by Tobi Grim
Lupa searched his eyes. What was he seeing? Was he looking at her differently now? Now that he had seen something inside her she didn’t even touch?
“I aint meanin’ to,” he said again, not dropping his gaze, “It dun scared me, witchy girl, aint much scare me, but you… you feelin’ like that dun scarin’ me. I aint afraid to say that to ya. Fuck, I aint even worried about tellin’ Hammer you scared me. But I aint ever tellin’ no one what I feelin’ when I touchin’ you. Aint nobody’s business. Aint even mine.”
Sledge dropped his hand. Lupa didn’t know what to say. What was she supposed to say? “Thank you…” it didn’t seem enough. But… how could she tell him he had seen something inside her she didn’t even know?
“Aint needin’ to. I feelin’ bad enough I invadin’ you. I aint meanin’ to, but I did…”
“No… don’t feel like that. It’s… Shit.” She tucked her hair behind her ear, “Do you know much about why Hunters have Protectors? Or more so, why we always have the same one?” Sledge shook his head, moving from the table back onto the couch, not taking his eyes off her.
“We are bonded. And when we go into a fight, we connect with each other before hand. It’s like… I can see through Hawk’s eyes. And I can hear him talking to me in my head, and I can feel what he’s feeling… I think… when you touched me, you momentarily bonded with me… or something like that. I don’t know why… it doesn’t really make sense why a spell would do that… but I think that’s what happened. And because of the nature of the spell, you saw the places inside me that… even I don’t really know…”
Lupa was feeling better. She could rationalise this now. And that felt good. Better than letting him in without even knowing it, better than thinking about what he had seen… or felt more so… “The spell is dark, and dirty. Like I told you before, it feels like all those places you don’t want to remember… and I think… fuck. Do you think this guy could be looking for more witches to join him? Maybe that’s why the bonding thing happened… shit.”
Sledge looked at her with his head cocked to one side. “Thinkin’ that’s why it feelin’ messed up? Maybe he dun started on his own on his side, and as he gettin’ more witches, gettin’ them to add to his magick? His magick bein’ dirty cos he lookin’ into people’s bad places?”
Shit. Could that be it? “You might be right, Lio, that sure sounds like something that could be fucking spot on.”
Sledge rubbed his chin. “Aint thinkin’ that sounds like some easy spell to break. If I aint been there… thinkin’ somebody watchin’?”
“I’d fucking say so. If you hadn’t been there, I’d probably be locked up or some shit, him trying to see into those places. Fuck. And the thing left in me… I couldn’t really… respond, you know? I could hear Hammer talking to me, but I couldn’t really hear him. It was like he was a dream, just an annoying little voice that kept interrupting me… I kept being drawn back into my own thoughts… fuck, Sledge, this is bad.”
Sledge nodded and poured them both a drink. Lupa drank it gratefully. This was going to be one of those thoughts she’d have to push away at night. Fucking join the club. That was why the dark place was there, wasn’t it? Fuck.
“So… is I bonded with you now from that?”
Lupa startled and looked at Sledge. She hadn’t thought of that. Probably not. As far as she knew, a Hunter or Protector could only bond with one person at a time. Fuck. Some only ever bonded with one, never found another partner if something happened to theirs…
“Nah, seems unlikely. You don’t have to worry about that.”
Sledge nodded. “Thinkin’ we needin’ some more drinks. You wantin’ tequila?”
Lupa smiled and nodded. Yes, yes she did. This whole thing was making her feel… naked. And not the kind of naked that she was accustomed to. Not the kind of naked that she… best not to think about it.
Chapter six
“Everything you see is not everything that is there…”
Lupa opened her eyes with a groan. Was her phone ringing? Where the fuck was her phone? She went to roll over to check the time and fell out of Sledge’s bed onto the floor. Fuck. She stood up and saw her bag in the corner and went to get her phone out. How much had they drunk last night?
“Hello?”
“Hey, Little Red… you sound like shit, everything ok?”
“Too much to drink. What do you want?”
“Alright,” Dameon laughed, the sound of it drilled into Lupa’s skull, “Just checking what you found out about the Corpore family? I didn’t hear from you last night…”
Lupa quickly filled him in, tip toeing out into Sledge’s kitchen to grab a drink of water. Sledge was laying on the couch asleep when she entered it, but was staring at her once she turned around with her glass, giving her such a shock that she almost dropped it.
“Hmmm, yeah I didn’t find out much more from the file,” Dameon was saying, “There was a couple of photos in it though. They all looked a lot better dressed in the pictures, think that’s strange?”
“I did think about that too, actually, I would say it’s a fitting in method. Blackmoars is poor mostly. Not exactly poverty stricken, but definitely not like Central… I don’t know whether they are just fucking smart and blending into their new place, or if they have something more to hide…”
“Yeah… so what are we going to do tonight? Want me to come pick you up around four thirty?”
“Yeah that sounds good. Make sure you eat beforehand, we can’t trust anyone while we don’t know what is going on, I don’t know if there’s a way of detecting blood magick… I was actually thinking about asking Hammer…”
Dameon didn’t say anything for a long moment, making her feel a little uneasy. Lupa looked up and saw Sledge standing and folding the blanket he’d had on the couch, glancing over at her with an unreadable expression on his face.
“I guess you’ll have to… not like we can find anything ourselves through The Organization…”
“Ok. Well… I guess I’ll see you later?”
“Yeah. Try not be so grumpy and hung over would ya?” Dameon hung up before she could shoot a reply back. Cheeky fucker. She poured herself another glass of water rubbing her head.
“Everythin’ a’right?”
“Yeah. Need to ask Hammer about blood magick again… the case I’m working on. Looks like I’m dealing with fucking rogue witches everywhere.”
Lupa desperately wished her head would stop aching. But then, she was the one who had agreed to tequila shooters, she could have just said no. Lupa smiled, it had been fun though, and she hadn’t once thought about… fuck. She blushed and focused on the glass in her hands.
“Wantin’ me to take you home so you can change before us goin’ to see Hammer?”
“Yeah that’d be great, thanks.”
✽ ✽ ✽
Lupa had a quick shower, checking out her stitches in the mirror afterwards. It looked like about fifteen stitches down her stomach, but it seemed to be healing fairly well, she shuddered as the memory of the dark snake-like thing raced into her mind. Fuck it. She walked into her bedroom and pulled on a long black skirt and a tight grey shirt… she glanced at the window… and grabbed a cardigan too, it looked wet out there. As usual.
“Alright, I’m ready… what’s that?”
Sledge handed her a tubular package. “Aint knowin’. Someone dun came and knocked, said your rent bein’ due too…”
Shit. She had all that money but had forgotten to give any to her landlord. Good thing he wasn’t pushy, she’d have to remember to go drop it off at his place… “Thanks, this from him?”
Sledge shrugged as she pulled the top off, looking suspiciously inside. What the fuck would anyone be sending to her? She pulled out a rolled up piece of paper, unrolling it to see… one of Grey’s charcoal drawings. She dropped it on the floor like it was something foul.
He’d drawn her again, while he was in jail? But this time he knew her face, he’d drawn her loo
king to the left over her shoulder at a wolfblood with its hands around her neck, choking her. Lupa swallowed. Was it a threat? Was he allowed to fucking send her shit like this? She felt anger rising up in her. How had the jail keepers allowed him to send her a fucking threat?
Sledge picked the drawing up off the floor and peered at it curiously. “Who dun sayin’ this?”
“That’s Grey’s work. I think he’s fucking threatening me!”
“Aint thinkin’ so. This lookin’ like intimacy not threat.”
Sledge coloured a little and put the picture down on the bench. Lupa glared at it but decided to have one little look… Sledge was right, it wasn’t a wolfblood choking her, but… pulling her closer… the touch looking more like… reaching into her than actually grabbing her… what the fuck? Lupa grabbed it and threw it in the bin.
“Let’s go. Fucking prick shouldn’t be sending me anything.”
Lupa threw herself out the door, not waiting for Sledge, and stalked over to his car. Sledge appeared next to her and opened the door, but not enough for her to get in, forcing her to wait or to look at him. She chose to look.
“Mindin’ if I keep this?”
He lifted the picture up. She shoved the door against him and climbed in the car, folding her arms. “Do whatever the fuck you want with it.”
Sledge sat down heavily in the driver’s seat giving her a strange look. Then, putting his key in the ignition he started the car. “Aint keepin’ it if’n you don’t want me to,” Sledge said after ten minutes of silence, “I just thinkin’ it an interestin’ picture…”
“It’s not the picture, it’s who drew it. Grey thinks he can just send me shit. I don’t want anything to do with him. Unless I get to fucking kill him. He gets to live, when… people fucking died for what he did. I want nothing from him.”
Sledge looked over at her. “Thinkin’ maybe I can look past who dun drew it, it makin’ me feel like I did when I touchin’ you. Feelin’ like maybe I bein’ that wolfblood who dun touchin’ you and seein’… too much.”
Lupa turned her gaze to Sledge with her eyes narrowed, but he wasn’t looking at her now. Did he really feel like that? She shrugged. Whatever. He could keep it if he damn well wanted. She wanted to set it on fucking fire. She wanted to set everything on fucking fire right this moment. The anger inside her belly made her body feel hot with magick.
Sledge pulled the car around the back, getting out to open her door but she opened it first and stepped into him. “You can keep it if you want, but I want nothing to do with it,” she said, staring up into his face, why was she so damn angry at him? “You did see too much. Way too fucking much.”
She stepped around him and walked over to the door, waiting for Sledge to catch up. He placed his hand against the door but didn’t open it. “I dun gettin’ rid of it then.”
He held the picture up, pulled out his lighter and set it on fire. She watched it burn slowly, watching the image of herself burning away. Watching as he did exactly what she wanted to do to it. Had he known? Could he see into her now? Still? He dropped the last piece onto the ground and looked at her.
“Aint seein’ nothin’ now.”
Lupa let her eyes wander over his face, was he being sarcastic? Was he pushing her away? No… just… a simple statement… she reluctantly gave him a half smile and he opened the door. Lupa went to go to the jukebox room, but Sledge put his hand on her shoulder and pointed straight ahead. She opened the door to find stairs, she hadn’t even realised that the higher levels were used…
“Next door.” Sledge said, pointing up to the first door at the top of the stairs.
They went up silently, Sledge stepping around her awkwardly to open the door. Lupa slowly walked though, this level was all one room… completely different to the rooms she had seen down stairs. Bare, barren almost. The walls were exposed brick, the floor just dirty board, tables and chairs scattered around, some with dark brown stains on them…
She gazed ahead of her, there were three people in the large room, Hammer, a woman and a giant hunched man grinning at them. “Come closer,” Hammer said, beckoning to them.
Sledge walked over confidently, but Lupa felt nervous… Hammer watched her from across the room, she didn’t want to look weak in front of these people, and so she smiled brightly and strode over. She tried to hide the discomfort prickling all over her body. Who the fuck were these other people?
“Ah, little wolf witch, you are looking better this morning, may I see you wound?”
Lupa glanced at the dark haired woman and the giant staring at her. She lifted the side of her shirt up, not taking her eyes off them as Hammer ran his fingers down her bare skin. She hoped they felt uncomfortable watching her, she wasn’t going to be the one to look away that’s for damn sure. Fuck them.
“You seem to be healing marvellously, Little Red, it seems your wolf-blood does help you more than you realise. Now, we need to talk about this warding spell, and the spell beneath it. But first, this is my cousin Lin, and her son Albion.”
Lupa’s eyebrows shot up her head, that tiny woman had birthed this giant? They both smiled at her, smiles that made her feel uncomfortable, smiles that seemed to be saying they knew something about her… what had Hammer told them?
“Now, I am afraid I cannot be too long, there are some matters I need to deal with. So tell me what you can about the spell?”
“It gets inside your head, like I said, and take you to places you don’t want…” she quickly glanced at Sledge, but he was staring at the wall, “We think maybe… this man you’re dealing with, might have put these wards and spells on buildings in Serum before bringing them here, and that maybe he has collected other witches who were drawn into it. I think… if I had been there alone, someone would have taken me after seeing that I was a witch, after seeing my magick was exposed. It feels dirty and wrong, Sledge mentioned when you met with this man he had the same feel? And an accent, do you know where he might be from?”
Fuck. Should she have not said that? Did Hammer’s cousin and her son know that Sledge was magick? He said no one else knew he was both… she looked over to Sledge but he just nodded. Good. She must be in the clear.
Hammer leaned against a long table, his pale peach suit looked so out of place in this barren room. Lupa just waited. “I believe he was from the east. Across the sea. Although, I am not sure exactly where. And I do agree with Sledge, he felt magickal, but it did not feel clean, it did not feel… like it belonged to him.”
Lupa nibbled her lip. What did that mean? If he was from the east… shit, she’d have to try find out about their magick, were things different across the sea? Did The Organization run differently? And how the fuck was she going to find out without someone wondering why a Hunter was looking into matters that were not in her job description…
“I will look into it, my Little Red beauty, do not torture your conflicted mind, The Organization need never know. We can discuss this more on Monday when you return.”
Hammer’s voice was dismissive, Sledge went to leave, but Lupa needed to ask about the blood magick… “Um… I have to go to a thing, and there might be people there who have used blood magick,” she noticed Lin and Albion looked at her more intently as she said that, “Is there any way of knowing if… someone has been using it? Or if the food or drink is contaminated? I don’t want to risk it, but we are supposed to be having dinner with the whole fucking town to try find a wolfblood, and… well… you know.”
Hammer reached into his jacket and pulled out his cigarette tin, taking one out and lighting it slowly, making Lupa want to hit him and make him talk. She could feel Sledge stiffening as he turned to wait. Lin and Albion were still staring at Lupa in the intense same way.
“My dear little wolf witch, do you not think if I had information like that I would have told you when you inquired initially about the blood magick?”
“No… I didn’t ask if there was a way to detect it. Why tell me something I didn’t ask?”
>
Lupa knew she had him there, it was sometimes hard enough to get information she did fucking ask for, he wasn’t exactly handing shit out for free. Was he becoming more difficult to talk to? She didn’t know…
“Indeed, I suspect you are beginning to understand me a little.” He smiled that charming smile of his and stepped over to her, pulling her arm up, examining her wrist as he handed her his smoke, “I can try something, but I cannot promise it will work, for as I told you, it is not something my people use anymore. We have not had the need in a long time. I have only the knowledge passed down, and they are not always including all important information… ”
Hammer dragged his thumb nail up her wrist, his nail was sharp enough to open the skin, and blood started oozing out. Lupa gritted her teeth. Whatever he needed to do, she was not going to react in front of fucking strangers. Especially not with them watching her like a fucking bug in a glass… or a snake… dammit.
Hammer lifted her wrist and licked the blood from it, keeping it on his tongue as he spoke. “Sanguinem opus videri, obligare ad saga.”
Hammer pushed her wound closed, placing his mouth against her wrist as he cleaned the blood off it, a smile on his lips as he looked at her. Lupa’s heart was beating wildly, what the fuck was this guy doing? She refused to squirm. Fuck. He let her hand go, she looked at it and there was no trace of a wound at all…
“I make no promises to you, my little wolf witch, but at the least it should protect you. Watch out for Protector Hawk.”
Hammer turned his back on her, facing the pair who were watching her wide eyed. Right. He was done with her now. She shrugged, moving to follow Sledge back out, his face was blank as he turned away from her to lead the way.
✽ ✽ ✽
Sledge opened the car door for her, their trip back to her place had been uncomfortably silent. He shut the door and she put her hand on his arm, stalling him before he could go back round to climb in his car.
“I’m sorry… about earlier… it’s just… it’s not just what Grey did to Karl, or to Slasher, or to The Organization, or even to me… it’s just… what he represents to my life. Sadness, loss… lies and illusion… I guess I had grown to trust him a little bit… and I wasn’t right to. He was a liar, and a murderer and… everything to do with him is another embodiment of that. It felt like… you wanting that picture was…”