To me, he said, “Don’t cry, sweetheart. I know all of the mean bones in your body are fake. You should eat something. You look… kind of like shit.”
Colby punched him in the arm. “Don’t say that! You want her crying some more? She was up all night, too distraught to sleep.”
Sam said, “He’s right. She was more troubled over hurting you than because of any of the terrors we experienced. Although, it could have been the bugs.” He bounced his knee so that I had to hold onto his neck.
“Well, don’t cry anymore. I don’t like it. Eat your breakfast. From what I hear, we’ve got a bird to hunt,” Holden said gruffly.
Cecil grunted.
“What?” Holden asked him.
“I did not expect for you to offer your assistance.”
Holden said, “The way I see it, this dark one who you all have been talking about is who or what corrupted Manuel’s momma and brought about her destruction. Seems to me that the son-of-a-bitch needs to pay.”
Cecil chuckled.
Cautioning him, Hunting Wolf said, “He is stronger than us, even when he is at his weakest. He is the one who made us. Wrongful deeds, fear, and hate strengthen him.”
“Well, all that’s the reason you brought your witch doctor along. Ain’t that right?” Holden took the coffee the waitress offered him, grinned at her, and gave her a pat on the butt. Then, looking my way, he stared down into his cup. “How about a couple of steaks and some eggs, Sugar?”
“Yes, sir,” she said as she hurried away to the kitchen.
“What is our plan?” Sam asked Cecil.
“We can talk plans after breakfast.” He picked up a bowl of something and started spooning it into his mouth like it might disappear.
Gaping, I asked, “Is that oatmeal?”
“Um, good,” he said around a mouthful.
Soon, I had my own heavenly bowl. It had been ages since I’d had any. As my spoon hit the bottom of the scraped-clean bowl, a thought occurred to me. “Oh, no.” I pushed my chair back and stood.
“What’s wrong, Honey?” Sam asked.
“Our laundry. Do you have any change?”
Sam, Hunting Wolf, and Colby emptied their pockets, and I ran upstairs to the laundry room. Thankfully, our clothes and things were okay. After starting the dryers, I returned to our table in the restaurant. My husbands were still shoveling food into their mouths.
Sam put a breakfast platter in front of me. Pointing, he said, “Eat that.”
I wasn’t one to turn down bacon.
After Cecil had finished eating, he got up to leave. “I’m going outside for a smoke. Join me when you are ready. We will talk of our plans.” He patted his tobacco pouch. Just about everyone got up to go with him.
Sam asked, “Aren’t you joining us?”
I shook my head. “It’s alright. You can fill me in later. I’m going to take care of our laundry.”
“I’ll come and help you,” Colby offered.
“No. It’s okay. Really. It will calm my thoughts.” Lifting up onto my toes, I kissed Hunting Wolf. I squeezed Sam’s bicep and smacked Colby on his sexy ass before going up to the second floor. I knew we had to hunt the dark one and attempt to banish him, but I wasn’t looking forward to it.
Throughout the day, the men made their plans, and by mysterious means, Cecil believed that he had ascertained the direction in which the dark one traveled. Holden placed himself in charge of the wolves who had accepted Colby and was allowing them to remain behind and function autonomously but with the clear understanding that should they be called upon, they must answer. Colby didn’t seem to care about it in the least. I got him to return Holden’s jacket to him. I just wanted to go home. While each of us seemed to be driven by our own desires, one thing held us solidly together, and that was our tension over when the dark one might strike next and what he would do.
The werewolf who had helped me battle the possessed dolls had told Holden and the pack every detail of what had befallen us in Sophia’s basement. He had even shared with them my attack of his family jewels. The men all frowned at me and shook their heads, even Cecil. I had listened and corroborated his account, but it wasn’t something that I wanted refreshed in my memory. If I saw another doll again, it would be too soon.
The next morning and with the trucks loaded, Sam took my hand. “Alright. Let’s head out. Honey, you’re riding with us.”
“Why should I have to drive alone?” Colby complained.
Sam stared him down. “You’ve got that look in your eyes. The roads are too treacherous for you to swerve off into a ditch or worse with her head on your lap.”
Colby and the wolves who had overheard laughed while I blushed. Cecil smirked and walked over to the passenger side of Colby’s truck to ride with him. I gave Colby a look warning him to behave.
We left the hotel behind. Sam was preparing to pull up onto the highway when Holden sped up and drove up beside him while gesturing for him to roll down his window. All around, our procession slowed to a stop. Motorcycles idled while their riders waited. Colby shrugged at me from within his truck behind us.
Holden asked, “Where are you going?”
“West.”
“That’s the worst road to take. It’s barely passable. Follow us.” Holden turned his bike and headed off in a different direction.
“Should we trust him?” Sam asked.
“We may as well,” Hunting Wolf responded. “He is intent on taking his revenge against the dark one rather than upon us. It is something we should encourage to an extent.”
“Right. Let’s see if the wolf can find the crow,” Sam said. Putting his truck in gear, he turned and followed Holden.
Small towns were scattered around the mountains. At the onset of war, people had fled to them for safety. The farther we got from the mountains, the fewer people we saw until there was nothing but abandoned towns. Out of Sam’s window and in the distance, I saw the decimated remains of a city. Skyscrapers had been toppled, coming to rest atop each other like snapped matchsticks. Sunlight glinted off pieces of glass amongst the ashes and rubble. Briefly, I wondered if one day some traveler might gaze upon it and believe he or she had found some lost fabled city. Would poems one day be written about a city of diamonds, the El Dorado of a decimated civilization, inspiring hope where there was nothing but death and ruin?
As if sensing my thoughts, Hunting Wolf brought his hand down to grip my thigh in a silent gesture of comfort. The fallen buildings served as tombstones for the hundreds of thousands of souls who hadn’t evacuated in time. On broken roads and bombed highways leading away from the city were the cars and buses which I imagined had been full of the desperately hopeful. Some of those vehicles were upended. Others were on their sides where the force of the explosive blasts had hurled them. Of those who had survived initially, without clean drinking water, food, and transportation, they wouldn’t have made it far or lasted for very long. Apparently, none of the major cities had survived. They had been deliberately targeted by our enemies.
Up ahead, Holden led our caravan off the highway and down an exit ramp. We followed the pack as they veered off down several rough, rural roads until finally making it to a long country road. It had two lanes that were separated by faded yellow stripes. The shoulders were overgrown with dying winter grass, weeds, and leaves.
As the pastoral scenery went by, I asked, “How are we planning to protect ourselves from attack? What are we supposed to do?”
“He must be banished from this realm. Once higher demons gain entry, they destroy the balance of nature and corrupt it. If Cecil can send him back from where he came, it will be many years before he will be able to gain enough strength to return.” Hunting Wolf put his arm around me to give me the comfort his words hadn’t given me.
“What now?” Sam asked as he stopped and put the truck into park.
Holden had ordered a stop. Sam and Hunting Wolf scanned our surroundings for dangers. Meanwhile, several of the men had dismount
ed their bikes and were stripping naked. Sam pointed off to the right. A few miles away, far out in an abandoned pasture, a buck lifted his head. I could only make out his antlers and eyes. Sensing danger, he and his herd took off running in the opposite direction. Holden held up three fingers. Then, a few of his men shifted into their wolves and ran, leaping over what remained of the rusted barbed wire fence as they gave chase.
“It appears they mean to catch dinner,” Sam said.
“Well, if we’re stopping, I could use a comfort break.” They had to have noticed how I’d been squirming in my seat for the last half hour.
Sam and Hunting Wolf walked with me into the bushes at the side of the road. I squatted thinking my husbands intended to be gentlemen and guard my privacy. The snapping open of flies and steady streams hitting the ground told a slightly different story. I sighed. Husbands behaved differently than boyfriends. I gave them envious looks as they gave their dicks a few shakes and put them away. Wiggling my hips from side to side, I tried to accomplish the same thing without falling over. Sam laughed at me. On our way back to the truck, we saw that we hadn’t been the only ones in need of a break.
Hunting Wolf said, “This road will be safe for travelers. No coyote or mountain lion in its right mind will come anywhere near this stretch of land after such an extensive marking.” He gave a grunt of approval. I rolled my eyes at him.
After washing off our hands, we found Colby. I smiled at him. His blue eyes were full of vitality, and the cool wind blew his hair back from his face. He said, “They’ve got a place where they’ve stayed on previous trips. It’s about fifty miles from here. We’ll eat, get some sleep, and give Cecil a chance to see if we need to change course.”
“Sounds good,” Sam said.
Softly brushing against my thoughts were Elizabeth’s memories. She had camped nearby with Gideon and the pack which put me at ease. At least, I knew what we were being told was truthful.
Sam asked, “How are things going between the two of you?” He motioned with his chin toward Holden. The wind caught at strands of Sam and Hunting Wolf’s long black hair. I made playful grabs at it, catching hold of them both.
Winking at me, Colby said, “I’ll give you something to hold onto, Mrs. Stillwater-Reeves.”
Going to him, I wrapped my arms around his chest. Once he had his arms around me, he answered Sam. “He’s hurting. He’s not at his usual speed.”
Seeing something out of the corner of my eye, I jumped involuntarily in Colby’s embrace. The wolves were silently emerging from the tall grass. In their bloodied teeth, they carried deer carcasses, and their eyes glowed from within their elongated skulls.
Colby said, “They didn’t mean to scare you.” He kissed my forehead.
“I’m not scared. Who said I was scared?”
“Baby, we can smell fear. We can smell all sorts of things. The pack doesn’t want you to be afraid of them.” Colby ran his hands down my back and kissed my lips.
“My how things have changed,” I said sarcastically.
“Move out!” Holden ordered.
The werewolves shifted and before they had started securing their kills onto the backs of their bikes, Colby called out, “I’ve got room in the bed of my truck.”
Soon, the animals were in the bed of the truck where they left the deer they had taken down. I kept my gaze averted from the nude males as they returned to their bikes to dress. Motorcycles revved to life. Then, we were on our way again. I was preparing to initiate a new game of I Spy when Sam and Hunting Wolf started talking about cattle. I closed my mouth. It was almost as if it had been deliberate, cutting me off like that. Bored, I searched through my purse and found a book to read. Their voices faded away as I became immersed in another time and place. I had only read a couple of chapters when the truck stopped and pulled me back into the present.
Moving forward and turning the wheel, Sam said, “It looks like we have arrived.”
Holden had led us to a forest. After a few turns, we arrived in a camping area. We got to work setting up our camp. Holden and his wolves seemed content with sleeping bags and a few fires. A few of them had unloaded the deer and carried them off into the woods. I was grateful they were nowhere to be seen. Cleaning deer wasn’t something I wanted to watch. Camp had been set up without any daylight to spare. I sat beside our fire and listened as it crackled. The silence, with the exception of males quietly speaking amongst themselves, was something of which I’d never get my fill. No part of me missed the noise and constant turmoil of the coastal city which I had left behind.
“What are you thinking about?” Hunting Wolf asked as he sat beside me. His dark skin looked almost golden in the firelight.
“It’s so quiet and still. I don’t miss the city and am so very glad that I moved to Silver Springs.”
He picked up a stick and poked at the fire. “I don’t care much for crowds or confined spaces either. The two of us have those things in common.” After adding the stick to the fire, he picked up another one. Then, he asked, “Want to go for a walk?”
“Yeah, sure. I wouldn’t mind stretching my legs.”
Sam and Cecil had gone off somewhere. I assumed it was to track the dark one. Colby, Holden, and a few others had gone for a four-legged run. Hunting Wolf stood and offered me his hand. Taking it, I felt calm, safe, and loved. We walked away from camp along an overgrown trail. Faded, rusted signs indicated we were somewhere but no longer told where. His palm became clammy against mine. It clued me in that my husband was up to something. In a secluded spot, he had cleared of branches and limbs, he had spread out a few blankets.
Smiling, he asked, “Would you care to join me?”
So, this was a date. “I’d love to.”
We removed our boots and sat. “We’ve been in each other’s company every day, but I haven’t taken the time to tell you how special you are to me. I can turn my head away from you for a second and start to miss you.”
A soft, warm feeling curled around my heart. “Oh, Hunting Wolf.” I lifted my lips to his.
His strong hands moved into my hair, against my back, and then under my shirt. The warm, rough feel of his skin against my own sent need pooling between my legs. Our clothes became a pile beside us as we divested ourselves of them and laughed while hurrying to get under the blankets. Positioning himself above me, he lifted up on my thighs until I wrapped them around his hips. I brought my arms up and pulled against his back until he lowered his warm chest to mine. His mahogany eyes reflected my love back to me.
“I love you,” I whispered.
He pushed and then slowly sank his length into me. “I love you. You are my heart, Rozene. I will love you for all of this life and the next.” He pulled his hips back and then slowly drove them forward. Lifting a hand to my hair, he combed through it with his fingers, fanning it out around me. When he looked into my eyes again, his were bare, allowing me to see straight into his soul. The sight brought tears to my eyes and bound our hearts more firmly together. He traced the outlines of my face with a gentle touch, all while moving ever so slowly within me. He had never made such gentle, tender love to me before. Our previous encounters had always seemed hurried as if he was terrified that I would vanish like a dream. Climaxing while staring into his eyes, I melted beneath him. Burying himself within me, he found his release and kissed me slowly.
He rolled to his back taking me with him. I straddled him with my head resting on his shoulder. I chuckled quietly at the tickling sensation when he began to slide free of me. Completely relaxed and content where I laid atop my husband, I dozed off to the sounds of his breathing, beating heart, and the sounds of the forest. A sleep so deep had claimed me that I hadn’t noticed when Hunting Wolf slid from beneath me. How much time had passed, I didn’t know. Hunting Wolf watched me by the light of the moon and smiled as my eyes opened. I burrowed closer into his warmth. He lowered his face to kiss me but froze. Then, his demeanor changed.
Turning his head toward camp, he said s
ternly, “Get dressed and go lock yourself inside of the truck.”
My side became chilled as he stood, taking his warmth with him. Scrambling for my clothes, I watched as he transformed into his Wendigo. He turned in slow circles guarding me against whatever danger he sensed. Partially clothed, I tossed our things into the center of the blankets and gathered them into my arms.
When I ran barefoot into camp with a Wendigo guarding my back, Colby stood from where he had been sitting beside a fire and jogged over to us. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
Hunting Wolf pointed at Sam’s truck. I ran for it while Holden and his pack stood and searched the darkness. Just as I got in and closed the door, two giant grizzlies tore from the trees and into camp. They roared warnings and remained in their bear forms.
Hunting Wolf said, “He’s here.”
A crow with red eyes circled down lazily from above and straight down into the fire where it stood unburned and watched everyone. Then, a murder of crows plummeted upon the camp from above flying through the fires, shrieking in pain as their wings caught and burned, and spreading the flames to the surrounding dried leaves and brush. The men raced around smothering the fires. If the fires were to catch and ignite, we’d all die. Not even a werewolf could survive being burned to ash. The dark one was punishing us for banishing Sophia. Holden slapped at his beard as it sparked. Cecil shifted back into a man. He held up his stick and chanted.
Something thumped against the windshield and made me jump back. The black blob left a red smear against the glass and was reminiscent of the bird that had hurled itself against the glass door of the convenience store. I didn’t have time to contemplate it further because another bird and another crashed into the windshield. They started hitting the truck like hail while the others continued spreading the fire. The men were putting the campfires out as quickly as supernaturally possible and killing any crows flying within reach.
Wendigo Conjuring Page 7