Hector“Fucking wolf village maidens were going to be the death of me!” I grunted, slamming the door to my room shut so that it shook on its hinges, and alas! What do you know? The witch was waiting for me just off to the side.“Speak Jules.” I snapped when she didn't immediately speak, watching me instead as I emptied my pockets on the old wood of the nightstand.“You let her go.” The wally witch mused cryptically, folding her knotted hands under the flap of her servant uniform.“Anything more you care to add to the headlines?” I chipped sarcastically, whirling away from her to focus on the milk-white cast of the room that looked slightly off.Like someone had had their nose in my business seconds before I pulled the knob.I turned to look the cave keeper witch in the eye, my fury hitting the mountain peak of my patience as I felt my fists tighten by my sides.“Jules, why are you here?” I hissed through clenched teeth, licking the fanged canines that had started to extend dangerously
Nola Reynolds I’d been lying in bed with my eyes closed, minding my damn business when I heard the rattle of the gold door knob before it flew open.”You sick, psycho bitch!” The blonde girl with cerulean blue eyes cursed, her raven black dress flowing out beside her captivating me for a moment before I felt the flat of her palm connect with my cheeks. I'd turned them to her like an idiot.Now, I always told my first-timers two very important things that took Nola Reynolds from a baleful countryside girl to a fucking demon faster than you could spell N-a-r-n-i-a. Putting your paws on me, and putting your paws in my food.“Did you just hit me?” I choked out, sliding my hand to the sting I was sure had reddened my cheeks before getting up and circling her.“One more word from your filthy mouth and I'd backhand you to the galaxies bitch!” She screamed, her blue eyes flashing and the white saliva that had collected on one side of her lips distracting me again.There’d been only one way
Nola Reynolds.The orange streak of the rising sun fell in slants through the large pane of the window, bouncing off the glossy brown walls and into my sleep-deprived eyes.I'd stayed awake for what must have been hours, fitting in and out of sleep restlessly before I'd finally thrown my hands up to plunge into the washroom’s ice bath.I hadn't heard the shuffling in the main room until I turned off the stream, my head cranked to the side sharply. Whoever it was had dropped something, clattering to the floor loosely before I flew out of the porcelain tub with the soft towel that fell a tad too short wrapped around me.“What the fuck-” I gaped, recognizing the brown hooves I'd seen previously before looking up at the woman with the heart-shaped face that had perched herself on my bed.”Who are you?” I hissed, wrapping the towel tighter about myself when she hadn't replied immediately, instead taking the time to let her eyes travel over my still-dripping body.A small part of me was pi
It was weird. I was sitting on the foamy comforter of the bed, panting with a chill in my spine, the shiny rivulets of sweat running down my bare back into the cool, white capri pants I'd slept in, and almost certain I had turned out the lights that were now blazing at full beam.It was a scream I had heard was it not? Screams tended to carry across the hollow cave walls better than the outside.It took me longer than I’d have liked for me to realize the soft progressive creaking noise was coming from the half-open double doors of my room.I resisted the urge to immediately bolt for Nola's room to check on her. I had to be logical about this, impartial. It was what my father would have wanted, however much I hated him, his system, and teachings, stuck.“What the fuck?” I whispered more to myself than the unresponsive redwood, steadying the door before throwing it wide open and stalking into the brightly lit passageway.Someone had come into my room while I was asleep, and left my head
Nola ReynoldsThe werewolf Lycan narrowed gray eyes at me before he very slowly pushed the door closed behind him. “I-is everything okay?” I stammered, crossing the hand that was bleeding behind my back when he sauntered in with all the air of a lazy bobcat.I was still trying to process what I’d seen inside the cave walls. The memory from what must have been only minutes past was how an odd jumble in my head.I'd pushed open the hidden wall, snatching up a lone candle from the ornate golden candelabra that'd been flickering beside the mirror vanity and climbing my way through when the odd thumping started.“Fucking hell.” I choked, freezing as I tried to gauge the direction it was coming from. You had to be a serious looney case to be banging through a millennia mass of rock and connecting hard enough for it to resonate, even if it was hollow in some places like the dresser.The light of the candle flickered dangerously when a cold breeze drifted through and I cupped a hand to the
Hector The first time my heart had beat off sync was years ago when my father had backhanded me hard across the face. We’d been camping out between the mountain land trees for a good minute when the white fur of a rabbit scuttled past and I caught a whiff of its earthy scent.“There's your cue boy, Go!” He thundered, the massive jaws of his wolf had already begun to water a little on the sides and I took off my hind legs connecting with the bramble-covered rocks like there was lightning at my heels.I could hear the earth moving behind me as I wound through crooked trees that seemed to bend back on their black-spotted tree barks to get out of my way as I pounced at the rabbit in a split second.“Yes! Yes! Now, the way I taught you! Get the neck first!” The granite in my father's baritone had notes of silvery glee laced through it as I trapped the rabbit between my large paws.”Go on! Snap the neck with your teeth! Like i shown you!” He bellowed when he saw me hesitate.It was the wh
Nola ReynoldsThere was something big happening outside. There had to have been. It was the second time I was hearing someone scream followed by the noise of footfalls receding.I was still sitting with my legs tucked in under me, watching the mouth of the dresser, my good hand angled to strike should that thing pop out when the first of the wind filtered through the open window and the bright bulb of a ghastly idea hit me like a freight train.“Shit, fuck this.” I croaked, tentatively placing my socked feet on the cool stone of the cave room before zapping across the threshold like the floor was lava, turning back again to look at the dresser.I was almost certain the tension that wired my body straight would have been enough to light up the whole of Illinois because I was wound tighter than a cobra ready to strike.Had the jewel box always been pushed to the forefront of the dresser like that? I could have sworn something was different, but I didn't have time to think about it.If
Hector“Your highness!” The council monotoned, the scrape of chairs on wood filling the room as they stood to bow and welcome me.I nodded briefly to the changelings and they sat, the green-eyed imp beside my high seat shooting out a leg to trip me and yelping when I stepped on it.Kalden grinned freakishly when I sat down with a high, and I couldn't help the bright smile that crossed my face on seeing the tree trunk of a man.“All that fresh puss has you looking good your highness.” Kalden mocked under his breath so that only I could hear as the councilmen murmured around us.The razor lines of my best friend's eyes curved with evil delight when I scrunched up my nose in disgust and he covered the snicker he'd been holding in with the back of one clawed hand.“Shut up Kalden, I can tell you've been saving that one for ages.” I grumbled, laughing lightly as the palace maiden poured us red wine, blushing a bright pink, save for the porcelain button of her nose.The man shook his thick