A Nightly Howl

by Joanna Mazurkiewicz

He looked like he had just left a very important meeting, wearing a tailor-made suit. I had a sick, sinking feeling in my stomach that I wasn't going to leave this basement alive. He squatted in front of me; his skin was ugly, pale, almost ghostly white. His rich brown eyes found mine quickly. I didn't dare move. My heart crawled back into my chest, beating faster.

  "Miss Taylor, you can’t imagine how happy I am to finally see you," he said, running his tongue over his teeth. Fear ripped through my pores, but I held his stare. Nathaniel was here; he wouldn’t let him touch me.

  "Fuck you," I spat, crawling back towards the wall.

  "Miss Taylor, language," he said, then stood, ignoring me. He turned towards the trolls and shouted. "Get him inside. Now!"

  I was shaking, but I fought with the ropes, trying to free my hands. Nothing was working. I felt certain that Nathaniel was spellbound by some unknown magic, and we were both at McGregor’s mercy.

  There were more voices in the background, and someone was struggling. Then a werewolf entered, pushing a man towards me who fell on to the ground. He was in a hell of a state. His clothes were in pieces; he had a long-tangled beard, and his hair was filthy. He moved a little and turned his face toward me, opening his bloodshot eyes. The nausea grew as I slowly began to realise that I knew the man lying in front of me. My regional manager, Rufus, was looking straight at me. I darted my eyes over the long wounds that stretched over his back and legs. His clothes were soaked with blood.

  "Rufy," the giant who brought him in called out. "Hey, don’t fucking pretend you can’t hear me!"

  He kicked him, and Rufus moaned, lifting his head a couple of inches away from the ground.

  "Stop, you piece of shit!" I screamed. The giant laughed. Rufus turned, and his eyes found mine again. The tears welled, but I refused to let them see me crying.

  "We thought that you might like some company," McGregor said, folding his arms together. My heart was going to gallop out of my chest, but I no longer cared what they were going to do to me. I was happy seeing Rufus alive.

  "What did you do to him?" I spat. "He would never help you—he hates you!"

  "Oh, my dear, Julia," McGregor sang, shaking his head, "I'm sorry to be the one to have to break this to you, but while Nathaniel has been fucking you, he’s also been working for me."

  "Bullshit," I snapped.

  "Sorry, firecracker," Nathaniel said, smiling, and my heart leapt in my chest. Then McGregor wasn't lying—no one else knew about my nickname.

  I clenched my fists, staring in disbelief at Nathaniel. It was clear that he’d betrayed me.

  "Miss Taylor, I had no plans to be involved in your life," McGregor said. His skin shimmered in the dim light. Rufus stopped moving; his eyes were closed. "But you ruined my blood, my plan."

  "Fuck you, why don’t you just get on with what you have to do," I snapped, swallowing my tears.

  "We’re waiting for someone very special; we don’t want him to miss all the fun."

  "The police will be here in a moment, you piece of trash!"

  Everyone laughed and McGregor narrowed his eyes. I hated him, wanting to slash his perfect face with a razor, and watch as he bled to death.

  "The police have no idea what’s going on with you. Now, I don’t want to waste any more time, let me show you." He sighed, then nodded to the werewolf.

  Then the door opened for the third time. Roger, one of my dad’s subordinates, who was supposed to keep an eye on me, emerged from the shadows holding another man. I gasped before I could stop myself from looking at the face of the traitor. Roger’s expression didn't reveal anything; he wasn't even looking at me. Horrified, I darted my eyes to the man he was holding. Blood was dripping from his face, and he mumbled something, but whatever he said sounded like a raspy growl. His suit was torn, and his arm was turned at an odd angle. His eyes were closed and for a split second, I wondered if he was going to be alive much longer. Roger, who was still in his uniform, pushed the man over and he slammed down onto the floor.

  "You cowards," I yelled, swallowing up my tears. "What have you done to him?"

  The man opened his eyes and groaned, but he was soon silenced. The werewolf kicked him straight in the stomach. I stared horrified as blood pooled from under his motionless body.

  "You will love my surprise, Julia," McGregor’s eyes were glowing with excitement as he paced around the man. Time stopped for a moment, then it sped up twisting my insides. I couldn't stop the tears that poured out of my eyes like a raging current.

  "My love," Nathaniel said, approaching me, "I'm sorry that you had to see this."

  "Fuck you!"

  I wanted rip his guts out with my bare hands. Anger consumed me, crawling through me, latching on to every cell. The minute Nathaniel betrayed me he was dead to me.

  "You will all die in hell for this, you sick psychopaths!" I roared.

  “Don't be so dramatic, darling, we’re having fun," McGregor said, rubbing his hands together.

  "You need to focus now, because here comes the best part of the show."

  I had no idea what he was talking about. I kept glancing at Rufus; he was pale, but I hoped that he was determined to survive through this nightmare. The man who was brought in wasn't human, but that didn't matter anymore, because he was probably already dead.

  "Jake, it’s time to shift," McGregor said, flexing his fingers, appearing behind me. He leaned over and cupped my face, so I was looking straight at Nathaniel. "Watch, Julia, you will enjoy the entertainment."

  His hands were cold. I kept jerking away, but he held me tightly. All of a sudden, Nathaniel’s posture went rigid. His eyes widened as he fell on his knees roaring in agony. His sandy hair started to grow, turning dark brown in a matter of seconds. He grew a few inches and his face changed shape. The air cracked with an electric current and I saw a new man standing in front of me. I freed my hands, pressed them against my mouth and screamed. Relief washed over me, despite the shock rippling through my face.

  "Let me introduce you to Jake Grover, one of my best shifters," McGregor said, smiling. I couldn't breathe. I felt like the air had been knocked out of my lungs.

  "He isn’t Nathaniel?" I whispered.

  "No, sadly he isn’t, but we were enjoying having fun with you," McGregor sneered, moving away from me. I should have known that the man in front of me was not my Nathaniel. I should have felt it. McGregor must have noticed my sudden relief because he said,

  "Fortunately for me, I managed to snatch away your lover. I have to admit it was a struggle, but he didn't expect me to show up in his apartment. He nearly killed one of my guys, but we managed.”

  My mind clouded with pain and confusion. I still didn't understand what he was talking about. He moved closer and squatted by the injured man who was thrown down here a few minutes ago.

  "Julia, meet your boyfriend, Nathaniel La Caz," he finished, turning the bloody face of the man on the ground towards me.

  Chapter 30

  Dead and drained.

  I must have blacked out for a minute or two. I opened my eyes and found that I couldn't breathe. I felt like I was drowning, and water was swirling into my lungs, choking me slowly. Minutes rolled by and I didn't make a sound. McGregor held the injured man’s face ‘til the man parted his eyes. Thoughts rolled through my brain, I kept telling myself that he was still alive, but I didn't want to believe that it was him.

  "I don’t believe you,” I whispered, trembling.

  “Don't worry we were prepared for that," he replied.

  A tall werewolf whom I saw outside held a grey bucket in his hands, he approached the tortured man. McGregor moved, cleaning his hands; a wicked smile appeared on his face. The werewolf threw the water over the man, washing away most of the the dirt and blood. It was enough for me to realise that Caleb McGregor was telling me the truth. In that scary, swollen and wounded face I recognised my Nathaniel. He was pale; his body had been battered, his spirit broken. I wanted to scream but no sound came out. I felt empt
y.

  McGregor approached me; his dark eyes shimmering with hunger as he inhaled my scent.

  "I need to start from the beginning, Julia. I wanted to let go of the fact that you had made me bankrupt," he explained, smoothing his brown hair, "So, I disappeared. I had to think really hard about my next step. You see, I needed you because Nathaniel cared about you."

  I wasn't listening to him. I was keeping my eyes on Nathaniel. He was spellbound with a suspension charm or something much worse, otherwise he would have moved or said something.

  "Julia."

  Rufus moved, darting his eyes around the room, clenching his teeth as he lifted himself and sat up, breathing hard.

  "Rufy, good you’re awake, I want you to hear what I have to say as well," McGregor said.

  "Fuck you, Caleb."

  McGregor ignored him and continued. "After our beautiful Julia ruined my plans, I decided to pay a visit to the rivals of Paranormal Personnel. That ugly troll from StaffSpell owed me a favour."

  I didn't care about what he had to say. We both knew how this would end. He was going to kill me, and then he would drink from me. I could see from how pale he was that he hadn't fed; he waited until they brought me here. He wasn’t going to spare any of us.

  "The troll was reluctant at first, but as you know I can be very convincing. It turned out that Fiorillo knew our Rufy, here. It is such a small world, you see. I was planning to kidnap you a few months prior to this. I wanted to motivate Nathaniel; I wanted to see him suffer," McGregor continued. "Unfortunately, I didn't know that my old mate, Nate, was a few steps ahead of me and hired someone to keep an eye on you. The wizard that I hired failed me. From that day I knew that you were protected, so I decided to shape up a new plan. The police were after me, but I still had people who were loyal to me. Rufy here, wasn't particularly interested in my money. It’s hard to admit that he was more loyal to the business of Paranormal Personnel. Fiorillo couldn't quite convince him."

  "I'm sorry, Julia," Rufus whispered, staring at me.

  "You should be sorry. Maybe this would have ended much better if you would have agreed to work for me." McGregor wiped the sweat off his forehead.

  "Anyway, it turned out that Fiorillo was useless, so I sent my people to gain some information from our old Rufy. One of them showed him a nice picture of his family. That kind of motivated him to talk but only for a short while. Then he started complicating things; he wanted to protect you."

  I was still silent, trying to find a way to get my magic back. Elena was right: McGregor had blackmailed Rufus. I should have known that he was coming for me.

  "I wanted information about you, about the agency, but Rufus was clever. He sent his wife and children away and they were protected by magic. He was ready to talk to our mutual friend, Nathaniel, but I tricked him before he had a chance to spill my secret. Fiorillo had to repay me, so he arranged a meeting with Rufus. Then it was just the case of snatching him away." McGregor paused and paced around the basement, muttering to himself for a minute or two, then he stopped and looked at me. "You see, Julia, Rufy, is a strong and very skilled giant. We had a hell of a problem with him. He killed my two best guys, but in the end, everyone breaks. It is just a matter of time."

  Rufus sucked in a sharp breath not taking his eyes off McGregor. I kept wondering how he managed to take away my magic. He’d thought of everything.

  "Then there was Nathaniel. Did he tell you that we went to Oxford together?" he asked me. I nodded, narrowing my eyes.

  "You see, he didn't come up with the idea of the Lucrative shot, I did. But at the time, I wasn't interested. I had other plans. I came back to London and ran into another mutual friend who told me all about Nathaniel’s business. Nate used my idea and he refused to share his profits. I tried to be a good friend, but he failed me; our friendship didn't mean anything to him."

  "A good friend?" I hissed. "You kidnapped and killed his fiancé!"

  McGregor didn't expect that I knew. He stopped pacing, staring at me with a startled expression. "Well, that’s not quite right, dear. I don’t like to dwell on the past and I would explain what happened with Isabelle, but we’re running out of time. I gathered all of you here today to complete a specific transaction. Nate here, will sign some documents that will allow me to take over his business, all his assets and properties abroad—so, basically everything he took from me. Then the contract that Paranormal Personnel has with La Caz Pharmaceutical will be terminated and moved to StaffSpell Recruitment. Also, all the charges against me will be dropped. If he refuses, you will be the one who will motivate him."

  I started laughing. I couldn't believe that McGregor was after Nathaniel’s business. It wasn't just the revenge, he wanted to prove his point and destroy Nathaniel completely.

  "What’s so funny Julia?” he asked with a stiff voice.

  "You will never get away with this," I said, still wondering how I could gather enough strength to call out my magic. I needed to get outside. He was a vampire; he had no idea what I could do if my magic took over.

  "I would love to agree with you, however, you mean something to my old friend, and he will do anything if your neck is on the line. He loved Isabelle that’s why I took her away from him. You were well protected, and people were willing to risk their lives for you. I was ready to give up; you wasted so much of my time and energy and Rufus was useless. I was going to kill him but I kind of grew to like him. Then someone came promising to deliver you to me. He failed, and I was getting inpatient. Nothing was going according to plan."

  I kept wondering how long he was planning to talk. He’d thought of everything. I should have listened to my dad.

  "Then I got lucky: two police officers who worked for your daddy were willing to help me. They wanted money and I was willing to pay," he said, smiling. "It was that simple; it turns out that everyone is for sale."

  There was movement by the door and another man stood on the stairs to the basement. He was a wizard; I could feel his power as he swept his blue eyes over everyone in the room.

  "Chester, how nice of you to join us," McGregor said. "I was just about to send for you. You need to uncharm the guest of honour."

  "Whatever," Chester muttered.

  "Always so helpful."

  He approached Nathaniel and poked him with his wand, talking fast in Latin. My heart pounded, and I waited. Nathaniel inhaled sharply; his hazel eyes searching for me. His face contracted with pain.

  "Welcome back, Nate," McGregor sang.

  "Let her go, she has nothing to do with this. This is between you and me," he said slowly, his voice low and raspy.

  But I knew no one was going to leave this room alive. They wanted me for my blood. They wanted Nathaniel for what he had. Rufus was innocent, and he had to live.

  McGregor sounded bored. "I have to give it to you Nate, she’s got something. Isabelle was weak, but this one here is strong."

  "You still can’t get over the fact that she chose me," Nathaniel said. With vampire speed McGregor was beside him, clenching his hands around his neck, ready to strangle him. I gasped, and Nathaniel shot me a hopeless look.

  "Sign the fucking papers, or you will watch as I slowly drain the life away from her." McGregor growled.

  We both knew that McGregor was going to kill us anyway, but I wanted him to sign whatever contract McGregor prepared. I didn't want to see him suffer anymore.

  The tall werewolf brought the stack of papers and handed them to Nathaniel who was breathing like he couldn't suck in any air. His knuckles were white. Everyone was waiting as the tension saturated the air, filling me up. He looked at me, smiled, and then attacked. He attempted a punch that didn't go anywhere. He had no strength left within him; his body was just a wreck. McGregor knocked him on the ground, roaring with rage. His men charged towards them, but McGregor stopped them.

  "Oh, Nate, it’s going to be the hard way, then," he said, getting up and smoothing his trousers. His people held Nathaniel down to the ground.


  Then he was beside me clenching his strong arms around my breasts. My hands were tied together again, and I couldn't move. My heart moved up to my throat when I felt his breath on my neck.

  "First lesson: don’t struggle because she will suffer." He growled, kissing my cheek. I wanted to vomit, but fear paralysed me. Nathaniel’s chest heaved; he jerked, but he was knocked down with another strong punch.

  "I can already smell her delicious scent," he added, pulling my head back so he had access to my neck. A tall werewolf held Rufus once McGregor sunk his sharp fangs into me and started drinking. The pain was pulling me apart and I wanted to scream, but no sound came out. I didn't know how long he was sucking my blood as the voices and my vision became dense and my senses unclear. Nathaniel’s hazel eyes never left me.

  "Do you want me to continue or should we move on?"

  Tears rolled down my face as I lay on the floor trying to breathe. They must have pulled Nathaniel back because he had a pen in hand. His wounds were wide open again and blood was dripping on to the floor. His eyes were dark and fixated on me.

  He signed the contract several times, barely able to hold the pen.

  "See, that wasn't so hard?"

  "Fuck you," Nathaniel spat. "Keep your end of the bargain and let her go. Everything is yours now."

  I waited for something to happen, but McGregor kept looking at me, probably contemplating what to do. Blood was pouring from my neck and my pulse was dropping quickly. I didn't care about the pain. I just wanted to get the hell out of here. McGregor checked all the forms, and he looked satisfied.

  "She’s mine now, like Isabelle," McGregor replied, winking at me. Nathaniel tried to stand up, but he was held by McGregor’s men.

  "You touch her, and I swear that I’ll hunt you down and rip your heart out of your chest with my bare hands!" Nathaniel shouted, trying to free himself, but he couldn't fight the two large paranormals who were already dragging him away.

  The colour drained from my face. My mind was racing as Nathaniel’s screams faded away. Rufus was dragged out as well; he struggled at first but one of the trolls hit him with a shovel and he passed out. After a few minutes, I was alone in the basement with a vampire who wanted me and my blood. No one could help me here. I was on my own and I was going to die.