“Don’t worry,” Melinda replied. “I know that. I really do know that. And I’m done beating myself up about it,” she promised. She let out a deep sigh, as if ridding her body of the last bit of guilt, exhaling it into the cosmos. “To be honest, after watching what Emily went through tonight and how she helped us talk to Mom... and seeing the sacrifices you all make regularly, I realized that even though it might sometimes be a little scary, I help people, and I know that’s what Mom and Dad would want me to do.”
Charlie stepped forward and hugged her tightly, relieved. For the first time in four years he felt certain his sister had finally forgiven herself. Charlie caught William’s eye. He nodded just slightly, understanding his relief.
Michael, deep in his own struggle, sat down on a stool. He closed his eyes, shaking his head as if not believing what he was about to say. “I guess,” he mumbled, “none of us can hold off the inevitable.”
Melinda gasped, letting go of Charlie. “You’re not going to leave?” she could not help but squeal.
“I can’t. Not now. Not with Dad out there, alive somewhere.”
Michael smirked at Charlie as if to say, you got your wish …
“One day, Michael,” Charlie told him. “I won’t let you be stuck here forever.” Charlie resigned to somehow making Michael’s wish come true.
Michael took a deep, even breath and turned to his next heavy task. He asked everyone to join him in William’s study.
“I’m going to need tissues,” Melinda said, tears already welling up in her eyes.
Charlie grabbed a box, but took out a few before handing it to her.
“Figure I might need a few, too,” he whispered, nudging her.
“Might as well pass that box along,” Michael spoke, his voice wavering as he did. “I’m not sure I can get through it…”
“Just take your time, Michael,” William spoke tenderly. “We know how difficult this is for you.”
Michael then explained what he had seen when he had read Catherine Howard’s death and their father’s disappearance.
##
Eva Jordan walked into her summer home. “Dad,” she called out.
“In here,” he replied.
She followed his voice into the atrium at the back of their house.
Anthony Jordan swiveled in his chair, turning away from a desk strewn with papers and books. He shared his daughter’s stark white hair, except for a few silver whiskers scattered across his chin, which only further accentuated the three-piece white suit he donned.
“I have excellent news,” Eva said, smugly. “I made contact.”
Her father slid off his glasses, smiling faintly in approval. “Faster than I expected,” he told her.
“Nothing like saving a damsel in distress to move things along.”
“Did they suspect anything?” he asked.
“No. Nothing. In fact, the middle one, Michael, has an interest in meeting you. He likes your book.”
“Fascinating!” her father said, noticing the bandage on her leg. “What happened?”
“Part of the whole damsel in distress thing, nothing to worry about. I’m sure it’s already healed anyway.”
Her father looked at his daughter suspiciously.
“I said don’t worry didn’t I? I covered my bases. I told them you work miracles with healing creams and you’d have my leg healed up in no time.”
“Well it’s a good thing that’s actually true, in case they ever call me on it,” he spoke dryly.
“Believe me, we’re fine,” Eva replied confidently.
“And the results of the smell test?”
“Charlie noticed it, no doubt. Could have wrapped him around my little finger, but not nearly strong enough to make him turn though,” she added. “You’ll have to inject me with a much higher dose if I’m going to get Charlie Howard to transform into a werewolf tomorrow night.”
“And here I thought we’d spend months on trial and error,” her father exclaimed ecstatically. He poured two glasses of whiskey and handed one to his daughter. He raised his glass, tipping it toward her.
Eva tipped her glass back toward him and then took her shot in one swallow, whereas her father just took a sip.
She shuddered as the whiskey slipped down her throat, stinging at her insides. She licked her lips, greedily and poured another shot. “Make no mistake,” she muttered wickedly to her father. “Tomorrow night, that stray pooch is mine.”
##
Witches of The Demon Isle
Volume Two, What Bites Me
ONE
Charlie Howard could not sleep. His brain felt stuck in the on position.
Just hours before, he and his family had discovered their father, Jack, was still alive. This, topped with an impending full moon, didn’t leave room in his mind for sleep.
He hopped out of bed, slipped off his boxer shorts and started his shower. When the water felt cool to the touch, he got in and let it wash away his thoughts. For a few minutes his mind cleared, questions and doubts disappearing down the drain.
But it didn’t last.
Where was his father? Was he a prisoner somewhere? Had he been a prisoner these last four years? Was he really still alive, as his mother believed?
Would they be able to locate and properly bury their mother’s body? They knew where it should be, but accessing it might not be easy.
He found relief in the fact that his sister, Melinda showed great signs of improvement, and hoped she would start building a life for herself outside of the mansion. That relief disappeared however, when he thought about the approaching full moon. He still did not know why this moon seemed to be affecting him more so than others. It tugged at his insides as if toying with him. Daring him to transform.
Why? Why after nearly ten years would this moon be so different? He was always tense and easily prone to overreaction during the full moon, but this time, he could practically feel the wolf inside him, hiding just under his skin. Like a secret passenger just waiting for its moment to appear. And its moment was this full moon.
Charlie huffed and turned off the shower, the cool water no longer offering any solace. He wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight. And the thoughts and questions racing through his mind were not just going to go away.
He dried off, wrapping a towel around his waist, making his way to an open bedroom window. He peered through it, checking the grounds below. From the second story of the Howard mansion, he could see the entire grounds behind their home.
Manicured gardens that wrapped around perfectly defined pathways. A six-tree apple orchard that produced the most perfectly crunchy, sweet McIntosh apples; perfect for cider every fall. A small grove of maple trees lined the backside. Charlie himself tapped the trees each spring, enjoying the process of collecting the sap and hauling it to the family sugar shack, boiling it down to a syrupy perfection.
There was a small greenhouse hidden amongst shrubs and trees of various shapes and sizes, which they used to grow a few of the specialty plants and herbs required to make potions.
And in the center of the yard, surrounded by a maze of moss covered granite, stood a life size gargoyle. It was supposed to ward off evil; however, it didn’t always work. More than once, they had been caught unawares by some supernatural creature or another, attacking them at their home.
A light beam caught his eye. His gaze followed it upward.
“There you are,” he muttered, peering at the moon. It had materialized from behind a cloud, raining down beams of light as if taunting him. I’ll be full tomorrow night, it seemed to warn him silently.
It vanished again, a dark cloud covering its taunting light.
A new movement caught Charlie’s attention. Something moving just outside his bedroom window... a firefly sized golden light, hovering in the air.
He grinned coolly.
“You always have such perfect timing.”
He tossed aside the towel, threw on a tank top, khaki shorts and sandals, sud
denly deciding a stroll in the moonlight was exactly what he needed.
He left the house, jogged through his backyard using a pathway that snaked through to the woods at the back, stepping onto a well-beaten path that ended when it came to a street close to the beach. He walked down that street about a block and turned right, down a short lane, which ended at a beachfront cottage.
He leapt up the porch stairs pausing by an open window, spying on the woman inside. Her dark skin accentuated the brightness of her white tee shirt, even in the dim lighting of her kitchen. Her curled hair bounced playfully as she took a swig from a tequila bottle, while swaying to an intense track of a metal band. Not Charlie’s favorite, but if it came attached to her, it was music to his ears.
Charlie’s eyes narrowed and an enticing growl flitted through his teeth, which echoed, “I got your message, Nina…”
The woman named Nina stopped, disappearing into another room. A moment later, the front door opened and she leaned against it, her eyes expectant as she dangled the bottle of tequila seductively.
They exchanged no words.
Charlie stepped through the door closing it behind him. He grabbed the tequila bottle with his left hand and the woman’s waist with his right. After taking a swig from the bottle, he set it down with a thud and pinned the woman against the wall. “Welcome back to The Demon Isle,” he whispered in greeting, his lips brushing down her neck.
Her reply was a rushed inhale, as Charlie’s hand left her waist, reached down her thigh and lifted her, so her face was equal height to his own.
The desire in Nina’s eyes pulled Charlie in like a drug he needed a hit of, his chest heaving with strained breaths.
Nina urged him on, her voice a hoarse whisper. “You know you can’t hurt me, Charlie.” She cupped his face in her hands. “Let me take control.” Her hands were warm and soft against the rough skin of his face, the hairs of which darkened thickly as she caressed him.
Charlie’s strained breaths now sounded like throaty panting. “I’ll show you mine, if you show me yours.” He grazed his bared teeth across Nina’s luminescent skin, threatening to sink his teeth into her shoulder.
“There’s my big bad wolf,” she uttered darkly.
A warm, golden glow started to emanate from a black ring Nina wore on her finger, spreading over her body like a protective shield. It extended out from her own body, ensnaring Charlie.
It spread a feeling of safeness over every inch of him.
The warmth and willing him to surrender to her completely.
##
Eva Jordan jogged on a pathway through the woods, her stark white hair bouncing behind her in a loose ponytail. She smiled wickedly, wondering how the Howard witches would react to the not so subtle message she’d left them in White Pines National Park last night.
“That should get Charlie good and riled,” she hoped desperately. She needed him to let his guard down. She needed him to transform into a werewolf. If she didn’t succeed tonight, she’d have to wait another month until the next full moon to try again. She didn’t have that kind of time.
The sun was just rising, peeking over the densely grown forest that surrounded the path. The sun didn’t reach the ground however, giving it the appearance of being dusk.
Even with this dusk-like setting, Eva had no trouble seeing where she was going. She never missed a jutting root or rock, jumping over them with ease. Her gaze tightened suddenly, her head whipping abruptly as she ran, staring into the woods.
Something was running along side her.
She ran faster.
Faster than a normal human should be able to run.
Whatever gave chase kept up her pace.
Without hesitation Eva lunged into the woods, landing on and immobilizing her opponent with ease. She flipped over the body revealing a misshapen face. Upon seeing it, she rolled her eyes in annoyed apathy.
The man let loose a growl, baring his jagged teeth at her.
“Caleb,” she spoke dryly, releasing him.
He jumped up, his misshapen facial features changing as he did so. Thick hair on his face thinned and then vanished completely, and his jagged teeth shortened, his mouth transforming into a beguiling smile. “Hello, Eva,” he greeted.
“What are you doing here? I told you not to come.”
“You have no control over me, Eva,” the man named Caleb retorted, adding, “I’m a bit sad you’re not happier to see me.”
“I’m on a job, Caleb. You know I work alone.”
“Ah, heck. I got bored, hopped the ferry and decided to look you up.”
“I don’t need your kind of trouble, Caleb. You should leave, now. The full moon’s tonight.”
“Aw. Don’t you want to have a little fun, like the old days?”
“No, Caleb. I don’t! Did you not just hear me say, I’m on a job?”
“What happened to you anyway? You used to be so much fun.” He performed what was supposed to be a sultry dance, as if to lure her instantly into his arms.
“Give it up, Caleb,” she replied, working her way back to the path and returned to her run.
“You know, Eva, since you hooked back up with dear old daddy, you’re just plain boring.”
Eva tried to ignore Caleb as she ran towards home, but he followed like an obedient dog, begging for a belly rub. Another thought arose quite suddenly, a possible solution to a problem she had not worked out yet. A hidden smile crossed her face and she stopped abruptly.
“You know what, Caleb, I changed my mind. I am in the mood for a little fun.” A devilish twinkle crept into her eyes.
Caleb returned her mischievous gaze with one of his own. “What did you have in mind, Eva baby?”
“Follow me and find out,” she enticed him wickedly.
##
Melinda knocked gently on William’s locked iron door, deep in the basement of the Howard Mansion. “Can I get you anything?” she asked the vampire.
“No. Thank you, Melinda. It’s nearly over now.”
He kept his gaze down, staring into the pages of a book.
The human blood he had drunk to help Emily just a day before still lingered in his body. Melinda knew William would not allow his self-made prison to be unlocked until he felt it was completely safe to do so.
Not that he wasn’t comfortable. He had created a mini version of his study in the cell, for when he needed to spend time inside.
“I’m heading out,” she told him nervously.
“On your own?” he asked, still not looking up.
“Yeah. Thought I’d grab a coffee. Maybe take in some sea air.”
“That’s good,” he encouraged. “Perhaps tomorrow, I will join you,” he offered.
“I’m always up for your company, William.”
He instantly regretted his offer.
She would be fine going out on her own, and should be going out on her own.
He wanted Melinda to spend more time with humans her own age.
Her infatuation with him was becoming difficult for him to handle, especially after indulging in human blood, which was now drying up, leaving him craving more. Melinda’s smelled far too enticing. And even with many practiced years of being around humans, he dared not take any chances.
“Well, I’m leaving some animal blood for you, just in case you change your mind,” she said, sliding the blood pack through the bars of his door.
He shot her a grateful nod.
“Wish me luck,” she said.
William listened closely as she turned to leave. Her heart strummed and her breathing was constricted. “You’ll do fine,” he called out, encouraging her. “I have complete faith in you, Melinda.”
“I just don’t have it in myself,” she muttered, realizing she’d said it loud enough for William to hear. She hastened away, not giving him a chance to reply.
He listened to the sound of her footsteps until they were out of earshot. He let out a held breath and tore his gaze away from the book he gripped tightly.
His eyes were solid black.
Having Melinda so close sent his blood craving into overdrive. He did not understand what had changed, why he suddenly found her blood so much more appealing than normal.
Whenever he had human blood there was always a period of craving and withdrawal to suffer through. But if there had not been a locked iron door between them, he might not have kept his control. This worried him greatly.
Yes, Melinda spending time with others would be good for them both.
His black eyes peered longingly at the animal blood pack. Before he could stop himself he was on the floor ripping it open with his teeth and sucking it dry.
He licked his lips and tore open the pack, lapping the lining, needing every last drop. William closed his eyes, relishing the thick slick coating his throat.
A horrified gurgle erupted from his lips.
Damn his stupid need for blood! His lust for it!
Blood would not, and could not, control him.
It was sustenance, simply that and nothing more.
The Howards trusted him. He could not do anything to break that trust. They were his only connection to a human existence. Without them, he was nothing. Just a thing. A thing that had lived much longer than any thing should. They gave him purpose. Without them, he had no reason to continue going on...
He had kept control since stepping foot onto The Demon Isle.
He would not lose it now.
##
Melinda left the mansion, unsure where she was heading. The town was already bustling with tourists. She stepped onto the cobblestone walkway, sucked in the salty sea air, and soon found herself at the Wicked Muddy Café. Grace, the gruff woman that owned the cafe stood behind the counter.
“Well looky here,” she said, upon seeing Melinda enter. “Twice in one week. I might just have to start giving you the local’s discount if you make this a habit.”
Witches of The Demon Isle Box Set, Volumes 1, 2 & 3 Page 10
