Waxing Gibbous

Chapter 9

After Soren left, Tegan paced around the room. She stopped by the bay window which had been left open a crack. She leaned out, feeling the cool night air caress the skin exposed. The malevolent presence that she had detected earlier had dissipated. Whatever it was had moved on from the island. Fighting a chill, she pulled the window shut, secured the lock, and drew the curtains closed. There was no telling the dangers that surrounded them and she didn’t want some unknown thing crawling in her window. If she had learned anything from the past twenty-four hours, it was that anything was possible.

Her life had changed drastically. She went from thinking things like witches and werewolves were just made up junk to knowing that it was all very real. There were, in fact, things that when bump in the night. She just so happened to be one of the things tapping behind the closet door and growling beneath the bed.

As tired as she was, Tegan didn’t think her restless body would be able to settle down into sleep. Without anything else to do, she pulled one of the boxes filled with books and other items over to the edge of the bed. She grabbed a hardcover book that was wrapped in a thin chain. It was mottled and grimy like tarnished silver. Unwinding the length of metal, she set it aside and cracked open the grimoire. Her mother’s familiar handwriting was scrawled across the pages. Spells and theories were written out, as well as unrecognizable symbols.

As she flipped through the musty pages, she saw nothing really eye catching. There were very homey kinds of spells written: charms to keep your house free of pests like rodents and insects, concoctions to get stains out of your laundry, spells to stop drafts. This was more like a witch’s guide to homemaking than anything that could be of use to her. There was nothing there that could really help her now.

After about halfway through the volume, the rest of the pages were left blank. Sighing, Tegan tossed it aside and picked up another book. This one held a very old style of writing and on the cover there was something imprinted into the spine; a symbol of some sort. As she was about to crack open the text, another knock sounded on the door.

“Come in,” she called, getting to her feet just as Ulrick entered.

“Sorry to bother you,” he murmured in that deep, throaty voice of his.

She shook her head and put her hands on her hips. “No, it’s okay. We have a lot to discuss and if you’re up to it, we should get a roll on it before anything worse happens.”

He inclined his head in agreement. “The pack members I sent out earlier have come back from their rounds. They didn’t find anything or anyone. However, they did pick up on a foreign stench. They said it was something cloaked in ruthless black magick. With what happened to Vivian and then Storm, something is definitely after you or the clan. I have an idea of who it might be. But there is no certainty. They might also be connected to what is causing the sickness to spread within the pack. We must strengthen. We must bind you to us as soon as possible.”

“How could anyone find out about me so fast?”

Ulrick shrugged. “A spy is possible. It has happened before.”

Tegan raised an eyebrow at that but didn’t comment. Nothing was too surprising anymore. “Let me guess, you want to have the ceremony as soon as I consent to it. Is that really going to change anything?”

“Yes. It will make us safer this way. You can prevent certain disaster from falling upon our heads. I know that this isn’t the right time to ask considering Storm’s condition and all, but this is very important.” He seemed genuine in his regret. Either that or he was afraid that she would spaz out again.

Personally, she was trying her hardest to stop herself from going off the deep end. If only her mother were still alive. If only she could afford to keep living in the city. If only she had found a decent paying job. She would be ignorant to the werewolves and their world. She would be happy and safe, not scared for her life.

At least that is what she kept telling herself.

Tegan crossed her arms and cocked a hip. “When do you want to do it?”

“I’d like to hold the ceremony tomorrow night if you’ll agree to it. You might even find the answers that you are looking for. The spirits will guide you if you let them,” Ulrick said.

“What spirits though?” she questioned in bewilderment, a feeling she was becoming way too familiar with.

“Your ancestors, the spirits of tribe members from the past, others from this wolf pack and from packs before it. Their souls have travelled on to the Realm of the Guardians, the spirit world,” Ulrick explained.

“And they will come to me?”

“No, you will go to them. To see if you are worthy.” He walked over to the bed and fingered the book that she had just been looking at. Tegan tracked his movements as he traced the impression on the book.

“How will I get to this spirit world or Realm of Guardians or whatever?” It sounded like it would be a difficult place to go to.

He looked up from the grimoire to stare at her with warm brown eyes. “Your soul will take you. Your physical form will stay bound to the earth but your soul will travel on to a different dimension.”

She still didn’t understand. And she still didn’t know if he was willfully not telling her everything or just not explaining it clearly enough. It was probably the former. “Will I have to cast magick or something to get my soul there? I’m not going to die from this, am I?”

He sighed like he was debating on answering or not. “If you did not have the abilities of a healer, you could die from it. The spirits do not welcome those that don’t belong. They would whisk the soul away and the physical form would die.”

“That doesn’t inspire much confidence, bud,” she muttered under her breath. “What if my soul has no desire to take such a risk?”

“You are not going to die, Tegan. You have proved yourself worthy. And if there was a fraction of doubt in my mind, I would not send you into anything so perilous,” Ulrick told her.

She nibbled her lip while she pondered that for a bit. He seemed to really believe in what he was telling her. Tegan was still not one hundred percent sure if she would succeed. “What will I do when I enter the realm?”

He took a step in her direction. “Souls of the past will make contact with you. I do not know which ones. But this is something sacred and for you alone to experience. You never have to speak a word of it if you wish not to.”

“How will you know that I’ve been there then?”

“Usually you come back with an unusual marking that wasn’t there before.”

Tegan recoiled slightly. She didn’t want any kind of branding on her skin. “What kind of marking?”

“It is always random. There is no telling what you will be bestowed with and where it will be placed,” he said.

Well, wasn’t that just great news? She was getting a myriad of reasons to worry about this ritual even more.

“What if for some unknown reason I don’t cross over?” she asked.

Ulrick gave a very wolfish grunt. “Believe me. You will go.”

She dropped her arms to her sides and began pacing around the room. “How can you be sure though?”

The pack leader looked nervous again. “The…uh… drug will ensure that you do.”

She stopped and gaped at him. “Drug? Are you serious?”

“Very. It is a sacred drug. And it is very powerful. For an average person to use it, it would not affect them at all because their magick level is low. But there is a great amount of magick and power flowing through your veins. That magick is what reacts to the drug,” he clarified.

“What drug is it?” Probably something extremely illegal would be her guess. But it was nothing that she had ever heard of before.

“It is an extract from the Vine of Isis, a hallucinogenic serum. It will heighten every single one of your senses. You will feel almost divine and godlike in its influence. The aftereffects will take a few days to fully exit your system. In that time, you will be more in tune with your surroundings. You will perceive things in a different manner than what you would normally do,” he said.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “It’s not going to cause any lasting damage, is it?”

He smiled softly. “No. There will not be any physical or mental damage. Healer’s have used this method since the beginning of time.”

“Do I drink it or something?” She had never taken a drug in her life and wouldn’t know the first thing about using them.

“You’ll receive a drop in each eye.”

Tegan snickered in disbelief. “You’re kidding, right?”

He gave her a dry look. “Absolutely not.”

“Is this going to hurt? I’m really not a big fan of pain.” With all the questions she was asking, she was beginning to feel like a child continuously asking “why”. But it was the only way she was going to know what was going on. She didn’t know what to expect. She had never dealt with anything this bizarre before in her short life.

The look on his face softened somewhat. “No. You’ll actually be in a state of intense euphoria. Some wielders of magick have even become addicted to the drug because of its pleasurable qualities. Good thing that is it extremely rare to come by.”

“How do you get it then?” she inquired.

“The supernatural world has a black market for rare items. It might cost a pretty penny to acquire it but it is always possible,” he said.

“How long will this ritual last?”

“For however long the spirits keep you. There is no telling how long you will stay in the Guardian’s realm. It could take up to many hours, but rarely more than a day.”

Rarely more than a day? Tegan pinched the bridge of her nose then rubbed her tired eyes. It was hard not to react over that little bit of info.

“Where are we going to do this?” she muttered dejectedly.

“There is a dais in the center of the island. It is where we gather before the hunt on the nights of the full moon. The ceremony will be held there as well. The whole pack will gather there to observe your induction,” he laid out.

“When do you want to do this thing?” She knew that the sooner that this ceremony was completed the sooner Ulrick would be relieved. Tegan could tell that he cared a lot for his pack and had their best interests in mind. They were his family and it wasn’t something that she could fault him for. If she was in his position, she would probably want the same thing.

“Sundown,” he said. “I’ll have someone come get you.”

“What about Storm? What if he is hasn’t gotten any better by then? I can’t just leave him by himself. What if that thing comes back to finish him off?” She didn’t want to be too far from her familiar in case something happened. She had a feeling that Soren was right. That being near him was the best she could do for Storm at the moment.

Ulrick glanced over at the prone body on the bed then back at her. “We’ll bring him with us. That way, he will have the protection of the pack.”

“I guess tomorrow will be the big day then. There isn’t anything else I can think of. I mean there are millions of questions still swirling around in my head, but as for anything else…” She let the sentence trail off.

Ulrick nodded. “I’ll let you rest on all this.”

Tegan give him a brief, tired smile. “You have a good night, Ulrick.”

“Rest easy, Tegan,” the pack leader said and then soundlessly left. For as big of a man he was, he sure did tread softly.

After Ulrick closed the door behind himself, Tegan crawled back on bed with a stack of books to go through. There was nothing to really do but wait. And while she waited, she was going to search the books and hope to come across something that will help her familiar come back to her.

Tegan woke up curled up on the bed next to Storm. His breathing was better, deep and even. His skin was hot to the touch. Afraid that he might have a fever, Tegan sat up and tossed the book she had been reading before she fell asleep on the floor. She brushed a hand over his forehead. He was still hot but his skin wasn’t clammy. To be sure it wasn’t an infection, she pulled down the bandage along his shoulder.

She gasped at what she saw underneath.

The damage had completely healed. The skin was smooth and unscarred underneath. There was a little residue from the cream, but that was the only thing underneath the pad. She peeled it the rest of the way off and threw it out. She then took off the one across his ribs and hip, and found that that too had completely mended.

“Mmm, it was nice sleeping next to you.”

Tegan started when she heard Storm’s voice. Her eyes immediately snapped up to his. Vitality and humor swam in the grey depths. With a gasp, she jumped at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and squeezing.

“Storm!” she squealed. “I was so worried about you.” She buried her head into the crook of his neck, breathing in his natural scent. He smelled of spice and magick. It was familiar and comforting. He was alive, in her arms, and talking to her.

“Easy,” he grunted. “My arm is still quite sore.”

“Sorry,” she murmured, pulling away from the embrace.

“How did you find me?” he asked. “How did you know I was in danger?”

“I guess the same way you knew I was. I woke up in pain and this terrible anxiety and I just knew that something had happened to you. Soren helped me find you. You were attacked by some big ass cat, but Soren chased it through the woods. I brought you back here but you were in bad shape,” Tegan told him, recounting the event.

“I bet the bastard is gloating about it,” Storm groused with a scowl.

“Actually, he got hurt pretty badly. It was nothing life threatening or anything, but he was bitten up and maimed,” she said.

He sobered immediately. “Then I must give him my thanks.”

“I don’t know why you two are so confrontational toward each other, but I wish it would stop,” Tegan mumbled.

“Did you find out what attacked me?”

“No. It got away. But there was something malicious on this island. I could feel it through the magick. It was like it was warning me or something. Do you remember anything?” she asked.

“I only remember getting attacked. But before I was attacked, I felt the same shift within the magick. I have no recollection of whom or what did this to me. All I can recall was the pain.” He shuttered as if remembering the lynx ripping into him.

“When I found you, it didn’t look good, Storm. You were bleeding a lot and your wing was all busted up. When I got you back here, you were going in and out of consciousness. I had to beg you to switch back to your human form. I have never been so scared in my life. I thought you were going to die.” She was staring at her hands, twisting her fingers through each other.

He placed his hand over hers, stopping her fidgety movement. She licked her dry lips and met his gaze.

“I’m sorry I worried you. I put myself under stasis to heal faster. I could still feel you, all your emotions and everything. I could tell how much you feared for me. I wish I could have reached out to let you know that I was all right, but I couldn’t,” Storm told her. “I had to shut my body down.”

“Are you sure you are better? You didn’t look so good last night.” Tegan eyed him carefully, roaming her gaze over his body, trying to find any lasting damage, any injury she hadn’t discovered the night before.

“There is still a little stiffness here and there, but I feel good, otherwise,” he said.

“I’m so glad you are better,” she confessed, flopping down on the bed beside him. She took care to make sure she didn’t jostle his sore limb this time.

“I thought that I was never going to see you again. You brought me back to you with your care.” He leaned in and nuzzled the side of her neck, inhaling her scent. An almost purring rumble came from his chest.

“Storm, what are you doing?” she asked nervously. Her heart began beating a little faster as he moved his body in closer to hers.

Storm pulled his head away from her neck and stared intently at her face. “I feel this love for you, Tegan. Something I’ve never felt. I don’t know how to explain it. We are naturally bound by soul and magick, but this is something very different.”

He leaned down slowly so that she would have time to protest. When she didn't, he skimmed his lips against hers. They were soft and warm…inviting. But no matter how much she wanted to kiss him back, she wanted to know why he was acting so differently. If he hadn’t been to one to pull away, she surely would have.

“What was that about?” Tegan whispered.

“I just…I wanted to kiss you.” He watched as a blush crawled up her neck and to her cheeks. She caught her lower lip between her teeth and then looked away.

“Seriously, what is it with you people on this island? First Soren and now you,” she said, annoyed.

“What does Soren have to do with anything?” Storm demanded, anger infusing into his tone.

“Last night, he pinned me to a tree and told me he was going to make me his. Now, here you are being all weird,” she pointed out, turning her gaze back to him.

Now, it was Storm’s turn to flush. “I didn’t mean to alarm you. I just feel something for you is all. It goes beyond my natural draw toward you.”

She pulled back even further from him and stared incredulously. “How the hell can you feel that sort of something for me when we’ve just met? I’ve known you, what, a day and a half? That’s insane!”

He looked down at her prone body sadly…longingly. “Not for me, it isn’t. I have this overwhelming need within me to please you…in any way. All familiars feel this way to their masters. It’s implanted into us. It is our nature. I cannot just turn it off.” He ran a finger up her naked arm causing goose bumps to rise. “You being the way you are – generous, caring, and loyal – is why I want you. And because of this want, my feelings are all the more intense. I do love you, Tegan. Even if you think it is impossible, it is there.”

“Y-you don’t want me. You just think you do. It must be from our bond or something.” Then something seemed to click in her head. “Did you overhear my conversation with wolf-boy? You’re not just saying this because Soren did, are you?”

“No, I’m saying it because it is what I feel. I will not play games with you like he would. That beast only wants you because of what you are. He doesn’t care about anyone but himself. He will try to use you to make himself stronger. But this,” he murmured, swooping his head down and kissing along her jaw, “has nothing to do with him.”

This time she didn’t pull back. His mouth traveled down the column of her neck, nibbling and sucking along the way. She moaned as he moved further and further down, kissing along her collarbone. His hand found the hem of her shirt and slipped under. His fingertips cleverly danced along her skin, skipping up and down her ribcage.

Tegan swallowed. She wasn’t going to lie. What he was doing was having an effect on her. She was having a hard time remembering that this was something that they shouldn’t be doing. His body scooted closer to her and the blanket around his waist slipped lower so that is was resting on his bare hip, reminding her just how little he wore beneath the sheets. “Um, you’re pretty naked under here.”

“I know,” he murmured, his voice husky with lust. He crawled halfway on top of her and dipped his tongue in the hollow of her throat.

“I really don’t think we should be doing this. I mean, I know you, but I don’t know you, Do you know what I mean?” She couldn’t let this to go any further.

He started kissing his way back up her neck. “You are speaking in tongues,” he whispered against her skin.

“Storm,” she said firmly, pushing at his hovering body. “Enough. We can’t do this. I don’t want to do this.”

He sighed, but rolled off of her. “I’m sorry, Tegan. I didn’t mean to get carried away.”

“What has come over you?” This wasn’t like Storm to be so forceful. She wondered if the attack had done something to him. He was never this aggressive with her before.

“I just wanted to be intimate with you is all. I thought you would have wanted that,” he stated none too happy.

“How do you even know anything about being intimate with anyone? Have you had a girlfriend before? Was it one of the wolves? Is that why Soren hates you? Did you whisk away one of his girlfriends or something?” Tegan gilled, wanting to know more about his past. There were so many things that she didn’t know about him, things that she could feel that he was keeping from her.

“It is a long story. But it has nothing to do with making off with one of his lovers,” Storm snarled.

“Well, we have time, buddy. So get talking.” She folded her hands behind her head and crossed her ankles. She looked up as Storm who was looking up at the ceiling, tenaciously avoiding her eyes.

“A few years ago, there was a witch that came to the island. She was renowned as a proficient conjurer. Ulrick hired her to help fight off a sickness that left many in the pack ill. She agreed to an arrangement to heal them in exchange for payment – a large payment which Ulrick was happy to give her as long as she lived up to her end of the bargain. She healed a few of the wolves, but it was a false cure because the disease claimed them anyway. Magda was unusually cruel and loved to torture. She even went as far as murdering her own familiar spirit.

“I was on the receiving end of her suffering many a times. She enslaved me by branding me with a rune and spell – one that bound me to her so I had to act as her familiar after her last had died. I had to do what she asked. I had to help her kill many of the wolves. That is why Soren and I do not get along. He blames me for what happened and fingers me as an accomplice in their deaths. I suppose that is why he didn’t like you when you first came on the island. You are a witch, something that he despises.” Storm had lain back on the bed while he was telling her the grim tale. By the haunted look in his eyes, Tegan could tell that he was reliving the past.

She placed a hand on his arm to lend some comfort. ”What did this Magda make you do?”

“She made me poison the wolves. I was allowed access into their domain. I had to hide charms and objects laced with hexes to harm them. I’m ashamed of my involvement,” Storm said, his voice full of sadness.

“But you had no choice! She made you do those things.”

“I should have fought harder. I should have resisted until it killed me. Because of what I did, lives were taken. Children became orphaned, parents lost their offspring, some wolves lost their mates. That guilt, all that blood on my hands will never come off. I am forever tainted.”

“No, Storm. You’re wrong. Magda was to blame for this. Not you,” Tegan argued.

“I was her pet. She craved my flesh and I had to fulfill her every need. And believe me, she taught me well. I can see why you want nothing to do with me,” he whispered in shame.

Tegan got up on her knees and captured his head between her palms. “My heart breaks for you, Storm. I wish my mother would have told me who I was from the very beginning. So much heartache has come from this. But you have to know, I look at you no differently. You are still the same to me. If anything, I hold you in higher regard. To have gone through something you have and still be so loyal to me…it’s amazing. I could never be as strong as you are. You are not sullied or repulsive. Don’t ever think that way.”

She mimicked his movements and swooped down to capture his lips, only this time it was chaste. “I wish there was some why I could take away all your pain, all the suffering you have gone through after your ordeal. No one deserves to have their innocence stolen from them. No one deserves to go through what you went through. No one deserves to be hurt like you have.

“You are the kindest, gentlest creature I know. You have helped me face things I didn’t want to face. You have been my support, my backbone. For once, let me be yours. If you ever need something, and I mean anything, don’t hesitate to ask. I can’t promise you sex and other intimacies of that nature. But I can promise you love and nurturing, friendship and family. I will never hold you under my thumb. I want you to experience life the way it was meant to be experienced. I want you to be happy.”

“To hear you say that…I am full of joy.” Storm wrapped his arms around her and pulled her body to his, tucking her into his side. “I just want to hold you for a little while,” he whispered in her hair. “I just…I need to be close to you.”

Tegan ran her hand along the length of his muscled arm. His skin was warm and glowing with health. It eased her to feel that vitality radiating under her fingertips. She was content to be wrapped up in his arms. There were so many things that she had to confront. With Storm by her side, lending her support, she felt like she was able to do anything. He would always be there for her. This she was absolutely certain of.