by Tobi Grim
“Ah ha!” She grabbed out the straws and took a sip out from one of the jugs, “Oh yeah. Try this.”
Holding the jug and straw up to him, he leant down and took a sip then nodded. “Aint too bad. Thinkin’ it dun gotta get us fucked up though…”
His eyes met hers and she looked away. “If you’re going to chicken out on me, I can't promise I won't tell anyone.” She glanced back up at him with a cheeky grin.
“I aint sayin’ that, witchy girl, I just pointin’ out that we gonna be fucked up. You knowin’ how to light the fire?”
Lupa rolled her eyes and took the jugs to the coffee table, putting them down carefully. She moved to the fireplace and threw a few logs in, then placed her hands on them. She didn’t usually use her magick for things like this, but hey, she didn’t know how to start the fire any other way.
Sledge passed her a bowl and sat on the floor next to her, she smiled at him and took a bite of the… whatever it was. It was good. She never would have thought he’d be able to cook…
“Aint thinkin’ bloodfire workin’ like that.”
“It’s not really used for actual fire so much, the heat is enough to start one though… if you push it hard enough. It’s usually more of a touch thing… like… if I touch a wolfblood I’m going to kill I can burn him from the inside out…” She looked down realising she had eaten the entire bowl of food. Shit, she hadn’t even noticed she was hungry…
“Wantin’ more?”
“Nah. Thank you. It was good.” He smiled and put his bowl on the table, grabbing his jug of… cocktail whatever. She did the same. “So you got a family now…” Lupa said, staring into the fire.
“Yeah lookin’ like that. Aint just Hammer’s man no more… bein’ somethin’ more’n that. Thinkin’ I like it. Aint thinkin’ I come visitin’ often though, it bein’ too fuckin’ strange. Just nice to know…”
“Worried about the darkness?”
“Not so much. Thinkin’ I can handle it. Thinkin’ if I gotta save you though I better be ready for some hurtin’.”
He bumped his arm against hers with a grin on his face. She smiled back, the thoughts creeping into her head. The thoughts of the dark place inside her… the snake like thing pulled out of her… her having yellow fucking eyes…
“Aint needin’ to worry, witchy girl, I said I aint let nothin’ happen to you. Miss Gloria thinkin’ the same, and she dun seein’ more than just things to come… can’t be that crazy.”
Lupa stared into the fire. Yeah, as long as he didn’t look away. So long as he didn’t see into her and turn away from it. She knew that she didn’t want to see into that place, did he really think he could look in there and still see her the same? Or at all? She sighed and drank half the jug. She needed these thoughts to fuck off.
“You tryin’ to beat me, ey?” She watched him pour the jug into his mouth, slamming it on the ground as he finished it.
She laughed, finishing hers off too. “Now who’s the one trying to fucking beat someone? Your turn to make the drinks.”
“Aint knowin’ if that such a good idea, thinkin’ this gonna make us drunk enough.”
“Chicken shit.”
“Ey!” He took her jug off her and got up off the floor. “I dun goin’. But I dun thinkin’ you aint gonna be a happy witchy girl in the mornin’.”
Lupa threw some more wood on the fire. She wasn’t going to be a happy witchy girl if her brain didn’t shut the fuck up, either. Why was it when something was happening in her life, everything was fucking happening? Witches in Blackmoars, the dirty magick in Blackwater, people breaking into her home, finding out she was actually showing wolfblood traits…
“You a’right?” Sledge sat back down on the ground next to, handing over the jug.
“Yeah… no. Not really,” she rubbed her head, “Got a lot of shit… in my head right now…”
Sledge grunted, she could feel his eyes on her. “Thinkin’ ‘bout what I tellin’ you?”
“Not just that… but yeah…”
“Cos you aint never showin’ signs before, ey?”
“Yeah…”she didn’t look at him, she couldn’t look at him, “Just another fucking thing to deal with… just another fucking thing thrown into my life. Not…it doesn’t matter. It is what it is. But I don’t have to fucking think about it now.” Lupa sipped her drink, trying to rid the thoughts from her mind.
“After Hammer dun takin’ me in, he dun hidin’ my wolfblood straight away. Aint no one ever seein’. Even when I changin’, no one can see it. The magick disguisin’ me. I knowin’ that I lookin’ like that and no one dun seein’ me. Only Hammer ever seen me like that… til you dun seein’ me, that is. Maybe he can be givin’ you the magick too?”
Yeah right. And what would he fucking want in return for that? Shit. Was Sledge going to tell Hammer about what he saw…? “You… going to say anything?” She studied him carefully.
“I aint sayin’ nothin’. Aint my business. Just thinkin’ if you wantin’ to tell him, maybe he dun doin’ it for you.”
Lupa leaned back against the table and lit a smoke. Sure, Hammer would probably do it for her. But did she really want to owe him something else? And how would Dameon react to her owing… fuck, how would Dameon react to her… if Hammer could do it… Dameon need never know. No one need ever know. Just her, and Sledge and Hammer… unless it hid everything… then everyone would notice. And she’d have to explain… and if she explained… how the fuck would she leave Hammer and Sledge out of it?
Lupa took a long drink. This shit was hurting her head. She didn’t want any of it, but she’d have to deal with it at some point. Just not now. Not here. Not where she couldn’t fucking escape. Fuck this, better to talk about something else.
“How you feeling about tomorrow?”
“Aint sure. Likin’ them people enough, aint sure I wanna go fuckin’ dancin’ with them. Aint sure what I was expectin’ to happen when I dun findin’ them, but I aint thinkin’ they wanna know me so much.”
Lupa nodded, feeling the alcohol starting to do its job. The dark thoughts being replaced with funny images of Sledge trying to dance. She laughed with the thought.
“Aint thinkin’ it so funny.”
“Thinking it is, imagining you dancing.”
Sledge gave her a funny smile, “Aint thinkin’ I know how?”
“Didn’t say that. Just thinking it brings a fucking funny image to my head. Wait, you know how to dance? Didn’t think you’d learn much of that in Hammer’s company.” Lupa raised an eyebrow at him.
“Hammer’s mother dun teachin’ me to be a gentleman, I knowin’ how, but I aint doin’ it if I don’t have to, and I aint ever had to. She fuckin’ tried to teach me to speak better too, but it aint workin’. I bein’ too set in my speech to change.”
Lupa grinned, “So you’re saying… you are going to dance tomorrow?”
“No fuckin’ way. I aint makin’ that much of an ass outa myself. I just watchin’. You gonna?”
“Don’t know, I don’t really dance…” Grey…. Fuck. No, she wouldn’t think about him. “I had to learn how, Karl’s Da taught me. They liked to dance at their stupid parties.” Another fucking thing she didn’t want to think about; her throat feeling tight.
“Aint knowin’ he been from a rich family.”
Lupa took another long drink and flicked her smoke into the fire. She didn’t want to fucking talk about it. She didn’t wanna even think about it.
“So, what this case you workin’ on?”
Good. Work. Work she could talk about. “Think it involves witches… well, not think, we know. Just don’t know who… wolfbloods could be involved, but highly fucking unlikely. Might just be a side note. I smelt the blood of wolfbloods and witches… shit. It’s complicated.”
“A’right.” He looked as though she had just called him an idiot and punched him in the face.
“I don’t even really know myself. There’s blood magick and witches and somehow wolfblood
blood involved… and dead cows.” She giggled, it sounded ridiculous. “We’re investigating fucking cows. And who’s killing them, and why. And someone has used the blood to transform themselves into a wolf-like creature… but… not a wolfblood. I don’t know if they even know…”
Wolfblood blood. Had they killed a wolfblood for the blood magick? Shit. They were a lot fucking smarter than fucking cows. How had she not thought about it? Had the note on Dameon’s van been… fuck.
“Shit… I think…”
Lupa scrambled to her feet and went to her bag, pushing the sleeves of her shirt up. Good. The spearhead was still in there. She hadn’t even thought about it since… fuck. She should have shown Slasher… she should have. Had that been why people broke into her home?
“What’s that?”
Sledge was by her side peering over her shoulder. She unwrapped the spearhead, careful not to touch it. It had been Daniel Jay who had found it… did he know what it was? Probably not… did he tell anyone that he had found it? And who would he have told? Or had Isabella…
Sledge put his hand out and touched the spearhead then quickly pulled his hand away. “Fuckin’ feelin’ like magick and wolfblood. That from your case?”
“Yeah… I think the people who broke into my place might have been looking for it. But I don’t know why… it would be too late, I have touched it already. I know that there is both witches and wolfbloods involved somehow… shit, maybe they were just coming for me…”
“You showin’ Hammer?”
“Yeah, when I asked about the blood magick… he felt the same thing.”
“He tellin’ you if’n you touchin’ the blood magick they be knowin’ then.”
“No he certainly fucking didn’t. How do you know…?” Sledge shrugged and stared at the hand that had touched the spearhead. “Do they know… where I am?”
“Aint knowin’. But thinkin’ you shouldn’t hang onto that. And maybe be askin’ Hammer a few more questions than you did.”
No fucking shit. Fucking asshole. “Wait, he touched it too…”
“He dun gots the hidin’ on him though. Aint knowin’. Aint knowin’ I touched it neither.”
Fuck. So anyone could have been in her apartment, because knew she fucking touched it… “Dameon touched it too… fuck.” Sledge lifted his eyebrows at her. Shit. “Hawk. He touched it too… which means they’d know. Fuck.”
“Needin’ to be callin’ him?”
Lupa couldn’t think straight, she was feeling drunk as shit now. Fuck. What should she do? It was late… and would it really make a difference right now?
“In the morning. We’ve had too much to drink, and you shouldn’t be driving. He didn’t say anything about his place…”
Sledge nodded and held his hand out. “Thinkin’ maybe we throwin’ on the fire. Won't change them knowin’ about you takin’ it. But maybe burning the magick off it…”
Handing it to him she followed him over to the fire. He went to throw it in but she quickly put her hand on his to stop him. “Wait, if they already know, let me hold it properly just one more time. Just so… I can get a better sense…”
He placed it back in her hand slowly. The foul feeling crept into her fingers. Magick, yes. Wolfblood too. What the actual fuck. Her wrist seared with pain as she cried out. Shit.
Sledge snatched it out of her hand and threw it into the flames, grabbing her arm and looking at it. “Thinkin’ that not bein’ such a good idea, witchy girl.”
She looked up at him. Was anything she was doing right now in her life a fucking good idea? “Think the spell Hammer put on me is still working… fuck. Don’t worry, it’ll close over.”
Sledge gently rubbed his thumb over the closing would, blood coating it. “Thinkin’ I better take you to his when we dun gettin’ back…”
“Yeah, guess so.”
Sledge didn’t drop her arm, he just kept staring at it. Or was he looking at the blood? Was he feeling that wolfblood hunger… she went to pull her arm away but he gripped it hard, surprising her.
“Sledge…” His eyes flicked up to hers, yellow and fierce. She took a breath, he wouldn’t hurt her, but what the fuck was he doing? “Sledge… my wrist…” He didn’t stop staring at her. He didn’t let go of her wrist. She could see the look in his eyes; that hungry, blood thirsty look.
“You make me crazy, bitch. Sometimes I dun even knowin’ how to cope.” She frowned at him confused, what the fuck was he talking about? “I feelin’ fire in my veins when I thinkin’ of him touchin’ you like that. I feelin’ like I dun wanna rip people apart. I seein’ you lettin’ him. You lettin’ him fuck you. You lettin’ him touch you. You lettin’ him when you aint even lettin’ me.”
“Who…?” Fuck. She sure hoped he wasn’t talking about Hammer. Surely he wouldn’t know… Why was he acting so damn strange? Sledge let her wrist go and shook his head. “What’s wrong?”
“Aint fuckin’ knowin’. I aint feelin’ right.”
Lupa glanced over at the fire. Not good. The flames were dancing higher than they should be, and they were black. “Sledge…” She put her hand out to touch him, not taking her eyes off the fucking black fire.
“Fuck!” He grabbed her around the waist and lifted her up, opening the door and throwing her out. He stood glaring at the door like it was going to leap out and try consume them.
“Don’t you think maybe we should put the fire out?” Lupa stumbled trying to walk over to him.
“Yeah… thinkin’ maybe the fire aint such a good fuckin’ idea. But might be helpin’ you some though…” he looked down at her as he put his arm out to steady her, his face unreadable, “Whoever dun makin’ the spell on that bein’ unhappy that his wife or girlfriend or whatever be sleepin’ with a wolfblood.”
“You saw that?”
“I aint seen it so much as… felt it. You aint lookin’ like you… I aint really knowin’ what goin’ on. Feelin’ like I bein’ someplace else. Aint you feelin’ it?”
Lupa shook her head. No. She hadn’t felt a fucking thing. Why had he? She was the stronger witch, shouldn’t it have affected her? Or… if the spell maker was male… could that have changed anything? Fucking good chance. Damn, it was all she had to go on right now.
“Maybe I should go in, if I didn’t feel anything… I can dump some water on the fire or something…” She wrapped her arms around herself, it was fucking freezing outside.
“Yeah… guessin’ so… aint hurtin’ you none, did I?”
“Nah.” She walked over to the door and peered through nervously. But the fire had died down and appeared to be… the way a fucking fire should be. “Looks ok… can’t feel any magick in the air or anything…”
Lupa stepped in and went over to the fireplace. It looked fine. It felt fine… but then, she hadn’t felt anything before… was it just because she was distracted by Sledge?
“You’re ok to come back in,” she yelled.
Lupa heard him shut the door, then suddenly he was behind her. Fuck he was quiet. She could feel his body almost touching hers. She wanted to turn around and kiss him. But she wouldn’t. Not now. Not when things seemed to be ok, and Lupa wasn’t going to make him think that she wanted more than what she could offer.
✽ ✽ ✽
Her eyes flew open. Not the fucking blood. Not again. She sat up and looked over to see Sledge asleep next to her. Fuck. Lupa got out of the bed and crossed to the bathroom. She needed a fucking shower, needed to wash the blood dreams off her skin.
When she came out of the bathroom Sledge as sitting on the couch smoking. “Thinkin’ we go to town?”
“Yeah, just let me get dressed.” She pulled her crochet dress out of her bag, deciding just to dress there. He’d already seen her naked after all. And it wasn’t like he was even looking at her anyway. “Ok. Ready.” She grabbed her grey cardigan and picked her bag up, walking through the door he held open for her.
Sledge drove them to the town and waited for her to call Dameon. Lu
pa had three messages from him apologizing, and two from Slasher asking where the fuck she was. Sighing, she pressed call on Dameon’s number.
“Hey, Red, what’s up? You ok?”
“Has anyone broken into your house?”
“No… why?”
She glanced over at Sledge, but he was extremely busy staring out the window. “The spearhead’s magick can tell that we touched it. I think… I think that might be why they broke into my apartment. Think they may have been looking for it.”
“Why? That doesn’t make sense…”
“I don’t know… but we threw it on the fire last night, and the fire went black, and Sledge… saw something. Thinks that the man who touched or bled or whatever on the spearhead has a girlfriend or wife who slept with a wolfblood.”
“How does a meathead like him get affected by a spell like that?”
Lupa gritted her teeth. “He’s not a fucking meathead, Dameon.”
“Fine. Why didn’t you see anything?”
“I don’t fucking know. If I knew that, I would have fucking told you.” She sighed and rubbed her head.
“Ok, ok, I’m sorry. Just… shit aint great back here…”
“What’s going on?” She could almost hear him rubbing his thumb along his chin. Was he going to fucking tell her?
“Gran is in hospital. I couldn’t sleep last night, then I heard a weird noise, so I went to go check on her, and she had all this blood pouring out of her mouth… fucking scared the shit out of me. They don’t know what’s going on. Said they can't find anything bleeding… but she hasn’t woken up since.”
Lupa felt her chest tighten. She liked Marietta. But more than that… the blood… like her dreams. Like both of their dreams. “Are you ok?” she breathed.
“I dunno… guess so. Just… feeling fucking useless. Dad isn’t coping. He wouldn’t come. He’s at home now. I don’t know…. Fuck.” She heard him light a smoke and did the same, glancing over at Sledge who was glaring out at the road.
