by CC Solomon
I continued to get ready for our gathering and threw on some jeans and a black halter top. It was September and the heat was still thick and unyielding. Since the supernatural had taken over our world, nothing was as it had been, including the weather. Now our seasons were pretty much winter and summer. We would go from high seventies to low forties overnight. In some years, we would even go from 80-degree weather to 30-degree weather in the span of a few days. This shift usually happened in November. Then we would go through six months of cold with barely any rain. We’d get a lot of snow most of those months, sometimes blizzards, and March would bring powerful windstorms. Then May would come with instant heat, along with a month of rain and recurring thunderstorms, sometimes carrying with it, hurricanes, hailstorms, and tornados. Now, even countries where it never got cold got some type of drastically cooler-than-normal temperatures.
Although it was still hot, I grabbed a matching cardigan in case the cold air conditioner inside the bar got to me. I pulled my dark-brown curls into a high ponytail and put a bit of makeup on.
A witch had opened up a beauty shop in town and the former makeup junkie in me had gone a bit crazy in her boutique. It was mostly powdery makeup potions, some organic products, and even a few illusion spells. I’d gotten a brownish-red powder that I used as a lipstick, blush, and eyeshadow, a kohl liner for my eyes, and a black, inky potion that somehow made my lashes long and full when applied.
I heard a knock at my door just as I was spraying perfume on my neck. I left my en suite bathroom and headed down the short hallway to answer the door. I noticed my brother’s bedroom door was open and he wasn’t in it. It was around 8 p.m. and dusk outside so it wasn’t shocking for him to be out. He was probably at work. Or biting someone. I tried not to think about that last possibility.
I looked out the peephole. Erik. Shit. In the past month, I’d tried my best to keep a healthy distance from Erik. I hadn’t stopped caring about him, but I was angry at him for leaving and I just needed to protect myself. Erik seemed set on risking his life by going back to Silver Spring. He’d stayed with me for a few days after Charles “woke up” before heading back to Silver Spring with Faith to be a superhero. I tried to understand but I couldn’t. It just seemed that he put those strangers ahead of us.
I was petrified of something happening to Erik and how I would handle it. I cared too much for him, too fast, and that worried me as well. I wanted to have my head clear so that I could focus on learning more about the Power of Six, how to break my own connection to Phillip, and finding out who helped David escape hell.
Erik didn’t like our distance and was still very resistant to it all. Seeing Erik every Friday was an exercise in willpower. Each time I saw him, it didn’t get easier. At least not for me.
Now he was here at my door, which was not part of our routine. I didn’t see him until I got to the bar or restaurant. If he was here now, something had obviously happened and he was the only one who could get to me.
My heart sped up as I opened the door and a round of nausea hit me as I contemplated any number of things that could be wrong.
Erik stood there with a neutrally cold face. He looked different. His beard was gone and his hair was a little longer. He looked like he should be on the cover of a magazine, he was so damn handsome even with his angry face. My heart gave an involuntary flutter.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. “Who got hurt?” I looked around him to see if anyone else was with him but he was alone.
He walked into my apartment. “Nothing’s wrong, at least not with any of the others,” he replied in an annoyed growl.
I cocked an eyebrow and closed the door behind me, thoroughly confused.
“Is something wrong with you?” I asked.
“Not me. You look tired.”
I rolled my eyes. “Thank you.”
He shook his head, leaning against the wall in the foyer. “You’ve been going through something and I’ve tried to give you your space but at some point, we have to make a decision about us.”
I nodded. “I know.”
“You want to call it quits?”
I shrugged. Did I? I wasn’t ready to say that aloud now. “Maybe this was all magic between us. Maybe I subconsciously controlled you into falling for me.”
“Do you really believe that?”
“It’s possible.”
“The thought did cross my mind, but then I thought it really wasn’t a stretch to care about you. Don’t sell yourself short.”
There he went being sweet again. It just made things more difficult. “Can you give me a little more time? Just a little. When all this Phillip stuff is over, it’ll be better for us. I don’t want anyone to get hurt because he’s my stupid soulmate. Especially if you insist on staying in Silver Spring where I can’t have your back. In fact, maybe it’s better that I separate myself from everyone to keep you all safe.”
“Woman.” Was all he said, looking up at the ceiling.
“Is that why you came by? To tell me I look old and talk about our relationship?”
He frowned. “No, smartass. I came to tell you that I’m going to challenge Seth at some point.”
My heart gave a quick jump. I didn’t like this talk. I knew that was the ultimate plan but a challenge in Seth’s pack meant a barbaric, mixed-martial-arts-style fight to the literal death. Erik already had to kill a man to get to third ranking. He wouldn’t touch Seth’s second, Carter, who was a good man.
I knew Erik was strong, especially as part of this powerful six that Mae foresaw us being. However, nothing was certain and I didn’t think we needed to jump to a fight. Seth and Phillip were dangerous but I still wasn’t sure Seth was a threat. The only reason to take him out was to have one less person that would be fighting on Phillip’s side if or when it came time for me to confront Phillip.
“But you aren’t going to challenge Seth now, right?” I asked.
He shook his head and I sighed in relief. “Not now. I want to be at my absolute full strength. I’m not there right now.”
“You’ll get there. We all will.” Something was up. He didn’t come here just to announce something we knew was coming but not anytime soon.
“Seth has five wives. But one of them is his actual mate. No one knows which.”
I shrugged. “Why’d he bother getting a mate?”
“Because there’s strength in having a mate. Just like a soulmate.”
I bristled when he said that. Soulmates was a sore subject with us. Understandably. Learning that your significant other was bound to another person and then having her distance herself after learning this news wasn’t exactly a fun state of affairs. As mad as I was at Erik for returning to Silver Spring, I was the jerk in this situation, that was clear.
“If I challenged him, there would be a good chance he would beat me. I would need something to get me to his level. Our Power of Six practice can only take me so far until we find Lisa and even then, we don’t know if it will make me powerful enough, alone, to win a fight against someone as strong as Seth. He’s got enhancements beyond his mate. Magic infusions or something, I heard.” He shook his head, looking confused. “He wouldn’t play fair and I’m sure Phillip would help him.”
He went quiet and stood there, hands at his sides, staring at me. He was struggling with something he didn’t want to say.
“What do you need, Erik?” I asked quietly, knowing what he was going to say.
“I have to get a mate.”
I felt like my heart would burst through my chest and my legs went slightly weak. I frowned. I couldn’t help but feel a little hurt and jealous. Was he doing this as payback for me having Phillip as a soulmate? I hadn’t chosen it. Fate had. Now Erik was going to run off and find some woman to become his mate.
The thought of him mating, and whatever that entailed, with another woman made me physically sick. I was sure there were tons of women who stood eagerly in line to get a chance at Erik. I could see Raya now, jumping at the chance to
be his mate. Raya was Seth’s fourth in command and on paper she was a better companion for Erik; matching her werewolf to his werejackal. She was also beautiful and didn’t have an evil soulmate attached to her.
“I’m assuming you didn’t just think of this. Do you already have someone in mind to be your mate?” I asked, trying to hold the bitterness from my voice and failing miserably. I turned from him and bent down to put my black sandals on so that I wouldn’t continue to stare daggers at him. Had he come here to emotionally stab me with this news? Did he think I’d backed off from him romantically because I’d stopped caring about him? I was just trying to do what was right for us all right now.
“You, who else?” he replied.
I turned to him and straightened up. He looked at me as if I’d asked the dumbest question in the world, his eyebrows raised.
“I thought you had to be a were to be a mate,” I stated, crossing my arms.
Erik gave a quick shrug. “Who says? The whole point is that I’m bonded with someone. And if that someone is paranormal it will enhance my strength. Weres, especially canine ones, don’t believe we should be alone. We’re still learning about ourselves but the idea of wholeness is very strong with us. That’s why we jump to be a part of a pack, just like our counterparts in nature. Being a lone wolf is not a good thing and we are our best with companionship. So, I need a mate with power and you have power. A lot of it.” Erik’s hazel eyes still looked cold and there was no feeling in his voice. This was not a declaration of love or a proposal for marriage. He was suggesting a business arrangement.
“Don’t I have to be a pack member?” I wasn’t saying yes but I needed to know the facts. Part of me thought he deserved my help. He’d saved the other paranormal humans from that prison and protected me from David when he attacked me during our search for the prisoners. Erik was stubborn and grumpy but he was a good man.
Erik tilted his head from side to side. “Technically.”
“Seth won’t let me in the pack without you turning me into a were and, no offense, I’d prefer not to be turned. And I’m not ready to go back to Silver Spring. Not sure I’ll ever be. So, I don’t even know what that means for us. And what if Phillip finds out Charles is still alive? Won’t they come for Felix then?”
“Mina, you can come back. It’ll be safe for you. They already know about Charles.”
I widened my eyes. “What? Then why hasn’t Seth attacked?”
“The pack leads asked him not to. Even Raya. We all know that Luke deserved to die for biting Lisa.”
I looked away. “No one could say that before we went to the freaking trial and Felix and I were locked up? Do you think Phillip also had anything to do with stopping Seth?”
“Fuck if I care,” Erik spat, his hazel eyes darkening. “I honestly don’t care what he thinks or does.”
I raised my eyebrows in alarm. Of course, he had a right to be angry at the mention of Phillip’s name but the rawness in his voice still surprised me.
I nodded. “Okay. Fair enough. So, in theory, what does turning me into your mate include, exactly?”
“You just do an exchange of blood and flesh and some meditative words that will focus your mind and mentally connect. I’ve seen it done a few times. Most recently, last month with two members of the pack who got married.”
I scrunched my face up. “An ‘exchange of blood and flesh.’ What do you mean, exactly? I have to drink your blood and eat part of you?”
Erik nodded slowly. “You can mix it with food if you don’t want to taste it. That’s what I’ve seen done. And it’s not much blood or flesh we’d have to consume of each other.”
“Maybe if you put it in a quiche it wouldn’t be so bad,” I cracked. Who was I kidding, even if I didn’t taste it, I’d probably still gag.
Erik chuckled, the first laugh I’d heard from him in weeks, directed towards me. I missed seeing that smile and my heart hurt again. “I could make that happen,” he stated, slight grin on his face.
“So, when a person’s a mate, is it for life? No un-mating?”
He lost his smile and my heart sank a little. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen an un-mating done. It’s for life, as far as I know.”
“Besides strength, what do mates have?”
“We’d know when we were in danger. We’d have a mental connection. We could share strength and power.”
“And if one died?”
“The other could still live. But in full disclosure, it may not be a good life. When one loses a mate, the surviving person might die of a broken heart or even go loupe.”
Loupe was the were version of going crazy. It was very similar to when vampires went bloodlust. The were was no longer human and became almost a rabid animal. Loupe weres were extremely dangerous and usually there was no going back.
However, I was human so that wouldn’t happen to me. Or could it? A crazed, super powerful mage was a risky possibility; assuming such heartbreak could lead to me going crazy. I wasn’t were. There had to be differences.
I pondered it for a moment.
“You don’t have to give me an answer now, Mina. I know this is asking for a lot. Especially because you wanted to keep your distance from me so you don’t get hurt.” His voice sounded very deadpan to me and his eyes confirmed his total annoyance at the situation. He was doing this out of necessity, not desire.
I shrugged. “For a bond that might be tighter than marriage, I’d like to feel it’s more than just a good business transaction.”
Erik crossed his arms again and cocked an eyebrow. “You’re the one keeping me at arm’s length, Mina. I’ve been giving you your space because I know you’re dealing with a lot. It was hard enough for me to come here to ask you this.”
“Erik, I wasn’t trying to push you away. It’s just that I’m—”
“Angry at me for leaving you and you want to be on your own so you can focus on you. Apparently, caring about people makes you weak.”
The hell? I dropped my mouth open.
“I’m not weak!” I sputtered. “This isn’t me being selfish!”
Erik walked to the door, then paused and turned slightly back to me. “You had a month, Mina.”
He didn’t say anything more but I knew what he meant. I had a month to get my act together and come back to him.
“Perhaps because he’s in your head so much you can’t think about anyone else,” he said in a low voice before opening the door.
I stiffened in shock and telepathically closed the door with my magic, preventing Erik from leaving. “How’d you know?”
“Phillip isn’t trying to keep it a secret, like you are,” he replied, turning to face me, his eyes dark with anger. “Why didn’t you say anything? Have you fallen in love with him? He is your soulmate, after all. Maybe that’s really why you’ve been keeping your distance from me.”
I looked down at my feet and balled my hands, which were now shaking, into fists. “I thought you wouldn’t trust me anymore, that’s why I didn’t tell you. I was ashamed I wasn’t strong enough to keep Phillip out of my head and scared all of you would look at me as the enemy. I’ve tried everything. I don’t even sleep that well anymore. Which is why I look so damn tired, as you so eloquently pointed out. It’s not easy to look this bad.” I gave a weak smile, looking up at him.
“Mina, you look beautiful. I was just being an ass.” Erik’s voice was softer. He looked down at my hands. “I didn’t realize.”
I opened the door with my magic. “It’s cool, don’t worry about it. I’ll meet you at the bar,” I stated in a rush of words. I felt like my heart was twisted in knots. I massaged my chest as if that would resolve the internal pain I was feeling. I didn’t want him to see me break down. I couldn’t be weak anymore.
Chapter 7
I walked into the Irish pub, which was one of only two places open past 11 p.m. in town. Although it was only 9 p.m., the pub was packed full of townspeople. The other late-night spot was an Italian restaurant tha
t they’d converted into a night club with a DJ.
The atmosphere at the pub was lively, illuminated with recessed lighting and lit candles on the tables. In the far corner, a band played rock music on a wide platform and there was a standing room only space in front of the stage where patrons gathered dancing and talking. Across from the stage was a long bar, crowded with more patrons. Tables and chairs were placed around the walls of the space and waiters and waitresses moved about taking food and drink orders to the seated customers.
It was sometimes hard to believe that nine years ago, Hagerstown had been a suburban community just like any town in the country. Then the world changed and we were reduced to small, self-sustaining communities with no proper federal government, the world population cut in half, no electricity without the help of magic, and fighting off creatures we’d only ever seen in movies and our nightmares.
With the help of magic, in particular witches and technology mages, many communities were able to get electricity and the internet going. Then up popped what we call “government towns,” which were communities, like Hagerstown, with a leader pushing to get our former government back. The leaders worked with other government communities and those leaders all formed a type of congress. The towns had yet to elect one overall leader or a president.
In this apocalyptic world, Hagerstown was a pretty good community. It was ever expanding and was currently at about five square miles. A magical ward surrounded the town to keep out scary creatures or any unapproved guests. The government towns had also developed a way to detect if someone had the Sickness before letting them in the community and had, therefore, avoided any outbreaks for a few years now.
Everyone had a role or a job in which they were given credits to get things. Some jobs warranted more credits than others like healthcare, farming, policing, and teaching. In this world, there were no menial jobs. Now, the rock stars were those who could bring back electricity, heal the sick and injured, provide food, build, and protect.