Note: this chapter picks up immediately after the end of Chapter 9.
"I told you I wasn't crazy," Derek grumbled in response to Stiles and Lydia's revelation, but he was largely ignored.
"So we couldn't find a name for the shadow, but there is a record of a similar shadow in the Bestiary. It's a note on a page about a witch named Merga Bien."
"Who the hell is that?" Malia chimed in. She was doing burpees on one of several yoga mats next to a mirrored wall.
"I was getting to that," Lydia started, but this time Stiles cut her off.
"She was a victim of the Fulda Witch Trials in Germany in the 1600s. She was accused of having sex with the Devil after she got pregnant because she and her third husband had been married for a long time and had never been able to conceive. She and her unborn child were burned alive at the stake in 1603," he rambled, and Lydia rolled her eyes.
"Cool story. Still not really sure how this helps us." Malia was really going out of her way to be annoying and unhelpful today, apparently.
"As I was saying," Lydia growled, "The Bestiary only says that she encountered a bird-like shadow creature in the 1500s and dealt with it, whatever that means. I have no idea where the Argents got this information, considering they didn't even start hunting until the 1700s, but that's neither here or there. The point is, maybe one of Merga's descendants knows more about this."
"But how do we go about finding the descendants of a witch from 400-plus years ago? Especially since her only child died with her?" Liam had apparently decided that he could get away with interrupting the banshee like Cora and Malia had, but he quickly learned otherwise when faced with Lydia's glare.
"It just so happens that the Bestiary already took care of that for us," Stiles responded as he placed his hand on Lydia's shoulder. She smiled and relaxed slightly into his touch. "Apparently, Merga had a sister that managed to escape Germany. She moved to Italy, got married, and changed her name. The family moved all over Europe and other continents for the better part of the last 400 years. But apparently they always ended up in this small Italian town called Colobraro. It's supposed to be insanely haunted and a hotbed for dark magic."
"It's Mari!" Kira chirped suddenly, and when she met the eyes of the rest of the pack, she blushed. "We already know she's a witch, right? And she's from Italy...that can't be a coincidence?"
"Scottie, I knew I liked this girl," Stiles said, grinning at the kitsune. She smiled back at him.
"So...you're saying that you think the new girl is the descendant of some old-ass witch that might know what the shadow Derek saw is?" Isaac scoffed.
"You got a problem with our theory, Lahey?" Stiles snipped, crossing his arms. Isaac smirked in response.
"I just think it's a little far-fetched. Nothing's that easy, Stilinski."
"We're due for a quick win every now and then," Stiles protested, and Isaac shrugged.
"Whatever. So what are we going to do now?"
All eyes turned to Scott and Derek, who seemed to be silently communicating with each other. Eventually, Scott turned back to his pack and grinned sheepishly.
"I guess we have to push our time frame up. We're going to have to let Mari know that we know her secret."
Late on Friday night, Mari was reading a section of the Lane family grimoire when Blue called for her. Sighing, the girl hid the aged book in the mountain-ash box under her bed before leaving her room. She made her way to the landing next to the staircase, which overlooked the front door. Currently, Blue was standing in said doorway and completely blocking her view.
"What? I was doing homework," Mari groaned, slumping over the railing.
"You have a visitor," Blue replied, "A very cute visitor. You should probably come and greet him."
Sighing, she started down the twisting stairs. But she stopped short, wrinkling her nose in disgust as her sister stepped out of the way, revealing Isaac Lahey leaning casually against the door jamb.
"Oh great, it's you," she huffed as he slowly looked up at her. The action would have looked ridiculous had it been performed by anyone else. But on him, it was... Well, she wasn't sure what it was exactly. But it was obvious to her that he had become much more relaxed in the days since she first laid eyes on him. Then, he'd been thrumming with electricity, a lion ready to pounce, even in his melancholic state. And now? Now, he was more like a housecat, both lazy and full of vicious potential.
"Lovely to see you, too, Marigold," Isaac purred, sizing her up. It was only then that she remembered she was bra-less, clad simply in a thin tank top and short-shorts. I will not blush, dammit. I don't care what he thinks. It's not like a boy's never checked me out before. He isn't any different.
"What do you want, Lahey?" She crossed her arms over her chest, and his smirk grew. Typical teenage boy.
"I'm just here to talk." He was still purring, and it might have been seductive if she wasn't so annoyed. As it was, she couldn't deny the urge she felt to make out with him, just a little bit. But she was strong, and she would resist the temptation.
"What is there to talk about? We literally just met yesterday. And we've had a grand total of one conversation since then." She wanted to ask how he knew where she lived, but Beacon Hills was a small town. She imagined it wouldn't be hard to track down any newcomers. Especially since Isaac was friends with Stiles, and she'd recently learned that her lab partner's dad was the town sheriff.
"I think you'll find we actually have a lot to say to each other. Can I come in?" His eyes were bright with mischief, and she really wished that wasn't such an attractive look. She had to keep reminding herself that she had no time for small-town jocks. They'd only ever broken her heart, and they rarely went anywhere. They were never worth the effort.
Mari eventually sighed, nodding at her sister's questioning look. "I guess. Come upstairs. We'll go to my room." Blue raised an eyebrow at this, but said nothing. The younger girl was thankful for small graces.
"A little forward, aren't you? Are all Italian girls like this?" Isaac chuckled, strolling inside and shutting the door behind him.
"Shut up, before I regret letting you in," Mari snarled, causing Isaac to chuckle again. Why did that sound make her heart beat a little faster?
"Whatever you say." He flashed a grin at Blue, who blushed faintly. "It was lovely speaking to you."
He made his way upstairs, following Mari as she stormed into her room. He closed the door softly as she flopped down on her bed. Isaac made to sit next to her, but her pointed glare had him going to the desk chair instead.
"Why are you here? How did you even know where I live?" She wanted him to admit that he'd asked Stiles to get her address for him, that he was some sort of stalker. Maybe that would make her feel a little less nervous. Probably not, though.
"Oh, I know lots of things about you, Marigold Lane." Isaac was back at the purring, which was kind of sketchy, even if it was thrilling.
"There is literally no way that you could sound creepier, Lahey."
He chuckled once more, causing Mari to roll her eyes. He thinks he's the coolest thing in existence. I'm guess it's going to be my job to knock him down a peg. Or five. "But seriously, why the hell are you here? What could you possibly want from me?"
Isaac sobered almost instantly. All traces of humor were gone, replaced by a heaping dose of the seriousness she'd glimpsed on her first day. "Okay. Let's cut the crap. We know who you are."
For some unknown reason, that sentence helped everything click. Beacon Hills made just a little bit more sense. She pulsed him again, just to confirm her suspicions. When the pulse responded affirmatively, Mari cocked her head, now smiling wryly. "I highly doubt that, wolf-boy."
His cool demeanor fell away instantly, leaving him gaping in its wake. "How…what…?"
She was pleased that she could so easily tear down his walls. She let herself show this pleasure, her smile turning into a smug smirk. "I have my ways. Now, what is it you think you know?"
"We know you're a witch," he replied, making his best effort to save face and regain his 'coolness'. But she wasn't fooled.
Mari laughed. "Oh sweetie, you hardly know the half of it. And who's this 'we' you keep mentioning? Your little pack?"
Isaac ignored her questions. "Stiles and Lydia think you know what the giant bird shadow in town today was. Supposedly, it was as big as a car."
His response caused Mari to pause, a momentary stutter interrupting any witty drawl. "And why do you think I'd have any idea as to what you're talking about?" She tried to look innocent, but apparently Isaac wasn't fooled by her, either.
"We know of a witch that encountered a similar shadow. Her name was Merga Bien. Ring any bells?"
She nodded slowly, tentative about how much she really wanted to share with this boy, who was essentially a stranger. "Merga was my ancestor. The first witch of my line. How do you know about her?"
"We all have our secrets, Marigold," Isaac's grin was wolfish, and she felt the sudden urge to punch him in the face. She decided to hold herself back, though, at least until she got more answers. There was a time where she certainly would've punched first, but she liked to consider herself older and wiser now.
"So why do you care about this shadow? It hasn't done anything. I would know if it had." She had set some warning spells after her encounter with the shadow in the woods. None of them had been tripped yet.
Isaac sighed. "Scott's a True Alpha – I'm assuming you know what that is since you apparently know all about us – and one of his True Alpha things is that he constantly feels the urge to protect everyone everywhere. It's kind of disgusting, but also strangely endearing." His explanation made sense, considering how Scott had led the way at their first meeting. He was the leader of the Beacon Hills pack.
"A True Alpha?" Mari mused, "That's interesting. I thought those were only legends." Hyacinth had mentioned them briefly during her lesson on werewolves, but they'd never come up again. There was also a small note about them in the grimoire, but it provided little more information than her mother had.
"What, like witches and werewolves? You were born into this world, weren't you? You should know by now that all legends have a basis in truth." Isaac snorted, and she felt the urge to hit him again. "Anyways, he wants to know about this shadow before it becomes a problem. We like to preempt the bad guys and their evil plans."
"How do you know that this shadow isn't a good guy? And how do you know I'm not one of your 'bad guys'? Your Alpha seems to have a lot of faith in a girl he's only just met."
"We don't. But Scott always wants to trust people, give them the benefit of the doubt. If it was up to Stiles and Derek, you'd probably be dead right now. They aren't fond of undeclared supernaturals moving into their territory."
There was a brief silence as the two teens stared each other down. Mari moved first, feeling a sudden urge to tuck loose hair behind her ear. "And what do you think about all of this?"
"I think that we can't make any decisions until we have all the facts. And as far as we know, you can give us answers. So it's good that we're keeping you around. For now, at least."
"What if I don't want to give you answers?"
His eyes turned gold, and he grinned, baring his rapidly growing fangs. "Then you'll find out what our 'little pack' can do."
She forced herself to swallow normally. She'd never actually seen a werewolf in its other form before. It was extremely disconcerting.
Isaac rose and made his way to the door, turning his head as he opened it. "We have a pack meeting on Sunday. Be there at noon." He left without another word, closing the door softly in his wake.
Well, that wasn't how I was expecting my Friday night to go. She punctuated the thought by falling backwards on her bed. Noon on Sunday...they're lucky my first brunch shift isn't until next weekend. Even if she did have to work this weekend, she probably would have found a way out of it. She was loathe to admit it, but Isaac's threat had actually set her on edge. She hated the feeling, but there was nothing she could do about it. Not yet, at least.
For now, I'll play by their rules. At least until I get a better sense of what I'm dealing with. After that...we'll see.
A/N: Look! Plot-ish things! Ship interaction! Sass! I love this chapter, and I hope you all do, too. I would really love it if you could review and let me know how this is going. I'm really proud of this story so far, but reader input is always loved. Hopefully I'll be seeing you all in a week or two with another chapter.