Season of the Wolf

by Rachel Jonas

  Again, the response was fluid.

  “Anything.”

  She stopped there, staring so intensely it was like she looked through me.

  “I want Elise to do it,” I went on, unable to stop myself now. “I want her to turn me. I know the process, the pain. I know the risk, but it’s the only way.”

  The once stoic look on Hilda’s face was now teeming with emotion—pity, hopelessness.

  “She’ll never agree to it and neither will Evangeline,” she countered.

  “I don’t need Evangeline’s approval,” I blurted, adding, “Only her forgiveness once it’s done.”

  A hypocrite.

  That’s what this spell had proven me to be as it drew my truth out into the open. Just yesterday, I’d come down on Evangeline for being in the same self-sacrificing frame of mind. But, when it came to making these sacrifices with her best interest in mind, I felt justified.

  And so did she.

  We were two sides of the same coin. Our only flaw being our weakness for, and dependence on, one another. Historically speaking, it made us reckless, cruel to anyone who threatened to tear us apart. Our love for one another turned us into our own worst nightmares—a threat to the other’s survival.

  I said very little as this realization set in.

  Said even less as I accepted the fact that, out of nowhere, a new idea had just been birthed in my subconscious. One that bore dire consequences that, somehow, didn’t even register with me.

  All I saw was possibility.

  “I won’t endorse this decision,” Hilda said with conviction. “I will not be involved in an act I’m sure will break my niece’s heart. She’s been through enough,” she added, speaking of Evangeline. “There’s no guarantee in what you’re thinking Liam. Elise hasn’t turned anyone using that method in … centuries.”

  There was a reason the dragon population paled in comparison to that of the lycans. It went beyond the death tolls racked up by war. It was a matter of logistics. There were limited options for becoming a dragon—you were either born to at least one other dragon, turned by magic, or you were turned by the original.

  Seeing as how magic was off the table because it went against the rules that governed it, my only option was to petition Elise, to ask that she consider an attempt sure to be as painful as it was dangerous.

  “It’s what has to be done,” I replied, hearing the resolve from the spell laced in my tone. “I’m damned if I do, damned if I don’t.”

  Hilda rose from her seat and my gaze followed as she moved toward the door.

  “Just know, I’d speak of this if I weren’t bound to secrecy by magic,” she huffed, bearing a look of frustration at my willingness to risk so much.

  “You were right,” she said with her hand on the knob. “Your love for her truly has made you her worst nightmare. She fears nothing more than losing you, and in your anguish, you’ve become your own biggest threat to survival—her nightmare in the flesh.”

  The declaration pierced my heart like I was sure it was meant to.

  Hilda’s eyes deadpanned to mine and she left me with her final plea. “I beg of you, if you really love that girl … reconsider.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Evie

  “These things take time. We put in a tall order,” Hilda explained, doing her best to help Elise relax.

  “It should have worked by now. The spell should have brought them here within a few days. It’s been a week,” she pointed out. “We’ve left the room sealed like we were supposed to, the spell itself went off without a hitch, and we even took extra precautions.” The crease at the center of her brow deepened. “Something should have happened by now.”

  Her eyes shifted to the hunk of violet-colored stone—amethyst. I hadn’t seen her without it since the ritual. According to Hilda, she used it to create a beacon of sorts, one that would alert us the moment my brothers had returned and awakened. I understood its purpose, but it’d mostly served as a distraction when it came to Elise. Even now, her eyes were glued anxiously to where it sat beside her plate.

  In a week’s time, certain areas of our home had been transformed to accommodate our expected guests—the brothers I was equally excited and nervous to meet. Excited because, growing up an only child, I always wondered what it’d be like to have siblings. Now, I was getting my wish.

  But then there were the nerves—a trivial concern that resided at the back of my mind. A fear that, somehow, the new me wouldn’t meet their expectations. I knew I was different in so many ways, and from what I’d been told, my brothers would return with their memories intact, their abilities as refined as the day they died.

  So, yeah … I was a bit concerned what their perception of me would be, which made me kind of grateful things were taking longer than we anticipated. The two empty bedrooms were now furnished and sprinkled with personal touches Elise handpicked for the six. Daily, I’d catch her in there, straightening a slouched pillow or picture frame, doing all she could to dispel her nervous energy. This, the waiting, it was beginning to wear on her.

  “It will take as long as it will take,” Hilda concluded, her tone conveying her confidence in the process.

  She stood after that, opening and closing her hand in a quick flash that instantly cleared the dining room table of our dishes. When I smiled at the cool trick, she winked at me before disappearing in the kitchen. When she returned, she carried a crystal dish in hand and the sight of it made my mouth water. I knew it held the cake I smelled being prepared earlier in the day. It’d been made with real, tangible ingredients, no conjuring involved, so the entire house smelled of vanilla, butter, and cinnamon for the better part of the afternoon. Another quick flash of the hand and a stack of plates previously displayed in the china cabinet a second before were now in a stack beside the cake dish. Being a hybrid had its perks, but having magic would’ve been cool, too.

  I guess a girl can’t have it all, though.

  All our eyes were glued on her as dessert was sliced and served. This wasn’t a special occasion, but it was Hilda’s way of trying to lessen the tension that seemed to swell within the walls of the house as time passed. Everyone had their own source of contention—Elise’s anxiety concerning the spell, Dallas as the guards reported an increasing number of mutts, Liam and his ever-present concern for me, and my now mirrored concern for him. While I’m sure Hilda knew cake wouldn’t fix our problems, it would certainly make them seem a bit further away for a moment.

  A slice was placed in front of me, and then the rest was served counterclockwise with Elise being next. Finally, when Hilda came to Liam, his plate hit the tabletop with an aggressive clank. She shot a cold look his way right after, one he returned.

  There’d been something odd between them this week, something neither spoke of, but I’m sure the others felt it, too. When I asked Liam about it, he dismissed the question almost as soon as I brought it up. I dropped the subject, but knew this wasn’t something I imagined, the strain on their otherwise cordial relationship.

  I’d seen it in the daggered glances from Hilda, the lack of conversation and acknowledgement between the two. Even now, I noted how her jaw flexed while taking her seat, all the while sporting a glare she aimed right at Liam.

  “It’s nice spring has finally decided to grace us with its presence,” Elise said, maybe desperate to break the awkward silence.

  Her comment made me glance out the window beside me, at the damp grass that still lacked its usual vibrant green. But at least the snow was gone.

  “Any day now, the flowers will bloom and these woods will be coming back to life,” she added.

  I nodded with a smile, but my very next thought was of carnage and blood staining the petals of the very flowers Elise had just mentioned. Yes, spring was indeed upon us, but so was war.

  No one spoke. Maybe I wasn’t the only one having a hard time suspending reality for extended periods of time. Cake or no cake, our stressors were real, and they were still here.


  Even if no one wanted to talk about them.

  We finished and did our best to remain just as upbeat as when we first came to the table, but the amount of effort it took was exhausting.

  “Well, I suppose I’ll turn in,” Elise announced, reaching to remove her plate from the table, only to have it poof into thin air while Hilda sat smiling. Elise returned the gesture, but the expression never reached her eyes. Only worry resided there as she left the table, headed for the stairs.

  “Be up in a sec,” Dallas said with a gentle nod toward Elise. It was his nightly routine to check in with the guards for a briefing before the shift change in a few hours. When he stood and walked toward the front door, I assumed that to be his destination.

  With no table to clear or dishes to wash, the rest of us retreated to our rooms as well. It was still too early for sleep, but here in Liam’s bed was the only place I felt relaxed, untouchable.

  His broad hand moved down the length of my spine and up again. My cheek to his abdomen, I lay there hypnotized by the steady rise and fall as he breathed. The house was silent. Even with the door to his bedroom wide open, we could have easily pretended it was just us here.

  The aroma of Hilda’s homecooked meal still wafted in from the dark hallway. The longer we were here, in this massive estate Elise chose with us all in mind, the more it felt like a home. An idea I was afraid to fully embrace. The possibility it could all be taken away was too great. So much so, it made my stomach ache every time I thought about it.

  “We used to play a game,” Liam spoke up, piquing my curiosity right away.

  “What type of game?” I smiled against the fabric of his shirt, imagining a thousand different ways this conversation could go.

  His fingers traveled to my hair, their tips lightly caressing my scalp.

  “It was kind of a word association thing. I’d say a word and you’d say whatever came to mind next.”

  My smile grew and I nodded. “Okay, go for it.”

  He took a deep breath, thinking for a moment before blurting, “Dog.”

  “Bite.”

  “Candy.”

  “Sweet,” I answered, letting my eyes drift closed as his fingers continued to work their magic beneath my hair.

  “Ugly.”

  “Maisy,” I frowned, remembering the hideous face that matched her smell.

  “Fun.”

  My first thought was of my parents and our Friday night ritual. “Movies,” I smiled.

  “Happiness.”

  “… This.”

  His stomach flinched beneath my cheek when he chuckled. “Hate.”

  “Love.”

  “What about … money.”

  “Elise.” My answer came swiftly as I gazed around the expanse of Liam’s bedroom.

  He laughed. “Water.”

  “Mermaids.”

  “Fruit.”

  “Salad.”

  “Pleasure.”

  I smiled again, answering, “You.”

  He was quiet for a moment. “Mmm … rain.”

  “Thunder.”

  “Bed.”

  “… You,” I repeated, feeling heat blossom in my cheeks. The sum I arrived at when adding Liam plus a bed could definitely do that to a girl.

  I turned to find a loaded stare already set on me. The corner of his mouth curved up into a half smile, one I knew the meaning of before he nodded toward the door, suggesting that I close it.

  We’d been insatiable lately, unable to get within two feet of one another without things taking a turn toward the physical. Listening to music or reading together on the living room sofa always ended with a race toward the stairs, peeling one another’s clothes off as soon as the lock engaged. Hilda once threatened to take a hose to us if we couldn’t get through a meal without what we thought were discreet innuendos. In short, it was nearly impossible to keep our hands, and everything else, off one another.

  I scooted toward the edge of the mattress, impatient to lock us inside, but barely stood to my feet when Elise came charging from her room. My mouth was fixed to ask what was wrong. However, I never got the chance because a brightly lit hunk of amethyst said it all.

  “They’re awake,” she stammered.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Evie

  Hilda came bounding into the hall from her room.

  Elise’s eyes danced excitedly, finally finding mine as we faced one another in the doorway.

  “I should go to them,” she said as a smile ghosted on her lips.

  “Of course!” I nodded, feeling her excitement leap onto me. This was what she’d been waiting for, the moment her family would be more complete than it had been in centuries.

  Yet, her feet were glued in place.

  Just beneath the surface of her excitement was a twinge of fear. Maybe that something hadn’t gone right. Maybe even a smidge of doubt that she’d done the right thing bringing them back. Maybe fear that she’d disturbed them to bring them into chaos.

  I’d considered that last possibility. We were definitely inviting them to stand knee-deep in our madness. Yes, because we desired that they be present with us in general, but we also needed their help. However, every time I allowed myself to feel guilty about that, I remembered how Liam described them to me—fearless, loyal, and they had a passion for battle.

  “They’ll need these,” Hilda said in a rush, taking charge when Elise froze.

  A stack of folded clothing was placed in Elise’s hands and next, Hilda guided her to the stairs by her shoulders.

  “This way,” she sing-songed.

  When the bed stirred behind me, I glanced toward Liam, feeling my pulse throb behind my ears. This moment was what we’d been working toward for so long. And now, it was here.

  “Ready?” he asked, our previous plans now completely gone out the window as this news was brought to us.

  I wanted to just say yes, wanted to share his enthusiasm, but … I just shrugged, hating that I felt so uncertain about all this, but I did.

  My fingers warmed with his touch and I was led from his room with a gentle tug. The journey from the second floor to the basement seemed like a lifetime. Mostly because I experienced such a wide range of emotions. By the time we reached the false partition, I felt inebriated.

  I glanced left, toward Liam, and it was hard to miss how anxious he was. In all this, I’d focused so much on what having them back meant for Elise, I’d nearly forgotten what it meant to him. My brothers were practically his brothers.

  For so long, he’d roamed the Earth alone. It was hard to imagine what it would feel like to have almost everyone he loved back again.

  I squeezed his hand, finally feeling some of that eagerness transfer to me.

  This would only be a good thing.

  Slowly, the partition was eased back. It was Hilda who stepped out, and much to my relief, she was smiling. Smiling meant everything went fine and all six were alive and well. Smiling meant that, on the other side of the wall, Elise wasn’t heartbroken.

  My own heart thundered and I squeezed Liam even tighter.

  “It was a success,” Hilda confirmed.

  It was no secret she was a hard nut to crack. There was no question of her love nor her loyalty, but she’d never been one to deal in emotions.

  However, as I stared at her mouth stretched broad, bringing out deep-set dimples I didn’t even realized she had, there was no missing the fact that she was elated right now.

  “Come,” she beckoned. “They’ll want to see you. Last they remember, you were no longer with us.”

  She couldn’t have known this, but the very thing she just pointed out was perhaps my biggest source of anxiety when it came to facing them. They’d be expecting their sister, and would instead get … me.

  My feet didn’t move and Liam didn’t miss a thing—not my stiff posture, not the terrified look I’m sure I had.

  He glanced toward Hilda. “Mind giving us a sec?”

  She nodded quickly. “I’m
headed upstairs anyway. Elise has asked that I prepare a meal for the boys.”

  Her jovial tone made it clear she had no problem doing so, even at this late hour.

  Alone, Liam turned to me, his gentle gaze steadying my heart just a little.

  “What is it?”

  That one question had so many answers. “What if I’m too different?” I started. “What if it weirds them out that I don’t remember? What if …”

  “It won’t be like that,” he interjected, shortening my rant. That tall, foreboding frame of his stepped between me and the doorway. I glanced up when he went on.

  “They’ll think the same of you that they did before,” he assured me. “That you’re their sister, the one their father named his heir, and above all else … they’ll love you.”

  I breathed deep, letting his words sink in, praying he was right. When I nodded, he smiled, taking my hand again as he led the way.

  I hadn’t ventured this far. The first I even knew of this space existing was when Hilda and Elise used Maisy to complete the spell. Needless to say, I steered clear ever since. Cinderblock walls lined the hallway and, just at the end, a brightly lit room where the others waited. We drew closer, and with each step, my pulse raced.

  All the way to the door.

  And there they were, six massive bodies, each with his back to me. Down their spines, tattoos that were so familiar—phases of the moon that stretched the entire length.

  The tattoos … I didn’t expect to see them. Theirs were still present despite having been resurrected, while my own from the past were not. All having to do with the fact that, for the spell that brought me to life for a second time, Elise only had half the magic she needed. This lack was the reason I’d been forced to start over from birth, the reason I had no memory of the past.

  The six who stood before me today, they were as whole as the day they breathed their last breaths.

  Each was so different, and yet so similar to the one standing beside him. Skin varying in shade from nearly the same fair tone as Elise, to warm toffee. Three sported curls as tightly coiled as mine—one whose hung to his shoulders, another with his cropped close to his head, the last with close-shaven sides and a dark mohawk down the center. The fourth in line had inherited Elise’s bone-straight texture, while the fifth and sixth kept theirs so closely shaven it was impossible to observe any detail other than the dark shadow of its color.