Mina's Revenge

by J. M. Witt

  Jillian was pulling Mina from her trance and helped lay her down on the couch. “She needs to sleep for a while. We should talk.” Covering Mina with a blanket, I then followed Jillian and Amy into the kitchen.

  “I’m confused.”

  “You caught that? Yes. I have a feeling I know what happened.” I narrowed my eyes at her. “Just hear me out.”

  Nodding, I encouraged her to speak. “I’m listening.”

  “Remember when I said Jude liked to play tricks on people?” I nodded. “He was a master of disguise and could take on the appearance of almost anyone for short periods of time.”

  Confused, I asked, “Like a shifter?”

  “Kind of, but where you only take one form, he could take any. Now, if he cast a spell with the blood of his intended target, there’s a good chance he could make it permanent.”

  I shook my head and pressed my eyes shut. “So, you’re saying you think Jude took on the appearance of Scott?” She nodded. “This is insane and that still doesn’t answer the question about who killed Scott and Mora. And why did they leave Mina unharmed?”

  “I know how crazy it sounds. But if Jude knew, and I suspect he did, that Mina was his child, he’d do anything and everything to protect her, even if that meant becoming someone else. Based on what Mina just told us, Jude was probably aware of her bond with Scott so he used it to his advantage.”

  What didn’t make sense to me was that if it was my family behind Mora’s murder, then they likely killed Scott, too. Why had they never come after him again? Then it dawned on me. Maybe they’d been successful in killing Mora and Scott found her, and being distraught took his own life. Or, what if Jude had walked in and assumed Scott had killed Mora and in turn killed Scott? My head was spinning from the possibilities.

  “What is it boy? Something’s troubling you.”

  There was no point in hiding it. “My stepmother is obsessed with Mina and killing her and I believe she’s behind Mora’s death. But that doesn’t explain the rest of it.”

  She agreed and said, “We have some more digging to do. There’s no telling what other magic Jude placed on Mina to suppress any other memories through the years.”

  “Will she remember what she told us today?”

  “Yes. She’s going to be upset. Especially if she figures out the possibility that Scott has been dead this whole time and that Jude was the one raising her all along; her father.”

  “Christ. I can’t take this. This will undo her.”

  “She’s survived worse. She’ll get through it. But you need to decide if you’re going to be there with her, because if you’re not… You should leave now.”

  “No, I’m not abandoning her.”

  “That’s what I thought.” She patted my cheek and added, “I also think we should exhume Scott’s body…Jude’s body. That will help give us more answers.” Then she left the room.

  I didn’t want to think about what we might find, but an empty coffin was one thought. More things started to confuse me. If Scott was really Jude, why hadn’t he left everything to Mina? It made no sense. He had no loyalty to me. Did he know or suspect that Victoria was behind everything? And writing that letter to me. How did he know I’d pay any heed to it? I had to stop thinking about it before I drove myself mad. I also had to come to the realization that we may never know.

  When Mina woke and recounted what she’d told us, she was nearly inconsolable. Especially when she asked why she thought Scott was dead if he wasn’t. Then she put the pieces together and wondered what we all did. Was Scott really Jude, or Jude Scott? Through it all she managed to hold her temper, or the powers that came with her temper.

  Later that day I started the paperwork to have Scott’s body exhumed. Thank God for my powers of persuasion at the police station. It worked like a charm, but it would take some time. The ground was already getting hard and there was a chance we’d have to wait until Spring since it was already November.

  Mina and I kept low profiles and stayed at the Thomas house. The next night, we lay in bed talking. She made it clear that I wouldn’t be getting lucky.

  “Mina, just let me hold you.” She curled into my side and I could feel the tension roll off of her as she began to relax. “I’ve been thinking. Your ties to Woodland Creek seem pretty strong. Would your fellow shifters stand by your side against Zeke if it came down to that?”

  She didn’t move and I could sense that she was thinking about it. “Most probably would. Some are very reclusive and don’t want to get involved, but Debi...”

  “Debi’s a shifter?”

  She laughed softly, “Yes. You didn’t know?”

  “I guess I never really took notice.”

  “Well, Debi and most of the regulars at Vider’s are all shifters and they would gladly form a united front for one of their own.” She took a deep breath. “You really don’t think they’ll just leave it be, do you?”

  “I’m afraid I don’t. Zeke holds a grudge, learned it from his mother.”

  Her voice became heated. “There’s no fucking grudge to hold. I didn’t do anything and if something happened between Victoria and my mother... Well, Victoria needs to get over it. My mother is dead and nothing is going to change that.”

  “I understand, truly I do. Tomorrow, why don’t you see if we can get all your people together? I can check in with Jack and see if there’s any new info. We can go from there and see what we’re dealing with.” She nodded and relaxed again in my arms. “I just want you safe. You’re my top concern.” She didn’t respond, but I didn’t expect her to.

  Several moments later she asked quietly, “Do you ever just want to get up and leave? Woodland Creek is my home, but it’s all I’ve ever known and I want more than that.”

  Exhaling, I confided in her, “That’s how I felt about where I was before. I have, or had, a pack. Almost everything I could ever want or need, but they’re not my home. I don’t want any of the titles or bullshit that comes with the territory. I just want a family and a life of my own.”

  “All I’ve ever wanted was a pack to call home and all you want is a home with no pack. We’re a match made in hell.”

  “I don’t need a home or a pack if I have you.” She tilted her chin up and looked at me. “I mean it, Mina. You’re the only thing I want.”

  “I want that, too. But let’s get through the next few days before we go making promises we’re not prepared to keep.”

  “I’m prepared to keep all my promises, Mina. Are you?”

  “Rollo, please.”

  I could hear the strain in her voice and I wasn’t trying to pressure her. I was just more willing to proclaim what I wanted. She wasn’t there yet. “I’m sorry. You’re right. We need to get some rest.”

  The next morning I crawled out of bed, leaving her to sleep. I went for a run and then called Jack. He said he’d meet me and that he had some info for me. About an hour later he pulled up in his car and climbed into the passenger seat of my truck.

  “They’re not planning on leaving any time soon. They’ve taken over your house and they’re going through everything. I don’t know what they’re looking for, but it’s something.”

  I slammed my hand down on the steering wheel. “What the hell are they looking for? I’ve got to be missing something obvious, but what?”

  Before I could pull away, my vehicle was surrounded by cars and trucks. Zeke, Dixie, and Victoria stepped out of the truck behind us and headed my way. I’d already pulled my knife on Jack who swore it wasn’t a setup.

  “I told you to make sure you weren’t followed.”

  “I did, I swear.”

  Zeke chimed in, “It’s called a tracker, Rollo.”

  Holding the knife to Jack’s throat, I grossly miscalculated Zeke’s harshness. “I know he’s your cousin, Zeke, but you come any closer and I’ll slit his throat.”

  Zeke turned to the others, shrugged his shoulders and pulled out a gun. Aiming it at Jack, he shot him square in the chest an
d then laughed. “Never did care for narcs.”

  Wiping the blood spray from my face, I wiped my hand on my jeans. “Jesus Christ, Zeke. What is wrong with you?”

  I knew that one of us was going to end up dead, if not both of us, by the time this was over. What I didn’t expect was for the tranquilizer gun that Dixie pulled out and used on me. Yanking the dart out of my arm, I tried fighting off its immediate dose of drowsiness, but it was pointless.

  When I woke, I was in the barn, strung up the same way that Mina had been. Yanking on my binds, there was no way I’d be escaping. Mina was out there unprotected. I tried guessing the time based on the amount of daylight left hanging in the sky, but couldn’t be certain. My best guess was that it was early evening.

  “He’s awake.” Zeke walked over and the rest of the pack followed in behind him, including Victoria and her casted arm. “Now, tell us where she is and we’ll go easy on you.”

  “Fuck you. I’m not telling you anything.”

  Victoria pulled out that same carving knife and my hand immediately ached in response. Jillian and Amy had cleaned it and bandaged it, but it was still a fresh wound.

  “I’m guessing I can get you to speak.” She began cutting the clothes from my body until the only thing that remained were my pants. She grabbed hold of my dick and I cringed in disgust. Leaning into my ear she disgusted me with her words. “You’re much larger than your father. It’s a shame I didn’t know that sooner.”

  She then stepped back and slowly ran the blade down my chest. I refused to cry out and controlled my breathing as best I could. Soon I felt the warmth of the blood trickling through my chest hair.

  “Ready to talk yet?”

  I woke to find Rollo gone. According to Jillian and Amy, he’d gone to meet Jack and wanted me to start calling people to get our plan in motion. After showering and getting dressed, I did just that. I called Debi first and she agreed and began calling everyone she could think of while I called some of the shop owners in town that I hoped would help.

  A few hours later I was still waiting on Rollo. He wasn’t answering his phone and no one had heard or seen him. Dread was beginning to fill me. That was about the time Debi showed up and had several people with her. When I stepped into the yard to greet her, she immediately knew something was wrong.

  Rushing over to me, she wrapped her arms around me, “What is it, Mina?”

  “He’s not answering his phone. He should be back by now.” My voice was cracking and I knew this was a side of me that Debi wasn’t used to.

  “Calm down sweetie. Let’s go inside and try calling him again. Ok?”

  Once we were inside, with shaky hands I dialed Rollo’s phone again. This time someone answered, but it wasn’t Rollo.

  “Mina! Just the person we’ve been looking for.”

  I was going to be sick. “Where is he, Zeke?”

  “Around. Well, pieces of him anyway.” What the hell did that mean? “How about we barter? You come here and we’ll let your friends live.”

  He was full of shit and we all knew I was going to go there with or without any bargain. “Hope you’re ready for rain.” I disconnected the call and threw the phone to the ground, uncaring if I’d broken it.

  “What’s going on?”

  I filled Debi, Jillian, and Amy in on what Zeke had said. The others had remained outside, not comfortable heading into the home of wizards. Stepping outside, we filled in the others and devised our plan.

  Woodland Creek was our town and we’d be damned if Zeke and his crew were going to try to run us out of our own home. In our ranks we had a few bears, panthers, leopards, a gargoyle, deadly snakes and spiders and many more. Then with my power and Jillian’s, there wasn’t any reason we couldn’t overpower Zeke and his minions. The question was if we were too late to save Rollo.

  We loaded up in our vehicles, Hurricane by Thirty Seconds To Mars playing in Debi’s car. I tried to remain calm as we took the dirt roads. The property was almost entirely dark as we approached. Most of us parked down the road and walked the rest of the way. I knew the property better than most, but it’d been a long time since I ran the acreage. We knew that they had to be waiting for us, but there was no other option. We made it to the back of the property and there appeared to be one solitary light on in the barn.

  Debi and her sister flanked me as we cautiously opened the barn door. It was quiet and all I could smell was blood and Rollo. I forced myself to keep calm as I scanned my flashlight through the dark space.

  “Over there.” Debi elbowed me and I followed the direction of her finger.

  Rollo was hanging from almost the exact same spot I had been just a couple days prior. As I got closer to him, the stench of blood was turning my stomach. He had several cuts on his chest, some worse than others. His face was also bloodied and they’d cut his hair. The long ponytail lay in the straw at his feet.

  Reaching out to him, I stroked his cheek and whispered his name, “Rollo...” He was warm and I could breathe. “Help me get him down.”

  Just as we finished cutting him free, the three of us barely able to support his weight, the barn doors flung open and the lights turned on. Setting Rollo on the floor as gently as I could, Debi, Diane, and I formed a circle around him. Zeke, Dixie, Victoria, and every other traitor walked in. Having heard no commotion I had to hope and assume that the rest of my party was simply biding their time.

  “I owe you an ass-whooping, bitch.” Dixie’s comment surprised me.

  “Really. You want to do this now?” I’d easily taken her when she’d launched her surprise attack on me all those weeks ago. “You want me to kick your ass again...fine by me.”

  She took another step forward and Zeke put his arm out to stop her as Victoria proclaimed, “We don’t have time for this. Let’s get this over with.”

  “Can I just ask you one question?” Victoria sneered at me for a moment before nodding. “Why did you kill my mother?”

  Pursing her lips, she then answered, “Figured that out did you?”

  “What could my mother have ever done to you?”

  “Your bitch of a mother tried taking what was mine. After Rollo’s mother died—an unfortunate accident—his father needed a new bride. All fingers pointed at Mora since she was the last surviving member of one of the founding families. If she was gone, I was the choice.”

  “Seriously. This is all over a guy? You’re crazier than you look.”

  Victoria took another step closer. “Your mother agreed, but her heart was elsewhere, with Scott, or so I assumed. Turned out Scott was trying to help her come up with a plan to leave town before the wedding. She was in love, just not with Scott. When I overheard her telling Scott she was pregnant, I seized my opportunity and had her banished. I assumed Scott was your father, but when she was confronted she said it was someone else.”

  My mother was in love with Jude? If that was the case, why had it taken so long for them to come forward with the truth? I didn’t have time to think about it and didn’t even know if what I was being told was the truth.

  “Ok, but that doesn’t explain why you want me dead.”

  “You’re the last surviving Spitz.”

  Power. It was all about power. “You think I want your make believe crown? I don’t. You can leave and I promise you neither Rollo nor I will ever challenge you.”

  “Sorry. It doesn’t work that way. The Spitz line contains powers and I plan to have those transferred to me.”

  “What bullshit powers? We have a specialty for healing. That’s it.”

  “So your grandmother hasn’t told you everything has she? It’s not just the Spitz power in you, but the Thomas power and if combined with my power, well. That’s what I want and I’m going to get it.”

  I was struggling to keep up with her brand of crazy. She could have my fucking weather related powers and choke on them. Just as I was ready to speak, I sensed movement behind me and found Rollo attempting to get to his feet. Immediately, I tried to
help support him.

  “Victoria, this is enough. Zeke, don’t you see she’s crazy?”

  “Her interests have always been for my betterment.”

  “How many mothers are you going to let her kill before you wake up? Hell, she probably killed your own father for your betterment!”

  The barn doors opened once again, Woodland Creek shifters making their presence known. Jillian wasn’t with them and I prayed she was safe somewhere while watching over us. If things got bad, her powers and mine were the two things we were all counting on.

  Zeke came forward and challenged Rollo. “How about we finish this, here and now?”

  My eyes got big as I watched Rollo step toward him. He was in no condition to fight. Trying to step in front of him, I pleaded with him, “Rollo you’re hurt. You can’t do this.”

  “Aww, ain’t she sweet? Come on Rollo, unless you want your bitch to fight for you.”

  The growl that left Rollo’s throat had me even more worried for him. He needed to be smart, not caught up in anger for this fight. Zeke had already proven that he was willing to fight dirty. “Rollo?”

  Pushing me off of him, he stepped closer to Zeke. “Man to man or dog to dog?”

  Debi pulled me back to her side, Diane on the other side of me. I was worried that this was just a ploy, a distraction. Victoria and Zeke weren’t just going to let me, or anyone, walk out of here tonight. Zeke removed his shirt and they faced each other like men, both topless, as they began circling one another. Zeke was bouncing back and forth from one foot to the other as Rollo just watched, calculating Zeke’s movement.

  Zeke took the first swing and Rollo took the hit to the ribs with great ease. My eyes closed. I never did like boxing or fighting of any kind, even though I’d been in my share of fights growing up.

  Turning my head, I kept my eyes on the rest of the room. Whispering in Debi’s ear, I said, “Tell me when it’s over or if I need to get involved.” She simply nodded and that’s when I noticed that Dixie was missing. Shit!