Night Shadows

by Billiejo Priestley

  She feels her head shaking. “No, Dan.”

  “Yes, Olivia, if you believe you’re a witch you’re a damn fool! Do I look like a vampire, Olivia? Look at me now! Tell me!” He screams the last words at her as she looks up at him, blinking. He looks just how he used to but there’s something there; it feels like he’s wearing a mask.

  “No,” she insists sternly as she looks at him, trying to sound brave.

  “No? You’re going to let some guy into my house, into our house, and believe his lies? Did our relationship mean nothing to you?”

  Aileen screams in response, her hands shoving against his chest fast. Her eyes widen when he flies back as if a gust of air has carried him away from her. He stands up, shocked, brushing bits of dry dirt from his clothes before he looks up at her and smirks. She moves backwards when she looks at him and sees his true face again, the disguise removed. His eyes are terrifying, his smirk threatening.

  “Witches can be helpful, Aileen, especially those who need something,” he says, with a lecherous grin plastered across his face. He moves towards her and Aileen sputters a curse of words she doesn’t understand. She doesn’t know where they words are coming from or how she’s doing it, but the ground suddenly shakes beneath her. Her eyes stay fixed on Dan as he watches the magic swirl around her.

  “Lux tenebris involvunt proponit eamque ad nativam nisi me.”

  Her words throw Dan onto the floor, the vampire doubling over in pain as he falls.

  “Grab her!” He rasps, his face becoming withdrawn; Aileen looks at him confused until she feels arms slither around her from behind. Dan staggers to his feet, his teeth displayed in a half-grin half-grimace at the pain, and the arms tighten around her body, imprisoning her. A scream escapes her mouth as she begins talking again, the words unknown to her but still somehow she’s able to say them. She feels a hand cover her mouth, her body thrashing as she tries to escape.

  “Do we kill her or turn her?” Dan says to her attacker, Aileen trying in vain to twist her head and see who’s there.

  “If we do either of those we can’t have any fun, Dan,” the voice purrs. “Be patient. Let’s eat.” Aileen shivers at the words that escape the vampire's mouth: almost foreseeably it’s the same one she always seems to run into. A muffled scream escapes as she feels his sharp teeth pierce the skin of her neck, still covering her mouth with his hand. Dan steps forward, his mouth encasing the opposite side of her neck. She is dead, she has to be, or at least she hopes she is, as the prospect of being turned by the two men is somehow worse.

  Cayson walks along the edge of the trees, facing the town, continually circling it. He can hear the faint hum of music and voices, his mind fixing on Aileen’s so he can follow her and make sure she’s safe. It’s not that he doesn’t trust the others, but he couldn’t forgive himself if anything happened to her. He’d barely been able to for what had happened to Yasmine…

  Focus, Cayson. Focus. Hours pass by uneventfully as he hears her drinking and laughing, clearly drunk.

  “I’m going to the toilet,” He hears her say, his head shaking as he almost immediately figures out the intention behind her voice. Almost mockingly he stands waiting. Five minutes pass by and she still hasn’t spoken, but she’s probably just getting some air, right? She’s allowed to have a break if she needs it, clubs can be loud, and-

  “Olivia, honey,” he hears, and his ears prick up. Cayson glances up, confused hearing the voice. She left the club? He tries making sense of it but if she were back in the club with people, he would hear the muffled hum of voices and music. He can hear the other voice so clearly it’s impossible she’s still there.

  “You disappeared, why did you never return?”

  Cayson shakes his head again. Where the hell are Gwenael and Azriel? They’re supposed to be keeping her safe, damn it. He runs another lap around the outside; he can’t just shift back and go there as Cayson the human; for all he knows Mel could be with Aileen wherever she is. He needs to do something though; he needs to get someone to find her. He shifts, picking up his phone and dialling Gwenael’s number. After a few rings he answers.

  “What are you doing, Cayson?” He asks. “You were meant to stay in form.”

  “Where’s Azriel? Aileen isn’t in the club, Gwenael, I just heard her, she is outside somewhere with Dan. How the hell did she get out without you two knowing?” He’s shouting; he knows he is, but he’s worried now because he had to shift to call, which means he has no idea what Dan has done with her: he could have killed or taken her by now.

  “Okay, shift back. We’ll check around here on foot first.”

  Cayson ends the conversation and shifting back, waiting. Suddenly he hears the sound of Aileen scream and he immediately begins running towards her, his body stopping momentarily as he hears her words, confusion swarming inside him as to how she knows spells.

  He reaches the tree border and as Gwenael and Azriel catch up Cayson catches the sight of Aileen, her head bent forward as she stands trapped between the two vampires. The wolves run ahead, a growl escaping Cayson’s mouth as he leaps, snarling at the vampires. Dan turns, running away followed closely by the other vampire. Cayson sees Aileen about to fall and quickly spreads his body out behind her to cushion her landing.

  Aileen’s eyes briefly open, seeing the wolf’s body wrapped around hers protecting her before everything goes black. Cayson watches as her eyes close; he needs to shift back but he knows the only way to defend her is by being a wolf; he lies there with her for half an hour until Gwenael walks through the trees towards him.

  “Get her home and healed. She went out the back door, Cayson; Azriel couldn’t follow her to the toilet.”

  Cayson moves back from Aileen, slowly shifting back into his human form; Gwenael throwing his clothes at him. “Look, she has just shown them both she can do magic easily. We followed them, but they ended up too close to a hotspot, and there’s no way Azriel and I would be able to go through there with that amount of vampires and survive. They’ll all know now, Cayson, she has a war coming for her.” Gwenael walks off and Cayson holds Aileen up, walking her back to his.

  When Aileen wakes up, her eyes glance around in confusion. Why isn’t she at home? She is in a bed, just not her own. The room looks old; everything made from unpainted wood including the panelled walls and ceilings. She rolls over and swings her feet out of the bed, the timber floor creaking beneath her weight. She glances down at herself. She is still fully dressed, and covered in blood.

  A smile forms on her face as she remembers feeling the warm embrace before she passed out; the wolf wrapped around her body to protect her.

  “You’re awake.”

  Aileen turns to see Cayson stood by the door.

  “Your place isn’t safe after last night, so I thought it would be better you being here.”

  “What happened?” She remembers bits and pieces but for the most part, it all feels like a dream.

  “You went out the back of the club and didn’t tell anyone, which you really need to stop doing. We’re trying to keep you alive, you know.”

  “Sorry, I think I drank one too many and didn’t have common sense.”

  Cayson laughs slightly. “More than one too many, I’d say. Anyway, by the time we found you, Dan and his friend were inches from killing you. Can you remember speaking to him, Aileen? What happened before we got there?”

  Aileen thinks back. “It’s like a dream. He looked human; he mentioned something about how being a witch can help with something. I screamed, I think, I did something, and the energy from whatever I did threw him across the field.” How could she have done that?

  “You were talking in Latin, Aileen, saying a spell; you were trying to draw the darkness out of him.”

  Aileen laughs slightly, but on the inside she’s freaking out.

  “How? I don’t know Latin, Cayson, just good old English.”

  “I think when your parents gave you their memories their power seeped into you. Your mind
took it all in. Right now, if I asked you what something meant in Latin, you wouldn’t be able to say. But maybe if you close your eyes and concentrate on a spell, you might remember and be able to say it?”

  “So, I just think about a spell? What spell?”

  Cayson smiles gently at her.

  “Come downstairs, have a drink and some food first. What you did drained a lot of energy from you and the fact they fed on you means you lost even more.” He walks out, leaving her stood in the small wooden room. She follows him a moment later, rolling her eyes as she walks out, and as she passes through the house she realises that it’s all wooden, the whole place. She had seen the living room that day she woke up, but not any other part of the house. Apart from being a kind of bad design choice, it’s like the whole house is the worst fire hazard she’s ever seen. Getting downstairs she sits at the table, Cayson handing her a plate before sitting opposite her.

  “Right, so I’m sort of guessing here as I’m not a witch. Start with something simple, try to think about a spell that will light the candle.” He gestures at the candle that sits in between them, on top of the – obviously wooden – table. Aileen looks at him, something in her mind suddenly clicking and making sense.

  “Camille, she always had candles and other objects around her.”

  “Witches need something to draw the energy from, Aileen. The fact you stood there in a field with nothing and did it is amazing. No other witch has that power.” Which is a worry, as now Dan and his friend know, and no doubt all the vampires will realise she’s the one.

  “I want to see Camille, I want to keep trying. I want to keep learning and get this sorted.” The quicker she accepts this and moves on, the better.

  “I can’t stay, Aileen, the witches are becoming angrier and more annoyed that I’m anywhere near you, so there’s no way they’ll let me walk in there.” Gwenael told him that the witches believe Cayson is the reason for their coming downfall.

  “Why? I don’t understand all this stuff with Yasmine and why they blame and hate you for it, Cayson. Why?” She needs to know, there’s been so much talking about Yasmine and yet she still feels like she knows nothing about what happened. Cayson looks at her, unsure whether he should tell her. She sees his hesitation.

  “Either you can tell me, or I’ll ask Camille.”

  Cayson nods, taking a deep breath before he begins.

  “Yasmine was a powerful and amazing witch. This was before you were born, Aileen. She was a Depraysie like you. The fact that we dated was frowned up; everyone warned me it would end in a war.”

  Aileen nods, listening intently.

  “Anyway, a witch and werewolf falling in love isn’t good, especially not for vampires. They often use witches for their own gain so them being with a werewolf is dangerous to a vampire. Yasmine was turned; most witches lose their powers once they’re turned but she didn’t. She went to the witches to try to wipe them out.”

  “She-”

  “Just listen, Aileen. Of course, the werewolves knew that I loved Yasmine. We couldn’t let her kill all the witches. Unfortunately, the fact I loved her meant I was the one who had to kill her. No other werewolf could carry that burden. Back then, the witches swore they could draw enough power to drain the darkness from her. It was taking too long and we couldn’t risk it not working, so I had no choice but to kill her.”

  Aileen stares at him, mouth agape.

  “After that, the witches were even more against the werewolves. The fact I wasn’t thrown out of the graveyard that first day I took you there was a miracle.”

  Aileen nods, unsure of what to even say. She’ll see Camille and be able to talk about all of this. While she can admit Cayson is at fault for what happened, so was Yasmine.

  “That’s fine, Cayson; I’ve taken too much of your time already. I’m happy to go alone.” She can’t keep monopolising his life; he’s given her so much over the past few weeks. It would be good for him to take a break, to do what he did before he’d met her. Cayson nods, wondering if she’s going to mention what happened to Yasmine or not.

  “Eat before you go, at least?”

  Aileen obeys, lifting the fork to her mouth as Cayson walks around, his eyes avoiding her. She needs to think; to work out if she’s happy being with him, and with the danger that comes alongside. Would she be safer with the witches? They’ve stepped back, Cayson can feel it. The connection they had seems to have died down, even more so after telling her about Yasmine.

  “It was you, wasn’t it?” Cayson turns and looks at her confused; she is stood behind him. How long has she been standing there? “The wolf, the one that was wrapped around me yesterday.”

  “Yes. I had to; if I’d have shifted back to my human form I wouldn’t have been able to protect you as well. So I stayed as a wolf until Gwenael came back so that I knew you were safe.” She nods; a strange feeling rising inside of her, almost like she had connected with his wolf side. It’s unlike anything she had ever experienced before.

  “Maybe this is wrong, Cayson. Everyone is telling us that we shouldn’t be together, that I should be with the witches and you with the werewolves.” She looks up to him through her eyelashes. If she’s the target for the vampires, she would rather leave and let Cayson live. What’s to say the vampires won’t try and kill him to get to her?

  “If something was wrong, you would have felt it yourself. Did you feel that? Do you feel like this is wrong, Aileen?” His breath is warm as he steps forward, his mouth barely an inch from hers. The air between them is almost vibrating with tension. He lifts his hand to cup her face, forcing her to look at him.

  “If I say yes, then what, Cayson? Would you let me walk away?”

  He looks at her, considering it.

  “No. I’d still fight for you, Aileen. I’d fight until my last breath; that’s how I know this isn’t wrong.” He rests his forehead against hers, their lips even closer together but still not touching. “This is another reason I know it isn’t wrong, Aileen. Witches and werewolves don’t mix in this way, but they also shouldn’t feel like this about each other.”

  “You did with Yasmine.”

  His eyes close briefly upon hearing her name.

  “Yasmine was different. No-one will ever tell you that because they want you to think this is wrong. She was only half a witch, Aileen, so yes we connected but nothing like this.”

  He moves slowly, pressing his lips against hers softly as a moan escapes from her mouth.

  “I don’t know, Cayson.” Her words are soft as she feels like she should run away now, save Cayson from himself, but at the same time she’d do anything to freeze this moment with him here in front of her, their bodies entwined.

  “Whenever you’re ready, I’ll be here waiting for you to surrender.” He smiles, stepping back. If she has doubts he has to give her space and time. “I feel like no-one will win this time, Aileen. I wasn’t around when this war between the three worlds separated us all. At one point the world was peaceful and we all lived together in harmony: the werewolves, the witches, the different vampires. That time has ended now. The witches no longer help the Ceprimora walk in daylight. If we are apart it seems it will help the Monventla win, and they’ll slowly wipe us all out.” The worlds are crumbling, and all he can do is watch.

  “I don’t understand; how can the Monventla win against so many?”

  “More and more witches are going rogue, siding with the Monventla, just like whoever helped Dan by making him look human. They believe the Monventla are going to win and take down the rest, so they are siding with them now in the hope that when it all falls down they will be spared.” Everyone knows, though, that if the vampires have the opportunity to take down all the witches, they will kill every single one. Aileen looks at him, thoughts swirling around her mind. If she’s understood correctly, running away from Cayson won’t save him; she just has to hope that he survives and this mess is cleared up eventually. After she comes to that realisation, it’s easy to make a decis
ion.

  “Just kiss me,” she says.

  Cayson laughs. “What?”

  “Exactly what I said, Cayson. Kiss me.” He leans forward and their mouths meet once more. She won’t hide from him anymore. The kiss is forceful; she pulls him closer to her and finds herself pinned against the wall by Cayson’s body as they kiss. His hands move to lift the dress over her head and throw it carelessly onto the floor, leaving her in nothing but lace underwear. He mouths at her neck, sucking a bruise into it as she works to pull his shirt off, it quickly meeting the same fate as her dress a few moments before.

  Cayson continues to tease her, his fingers tight around her waist as Aileen’s fingers run down his arms. Her moans are soft, growing more desperate as he bends over to pull her lace pants over her ankles. She feels his muscles tighten as he grips harder and lifts her, Aileen’s legs moving to wrap around his body. He steps out of his own trousers leaving them both entirely naked, Aileen trapped between the wall and Cayson’s solid body as his hands explore her; hers grabbing at any skin she can find, pulling him closer.

  Their lips press against each other as she lets out a loud, high-pitched moan, feeling his cock pushing into her sex, stretching her open in the best way she’s ever felt. Their hips move together in unison, the couple finding a rhythm, their moans to getting louder with every thrust as he keeps her pinned against the wall. Aileen throws her arms around his neck, winding fingers through his hair and pulling, their hips moving faster as she feels herself drown in pleasure, her orgasm building inside of her. Her grip on him tightens, moans turning to screams as she feels Cayson release, the feeling of him filling her body pushing her over the edge, their bodies shaking as they ride out the wave of pleasure together, breathing heavily, skin glistening with drops of sweat.

  As his body stills an image appears in his mind, his arms still clutching Aileen tightly as he squeezes his eyes shut, trying to shake the image of Aileen surrounded by dead bodies away.

  “What, Cayson? Every time we sleep together you look like you’re about to be physically sick.” Aileen looks at his pale face in confusion, running her thumb over his cheekbone.