by Quinn Loftis
If he’d been able to convince more of the draheim to join his cause, he might be able to attack Peri now. But he’d only persuaded two of the great beasts—a ruthless pair of brothers, huge monsters the size of city buses called Grus and Volaman. Regrettably, the evil beings’ territorialism, hatred for one another, and a general lack of ambition kept them from aligning themselves with anybody. They were usually merciless with outsiders who entered their realm. But even the great draheim recognized Volcan wasn’t someone with which they should trifle. And two would be enough when the time came, especially if he had his witch army at his back. He would destroy Perizada first, then the wolves, then move on to the rest of the supernaturals. It wouldn’t take long to subjugate them all. They would serve or they would die. It was that simple.
Volcan smirked at Ciesel, who continually glanced at Volaman out the corner of his eye. The draheim was coiled into a ball, watching the pixie intently. Volcan wasn’t sure where Grus was at the moment, surely off killing something. “Does my companion frighten you, Ciesel?”
“F-f-frighten? Of course not. I’ve just never seen one this closely before.”
“Few people do and live to tell about it,” came a scratchy voice from inside the draheim, though the thing’s huge mouth never moved.
Ciesel squeaked from his kneeling position on the ground. “How’d it do that?”
Volcan laughed. “The draheim have many magical abilities few people understand or even know about. Volaman and his brother will be great allies in the battles to come.”
“Yes, I’m sure,” said Ciesel. “I look forward to hearing about your conquests.”
Volcan laughed again. “Hearing about them? Why, my good pixie, you’ll be seeing them firsthand. You don’t plan on leaving my service anytime soon, do you, Ciesel?”
“Uh, of course not, my lord. But I’m not much of a fighter.”
“You’re not,” agreed Volcan. “But you have certain skills, however minuscule, that might be of use, such as your penchant for moving about undetected.”
“Okay.”
“Now, back to my healers. What should we do with them?”
“I … I … I … don’t know, my lord.”
“That was rhetorical, Ciesel,” said Volcan.
“We could go eat them,” came the draheim’s voice from the corner.
“Not the healers,” hissed Volcan. “Be patient, Volaman. You’ll have plenty of wolves to eat soon enough.”
Volcan considered for a moment calling Jewel and Anna back to him. He was sure he had just enough strength to force their return. But it didn't sound like that was necessary. Apparently, the women were doing their duty as he commanded, attempting to determine how to build his army, and it sounded like they’d succeeded. They would start with the other three healers first and then work from there. After he had those five under his thumb, he’d consider his options.
In fact, five witch/healers plus the two draheim might just be enough to take on Perizada and her band of merry wolves. Then again, he might need to bide his time just a little more and let Jewel and Anna continue to make witches. It should be easier for them going forward now that they’d apparently learned the secret. Though Volcan wanted his army as quickly as possible, and though he hated it, he was used to waiting. After all, he’d spent hundreds of years in the dark forest. He could wait a few more days to accomplish his goals.
Still, one thing niggled at the back of his mind. Why did Perizada not want the wolves to perform the Blood Rites ceremony? It must have something to do with that sacrifice. This much he was sure of. But why? Volcan couldn’t guess. Though one thing was for sure. If Peri didn’t want the wolves to perform the Blood Rites ceremony, then Volcan certainly did.
“Ciesel, get up,” he commanded.
The pixie jumped to his feet so quickly he actually rose involuntarily a couple of feet from the ground. Quickly, he landed, a look of expectant terror on his face.
“I’m sending you back to Peri’s abode,” said Volcan, ignoring the pixie’s antics. “And this time you won’t just be observing.”
Ciesel gulped. “Yes, my lord. What would you have of me?”
How fitting. I’m sending a tiny creature to fly around and make foolish people fall in love with each other. “Ciesel, you’re going to be playing cupid. I hope you look good in a diaper.”
***
“It’s not happening. Ciro can just forget it. I’m not letting him sacrifice himself for me,” said Stella.
“Same for me,” said Kara. “I couldn’t watch Nick die. It would end up killing me, too, even if this whole Blood Rites ceremony-thingie hasn’t been performed.”
They both looked at Heather, and though she couldn’t see them, Heather could feel their stares and knew they anticipated she would echo their sentiments. Instead, she remained silent. After hearing the males intended on sacrificing themselves, Heather had called a powwow. The women had kicked the boys out into the hall so they could discuss what the males had said about the spell. Now, Stella and Heather held their bond closed tightly so their mates couldn’t hear the discussion. Kara, of course, didn’t have that problem since theirs hadn’t yet developed due to her young age.
“Don’t you have anything to say, Heather?” asked Stella. “Usually, we can’t get you to shut up. Now, you want to go quiet on us?”
“I don’t know what to say,” Heather whispered finally. “There’s just so many unknowns.”
“Unknowns? What’s unknown about it? You’ve been introduced to the man of your dreams. He’s a werewolf. Now he’s going to die for you. Only you can stop him. And you’re actually thinking about letting him go through with it?”
Heather began, “Wow, when you say it like that it sounds so—”
“Romantic,” interrupted Kara.
“Exactly,” said Heather.
“Insane is the word I would use,” said Stella.
“Of the three of us, I’m surprised you’re the one having the biggest issues with this,” said Heather.
“Why would you say that?”
“It just seems you and Ciro … I don’t know … don’t necessarily have the same connection that Kale and I have.”
Stella shook her head. “Uh. Do not go there. Can you see in my mind? Do you know what Ciro and I have talked about? No. So, don’t go thinking you know anything about our bond. I might have some baggage to work through, but that doesn’t mean I’m any less enthralled with my man than you two are with yours.”
Heather held up her hands. “You’re right, you’re right. I shouldn’t have said that. It’s just, I’m so confused.”
“There’s nothing to be confused about. No one is sacrificing themselves for me, especially not Ciro.”
“But if they don’t, then we become evil witches. Ciro isn’t going to want you if you’re an evil witch.”
“I don’t know that,” replied Stella. “If you knew how patient he was, you might not think that. He’d want me if I was a three-headed cyclops. And I’m sure Kale feels the same way about you.”
“What if they don’t even have to die?” asked Kara. “You heard what they said. Sometimes the sacrifice doesn’t die.”
“You tell that to Mateo or Metata or whatever that chick’s name was. She died. That means our mates could, too,” said Stella. “I’m not willing to take that chance.”
“What if we can’t stop them?” asked Heather.
“What do you mean? They can’t sacrifice themselves if we refuse to perform the spell,” said Stella.
“So, you would allow yourself to be transformed into an evil witch if it means saving Ciro’s life?” asked Heather.
“One hundred percent.”
“I think I’m with Stella on this one,” said Kara.
“There has to be another way,” said Heather.
“I’d love to hear any ideas you might have.”
Heather scratched her chin. “Maybe we should spend some m
ore time with them. I know it seems we’ve been in this world our whole lives, at least it does for me. But it wasn’t long ago we had no idea the supernatural world existed. We certainly don’t understand the whole Blood Rites stuff. Maybe we should spend some time alone with our mates, get to know them better, help ourselves understand what it’s like from their point of view.”
“That sounds like a good idea,” said Kara. “I definitely want to spend some more time with my biker. Then, we all decide as a group, the six of us. And it has to be unanimous. One for all, all for one, that type of thing.”
“Exactly,” said Heather.
“Bup, bup, bup, wait a second. You know what Peri said,” offered Stella. “No touchie-touchie. We have to stay pure. And absolutely no bitie, bitie.” She pointed to her neck.
“To be honest, I think this should be a decision made between us and our mates. I mean, I know Peri has our backs, but it’s sort of personal.” And for her it was extremely personal. Heather had lived her whole life in darkness and since meeting Kale, for the first time in her life, she felt as though she’d stepped into the light. She was terrified of losing it, of losing him. “And I’m not just saying that because I want my man’s lips and teeth on me like I want my next breath,” said Heather.
“I understand what you’re saying, Helen, really I do. But we can’t take our eyes off the bigger picture. We go off on our own and these guys start getting all, ‘you’re my true mate and blah, blah, blah.’ The next thing you know, the fangs and claws come out and we’re being ravished.”
“I can’t see any pictures, bigger or smaller. And ravished sounds exactly what I want to be by Kale,” said Heather.
“And Peri finds out and turns us all into toads or cockroaches or something,” said Stella. “Not to mention, now we’ve got completed bonds, and if one of us dies then our mate dies.”
“Being a cockroach would suck. It would put a damper on the whole mating thing,” said Kara.
“Or make it even better,” offered Heather.
Stella made a retching sound. “Eww. I cannot believe you just said that.”
“You never know,” said Heather. “Frogs and cockroaches have, like, a million eggs. They must enjoy mating quite a bit.”
“Please stop,” said Stella.
“How about this?” asked Kara. “We each agree that if things get too heavy, we find one another and then regroup. This will be our HQ. That way, we can spend time with our mates—it still feels weird to call them that—and we have our girls to protect us if the claws and fangs come out.”
“Perfect,” said Heather. “This will be the AWBDL headquarters.”
“AWBDL?” asked Stella.
“Anti-werewolf Bite Defense League, obviously,” answered Heather.
“Can’t believe I didn’t get that,” said Stella deadpan.
“Whaddya say?” asked Kara.
“Okay, I’ll do it,” said Stella, “but only because I love you two goofy white girls, and I don’t want you to turn evil. Nothing worse than more EWWs running around.”
“EWWs?” asked Heather.
“Evil White Witches.”
“Touché,” she replied.
“Is there a reason you two are speaking in abbreviations?” asked Kara. “I feel like I’m the uncool kid being left out of the club.”
“Naw.” Heather waved her off. “We’d never let you be left out. Besides, just being near us makes you cool. Stella and I seem to be on the same wavelength today.”
Stella blanched. “Says the girl who thinks being turned into a cockroach will make sex better. No, we are not even close to being on the same wavelength. I’m only speaking in abbreviations because it seems to be a language you understand.”
“Whatevs,” said Heather. “Miss out on the best insect sex of your life. See if I care.”
“I know I’ve said this already, but eww,” said Stella.
“Okay, okay,” said Kara. “How about we agree, no more abbreviations and no more insect sex talk.”
“Please,” said Stella.
“Fine,” agreed Heather.
“Alright then,” said Kara “I’m all for getting my wolf time on. Let’s do this.”
“Better yet, let’s wait until the morning,” said Stella. “I’m tired. I could use a good night’s sleep before I face Ciro again.”
“Excellent idea,” said Heather.
“I doubt the guys are going anywhere,” said Kara. “I’m pretty sure they’re sitting just outside our door again.”
“We are,” came Nick’s voice.
Kara’s eyes went wide. “Do you think they’ve heard this entire conversation?”
“We have.” This time it was Ciro’s voice.
“Damn it,” said Heather “We forgot about the wolf hearing. That one’s on me. I should have thought of that.”
“You should’ve, lass,” said Kale loudly.
“Mind your own business, mutts,” said Stella “Before we change our minds and decide to stay in this room for the rest of our lives.”
“See you in the morning, love,” said Ciro, ignoring her statement.
“Goodnight, Kara,” said Nick.
“Codladh sámh, Heather,” said Kale.
There was a moment of silence. “And a very pleasant coleslaw to you, too,” she replied. She heard him chuckle through the doorway.
“It means sleep tight, love.”
“Ah, well, then thank you. You too. See you tomorrow. I mean … I won’t see you, see you, but … you know what I mean.”
He laughed again. “Hopefully, I’ll see you before then, in my dreams tonight. And I pray you won’t be a cockroach.”
“Sounds more like a nightmare,” said Stella.
“I was only kidding about that,” she yelled at Kale. “Don’t imagine me as a cockroach. I’m all girl. And you’re all boy. Dream about that.”
“But he’s actually not all boy… He’s a werewolf,” said Kara.
“Oh, yeah,” said Heather. “On second thought, if you want to go all furry during the dream, I’m cool with that, too,” she said loudly to the door. “Just take good notes. I want a full recap in the morning.”
“As you wish, lass,” he replied.
“You know there is something seriously wrong with you, don’t you?” said Stella to Heather. “I mean, not just a little wrong, but seriously, seriously wrong.”
“What can I say,” replied Heather, throwing up her hands. “The freaky heart wants what the freaky heart wants.”
Chapter 7
“They call me a good witch, whatever that means. Sure, maybe I’ve never killed anyone. And maybe I’ve never made a sacrifice to a denizen of the underworld. I’ve never cursed anyone … but I’m far from good.” ~Jezebel
“Gustavo, I’d like to speak to my mother,” said Anna.
He touched her chin gently and lifted her face so she was looking at him. “I’ll be right out here. If you need me, just call.” Gustavo leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead. She wanted to sink into his strength and warmth, but this talk was long overdue. She stepped away and walked past the two warlocks who’d begun picking up strewn debris left over from the fight and stacking it against the back wall of the Little Shop of Horrors. Anna entered the room and found Jezebel staring into space.
“Mom.” Jezebel spun around, and Anna saw tears in her eyes. “What’s going on?”
Jezebel quickly wiped the tears away and sniffed. “It’s nothing, dear. I just had to tell Peri something about Thadrick.”
“What about Thad?” Anna asked.
“It’s nothing, dear. Really.”
“Mom, don’t give me that. I know that look. You’re hiding something from me. You always used to get that same look in your eyes every time you were about to take off. Are you about to leave again?”
Fresh tears appeared in the witch’s eyes. Jezebel shook her head. “No way. Never again.”
&nbs
p; “What does that mean?” asked Anna. “Does that mean you don’t think evil spirits will be drawn to you if you don’t stay in one place?”
“Something like that.”
“No, Mom. That’s not good enough. I want to know what’s going on with you. You kept all of this from me, Mom.” Anna held out her arms. “You kept an entire world from me. Werewolves, djinn, witches. I lived my whole life without knowing about any of this.”
“I did it to keep you safe.”
“And how’d that work out?”
“Anna—”
“No. Don’t try to pacify me. I want to know everything that you’ve been hiding from me. You’ve explained your sister but not my father, and now, apparently, Thad too. What’s going on?”
“Okay, okay,” said Jezebel. “I’ll tell you everything. You should probably take a seat.”
***
Dalton sat on the ground and pulled Jewel down to him. He held her in his lap and stared into her eyes, trying desperately to see what was behind them. Not for the first time, he wished the bond hadn’t been broken. He wished so badly to be able to communicate with his Little Dove on a deeper level.
“Talk to me, Jewel.”
“What do you want me to say, Dalton?”
“What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking I almost killed Peri, and I couldn’t help myself.”
“It’s okay, Little Dove.”
“It’s not okay, Dalton! None of this is okay.” She wriggled out of his arms and sat up. “What am I going to do the next time he tries to use me to attack someone?”
“You’ll fight him off again. Just like you did this time.”
“And what if I can’t?” she asked.