by John Hansen
He laughs as he opens the door to the truck, pulling me out by my waist. Wrapping his arms around me, he kisses me on the nose. “You know I want you, too.”
I wrap my arms around his neck, my feet dangling at least a foot above the ground. “Yes, Paul. I definitely want this.” I kiss him deeply, letting my tongue dance with his.
He releases me and we laugh as I almost stumble. He pulls me along anxiously through his front door, but I stop cold when I realize we are not alone.
I recognized them as the guys he was playing football with in the University yard. It feels as if cold water is being poured down my back. I look over to Paul, but he is avoiding my gaze. He is looking toward a redheaded guy I recognize from campus.
He doesn’t say a word, but redhead says, “Yes, sir,” and hurries out of the room. I notice Edwin there, too, also avoiding my eyes.
“Paul?” I say nervously. “What’s going on?”
“Ahhh, Alba, it’s okay. It’s meant to be this way.” He reaches out to me. I try to pull away, but he is looking at me with those eyes that I now realize I should’ve been avoiding. “You made the decision.” He takes me in his arms, my mind screaming but my mouth quiet, tears streaming down my face.
Don’t ask why I thought of my brothers at that moment: remembering them fighting with me, baiting me, making me lash out and fight them even though they were bigger than me, stronger.
Paul leans his head down and licks the tears streaming down my face, then he kisses me and I think to bite him, but blackness smokes into my vision and I know that I am fainting.
***
I come to consciousness slowly, my body knowing it is morning. I’m cold, in extreme pain, and nude except for my panties. I can only make out the shadowy glow of night with one eye, the other swollen shut and throbbing in pain. They have taken turns beating me like a punching bag, hung by a chain by my arms, wrists bound together. The screaming pain in my shoulders told me that I was still strung up. After each of them took a turn beating me, Paul told them to back off. I guess he wanted all the fun for himself, because he’d spent the rest of the night periodically terrorizing and torturing me.
I heard the chains rattle as Paul lowered me himself, everyone else was gone. Even the trembling Edwin, who had looked on sadly throughout the torture, never lifted a finger to help.
My groans filled the room as he let me fall five feet to the ground, my face smacking the concrete hard. A saltiness I knew was blood washed through my mouth and I hoped I hadn’t lost a tooth. I wanted to laugh at the absurdity of that thought but my split lips prevented it.
“It is time to fulfill your destiny, Alba.”
My blood boiled at his smugness as I tried to lift myself up or kick at him, but my body wouldn’t respond and just lay there helplessly betraying me.
“Fmmff you!” I screamed through my gag.
He laughed.
“I wouldn’t soil my body with a half breed mongrel like you!” he hissed, his voice grating in my ears.
I waited for his evil laugh…but it never came. Seeing only his boots from where I lay, I looked on as his body suddenly hit the ground, his head bouncing on the concrete floor with a sickening thud. His head lay mere inches from my face, his eyes closed… mouth slack. I wondered if he was finally dead, but his sour breath reassured me that he still lived.
“I thought he’d never conk out!”
Gram?
I thought I was dreaming at first when I heard her say those words. I tried to turn my head to look in her direction, but it hurt too much.
“That was my strongest spell, it took me fifteen years to master it and it still barely worked on Mister Next in Line for Pack Leader here. Did you know he was a wolf shifter my darling Alba? No, you probably didn’t. All you could feel was his compulsion causing you to want him. I know it was strong because he comes from a long line of Pack Leaders.
He was trying to take your spirit for himself, if he did that, he would have no competition for Pack Leader. I counted on his lust for power, knowing that he’d come and incapacitate you.
I couldn’t do it, you know. You’re too strong, being full-blooded owl shifter, Lechusa, although right now you don’t think so. But you’ll notice that my spell did nothing to you, nothing at all.
Ahhh, there’s another revelation for our darling Alba. I know you must be wondering, so I’ll explain while I prepare to do away with Paul here.
Lechusa are a breed of angel designed to protect the world from evil, evil like myself. In the beginning, there were masses of Lechusa, but now, I only know of you. I killed your real parents, you know. Then, I compelled my daughter who had four sons to adopt you, raising you right even though her sons hated you the moment you were carried into the room as a baby.
Why did I compel her to adopt you? Because you are the most powerful being that I know of. I knew your power would multiply dramatically as you matured, which is why I waited until now.
I counted on Paul disarming and weakening you, and then I put the spell on their compound. It’s your power my dear, the power I worked so hard for all of these years.” Gram finished with a smirk.
I didn’t think I could feel any worse, but this woman I had always known as Gram had just pushed me over the edge, my hope flying away with her words.
I honestly just wanted to close my eyes and die. Not even the thought of ever seeing my “adopted” family again could pull me out of it.
Just as she was explaining how she would suck my power down, Paul opens his eyes. He gazes at me and his eyes begin to shine with that unearthly glow that I now knew was his magic. It urges me toward him. I stretch out to brush my cheek against him, closing my eyes in sick pleasure. As my skin touched his, Gram’s spell was broken. He smiled mischievously at me and as Gram swung the ax down to sever his head, he kissed me and in the next moment he has Gram pinned to the wall, the ax clanging uselessly to the concrete floor. Letting out a howl he breaks the spell on his pack as they all coming running in. He orders the red-headed guy, his second in command, to grab the ax and walks away to finish what he started, not even sparing a glance to see that his orders are followed.
I look on in shock, tears running down my face at Gram’s betrayal. Anger bubbles within me, I want to cry but can’t. Paul walks to me, lifting me into his arms in a hug. He squeezes tightly until I feel my arms begin to make their way out of their sockets. Leaning down, he kisses me hard, trying to force my mouth open. Failing, he bites down on my lips, drawing blood.
I flinch inwardly as he whispers, “Thanks babe, for helping me kill your Gram. Now it’s your turn.” He releases me and I fall on my bound arms, promising myself through the pain that I’ll kill him before the hour was up. I close my eyes and play possum, as my brothers had taught me. Slightly opening one eye to look at him, I see him smiling, so full of himself. His eyes glow warm brown and I feel the urge to reach out my hand to caress him.
His magic turns inward, and I know he is about to change to his wolf form. I finally manage to free my bound wrists and know that if I have any chance at all, it would be now. As the magical mist envelops him, and his form changes to that of the brindled wolf I encountered in the woods, my rage becomes intense. He turns and realizes his mistake too late. I pounce on him, straddling his back and effectively pin his paws as they lay on each side of his body.
Closing one hand around his snout and the other behind his head, I pull up and twist with a piercing scream…and he is dead. I feel my strength instantly return, along with my anger and disgust.
Looking around me angrily, I see the pack members staring at me, Edwin smiling knowingly. They don’t even touch me; instead, they fall to one knee with a closed fist against their chest in a silent but effective pledge of loyalty…to their new Lechusa Pack Leader.
Table of Contents
Headless Homecoming
First Boy
Empty The Bones For You
The Lost Changeling
A Full Wolf Moon
>
His First Snow
Dementria’s Task
Blood and Soil
The Darkon Prophecy
Breakdown
Ouija’ust Wanted To Have Fun
Ghost Reapers
Dark Fairy Reflection
Spider Whisperer
The Kiss
Goddess of Death
The Flaming Vengeance
The Miller’s Daughter
The Transformation
Open Your Eyes and See
Alba