Page 15 of Wolf Spell

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My head was groggy as my alarms buzzed, my mind swam in a cloud of surreal dreams. Snapping jaws, the poltergeist activity in the forest left my skin crawling until finally falling under the wolf’s spell. Lycaon’s pale eyes. His teeth in my skin and the steady, rhythmic beating of his heart matching mine. My head swooned. I couldn’t shake the memory of how the light seemed to radiate from him, his blond hair, those ethereal eyes, piercing…

Heat thrummed through me making my breath quicken.

Blinking, I sat up feeling more tired than before and forced myself out of bed. I needed strong coffee and not to think of the smoking hot, naked Lycaon. No, coffee and a cold shower.

After a quick wash and dressing, I scanned my tired eyes in the mirror. I dabbed on some under-eye make-up and a touch of powder. My body was compelled forward with the thought of coffee and after downing a cup, I put the rest in a flask. We rarely had coffee at work, as I worked at an apothecary and herbal teas were encouraged.

My secret? I hate herbal teas. But that’s bad for business. I scanned my home, checking nothing was out of place and now, clean, partially rested with enough caffeine pumping through my veins to shift an elephant, I pulled on my coat and boots to head out into the autumn day.

At least it had stopped raining.

Luna Rose Apothecary was only a short drive from home. I felt a bit of relief because I had some semblance of normality after yesterday. I loved my job, it didn’t pay much but it was close to home and Luna, who owned the apothecary, was fun and independent. She was a friend more than a boss. She wasn’t part of any coven, so I knew she’d be less judgemental. Heck, it looked like I might not belong to one now anyhow.

The shop was chock full of dark wooden bookshelves and tables crammed with herbs, crystals, you name it, we had it. Pagan? Check. Wiccan? Check. We carried a large number of spells, ingredients and Luna had set up a trade with another local supplier, both of them growing and picking their own herbs, usually under moonlight.Moonlight gardening, using the power of the moon cycle to infuse the herbs for incense, spells, and those herbal teas I mentioned that I never drank.

I parked around the back. I normally work in therapies. Massages, detox, facials using oils and a pinch of magic. Sometimes I did tarot readings, rune readings and the like. With the chaos of yesterday behind me, I was glad to be here, though I had no clue what or who I was treating today.

As I walked in, the calming scent of lavender and spicy black pepper washed over me. I heard laughter then a loud exclamation from Luna as she spun around and rushed towards me, her purple and bright yellow hair, one colour on either side, tied up in ponytails. Only she could pull that off.

“Oh my God! Are you alright, Elsa? Austin heard about your night. The whole community is gossiping about it, so obviously we had to, too. Being as we love you and all. I was expecting you to take a sick day to be honest. You went head to head with that alpha-hole, Marrock. Whoa, well done!” She laughed and started clapping.

Beaming like a fool, Austin, a mage of many talents, came over and wrapped his arms around me, squeezing out a hug. His tumble of dark blond hair had been recently bleached and cut short. He was definitely going for the Spike look. Obviously, we ridiculed him, but he could pull it off. With piercing eyes, his sculptured face was able to rock the bleached look and his ability at magic was second to none. He wasn’t six foot but Austin didn’t need muscles or height. His charm and craziness were unique and more than made up for it.

“You ok, Elsa, you crazy witch? We love you, you know that.”

A smile tried to creep up on me, but I was too confused, too taken aback. “Everyone is talking about it? Mattie may ban me from the coven.”

A torrent of emotions swelled inside me like a sea storm. I bottled it all away, my fingers clenching and unclenching.

Luna, always honest and direct, said, “Good. You don’t need them. But hey, you know my views. And that’s why your first customer today is good old Hakon. His notes are in the file. He should be here any time now.”

She hugged me like she was trying to squeeze the life out of me. I did the same back. “Thanks guys. You’re the best.”

“Hey,” she pointed at me, “anytime. I have to get out front, sell some spells, but we’ll catch up later, ok?”

“Sure.”

Austin let out a breath. “I have to grab some supplies. But with Hakon here, you can rest assured you’ll be safe. If you need help with anything, just text me. Don’t try and fight this alone. We’re here. I’ll catch you later.”

“Thanks, that really helps.”

Austin had been getting close to Luna for a while now. He was a great guy, and like Luna, direct. He rarely thought before opening his mouth, which could be pretty amusing as long as you weren’t on the receiving end.

As they went out to the front of the shop I sat down, poured my coffee in a mug and pulled out Hakon’s file.

Stress. Unable to think straight. Tension and pain in his shoulders.

The bell on the back door clanged.

“Well, my favourite witch, you doing my massage today, love?”

I shuddered as the vampire walked over and leaned in to kiss my cheeks. His boyish grin, small intense eyes and dark strawberry hair, Hakon was charming and damn sexy for a dead man. Not bad for a vampire over a thousand years old. When he laughed, his smile was infectious. But he was as brutal as he was kind. Lucky for me, I was a friend. I doubt anyone would last long as his enemy.

As his icy hands cupped my face, cold seeped through me. Hakon did love his European gestures. It could be an eventful day with him, Austin and Luna. Three extroverts together in a small place. I enjoyed watching them play off against each other. And Luna was right, Hakon was one of the fiercest, oldest vampires in these parts. His loyalty to his friends was unwavering. Mattie had always hated the fact the Luna Rose Apothecary was open to all with a few exceptions, by appointment only. If a new vampire or werewolf strolled into town, they had to have a recommendation from Hakon, or another of his ilk to get an appointment. That way we didn’t become easy food for the vampires. I suspect they’d let us massage them first though, then drain our blood?

Maybe I should learn to think like normal witches?

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