Nashoba kissed her on the cheek and hurried from the room without saying another word.
Akala lay there for what felt like hours before she heard the rapidly approaching footsteps that announced Nashoba’s return. The bag of peas had mostly thawed out and she’d let it drop to the floor several minutes ago. When the healer finally stepped into the room, he was met with the sight of Akala curled in the fetal position with tears streaming from her eyes.
“Akala, honey,” said the healer. “I’m going to have to have a look at your belly. Is that okay?”
Akala nodded her head and stretched her legs out so the woman could lift up her shirt and feel the skin around her stomach and pelvis.
“Does it hurt when I push in like this?”
“Not any more than it already does.” replied Akala. “The pain is coming from inside. I can barely feel your fingers.”
“I’m going to try one more thing. Please roll onto your back and lie very still now, okay?”
The healer placed both hands on Akala’s body, one over her belly button and the other just under the waistband of Akala’s underwear. She closed her eyes and hummed softly, a warm sensation radiating out from her palms and into Akala’s body, soothing her for the first time since she’d woken up.
“It’s what I was afraid of.” said the healer after several minutes. “What’s happening to you is what has happened to all the females of our tribe, but in a much accelerated manner. Where our girls experienced it gradually over a period of time, you have unfortunately taken the brunt of it all in one short burst. It must be incredibly painful for you.”
“What can we do?” asked Nashoba. “Is this happening because she’s been spending so much time here?”
The healer shook her head. “No, it has nothing to do with her location. Is it true you had a run-in with the witch, Issie?”
“Yes,” answered Akala. “Just yesterday.”
“We knew the infertility was magical in nature, but until now we’ve had no way of knowing who was doing this or why they were targeting our girls. Given everything we know about Issie now, it has to be her. The only way to end this curse is to disrupt whatever spell she’s placed on our tribes.” The healer stroked Akala’s hair and smiled down on her. “I’m going to make you a special tea now, okay? I need you to be strong for just a little while longer while I brew it up.”
“Wait.” said Akala, grabbing the healer’s hand before she could rise. “Is it going to be permanent? Will I never be able to have children?”
“I don’t believe that’s the case with this particular spell. Everything I’ve learned about it makes me believe that someone has been maintaining it. Until recently, we had no idea that it was Issie, but now I’m fairly certain that we can end this if we find a way to stop her.” The healer stood up and looked at Nashoba. “Call Haley for me and ask her to bring calamum root, vertise seed, and anything else she has for bringing down a fever. I’ll be downstairs preparing the rest of what I need to help block the pain Akala is experiencing.”
“Yes, of course,” said Nashoba.
He sat on the edge of the bed and dialed his cousin’s number. He took Akala’s hand while he explained what was going on, and after delivering the healer’s message, he hung up and turned his attention back to the woman he loved.
“I wish there was something I could do.” He said, shaking his head.
“Just be here.” said Akala. Fresh tears ran down her cheek. “I didn’t realize how badly I wanted kids until this moment. I guess I always thought that maybe I wasn’t sure if that’s what I really wanted, but now that it might be taken away from me, I know it’s what I really want. Please don’t let this happen to me, Nashoba. Please promise me you’ll find a way to fix this.”
“I swear to you I will.” He said through clenched teeth. “If what the healer said is true, then I can stop this by stopping Issie. I won’t rest until I’ve lifted this curse on my tribe and the woman I love.”
Akala sobbed and rolled back onto her side, wrapping herself around Nashoba’s knee. He sat there and rubbed her back, neither of them knowing what to say. Akala was in so much pain that a part of her feared for her life, but more than that, she cried for the children she might never have. With all the pressures placed upon her these last few days, she’d lost sight of the really important thing, and that was whether or not she believed Nashoba would be the best father for her children. She knew she loved him, and she had no doubt in her mind about what a great father he’d be, but it killed her to think that she’d realized it too late.
There was no way she could explain this to him, and so she wept for everything that she’d lost. While it was true that there might be hope for her and the other women who’d suffered the same fate, there was also a chance that the spell could never be lifted. No one knew for sure what Issie had done, and that meant no one could know for sure whether or not the effects would reverse if the spell or its creator were destroyed.
“Help her to sit up.” said the healer, returning with a pot of steaming tea. “She’ll need to drink as much of this as she can over the next hour. It will help dull the pain and hopefully break the fever.”
After helping her into an upright position, Nashoba stepped away and let Haley sit next to Akala. Haley filled a small wide cup with tea, and blew on it a few times to cool it as much as she could. When she felt it was safe for Akala to drink, she held the cup to her friend’s lips and tilted it until the liquid poured into her mouth.
“Ugh, what is that?” asked Akala after swallowing her first few sips.
“It’s not delicious but it will help you, dear,” said the healer.
“She’s right.” said Haley. “Trust me, this will help numb the pain considerably. It won’t stop what’s happening to you, but at least you won’t feel it as much.”
Akala grimaced and accepted another cup of the foul brew. It tasted bitter and sour, and there were tiny particles like ground up bits of bark or sand that stuck in her throat on the way down. However, they were right about one thing, it did make her feel better. As the liquid passed through her body and coated her stomach lining, she felt it begin to do its work. The intense pain in her abdomen rounded off into a dull ache as the active ingredients in the tea went to work, and after a few more cups of the brew, she felt almost normal, as far as the pain was concerned.
“I think I have to pee.” said Akala, her face blushing with the realization that she was sitting in bed wearing nothing but her panties and a practically see-through t-shirt with no bra underneath.
“That’s a good sign,” said the healer. “Why don’t we give you some privacy for a few minutes. I think it’s best if you stay in bed for a while, but I imagine you’ll feel your hunger begin to return soon, so Haley and I will go and fix you up some breakfast.”
“That sounds great.” said Akala. “Now that you mention it, I am a little hungry.”
“It’s a side effect of the tea.” said Haley. “You might also feel a little dizzy and euphoric from some of the ingredients.”
“Yeah, I think that’s kicking in already.” Akala smiled and ran her hand through her hair. The strands felt silky and smooth and she wondered why she’d never realized how soft and strange hair was. It was almost as if she could feel it growing out of her head, and she giggled at the thought.
“Getting some food in you will help take the edge off that feeling of giddiness.” said the healer. “Until then, Nashoba, can you keep an eye on her?”
“Of course.” He answered.
The two women left the room and Nashoba helped Akala to her feet. Her body felt strangely detached from her mind, and it was as though she were operating a string puppet trying to make her legs move in such a way that would allow her to walk to the bathroom.
“I feel really weird right now.” She said, unable to keep from giggling. Everything was suddenly a thousand times funnier than it usually was.
Nashoba guided her to the toilet and turned away after he was s
ure she’d pulled down her underwear and managed to seat herself instead of falling over. He averted his attention while she peed, but he had to turn around and help her stand again when she’d finished. He held her beneath her arms while she pulled her underwear back up over her hips.
“This is pretty embarrassing.” She mumbled, still smiling like an idiot. “I hope you still love me after this.”
“Of course I still love you.” He replied.
“Really?” Akala flopped back into bed, squirming under the covers. “Because I love you more than anything and I want to have your babies but now I can’t and that makes me sad.”
“Akala, I’ll love you even if you can’t bear children.” Nashoba caressed her cheek and kissed her forehead. “I’m going to do everything in my power to fix this for you, but if worse comes to worst, I’ll be here for you no matter what.”
“Good.” Akala stretched her arms out and yawned loudly. “I’m hungry. Do you think I can have waffles? I loooove waffles.”
Nashoba smiled and shook his head. “I really don’t know what they’re making for you but I have a feeling you’ll enjoy it no matter what it is.”
Haley reappeared a few minutes later with a cup of strong coffee for Nashoba and a bowl of yoghurt and granola for Akala who set upon it like it was the first food she’d seen after a month adrift at sea. For a while they just stood there watching her eat, but then Nashoba set down his half-finished coffee and pulled his cousin aside.
“Are you able to watch over her for a while?”
“Of course. What are you going to do?”
“I need to do something about this.” Nashoba looked at Akala and then back to his cousin. “For years we’ve been suffering at the hands of some unknown force, and now that we know where to look, I’m going to deal with it head on.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” said Haley.
“I don’t see how we have any other choice.”
Nashoba glanced at Akala one last time and went for the door.
FOUR
The last thing Nashoba wanted to do was to leave Akala’s side but he knew the only way they were ever going to see the other side of this thing was for him to confront Issie Vicktor in person. If it was anything else, he might be able to ask Machk or one of this other trusted warriors to go deal with this for him, but it was too serious and possibly too dangerous. The werewolf tribes of southern Colorado hadn’t fought outright in generations. And, although battling wolf to wolf was something all of them trained for, it wasn’t nearly the same as going up against a witch.
That was the worrisome element and Nashoba tried not to dwell on it as he drove into town. He knew the alley that Akala had mentioned when she’d described her visit to Issie’s shop, although he’d never had reason to go to that particular part of town. As far as he knew, it was nothing more than some kind of wool shop and a pottery studio, but it seemed that something far more sinister had been lurking there all along.
What concerned him even more was the connection to Herbert Johnson. From what Akala had recalled of the night she’d almost become his mate, Johnson had been working with the witch to keep the women of the tribes from being able to get pregnant. The really strange thing was that even Johnson’s Kintawep tribe folk had been affected by the spell, forcing him to kidnap women to find a way to further his own line while the others fell to the wayside through lack of heirs.
In all of this, he couldn’t figure out the connections. Akala wasn’t werewolf, and so she shouldn’t have been affected by the spell. Haley had been the first to suggest that it was a more targeted form of the spell directed specifically at Akala in retribution for whatever had happened between them, and if that was the case, then Nashoba prayed to his ancestors that he could destroy the spell and heal both Akala and the females of the local tribes.
Nashoba parked his truck as close as possible and went off in search of Issie’s shop. The door was unlocked when he arrived, and an attractive middle-aged woman greeted him when he stepped inside.
“Where is Issie Vicktor?” He asked.
“Who can I ask is looking for her?” said the woman behind the counter.
“Tell her Nashoba Half-Light has come to settle this once an for all. She will know what it’s about.”
“Oh, Nashoba you silly man.” The woman stepped out from behind the counter and walked towards him. She wore a tight-fitting dress that showed a lot of thigh and cleavage, and she walked in a way that suggested she knew what sort of affect she had on the men who were lucky enough to lay eyes on her. “Were you expecting an old hag with scraggly white hair and crooked teeth?”
“You’re the witch?” He asked in disbelief.
“The very one you seek.”
Issie stopped and stood with her hands on her hips, as though daring him to strike her. Nashoba hesitated for only a split second before moving, his hand lashing out to clutch her throat.
“Oh yes, I do like it rough!” said Issie.
“Do not toy with me.” growled Nashoba. “I’m here to make you reverse the spell you’ve put on the women of the tribes. I don’t know what vendetta you have against my people, but I’m not leaving until your actions have been undone.”
He squeezed a little tighter, feeling the satisfying acceleration of her pulse beating beneath his palm. He could snap her neck in an instant, but he held his anger in check. He needed her alive until he knew what was involved in reversing the spell. As much as he wanted to make her pay for the suffering she’d caused his people, he couldn’t exact that particular revenge just yet.
“Does Akala like it rough like this?” asked Issie, her voice raspy from the pressure on her throat. “Do you choke her and hold her arms behind her back when you fuck her? Or is she just a boring little girl with no imagination when it comes to pleasing her man?”
Issie reached out and rubbed at Nashoba’s crotch, cupping his manhood and squeezing it as he squeezed her neck. Without understanding exactly why he reacted so strongly, Nashoba could feel himself growing erect despite his utter hatred for this witch.
Nashoba swatted her hand away and pushed her backwards until she fell into one of the chairs sitting against the wall. “Do you really think you’re going to get out of this by seducing me?”
“It’s always worth a shot.” replied Issie. She leaned back and lifted her legs, spreading them slowly until her black lace underwear was clearly visible. “I’m not entirely without charm, you see. In fact, I think you’d be much happier if you let me go just now. If you promise to be a good and faithful dog, I’ll let you fuck me as hard as you like. Do you want that? Do you want to fuck me in ways that your precious little Akala would never dream of letting you?”
Nashoba found himself relaxing his grip on Issie’s neck, his fingers releasing her as though of their own accord. He dropped to his knees and sat there staring at Issie’s body, his eyes tracking her hand as she lowered it to her underwear and pulled them aside to reveal her smooth shaved pussy.
Issie pursed her lips and moaned a little as she teased herself with her fingers, rubbing her clit in tiny circles while Nashoba watched on. She’d used a relatively simple spell to force him to release his grip on her, and she was now exerting her most powerful seduction spells in combination with the physical temptation her body provided. Most men would have torn their clothes off and been begging to touch her by now, but it seemed that Nashoba wasn’t most men.
“What’s the matter?” she asked. “Don’t you want this? Maybe you’d prefer it… somewhere else?”
Issie lifted her legs a little higher to expose every part of herself to him. She pulled her bum cheeks apart and licked her lips while pummeling him with the most powerful attraction spells she knew, but they seemed to have little effect.
“I’ll never touch you.” Nashoba said, his words a hoarse whisper coming from behind tightly gritted teeth. “You’re disgusting, and I wouldn’t dream of giving in to whatever it is that you want from me.”
“Very well.” said Issie, dropping her legs and pulling her skirt back down over her thighs. She stood up and walked around behind Nashoba, grabbed his hair, and yanked his head backwards at a painful angle. “You and your bitch girlfriend can have each other, but you’ll never be able to mate and have the pups you’ve always wanted. Every woman you find will fall to my spells. I’ll ensure that your kind is eradicated from these lands.”
“Why? What do you want from us?” asked Nashoba. He couldn’t move any part of his body but for his head, and that was locked tight in Issie’s grip.
“Want from you?” Issie laughed. “I don’t want a damn thing. I might have settled for controlling you and using you to help me gain power, but to be honest, I don’t even really care about that.”
The Alpha's Mail Order Bride- The Complete Series Page 15