“I didn’t really think it would be easy, it’s just, our mother’s bones are just inside that cave. And to stand here this close, and not be able to get in…”
“Maybe we are searching too close?” Charlie suggested, understanding his brother’s frustration. “Maybe we need to broaden our search a little. We should separate, do a quick search and meet back here in thirty minutes.”
William was at first apprehensive about separating, but after a moment agreed, when the only sound he still heard was the lady-hiker, humming. She had stopped somewhere nearby. They each took off and began combing the area in search of any clues.
About ten minutes later, Charlie whipped his head around, peering into the woods after hearing what sounded like an animal growling. When after a moment he saw, or heard. nothing, he shook it off and continued his search. After a few more steps, he froze again, hearing the crisp snap of a branch breaking somewhere close by.
“Michael? William?” he called out in a loud whisper. There was no reply. That’s when he saw it, just a spot of what looked like gray fur, darting between two trees.
The wolf in Charlie took over, transforming him into a hunter now stalking his prey. He crouched, his silver wolf eyes scouring the woods, searching for the gray fur he had seen.
It moved again, this time, up and down, as if leaning over and picking something up off the ground.
Charlie crept forward, narrowing his eyes, focusing on his target.
With his next inhale of breath, he fell to his knees, suddenly unable to control his legs. An intoxicating smell filled his nostrils, overwhelming his other senses. He shook his head trying to remain coherent, but as he found his legs and stood again, a new desire spread throughout every fiber of his being; unbridled desire to devour whatever could create such an enticing smell.
Gray fur, just in front of him.
He lunged toward it, stopping himself just before landing on it.
Just a gray fuzzy sweater, his human mind warned. The hiker.
The hiker turned around.
“Eva!” Charlie’s voice came out in a sinister growl.
“Oh my God! Charlie! You scared me half to death!” she replied, taking a relieved breath.
He stepped menacingly toward her.
“What are you doing out here?” he demanded unkindly.
He could not calm the wolf. The smell overpowered his control.
She stepped back, pointing apprehensively to a basket on the ground. “I’ve been collecting flower specimen for my father. What’s wrong with you?” she asked him, taking a step backwards.
With each step she took back, he took one forward.
“Why are you here?” he asked again, disbelieving her explanation.
His wolf eyes bore into Eva’s, searching for some deception he thought must be there. The intoxicating smell filtered through his nostrils and nothing else mattered at that moment… he needed to find the source of the smell.
He crouched down and sniffed the flowers she had been picking. He swept the basket away with his hand, spilling out the contents within.
He stood back up, inching closer to Eva. She backed into a tree, her eyes taking quick swipes to each side, looking for an escape. Charlie could hear her heart, strumming faster and faster.
“They’re medicinal,” he heard Eva say.
Her voice sounded distant to him.
He could only focus on the smell.
“My father uses them to make herbal ointments, like the one I’m using to heal my leg.” She pointed at her still bandaged leg.
Charlie cast his gaze down for just a moment.
“I know they’re illegal to pick, but I didn’t think I’d be doing any real damage just picking a few,” Eva continued rambling.
“Shut up!” Charlie ordered in a severe tone. He moved so close to Eva that she had no chance of escape.
“What’s wrong with you, Charlie?” she asked him, her voice soothing.
Her sudden calmness caught him off guard, sending a wave of clarity into his mind.
“Don’t move, Eva,” he pleaded through heavy breaths. He leaned his head against the tree just above her shoulder, the wolf and human sides of his brain in a battle for control. But with his next inhale the hunter returned.
“It’s you. Same as the cave,” Charlie growled, his eyes finding hers. He was surprised that instead of the hazel he’d seen before, that her eyes were now a softer golden color. No, more like a soft yellow.
He shook his head again. Nothing looked right. Everything was blurry.
Eva put her hand daringly onto his face, stroking it.
Charlie grabbed her arm meaning to push it away, but instead, ran his lips over her skin, as if to see if the taste of her was as intoxicating as the smell.
Charlie had never experienced anything like it before. A complete loss of control.
If it was night and the moon was rising, he knew without a doubt that he would surrender to the wolf. He would not be able to stop the transformation.
Stop it! Why would he want to stop it? He had never felt such desire to allow the transformation to take place.
Charlie’s breath came out in ragged pants as a feral snarl slipped through his parted lips. He grabbed Eva’s arms, forcefully pinning them above her head against the trunk of the tree, at the same time, leaning into her face, nearly touching her skin with his exposed teeth. He wanted to feel sharp teeth in his mouth and could practically feel the wolf’s teeth replacing his own.
Eva held her breath.
Charlie let his bare teeth run across the skin of her neck.
She let out her breath in a panic-stricken moan.
He wanted to bite into her flesh.
He wanted to tear the skin from her body and rip her to shreds.
Eva closed her eyes, bracing for the bite she felt sure was coming at any moment.
All he needed to do was take a bite. Just one, little, delicious …
“Charlie Devin Howard!” a hardened voice called out.
It was William.
Charlie ignored him.
“You must stop,” William ordered.
Charlie whipped his head to look at William and let out a savage growl.
William rushed at Charlie slamming his body to the ground. He reached down and grasped Charlie’s throat, threatening to choke him.
“Do. Not. Make. Me. Hurt. You.” William spat out venomously.
Charlie kicked and pulled at William’s arm, unable to free himself. His only thoughts revolved around killing Eva Jordan.
Michael appeared, out of breath. His eyes were wide with fear as he witnessed William nearly strangling Charlie, and Charlie raging out of control. His eyes swept to Eva, her gaze frozen on Charlie.
Michael could feel uncontrolled rage pouring out of his brother; he tried to ignore it and ran to check on Eva. “Are you okay?”
She nodded yes, looking only slightly bewildered. To Michael’s surprise, there was little fear in Eva’s emotions. No confusion over what happened. This baffled him for a moment, until he realized what emotions were pouring out of her… lust… desire... excitement.
“Wow,” Michael uttered, trying to ignore his empathic ability. Any normal person would have, and should have, been frightened. Her feelings confused him, but more importantly, Eva Jordan, turned on by his brother’s enraged behavior, was not a picture he wanted in his mind.
“Get her away from here,” William demanded forcefully.
Eva didn’t struggle when Michael took hold of her arm and hastily departed the area. The farther away Michael took Eva Jordan, the more in control Charlie became. After just a minute of breathing Eva free air, a defeated, but normal looking Charlie Howard lay on the ground underneath William’s grasp.
Upon seeing Charlie return, the vampire released his grip.
Charlie turned over, trying to get up, but fell back to his knees in complete disgust. He remembered everything.
“I nearly killed her, William. I wanted
to kill her with every fiber of my being. If you hadn’t stopped me…”
William said nothing. He reached down and pulled Charlie off the ground, forcing him to stand and look at him, eye to eye. “I will not allow you to fail, Charlie. Do not give up now.”
“What if it’s something you can’t stop, William? Whatever this was, I don’t even remotely pretend to understand, but I don’t think it had anything to do with the alpha. It felt more primal, like I happened upon something that triggered my wolf.”
Charlie turned away from William, fearing he’d see disappointment in the vampire’s eyes. “If it had been a full moon, William… I would not have been able to fight it. If something like this ever happens to me during a full moon, I won’t be able to control it. I will transform and I will kill someone.”
“Then we will do as we have always done,” said William, dashing in front of Charlie, to speak at him directly. “We will not stop until we find a solution.”
“And what if the only solution is to kill me? Can you do it, William? Can you kill me?”
William closed his eyes and dared not think about it. “Let’s go home,” was all he replied.
##
Michael waited anxiously in the jeep. He took a relieved breath when he saw Charlie and William exit the woods. His brother said nothing as he slid into the back seat. He threw a look at William, who threw one back that said, not now.
He started the jeep and headed toward home. His eyes could not help but drift to the mirror, keeping an eye on Charlie as he drove. His brother looked defeated… deflated.
He wasn’t paying attention to the road and hit a pothole, sending the jeep bouncing into the air. It landed with a hard thud. “Sorry,” said Michael. “We need new shocks.”
The jolt released Charlie from his silent stupor.
“You okay?” Michael asked him.
Charlie nodded a weak yes.
“Look, um, I don’t really get what happened out there, but we’ll figure it out.”
Michael looked to William for back up, but William seemed far away, deep in thought.
“What happened was I nearly killed Eva Jordan. No, not killed, more like ripped to shreds.”
“Okay,” choked Michael.
“It was some sort of smell,” Charlie explained. “Intoxicating, like a drug. A very bad drug, with very bad side effects.”
“Smell?” questioned William, joining the conversation.
“I can’t even describe it other than completely overwhelming.”
“Perhaps this Eva Jordan’s body releases some sort of chemical that attracts your wolf side?” William noted.
“With the horrible side effect being that I’m so attracted, I want to tear the skin off her body piece by piece,” Charlie added with an edge of sarcasm.
“Something of the sort,” William replied bleakly.
“How was she, Michael? I don’t know how, but I need to apologize.” Charlie shook his head and released a weary chuckle. “How do you apologize to someone you threatened to tear to pieces?”
“Yeah, I don’t think they make any cards for that,” Michael added, attempting to brighten his brother’s outlook. “But actually, she was okay all things considered. A little freaked I think, but to her benefit she handle’s crazy well. Kind of eerily well.”
He glanced through the mirror watching his brother’s face.
“It’s too bad you want to kill her so badly, because in all truth she’s completely smitten with you. I could feel it pouring off her. That and a few other things…” he muttered inaudibly at the end.
“Yeah. Too bad,” Charlie replied dryly.
“It dawns on me, Charlie,” said William, interrupting, “that we have never properly researched the subject of mating rituals between wolves, or werewolves.”
“Mating rituals,” Charlie repeated, awkwardly.
“Yes. The smell that attracts you to Eva is obviously enhanced by your wolf side. Perhaps this is because it sees her as a potential mate.”
“Do wolves eat their mates?” Michael asked. “I’ve never heard of that.”
“Me either,” added Charlie, shifting uncomfortably, hoping they would move onto another topic.
“I could be wrong,” William added. “Perhaps your wolf side senses something about Eva that you do not care for, and it sees her as a potential rival.”
“Rival? Like she’s into women? Not men?” clarified Charlie.
“One must look at all possibilities,” William noted.
Michael nodded. “She’s definitely into men.”
William shrugged. “Its all conjecture,” he conceded. “Something to look into, at least.”
Charlie had a questioning look on his face. “What exactly did Eva…”
“So not going there, Bro,” Michael said, cutting him off. He shot him a knowing smile through the mirror.
Charlie didn’t know how to feel about the Eva situation other than, why her? Of all the people? Of all the places for her to be? As horrified as he was by his actions, the nagging feeling in his gut would not relent. Something about her rubbed him the wrong way. His distrust of her had not changed.
Regardless, the sun was beginning to drop down to the tops of the trees. Afternoon was ending and evening was approaching.
There was one conclusion he did come to as the jeep came to a stop in the Howard’s driveway.
“Michael, William,” he started.
“Yeah,” said Michael.
“When the moon rises tonight, I want you to lock me up.”
“What?” asked Michael.
“You heard what I said, Michael.”
“You really think it’s that bad? That you might actually turn?”
Charlie could not speak the word aloud and just nodded a curt yes.
Michael looked to William, hoping he would say that Charlie would be okay, as usual. He swallowed hard, his throat suddenly feeling thick when the vampire did not.
“I’ll make sure the room is ready and secured, Charlie,” William said instead, slipping out of the jeep and into the house without another word.
FIVE
The sun peeked through the clouds heating the granite rock, warming Melinda’s skin as she lay on her stomach. Riley leaned alongside her, gently stroking her back with his fingers.
Neither spoke, but simply basked in the peaceful bliss that surrounded them. Melinda’s fears and worries seemed miles away. She let out a low moan, feeling as though she were so relaxed she might seep into the granite and disappear. She could practically feel the grin on Riley’s face, as he stopped stroking her back and lay down next to her. She rolled onto her side and draped a leg over him, falling asleep.
What seemed like just a moment later, she awoke with a start; no longer in the quarry. She was fully dressed and standing in the middle of a forest clearing.
A golden glow caught her attention.
“Am I dreaming?” she whispered. She was surprised when a voice replied to her question.
“Yes, Melinda. You are.”
The golden glow grew larger as it approached Melinda. A silhouette appeared and the glow faded, leaving behind a woman... a beautiful woman with dark skin, serious eyes and a sympathetic smile.
“Are you talking to me?” Melinda asked.
The woman nodded yes.
“I’ve never talked to anyone in my dreams before. I see things, people, but I never interact with them. I only watch like a silent observer.”
“I had no choice but reach out to you in this manner, Melinda. But believe me when I say, your gifts will continue to grow with time, experience and acceptance.”
“Acceptance?”
“Yes. Something you are finally doing.”
“Who are you?” asked Melinda.
“My name is Nina. And although I do know a lot about you, I am here to help you save Charlie.”
“Wait a minute, you’re a …” Melinda lost her breath, realizing what Nina was. “I can’t believe it!”
&
nbsp; “Come,” Nina told her, with a welcoming smile. “There’s something I need to show you.”
Melinda followed the woman, and what again seemed like a moment later, Melinda’s eyes popped open, this time for real. It took her a second to remember where she was.
“Oh yeah, lying naked in the quarry,” she mumbled under her breath. She looked up at Riley. This is going to be awkward…
Melinda sat up, searching for any sign of her underclothes. Riley awoke and sat up beside her.
“Everything okay?” he asked. “You seem panicked all of a sudden.”
“You’re kind of freakishly perceptive,” she told him. Reminds me of Michael a little…
She proceeded with her search. “Damn, still in the water.”
“You want me to jump in and grab’em for you?”
“No time. I, um, hate to bring an abrupt end to a really, really amazing day, but I kind of, sort of, have a job I have to get to.” She tugged at her lip with her teeth, hoping he wouldn’t question further.
“Oh, yeah, no problem. I can have you back in town pretty fast.”
“Sorry,” she said, worried he might be angry.
“Don’t be sorry. Jobs are jobs. You gotta do it.”
“Exactly,” she agreed, beginning the climb to the top of the granite quarry. Thankfully, the granite had been cut like steps; otherwise, the journey to the top would have been more than awkward, considering they were still completely naked. At the top, Melinda peeked over the edge, just to be sure they were still alone, and that their outer clothes were where they had left them.
They were strewn about on the ground, just at the cliffs edge.
“Thank God,” she whispered, hurrying to get dressed.
“Yeah, that would have been a pretty uncomfortable ride back into town,” he conceded.
Riley tossed a helmet to her and they hopped onto the bike.
“Where should I take you?” he asked.
“Harboring the Book,” she told him, wrapping her arms around his waist. “Bookstore,” she explained when he had no idea what she was talking about. “I’ll show you where it is,” she added when he clearly had no idea where it was located.
He turned and tossed her a quick smile. “Your wish is my command.” He kick-started the bike and sped back towards town.
Witches of The Demon Isle Box Set, Volumes 1, 2 & 3 Page 15
