by Celeste Raye
“Maybe you should stay out here, Justin. I don’t know if there are still witches in here or not.”
“I don’t sense anything, and I think I would know. You’re right; witches do have a certain scent.”
Dahlia ignored the innuendo he was throwing her way. Justin was certainly coming into his own.
“Fine, just be careful, Justin. I don’t want anything to happen to you because of my family obligation.”
“You’ve already saved me, Dahlia; I just want to return the favor.”
She smiled at him but got serious as they entered the house. She was nervous that the bottle would be gone, and she would have failed. She immediately went to the vent duct that she put bottle in. Justin gave her a look of curiosity, but she didn’t answer it. He wanted to know but knowing wasn’t all that great. Knowing came with responsibilities.
Dahlia breathed a sigh of relief when her hand came around the smooth, blue glass. She had convinced herself that all was lost, but now she could think straight. Now she could go on with a future that she wasn’t sure she would have a few minutes prior.
“What do you want me to do?”
“Nothing. I got it, and all is well. They were here for you, Justin, not this. They would have turned this place to ashes looking for it.”
“Why would they do that? It would just burn it up, and then they couldn’t have it.”
“Not this. It’s magically spelled so that it wouldn’t be touched, no matter what you did to it. It wouldn’t be able to be destroyed.”
“Nothing?”
“Yes, I mean, it could be dropped and broken, I suppose.”
He looked at the glass as though it were somehow more fragile than before. That was exactly how she felt about it, so it made her feel a little bit better, to know that he cared that much. It wasn’t because he knew that the contents were valuable like her; he cared just because she did.
“You know, you can be the sweetest thing when you want to be, Justin.”
He grinned. “Just don’t tell everyone, Dahlia. I have a reputation to uphold.”
She smiled back at him, but there was a touch of sadness in her. His reputation was not his own, and it was one that he didn’t deserve. Justin proved that everything she had been taught about shifters was wrong.
“I don’t get it, Dahlia. Why would they want this so much?”
“You know that I can't tell you this, Justin. You're just going to have to trust me.”
“I do trust you, Dahlia. I just wonder what is worth the danger to your life. I don't feel like it's worth it.”
“I know that this isn’t what I signed up for. You have no idea what I have been through to keep this safe. I don't even know what I am capable of to make sure that it happens. I made a promise to my mother before she died, and I have to keep it. I'm the oldest of the family, and it's my job to make sure that there is a potion to pass on to the next generation.
“I just don't get it, Dahlia.”
“I know. Maybe one day I can tell you about it, but right now, we have to figure out what to do with you.”
“Why are we so worried about me?”
“Because the Stein witches are after you and that is not going to just go away. I don't even know how to deal with that problem, to be honest with you. I know that you were raised by them, but I think they're going to be a lot different towards you now. We need to get you away from here.
“First, we have to go see Davey.”
Dahlia was feeling a little bit better because she had the potion in her hand, but at the same time, she was worried about his whole idea of meeting with the police chief to get some information. While she was raised not to trust shifters, she was raised not to trust humans either. Probably humans more so than shifters. At least shifters were magical.
“I don't think it's a good idea.”
“I know you don't, Dahlia, but you have to trust me.”
“How can you trust him when you don't even remember him?”
“He is another person that I have seen in my dreams, so I think I am supposed to go to see him. I know it sounds crazy, but my dreams were right about you.”
Dahlia couldn’t argue with that. It was something that came out of the blue, surprising them both. Neither one of them knew what was going on between them, but that was okay. When all of it was over, Dahlia suspected that they would have plenty of time to figure it out. That was what she hoped, anyway.
“Fine, Justin. We will do it your way, but know that if it goes downhill, I will have to take his memory too.”
Justin nodded, but he had a more sober look on his face.
“Agreed.”
Chapter Seventeen
Justin was nervous for many reasons. The dream that he had the night before included the police chief, as well as the house that he was standing in front of now. There had been a feeling like Davey was going to help him. He wasn't even sure what it was that he needed help with, but Justin had to find out. His life didn't make any sense anymore, and the only thing that seemed to be right at the moment was his subconscious mind while he slept. He was going to have to put his faith in it for a little bit longer.
He knocked at the door and waited for several moments.
Justin shook the feeling off when the door opened, and the face of the man on the other side of it was familiar, even if it was a little older than the one that had appeared in his dream.
“Hi, um, I know you don’t know who I am, but I, uh…”
Before Justin could say more, the old man stopped him with a smile.
“I hope you’re here to ask me questions instead of teaching me a lesson, Justin.”
Justin stopped. “You know who I am?”
“Those eyes are hard to miss. I haven’t seen you in a while, though I doubt you would remember if I had. Come in. I think we have a lot to talk about. Your eyes aren’t dilated. You’re not in their control anymore.”
Justin felt a shiver run through him. Not only did he know about Davey, but it would appear that Davey knew about him. Davey knew more than Justin did, and he had a surge of hope that he would get all of the answers he needed.
“So, can I get you something to drink?”
Justin thanked him for the offer but said that he was fine. His eyes were taking in the scene in front of him. The man was the police chief, but he obviously took his work home. Not only were there files spread all over the coffee table, but there were also files on the walls as well. It looked like Davey was trying to put together crimes from all over the country.
He was immediately overwhelmed by everything, and the sickening feeling was back. It wasn't that he wasn't going to learn everything that he needed. At this point, he was actually afraid that he might. What kind of information was this man going to have for him?
Whatever it was, it didn't seem like it was going to be all that good. He couldn't imagine how all of this had come to be. He couldn’t imagine what Davey had gone through to live in a house that had hundreds of papers stapled to the wall.
“So, I take it that you are trying to find your own answers?”
“I have gotten quite a few of them. The fact that you're here tells me that you're looking for them as well. I knew that they wouldn't be able to hold you forever. There are several other people in the town that they have gotten to, the ones that have looked away from all of the horrible deeds that they have done. But you, I knew that you would be different. You were different right from the start.”
Justin didn't know what to think, but he was certainly willing to listen. He needed to know about himself, not just who he was or what he was, but the people that had made him as well.
“I am sorry to bother you. I know that you are busy.”
“I am never too busy for this. This has ended up being my life's work. I always thought it would be so different, but this is what keeps me up at night. No family, no friends to speak of, just this mystery that I’ve been working on for almost twenty years.”
He didn't exactly know wh
at it was on the walls that he was looking at, but he had a pretty good idea. The scenario that Dahlia had discussed had seemed farfetched at the time, but Justin was already putting the pieces together from all of the information stuck all over the walls.
“You're talking about the orphanage?”
He started to get excited for a moment because he believed that Justin knew what was happening there. He asked him many questions, but Justin just shrugged. “I haven't remembered that much from there, but it has come to my attention that is most likely what they were doing. They are using the children, and in some cases, killing them off. No one gets a new home.”
“And how is that coming to your attention?”
The biggest problem that he could think of was how much he was supposed to tell. Dahlia was obviously not excited about humans knowing who and what she was, and he didn't want to cause trouble for her. Conversely, he needed some information. He needed a way to understand what was going on. There had to be something that she could do about it.
“Let's just say that I am starting to realize that I am different than all of the rest.”
“You're telling me. You should be a lot different. When I first saw you after I dropped you off there, a week later in fact, you had aged several months in a matter of days. It was rather strange to see.”
Justin looked over at Dahlia because she had mentioned something about that before.
“I wish you would remember something. The only way that I am going to get the right people involved is if I have enough evidence to get a warrant. Until then, I can’t touch them.”
“What do you know?”
“I know that there are a lot of kids that go missing without any questions being raised at the orphanage. A lot of kids have gone missing, hundreds in the last twenty years if my calculations and information are right. It's hard to tell if they are though. Someone has taken a lot of time and energy to make sure that nobody knows the truth.”
“What is the truth?”
“Witches, warlocks, something that isn't human is running that orphanage, and they are killing the kids. I have checked out several addresses that were of kids supposedly adopted, but that wasn’t the case. None of the families had ever even heard of the orphanage.”
The way he said it in such a biting way did not make Justin feel any better. He was afraid that if Davey knew what he was, then he wouldn't want to help them. Davey was going to be the key to his understanding. He couldn't mess with that.
“And you said the same about me. Are you sure that you're correct?”
“Are you going to tell me that you don't believe me?”
“No, Davey. I believe you. It's just a lot.”
“You’re telling me! I think they have wiped my memory many times. I used to go over there and try to check on you. Then the next thing I knew, I was back home again. I started writing down every time I went over there, and I have counted at least ten times that they have completely wiped my memory. I don't know who or what can do that, but they can.”
He still wasn't sure how to feel about it because he could tell that it bothered Davey.
“So why are you talking to me?”
“Because I know that you didn't have a choice. I was the one that brought you there, you know. I was one that had to take you, and I made a promise to you that you would be okay. You weren't. Something happened there, and they did something to you.”
“No, I was always a little different, and they used it to their advantage.”
Davey looked upset, and Justin wondered if it was just too much information for him. It was hard for him to take it all in, considering what he was. Davey was a human that had been dragged into it. As much guilt as Davey felt, strangely enough, Justin felt the same way. He had been dragged into his world because of him.
“I am sorry that that happened to you, Justin.”
Justin finally sat down and started to settle. For one reason or another, he instantly took to Davey. Once again, his dreams were right. He was exactly where he was supposed to be, with exactly who he was supposed to be with.
Chapter Eighteen
It was becoming clear to Dahlia that Davey could be a big help to them. He had spent what looked like the last fifteen to twenty years trying to figure out what was going on at the orphanage. He had more detailed information about the witches than anybody else did.
Dahlia left them to talk alone because it was exhausting to her. Davey was learning things that he had wondered about most of his adult life, whereas Justin was learning every little tidbit of information that he could about his parents. It wasn’t a time for Dahlia to be there. The information that she needed was not currently being discussed.
She wanted to know where the witches were, and more importantly, where the orphanage was that was supplying their eternal lives. She wanted to get rid of them because of the desire they had to take Justin away from her, but also for her own reasons. It would only be a matter of time before the Stein coven came for her too. They would want the potion. Witches like the Steins would never give up until they got what they wanted. Dahlia had to face them, or she had to continue to run.
She went outside a couple of times to get some fresh air. It was late afternoon already, and Dahlia wondered how long they were going to stay. She was anxious to get moving and to get out of the town altogether. It did not seem safe to stick around.
When she walked back inside the house, the conversation had moved on to what to do to stop the Steins at the orphanage. Davey was focused on it primarily, and Justin had his own reasoning for wanting to get rid of the place. Dahlia could understand all of that, but it was dangerous. Neither one of them really understood what kind of danger they were getting into. She knew that she had to explain it so that they would have a chance.
“You guys can't really be talking about going against the Steins. I don't think you quite understand what you will be going up against. Everyone is afraid of them. And for good reason. Do you really think that you are going to be able to stop them? A shifter that turns into a bear, but has only done it once per his memory, and a human?”
She didn't mean to sound so harsh or incredulous, but deep down, Dahlia was worried about Justin. She was afraid something was going to happen to him and just the thought of it made her realize that she couldn't live with her herself if that happened.
Justin did not like the comment though, and he asked her in just the same biting tone what it was that she expected them to do.
“Do you really think that we could just walk away from this? You know what they are doing to all of those kids. How can you not want to help?”
“The longer you are in my world, Justin, the more you will start to realize that this sort of thing happens more than anyone would like to admit. While it is definitely frowned upon, it is not against our rules. Humans are fair game.”
Again, Dahlia wished that she had said nothing at all. Both of them were looking at her like she was the Wicked Witch of the West. It was understandable when it came to Davey, because of what he was, but it was extra hard to see it on Justin’s face. He was supposed to know her, understand why she was saying and doing what she was saying and doing. She wasn't trying to be harsh or mean. She was just trying to be real. The idea of the two of them running such a well-oiled operation was a little ridiculous.
“I'm sorry if it came out the wrong way, but it is still the truth. You have no idea what we're dealing with. They have been around for a very long time, and that is not going to change because of you two.”
“Well, there has to be somebody that can help us. You say that there are magical beings everywhere, so why wouldn’t they want to help?”
“Like I said before, nobody wants to get involved with witches like that. They will not only punish the person who betrayed them, but they will also attack anyone that they love as well. It would not be easy on anyone that the Steins decided was an enemy. I don't want you to be that, Justin.”
Dahlia stopped herself becau
se she felt like she had said too much. She was trying not to get emotional about any of it, but it was rather hard to do. It hit her how much it would hurt if something happened to Justin. He was such a new addition to her life, but that did not seem to matter given how quickly he had become a priority. It was like she knew that he'd only been with her for a couple of days, but she couldn't even remember what it was like before she met him.
Justin smiled and pulled her in for a kiss. “See, I knew you cared.”
“Of course I do; that would be hard to miss.”
“So, what are we going to do about this, Dahlia?”
Dahlia looked from one man to the other, and she knew then that she was going to have to do something. Justin wasn't going to let it go, and she wasn't going to let Justin go.
“I think that you have no idea how this is going to be. I will help as much as I can. I do want to help the kids, but we have to be smart about this.”
Both men agreed, but she was still worried about how it would all end. It wasn't like there were rules for it. Dahlia knew that they were going to have to make some tough choices.
Justin decided to stay at Davey’s for the night, mainly so that the two men could talk. She went to bed early because Dahlia had too much on her mind. She wasn't convinced that it was going to be as easy and smooth as they wanted to believe.
In fact, she knew better.
Chapter Nineteen
Justin stayed up with Davey for most of the night, and he realized quickly that the two of them had more in common than he would have imagined. Not only were they two people that were thrust into a world that wasn't theirs, or at least it didn’t feel like it, but they also had a desire to make it all better.
Justin still wasn't sure how it was all going to turn out. He convinced himself that the only way he would be able to justify and forgive himself for what he had done was to start doing something good to help alleviate it.
When he finally came to bed, Dahlia pretended that she was asleep, but he knew better. She had a lot to say, but she didn't want to say it outright. He was going to have to wait for it, even though Justin had a feeling that it was going to be bad news. Dahlia had after all, made herself clear. She did not think that going after the witches was safe. There was nothing he could do to change her mind but give more information. So instead of letting her play her game, he acknowledged the fact that she was awake.
