Nightly Howls

by Madeline Blake

  "You have to remember, we are werewolves," he speaks again, his voice teasing, "so we can do stuff like this." In one sudden movement, he takes the bridge and flips it upwards, propelling us both high in the air. All I can see is blurriness again, fury ripping through my system. How dare he flip me into the air? Nico is by my side, looking at the smirking man dubiously. I wrap my arms around my knees, waiting for the inevitable thump.

  I land in a pair of arms for the second time today, except this time they are different. Slender and altogether graceful, these hands are soft and almost like a girl's. However, they are unbelievably strong, the fact that he flipped us both into the air with a huge, wooden bridge awe-inspiring. His face, as he looks down on me, is amused and taunting, completely unlike Nico's affection.

  However, that changes when he perks up his nose. "What is that delicious aroma?" he asks, his voice alluringly smooth and sweet. Nico walks up behind him, unharmed by the stranger's mischief.

  "It's her," he says, pointing to me. I shrink when the man leans his head closer to mine. He breathes in, sighing deeply.

  "I haven't had a morsel like this in ages!" he exclaims dreamily, "she smells absolutely delectable." I start to shiver as I notice that he almost regards me as food, not an actual person.

  Nico rips me away from him, wrapping his arms around my body. "She is my mate, Yi. Don't touch her," he growls.

  He surveys me, whistling loudly. "Nico, this doesn't exactly seem like your type of girl. I thought you were going to mate with someone maybe more model-like... and she is a human. Asher is going to be furious," he almost sings that last part; as if he is actually happy that Nico is going to spike this person’s anger.

  "Butt off," he snaps, "I can choose whoever I want to be my mate."

  "Liar," he laughs, "you probably got mated to her because of her smell. It is amazing... I haven't experienced a smell like that in a long time. I don't blame you, Nico." He leans in, his voice so soft that I almost can't hear it. "Even though the ugly chick's your mate, you could still eat her. I bet she would be delicious, and Asher wouldn't care," he whispers. I jump away from Nico, punching Yi in the face. My movement is so fast that even he can't react, my fist hitting home. Yi rubs his jaw, his face of laughter. "I'm just kidding," he chokes, "mates don't eat each other, and werewolves rarely eat humans in the first place. Nice punch, by the way."

  Nico just stares at Yi, fire alight in his eyes. "Don't joke about that sort of stuff, Yi. It's scaring her," he says. I step closer to them both, my temper twice the size of Nico's.

  "Do not make assumptions," I poke him in the chest, and then I turn to Yi, "you are an idiot. Go bother someone else." I pretend to act unaffected by his remark, but in truth I am furious. I know I am ugly... but I don't like hearing a handsome werewolf say it. "Come on, Nico, let's go," I take charge, pulling away the growling wolf.

  I look back... to see Yi's devilish smile. "You just got a whole lot more attractive," he smirks, invoking redness to my cheeks. I turn back to Nico, embarrassed.

  His face is twisted with laughter now, his anger died down. "I was going to punch him for you," he says in-between chuckles, "but you beat me to it. And you were fast, too! I mean, Yi is pretty weak, but he usually has better reflexes." Weak? He smiles at me, his white teeth glistening. "Don't listen to Yi," he whispers, "you aren't ugly at all."

  I laugh, though inwardly shaking. "Thank you, Nico." He reaches to grab my hand, but I pull it away. Even though I like Nico more than Yi, this doesn't change anything. I am still not in love with Nico.

  We enter the mansion, the doors opening as if prodded by an invisible hand. The inside is just as beautifully creepy as the exterior; with two huge flights of stairs in the back of the lobby that is parted by a colossal sculpture of a wolf. The floor is tiled, the ceiling over fifty feet above us. The whole room is very spacious, probably doubling as a ballroom. "Where do those steps lead?" I ask, clutching his arm subconsciously, "they are so big!"

  "To the other rooms," he says plainly, "that is the only way to get to them."

  "Wow," I gaze at the beautiful chandelier hanging from the middle of the ceiling, noticing the mural painted above me. It is of wolves in the forest, chasing a bunch of humans. But the strange thing about them is that the human's eyes are red, bright like the werewolves' green eyes but a different color. They are really scary and intimidating, sending recognition into my chest. I... have seen those eyes before.

  Pain flashes through me, realization searing. I yell, but that does not dissolve the hurt. The terror.

  "Ella!" a voice rips through the air to my ears. I grab the man's hand, pressing it against my heart.

  "Help me," I moan, "my heart is hurting." It is throbbing, pounding against my chest.

  "What's wrong?!" a beautiful voice says anxiously, one I don't recognize. I raise my hands to my ears, trying to block out the noise, but the screams don't cease. The terrible screams...

  All I see is darkness now, slipping into the endless void.

  ***

  "Ella," the same voice from before, the one that doesn't belong to Nico or Yi, wakes me. My eyes flutter open, consciousness returned.

  "What happened?" I ask, the blurry images coming into focus. Hovering right above me is an unbelievably handsome man, with bright green eyes. My eyes grow wide as I survey him. With each strand like a clear crystal, sparkling like rainbows in the light, his hair reminds me of Nico's but without a definite color. His short buzz cut of this spectacular hair gives way to pale, perfect skin and lightly reddened lips. His eyelashes are thin and shiny black, long and enticing. His face is heart-shaped, and he almost looks like a girl.

  "You lost consciousness," he informs me, his gaze disconcerting. It is slightly pleasant, but still strange. I still have not gotten used to all these pretty guys looking at me.

  I sit up, my back against the headboard. I look around the room, at the splendor surrounding me. It is absolutely gorgeous, a bedroom with surprisingly modern furnishes.

  "Well, thanks," I say, getting up from the bed, "I am fine now." My hair is matted, falling past my shoulders. The man grabs my arm, his expression of concern.

  "Are you sure?" he questions, peering into my eyes.

  "Of course," I nod, though I am anything but. My head hurts, a throbbing pain that nearly swallows me whole. It is diminishing slowly, yet not quite slow enough. I truly have no idea what just happened. My mind seems to be fuzzy, only the pain and the strange screams echoing in my head over and over...

  Nico rushes into the room, his expression of pure alarm. "Ella!" he cries, coming to meet me. He demolishes me into a huge, bone-crushing hug. It is comforting... more than I can ever admit. "I was so worried..." he whispers, his breath dancing along my cheek. I smile, tilting my head downwards so he can't see it.

  The rainbow man stands up, watching me with a warm smile that makes my heart go fuzzy. "So she really is your mate," he says, without any doubt, "I'm glad. This will stop our alpha from being such a player."

  Nico blushes slightly, my eyebrows rising. "Nico was a player?" I rip away from him to ask the man. It is hard to believe, for the way he shows me such devotion is not like a player at all.

  "Was," the handsome man winks, "but now that he is mated, all he can think of is you."

  “You are a player too!” Nico protests, his voice ignored by us both.

  "So mating makes you instantly fall in love with each other?" I ask dubiously. He nods matter-of-factly. "Then we didn't mate," I say confidently.

  "What?" they both stare at me, Nico frowning as I back away from his grasp.

  "I am not in love with Nico," I firmly state.

  The man looks at me, and chuckles. "Yes you are," he says, "I can see it in your eyes. You just won't accept it because you still don't understand it. Your body is probably trying to reject these foreign feelings."

  I stare at him for a second, and then I begin to laugh.

  "Think whatever you want," he grins, "my name's Jake, b
y the way. Wes said that he wants to meet you, so he will be coming soon..."

  A figure bursts into the doorway, his breathing heavy. "Where is she?" the guy asks, and then his eyes find mine. Grinning eagerly, he crosses to be by my side. "My name is Wes. And your name, my beautiful lady...?"

  "Ella," I can't help but grin, instantly relaxed by his playful attitude. Also, his entire appearance is enchanting, invoking awed silence. His hair is a bright blonde, almost pure gold, and he has those green eyes that seem to be the common thing between all these werewolves. His skin is as tan as Yi's, with nice lips and a thin but strong body. His face reminds me of Nico's, with a likeness to a lovable puppy.

  "She's my mate," Nico carefully informs Wes, and he rolls his eyes.

  "Oh really? I haven't figured that out yet." After snapping at Nico, he turns to me. "Your smell is so wonderful... have you met Yi yet? Because he will love you."

  "Why?" I ask. He certainly doesn't seem to love me.

  "Because he likes stealing other men's girlfriends... as do I. And especially one who possesses an intoxicating fragrance like you," he smirks, casting a white-toothed, glistening smile that shines brightly. I blush, the red rushing to my cheeks. I snap my hand away, a scowl decorating my features.

  "I'm not anyone's girlfriend!"

  "Ooh, you're feisty." Wes only smiles brighter, his enthusiasm unstoppable. "I like it."

  Nico grabs my arm. "You're jealous aren't you?" I laugh, letting him start to drag me towards the door. He blushes slightly, a cute expression on his face.

  "No, why would I be?" he asks. Wes and Jake cheer behind us, obviously amused that Nico is experiencing that kind of emotion.

  Just before we exit the room though, a huge form fills the doorway. "Hey," he nods at Nico, and then turns his gaze to me. "I'm Asher," he introduces himself, without a smile.

  "I'm Ella," I note his similarity to Nico, their likeness almost startling. Asher is muscled, even more so than Nico, and sinewy. He is tall with brown hair, his face an almost perfect copy of Nico. However, a thin scar stretches from his forehead to his cheek, marring his otherwise beautiful face. If Nico was the Prince of Light, Asher would certainly be the alluring Prince of Darkness.

  "Now I guess you've met all of us, Ella," Wes says loudly, "this is our pack. We used to call it the 'pack of players', but now that Nico is settled, we can't exactly say that anymore."

  "No girls?" I question, only to see four faces shaking their heads no.

  "We like to be free of all women," Jake grinned, "love 'em and leave 'em, I always say."

  "You people are terrible," I laugh, instantly feeling at home with these handsome men. After a second, I nearly jump in alarm at the realization that I can barely recognize myself. The old Ella would have run away by now. The old Ella would have never fallen for these wily werewolves' tricks. It must be those strange feelings Jake was talking about.

  Asher just stares at me, a forbidding expression on his face. "She needs to leave for a minute while we have our meeting," he says, his voice rough and completely unlike Nico's.

  "Come on," Wes protests, "she's not doing any harm! Let her stay-"

  "No," his voice is firm, insisting, “she isn’t part of the pack.” His words are forbidding and fierce, striking me cold. I turn, walking out of the door. Nico sticks his head out after me, issuing a warning.

  “Don’t go outside of the grounds,” he says, “it isn’t safe.” Then, Yi comes up and brushes past me into the room. Right before they shut the door, I see their faces, turned serious by something Asher said.

  He's not exactly a ray of sunshine.

  How could he be a player? Maybe he’s the strong and silent type all the girls like to go for. He certainly is handsome enough… I mean, they all are. Especially Nico, having an authority hanging over his head like a crown. Everyone in the pack seems to respect him.

  Looking up, I wonder how they all live in such a big place. It is so old-fashioned, obviously not built by these handsome teens... oh, of course. They are probably fifty to a hundred years old. However, most of them don’t even look nineteen, though Jake might pass for being in his twenties.

  After gazing at the beautiful artifacts for about ten minutes, I decide to head outdoors. Nico said I couldn’t leave the grounds, but he never said I couldn’t take a walk in the grounds. After searching for a while, I find an exit, going through it to find that I am now located in the mansion’s garden. It is beautiful, alerting my senses with sweetness and beautiful colors. I circle it, but soon dismiss it to be too uninteresting. Just like the mansion; old fashioned and dreary.

  The stars wink at me as I survey the area once more. A small path to the side, strewn with pine needles and leaves, catches my attention. Slowly I begin to walk it, not knowing quite where I am going.

  The moat is nowhere to be found, leading me to believe that I am not outside of the mansion’s boundaries. However, when I spy the dark, forbidding trees that remind me of the forest Nico and I traveled through, I am not so sure.

  Quickly I dismiss my doubt. Of course I am still in the borders, for I haven’t passed the moat yet. Surely...

  Everything is quiet now, the only whispers being the ones of the rushing wind. My hair brushes behind me, blown by its frightful gales. I squint, wondering how a wind this fierce could have just started up out of the blue. It is strong, but I hold my stance against the invisible monster.

  However, my troubles only increase as a white apparition appears before me, coming out from behind the trees. The fear, the pain... it begins to pound again as I gaze in surprise upon the curious creature. It has no shape, a white ghost with the same red eyes as the men on the mural I had seen earlier. Suddenly, memories start flooding back to me, ones I can’t stand to remember.

  My scream rips into the night as the creature starts flying my way, the familiar eyes delving into my soul. I definitely know those eyes. But where? When? Who?

  The haunting eyes that are causing me to have a serious migraine pause, the white blob still. Then, they squint slightly, and the ghost-like form charges towards me. Escape is impossible. I am frozen, still with shock and remembrance.

  My parent’s murderers…

  The Damsel in Distress… Again

  The ghostly figure zooms towards me, its deathly intent clearly evident. However, I don't notice its speed at all, my mind suspended in a hazy fog of memories that are coming together, returning at an alarming speed. The screams I had heard earlier starts again, reverberating throughout my thoughts, distracting me from the present. I clearly hear two voices, one high pitched and the other a little lower but still womanly. The one that clearly belonged to an older woman strikes pain in my chest, recognition forcing itself to the surface. That beautiful voice, contorted with pain and surprise...

  Mom. My eyes widen as everything comes back; the pain, the sorrow, the hurt.

  The tears start to flow as the ghost hastens to meet his destination. I can remember every detail now; the way those creatures had delved into him... when his eyes turned a frightening red...

  It finally reaches me, barely more than a whisper of air, charging towards my chest. However, the ghost bounces off, my body suddenly surrounded with an eerie glow. What is this? It is green and bright, like the emerald in my ring, almost like one of those auras I have read about in fantasy books.

  I back up against a huge oak tree, fear mounting in my heart. Am I going to live against this deathly thing? How can I fight against something I don't even understand?

  I watch the deathly creature, at its cloudy form and its bright red eyes. They are like lasers, ripping into me, seizing my terror and amplifying it. My heart beats faster as the horrifying eyes squint, determination in its depths. Foreboding races through my blood, symbolizing what is to come.

  I wrap my arms around my knees, burying my face into my legs as the ghost once again zooms my way. This, I suppose, is my punishment for disobeying Nico's orders. But how was I supposed to know there is a way o
ut of the boundaries without crossing the moat?!

  Peeking once more at the apparition, I almost shriek as I survey its closeness. It seems to be observing the things around me, as if it is looking for something. I shudder as it crosses its murderous gaze across my body, hunched up into a tiny ball. It looks at the tree behind me, a huge one that might even be four foot in diameter, and smirks with its beady eyes. With a screech that cuts through the air and makes my blood run cold, the white blur of energy delves into the oak tree, making me wonder exactly what is going on.

  I stand up, turning to face the tree as it suddenly whirs with energy. Bright, fire-like sparks explode from the trunk, blood seeming to run down it. It rapidly grows in size, from four feet in diameter to around five feet, and who knows how much taller. Before, it seemed to be rather lifeless, an old tree that had reached its peak, but somehow, it now looks youthful. Scarier.

  This tree is taller than the others by far, stretching to reach the clouds. I am fervently wishing for the werewolves to see it, but they are probably consumed with whatever they are talking about. It sounded important when I tried to eavesdrop, though I didn't quite understand their topic.

  It is Asher's fault, I think feverishly, for casting me out of their meeting room. He probably knew I would find some trouble to involve myself in. But I can't truly blame it on him. It is my fault for taking those first steps towards the dangerous road. It is my fault for not sticking to the beautiful garden.

  And now, I am going to pay.

  The tree totters, swaying in that rough wind. My dress presses against me, forced back by the terrible gales. The force of the wind increases, nearly pushing me to the ground as the tree reaches full height and strength. It ripples with energy, the bright red crackling around it like lightning. The wind seems to circle around this giant monster, almost like a tornado with its speed and focus.