Her Wolf’s Demands by Rachel Medhurst

Chapter Five

 

My yawn moved me as I drove through the streets of Brighton. We’d spent all night allowing our wolves to bond in the most delicious of ways. My thighs were sore and my brain foggy from no sleep, but boy, I’d had an incredible time.

The skin on my arms tingled as I drew nearer to my apartment. When I’d last been here over a week ago, I’d cast an invisibility spell to protect Bohdi, my familiar, from harm. I’d been dying to return to pick him up, desperate to see him. I’d even begged Malone to send a wolf to get him. However, it had been too dangerous.

When I’d awoken, the need to check on Bohdi had overridden any fear. Leaving Malone to sleep, I’d placed an invisibility spell around myself in order to gain access to the apartment. I would retrieve my cat today.

The tinkling tune of my phone jolted me from my gorgeous reminiscence of the night before.

“Hello?” I answered.

“Where are you?” Malone’s voice was tight.

Yeah, the alpha probably didn’t appreciate my not telling him that I was seeing a cat about a witch.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t leave Bohdi any longer. You know I’ve been going nuts about getting him.”

“You took my truck.”

Licking my dry lips, I smiled to myself. “You had my car crushed so I figured what’s yours is mine and all that.”

“It’s too dangerous, Della! Why do you have to be so reckless?”

“Look,” I replied, shrugging off his untrue accusation. “If one of your puppies was left all alone, you’d do anything to get them back. My magic is strong enough to keep Bohdi safe, but it’s not fair of me to leave him for so long. I’ll call you when I’m on my way back.”

Ending the call, I pulled the car into a space a few streets away from my apartment. No doubt Ertha would have her spies on the lookout, tracing every movement near my home.

My insides quivered as I climbed out of the vehicle and zipped up my hoody. No one would be able to see me move through the streets and into the building, but that didn’t stop the nerves that clenched my stomach.

Head down, I marched across the road, marvelling at the complete three sixty turn my life had taken. Just a month ago, I was enjoying a happy time with my brother. Both of our careers were going well, and he’d even had a few dates.

His latest commission had been his biggest yet, and he’d been anxious about it. The coven had asked him to paint a mural in the library. It hadn’t been long after their discussions that he’d become paranoid.

Sadness swept through me as I trotted into our street and up the steps that led to our apartment. Pausing outside the door, I sniffed the air. A floral scent flowed around me, a trace of a witch nearby.

I turned my head slowly, seeking out my new enemy. My wolf senses kicked in, my vision expanding to view the whole of the road. There. A woman sat in her car, reading a book. Her witch scent was stronger than I’d ever noticed before. The wolf senses were an incredible ability, even if the vile smells made me want to vomit. Wet dog anyone?

“You can’t see me, but I can see you,” I sang to myself, flicking my finger.

The lights on her car flashed silently, locking her in without her even knowing.

I understood why Malone didn’t want me to bind my wolf. As much as I hated to admit it, being a hybrid-witch made me formidable.

I’d been a low-life everyday average witch for so long. Who could blame me for wanting to keep the magic sprinkle fairy dust – okay, wolf dust, which didn’t sound nearly as romantic – that made me kickarse?

Smiling, I let myself into the building and jogged up the two flights of stairs. When I neared my own entrance, I slowed, listening for sounds within my apartment. It was deathly silent.

A shudder moved me as I closed my eyes and used my wolf senses to search inside. Nothing.

“Let’s see what the bastards have done to our place,” I breathed, opening the door and tentatively stepping into the hall.

A small gasp left me as I surveyed the damage. The boxes were still by the coat stand, empty and waiting. Bohdi’s water and food was full, although I had spelled it to renew every day so that wasn’t a surprise.

I glanced through the open doors into the living room and kitchen. Drawers were open and emptied on the floor. Ash lined every surface, left over from the smoke bomb.

Stepping into the living room, I clenched my fists as a funky smell made me screw up my nose. I couldn’t see the culprit, but the painting of Drake and I had been ripped down from above the fireplace. It lay on the ground, ripped and discarded.

Red paint – no, wait, it smelt like blood – was splattered over the image of my brother’s face. They had cast a location spell on him, using the picture. Why had they wanted to find him? Maybe they believed he would lead them to me. Thank the goddess the spell wouldn’t have worked; I’d made sure of that with my cloaking spell.

Ignoring the rest of the destruction, I went into my bedroom, hoping to find Bohdi snuggled up in my duvet. Every one of my drawers, and all of my ornaments, had been tipped onto the floor, covering my carpet.

“Bohdi?” I called, swallowing the rising tide of grief.

Yes, everything in our home was materialistic, not meant to be important compared to our safety. However, both Drake and I had built our life up from nothing and all of our possessions were meaningful. They made us who we were.

A brother and sister who only had one another, who had endured pain and heartache, over and over again.

Why couldn’t a girl get sentimental about her beloved trinket, shattered beneath her pumps?

“Bohdi?” I sobbed, almost jumping over the debris to get to the bed. “Come out, I’m here.”

Flipping off the duvet, I swallowed when a piece of paper flew into the air, drifting down to land on the empty bed. My blood ran ice cold when I read the scrawled note.

It’s amazing how easy it is to entice a cat with fish, especially if its owner is neglectful.

Ertha.

Fuck! She’d somehow managed to lure my familiar and break the spell of protection I’d placed over him.

My insides churned as I picked up the note and screwed it in my fist. The bitch leader of the coven had obviously come back for Bohdi once I’d escaped their house of torture. She’d pay for her cruelty.

Grabbing my phone out of my pocket, I dialled Ertha, almost dropping it out of my shaky hands. My number couldn’t be traced, but I had to leave the apartment, just to be on the safe side.

“Hello, Ertha speaking.” Her voice was chirpy and welcoming.

That was about to change.

“Where’s my familiar?” I ground through my teeth.

Jerking angrily, I scooped up a handful of clothes as I waited for her reply. A chuckle filtered down the phone, sending heat into my ears as fury exploded in my chest.

“He’s sitting in a cage on my desk.” Her tone had dropped, her amusement short-lived. “Tell me where Drake is and you can have him back.”

My heart thumped when Bodhi’s meow sounded through the phone. The urge to cry was strong, tugging on my heart. I resisted, breathing through the pain as I filled a bag with my belongings.

“Why the hell do you want to know where he is? You know I won’t give him up.”

“I must admit,” Ertha said, “I knew it would be hard for you to choose which one of your pathetic family members to save, so I bound your familiar to you even more. Did you know that if I use the magic of the whole coven, I’m more powerful than you? Meaning I can chop off Bohdi’s head and your wolf brain will spill at the exact same time.”

“You sick bitch!”

My anger only made her laugh more, the twisted witch. How could someone who was supposed to protect her coven be so callous? She was evil!

“It’s your choice, Della. Tell me where your brother is or both you and the cat will die.”

The phone beeped in my ear as she ended the call. Fury fired my veins and churned my stomach as I threw the phone on the bed and proceeded to punch the shit out of a pillow.

“I’ll kill you first!” I screamed before grabbing up my things and heading towards the door.

My vow was a promise to myself as I ran down the stairs and out of the building. My heart pumped the fiery blood around my body, driving me forward. I’d never wanted to harm anyone before, except maybe my father.

However, Ertha had taken her malice to a whole new level. She was obsessed with finding my brother, and I had no idea why. Did he know something he shouldn’t? If he did, he was in serious danger. It was about time I paid him a visit.