The Wolf, the Witch and the Coffin

by Ophelia Preston

  ‘Jerome, grab that scumbag and take him to the car. Em, Emie, look here. You bring a jacket? Ok, got it, let’s go.’ He grabbed my things and we left the club. I was still woozy and wobbly on my feet but my head was clearing all the time.

  I was aware of the pack, Shaya and Chris being in a long vehicle, with a man I’d never seen before and a now restrained Ernesto. The latter looked very annoyed rather than scared.

  ‘What did you do to her?’ Chris demanded.

  ‘I can smell his magic. Damn, how is she not in his bed already! That is seriously strong mojo! How are you so strong?’ Shaya demanded.

  ‘There are four of us! We were hired to remove this woman from your company. I cannot believe she resisted so long! Who is she?’ Ernesto demanded.

  ‘Really? You don’t know who you’re meant to kidnap? Emilia Anderson, the strongest witch I ever met. Who hired you?’ Shaya demanded.

  I wasn’t really aware of the conversation, my focus being completely on Chris. He smelled incredible and I wanted to rub my whole body along his! I shook my head, and was suddenly aware of the violence rolling off him.

  ‘Chris? What’s wrong?’

  ‘You have his scent all over you!’ Chris growled and there was very little that was still human about it. The man I didn’t recognise looked up eyes narrowing. He whispered something to Shaya, who turned to Ernesto once more.

  ‘If you don’t tell me who you were working for I’m gonna leave you in here with him. As you can see, he’s on the cusp of changing. It’ll take him all of three seconds to rip you to shreds,’ she said to the other witch. He paled visibly as he took in Chris’s countenance and nodded. Shaya had the pack remove him before they all piled out of the car. The man whispered something to Chris before he closed the door on his way out.

  Chris kept his head down and I realised Shaya must have been right. He was about to change.

  ‘Chris?!’ I wasn’t sure whether I should leave too.

  Chris whipped his top off and pulled me to him, so that his skin was making contact with as much of my body as possible. He rubbed his face all over my neck, sending shivers down my spine. He pulled back abruptly and handed me his top.

  ‘I want to kiss you more than anything but I’m not in control and I don’t know what would happen to you if I turned. Koji said I’ll be better when my scent is back on you, so I need you to put this on, please,’ he kept his eyes down. I quickly took the top and donned it. His whole body seemed to relax within moments. He looked at me then and I could see the wolf’s blue eyes looking out but the supernatural light was fading.

  ‘Thank you, both, for coming to help me,’ I said before the light was completely gone. Chris managed a smile as his eyes took on their normal hue.

  ‘I’m glad you called me.’

  ‘So am I. Any longer and..’ I couldn’t say what would have happened. I was completely under that spell and didn’t know what they would have done. The thought scared the heck out of me.

  I didn’t even realise I was shaking until Chris wrapped his arms around me again and soothed the rising fear inside. He stroked my hair and back, pulling me across his lap and breathing in my scent, whispering ‘You’re safe,’ over and over.

  I couldn’t feel the car moving but the next thing I was aware of was being carried into my apartment. Chris said something to someone before taking me to my bed. He curled up around me, holding me tightly and that was the last thing I knew before sleep claimed me.

  I woke to find an arm around me and my legs tangled up in someone else’s. Turning my head, Chris’s face came into view and I relaxed, leaning into him. He mumbled my name and pulled me closer, face serene in sleep. My skin felt alive wherever his skin touched it and I couldn’t seem to get enough of his wonderfully heady scent. I never remembered being such a tactile person with another lover before but around Chris, I needed his touch, almost craved it.

  I watched him for a while before untangling myself from him and went to the bathroom. By the time I was finished Chris was up and using the guest room shower.

  I was half dressed when he came back into the room wearing nothing but a towel, and towel drying his hair. He really was the most beautiful man I’d ever seen. Beautiful in a very masculine rather than a pretty boy way. My gaze rose to his face and I realised he was watching me. Blushing furiously, I went back to putting on my socks.

  ‘You do that a lot,’ he observed.

  ‘What? Stare? Sorry.’ I cleared my throat.

  ‘No, blush,’ he laughed. ‘But now that I think of it, you do a lot of that too.’

  ‘Sorry, about the staring, not the blushing. I blush when I’m embarrassed or angry or upset, in fact I blush at almost anything. I just can’t help it.’

  ‘And the staring?’ He didn’t bother to hide his big grin.

  ‘What can I say? You’re beautiful,’ I looked down at my socks again. The bed moved and he was sitting beside me, wiping my damp hair from my face. His hand traced the line of my jaw before it moved down to caress my neck and shoulder. I was wearing jeans and a bra, having still to put on my top.

  ‘So are you,’ he said softly and I found myself straddling him, skin on skin, mouth on mouth. He really had the most luscious lips I’d ever seen and they tasted even better than they looked. He leaned back onto the bed, pulling me with him. I’d never wanted anyone like I wanted this man! Everything about him was sensual, sexy and strong. ‘Emilia,’ he whispered as his hands moved over the back of my bra, unhooking it. It drove me crazy hearing him say my name like that! His hands felt slightly rough against my skin, sending shivers through me and I pressed my torso against his, savouring the feeling as my nipples hardened against him. His mouth claimed mine again in a deep, hard kiss as my hands moved over his back, scratching him in places. He growled beneath me, sending shockwaves down my spine.

  It had been a long time since I’d had sex with anyone and the need I felt for him was unbearable. I wanted him inside me more than I wanted my next breath. He growled again as his fingers fumbled with my jeans. I helped him unbuckle them and soon they were cast aside. His towel had been discarded moments ago and I dug my nails into his behind. He wriggled, swore and bit my neck playfully. I laughed and stroked my way down his chest, between us.

  ‘Tease,’ he chuckled and kissed me again. His tongue was liquid fire, dipping into my mouth and out in a flash. It drove me crazy with need and I wrapped my legs around him. His head snapped up and he cursed right before the door went. I groaned and slid off him, grabbing my robe as I headed for the door.

  Ron smiled as I answered and looked about for Chris.

  ‘I’ll be out in a minute,’ Chris called, sounding as exasperated as I felt.

  ‘Ernesto talked. We could have a big problem,’ Ron said as soon as his Alpha emerged from my room.

  Chris stopped when he saw Ron, shaking his head.

  ‘Emie, can you move away from Ron,’ he asked, holding out his arm. Ron looked more than a little offended. ‘Sorry man, just need a little space between her and you. Wolf doesn’t like it.’

  Ron shrugged and nodded, stepping back a little in acquiesce.

  ‘Koji still here?’

  ‘He is. The man has so much knowledge!’ Ron managed a smile.

  ‘Good, we’ll get ready and see you at the car in five?’

  Ron left and Chris turned to me.

  ‘Are you busy today?’

  ‘No, I usually have at least one day free during the week. Last while I’ve been playing catch up so I’ve been busier than normal,’ I smiled. He came over and kissed me chastely.

  ‘Want to spend the day with me?’ he looked hopeful. I nodded and he kissed me a little less chastely before I headed to the bedroom to dress. Five minutes later we were in the car on our way to the warehouse.

  Chapter 6

  Koji turned out to be the man from the vehicle the night before. He was of Asian origins and looked to be around forty years old. He looked strong, competent and more than
a little invincible and was the San Francisco pack’s second in command.

  He had been teaching the pack all about pack law, pack magic and everything they should have been taught by their elders, had any of them been alive.

  ‘How are you feeling now?’ He asked when Jerome introduced us.

  ‘Fine, thank you. I don’t understand how I fell under his spell.’ That really did confuse me. My barriers were excellent, usually, and they had been fully active.

  ‘There were four casters, Emilia. That you could think enough to call for help is amazing in itself,’ Shaya said and gave me a hug.

  Chris seemed a little rattled whenever anyone other than Shaya was near me. I saw Shaya exchange a glance with Koji, who nodded once. I looked to her enquiringly.

  ‘I’ll tell you later,’ she waved vaguely.

  ‘Who was he working for?’ Chris demanded.

  ‘You’re not going to believe this. Greig is in town. He hired the witch to capture or kill Emilia,’ Pete blurted out and Ron sighed. He had wanted to tell his Alpha a little more gently than that. They could all feel the rage build like a maelstrom around Chris.

  ‘Before you order a kill on site can I ask you to take a deep breath and think. He is here for a reason, to replace you. If you go off like you are now, you’ll kill people who don’t deserve to be killed. Think like an Alpha,’ Koji stated.

  Chris growled at him but didn’t make a move. He clenched his hands into fists and nodded.

  ‘I can act as neutral territory. Should he have something other than trying to take over your territory or challenge you, he can tell me and I can pass it on. Greig is a prick but he’s also clever and showing up here, now, is not clever, not if he’s looking to claim this city,’ the Californian stated.

  ‘Very well. Arrange a meeting, find out what he wants and let us know.’

  Knoji nodded and walked off, making a call as he left.

  ‘Koji asked whether it would be alright for him to join us tomorrow night or he’ll have to leave today. I thought you’d be ok with that but wanted to make sure,’ Ron said after a minute. Pete and another pack mate, Oli, were making coffee and rolls. Oli had mid length black hair, eyes as grey as a stormy sky and was the most wiry looking of the pack. Chris nodded. ‘And I wanted to ask what you want to do with Ernesto?’

  ‘Oh I’ll handle that,’ I smiled.

  ‘You’re not going anywhere near him!’ Chris faced me.

  ‘I like the big protective act as much as anyone but I can take care of myself. That man tried to take me, not you, and I decide what happens to him,’ I said and looked at Ron. ‘Where is he?’

  Ron, the traitor, glanced at Chris, who eventually nodded, before he showed me to their captive.

  Ernesto was sitting on a chair in the back of a storage part of the warehouse. He was tied up but didn’t look like he’d been hurt. His mouth was gagged, probably at Shaya’s advice. He looked bored more than anything else.

  I removed the gag and asked Ron to leave us alone. He said he’d wait outside in case I needed him. I humoured him and turned back to Ernesto.

  ‘That was quite the spell you put on me last night. You must be so proud.’

  ‘Hey, it was good money. Besides, you’re fine. How did you counter it anyway?’

  ‘As if I’d tell you! I’m planning letting you go Ernie. The reason I’m going to do that is because I want you to spread the word that I’m not an easy mark. In fact, I want you to spread the word that any witch going up against me had better have a will written,’

  ‘Yeah, whatever,’ he verbally flipped me. I sat in front of him and looked him in the eyes.

  ‘The first time I was kidnapped for my particular gift I was thirteen years old. These guys were bad. The kind you don’t read about; the kind that like torturing kids. When they finally got what they wanted and left me for dead, my Gran, who trained me, took me through an unusual part of our shared gift. See, something similar had happened to her. We have a special connection with the earth, with rocks, minerals, ores, gems, you name it, anything not molten and we can use it,’

  ‘And?’ he sounded more curious than scared.

  ‘She taught me some offensive techniques using those skills. Did you know the body has traces of several metals? When most people think of traces, they think of a few tiny particles and that’s true but when you combine them, they make up just enough to form a little ball and oh, that ball can do some harm inside a human body. It can rip through vessels and nerves, make mush of your frontal lobe and pierce your heart so many times that only a transplant would save you. And I can do that so fast no one would know it was happening until you dropped dead. I’ve never killed anyone, Ernie, but those three men who first kidnapped me, they wish I had. They now reside in a nursing home because they need someone to feed them through a tube. Do we understand each other now?’

  ‘Y..yes,’ Ernesto’s mouth seemed to be a little dry.

  ‘One final note. Anyone coming after me, my friends, this pack, Shaya or Koji is fair game. Spread the word,’ I stood and untied him. He ran for the door and didn’t look back.

  ‘You are one scary individual,’ Ron smiled from the doorway.

  ‘Not really but when I’m backed into a corner the gloves come off,’ I shrugged. Inside I was shuddering. It wasn’t in my nature to threaten people and it sickened me but it had become necessary for my wellbeing, and I hoped that the threat would keep my friends safe.

  We headed back upstairs to find that Koji had returned and he wasn’t alone. As soon as I entered the room the tension hit me.

  Chris pulled me behind him as soon as I moved near him. Ron hid his smile.

  ‘So this is the witch Alex mentioned. He seems to have taken quite a shine to you, dear,’ the man opposite me, stated. He was maybe two or three inches shorter than Chris but broader, more muscular looking. He looked to be in his early forties and had deep blue eyes and shaggy black hair. He was not as good looking as the rest of the men in the room but exuded a power that some might class as charismatic.

  ‘I doubt that very much. I think Alex likes the idea of further annoying Chris more than anything.’ As I spoke, my hand touched Chris’s back lightly. No one saw the move but they all saw him relax a fraction.

  ‘Little girls shouldn’t play with big bad wolves,’ the man sneered and I decided I really didn’t like him.

  Ron snorted and I winked at him.

  ‘You find something amusing, boy?’ the man demanded. Ron didn’t bat an eyelid. He might not be an Alpha but that was through choice. Any other pack and he could easily have that role. I knew this because Chris told me how strong Ron was, that he was also intelligent and cared for his pack. He simply didn’t want to take charge yet. It made him an excellent second in command.

  ‘Really, Greig. If we’re pulling the big bad wolf analogy then you should probably know this woman is less little red riding hood and more Van-fucking-Helsing.’ He didn’t elaborate and Chris just raised an eyebrow at him. Ron nodded once and turned his attention back to Greig.

  ‘Did you come here to bore us or have you a real purpose for being here?’ Chris said finally.

  ‘Actually I came to warn you. Conrad’s friends are coming after you. They didn’t like your disposal of one of theirs.’

  ‘Really, you thought you’d warn us out of the tenderness of your heart?’ It was the first hint of sarcasm I’d heard from Chris.

  ‘Really. Believe it or not, I back my own kind over a bunch of walking corpses any day. Alex was wrong to bring one in, even against you. I see you’re not surprised by that revelation.’ Greig looked put out that his news didn’t bring the expected response.

  ‘We suspected. So that’s what brings you to New York?’

  ‘No, I came to see whether you were strong enough to challenge but given all the shit coming your way I’ve changed my mind. I have Orlando and New Mexico, I think I’ll leave this vamp infested city to you. I came here to tell you face to face that I won’t fi
ght you for this city any more. I won’t offer help against the vamps but I don’t want them to take you out either. There are too many of them here,’ he stated, face completely honest. I don’t think any of them could have been more shocked.

  ‘Why the sudden change of heart?’

  ‘Alex promised me this city for years and I’m sick of waiting. He failed again and again and I’m starting to think it wasn’t meant to be. Besides, like I said, you really are infested and I can’t stand those bloody things.’

  ‘Would you be willing to say that again under a truth spell?’ Shaya asked. Greig looked like he wanted to rip her head off but sighed and nodded.

  She performed a quick spell and had him repeat all he said. He was telling the truth.

  ‘Are there any other reasons?’ Chris asked. Greig looked like he was wrestling not to speak.

  ‘My son is dying. I wanted New York for him when he comes of age but that won’t happen now.’ He growled as he spoke, pain and anger in his voice. ‘I just don’t care enough to keep trying to increase my territories.’

  There was a stunned silence.

  ‘Shit man, I didn’t want to feel for you,’ Chris sighed.

  ‘I don’t want your fucking pity, Hunter, I want to leave this damned city and never see it again.’

  Shaya stepped forward.

  ‘Guarantee my safe return and I will take a look at your son,’ she offered.

  ‘Forget it, I had everyone look at him. There’s nothing anyone can do,’ he waved her offer off.

  ‘Shaya comes from a long, long line of healers. She has the gift from both sides of her family. If there was anyone who could help, it would be her. I can’t see the future but I do feel that you won’t be disappointed if she sees him,’ I offered. He stared at me for a moment, before looking Shaya over again.

  ‘He’s at the hotel we’re staying in,’ he turned to Chris. ‘Do I have your permission to stay until she can see if there’s anything she can do?’ It clearly galled him to ask but to his credit he looked Chris in the eye as he did.