The Second Covenant

I woke up in the middle of the night, to a distant howl. “Mother of God.” I hissed and threw back the covers angrily. I was wearing a silk nightgown, but didn’t have the inclination to do anything other than put a robe over it and some boots on. I hopped off my balcony right as the big, pony sized silver wolf came loping up to the edge of the ward. “Stop right there, otherwise my dad’ll come flying out of the house and out your secret.” I was so mad at him right now it was hard not to toss a ball of spell fire at him and singe his tail.

The air around him swirled, sparkled with power as he rose up, as the fur fell away and skin flowed from underneath. It was like watching Mystique on X-Men shift, but more…just more.
His hair gleamed a true silver under the light of the waning moon.

He was bare from the waist up, his body lean and lithe with muscle, skin like honey. He was wearing a pair of leather pants that laced up the front of both his legs, his feet hidden in the mist, but somehow I knew they would be bare. He just stood there, looking at me with a very contrite, worried expression. “I…” I started, and had to stop and take a deep breath to calm myself down. “I don’t even know what to say to you right now.” he nodded slowly and I saw his throat work. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t think it would be like that.”

I felt like stomping my foot. “I trusted you!” He flinched but didn’t look away. “How could you have forced that on me? You…” I whirled away and turned back almost as quickly. I felt so stupid, I’d poured my heart out to him at the bridge, cried on him like a baby because I’d thought he was just a wolf. I was so messed up right now it wasn’t even funny. “Could you just go please, I’m not ready for this.”

His growl made my body shiver with need. “No. I can’t. I’m not going to leave you, not now. Probably never again. You know what I am, you’re not afraid, you’re just upset and I understand that Cherish, I really do.” I turned on him like the wolf I was and growled right back, saw his eyes flare in answer. “No, you really don’t. I had no idea that I was part wolf. Not a fucking clue until you tried to rip her out of me.” I shook my head and reached up to fist my hands in my hair, the pain bringing me a bit of clarity through my heartache.

“I feel how powerful you are, everything inside me wants to just roll over and be submissive. But I can’t Druex. I won’t ever be weak like that, not for you, not for anybody.” His mouth worked and he frowned hard at me, his eyes pleading. “You didn’t know you had lycanthropy?” I shook my head and his head dropped down on a heavy exhalation, his hands rose to scrub at his face, rake through his hair, his lips pressed in a painful line. “I thought you knew. I really did, especially after what happened at the club. You knew Dax was upstairs, hurt. And that day at the bridge, you said you were tired of being the only one. I just…I thought you knew.”

I shook my head at him. “I knew there was something there in the club, but not your wolf. I had all of you go upstairs so I could get rid of whatever it was. You came back down and tried to hustle me out, I guessed.”

He scrubbed his hands over his face and inhaled deeply. I felt that metallic, cold shiver race up my spine and my head whipped to the east. “Damnit Cherish, I…” I felt something coming and did the only thing I could think of, I reached through the wards, grabbed Druex by the waist of his pants and jerked him into the circle. His feet had barely passed before a black swarm of bats smashed against the wards, turning the shield opaque. “What the hell is that?”

I put my hand on Druex’s bare chest and pushed until we were backed away from it. “Can you smell how evil it is?” I whispered and his hands gathered me back against him, pulled me to his chest with strong arms. “Yeah.”
“If you don’t want my dad to know what you are, you’d better shift quick.” he stayed, wrapped around me protectively.

My father came flying out of the house in just his flannel pajama bottoms. He gaped at the black cloud of bats and then at me and my half naked wolf. “What the fuck is going on here?” I waved my hand at the screeching bats. “That was in the bar. Not the bats, but…that.” I said and my father lifted his brow at Druex. “And what are you doing here, without a shirt?” Druex hugged me tighter, one arm around my waist and the other curled around the front of my shoulders. “Trying really hard to apologize.”
‘Did you choose yet little witch?’

My father’s head whipped around and I thought he was going to blow something up. Oh good I wasn’t just hearing things. “Why don’t you just kiss my ass!” I shouted at the unseen voice.
‘Tsk, tsk child. Not nice. You’re safe in your circle, for now.’
I laughed shortly. “Thought you said I wasn’t strong enough to keep you out.”
My dad gave me a slow, hard look like he wanted me to shut up now. “What?” He shook his head at me in resigned anger. “Toss a spell at him while your at it Cherish, see how that works.” He said dryly. “Well, why not?” He couldn’t stop me, the thought had already crossed my mind.

My eyes flared to black and the bats exploded in a whoosh of flames. “Keep hiding and we’re going to think you’re a coward.” I called and a gust of frigid wind lashed around us, slapped at me, tore at my hair. I heard Druex snarl before he twisted, took us both lower to the ground, covering me with his body. “Anybody ever tell you it’s bad to pull a tiger’s tail?” I scoffed. “What tiger, he’s just a big Pus-” His hand covered my mouth and I heard him laughing.
‘You’re a smart child Cherish, but not that smart. The choice was made for you. Will you come to me once they’re dead?’

And then the power was gone.
“That...What in the hell was that?” My mother shouted from the balcony and I looked up at her, at the almost grey tint to her complexion. “Don’t know Sara. You okay?” Druex let me up and my mom lifted her eyebrows at him. “Nice pants.” She said and then whaled on my dad. “Get in here right now, no I am not okay, BATS Caleb, effing Bats. What the hell is going on?” I don’t know if I was more surprised that she was yelling or that she said effing, a very dirty word for my mother. “Well, you heard my wife, move it or loose it.” My dad cleared his throat and I didn’t even want to know that her yelling turned him on.