The man before me bristled at my words, growling under his breath as he hunched behind the brush to dart his eyes around the beach. "Yeah, I didn't know they had any witches around the area either. Sorry, chick-witch, but you don't really fit in here with the real fighters. You should run to the mall now and go buy a bra or something."
I looked down quickly and caught that I had a serious case of titty erection going on. Hey! It's chilly out here! Shifting my shirt with a quick tug, I cleared my throat and quipped back. "Stay out of my way you shaggy were (a term I enjoyed using whenever around a werewolf I couldn't stand). You cramp my style and I'll have you neutered." I hissed as I turned back towards the beach, scanning with my senses as I lowered myself to my stomach again, ignoring the werewolf behind me. As if I could ignore that musky wet dog smell. "And what the hell is that scent you're wearing? Is that Old Spice?!"
The werewolf got down on his stomach as well and tried his best to act like I wasn't there. His eyes scanned the beach, pausing on a rock near the stone staircase that led up to the beach house. "No," he growled openly, "it's not." But he wasn't offering any answers to what cologne he was actually wearing, and I could tell that it was a subject I was going to have to use to poke the bear with later.
Turning my focus back to scanning the area, my eyes finally settled on two shadows near the edge of the rocky cliff. "Just stay out of my way, mutt." I seethed through a whisper as I pushed off and made a dash for the cliff at blinding speed. There was no way that the werewolf was going to miss that little feet of physical ability.
As I neared the shadows, I saw them shifting away towards the beach as I swiped both blades sharply down to my sides, ready to stab, cut, crush, thrash and destroy. My two best girlfriends—Sigourney and Stabitha. Well, that last one was from a favorite show of mine, and I just couldn't help myself.
My arms began to act on their own, sweeping out in broad, deadly motions with my blades as the shadow demons attempted to move away from me, drawing my attention back towards them. Halting at the edge of the water, I watched as the shapes began to coalesce.
"Do it." I urged as I watched them with the intensity of a hunter. "Just try to get me or the ones that I love." I smiled with wicked animosity as the shapes began to drift upward to take the form of two disgusting shadow demons. Yup, they were the typical shadow demons—they never seemed to look any different.
"You guys are just cookie cutters. No individualism in any of your disgusting kind. All of you are black, gnarled and repulsive." I spit at the sand where their clawed feet clung to the grains. "You will not survive me, you know." I snarled at them as I squared my shoulders. I'm ready for you bastards.
Just then there was a sharp howl and a huge furry beast rammed right into the shadow demons standing before me. Cursing underneath my breath, I rushed over to the fight as a monstrous auburn colored wolf ripped and tore at one of the demons while the other backed away cautiously, eyeing the wolf through the black colored bulbs in its sockets. It turned to look at me as I approached and it quickly flashed back into the shadows, disappearing into the darkness as the wolf pounced again and again on the remaining shadow demon like it was playing with a toy.
Releasing a disgusted huff, I watched as odd-shaped pieces of the shadow demon flew across the sand, rolling into the waves and dripping acidic blood into the roaring ocean. Damned dog. I growled as I turned to walk away. There was no use in trying to stick around because the best move was simply to walk away...before I hurt someone.
Behind me, the sounds of growling died away as I continued to storm up towards the stone staircase. That damned werewolf had stolen my prize and allowed one of those wretched shadow demons to escape. Idiot! I seethed with anger as I heard footfalls behind me.
"You can say thank you now." His heavy, husky voice dripped with anger, sounding closer every second.
"Thanks for nothing." I snapped back at him as I took the stairs two at a time. I had to get away from him before I hurt him. It wouldn't do anyone any good for me to destroy this annoying flea-infested jerkwad—that would be a waste of perfectly good energy.
"Well, that didn't sound very heartfelt." He called up to my back as I heard him stomping up the stairs behind me.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Spinning around on him as he stepped up on the stone directly underneath me, I squared my shoulders and crossed my arms to create a barrier that was impassable for anyone. "Or are you trying to annoy me just enough that I hurt you till you beg to die?"
The werewolf had the nerve to laugh sharply as he eyed me thoroughly from head to foot. "Hurt ME?" He blurted out, "Yeah, in your dreams, Bitch McBadass." He shook his scraggly hair and I noticed for the first time that this guy was huge. His bulk was muscle throughout and his personality was all attitude. Just the way he held himself screamed ex-military. Maybe a Marine or a Navy SEAL. He was Special Forces, that was for sure.
Pursing my lips, I shook my head before turning on my heel to ascend the staircase again, this time two steps ahead of him. "Just stay out of my way, mutt." I smiled to myself because I knew that the weres absolutely hated to be referred to as dogs. Honestly, I never spoke to a werewolf or any supernatural creature the way that I was speaking to this werewolf. He just angered me for some inexplicable reason, and I wanted to whack him upside his shaggy head to straighten things out in that huge melon. Knocking some sense into the ridiculous man seemed to be an idea that sounded better and better every passing second.
"Whatever, prissy princess." He threw at my back. I flipped the finger at him over my shoulder as I continued to fly up the stairs, finally meeting the grassy landing of the backyard garden with a quick thud, thud of my boots.
Spinning around in a swift movement of air, I lifted my foot up and landed it square on his chest, pushing forward with just a little too much pressure. He grunted loudly as he lost his balance and fell backwards, sprawling down the staircase as he slid, striking his head loudly on the way down...several times.
"Serves you right, asshole! I had it all covered."
I swept my way to the back of the house, pausing to listen for any other sounds besides those pouring from the injured werewolf on the staircase, cussing loudly about his head. Smiling wickedly, I opened the door and pushed my way inside, slamming the door shut behind me. He'd better not even THINK about coming in.
I was absolutely bubbling over with anger, but it slowly subsided when I caught the uplifted eyebrows of my mother and Mortisha sitting on the couch.
"Hey." I smiled as I straightened my shirt and smoothed out my jeans, brushing them off because I just realized I still had sand on them. "Sorry about the sand." I walked over to my mother and hugged her softly and then moved on to Mortisha, doing the same.
"So, I see that you have been busy." Mortisha nodded up at me from her seat on the couch. "Will you fill us in on what goes on outside? We heard some yelling and cursing." Her eyebrow tilted upward as if she was guessing that I had been up to no good.
"Couple of shadow demons were lurking down on the shore." I shrugged, looking around for Solomon. "Where's Dad?"
"We don't know." My mother responded with a touch of concern in her voice as she glanced towards the doorway. "You didn't see him?"
Shaking my head, I replied, "No. Just a were. A very annoying, disgusting werewolf." I threw myself into the overstuffed chair next to the couch, running my fingers through my hair as I looked at my mother and tried to decide what to do next.
"Well, isn't this nice?" Mortisha chimed in to break the silence. "All one happy family." She smiled.
"Tisha, I get the feeling that you have known a lot more about this whole thing than you are letting on." Mom leaned in towards her and gave her a warning look. "Spill," she glowered at her.
Shrugging, Mortisha shook off my mother's tense physical demeanor. "I know only what you know. Cora is your daughter and the ceremony must take place. Before the next new moon, actually."
Mom gasped as she sat there mental
ly trying to count the days to the next new moon.
"Five days, Mom." I answered her mental mathematics. I breathed out a deep sigh as I immediately realized that we had just taken a step forward towards the ritual. Thank goodness this subject came up. I was beginning to think we were going to run out of time before the new moon.
Mom nodded sharply as her eyebrows furrowed into deep ridges. "We have a lot to do then." She sounded tired.
Just then the door to the back garden flew open and smacked against the wall. I narrowed my eyes as I watched the bloody werewolf stagger into the room, gripping his forehead like he was dying. Drama queen.
"Jack!" My mother yelled out as she darted from the couch to the side of the new bane of my existence. I scowled at him as he reached out and leaned against her for assistance. Jerkwad. Playing it up for sympathy.
"He's fine, just took a spill down the stairway. He's got a hard enough head that it couldn't have hurt him at all." I smirked at him as he glared at me from my mother's side.
"You pushed me!" He snapped at me as he lunged in my general direction.
I sprang to my feet and my hands flashed as a wicked grin seized control of my face. My blades were sitting in my hands again, vibrating for some payback, and I was definitely ready to take a go at the werewolf standing in front of me.
"Bring it, fleabag!" I growled at him as he pushed my mother aside and crouched aggressively, drawing attention to his technique and where I figured was a potential weakness in his defenses. I couldn't keep myself from grinning at him, giving him a full view of my fangs as I allowed a low growl to grow in my chest. Let's rumble, Wolfman Jack!
"Children! Children!" Mortisha laughed from the couch like a grandmother smacking two naughty children into place. "There will be NO fighting in this place of peace." Her eyes darted to me and I could feel her willing me to look straight at her, but I couldn't pull my eyes off of the werewolf that I was going to split in two and serve up as dog chow. Another growl rumbled low in my chest before I could stop myself.
"Cora!" Mortisha's voice demanded a response.
My eyes slowly turned to Mortisha as I took in her acrid tone. I immediately stopped what I was doing and straightened my posture, chastised by the look on her face. My eyes darted to the were to notice that he had done the same thing, but he was actually looking at his shoes like he had been thoroughly abashed.
"That's better." Mortisha calmly straightened her skirt as she crossed her legs and motioned to the couch and loveseat. "Now, everyone sit." It was not a request—it was a demand, but she said it as sweetly as was humanly possible.
My body melted into compliance as I released a gusty huff and threw myself back into the oversized chair. "He started it." I muttered under my breath.
Mortisha's head snapped in my direction but I didn't make the mistake of looking at her. I just played with the fabric on the arm of the chair as my mind circled around the thoughts of destruction that I had planned for the annoying werewolf. I grinned again at how much appreciation I had for all of the weapons I was trained in.
Sighing, Mortisha looked up at the were and asked, "Jack...?"
There was a loud huff as the were slunk to the loveseat and glared at me from across the room, watching my ever twitch as he lowered himself down tensely against the blue and white fabric of the loveseat. I stared coldly at him and his eyes glowered in automatic response. It was almost as if we had a direct line to each other's whammy button.
"Okay, this isn't awkward at all." My mother said as she walked back to the couch and sat down, first looking at me and then to Jack before swinging back to eye me again. I had no idea what she was looking for, but the fact that she was looking at both of us the same way instantly made me uneasy.
Just then there was a swift shifting of air and Solomon materialized behind the couch where he stood as still as a statue but drew all attention to him. Go, Dad! Perfect timing!
His eyes scanned the room quickly, taking each one of us into consideration before nodding at me and then looking a bit surprised at the werewolf on the loveseat. The fact that Dad recognized this annoying piece of meat didn't bother me, but the nod of his head and the glimmer of respect that Dad gave him instantly made me question the vibes that I was registering off of the were from the moment that I first laid eyes on him. There was just something that bothered me about the werewolf, but Dad clearly didn't feel that way. So that basically meant that this was a personal problem. I didn't like the idea of that.
"There were three shadow demons. Two that met Cora and Jack on the beach and then another that was on its way around the front from the road." He crossed his arms as he looked swiftly between Jack and me. "What happened down there? Why did you lose one of the demons?" His words were sharp, demanding.
"Hey," Jack put his hands in the air, "I took one out. It's not my fault that the ice princess..."
"Whatever!" I railed at him, fighting to keep my butt in the seat that Mortisha had banished me to, "You got in the way of an easy kill! You were the distraction that allowed the other demon to get away!" He was really getting on my nerves.
"Just keep telling yourself that, honey." He crossed his arms and leaned back in the cushion like he didn't have a care in the world. Honey? HONEY?! My hackles were up.
"Okay," Solomon held his hands out towards us, using his magnetic personality to attempt to calm us both down. Turning to the werewolf first, he nodded down at him. "It looks like some introductions are in order." He then turned and nodded at me slowly, cautiously, "Cora, this is Jackson Rivers, my lieutenant. Jackson, this is Cora Elena Ravenwood, my...daughter."
Jackson straightened up and sat at attention like someone had cracked a whip. His eyes were full of shock and discomfort as he eyed me from across the room in disbelief. "Your..." his voice trailed off, unable to accept what was being laid out in front of him. Slow as a snail. Idiot.
"Yes." Solomon crossed his arms against his chest, spread his feet shoulder-width apart and smiled down at him with a raised eyebrow. "She has rank, Jackson. Show her some respect."
"Rank?" The stupid werewolf actually sounded sick to his stomach.
"High General." Solomon nodded at him and then turned to me with a bright blue gleam in his eye. He was proud of me and I was proud to be his daughter.
A warm glow began to emanate through me as I watched his eyes shine down upon me, making me feel like a child again basking in the glow of his pride and affection. I smiled back at him, thankful that he was one of my fathers more than ever.
"Huh." Jackson shrugged, "Who would have guessed." What a lamebrain.
I straightened my shoulders as I turned to my mother. "We need to get the show on the road," I said simply.
8
Celeste
Sitting at the huge, ornate dining room table in the penthouse suite of one of the most posh hotels in New York, I felt completely out of place.
"I hate New York," I huffed on my displeasure. "Why did we have to come here of all places?" I still didn't like us going to Gabriel Running Wolf instead of him coming to us. "This place has too much metal, concrete and noise." I pouted in my seat as I gripped the arms of the chair so fiercely that Solomon eyed me cautiously, as if I was going to destroy the expensive furnishings.
"It was necessary." Tisha leaned over and patted my hand, drawing my eyes to hers. "We needed to get this done as quickly as possible. The last two must agree before we are able to move on with the ceremony, the ritual."
My shoulders dropped slightly as I turned pensively to look at Cora's back as she was standing by the window. Jack was standing in a military stance in the corner, legs spread apart, hands folded behind him, ready for action at a moment's notice. I still wasn't comfortable with him acting like a bodyguard, but at least he was there. He brought me comfort in a way—I knew that he would support me no matter what happened in my life. He was a true-blue friend.
"Did you bring your bass?" I leaned back and looked at him.
Smiling d
own at me, he nodded, "Yes." He already knew what I was going to ask. Later. Now is not the time.
Cora harrumphed from the curtains at the window. "The dog can play music, huh? Guess you can teach a mutt some new tricks."
"You're going to eat those words, ice princess." Jack snarled at her back but Cora didn't respond to his retort. She just continued to look down at Central Park below us, apparently ignoring everything that he had just said.
"So when is he going to get here?" Solomon paced the room as he flicked his eyes over to the oversized wooden door. "He's late." He scowled and then turned to walk to the other side of the room for the hundredth time.
"He will get here when he gets here," Tisha piped in. "There is no use in trying to second guess what is going to happen tonight. It is as it has to be." She sounded so convinced, like everything was going to be wrapped up in a little bow with a gift tag that said "for you with smooches."
Sighing deeply, I fiddled with the edge of the table when a firm knock sounded at the door. Turning my head to face it, I watched as Solomon strode over and threw the heavy wood against the wall, scrutinizing the tall, handsome Native American man standing in front of him.
Gabriel Running Wolf was a chieftain. He oozed authority, power and confidence from every pore, and he was going to annoy the ever living daylights out of Solomon if I wasn't wrong. And I'm hardly ever wrong when it comes to Solomon.
Gabriel eyed Solomon at the doorway and scanned the room until he saw me. Recognition filled his eyes and he walked through the doorway without an invitation, sauntering directly up to me.
I pushed myself up out of my chair and took his hand as he bowed down to kiss my wrist, brushing his lips on my skin just a tad longer than he probably should have. Solomon stiffened at the door as Gabriel stood back up with a smile in his eyes.
"Raven." He said my name kindly, gently, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up as he held on to my hand, gazing leisurely around the room like he hadn't just walked into a viper's nest.
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