by Hawke, Jessa
“Gustav?” Anton called through the locked door. Clearly someone was inside since there were lights on.
“C'est Anton . Anton Domniguez!” He called in French.
“Dominguez?” a deep voice called from behind the door.
“Oui. C'est Anton . Saturnino Domniguez est mon grand-père . Est la maison Gustav ?.”I am Satrunino Dominguez’ grandson. Anton replied.
sound of unhinging locks followed suit. The door opened to a perfectly normal looking dental clinic.
“Is it just me or was anyone else expecting something more voodoo than an actual dental clinic.” Hailey quipped but a voice from behind immediately retorted in a deep Caribbean accent.
“Yes, this is a dental clinic.” The man who opened the door answered. He was a tall dark man with almost violet eyes and pearly white teeth. He had that distinct Haitian look to him – that beautiful mix of Mulatto and French features that made him look effortlessly gentlemanly. It was apparent that he was a few years older than them.
Anton stepped forward to extend his hand to shake. “You must be Gustav’s son. I’m sorry I can’t for the life of me recall your name.”
“It’s Henri, but unfortunately, I am not him. I’m Gustav. And you must be little Antonino?” The tall well built man replied.
Caleb interjected. “That can’t be right; you look exactly like you did in Anton’s picture! That was taken what? In the 70’s?”
“I’ll take that as a compliment, little Storm.” He replied. Caleb was taken aback by the fact that this man knew who he was. “But you see, if you did your research you would know that I’m not one to age very quickly, being a witch and all.” He said slyly.
I’m so sorry Mr. Gustav.” Hailey finally spoke.
The man was bewildered – almost stupefied by the sound of her voice. He stepped forward narrowing the space between himself and Hailey to almost half a foot. His face looked down on her doe eyes before taking her hand and lifting it to his lips and kissing it.
“It’s my pleasure.” Gustav spoke as Hailey blushed from ear to ear, like a little school girl.
“We need your help.” Anton spoke.
“Yes, I bet you do.” Gustav said without breaking his stare at Hailey.
Caleb sensed a presence lurking from outside. “Mr. Gustav, is there somewhere we can talk more privately?”
Anton felt a jolt of fear. He remembered the gift the Storms had: seeing through the veil. “Is everything alright?” He questioned Caleb.
Gustav looked to Caleb and gave him a nod. “You haven’t been trained enough little Storm, but still you can sense that? You must be really special then.” He eyed Caleb quizzically.
“The cellar, it’s magic locked. Let’s go there.” Gustav invited.
“Hailey, let’s go.” Caleb wrapped an arm around Hailey to Anton’s disdain of course.
When they went down the flight of stairs, they finally saw what they were expecting: a witch’s hut. Dolls and jars lined the cupboards and shelves. Huge candles the size of barrels decorated the place, each with a distinct insignia and color.
“Sit my friends.” Gustav said.
“My family had given your family our oath of protection since as long as we can recall.” Anton began and Gustav nodded. “It is my hope that this time, you shall help us.”
“The Dominguez have been kind to me, yes. Whatever is in my power, I shall of course not withhold my friend.” Gustav answered politely.
“Caleb?” Anton looked to Caleb who merely nodded. They both stood up and touched Hailey’s shoulders. Suddenly a yellow mist started to depart from her body. The pair lifted their mark from Hailey to partially reveal to the witch her true identity. The mist easily folded back in to her once Caleb and Anton released Hailey.
Gustav stood almost horrified at the sight. “You?” He said in an almost fearful way.
“You understand Mr. Gustav that this is something we must keep a secret?” Caleb said in a serious tone.
“Yes of course.” Gustav said. “But my dear boy, this mark you’ve placed, it’s fading by the day. By the fifth day from now, I’m sure it would completely fade and reveal how special this young lady truly is.”
“That’s why we’re here Mr. Gustav.” Anton answered. “We need your help. We don’t know why Hailey is a pure sacrifice. We have no idea how to hide her.”
“There is no hiding a pure one, my boy.” Gustav said sullenly. “But there is one way to protect your little lady here.”
Caleb and Anton’s eyes grew bigger at the prospect of an actual solution to their problem.
“What is it?” Hailey said shyly with anticipation.
“You my dear must be tainted.” Gustav said.
TO BE CONTINUED
Alpha Enchantment: Part Three
How do you taint something that is so pure and so special? Gustav stared into the eyes of the young woman, trying to understand why she was the way she was. He needed to understand, right off the bat, why the harvest moon, for all its wisdom, had chosen this young girl to be the pure sacrifice.
He gently led Hailey by her hand to a chair that sat awkwardly at the very center of the ornately decorated cellar of what was disguised as a Dental Clinic.
“Now my dear, sit here.” Gustav spoke with his thick Haitian accent – that Caribbean tone with strong French undertones.
Hailey simply followed what Gustav had bid her to do. It was tantric, almost, for Hailey. Listening to Gustav’s voice had a weird effect on her. The other two men gave no indication that they too were charmed by the witchdoctor’s words, so she thought it must just be her.
“You are a pretty little thing are you not?” He asked rhetorically. Hailey knew this but she still had a hard time fighting back the urge to respond to him.
“Hails?” Caleb tried to step forward to snap her out of what seemed to him to be absolute delirium.
Anton stopped him with an arm promptly propped right up in his way. “I’ve seen this before. She’s okay. Gustav, when he uses his magic on someone or something, they always end up like this.” Anton explained.
“Like this?” Caleb said in a hushed tone. “What is this exactly?”
“Enamored.” Gustav answered. “You see, in order for me to see into your Hailey…” He paused as he looked to both Anton and Caleb. “I need her to trust me. I need her little mind to let me in.”
As though those last three words where the key or some sort of magic code, Hailey jerked her head back as all her movements came to a halt. Her eyes slowly opened to Gustav’s obvious delight.
“Perfect.” Now we can see what’s in the inside.
Caleb looked absolutely mortified at the sight of his one true love propped on a chair, head swung back and eyes slowly opening to let a strange incandescent light stream like liquid vellum through.
“What’s happening?” Caleb said, but it seemed that at that moment, there was nothing besides that light. No sound, no air, just that light.
The light became thicker and denser, and it began to look more fluid than it started. It slowly overflowed like some ghastly fog over her pale face down her lithe body and unto the floor. The gas kept gushing and gushing like a relentless waterfall.
“Now come boys, let’s see into Hailey’s head. Shall we?” Gustav smirked.
“Domini luci…” Gustav said in a low but resonating voice. “Cogniti mandamus…” He continued.
Domini Luci Cogniti Mandamus.
All of a sudden, the light – those liquid substances that had come from Hailey began to shift around. It swirled and clumped to form iridescent objects – a floor, then walls then an all so familiar bed.
It was Hailey’s apartment.
“What’s happening?” Anton finally spoke up.
Gustav looked to him. “This, my dear wolf, is Hailey’s memories.”
Caleb looked to Anton nervously. In his mind, he was telepathically asking him if this was really a good idea.
“No turning back now Storm.” Gu
stav interrupted his thoughts, as if he had just read them. “This is the only way we can ever figure out what makes this girl so special. Once we know what she is, then we can finally figure out a way to taint her.” Gustav finished.
The fog or mist or whatever that was started shifting some more. Now the scene became more vivid. It was a memory from not so long ago. The voices were a bit convoluted, but they were distinct enough to know who it was from. The three men observed as the scene unfolded before them
“I’m sorry I took so long.” Hailey said shyly as she sat at the edge of her bed away from the two men on each side.
“Once this is over, we can start trying to figure out what exactly you are Hails.” Caleb said as if small talk was going to change the fact that not only was he going to be sleeping with the girl of his dreams, but he was going to do so with the one man who might just take that dream away from him.
“Ummm… right.” Anton said awkwardly. “After this Hailey, my dear, we can finally work on a concrete way of protecting you for good.”
“You guys don’t have to do this if it’s too awkward for both of you.” Hailey said still looking away from the two.
“Anything for you.” Caleb responded with a hush voice.
“Anything.” Anton repeated.
It was weird for Caleb, seeing himself like that. His iridescent double was so into what it was doing, not minding that he was doing it with another man – something Caleb thought he would never do in a million years.
Hailey stood up, breaking the monotony, and slowly slid over her robe to reveal her alabaster skin, dewy in the soft incandescence of the candles they had lit.
Caleb felt himself harden at the very sight of Hailey’s exposed skin. He too stood and slowly walked towards the now completely naked woman whom he had always loved. His penis was tumescent with lust as his eyes took in Hailey’s heaving bosom.
Hailey could see Caleb’s groin instantly tighten. She raised her finger to tease Caleb’s penis against the rough denim that held it captive. It jolted as if struck by lightning as Hailey led his hand from her cheek down the curve f her neck.
Hailey’s nipples were swelling from the feel of Caleb’s rough hands. But it was his artful way of encircling her nipples with his tongue that made Hailey shriek in delight.
“Ahhh…” Hailey moaned as Caleb’s tongue began to inch lower down her waist to her nether folds, dripping wet with anticipation.
He tried to sneak a glance at Anton who was by now blushing from ear to ear at the scene they were witnessing.
“Gustav? Can we move it a long?” Anton finally spoke up as Gustav was still meditating and chanting.
“Always in a hurry, that’s a trait you have to work on changing, young Dominguez. You are very much like your grandfather.”
Anton shook his head and pointed to the scene that was still playing out in front of them. Gustav let out a laugh that did not at all disturb the images of Caleb and Anton servicing the beautiful Hailey.
“I’m sorry. I promise it will go by faster as soon as I finish my incantation.” Gustav answered. “I haven’t done this in a very long time, and to be honest, I have never done this to save a sacrifice.”
“I know.” Anton responded.
“You might just be better than your grandfather.” Gustav winked before he closed his eyes one more time to finish his chanting.
The lights started to shine in a deeper color – it was almost orange, but not the pretty kind. It was orange like fire burning.
She screamed. Waiting right at the bottom of her doorstep was the rogue wolf.
“Hailey!” Caleb yelled as he and Anton heard her scream from downstairs.
With lightning speed, the two Alphas bolted down the stairs to find Hailey curled up on the steps, whimpering and quivering in fear. The rogue wolf gritted its teeth as the two other wolves approached him.
Without warning, Caleb leapt through the air over Hailey, smashing into the vicious black wolf. Anton ran and grappled it down with his fangs, violently tearing his head from side to side, while Caleb struggled to pacify its attempt to break free.
The placid Hailey propped up on that chair was crying now. The color was her fear seething thourgh her memories. This was what she had wanted to forgot, but she knew she couldn’t.
Gustav only stood there, still with his eyes closed as he continued to chant in a deep trance.
The memories started to shift faster from one scene to another in an almost lightning like manner.
Then at one point, the light started to turn darker again, this time into an even deeper burnt orange color. But there was nothing. No shapes were formed, no buildings, nothing but a low rumbling sound.
“The attack.” Anton said past his clench teeth.
Just like that it all vanished. All they saw now was this mist trying to form a figure, only to be blown to the other side of the room to form another. It was a whirlwind of this incandescent color just shifting from a sunshiny yellow hue to sometimes orangey shades.
Caleb’s heart ached as he saw the colors changing. He had understood what the colors meant. Happiness and fears. It was quite bipolar. There were moments when there was just this glorious bright mist that swirled, and more often than not, the colors were this dark reddish or orangey hue that gave him intense shivers throughout his body.
“Almost there.” Gustav paused. All of a sudden, the light started to retreat back into Hailey’s eyes.
“No! What’s happening? We haven’t learned anything!” Anton called to Gustav desperately.
“Oh dear.” Gustav said almost inaudible.
“Wait what is happening?” Caleb asked now more confused than he was ever before.
“Oh no, no no…” Gustav shook his head. “Genius!” He exclaimed.
Anton stepped forward clenching his fist. “Are you going to tell us what just happened?”
“Relax little wolf.” Gustav smirked as he walked towards Hailey who looked like she was having the soundest sleep she had ever had in her whole entire life.
“Your keepers were geniuses, were they not?” Gustav asked again rhetorically to Hailey, who was by then slowly waking from her trance.
“Gustav turned to the boys. “She is special.”
“Do you know what Hailey is now?” Anton asked as Caleb rushed to Hailey’s side, who was obviously quite confused by all the excitement.
“No. Not even the slightest.” Gustav answered with a smile. Anton wanted to punch him right then and there but he kept his cool knowing he could do so much better than to anger the one man who could actually solve this mystery for him.
“But I do know something very significant.” Gustav said. Hailey was now quite aware of what had transpired thanks to Caleb, who had hastily briefed her on what had happened to her. Of course, Caleb left out the part that he and Anton had to relive the scene when they had to mark her.
“Please Gustav…” Hailey paused before continuing. She noticed she had no trouble now responding to the man without sounding at all sheepish and all too wanting.
Gustav laughed. “Surprised you’re not attracted to me anymore my dear? It is sad. I really did like you awing over me. But alas, it was all part of the enchantment so we can figure out who you were.”
Hailey blushed. For a moment there, she thought she had actually liked Gustav, for real. “Well, Mr. Gustav? Did you finally figure out who or what I am?” Hailey finally asked.
Anton and Caleb looked to the man with anticipation.
“Again, I have to point out that the enchantment failed to show me who or what you are. Both of your werewolves here can attest that the memories were cut all of a sudden.” He noted.
“But I did find out one important thing. You have a keeper.” Gustav said proudly.
Unfortunately, the rest of the group did not really understand how this piece of information was at all relevant. In fact, they had no idea what a keeper was.
“You are all so confused.” Gustav giggled. “A keep
er is someone tasked to make sure you would never come to know of your existence or your true nature.”
Gustav looked at the waiting faces of the three. “You see, your kind – you pure sacrifices – are indeed special, but once you figure out what you are, it would automatically create a way for you to be tainted. For some, tainting a pure sacrifice could be so bothersome that a keeper is not required anymore because even if the sacrifice wanted to taint itself, it would be too hard to do so.
“For some, just like you my little doll, it could be as easy as a kiss from a prince or a prick on the spindle to taint you, and that’s why a keeper is sent to hide your identity and in turn, keep you clean as a whistle.”
“So I have someone making sure I’m prepped for sacrificing?” Hailey said almost defeated. “How is this, a good thing?”
“I get it.” Caleb remarked awkwardly but thoughtfully. “Now that we know that Hailey has a keeper, we know that tainting her isn’t at all impossible.” Caleb looked to Gustav for affirmation. Gustav simply nodded.
“Wait just one second. How do we even know that she really does have a keeper?” Anton inquired.
“Someone had to wipe out her memory of her childhood.” Gustav said.
“Right.” Caleb responded. “Someone had to have made sure she stayed away from what could taint her.”
“If that’s all correct, then this keeper must have been close to her ever since she was a child, up until she met us and the harvest moon started to rise.” Anton added.
“Exactly. And here I was thinking you little wolves didn’t have enough brain cells to figure this out.”
“What do we do now?” Hailey asked
“Simple. We find your keeper.” Responded Gustav with a slight smile.
*****
They had left the voodoo hut that was disguised as a Dental Clinic immediately after they sensed a cold chill looming in the distance. It could just have been that typical east coast mist rolling in from the Atlantic, but both Caleb and Anton wouldn’t take the risk.
