfully, and then her face lit up with wicked glee. "I have the perfect assignment for you, sister," she said. "The Moon Blood pack have a young heir, Sean. He's next in line for the role of alpha, and he's the best they have. I want him. He's got a lineage that would mesh very well with ours. You're going to go to their packhouse, and you're going to seduce Sean. Use any and all means at your disposal to win him over, up to and including sleeping with him, if you so desire. When he's won over to your side, return her with him, and I can use the magic formed by any ties you make to turn him into our willing slave. I'll even let you have the use of a wolf to help you blend in."
I felt my heart lift at the first taste of freedom I'd had in a long time. And Sean was a very good-looking male. To have him in my bed would be a dream come true, and if it pleased Faith, then I was all for it. If I pleased her enough, she'd likely give me a very handsome reward for winning over the son of one of her biggest rivals, and I found myself looking forward to my mission very much. "When do I leave?" I asked eagerly.
Faith laughed and patted me on the head, much like you'd do for a dog, but I was too happy to care. "You like the idea? Very well. I'll send you to Blackpool tomorrow. I'll even let you go without supervision; I've got too much to do here in London to worry about you, and you've proven yourself in any case. Hope will get you packed with everything you need, and Prudence will scour for any orphaned wolves who need a human. You go and get some rest."
I nodded, and, when she gave me permission to go, practically ran from the room. I felt her link dissolving as I hurried in search of Hope, and my heart soared at the level of trust she'd granted me. Of course, I'd never dream of betraying her; I didn't want to run the risk of being brought back under control and punished for my failures. She was, after all, my sister, and she trusted me enough to let me do this mission without surveillance. That was enough to make my heart sing.
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