Blood Cursed

by H. L. Graham

  Interesting. Later I would have to think about how to put my super smell to good use. For now, I spied Rebecca pulling up to my office in her Red Honda Civic. I waved as I walked up to her. She dressed in blue jeans and a white t-shirt. Her blond hair pulled into a loose ponytail, she looked healthy. If I didn’t know better, I would think she’d been lifting weights. Her body looked more muscular. She sauntered toward the door with a newfound confidence.

  “Rebecca, why don’t you come on in and grab a seat in my office,” I shut the front door behind us.

  “AHHH, what is that smell?” she said putting her hand over her nose and mouth.

  “The cleaning crew came last night and must have spilled some supplies, but I’m not sure where.” I looked around for the spill in an effort also to hide my smirk. More evidence to support my theory.

  “Well, I don’t know if I can stand it,” she said as she walked toward the door.

  I motioned to the back door. “Okay, why don’t we go sit on the bench out back. Its shady, private and no stink.” I smiled encouragingly.

  We headed out back and grabbed a seat. One of the really nice things about my office was the small garden and benches set up behind the building. There was even a small pond with giant Koi and a fountain. No one utilized this shady retreat. Only I ventured outside. Some of my clients felt better outside in contrast to the restriction of my small office.

  After we settled on a bench, I asked, “So how are you feeling today? Looks like your wounds are completely healed.”

  I didn’t want to shock her with a werewolf accusation. I spent all that time in school. I might as well use my skills. I’ll have to coax it out of her.

  Rebecca looked into my eyes. She scrunched her forehead as if having an internal discussion. She relaxed and spoke, “You know how last week I told you I turned into a wolf?”

  I nodded.

  She continued, “Well, I haven’t turned again, but I’ve had so many wolf dreams. One is recurring.” She hesitated, looking worried.

  She closed her eyes while drawing a long slow breath through her nose. Her eyes flew open, “you smell like them,” she declared staring at me with confusion.

  It was now or never so I took my opportunity. “Was the dream about a witch and a man she cursed?” I asked tentatively.

  Her eyes grew larger as she leaned forward. She took in my scent, slower and more deliberately. Like a wine connoisseur attempting to identify specific notes from a taste of wine.

  “Yeah, your scent is familiar,” she responded slowly. “You’re in my dreams, but not as a human. You’re an auburn colored wolf with the same blue eyes, but they were glowing. The scent is uncanny, exactly the same as the wolf in my dreams.”

  She paused. I sensed a light bulb clicking on above her head. She spoke with a newfound excitement, “When were you attacked? How? There hasn’t been a full moon since I saw you last week. How can that be?”

  I calmly replied, “I had the same dream. The witch attacked me wounding my shoulder. I awoke covered in blood. Since that night, I’ve experienced strange things. My shoulder healed overnight. I got angry at my friend and my eyes and nails turned wolfy. My senses are the charts.”

  She reached for my arm. “May I?” she asked. She inspected my shoulder intently. She gently released my arm lowering her eyes from mine. Her whole body became relaxed and calm. She sat, waiting for me to tell her what to do next.

  “Rebecca, are you alright?” I asked confused. She nodded and fell quiet again.

  Okay, maybe another approach. “Um, Rebecca, can you look at me and tell me what you are thinking right now?”

  She lifted her head, her face serene, and she smiled. “I just felt this overwhelming energy coursing through you when I inspected your shoulder. It seems you’re also a werewolf, but you haven’t changed yet. I’ve been doing a lot of research. It seems there is one story which ties together the dreams we both had.” She paused for permission to continue. I nodded urging her to continue.

  “You are a magically cursed wolf. That is different from a bitten wolf. I was attacked and survived. Because of the extent of my injuries combined with the wolf saliva entered my blood, I’m blood cursed. Since you are magically cursed, you are different. Your scent is similar to mine but holds something different. Something I can’t identify. It must at the core of the spell that the old witch used to curse you. I bet another witch would be able to identify it.” She looked at the pond. The fish swam in circles looking for lunch.

  I wondered if this was true. But where would I find another witch to sniff me? That would have to wait. I pulled my attention back to Rebecca.

  “I dreamt you were cursed by the witch, destined to rule the wolves. I looked for stories and legends appertaining to magical curses and nothing. But based on your smell and what I’ve learned, you are meant to rule. You are my Alpha.” She sat quietly, careful to not look directly into my eyes.

  The lack of eye contact started to get annoying. But I remembered some discovery channel show about wolf pack behavior. It’s a challenge when a lesser wolf makes direct eye contact with its leader. Crap! This definitely creates some new problems I hadn’t considered. Focus Hannah, one issue at a time.

  “Okay, so based on your research and my new scent, you concluded I’m destined to rule? Maybe I should get a crown made?” I tried to lighten the mood with a joke.

  Rebecca ignored my feeble attempt at a humor, so I pressed on. “What about the other wolves? The one that attacked you? Did you find anything about that?” I asked probing more.

  “No, I’m not sure how we’re linked in all this, but I’m certain this is not some freak accident.” Her relief showed instantly. She was no longer alone in this crazy mess, she had me. And since I was Alpha, I suspected protecting her was also my job. Add that to my ever-growing list of problems. Double crap.

  “Rebecca, I need to share some of what I know.” I went on to tell her what Leslie had discovered about the murders. How she and I were in jeopardy come the next full moon cycle. I explained how we were related, distant cousins, but for some reason I was the cursed one due to my direct bloodline. I hypothesized that since she also shared some of the same bloodline, she survived the wolf attack when anyone else might have died. While not magically cursed, she is predisposed to wolfiness. We were not sure why the others Leslie had talked about had died, but he did mention some were missing. Maybe they’re in hiding due to their new furry condition.

  “So, you’re saying whoever attacked me is coming back? Maybe they know about the curse? Are they trying to kill anyone who might rise to Alpha?” she offered.

  Duh, I should have figured that out. She was smart, quick and apparently my cousin. Hello Cousin Rebecca, I’m your werewolf Cousin Hannah. Welcome to my ‘Getting stranger every day’ life, careful where you step, the next one could be a real doozy.

  “We are a threat to whatever wolf community already exists. They don’t want a new ruler and they’re trying to kill us to keep it that way. That really puts a crimp in my day. I don’t know what to do,” getting more concerned. I could probably defend myself against the one wolf that attacked Rebecca, but what if there’s a whole pack coming after me? I would be up a creek without a paddle.

  I developed the strangest desire to reach my hand out and pet her on the head, which I did before I could stop myself. Her hair was soft and warm from the sun spilling through the trees. I petted her hair like a dog, running my hand from her forehead to the nape of her neck. She sat quietly turning her head slightly to the side while closing her eyes. I felt the most overwhelming desire to protect her as a new mother would feel for her infant. Instinctively I knew it was my job to keep Rebecca safe from harm. She would obey me and even stranger, give her life for mine. I also felt an overwhelming calmness. Interesting, I thought. Touching Rebecca provided an instantaneous calming effect. Good to know. She seemed to feel it too, but she didn’t say anything.

  A few quiet minutes passed. “Um…Hannah,
may I ask you a question?” She was behaving submissively, refusing to look into my eyes. As a therapist, I used eye contact to communicate with people and I was missing this important piece while talking with Rebecca.

  “Listen Rebecca, we need some new rules. If you want to ask a question just ask. Don’t ask permission. Okay?” She nodded. “Also, please look me in the eye when we talk. This Alpha wolf stuff is annoying, we are people first. I see you as my new,” I paused to think, “wolf slash person slash friend slash cousin.” I smiled.

  “We are working together as equals in my book no matter what anyone or anything else says. We’ve a lot to figure out if we are going to survive this and we need to be able to communicate.” She nodded again, this time looking me in the eyes. Yippee!

  “Lastly, the therapy part of our relationship is over. I believe we’ve moved past the normal perimeters of a therapeutic relationship.” I started to giggle, and she joined in.

  “Agreed.” she said between giggles.

  We were getting to know one another, and I had a moment of confidence in our ability to figure this mess out and keep us safe.

  Rebecca stopped laughing and pursed her lips to the side of her mouth, “I have a request.”

  “Sure, what’s up?”

  “I do have a slight problem.” I gave her a big smile feeling pretty good about my new furry friend. “I, uh, need a place to live. I’m getting evicted in a few days. Since we’re related and werewolves and in hypothetical danger, well, could I stay with you for a while?”

  Crap, I forgot about her quitting her job last week. I’m not sure how Gaven will feel about living with two werewolves, but I didn’t see any other options. “Sure, when do you need to move in?”

  “Wednesday okay with you?” she asked.

  I sighed, “Yeah, see you then.” She gave me a hug and promised to be at my place in two days with her stuff.

  That gave me two days to convince Gaven this was a good idea.

  I sat on the bench for a more few minutes trying to shake off the weirdness of the past hour. I watched the fish. Those damn fish had the good life. No one bugging them, no turning into werefish. They got fed regularly and pretty much had no problems. I walked over to where the fish food was kept and tossed a handful into the pond. The Koi swarmed toward the food and gobbled it up. This pond was designed to be calming, but watching the fish fight for the tiny bits of food started to make me feel anxious. Survival of the fittest I thought. “Damn you Darwin.”

  I had another appointment scheduled in a few minutes, so I headed back. The office had aired out enough where I could bear to be inside. I closed the window and doors. I wrote myself a reminder to contact the cleaning service. They needed to switch me to unscented green cleaning products. That should help with my super sniffer. The arrival of my next client brought my thoughts back to my schedule. I spent the rest of the day caught up in my usual daily routine.

  Chapter 13

  I finished up at the office around 4pm and headed to my yoga class. I figured an hour of power yoga and some mediation would center me. I also needed energy to explain to Gaven why Rebecca had to move into our house for a while.

  I love yoga. I‘ve been at it for about a year and my flexibility and strength have increased. I enjoy changing up my workout routine to keep me fit. My favorite yoga pose is downward facing dog where my head dangles and my back cracks and my butt sticks up in the air as I relax. Now that I think about it, sticking my butt in the air as a relaxation move sounds pretty weird. But wolves can stick their butt anywhere they please. I smiled at the thought.

  As I pulled into the parking lot, I saw Leslie leaning against his cruiser dressed in his detective duds: standard issue sport coat, button down shirt, jeans and aviator glasses to disguise his inquiring cop eyes. His red hair was messy from running his hands through it. Leslie really needed a new hairstyle, but that conversation would have to wait. He smelled of soap and aftershave. I frowned as the memory of wanting to attack him and bite his ear off rushed into my mind. I remembered his adrenaline spike when I screamed at him. I felt my muscles tighten, and my spine straightened. Leslie tensed when he saw me. He must have thought I was still pissed. What I was really trying to do was control my animal and remind it Leslie was not a threat. Or does my inner animal know better?

  Stepping out of the car, I shut the drivers’ side door and leaned against it, mimicking his posture. Glancing at the yoga studio, I spotted Jeff, my yoga instructor, talking to a student. He wore his usual baggy pants and a multicolored tank top, which reminded me of something out of an 80’s music video. Can anyone say Hammer Pants! His crazy outfits always made me smile. It helped force me to relax and smile at Leslie.

  “Hey Officer, am I that predictable? You knew exactly where I would be?” I joked.

  “Naw, I bumped into Gaven and he told me it was yoga night. Looks like Jeff has outdone himself in the fashion department,” glancing over at Jeff. He smiled then frowned when turning his gaze back to me. “I wanted to check on your stubborn ass and see if we could talk about last night’s conversation and your freak out.”

  I paused, “Should I assume you already talked to Gaven about putting the police detail at our door during the full moon?” He nodded. I knew Leslie would not back down on this point. And I thought I was the stubborn one.

  Leslie gave me his best serious cop look, “Gaven told me you were okay with it. I just wanted to make sure that’s true?”

  “Does it matter?” I asked knowing he would have a car in front of my house even if I said no. I wanted him to work for this one. Yes, I was that stubborn. Ok, that’s not entirely true. I hate it when men think they know what’s best for a woman and in this case, what’s best for me. I know Leslie is a great friend. He believes sometimes you have to make unpopular decisions for stubborn friends. In this case, yours truly. As the resident pain in the ass, I felt obligated to give him some trouble…

  “Nope,” he said smugly.

  “Okay then, I guess we’re agreed.” I shifted my weight to my other foot. It was time to say I was sorry for yelling.

  I hated apologizing. I always felt like a jerk. I acted like a jerk. Then I sounded like a jerk.

  I took in a breath, “Leslie, I wanted to apologize for jumping down your throat last night. Apparently, being the next victim in a rash of murders gets to a girl.” My defense mechanism was to joke about my behavior. I really didn’t want to tell him the real reason for my freak out. He would have me committed if I told him about turning into a werewolf. Leslie had seen a lot of strange things in his years of policing, but I’m betting supernatural creatures were not on the list.

  “No problem, Hannah,” he smiled visibly relieved. He enjoyed dinners with Gaven and I. We were family to him. I knew Leslie would be terribly hurt if something damaged our friendship. “I know I shocked you by suggesting your family is being targeted. I would have lost it too.”

  “My family, oh crap. My parents have no idea what’s going on. By any chance have you spoken to my parents?” I started feeling anxious.

  Sensing my anxiety, Leslie easily shifted into protective policeman mode. Putting his hand on my shoulder, “Hannah, your folks are perfectly safe. They are the 6th generation. The attacks are only happening to female 7th generation members of your family. If you want to call them, go ahead. They can’t help the situation and I’m concerned if they come here, they may get hurt by getting in the way.”

  I calmed slightly. “Yeah, I know, but I should call them and let them know about Rebecca. I mean, finding a new family member is pretty big stuff. I’m sure they would want to know about it,” I replied.

  Leslie sighed, “Alright, but make sure they stay home. Insist. I’ll talk to them if they give you any trouble. Capeesh?”

  “Yeah, yeah,” I glanced over at Jeff who stood at the window gesturing for me to hurry up. “Jeff’s giving me the evil eye, which actually means something coming from a yogi. Can I get to class now officer?” I said smirking a
t Leslie. I even threw in a salute for good measure.

  Leslie snorted. He hates it when I call him officer. He got in his car and gave me the ‘behave’ look, then drove off.

  Walking into the yoga studio, I thought about my parents. What in the world was I going to tell them?

  Chapter 14

  My parents, Joe and Carol Blackwood, lived in upstate New York near the Adirondacks. They moved to Potsdam when I left for college. Potsdam was a small college town, artsy enough to keep the two old hippies very happy. My father decided to put his literary and history degrees into good practice. He started teaching at the local state college where his classes are apparently very popular. He’s a natural born storyteller, having discovered the secret to keeping the student’s attention. A secret he will not share. Go figure!

  Dad is six feet tall, bald as an eagle with a full grey beard. His uniform is running shoes, jeans and a sweatshirt. His collection of different style hats keep his bean warm, and double as teaching aids. His favorite hat, a tall black one, he wears when teaching about Abe Lincoln and the civil war. He’s a very laid-back guy with a great sense of humor. He and I love weird jokes which Mom loves to roll her eyes at. Dad loves to hike in the mountains and commune with nature. With his free time, he paints. His favorite paintings are usually mountain scenes with bits of wildlife added. His hero is Bob Ross, star of Joy of Painting. Dad has watched every episode and painted right along with that curly haired dude. I thought Dad would never get over it when Bob died. He went around for weeks talking about the loss of his hero and his happy little trees.