Blood Cursed

by H. L. Graham

  I relaxed into the sensations, feeling nurtured. Andrea explained between licks when a pack member gets injured, the rest of the pack contributes to the healing process by cleaning the wounds with their saliva. The pack’s saliva helps regenerate tissue and expedites healing. Normally wounds as severe as mine would have to be closed surgically in human form. Due to my extraordinary pull of power, I began the healing process and the pack could help finish it. I felt my wounds healing and closing. It tickled.

  When the current lickers had enough, new pack members replaced them. A strange way of getting to know each other.

  Rebecca said, “Hannah, it’s very common for packs to nurture and heal each other after experiencing such power and violence. I read in one of the manuals this was common for werewolf packs to care for their own. You showed them you are their leader and have become one of the pack.”

  When the tongue bath was over, Andrea insisted that I wait a few minutes for her to turn back to human form before attempting to move. She needed her human hands to help if necessary. As I lay on the grass waiting for Andrea and Rebecca to change back, the sky began to lighten and I could see daylight coming. The night flies by when you’re not wearing pants. Words to live by. I snickered, and it hurt.

  Andrea and Rebecca returned with my bathrobe and slippers. Both women were back in human form. They looked and smelled in need of a long hot shower. I’m positive I have my own body odor issues in addition to being covered with wolf saliva. Yeah, I totally needed a shower.

  Andrea was about 5’10” with short, no fuss platinum blond hair and bold brown eyes. She looked like an intelligent, serious person. She knelt before me and placed her hands on my head to steady me.

  “Okay, I want you to allow yourself to change back. I suspect this will hurt. As you change, your bones will mend as well as the gashes and tears on your skin. This process normally takes weeks, but when you shift, it’s dramatically accelerated. I’ll brace your head to keep it stable. The largest tear is on your neck and I want to make sure it heals properly. Do you understand?”

  I barked out a yes and she ordered me to shift. She wasn’t kidding, it felt like my body was covered with fire that searched every cut for a way in. I didn’t move a muscle for fear the pain would intensify. Lying on the ground with my head in Andrea’s lap and panting through the pain, I fixed my eyes on Rebecca who took the roll of my Lamaze coach.

  After what felt like an eternity, but was really only two minutes, I finished shifting back to my human form. I was covered with sweat and shaking from the ordeal.

  Rebecca’s eyes grew large as saucers. “You have no marks on your entire body.”

  Andrea gently lowered my head to the ground, “Don’t move yet, let me examine you.” She covered me with a towel as she meticulously checked every part of my body. She even had a stethoscope hidden in her bathrobe pocket and checked my heart and lungs.

  “You are completely healed,” she sounded amazed.

  “Didn’t you say I would heal?” I asked. Boy it was great to be human again.

  “I did, but I expected scars from the larger wounds. There’s nothing. It’s better than I anticipated. How do you feel?” she asked.

  “Tired and sore, but I think okay. What about the drug Kristi gave me, is it out of my system?”

  “I believe it is. Whatever you did with the bright light seems to have burned off the poison,” she pondered for a moment. “I think her claws were coated in a type of tetrodotoxin.”

  My confused expression must have prompted more explanation.

  “It’s the toxin found in puffer fish. It’s 100 times more potent than cyanide. It’s fast acting, causes dizziness, nausea and weakness. It can kill humans and disable large animals,” she explained. I wondered since Gaven’s spell was marine based that it was perfect for burning a fish poison out of my system?

  “With your permission, I would love to do a full work up and discuss last night?” she asked excitedly. “I think I could learn a lot and possibly adapt a new way of healing the others.”

  “Sure,” I replied, “but could I maybe stand up and get dressed first?”

  “Of course,” she gestured for Rebecca to help. They grabbed me under my shoulders lifting me to my feet.

  I felt dizzy from the blood loss, but I was able to steady myself and get the robe on. Rebecca insisted on helping me back to the pool house to oversee my shower and dressing. I agreed.

  Dr. Andrea gave me her card and I promised to call as soon as things settled down.

  In the pool house, I looked into the mirror after my very luxurious shower. It had six-shower nozzles and herbal scented steam floating around the bathroom. I inspected my battered body. I couldn’t find one tiny scratch.

  “Wow,” I said as I slid back into my clothes.

  Rebecca was waiting for me when I came out of the bathroom. She had dressed and sat in a big comfortable chair talking quietly with Gaven.

  She looked up as I approached, “Are you ready to head home?”

  If I didn’t know any better, I would have sworn that the night had been a boring normal evening. She was calm as a cucumber.

  Gaven awaited my arrival and insisted on hearing the whole story since he only had video. Rebecca filled him in on the evening as I pulled a brush through my wild unruly curls. As promised, my clothes were washed, pressed and smelled great. Lavender, I thought, as I sniffed them. Nice.

  Gaven listened expressionless. He asked appropriate questions about the ceremony and aftermath of the challenge. He insisted on hugging me until I told him he was squeezing too hard and I was still sore.

  He laughed, “I am just so relieved you’re okay. I was going nuts in that room. I could see the fight, but I couldn’t hear what was going on. I think I made it through a whole season of NFL Madden in an attempt to distract myself. Mr. Jeffries called at four o’clock to tell me you would be okay. He advised I wait until sunrise before unlocking the door. As soon as I saw light, I ran down to find you.”

  Rebecca said, “I bumped into him when I came in to get some towels and asked him to wait. He looked so worried,” she smiled.

  “Thanks for worrying. I love you too. It was your spell that saved me. I think it burned off the poison.” I kissed him lightly on the lips then rubbed my nose on his. “Wolf kiss,” I explained giggling. “Oww. I’m sore.” I complained, happy to be alive.

  Gaven giggled with me, “Rebecca told me you had to get naked in front of everyone. So how was that?”

  “Duh, it was embarrassing, what do you think? Oh, Jacob got an erection when he bit me,” I added.

  Gavens eyes grew large and he puffed up his body, he was pissed off. “He what?”

  I smiled a twinkle in my eye, “Don’t worry darling, I took care of it. I bit his shoulder so hard as punishment. That’s the last time he’ll think about me in that way,” I laughed and Gaven relaxed a bit. “I think I might have done some damage.”

  “Serves him right,” Rebecca added. “You are very married, he should know better.”

  “Damn straight,” Gaven said.

  “Well it’s good to know he is still just a guy whom I can definitely handle if need be,” I explained.

  “I would hate to see what you would do if he tried to make another move.”

  “Chop it off,” I laughed and Rebecca joined me.

  Gaven placed his hands over his groin, “Ahhh, you guys are so harsh.” He laughed too.

  “What happened to Kristi and her lackies bodies?” Gaven asked.

  Rebecca looked at me. Her hesitation spoke volumes.

  “Rebecca spill it,” I ordered. I felt guilty at how not guilty I felt about Kristi dying. I don’t know if it speaks to my new wolf side or some sense of justice, but I was strangely unaffected by her death. I pushed that thought aside to psychoanalyze another day. I was way too tired for it now.

  She pulled on her sneakers, “Jacob asked me to bring you to the main house. He wants to explain those details.”

&n
bsp; “Alright,” Gaven held my hand as I followed Rebecca toward the main house.

  Chapter 32

  Jacob was sitting at an extremely large dining room table. I counted twenty chairs as we entered the room. The dining room was just off the kitchen, facing the back of the house along with every other room. It occurred to me his house is shaped like the letter U and every room was designed to look toward the pool and back yard.

  The table had been polished within an inch of its life. Jacob sat at the head of the table. He wore a casual linen outfit the color of sand. Next to him were three place settings, which I assumed to be for Gaven, Rebecca and me.

  “Ah Hannah, good to see you feeling better. I knew that Dr. Andrea would take good care of you.” He smiled, looking up from his morning paper and coffee.

  I immediately became defensive and angry, “Well thanks for sticking around to make sure I’d be okay.” I sat in the farthest seat from Jacob, leaving Gaven and Rebecca to sit on either side of him.

  Jacob gave me a smart-ass look indicating he was not bothered by my outburst.

  “Don’t look so smug,” I said to him.

  “Well you did a great thing for our pack. You protected us all and became what I knew you could become and for that, I thank you.” And then the jerk bowed his head.

  “AHHHHHH…” I had had enough of Jacob.

  “Why so angry? You became my co-Alpha, which you are aware makes you the co-leader. You also get stock in Anderson Construction, which is worth a lot. You should be happy,” he informed me.

  “In case you missed it, The Bitch almost killed me. She poisoned me with puffer fish and you didn’t do anything to help. If it weren’t for Gaven’s spell and Rebecca’s research, I would have had no choice but to pull energy from the pack, releasing you all from the moon’s influence. Isn’t that what you really wanted?” I all but yelled at him.

  “I really don’t feel it’s such a bad thing Hannah,” he replied with no remorse.

  “Well, I do. I have no idea who these pack members are and what they are about. I will not share any of that particular power until I get to know them one by one and decide if they can handle that kind of responsibility. How do I know if there’s another Kristi in our midst?” I asked rationally.

  “You don’t, but that’s why you are Alpha. You’re more powerful than the rest of the pack and can destroy anyone who is disobedient” he explained simply.

  “Listen jerk, I have no intention of killing anyone else. I would rather get to know the pack and trust them before giving them more power. I am not a barbarian who kills whoever disobeys.” I lectured him, releasing a breath in a huff, “I am a Licensed Psychotherapist for gods’ sake. It is not our way.” Except for Hannibal Lector…

  Gaven and Rebecca laughed out loud and the tension relaxed. “Not our way,” I heard Gaven mumble.

  “You win for now, but the pack will turn on you if you hold back too long,” Jacob warned.

  “Yeah, yeah, I’ll deal with it. Back off,” I commanded.

  “So, what happened to Kristi?” Gaven asked changing the subject.

  I piled some pancakes onto my plate, drizzling them with a ton of syrup. I was starving.

  Jacob set down his coffee cup and held up the morning paper. The headline read, “Murderer Found Dead, Killed by Her Own Weapon.” The picture showed a black wolf lying dead on the back of a police pickup truck.

  “What the hell?” I asked.

  “Well, after you finished off Kristi, she turned back into human form, but still carried all the wounds from the fight. I had my people dress her and plant her in a residential neighborhood with one of the dead guards she had brought along. There was a call made to 911 about some screams from the neighborhood and the police found what appeared to be the murderer whose pet monster turned on her,” he explained.

  “How do they know she’s the murderer and not just another victim?” Gaven asked.

  “She had a dog whistle and when they examine her body, they will find old wolf bite scars that will match the guards’ teeth,” he replied.

  “I thought we heal when we change. How can she have old scars?” I asked confused.

  “Easy. When we die the old scars will appear on our skin because the magic that heals us dies with us. Kristi insisted all of her lovers bite her and I knew that both guards were currently her lovers.” Jacob took another sip of coffee and a bite of toast.

  I swallowed hard, “Yuck, she really was one psychotic woman.”

  “But wouldn’t she have many bite scars from many men?” Gaven asked.

  “All it would indicate is that she had worked with many animals before she found the most murderous one,” Rebecca said grabbing the scrambled eggs.

  I took a bite of my pancakes. Of course they were ridiculously delicious. “So how did goon guy stay in wolf form. We change back after we die?”

  Rebecca answered this one, “Before Dr. Andrea started to help you, she ordered Mr. Jeffries to administer a shot of Wolvesbane to the guard. She explained that liquid Wolvesbane is a powerful poison that induces paralysis in the living, but when given to a newly killed werewolf, it will bind that person into wolf form for eternity.”

  “What about the other guard? I heard you and Baldy Bean fighting with them after I killed Kristi?” I asked with a mouthful of sausage.

  Rebecca hesitated in answering this question, “We ate him.”

  “You what?” Gaven and I asked in unison.

  Jacob intervened, “The pack needs to feed when they change. They ate him so we wouldn’t have to dispose of the body. It wouldn’t make sense for Kristi to have two wolves at her command.”

  “So everything is wrapped up into one clean little package,” I said snidely.

  “What about Alexander? If I remember correctly, he is still a threat.”

  “That is already taken care of. He was informed early this morning about his loss and he will continue to keep his distance for now,” Jacob said with great delight.

  “For now?” I really didn’t have the energy to hear anymore, but I needed to know if I was safe.

  Jacob looked me in the eye, “With the loss of Kristi, he has lost his forward momentum and his strongest warrior. He will need time to regroup before he is a threat again. That could take several months, even years.”

  I sat back in my chair feeling full and really tired. Gaven stood, “I think it’s time to head home and get some sleep.”

  Jacob also stood, “I agree Gaven, Hannah needs her rest. She and I have a lot to discuss when she is feeling better.”

  I walked over to Gaven, took his hand and begin to lead him toward the door. I was ready for our limo ride home.

  “Jacob, don’t call us. We’ll call you,” I said over my shoulder.

  I smiled at Gaven as we walked through the door to the shiny black limo. Rebecca closed the car door behind us as I sunk into the seat and fell asleep, my head in Gaven’s lap.

  Chapter 33

  When we arrived home, the police car was nowhere to be seen. There was no longer need for protection with the threat neutralized.

  I slept until dinnertime. Twelve hours of sleep was exactly what the doctor ordered. I felt much better. I found Rebecca, Gaven and Leslie sitting in the kitchen talking about the Wolf Killer. They turned as I entered the room.

  “Looks like you’re feeling better,” Leslie remarked.

  My eyes grew wid. How could he know about last night? Confused, I looked at Gaven, “She is only better physically. Mentally the verdict is still out,” he joked. “The flu knocked her out for a few days.”

  Oh yeah, I remembered. I was supposed to be sick the other night that Leslie came over for dinner. “Thanks for asking. Yeah, I’m feeling much better.” I sat on the chair next to Gaven.

  “I saw the paper this morning. You must be happy to have the case solved?” I asked Leslie.

  “I was just saying that before you walked in. It looks like the animal turned on its trainer and then died of som
e sort of poison,” he told me.

  “Poison?” I asked. “Why would the murderer need poison?”

  “Well, it seems in small doses the poison makes the animal easier to control. In conjunction with some other inhumane training devices that we found, the woman was able to get the wolf to kill at her command. It looks like the animal got out of control and turned on her. She must have given it too large of a dose. The animal was already dying as it killed the woman,” Leslie explained to us.

  “So what was the motive? Why did she kill all those women?” Rebecca asked Leslie while batting her eyelashes.

  Leslie smiled at her then continued, “I am not at liberty to disclose the name of the killer. She was angry at her ex-husband because of a small divorce settlement and wanted revenge. So she attacked any young woman she thought he might have dated. Apparently, she was a very jealous person with a history of mental illness. She was hospitalized several years ago for bipolar disorder.”

  “Ha, I knew she was crazy,” I blurted out. Crap.

  Leslie whipped his head around to face me, “Who was crazy?”

  I quickly looked down at the celebrity gossip magazine lying on the table, “Um, that chick from that movie.” I pointed at a picture of an actress smiling for the camera with the headline exclaiming she was just released form rehab.

  “Oh…,” Leslie looked at me strangely. “Anyway, everything seems to be in order and I am pretty sure the forensic results will come back linking the woman and the animal to our past murders. All very clean.” He looked at me again and seemed to be lost in thought. “Too clean.”

  I suddenly got very nervous. Leslie’s too smart not to suspect a link after Jacob’s visit the other day. But there was no way Leslie would believe the real truth. Instead of sharing too much information, I stuffed a cookie into my mouth courtesy of Baker Bob. “Oh, these are heavenly,” I attempted to change the subject. “That Baker Bob never disappoints.”