Page 54 of When Storms Awaken

Ms. Finch stood between us and the door. She took another step towards us, her hands behind her back. What was she talking about? Why did she look so…frazzled? So…out of it?

“You see…I had no choice, not really. If it wasn’t me, it had to be someone else. But it had to be done, regardless,” she started to ramble, taking another step closer and removing one hand from behind her back. That hand now held a sharp hunting knife. Where had that come from? What was Ms. Finch doing with a knife?

“Ms. Finch, what are you talking about? Had no choice about what?” I asked, taking a measured step back and hitting the tiled wall behind me. I shot Tess a panicked glance, but she did not take her eyes off Ms. Finch.

“About what I have to do here. You see…she wouldn’t take no for an answer. She would never take no for an answer. And he failed. He was always destined to fail, if you ask me. She knew that. He was tooweak. Toosoft. But it has to be done, you see. It has to be me. I thought I could avoid this; I never wanted to hurt you. I’ve been in hiding for weeks, hoping that if I simply disappeared, I wouldn’t have to follow through with these orders. But she found me, she always finds me. She has eyeseverywhere. I’m sorry it’s come down to this.”

“Ms. Finch, I don’t know what you’re talking about, but whatever it is we can help you…” Tess assured her, holding her hands out as if she was trying to calm a scared animal.

“You cannot help me. I tried, I really did, but there is no help for me now.” Ms. Finch shook her head violently, her eyes wide.

“Whatever it is, we can figure this out. Put the knife away and come with us,” Tess said calmly. Ms. Finch took another step towards us and exploded in a burst of movement. She was closest to Tess, and she leaped for her, but Tess was ready. Tess blocked the arm that held the knife as it arced towards her with her forearm and gave Ms. Finch a rough push back. But she only came back at her, again and again. Tess ducked under her arm and tried to make a dash for the door, but Ms. Finch turned and kicked her hard in the back of the legs, Tess sprawling onto the hard tile floor with a smack.

Ms. Finch turned towards me and there was nowhere for me to go. Could I hide in a stall until Puck and Nik heard the scuffle and came to help? Could I use my magic to protect myself?

I focused on the knife in Ms. Finch’s hand and imagined it was hot, as hot as the coals of a burning fire. It was only a second before she was on me, but a terrible screech wrenched free from her throat as she dropped the knife with a clatter. The handle of the knife had turned red hot, her hand cradled to her chest with a hiss.

“Very good. I see he’s taught you something, at least. But that won’t help you now, I’m afraid,” she sneered, taking a step back from me. Tess had made it to the bathroom door and had slipped through it without Ms. Finch’s notice. It was only a matter of time before Nik and Puck were here.

Ms. Finch wrenched her neck to the side, and it cracked as the bone shattered and she dropped to all fours, throwing her head back in a snarl. Her fingers had turned to claws, and they now dug into the tile, causing deep gouges. Her teeth sank below her bottom lip as they extended, and her skin turned to fur before my eyes. A wolf. She was turning into a wolf. Ms. Finch was a shapeshifter. She was a Nightshade. Was she working with Fletcher? Is that was all of this was about?

I had backed against the far wall of the bathroom and stared at Ms. Finch in horror as her yellow eyes met mine. Ms. Finch had fully transformed now, her brown fur muddied under the florescent lighting of the movie theater bathroom. She snapped her jaw and licked her lips, slowly slinking towards me. She knew she had me cornered. The bathroom door slammed open, cracking against the tile wall with a fierce bang as Nik, Puck, and Tess poured inside.

“Don’t move,” Nik called towards me as Ms. Finch snapped her eyes towards Nik, her hackles raised.

“I knew you were a Nightshade, but I never imagined you were working withhim,” Nik spat. “You’re outnumbered now. Diana and Tess may be new to their magic, but Puck and I sure as hell aren’t. Let us leave, and no harm will come to you.”

I could see the indecision in the way Ms. Finch set her shoulders, her ears back. She knew there was no getting out of this now, whatever she had set out to do here. Whether that was to kill me or capture me, she had failed. She gave the slightest nod but stayed in her wolf form, backing away towards the sinks to let me pass. Nik nodded towards the exit and I made a beeline for it, grabbing Tess and dragging her behind me as I went. I did not stop until we were outside the doors of the movie theater and I pulled Tess to me in a tight embrace.

“What the hell was that?” I asked, squeezing her tight.

“I have no idea. Are you ok? I didn’t want to leave you in there, but I had to get help.” She squeezed me back tightly.

“I’m ok,” I assured her as Nik and Puck came bursting through the front doors.

“We need to go, now.” Nik’s tone brooked no argument as he grabbed my hand and we started towards his car.

“My place,” he called over his shoulder at Puck and Tess as they made their way to Puck’s car on the other side of us.

We jumped in, and before I even had a chance to fasten my seatbelt, Nik had taken off, peeling out of the parking lot without looking back.

Asitturnsout,Nik lived right in the downtown area in one of the apartments over the new shops. We parked in a back parking lot and made our way down a narrow alleyway to a side door in the building.

We climbed the two flights of stairs to his apartment, and he unlocked it quietly before we slipped inside. He turned, locking the door and securing the deadbolt into place. He also secured the door chain. I doubt that could hold the door against a giant, shapeshifting wolf, but it made me feel better to know that Nik wasalsoa giant, shapeshifting wolf.

Tess and Puck had only been a few minutes behind us and would be here any minute. Nik turned the lights on and the dark apartment was illuminated. He moved quickly to the wall of windows to pull the blinds shut. Nik had a view of the downtown streets, and he could see all the storefronts from his living room window. The walls were painted a dark and moody navy, and the fixtures were modern and industrial. It looked like a bachelor pad, if I had ever seen one. Did he live here alone?

The apartment was small, but well-appointed. The living room was furnished with a large, comfortable looking sectional. The room was open to an equally dark and moody kitchen with black cabinets and a large island accompanied by sleek barstools. There only appeared to be two other doors in the apartment, and they were closed. I imagined they were the bathroom and the bedroom.

Nik ran a hand through his hair and turned to me, his jaw set.

“Are you ok?” he asked.

“I’m ok,” I assured him as he wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me towards him. I could feel his lips on my forehead as he held me close.

“I didn’t think…I didn’t think she was a threat to you. This is my fault, this entire thing is my fault.” He sighed against me, shaking his head.

“It isn’t your fault that Fletcher came to town, or that Ms. Finch has completely lost her mind and might be working with him. You couldn’t have known this would happen.” I pulled away so I could see his face.

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