“I was about to ask you the same thing,” I said with a smile. “I need to scrub the floors for them before the rest of the town comes to eat.”
He put his book away and walked towards the door. I followed him and realized I was still wearing his clothes. “Um…”
He smiled. “Just tie the back of the shirt up and you’ll look fine. No one will notice.”
I didn’t believe him, but I didn’t feel like getting my clothes out and trying to make an outfit. Besides I’d be cleaning and eating at the pub before anyone else came around so no one would see me except the owner and his wife.
I followed him out of the house as I tied a knot in the back of his shirt and rolled up the sweat pants. We walked through the empty town and stopped as the Hunter stepped in front of us. “Where were you two last night?” he asked suspiciously.
Irving smiled. “In my room.”
The Hunter looked from Irving’s smiling face to my borrowed clothes and nodded his head once. “I see. You’re free to go.”
“How kind of you,” I said with a bitter voice.
Irving pulled me up the steps of the pub by the arm. I jerked my arm from his hold and waited until the Hunter was down the street. “You knew he would ask about our location. That’s why you wanted me to wear this.”
Irving nodded his head. “Yes, it worked, didn’t it?”
I sighed. “Yes, but from now on I’d appreciate it if you told me your plans.”
Irving opened the door and we walked into the empty pub. Irving sat at the bar while I walked to the back and grabbed the cleaning supplies. Irving ordered both of our food as I cleaned quickly.
“The townspeople seem on edge,” the pub owner said conversationally.
Irving looked outside and noticed the dark circles under most of the people’s eyes who walked by. “You’re right. They must have been worried about the werewolf showing up last night.”
I smiled and then bit my lip to hide it. “I know I was worried,” I said as seriously as I could. Irving smiled at me and then the owner set our ale on the bar. I put away the cleaning supplies, having finished cleaning the floors already, and sipped at my drink. Even with the Hunter so close, I wasn’t afraid.
I leaned forward and whispered, “You know we have to figure out our plan soon, right?”
Irving nodded his head as he drank from his mug. “Yes, we’ll discuss it tonight.”
I understood his worry about others hearing us and nodded my head. “Fine.”
We ate our food and then walked through the town and towards the woods.
We were stopped as soon as we entered the leafy cover by two townsmen. “Sorry folks, but with the werewolf on the loose we can’t let anyone wander around here.”
Irving sighed. “Very well.”
We turned and headed towards his house and the river. If they wouldn’t let us near their woods, we would just go to Irving’s. I stopped at the river and tossed a rock, skipping it along the top of the water three times.
Irving picked up a rock and smiled at me. “Want to make a bet?”
I shrugged. “Sure. I’m up for betting. What’ll it be?”
He tossed the rock up in the air and then caught it. “Whoever can get the most skips gets one thing from the other person.”
“One thing?” I asked nervously.
Irving smiled. “One reasonable thing.”
“Fine, you’re on.” I picked up a smooth rock and aimed carefully. I threw the rock and smiled as it skipped six times.
Irving whistled. “Wow. That’s impressive.” He took his rock, turned halfway and tossed it. I stared in utter disbelief as it skipped twelve times and landed on the opposite side of the river.
I turned and glared at him. “You’re a cheat. You do this everyday, don’t you?”
Irving shrugged. “Life can get boring out here. I do what I can to amuse myself.”
I laughed. “Alright. Now I know you’re a shark. I won’t be betting against you again.” I looked down nervously and asked, “So, what is it you want for winning?”
Irving stepped forward and said, “A kiss.”
My body trembled at his nearness, wanting nothing more than for him to hold me again. “A kiss?” Irving nodded his head. I licked my lips nervously. “Ok.”
He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he put one hand on the base of my neck, twining his fingers through my hair while the other arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me tight against him.
It felt good to be touching him again and kissing him.
Irving pulled back from the kiss first this time and ran his fingers through my hair. “You’re beautiful.” I blushed and looked down. He tilted my chin up and kissed my burning cheeks. “You shouldn’t be embarrassed for being beautiful. Even your wolf is beautiful.”
“Why don’t you have a mate?” I asked.
Irving smiled. “Most warlocks don’t have mates. Something about us scares most people off.”
I smiled. “You don’t frighten me.”
He laughed and stepped away from me, kicking at my legs. I laughed and jumped up, avoiding his kick. I swung at him and he dodged, grabbing my wrist and spinning me around. I continued to spin and kicked his back with my foot as I spun around his body. He dropped to the ground and kicked at my legs, making me trip.
I tried to right myself, but he rolled on top of me and pinned me to the ground. I laid on my back with his hands holding mine down and felt happy. As happy as I had when Aiden had played with me.
Irving bent down and kissed me again and started nibbling at my ears and neck. I moaned and nibbled back at his neck. Irving kissed me again and then stood up. “We should get inside.”
I nodded my head and as he reached down to help me up, I yanked on his arm, pulling him down to me and rolled on top of him. He laughed and we played until the sun dipped down below the horizon.
CHAPTER FIVE
The next night Irving and I were sitting on the couch reading when my stomach growled loudly. I started to stand up, but Irving grasped my arm and stopped me. “Wha...” I started, but he shushed me and turned his head towards the back door.
Then I heard it, the creak of boots on the wooden deck. Someone was here. Irving stood up slowly so as not to make any noise. I started to get up, but Irving turned and growled at me. “Stay here.”
I stared in shock at him. That had been a real growl. Not a pathetic human growl, but a real wolf growl. I shook my head as I tried to clear it. He couldn’t have growled like a wolf.
Irving whispered under his breath fast and then someone outside yelled in pain. Irving ran to the back door, yanked it open and pulled the apprentice inside. The apprentice shook with fear as Irving held him up against the wall. “What are you doing sneaking around my place?!”
“He…he…he told me to.” The boy stuttered.
I walked forward and the boy’s eyes shifted to me. He swallowed nervously and I asked, “Why?”
“He thinks you’re the werewolf. He says you look familiar,” he said quickly.
I laughed. “Me? A werewolf? Do I look like a slobbering, blood thirsty wolf to you?”
The boy shook his head. Irving set him down and brushed off his jacket. “Tell the Hunter that she’s not the werewolf. You both would have smelled her if she were a werewolf. And tell him that if either of you trespasses again, I’ll kill you.”
The boy nodded his head vigorously and then ran out of the house. Irving shut the door and then turned around, his eyes widening as he looked at me. “What?” I asked just before arms circled around my neck.
“I knew it was you,” said the Hunter.
Irving took a step forward and the Hunter pressed the tip of a knife into my side. “No, you stay there. Now, I want to know how it is that you’ve managed to hide what you are from me. Why can’t I smell you?”
I kept my mouth closed, refusing to answer, but apparently, I wasn’t the one he was asking because Irving s
aid, “It’s a spell I learned to use.”
The Hunter gestured at me with the knife. “And her?”
Irving shook his head. “She doesn’t know.”
The Hunter laughed. “Oh, this is good. Alright then. Why don’t you give us a little show and let her see what you really are?”
Irving smiled. “You sure you want me to do that?”
The Hunter smiled and pressed his knife against my throat. “I’ve got your little sweetheart here. I trust you don’t want her dead so you’ll play nice.”
Irving growled and muttered under his breath, releasing a spell that covered his body. I inhaled and stared at him in shock and disbelief. He smelled like a werewolf. Irving took his shirt off and loosened his sweat pants and shifted to soldier form, half man-half best.
I gasped in shock and Irving whined at me. He said, “I’m sorry, Lily. I was going to tell you.”
“When? After we killed him or before?” I asked angrily.
The Hunter said, “Huh?” and then I grabbed the knife from him and spun around, but he was too fast. The Hunter grabbed my wrist and broke it with the twist of his hand. I yelled in pain and Irving rushed forward, slashing at the Hunter with his claws. I ran to my room and grabbed my sword. Irving and the Hunter were still battling, but I rushed into their fray and cut off one of the Hunter’s arms. He screamed in pain and a gunshot exploded behind us. I looked from the Hunter to my body and then to Irving and gasped. Blood was seeping from a small hole in Irving’s shoulder. I spun around and threw the Hunter’s knife into the throat of the apprentice who stood just inside the back door holding a gun. His body slumped forward as he clawed at the knife in his throat and then he fell face first to the ground.
The Hunter was in shock, staring at his severed arm. I put my sword against his throat and jerked his head back by his hair. “This is for Aiden! This is for my brother!” I pulled the sword backwards and released his hair as his head rolled forward, off of his shoulders.
Irving was chanting quickly and I watched in shock as the silver bullet came out of his shoulder and landed on the floor. I rushed over and dropped my sword to the ground. “Are you alright?” I asked.
Irving nodded his head then looked at my broken wrist. “I’m sorry, Lily. I was going to tell you.” He reached for my wrist, “Here, let me mend this.”
“Irving!” yelled a new voice.
I spun around, picking my sword up with my good hand and stared at the two men standing in the front doorway. “Leave here!” I yelled.
The men looked at me in shock and then at Irving. “Miss, you seem to be delusional. You’ve killed the wrong man. Come here and we’ll take you to safety.”
I charged forward and swung my sword at the men, but hit a barrier of fire, which threw me backwards and made me slide into the kitchen on my back. I sat up and saw the men smiling.
Irving was up and crouched between me and the men. “Leave her out of this. She hasn’t done anything.”
The two men smiled and the one on the right said, “Irving. It’s been too long. The Leader wishes to see you.”
“No.”
The men laughed. The man on the left disappeared and then reappeared next to me. He grabbed me by the hair and jerked me upward. “Come with us or we kill your little human.”
Irving growled and then sighed, obviously outmatched by the two warlocks. “If you promise to leave her unharmed, I’ll come with you.”
“Irving, no!” I yelled. “Don’t go. Please.”
Irving shifted back to his man form and shook his head. “I’m sorry, Lily. I wish I had told you everything, but it’s too late now.”
The man holding me tied my arms behind my back and then bound my legs together. “There we go. Now she won’t follow us.”
Irving put his shirt back on and started to follow the men out. “Irving!” I yelled. “Irving! Don’t leave me!”
The man who’d tied me pushed Irving in the back. “Let’s go boy.”
“I’m sorry, Lily.”
“Irving!” I struggled against my ropes and got the ones on my feet free. I stood up and started towards them, but the man who’d tied me grabbed my face and chanted a spell, which quickly put me to sleep.
CHAPTER SIX
“Miss? Miss, are you alright?!” asked a small voice.
I blinked open my eyes and stared at the little girl from the woods. She was dabbing at my face and I realized I was crying. “Where?”
The girl shushed me. “It’s alright, Miss. You’re still in the warlock’s house. The townspeople are coming though and they’ll want your hide for killing the Hunter.”
I sat up slowly and winced as I tried to move my wrist. The girl picked it up and sang a quick song, healing it. “Who are you?” I asked in shock.
The girl smiled. “I’m a new witch, but I’ve learned a few things already. Now, come on, Miss. You’ve got to get going.”
I stood up and looked at the two dead bodies in the house. My head was hurting worse than when I’d tried fighting Aiden and he’d landed a roundhouse kick to my head. I stumbled to the bedroom and grabbed my bag. “Girl.” The little girl came into the room. “There are clothes in the washing machine or dryer. Fetch them for me.” She hurried away and then returned with the clothes, all dry. She helped me stuff them into my bag and then she slipped on my shoes and shoved me out the door. “Hurry, Miss.”
I walked down the steps and turned back to the girl. “Thank you.”
She smiled. “Irving was a good magic teacher and my friend. Besides, it’s not your fault you didn’t know he was a werewolf.”
I looked at the ground and saw the cart tracks from the men who’d kidnapped Irving and started following them. I made it five miles before needing to stop and rest. I went off the road in search of water.
Why hadn’t Irving told me? Was he afraid I wouldn’t have accepted him because he was a mixed blood wolf? Maybe he just wasn’t interested in having me as a mate so he hadn’t wanted to tell me? I shook my head. No, he was most likely just worried about getting me sucked into the trouble that he was in.
I filled my water skin at the river and put some berries in my pack before starting out on the trail again. I was faster in wolf form, but I couldn’t afford to draw attention to myself, especially with the Hunter dead. I stopped walking and blinked twice in shock. The Hunter was dead. I’d killed the Hunter! I’d avenged Aiden!
I cheered softly and then the smile quickly left my face because I’d accomplished all of that, but I’d also let Irving get captured. I had to rescue him. I couldn’t face another year of being the only werewolf. Especially if this time I really ended up being the only one.
I jogged down the road after the tracks for as long as I could. I stopped and drank out of my water skin and ate a few berries then started forward. Morning turned into afternoon. Afternoon turned into night and I had to stop. I didn’t want to stop, but I wouldn’t be much help to Irving if I was exhausted and unable to fight. I curled up underneath an evergreen tree and closed my eyes. Tomorrow I would fight them. Tomorrow I would rescue Irving.
I woke up to the sounds of the awakening forest and stretched. The sun hadn’t yet risen, but judging by the movement of the animals around me, it was only minutes away from showing its bright orange face. I gathered my things, ate a small squirrel for breakfast and started on my way again. The tracks were still easy to follow, but I’d lost time by sleeping. I picked up my pace and followed the tracks at an easily maintainable jog. The sun rose and my anticipation grew. What if I didn’t make it before they harmed him? What if I found the warlocks, but Irving was already, gone?
I shook my head and quickened my pace. No, I wouldn’t let that happen. I couldn’t. Gaining a second wind, I increased my speed and followed the tracks, which were only an hour or so old. I was gaining on them! I ate and drank as I ran, too eager to stop to do either. I only stopped two more times to use the restroom before the carriage finally came into view.
I was d
ownwind, not that it mattered for them, but it put me at an advantage. I slunk into the forest and followed from the cover of the woods, gaining on the carriage and the tired horses pulling it. I inhaled and smelled the two warlocks who’d attacked us and Irving. “Irving,” I whispered.
I put on a burst of speed and ran across the road right in front of the horses. The horses skidded to a stop, rearing up in fear. I ran deep into the forest before coming back and running around the back of the carriage and banging it with my hands to get the warlocks attention before running back into the forest again. Aiden had taught me this technique and I’d used it successfully twice before. The warlocks opened the carriage doors and climbed out, falling for my bait.
I ran back to the horses, passing right behind their butts, my sword hanging down to set them free from the reins. I slapped each horse on the butt, sending them off in a galloping, frightened tangle. The driver, a human, jumped down and started after the horses in dismay.
I jumped into the forest and barely dodged a bolt of lightning thrown by one of the warlocks. Now came the hard part. I ran around the back of the carriage and yelled, “Catch me if you can!” before running out into the forest again. The warlocks held their ground, not willing to leave Irving.
I came back around and hopped up onto the top of the carriage, smiling down at the warlocks. “What? Two warlocks can’t take on one simple girl? That’s just pathetic.”
Lightning and fire stole the oxygen from me as I dropped to the roof of the carriage to avoid being fried. I jumped back up and laughed. “Is that the best you’ve got?”
The warlocks yelled and prepared another spell. I jumped down from the carriage and ran down the open road. “Old fat men! I bet you can’t even see your own…” I didn’t get to finish my taunt because I had to jump and roll to the left to avoid the ice shards being thrown at me. I glanced back and saw both warlocks chasing me, and leaving the carriage completely unattended. Now was my chance, if I didn’t die.
I turned my back on the men, then twisted around to look at them as I waved my rump in their direction. “Na na.” The warlocks howled in rage and together began tracing a large symbol in the air. Uh-oh. Time to go. I spun around and ran straight towards them, my feet barely touching the ground as I sprinted full speed. It’d been years since I’d sprinted full speed. It was exhilarating and also frightening considering the fact that I was running at two warlocks. Five feet away from them, the warlocks finished their spell and screamed the release word as fire roared at me.
The Last Werewolf Page 4
