Sebastian stood at the edge of the clearing. Her unhappiness and the magic it called on filled the night and beckoned him to her. He watched in awe as the sky responded to her sorrow. Little beads of despair turned to frozen drops that clung to her hair. They looked like pearls on the black strands. Even in her absolute sadness, he found her more beautiful than anyone he ever laid eyes on before.
Her sobs still came in waves. She felt the weight of his coat wrap around her shoulders.
“Come inside,” he said.
His voice broke the silence and she turned to him. She looked up into his deep blue eyes and saw a sadness that matched her own.
“I don't want to,” she managed to say more as a squeak. “Show me the lake. I need to feel happiness.”
“You are cold to the core,” he said, his voice smooth and tender. “Let me warm you first.”
She nodded, knowing he meant to use magic. She relaxed as he wrapped his arms around her. She felt his usual warmth and then felt something different. A warm tingle raced across her skin and seemed to sink inside of her. Not only did she feel warmer, her sadness seemed eased as well. His arms felt strong and safe.
She tilted her head up, looking at him. His pale skin made a striking contrast against his dark hair and the night sky. “Thank you,” she said, barely above a whisper.
He still held her tight against him, feeling protective. When he looked at her he saw the fragile emotions that danced in her eyes. The feelings that stirred in him made him feel uneasy. Being a magical creature he never entertained such feelings. He felt stunned by how easily a glance at her awakened them.
He looked away and turned, smoothly tucking her under his arm. “The lake awaits.”
She didn't respond. Instead she walked in silence with him, enjoying the warmth of his closeness in the bitter cold. When they came out of the woods she saw a large lake with a huge gazebo on one side.
They walked over to a small pit with a fire already burning.
She rubbed her hands together over the flames. “You did this?”
“I assumed we would need the fire. I did promise to show you the lake.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“You can ask me anything, mi belleza.”
“Why would a familiar lie to their witch?”
He stepped next to her by the fire. “That may be best answered by Lewis. I am sure he only did what he felt was needed.”
“What was Lizzy running from?” She kept her eyes on the fire.
“You've been reading?”
“Yes, and apparently there is something bad, something related to voodoo. Something Lewis knows.”
Sebastian sighed. “It won't touch you if I can help it.”
“Was that what killed Lizzy?”
“No.”
“You sound so sure.” She looked at him puzzled.
“I am sure. I would have been able to sense that. If not before, then after.”
She looked out over the lake. “It feels peaceful here.”
“Always.”
“What happened to William?”
“He was shot while arresting a junkie. It was a local tragedy.”
“Was his family local?”
“William's?” he asked.
“Yes.”
He shook his head. “He didn't have family as far as I know. That was one thing he and Lizzy bonded over. They were alone in this world.”
“Was he a witch?”
“No, and Lizzy kept him as shielded from that as possible.”
The wind blew and Gwen stepped closer to the fire. “Was the sheriff here for that? Curtis?”
“Yes, he was the deputy under William, why?”
“He asked me about William, and that makes me think somehow there is a connection I am missing. I was hoping to find it in the journals, but I got sidetracked by the whole voodoo thing. Then I realized Lewis lied. I don't even feel like I have my feet on the ground now.”
Sebastian turned to her and looked in her eyes, again seeing the sadness creeping in. He frowned. “When things get to be too much, please call me. I can give answers. I can stop the spinning and I can also take this sorrow.” He reached out and placed a finger on her cheek.
As he ran his finger on her face she felt her mood lighten. She watched as her sadness appeared in his eyes. “You took it? Just now, that easily?”
He smiled warmly and she watched as he held out a hand. A small gray ball formed just above his opened palm and he blew it. Both of them watched as it floated away.
“Can you teach me that?” she asked, amazed.
“I could, but Lewis should,” he said, and turned back to the fire.
“I don't think Lewis likes when I do anything magic, even spells.”
Sebastian frowned again. “Why don't we go inside and look at papers, get you something warm to drink, and explore the top floor?”
As they walked back to her house, Sebastian kept her under his arm, protecting her from the cold and symbolically from the hardships attacking her from all sides.
“How do you know where we are going?” she asked as they walked.
“Animal instincts,” he said in a playful tone.
“What is your true form?”
“Now? It is a man.”
“Okay, what is your animal form,” she asked and then paused. “Why is it a man now? Are you still able to shift?”
“I am and I do not very often. It's complicated.”
“I gathered as much from what I have read so far.”
He paused and looked at her with an eyebrow arched. He planned to tell her if she didn't sense what he was soon. He didn't think with all that had been on her mind, it was the best night. “How about we just agree there is more to this big bad wolf than howling at the moon.”
“Really,” she said, and stopped to look at him more closely.
At times she felt she could see the raven in Lewis. She searched Sebastian for signs of his wolf. She watched his jaw tighten and felt an urge to kiss his face.
He enjoyed the feeling of her eyes on him. He enjoyed her closeness. He enjoyed her entirely too much. When her hand reached for his face, he closed his eyes and relished the sensation of her touch. He allowed all his senses to focus on her, breathing in her scent, feeling her touch, feeling the hint of uncertainty just before she pulled away.
“I can see you as a wolf,” she said, and waited for him to start walking again before she fell in step beside him.
When they walked in the door, Lewis quickly shifted and looked at them both with narrowed eyes. “Where have you been?”
“At the lake,” Gwen said.
“At the lake? It is single digits outside.” He cut his eyes to Sebastian. “She isn't like us, you know. That kind of cold is dangerous.”
“She isn't as fragile as you think. I kept her warm.” Sebastian narrowed his eyes in return.
“She is standing right here.” Gwen walked over to the fire.
“With all that is happening, I would think you would understand the wisdom of not carelessly using magic here,” Lewis said.
“Keeping her warm isn't careless, it's prudent.”
“Let's try keeping her inside where altering the temperature can be done without magic.”
“Let's try speaking to her.” Gwen walked to the office before returning with the papers for Sebastian.
He took the papers and sat down, looking them over. “These look perfect. I will call tomorrow with arrangement details. Leave it to me. I will leave you two to yourselves.” He gave Lewis a forced smile before he stood and turned to walk out.
Gwen found she still didn't want to face Lewis. She closed her eyes, sighed, and walked upstairs to read a little in the journals before she drifted off.
Chapter Seven
“L ewis, what is happening between us?” Gwen asked as she sipped her coffee.
“There are some things we just can’t talk about. Please, I would ask that you stop prying into your family's
past too.”
“Prying?” Her face froze in disbelief. “I am trying to find out who killed Lizzy.”
“You should leave that to the sheriff.”
She could not believe what she heard from Lewis. Lewis her familiar, her only friend and someone not very long ago she considered herself in love with. “What are you so afraid of me finding out? Just tell me. I love you, anything that happened we can get through. Together, like always.”
“No. Please, my witch, stop prying.”
She finished her coffee and walked to the kitchen to make another cup. “Whatever you are hiding, I will find out. I won't stop 'prying' until I know what Lizzy was running from.”
“I wish you wouldn't. It has nothing to do with what killed her.” He followed behind her.
“How would you know that? Do you know who killed her?”
“Of course not,” he said, sounding shocked. “Try Sebastian for that.”
“He doesn't know.”
“Maybe he just isn't telling you.”
“One of you is keeping secrets. What do you have against him?” Her hands wrapped around the coffee cup, letting it warm them.
“He's dangerous.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Hasn't Mr. Honesty told you about his monstrous secret?”
“That he is a wolf? He's no more dangerous than you. He is a familiar for goodness sake. Historically and naturally speaking, wolves and ravens work well together. Odin had both at his side.”
“No, he 'was' a familiar. You are not Odin, and I will not likely be working together with him on anything. That aside, his wolf isn't what you need to worry about.”
Her eyes narrowed and her forehead creased. “What?”
“Ask him about what he is.”
“I will, whatever. I need to make some notes. Next week is going to be so busy.” Gwen walked over to the kitchen miscellany drawer, pulled out a tablet, and started to scribble down things she wanted to do.
Her list contained things like: go to the knitter's group, plan the remembrance celebration, visit the prison, and explore upstairs. On the other side of the page she made notes about the people she met. She circled the name Mike, and hesitated before writing down Sebastian. While she didn't really view him as a suspect, something about him set off Lewis and she planned to ask him about his secret.
Lewis went back to making repairs while she found out all she could off the internet about visiting hours, and what she would need to do in order to get approved for a visit at the prison. It didn't seem very high security and regardless, she knew she would pass any background checks.
She downloaded the needed forms and even looked up the prisoner information. Her eyes filled with tears as she looked at his picture, at his eyes, and wondered what sort of person shoots someone in cold blood, rather than facing a drug charge?
It made her happy that most everything could be done online and what couldn't, would be done onsite after her approval as a visitor. She gathered everything and filled in forms for the rest of the afternoon, before sending the packet back to the facility to start the approval process. It looked to her like there would be a delay, because as a self-identified family member of the victim her paperwork would go through a liaison.
When her phone rang it startled her, but she felt a wave of happiness to see Sebastian calling. After exchanging hellos, she asked what day he planned on having the remembrance.
“That's tricky. Lizzy wanted it to be a nighttime celebration. The reverend Lizzy requested is in service Monday, and Sunday, Mel is opened late on Friday and Saturday, Kathy has group Wednesday. That leaves us with Tuesday or Thursday. Did you have a preference?”
“Tuesday seems soon, unless you want next Tuesday or this Thursday. Oh really, if you are planning it, you would know best how much time everyone needs.”
He responded to the tension in her voice. “Sweetheart, everyone will drop everything for this. Why don't we try Thursday? I don't want this hanging over your head as a worry. It will be beautiful and I will handle all the details.”
“What do I need to do?” she asked.
“If you must do something, you can arrange with Mel to cater the event. I will get Linda from the hotel to arrange invitations. She used to be a party planner and will love the challenge. I know who Lizzy would want for the music and I will arrange the bartender. It will be a party as Lizzy would have wanted.”
“Thank you.” Gwen sounded choked up as she thought about saying goodbye to Lizzy in such a final way.
“Are you alone? Do you need someone there?”
“No, no, Lewis is around somewhere.”
Sebastian kept control of the sigh he felt coming. Lewis remained a mystery to him. Lewis did not belong as the guide to a witch like Gwen, not that he guided her. “How has your day been?”
“Good I guess. I was looking into what I needed to do to visit the prison.”
“That doesn't sound like a very nice way to spend the day.”
“No, maybe not,” she said, and walked over to the fire. “I was going to look upstairs today, did you want to?” she started to ask but stopped, feeling embarrassed to ask him any more favors.
He hesitated because he didn't know what to think about what he felt around her, and he wanted time to make sure his emotions stayed in check. He expected a magical tug between a witch and a familiar, but this felt different, passionate, and he never felt that with a witch, or any human. With the amount of time he endured trapped in a human form, he assumed he experienced every human emotion. That no longer rang true.
Did her being an elemental witch have anything to do with it? He never worked with or even stood near one before. They were very rare, very powerful, more connected to forces of nature, and as such creatures like him. It didn't help that her powers hummed under the strain of being bound somehow.
Recklessly untrained. He still needed to talk more with Lewis about that.
“Sebastian?”
“I'm sorry, my mind was drifting. If you don't mind, I have things I must attend tonight.”
“Did you want me to wait for you? To explore?”
“Of course not. It is a very magical place, take Lewis, let him explain to you what things are.”
“He may not want to.”
Sebastian tapped his fingers on his leg. “If that is the case, call and I will make time.”
She sensed his preoccupation and didn't press the issue. “I will, thank you. Thank you for everything. I will call Mel Monday. Let me know if you need me to do anything else.”
They hung up and she walked out of the room. She followed her senses to Lewis, who she found standing in the glass room, staring off at the night sky.
She walked up behind him and stood just to his side. “I'm going to the third floor. There is supposed to be magic things there. I would like if you would come with me,” she said, looking up at the stars.
Lewis took in a breath. His kind existed on the joy derived from teaching witches how to use magic. It gave them purpose. That conflicted with the most important vow he made, not to teach her. He could feel the binding he placed around her gifts starting to unravel, probably due to stress, and it wouldn't help that Sebastian possessed such strong magic so close to her. Everything about Sebastian brought danger.
“Of course, my witch.” He took her hand and they walked up the stairs.
When they reached the top floor, she pulled the key from her pocket and unlocked the door.
“Where did you find that?” he asked.
“Sebastian found it in Lizzy's room.”
He nodded, of course he did.
They entered the top floor to see one large room. It looked to her like most of the walls had been taken out, with the exception of what looked like a few small supply rooms, no bigger than closets at the far end. Random support beams broke up the space. Gwen assumed since the ceiling was so high, that the attic floor had been removed, except for the small loft along the far wall.
>
“It's massive,” she said, and let his hand go as she walked into the room.
Lewis followed closely behind her, feeling the room still held a vibration from past magical activities. It all felt like harmless, light, earth magic to him. He didn't think he needed to perform a cleansing. It would all dissipate over time.
Shelves lined most of the walls. They held books, loose papers, jars of powder, herbs, and candles. He knew a ton of questions would soon come and he needed to decide just how much he wanted to lie to protect her. He already did much worse than lie. To keep this pinned down, he needed to get Sebastian on board. The thought of telling him his reasons made him shudder.
Gwen sensed his tension. “Are you okay tonight, Lewis?”
He nodded. “Yes. This is just not how I wanted us to work. This isn't the kind of magic you use.”
She stopped at the altar and looked down at the floor. The remains of white powder sprinkled the boards around her in what was left of a circle. “What's this?”
“Protection circle. It's for when you work with magic and need to keep things in or out of your area.”
“Why don't we ever do that when I work?” She could sense his tension growing.
“You don't work that kind of magic. Your weaving barely puts off any magical pulse, it wouldn't attract anything.”
“Attract?”
“When you work strong magic, it can catch the attention of things on this and other realms. It's best to leave things like that to stronger witches.” Insinuating she wasn't a strong witch was hard to do. Deep down, he felt pride that he was given such a rare treasure to guide. As soon as he was presented with either her safety or her magic, there hadn't been a dilemma. He would always choose her safety, even if it meant she never did more than parlor tricks with her magic.
“Was Lizzy a strong witch from what you knew?” Just asking made her angry. That he knew about Lizzy before she died, increased the unease between them.
“She was stronger than many, yes.”
She walked over to the altar and started to reach for a stone.
“Don't touch things. You don't know what she was working on.” He hoped if he used a stern tone, fear might nip her curiosity.
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