Bewitching the Beast

by Tamara Hughes

  “I’m going to reach out to nature now. Leave me alone.” Unfortunately, all she could sense was Ethan’s earnest stare.

  The steel door creaked open. Her mother stepped through the doorway, bundled in her long winter coat.

  “How’s it going out here?” she asked.

  Tess met Ethan’s gaze and looked away. “Super.”

  “Good.” Her mother sat next to her. “Tell me what you sense.”

  “Not a whole lot of anything natural.” Tess concentrated, blocking Ethan from her mind. “The usual—car motors, a siren, an airplane, no nature.”

  “Not true. The nature around you is different than back home, but it’s life nonetheless, the steady hum of the world. Here, take my hands.”

  Tess took off her mittens and reached out. The moment she touched her mother’s warm palms, energy flowed between them.

  Judging by her mother’s sharp inhale, she felt it too. “There’s a power within you,” she murmured.

  “Because of you and Gram?”

  “No. I’ve never felt anything like it before.”

  “Not with Faith?” Tess bit her lip. She hadn’t meant to say that.

  Her mother looked her in the eye. “No, not with Faith either.”

  “Ethan said I used some sort of power in my fingertips to stop The Beast’s control. Is that possible?”

  “I suppose so, although I’m not familiar with that kind of magic.” Her eyes closed. “Let’s begin. Pay attention. What do you feel?”

  “Mostly my butt frozen to this bench.”

  “Tess,” her mother warned.

  “Fine. The air is cold, and I feel a light wind.”

  “Good. What else?”

  Tess took a deep breath, allowing her mother’s touch to amplify her senses. A soft crackling and popping sound. “I hear ice tightening.” Energy seemed to swirl around her like a snowstorm building up strength. “I feel the slats of wood beneath me, solid and strong. And beneath my feet, concrete, but lower still, life, people inside their apartments cooking dinner, sleeping, making love.” Their movements currents in an energy stream.

  And through it all, a power much greater than her own. Warm air cocooned Tess, comforting, soothing. A voice seeped into her mind. Gram.

  ~ ~ ~

  Ethan watched in awe as the pendant around Tess’s neck glowed. At first he thought the shine was from the full moon, until it grew brighter, almost blinding.

  Mrs. Edwards opened her eyes wide and straightened her back, without breaking contact with Tess. “What’s happening?”

  “It’s Gram.” Tess sighed, excitement brightening her face. “She’s telling me things . . . so many things.”

  A prickle of unease raised the hairs on the nape of Ethan’s neck, just like when they’d left the grocery store. One more reason why he’d wanted to join Tess on the roof. He scanned the park but saw no one.

  “What things, Tess?” Her mother’s eyes reflected doubt.

  Tess’s excitement dimmed. “She says danger is close.”

  The odd prickling intensified, and The Beast rumbled a warning inside Ethan’s head. His pulse picking up, he stepped toward the bench. “We should go inside.”

  The pendant around Tess’s neck hung suspended a few inches above her chest. In the glow of the stone, her face took on an ethereal quality. “Spells. Gram is trying to prepare me,” Tess whispered, her voice thready. Her shoulders relaxed, and her head lolled forward.

  Ethan took a step toward her, ready to snatch her up and head inside.

  Mrs. Edwards shook her head. “Don’t interfere.”

  The Beast hissed, and in a blink, Mrs. Edward’s aura became a visible white radiance. Next to her, Tess’s slightly dimmer glow drew him. Son of a bitch! He was changing again. Alarm jolted through him. He shielded his eyes from Mrs. Edward’s view and caught sight of a movement around the corner of the brick building. All his senses elevated to full alert.

  His first instinct was to grab Tess and run. The hell with what Mrs. Edwards wanted. But a compelling urge to follow the movement propelled his feet toward the building’s corner. His will to protect Tess battled with the inexplicable impulse to meet this unknown threat head-on. Ethan sucked in calming breaths, his nerves taut.

  Glancing at Tess, slumped over in her seat, he rounded the corner. Obscured by shadow, a figure stood near the fire escape. Like his own, the man’s aura didn’t register.

  The Beast inside Ethan growled, the sound more like a greeting than menacing, and the man jumped over the building’s side. Ethan rushed to the edge in time to see him land on his feet in the alley below and look up. What the . . .?

  Even from this distance, Ethan could see the green glimmer of his eyes. Dammit. Another beast. Just what he needed.

  Energy pulsed through Ethan’s legs, forcing him to step onto the building’s edge. His heart leapt to his throat. “Hell no.” He tried to step back, but The Beast snarled, and Ethan’s legs sprang into action, jumping off the ledge to the pavement below. Shit! As his feet neared the ground, his hand shot out, his palm spread wide, and heat radiated up his arm. A blast of energy from his palm and the pavement absorbed his impact like rubber, flexing and bouncing back into shape.

  He swayed but held his footing, his breaths a shaky mess. By sheer will he kept his wits and scanned the alley for a sign of the creature he’d followed. Although he couldn’t see him in the dark shadows, those shining green eyes were hard to miss.

  The Beast inside him rumbled low, and the creature in the shadows answered in a language Ethan didn’t understand. Was this second beast the one destined to fight Tess? More foreign words broke the silence. The creature’s voice rose, more adamant than before, and The Beast responded with a dark hiss.

  Ethan tried to step back. He needed to return to the roof and protect Tess. His legs wouldn’t move. The Beast bellowed low from within Ethan’s chest, an angry snarl that echoed into the night.

  A dragon imprint glowed red on the creature’s palm from the shadows, and panic coiled around his throat. Ethan’s muscles rippled with energy as The Beast fought to move. Apparently, Ethan’s body had a new master. Ethan gritted his teeth as the opposing forces threatened to tear him apart. “What are you telling him?” he shouted.

  “The truth.” The creature’s voice gave Ethan the creeps, human yet gravelly as hell.

  “Who are you?” Ethan fired back.

  “You know who I am.”

  It couldn’t be, but the voice . . . unmistakable. “What’s your name?”

  “My human’s name is Kade Rennick.”

  “You’re the one who turned me.”

  “Yes,” Kade hissed.

  Resentment boiled up within him, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. “Why?”

  “You were meant to be one of us.”

  The horror of those words sank deep. “Never.” It couldn’t be true. It couldn’t.

  Kade stared up at the rooftop. He crouched low as if ready to jump, and Ethan’s protective instincts took over.

  “I wouldn’t go up there if I were you.” Despite his steely tone, his mind raced. Think, dammit. He couldn’t let that thing get its hands on Tess.

  Those green eyes turned to him.

  “They’ll kill you.” Ethan smirked. “Can’t you feel the power of their magic?”

  “The one inside you is safe enough with the witches.”

  “They trust me.”

  Kade straightened from his crouch and stepped into the deepening shadows. “Then you must kill the girl.”

  Ethan stiffened. “Why? What is she to you?”

  “She’s a threat to us,” Kade growled.

  “What do you mean a threat to us? What are you?”

  “Her magic is strong. S
he must be eliminated before she comes to understand her full power. Kill her,” Kade commanded, his eyes flaring bright.

  A roar erupted from within Ethan as he sensed an invisible force pressing in on his skull. Mind control. No! He had to fight it, but how?

  He let out a breath. His thoughts didn’t shift. He still controlled his mind. Why? Did the beast inside him prevent the other beast from taking over? Didn’t matter. He wouldn’t question a miracle.

  “Why are you telling me to kill her?” Ethan asked, his tone confident. “Wouldn’t your buddy inside me get the job done better?”

  Kade scowled. “I’ve already warned him, and he refuses to obey. He’ll never kill his mate.”

  “His what?” Ethan almost shouted. “Why would he need a mate? You infect people to reproduce.”

  “Kill her, or I will kill you both.”

  “You won’t hurt me. You’d be destroying one of your own.”

  “I’ll do what must be done.” Kade’s palm pulsed. “The one inside you is young and foolish. He believes he acts for the common good, but he overestimates his power and doesn’t think to the future.”

  Ethan struggled against Kade’s invisible bonds. “Go ahead, kill me. I’m as good as dead anyway once this thing inside takes control.” Shooting pain engulfed him as if barbs pierced his skin from the inside out.

  “I’ll make your last moments your worst.”

  Ethan clenched his teeth. Kade would kill him without a second thought. Worse, he would murder Tess when he was done.

  “I’ll do it.” Ethan bit out each word, and The Beast within him snarled.

  “Wise choice.” As the glow dimmed from Kade’s hand, the pain in Ethan’s body eased. “Do it soon.” In one deft movement, Kade jumped over a chain-link fence and disappeared.

  No longer under Kade’s control, Ethan tested his muscles, moving his arms and neck. At least he and The Beast agreed on one thing. They would protect Tess to the end.

  Chapter 11

  The last tendrils of a dream clinging to her consciousness, Tess wrinkled her nose. Coming fully awake, she sniffed. Ugh. Cabbage? She slipped from the warmth of her bed. Still in yesterday’s clothes, she scratched her scalp and trudged toward the open door of her bedroom.

  “I don’t think Tess needs to hear about this other beast,” her mother said from the kitchen.

  “Why not?” Ethan asked.

  Tess stopped in her tracks. Now what was going on?

  A metal pan clattered on the stovetop, and a subtle spicy scent mingled with the smell of boiling cabbage. “She’s already stressed,” her mother insisted. “We need to prepare her for what’s to come, not fixate on this threat.”

  “She has a right to know.”

  “If we can protect her, she’d be better off focused on learning the craft, creating spells to fend off this thing. Tess is fragile right now. She’s lost someone very dear to her, her fiancé.”

  “I know,” Ethan answered, his tone grim.

  Tess stood silent. Typical. More secrets.

  Her mother’s voice lowered. “Ethan, with The Beast, you have a lot of issues to deal with right now.”

  “That’s an understatement,” Ethan grumbled.

  “Exactly. I think it would be best if you ended whatever relationship you have with my daughter before things get out of hand.”

  Silence filled the apartment. Damn you, Mother. This is none of your business. Tess took a step forward.

  “Will you stop pursuing her?” her mother asked.

  Tess held her breath through a pause that lasted way too long. Tell my mother to butt out.

  “I will.”

  Even though she’d known what his answer would be before he’d said a word, Ethan’s response rolled over her like a gravel truck on a county road.

  Glad the two of them had settled her personal business. How nice she didn’t need to dirty her hands with it. She left the bedroom and headed straight for the coffee.

  “Oh, good, you’re awake. I was getting worried.” Her mother dipped a spoon into a pot of boiling liquid. “You should call the gallery to let them know you won’t be in today.”

  “The gallery is closed on Mondays. What’s with the cabbage?” Tess asked.

  Her mother stirred the pot. “It’s for you.”

  “Goody. A power breakfast.” Tess eyed the gingersnaps on a cookie sheet fresh from the oven. Mmm. Ginger and sweet molasses. She reached for one. A wooden spoon handle smacked the back of her hand. “Ouch.”

  Her mother dropped the weapon into the pot. “Those are for later to heighten the power of our magic.”

  “Some cookies.”

  “Ginger has magical properties. It stimulates energy and boosts power.” She waved Tess away. “Now go sit down, and I’ll bring you some cabbage.”

  While her mother searched for a plate, Tess snatched a cookie and slid the adjacent ones closer together to fill the gap. “Hmm, no thanks. Cabbage for breakfast sounds nasty.” Walking away, she took a quick bite, savoring the sweet spice. At the table, she sat across from Ethan, the traitor. The guy who switched teams overnight to join up with the General.

  She glared into Ethan’s eyes. He didn’t even blink. Maybe he always felt the need to get the Mummy’s permission before considering a relationship. The schmuck.

  He tilted his head, his expression curious.

  Let him wonder. She may have had her doubts about starting something with him, or anyone else for that matter, but letting her mother make the final decision. That wasn’t right.

  “I was telling your mother everything I know about The Beast,” he said, his voice low, and grating.

  “Ethan’s going to be extremely helpful to us.” Her mother fished cabbage out of the pot and heaped it onto a plate.

  Great. “So, you two are friends now.” Tess raised her eyebrows and stared into Ethan’s soul.

  He expression turned wary. As it should.

  “You could say that.” Her mother added butter to the leaves, as if it would help.

  “Wow,” Tess muttered. “I get conked out one night, and the world gets turned upside down.”

  “That’s a bit of an exaggeration.” Her mother looked over her shoulder at them. “We’ve simply come to an understanding.”

  Tess studied Ethan, and those lips she’d kissed only yesterday. They’d come to an understanding all right. Grr.

  “What happened when you conked out last night on the roof?” Ethan asked.

  Coffee. Coffee always made things better, didn’t it? Tess hopped up from her chair to get a cup. Her mother had one waiting for her. Damn efficient woman. Taking a long sip, Tess scowled. Nope, coffee made no difference. Still grumpy as hell.

  “Well, are you going to tell us what happened last night?” her mother pressed as she shook salt and pepper onto the stinky veg.

  Tess headed to the table and slouched in her chair. Her stomach grumbled. “It started with Gram talking to me. I could see her face.” Gram looked the same as she always had, her long silver hair coiled up on her head, her light-gray eyes sparkling with kindness. Tess smiled. If spirits wore clothes, Tess was sure Gram would have been wearing one of her signature T-shirts she’d picked up from the Liquidators in Mosinee—Pabst Blue Ribbon or Abbyland sausage emblems had always blazed across her chest.

  Tess’s smile faded. “Gram was worried. She told me danger is coming fast, and there isn’t time for proper training anymore. Then”—she smoothed her fingers over the pendant around her neck—“everything became garbled . . . buzzing, whispering, flashes of images and words. Like I was a broken TV set, clear one second and flipping the next, and yet I understood it all. Gram’s spells, notes from her book—it’s all in my head.”

  A healthy serving of boiled cabbage in h
and, her mother joined them at the table. “Now you have all of your grandmother’s knowledge?” She set the plate in front of Tess and sat down.

  Tess wrinkled her nose. “No, only advice and the spells she wanted me to know.” She coughed into her hand, the stench making her eyes water. “You know I’m not eating this.”

  “Eat it. Cabbage brings luck.” Her mother’s stony stare drilled into hers, and Tess sighed.

  If she resisted, this would become a battle of wills. She’d never hear the end of it if she didn’t at least try the soggy leaves on her plate. Was saving her taste buds really worth the effort of fighting her mother’s will?

  Tess cut off a piece, shoved it into her mouth, and chewed, fast . . . then slower. Not bad. Definitely better than it smelled. She took another bite as Ethan hid a grin behind his cup.

  Her mother sipped her coffee, her gaze straying to Tess’s pendant before returning to study the goofy coffee mug in her hand, the one that said full or empty as you drank, like you wouldn’t know.

  Tess swallowed another mouthful. “Does it bother you that Gram gave me her knowledge?”

  Sadness crept into her mother’s eyes. “You share something with your grandmother I never will.”

  With a twinge of guilt, Tess lowered her fork and lifted the pendant over her head. “You can do it too. Here.”

  “No. This wasn’t meant for me. Your grandmother and I were always so different in our beliefs, in how we practiced magic. In fact, you probably don’t need me anymore.”

  Tess’s breath caught, and she glanced at Ethan. He looked as shocked as she felt.

  He nodded, as if expecting her to do something.

  “That’s not true, Mom. Just because I know spells, doesn’t mean I know how to use them.” Funny, she’d wanted her mother to go home from moment one, and now the thought of Mom leaving was scary as hell. Tess reached for her mother’s hand on the table and stopped short. “Gram never did figure out how to fight the beast. She couldn’t tell me that.”