Wolf Spell

by M. R. Polish

  “It’s not like that.” I hesitated then rambled on about everything that happened in the last couple of days.

  Her end of the line was quiet. Too quiet, and it worried me.

  “Is he cute?”

  I laughed. “Out of everything I told you, that’s all you got?” This is what I missed.

  “Oh come on Ara, we’ve known each other since we were like, what, five? I know when you’re lying and telling the truth. As weird as it sounds, I believe you. Besides, you know how I always thought supernaturals existed.” I could hear her smiling even from thousands of miles away.

  Talking to her made me feel better. The world didn’t seem so heavy on me anymore. “I miss you.” I didn’t want to get deep or soft, but it was true.

  “I know, that’s why I just bought my tickets. You tell that hot stuff of a Guardian to pick me up from the airport. My plane lands on Thursday, the eleventh at eight-thirty-five am. It’s gonna be on Air France. Oooohhh, this is going to be so exciting!”

  I giggled with her. She was right, with her here it would be epic, and if Victor wanted my help, I needed her with me. “Thanks Ailaina.”

  “Anytime. So, I guess I better get off here, it’s close to around what… one-thirty in the morning there?”

  Crap. I hadn’t paid any attention to the time. We talked for about an hour and a half. It was perfect, and just what I needed, but I wasn’t sure Jarak would like the international roaming bill. “Yeah, and until you get here, let’s just tweet or something. I’m not sure how the charges rack up internationally for texts either. Not that I care, but Jarak might decide against picking you up, or letting me use the phone once he sees the bill.” We both laughed. It felt so good to be happy again. We both hung up after she promised again not to tell anyone, and I promised at least to send a tweet or something off to let her know I was okay.

  I was too excited to sleep. Maybe things could be getting better. I could do this—whatever this was, I wasn’t sure, but at that moment, I believed I could accomplish anything.

  “So you’ve made a decision?” Jarak’s voice startled me. I had forgotten he was still outside with me. I smiled. He hadn’t stepped in and told me to get off the phone, yet he knew how long I was on it. He was special, that was for sure.

  I rolled my eyes before admitting my resolve out loud. “Yup, I have magic, you’re a wolf man and Meadow’s gonna drink blood for eternity.” I chuckled. Just saying that made me sound deluded.

  “For the records, Wolf Man would be a cool name if I were a super hero.” He laughed with me.

  “Very true.” I had one more thing to tell him. “Ailaina is flying here.”

  He smiled and sat back down beside me, watching as his finger created ripples in the water. “I figured that would happen.”

  “So you’re not mad?”

  “Nope. I wouldn’t have given you the phone if I weren’t okay with it. I know girls. They are always in herds, and they need each other. You need her. I’ll tell Victor.”

  “Thanks for understanding.” I wanted to give him another hug, but I remembered earlier and how he backed off.

  “Esmerelda.” Victor stood at the back door. “She’s ready.”

  I gulped. I wasn’t sure how ready I was, but Ree promised me that once Meadow turned, she’d have no more haunts of death to loom over her pretty face. That was enough to make me at least curious. I nodded toward Victor, “I’ll be right there.”

  Jarak took my hand and squeezed it. “I can come if you’d like.”

  “I’d like that, thanks.” I wanted nothing more than for him to take me away from here, but no one could, I needed to stay. At least Jarak would be there for support. Lord knew I needed it.

  The room blurred behind the tears in my eyes, stinging my soul. Sunk deep into the pillows on the bed was Meadow. Her skin was so pale it appeared grey. The moonlight crept through the open drapes, casting an eerie glow around the room.

  I sat down beside her, holding her frail hand. I placed it in my lap—afraid to let go. Jarak sat in the other chair, never letting go of my other hand. He knew I needed that. She didn’t stay awake any longer than to give me a welcoming smile as I entered the room. A knock on the door startled me.

  Ree entered the room, but stayed close to the door.

  “Hey,” she hesitated.

  I gave my best attempt at a grin. “Hey.”

  Relief washed over her face. “I was worried you know.”

  “Worried?”

  “Yeah, when Meadow came here I realized there wasn’t anything we could do but turn her. I worried about how you’d take her decision, and that you wouldn’t help.” Her mouth twisted. “My mother made the decision for me.”

  “I’m so sorry Ree.” I wanted to feel sorry for her, but my heart was too heavy with my own problems, lacking the compassion to say more than those words.

  “I’m fine. I mean, I am now. It was back in 1915. The First World War had been raging for around a year or so. I traveled through Germany because I trained to be a nurse, and I wanted first hand experiences.

  “By the time I came back home I was already sick. The Spanish Flu was a horrid pandemic in the world. I was one of the lucky ones who died. Well, the world thinks I died. My mom watched as I slowly became nothing. I tried fighting my way to health, but it was always two steps ahead of me.

  “It became inevitable that I would perish. My mother met Trevor months before I came home and called him over to help. He’d told her what he was in confidentiality; he trusted her and needed a friend.

  “One minute I felt my life slipping away, and the next I was in fiery pain as if I’d been thrown in a lake of fire. I never had a choice.” She looked down at the floor.

  “So why are you telling me this?”

  “I just want you to know that not all vampires are inimical. In the end, most of us just want to die, like every other creature out there. I didn’t choose this Esmerelda, but it is what I am. I drink blood, and I have to hunt for it, but I don’t like hurting people.”

  I tensed up a little more, and fought the urge to cover my throat with my hands. “Why haven’t you attacked me?”

  She smiled, but it reminded me of an evil sneer. “Oh trust me, I want to. I can smell your blood, your fear, and it calls out to me. I hear how fast your heart beats when you get scared or nervous… like right now. I want to rip your flesh apart and drink the sweet nectar that runs through you until there is no more. My kind is dying off. Nicholas is turning them into crossbreeds. Except without you to fill in the missing gap, they die. I need you to save my family.”

  It scared me to think that was all that kept her from tearing me apart. My stomach churned. What if I wasn’t who they thought I was? What if I couldn’t help? I fought down the bile that rose in my throat. I won’t puke. I won’t puke. I chanted to myself.

  “What about Jarak? Why won’t you bite him?” I was a little worried she would clamp on to him at any time.

  “Because he’s a Guardian. Never piss off the Guardians. If I take one out, they will all be after me. They would consume me in fire. I might suck blood, but I ain’t stupid.”

  Jarak stifled a small laugh and barely nodded his head. “If you bite Es, you’ll have all of us to deal with, just another incentive not to rip her throat out.” He winked at me.

  I didn’t want to read too much into it. He probably just wanted me to help with the whole war thing or something too, but I couldn’t help the pitter patter that fluttered around in my stomach as I smiled back at him.

  I looked back at Ree and realized just how stuck I was in this predicament. If I couldn’t help fix things with crossbreeds, my life would be nonexistent. Even with Jarak’s threat, I’m sure it would only be a matter of time before Ree or some other thirsty vampire found me.

  I looked down at Meadow one more time, biting my bottom lip. “She has Victor now, and this is what she wants.” There, I said it aloud to someone other than Jarak.

  In one fast motion,
Ree had her arm around me. Tears fell down my face as I reluctantly embraced her back. I tensed up having her close to me. “Let me go get Trevor, there isn’t much time left for us to waste.” Ree tried to sound chipper as she released her embrace.

  I let out a snicker, wiping off the tears. “Yeah.”

  Ree stepped back from me. “She’ll be okay.”

  “Okay.” My throat constricted.

  Ree left the room faster than I could see her move. I didn’t want Jarak to see the uncertainty of how I felt, and I'm sure it showed on my face, so I gazed down at Meadow’s face.

  I shuddered. I didn’t want to remember her like this, a frail, decrepit being that wilted before my eyes. I couldn’t help but fear she wouldn’t make it through the turning process, and she’d still die.

  Footsteps shuffled up the stairs. The room spun, making me dizzy, knowing the time had come. Jarak must have sensed my anxiety because he was up on his feet, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. I clung to him, gripping my hands in the back of his shirt. My heart raced.

  Victor came into the room and walked to the other side of the bed. I let go of Jarak then turned back around.

  “Hold on.” Victor whispered as he picked up Meadow’s hand, holding it close to his chest. I could see tears glisten in his eyes.

  “What would your choice have been?” I asked him.

  He looked over at me. “This is my choice too. I love her and would do anything for her. This is hard for me to accept, but I want a life with her. I lost her once. I won’t do it again. I guess I’m selfish. I will do all I can to help you with her, but ultimately it will be up to you to fill in the gaps.” His voice cracked with the last word.

  “I want to help, but I’m not sure what to do.” Anxiety stirred in the pit of my stomach.

  He shook his head. “You’ll know what to do when the time comes. It will be like second nature to you.” He paused to take a deep breath. “Okay, you’re right. This is still new, so I will tell you what I know.”

  “I can do this.” I was determined to help. I could feel the anticipation spread through me like wild fire. I could help. I knew it. He was right. This was inside of me. Like a hidden, or dormant secret that brimmed over, waiting for a release.

  “First, close your eyes and feel deep in the pit of your stomach, feel the pull to every living thing in this room.”

  I closed my eyes as Victor instructed and focused on finding the strains inside me. I released an aggravated breath. I couldn’t feel anything. Then a sharp yank inside my chest made me gasp and open my eyes wide.

  “Concentrate. That was just me tugging a little to help you.”

  I nodded and closed my eyes again, searching deep inside. I couldn’t help but think I was missing fairy dust or something fictional, but continued to dig deeper. Then there was magic, I felt it, several pulls tugged at me all at once. It was as if they were invisible ropes that tied me to everyone, Jarak—Meadow—Victor, even the plants that were in the room. All of them attached to my insides pulling at me with an unseen force. How did I not feel that before?

  My eyes snapped open. Victor chortled a little. “You can feel it, that’s good.”

  I rubbed my stomach. It wasn’t painful, but it was weird to feel so much.

  “Keep your eyes closed and listen to my instructions, I’m only having you close your eyes to help concentrate. You’re not accustomed to using your skills yet.”

  Obeying him, I closed my eyes once again.

  “Now that you can feel all of the living sources in the room, I want you to find the one that pulls from me.”

  It was harder than it sounded with so many living things in the vicinity, and feeling every one of them. I concentrated on each tug until I came to one that pulled harder; it was as if Victor had his hand on my stomach, pulling the rope. I knew without a doubt that connection belonged to him.

  I nodded. “Okay.”

  “Good, now I want you to follow that force, to where you feel me. This is hard to accomplish, but a good witch or warlock can un-weave the tangled mess of another’s emotions. I have no reservations about teaching you. I’m certain you’ll be better than me—with training.” He stopped, giving me time to find my way through the mess.

  I became oblivious to everything around me, except for the sound of Victor’s voice and the energy I focused on. Mentally, I pictured the rope that connected him to me. It was as if it lit up in my head showing me the way. I envisioned myself moving with it, following it to him. The closer I got, the more intense the feeling became.

  Heat on my cheeks made me aware of tears that ran from my eyes. I forced myself to get closer to the end of the rope, nodding my head when I knew I’d found my way.

  I cried out. Afraid to focus any harder, I could feel myself backing away, loosening my grip on the rope—and possibly my sanity. This was ridiculous. How was I supposed to help her like this?

  “Hold on to it—for as long as you can. At first, entering someone’s mind can be hard, even painful, but you can do it.”

  I fell from the bed onto my knees with my eyes still squeezed shut. I could feel Jarak’s arms go around me, letting me know he hadn’t left me. I grasped at the pull that now tugged from all over and not just my stomach. The fiery pain of sorrow, aching, and torture from his thoughts shot through me again like a flaming arrow. Visions of harmful situations of his past flashed before my eyes, the anguish of what I’d seen flooded my mind. Emptiness overwhelmed me, and I felt alone.

  “That’s enough.” Darkness overwhelmed me, breaking me free from the pain.

  I opened my eyes. I looked up at Victor. I had compassion for him for the first time. I saw what he’d been through, or at least some of it and I ached for him.

  “Why did you stop me?”

  He looked away. “I live with that pain, and there is no reason for you to have it too.”

  “Do you really feel that bad, all the time?” I pushed myself up from the floor with Jarak’s help, reclaiming my spot on the side of the bed. It was more difficult than I expected. My muscles were weak from the small test. I might as well have been trying to climb Mount Everest for as much work as I had to do to achieve this small goal. Thank goodness for Jarak or I’d never have made it back up.

  “No, you took the raw emotion of pain, and it combined with my whole life’s worth of grief. You’re new. It takes a lot out of you, and until you get used to it and learn how to draw from elements around you, you will weaken fast. Where you just went into my core, is the same place you’ll have to go to fill in the dark spell of turning over.”

  “How do I un-weaken, she needs me.” I slumped my shoulders with a loud sigh.

  “Rest, and use the elements around you to soak up the energy.”

  “Well, Trevor and Ree will be here any moment, and I want to help.”

  He shook his head. “Just rest, and when the bad pain comes, that’s when you jump in.”

  I nodded and crossed my arms. “Is it dangerous? I mean, are there any side affects?”

  “If you don’t stop when you’ve had enough, the pain will stick to your mind, making you think it’s real, and it’s hard to break free. If your mind doesn’t break free—you could die.” He didn’t look at me.

  Those last words left me shaken, and a shiver ran down the full length of my body. It wouldn’t be that bad, would it? Surely I wouldn’t die. I just lived through Victor’s excruciating pain. My hand flew to my head, where I could still feel the pulsating ache from the infernal scorching I had taken from him. A serious headache was worth helping her. Wasn’t it?

  Vampire Venom

  – Jarak –

  Down in the dining room, we decided to wait for the vampires to finish their evening meal. Meadow would become one of them soon, and I knew Es was worried but not as much as I did. After hearing she could die doing this, I took it upon myself to try to talk her out of it.

  “You can’t do this.” I ran my hands through my hair, leaning back, feeling my back
thump against the wall.

  “Yes I can.” Es looked up at me from the dining table chair where she planted herself.

  I strode closer to her. “How am I supposed to protect you? I have no magic to intervene.” I slammed my fist down on the table.

  She jumped making me feel terrible about my actions.

  “I’ll be okay.” She crossed her arms in front of her.

  I wasn’t sure why I cared so much. Other than the contract I had when Victor hired me to protect her, I couldn’t understand why I was angry. What was my personal attachment? I never let myself become attached to someone I guarded before. It’d been a long time since I let myself open up to possibilities and to what I thought could happen. I hoped there would be a time where it could just be her and me. No guarding, no protecting, just real life. Who was I kidding? Life would never be boring with her around. Too many people want her.

  I couldn’t believe she wanted to sacrifice herself for a turning vampire. Vampires and Guardians had never gotten along for extended periods. The time I’d been here was the longest I personally ever stayed around one. Guardians protected lives, and the dark creatures took them, we were the exact opposites.

  Taking a deep breath, I sighed and slumped down in the chair next to her, “Why?”

  Her lip quivered. I could tell she was on the verge of crying. “Wouldn’t you do the same?”

  “Why did you answer my question with a question? Besides, she’s not truly your mom.” I thought for a moment about how I would feel if we reversed roles. I didn’t talk to my family, or what was left of it anyway, but I’m sure I’d try to help them too. Crap, I didn’t like that she had a legitimate reason.

  She tensed up. “No, but she raised me. It’s weird. I still owe her something.”

  “They stole you away from your parents when you were a baby. You don’t owe them anything,” I growled.

  “They’re almost ready to start. Ree just came back from replenishing.” She ignored my last comment, but the tremble in her voice gave away her fear.

  I stood up and offered my hand to her. “I’ll walk you up.” I needed to be close to her, there was no way I could let her go by herself. All the while wishing there was something I could do to stop her.