Ellida

by J. F. Kaufmann

I lay in the dark room, listening to Jack’s slow breathing. In spite of the act I’d put on, I wasn’t overly concerned by the latest news. My mind easily found a logical explanation: accumulated sexual energy, heat, previous human and wizard lovers who couldn’t satisfy my animal needs. It would take time to neutralize it. I trusted Jack. I knew he would safely take me through the process. The need to get my spirits connected was stronger than my fear of the procedure.

  As long as Jack was with me.

  Twenty-Seven

  Astrid

  MY ANXIETY wasn’t groundless after all.

  It was a sunny Saturday afternoon, and Jack I and had decided to drive to Red Cliff Mountain in my Ferrari. There we had our favorite spot: a small plateau near the bottom of it with a beautiful view of the town and the mountain range that surrounded it.

  Hand in hand, we were sitting beside each other on a big flat rock near the road, talking. With the full moon approaching, we couldn’t risk more intimacy than that.

  Then Jack’s phone rang. As he answered it, his face paled. He asked a few short questions—when, where, how bad, finishing the call with a brisk, gloomy, “I’ll be there as soon as possible.”

  He turned to me. “Astrid, I have to go to San Francisco.”

  “No…”

  I wasn’t sure if I said that or if the word just flashed through my mind.

  No! yelled my other part, scared and angry. You can’t go now! No!!!

  Jack took my hands between his. “I’ll be back in time, Astrid, I promise. Tomorrow night or at the latest by Monday. The full moon’s on Tuesday night. I give you my word I’ll be here in time.”

  “What happened? Why do you need to go?” I asked in a shaky, desperate voice.

  Jack held my hands between his. The warm, soothing river of our bond ran between us. I took a deep breath, fighting against the panic that was spreading inside me like fire.

  And there was someone else who had a say in it, too.

  Don’t let him go! We need him! my wolf screamed at the top of her lungs. I don’t know if I can handle one more change, Astrid! You are useless! You can’t help me!

  “Back off, wolf!” I yelled back, and then angrily turned my attention to Jack. “What’s going on, Jack?”

  “A young woman I know. She’s in the hospital in critical condition. Her husband beat her. Before she passed out, they asked her about her closest relatives. She gave them my phone number.”

  “Why yours? Is she your relative? Doesn’t she have a family? Friends? Anybody?”

  “I don’t think she can count on her family.”

  I didn’t like it at all.

  “We used to date a few years ago,” Jack said. “Her name’s—”

  “Lanni?”

  Lanni! my wolf barked out at the same time.

  “How do you know?” Jack asked.

  “Livia told me about her.”

  “Astrid, I have to go. She’s in bad shape. She might not recover. I have to see her.”

  “Jack, she’s human, right? Are you going to turn her to save her life, if necessary?”

  “I’ll do anything to save her, Astrid. I just hope she’ll be alive when I arrive.”

  JACK WALKED briskly to the car while I tagged along. We didn’t talk during the short ride to James’ house. Fortunately, nobody was at home. I felt miserable for being selfish and uncompassionate. The poor woman was lying half dead, beaten to a pulp, and all I could feel was jealousy and anger.

  Being so close to transformation turned me into a bundle of raw nerves. My wolf didn’t help either: even more jealous and selfish, she hissed and kicked from inside, demanding to be heard.

  “We have to deal with it together,” I said to my wolf. “I need your help.”

  “Then listen to me, damn it! I’m trying to help! Don’t let him go! How do you know he will be back in time? God knows what else could happen!”

  I felt I needed to defend Jack. “He promised, and he’ll do everything he can to keep his word. If something unpredictable happens, well, you and I are going to do it on our own. One more time. We can do that, can’t we?”

  She didn’t say anything, but her anger lost its edge.

  Jack cupped my head between his warm, callused palms and locked his eyes with mine. “I’ll be back before the full moon. Okay?”

  I nodded, swallowing back the tears. “Jack,” I said quietly, “what if I go with you? Maybe I can save her. I can help her to heal.”

  I might feel unhappy with the turn of the events, but I was a doctor. I would fight for that girl’s life with all I had.

  “It’s too late for you to go. Let’s hope we’ll get there in time.”

  “We? Who else is going?”

  It seemed Jack didn’t hear my question. He kissed me one more time. “I love you, baby,” he whispered on my lips, and the next moment he was gone.

  I NEEDED some peace and quiet to collect my thoughts, so I drove back to the plateau. My wolf was unhappy but quiet, which was a blessing. I didn’t have the energy to argue with her. As for myself, I decided that wallowing in self-pity would do just fine, so for a while I sulked, sighed, cried my eyes out, and cursed my rotten luck.

  “That’s enough!” I heard my wolf. “I understand why you didn’t stop him from going. I’m not angry anymore.”

  “What would Jack think about me if I tried to stop him?” I snapped. “I can’t choose a hot night with my boyfriend over somebody else’s life.”

  “There’s more at stake than that, Astrid. Our spirits should connect as soon as possible,” she said in an unexpectedly calm voice.

  “Maybe we can do it without Jack.”

  “Oh, no, here we go again! Astrid, we cannot. Period. What part of this statement don’t you understand? Jack’s wolf needs me and I need him. Do you remember what Ellida Morgaine said? This is the safest way. Everything else would be risky.”

  “Okay, okay, just don’t get worked up. But if necessary, can you help me to go through this one more time? Next time, I promise, if Jack isn’t around, I’ll lure Sid Brandon into the forest.”

  I heard her chuckling. “But I want Jack. What the heck, we can probably pull through it safely one more time. Just stop making me feel miserable, please!”

  At that moment, my phone rang. It was Peyton.

  “For heaven’s sake, what’s going on, Astrid!?”

  “Hey, Peyton.”

  “Jack just phoned and now Ingmar took off. I’ve just arrived in Seattle, but now he’s gone. He said something about going to San Francisco with Jack. What happened!? Where are you now? Why isn’t Jack with you? The full moon is in two days.”

  I took a deep breath and told her what had happened.

  Peyton exploded. “Oh, will she leave him alone?! Didn’t she hurt him already enough?!” She was so loud that I had to hold the phone away from my ear. “Of course she phoned Jack! Why didn’t she phone her husband?”

  I interrupted Peyton’s angry rant. “It was her husband who put her in hospital, he did that to her. She has life threatening injuries.”

  I could hear Peyton exhaling deeply. “Oh, God! I’m so sorry. That’s terrible. Will she be okay?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “I hope she will. But what now? Look what happened to our great weekend! I’m twiddling my thumbs here in Ingmar’s apartment, and you are by yourself in Red Cliffs, two days before the transformation. Astrid, I’m coming back. I’ll stay with you.”

  “NO!” I said categorically. “You are not coming back, Peyton. Jack will be back in no time, and so will Ingmar. Do you hear me? Do not come here!”

  “Is that an order, Ellida?” I finally heard a soft, pearly giggle.

  I laughed back. “If it’s necessary, then yes, it is. It’s going to be okay, Peyton. I’d rather hear about Ingmar.”

  There was a long silence before Peyton whispered, “Astrid, we are bond-mates.”

  I closed my eyes, thankful for this miracle. “Oh, Peyton, I knew it. The nig
ht you told me about him I figured out you must be.”

  “It’s so overwhelming, Astrid. I’m half-crazy because he needed to go, like a part of me has gone with him.”

  “How does Ingmar feel the bond? How do you feel it? Is it like a warm current and you think you can’t live without it anymore?”

  “Yes, just like that. It’s incredible. A simple touch of his fingers and I feel complete. Everything is falling into place.”

  “You found your second half, Peyton, that’s why. What about him? He’s a wizard. It must be different for him. I mean the physical manifestation of the bond.”

  “Why do you ask me?” Peyton said, laughing. “How did you feel it, wizard?”

  “As a werewolf,” I laughed back.

  “It has something to do with your energy flow. Ingmar was just about to describe it to me when Jack phoned. He was taken aback when he touched my hand the first time. Not shocked, though. He was—”

  “Fascinated,” I finished it for her. “I knew he must have been fascinated.”

  She laughed happily. “Well, yes. That’s the right word.” She paused. “Enough about that now. What are you going to do?”

  I sighed. “I’ll wait. If Jack isn’t back by Monday, I don’t know. I might ask Livia and Tristan to come and stay with me. They’ve done it many times before.”

  “Where are you now? How are you feeling?”

  “I’m on the plateau above town, sitting on my car hood. How do I feel? Oversensitive, moody, horny. My symptoms are back, but that’s fine, it’s about time.”

  “No wonder. Are you sure you don’t want me to come?”

  I rolled my eyes. “I am absolutely sure, Peyton. Jack will be here, I know that. What are you going to do?”

  “Ingmar’s friends are taking me out for dinner.” She smirked. “Dinner with two unknown people and curling up in bed with a book wasn’t on my agenda for tonight, but I’m sort of running out of options. Unless I find where Ingmar keeps his movies.”

  “That tall antique glass cabinet with clay masks inside… Open the bottom door. They should be there… Found them?

  “Yes, thank you. I hope I won’t go through the entire collection before Ingmar comes back.”

  “I bet he isn’t very happy either to be in San Francisco now. I have to go, Peyton. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be okay.”

  “Call me if you want to talk later. Okay?”

  “Sure. Don’t worry, I’m fine.”

  SHE WASN’T fine. I wasn’t fine, either.

  Miss Spock had decided to suffer in silence, waiting for Jack to come back. How pathetic! But she was hurt, disappointed and jealous. Being a truly compassionate person, those feelings made her wrestle with her conscience and despise herself for being selfish. What a mess!

  Well, to tell the truth, I was also jealous, hurt and disappointed. I understood Jack’s human motives. He’d do the same for anybody he knew. I had a problem with his wolf’s engagement, though, because that part operated on a deep, primal level. Once, that girl was his, and Jack’s wolf still reacted to it. Miss Spock had sensed that subconsciously and that made her so unhappy.

  Anyway, although I hoped for a happy ending, I had to prepare us for a less-than-fairytale conclusion: that for whatever reason, Jack would be prevented from getting back on time.

  I TRIED to call Jack, but his phone was switched off. Then Tristan called, informing me that Livia had gone to San Francisco to meet with Jack and Ingmar.

  “What’s going on, Tristan?” I said. “Why does Jack need them?”

  “Lanni Blackwell suffered life-threatening injuries. I’m afraid human medicine might not be sufficient. Poor girl! That bastard of a husband, I hope Jack will find him… How are you, Princess?”

  “Fever, sore muscles, shivers, nothing unusual. My wolf’s strong. We’ll manage it if—”

  “Astrid, if Jack and Liv aren’t back by Monday morning, I’ll come. I’ll meet you at The Watchman’s. I could be there by Monday afternoon. Okay?”

  I sighed. “Yeah. I don’t think James would let Betty and Morgaine babysit me this time. He’d insist he should stay with me, you know him.”

  “Astrid, I can’t reach any of those three. Did you manage to talk to Jack?”

  “No. His phone’s off.”

  “If you don’t hear from him, or I from Liv—”

  “Or Peyton from Ingmar.”

  Tristan stopped, and then laughed. “Ingmar and Peyton, you say? Son of a gun, he’s been flying under the radar! We haven’t noticed anything!”

  I laughed. “It’s not easy to read wizards’ emotions, not even for vampires. That’s why we sometimes look emotionally challenged. Listen, Tristan, I’ll phone you. Thank you for your offer.”

  “Don’t mention it, Astrid. I’m sure everything will be fine, but just in case, we have to have a back-up plan, all right?”

  “All right. Love you.”

  “Love you too, Princess.”

  TRISTAN PHONED at quarter to five on Monday morning asking if I’d heard from Jack. Sobbing heavily, I said I hadn’t. Around three o’clock he phoned again and asked me to come to The Watchman’s.

  “Room 36 A. I’ll check myself in as Mr. Whyte. How long will it take you to get here?”

  “Twenty minutes.”

  “Are you able to drive?”

  “Sure, providing that I’m able to sneak out of the house first. James put me under 24-hour surveillance,” I said.

  I’d spent the previous day in the house under my family’s watchful eye. I told them Jack had an urgent job to do, and that I’d asked Tristan to stay with me. My uncle was visibly upset, Betty worried, Morgaine just smirked, and Eamon said, “He’ll be back, don’t worry.” Mercifully, they didn’t ask more questions.

  It took me less than fifteen minutes to drive to The Watchman’s.

  Everybody in Red Cliffs knew my red Ferrari, so to avoid unnecessary attention, I parked it in the back alley, in the spot reserved for the staff. I brushed my tears away—I’d been crying all day and a good part of the previous night—took a deep breath and entered the hotel through the back door.

  “Hi, Martina,” I greeted the receptionist. “A friend of mine, Mr. Whyte, is expecting me. He’s in 36 A. Could you tell him I’m on my way?”

  She smiled at me. “Sure, Miss Mohegan… Ellida. I’ll let, ahem, your friend know you’re coming.”

  There was something a little bit off in her smile, or her voice, but I didn’t have time to dally there.

  Too impatient to wait for the elevator, I sprinted the stairs to the third floor. There I suddenly stopped and sniffed the air. Although my sense of smell was partly numbed from a long cry I could still smell the beloved, arousing scent of rain, sunshine and longing.

  “Jack!” I cried in such relief I thought my heart would burst, and flew toward room 36 A. Before I touched it, the door swung open.

  “I promised I’d be back, Astrid.”

  I flew into Jack’s open arms, unable to say a word.

  I looked into his smiling face and his wolfish, amber eyes.

  “Now I’ll drag you to the cave, baby, and play with you there for a while,” he said, smiling.

  He lifted me up, tossed me over his shoulder and carried me through the entire hotel and across the parking lot, all the way to his truck.

  Twenty-Eight

  JACK PULLED up in front of his house. Walking around the truck, he opened Astrid’s door, lifted her from the seat and carried her straight to the bedroom.

  Her skin was hot and sensitive. Her eye color shifted between blue and amber, indicating her resurfacing wolf, strong, confident and aroused. But there was no pain this time, and Astrid the Wizard stayed close, awake and excited.

  “Come, baby, let me undress you,” Jack whispered in a husky voice and unbuttoned her shirt. “Your clothes must hurt.”

  Astrid placed her hand over his and lifted her eyes. “Tell me what happened to Lanni,” she said quietly. “Is she going to be oka
y?”

  “Lanni will be fine. I took Ingmar and Liv with me. Liv healed her. I went after that bastard of her husband.”

  “Did you find him?”

  “No. He crossed the Canadian border. I didn’t have time to follow him there.”

  “Because of me.”

  Jack kissed her nose. “Of course. We’ll find him, sooner or later.”

  “I hope before he hurts somebody else. So Liv turned Lanni?”

  “It was either Liv or me. She wouldn’t have made it otherwise.”

  “Why didn’t you turn her into a werewolf?”

  “Liv said Lanni was better suited for a Tell-Urugh than for a bleithast. Don’t think about that now. Just relax.”

  Astrid breathed out a deep sigh of relief. “I’m glad she’s safe. Jack, what about Tristan? He phoned me to come to The Watchman’s.”

  “He was about to leave. I caught him at the last moment. I wanted to surprise you.”

  “Nice surprise,” she said, smiling.

  “Just nice?”

  “Okay, very nice. It saved you a lot of trouble, if you need to know. I was pissed off, you know… I need a shower now.”

  Jack pulled her gently to her feet. “Let’s have a shower, then. My bathroom or yours?”

  THEY FINISHED undressing each other slowly, leaving scattered clothing all the way to Jack’s bathroom.

  Jack kissed her eyes, lips, neck, shoulders, breasts and stomach. Astrid moved her lips across Jack’s shoulder and neck. Her palms unhurriedly explored his chest, his back and long, muscular thighs.

  Jack cupped her chin and tilted it up until he could look into her eyes. “Are you okay, baby?” he said softly.

  “Never been better,” she said in her deep, wolfish voice, pressing her hot lips over Jack’s.

  The lukewarm shower soothed her feverish, oversensitive skin. Astrid turned around, leaning her back on Jack’s chest, feeling the pressure of his rock-hard erection between her thighs. Jack’s soapy hands unhurriedly traveled across her torso, cupping her breasts and teasing her nipples.