by C Zinnia
“Why would I want to keep them?” she mused.
Because you’re used to feeling those emotions. Sometimes, you’re afraid to let go of things you are accustomed to. Not because these emotions are good for you, but because you are afraid of the change, the voice said. This is a test, Mel. If you aren’t ready to let go of these emotions, then you won’t be ready for what else I have to teach you.
Mel licked her lips. She imagined lighting a match and throwing it on the wooden box. The box immediately went up in flames. It took mere second for the box to be burned into nothing.
Good, Mel, good, the voice said. You’re almost ready.
“Mel,” Eli said.
Mel opened her eyes, jolted back to the kitchen with Eli, Nana, and Papa. They all looked worried. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
“You went into a trance,” Eli said. “Your eyes were open and blank. Then your eyes closed and you sagged in your chair. What happened?”
“Um . . . I’m not quite sure,” Mel said. She did know that the level of animosity she had felt for Bill just moments ago had decreased greatly. It still wasn’t completely gone, but she felt it was low enough that she could focus better. She told Eli about putting her negative emotions in a box and setting them on fire. She opted not to mention the voice directing her. She didn’t feel comfortable enough to talk about it yet.
“Do you feel it worked?” Eli asked.
“Only one way to find out,” Mel said. She closed her eyes and focusing on her breathing. When her breathing was regular, she felt for Bill’s energy again and effortlessly found him. When her emotions rose, she noticed they weren’t a fraction as strong as they had been moments ago. She calmly thought; Not now. I’ll feel and address them later. Not now. Mel was able to keep her emotions regarding Bill at bay.
Mel suddenly got a vivid image.
Bill had bags under his eyes from not sleeping. He was holding a hotel phone to his ear with his good arm.
“Has your mission been accomplished?” the person on the phone asked him. It was the Master Hunter and they were using a voice disguiser.
“Negative,” Bill said. “But it will be soon enough.”
“I trust you have things under control,” they said.
Bill was exasperated. “I’m your best guy in the field. Of course, everything is under control,” he said.
“Then why didn’t you call me from your cell phone?” the Master Hunter asked.
Bill nearly threw the phone. He didn’t like the person’s presumptuous tone. The Master Hunter was such a jerk. “My phone died and I don’t have my charger,” he said.
“Very well, Bill,” they said, clearly not believing Bill. “Do you at least have the pack location?”
“Yes,” Bill answered.
Mel glared at the phone. She willed the phone to explode in his ear.
Nothing happened.
“Where is it located?” the Master Hunter asked.
Mel focused harder.
Nothing happened.
“I don’t need assistance,” Bill said.
“No one said you did, but I would still like to know your location,” they said. “You never know what could happen.”
Mel started panicking, then she remembered Cindy’s advice about utilizing her disdain for a person to fuel her gifts.
Mel stared at Bill. She thought about the pain he caused Dana and Lee. She thought about the way he treated her. She allowed the rage she felt for him build up within her. She thought about the fact that everyone she cared about would die if she didn’t take action. Fear of losing Viola caused an overwhelming amount of energy to consume Mel. The energy shot out from her gut and hit the phone.
The phone short-circuited before Bill could give the location of the pack.
Bill yelped as he dropped the phone. His ear burned from the shock. The lights above him flickered before dying out.
The entire hotel lost power.
Bill cursed under his breath about cheap small towns and their archaic technology.
Mel ignored him long enough to glance at the letterhead on the pad on the nightstand. She memorized the name of the hotel.
“Come back, Mel,” Eli said.
Mel focused on her body. She fell backward into her body and nearly toppled over in the kitchen chair.
Eli caught her. “Whoa there,” he said. “What happened? Where is Bill?”
“At the Hillborrow Inn,” Mel said. She told Eli everything while Papa called Bruce. By the end, they were all grinning at Mel.
“I wish I could have seen the power surge,” Eli said. “Your gifts are astonishing.”
“Thank you,” Mel said sheepishly. “Though I’m not sure I can replicate it.”
“With practice, you can,” Eli said. “Your magic is like a muscle. The more you work it out, the stronger and better you will be.”
“Did you see Jesse?” Nana asked.
“No,” Mel said. “And I don’t remember sensing her either.”
Eli shook his head. “This is getting more and more confusing,” he said. “Why didn’t Bill tell the Master Hunter what happened? He could have gotten reinforcements.”
“Because Bill has too much pride,” Mel said. “He wants to do this all by himself.”
“I left a voicemail on Bruce, Samuel, Daren, Lee, and Viola’s phones. I texted all of them too,” Papa said. “Hopefully, they will all reach a place that has phone service soon so they can see the messages. We don’t want Bill to leave before they get there.”
“You should try to find the Master Hunter,” Eli said to Mel. “You have a sense of the Master Hunter’s energy now. It’s not the best, but it’s all we got.”
Feeling confident, Mel closed her eyes. She tried to remember the voice on the phone. She remembered the person was very sure of themselves.
She tried to search further, but she felt a block. It was as though a large metal wall surrounded the person’s energy. It prevented her from seeing who the person was and where the person was. Mel had never broken a mental barrier before, and she knew this mental barrier was too powerful for her to break. It was done by someone who was skilled. She didn’t know who created it, how it was created, or how strong it was.
She was weary of touching the barrier. It could alert the person to her presence and she knew she didn’t have enough power to get through the wall in one attempt.
She opened her eyes and told Eli what she felt. “I think the Master Hunter is blocked off,” Mel said. “I can’t find out more about the person. Either they know how to close themselves off or they know someone who can do it for them.”
“It sounds like it from what you described. I was afraid of that,” Eli said. “We’ll have to work on strengthening your abilities so you can break through that sort of barrier.” He sighed as he stood. “That’s all we can do for today, I think. It’s up to Bruce and the others to get Bill. As for Jesse, we’ll have to try again a little later. Go to sleep, Mel. You more than deserve a break.”
Mel wanted to object, but at the same time, she was grateful. She knew she did all that she could to help the pack. She also knew Viola could effortlessly take care of Bill. She immediately went upstairs and fell fast asleep.
She went into such a deep exhaustive sleep that she didn’t sense someone coming into the bedroom.
She didn’t sense the person hovering over the bed until the person cocked her fist back as she hovered over Mel.
Mel opened one bleary eye. Initially, Mel didn’t recognize who the person was.
“I was right about you. You are too weak and pathetic to deserve Viola. You couldn’t even sense me sneaking up on you. So much for being worthy. You have pitiful human senses,” Jesse mocked. She struck Mel hard in the head.
Mel’s world went black.
Chapter 28
Jesse threw Mel over her shoulder and jumped out of the same window she had just come in through. She was grateful for her werewolf strength, otherwise she wouldn’t have been able to
carry Mel. It was already awkward because Mel was taller than her. She quickly carried Mel out to her car. Jesse bound Mel’s wrists and ankles and gagged her in case she woke up.
No one was there to notice Jesse because they were all gone in search of the hunter. Fools, she thought.
Jesse drove in silence. She applauded herself for her successful accomplishment of the plan. By the time anyone noticed Mel was gone, Mel would be dead. And by the time they figured out where Mel had been taken, her body will have decomposed.
Jesse hoped Viola would find Mel’s body.
Jesse was grinning from her brilliance. Her body buzzed with adrenaline from her actions. She thought she should travel with Bill and destroy other packs. She remembered more than one bitch from other packs slighting Jesse after Viola broke up with her. She loved the thought of them trying to look their noses down at her as she ripped out their hearts. She was too talented to be stuck in a small-town dump. She glanced in the backseat.
Mel was still unconscious.
There was something invigorating about all of this for Jesse. Soon, Mel would be out of the picture. Jesse wasn’t sure she was even interested in Viola anymore. The hunter’s personality was a seductive tonic to Jesse. He’s very handsome, she thought.
Jesse could have let Mel go, but that would have ruined her fun. Instead of wanting to be with Viola, Jesse just wanted to make Viola suffer. If Jesse wasn’t good enough to be Viola’s mate, then Viola should be alone.
Jesse parked discreetly behind the hotel. She picked Mel up and carried her into the hotel through the back. She went to Bill’s room. She tapped on the door.
Bill opened the door and smiled. “I’m impressed. I didn’t think you’d actually go through with it,” he said as he showed her in.
“I’m someone you can trust,” Jesse said. “I was actually thinking about joining you on your mission.”
Bill’s expression was blank. He wasn’t expecting that. “What about your precious pack?” he asked.
“We still leave them alone because my father and grandparents are there, but all of the other packs are fair game,” Jesse said. While Jesse thought of Samuel as pathetic, she wasn’t comfortable with the idea of Bill killing him. Daddy may be a putz, but he is my putz, she thought. She thought about Cindy’s boys and knew she never wanted any harm to befall them. She also knew better than to mention them to Bill. She didn’t want Bill to view her concern about the children as a weakness.
“Hmm,” Bill said. “It is an interesting proposition. We’ll see if you still feel the same by the end of the ceremony.” His tone showed he didn’t think she would want to stick around.
Jesse rolled her eyes. She knew nothing he did would be any weirder than what she had witnessed with Tish. “Fine,” she said. She carelessly tossed Mel on the bed.
The jolt startled Mel awake. It took everything in Mel to keep her eyes shut. She felt dizzy and nauseous. For a moment, she had no clue where she was. She became aware of Bill’s and Jesse’s energies.
Oh shit, Mel thought.
Mel needed to get out of Hillborrow Inn. She knew Viola and the others would eventually get here, but she didn’t know if they received Papa’s message yet or how far they were away from the Inn. She knew if she just got out of here and hid, she could safely wait for Viola to get to the Inn.
Viola will probably kill Bill and Jesse, Mel thought. The ropes cut into her wrists and ankles. Suddenly, the thought of them dying didn’t bother Mel quite as much.
“Help me prep everything,” Bill said to Jesse. They went to the bathroom.
There was the sound of running water along with odd burning smells. Candles filled the room because the power was still out.
Through the slits of her eyelids, Mel saw candles and a knife lying on the dresser. She wanted to grab it, but with her bound ankles she’d have to hop over to it and that would quickly alert Jesse.
The energy in the hotel room was shifting. The room was becoming charged with energy from whatever they were doing in the bathroom.
He’s going to do some sort of magic, Mel thought. She knew it involved her and knew she didn’t want to find out what role she was supposed to play. I need to escape.
Mel knew she only had one chance. She closed her eyes and tried to focus her energy. Every time she tried to focus, she lost her concentration. Her head was throbbing in pain. She was still too frazzled and too tired. She tried to gather herself, but her mind kept getting off tract.
Tears pressed against her eyelids. This can’t be happening, Mel thought. I’m not meant to die like this, especially when I just found my mate! I’m supposed to get married, have babies, and grow old with Viola. I’m not supposed to be killed in some hotel by two psychos!
Viola, Mel thought. I love you. I wish I had more time to show you how much you mean to me. Her grief from not being able to express all of her love seeped through her pores. It gave her just enough energy and just enough focus to harness it. She pushed the energy on the ropes at her ankles and wrists. She felt them tear without falling off.
Mel was grateful she was lying down, otherwise, she would have collapsed. She couldn’t do another “woo-woo” thing even if she wanted to.
Mel heard Bill and Jesse enter the room again. She kept her heartbeat steady as she cracked her eyes open to look at them. Jesse had her back to Mel.
“Sea salt,” Jesse said in disbelief. “You can get that crap anywhere.”
“It has powerful properties,” Bill said.
“Why doesn’t everyone use it?” she quipped.
“They don’t know how,” Bill said. He walked over to Mel. He had a paste in his bowl. He wiped the paste across Mel’s forehead. “This will keep her from using her gifts on us if she happens to wake up.”
Mel could feel the energy from the paste move across her body. It was as though it was binding her aura down. Bill had been right. Mel couldn’t have used her gifts even if she had the power.
Jesse glanced at Mel. “Gifts huh?” Jesse didn’t seem interested in Bill’s remark. She was satisfied to find Mel was still unconscious. “Do you have everything you need now?”
“Yes,” Bill said.
“Good, let’s kill her,” Jesse said.
“Not yet,” Bill said. He picked up an old knife that looked like it had been carved out of stone. It was covered with symbols Mel didn’t understand. “You see, Mel isn’t just a human. She happens to be a witch who has gifts that are too valuable to simply destroy. These powers must be removed delicately. Otherwise, her powers will go whenever her spirit goes when she dies.”
“A witch?” Jesse asked. She was surprised. “Mel didn’t protect herself like a witch. She must be a weak one.”
Bill side-glanced at Jesse. “What do you know of witches?” he asked.
Jesse appeared offended. “Why shouldn’t I know about witches?” she retorted. “Werewolves can’t be witches?”
“We’ll have to discuss the witches you know at a later date,” Bill said. “As for her, she isn’t aware of what all she can do. Which is good for us.”
“How could she not know?” Jesse asked, astounded.
Bill smirked. “Thank society for her not knowing. Mel’s convinced by society who she is supposed to be. She’s trained by society to deny her abilities. She’s taught that her abilities are evil and should be ignored. She’s taught to be weak. I’m glad Mel isn’t empowered or trained to appreciate her gifts. It makes it so much easier to take them from her,” he said.
“So, what do we do?” Jesse asked.
“First, we need blood,” Bill said. He handed Jesse the knife. “Do you think you can manage slicing her hand? Without killing her?”
Jesse took the knife. She was gleeful about the task. “Gladly,” she said.
Mel knew this was her last chance. She thought about everything Viola had taught her. All of the repetitions they performed together. It felt like all of it had been done to prepare for this one single moment. She prayed she would ma
ke Viola proud.
I love you, Viola, Mel thought.
As Jesse bent down to grab Mel’s wrist, Mel performed the kip. Mel landed on her feet and then she threw a vicious elbow to Jesse’s face. The force of the strike rocked Jesse for half a second. Mel took advantage of the moment to grab the knife and ram it into Jesse’s side.
Jesse cried out in pain.
Mel pushed Jesse into Bill and ran out the door, bloody knife in hand. She ran down the hallway. She knew the only reason she was able to get away was because neither of them had expected it. If Mel got caught, she wouldn’t be able to escape again.
Mel found the stairwell and quickly ran down two flights of stairs. As Mel opened the door to the ground level, she heard the door above slam open. Bill ran down the stairs while Jesse vaulted over the rail and landed gracefully on the ground level.
“I’m going to get you, bitch!” Jesse yelled at Mel.
Mel ran down the hallway and into the lobby. She was flabbergasted to find it empty. Where in the hell is everyone? she wondered.
“Help!” Mel screamed. It came out muffled because of the tape. She ripped it off and yelled again. No one answered.
Mel ran through the lobby and glanced out the front door to find a man having a smoke break while he yelled at someone on his phone. Smokers! Mel thought.
Before Mel could move two more steps, arms grabbed her from behind in a bear hug. She tried to fight off the person. She used the knife and sliced a forearm. Jesse shook Mel and the knife fell out of Mel’s grip.
Mel kept trying to fight off Jesse’s grip. She stomped Jesse’s feet as she elbowed Jesse’s sides and tried to twist away. Jesse hit Mel on the back of the head.
The action stunned Mel. She saw stars.
Immediately, Jesse grabbed Mel again, wrenching her arms behind her back.
Bill grabbed Mel by the face. His nails cut into her cheeks. “I guess I should repay you now,” he said as he stood face to face with Mel. He punched her hard in the gut.
