by Harry Nix
“I remember the beaches of my homeland, some of them the same as here, golden or white sand. The ones closest to my home were black volcanic sand and when the waves came in, the water would disappear through it. I haven't seen my home in many years, not since a mad dictator took it over, and we had to flee,” she said.
They moved and spun, Alex not quite sure what to say. His first impulse was to say he knew how she felt, considering his entire life had been torn apart after discovering he was a werewolf and then a mage.
“Do you think you'll ever be able to return?” Alex asked.
“Only if a great number of things go right, and only if there is an army waiting because the dictator will still need to killed,” Isabella said.
Alex saw more than one pairs of eyes on them, various men and women in the crowd, doing their best to look and then not be caught looking. Nia was waiting over near the bar, sipping on a cocktail, but April and Juno were nowhere to be seen. Alex even took a quick look as they spun again, hoping to spot April's pink hair but she was nowhere in the ballroom.
Ruby had given them times to do things, but it wasn't time yet, so he wondered where they'd gone.
“Someone you're looking for? Am I not enough for you?” Isabella said and gently pinched him on the arm through his suit. Alex focused back on her. Even though she was just some random woman he’d met at a party, no girl liked to be ignored.
“Just trying to see one of my mates. I'm not sure where she’s gone,” Alex said.
“Ah, yes, the werewolf who did not know he was a werewolf. A most curious story, and you can cast spells too, something no werewolf has ever done. Is this true?” Isabella asked.
If there hadn't been here to rob Prince, Alex would have summoned the healing flame to his finger, but that wasn't part of the plan, so he merely nodded.
“That's right. Almost twenty-five years under some mysterious spell that kept me hidden and also stopped me going insane because I'd never shifted. After it broke, a weredog almost killed me. It would have if it hadn't been for my mate, Nia, the redhead by the bar,” Alex said.
Isabella glanced over and gave a gentle smile.
“She is a beautiful one indeed. Is it true you've been making your own spells, enchanting your own rings?” she asked.
Alex had a moment again where he wondered how much he should say, then he just decided to tell her. After all, they were getting attacked anyway, and the more rumors about him spread, particularly that he had weapons, perhaps insane mages would have second thoughts.
“The ring on my left hand is a fireball spell—three charges—I wrote it myself and enchanted it. It only took a few minutes all in to make the enchantment. I've been able to make thirty to fifty rings a day and still come back for more the next. Does that answer your question?” he said.
“That's very impressive. Do you think the mages want to kill you because of that?”
“I suppose so. How did you know I was enchanting rings?”
“I am quite high in the witches’ coven, not the top, but close to it and it does not escape our attention when a witch whose mate is a werewolf mage begins selling rings that no one has ever seen before.”
Alex briefly wondered if Juno knew who Isabella was, but guessed she had, considering the way she had urged him to go over to her.
“I understand that witches are partial to werewolves. What would it take to get you and yours to help me and mine to stop those attacking us?”
The song they were dancing to had transitioned to another. It was faster, and they sped up their beat, Alex spinning Isabella and then pulling her back against him. He wasn't rough about it, but it wasn't a gentle spin either as he pulled her body against his.
“We do like werewolves, but it is important that their bite is far worse than their bark.” Then she stopped abruptly and touched Alex on the face before kissing him briefly on the lips. Her perfume had changed again and now smelled like a garden. Alex caught the scent of jasmine, the vines that had grown outside the house he’d grown up in with Jane.
“And so far, darling, your bites have been nibbles. So, if you would like our help, make sure you use those sharp teeth,” Isabella said before stalking away.
Alex stood still for a moment, still tasting her on his lips before he realized that everyone was staring. The music was still playing though, so got himself together, and walked off the dance floor over to where Nia was at the bar. She silently passed him a cocktail that was as black as ink. He gulped a mouthful. It was a coffee martini.
“Is kissing one of the senior witches part of Ruby’s plan? Because I don’t remember that,” Nia said, completely deadpan.
“She kissed me,” Alex said, then immediately shook his head at how feeble the denial sounded. The truth was that as he been dancing with her, moving her body with his hands, ideas had been crossing his mind. That feeling of being a sex-crazed teenager was back again and now it was every night and every day he was with his mates and apparently it still wasn't enough.
“You looked for a moment that you wanted to take her to bed,” Nia said. She finished her drink and waved to the bartender for another.
Alex gulped the rest of his down but didn’t ask for another, wanting to stay on the alert. But as the alcohol plumed down to his stomach he decided just to tell the truth.
“I don’t know what's happening to me. I think I’m going sex-crazed. Maybe it's from generating all the sex magic and then using it. You know, like Juno said, the magic you use changes you, so if you’re into death you start focusing on death all the time. At first it was pain that was a problem since my hand got ripped off and regrown, but now hardly any time goes by, and is just sex, sex, sex, on my mind all the time,” he said in a low tone to Nia. Even as he spoke about it, he touched her waist and moved closer. Nia had taken her drink but hadn't taken a sip. Her eyes were wide open and alarmed.
“Have you,” she started to say and then lowered her voice to a whisper, stepping closer to Alex so her lips were by his ear, “Have you had any kind of blackout during sex at all? Like lost time?” she whispered.
Goosebumps crawled up his neck at the feeling of her breath on his ear. Alex had to pull away from her, feeling a sudden rush of heat, and started focusing on the lights hung up behind the bar rather than looking at her, her cleavage, and the way the dress fell on her body.
“Yeah, I did, not too long ago,” Alex said.
Nia gulped her drink down like she was taking a shot and then put the glass on the bar before letting out a gasp at the strong alcohol.
“I keep forgetting you didn’t grow up a werewolf,” she said, taking a few deep breaths. She looked around the immediate area, which was quite crowded.
“Finish your drink or bring it with you. I need to talk to you in private,” she said.
Alex gulped down the rest of his martini. He allowed himself to be pulled by Nia away from the bar and through the hall. As they passed some of the fabric partitions hanging from the ceiling, he saw that part of the hall had been set up as an art gallery.
There were exquisite statues and paintings and people wandering around, looking at them as waiters circulated carrying trays with food and glasses of champagne. There was a cluster of statues of naked young men all grinning, except for one with his hands out as though begging. Not far away was a tall man with sleek black hair in a suit that must have cost more than what most people make a year. Alex nearly stumbled when he saw Roma standing beside him. The last time he’d seen her had been behind the counter wearing a leather apron.
Tonight she was wearing a sleek black gown that fit her curves in all the right places. Alex felt the urge to howl at the moon in pure appreciation for it.
He saw the man put his arm around Roma and saw her flinch at the touch.
“That’s Prince, the vampire,” Nia muttered, tugging on Alex’s arm.
Mad thoughts swirled. What is that goddamn vampire doing touching his mate! Roma was his!
For a moment their e
yes met. He saw Roma notice him and then Nia pulled him away. He wasn't quite sure how she knew where she was going, but after a moment she’d found a door out of the hall and had pulled him into a small corridor. That led to stairs going up and down. Without hesitating, Nia pulled him down the stairs, around the corner, and along a corridor. The floor was covered in a rich, red carpet that muffled their footsteps.
“Should we be down here?” Alex asked. He was still trying to find his equilibrium. Roma his mate? What nonsense was that?
“It's fine,” Nia said. They passed a door and from inside Alex heard a girl giggling and the sound of a man. He guessed they weren’t the first guests to leave the party to find somewhere private. Nia went to the next door down the corridor, but it was locked. The third along, however, was open, so she pulled him inside and closed the door.
Alex got the briefest glimpse of the room—a rich solid desk with an enormous leather chair, a world globe, bookcases, some paintings and a statue of a nude girl in fine marble—before Nia flung herself at him, her hand scrabbling for his belt. Her mouth tasted like fruit from the cocktail. Alex wasn't quite sure what was going on, but in the state he was in, he went with it. Nia soon had his pants undone, her hand wrapped around his cock, kissing him everywhere and then suddenly kneeling, enveloping him. Alex tried to stifle a moan as he half fell back against the door, hoping he wasn’t being too loud. He tried to keep his eyes open, but the pleasure was too intense, although the view was quite worth it; Nia in her spectacular red dress, on her knees with the gold necklace with a green emerald around her neck. She moved back and forth but it was only for a few minutes and Alex realized that while she was on her knees, she was trying to take her underwear off with one hand and having a hard time of it. He finally saw what she was doing, so he pulled her up, losing connection, Nia letting out a disappointed sigh.
Nearby there was an exquisite sofa in dark leather. Alex pushed Nia towards it and tried not to fall over because his pants were around his ankles. She got the hint and moved over to it, bending over the arm and lifting her dress. Alex managed to kick off his shoes and get his pants off, and although he knew that no girl wanted to see a naked man in socks, he just couldn't wait. He pulled up Nia's dress and grabbed her underwear. They were already half down so he completed the job and pulled them to the floor. As he did, he then kneeled down behind Nia, quickly giving her a kiss on one butt cheek before plunging his tongue in between them.
Now it was Nia's turn to moan as Alex began to lick. She bent further over the sofa arm, holding onto it and spreading her legs. Alex kept licking, feeling like a wild animal. Eventually he couldn’t hold himself back and he stood up, plunging into her. Nia had painted her nails bright red and now Alex saw they set off well against the dark leather of the sofa as she held on tight. She was slightly off-balance, having to hold on with all her might, her breathing in gasps. Alex felt that same madness again, that crazed sexual desire, that made him want to drag Nia somewhere and spend the whole day in bed with her. It felt a little like the rage that came, the wild, that threw him into the blackness but not quite.
Alex faintly heard a low giggle and the sound of the man's voice from the room two doors down the corridor, and instead of ignoring it, he felt a flush of anger. How dare another man be anywhere near his mate? Alex pushed it away, and visions of marching down there, kicking the door open, and ripping the man's head off.
Nia had begun moaning, and as Alex jolted back and forth, tiny flecks of red pulled themselves out of the air. There was a sudden burst as Nia came and the jolt of it pulled Alex over the edge. He was pulling her hips back and forth, harder and faster, not slowing this time, and Nia's low groan turned into a moan and she lost herself entirely. For a moment Alex could hardly see for the red hitting him. He knew it was being wasted, the sex magic bar was already filled to the top from earlier in the day. After a few moments he slowed and then stopped, stepping back, taking deep breaths to slow his heart rate. Nia tried to stand but was shaky but finally managed to get herself up. By then, Alex had found his boxer shorts, had put them on, and was working on his pants.
“I really needed that,” Nia said and then laughed.
“What was that about?” Alex asked, “Not that I'm complaining by the way,” he quickly added.
“We have to finish up our business in Baxter really soon. It's called the thrall or sometimes the curse. It’s a sexual madness that comes over an alpha werewolf and affects his mates too. When it does, they lose all consciousness of what they're doing. They just want to mate with their mates and that's all, and they'll kill anyone who gets close. So, it’s definitely not something that can happen in civilization.”
“How long does that last?” Alex said.
“A week or two. It’s one of those unknown things. Sometimes it can be twice a year, other times it won't happen for years. It happens most though to alphas with new packs and no children,” Nia said. Alex was just about to ask another question when Nia moved, ostensibly to pick up the high heel she'd kicked off when there was a sudden flash of green from the emerald around her neck.
“Did you see that?” Nia said.
“Yeah, what's happening?” Alex said. The emerald now had a slight glow to it. Nia took a step towards her high heel which had been thrown across the room and the glow intensified.
“I can feel it. It’s pulling,” Nia said.
“We still have time, we can follow it,” Alex said, checking the watch Ruby had given him. Nia picked up her high heels but didn't put them on. Alex had dressed, tucking in his shirt, getting himself back to some kind of respectability. He followed Nia towards the back of the room and it was only when they got there they realized that what looked like a bookcase was actually a hidden door. It swung open at a touch, entering a small alcove that led to a much larger room beyond.
They'd purchased another shifter charm which Nia was wearing, and without warning, she shifted. her heels disappearing as well as her dress. The necklace remained, however, which was something Alex found odd. Nia sniffed the air.
“There’s no one out there,” she whispered to him.
Alex followed Nia out into the larger room. It was cooler down there, with flat marble floors and that feeling you get when you’re in a library or museum that you should be quiet.
“Wow, look at that,” Nia murmured, pointing at a nearby bronze statue. It was a Centaur, ridiculously huge, reared up on his back legs, holding a bow and arrow, and with a furious look on his face. The detail on it was exquisite. They walked over and Alex saw there was a small plaque at the bottom.
“Excavated in 1462 but dated to 8000 BCE. I didn't know they were making statues like this back then,” Alex said. As they moved into the room, they saw there were more artifacts spread around. Tapestries hung in glass cases along with stone tablets. Pedestals were scattered through the room with single items such as arrowheads and long fangs.
“How are we going for time?” Nia asked.
“We need to leave soon,” Alex said.
Ruby's plan was simple. Make an appearance at the party while she goes off to scout the grounds and check where all the guards were. Then they were to go outside and meet at the back corner of the mansion where they would scatter the sleep crystals to form a rough perimeter. While the three girls kept watch outside, armed with sleep crystals, Ruby and Alex would break in through the back window which Ruby said led to a treasure room where they would be able to find gold and jewels. She also said she had arranged a distraction but had declined to give any further details despite Juno prodding her.
They kept moving through the museum, Nia following the pull. Despite what they’d just done, Alex was having trouble keeping his eyes off his mate.
“So, what was with that anyway? You tell me it's the thrall and then suddenly drag me upstairs to screw my brains out?” Alex asked.
Nia shook her head with a smile.
“I don't know what came over me. It could be the idea of the thrall. For werewo
lves, it's intoxicating just to think that it might happen. I just suddenly had to; I couldn't stop myself,” she said. Then she gave Alex a quick kiss, which after a moment deepened before she pulled herself away before both of them started to pant.
“Let's just keep going,” Nia said, fanning herself.
Alex nodded, although he was already looking around to find something Nia could hold on to if she bent over. They kept moving and soon came upon a fragment of tapestry, torn from a much larger piece. On it was a werewolf standing on a pile of dead, golden sparks leaking from its sharp claws.
“Is this werewolf mythology? Like Ito the Trickster? Or is this something that actually happened?”
Nia studied the tapestry and then shook her head.
“I never heard a story of a single werewolf killing a bunch of mages. You know, apart from you.”
“How do you know they’re mages?”
“See that symbol there? That’s an old sigil of a destroyed mage enclave. What were they called... oh yeah, Lucret maybe? Something like that. Look at that mage under his foot—that’s Tradinium’s sigil on his robes, or an old form of it.”
“So this werewolf mage fought and killed a lot of human mages from various enclaves? But you’ve never heard a story like that?”
Nia moved closer to the glass, absentmindedly pressing herself against Alex as she did. He breathed in, her scent of warm life a welcome change to the cold marble and dusty relics.
“Our history is an oral one. Things don’t get written down much. This tapestry wasn’t made by a werewolf. I think those edge markings mean witches sewed this.”
Alex examined the spidery black scratchings running across the top of the tapestry. The witch, or witches, who’d made it had used exquisitely fine thread to create what looked a little like Norse runes. Even though they were ancient, they still glimmered in the light.
“Is that a message or just their names?” Alex asked.