by Billy London
He bought their train tickets while Helena withdrew some money for her own peace of mind. Auden found her and handed over a carton of Ribena.
“How’d you know I like this?”
“I don’t know anyone who hates Ribena.” He gave her a soft kiss. “Thank you for trusting me.”
“Yeah,” Helena winced, looking down at the straw. “About that. I recently broke up with someone because he didn’t trust me. It’s because I didn’t trust him with anything.”
“He wasn’t worthy of it,” Auden shrugged. Her eyes flicked up in surprise. “You’re still here. That tells me a lot about you and that someone. If I didn’t need to get back home, we could take a detour and I could rearrange his face.”
“No. Totally not necessary.” Josh would have a heart attack if he could see her now. Probably a brain haemorrhage if a man played knight in shining armour for her honour. It made her grin.
“Train platform is up, come on.” He again caught her by the hand and hurried along the platform to the first class carriage and hustled her inside. She sat at a table by the window seat and rested her bag on the seat next to her. Auden took the hint and sat in front of her instead.
“You need to start talking, because I am doing something mad here.”
“I don’t know where it comes from either.” He tucked a lock of hair behind his ear.
“What?”
“That feeling that I know you.”
“We had quite a lot of sex over the space of twelve hours. I’d feel like I’d know you, too.”
He smiled. “No, it’s not that. Although that did help.”
She wanted to feel the slightest bit of embarrassment but it had been wonderful to be with him. His fingers curled into her own. “Now what’s the deal with you and this woman? Dr. Deans?”
He closed his eyes again, his jaw working as if he were trying to push words past his lips and was unable to.
“Why can’t you tell me?”
He banged his fist on the table, releasing her hand to grip his hair. “Have you ever just trusted your instinct about anything, a person, an animal, even if you were scared?”
Her thoughts went instantly to the lion, which had been her giant teddy bear for a public nap. “Once.”
“I need for you to do that again. It’s the only way.”
“Auden, you can’t ask me to that. She stood there and said she was your girlfriend. And you didn’t say otherwise.”
His jaw locked, his eyes turning red from strain. She stared at him. I should be able to do this. Diagnose what’s wrong with him, but it isn’t physical. The depression, it’s not bi-polar, I know that. It’s from his situation, not a condition. What’s really wrong with you? She leaned forward and cupped his cheek.
“Look at me, please?”
Staring at those violet eyes, she mentally flipped through her medical knowledge, discarding theories. That did no good. Spiritual causes then, she commanded and the light of the action over Auden reflected briefly blue in her own eyes. “Curse,” she whispered. Auden’s eyes closed in relief, his hands finding her own. “She cursed you.”
“Do you believe in that sort of stuff?” he asked, desperation in his tone.
She gave a shrug. “I was born in a small village in Ghana. Believing in witchcraft can be par for the course. And that woman cast a spell. Why?”
He shook his head again. “Can’t.”
She circled the table and wrapped her arms around him, tucking her head under his chin. “I understand. We’ll get you back to the house. See what we can do from there.”
“Thank you.” His voice broke over the second word. She held him tighter, knowing just how much it meant to be simply believed.
Chapter Eleven
Urban London faded into spring green countryside as the train sped to Kent. Helena didn’t say anything more, and she didn’t need to. That tiny spark of hope was now a raging bonfire in his chest—there could be an end to this. No one else could have helped him, but her. Whether his soul would be ripped to pieces or not, he didn’t care. He wouldn’t let Romely anywhere near her again.
Official sunset was in less than half an hour, and he’d need to be inside the gates if he wasn’t to change. The curse of Romely’s unwanted love. Strange how he was desperate to escape her clutches, and yet he would be happily bound to Helena for the rest of his days. His heart took another leap. If she loved me too, then maybe… Calm down.
The train rolled into the station. With Helena glued to his side, they took the first taxi to his home. Not feeling confident he would be able to say anything more, he stayed silent as the sky’s light dipped below the horizon streaking it midnight blue. He winced as he felt his ribs began to expand.
“What is it?” Helena asked, hearing his muffled grunt.
“I’m all right.”
Helena tapped on the driver’s seat. “You really need to move. Please. I’ll give you a hundred quid extra if you do.”
The driver put his foot down as Auden caved in on himself, straw-coloured fur sprouting over his arms. He pulled down the sleeves of his hoodie so she wouldn’t see. Fuck, he was really scared this time. There were mornings when he’d wake up covered in blood and the grit of bone. Other mornings, he’d wakened and known he’d been as tame as a puppy. That usually meant Romely was feeling generous and didn’t mind if someone survived his baser instincts for another day. He wouldn’t be able to live if he hurt Helena.
“Argh!” he cried out as his feet tore his shoes into pieces.
The taxi skidded to a halt outside the gates of the house. Helena pushed Auden out of the taxi and handed over the money with a trembling hand as Auden collapsed to his knees.
“Please get up,” she begged.
His vision blurred, his lungs straining as they moved along his body. “I don’t know the code.”
“845623,” he gasped.
She tapped it in quickly, pushing them open and turned back to him.
“Auden, please.” He couldn’t speak, his whole body was changing; there was nothing he could do to stop it.
Helena gave up trying to coax him and with uncommon strength that would have distracted him, she yanked him to his feet and threw him through the gates. As he passed, a crackle of energy pulled at every bone in his body. He landed on his back, gasping for breath. Am I me? He held up a hand to his eyes and saw no fur.
“Oh thank fuck,” he whispered.
Helena dropped to her knees next to him, cupping his face. “Are you all right?” He nodded, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her on top of him. “You weren’t joking about the curfew, were you?”
“I wish.”
Eventually, Helena untangled herself. Auden got to his feet, glancing down at his ruined trainers.
“Hope they weren’t expensive,” Helena’s mouth twisted.
He shrugged. “Nah. Learned the hard way not to idolise false gods. Shoes,” he clarified when she made a face of confusion. Holding out his hand, he led her inside the house. The phone was ringing and it could only be one person.
“You were out,” Romely’s voice sounded. “Where were you?”
“Nowhere important.”
“There’s no point hiding anything from me. I’ll know eventually,” her voice lowered, indicating her disapproval.
“If you want to waste your time.”
“Is someone there with you? Is it your counsellor?”
“Yes,” he said with complete honesty, and Romely brightened.
“That’s good. I want him to work through your commitment issues. I know it stems from your difficult childhood. You are so close to being the perfect partner.”
It was futile, but meeting Helena changed everything. “Why me?”
“I told you all those years ago, that you are special. So very special. I can wait for you to see that. Make sure you stay inside tonight, it’s going to rain.”
She disconnected. He felt the warmth of a hand at his back. If Helena carried on, he wouldn’t be able to
keep it together. There had been a peace in being emotionless. Now he seemed to be feeling everything at once.
“Checking in?”
He nodded, and sighed as she kissed the bone at the base of his neck. Turning, he looped an arm around her shoulders. “Do you want a shower?”
She gave a nod with a half-smile.
“Can I join you?”
The smile lifted both corners of her lips. “Yes. But we do need to talk.”
“Yeah.” He lowered his mouth to hers. “Later.”
***
Helena woke to a room glowing with candlelight, and the distant chimes of a clock calling midnight. There was no Auden, she knew without looking to her side. Where was he? They hadn’t talked. Actually, they hadn’t really done much of anything, except… Well. Then she’d desperately needed to sleep and that was the last she remembered. Until now. Waking up sans Auden.
She lifted the sheets and panicked at her state of dress. Who put the white silk nightgown on her? Why the hell was someone putting white silk nightgowns on her? Shadows waltzed over the walls, fireflies furiously circling the flickering flames of candlelight. Helena sat up and closed her eyes in an attempt to regain her grasp on reality. When she opened them nothing had changed. The room, the candles, the lights, nothing.
Think practical, Sarpong. Swinging her feet from the bed onto the floor, she looked down to see rose petals, which at first glance were the same creamy gold as the light. Picking up a petal, she realised they were a muted shade of violet. If she hadn’t believed Auden was under a spell before, she was entirely convinced now. Why hadn’t this happened before? She thought, ruffling her hair.
“You weren’t in love with Auden then,” a soft voice replied. Helena leapt onto the bed in shock. A small woman, with silvery blonde hair that framed her figure to her elbows, stood before her in a ghostly mist. Helena reached out to touch her, but her fingertips passed through air, disturbing the image of the woman.
“You must be,” the ghost woman said, “to get this sort of reception. Flowers and candles and fireflies! Oh my!”
“I can’t be having psychotic episodes right now,” Helena begged. “I can’t take medication.”
“No, dear, you’re not. I’m Auden’s mother.”
Ah. Great. “I’m guessing the curse cast you out as well?”
“And much more. I can’t be here for long,” she held up a hand, “it ages me, you see?”
Helena looked at her near transparent hand and saw liver spots spreading along the skin, wrinkles deepening around her eyes and pulling at her jowls. What a vicious curse! Helena thought, staring at the woman with desperate pity.
“You can help him, not with what you know or what you’re capable of doing, but how you feel. Does that make sense to you?”
“Yes. Sort of. Are you a witch?”
“I used to think so.”
“Then why couldn’t you do anything to stop this?”
“The far reaching effects of a curse. As much as it’s bound my son, it’s prevented me from moving the earth to help him.”
“She’s that powerful?”
“She’s just that determined.” His mother smiled, the wrinkles in her opaque face lifting slightly. “Ask Auden to tell you about when he was born. There’s more to the two of you than coincidence of fate. And tell him we all still love him. So very much.”
“I will,” Helena promised.
His mother’s image shimmered slightly before she vanished into the air. Helena’s nervousness was raging near out of control. If she closed her eyes, she could be back in Angel, inside her flat and all this would be nothing more than a dream. Even if she hadn’t dreamt since she was ten years old.
Instead, she took a deep breath and followed the trail of rose petals. Candles were everywhere, in all distinctions of height and width. The paintings and photographs that lined the walls, of both animals and people, all looked at her and bowed in respect. Oh God, what on earth?
The petals were strewn through the kitchen and scattered outside into the garden. Helena wrapped her arms around herself in anticipation of instant chill, and was met instead with an air as balmy as a sub-Saharan evening. The fireflies took over where the candles had stopped, lighting a pathway to the centre of the gardens where her huge lion sat, resting on his paws. She hadn’t at all imagined him. Another part of a terrible curse laid on an incredible man. Why?
“Hello, my friend,” she said, coming to sit in front of him. Carefully arranging the silk of her gown over her knees, Helena looked into those beautiful violet eyes. “What are you doing out here?”
He lowered his head, a growling sigh emerging from him, so sad it brought tears to her eyes. “Auden. You know I’m not a crier and you’ve made me cry more times in three days than I have in the last twenty years.”
His head nudged her, tickling her nose with his mane. “Was that an apology?” she asked with a laugh. A grunt was her answer. “Can I tell you a story? Just so you know that not all witches are bad? Not all witches curse people who don’t deserve it?”
He lifted his head to stare at her, regal face almost questioning. “Remember how my dad told you that my story was all triumph over adversity?” He nudged her carefully, and she nearly toppled over. The release of laughter helped her speak. No one knew this story. Her dad only really knew the worst of what happened to her, and none of what she had done herself.
“I came here when I was a few months from turning ten. My mother sent me to live with her sister because, you know, London is paved with gold and every child ends up with a doctorate. My aunt thought I was a witch. She was right, but she tried to force the devil from me, as it were. She tried everything, starving me, beating me, making me only eat chillies, and then I was only allowed water. Then she called a friend who was a witch doctor. He diagnosed me as evil and they put me in a bath of ice cold water. They were going to drown it out of me.”
She trailed her fingers carelessly through his mane, the repetition making it somewhat easier to continue. “When they held me underwater, I thought I was going to die, and for a while I was relieved. Then instinct took over. I don’t know what I did or how I did it, but there was this black vortex, like a hurricane of darkness and they both were ripped to pieces inside it. When I sat up, it disappeared and I was alone. I put on my clothes, went to my next-door neighbour and asked for help. My mother died, probably from the shock of her sister trying to kill her child, then disappearing. It was a few months later that my dad met me through a foster care system and he and Mum decided to adopt me. I’m not a bad person, but I did something bad to protect myself. It came from here.” She pointed to her middle.
“I don’t know why this spell was cast on you, but it’s enough punishment. I can’t bear the thought of you in pain or feeling guilty for things you can’t help because of what she made you.”
She touched her forehead to the warmth of the lion’s, her eyes closed. Love swelled within her and tears sparkled on her lashes. Oh, Josh had been so very wrong about her. She wasn’t selfish, certainly not devoid of emotion, and she didn’t want to be alone. Very simply, she didn’t want to be without Auden. At that moment, she loved. Unconditional, unwavering, complete love. She would give anything to save Auden from this. The love felt like a growing pulse, spreading over the both of them with every breath they took in unison. “Whatever I can do to help you, you have me, completely.”
He sighed, and to her it felt like relief. The mane fell away, leaving the waterfall of silver blond. His huge body shrank and reformed into that of a human. Paws elongated to fingers, hind-quarters into legs.
Naked, Auden sat up, his eyes meeting her own. “What happened? What time is it?”
“Past midnight,” she answered, her heart in her mouth. “Didn’t you hear the things I said?”
He shook his head. “I can’t remember things that happen when I’m not myself. Did I just say that out loud?”
“Yes.”
“That woman is not my gi
rlfriend. Honestly I would happily kill that bitch if she came near me.” He gave a yell of triumph, before he gathered her in his arms. “You’ve done it!”
“I just told you a really lame story,” she murmured, half in shock and half in bitter disappointment that she had told him something so deeply intimate and he had no recollection of it.
“Thank you,” he breathed, leaning back to cup her cheek. “It’s not what you did, it’s how you feel, about me.”
Great, not only was magic getting her into trouble it was her emotions as well.
“You look so beautiful,” he ran a hand over her silk covered thigh, “where did this come from?”
“No idea.” She gave a shrug. “I feel like I’m in a Disney movie.”
“At least I wasn’t a frog,”
“I like frogs,” she protested with a smile.
“I’ll have to remember that.” He touched his lips to her eyelids, her cheeks, and then finally her mouth. “I’d almost given up.”
“Me too.’
“Thank you,” he repeated, curling his arms around her.
“So, can you tell me what happened?”
He speared his fingers through his hair. “I was at a party, I don’t remember who for or what it was for. Romely was there. How or why she was able to get in, I can only think it part of her undeserving skills. She put something in my drink. Valerian with a spell to take the taste away.”
Helena’s mouth parted in understanding. Valerian was a natural sleeping herb. “That’s why you don’t drink.”
“Forgive me for being a little paranoid. When I woke up I was at her house. Tied to a table.” Helena put her hands over her mouth before Auden gently pulled them down. “She didn’t touch me, that sort of trauma wouldn’t have borne the magic she wanted to do. Instead she asked me if I was going to give her the chance to make me love her. I laughed. In hindsight, laughing at her was a bad idea. It made her really angry. The spell itself is a blur. I just remember a flash of blue light.”
Helena saw the echo of that light in his eyes when she caught onto what had been done to him. “When I woke up again, I was at home. Here. Pretty relieved, in fact, I thought she’d just let me go. The next night at sundown I must have changed, because my mother, brother and sister were locked in a room and they were shit scared of me.”