by Ben Alderson
I could feel myself wanting to snap at him. I tear my hand out of his grasp and narrow my gaze until it slices right through him. “Let me, for argument’s sake, turn the tables. Would you ever break bread with those who killed your parents? How about live among them?”
Chad is silent for a moment. I can almost see the wheels turning in his mind.
“In a sense, George, I do break bread with someone who should be an enemy to me. In fact, I deeply care for said person. You forget that your parents were part of the coven that killed my parents. Ever since we discovered the truth, Savi and I have not treated you any differently. We trust that you are not like them. I think you should offer the wolves the same courtesy.”
“I’m sorry,” I say.
He smiles weakly at me, but this conversation is over—for now, at least. I skip a few feet in front of him, hoping he gives me the space I need. By the time Chad and I enter the healer’s cabin, I regret every word I’ve said.
“Althea will aid in your healing.” Our guide points to the woman waiting for us in the cabin. She turns toward us with a bright, wide smile to greet us.
“You can leave them here,” she says, her voice as thick and sweet as honey. “Boys, welcome. No need to tell me who needs the help. I can see from here just fine.” Her warm eyes are glued to me. It makes my skin itch.
All around us are crystals covering oak shelves. In bundles, dried herbs hang from the pitched ceiling, each one emitting a different scent. At first glance, I would have mistook this place as a witch’s home, because these are the same items I have in my own home. But the woman is a werewolf. I can tell just from her eyes and the earthly scent that clings to her apron.
“Please, take a seat.” Her hand gestures for the cushion-covered cot behind her.
I don’t like this. “I am fine. I don’t need your help.” My voice comes out of nowhere. Even Chad coughs to try and cover up my abrupt rudeness.
“You are bleeding all over my wood floors. Now, come and sit down. I cannot promise my techniques will work on a witch, but I am happy to try.”
“No,” I tell her again.
“George!” Chad snaps, “A little more thanks would not go amiss.”
“It is okay,” Althea says, already moving for the door. “I know when I am not wanted. Please, make yourself comfortable and use what you need to heal your wounds. If you have a change of heart, I will be more than happy to return.”
My muscles ache as I hobble over to the cot. Chad’s annoyed gaze burns into the back of my head, but I don’t turn to acknowledge him. Regardless of our conversation outside and no matter how much I know he’s right, I simply cannot accept the help of the wolves after what the alpha did. Not yet. Possibly not ever.
***
“I trust this will be fine for you, mali volk,” Zane speaks with Savi as if she is the only one in the cabin. He never blinks when he regards her. His wide, powerful eyes seem to drink up every part of Savi. Will, the hunter, notices it too. He physically shies away from the interaction as if it offends him. Or maybe he burns with jealousy… I find their relationship intriguing, but I haven’t had a spare second to talk to Savi about him. How does she feel about the hunter?
“Thank you,” Savi says beneath her breath, looking down and eyes fluttering.
Zane looks up from Savi and scans the room. “Where is Althea, our healer? She was asked to come and aid in the healing.”
I physically tense at his question, and sadly, the alpha witnesses the act. I don’t like to appear weak around him, but thankfully, that’s all he needed for his question to be answered.
“Never mind,” Zane says. His gaze returns to Savi. “Call me if there is anything you need.”
“I shall,” she replies, cheeks warming.
He raises his hand, and it lingers on her upper arm for a quick moment before dropping. Zane’s entire expression melts into something darker as he looks over us all a final time before leaving. As his eyes land on me, I find my lips turning upward and Abraxon stirring with hunger.
“What now?” Chad asks, leaning against the wall beside the cot. The cabin is large enough for three or four to sleep in. It has three beds, one smaller than the others. There’s a few pieces of dark wooden furniture scattered around the room, as well as a log burner that seems not to have been used for many years.
“George needs to heal,” Savi says.
“I am fine!” I snap again. My discomfort grows by the minute.
“Stop being stubborn. The scent of your blood coats the air, George. You’re not well.” Savi brushes off my reply and strolls toward a set of drawers. She begins to rummage through them. “There must be something here that can help,” she says. Her back facing us as she searches. “Maybe there’s a tonic to stunt the bleeding. That’s a thing, right? Witchy tonics?”
Magic, Abraxon purrs. She can heal us with magic.
“Savi, come here,” I ask her, and I sit down on a stool near me. I’m unsure how long my own legs can hold me upright.
“What is it?” she asks.
“We’ve established that you are not just a vampire and werewolf mix. Not with the magic you displayed at the academy. You can heal me.”
She shakes her head viciously, brown hair tumbling over her face to hide her worry. “I wouldn’t know where to begin.”
We can teach her.
“I can teach you,” I say, mirroring Abraxon. “Otherwise, I am going to be weak for days.” I look to Chad, knowing full well that he just confirmed how situations can change in such a short span of time. “We don’t know when the next fight will happen. It might be soon.”
Savi kneels on the ground before me and rests both of her hands in mine. “Tell me what to do, and I will try.”
“Trying is all I ask,” I whisper.
Calling upon magic with someone else is not something I’ve ever done before. Being solitary, I kept to myself, steering clear of covens and their needy ways. But looking into Savi’s red and gold-flecked eyes, I feel as if I am about to unravel magical secrets to her.
She can do this. You can do this.
Thanks for the vote of confidence, I reply.
“Magic is instinctual, as you already know. Your body overpowered your mind, which resulted in your… explosion. That is your soul’s way of protecting you. But instinctual power usually comes in an aggressive form. For witches, it would show in one of the four elements—whichever is more in tune with the witch.”
Savi interrupts me, saying, “But you can control all four. I know this.”
“I can. It’s rare but possible for a witch to control all four. You have already shown that fire is an element you can control, because it was the first to aid you when you felt danger,” I tell her.
“That was the explosion?” Chad asks from his post. “Fire?”
“It was,” I tell him, unable to look into his eyes for long. “And once I am healed, we will see what other elements you can link to. If it really is my magic you have within you, you’ll be able to tap into all of them like I can.”
It is, Abraxon says.
“I’ll have you calling upon the great winds and rushing waters in no time.” I smile but wince as a jolt of pain shoots up my spine and into the base of my skull. Even Abraxon coils as if my physical pain hurts him in the same breath.
“Are you all right?” Chad asks. I open my eyes to find him sitting beside me. He takes my cheeks in his cupped hands and kisses me on the head. “How about we skip the chatter and just get you healed, okay?”
I nod, wanting nothing more than to rid my body of this lingering agony.
“I can leave…” I almost forgot about the hunter who hasn’t made a sound since we arrived in the cabin.
As he speaks, Chad snaps his head and points a finger at him. “Stay right there.”
Will raises both hands and steps back into the shadows of the cabin. He’s gone but still here in the same heartbeat.
“Chad, Will saved me. Remember that, okay?”
Savi’s words settle across Chad’s strong face until the creases around his lips settle and the bulging vein on his neck disappears.
Before anyone else shouts something, I rest Savi’s hands on my chest. She has to adjust her stance to get comfortable, which is the most important aspect when completing such an intricate, calm spell.
“To heal someone from more minor ailments, the magic must be as calm as lake’s water. It is bright and light, positive and welcoming. As long as you focus on your intent, the injured person shall be healed.”
“Is it really that simple? No funny words or a dead Latin language?” she asks.
I raise a brow in contest. “Come on, Savi, you should know by now that Latin is nothing but Hollywood’s way of making witches seem more… mystical.”
“Yeah because witches need a lot of help in the mystical department,” Savi says sarcastically.
“Focus,” I tell her. “Close your eyes and breathe. Think about what it is you want to do to me. Well, saying that aloud makes me more nervous.”
Savi slaps my hand. “Oh shut up and let me focus.”
I relax at the hint of her smile.
The cabin is silent as Savi tries to heal me. In truth, I don’t expect much, not from a novice. But the moment I stop talking, I sense the growing warmth beneath her palms and catch the glow that comes from her skin.
Every breath I take is slow and loud. All I can focus on is Savi. It is not the first time I’ve ever been healed before, but this is a completely different experience. I close my eyes and feel her silver light penetrate me. Like reaching, caring hands, it courses through my body, looking and fixing all the injuries it passes. Her presence finds Abraxon. Like a wondering dog, I sense her regard him.
Hello, Savi.
We haven’t spoken about the demon Mother and her coven completed the possession ritual in the forest. Perhaps this is a conversation we need to have when I am healed and we are not under threat from Elder Jane.
“Better?” Savi asks, her face screaming in her own disbelief in herself.
“More than better, Savi. You did it on your first try!” I tell her, standing and stretching out my arms. All the cuts and gashes have disappeared, hardly leaving behind a scar. My muscles no longer ache, and my head is filled with clarity once again.
Savi rocks back on her feet and considers her words before speaking. “That felt…”
“Euphoric?” I ask.
“That’s an understatement.”
“Good magic has that effect. It is the darker powers that leave you feeling drained and… not yourself,” I reply.
I can see the flash behind her eyes. She wants to ask me about the demon, but this isn’t the time and place. I’m thankful, because I don’t want to talk about Abraxon in front of Will.
“I think I need to lie down after that,” Savi says, looking at me and Chad. “Do you mind if you give me a moment?”
Her eyes flicker to Will. I catch her hint.
“Sure, come on, Chad. I have a grimoire to conjure if Savi and I are ever going to throw up protection charms around this camp.”
“What about—” Chad begins, eyes pinned to Will.
“I said come on!”
Taking him by the hand, I practically pull Chad from the cabin, leaving Savi alone to deal with Will.
***
Conjuring something without flame is not impossible, but it sure is hard. No matter how much fire Abraxon lends me, Father’s grimoire will not listen to my calls.
“It’s as if it doesn’t exist,” I tell Chad, focusing my energy on the circle of orange flames around me. “I’m calling it, but nothing… is… happening.”
I sag back onto my heels, exhausted from trying. With a wave of my hand, the circle of fire dies out, not a single slither of smoke left in its wake.
“Then we go back and personally collect it,” Chad suggests.
“If Elder Jane is really searching for us after what we did, I have no doubt that she will have some witches stationed at my home.”
Just saying that aloud causes my stomach to jolt. Will they see Father if they went snooping? I did leave the door open for him.
“Can you create a protection spell around the camp without it?” Chad takes my hands and holds them close.
With my thumb, I run circles around his skin to calm myself. “I can, but they will not nearly be as powerful as they would be if they were coming from Father’s book.”
“All we can do is keep trying then…”
We stop talking and turn to the cabin. Perhaps it is the lack of the roaring fire, but suddenly, we can hear clearly. We listen as Savi and Will talk inside the cabin.
Chad presses his finger to my lips to keep me quiet.
First, we string sounds and words together. At least, that’s what I have to do. Chad can listen without any problems. He relays what he hears, “Hunters invading town. Hillcrest will be under attack. They want Savi and much more. Revenge on the humans killed. A war is coming…”
I hold my breath after everything Chad says. Even after he finished speaking, I find it hard to conjure my own voice again.
“This is bad,” Chad says, solidifying my own thoughts.
We don’t care if they still want privacy. Chad and I both stand from the dewy grass beyond the cabin and push through the front door.
“If what Will said is true, I am going to need your help again,” I tell Savi. “We have a camp to protect.”
Chapter Fifteen
Savi
I’m alone with Will, and my skin feels like it’s on fire. Something about finally connecting with the darkness inside of me has set me alight. Because I’ve been wrong this whole time. The thing inside of me was never really darkness. It only felt that way because it wasn’t truly me. But now that I’ve connected with it, allowing it to mingle with my own essence in new ways, I see it for what it really is.
It’s George.
It’s light and pure and earthy and everything that’s magical about my best friend.
It’s his missing piece.
I sit on a cot and sink my head into the palms of my hands. I want nothing more than to run away and leave behind our problems. But I know my friends and the wolves would not follow, and for some reason, I can’t imagine leaving them all behind.
George misread my eyes when I asked for space. I want to be alone, but I’m not. I glance up and meet Will’s gaze. He eyes me cautiously from the other side of the room, and I know he’s assessing how he can possibly continue the relationship we’ve formed. I’m not like what he expected, because I’m sure he never thought he’d encounter a… tribrid. Tribrid? Is that what I am? And what does that mean? I still feel like the vampire I was born to be, yet I also feel the call of the moon. And now, I feel the earth’s magic that flows through everything and everyone.
Will crosses his arms over his chest, and I can’t help but notice how the muscles in his arms bulge. His shirt strains to contain his frustration. He exhales slowly as his gaze swipes up and down my small frame, lingering a little too long on some parts. I know he sees me as a girl. My vampire camouflage allows me to blend in among humans or even hunters. But now he knows I’m not just a girl.
“So you’re a witch as well?” Will asks.
His skin is so rich and dark and smooth. I’m suddenly overwhelmed by the urge to touch him. But I won’t. I can’t. He knows as well as I do that this would never work. We come from different worlds—four to be exact. There’s the world of the hunters and then the vampires, the wolves, the witches… Every time I think about what I am, everything we’ve learned, my head aches.
“I am,” I say plainly.
“Did you know? This whole time, I mean.”
I consider his question. Did I know? Not definitively, no. But on some level, I think I did. I knew something lurked within me, and at times, when it would speak to me, it sounded like George. It even felt like him on occasion.
“I suppose I didn’t until earlier today
, when the hunter suddenly couldn’t see us even though he was just feet away.”
“Are you the only one?” he asks.
I shrug. “Honestly, I don’t know. George’s bloodline is strong. Magic is innately powerful, but strength is inherited. I suppose there could be other witches out there who can call upon the same dark magic George conjured to save my life.”
“So you were born a vampire and then bitten by a wolf?”
I nod. “The bite is deadly.”
“George used magic, which inadvertently turned you into… this.”
“Yes,” I say softly.
“There’s only one thing I don’t understand,” he says, dropping his arms so they dangle at his sides.
“Hm?” I ask as he slowly walks toward me and sits on the cot at my side. The mattress sinks lower as it struggles to hold both our weight on a bed meant for just one.
“Why don’t I hate you?” he asks.
“Because I’m not the bad guy…”
He’s close, too close. I inhale the breath he’s just exhaled. The bare skin of my arm brushes against his own, sending electric shocks straight to my heart, which is hammering so hard I’m certain it’s going to break free from my chest and run for the hills, just like my mind wanted to do only minutes ago. I stare into his eyes until I can’t take it any longer, and then I look away. I bounce the ball of my foot on the ground and scratch my palms as I wait for him to do something, anything at all. I hate this. I hate the way he makes me feel. But most importantly, I hate that he’s a hunter.
“I’m going to tell you something, and you’re not going to like it,” he says.
I close my eyes and exhale slowly. That’s not exactly what I had in mind when I internally begged him to say something already. I think the last thing I need right now is more bad news.
“Why?” I ask.
“Because you’ve saved my neck more than once, even after our debts to each other had been repaid.”
I shake my head. “No, I mean, why won’t I like it?”
He clears his throat. “The hunters came for you, yes, but that’s not all. They’re invading Hillcrest with the intent to attack.”