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“Well, you’ve had a rough night I hear. I heard Marrock’s pack had been attacked, werewolves gone AWOL, witches, too. Only the vamps and the demons seem left out. Not that I’m complaining.” He exhaled a painful grunt as he moved his head from side to side. “I feel guilty asking you for a massage, except this pain… Never had it before.”
Smiling, I responded, “It’s my job, Hakon, and I’m glad you’re here. I feel safer to be honest.”
“Come here.”
Engulfed in another hug, I think I’d had more hugs in the last twenty minutes than I’d had in the last twenty-years.
“Thanks, Hakon. It’s good to be at work though, with some normality.”
“Giving a vampire a massage. What a weird normal, eh? Still, we’re friends, Elsa, and I took the liberty to phone Austin, who,” he peered past me towards the shop door, “who I know is hitting it off with Luna. We’ve decided to help you. Austin’s bringing in his protege, too, I believe. Grace. She’s working with the Wychwood pack at the moment, part of her initiation.”
“A mage?”
“Yup.”
I raised my brows. That would go down like a lead balloon with the coven. “Well, Mattie will hate that but she’s all but physically thrown me out anyway. Come on. You look stiff.”
“I am. But not bad for a walking corpse…” he chuckled.
As we went to go into the treatment room, Austin popped his head around the door that led into the shop. “Hakon, what time this evening?”
Hakon opened his arms wide and let out a howl. “Oh my God… it’s Spike. Where’s Buffy? Should I be worried?”
“Thanks, Earl Hakon. Time?”
Hakon laughed, grinning at me. “His hair does look good though.” Then he fixed a stare with the mage. “No mate, we'll go tomorrow, during the day. Elsa here needs some rest, unless…” He nudged me. “You could always have a bit of my blood to sustain you? Yes?”
“You know I won’t, Hakon. Go back, really? I think Mattie will-”
Austin answered me, “Yeah, no. Whatever. I’m bringing Grace, Hakon and you, Elsa. You’ll be safe. I’m prepping a spell so any malevolence in the air, I’ll shift us into a portal super-fast. We’ll meet up outside Savernake woods then and rid that place of this godforsaken evil.” He shot us a wide-eyed grin. “Eleven good for everyone tomorrow? By the south entrance?”
I sighed. “Alright. I’ll look for something to subdue a witch’s curse. Or spirit…”
Hakon nodded. “Ah yes, the tale of the witch and the werewolf. Damn right. Come on love, let’s leave Spike to his role playing, my shoulders are like wooden planks.”
As he stripped off in the therapy room, Iprepped his oils outside. Tapping on the door, Hakon answered and I went in.
“So, I used lavender, bergamot and neroli?”
“You’re the expert, love, I do appreciate it. I was heckled by a couple of young fangers because I have these massages.”
I spluttered a laugh. “Oh no. You kill them?”
“Almost. If I killed every vampire that hacked me off, there’d only be about three vampires in existence. It’s my age. And their snarky attitude. Still, we wouldn’t want that sort of thing coming here. And I always leave here feeling fangtastic.”
“Thanks, Hakon, for your humour and your recommendations.”
For the undead, he was stiff. It was always odd massaging vampires, they were so cold but after twenty minutes they heated up. A little. I think some of them came in for the contact, touch and the banter. We were picking up a good trade from the undead. Many had spent several lifetimes feeling lonely, isolated.
“So, Marrock, how’s that old wet-dog doing? Kudos to you for facing him, and alone. Elsa?”
“Yeah?”
“For the love of God, please don’t do that again. Next time, call me. Screw what Mattie says. You’d be better off without her. She’s into some shady shit.”
“Shady, Mattie?”
“Mate, I’ve been around long enough to know. I can smell it on her. You don’t get to my age without gaining some knowledge. Look, I don’t know much about last night, just the whole supe community is talking about you facing down Marrock. Tell me everything.”
