“I’m not,” Susan confirmed, laying her back against her seat. “I just need somebody to flirt with. The handsomer, the better.”
Relieved that her friend had stopped asking questions about the locals, Helena drove on. She did have a secret of her own, but if she revealed what she was, she would have to tell her about Michael’s nature as well. Disclosing something like that would be a disaster. She would have to forget about him, once and for all.
However, she wished Susan’s inquisitiveness was her biggest concern. It had annoyed her, but this was one of the few times that she hadn’t persisted. The cold look on Michael’s face and his refusal to take that money had puzzled her. He was just a biker, trying to make a living. Fifty thousand dollars was a lot of money for anyone, let alone him. Why did he turn it down? Was it his pride that got in the way, or was it something else? Whatever it was, had to be very, very important…
Michael
With Aerosmith’s “Crazy” playing from the speakers, Michael strutted into “Marianne’s” bar. Posters of famous rock stars like Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton graced its walls. Numerous red, green and blue spotlights on the ceiling cast their dim light around the hall. The place he had chosen for his meeting with Helena wasn’t popular with youngsters, but to him, it was perfect. Other than playing his favorite music, Michael loved the fact that it was rarely crowded.
That night was no different. There couldn’t be more than fifteen people in there, scattered across the hall. Hopping onto a stool, he leaned his forearms on the counter, the overhead spotlights bringing out the bulging veins in his hands.
“Evening, kid,” Marianne said, pouring whiskey into a short glass. “The usual?”
Michael nodded assent.
“You look like you just came back from a funeral,” she remarked. “Everything okay?”
“I’m just tired,” he claimed, unwilling to start a conversation with her. The owner might have been a nice lady, but she was human.
“Heyyyy!” Helena sang, a bright smile lighting up her face as she walked into the bar. The view of the same brunette behind her sent waves of disappointment through his system. There couldn’t be any witnesses to their discussion.
“Hi,” he muttered, watching her stroll past him.
“Michael, this is my friend, Susan. Susan, meet Michael.” She introduced them.
“It’s a pleasure,” Susan smiled, shaking his hand, Helena taking up the stool next to his. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Leaning over her, he whispered in her ear. “Just how much does she know about me?”
“Michael…” Helena laughed, turning her head right to face him. “Your secret is safe with me. I’d never betray you. I want you to know that.”
He sighed in relief. “Thanks. Why did you bring her along? Does she know about you?”
“She happens to be a good friend,” Helena informed. “I haven’t told her. Why should I? She’ll think I’m crazy.”
“Maybe, but we can’t talk with her around,” he remarked, disappointment sending his voice down an octave.
“Look, I’ve been dying to tell someone,” she confessed, lowering her tone. “I’m almost twenty-two years old, and I’ve never shared my secret with anybody. I can’t even let my friends in. Can you imagine how frustrating that is for me?”
“What you do with your secret is your business,” Michael emphasized, pointing at her. “You want to tell her? Fine by me. Just don’t mention anything about shifters. Are we clear?”
A quick nod served as her response.
“Susan, let’s go get some fresh air,” she suggested, hopping off her stool.
“We haven’t even ordered yet,” her friend complained as Helena stepped beside her.
“We’ll order later,” Helena said, patting her shoulder. “Come on, I need to show you something.”
“Something?”
The very mention of that word amused Michael. Witches were mighty creatures, blessed with powers beyond comprehension. He hadn’t witnessed them firsthand, but the dozens of stories from his late parents were more than enough to convince him.
He followed them out the back door, eager to see for himself what Helena meant. He felt the crispness of the wind on his face as the glass door muffled the music. The two friends were already in an empty plot of land, several yards to the right.
“You asked me why I tried to give Michael money earlier,” she started, her back turned to him. “The truth is he saved me from a mugger the other night. He…”
At that point, he stopped listening altogether. Despite her intention to reveal the truth about her, Helena had already lied to Susan once. There was no telling how many lies she would have to feed her, in order to keep his own secret. Sooner or later, she would make a mistake and embarrass herself. And while Susan was a total stranger to him, Helena’s admission in the bar proved to him that their friendship meant a lot to her.
“Enough with this crap,” he mouthed to himself. “Susan, do you value your friendship with Helena?”
“Of course, I do,” she answered, Michael halting between them. “She’s been my friend since freshman year. To be honest with you, she’s one of the few people who doesn’t call me a ‘geek’ all the time.”
“She deserves the truth,” he maintained, bringing his gaze down to Helena. “Tell her about both of us.”
“B-both?” Helena stuttered, her brows shooting up. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah,” Michael nodded, scratching his jaw.
“Okay, here it goes,” she took a deep, cleansing breath. “I come from a witch bloodline. My father owes his success to his powers. I’d mention a few of them but explaining them would take too long. That’s why we’re so rich. And Michael?” She paused and slipped her hand into his palm. “He’s not one-hundred percent human. He’s a shifter. Part-human, part-wolf.”
Susan burst into loud, roaring laughter, tearing her eyes away from her. She threw her hand up and cupped her forehead, the sound of her snicker ripping through the wilderness that surrounded them. Michael and Helena looked at each other. His first thought was to insist, but then, he remembered that he was dealing with a human.
“Seeing is believing,” he whispered to Helena. “Show her.”
“My thoughts exactly,” she agreed, holding her hand out, palm facing upward. She exhaled a breath, locking her gaze on a sizeable bush across from her. A ball of fire sprang up and seemed to be floating above her palm. In an instant, she tossed the fireball at the bush, letting out a grunt of effort. The bush ignited, the leaping flames reflecting in her green eyes.
“Oh, my God…” Susan whispered, her face loosening in total disbelief.
“You’re the first person I’ve ever told, honey,” Helena declared. “Please, don’t make me regret it.”
It crossed Michael’s mind to shift, right there and then. Unfortunately though, he had a problem. He’d be naked after returning to his human form. So, he padded closer to Susan, intensifying his stare. He made a deep, rattling noise in his throat, before letting the beast peer out of his eyes.
“Huh!” Susan huffed, her face twisting into an expression of terror.
“I think she’s seen enough,” Helena presumed, gently pushing him aside. “Don’t be afraid. He’s not going to hurt you.”
“How?” Susan asked on an exhale. “How is this even possible?”
“I don’t know the specifics,” Michael answered, his voice coming out lazier. “There’s a number of books about how it all happened, and I’m not a big fan of reading. The most important thing right now is that you keep your mouth shut. If humans find out about witches and shifters, they’ll turn every single town in the Catskills into exclusion zones.”
“And every man, woman and child into a lab rat,” Helena added, nodding in agreement. “He’s right, Susan. You know he is.”
“I do,” she admitted, her voice faint. “Here’s what I don’t understand. Why are you telling me all this? I mean, what ma
kes me so special?”
“Your friend here thought it was a good idea to share her secret with someone close to her,” Michael explained, looking away from her. “I told you about me because she’d have to tell you about a thousand lies to keep my secret, not to mention I think she’ll need some help from a human.”
“Help?” Susan let out a mocking giggle. “What for? What can I do to help someone who can make fire out of thin air?”
“I’m not sure what he means, but as I said in the car, there’s a lot you still don’t know about life up here,” Helena interjected. “Now that Michael’s okay with looping you in, I can talk to you about them.”
“Lead the way,” Susan urged, gesturing towards the bar.
Under the sounds of more vintage music, Helena began her long narrative. She had to maintain a low tone of voice and sometimes whisper, while Michael waited in patience. Every one or two minutes, she had to find ways to handle the brunette’s shock, but that didn’t seem to deter her. In truth, Helena demonstrated the necessary patience for the task. By the end of her speech, Susan was in even more disbelief than when she witnessed the fireball consuming the bush. Swirling the straw in her glass, she stared down at the counter, unable to force a single word out of her throat.
“I’m surprised she hasn’t passed out yet,” Helena said, turning her attention to him. “She never believes anything she can’t explain with science. Should we go back outside and wait for everything to sink in?”
“I’d like that, but no,” Michael rejected that notion. “I still haven’t told you why I didn’t take that money. One? Frank’s still the enemy. He’s still the warlock who’s killed two of my friends. The boys back at the MC wouldn’t like this. They’d think of it as a bribe. They’d try to vote me out, if not kill me for taking that cash. Two? I paid him a visit this morning. I think it’s a little strange he didn’t offer me that money when I told him about that vampire. He’s a billionaire. I thought rich men like him always keep cash for emergencies.”
“Suit yourself,” Helena assumed a mellow tone. “I guess I should return the money.”
“Don’t do that,” Michael advised, his voice picking up volume. “Let him think I accepted it.”
“Obviously, he’s somehow wronged vampires,” Susan finally spoke to them. “They tried to get back at him through you. Your dad wants to keep Michael around as your personal bodyguard. That’s why he offered him that money.”
“Let’s not jump into conclusions,” Helena suggested, her voice quickening. “I need to have a word with you. Alone,” she said to Michael, hopping off her stool.
Smiling to himself, he followed her outside. It wasn’t hard for him to guess what she had in mind. Watching her in a pair tight of tight jeans that hugged her waist like a second skin, Michael wanted to reach out and grab her. She swayed her hips from side to side, once more demonstrating that she was a living, breathing temptation. Helena strode back to what remained of the smoldering bush and looked up into the moonlit sky.
“We’ve talked about pretty much everything tonight, except you and me,” she uttered in her feathery voice. “What do we do?” Halting behind her, he curved his arms around her waist and bent his head down. He sniffed her curls first and then laid a tender kiss on her cheek, enjoying her delicious scent. “That feels so good,” Helena purred, reaching back.
“You’d better get used to it,” he whispered, caressing her belly through her coat.
“Really?” She spoke, flipping around in his embrace, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “We…”
“Yeah.” Another, soft whisper escaped him. “I’ve been thinking about you a lot these days. You’re a great girl, Helena. Sweet, sexy, smart… I know I’m going to be in trouble for this, but I don’t want to lose you.”
Sliding her hands up his stomach, she tilted her head up. Michael held her close as the familiar taste of her lips sent warmth into his heart. A gust of wind tossed her hair about, making it whip against his face as he lost himself in the magic of her kiss. She held on to his shoulder, letting her other hand climb up to his cheek, her hot breath tantalizing him. Michael planted a short kiss in the gap between her nose and her mouth, before kissing her forehead.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment all night,” she confessed, gazing up into his eyes. “But it was worth the wait.”
“Yep,” he smiled. “It sucks we can’t go anywhere, though. I wanted to show you where I live.”
“Hold that thought, wolfy,” Helena returned the smile. “I’ll be back on Friday. I’ll text you when I arrive, okay?”
“Okay,” he nodded as she rested her head on his chest. Michael caught himself loving that closeness. It was unprecedented to him. But then again, his witch had already done many things that had surprised him. He was sure that she would not stop at that. Although being in a relationship with her was a huge risk, he wasn’t going to let her go. Witch or not, this brash girl had been dominating his thoughts after just a single night with her…
Chapter Thirteen
Helena
Delighted that Michael had disregarded the animosity between his pack and her father, Helena mentioned it to her friend. Yet, in her bliss, she had failed to remember that Susan was an outsider. Yes, they had been close for more than three years, but she was an aspiring scientist. She didn’t share her enthusiasm and asked her to go back to her mansion in Highland. Unfortunately, the one person who knew the whole truth about her and her boyfriend was much too overwhelmed to be happy for her.
In her bedroom, Helena put her pajamas on and turned out the light. It had been a long day for her; she needed to rest her weary bones. Still, rolling on her side, she discovered that getting any sleep would have to wait for a while. Susan was lying under the covers, with a hollow look in her eyes and her gaze settled on the ceiling.
“It’s a lot to take in, isn’t it?” Helena posed a question, her voice monotonous.
“That is a major understatement, dear,” Susan emphasized, not taking her eyes off the ceiling. “I was raised Catholic. On the eve of my sixth birthday, my parents had me memorize a part of the Bible. And they kept doing that until eleventh grade. Today, I found out that everything I’ve been brought up to believe was utter nonsense. I saw this…” She paused. “I saw my redheaded friend burn a bush to ash. I also saw this perfectly normal, good-looking man growling like a hellhound. Inevitably, a question hit me: What does God have to say about him? He’s not human, not in the traditional sense of the word anyway. And what does God have to say about you? Your kind was persecuted for almost three hundred years, and your persecutors were mostly priests.”
Helena sighed, comprehending her state of confusion. “I’ve read about the witch purge, too. I don’t have any answers for you, honey. I’m not the religious type, you know that.”
“Either way, there are a few holes in your narrative,” Susan remarked, lowering her gaze down to her. “You say you come from a witch bloodline. That power is in your blood. Why does that power peek at twenty-two?”
“That’s what my folks have told me,” Helena responded. “I tried finding that answer in my father’s library, but I came up empty. He must have like five hundred books down there, and none of them explain why.”
“Your father’s got a library?” Susan’s eyes glinted with mischief.
“Yeah, it’s in the basement. Why?”
“Let’s go,” She suggested, scooting out of bed. “I doubt I’ll get much sleep tonight anyway. Why should I bother trying?”
Even though she didn’t have much hope of finding that information, Helena got out of bed. Susan had faced her fair share of adversities over the years, but none of them had upset her this much. It was as if her world had been turned upside down. Going through books would at least take her mind off the revelations of that night.
She pulled the top drawer of her nightstand open and grabbed a small flashlight. That room in the basement had a special meaning to her father. Because it was filled with r
are copies of very old books from the middle ages, he wouldn’t have a light in that library. His excuse was that he viewed it as a gateway to the past.
Tiptoeing down the stairs, she held onto the railing, with Susan just inches behind her. They left behind the pitch-black ground floor, the cedar trees casting their shadow on the lawn. Helena turned on the flashlight and walked down the winding staircase to the basement. Pointing the beam up and to the left, she revealed the worn door to the library. Small chunks of wood near its hinges had peeled off, whereas the area around the rusty handle had faded to a pale shade of gray.
“No offense, but this door looks out of place,” Susan remarked, brushing past her. “Just how old is it?”
“I don’t have a clue,” Helena claimed, her friend wrapping her fingers around the handle. The door creaked open, and Susan waited for her to enter before easing it shut. Helena lifted the flashlight, lighting up the room that had intrigued her friend. Hundreds of dusty books were in the shelves of the library. She tossed a glance at the desk to her right, before shuffling off.
“Look at that. 1511, 1582, 1618…” She read out the publication years on the side covers. “I’m impressed. Some of these books are six hundred years old.”
“They’re my ancestors’ legacy,” Helena whispered, stepping beside her. “They printed them out themselves due to the purge.”
“And they’ve survived all these years?” Susan reached up and took a dark-blue book off the shelf. “That’s quite admirable if you ask me.”
“Susan, please,” Helena whispered, switching off the flashlight. “I know you’re upset, but I told you I haven’t found any answers in there. Most of those books contain spells.”
“Look!” Susan’s demand frustrated her. She could barely make out her figure, let alone read anything. “In the corner!”
Unable to disregard the urgency in her voice, Helena turned. Much to her surprise, light was creeping through the cracks between three planks of wood. Intrigued, she headed to the spot and sat on her knees, Susan putting the book back.
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