Winter's Pack (The Cursed Book 2)

by Lou Grimes

  Once it reached his bloodstream, the darkness consumed him. Still, he didn’t see because his eyes were shut tight as tears were escaping.

  An all-too-familiar sound was heard across the clearing. That sound was familiar to Louvette because she had experienced it herself over and over again.

  The black-haired man’s crying turned to painful gasping as his first bone broke. One bone at a time. She had never seen a more painful transformation. Nobs start to poke out of his back where wings would be. She moved closer to him to get a better view, frowning.

  Dragon-like would be the only way to describe exactly what his body was morphing into. His skin became leather, nails grew to talons, and his snout stretched out longer. His body began to stretch. Scales slid out from his pores.

  The magic spasmed all around him, helping him become a dragon shifter. It suddenly sucked itself back into the man. He returned to semi normal. No more wings. No more leather skin.

  His hair grew as he threw his head back and howled out in an effort to release what he was experiencing. A black wolf was the end result once he finished transforming.

  The survivors of the cursing limped themselves back out of the forest, or in some cases, deeper into it as in the case of the black wolf.

  “She is my many-times over great grandmother. She died trying to stop the Curse from happening, so I have made it my mission to help any one of The Cursed that I can,” Ophelia revealed. Louvette knew she wasn’t lying because she had glimpsed the same necklace Ophelia now wore on Phina.

  A lone wolf keened his sorrow in the night, giving Louvette chills.

  Louvette felt Ophelia’s fingertips slide off her temple. The present returned. She was back in the alley.

  “Do you trust me now?” Ophelia asked when Louvette’s eyes focused back on their face.

  “That’s a work in progress,” Louvette said.

  “Complete it then. I have some things that I need to tell you. We don’t have much time,” Ophelia said.

  “I’m listening now,” Louvette implored her. She needed to return to Cara now more than ever.

  “First thing, my mother was Ophine Foster,” she said, as if the name should mean something. Louvette put her hands out in a motion that conveyed she had no idea what it meant.

  “She’s in witch prison for procreating with a Lupine after my parents split up,” Ophelia continued.

  “Why is that illegal? I would think mingling would be the best for relations,” Louvette said. Allies through marriage was an old way of bringing kingdoms together. She could see it helping the Lupine and the witches in the same sense.

  “No, all the Covens and the shifters agreed it should be illegal because it forces other shifters such as family members to be near other witches, which could stir up the hate pot more,” Ophelia explained.

  “That seems a bit severe,” Louvette admitted.

  “It is, although they will typically look the other way if they agree not to see each other anymore. But, in this case, they had a child,” Ophelia said. This witch seemed to be heading off in a tangent and Louvette didn’t have time for it since Cara was waiting on her.

  “Hate to be self-centered here, but how in the hell does this have anything to do with me?” Louvette asked. She needed her to explain now, even if she had to be blunt.

  “I’m getting there. So, I have a half-sister whose father is a Lupine,” Ophelia pointed out.

  “You’re not talking about me because there is no doubt my mother is Sarah Lynskey,” Louvette said.

  “You seemed smart at first,” Ophelia criticized dryly.

  “Thanks,” Louvette said, slightly offended.

  “Who do you know who has a stepmom? Who do you know who is restricted from knowing Lupines exist? Who do you know who looks like me?” Ophelia fired question after question.

  “Cara,” Louvette whispered as each question fit one after another. The Rivers compound now made more sense. It was a fortress designed to keep Cara in and the magic out.

  The reason why Cara had not been allowed to leave the state. Comprehension hit her that Ophelia had been waiting years for her moment.

  “Why isn’t her father in jail? Why keep her in the dark?” Louvette asked.

  “He promised never to see my mom again to keep Cara from my aunts’ custody. Mom wouldn’t promise to stay away from him or Cara. He kept all the magic out of Cara’s world so she’d never be tempted to use blood magic,” Ophelia answered.

  “I’m going to tell her now. I was waiting for his permission butI don’t really care anymore,” Louvette revealed.

  “I’m going to leave you my number to keep in touch. I would love to meet my little sister. Since you got here, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to walk up to her and say hello,” Ophelia said, tearing up.

  “I understand completely; I thought the same of my father, but he ended up being a disappointment. I at least know Cara won’t be,” Louvette comforted her.

  “I’m sorry. Now, hurry back to my baby sister’s side,” Ophelia said gently.

  The day had since changed to dusk.

  “Believe me, I am,” Louvette promised as she ran off down the street. Locals and tourists alike blurred past her as her feet carried her back to the hotel. She wasn’t going to chance someone killing her, and leaving Cara stuck in a trance in a hotel in Mexico of all places. A Mexico that apparently was crawling with witches at the moment.

  Running up the steps, she opened the room to their hotel. Cara glanced up from the pamphlets. Louvette relaxed as soon as she saw her friend.

  “I’d like to go to El Tajin,” Cara said.

  “I honestly expected shopping,” Louvette replied in a balanced tone. It was the truth, so this was a bit surprising to Louvette.

  “It was, but the shopping reviews are horrifying,” Cara explained.

  “All right, we will go in the morning,” Louvette said.

  “What about dinner?” Cara asked, staring out the window as she got up. There were no questions on time or why it was dark. She just fit herself back into time as if she were a cog.

  “Let’s have the hotel’s. The food smells amazing downstairs and we don’t have to flag a car,” Louvette suggested.

  She didn’t plan to leave unless they had to. Louvette would have not agreed to go to El Tajin if she didn’t owe it to Cara for what she did.

  “That sounds great. I’m starving.” Cara beamed while she grabbed her purse.

  “Me too,” Louvette said as she opened the door, and the two of them walked downstairs to the restaurant.

  This time Louvette did notice the smell of the restaurant, which was as delicious as she had promised, but on an empty stomach even a cold sandwich would be great, especially for a young Lupine who hadn’t eaten since lunchtime.

  They sat down in a booth in the bustling restaurant. Music played loudly overhead, creating an upbeat atmosphere. Since it was high dinner time, their food took a minute. Fortunately, they had chips and salsa to hold them over until that time came. When the food did come, they both had enchiladas, rice, and street corn.

  Cara just chattered as if nothing was wrong, but Louvette was stuck in defense mode. She was keeping an eye on their fellow patrons. They finished their dinner with no unwanted interruptions.

  That night was the same. Louvette hardly slept, like any moment, she was expecting someone to knock their door down. Cara snored, similar to a little mouse. The city had created its own type of music from sirens, people, and all manner of loud noises.

  Louvette’s eyes slipped closed more than a few times, but she’d get up and move around. A night vigil over her and her friend’s life.

  Chapter 15

  The humidity from the jungle was thicker than any kind Louvette had experienced in her entire life as they got out of their cab at El Tajin. Birds cawing from the jungle could be heard as they walked toward the once expansive city.

  “It’s so hot here,” Cara complained as she lifted the hair off the
back of her neck, attempting to dry the sweat. Beads of sweat were rolling down both of their bodies.

  “Definitely takes some getting used to,” Louvette huffed as she threw her curly hair up into a bun to keep from overheating. She doubted the possibility of a Lupine having a heat stroke, but this would be one of the few places in the world that could achieve that. The humidity still made her uncomfortable, regardless.

  Louvette and Cara paused as they caught sight of El Tajin. The pyramid-style buildings had elaborately carved reliefs on the stone columns that towered above the jungle. She breathed in the scent of a culture far older than her.

  Hearing drums off in the distance from locals were playing music that had been passed down for generations, Cara met her eyes and smiled. People explored the area. With the jungle at the grand structure’s back, imagining prehistoric people in this bustling center, not tourists, was easy.

  They headed to where they were supposed to meet for the beginning of the tour. A huge party of tourists surrounded their guide, waiting for the history lesson he would give on El Tajin. Their guide was local-born so he was probably one of the best people to lead this tour. He’d probably grown up learning stories about El Tajin passed down from generation to generation. He did add some scientific facts and theories into the mix as well.

  Listening to their guide, they learned El Tajin was shrouded in mystery, even to this day. El Tajin was a puzzle that had yet to be solved, but chances were no one would understand everything about the ancient city unless they traveled back in time. It would remain a mystery until the end.

  He told them what he knew about El Tajin as they walked around the buildings. Much was speculation and inferences, but some were facts, such as El Tajin being named after thunder in the Toltec language.

  Louvette wondered what would have earned this place that name. The closest she got was that it rained often here, and thunder came with rain.

  “Let’s take a picture together!” Cara exclaimed after watching one of the families take some photos next to the Pyramid of the Niches.

  “Sounds perfect to me, but let’s wait until the tour is over, otherwise we will be here all day,” Louvette answered. Her stomach protested that the granola bar snacks they had eaten before they came were not quite enough to last a couple of hours. Louvette’s wolf would have been more likely to deem granola bars as bird seed, instead of a snack, Louvette thought sarcastically.

  If they had inquired now for pictures, they would be the twelfth set of people to interrupt the tour. At that rate, they’d leave El Tajin when the moon was high in the sky. It would be when the jungle surrounding it came alive.

  ***

  They ended up at one of the seventeen ball game grounds. As the tour guide spoke, Louvette imagined the ancient players that once played on the ball grounds. She could see them checking the ball with their hips in order to score a point. So much sweat, tears, and blood had fallen on this field.

  This game had the highest betting stakes she had ever heard of, according to some of the depictions surrounding the game grounds. The losing player has a knife to their throat.

  The whole thing reminded her of her own kind’s practices. They had done everything but kill her on purpose. An accident would have been okay in their eyes, though it would have been far from okay in Arsen’s eyes. They were weeding out the weak.

  “Excuse me, will you take our picture?” Louvette asked the tour guide at the end of the tour.

  Nodding, he extended his hand for their device. Cara handed him her phone.

  The two of them moved strategically in front of one of the major buildings. They slung their arms around each other’s shoulders and posed.

  “Smile!” their guide called before snapping a few. They both beamed at the phone as it clicked a thousand times. He returned Cara her phone.

  “Are those good enough?” he wondered.

  “I’m in them, of course they are good enough. Thanks, doll,” Cara boldly stated as she thumbed through them. The man’s eyebrows rose as if he was shocked someone might be that conceited. He poorly imitated a grin, and then hurried away.

  Louvette burst out laughing.

  “Did you see his face?” she asked when she could finally speak. Her side ached from overuse of her ab muscles.

  “No, why?” Cara answered.

  “He took you seriously,” Louvette explained.

  “I was being serious.” Cara sniffed her mocking offense.

  “I can’t seem to remember why we are friends again,” Louvette quipped back.

  “We are friends because I need someone down to earth and you need someone in the sky. Opposites attract,” Cara explained.

  “Opposites attract is a love and relationship kind of thing,” Louvette said.

  “Exactly. I love you. A friendship is just another form of a relationship. Why do you think you and Arsen fit so well? You’re ice and he’s fire,” Cara said.

  Louvette had no idea what to say for a minute. Cara didn’t comprehend how on the nose she was. Louvette knew Cara had overheard Arsen call her Winter before, so it was not hard to connect their relationship, even in its current standing now, applying something so symbolic as fire and ice.

  Both fire and ice were dangerous on their own. Arsen was uncontainable and consuming. Louvette was overpowering and unpredictable. Fire consumed life. Ice and winter halted life. Together, there was as great a potential for peril as there was for greatness.

  “I love you too, Cara. You need to stop terrorizing the locals, though.” Louvette said the only thing she knew she should. Cara sent a grateful eye her way. They went off exploring on their own since the official tour was over.

  Cara and Louvette were searching for the ladies’ room when someone walked past them. There had been a number of times that other people had, but this one was different. No sooner than they gone past than the hair on Louvette’s body stood on end. She glanced back.

  She barely had time to turn around when she saw the person flip her hat off. Lightning the color of blood flashed and curled around her hand, crackling.

  Yanking Cara with her, Louvette dove off to the side in time to miss a bolt of electricity.

  “Are you crazy?” Cara shouted as they went tumbling.

  Louvette scrambled up, not having time to answer questions.

  Pulling Cara to her feet, she yanked her down one row. They moved their legs as fast as they could. Tourists stared at them as they ran past as if they were the object of attraction that brought people to El Tajin. There were no more strikes as they hurried through the tourists.

  Louvette glanced behind her, but found no one trailing them. Slowing to a walk, they found their guide again. He was answering questions that the other touring members of their party were asking about. She believed they were safer near the tourists without looking out of place, at least long enough to catch their breaths.

  “What was that?” Cara asked in a whisper. Louvette was thankful for her attempts at discreteness. The last thing she needed was to expose herself around all of these people.

  “That was what I was going to explain later when we were in the airport. That was magic,” Louvette said in a low voice. Cara needed to be told now because they would likely attack again.

  Cara’s eyes went wide and the color drained from her face. She hesitated before speaking, as if she might offend Louvette.

  “You knew it was coming. Are you magic?” Cara demanded, leaning in closer to her.

  “In a sense yes, but not like the witch,” Louvette explained. As if magic had heard its own name, strange things started to happen that weren’t happening a second before.

  Something thundered in the sky. Clouds gathered. The speed at which they did was unnatural. The aroma of rain, normally one of Louvette’s favorite smells, permeated the air. Though she had picked up on the storm rolling in first, the others soon perceived the change. It was hard not to.

  “Is it supposed to rain today?” a man asked their guide. Louvette e
xpected the answer before their guide spoke.

  “No,” he said, frowning at the sky. He was irritated at the potential loss of the money from touring for the day.

  “Something’s wrong,” Louvette murmured to Cara. Cara’s own hand hadn’t let go of Louvette’s since they started running. She squeezed tight, and then moved closer to Cara, her heart beating in her chest in the same way as the wolves paws against the earth when she ran with the Northline pack.

  A fat drop of rain landed on Louvette’s face, causing her to blink from the impact. She brushed the drop away to keep it from hindering her sight if she had to take off again. More raindrops followed. They were spread out at first.

  The first lightning bolt struck a couple yards in front of them. Bolt after bolt followed the first. They all surrounded El Tajin. Thick rain began to pour.

  The people in their group erupted into screams as they all started running wildly around, until they all were hiding out the storm under the pyramids. They disappeared as if none of them had even been there.

  Louvette dragged Cara to hide behind the pyramids to figure out the best move. The entrance was all the way on the other side of the site. The jungle was barely a quarter of that distance, but she had Cara with her. These were not her woods of Montana. She had no familiarity with the land, yet anywhere but the jungle was a better choice. It would provide them shelter from the rain and lightning.

  Her theory was that lightning couldn’t hit all the trees in the jungle and once the witch lost sight of them, they could disappear into the jungle until they found someone who would help them.

  Louvette nudged Cara, and then nodded toward the jungle. Cara appeared to be horrified at her choice.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t tell you. I wanted to, but your father wouldn’t let me. Whatever happens, keep running no matter what,” Louvette instructed.

  They both sprinted toward the jungle as the rain soaked them from above. Right as she reached the clearing, Louvette glanced back to see the three witches from the night before at the end of the valley.