The Curse that Bites

by Kennedy Layne

  “Wow. Wait until Pearl hears about this,” Orwin muttered in what sounded suspiciously like glee. He realized his mistake right away. “Hey, I’m just a witness. Can we get out of here now? Pearl most assuredly has things under control out there, and now she has Knox as backup.”

  I muttered a few choice words under my breath after snatching my coat before grabbing Orwin’s arm and positioning him behind Piper. As planned, I’d pull up the rear. The best course of action was to assume Knox had been playful before he left so that none of us would overly worry about him being hurt while turning the tables on the hunter who’d tried to kill him.

  “Can we evaluate my love life later, please?”

  “I’m so glad I can’t read minds,” Piper murmured right before she flung open the door. The biting cold wind hit us directly in the face, but Piper ignored its warning. “Keep your head down!”

  I flipped the porch light off right before we exited the house, purposefully making it difficult for a hunter to see our progress to the Jeep. The fire was in the back of the house, so the shadows should keep us safe until reached the refuge of my vehicle. Hopefully, there was only one hunter to deal with in this situation. If that was the case, he was most likely busy trying to figure out what was making noise in the forest behind him while worrying about Knox coming from the front. I had to have faith in the plan.

  “Well, you might want revise that plan,” Orwin whispered in horror after I’d all but smashed my face into his back. He wasn’t the one who had stopped so abruptly, though. “The tires are slashed on all the vehicles, and I don’t see Knox’s Land Rover.”

  I figured we had a little over an hour until the timeframe on my premonition expired. The heart of town was about a mile to the west of us, but we couldn’t take the chance of walking on the main road. We were left with little choice but to enter the very woods where the one cabin was located that we needed to avoid at all cost.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Go,” I urged, keeping a lid on my panic so that it didn’t come through my directive. Hopefully, Orwin would be too busy with his own apprehension to notice mine. “Piper, head for the woods. We’ll go on foot. Whatever you do, don’t let go of Orwin’s hand.”

  It was hard not to wince every time I could hear a shift in the cold air or a branch snap far away from our location. I kept expecting a wooden stake to be shot from a crossbow, hitting me square in the back before I had the chance to deflect the weapon. High alert wasn’t going to be enough when we were scrambling for safety. Hopefully, Pearl and Knox were successful in their attempt at distracting the hunter who’d all but flushed us out of our safety net.

  “Unless there is more than one,” Orwin muttered, a bit out of breath. He wasn’t out of shape in the least. Our difficulty in drawing air had to do with the bitter cold air hitting the lining of our lungs. “We should have cast a spell to get those tires inflated.”

  “It would have taken too long,” I replied, keeping watch over my shoulder for any sign that we were being followed.

  Piper remained silent as she led the way, only calling out when a branch was hanging too low. She was leading us toward the main road, hurtling through the woods at a rapid pace. We would stay hidden just inside the edge of the wood line.

  A large shadow appeared to our right, and I instinctively lifted my arm and pushed as much energy as I could with the palm of my hand. The grunt of pain was low enough that it didn’t echo through the trees, but just enough to know that I’d hit my target.

  Your target just so happened to be our resident werewolf, who has successfully thwarted a hunter attack. We’re safe for now, dear hexed one.

  Piper, Orwin, and I all pulled up short at Pearl’s sudden appearance. She was sitting on a fallen log that was protected from the snow by the trees above, looking serene as usual and without a hair out of place.

  “When you say thwarted, you mean…” Orwin basically fed the question to Pearl, hoping beyond hope that she didn’t mean it was Knox who’d enjoyed an evening snack.

  Mr. Emeric didn’t need to shift, if that’s what you’re asking, alien hunter. He simply used his military skills to disarm the man, threaten his life, explain that the bounty had been lifted, and then send the huntsman on his merry way with a kick to the rear.

  I’d heard enough to know that we had nothing to worry about in terms of a vampire hunter going into an online chatroom reserved for the like and outing the werewolf species. For now, lycanthropes remained nothing more than a myth in the eyes of the human realm. I quickly made my way the thirty feet or so to where Knox had landed on the ground with a thud. By the time I was standing over him, he’d rested his right hand across his chest where he must have felt the energy I’d hurled his way.

  “Miss me?”

  “Stop that,” I directed, instinctively leaning down and scanning his face for any sign of damage that I may have caused. “Did you break anything?”

  “I’m a werewolf, Lou,” Knox said, as if I needed the reminder. His eyes still contained that golden hue that clued me in that he wasn’t as relaxed as he made himself out to be. Even so, his five o’clock shadow did nothing to hide his smile. “Although, I could definitely get used to all this attention.”

  Maybe if I’d had Orwin’s ability to read minds, I could decipher what had changed in the last twenty-four hours that had Knox go from being this intense lycanthrope with a thirst for revenge to this charming man who was clearly directing his wiles at me. I shook my head in disbelief and was about to stand up when he caught my arm.

  “The hunter didn’t know that Jerry had been taken to the police station.” Knox lifted himself until he was resting an elbow in the wet foliage. Even the thick vegetation above wasn’t enough to stop the snow from sneaking past the wide branches. “He’d arrived after the fact. For the last couple of hours, he’d been canvassing the back of the property in an attempt to lure Jerry out of the house. He thought the silhouettes he saw through the blinds were Jerry and his uncle.”

  Knox finally motioned that he was ready to lift himself off the wet ground. I stood back and gave him space, wondering just how much information Knox had been able to collect in that short amount of time. It was better focusing on our current situation than why Knox suddenly had a change in personality.

  Our resident werewolf hasn’t had a change of personality, dear hexed one. He is simply showing his true self after having had a conversation with my sweet Piper. Now, may we please continue our trek into town? My paws are quite wet, and you know I don’t enjoy moist paws, cold or otherwise.

  “Pearl, you’re not telling Lou all my secrets, are you?” Knox asked, brushing off what dirt he could from his jeans. I inhaled deeply—though how I didn’t go into a coughing fit from the bitter cold, I’ll never know—and counted to five so that my irritation didn’t catch his attention. Knox continued. “Listen, I wasn’t always overly serious and distant. My run in with Ammeline stole my life, my family, and basically my identity. Piper couldn’t sleep last night, and she just reminded me that Ammeline would continue to win every single day if I allowed this curse to take away what makes me…well, me. I’m still on this quest with you, because I’d like to think one day we could finally rid the world of an insane individual whose mind is basically rotting into a void of madness. At the same time, she is destroying people’s lives.”

  “And you chose now to be…carefree?” I asked, unable to stop myself from commenting on this ludicrous discussion. I mean, we were running from a huntsman in the middle of a snowstorm on top of a mountain. It didn’t help that the premonition clock was still ticking away. “Never mind. I didn’t ask that question. We need to keep moving. Where is your Land Rover?”

  I daresay you seem a bit flustered, dear hexed one.

  “Hush it, cotton ball,” I muttered, taking a page out of Orwin’s book. “We need to make it safely to town, far away from any cabins that Orwin might stroll into in the next half hour or so. We’ll find Knox’s Land Rover and then h
ead back into town to see what’s going on at the police station. We should be safe there for the time being.”

  I’m not one for those horror flicks, dear hexed one, but I’m pretty sure those are the types of phrases that are said by the person who gets chopped up first.

  “It’s not like we have any other choice.”

  I smelled the smoke hanging heavy in the air as the cold wind twirled around us. We’d already ventured deep into the woods, but there were times I’d catch sight of the orange blaze if I were to stand just right.

  I hadn’t had time to put on gloves before we’d left the house, but at least they were tucked inside my pocket for later use. Truthfully, I didn’t like wearing them when there was a very good chance I’d have to use magic, but standing still in the freezing cold had me changing my mind. The bitter wind seemed to have found the perfect path to weave its way through the forest.

  “There’s no way we’re getting my Land Rover out of that ditch,” Knox warned, walking around Orwin and Piper to take the lead through the dense woods. “There’s also a chance the tire rod busted when I veered into a downed tree.”

  Please relay to our resident werewolf that is nothing a spot of magic can’t cure.

  “Nothing we can’t fix,” Orwin translated, seeming to finally notice that we’d once again put him in the middle of our lineup. He only ever got really quiet when he was nervous about something. And rightly so, given there was still minutes left on his life. Still, he offered up his two cents. “Knox, you mentioned the hunter thought Jerry and Hal were inside the house. Does anyone else find it odd that a vampire hunter, whose very life depends on their ability to hunt, didn’t notice the different-sized silhouettes or the fact that there were more than two people inside the residence?”

  “It crossed my mind.” Knox had been able to guide us close to the road, though he still stayed within the edge of the tree line to give us some type of cover. He continued to venture parallel to the now snow-covered thoroughfare, explaining in a bit more detail the brief conversation he’d exchanged with the hunter. “He said his name was Nick Howell, and he was definitely dressed for the weather. I’m relatively sure that by the time Pearl and I got done with him, he headed for whatever hole he crawled out of to collect the bounty on Jerry’s head.”

  “He won’t get far in this weather,” Piper said softly, stepping in the same spot as Knox had with his boots to maintain the illusion of only one person walking through the woods. “The snow is coming down in record time.”

  Ask Mr. Emeric about the stakes Mr. Howell had in his possession, dear hexed one.

  “Knox, was there anything special about Nick Howell’s stakes?” I asked with curiosity, wondering why he hadn’t mentioned something that could affect the outcome of my premonition.

  “Pearl, not nice to rat me out. I thought we were friends.” Knox finally came to a stop. We were still quite a ways from town. I could only assume his Land Rover was somewhere close. “I didn’t want any of you to worry more than you already were. I’ll take care of it once we get into town.”

  I wouldn’t suggest that bit of vengeance, dear hexed one. You see, Mr. Emeric’s inner wolf might have taken it a bit personally when he was shot with that crossbow. He’s a bit irritable over it, if you must know.

  “Take care of what?” Orwin asked cautiously, pushing up his glasses even thought they were covered with water spots from the snow. He retrieved his phone from his pocket to check the time. “There’s twenty minutes before I can breathe a little easier, but I’d rather know what I’m facing in those twenty minutes.”

  “Spill it,” I exclaimed, noticing that it was becoming harder and harder to spot Pearl. Her white fur literally matched the white snow falling all around us now that we were next to the road. “Knox, what did you find out?”

  “It could be nothing,” Knox said, motioning for us to carefully cross the road. Our winter boots helped with traction, especially since the snowplows hadn’t reached this part of the area. The cover of the woods had made it hard to see just how bad the storm had become. Now? I had no doubt that whoever had been on this mountain an hour ago would still be here come tomorrow morning. The last thing we needed was to bring a supernatural war to the residents of this small town. “There’s my baby. I’ve seen all of you do magic before, but getting my Land Rover out of that ditch might take a miracle and a couple of werewolves.”

  Please relay to Mr. Emeric that we specialize in miracles, and we’re very good at our jobs. We’re still attempting to get Miss Lilura to lighten up a bit, but that’s a work in progress.

  Orwin saw fit to actually convey Pearl’s sentiment, though I’m pretty sure it was just to keep his mind off the imaginary timer ticking down. It wasn’t like we had time to waste, though. I left everyone standing on the side of the road, carefully making my way down the ditch. By the time I’d finagled my way through the accumulated snow and downed branches, I’d gotten my hands soaking wet and half-frozen.

  The elements weren’t ideal when using magic, but it did mean I was able to harness more energy directly from the elements. The falling snow started to swirl even more as I began to draw the power of the earth into my body and through the palms of my hands. Most times, I was able to flick the current from one arm. A damaged, jammed vehicle was another thing altogether.

  The squeal of metal against the tree echoed throughout the woods, bouncing from tree to tree until the piercing sound faded in the distance. Inch by inch, I was able to shift the Land Rover until it was just inches from the road.

  Very well done, dear hexed one. Now that the current mission has been accomplished, may I suggest asking our resident werewolf once again about his recent discovery.

  The heat in the palms of my hands had intensified to the point of discomfort. The soft fabric in the inside of my gloves were somewhat of a relief when I was able to slide them back over my sensitive skin. It was time to follow Pearl’s advice, and I finally began to make my way back up the trench only to find that Knox had followed me at a close distance. He’d been my eyes and ears, protecting me from anything or anyone who might have witnessed my magic.

  “Your abilities never cease to amaze me,” Knox said with a lopsided grin. Being a lycanthrope, his body heat was higher than an average person’s. Even so, his cheeks and nose were tinged with a touch of rouge from the cold. “Remind me not to make you mad.”

  “Then tell me what it is you’re hiding from me.” My responsibility to keep Orwin alive far outweighed whatever flirtatious thing Knox had going on, so I grabbed ahold of his jacket before he could walk back within distance of Orwin’s ability. “Knox, what did you find out from that hunter?”

  “The stakes the huntsman had in his bag were plain.” Knox wasn’t wearing gloves, and his habit of rubbing his five o’clock shadow hinted at his concern of the situation. “Literally. There was no brand anywhere in the wood. Whoever shot me earlier was not the same hunter as the one who lit Hal Kline’s house on fire. Speaking of which, I can hear the firetruck sirens. They’ll be heading this way soon. Unfortunately, I’ll need to change that flat tire before we can head into town.”

  As suspected, dear hexed one, there are other hunters lurking about these woods. The faster we get our buttocks in town, the better.

  “Lou,” Piper called out from near the front of the Land Rover. She was waving her hand for us to come to her quickly. “Lou, do you hear that? Fire trucks.”

  The sirens became louder and louder, responding to a call from someone about the fire at Hal’s place. The neighbors around this area had a lot of space between their lands, but someone must have seen the orange blaze. The smell of smoke was also heavy in the air.

  “Orwin and Piper, can you use a spell to get that tire temporarily fixed for us to reach town?” I asked as we got a bit closer to the rest of the group. “We shouldn’t waste time.”

  “It’s not only the firetrucks headed this way,” Knox murmured, coming to stand close to me. His body protected
me from the wind.

  It seems that Sheriff Tate and the state police had to release Mr. Kline on account of his alibi. We now have a choice to make. Fulfill our promise to keep Mr. Kline safe from the hunters who lurk in these woods…or head into town where Mr. Cornelia is safe and sound. What shall it be, dear hexed one?

  Chapter Fifteen

  The two firetrucks, followed by Jerry’s vehicle, passed by the Land Rover on the way to Hal’s residence. I somehow managed to catch Cassandra’s gaze. She seemed okay, maybe even a bit relieved. Her response alone told me that the state police didn’t have any evidence to keep Jerry in custody any longer.

  “Not every hunter has been made aware of the fact that the bounty was removed from Jerry’s head,” Piper said once she was able to be heard over the fading sirens. She motioned for Orwin to quickly join her next to the flat tire. “We need to move fast.”

  That we do, my sweet Piper. Have we decided to head into the safety of town, or are we driving back to the scene of the crime in order to fulfill our promise to keep Mr. Kline safe?

  “I’m thinking we split up,” I responded after careful consideration. “Piper and Pearl, you take the Land Rover back to town. Hole up in the room above the bar. Maybe the state police have cleared the crime scene. I figure there’s probably a few minutes left on the premonition clock, but I’d rather get in a few more hours just to be safe. In the meantime, Knox and I can walk back to Hal’s place. I’m sure it will take the firefighter some time to get that blaze under control.”

  That sounds like a brilliant plan, dear hexed one, although I’m not quite certain that Mr. Emeric is on board.

  Sure enough, Knox had retreated to the spot where I’d been standing to peer into the darkness. His black hair held the remnants of snow, which melted slightly faster on him than it did the rest of us.