He stood erect, howling into the night sky, savoring his victory.
He closed his silver eyes, breathing calmly, reveling in complete elation.
He had succeeded.
There had been a price, the life of the Guardian.
But he had killed the alpha. It wouldn’t hurt anyone ever again.
And now with the ring, he no longer needed to fear the wolf.
A cool breeze against his skin gave him a shiver. When he opened his eyes, he was standing in Eva’s backyard, in human form once again. His eyes shot down to his naked body, his elated fervor cooling as he darted behind a tree.
“Charlie,” a voice called out faintly. “Is that you?”
“Um… Eva, hi,” he replied, staying hidden.
She held a flashlight in her hand.
“What the hell is going on out here?” she asked, sounding shaken. “I was crawling into bed and heard strange noises and then I saw…”
“You know, when you hear strange noises, Eva, you should never investigate them. You should always run the other way.” He wondered why her instincts seemed to draw her closer to danger.
“Yeah, well, it’s kind of hard to crawl into bed when it sounds like an animal is being tortured outside your window!”
“Okay,” he said. “I can see that. Um… Eva, you don’t happen to have a coat, or blanket, or clothing of some kind.” He could practically see her grinning from his hiding spot.
“Charlie,” she said with an air of you are not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on.
“Look, Eva. I will explain everything. I promise.”
“You’re not going to try and attack me again are you?” she asked him, her voice distrustful.
He gazed at the ring, shaking his head. “No, Eva. I swear that will never happen again. And if you give me the chance, I really want to make it up to you… but I sort of need some clothes first,” he added, pleadingly, at the end.
“Just stay put, I’ll be right back.” She sounded as though she was holding in fits of laughter. She returned with a tee shirt and sweat shorts, tossing them to Charlie.
“So, you’re a werewolf,” she stated.
“Um, yeah, I guess I am.”
“You guess?”
“It’s a long story, but yes, you’re right. I’m a werewolf.”
After dressing, he stepped out to face her. The intoxicating smell still poured off Eva freely, and though he enjoyed it, the smell no longer held the same mesmerizing effect it had previously. He glanced at the ring, amazed and thankful.
She noticed and questioned him about it. “New?” she asked. “I don’t recall seeing that before.”
“Just got it today,” he answered. He motioned for her to follow, taking her to the dead werewolf.
“Holy…” she lost her voice upon seeing the dead werewolf on her lawn. “Wow! It’s so…”
“Dead,” said Charlie, kicking its leg.
“I was thinking, gigantic… huge … and really, really terrifying.”
“Do you think I’m terrifying?” Charlie asked her, curiously.
She shrugged. “I honestly don’t think you enjoy hurting people, Charlie. But if you were lying here dead on my lawn, looking like that…” she looked at him as if to say, sorry.
“It’s okay, Eva. I don’t blame you, at all.” He continued to explain what had happened that night with the alpha, and how he had chased it through the woods tracking it to her yard. He did not go into great detail about Nina, only that he had been given a gift to help him control the wolf.
She glanced at the ring.
He just waved his hand, as it was apparent it was the ring he spoke of.
Eva daringly, but gently, touched the ring with her finger, with great admiration. She let go, biting her lower lip, as if unsure what to say next.
“Look,” said Charlie. “What happened in the woods earlier today, I can’t even begin to apologize for that. But I can guarantee you it will never happen again.” His voice was steady and sure. “That said, I completely understand if you don’t trust me, Eva. I’ve given you little reason to,” he added, apologetically. “Just say the word and if we ever cross paths, I’ll go the other way.”
She shifted her body, as if considering what he had said.
“Considering that you saved me from a possible, horrific death via the dead monster lying in my backyard, and you did save me from drowning, I wouldn’t say you’re a lost cause… not completely.”
He chuckled, impressed with her ability to move on from terrible events. Michael was right… she does recover freakishly fast…
“Now, to figure out what to do with this thing…” he said, nodding toward the dead werewolf.
“Do you think it would be weird if I kept it?” she asked, taking Charlie off guard.
“You want to keep it?”
“Well, not for me. For my dad. I think he’ll get a kick out of it. And who knows, maybe he’ll learn something new about werewolves.”
Charlie stared coolly at Eva. “Just tell me where you want me to put it... I mean, where you want the werewolf,” he clarified, clearing his throat.
Eva just motioned with her finger to follow him.
Charlie dragged the dead alpha’s body onto a cement floor at the back of her father’s laboratory, which was actually just the garage, renovated into a laboratory.
“Let me know if you guys find out anything of interest,” Charlie told her, with an exhausted breath. “Can’t help but be a little curious, seeing as the same blood runs in my own veins.”
They walked outside again, standing under the starry night sky.
“I guess I should probably get going,” he said. “I’m sure my family wants to know that I’m okay, and I’ll be sure to return the clothes,” he said, walking toward the road.
“Eh, don’t worry about the clothes. They were left by a previous tenant and I was about to get rid of them anyway. Are you okay walking home?” she asked. “I can give you a ride.”
“Thanks,” he said gratefully. “But I think I could use the walk.”
“Long night, huh,” she said, her eyes filled with some unsaid understanding.
He just nodded.
“I’ll see you around then,” she said.
“Yeah, see you around,” he replied, his voice steady.
“Night, Charlie,” she said, tossing him a mysterious smile.
He waved, jogging into the darkness.
When Charlie was out of sight, the smile dropped from Eva’s face, turning into a scowl. She leaned over the dead werewolf’s body.
“Thank you, Caleb. It was definitely fun catching up.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a tooth. She threw it onto his dead body. “You can have that back now…”
Her father’s tall silhouette came up behind her. “I see your plan didn’t go as well as you hoped.”
“I nearly had him,” she spoke defiantly. “At least Caleb came in handy. That stuff from the cave worked perfectly on him. Just a little bit and he went completely mad. Luckily, I had enough time to get back here, turn and let him out before Charlie got here.”
“And out of curiosity, how did the smell test work today? Better than the cave?”
“Yes and no,” she answered, thinking back to her trip to White Pines. “It completely messed him up, drew him to me, no question, but it had a bad side effect or two,” she added.
“Explain,” he demanded tersely.
“He wanted to kill me. More like, rip me to shreds.” She spoke as if it were no big thing.
Her father sighed. “We need Charlie Howard under our control if our plan is to succeed, but I won’t do it at the cost of my daughter’s life,” he told her decisively.
“I don’t think it matters anyway, Dad,” she said in a frustrated manner. “I let it wear off. I didn’t need him actually trying to kill me if he did transform. I injected myself with a small dose, like yesterday, just before he got here tonight, but it’s stopped working…
” she trailed off.
“Stopped working?” he questioned.
“Charlie Howard seems to have inherited the ring of a Guardian,” she spoke shrewdly.
Her father’s eyes perked up.
“I know,” she said, agreeing with his unspoken response. “If we could get our hands on that ring… and Charlie Howard …”
“There’s no chance we would fail,” he breathed out, a malicious grin settling on his face. “The only problem is, how will we get the ring? And how will you become his alpha, if you can’t remove it from his finger?”
Eva smirked, her eyes cruel. “Charlie thinks he killed the alpha tonight. His guard will be down. Don’t worry, Dad. Before I’m finished, Charlie Howard will be completely under my control.”
##
Michael pulled the jeep into the driveway. His mind reeled with constantly shifting emotions: awe over watching his brother transform into a werewolf. Amazement over the fact that Charlie was sleeping with a Guardian who willingly sacrificed her life for him. Relief that Charlie would be okay, and equally relieved that Emily was okay. Confusion over how exactly Melinda knew what was going to happen and concern over where she had disappeared to that day, and then finally… William. He groaned as he thought the name.
He couldn’t keep his eyes off of Emily sitting in the backseat next to Melinda. They had been whispering and giggling the entire drive home; as if everything that had occurred made perfect sense… or was it something else? Melinda’s feelings were changing as quickly and as often as his own were. Maybe he was misreading her.
William had not spoken and neither had Michael. He let his sister and Emily pass by him into the house, but reached out to stop William.
“I’m sorry,” Michael stated. “I’m sorry for what I said earlier. I…” he didn’t know what else to say. Words didn’t seem to cover it.
“I understand. There’s no need for an apology, Michael.”
“Yes. There is, William. You’ve always been there for us, no matter what. You are… ridiculously patient. I totally lost it.”
“You’re human, Michael. If I were still human, I would have felt the same. I am vampire. I still feel emotions, but they don’t control me so easily. I would have expected no different a reaction from you.”
“I just need you to know that I’m sorry.”
“If you need to hear it, apology accepted. You love her. It is obvious that you cannot live without her.”
“I don’t think I realized how much I loved her until tonight. The thought of losing her…”
“Nearly drove you to madness. It is not such a bad thing, Michael, to love so wholeheartedly.”
“Thank you, William. I don’t think we say it enough. I don’t say it enough. Thank you,” he repeated.
“I will always be here, for as long as you’ll keep me,” William said, turning to head inside.
Michael thoughts, feeling lighter now that he’d apologized, turned to his brother.
“Do you think Charlie is okay?” he asked William. “It feels weird to just leave him out there.”
“I think Charlie is fine,” answered William. “I’d wager more than fine.”
“You sure we shouldn’t go after him?”
“It’s his first night trying out his new form. I think he deserves a little time. And if it is the alpha you’re worried about… the ring won’t let anything life threatening happen. Remember, Charlie is protected now.”
Michael nodded as they stepped into the kitchen, where Melinda and Emily were making plans.
“Okay, so tomorrow morning, right when they open. We’ll find you the perfect outfit.”
“Thanks, Emily. Really appreciate your help.”
“Are you kidding? About time we went on a shopping spree together.”
“Shopping?” questioned Michael. “What’s the occasion?”
Melinda shrugged. “Just feel like my clothes are a little outdated. Time for something new.” She bit her lip in hopes of keeping her feelings to herself, so Michael wouldn’t sense what she was actually feeling. She wanted to keep it to herself, for now.
Emily gave Melinda a look that only the two of them understood.
“I will be in my study,” William told them, ready for a sudden departure. His face was blank and his emotions impossible to read.
“Oh, but first,” Melinda started with a wild look in her eye. “We haven’t talked about Charlie yet! Wasn’t that just the coolest? He was Charlie one second and then like, boom, a full on massively scary werewolf.”
Michael just laughed at his sister.
Even William seemed to lighten up and could not help but turn the corner of his mouth into a smile.
“That must have felt so … freeing,” she added. A feeling she wanted to get more acquainted with herself... she wished tomorrow would arrive faster.
A giddy relief poured out of her as she thought about seeing Riley again.
“He doesn’t have to struggle anymore,” Melinda continued. “This day has been so...” she could not find the right word. It had gone from good to terrible, to really freaking awesome to terrible and then amazing... she couldn’t find a word that did it justice.
Michael could not keep track of all the emotions floating around the room but the happiness his sister felt was infectious.
“And what about the Guardian?” Emily reminded.
“Oh my God! Nina was so regal and compassionate and good,” Melinda spoke reverently. “And, well, let’s face it. Pretty attractive!”
“I also found her to be a most resilient and beautiful woman,” William admitted in a pleasant tone.
“She came to me, in a dream,” said Melinda, her tone more serious. “Told me everything.” She explained this mostly for Michael’s benefit, as she had already told this to William and Emily. “Nina knew years ago she would die today. She was so brave. I don’t think I would want to know when I’m going to die. I could certainly never live out my final moments with Nina’s grace or bravery.”
The room went quiet; as if each were paying a silent respect for the lost Guardian, whose bravery saved Charlie from a terrible fate.
“Well, I don’t know about you,” said Emily after a minute, “but I’m beat, and I should probably get home and check in on Dad.”
“I’ll take you,” offered Michael. He did not relish the idea of Emily leaving his sight.
“See you in the morning,” Emily winked at Melinda.
She replied by grinning and rubbing her hands together in nervous anticipation. When she had seen them off, she turned around to find the kitchen empty.
She sauntered into William’s study.
“Are you okay?” she asked him, sensing something was bothering him.
“I am fine. Why do you ask?”
“You just seem off. For you.”
“Are you sure you’re not getting your brother’s empathic abilities?” he asked, peering oddly at her.
“I’m sure,” she retorted. “Besides, they don’t work on vampires,” she reminded. When he did not reply, she stepped closer.
“C’mon, William. I can tell something is bothering you. I may not be empathic and you may not express your emotions in a human way, but I know you… is this about what Michael said to you? You know how sorry he is about that, right?”
“I’m not worried about Michael. He was impassioned by the moment. My fear is what Nina, the Guardian, spoke of… the battles to come. If the Guardians chose to give Charlie that ring, it means they fear the balance of good and evil may shift towards evil.”
He stopped for a moment.
“The truth is, as Michael feared losing Emily, I fear losing each of you. And even as a vampire, my emotions do sometimes overwhelm me.”
Melinda walked up to William and put her hand on his face, lovingly. His arm darted up to stop her, but dropped. Her warm fingers against his cool skin felt too pleasant to force them away.
“You won’t lose any of us. I know how deeply you love. I saw
it every day when my parents were alive, and I see it every day now, with us. You mean everything to us. You mean everything to me, William.”
Her words melted over him.
He reached up and grasped her hand, bringing it to his lips.
Melinda shuddered. She’d never felt such an intense feeling over a simple action. The sensation raining down her arm was just like in her dream. She’d forgotten all about her fiery dream until just then.
Riley had pushed it far out of her mind.
She didn’t understand how she could feel like this. Just minutes before she had been begging the hours to speed up so she could see Riley again and now, the only thing she could think about was William’s touch.
She couldn’t stop the dream from replaying itself. Her heart fluttered, the same way it had just a day before.
William’s reaction was instant. He dropped her hand and before Melinda could blink, he had dashed out of the study.
She stood speechless, unsure how to respond. William had never touched her like that before. Hell, he hadn’t touched her in any manner, for months.
“I think I need a bath and a glass of wine,” she decided.
Today had been too weird. No, weird didn’t even begin to cover it. It had been a roller coaster. And whatever this thing was with William, it didn’t change the fact that he was off limits... romance wise. Wasn’t he? She wasn’t so sure just now.
She sighed. That dream had caused her enough trouble! She sealed it away, determined never to think on it again. It made no sense to.
Especially seeing as she had Riley in her life now. He was not off limits and quite willing and eager to see her. There was already a deep connection between them, considering they’d only known each other for a day.
The excitement of seeing him returned. It felt right.
And she was sure if William knew about Riley, he’d agree with her choice.
##
William didn’t stop until near the outskirts of The Demon Isle. He thought for a moment of leaving. Without an explanation or a goodbye. It was too dangerous for him to return.
Witches of The Demon Isle Box Set, Volumes 1, 2 & 3 Page 18
