by Laura Hysell
When you’re around.
Was I gone?
For a while, I commented. It’s weird to think everyone has met you in person except for me.
Some day. Those magicians are at it again, he added. I shivered, feeling the magic emanating from the SUV in front of us. It had grown suddenly in power, making the whole vehicle shimmer with energy.
What are they doing now? I wondered, as the mystical sensations grew stronger with each passing moment.
“The magicians are doing something up there,” I said to John, nodding toward the vehicle as I sat up.
“Something? What do you mean?”
“Can’t you feel it? They’re doing some serious magic up there.”
He shook his head. “I am not attuned to magic like you are. What level of magic would you classify it as?”
I raised an eyebrow and looked at him. What level of magic? Not sure how to answer that question, I shrugged and said, “Well, I’d classify it as Level 14B, working it’s way up to full Level 19F.”
“What? I don’t understand your classification.”
Or my sarcasm, I thought, rolling my eyes. “I don’t know, John. It just feels like it’s getting stronger with each passing minute.”
“Any ideas what they’re doing?”
I shivered as a sudden cold blast of air hit me, knocking the breath from my lungs. What the fuck?
“Isabella?” John asked, his voice tinged with concern.
A second blast hit me, stronger than the first, pressing me against my seat. I struggled for breath, my mouth open like a fish out of water. John slammed on the brakes and pulled the truck over. My eyes followed the SUV as it continued down the road. Slowly, the pressure eased and I was able to breathe again. I shuddered, taking in deep breaths as the magic released me. All the trucks had radios installed, and John was frantically talking into it.
Another blast of magical energy hit me, but this time it was a burning sensation. I yanked the seatbelt off and wrenched the door open, stumbling out of the truck and skinning my knees on the gravel lining the side of the road. Cold magic hit me again, blasting me to the ground. A wave of heat followed it, burning at my skin as I rolled away.
Izzy! Aidan screamed, his voice a panic I had never heard before.
Aidan?
It burns! What are those wizards up to?
Damn. The sensation of sorcery eased up minutely, and I rolled onto my side, panting. John stood over me, hands on hips. “John?” I squeaked out.
“The wizards have ceased their magic,” he replied.
They had? I took a shuddering breath and sat up. My head spun, but he was right, the magic had stopped. “What were they doing?”
“Healing each other.”
“Bullshit,” I murmured.
It took me five minutes before I was able to stand, and by that time the SUV holding the magicians had turned around and stopped beside us. Declan stepped out of the vehicle, his eyes covered by his usual sunglasses once more. The other two men followed him, and they looked completely healed; their eyes normal once more. If they had been healing themselves, as it appeared, why had it affected me?
“Isabella, John says you were injured by our spells,” Declan said softly as he walked toward me. “Fascinating.”
“Fascinating? I don’t find it fascinating at all.”
Neither do I, Aidan added angrily. It felt like I was being ripped apart.
“What were you doing?” I asked.
“A healing magic. It should have only affected the three of us. Perhaps…” he stopped, glancing back at the other two men.
“Perhaps what?” John asked, his voice holding an edge of menace I knew and feared.
Declan looked back at John briefly before returning his attention to me. “We have been tampering with the enchantments around you and that knife quite a bit lately. We may have inadvertently created another connection.”
“Are you kidding me? So I’m connected to you three now?”
He shook his head, “Oh, no, not us. We were trying to separate you and Aidan by using another blade. I believe the proximity may have caused some problems.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, hoping to calm the growing anxiety. “What the fuck have you been playing at now?” I asked. Obviously those calming exercises weren’t working. All I wanted to do was rip Declan’s head off.
Declan motioned behind him, and Brody stepped forward. His bright red hair blew in the wind, but my hands were drawn to the rather large curved dagger in his hands. He made a motion with his hands, and the blade separated, becoming two twin daggers. I stepped forward, reaching a hand out to touch them. Declan grabbed my wrist before I had, but I could feel the magic in the blades calling to me. The knife on my side pulsed gently in recognition. “What have you done?” I asked, letting my hand fall back to my side.
“You feel it, don’t you?” Brody asked, pulling the knives away from me. “The blades call to you.”
I nodded, unable to tear my eyes away. The knife on my side sang to the twin blades, reverberating a song of magic and harmony. “Where did you get them?” I asked finally. “I thought they were all destroyed, missing, or too dangerous to use.”
“They were,” Declan replied, a self-satisfied smile on his lips. “These are old, but they were not used in the ritual.”
“So why do they feel the same?”
“Because we recreated some of the magic,” Ivan said. I glanced at the shorter man, who was grinning widely. He seemed extremely proud of himself too. “And with the way these are reacting to you, I think we may have solved your problem.”
“My problem?”
“The dilemma of you and Aidan sharing the one blade,” Declan said, cutting off the younger man. “With a new set of blades, we hope to direct the spell attached to Aidan into these new blades.”
“When were you going to tell us about this new plan?”
Delcan shrugged slightly, but otherwise ignored my question. “We should continue. Tonight, if you wish, we can seek to separate this enchantment properly.”
“What will that mean? Separating us, I mean.”
“If done properly, you and Aidan will both be attached to separate blades. We can’t break the spell completely, but Aidan should be able to retain his human form permanently. I am confident this will work,” Declan added.
“You were pretty confident last time too.”
I don’t trust them, but we can’t pass up the chance, Aidan said eagerly.
“The danger to you is minimal,” Declan continued. “The danger to your Irish friend is a bit more. If we fail, he may not become human again. Ever.”
I’ll take the chance.
Aidan.
No, we’re not debating this any further. If you were in my place, you’d do the same.
“We need to get back on the road,” John said, interrupting any further conversation. “We’ll discuss this more when we stop. For now, no more magic though.”
“Of course,” Declan replied, turning away.
We returned to our vehicles and continued the drive in silence. The wizards remained true to their word, and no more magic came from their vehicle. We stopped for the night in a circle of trucks off an unused side road and set up tents. The air was cool, but we only lit small stoves for cooking. I shivered in my coat, staring up at the stars flickering brightly. We were far from civilization, somewhere northeast of Boise. Mark had already met with the Idaho Pack, and a few new supply vehicles had joined our group. I had thought there would be a big meeting, full of werewolves, but that part had happened without us. The next leg of the trip would pass through Montana and Wyoming, where we’d meet Vanessa’s old Pack. That meeting, I was told, would be a formal affair involving all western and northern wolves, as well as the Canadian wolves. The southern packs would meet us separately outside Petrivian’s secret entrance near the base of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. The eastern packs would meet us there as well, and serve as backup since thei
r numbers were far fewer. I had been surprised to learn that the Pacific Northwest held the largest congregation of werewolf packs in the nation. It had to do mostly with the vast open wilderness. Wolves like to run.
The scent of Mark drifted to me on the gentle breeze, putting a smile on my lips. He walked into view a few minutes later, looking tired and worn. “Well, hello there beautiful,” he teased as he dropped down beside me and planted a tender kiss on my lips. “It is so good to see you.”
I smiled and scooted in close beside him. He wore nothing but a pair of shorts, but he seemed unaffected by the cold night air. “How was your trip?” I asked softly.
He chuckled and picked me up, settling me on his lap with his arms wrapped tight around my waist. He trailed a stream of kisses across the back of my neck before he spoke. “Long,” he finally said with a sigh. “At least we can run in a mostly straight line, but avoiding civilization sometimes makes things difficult. Jed and the twins are almost here. They met with Henri and the plan is a go. He was pissed you and I weren’t there, though.”
I laughed and shook my head, my hair spilling out around us. “Oh, bummer for him.”
Mark grinned and kissed me again. “Bummer indeed. How was your drive?”
“Mostly boring.”
“Mostly? Except for the little bit of magic,” he surmised.
“Yeah, except for that,” I replied. I wriggled around so I could look at him. “Aidan wants to try whatever spell these guys have cooked up.”
“Do you blame him? He’s tasted life as a man once more. He doesn’t want to give that up.”
“This doesn’t seem like the best time to play magical games though.”
He shook his head. “It never will be.”
I frowned and ran a finger through his thick brown hair. “Aren’t you worried?”
He smiled and grabbed my hand, kissing the fingertips gently. “I’m always worried, but those men are the only ones who can fix things. We have to trust them.”
“Isabella?” Declan said as he walked toward us. Ivan and Brody were close behind him, carrying books, candles, and the new daggers. My eyes latched onto the blades, feeling their song echoing in the knife on my side.
“Oh, let’s get this over with,” I said as I disentangled myself from Mark and stood up.
“You’ll need to become a wolf,” Delcan said.
I raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Why?”
“To bring Aidan out, of course,” Brody said. “It’s the only way to link him to the blades.”
“Right. Of course.” I glanced back at Mark, then at the three magicians. “You’ll have to give me a few minutes. Is there anything else I need to know before we begin?”
“I need both you and Aidan for this spell. We’ll set up over there,” he added, indicating an open area behind him. “Meet us there when you’re ready.”
As soon as they were out of hearing range I turned to Mark. “I’m not really good at turning into a wolf on command,” I commented.
Mark smiled knowingly but didn’t say anything as I walked a few feet away and quickly undressed. The cold air prickled my skin as I carefully folded my clothes in a pile. I took a deep breath, then slowly released it. I repeated this action again, slowly releasing the tension in my shoulders and back. The wind stirred, but I ignored it as I called to my wolf. She was waiting anxiously for me, as though she knew I wanted to trade places with her. I smiled and embraced her, letting the magic flow across me. Vanessa had taught me this technique, stating that women were better at embracing their inner wolf than men were. Men tended to need strong emotions, usually anger or fear, in order to change. This was especially true with newer wolves. My inner wolf growled at me, and I smiled. As usual, I was over-thinking things. I released all emotions and fully succumbed to the wolf half of me.
Magic stormed through my body, and I cried out as it ripped me to shreds. No matter how much I embraced the change, it still hurt. My body realigned, shifting and changing. Fur coated my skin, bones broke and re-formed, and within minutes I was no longer in human form. I opened my eyes and looked out at the world from my wolf form. The first thing I saw was a pair of naked, hairy legs standing before me. I stepped forward and sniffed, taking in the strangely familiar scent. A hand touched my head tentatively and I relaxed into the gentle touch.
“Wow,” Aidan said softly as he continued to caress my fur.
The magician awaits, Mark’s voice drifted to my mind.
I followed the scent of Mark as he led me toward the awaiting magicians. Each time I became a wolf I retained more of my human self. This time more than any other time, I felt completely at ease. I would remember this, I knew.
The magicians were indeed waiting for us within a circle of candles. The light glowed eerily to my wolf eyes. I settled back on my haunches as Declan stepped forward with a very familiar candle in his hands. This was the candle that wouldn’t go out. He set the candle before me then stepped away, pulling Aidan with him. The tall man sat down opposite me on the ground and placed the familiar dagger between us, unsheathed. Brody stepped forward and set the new blades on the ground as well.
The chanting began quickly. I sat still, waiting and watching as magic filled the air. The three magicians moved around us, thickening the air with energy. Wind ruffled my fur and Aidan’s hair, but the candles never flickered. I watched and waited, listening to their confident voices.
Declan stopped before me and picked up my dagger, slicing across my chest before I could react. A growl rose from my lips, but I held my wolf in check despite the desire to rip his throat out. Declan set the dagger down and continued his chanting as he moved in front of Aidan. He picked up the two daggers, holding them together as one, and sliced across Aidan’s chest. Blood bloomed brightly across his pale skin. Declan set down the knives and moved onward, his chanting growing louder as he moved outside the circle of candles.
The three wizards continued their strange chants as the spell thickened, choking the air with its stifling heat. A cold breeze blew suddenly as the magicians stopped their chants. Darkness descended as the candles snuffed out one by one. I sniffed the air, trying to get a sense of what had happened. The magicians smelled excited and I looked around, wondering if anything seemed different. I could sense no change, but that wasn’t surprising. My wolf form wasn’t as attuned to sorcery as my human form was.
Declan wants you to become human again, Mark said.
I moved away from the magicians until I found Mark. Going from human to wolf was one thing, but changing back into human form after such a short time was much more difficult. Mark brushed a hand across my fur, and a different type of sorcery caressed my skin. I shivered, feeling the magic of the Pack. I had felt a similar sensation around Jed, but never from Mark before. This magic called to me, pulling me back from my wolf form. His hand touched me again, sending waves of Pack magic through my body. I embraced the sensation, letting it pull to me as I began to re-form. The pain was less intense this time as thick gray fur receded, showing pale skin once more. Bones shifted back, moving and adjusting. I screamed as the last of the change took hold, thrusting me back into my body once more.
Mark’s arms wrapped around me as I collapsed in exhaustion. Sweat coated my skin from the quick changes, and my stomach growled, but these things were low priority right now. I grabbed onto Mark as I climbed to my feet. He held me tight until I was steady. I turned back toward the circle of magicians, my eyes seeking out one thing.
The three magicians stood off to one side, their eyes on the man in the center of the candle circle. He sat on the ground, head bowed, with his hands pressed into the dirt. I stepped forward and stopped, feeling a throbbing sensation on my thigh. My dagger. I reached a hand down, caressing the familiar blade, which was magically back on my thigh.
Izzy?
I stopped and looked at the tall tattooed man before me, taking in his broad shoulders and muscular build. His sandy brown hair was unruly as though it wouldn’t lay fla
t. He tipped his head up and smiled at me, flashing me his signature look.
Aidan?
He laughed suddenly, the sound echoing strangely in my mind even as I heard him out loud. “Well, well, well,” he murmured as he stood up, taking the matching daggers with him. He flipped the blades around, getting a feel for them before pressing them together to hold in one hand.
“Nice to meet you in the flesh,” I said, grinning widely.
“Tis a wonderful thing,” he agreed, his Irish lilt thick. He took two quick steps before wrapping his arms around me in a fierce hug, careful of the sharp blades he held. He released me after a moment then eyed me up and down. “I know your mind better than most. I wouldn’t be opposed to knowing your body just as well.”
“Watch it,” Mark growled, but I could hear the playfulness in both of their voices.
I grinned and smacked Aidan playfully on the chest. “I’m gonna get dressed now,” I said pointedly.
Aidan smiled and nodded, his eyes going to Mark. “Do you have anything for me to wear, or shall I wander about naked?”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Aidan and I squeezed into the truck with John for the remainder of the journey. Aidan had a thousand questions, and I was deemed the best person to answer them. Mark had loaned him some clothes, since he was the closest in height. It was strange sitting beside Aidan but smelling Mark’s clothes. We hadn’t told anyone about our continued ability to hear each other’s thoughts. I think both of us thought it better not to push our luck where magic was concerned.
The magicians, Declan in particular, were all very proud of themselves for their spell. It appeared to have worked well. Aidan and I were both human, each with our own magical knife. Two blades for Aidan, in fact. He seemed particularly happy about the fact he now had two daggers, and I found him caressing them occasionally. That didn’t surprise me, really. I found myself often touching the hilt of my blade. It was strangely reassuring.
