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As I neared him, numb from shock he spun around, his eyes like saucers, fangs extended, half morphed into the beast, he lunged at me.Gripping me tightly, he pulled me into him. Muscular arms wrapped around me, I couldn’t move.
Lowering his voice, he said, “You do not want to see this. I’m sorry, the pentagram, I thought, come away, you can’t see this…”
Emotions welled, bursting like a dam, bursting the bubble of the strong witch, of the independent woman that I showed to the world. Tears betrayed my sense of strength. Choking them back I whispered, “It was her blood on the wall. It was Lisa’s.”
Becca and Josey wailed, their screams cutting through me.
Marrock’s voice deepened, “Adam, alert the others. Cut them down.”
I twisted to break free of Marrock’s arms but he only tightened his grip, pulling me in as if there was any gap between us.
“I’m sorry, Elsa. I was wrong. I know this can’t be you. I don't detect a hint of malice from you, unlike others of your kin. I overreacted. I’m prone to that. But I don’t want you to see this, you should remember her as she was.”
“No, let go of me. She’s my friend.”
“God damn woman, let me help. Let me at least save you from this… nightmare.”
But I didn’t. “I need no saving.”
He broke his grasp, as I twisted around, stumbled, stupefied only to end up in his grip again as the horror, the shock of what I saw made my legs turn to jelly. I couldn’t breathe. As a witch I’d seen horrors. But I’d never seen anything like this.
As the sweat broke on my forehead, my breath caught in the back of my throat. I felt Marrock’s strong hands gently pull me away, his voice soft as he muttered.
The big bad wolf had another side it seemed.
“We will find who did this. We’ll need to work together. They’ve used magic, obviously. And we’ll slaughter them just as they’ve slaughtered our friends…”
THE HUNT
Dread still clawed at my throat, clung to my limbs. I forced myself to breathe deeply as I slowly pushed him away. He took my arms in his hands, worry tugging at his twisted lips. I flushed, embarrassed to look so weak. However terrible this was, I should look strong. I represented the coven. Mattie, our leader, would be fearless.
Becca and Josey gripped onto each other. Josey, full of wrath, shot him a look full of daggers. Her raw voice cut throughhim, “This is all your fault. You and your progressive ways! You should never have allowed your wolf to contaminate her, filthy monsters!”
Unable to contain his rage, he let go of my arms and lunged at her then flung her into his pack. The burly men encircled us, each sneering towards us.
Pointing, Marrock ordered, “Get them off my land. Only she can stay. If they don’t comply, put the finger cuffs on them.”
“Elsa, come on. We’ve seen enough. We must tell Mattie. Hurry.”
Choking back the bile, I shook my head. “No. You go. I’m staying for now, though I want to leave. I’ll see what I can find out. You go.”
Becca narrowed her eyes on me. “I can’t believe you think you can help...them? Choosing wolves over witches. It’s sick, Elsa, these mangy things... Look what’s happened to Lisa. Don’t expect to be welcomed back. Come on, Josey.”
Josey held a mean stare with me. Honestly, at times like these, I knew why my mum had left the coven. Mages, it seemed, had it easier, freelancing with whomever they please.
They shrugged off the shifters’ hands who were about to frog march them out and they didn’t look back.
The stench of flayed flesh and blood had me choke back a gag. Marrock put his hand on my arm. His voice was almost a whisper, “You don’t have to pretend to rise above this, Elsa. It’s bloody awful. In all my years, I’ve never seen anything so appalling, so vile. You can’t deal with it.Heck, I can’t deal with it.”His eyes darted around us, as if he was waiting for an attack. I could sense it, too, not just from the massacre but something deeper, older. Malevolence hung in the air, heavy, like fog weighing us down.
His pack scrambled, their sounds of horror, disgust, gagging and the unmistakable click and clank as rifles were loaded and checked.
I gasped. “I need to find out who did this, I need-”
“A drink. Come. You know, you surprise me. You could have easily run back to your coven, and yet you want to help?”
I shrugged, inhaling hard to catch my breath.
“Why do you let them talk to you like that, why are you even in a coven, you clearly don’t belong there?”
