by R. A. Gates
Chapter 4
The wind died down and the candles went out. Color muted to grays in the moonlight. Laney’s breath caught in her throat as she stared at the cat, waiting for the slightest movement.
The tap of Kody’s cane on the pavement startled her as he approached. In fact, his footsteps were the only noise anymore. Her eyes darted around, searching for a reason for this sudden quiet.
“Hey,” Kody said, startling her. “Shouldn’t he be moving?”
“Well, that was the general purpose of the spell.” Her heart sank lower the longer she stared at the still dead cat. With all the magic and mayhem, surely something should’ve happened. She grabbed the book tucked under his arm and flipped to the spell. Had she said the words wrong? As she scrolled down the instructions of the incantation, there was a step noticeably missing. “Wait a minute.” She was going to kill him. “Nowhere on this page does it say anything about dancing.”
Amusement tugged at the corners of his mouth. “I just wanted to see if you’d actually do it. You got some good moves.” He swung his hips, imitating her.
Anger and humiliation burned to the surface of her cheeks. He’s a big, stupid, lying ass! “But what if that’s why the spell didn’t work?”
He stopped moving. “Oh. Sorry.” After a moment of silence, a bubble of laughter escaped his lips. “Still worth it.”
She sighed. Blaming Kody wasn’t fair. Even if she did have the right candles, the salt, and the light of the full moon, she probably still would’ve failed. She just wasn’t good enough. Lame Laney really was the perfect name for her. “Let’s just go. I’ll fess up to Mrs. Bur—”
The tip of the tail twitched.
“Did you see that?” he asked, jabbing her in the ribs, as if she wasn’t already staring at the cat.
“Shhh.” She waved her hands to keep him quiet. Bringing a spirit back was a tricky maneuver and she didn’t want to scare it away. Excitement surged through her veins and her pulse pounded in her ears. An eternity passed as they watched, waiting for another sign of life. No matter how long she held her breath, nothing happened.
Her shoulders slumped as defeat sank in. “I’m sorry I dragged you into this. I’ll drive you home.”
She gathered her stuff and crammed them into her backpack. Maybe she could bribe him into keeping the night’s events just between them. Taunts of Lame Laney echoed in her head.
“Sorry it didn’t work. Hand me the bowl and I’ll get the cat for you.” He took the container and limped over to the pick up the corpse.
Maybe he’s not a total ass.
“Should we bury—Whoa!” He jerked back, almost falling over.
She peered over to see what got him so excited.
Mr. Whisker’s tail flopped around.
“I did it,” she whispered in awe. Gripping Kody’s arm, she jumped up and down. “I did it!”
“Yeah, you did,” he said as he pulled her into a tight hug. “Good job.” He pulled back and smiled at her, and for the first time she noticed what a nice smile he had. His canines were a bit longer than normal, but the rest of his teeth were perfectly straight and actually glinted in the moonlight. Glinted! Someone obviously invested a lot of money to give him such a beautiful mouth. The way his lips curved as he spoke—
“Are you listening to me?”
His voice caught her off guard. “I’m sorry. What?”
His smile grew wider as he leaned closer so his breath washed over her face. “I asked if you had something else to put the cat in. We wouldn’t want to suffocate it after all that work to bring it back.” He waved the Tupperware bowl in front of her face.
Actually, she never thought beyond casting the spell. She was so busy worrying about whether it would work or not, that she hadn’t prepared for a successful outcome. The cat was alive, basically. The eyes were open, though covered with a milky film, and it moved around, but remained corpse-like. The tail was still singed black. Mrs. Burns would definitely notice something wrong. But it was too late to turn back now.
Mr. Whiskers opened its mouth, revealing sharp teeth as it hissed and staggered toward her.
Kody tugged at her elbow until she was behind him. “Mr. Whiskers doesn’t look so good.”
She cringed when the cat lost its balance and fell on its face. Deteriorated muscles and multiple broken bones must be hard to control. “No kidding.”
They both stepped back as the undead cat inched toward them, crawling on its belly. It was a determined little thing.
“Will you be all right if I run inside to get a box?” She didn’t like the evil glint in Mr. Whiskers’ eyes.
He turned to her with raised eyebrows and held up his cane. “I think I can manage.”
She dashed to the back door and unlocked it. The high windows didn’t allow much light inside, so she edged her way along the wall, stepping around abandoned equipment and metal parts, until she came to the main office. Inside were still some flat boxes once used to ship reams of enchanted paper made at the mill. It took her a minute to figure out how to bend the cardboard into a box, especially since it was practically pitch black in the room.
She ran back outside with the completed box in hand to find Kody prodding Mr. Whiskers with his cane. In his defense, the cat was hissing and striking at him with its claws. Coming back to life hadn’t helped its disposition at all.
“Took you long enough,” he said. “It’s getting stronger and more aggressive every second.” He blocked her from the cat when she approached. “Look out.” He batted Mr. Whiskers away just as it lunged for her.
“I have an idea,” she said as she held the box in front of her, open side out. “When I say so, step aside.”
He peered over his shoulder. “What are you—?”
“Now!”
Kody jumped sideways, but not quickly enough to avoid being smacked in the face with Mr. Whiskers’ tail as it whizzed by his head. The cat landed inside the box with a thud. Laney dodged kitty claws as she folded the flaps closed.
“That’s not going to hold it.” He peered inside through a gap in the top. A paw poked through the hole, swiping at Kody’s nose, causing him to reel back. “We need duct tape.”
“No, no. I know a spell that might work. Um…” She wracked her brain for the word, wishing she paid more attention to her dad when he went over the packing spell. What was it? Cla…, Clo….
“Claudo.”
The lid snapped shut, pushing Mr. Whiskers’ head back inside the box. The cat scratched the sides and corners, hissing and howling. It jumped at the top, lifting the flaps enough to get its head through until the spell slammed the box closed again. Over and over, Mr. Whiskers attempted to leap out of the box with no luck.
Kody smirked. “That’ll work.”
He slung her backpack over his shoulder while Laney grabbed the cardboard container. As it was, Gregory and Johnny were growling and yipping at the shaky box. For a recently resurrected cat, it sure made a ruckus. She had to readjust her hold on the box a couple times before she dropped it.
“Will you keep the dogs back while I get through?” she asked Kody as they reached the gate.
“And how, exactly, am I supposed to do that? I don’t want to get my other leg bitten.” He waved his cane at the dogs, trying to scare them away, but they really wanted that box.
“I thought you said you were gored by a bull?” Was he changing his story already?
“Shark, bull—same difference.”
“You were bitten… by a shark?” she asked slowly. Her imagination did come up with a great image of him in swim trunks; tan skin, toned muscles, the sun glistening in his hair. What were they talking about again?
“Yep. I don’t suppose you have any doggie treats in your backpack.”
Her eyes widened at the quick change of topic. Did he really think she was going to buy that story? She’d have to confront him later. Right now they needed to distract the dogs.
“The beef jerky, it’s s
till in my back pocket.” Readjusting her hold, she tried to reach back to grab the dehydrated meat, but the cat kept shifting its weight inside the box. She had to latch onto it with both hands to keep it from tipping over.
Kody sighed. “Here, let me help.” His fingers hesitated at the opening of her pocket. He cleared his throat. “Yeah. Uh, here I go.”
She had to look away to hide her blazing face as his fingers slid into her pocket to get the jerky. Did that count as getting to first base? Only once he freed the jerky was she able to breathe again.
He split the beef strip into two pieces and then threw them as far as he could to opposite corners. The dogs tore off. She and Kody dashed through the gate and locked it back up before the dogs even finished eating the chewy, teriyaki flavored treat.
A long sigh of relief escaped her lungs. Everything was working perfectly. Well, not perfectly, but close enough. Her boss’s cat was alive again and she wouldn’t have to lose her job. The lights of the Eiffel Tower were coming back into focus.
After setting the box in the back, she hopped into the driver’s seat. As he slid in next to her, she glanced at him and waited. “Do I even need to say it?”
Rolling his eyes, he buckled up. “Happy?”
“Much.” The engine sputtered to life. With a pull of a knob, the headlights were on, and shining on a little squirrel about fifteen feet away. Sitting on its hind legs, its bushy, brown tail twitched while it sat there, staring at them. Even its glowing eyes didn’t take away from its cuteness. “Aw, how adorable.”
“Yeah, precious. Can we go now?”
She shifted the car into gear and inched forward, giving the squirrel time to run out of the way. But it didn’t. In fact, it dropped to all fours and stalked toward the car.
“That’s weird,” she said, turning the wheel slightly to the left, intending to go around the obviously confused animal. But as she maneuvered out of its way, it moved to stay in her path.
“Maybe it’s suicidal,” Kody offered.
Stopping the car, she huffed. “Well, why couldn’t it just take up drinking if it was depressed? I don’t want to kill it.” She stepped out of the car and walked in front of the headlights. “Go on, now.” Shooing the squirrel away was a wasted effort. It only kept crawling closer, chittering at her.
When it was merely a few feet ahead, she noticed a dark, glistening hole on the side of its body. White ribs poked out of patches of fur. She staggered backwards, knocking into the car bumper and falling onto the hood.
It leaped forward with a screech and landed at her feet.
She screamed and instinctively punted the rodent across the road, past the reach of the headlights. Its squeaky shriek trailed after it through the air. It was dead, or used to be dead. What was going on? Was this her fault? Her heart raged, as if trying to burst through her chest.
More chittering echoed all around them, coming from just beyond the tree line. Gregory and Johnny barked and slammed against the chain-link fence, trying to get to Laney. The roads this far away from town didn’t have streetlights and the moonlight was being uncooperative. The louder the noise grew, the thicker the air in her lungs became. Breathing in mud would’ve been easier.
Kody stuck his head out of the side window. “Get in the car.”
Someone must have shot her legs with Novocain, because they weren’t working. When she glanced into the forest, dozens of bright, glowing eyes peeked through bushes and around tree trunks. Her fingers trembled over her mouth. “Oh. My. Gawd.”
The blare of the horn startled her and she jumped at least two feet in the air.
“Get in the car!” Kody yelled from inside.
She stumbled around the front of the car, running her hand along the frame for balance. After getting in, she slammed the door shut, locked it and buckled up. If her heart didn’t ease up, it was going to explode. The noises from outside were muffled behind the closed windows. Only the scratching and howling of Mr. Whisker, along with the repeated slamming of the box lid, could be heard above their rasping breaths. Slowly, partially decayed animals emerged from the forest; skunks, porcupines, rats, squirrels— all dragging their undead bodies toward the car.
“I think you overdid it,” Kody said, staring wide-eyed out of the windshield. “Is there a way to, you know, undo this?” He motioned to the advancing army of the undead right outside the car.
“Maybe the book can tell us.” She took the book from his hands after he fished it out of her backpack.
“Yeah, I’m sure there’s an FAQ section in the back. Look up how to fix an operator error.”
The cabin light barely gave her enough light to read the page numbers. She thumbed through the book looking for a counter-spell. Her hands trembled, causing her to rip a corner of the brittle, yellowed paper as she flipped it over. “Shoot.”
He placed his hands over hers, stopping her. “I’ll look for the answer while you drive us out of here. These things are giving me the creeps.”
With a shaky breath she said, “Yeah. Right.” After relinquishing the book, she held on to the steering wheel in an iron grip. “Let’s go.” But as she searched for a clear path to get to the main road, her stomach twisted with the sheer number of creatures all over the parking lot. There was no way she could move without hitting one of them.
“What are you waiting for? Run ‘em over.”
“But—“
“Just go!”
As the car rolled forward, she cringed at every crunch, pop, and squeal. Nausea wreaked havoc on her stomach. A freshly killed skunk with a crushed skull slammed into the windshield with a thud. Her scream filled the car as she slammed on the breaks.
“That’s going to stink,” Kody said.
The animal licked and slobbered all over the glass while it tried to claw its way through.
“I think I’m going to be sick.” She turned on the windshield wipers and watched in horror as the blades beat the skunk back and forth and back and forth. Its battered little body finally slid off the hood and onto the ground. There wasn’t enough hot water and soap in the world to ever get the stench out.
A huge bang jostled the car from Kody’s side. A mountain goat with rotted flesh hanging from its bones rammed into the door. More creatures joined in. The car rocked as it was pelted with persistent living corpses.
“What do they want?” Laney screeched and stomped on the gas pedal. Glancing in the rearview mirror, the glowing red, back lights showed dozens of animals following them.
“I think they want our brains. You know you just started the zombie apocalypse, don’t you?”
“Placing blame—Hold on!” The car leaned to the left as she swerved around a mostly skeletal bear sitting in the middle of the road. It swiped at the passenger door when they passed, claws scraping across the metal and paint. “No, not the car! My dad’s going to kill me.”
“If we survive the night, that is.”
She threw a glare at him. “Not helping. Have you figured out how to stop all this, yet?”
Kody didn’t seem to hear her, mainly because his eyes were glued to the road ahead of them. “You might want to brake.”
She followed his gaze and gasped. Her foot slammed on the brakes. The car skidded to a halt, sputtered and then died right before hitting the most enormous moose she’d ever seen. Its lower jaw hung open as if on broken hinges. The moose was flanked by a rotted deer on one side and a wolf with half a face on the other.
Her entire body went numb, as if her blood was replaced with ice water. Her fingers clenched around the steering wheel in an effort to keep from bolting out of the car, running and screaming through the forest. She vaguely heard Kody talking over the pulse pounding in her ears. “What?”
“I said start the car and back up.” His voice was calm but it didn’t hide the fear in his stare. He sat with his shoulders and back ramrod straight. His knuckles turned white while gripping the book on his lap. Even a tiny vein at his temple bulged as he clenched his jaw.
“Stop staring at me and move.”
Oh, right. She pressed the clutch and placed her hand on the key. “Please, do not fail me now, car.”
She turned the key and the engine roared to life. “Yes! I love this car.” Their luck was changing for the better. Some of the tension sitting on her shoulders melted away and she could breathe a little easier. Shifting into reverse, she let off the clutch and...
The car died. Again.
“Not now,” she said as she tried once more, pumping the clutch and praying the engine would turn over.
“I thought you knew how to drive a stick,” Kody said, his voice tight.
“Stop bothering me. I can do this.” She made the mistake of glancing up to see the creatures stalking closer. The buck dragged one of its back legs as it ducked its head and shook its antlers. Even with half of the rack missing, the motion sent a stab of fear straight to her gut.
“Any time now,” he said with a tremor in his voice.
“Come on,” she urged the car as she cranked the key. Her dad had taught her a spell to use in this very situation. Too bad her brain was too paralyzed at that moment to remember it. Finally, after threatening to send the car over the tallest cliff she could find, it started.
Shifting into reverse before the car died again, she sped away from the walking road kill— and right into the grizzly. It pounded on the trunk, growling.
“Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to poke the bear?”
Laney pulled forward, slipped back into reverse, and then veered around it before getting swiped again. Once clear, she spun around, tires squealing on the pavement and gunned it back to the mill. This time, she didn’t hesitate while running over the little zombies in her way.
In moments, they were back where they started. The horde of the undead hadn’t caught back up with them yet. Kody dashed out of the door, cane in one hand and the book in the other. In seconds he was on the other side of the car, keeping guard while she grabbed the box from the back seat. With her hands full, it was his job to unlock the gate. As soon as he pushed it open, Johnny tore past them, barking and snarling at the approaching creatures.
“No!” Laney dropped the box on the ground and ran after her dog. An image of an undead swarm swallowing the pit bull propelled her feet faster. When she reached him, Johnny had a raccoon in him mouth, shaking it about like a chew toy. Since magic created these things, the condition shouldn’t spread through bites or bodily fluid. At least she hoped. But could he still get rabies?
“Laney, look out!”
She spun around to see that more zombie wildlife surrounded her. A bloody, slobbering rabbit launched at her but she swatted it away right before it hit her face.
Kody limped quickly towards her. “Get back behind the fence.” He stepped in front of her, using his cane to swat the creatures away as they retreated back to the safety of the chain-link.
A low growl behind her halted her steps and sent the tiny hairs on the back of her arms standing straight up. The grizzly, even more gruesome up close with its exposed bone and torn flesh, loomed over her. Bits of spittle and flesh spewed from its mouth as it roared in her face.
Her heart pounded, practically jumping into her throat to escape. One hand over her mouth to keep from losing her lunch, she stared wide-eyed at the enormous row of very sharp teeth.
A grizzly paw raised into the air.
Screaming, she covered her head with her arms, as if that would protect her. She waited for the inevitable smack down, but it never came. Johnny zoomed past her instead, jumping on the bear. Gregory crept up from the rear, nipping at the bear’s tail and pulling it off. Together, the pit bulls growled and snapped as they circled the large, decaying animal.
“Now’s our chance,” Kody said, tugging at her elbow.
She resisted, trying to inch closer to the fight. “I can’t leave them behind.”
Impatience edged his voice. “They’re guard dogs. They can take care of themselves. You, not so much.”
The dogs alternated attacks while running around bear, confusing it. It did its best to keep away from the pit bulls, bobbing and weaving around their sharp teeth. Dozens of eyes shown bright in the dark as the other zombies crowded around the battle, watching and drooling. Before long, the bear stumbled and spun around until it fell to the ground with a sickening crack ringing through the air.
“Gregory, Johnny, let’s go,” she called out, patting her leg to get their attention.
The dogs left the bear flailing on the ground, too damaged to get up. As he trotted over to her, Gregory passed a raccoon that was foaming at the mouth and kicked it in the face with his hind leg. It flew back about five yards before landing in the antlers of a zombie buck.
“Follow me.” Kody released the death grip he had on her elbow and slid his fingers down her arm to grab her hand. Limping toward the gate with Laney firmly in tow, he whipped his cane back and forth, creating a path through the encroaching vermin.
The moose charged from the shadows just as they neared the gate and gored Johnny in his side. A high-pitched yelp shot straight through to Laney’s chest. “Johnny!”
Kody snatched her around the waist before she could run to the dog. “Are you crazy? That moose will kill you.” His voice dropped to a low growl as he kept a tight hold on her.
She strained and pulled but he didn’t let go. “I have to get my dog.” Gathering all her strength, she practically dragged him with her as she marched forward.
Johnny whimpered, staggering toward Laney with blood oozing from the gash under his ribs.
The zombie moose lowered its head, lining up his good antler for another strike.
Laney surged forward and broke through Kody’s grasp.
“You are freakishly strong,” he said, chasing after her. Together they rushed to Johnny but had to pull up short before being struck by the moose. Gregory protected their back, keeping the smaller zombies at bay, but they were inching closer and closer every second.
Panic trembled in her hands as she finally reached Johnny and stroked his face. “It’s okay, boy. We’ll help you.”
He nuzzled her palm with his wet nose.
Clacks echoed in the air from Kody’s cane smacking against antlers. A huge chunk of the rack broke off and flew through the air, torpedoing into a group of snarling zombie rats.
The mutilated animals closed in tighter. Would they make it before being swallowed up by the flesh-eating horde?
“This is taking too long,” Kody said with winded breath as he parried and thrust. “Can you stun Bullwinkle for me? I don’t know how long I can keep him back.”
She left Johnny alone to help Kody. Just one touch as she whispered the spell was all she had to do, but the thought of touching the coarse fur and slack skin made her stomach flop.
“Now, Laney!”
She ducked under his arm and stretched her arm forward, intending to touch its slack jaw. It jerked it head and her finger grazed the swollen, petrified tongue, slick with drool. She shuddered, totally forgetting about uttering the spell.
“It’s not working,” Kody said.
“I know. Sorry.” She drew in a deep breath and focused fully on the moose’s head. Failure a second time was not an option. Plus, if she touched the tongue again, she’d throw up.
The next time when Kody clocked the zombie beast against it temple, she lunged at it and laid her hand along the neck. She needed to really push her magic out as she whispered the spell. It was a lot bigger than an alley cat.
All 500-ish pounds of moose dropped like a sack of wet sand. Maybe she used too much magic.
“Finally,” Kody said. “My arms are about to fall off.” They ran back to Johnny and helped him walk to the gate. Once they were safely behind the fence, Laney whistled for Gregory, and then locked the gate as soon as the dog was in.
Johnny collapsed next to the brick building, huffing shallow breaths. Blood trickled out of the wound and pooled on the concrete.
&nb
sp; She slumped to the ground next to her dog. Guilt overflowed from her eyes and streaked down her cheeks.
Kody stood behind her. “Do you know a spell to stop the bleeding?”
She sniffled and swiped her tears with the back of her hand before answering. “Theoretically. I’ve never tried it before. What if I kill him, too?”
The heat of his hand warmed her shoulder as he leaned on her. “He’s going to die anyway if you don’t try.”
He was right. Again. Taking a deep breath to calm the nerves eating up her stomach, she held out her hand, hovering over the wound and whispered the spell. The warm tingle of her magic enveloped her palm like a white mist and then seeped into the gash. She held her breath as the blood flow slowed down and then finally stopped. Johnny wasn’t out of danger. There was still a ragged hole in his side, but now he had more time to get to a vet.
After all the magic she’d used that night, her energy level bottomed out. Fatigue settled into her bones and all she wanted to do at the moment was take a nap. She leaned back against Kody’s legs and closed her eyes.
He tapped her hip with his cane. “We still have a situation.”
The throng of undead forest creatures lined up against the fence surrounding the mill. Their attempts to break through the chain link continued. Broken paws rattled the metal barrier.
Laney groaned. “Can’t. Too tired. Besides, I probably couldn’t do it, anyway.”
“Don’t you have a potion or something…?” He stepped back to go find her backpack.
Because he was holding her up, Laney fell back to lie on the ground. She propped up on her elbows to sit up, but her arms hadn’t any strength left. She lay back down.
“Oh, no you don’t. Is this what you need?” He kneeled next to her, holding a blue vial in front of her face—the strengthening potion.
Maybe he’s an angel sent down to make sure I don’t accidently kill myself doing magic.
“Yes.” The cold liquid slid down her throat as he tipped the bottle into her mouth. Power returned to her body, zinging through her blood.
“You ready to do this?” he asked as he pulled her up from the ground.
“I don’t know,” she said, doubt filling her heart. “What if I make it worse?”
“Just do it for Johnny,” he said, his hands running along her arm from shoulder to elbow. “Do it for Johnny.”
Inspiration drowned out her hesitation. “You’re right,” she said, wiping her nose with her sleeve. “Let’s take these zombies down.” Grabbing Mr. Whiskers still trapped in the box, she led the way back to the employee parking lot where the whole mess began. Together, she and Kody sat on the truck tire and thumbed through the book looking for the counter spell. Thankfully, the zombie pack couldn’t get past the fence with the exception of a few rats and mice.
“Here’s something,” Kody said. He handed the book to Laney and read over her shoulder. Under normal circumstances, her heart would be erratic with glee having him so close. Right now, his presence kept her focused.
“This looks intense. It’s meant for a full-blooded necromancer, not just a witch like me.” Hope was fading fast as she read the incantation. Not only did she have to open the portal to the Otherworld, but push the lost spirits back to that realm. She doubted she was strong enough.
“Hell-o. You wouldn’t have been able to bring Mr. Whiskers back in the first place if you were just a witch. One-sixteenth, remember? You can do it, Laney.”
A renewed confidence sparked in her belly. She could do this. Maybe. Possibly. “Will you help me?” She shone the flashlight in his face to see a smile tip his lips.
“Don’t worry, babe. I got your back,” he said, patting her shoulder. If he was trying to distract her from the task ahead, he was doing a stellar job. Pixies were doing the cha-cha in her tummy and she couldn’t tear her eyes away from grinning face.
“You ready to start the spell?” he asked as his smile grew wider.
“What spell?”
His laughter broke through the love sick fog that had invaded her brain.
“Oh, right.” Heat rushed up her neck to the tips of her ears. What was she doing? She needed to focus, not drool all over the hot guy that just called her babe. There would be time for that later.
She placed the box next to what remained of the whip cream star. Hesitant to open the box because of the cat’s hissing and howls, she lifted the spell and gingerly pried the lid open. Concentrating would be difficult with a zombie cat trying to eat her brains, so she quickly reached inside to stun it. His sharp claws caught the fleshy part of her palm, slicing through the skin.
Ignoring the sting, she touched Mr. Whiskers forehead and uttered the spell under her breath. A second later, the cat slumped in a heap to the bottom. She tipped the box over and poured him out into the center of the star.
Blood trickled down her wrist from the scratch. On impulse, she started to wipe her arm against the side of her jeans but stopped. The spell required an offering of blood, and this way, she wouldn’t have to get stabbed in the hand again. Her palm still ached.
Sounds of clinking metal and gut-wrenching moans bounced off the brick building and straight to her chest. A crowd of rotting wildlife pushed and tugged against the fence, their glowing eyes focused on her. Hopefully the barrier would hold. Gregory barked up and down the perimeter, snapping at deteriorated paws that dared reach through the links.
The enormity of her task fell heavy on her shoulders. Was she strong enough, powerful enough, brave enough?
“Do it for Johnny,” Kody whispered next to her.
The thought of her dog tightened her throat. She could do this. Filling her lungs with the cool night air, Laney focused on her magic. She raised her arms overhead and looked to the waxing moon. “I call upon—”
“Duck!”
As she dropped to the ground, Kody swung his cane at a dive bombing zombie eagle. Bones and beak cracked on contact. It sailed back, but righted itself in mid-air and flew back toward them. He gripped his cane like a baseball bat and stood ready for the pitch. “Come and get me, you glorified chicken.”
This time when he hit the bird, it tumbled through the air and over the fence. It landed on the ground with a thud. Kody lifted his cane in the air in triumph. “Hell, yeah! That’s what you call an out of the park home run.”
Laney couldn’t help but smile at his excitement. “Can I continue?” she asked, still lying on the ground.
“Sure. I’ll keep them away while you cast the spell.” A loud creak caught their attention. Part of the fencing was weakening against the abuse of a grizzly bear and his friends. “Just hurry.”
He hobbled around her like a samurai warrior, his cane held tight in front of him. A bloody rat scampered toward them. “Fore!” he yelled before whacking the rodent like a golf ball.
She didn’t even bother brushing the dirt from her clothes as she stood. It was show time. Her magic swelled inside her as she delivered the incantation. The commotion and noise around her fell to the back of her mind as she concentrated on each word. She had to get the spell right. The air swirled around her—a gentle breeze at first, but growing stronger.
Staying upright proved difficult as a small tornado erupted above her, pulling her magic into its center. She strained against the pull, chanting the spell at the top of her lungs. Flashes of lightning from the cyclone nearly blinded her. Then the sensation of being hit in the gut with a large, down pillow doubled her over. Images of her last slumber party played through her mind. Over and over, each of the animals’ spirits slammed into her and then flowed out to the eye of the cyclone. She was the entrance to the Otherworld portal above. After what seemed like hours, the last spirit was gone, along with her energy.
Her knees gave out. She was vaguely aware of falling and waited for her skull to crack against the pavement. So she was surprised when a warm, soft cushion caught her head instead.
“That was…totally awesome,” Kody said as he brushe
d a curl off her brow. His touch soothed away the pain pounding in her head. She prayed he wouldn’t stop anytime soon.
“What can I say,” she murmured, too tired to raise her voice. “I’m a badass.”
He laughed, shaking her body. “So, I don’t suppose you know a spell to get rid of all the bodies?”
The sun was still hours from rising, so when she pried her eyes open, it took a moment to make out the corpses littering the ground in the dark. What were they going to do about all the bodies? She groaned and leaned more heavily into her pillow.
Kody hissed.
No, not a pillow, his leg; his bad leg.
She pushed herself to sit up when a wave of dizziness flipped her stomach. She laid her head back down on his thigh, more lightly this time. “Sorry,” she muttered.
“Don’t worry about it.” He shifted his position, jostling her a bit, before settling back down.
“So, how did you really hurt your leg?” Was he comfortable enough with her now to tell her the truth? She hoped so.
The hum of tiny pixie wings in the forest grew louder as the silence between her and Kody stretched on. Did she just ruin any sort of friendship they built during the night? Maybe he was only thinking up another story. It didn’t matter anyway. After all the crap that she dragged him through tonight, she’d be lucky to even catch a glimpse of him in the school hallways from now on. She’d avoid the crazy girl, too.
Gently, she sat up, careful not to move too quickly and upset her stomach again. She couldn’t even look at him. “Why don’t I drive you home. I’ll come back later and clean this up.”
He said nothing, didn’t move.
She took his silence as agreement and got to her feet. Her legs trembled as she stood. Now if she could only walk to the car without falling on her face, she’d be doing good.
So, he didn’t really like her, big deal. It’s not like she was in love or anything. And she had plenty of friends. If he didn’t want anything to do with her, it was his loss.
So why did her heart ache so much?
She patted her hip pockets but they were empty. “Um, do you…” Her voice cracked and she cleared her throat. “Do you still have the keys?” Reluctantly, she glanced over her shoulder to see the moonlight glinting off his eyes. He had nice eyes, too. She bit her bottom lip and turned away. “I’ll just wait for you by the car.”
She only took a couple of steps before he spoke. “An Eradicator.”
She stopped and waited. Would he keep talking?
Using his cane, he rose. “A couple full moons ago, my friend and I were hunting in the forest by the commune where we lived. A couple young Eradicators decided to practice their new werewolf fighting skills and attacked us. I got a bum leg and a price on my head for killing one of the hunters when I defended myself.”
Her throat clenched as she fought to keep the tears from falling. She couldn’t imagine what he must be going through. Sure, everyone in Salmagundi was hiding from the lethal blade of the Eradicators simply because they possessed magic. But to be wanted by name simply because he defended himself…It was so unfair.
She pushed down the choking emotion before she turned around. He didn’t need her pity. Her voice was soft. “I didn’t even know you were a werewolf.”
Without a word, he unbuttoned his shirt and held it open. Across his chest, three ragged, pearly white scars ran from his right shoulder down to his left ribs. These were well healed. Old scars. How old must he have been when he turned?
She reached out and ran her fingertips down the raised ridges. He flinched on contact, but didn’t back away, letting her explore. “Why didn’t you tell me? Everyone thinks you’re a wizard.”
He huffed. “That was the idea. Even in a town full of magical beings, werewolves are still at the bottom. I never said I was a wizard, but if people just assumed…not my problem.”
Her brow furrowed as she let all the new information sink in. He was a werewolf— a werewolf who was wanted for killing a man. As she gazed into his eyes she realized, it didn’t matter.
“Thank you for telling me.” She didn’t want to move away. His warmth, his scent, his stare captivated her. She could stand there all night if he’d let her.
“You’re welcome,” he said as he buttoned his shirt back up. “You’re not afraid, are you?”
“Only for my reputation,” she joked. When he didn’t laugh, she feared she gone too far. “I’m sorry. I-I was kidding.”
Slowly, his mouth spread into a smile. “Good one.”
Her shoulders sagged in relief. The night wasn’t a total loss after all.