A Nightly Howl

by Joanna Mazurkiewicz

  "Now let’s go, we don’t have time to mess around. Your great-great-great-cousin is waiting to meet her lover," Grandma said, walking over a pool of dirty water. I didn’t understand how she could ignore the smell; I could barely breathe.

  "We went back in time?" I choked. "How is this even possible?"

  She stopped and turned around to face me. "Everything is possible, so now listen to me very carefully. No one is supposed to see us here; the timing is appropriate. Now you will see your cousin. She’s just about to meet with the man she loves, well, if you can call him a man."

  "This won’t work, Grandma. I know about elves and fairies being murdered by vampires, but Nathaniel is a Dhampir. He can control himself."

  "No vampire can control himself!" She fumed.

  There wasn't any point trying to explain to her what I felt. She was stubborn like a donkey, so we continued walking. I couldn't say how far in time we travelled. Looking at the building it might have been the seventeenth or eighteenth century. The road narrowed, and there was dirty water running between the buildings. My heart leapt into my throat when I noticed a couple of rats. We stopped between two alleys; the fog was thicker here, and there was a child who was crying in the background. I had goosebumps all over my arms. It was freezing cold and I was only wearing a summer dress.

  "Can you do this all the time? I mean, why don’t you just jump into November and not let me meet Nathaniel at all. This would save you a lot of hassle."

  She gave me a startled look. "I wish I could, but I'm not skilled enough to change the future. Treat this like an echo. We can’t do anything for Gloria."

  We stood on the misty street in the darkness; the sun was going to rise soon. My grandmother was holding me by my elbow.

  "Why didn't you ever tell me that you could do this?" I asked as she glanced around looking for someone.

  "Because I didn't need to." She shrugged, then told me to be quiet.

  Then we both saw movement, a woman came walking down the street, looking around nervously. I gasped, admiring her beauty; she had long blond curly hair, high cheekbones and smooth vanilla skin. Even her movements were focused and thoughtful.

  "What is she doing here?" I whispered. The street was completely empty, and I doubted very much that a girl as beautiful as her would just walk around alone in the darkness. She was a pure elf.

  My grandmother smiled. "Gloria is visiting her lover. They met a few times, but she knows she can’t be around him, so she snuck out."

  Gloria looked relaxed, standing not far from us. She couldn't see us, which meant that my grandmother was right. We couldn't change anything; we could only watch. I had so many questions. Gloria stood in the alley for about five minutes, and then out of nowhere I saw a man approaching her. There was no doubt that he was a vampire. His face was in the shadows, but his paleness couldn’t go unnoticed.

  "Gloria, you came," he said. He had a thick French accent and I had the impression that I’d heard it before.

  My cousin beamed, looking shyly away. Her chest rose and fell as a flush crept over her cheeks.

  "I wouldn’t miss it," she whispered, smiling. The vampire wrapped his hands around her waist and brought her to his chest.

  "You are so beautiful." He growled, and they embraced each other in a passionate kiss.

  "Is that it?" I asked Grandma, enjoying the show. "He’s making out with a pure elf; is that what you were trying to show me?"

  "He’s controlling himself well enough," Grandma muttered, watching the scene with a stone-faced expression.

  I wanted to tell her that she was wasting her time. Gloria was obviously enjoying the danger, falling for the wrong guy. He cupped her face in his hands and then I saw his face. For a split second I thought I hallucinating, so I blinked rapidly. I knew the vampire who was holding my cousin because I met him in Paris when I was visiting with Nathaniel. Unease unfurled in my stomach and I felt like someone just punched me. I was choking.

  "You smell like sun." He growled, and before Gloria realised what was about to happen, Jacque extended his fangs and attacked. Gloria whimpered trying to cast a spell, but he was strong, obviously hungry, and immune to whatever she was trying to do to him. I watched while Charlotte’s current husband was draining my great-great-great-cousin. My heart pounded in my chest, confusion swirled, and I lowered my eyes. I tried to hide the horrifying expression on my face, but my grandmother noticed it.

  "She thought he loved her, but then he couldn't resist her."

  I was speechless and sickened, seeing someone that I knew murder a member of my family.

  I stood immobile for several moments, watching as Jacque sucked the life out of Gloria. My heart pounded in my chest. Drops of blood streamed down his neck. His chest rose and fell. I searched for remorse and regret in his expression, but I found nothing. He stood there watching her for a few more seconds before he vanished. Gloria’s eyes remained open and I swallowed up my tears, looking away. I remembered those cold eyes when Charlotte introduced us.

  I kept telling myself that this was in their nature, but he had a choice. Everyone always has a choice. He knew that he couldn't control himself, but he made that decision to see her.

  It was so unfair that Gloria had to die; she was in love with him. My grandmother held my hand whispering the spell, and within a split second, we were back at her home in Kent. She smoothed her white hair and cleared her throat.

  "Now you can see, you won’t find happiness with that vampire. You will end up just like Gloria if you stay with him."

  "You didn't have to show me that."

  "She was too young to learn the spells she needed and too weak to even hurt him," Grandma continued. "I wanted to show you that all vampires are the same, vicious and filled with greed for our blood."

  I shook my head, wondering if I should mention what I saw today to Nathaniel or Philip. Surely, they must have known about Jacque’s past; they wouldn’t just accept him. It wasn't just an ordinary family and Charlotte wasn't Nathaniel’s biological sister. Philip turned her; he was her maker.

  "This doesn’t change anything."

  She narrowed her eyes, giving me one of her looks. I could tell she wasn't expecting that. “It's your choice but you must know that I won’t accept it and I will do everything within my power to break that horrible relationship. He will hurt you."

  "Is that it? Can I go now?" My hands were shaking; I needed to get out of her house.

  "It might be a bit too late for a dinner now," she snapped, pointing at the clock. It was two o’clock in the morning. We were gone for about half an hour, but it seemed that we lost over ten hours.

  "What? How is—"

  "This possible?" she interrupted, smiling "Well, time works differently when you witness an echo of the past."

  "Great, that is just great," I muttered.

  "You can stay in your bedroom. You can’t travel now," she said, walking away from the living room. "Think about what you saw last night."

  I was too pissed off to respond. My great-great-great-cousin was dead, killed by a vampire that I knew who was now married to Nathaniel’s sister. Grandma was already rubbing her hands; she was so certain that after what I saw I wouldn’t want to continue seeing him.

  I went to bed ditching the idea of taking a shower. There were several missed calls from Nathaniel, so I called him and explained what went on with Grandma. I didn't say anything about Jacque. I wasn't sure if I should tell him what I saw. I had to sleep on it; maybe in the morning I would have a better idea of what to do.

  Chapter 29

  The enemy strikes.

  The following day, Grandpa ordered a taxi to take me back to London. He cursed Grandma off, assuring me that he would take care of her. She was gone before I woke up, so I didn't even have a chance to talk to her. She ditched me, knowing that Grandpa would give her hell in the morning. I didn't tell him what I saw, but he knew—he always knew. On my way to London I had a bit of time to think about yesterday, but my
mind was tangled; I kept going back and forth over the idea of telling Nathaniel about Jacque.

  I got to the office just before ten. Kate entered a few minutes after me. We didn't have time to chat because we were busy with new clients. Just after two, we had another client. Kate was on the phone, so I went to take care of her.

  "I saw the advert for a fortuneteller and I was wondering if the job is still available?" a witch asked, smiling shyly. She was short, and slightly overweight.

  "Yes, I’ve been advertising that post for weeks, but unfortunately no one seems to be interested," I answered, getting up.

  "I'm a qualified reader. I studied in a small private school that specialised in fortunetelling and I just came back to the country from Australia, so I wouldn’t mind applying."

  "Sorry, but I didn't catch your name?"

  "My name is Roxanne Walters."

  "Great. So, Roxanne, do you a CV with you?" I asked her, writing her name on the top of the page.

  "No, I don’t, sorry. I was just browsing job centre sites and I saw your advert, so I decided to pop in," she added, studying me carefully. Her eyes looked at me with interest and reservation and I felt the magic inside begin to stir.

  "Well, we do need a CV, so tell me a little about your experiences." I began with the easy questions. I learned she’d lived in Australia most of her life, where she worked as a reader for a small business that hired five other fortunetellers. Her boss saw the gap in the market and decided to start the business. After all, many creatures wanted to know what the future held for them. When Roxanne’s husband died, she decided to return to the country of her childhood. Her mother needed a lot of help, so she was looking to settle back in London. Fortunetelling wasn't popular at all. In the end, I told her I had to speak to the employer and see whether the company would agree to an interview.

  "I appreciate your help," she said, then shook my hand goodbye. I felt an odd wave of energy travel down my spine, much more powerful than mine. Her magic wand was tucked in her trousers.

  “I'll call you as soon as I hear anything from the employer," I said uneasily; she held my hand longer than she should have.

  "You have a foe around; you need to be careful," she whispered, pulling me slightly closer to her. I stared at her, shocked. After a moment, she pulled away, grabbed her coat and walked out, shutting the door behind her.

  "She didn't tell you anything new," Kate said when I returned to back to my desk.

  I sat there a moment, staring at my notes.

  "Yeah, maybe, so far everyone is wishing that I was dead." I sighed. "I think we should give her a chance. After all, we don’t have anyone else," I said, wondering if the witch was talking about Nathaniel or McGregor.

  Kate pulled a face and continued staring at her computer.

  I went to look for the contact details of the forgotten client after a while. I managed to get hold of Nickolas, the managing director. It took a bit of convincing, but in the end, he agreed to interview without a CV. My day wasn't a complete loss.

  Dad stormed into the office just before I was about to leave, demanding to know what happened to me yesterday. He was furious with Grandma. I decided to avoid talking about dead cousins, so I made up a small lie about her introducing me to a victim of a vampire. He bought it for now, then left saying something about being on call assuring me that he would have a serious conversation with her.

  I was hoping that Nathaniel was willing to take me out tonight since our plans were crushed yesterday.

  “I'll pick you up after five," he said once I picked up one of the office phones. I was surprised that he didn't call on my mobile.

  "Great, I can’t wait to see you," I sang, slightly taken aback. "My grandmother was a nightmare, but I’ll explain later."

  "Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you in an hour."

  Nathaniel was already waiting for me outside.

  "Hello stranger," I said kissing him deeply on the lips. You didn't need to pick me up. I could have used Roberto’s car." It was rush hour and we needed to get to Central London, which meant that we were going to be stuck in traffic for a while.

  "I like driving this car," he said, not changing his expression.

  I shrugged. “Don't you want to know what happened to me yesterday?" I told him about it, but I wasn't quite sure if he was listening. He seemed absent during the entire drive while I talked about my grandmother. I sunk into my seat as the silence settled between us. He seemed lost in his own thoughts. I’d hardly gotten any sleep last night, so it wasn't long before I dozed off. When I woke up we were still driving. I looked outside the window realising that we weren't in London anymore. We were driving through a misty country road.

  "Where are we going?"

  “It's a surprise," he replied turning a sharp left with a wide smile on his face.

  I smiled back and relaxed. We passed through a small quiet village heading south. I was expecting a romantic dinner with candles in an exclusive restaurant—away from everyone. The darkness had fallen while we were driving through the empty roads surrounded by trees. I was stunned that we hadn't passed by any other cars in the past ten minutes. It was still early, and the nearest village was only a couple miles away. Unexpectedly, Nathaniel turned away from the main road. We drove in silence for another five minutes before he stopped the car in front of a tall metal gate.

  "Where are you taking me?"

  "Always so impatient," he whispered. "Wait and see."

  I gasped, pressing my hands over my mouth when I saw the view in front of me. In the distance, we were moving slowly towards a magnificent mansion. Nathaniel smiled and squeezed my hand. He’d never mentioned that he had a property outside the city, but there were so many things I didn't know about him. Maybe this was the way he wanted to apologise for not telling me about Geneva.

  "Nathaniel, what’s going on?" I asked when he switched off the engine.

  "I don’t want to ruin my surprise," he replied, getting out of the car. He walked around and opened the door so I could get out. "Come on, everyone is waiting."

  Three men appeared at the door. They weren't humans. One of them was a werewolf, looking more like a hairy biker than a porter ready to greet us. I looked at Nathaniel, who shoved his hands in his pockets, staring at me with a strained expression. His eyes stayed on me for a moment without a smile. We had to be in the middle of nowhere, and the silence was unnatural, tense as we were, waiting for something to happen.

  "I don’t get it; what are we doing here?" I asked again, confused, picking up unfamiliar scents.

  "Boys, she’s all yours," Nathaniel said, pointing at me. I wasn't sure if I was going to like whatever surprise he had planned for us. Two trolls approached me, and I stumbled backwards, feeling a little overwhelmed.

  "Nathaniel," I repeated, but he didn't move.

  "Shut up, Julia, that’s just part of the deal." He barked, turning around. I screamed as the shorter troll stormed towards me. I landed on the ground when he hit me unexpectedly. Hot pain spread across my left cheek. At first, I didn't quite register what had just happened. I was too numb to figure out if this was a joke or not.

  "Come on, sugar, we’ll have fun tonight," another one growled, grabbing me. I shivered, refusing to believe that I was being captured by my own boyfriend.

  "Nathaniel!" I screamed, but he didn't react; he just stood there staring at me.

  The shorter troll scooped me up off the ground and threw me over his shoulder. He smelled of burnt flesh and sewer. Knots formed in my stomach, and my face throbbed with pain as he carried me on his back. I couldn't understand why Nathaniel was doing this. I imagined that it was just a game; He would soon step away from the house and tell me that it was a stupid joke. He wasn't a bad guy. He wouldn’t sell me out after what we’d been through. I jerked, screaming. My magic settled back. It seemed like someone or something was blocking my energy. The taller one hit me again. This time I was blinded with pain and passed out.

  It felt
like part of my face had been peeled off when I opened my eyes. Judging from the stiffness of my body I must have been lying on the cold floor for a few hours. I tried to sit in the most comfortable position I could, but my hands had been tied behind me. Rope dug into my skin, bruising my wrist; I had no idea where I was. I took a few deep breaths to regenerate my energy, hoping to call out my magic. Nothing happened, and I cursed, wondering why my body wouldn’t react. The whole place stunk of mould; the air was thick with the metallic taste of blood. I thought about Nathaniel and my pulse started racing. He must have been under some kind of spell; otherwise he wouldn't have let those trolls take me. He cared about me and wanted to ruin McGregor for what he did to Isabelle. This just didn't make any sense.

  My clothes were sodden with blood. Dad had cast a protection spell on me, so why wasn't he here yet?

  Then I heard frantic voices; someone opened the door and I was blinded by the light. My mind shut off and my body tensed.

  It took me a moment to realise that I was in the basement of the building after all the lights had been switched off. A group of people surrounded me.

  "Wake up, sleeping beauty, time to play," a deep husky voice sang. I recognised the two trolls who dragged me in here. I glanced behind me, seeing Nathaniel, and hope poured into my stomach.

  "Nathaniel, please, what’s going on?" I whispered. He cocked his head to the side watching me intensely, his eyes were empty.

  "Your magic is useless here," he finally said.

  "Why am I here? Please, Nathaniel, why are you doing this?" I asked, moving away. No one responded.

  A few seconds passed by, then I heard more footsteps. Another person entered the basement. I blinked rapidly, feeling like someone had punched me.

  McGregor stood in the door watching me silently.