by Kelly Oram
Prophecy? Seer? Council? This entire conversation was over my head.
“What’s he talking about?” I asked.
Russ ignored me. His attention was fixed on the stranger. “Looks like he’s on steroids and likes to play fetch for his master? Must be a werewolf.” When the stranger grinned proudly Russ matched his smirk. “That explains the smell.”
“Just as your magic explains your misguided sense of superiority, young master warlock.”
“You’re not taking her anywhere.”
“Danielle.” The werewolf addressed me suddenly. “Your boy toy here is overconfident. I’m a full-grown werewolf—second in command of my pack, and a trained warrior. A few beginner knockback spells from a young warlock-in-training won’t be any match for me. Come with me now and there doesn’t have to be a fight, but if he tries anything I will kill him.”
I didn’t have to think about his request. His threat was obviously real so I headed for the shore before Russ could stop me.
“Smart girl,” the werewolf said, tossing me my shirt.
“Dani wait!”
Before I got my head through the neck of my shirt I felt a pair of strong arms come around me. “Move one inch and I’ll bite her. Boss said don’t kill her, but he didn’t say anything about making her one of us.”
Russ froze, and somewhere in my mind I realized that I was in danger, but I could hardly be bothered with that because I suddenly had other things to worry about. My body was on fire and my senses were going crazy. “Russ!” I screamed. “Russ, something’s wrong! Something’s happening to me!”
I could hear and smell everything. My sight sharpened, and I felt all the muscles in my body grow strong. A wave of reckless energy rippled through me and suddenly I couldn’t stand the feeling of being bound by my captor. I needed to be free. I needed to fight.
Logic told me I was scared—terrified even—but I couldn’t seem to act on that fear. I wanted to scream and run but my body tensed for a fight. There were strange new emotions in me and I had no idea where they were coming from or how to control them. Threat. This man was a threat. I had to fight him. I had to protect myself and my territory.
My territory? I asked myself after I’d had the thought. What did that even mean? And fight this guy? He was huge and I wasn’t exactly Muhammad Ali. Still, instead of trying to run, a growl rose from my throat. It sounded animalistic.
The arms around me turned to steel. “That is not possible!” the werewolf growled, spinning me to face him. His nostrils flared and all the hair on his body stood on end, making me even more willing to fight.
I screamed at him but it came out as a howl and then I screamed again, simply because I’d scared myself.
My howl sent the werewolf over the edge. He let go of me and dropped to his hands and knees. I watched in horror as his body convulsed in wild violent spasms.
“Dani, get out of there, he’s transforming!” Russ yelled as he frantically came toward me.
It took me a moment to understand his meaning, but that’s all it took because instead of a man, I was staring at a giant angry wolf.
I’d never seen anything like it. Pennsylvania doesn’t exactly have a big wolf population. “Beautiful,” I whispered even though his presence was making all the hair on my body stand up.
The wolf growled at me, showing it’s teeth like I would be dinner if I even thought of moving. I knew I should be still, but I was at war with my body and its need to stand up to the animal in front of me.
As we stared each other down, Russ cast a spell and sent the wolf flying backward. “Dani, your magic! Freeze him like you froze the kids at the dance!”
The wolf was already on his feet again so I closed my eyes and I wished the thing still. Nothing happened. I tried again, but instead of being frozen in place, the wolf charged Russ.
What happened next was out of my control.
That thing went after Russ and an anger flared in me that I’d never known I was capable of. I felt the need to protect Russ so fiercely that I physically hurt. Then my body exploded and I was running at the wolf on not two legs, but four.
I was a wolf. There was no time to freak out. I wanted to, but it was as if my brain was simpler now. I couldn’t think complex thoughts the way a human would. I could only manage single words—single thoughts. Fight. Defend. Enemy. Threat. Attack. Kill. Protect.
These words kept playing on a loop in my mind and I was driven by some raw animal instinct to neutralize the threat. I jumped on the other wolf before it attacked Russ. I sank my fangs into its shoulder and it threw me off itself with a piercing howl.
The wolf forgot about Russ and came after me. It smashed into me with so much force that I felt the bones in my shoulder crack, but that didn’t stop me. I suddenly had an extremely high tolerance for pain and I jumped at the wolf over and over again, biting, tearing away chunks of his flesh each time.
He was quickly losing the ability to fight me but managed to slash his claws through my side. I stumbled back, letting out a cry of pain. The wolf leapt forward but I was faster and got my jaw around his neck. Without giving it a single thought I tore the thing’s throat out.
My instincts told me when the creature was dead, and exhaustion caught up with me. I fell to the ground and shifted back to human form. After a moment the fog cleared from my mind and true panic was finally able to set in.
A wolf! I’d been a wolf! And not just that, but I’d killed another wolf! A wolf who’d been a person!
“Dani?” Russ gasped. He looked as if death itself had taken him over. “How did you do that?”
My voice came out in ragged breaths. “I don’t know. I tried to use my magic, like you said, but it was just gone. Then that thing attacked you. I barely remember the rest.”
When Russ took a step toward me I panicked again. Wait!” I screamed. “Don’t come any closer to me!”
Russ looked confused, but he stopped. He picked up his shirt and tossed it to me with a hint of pink in his cheeks.
It took me a second to get it. I followed Russ’s gaze to where my shirt and underwear were lying in shreds on the ground. Apparently my body wasn’t the only thing I burst out of when I’d exploded into a wolf.
When I realized I was completely naked I gasped and scrambled to get covered. Not easy to do considering the physical condition I was in. I winced in pain with every move I made as I pulled his shirt over my head and forced my arms into the sleeves.
Russ slipped his jeans over his wet boxers with his back turned to me. “Dani, we have to get you to my dad. I don’t know how to use healing magic yet.”
The mention of healing magic evaporated the awkwardness. Russ was right. I needed help. My shoulder was broken, my calf had been bitten, and I had four gashes that felt like the size of Texas raked across my stomach.
But still, I couldn’t let him get close. I’d just murdered someone and hadn’t had control over it. “I couldn’t control it, Russ.” All of the fear and grief of what I’d just done hit me with hurricane force. “Whatever happened, I could feel it, but I couldn’t stop it. Don’t come any closer to me. I don’t want to hurt you too.”
“You won’t hurt me,” Russ said. “You acted like a wolf. You attacked him because you felt threatened. I’m not a threat to you, Dani.”
Russ held out a hand to me like I was some stray dog that needed to sniff him in order to make friends. I wanted to say something rude but at the same time I could still feel strong instincts ruling me. His slow approach was comforting and instinctively I took a deep breath inhaling his scent. Safe. The thought came to me as more of a feeling. Friend. Family. Mate.
That last one threw me and I felt my cheeks turn bright red. “You’re right,” I said. “I’m okay. I won’t hurt you.”
Russ looked relieved and dropped to the ground in front of me. When he reached out to touch me, I stopped him. “Just let me rest a minute. It’s so strange. I think I’m already healing. I can feel my body fixing itself.”
“Only werewolves heal exceptionally fast,” Russ muttered to himself. His gaze sharpened and he said, “I don’t feel your magic anymore.”
“Neither do I.” That thought scared me more than I wanted to admit.
“You’re not a warlock—you can’t be—but werewolves don’t have magic, so you can’t be that either.” He stared at me with a perplexed expression and then finally said, “What are you?”
Needing to make light of the situation before fear seized me again, I shrugged and said, “Supernatural awesomeness?”
Russ barked out a laugh, but I could hear the hysteria in it. “Of course you are,” he said and then pushed my matted hair out of my face.
The instant he touched me, I gasped. My senses dulled back to ordinary and pain flared through my body. I could feel the presence of magic again, but the werewolf-like senses were gone, and without them the pain was excruciating.
Russ looked as panicked as I felt. “What is it?”
“You need to get me to your dad. Like, now.”
Russ used magic to open the door, but he was stressed out enough that he accidentally blew it open to the point where it almost burst.
“Dad! Quick! Dani’s hurt!”
He hadn’t needed to shout. Alex was already in his living room with a handful of people. They erupted into chaos when Russ burst into the room with me in his arms, covered in blood. Everyone shouted questions while Russ laid me down on the couch as gently as he could. The only question he answered was the whispered one that came from his father, who was already hovering over me. “Werewolf?”
“How did you know?”
Alex didn’t answer. Instead he said, “Hold her down.” Then he looked into my eyes. “This is going to hurt but it will be over quickly.”
It already hurt so I sucked in a breath and nodded.
“I’m right here,” Russ whispered.
It was a comfort to have his hands on me, but they soon became restraints as pain three times more agonizing than what I’d been feeling surged through me. I tried not to scream but couldn’t help it. After it was over it took a moment to catch my breath.
When I sat up Russ took my hand. “You okay now?” he asked.
I nodded and someone said, “We are very pleased to hear it. Can you tell us what happened?”
The man who spoke looked to be in his sixties. He was tall and slender and frowned like it was my fault I’d almost been puppy chow.
“Who are you?” Russ asked, voicing my thought exactly.
“They’re from the consulate,” Russ’s dad explained. “This is Robert Mason. He has the warlock seat on the council.”
Alex gestured to a woman next. She was a petite, frail looking woman who had to be sixty-five at least. She looked very grandmotherly with the exception of the dull blond hair that flowed all the way to her waist. “This is Ms. Constance Vanderhousen. She holds the witch council seat. They’ve come to see Dani.”
Russ jumped to his feet and screamed, “You mean take her! That’s what the guy who attacked us said. But you can’t. It’s kidnapping. There are laws!”
“Russ,” Alex warned at the same time as Robert said, “She is a supernatural. We abide by the laws of the council, not the mundane laws of the humans. And you will show some respect for your elders.”
“I’m not going to show respect to anyone who’s willing to kidnap someone just because she has something they want.”
“Russell, that’s enough,” Alex said, pulling Russ away from me.
“But it’s true, Dad! The guy who attacked us claimed the Seer said she’s the girl in the prophecy. You’re telling me they aren’t going to want her?”
I was having a hard time keeping up with the conversation, but when Russ mentioned the prophecy the werewolf had talked about Alex’s face went pale.
Constance stepped forward with a calmness that could only have come from years of practice. “No one is kidnapping anyone. We are simply concerned for Danielle’s safety.” She smiled warmly at me. “It looks like we were right to be concerned.”
“What happened?” asked the last stranger in the room.
This man was not like the other two. He was young, twenty-five at most, and unusually striking. He had a perfect complexion despite its paleness and a face that drew you to him while at the same time struck fear in your heart.
I could only stare at him in awe but Russ still managed to glower. “You’re not a member of the council,” he pointed out.
“Duncan is head of the guardians,” Robert snapped.
“I’m also your girlfriend’s assigned protector,” Duncan added smugly. “So tell me what happened.”
I blushed because the man who just called himself my protector had assumed that Russ was my boyfriend.
Russ didn’t blush. He also didn’t bother to correct him. “She got in a brawl with a werewolf,” he spat. “Or hadn’t you noticed?”
“And what happened to this werewolf? How did you guys escape from it?”
“The wolf’s dead.”
Duncan raised a skeptical brow. “You killed a werewolf?”
“Well, actually….” I started to say.
Russ shot me a worried glance but then stowed his concern and shrugged. “Sure,” he said casually. “I’m a Devereaux. If you work for the council then you must have heard of us. One of the most powerful warlock families out there.”
“That may be,” Duncan said. “But I also know a liar when I see one.”
“If you don’t tell us what happened I’ll gladly take you to the consulate and throw you in jail for obstructing a council investigation,” Robert said. His lips curled up at the ends, but the action was hardly a smile.
Russ’s face flushed a bright red. His stance screamed I dare you.
Robert took a step toward Russ but Constance quickly put herself between them. “Why are you so afraid of the council, son?”
“Because you want to take Dani away.”
“Your concern for Danielle is commendable, Russell, but unnecessary.”
“Right. That’s why the werewolf was trying to kidnap her first. Because you aren’t planning on taking her with you today.”
“We don’t steal people,” Constance assured Russ. She turned to me with a smile so friendly I almost believed her. “We only want to speak with you. The Supreme High Councilor would like to meet you.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” I said frustrated. “What’s a Supreme High Councilor? And what is this prophecy everyone keeps talking about?”
Constance’s smile finally faded and she looked to Russ’s dad for explanation.
“Dani was raised human,” he said. “She had no idea the supernatural existed until two days ago.”
“You raised her ignorant?” Robert asked. His voice was filled with both disbelief and disgust.
“She was not mine to raise,” Alex hissed. “I looked after her as best I could given the situation.”
“You should have contacted the council the moment you discovered her. Your insubordination is a disgrace.”
“I have broken no council law!” Alex shouted. His sudden anger startled me so badly that I leapt off the couch and into Russ’s arms. Russ was more than happy to hold me. He actually looked as surprised as me by Alex’s outburst.
“Gentlemen, enough.” Constance somehow raised her voice without actually raising it. “Can’t you see you are terrifying the children? The past doesn’t matter. What matters is that we get Danielle to safety.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. I grabbed hold of Russ so hard that my nails were digging into his skin. “Russ, who are these people?” I whispered.
“They’re kind of like the government for supernaturals,” Russ murmured. “But don’t worry. They can’t just take you.”
Constance shook her head as she sent me another one of her calming smiles. “We mean you no harm, Danielle.” The more she smiled at me the more I could see that the look was too perfect. She wasn’
t just smiling to smile. She was trying to convince me that she was telling the truth. It made me think she was probably lying.
“We need to figure out exactly what’s happening with you,” she went on. “You’re a very special girl. We want to help you.”
“You want to use her!”
I expected Constance to get angry with Russ for yelling at her, but she never lost her temper. “We want to protect her, and if she’s already been attacked then we were right to come.”
“And we’re wrong to just be standing here,” Duncan added. He frowned at Russ and said, “You are not telling us everything we need to know. Why would the wolf try to kill her if he was sent to kidnap her? There is no creature more loyal than a werewolf. If he had orders to bring her back alive he never would have harmed her.”
I didn’t appreciate being talked about like I wasn’t there. “He didn’t have much of a choice,” I snapped. “What that wolf did to me it did in self-defense.”
“Dani!” Russ hissed. All of his anger was now solely directed at me. “Shut up!”
“Speak, girl,” Robert said. “What do you mean?”
I did my best to ignore Russ’s glare. “Russ didn’t kill the wolf—”
“Dani!” Russ slapped his hand over his face and tried to rub away his frustration. “Do you want them to take you away?”
“Do you want to get thrown in jail?” I yelled back. “What difference does it make if I tell them the truth?”
“What truth?” Robert said eagerly.
Alex gave me an encouraging nod and when I looked back at Russ he threw his hands up. “Fine. Whatever. But when they’ve locked you up somewhere don’t expect me not to say I told you so.”
“I killed the wolf. Russ had nothing to do with it.”
“What?” Alex asked while Duncan said, “How?”
Russ groaned. “She ripped the freaking dog’s throat out. It came after me and she just wolfed out.”
Nobody had a reply to that. It was Alex who finally said, “Transformation magic. I guess it’s not that far a leap since you’re already casting spells without incantations or any training.”
