Chapter Seven:
Wolf's Bane
I snapped back into reality with more tears and even a bit of screaming, but when I went to bury my face in my husband's chest, I realized he wasn't there. It wasn't until later that day that I understood that he was still alive and I wasn't the zombie love slave of the creepy Alphaeus from my mind.
Days passed and still no sign of a werewolf pack was found. Ben stayed with me while Damon and Cal were out hunting them down. It gave us plenty of time to practice our abilities. He made a note of the fact that I seemed to be progressing even faster than was normal for most, which we decided was due to my vampire DNA. We studied the laws of magic, elemental spells, that awesome trick with the butterflies that always made me smile, and how to give other vampires a major, head-splitting migraine. He reassured me that the latter of the few would be perfectly okay for me to use since it only worked on the specific vampires that I focused my spell on. Neither I nor the baby was at risk.
When Ben found out about me conjuring my dad, he was more than furious. He was about to put the fear of God in me if I didn't "wise up." He explained to me that while I thought I had merely summoned an image of him, I must have inserted into the image a living consciousness. I had literally willed my father so much into existence that his soul had entered the human form I had made for him. Luckily, the spell had a short time limit because if he had been here for too long, all hell would have broken loose. Literally.
From that moment on, I wasn't allowed to use my powers unless Ben was present. He promised not to talk about it to Damon and let me do all of the explaining but he made me swear that I would never use that spell again. I quickly agreed, knowing the trouble I might have caused.
I also told Ben about my dream and he figured that it made sense. After hearing about what my dad had said, everything seemed to make more sense. The oncoming storm of what we knew to be called "the great darkness" was in fact a real tragedy that was threatening to invade our world should Alphaeus and his sister succeed in their plan, whatever it was precisely. The danger was imminent if they got their way with the world. "The time of vampires" would come and destroy humanity which meant we had to stop them. They were trying to build up an army which would—despite the cliché—take over the world. Our only hope was to find these wolves before we received our visit from the crazy Original.
Finally, exactly four days after my encounter with my father, Damon and Cal came across the pack of wolves we had been searching for. Once Damon and Cal spotted them from afar, they sent Ben in to act as our ambassador. It was evident from all of the stories about werewolves that the Morettis had told me that vampires and wolves were sworn enemies; sending in one of us to do the job would have been suicide.
Today was the day. Damon, Cal, and I were patiently sitting in the living room for Ben to come back from his trip to the Black Hills. The boys had given him the coordinates for the wolves' base camp and sent him on his merry way only a few hours ago. We weren't expecting him back for another few minutes. Even then, the suspense was killing me. Damon had to hold my waist just to keep me from bouncing uncontrollably in my seat. No one spoke, mostly because Damon was sure that something happened between Cal and I and he wasn't about to grace his brother with small talk. Cal was still hoping that I would leave his brother and run away with him instead. Honestly, the thought of a child never crossed his mind. He figured that Damon and I were just using that as a tactic to seem like we were extra special or something preposterous like that. I ignored his thoughts and kept on bouncing up and down with anticipation.
On the stroke of noon, Ben and two young men entered through the door and eventually stepped into the living room.
"Guys, this is Patrick Elmwood, the leader of the Black Hills Werewolf pack and his second in command, Terrance Shepard." Ben gestured to each person as he introduced them.
The first, Patrick, was a tall, slender man of about twenty-two years of age with dirty blonde, scruffy hair and eyes like a running stream. His companion had a similar height and build though obviously had a few more years on him, by far. The two guys had many similar characteristics like the length and poorly kept state of their hair and the animal-like quality in their eyes.
I smiled and stood to greet them. The other two vampires in the room got up at the exact same time to keep me away from them.
Don't, Damon warned me. We don't know what they'll do. He wasn't too excited about this little visit, especially since his last encounter with a werewolf ended up with him having to rest up in a sickbed with me as he suffered unthinkable pain.
Odd how the dark-haired male vamp seems to cling to the girl like that, Patrick assessed. The other male has a similar protective expression on his face. This girl must have some sort of great importance if they are willing to call in our kind for help.
Terrance had a very different outlook on the situation. I can't believe the boss is making me stay here with these vermin. If they end up being dangerous, I'm taking down that one first and then that one, he thought, referring to the youngest and then the eldest Moretti. I'll let the boss get the girl.
Thanks for the consideration. I'll try not to be offended at being a last pick. Too bad the little puppy doesn't know that I'm the strongest out of the three of us.
He'll figure it out soon enough, thought Ben.
"Thank you for coming," I said from my spot behind Damon. "We're all grateful that you would agree to meet us. Would you mind if we asked you a few questions? Please, have a seat."
The wolves didn't make a move until the three of us vampires were seated on the same couch across from the loveseat. Ben rolled his eyes and sat down on the arm of the couch beside me—Damon didn't want me sitting next to his brother—and put his arm around me for support, an arm that my husband was more than willing to bite off at any moment.
While Ben was the intended representative, I felt like a close second. Our best friend had been a werewolf. Surely that had to mean something to these people. "We understand that a werewolf bite can kill a vampire."
Patrick's jaw clenched. "That is correct." Then they understand that having us here is dangerous. This problem Ben spoke of must be really severe after all.
"Let's get to the point. What do you bloodsuckers want?" Terrance growled impatiently.
"Be kind, Terrance. These people may not be human but they do not appear to be of any threat to us and they have kindly invited us into their home." He twisted his head to face me. "What is it that you would like to ask of us?"
I grinned at the eloquence of his speech. He must have been one smart kid. "We are being hunted down by a very powerful, deadly vampire and we were wondering if you would side with us long enough to kill him. You see, this vampire has the ability to withstand all of the basic means that would normally kill a vampire but so far we were able to discover that werewolf bites are still fatal to them."
"Why is he after you?"
I looked up at Ben for permission and was given a nod of approval. "He and his sister were trying to create an army of special creatures that could potentially turn the world to blood. While he was trapped, he managed to escape but he left his sister behind. He will do anything to get her back but they must be destroyed before that happens. If the two siblings are reunited, they are ten times stronger than when they are apart." Maybe we should kill her now and get it over with… if you agree.
Oh, I agree. She won't stop thinking about eating me alive. It gives me the heeby jeebies.
"So you want us to kill a vampire for you?" He smiled. "That should be easy enough. But what would we gain out of this deal?" It wasn't necessarily that he wanted anything, but it was a point of curiosity.
"A friendship, an alliance. We can be there for each other for the common good. It's not just about vampires and werewolves but humans are at risk as well. We wish no harm on anyone and together we could protect them. I hear you have a pest problem not too far from where you live. If you'd like, we could help you exterminate them in exchange for your aid here."
Patrick nodded. "Done. My pack and I will be glad to help and to share in this alliance." His smile grew. Important, indeed.
"Do you mind if we ask you one more question?" asked Cal.
"Sure."
Cal rested his right ankle on his left knee and relaxed so he could better absorb the information that he was hoping to receive. "Do you know how a person could break the transformation pattern? We had a friend who awoke the wolf gene without killing anyone but we didn't think that was possible."
The alpha shook his head. "No, I am sorry. I do not. Every one of my pack members has spilt blood to get to where we are today. Terrance here got into a car accident and the other driver did not survive and that is all it took, but someone must die in order to complete the transformation." He leaned forward, suddenly more comfortable where he sat. "What happened to your friend?"
Ben jumped in to answer this particular question. He didn't want anyone blaming me for something that he kept claiming was not my fault. "The vampire who is hunting us killed her." It's not your fault.
Agree to disagree.
"So, how many of you guys are there?" Damon decided now was about the right time to step in.
"There are nine of us in total. The newest of our group joined us not too long ago so he may not be as willing to work with vampires but everyone will join the cause."
"How do you know they'll be your obedient little lapdogs?"
"Damon!" I scolded.
Patrick smiled at me. At least someone hasn't completely lost her humanity. She has a certain strength of will about her, and something else… What is it? "That is alright. Childish quarreling is part of a vampire's nature towards my kind. I would not expect anything less." He centered his attention on Damon. "To answer your question, all members of a pack are bound to the leader's word. Once rules are given, their physical forms will force them to obey. I do not completely agree with the idea of oppression, so I try to refrain from using my demanding tone, but there are certain instances when it is necessary. Following the laws of an alliance is one such instance."
Damon nodded, speechless. His normal array of witty retorts was in short supply for some reason, so I took it upon myself to finish off the conversation.
"Do you mind if we talk about our arrangement further? We haven't really thought our plan through completely and it would be great to get some of your input."
Patrick nodded, still smirking. "It would be my pleasure. Well, first things first, I would like to discuss this extermination plan you spoke of. I imagine you would want us on hand because, if I am correct, it sounds like you have no idea when this vampire is coming. As soon as our conversation has concluded, I would like to send Terrance with whomever you are willing to spare to fulfill your end of the bargain and they'll be on their way. Then everyone will return and you will have exactly what you need for your counterattack. Does that sound agreeable?"
I was stunned almost as much as my husband. The man really did seem to have a way with words. "Uh, yeah, I guess. That sounds great!" All of a sudden, I was getting really excited for whatever it was we were anticipating right now. Fighting alongside a pack of werewolves wasn't exactly a dream of mine but their pack leader seemed pretty nice. Besides, I knew Damon was overeager to get this thing over with and return home. He didn't want to be here almost as much as I had regretted coming back here before. At the moment, it wasn't looking too bad for us. Yeah, there was a lot of weird drama going on but that was to be expected wherever we went. Drama was a part of being human, or at least looking like a human. Sometimes I think we do it just for the fun of it, like we have nothing else better to do.
"Splendid. Then, if there is nothing further you wish to discuss…" He glanced to his left. "Terrance, you and the others best be on your way. We have to make sure the camp is safe before the rest of the pack disembarks. Understood?"
Terrance expressed his distaste but thought of being able to "roast a few leeches" and he cheered up. "Yes, boss." He rose from his seat and stared down the Morettis. "Alright, which one of you is man enough to come hunting with me."
With wounded pride, both brothers flashed out of their seats and glared at their guest. They weren't going to stand for such disrespect from someone they were almost positive they could take down with little-to-no effort.
Ben couldn't help but roll his eyes as he followed suit and stood beside his friends. "Let's go." As the others headed towards the door, he looked back at me with a worried glance. Are you going to be okay alone with this guy? He may seem nice but I'm still not sure if we can trust him just yet.
I grinned to encourage him that everything was alright. I'll be fine. I don't think he'll try to hurt me, but if he does I'll be ready for him. Don't worry about me. My husband and brother-in-law need you.
He chuckled. I still don't know how you can still call him that after everything he's done.
Because he's family no matter what he does, and that's not something I can help. It wouldn't be fair to completely separate myself from some of the only family I'll ever have. It's just you, me, and them now, Ben.
I guess. Now, watch that guy. He sounds like a troublemaker with a vocab.
I will. Go and be safe, okay?
I will. And don't worry, I'll protect the others.
Thank you, I thought gratefully. He was the best brother anyone could ever ask for. Too bad he was stuck being an only child. Any child the Whitmans would have had after him would have had a wonderful person to look up to.
Once they were gone, I sat rigidly across from Patrick and crossed my legs. There were so many things that I wanted to ask him but I was too busy trying to figure out what he meant when he spoke about me being important. Not to mention, many of his other thoughts seemed cryptic to me also.
He copied my pose and sat with his legs crossed much like Cal had been sitting a moment ago. Why does she stare at me that way? What a little ball of curiosity she is. She and Ben seemed to be exchanging glances, as if they were communicating somehow. Yet, I still can't decide which one of them she's with. They all seem to surround her, to require her attention.
What is he getting at? What do you mean "they all?" You can't possibly think that Ben…? I thought about all of the stuff that he and I have always done together and immediately my mind switched over to Damon. The way he sat with me, the way we always lie on the bed and stare up at the ceiling or into each other's eyes. Then the image morphed from Damon's face back to Ben's and I grew even more brittle-boned. No. It has to be a mistake. In earnest, I thought of the way my father had cradled me in his arms. No, Ben is definitely more of a brother. He reminds me of my dad a bit.
Patrick and I continued to sit and stare. One was thinking, the other was listening in terror.
I think she's pregnant… Can that be right? I can smell it, a heartbeat. It can't be hers. She still reeks like one of them. No, she has to be. But how can that be? Vampires can't get pregnant, can they? That means they could have been breeding this whole time and no one would know.
I was surprised that he could keep such a calm expression in place while he frantically determined the possibility that vampires could be multiplying enough that one day they would rule the world. Just by looking at his face, you never would have guessed that he was picturing a baby vampire planning to dominate the planet. I had to hold back a laugh until he continued on with his train of thought.
Maybe Terrance was right. Maybe this clan is just as dangerous as the others. Perhaps there is a more logical reason that these vampires are being hunted.
What? No! You were doing so well! Go back to thinking Ben and I were lovers. At least that wasn't something that could cause my family bodily harm. What should I do?
Although, someone as rational as this young one doesn't seem capable of such criminal acts.
Thanks! I like where this is going.
But which one is the father of her child? Certainly it must be one of the brothers—only brothers would look at each other with such rivalry as they do. Let's see. She was sitting between Ben and the dark-haired male. It must be one of those two. Although, he did put his arm around her.
Okay, I was kidding when I told you to go back to thinking about Ben and I being lovers. Please stop. And he was just trying to stay balanced. I didn't mind. He's like my brother! Finally, I'd had enough of this. "Will you stop that?"
Patrick's look was puzzled. "What do you mean? You are the one staring at me."
"No, I mean stop thinking about my love life. It's none of your concern." It was irritating enough when Ben called me out every time I thought about Damon or his brother. Having some idiot who couldn't even read my mind to be informed of the facts was beyond annoying.
"How did you—?" He grinned. "Oh, I see. Is this one of your vampire mind tricks?"
"If you must know, I'm part witch and I can read your mind so please lay off. We did not invite you hear to poke fun at me. And yes, I am pregnant. That's one of the perks of being half vampire and half witch. I accidentally thought too much about kids and now I have one stirring inside of me. My husband is Damon, the dark-haired one, and he is the father. And we're all telling the truth about the vampires who are after us." I stood up. "Here, I can show you." Without bothering to wait for him to follow, I headed for the basement stairs and didn't stop until I reached the cell where the filthy woman was held as our prisoner.
When I turned around, he was standing there gazing at the specimen under furrowed brows.
"Well, well, well," Cerebella chanted as she got to her feet and approached the edge of the barrier. "If it isn't little miss witchy and the mutt king. What do you want?"
I glared in her direction. "Nothing from you. Now shut up." To demonstrate my abilities, I focused on what I wanted and watched as my powers fed my personal whims.
Cerebella dropped to her knees and then proceeded to curl up in a ball on her side, screeching from the pain that echoed in her mind.
It made me glad that this trick actually worked in general let alone on a full-scale Original. I was half a step away from assuming that she was exempt from all of the laws that creatures of the night were bound to. On the other hand, I had never gotten the chance to practice this spell—mostly because I wasn't willing to cause "terrible, unimaginable pain" on anyone I knew.
"Nice work," Patrick complimented.
I turned off my mojo and beamed at him. "Thanks." Now that the demonstration was over, I headed right back up the stairs and sat down on my couch. All of this was just in time for Ian to step through the door.
"Hey, guys. It's just me," he said in a normal voice. He knew that everyone who lived here could hear him at that volume so there was no reason to shout. He stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed that we had a guest. "And who the heck are you?"
"Ian, this is Patrick. He's the Alpha of the Black Hills pack that Damon and Cal located this morning." A grimace stretched across my lips. I had literally just thought about doing the whole "twenty questions" thing to the "mutt king" when he'd gotten here. I didn't really want Ian to be here for that so I racked my brain for something that I could have him do. "Did you ever…? Why don't you…?" I sighed. "Everyone is out hunting vampires. You don't have to stay if you don't want to. I'm sure Fauna would love to spend more time with you. I wouldn't want her to think that you were cheating on her or something. You know how suspicious she gets sometimes."
And for a good reason, it seems. What is Evie hiding? "Sure. You'll call if you need me, right?" I know I don't have any super powers but I'm still an asset to the team.
But you're safer at home. "Absolutely. I'll talk to you later. Give her a hug and a kiss for me."
"I will." Suspicions aside, he scuffed his feet back out the door, continuing to dwell on his feelings of inferiority.
The door closed and I immediately spun around to stare down Patrick once more.
"Let me guess, you have questions for me?" He leaned back in his seat and laid his arms across the back of the couch. "I was hoping for something a bit more original from you, Miss… What was your name?"
"Evie."
"Yes. Well, Evie, I do not remember the part of my contract that specified that I would have to tell you my life's story. Unless you have further use of me—"
I smirked, ignoring his dirty mental comment on the subject. "Actually, I do. Ben and I were wondering if you would be able to get rid of Cerebella as soon as possible. Tomorrow is the last full moon of the month." Everything seemed to be falling into place. Soon, I would get rid of the annoying Miss Know-It-All and not too long afterward I'd be rid of both of those stupid Originals and back to the West where I belonged.
"I would be delighted to. But first, I would like you to answer a question for me." He took my silence as an agreement and continued. "How is it that you ended up with these… circumstances?" Eloquent as he was trying to be, he didn't quite reach the mark. Pregnant vampire-witch? Human friends?
"I told you already. Besides, where does it say in the contract that Ihave to tell you my life's story?"
He grinned. "Touché." With that, he got up and walked out of the room.
Four or five hours later, everyone from the hunting party returned including the butt-load of werewolves that didn't seem so eager to step foot onto a vampire's turf. Ben informed me that everyone else agreed with the plan to kill Cerebella and that gave me the okay to send Patrick and the others to the basement to do the job. We decided that would be the best way to contain them while they were in their wolf forms—which Patrick hastily agreed to and the others of his pack groaned in disapproval. But, of course, his word was law and they all filed down the stairs. I followed to lock the door behind them as they piled into the small section passed the threshold that was unreachable by the vampire inside the force field. They would be safe from her until the last moment. Then their instincts would kick in and they would kill her and—consequently—get stuck inside the magical barrier.
The plan was put into action. Around midnight, the sounds of humans calling out in pain came before the frightening howls of wolves. Seconds after, shredding was heard. The wolves gnashed their teeth against the hard bones that cracked under pressure, the flesh tearing and seeping blood everywhere.
It was awful. I hated Cerebella more than anything else in the world—besides her brother—but I would never wish such agony on anybody. The noises petrified me so powerfully that Damon took it upon himself to embrace me and speak with me softly and lovingly until it was finally over.
Who could say if it was hormones or other factors that made me weep, but my faced dripped with tears that covered the part of Damon's chest that I was leaning against. It had to be something due to this strange pregnancy. Even with my dislike for death, I had never cried so much in my entire lifetime, alive or otherwise.
Damon stroked my hair and my back in between my shoulder blades. He had been hoping to "make some noise" but I had warned him on the way to Wolfcrest that it was something I wasn't willing to do in a house with his brother, a vampire who could hear through walls. Though his case was a lost cause, it didn't mean he couldn't think about it. Every brush of his hand down my spine made me want to beat him up. Part of him claimed it was a comforting gesture, which was true. The other half knew it was also to get some kind of reaction out of me. Too bad it wasn't working. No, really. I would have loved to do anything if it meant that I didn't have to lay there and cry like a big baby who couldn't be self-reliant.
The sobs ended as did the staggered, heavy breathing. All that was left was the overwhelming exhaustion that threatened to drag me under. I didn't want to let it. I wanted to remember this night in a positive light and tried my best to memorize all the uplifting points of the day. Patrick was a good man from what I could tell. He was a wonderful new asset to the team. Cerebella was gone and would never harm another human being ever again. Damon was a spectacular husband and the only one who could sit there and care for me enough to comfort me constantly. All in all, it was a pretty good night.
My mind now at ease, my eyes shut and I smiled, cuddling ever closer to the man I married for all eternity. "I love you."
He kissed the top of my head and I could hear the smile in his voice as he replied, "I love you, too."
In that moment, we fell asleep in each other's arms, blissfully in love and thankfully unconscious.
