Shifter Vengeance (Appleton Wolves Book 1), page 17
I proposed to Derek that we meet up in his cabin, but he dismissed the idea because he came up with the excuse that his cabin was too filthy and didn’t want me to think he was a slob on purpose. Derek told me that he was doing a bunch of challenging homework and needed comfort food to get through it. He told me he ate so much that he wound up making a big mess of the living room and didn’t want me to see it.
How much comfort food did a werewolf need? Obviously, plenty.
We had no choice but to come to the library, and it was difficult to find a spot for us to talk without any interruptions and talk in a low voice where no one would hear us. I had to choose the next best thing: a desk in a corner near an old bookcase in the reference books section of the library.
I sat by myself, smelling the dust and wood of the books and shelves near me. I also couldn’t help but smell some of the lavender air fresheners plugged somewhere in the library. It was fighting with the smell of the books and hardwood bookcases for dominance of the library’s air and atmosphere.
I waited almost fifteen minutes from the time I came to the library. I then saw Derek walk over to my desk after probably spending some time looking for me in the library.
“It’s about time you showed up.”
“Sorry, Ericka. I had to clean up the living room a little bit and deal with some traffic. I also looked for you in the library. You chose this spot carefully.”
Yeah, I figured.
Derek leaned in and held my shoulders in his arms while I was seated, and he was standing. I held Derek on his sides and felt how hard and firm his muscles were. It was right near his abs, and I figured that his abs must have been ten times stronger and meatier than the rest of his body was. Laying my fingers on Derek’s hips near his ab area made me sweat, and my heart beat faster than usual.
“It feels so good that I can finally do that again,” Derek said.
“I know. I missed it too, to be honest when we weren’t talking.”
Derek let me go and looked at me with a look of surprise.
“You mean that?”
“Yeah. I mean, I have to say, given your size, you give one of the warmest hugs I ever feel.”
Derek flashed a big smile on his chiseled face, and I smiled back at him, feeling good over how I made him feel good.
“I’m glad to hear that,” he said.
“Alright, so we have a lot to discuss with this shifter.”
The smile from Derek’s face faded quickly and it was replaced with a sterner look. I wanted to switch the topic to talk about the shifter, and it was like he was hit out of the blue with my shift from talking about his hug to suddenly starting to talk about the shifter. He nodded and looked at me with a more serious face, thinking that he could no longer enjoy my compliment to him about how good his hugs are.
“Right, of course. Back to business.”
I leaned closer to Derek so we could talk in a low voice. I didn’t want any word from our conversation to suddenly be heard by anybody in the library. I didn’t care how alone we were in the corner. I couldn’t take any risk from our conversation being leaked outside Derek's and my private bubble. He leaned in closer to meet my gaze and hear me well.
“We need to find a way to kill this thing. I’m tired of it fleeing from us and surviving every time we face it. Its heart is not in its chest like I thought it would be. The weapons we have can weaken it, but we need to kill it.”
“I wish I had a solution, but we need Bart’s book. There’s simply no way we can defeat the shifter without Bart Ramsey’s book, and it could be anywhere in the country.”
“That’s the least of our problems right now. This shifter knows some dark magic, too. It’s bad enough that we have to deal with its raw strengths. But we can’t deal with the dark magic spells the monster has in its knowledge.”
Derek took his eyes off me and leaned away further from me. He sat back in his chair and looked at the desk, his brain thinking about the last confrontation with the shapeshifter. I could tell he thought about the Latin phrase that the shifter yelled at him to throw him off of it. He looked back at me after growing a look of concern on his face.
“You’re right. I heard the shifter say this weird word. I couldn’t understand it, but it was from a foreign language. It screamed the word at me, and the next thing I knew, I was tossed into the air several feet away from it.”
“I know. It’s because it was a telekinesis magic spell that the shifter knows. And that foreign language is Latin.”
“Wait a minute. How do you know they’re magic spells?”
Derek then looked down at my chest and saw the talisman. I wore it today to show it to him, but I was careful to tuck it inside my shirt so no one else would see it.
“Where did you get that?”
“Okay, I should tell you everything. When you and I weren’t talking to each other, I found a magic shop where I found out a former witch worked. She enlightened me on witches and told me things that blew my mind away.”
“What? There’s a witch in Appleton?”
“Yes. Well, former witch. She wanted to be, but she got kicked out of an academy.”
“What did she tell you?”
“She told me how there were white witches and black witches, how black witches are evil and white witches are good, and other things that just mesmerized me.”
“Oh, yeah. I could’ve told you about that if you would’ve talked to me. I know about white and black witches.”
“But then I told her about my situation and she gave me two things. One negation spell allowed me to block all the dark spells that the shifter threw at me. The other is this talisman that allows humans to cast witch spells so they don’t suffer any side effects from magic. Monsters don’t need it because they can handle the side effects. I got the talisman from her and the sickle you saw me hold in my hands that night.”
Derek nodded and looked at the floor of the library for a brief minute before he looked into my eyes again.
“That’s great. I’m glad you found a helpful resource to help you when you were alone, and I wasn’t there to help you.”
Derek looked at the people in the library and at the books near us to avoid looking at me. I sensed that he felt awful for what he did to me that caused me to shun him from my life, which led me to be alone and deal with the shifter on my own.
“Derek, it’s okay. It’s in the past. Whatever problems you and I had, they’re in the past. Let’s focus on the present and dealing with this shifter.”
Derek looked back at me and nodded.
“Okay. We need a plan to end this shifter’s miserable life. I get that. But without Bart’s book, we’re left to weaken it instead.”
“I had a plan to just stab the shifter all over its body until I struck its heart.”
“But that’s haphazard, though, and not a good plan when we’re dealing with a shifter. Besides, it knows magic, so I’m glad you found that witch…well, former witch, and got a negation spell from her. You could’ve been seriously hurt trying to execute that plan on your own.”
“I know, but I have you now. We need to work together. How about you and I use the negation spell to block the dark magic spells from the shifter? Then, we can wound it all over its body until we find the heart and destroy it.”
It was then that Derek entered a deep mode of thought. He was searching all the corners and crannies of his werewolf brain for any solutions he could tell me about it. His eyes then widened, and he made a sharp turn of his head towards me.
“I have an idea that isn’t as risky as yours, but it can be effective.”
“What is it?”
“How about if we sever the claws of the shifter? Think about it. The claws are the shifter’s main weapon. It can’t kill us if we de-claw it. If we cut off the shifter’s claws and we both use the negation spell to block all of the shifter’s dark spells, it’ll give us more time to find Bart’s book!”
I thought about Derek’s idea for a few minutes. I turned my gaze towards the ground as my brain worked to wrap itself around Derek’s idea to absorb and understand it. I looked at Derek with a question on my mind.
“How long will it take for the shifter to grow back new claws? If it can self-heal, surely it has the power to generate a new set of claws.”
“I don’t know, but it can be a while. I know it causes shifters so much pain when they don’t have claws. All I know is that it will buy us a lot of time to find the witch who was Bart’s friend, and she’ll lead us to the book.”
“But how are we going to do that?”
“We can go back to the former witch you found at the magic shop and consult her about it. In the meantime, we need to de-claw that shapeshifter and weaken it to the point it’ll be fully incapacitated for a long time. Then we find Bart’s witch, get the book, and end that shifter’s life. What do you say?”
I nodded in approval at Derek’s plan. I smiled at him and told him verbally that I approved. He smiled at me and it felt so good to know that we were on the same page.
22
The Magic Witches’ Bazaar was five minutes away. I drove Derek and myself to the shop so he could meet Cassandra. The car ride was spent mostly talking about our jobs and his school as well as the shapeshifter. We also listened to a few tunes on the radio. Derek kept changing stations every time a song came on that I liked but he didn’t. It wasn't very pleasant until I saw him smiling at me and I knew he was being playful.
“So, what should I expect from meeting this former witch?”
“Well, she’s pretty chill for someone who used to be into magic. I think she still is, but not like deep, deep into it, you know? She got kicked out of a witch academy for being too weak to handle true magic.”
“I can’t believe there are academies for witches. As a werewolf, I’m not aware of that much information about them. Only the basics.”
“Care to enlighten me?”
“No, it’s not important. We need to focus on the shifter and killing it. I’m sure this witch will help us. How did you even find her?”
I looked at Derek as I balanced the gaze of my eyes towards him and the road. We were like two minutes away from the shop and there wasn’t much traffic to deal with.
“One, her name is Cassandra. Two, I found her on Google.”
“Google? Supernatural creatures aren’t that existent on the human internet, let alone witches.”
“I searched up the term ‘magic shop’ and there she was, the first result on the first page.”
Derek chuckled and shook his head. He looked out the window to see if we were there yet, like a child on vacation at Disney. The shop was on my right when we arrived. Derek studied the building as I parked the car in a random spot. The lot was empty, and it was like no one came to the store. They didn’t take it seriously and they only looked at it as an antique show, not an actual shop for magic and the supernatural.
Derek and I got out of the car and went inside the shop. Derek picked up his nose and smelled the air of the shop to get a feeling for it. Derek looked at everything around us, from the same creepy dolls, idols, statues, and skulls I saw my first time here to the herbs, incense, plants, and oils stored in jars and containers on plenty of shelves.
I could tell Derek didn’t have a favorable impression of the place. Even as a werewolf, he found the shop to be too dreadful for his taste.
“Geez, where did this lady get all this stuff? I feel like I’m in a scene in a commercial for Halloween Horror Nights.”
“You’re a werewolf and you find this shop to be creepy?”
“Just because I’m a wolf, it doesn’t mean we find everything in the supernatural world to be mundane. Like I told you, I have a human side to me.”
“Uh-huh. Yeah, okay.”
Derek smiled and snickered at me while nudging me in my elbow. We both walked up to the counter and I pressed the button to get Cassandra’s attention. I wondered where she was and what she was doing. Maybe she worked on creating some spells from the books she stole from that academy. She could also be cleaning and organizing a secret stash of items in the back. Whatever it was, it sure kept her occupied in the back or maybe some private room in the shop.
Derek and I heard footsteps coming from behind the wooden bead curtain that led to another shop section. I could see Cassandra’s silhouette in the dark hallway through the curtain. More of her features appeared as she got closer to the curtain. Cassandra went through her curtain and had a smile on her face with a look of surprise.
“Ericka.”
“Hey, Cassandra.”
“This is a lovely surprise. What do I owe for this spectacular visit?”
“Cassandra, I like you to meet my friend Derek.”
Derek had a light smile on his face and waved at Cassandra. A jubilant look Cassandra had a few seconds before when she greeted me slowly faded away as she looked at Derek.
“Hi,” Derek said.
“Cassandra, Derek’s –”
“A werewolf. Let me guess, the werewolf who saved you from the shapeshifter?”
I looked at Derek with a stunned expression on my face. He looked at me the same way, and I also saw some confusion mixed in his bright green eyes. I looked back at Cassandra and saw her looking at me with squinted eyes and a meager grin.
“Yes. How do you know?” I asked.
“Just because I’m not a witch, dear, it doesn’t mean I can’t sense a monster or know a spell or two.”
Derek bobbed his head and rolled his eyes. I saw the look on his face shift to one of irritation like he wanted to punch Cassandra in the face. He turned towards Cassandra with his eyebrows inched closer together and his lips gaping.
“Okay, you know what? We don’t need to use the M-word, okay? Yes, I’m a werewolf. But I’m not that much of a monster. So, don’t use the M-word.”
Cassandra nodded and she had an unimpressed look on her face.
“Uh-huh. Right. So, you’re just a cuddly, soft werewolf, aren’t you?”
Derek started fuming and he turned his attention towards me.
“Alright, I can’t do this. I don’t like her already. Let’s go and find a witch or former witch that’s more hospitable and not rude.”
I gave Derek a mean look to try to calm him down. Cassandra watched this interaction and she suddenly grabbed Derek’s hands. A confused Derek looked at her and wondered what she was doing, and so did I.
“Derek, I’m just kidding. I’m messing with you. It’s very nice to meet you. I sensed you were a werewolf, and I used the opportunity to take a crack at you. But I’m sorry, I realized we got off on the wrong foot here. Do you accept my apology?”
Derek didn’t answer Cassandra’s question immediately. He turned towards me with a stern look plastered on his face while Cassandra still awkwardly held his hands. He turned his gaze back to Cassandra and looked at his hands in hers. The size of Cassandra’s small, tiny hands holding Derek’s bear paws was just a cute sight in my mind. It was like a Chihuahua trying to calm a Great Dane.
“Alright. I accept your apology.”
The atmosphere in the shop turned into a positive, warm one. Cassandra let go of Derek’s hands and gave him a warm, motherly smile. He couldn’t help but smile a little back at her after Cassandra’s grin was infectious. I even beamed at the sight of those two getting friendly.
“Wonderful. Now, Ericka. Tell me why you’re here.”
“Derek and I are here for some more weapons, and we need you to make two of those negation spells for the both of us.”
“Certainly. I forgot to ask. What happened in your battle against the shapeshifter after the last time I saw you?”
“Well, I used the negation spell you gave me along with the talisman, and they worked like a charm. I could have more power over the dark spells that the shifter tried to use against me. And I had no side effects when I recited the negation spell thanks to the talisman. Now I need two of the same spell for Derek and me. He’s in on the fight with me against the shapeshifter. We’re also here for some weapons.”
“Very well. What type of weapons do you need?”
“Mainly silver and iridium,” Derek interjected.
“Yeah, my machete became useless when the shapeshifter used some spell and melted the silver. I didn’t think it was possible. Silver doesn’t melt that easily, which means it must’ve been some pretty strong heat.”
“Yes, I suppose so. Anyways, I’ll be right back.”
Cassandra walked through the wooden rod curtain and came back out with a long wooden box with some weird seal carved on top of it. Cassandra opened the box and revealed two medium-sized silver spears sitting atop a red folded cloth. It was a hypnotic sight as Derek and I studied each detail of the weapons.
The shafts of the spears were made of hardwood, and there were three of the same sigils on the box carved on the handles of both spears. The blades were double-edged and sharpened carefully to the tips. Cassandra returned through the curtain to the back of the store and stayed there for about fifteen minutes. Derek and I were amazed by the beauty of the spears and kept staring at them the entire time Cassandra was gone.
She returned with two slips of paper containing the negation spells for Derek and me to use. We bid farewell to Cassandra and left her shop with our newest weapons. Outside, while Derek and I got in my car after placing the negation spells inside the box with the spears and putting it in the back of my car, he gasped, and I looked at him with an expression of concern on my face.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing! I just got an idea of what else we can do to weaken the shifter!”
“What’s that?”
“What if we tried severing its spine? I don’t how much pain it’ll cause it exactly or what kind of impact it will have on the shifter, but it’s worth a try and I want to do it, obviously because I’m the wolf.”
I thought about Derek’s idea for a minute as I looked at my steering wheel. I looked back at Derek and met his eyes.
