Falling Hard

by Shelly Bell

  It finally opened, saving Mitch from the most uncomfortable discussion. He hadn’t wanted Aurora to know she’d almost made him shift. Extremes. Those were what he couldn’t control. Extreme anger, extreme emotional disturbances, and apparently, extreme longing could all make him change into a hulking wolf. She was a combination of the last two.

  “Oh, shit. What did I tell the both of you? Get in here,” Zee said. She was a fireball. Stepping aside, she let the pair into her home. The moment anyone walked inside and up the couple of flights of stairs littered with shoes, the magic crawled all over their skin. Normally, Mitch liked coming by her place, but that morning, she would ruin it.

  “Zee, I’m sorry. I got held up,” Mitch started out apologizing as he walked into her flat, releasing Aurora’s hands so she could follow him.

  Mitch stepped inside her apartment and took a seat on one of the bar stools near the kitchen counter.

  “I know exactly what held you up. Look at the both of you. Practically glowing. Aurora, look at your eyes. I told you. I told you not to do this. And now . . .” Zee stomped around the room, her lithe body making an unbelievable amount of noise on the wooden floor.

  Aurora pulled her jacket off and took a seat on the purple couch in the living room. It was all one big room, really. “Hazel, we didn’t mean for this to happen. And we can worry about the consequences later. For now, you have to help. Mitch almost shifted a little while ago,” she blurted out.

  Aurora’s face was twisted in concern, her eyes welling with tears. Mitch had no idea why she seemed on the brink of a breakdown.

  “What? Where were you? What were you doing?” Zee’s question hung in the air for a few moments. Neither Aurora nor Mitch responded. Zee stood in the middle of both of them, hands on her hips. “Oh, Blessed Mother. Do you realize what this means?” Zee paused, running her hands through her hair, which was uncharacteristically out of her normal ponytail. “How did you stop the shift, Mitch?”

  Mitch twisted uncomfortably on his stool. Imprinting was something that had seemed so far off. He was still young and wild. “I didn’t,” he murmured.

  “Well, what happened?” Zee demanded, sounding just like a mother hen.

  “I talked him through it,” Aurora piped in. “He started the change and I . . . sensed it. I asked him not to shift and he didn’t.”

  “Aurora, this is all very sweet, and it will make a great story to tell the grandchildren, but the seekers will find out about you both. Not to mention your father, and, honey, I don’t even want to think about those consequences. This is very bad.” Zee took a seat on the couch with a loud sigh, her hands in her hair.

  “We’re willing to face the consequences, Zee. If she can talk me out of shifting, then she’s imprinted on me.”

  “You think it’s you? What if it’s her?” Zee’s voice was near a squeal.

  “What if it’s both of us? I don’t know. We’ll get through it,” Mitch’s voice came out closer to a growl.

  “I would believe that if we were older and had more control over our powers. But right now, we don’t.”

  “I think the imprinting is the least of our worries right now. It scares me too, but there’s no way out of an imprint. We’ll have to figure out a way to stay safe. What if we put a stronger spell on the bridge?” Aurora asked. She cringed and shifted to face Zee on the loveseat.

  “I don’t want to. That takes me a little closer to black magic than I want to be, and even if we did . . . it’s just the bridge. The Seekers have so many resources at their disposal. We can’t keep them out. I can’t keep them out,” she said, exasperated.

  “Then we’ll fight them if they come. I have to be honest with you, I’m more worried about her father,” Mitch replied.

  Both Zee and Aurora sat up to look at him. “Oh, honey, you don’t know the half of it. We’d better get busy. Mitch, I made you a potion to try. It’ll help you control yourself, but not in anger. I’ll have to keep working on that. And Aurora, we’ll have to deal with your father later tonight.”

  “Whoa. Wait a minute. What does she mean, ‘deal with your father,’ Rory?”

  Aurora rolled her eyes at Zee, clearly indicating Mitch wasn’t supposed to know. “I was going to tell you. Hazel and I made this plan before . . . well, before everything happened.”

  “Everything . . . with me? Even if I didn’t know you, Rory, I would help you with something like this. That’s just the type of person I am. I can’t believe neither of you mentioned this earlier. What’s the plan?”

  “Mitch, it was my idea to keep it from everyone and that’s what we’re going to do. We aren’t telling you the plan. It’s too dangerous. Alchoe isn’t a Seeker, he’s a demon. A very powerful one. Need I remind you that demons can kill wolves? And witches. And other demons. We can’t risk you being there.” Zee stood as she said it.

  “Zee, I don’t know where you get off, but let me explain something to you. You’re like a sister to me, and if I’ve really imprinted on Rory, you know what that makes her. I’m not staying home and twiddling my thumbs while you two go out and battle a fucking demon. You can chill with that shit. Tell me what happens next.” Mitch knew his blood pressure was rising higher from the tightening in his fingers.

  “Mitch, naturally I was worried about involving you because I know what kind of person you are. I know you would want to help me with my father,” Aurora said. She walked towards him and rested her head on his shoulder.

  Zee stood in front of the couch, not moving. She was thinking, a calculating look in her eyes.

  “Okay, so tell me the plan then,” Mitch demanded.

  “All right, Mitch. One thing at a time,” Zee chimed in. “I need to get your potion. I have one last ingredient to add and then we’ll work on Rory’s father. Deal?”

  “All right, cool,” Mitch said.

  Aurora took a seat next to Mitch on the bar stools while Zee went into her closet of secrets and came back out with a glowing purple drink.

  “Why is it purple?” Mitch asked.

  “That’s just food coloring. It adds to the effect,” she said with a giggle. “A little witch humor.” She set the glass on the counter before reaching into one of the overhead cabinets in her small kitchen. The inlet vibrated beneath Mitch’s hands from the potion. Zee was really good at making potions. She would have gotten an A in it if there were witch courses at Hayvenwood. Well, maybe a B since she’d turned him into half a Big Foot once.

  The brown apothecary bottle she extracted looked menacing. When she poured a drop in and began to swirl the mixture inside the glass, there was no smoke or sparks. It just swirled, changing the color to a hazy pink.

  Zee sat the glass down on the counter once again and extended her hand in a welcoming fashion.

  “Drink up,” she said.

  Aurora stiffened beside him and leaned forward.

  Mitch pulled the glass toward him and downed the drink, the sweet flavor of grapes and pineapple easing his apprehension. The last potion had tasted like a mix of turpentine and tequila.

  “That wasn’t bad,” he said when he was done. He gently sat the glass back on the counter.

  “I’m getting better at flavors, too.” Zee smiled. “Why don’t you lay down on the sofa for a second? There’s a little bit of a kick.”

  “Yeah, the last one tasted like gasoline. All right. Come lay down with me, Rory,” Mitch said.

  “Well, stop drinking gas then, Mitch,” Zee sniped. Another thing she was good at.

  Instead of following, Aurora remained at the counter. Her eyes had changed. They were glowing that magnificent silver.

  The lower half of Mitch’s body felt lead heavy as he stood and stared at Aurora. When his head swam, he couldn’t focus on her anymore. While Zee’s apartment was tiny, the distance between the kitchen and the couch suddenly seemed like a mile. Taking another step, Mitch lost his balance and needed to use the coffee table for leverage. He bent down, just two more steps and he’d be on the couch.
Zee . . . had she?

  “You drugged me.” Mitch managed to get the words out even though he couldn’t concentrate on any one thing. He collapsed onto the couch, fighting to hold his eyes open. His last vision was of Aurora. She was yelling, but he couldn’t hear the words. And Zee was standing there, eyes on Mitch.

  Yup, she drugged me.

  Chapter 14

  “Why did you do that, Hazel?” Aurora had been sitting with him on the couch as he fitfully gave in to the magical beverage he’d ingested. She held his hand and stroked his head as he lost his battle with Hazel’s powerful potion.

  He was a good person. Too good. She hadn’t stopped him from drinking the potion even when everything inside her had told her to.

  There was nothing about Hazel’s actions that were devious. She didn’t want Mitch to be hurt. The overarching concern had been to protect him and there was no way to ensure he wouldn’t have been killed someone if he accompanied them to the bridge.

  “You know the risks, Aurora. We have to focus. This is so dangerous. Come over here and sit down. Mitch will forgive us. I promise. We need to get prepared for tonight,” she said.

  “How do you know? You gonna drug him into loving me again?” Aurora felt the lump in her throat growing with each word.

  “No. I won’t. We’ll tell him the truth. Getting rid of your father won’t be the last of our troubles. There are hunters and seekers and a bunch of other shit to rally against. This is just the first battle. And Mitch’ll live to fight another day. Right now, time is wasting. Unless you’ve changing your mind on me. You’ll need to call your father here, and deal with him. Or, are you ready to walk into Hades and give him up forever?”

  Aurora leaned down to him on the deep purple couch and lightly kissed him on the forehead. “Yeah, I’m coming.” Aurora straightened and headed back to the bar stool she’d been sitting on. “I don’t really have to call him. He’s always present. Silently stalking me. I’m the one that got away,” she said, referencing her other siblings who would undoubtedly slit her throat just as soon as give her a hug.

  “That’s kind of a good thing. I found one of my grandmother’s passages in the Book of Mourning. It’s a spell that weakens supernatural beings when you love them. Whether you know it or not, you do love you father, and that makes him even stronger. His powers will have a greater effect on you if there’s love in the mix.”

  “I do love him. But not enough to give up my life.”

  “It’s okay. I mean, parents are the reason we’re here, so I understand the conflict you’re feeling. More than you know. Once he materializes on the bridge, he’ll be expecting you to go willingly. I need to chant this over and over. You’ll have to fight until he begins to weaken. As the spell crests, you’ll stab him,” she said.

  “In his heart?”

  “Aurora, demons don’t really have hearts. They don’t need a soul to survive like humans. You can stab him anywhere, but for good measure, I wouldn’t aim for his toe or some random appendage. Get him in his head, chest, or stomach.”

  “Got it,” Aurora agreed. “Can I do it with anything? A stick or a butcher’s knife?” she asked. It was only half a joke. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t muster a smile. As evil as he was, no one really wanted to kill their father. At least, no sane person and despite Aurora’s demon half, her humanity nagged at her to do the right things. Killing could not be considered right in any way.

  Fear ripped through her. Finality hovered in the air. Aurora tried to discern whether it would be her or her father’s final battle. There was no clarity in her perception.

  “No. If it were that easy, there wouldn’t be any demons. The seekers use Ruby’s Knife.”

  “Who’s Ruby?”

  “Not who. It’s a thing. The blade must be hollow with a serrated edge. It has to be made of silver and the handle wrapped in some kind of material that will absorb electrical charges to protect the human who uses it. I made one for us. Then I enchanted it for extra protection,” she said. Hazel walked back into her pantry, the rustling sounds alerting Aurora that she was looking for something hidden in a secret place. “Got it. You have to make these, so I bought the blade from the army surplus store and the handle is made of animal bone and filled with Spanish moss.” Hazel stood in front of her with an object wrapped in white muslin cloth.

  Aurora held her hand out to move the cloth away. Pulling her hand back, she looked at Hazel first.

  “It’s okay. You’re half human. It won’t hurt you,” she responded as if she were the one with deepened sensory perception.

  “Okay,” she said. Taking a deep breath, she removed the flap and saw the most beautiful knife. It sparkled in the sunlight that poured into Hazel’s apartment.

  “If you hold it, it’ll take on your personality. That’s the reason they’re so dangerous. It can be used for both good and evil. In your case, since you have the power to be both, you’ll have to make a conscious choice to be good in order to kill your father. If not, you’ll hesitate. And hesitation has only one outcome for you. You understand, Aurora?”

  “Yeah. I do. I guess we’ll find out tonight, won’t we?”

  “That we will. We need to get Mitch back to his condo,” Hazel acknowledged. “This place is too close to the bridge. If he wakes up, he could easily find us. With his nose, he’d sniff us out in a matter of minutes. And demons leave a powerful aroma.”

  “I guess you’re right.”

  “I know I’m right. He should be out long enough for us to get this done. When he wakes up, he’ll come looking for us. When he gets there, it’ll all be over and we’ll explain everything. It’ll work like a charm.”

  “Says the witch who owns the charm.” Aurora didn’t even try to camouflage the sarcasm in her voice.

  “Listen, it’s going to be fine. Mitch is reasonable and he’ll know that this was super dangerous. We can’t have everyone around us while this happens. Tonight is perfect because the Keys’ concert is going on and everyone will be there. Stop worrying. You’ll need to focus all your energy. Help me pack my bag. We only have a few hours to get Mitch home and make it to the bridge.”

  “How are we going to get him in and past his roommates?” Aurora hadn’t thought of that before. The thought made her nervous. She’d seen the group he hung out with. They were overly protective.

  “He’ll walk in. The spell on Mitch is extremely vulnerable to suggestion. We can tell him to walk into his house and go straight to his bedroom, and he will. All we have to do is rouse him a little before we say it, and he’ll do as we command.”

  “Glad he’s with us and not someone who means him harm, I guess.”

  “Nothing will happen to him. We’re keeping him here until it’s time to leave.”

  “Hazel, I don’t know what I would do if anything happened to him.”

  Hazel looked up from wrapping the knife back up and sliding it into a plastic shopping bag. “I know.” She stepped from behind the counter and wrapped her arms around Aurora’s shoulders. “I know you’d fight to protect him from anyone. Even me. And you can’t even help it anymore. I had to do this. Since you’ve imprinted on one another, there’s nothing but magic to keep you apart if one of you is scared or in trouble. This is for both your sakes.”

  “I know, Hazel. Let’s just get this shit over with.”

  Aurora pulled away from Hazel and turned back to look at the man who’d captured her heart in such a short time. Mitch was the reason she wanted to defeat her father more than anything. For the first time in her life, there was someone other than herself at stake. For the first time, she loved someone she had no reason to. And she would fight to defend her new love with her very last breath.

  Chapter 15

  Mitch woke up in a dark room with something important on his mind he couldn’t remember. Someone was knocking on his bedroom door.

  “Come in. What’s up?” Mitch responded.

  “Hey, cuz. You good in here? Why is it so dark? You’re no
t rubbing one out, are you?” Blake asked with a snort at his own dick joke.

  “Get the fuck outta here with that, dude. What’s up? I’m not in the mood for your shit today.” Mitch was sitting up on the bed, but didn’t reach to turn on the light. His head pounded violently.

  “Shit, bro, I’m just joking. Wanna talk about it?”

  “Not at all,” Mitch responded, unsure of what he would have talked about. Aurora emblazoned a streak across his mind. Where the fuck was she?

  “The only thing that could be fucking with you after sleeping all day is a woman. Who is it? That nerdy waitress? I could tell you had the hots for her.”

  “Zee is my friend, man.”

  Blake took a seat on Mitch’s bed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He tried to look thoughtful. It ended up a little smug. As usual.

  “So, it’s somebody else, huh? Well, you know my philosophy. You need to hit the heavy bag. A few hours in the gym and you’ll forget all about this chick.”

  “Did you forget what you needed from me?” Mitch didn’t want to travel any further down the trip to crazyville. Blake was a lunk. A very, very rich man, but a lunk nonetheless.

  “Oh, nah. I wanted to know if you guys could make yourselves scarce this evening. I’m bringing a girl over to . . .”

  “Man, yeah. Whatever. Just close the door behind you.”

  “All right. Shit, I know when I’m not wanted. You want me to leave a pair of your panties on the doorknob so everyone knows you’re PMSing?”

  “Get the fuck out, asshole.”

  “Deuces, you little pussy.”

  While Blake didn’t mean any harm, Mitch was strongly contemplating kicking his ass.

  Mitch leaned back onto the bed and rolled over. With nothing else to look at, he stared at the champagne walls in the dark room.

  The words ‘you little pussy’ echoed in his head. There was something he was unsure about. Who had he seen earlier and what had happened to the day? He was supposed to be heading over to Zee’s. He’d seen Aurora. No, he and Aurora had made love and he . . . had he shifted? His muscles were distended and achy, like he’d shifted earlier in the day.