Torment (Craving 2)

“Indeed, and your families were a part of the Ruling Council. You two are all that is left of the Light.”

“So, it is true that Beyland was from my grandmother’s realm,” I mused out loud.

“Ah, once he was Light, a part of all that was good, but no more. He is one of the last of the Dark from the Land of the Wizards.”

“So, what do we do now? We have a problem with an ancient vampire…I need to free someone my grandmother was forced to banish…and…”

“Wait, My Lady. I am here to remind you who you are. I may tell you where to look in your Shama for all your powers, but you will still need to train in order to harness those powers.”

“You know about my Shama?”

“Indeed, not all immortal witches are blessed with a Shama. You are blessed, unbounded by the human genes in you. Shama will guide you—help you defeat the Dark, but you must open yourself to all that you are.”

“And do I also have this Shama?” Jeremy asked.

“You are a powerful warlock, and yes, you have the Shama. But both of you are untrained in its use. I will step outside my boundary and tell you that as Wizards of the Land, your power is immense, but Darkness is cunning, beware.”

The next thing we knew, we were outside the wall and staring at each other.

“Whoa!” I said.

~ Ten ~

WE WERE QUIET ON THE way back to MacLeod, each of us lost in our thoughts. I shook my head and broke the silence. “Jeremy…that was a lot to take in.”

“But, actually, nothing that we didn’t already know…or suspect,” he answered thoughtfully.

“Yeah, I guess,” I said, and opened the window for a breath of air. A familiar scent hit my nostrils and made them flair. I tried to recall what the strong scent denoted, but gave it up and instead took out my Meatloaf CD and stuck it in the player. Mom used to bop all over the house to his music and I had an urge to just imagine her doing that in my mind.

The strong scent wafted into the car. Holy good gosh, it dawned on me what it was. I knew that scent. I knew it very well.

Aunt Elle had come by my dorm room one evening a couple of years ago, when I was a junior, and took me by the hand as she told me, “Come on, we are going to a party.”

Aunt Elle always was my light in the dark. I laughed, threw on some ‘party’ clothes, and hand in hand off we went. Nighttime in NYC is full of life and it has its dangers.

We passed a lounge of sorts. A couple of big guys stood outside smoking. Supernaturals pick up on other supernaturals. Even though I knew they weren’t quite human, I wasn’t sure what they were.

I used my witchy power sense of smell. I wrinkled my nose. I thought immediately, wet dogs in a kennel. “Elle…what is that?”

“Keep on walking, honey, we don’t need to talk to any of those dogs,” Aunt Elle said, and looked stern as we passed.

One of the guys let out a short low howl. The other said, “Oh, baby, why don’t you two come inside. We promise not to bite.”

Aunt Elle pulled me along even faster and as I objected, she said, “Listen to me, baby girl, you remember that scent and stay away from it. No good can ever come of mixing with a werewolf…even a shifter wolf. Mind me, now.”

I didn’t have time to argue as she pushed me into a building where we met a circle of friends and we all squeezed, laughing, into an elevator.

I never gave it another thought, as in truth, I never again actually encountered a werewolf/Shifter in human or wolf form after that. The scent, however, I had stored, and now remembered, though this scent was slightly different.

“Jeremy…” I started.

“Yeah, I know. Trouble,” he said.

“Jeremy…look there.” I felt a sense of anxiousness as something flashed through the trees in the woods along the road and I said, “Did you see?” And then there it was!

A multi-shaded gray wolf racing easily through the wooded terrain, keeping up with us, his size and his speed absolutely incredible.