by D D Mathews
“Stay alert,” growled Nox who fell back readying another attack.
Nuri would have been dead if Nox had wanted to kill her. She needed to be the Were on the inside and fast. She didn’t want to be cut open again. Nuri imagined her inside wolf on the outside as Tamara had taught her. It happened quicker this time. She was more confident, which was good because Nox was attacking again. Her arm was healed from the first attack. She slid away from Nox’s swipe. She circled around Nox watching the dangerously quick Were. Nuri wasn’t sure if she was supposed to attack, defend, fight, or kill. She parried a few more swipes from Nox and attacked. She was larger and longer so when the disfigured black beast attacked again, Nuri feigned and swung a haymaker into Nox’s head. She misjudged her arm length and instead smashed her friend’s shoulder hard. Nox recoiled and retreated outside Nuri’s range.
“Good,” Nox said and attacked again. Her attack wasn’t as overconfident as before rather it was targeted. She crashed into Nuri’s chest. The close combat allowed Nox to land blow after blow into Nuri’s soft undercarriage. Meanwhile, Nuri was stuck hitting her foe awkwardly on the back. This wasn’t working and it hurt a lot. She felt a rib crack then break.
“Fight,” Nox demanded.
Uncertain, Nuri changed tactics from punching uselessly and started to grapple. She grabbed the thinner werewolf on the far side of her back with her right and pulled hard, twisting Nox away from her. Nuri pushed hard with her left arm and shoulder. Nox flew away from combat at an odd angle. She landed poorly and rolled. She lay on the floor, unmoving. Nuri was concerned and rushed over to check on her. Once she was close enough, Nox surprised her and attacked again. Her speed was insane. She was punching Nuri in the ribs again, harder. After the third rib broke, Nuri was sick of the pain. She couldn’t keep fighting this way. It made no sense and she was losing. She didn’t want to die and she didn’t want to kill her sister. She had to use her biggest advantage, her size. After absorbing another quick jab, Nuri simply grabbed Nox around the neck and lifted her up and away from her. Nox fought like a cat in a bath clawing and kicking, but her arms and legs were too short for Nuri size. Her eyes bulged but she never surrendered. Nuri was impressed but she knew if she released Nox, she would attack again. It was her nature, her attitude, her entire character. At that moment, Nuri loved her opponent. She loved Nox for being Nox.
The scarred werewolf went limp in her grasp and the werewolf body hair and muscle dissolved like acid, dripping off her delicate nude human feet. She was unconscious. Nuri, still in Were form, took Nox in her arms like the Madonna. She carefully carried her over to the elevator. She placed her on the floor, leaving her doubled over, almost in the fetal position. Nuri visualized her human fingers on her human hand. The massive werewolf turned to ash and blew away leaving her naked. She collected up her sister’s clothes first, covering her body. Next, she pulled on her clothes; she had been completely healed by the Revert. No pain, no bruises, nothing marred her body. Nuri was amazed again at the advantages of being supernatural. But she was more amazed at her sister Nox and her incredible spirit. Nuri sat down, cradled Nox’s head and brushed her hair, waiting for her to wake up.
***
Joseph woke up after one o’clock. He had a dreamless sleep and felt fully rested for once. He looked over to Veronika’s pillow and found a note. She would be back soon. He got off the lumpy mattress and collected his underwear and pants from the floor. He dressed and tried to fix his hair without a comb. He was rinsing out his mouth when Veronika entered the little motel room.
“We have a problem, babe. Cops are here. I need you to cause a distraction while I steal another car.“
“Okay, how?” he asked wanting to please his lover.
“Figure it out, luv.“
So Joseph stepped outside, pulled on the grey jacket he had found. Having no idea what to do, he looked around hoping something would present itself. He walked down the concrete path past the other rooms. When he got to the lobby, he saw the police officer. He was speaking to the greasy owner. Joseph joined them in the lobby and boldly interrupted. If the cop had his description he would have to run. If not, he might be able to distract the officer, somehow.
“Sorry to interrupt, but do you have any extra towels?” Joseph asked the motel owner. The cop looked directly at him, but didn’t recognize him. Maybe the cop was here for something else.
The owner snapped, “Ten dollars for extra towels.”
Acting calmer than he felt, Joseph put up his hands, “Okay, thanks anyway.”
The cop went back to asking questions. “Has a dark color sedan been through here?”
“I don’t know.” At least the unhelpful owner was unhelpful to everyone.
“How about a forty-ish looking blond woman?” asked the cop.
“I don’t know,” answered the overweight owner rudely. Apparently, the cop was after them. However, he only had vague descriptions of Veronika and the car. He stepped out of the lobby and walked around the corner to the front of the motel. He found the cop car, unlocked and running. Inspiration hit him and without considering the risks Joseph quickly opened the door, put the gear into neutral, and closed the door. He walked around to the front of the cruiser, glanced around, and pushed the bumper with his foot. The kick caused the car to start rolling back, down the slope. The incline would deposit the cop car into the busy road. To ensure he wouldn’t be blamed, Joseph hurried back to room 14. As he opened the door to the hotel room, he heard metal hit metal.
“Time to go, the cop will be busy for a while, but they have your description,” he said.
She kissed him passionately. “I knew you would figure out something, luv. I’ve found a new car, let’s get moving.”
Joseph still owned nothing; Veronika took his hand and pulled him into the parking lot. They fast walked past six rooms, further away from the lobby. She stopped at a beat up minivan and opened the passenger side door for him with the key. She got in the driver’s seat and took a few moments to get comfortable. She started up the car and off they went. She pulled the van out and drove carefully so the cop wouldn’t notice. It didn’t matter. He was focused on his crashed cruiser.
***
Nuri left the salon with a radically different style. She had cut her hair from middle growth to a trendy funky pixie cut. The woman recommended a darker color, Nuri agreed. She was on a spree. All the stores she had avoided before learning about being a Were, she stopped at. She hit the stylist, multiple upscale clothing stores, a jewelry store, and the tattoo parlor. She took the money she earned this week and was on a mission to spend it all before heading home.
She added two pairs of skin-tight leather pants, a half dozen tops, some matching sets of lingerie and a pair of boots she never would have bought in a million years. She also bought a couple of silver rings, at the jewelry store. She finished off her Saturday with a little ink. She got a silhouette of a howling wolf on her hip with a full moon behind it. She loved the tattoo.
When she got back home, she burst through the front door calling out to her roommate, “Gretchen, you’ll never guess what I did today? Or are you out with your mysterious boyfriend already?”
“What did you do my silly little niece?” Tamara hollered back from the kitchen.
“Tamara, what are you doing here?” Nuri yelled.
“Come in here, I hate yelling across the house.“
Nuri walked into the kitchen, placed her bags on the heavy dining room table. Gretchen was playing bartender for her Duchess. She poured a cold martini into a glass.
“I’ll take one of those,” Nuri said rudely taking Tamara’s drink.
Tamara winched a little. “We need to talk, please sit,” she said. Gretchen quietly built another martini for her Duchess. “I haven’t been able to talk to you about the ritual last week. What did you think about everything?“
Nuri bristled at being talked down to, “What do you want from me? How many hoops do I need to jump through?“
&
nbsp; Tamara slapped her hand on the bar, “You aren’t a child! Why are you behaving like one? Answer the question you brat.“
Nuri felt an invisible tug of war between her and Tamara. Respectfully, yet fast, she answered, “The ritual was emotional. It felt secret and special. I liked Fatima. I’m unsure about Albina and your friend Simone. I wish you had trained me to transform before putting me on the spot. I felt like a prized poodle at some weird fucking dog show.” Looking at Gretchen, she hesitated in her rant for a second, “Heidi is a bitch. I hate her. And making out with girls is almost as much fun as making out with guys, almost.“
Gretchen snorted. Tamara responded, “I’m glad you said that.“
“I’m not a lesbian,” she retorted.
“Not that. About Heidi.“
Nuri spoke to Gretchen, “I’m sorry, I just really really don’t like her.” Her roommate didn’t say anything but her eyes said she understood.
“Heidi is not your friend. She is smart, strong, bold, and ambitious. Why do you think she came in with the Amazons from Warsaw? She’s the Duchess of Dresden.”
Nuri began thinking out loud ignoring Gretchen presence, “She is a leader like you. She wouldn’t leave her home for anything small. The only thing a person like her would consider important enough to check out would be a threat. She sees a threat somewhere…” Nuri paused, “She thinks I’m a threat.“
“Well thought out. Are you a threat to her?” asked her aunt pointedly.
“I want to be,” Nuri said, the anger returning to her voice.
“That’s settled,” Tamara said even though Nuri didn’t think anything had been resolved. “You and I need to come to an understanding. We along with Nox, Gretchen and Justine are family. We’re not related by blood, but we protect each other, and love each other. Now every Were in a family must know where they stand. Do you follow?“
“I think so, like a group of wolves; a pack.“
“Yes, exactly. This dynamic is not built on age or wisdom, or even strength or size really. It’s inside each of us. Have you felt it?“
“Maybe. I feel more assertive, does that make sense?” Nuri asked.
Tamara said, “Yes, that’s part of it. Everyone in our family will have to adjust to this. For Gretchen, things will be easy. Justine will continue being a protector, a mother. Nox will, of course, be Nox. The harder part is between us.“
“I felt a ‘tug,’” Nuri stated.
“Right, that’s why we need to come to an arrangement.“
“What do you mean arrangement?” Nuri asked feeling the tug again.
“Relax, sister,” Tamara said patting her knee, “I prefer to talk through this instead of fighting through it, is that okay?“
Nuri felt odd when her aunt, the one who raised her, who disciplined her, asked her if something was okay. Tamara was deferring to her. Another substantial tug occurred.
She waited for Nuri to nod and continued, “I want you to take your place, not only within our family but within the clan. You could be Queen one day.“
Nuri didn’t like Tamara had plans for her, but “Queen Nuri” sounded good.
Tamara continued unsure if her idea struck, “I can teach you everything I know. I would also love for you to come to me when you think you need advice or help. I will always be there for you, my Nuri, always.” The invisible tug yanked hard.
Nuri simply said, “I would like that.”
***
Joseph plopped down in another shady hotel alone. Veronika had paid for the room, dropped him off and went out to get some food. Bored he turned on the television, waiting for her to return. This motel was better than the first; this one had a working television. He flipped through the channels. A shopping network woman was holding five gold chains, a man was running through an alley after a bad guy, the local news was reporting on a bloodbath in a hotel near Cincinnati, some hillbilly was wrestling an alligator, an angry commentator was complaining about some DC politician, a cartoon girl with cat ears was talking fast, a soufflé was being devourer by three judges, the Reds were beating the Cubs 4-1, a black-n-white monster was crawling out of a swamp, another local news channel was also talking about Cincinnati. Veronika entered carrying three bags of fast food. The reporter was saying the standard line about the lack of suspects.
“Anyone with information please call…” Veronika turned off the television and tossed two bags to Joseph.
“Let’s eat and fool around,” she said. Joseph had already forgotten about the news.
Chapter 12
The Ephemeris was over and Colin had won all three events. He was a hero. He laughed as the clan carried him up the Hill of Tara. He heard drunken cheers for him, “Unbelievable,” “Now that’s a Celt,” “That’s MacDermott strength right there.” He was part of the clan, finally. The Rise bonded him to the Celts stronger than twenty years of growing up around them. As the mob reached the apex, ignoring the Rilles, Osmund and the Council scrambled together for the award ceremony. After a brief conversation Osmund announced to the fervent crowd, “Can I have all the contestants over here with me?”
Seth and Mandy walked over to the king, Colin joined them a moment later and after a minute Colleen appeared. Ryan never showed, but nobody noticed.
Osmund said, “All of you fought well, played hard and showed incredible abilities. We are lucky to have such amazing young wolves join our ranks today. Handing out awards usually takes longer but I’m happy to present to Colin MacDermott lush lands cut from my personal hunting area. He will also receive a cash prize of forty thousand euros to help start his life. Let’s give him a big cheer.”
The crowd cheered as Colin held up his arms in victory. Osmund patted him on the back and said to the clan, “Now let’s pack up and clear out.” The crowd heard this and turned on him. He might be the king and clan leader, but mob rule sometimes wins out.
“Wish, Wish, Wish,” was the chant from the entire clan crowded on the top of the hill.
Colin looked around and saw his father up front; he was beaming with pride. His grandfather was next to his dad, crying. He saw a couple other faces, ecstatic from witnessing a once in a lifetime Rise. Colin tried to absorb everything this moment meant. He looked over the faces. He noticed the face of Juliet. She was focused on him, creepily. Colin saw Sarah, face stone solid watching; weighing. He noticed Seth’s dopey grin along with Killian, finally seeing the resemblance. One face stood out, Mr. Nygaard. He looked as desperate as Colleen did minutes earlier. He wanted Colin for his daughter, badly.
“Wish, Wish, Wish.“
Osmund balked and tried to regain control, “We don’t have to…no one really knows if a wish was ever…I could maybe…” He finally had enough. He burst from his human form. He was a stunning werewolf with massive shoulders and a thick neck. His Were face was frightful with fearsome jaws. Brown hair covered him fully. His claws were almost comical because of how large they were. Maybe Mandy was taller than Osmund, but by a hair at most. Osmund’s girth was much more impressive. He roared at the crowd and silence was instantaneous like a light switch had turned the mob into sheep. Most of the clan bowed their heads instinctually, including Colin. This display of awesome raw power cowed all. Osmund, having regained control Reverted back to his human form. The Were burned off of him and turned to black smoke. Even naked, he still held the whole clan quiet. “Wait, I will confer with the Council.” Everyone waited as Osmund collected the Council and they argued in hushed voices.
Colin looked over at Mr. Nygaard and over to his dad, neither caught his eye, so no help there. He looked down the line for Colleen, finally spotting her. She stared at him with a new look. He thought he had seen all of her looks: calm, calm disapproval, and calm anger. But now he saw fear, pure unadulterated fear. He wasn’t sure what punishment awaited her if she failed and he didn’t want to know. Colin peeked over his shoulder to see Osmund arguing with Mr. Daly fiercely. The fight between Killian and Osmund was caused by Sarah using Colleen. The fruit
ion of her politics was playing out like she knew it would.
Colin was the only wild card. He wanted to balk against all the politics swirling around. He could ask for anything. He could ask for a Council appointment, which was his initial idea. But with everything happening now should he dream bigger? He could force Colleen into marriage, as he threatened. Of course, he said those things only to break her. He could ask for Mandy’s hand and live a nice, quiet, happy life with her and children and land. A great life for most, but Sarah McCarthy’s words kept bouncing around his head. He could save the clan. A clan he was only beginning to understand what being part of it meant. He couldn’t let the Celts die, he had promised to fight and die for his brothers and sisters. He didn’t want to break his oath and the ancestors said he needed to bring strong allies to the clan.
Osmund stepped back up to the contestants. All the men and women on the hill raised their heads and listened intently. Osmund spoke, “I have reconsidered and the best thing for the Celts is to honor the traditions which make us a strong clan. I will give my life to fulfill the wish of this strong young man, he must only ask.” The clan waited for Colin. He already knew what he was going to ask, Colleen had guaranteed it. However, the moment was too awesome and he faltered. His mouth wouldn’t say the words. He looked at the king and found his voice. Colin’s desire to spite Osmund because he forbade it pushed him more than belief in the ancestors, Sarah, Colleen, or himself.
“I wish to visit Scandinavia with Colleen,” Colin said. He intentional made the request simple and not inflammatory, to let Osmund save face. But Mr. Nygaard, Colleen, Osmund, and Sarah McCarthy all understood what the request meant.
