AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Eric’s demeanour was completely changed from earlier. Though he didn’t smile and seemed all about business. Similar to Lycaon, his eyes were soft blue, but not as pale. Perhaps another descendant.
He turned and strode fast through the forest, following a small bracken filled path. A path hardly trodden by the looks of it. I was tense. Not afraid of him but whatever lurked out there, but as before the sense of their elder, of Lycaon gave me a feeling of protection. Though I realised that was foolish. I had given Marrock the benefit of the doubt and that had almost ended badly for me. No, I needed to be on guard.
My shoulders sank, I breathed heavily with Mattie’s judgement. Cast out by my own kin, by everyone. Great. Screw them.
But I didn’t really work like that. I couldn’t just switch off my feelings. Let’s face it, being singled out and unfriended by your own kind hurts. Like a punch in the gut. Heck, if I didn’t feel anything, what would that say about me? But now I needed to catch a few hours of sleep before work, and luckily, I was so exhausted I probably could sleep rather than overthink everything.
Eric was thankfully not big on small talk and the drive home was peaceful. I stared out of the window at the incoming dawn, watching the ground smoulder as the sun heated the wet grasslands that surrounded the wood. Almost dozing off, Eric gave me a gentle nudge, and I muttered my address.
I tried to break the uneasy silence between us. “Have you met Lycaon before?”
“No.”
He stared straight ahead.
Ok...
The silence became more uneasy, until finally he relented. “Marrock has met him before. Lycaon is the first of the species, but after him there were many other bloodlines. Lycaon made others, but they split away from him, creating their own progeny. My line is originally from Norway, as is Marrock’s. Though Lycaon was the first of our kind. The true alpha.Whatever was controlling the father...” Sweat beaded on his forehead.
I touched his arm to reassure him, but had the opposite reaction as he flinched.
“S... sorry.”
“Eric, I was just going to say, whatever this malevolent force is, there’ll be a way to subdue it. Both of our kind are being attacked. If we don’t stop it, who knows which supes it will attack next. I’m sure we’ll find a way.”
His mouth turned down as he gave me a quick side glance and asked, “You are?”
“We have to.”
He wasn’t convinced. Neither was I, but there were other magicians, mages, witches far more powerful who could help...
I could sense that the wards around my home were still intact as he pulled up outside.
Letting out a long sigh, my shoulders and neck ached. Thanking him, a short nod and Eric drove away.
I stood still for a moment.
What had just happened! After a long sigh, I unlocked my door and then placed my keys on the hook on my bookshelf.
Such a familiar routine, but nothing in my life now was the same as when I’d left my home earlier.
I stared longingly at my fireplace as a flurry of emotions whipped through me. Uncertainty and doubt clawed at my heart but as soon as Lycaon’s face flashed in my mind, these feelings were replaced with a familiar warmth.
The soft scent of sage wafted over me, combined with warm notes of cinnamon and spices. I loved this time of year. Rich smell of fallen leaves, hunkering down with a log fire, and my favourite scents filling my home. And on that note, I placed some logs in the wood burner, and lit them before closing the door. I needed a wash and I wanted some heat in my radiators, and this was my source for it all.
Pulling my phone from my coat, I typed in Marrock’s number. His card had a silhouette of a howling wolf's head and then just his number. Black thick card, expensive with the wolf graphic etched in bronze.
Werewolves.
Most were the same, so I’d heard. Charming one minute, ripping your head off the next. Mattie had said it was because the human side and the animal side were so conflicted. But Sabian and Conor had conquered that, and ran the most benevolent packs in Britain. Never killing humans, or tearing apart animals. Though they did hunt evil immortals. And to be fair, there are a lot of them.
I fought my mind to stave off thoughts of Lycaon. No goodwould come from that, but the experience was addictive. Marrock had been right. The werewolf, or lycan as they called him, was powerful. The fact that a malevolent energy tossed him about like a bit of old rag… No, I wouldn't go there. It was too terrifying and I couldn’t breathe if I thought about it. I’m home. Be present.
I grabbed a quick shower, the horror of the night replaying over and over. Forcing myself to breathe slowly, I steadied myself, my palm pressed against the wall.
I’d seen some crazy stuff as a witch but this was way beyond me.
Chucking on my PJs, I climbed under the covers. Just as the weight of sleep sank into my limbs, I sat up, cursing that I hadn’t set my alarm. Better set two. I’d only have about four hours, but that’s better than nothing.
