by Emma Carter
Maybe he wouldn’t find out. I sighed and turned over on my side, wondering where he was. I couldn’t keep the secret from him for much longer. I could just hear Sinn’s laughter now when he would see the two of us together. He would find it amusing and no doubt spill the beans about how Ralf and I were connected. I wished I could tell him beforehand what we meant to each other, but Annie was my priority. I needed him to get to her. I would face everything else when we achieved that.
A shiver ran down my spine at the unexpected howl of a wolf in the distance. Ralf. Oddly the sound wasn’t scary at all, until I heard an answering howl farther in the distance. I waited and listened as howls followed one by one. Except for Ralf’s, the others seemed to be a way off. I remembered him stating we’d have company the rest of the way and knew then that he was calling his pack. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. One vampire was easy enough to fool but what would I do with several of them wanting to know who I was and why Ralf was helping me?
The stripping spell lasts for twenty-four hours, I reminded myself. It would be in the evening before I’d need to cast it again. By then I would have either found some place to do it alone or we would be at Sinn’s lair at that time. Either way, I should be fine around his friends.
Movement close to me drew my attention. I sat up and glanced about me but saw nothing. Only the shadows cast by the dancing flames. In the distance, the howling continued. I was comforted by hearing the distinct sound of Ralf’s. Even if he wasn’t with me, he was close enough.
A cold hand clamped over my mouth, frightening me. I tried to scream but only a muffled sound escaped. I struggled, made to rise but was knocked back onto the ground, flat onto my back. I gasped for breath at the painful blow, turning over to my knees.
“Ra-” My call was cut short by another blow to my head. Whatever it was grabbed me by the legs and dragged me away from the campfire. I fought, freeing one of my leg and lashed out. There was a loud grunt as I caught the perpetrator in the knees. He dropped my other foot and I immediately scrambled to get up. I only got to my knees again when I was caught this time by the back of my neck.
“Raaaalf!” I screamed in terror. I was spun around and stared into the black pools of a vampire’s eyes. The thing bared his fangs at me and aimed for my neck. I pressed my hands to the creature’s shoulders. He looked desperate and emaciated as though he hadn’t fed in a very long time. He was aiming for my neck and I knew if I allowed him to get a bite, he wouldn’t stop until he sucked me dry.
In the distance, a howl sounded. Ralf was coming but I didn’t know how far he was and if he would even get to me in time. Tears spilled from my eyes. I never knew such terror as I did in that moment. I couldn’t die here, worse by the hands of a vampire. If I died, I’d leave Annie to a cruel fate at the hands of Sinn and this was unacceptable.
“Your blood is strong,” the vampire said, licking his fangs. “I can smell it.”
Gripping both my hands, he held them above my head and crawled over my body pinning me to the ground. His foul scent filled my nostrils and I gagged. He just chuckled and licked my face, nicking my chin with his teeth. “As much as I’d love to play with you, I can hear your boyfriend returning.”
I could feel the shaking of the ground as well and assumed Ralf was on his way, but the vibrations still seemed too far away. “Raaaalf!” I screamed for him again because I was helpless in what to do. I didn’t have my dagger and with my stripping spell, I wasn’t able to use my magic.
A loud howl rented through the forest just as the vampire sank his teeth into my neck, puncturing my flesh. I screamed as his fangs pierced my skin and he hit the blood vessel, sucking the blood from my body. I thrashed beneath him, my anxiety causing my heart to pump the blood wildly through my system. My body twitched, and my eyes started to go dark, clouding my vision.
In the distance I could hear Ralf’s thudding heartbeat. He was full of fear, fear of what had caused me to scream. He was close by, so close and yet so far. Just when I thought I would black out, the vampire retracted his fangs with an unholy sound of anguish. He stumbled backwards, clutching his chest, doubled over in pain.
“What are you doing to me?” he screeched. “Your blood is tainted. Witch!”
I scrambled up from the ground, my eyes still dim. I doubled over, shaking, willing the anxiety away. Behind me, I heard the vampire still screeching in pain, the sound horrifying and piercing in the night. Blood dripped from my neck where he had bitten me, making me weak. A howl sounded closer this time and a wolf landed over me. I felt the shift as Ralf changed, heard his bones reforming in its joints as he turned to man once more. I still couldn’t see a thing but when my blindness took over, all my senses became acute.
“Lilly!” he ran his hands over me. “Lilly, are you okay?”
I couldn’t answer him. My jaw was locked, my body still shaking with anxiety. I thanked God I was still under the stripping spell. I remembered only one other time that magic had taken over me during my anxiety. That was when my parents had to move us overnight to another state after the devastation I had brought onto the playground. I’d heard many times that it was a miracle no one had been hurt. I didn’t remember any of it, as my mother had cast a trance spell and removed my memory of the event. She didn’t want the memory to haunt me for the rest of my life.
“Lilly, listen to me. You’re going to be alright. You’re going to be fine.”
But I didn’t feel fine. I could feel myself slipping away, the haunting sound of a wolf’s cry pulling at my heart.
10
Ralf
At the approaching footsteps, I glanced up from where Lilly was still unconscious on the ground. I had made her as comfortable as I could, but I still worried about the impact of the vampire on her. I had no idea what the vampire had done to her. At first, I thought he had bitten her. There had been so much blood on her neck and her clothes. But, upon further examination, there was no wound on her. I couldn’t tell if the blood was hers or the vampire. It seemed like hers, but I saw no open wound to explain it.
“We scouted the area,” my best friend Luke said, approaching us. “We’ve met no signs of vampires.”
“And the others?” I asked, making mention of the dozen werewolves Luke had brought along with him. He had promised to do what he could when I had called him before we left civilization, but I thought at best, two or three werewolves would accompany him. It filled me with a strange emotion that he not only appeared but brought so many with him. With the dozen werewolves, even if the vampires were twice that number, they had no chance of survival. We had a dozen wolves hungry for revenge. Some of these very wolves had lost wives and children when the vampires had attacked our defenseless people.
“They are getting a head start,” he answered. “They should have the vampire scouts taken out by the time we get to them.” He stared down at Lilly’s form. “Are you sure you don’t want one of our men to take her back down the mountain, so we can continue our journey?”
I was ambivalent. I wanted to take her to get help, but I didn’t believe a hospital would do any good to her. This wasn’t a normal situation. I didn’t even know if she had been bitten or not. What if she woke up with fangs? My heart wrenched in my chest. There was no way I could be with her if she turned. Vampires and werewolves didn’t mix. There was no doubt about it.
“I can’t let her go,” I answered. “I can’t leave her side, Luke. But at the same time, I promised her I would get her sister home.”
He frowned at me. “You’ve fallen for this woman, haven’t you?”
I didn’t bother to deny it. “I think so.”
“From the way you are acting, I don’t believe any thinking is left on the matter.”
I glared at him. “So what? Do you think I intended to fall for her? She just swooped into my life and there was very little I could have done about it.”
“You could have turned her down. What if I had told you we couldn’t spare the wolves for this missio
n? Would you still have gone traipsing into Sinn’s backyard?”
“I promised her.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
In silence, I brushed Lilly’s hair from her face. She looked so peaceful, her lips a little chapped. If she didn’t wake up soon I would have to find a way to get some water into her. “Come on, Lilly. You need to wake up, honey. Your sister needs you.” I bit my tongue to refrain from telling her as well how much I needed her.
“Tell me what exactly happened again,” Luke said. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.”
“I don’t know what happened. When I arrived, it was already after everything had already happened. The vampire just dried out.”
“It didn’t turn to ash,” he mused aloud. “That’s unheard of, Ralf.”
I glared at him. “Don’t you think I know that?”
“She’s not telling you something,” he replied. “She found a way to kill that vampire without him turning to ash. Didn’t you say there was blood on her when you found her? On her neck? Did he bite her?”
I sighed. “I wish I knew the answer to that question, but I simply don’t know. At first, I thought he had bitten her. There was just so much blood but when I checked her, I saw no signs of a wound.”
“I’m telling you, Ralf. There’s something bigger going on here than you know. What did she tell you about this mission?”
“Just what I told you. She knows we exist and Sinn takes that as a threat to our existence. He kidnapped her sister.”
“He’s right you know. What’s to stop her from telling others about us?”
I shook my head. “She’s not like that.”
“How do you know that?” He paced back and forth. “Shit, Ralf. I don’t know what’s happening to you but she’s impairing your ability to think straight. You were not thinking straight from the first moment he agreed to this mission.”
“Would you have rather I send her alone to face Sinn?”
“Given the way she killed that vampire, she can take care of herself.”
I shook my head. “You don’t know what I heard. The fear in her voice when she screamed for me. She needed me, and I failed her.” I stared at her still lying peacefully and could feel my throat tightening. “I need to take a leak,” I lied and stalked away into the trees for a moment to be alone.
I swallowed back the tears and trudged deeper into the forest but stopped, not wanting to be too far from her this time. If I hadn’t gone so far last night, she would have never been alone for so long. I hadn’t wanted to wake her as I called the other wolves to our location, so I had gone further in the distance to give my howl. I would never forget the way I’d felt when I heard the first scream. My need to protect had coupled with my need to eliminate whatever the threat to her was. No amount of words could describe to Luke the feeling of helpless rage that overwhelmed me when I found her, lying on the ground, her eyes staring at me but unseeing. The pupils had been taken over by the green of her iris. It was like nothing I had ever witnessed in all my years as a werewolf.
My fear was that I had no idea what was wrong with her. She had no signs of injury but was still unconscious. I was considering following Luke’s advice and taking her down the mountain. Maybe I was wrong and whatever ailed her could be fixed by human medicine. After all, she was a human, wasn’t she? My doubt had increased since the incident. I’d tried telling myself I was being absurd in believing she could be anything else but a human.
But, that vampire…the creature had been folded, emaciated down to his shriveled-up skin. The death was more gruesome than I’d ever seen in a vampire. Vampires always turned to ash when they died.
The snarling of werewolves caught my attention. Something was wrong. Given what had happened the last time I left Lilly alone, I tore through the forest, only comforted by the thought that I’d left Luke with her. Luke would guard her with his life because I asked it of him.
I had seconds to think once I reached our camping spot. My joy to see Lilly awake and up was short-lived. She was surrounded by three snarling wolves while Luke remained in his human form. He turned to glare at me, his eyes full of anger. In the middle of the melee, Lilly’s face was white with fear and something else.
“What the hell is going on here?” I demanded, stalking over to Lilly’s side.
“We’re doing what you should have done a long time ago!” Luke growled at me. He was in such a rage, I wondered why he hadn’t shifted. “This witch shouldn’t still be alive!”
“What are you talking about?” I turned to Lilly, dread settling in my stomach. “Lilly, what’s the meaning of this?”
She glanced at me then, her eyes sad. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I wanted to tell you, but I needed your help and there’s no way you would have helped me if you knew who I was.”
“What are you?” I asked, staring her in the eyes.
“She’s a fucking witch!” Luke shouted. “That’s what she is. That’s what you fell in love with. That’s what you’ve been fucking. A witch!”
Betrayal. I’d never known betrayal that ran so deep as that moment. “That can’t be true. I would have scented her.”
“She’s a witch. You don’t think she has a way of removing her scent?” He waved a pouch he had in his hand at me and shook out the contents. A small polybag fell to the ground in addition to a vial. “She’s been using spells right under your nose and you didn’t even know!”
He made to stomp on the contents he had spilled onto the ground. “Nooooo!” Lilly cried. She chanted something lyrical so quickly that I didn’t hear what she said. The vial and polybag flew through the air and into her hands. I was crushed. There was no doubt then what Luke had said.
She was the one thing I despised more than Sinn and she had made me fall in love with her. I hated no one else in that moment than I did her.
11
Lilly
“You tricked me?”
I winced at Ralf’s thundered question, hearing his hurt and feelings of betrayal. I felt weak, not because I had been unconscious for a while but because he had discovered who I was, and it stole every vibrancy I had in my being. Everything I had felt over the past few days was now being threatened because of the untimely revelation of who I was.
I’d regained consciousness because while I’d slept in the state of unknown, I’d been struck with crippling fear. I’d startled awake, not sure what I would find. When I’d opened my eyes to find the strange man going through my bags, I knew my lies were about to catch up with me. Then the other three wolves had pranced into the campsite and I immediately knew they were friends of Ralf.
“I didn’t mean to trick you,” I told Ralf, my response sounding shallow to even my own ears. But, what more could I say? Whatever my explanation, Ralf would never be satisfied and forgive me for what I had done. Maybe if I were some other woman, but he would never forgive a witch.
“Then what the hell is that?” he demanded, waving at the potion in my arms. “Is that what you used to hoodwink me, so I didn’t see you for what you are?”
“I didn’t change who I was,” I answered, turning my attention to him while keeping watch of the wolves in my peripheral vision. I hated that they were witnessing what should be a private discussion with Ralf. “All I did was to remove my magic. It’s a stripping spell. I knew you would be able to smell the magic on me if I didn’t use it.”
“What else have you been doing?” His eyes burned amber. “Did you- did you-”
He couldn’t say the words, but I knew what he was talking about. He wanted to know if I had used my magic to get him to have sex with me. I shook my head, taking a step towards him. “No, I swear to you, Ralf. What happened had nothing to do with magic. Just the type that we created together.”
“Don’t you dare lie to me!” he shouted. “You-you made a fool out of me! I should kill you for betraying me.”
“Be quick about it!” His friend, the blood thirsty one stated. “We’ve w
asted enough of our time with this witch.”
“And to think you wanted my help to save another watch?” Ralf growled at me. “Are you even trying to save anyone or working with Sinn himself to kill more werewolves. Is that it?”
I shook my head. “No, no. Listen to me, Ralf. The only thing I did wrong was to hide my powers from you because I knew you wouldn’t have helped me otherwise, but you’ve got to believe me about everything else. My sister isn’t a witch. She doesn’t have any powers and she’s defenseless against Sinn.”
“Why the hell should I believe you?”
He took a menacing step towards me and I took a step back, my heart hurting that he would want to hurt me after all we had been together. I saw it in his eyes. He wanted to hurt me real bad for doing what I did to him.
“Because I’ve no need to lie to you,” I answered. “I only did it to get your help. Nothing more. Everything else that happened was just us.”
“That’s how you killed the vampire,” he mused.
I nodded. “A witch’s blood is tainted. If a vampire is not powerful enough, it will kill him.”
This time when he pounced on me, I didn’t move. I had to trust there was more to us than the hatred because of what my parents had done. Not only did he invade my space, but he grabbed me by the neck, his fangs lowering. I trembled in his arms, tears welling in my eyes that this was what everything boiled down to for him. Not that we had shared love between us but that our parents had shared hate for each other.
“Give me one reason not to rip you from limb to limb right now?” he growled.
A tear slid down my cheek and splashed onto the back of his hand. Because I love you and I believe you love me too. I couldn’t say that to him though with his men standing there. He was already feeling great shame that his kind had witnessed how foolish he had been in trusting me.