I’m jolted out of the nightmare a second time, this instance it’s by the shouts coming from downstairs, “Figure it out, I don’t want her under my roof another day!” Jason’s voice echoes in the silence that follows, breaking my heart into a million pieces.How am I supposed to fake being happy when someone I love is in so much pain? Pain that I caused.
I pull my boots on and follow the sound of his heart-wrenching sobs to the kitchen.
To see his golden curls in such disarray is bad, but to see the utter look of despair on his face is gut wrenching. He’s broken and I’m the one who caused him to be this way. I want nothing more than to take his pain away. Erase it from his grey eyes and make him smile once more. I know you can’t do things like that, not even in our world where magic exists and demons roam the Earth, but if I could, I would in a heartbeat.
Tears I thought were dried up, track down my cheeks as I move towards him. Words stick in my throat so the only thing that’s audible is his name, “Jase?” I gently place my hand on his shoulder, to let him know I’m here, to let him know that I too feel the pain of his loss.
“Don’t touch me!” He snaps, leaping from the chair and backing himself against the wall as far away from me as he can get. I’ve never seen the sheer hatred in his eyes before. The usually soft grey is as hard as granite as he glares at me as though he wishes I would drop dead at his feet. If it would make his pain lessen, I would gladly die for him, but I can’t and it won’t take his heartache away. “Jason, please. You know I didn’t mean to do it.” I plead, hoping to at least erase some of the hatred from his eyes.
“You’re a monster, you killed Richard!” His words cut me to my core. Tears blur my vision as I struggle to hold it all in. If I cry now, I’ll break. I can’t break, Jason needs me. I know he’s only shouting through pain, but it hurts to see him like this. It hurts to know that I’m the cause of his pain.
“I don’t want you here. Just leave!” When I don’t move, he shouts, “Get the fuck out Areyna!”
My Jason no longer stands before me, in his place is a man who has lost everything and isn’t afraid to take out the last thing causing him pain. I do the only thing I can for him. I turn and run.
FIVE
Jason
I can’t believeshe expects me to forgive her for what she did. She took my best friend from me and I’m supposed to what?
Just pretend it didn’t happen by her hands?
Am I supposed to just accept that she’s not the girl I thought she was?
She needs to go.
I grab my phone and send the message I should have sent the moment it happened.
Jason: It’s time to collect.
For a moment I feel guilty calling on Ossias for help, but the truth is I owe him and this will clear my slate. It has been three years, so it’s about time I paid my debt. The best thing is, it’ll get rid of my problem at the same time.
Four years ago…
They closed in around me, their teeth bared in a snarl that makes my entire body shiver. I knew I should’ve done more to stop my mother, but she swore she knew what she was doing.
She was wrong. Not only did the spell cost her life, but the wolves she used it on are now pissed and are blaming me. It’s not like I did the magic; my mother just used me as an anchor, how were we to know that doing so would result in their affliction growing worse instead of better?
The spell went wrong, instead of curing their curse – Wolf shaped herpes all over their bodies, Which a witch put on them when they cheated on her – it forced them to shift anytime they were aroused.
I have to admit, I laughed at them when they told me what they were now suffering from, but that was obviously the wrong thing to do, after all, they are now glaring at me after cornering me in a dark alley. “Come on guys, you really only have yourselves to blame for your affliction. If you’d just apologised to the woman instead of trying to weasel your way out of the punishment, she probably would have removed the curse.”
It's totally the wrong thing to say, the four of them leap at me, their fingers outstretched as though they’re going to claw my eyes out with them. My mouth drops open as I realise their curse repercussion is worse than I’d originally thought. They can’t shift at all unless they’re aroused. This revelation causes me to burst out laughing.
Again, the wrong thing to do.
With animal-like snarls they all close in on me, their fists flying at every exposed part of my body. I try to defend myself, but my powers have been playing up ever since we tried to help them.
My jaw aches, my ribs feel like they’ve been broken and I’m fairly certain one of them kicked me in the back as I lay curled into the foetal position. They’re too big and strong to fight alone.
“Hey!” The shout comes from the mouth of the alley. I’m not sure if I should be grateful or more afraid as the person who shouted moves into the dim light from the nearest window. He looks like an avenging angel, his dark as night hair blowing in the wind and his blue eyes glowing like he’s about to unleash a storm on the assholes pummelling me.
I swear all I have time for is a blink of my eyes and my assailants are all rendered unconscious.
“I owe you one.” I groan.
“Yeah, you do. Believe me, one day I’ll collect, but for now, let’s get you cleaned up and somewhere safe.”