by Harris, Noah
The sound of the man’s laughter hummed through Johnny and he found he liked seeing a smile on the man’s face. There’d been something oddly comforting about holding Kell close to him, despite not knowing a thing about him, even his name. Just being around the other man was doing wonders for easing the tension of the moment and Johnny couldn’t quite make sense of why.
“I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that maybe my accent and name shouldn’t be the highest priority for you,” Johnny reminded him.
Kell turned to look in the direction the trio had gone. “You said the Vigil?”
Johnny nodded, glad to be back on topic. “A group of humans dedicated to controlling and eventually wiping out anything not human.”
“I’m going to guess you don’t mean they’re animal haters,” Kell said, watching as someone brushed past him without a glance.
Johnny reached out to keep Kell from touching anyone. “Don’t…intentionally draw attention to yourself. The minute you do, the illusion will break.”
Kell hesitated, now looking at the crowd around them with renewed interest. “Like a spell?”
“Exactly like a spell,” Johnny said, still watching Kell carefully.
“I don’t believe in magic,” Kell said, watching as a harried looking man swerved around Johnny.
Johnny shrugged. “Don’t then, but these people certainly do, even if they’re not aware of it.”
“Is that why the supposed illusion doesn’t work on me, because I don’t believe in magic?” Kell asked.
Johnny snorted. “No, magic works whether you believe it or not. The only time belief matters is if the user doesn’t believe in it, then the spell won’t work. I was being a smartass.”
Kell shook his hand in the face of a woman who’d paused to stare at her phone, frowning when she didn’t react. “They seriously can’t see me.”
Johnny grabbed Kell’s hand and pulled him away. “No, they can’t see you, but if you touch her, everyone is going to see you. Then you’re going to be the weirdo who came out of nowhere to touch some poor woman’s face. I thought you didn’t want to be noticed?”
With Kell up close, Johnny could once again detect the odd smell he’d noticed earlier. It didn’t smell like anything he’d ever scented before. It wasn’t quite human, but it also didn’t come off as any Child of the Moon he’d known either. The ozone like quality around witches wasn’t there, though the scent was sharp and fresh. The earthy element which hung around werewolves wasn’t there either, although he could sense something rich and vibrant in it. Every time he tried to make sense of what he was smelling, it felt as if his mind was splitting down thirty different mental paths at once, confusing him. Whatever the man was, he smelled good, and was obviously a prime target for the Vigil.
“So this is the part where you tell me witches and warlocks are a thing,” Kell said, gazing up at him with wide brown eyes.
Johnny licked his lips, suddenly nervous. “They’re just witches, gender doesn’t matter. Werewolves are a thing too. Collectively, they’re just called the Children of the Moon.”
Kell snorted. “Wow, that’s a fancy name.”
“It’s the old name,” Johnny said with a shrug.
Kell cocked his head. “So, in this whole story you’ve got going on, this would make you a witch?”
Having dealt with the supernatural aspects of the world his whole life, it never ceased to amaze Johnny when people expressed disbelief. They lived in a world where they could power their cities with the energy from atoms if they wished, could track the paths of stars and other heavenly bodies through space, and had managed to disarm the worst of the diseases which had plagued humanity for most of its history. They had even built an entire wing of science based purely on speculation and the inner workings beneath the atomic level. Yet when faced with the possibility of magic and supernatural creatures, they balked. It was as if the centuries of superstition and fear of the unknown had swung around, bringing widespread skepticism and disbelief.
Johnny sighed. “Werewolf.”
“That’s with the claws, the fangs, howling at the moon?” Kell asked.
“We don’t go wolfman, we just turn into really big wolves,” Johnny explained patiently.
“Do werewolves normally do magic?” Kell asked.
Johnny motioned around them. “If they know a few tricks, they can pull on hedge magic, or lesser magic if you prefer. Knowing hedge magic as a werewolf won’t get you strung up and killed.”
Kell frowned. “Werewolves aren’t supposed to know magic?”
Johnny shook his head. “Not real magic, the kind witches use and guard jealously. Witches and every other Child of the Moon don’t get along. As a matter of fact, they’re at war and have been for quite some time. However, a werewolf can be born with witch abilities and vice versa. So when the age comes when the Child manifests their other abilities, like me, born a witch but showing signs of being a werewolf, we have to choose one side or the other. Whichever side we don’t choose is locked away or destroyed, no one except the people who do the rituals are sure which it is.”
“So you grew up a witch, showed signs of being a werewolf, and chose the werewolf. Do you guys normally choose whatever is opposite of what you are, or is that just a you thing?” Kell asked.
Johnny sighed. “No, my best friend in the Coven chose to remain a witch over being a werewolf. Since I was the odd man out, I chose to leave, and Ash remained.”
Johnny tried to keep the bitterness and unhappiness out of his voice when he spoke Ash’s name, but from the frown on Kell’s face, he guessed he wasn’t as successful as he might have liked. It had been over a decade since he chose to leave his home behind, to leave Ash behind, and the decision still ate at him. He hadn’t blamed Ash for his decision any more than his best friend had blamed Johnny. Despite their amicable separation, it was a broken bond which had nagged at Johnny throughout his travels and experiences.
“There’s a story there,” Kell said slowly, the playfulness in his voice gone.
Johnny straightened, not liking the probing question. “We all have stories.”
Kell nodded. “And some don’t need to be told, I got you. But, uh, here’s my question, why are witches at war with everyone else?”
Johnny shrugged. “No one remembers why they’re at war with the other Children, but they’re at war with the Vigil because the Vigil wants to wipe out anything that isn’t human. Their reasons for their war with the other Children is probably stupid. Most fights are over petty, insignificant things when you measure them against the cost of the war. But when it comes to the Vigil, survival is the name of the game, and all bets are off. Their war with everyone else is forgotten when it comes to the Vigil.”
Kell glanced back at the nearby apartment building. “This is the first time I’ve seen anyone like them before. They looked so…I don’t know, off. Like all they were was anger and it was directed at me.”
“The Vigil is…very organized and they have a system for dealing with all sorts of things. I’m guessing the three guys after you were the ones who were supposed to deal with you, quickly and quietly,” Johnny explained.
Kell laughed. “Me? I’m not anyone special. Just some former army brat and foster kid who’s living paycheck to paycheck half the time. I can’t think of one reason they’d want to bring me down.”
Johnny felt a stirring in the back of his mind and knew Kell wasn’t being truthful. Yet Johnny couldn’t bring himself to confront the man on the possible lie either. They barely knew one another, and for all Kell knew, Johnny was just one more threat waiting to pounce on him. Johnny wouldn’t have been quick to trust someone like him, either, even if his life had been saved.
Kell was staring at the spot he’d last seen the Vigil members. “They’re not going to give up so easily, are they?”
Johnny would give the man credit—he was dealing with the sudden change to his life fairly well. Without warning or expectation, Kell had bee
n jumped by strangers and hounded out into the streets. While he was treating the information Johnny was trying to relay to him as something to be teasing and playful about, he didn’t appear to be faking his good-natured attitude.
As a matter of fact, Johnny could tell that most of Kell’s attitude was genuine. The smaller man came across as honestly rolling with the punches, waiting to see what awaited him around the next corner. He’d obviously stumbled into something larger than himself, but Kell was playful, witty, and attentive to Johnny’s story despite his seemingly dismissive attitude. His mind was racing too fast for Johnny to keep up but there was no panic, only thoughts sharpened to a razor’s edge by fear. Johnny had never been too good at dealing with small upsets in his life, despite his tendency to appear otherwise, and he admired Kell’s ability to adapt quickly.
“They definitely seem to be after you, and once the Vigil has a target, they don’t let that target get away easily,” Johnny told him grimly.
Kell sighed. “I really wish they hadn’t known about Carson.”
“Who’s Carson?” Johnny asked.
Kell motioned toward the nearby apartment building. “A friend. I was hiding out in his apartment, next to mine, when those guys broke down the door to get me. I guessed they probably knew about my apartment but hoped they might not know about Carson. Should have known better. They knew how to catch me off guard when I’d been out and about, there’s no way they wouldn’t know about my friend living next to me.”
Johnny eyed the building. “He’s…not home, is he?”
Kell snorted. “No, otherwise I wouldn’t be alone right now. He’s going to come back to a mess…at least, I hope that’s all he comes back to.”
For someone who’d never been chased by an enigmatic organization bent on killing him, Kell certainly seemed to understand the way they worked well enough. While he obviously didn’t know about and didn’t believe in the non-human side of the world, Kell had a good head on his shoulders. The fear on his face that Johnny had seen was understandable. Kell had been driven out of his bolt hole, having the sanctity of a safe place violated so easily.
“The Vigil isn’t exactly known for being respectful or nice when they’re coming down on someone. Still, I’d worry more about you than your friend. So long as you’re still missing and aren’t showing any signs of contacting this Carson, he should be safe. Despite how much fuss they’ve made over you, they won’t risk going after someone if it’s too great a risk of exposure,” Johnny said.
Keller snorted. “Bit of a catch-22 isn’t it? If I don’t contact Carson, I’m going to be afraid they’ll get him while he’s unaware. If I do contact him, though, they’ll definitely go after him and try to see what he knows.”
Johnny, tapping the pocket containing his phone, chuckled. “And that’s what the internet is for. Pretty sure you could keep an eye on your friend, or at least on police scanner reports, without him or anyone else knowing.”
Kell looked up at him again. “You wouldn’t happen to know somewhere these Vigil guys wouldn’t look, would you? If this were the cops, I’d know where to go, but some crazy group of guys who’ve been watching me is out of my league.”
Just like that, Johnny knew what he was going to say. Kell hadn’t asked if Johnny would take care of him or help him, he’d simply asked for directions to the right place. There was something so fiercely independent and stubborn about it, and it made Kell all the more endearing to Johnny.
“Look, you’re a bit out of your element here. Why don’t you stick with me until we can figure this all out?” Johnny asked.
Kell looked him up and down, his expression unreadable. “I’m pretty good at taking care of myself. You don’t need to worry about me. Just a point in the right direction and I’ll be okay.”
Following the show of independence came another insight into Kell’s character. It didn’t strike him as arrogant or bitter, but they were the words of someone who’d taken care of themselves for a very long time and didn’t expect any change in that state of affairs. It meshed so well with the man’s flexible attitude toward the new events, as well as the expectant nature of his fear from before. Johnny wasn’t sure if he was really seeing pieces of Kell as they were revealed, or if he was filling in the blanks as he saw fit.
Mind reading could be tricky. It required the mind of one person to sense and then analyze the thoughts of another, which left room for bias. It was the nature of sentient beings to take what they perceived around them and shape it to conform to their own wants and beliefs. Johnny could feel himself drawn to Kell, and inwardly cautioned himself to not put too much stock in what he thought he was reading from him. It was unnerving to think he might just want to know Kell, instead of simply knowing, but it was far better to be cautious than to make the wrong assumptions.
“You’ve done enough I think, what with this...” Kell trailed off, motioning around them.
“Spell?” Johnny offered with a grin.
Kell shrugged. “Sure, we’ll go with that, if it makes you happy. No need to exert yourself any more on my behalf or make yourself a target.”
Johnny laughed. “Haven’t you been listening? I’m already a target of the Vigil because of what I am.”
“Right, so wouldn’t that mean you’d prefer to not have the crosshairs aimed at your head?” Keller asked.
Johnny shrugged. “It wouldn’t be the first time they took notice of me. But the difference between you and me is, I know all the places I can go if I need to get help or hide for a little bit. I know a lot of their tricks and I have a lot more tricks on my side than you do. So if it comes down to it, I can hold my own a lot better than you can.”
Kell’s eyes narrowed. “I’m able to take care of myself.”
Johnny wanted to reach out and run his hand over Kell’s jaw, to ease its stubborn jut. Although Kell was doing a good job of accepting what was happening, it didn’t erase the stress or fear he was feeling beneath it all. Johnny could imagine that if he were left to his own wits, Kell could probably survive for a good while. His wits were sharp and he seemed to have a good sense of survival. Though he was ignorant of how the Vigil operated, and the greater supernatural world, Kell struck Johnny as a survivor.
Yet he couldn’t deny that he desperately wanted to keep Kell as safe as possible. His logical mind told him he was helping another Child of the Moon find their way, if that’s what Kell was. His inner wolf, however, felt as if it needed to keep Kell safe from any and all harm. The idea of leaving Kell with only directions, or simply taking him to the nearest safe house and leaving him, left his inner beast clawing at the walls of his mind and soul.
“You got away from three trained Vigil hitters, not once, but twice. Trust me when I say I’m fully confident you can take care of yourself. But I’m saying it would be easier to take care of yourself if you have someone who knows what’s going on to keep an eye on things. Needing a little bit of help isn’t a flaw,” Johnny told him softly.
The budding anger in Kell’s face fell away, and he sighed. “I know, and I know you’re just trying to help. I’m just…freaked. I was having a decent day, trying to get a little fresh air and enjoying a cup of coffee. Next thing I know, I’ve got three assholes jumping me in an alley, then coming to get me at my apartment and a friend’s. Now you’re standing here talking about witches and werewolves, and I’m feeling a little cranky.”
Johnny reached out once more, this time resting his hand gently on Kell’s shoulder. “I understand. It’s a lot to take in and you know it’s not over yet. The important thing is we get you out of harm’s reach for a little bit and under some cover. You can figure out what you want to do once you have a chance to breathe.”
Kell looked around at the crowd once more. “I still can’t believe they don’t see us. Look at them, it’s like they somehow know we’re here, but not really. They just…walk right around us. Hell, that guy just took an extra two steps to the side before reaching us so he wouldn’t bump into you
.”
Johnny nodded. “When you decide to start believing in magic, I might be able to explain how it works to you. But what’s important is that you know I can’t take it with us. It’s not mobile, so when we decide to leave here, I’ve got to take it down.”
Kell looked past the crowd, nervousness flitting across his handsome face. “Is that a good idea?”
Johnny shook his head. “Maybe not. The Vigil could be waiting for you to come back here, or they might have known something was up and are waiting in ambush. What I do know, though, is that the longer we stay here, the greater your danger. The Vigil has ways of getting past magic if they know what they’re doing and have the time. That, and well, we’re going to get hungry and tired at some point.”
Kell looked up at the sky. “I guess I’m getting used to being here with you. Doesn’t seem like we’re in any immediate danger so long as I’m here.”
“Even the best illusions should be broken,” Johnny told him.
Kell looked at him in surprise, then laughed. “Is this where you start spouting old man on the mountain wisdom to me?”
“I’m far more likely to tell you to be quiet when I break the spell, so as to not draw attention to us,” Johnny said.
Kell shook his head. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t make fun of you. It really was a nice phrase, if that makes you feel any better.”
“But you won’t take it any more seriously than anything else I’ve told you,” Johnny continued for him.
Kell grinned. “Well, I’m seeing quite a lot of evidence contradicting my previously ‘skeptical’ stance. Maybe I can be convinced to believe what you’re telling me and to take your pearls of wisdom seriously.”
Johnny pulled his hand away from Kell’s shoulder, wondering at the heat left on his palm from Kell’s body. The man put out heat like a werewolf but didn’t act or smell like one. Johnny’s body, with its desire to touch, be close to, and protect Kell, all spoke of his alpha nature responding to an omega, an omega he desired on an instinctual level at that. However, Kell gave no indication of being a werewolf, and despite hiding something about the supernatural from Johnny, gave no sign of ever having suspected he was anything but human his whole life. The man was an enigma and Johnny was curious to find out what the answer would be.
