Chapter 25
Hunter and Heather arrive at their apartment at midnight, exhausted both physically and emotionally. Heather had gone into shock for a little while, but had regained herself while leaning against Hunter’s chest, listening to his heart beat rhythmically. Now she fell onto the couch, the nearest place to lie down, and just buried her head in a pillow. She raised her head slightly when she heard Hunter throw his suit jacket across the room and felt him place his hands against her back and rub slowly with his thumbs, massaging her tensed muscles and relaxing her. She moaned lightly as he rubbed up her spine before using his nails to scratch her back lightly.
“Mmm, where’d you learn to do that?” She asked with a sigh, feeling all the tension that had built up slowly fade away.
“Would you believe me if I told you that this is my first time? It just looked like something you needed,” Hunter replied, pressing lightly on her bare shoulder and massaging her shoulder blades in small circles with his thumbs. Heather raised her arms as if she was on a professional massage table and let Hunter continue his work. Finally his arms got tired and he was forced to stop, much to the dismay of both of them. Heather sat up, giving Hunter a place to sit next to her.
“I’m sorry our date ended so badly tonight,” Heather said leaning against Hunter softly and closing her eyes.
“I’m sorry about your father,” Hunter replied softly, wrapping his arm around her bare shoulders as she shivered slightly.
“It’s over with. I mourned his death more than anyone should have, and nothing can bring him back. I’ve said goodbye, that’s enough for me.”
Hunter leaned his head against hers, and the two young wolves sat there for a moment, basking in the warmth of each other’s bodies. Finally, Heather began to breathe heavily, and Hunter scooped her up gingerly and placed her in bad, pulling the covers over her to keep her warm. He was taking off his shirt and preparing to change when Heather spoke up again.
“You don’t have to turn into a wolf tonight if you don’t want to,” She said as he stripped off his shoes and socks.
“You sure?” He asked timidly, not sure how to reply.
“Just lie down and stay with me,” She said groggily. He lay down in bed and turned on his side, and Heather slid her hands across his chest and nuzzled against the nape of his neck, breathing heavily once again.
“Sleep well, anulsa,” Hunter said as he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
*          *          *
Hunter and Heather had arrived at the precinct with Sabrina early the next morning. They were both sitting in her office across from her as she checked her watch again.
“Where is he, he’s never late,” She muttered under her breath. She had informed the two of the existence of the shadowmancer over breakfast, and told them that he wanted to meet them.
“I’m still confused though, what exactly is a shadowmancer?” Heather asked, looking towards Hunter, who merely shrugged.
“You’ve heard the term necromancer before right?” Sabrina asked, thinking of the easiest way to explain it.
“Yea, the creepy guys who raise the dead.”
“More or less. The name necromancer literally means ‘death magician’. Mancers are dark magicians, usually dealing with some aspect of death, torment, pain, or fear. A shadowmancer is a shadow magician. Ones who can bend shadows to their will. Since a shadow is an incorporeal sign of a person’s soul, a shadowmancer could use his magic to posses a person, usually for evil purposes.”
“So why are you dealing with one?” Hunter asked, sitting up in his chair.
“Because I am the exception to this stereotype,” The shadowmancer said, edging his robed form out of the shadows and sitting on the desk before the two teenage werewolves.
“Ugh, I just got a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach,” Heather said with a grimace.
“You get used to it if you spend enough time around me, but fortunately for you, it is only Hunter that I want for now.”
“What do you want with me?” Hunter asked, standing up quickly.
“To teach you how to defend yourself against a spellbinder, such as a vampire.”
“Vampires can cast magic?”
“Very well, though they are still allergic to silver, as are most dark creatures.”
“I can’t fight magic, it’s too dangerous.”
“Who said anything about fighting magic? All you need to know is how to fight a magic user. Your training will begin in half an hour downstairs. Heather may attend if she wishes.”
“I’ll see you down there sneaky. Just make sure you’re on time this time.”
The shadowmancer chuckled and disappeared back into the shadows as Hunter opened the office door and left. Sabrina looked over at Heather, who looked as though she had more to say, but was lost in thought.
“What’s on your mind sweetie?” Sabrina asked her, causing the younger girl to snap back to reality.
“Uhm…I was just wondering…you speak the wolf language right?” She said, appearing unsure of herself.
“Yea, that’s right, I taught Hunter it when he was still a pup. He could speak it before he could speak English.”
“Guess that explains why he sometimes slips back into it. I was just wondering if you could translate something for me.”
“Sure, what’d he say?”
“He...uh…called me something…uh…anulsa I think.”
“Hahaha, anulsa?”
“Yes ma’am, that’s the word.”
“Heh, well, anulsa is what’s known as a truth word, if he said it, it means he meant it with all his heart.”
“What’s it mean though?”
“Heh, it means, ‘my love’. I think Hunter has fallen in love with you.”
“I’m not surprised, in fact, I’m really glad.”
“Why’s that?”
“Hunter is my anulsa.”
“Say it this way, ‘Hunter os anulsa’. Try it like that.”
“Hunter os anulsa.”
Chapter 26
Hunter and Heather stood side by side in a sparring room at the bottom of the precinct when the shadowmancer appeared, using their shadows to appear in the room. Hunter cocked his head to one side and took a quick sniff.
“You smell familiar, but I really can’t place it.” He said, cracking his neck with a quick twist of his head.
“I assure you, you don’t know me. I see you brought Ms. Luis. She may watch.” The shadowmancer said with a wave of his cloaked hands.
“I didn’t come to watch, I’m here to learn too,” Heather said, stepping forwards and cracking her knuckles.
“Hmm, very well, this may give you an advantage. I forget sometimes that wolves work better as a group.”
“We ain’t a group, we’re a pack,” Hunter said, nudging Heather lightly with his shoulder. She smiled and nudged him back.
“Yes, very good, but, to begin your training, I’m going to have to inform you more on the nature of magic.”
“It hurts, we don’t like, kill before they use it, got it.”
“More than that. Magic doesn’t just affect the target, the very nature of magic affects the spellbinder as well.”
“Like how? I’ve seen Lilia cast spells all the time with out showing any effect.”
“Have you ever seen her cast a spell while moving?”
“Uh…no, now that you mention it.”
“Exactly! One of the major weaknesses of magic is that the spellbinder must be standing in one place in order to summon the magical energy required for a spell. Magic isn’t brought to the user, it’s brought to the user’s area of influence.”
“Area of influence?”
“The area in which a spellbinder can control the magic it has summoned. A human who is just learning magic has a very small area of influence, one of the reasons they can only cast weaker spells is because they can’t control enough energy to cast a higher powered skill.”
“So they cant move when they cast a spell? But I’ll bet there’s a problem to trying to attack them when they’re immobilized.”
“They aren’t immobilized, they can still move, but it’ll cancels the spell. You are correct however, there is a problem. You were hit with a magic spell when you were little, am I correct?”
“That’s right.”
“Tell us, what spell was used?”
“A simple heal spell, designed for humans.”
“And what happened when the spell was cast?”
“It backfired and the magic detonated, the healer was killed and I was critically wounded.”
“Do you know why?”
“The spell wasn’t meant for werewolves I’d imagine.”
“That’s correct, it’s the same for the unpurified magic around a spell caster. A werewolf colliding with this area would destroy himself and the spell caster.”
“That’s unfortunate, so what’s the weakness?”
“Come again?”
“Nothing is invincible, everything has a weakness, its part of nature so that nothing ascends unchallenged to the top.”
“You’re really incredibly smart, has anyone ever told you this?”
“A couple of people, and God.”
“Interesting…yes, spellbinders have a weakness, but it would defeat the point of training to just tell you it. I must train you to look for weaknesses on your own, so that nothing will catch you completely off guard again.”
What’s your plan, sneaky?”
“I have tempered some spells specifically for werewolves. They are pain spells, they won’t kill you, but they will hurt. Come at me with killing intent, as I will at you.”
“What form should I use?”
“Use all three if it suits you, each has a tactical advantage, if you can learn it.”
Hunter turned towards Heather, who nodded towards him. She was ready. Without a word the two werewolves dodged in opposite directions, charging the shadowmancer from both sides.
“Good! You work well together!” The shadowmancer laughed, throwing two black streaks of energy towards the two teens. Both were struck simultaneously, and blinding pain coursed through their bodies, leaving them weak and unable to stand or breathe properly. Slowly they regained their footing, shaking off the pain. They charged again, Hunter shifting into his lycan form and Heather shifting into her wolven form.
“Variation! Excellent! And unspoken communication! You two truly are monsters of legend!” The shadowmancer appeared almost ecstatic over their skill, but was once again able to strike them with his magic, which seemed to followed their every move.
“Ah, I see it now,” Hunter said, turning back into a human, his shirt was gone, tattered from the transformation, but his pants had remained, barely. His tail wagged back and forth slowly, and he winked at Heather once as she transformed into her lycan form.
Hunter charged first, snarling as he leapt straight for the shadowmancer. The dark magician unleashed his spell again, but Hunter dodged it the instant before it struck him, transforming into a wolf and charging again. His paws made solid contact with the shadowmancer, but by the time they hit the ground, only an empty robe remained. Hunter was struck from behind by another spell causing him to collapse again.
“You’re good, you’ve learned one of the rules of magic. The spells only seek out the original form of their target. That is not enough though, not when you are facing an opponent who can cast multiple spells quickly and has greater mobility than…augh!” The shadowmancer, somehow still robed, had fallen into a monologue and had failed to spot Heather, who struck him in the side as he was speaking.
“You talk too much.” Hunter said, wiping blood from his mouth. He had bitten his tongue during the last attack.
“So it seems, though I must admit, having the girl do nothing so I’d concentrate on the greater threat was tactical genius, I wont make that mistake again. You two however, are making one huge mistake, you are not striking to kill! The only way to win is to strike a spellbinder down!”
“Killer intent huh?”
“It is the only way to pass my training.”
Hunter leapt backwards, planted his feet on the wall and launched straight at the shadowmancer, transforming into a lycan midair. Claws extended he collided with the shadowmancer, driving his claws into the chest of the shadowmancer as he disappeared again. Hunter and Heather were ready, and she had already boosted him towards the reappearing shadowmancer, who was slashed across the chest by Hunter and then again a moment later by Heather in lycan form.
The shadowmancer fell to his knees, and then collapsed to the floor, turning into a small wooden carving. The real shadowmancer appeared but a moment later, clapping his hands and smiling beneath his hood.
“You’re getting better, but still not good enough.” He said, waving his hands and summoning more clones of himself for them to fight.
Chapter 27
“Have I mentioned lately that I really hate your friends?” Hunter asked as he entered Sabrina’s office three hours later, Heather right behind him. The two teen wolves looked weary and beaten, but not physically wounded, which cause Sabrina to raise an eyebrow at them. She noticed too that their clothes were in shreds, and Hunter was missing his shirt. Heather had gotten a clean shirt from somewhere, probably one of Hunter’s extras.
“You don’t look like it hurt all that bad.” She said, putting down the newspaper she had been reading.
“Of course they don’t, I never used a physical spell on them,” The shadowmancer said, sliding into the room unannounced, as he was prone to do.
“Ah I see, you used that dirty little pain spell, Silver Daggers.”
“Very perceptive. These two performed remarkably well, they best five of my shadow dolls before finally succumbing to the pain and passing out.”
“”Uh huh, and how many shadow dolls did you use?”
“Twelve,” Heather said, glaring at the shadowmancer from her seat.
“It was quite incredible to see, they were more remarkable than you and Danielle, and you had a psychic link to one another.” The shadowmancer said with a sad smile.
“Go on, what was it like?” Sabrina asked, genuinely curious now.
“It was very intriguing, they didn’t communicate verbally the entire time, except when Heather passed out. Hunter shouted her name as a sign of concern. They displayed tactical genius that would have made a general weep with pride. Even if Hunter did make a few mistakes.”
“Kiss my ass,” Hunter said, leaning back in his chair.
“Charming. As I was saying, they are an incredible team, and the sheer speed at which their tactics changed, they have a chance, albeit slim, of killing the vampire.”
“Thank you Shade. As for the two of you, take the rest of the day off, I’ll call you if we need anything.” Sabrina said, pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers.
“Great! C’mon Hunt, let’s go pierce that ear!” Heather shouted, suddenly regaining her energy. She had been looking forward to this all day. She quickly dragged him out of the room, leaving Sabrina alone with the shadowmancer.
“The hell was that about? Never mind, slim chance huh?” She asked, turning towards the shadowmancer and putting her feet up on the desk.
“I didn’t want to give him a big head,” Tom said, removing the hood and sitting on the edge of Sabrina’s desk.
“He almost recognized you I could see it in his eyes.”
“Yes, he mentioned it downstairs, but he didn’t recognize me.”
“I know, still, be more careful, sometimes I think you forget that we have stronger noses than you.”
“I don’t forget, sometimes I just like to mess with you.”
“Oh shut up and kiss me already.”
“Just a kiss?”
“For starters, we’ll see how far it goes.”
*          *          *
“Ready to get your ear pierced?” Heather said happily. They had stopped for slurpees and after downing a large one she was incredibly hyper.
“Of course, which ear do you think I should do?” Hunter asked calmly.
“Well, unless you want people to think you’re gay, do the left ear.”
“Why would they think I was gay if I got the other one pierced?”
“It’s the gay ear.”
“The hell?”
“I don’t know, it’s just how it’s been.”
“You have both ears pierced, does that make you bi?”
“Don’t be stupid, I’m a girl, the gay ear rule is only for guys.”
“This was started by a girl, I’m sure of it.”
“Yea, probably, but where are we going?”
“Only place that pierces werewolves, Tony’s.”
“How do you know he does wolves?”
“My sister has several piercings.”
“I only saw three in each ear, that’s not that many.”
“Yea, there’s more, let’s leave it at that!”
“Hmm, you should get three just like her.”
“Cant I just get one?”
“Nooo, three! All along the top of your ear!”
“Okay, fine, you win, I’ll do it.”
“Yay!”
“You are way too hyper.”
Heather laughed and jumped across the seat, tackling Hunter in a great hug as they sat at a red light. They arrived at Tony’s tattoo and piercing parlor in short time, and Hunter cringed as the door chimed when he opened it.
“Hunter! Its you! Did you bring my best customer with you? Tell her this week only, I’ll do half price for the other n…” A small Italian man said hurriedly as he walked out of the back.
“She’s left the country Tony, and I’d rather you not ever remind me of that again,” Hunter said, holding up a hand to cut off the other man, “we’re just here 'cause I said I’d get my ear pierced.”
“Left or right?”
“Left, three in the top.”
“Hmm, here I always figured you for a queer.”
“The hell? How do I come across as gay, I just entered your store with a beautiful woman!”
“I guess it’s the hair dye, always threw me.”
“Tony, for the millionth time, I don’t dye my hair! It’s the same color as my fur!”
“Ah yea, the whole werewolf thing. Forgot about that.”
“Lets just get this over with, I’d rather not go to Lilia for this kind of work.”
“Okay, step in the back. Miss you can go with him if you want, and I’ll be in in just a minute.”
Heather followed Hunter into a dark room with several pieces of jewelry and several piercing instruments lying on tables around a large leather chair with straps on the arm rests.
“Do I wanna know what the straps are for?” Heather asked as Hunter sat in the chair and Tony entered the room.
“Girlie, I’m gonna assume you’re a werewolf too, am I correct? What color Hunter?” Tony said, adding the last part as a side note as he pulled a tray of earrings towards the table, showing them to Hunter. Hunter picked up two colors, metallic green and metallic blue and considered them for a moment before holding them out to Heather.
“Yea, that’s right, but what’s that got to do with anything?” She said, pointing to the green earring.
“Three of these,” Hunter said, handing the green one to Tony, who nodded before strapping Hunter down.
“The point is, you know how wild werewolves can get. You have feral emotions that most of us can only imagine, now, have you ever seen what a wild animal does when it’s attacked?” Tony asked, clipping the first ring into the top of Hunter’s left ear, causing Hunter to snarl and ripple.
“I think I get it now, so it’s like insurance to ensure you don’t die?” She asked, sliding her hand into Hunter’s. He squeezed it tightly as Tony put in the second earring.
“I’m more worried about getting bitten, I’ve seen what happens to someone who loses themselves to the transformation.” Tony replied, pushing the last earring out and wiping the blood away from Hunter’s ear.
“I see, you don’t think you could do it?”
“Girl, I know I couldn’t do it. Go ahead and transform your ears Hunter.”
“How long will these take to heal up?” Hunter asked as his ears transformed into wolven ears that slowly slid up his head.
“About a day, you heal faster than others, and don’t worry about them, I used stainless steel, and so they’re water proof. And more likely, in your case, blood proof.”
“Hunter, why didn’t you tell me you could turn into a fan girl’s dream?” Heather asked, referring to the furry ears that now sat atop his head.
“Because I didn’t want to be thunder glomped,” He replied, his ears slowly melting back to their human form as Tony unbuckled him from the chair.
Chapter 28
Heather awoke first the next morning, finding herself in Hunter’s warm embrace. She sighed contently and closed her eyes again, fully intent on going back to sleep, but Hunter’s hand moved and lifted up a small jewelry box for her to see.
“Merry Christmas,” He said, whispering in her ear.
“Awww Hunter!” Heather said, opening the small box and pulling out a necklace with a crescent moon shaped pendant attached to it, “It’s beautiful!”
“No, you’re beautiful, that’s just jewelry,” He said, jumping out of the bed wearing only a pair of pants. He was still looking around for a shirt to wear when Heather pulled him into a close embrace and kissed him deeply. Hunter was startled at first, but quickly sank into the kiss, neither of them realizing that Sabrina and Tom were standing in the doorway, watching them.
“Good form Hunter!” Tom shouted, beating Sabrina to the punch and spooking the two teenagers.
“Jesus Christ, don’t you two ever knock?” Hunter asked, scooping up a shirt and slipping it over his head, trying to hide his blushing.
“Every day, but since Ms. Tonsil Hockey moved in, you’ve been sleeping in later and later.” Sabrina said with a grin, hugging Heather from behind. Heather laughed to the point of tears as Sabrina tickled her mercilessly. Hunter smiled despite himself as Sabrina rounded on him, tackling him in a great hug.
“Merry Christmas Hunt! What’d you get me this year?” Sabrina asked, picking him up without any strain and carrying him into the kitchen. In the middle of the night someone had brought in a Christmas tree and placed it in the middle of the living room. Lilia, Howl, and Tom were already seated on the couch, and Sabrina dropped Hunter on the floor to the left. Heather took up a place next to Hunter and sighed.
“I’m sorry everybody, I didn’t even think to get you anything,” Heather said, ashamed of herself for not thinking about it.
“Hell girlie, like we care, you don’t have any money anyways, you haven’t gotten a pay check.” Sabrina said, pulling a check out of her pocket and handing it over to Heather, “Hunter’ll take you tomorrow to set up a bank account in your own name.”
“Thank you.”
“Girl, don’t worry so much, you’ve got friends now, we ain’t the kind to be bought with gifts neither. ‘Sides, I’m a ghost, what am I gonna do with gifts?” Howl said, throwing her a package. Lilia had made him corporeal as her Christmas gift. The group opened each other’s gift and then ate breakfast, provided by Howl, who had been an incredible chef in his lifetime. Heather and Hunter especially enjoyed each other’s company, taking every moment they could to glance longingly at one another. Heather soon learned that Hunter had gotten the necklace that she now wore from Lilia, and it was imbued with a protection charm that was supposed to stop blades in their tracks.
“Well, it’s been fun, but I have to get down to the station, no rest for the wicked,” Sabrina said, grabbing her coat from off the couch and waving goodbye to everyone, “Oh and by the way, it snowed last night, so bundle up!”
Tom and Howl were the next to leave, they were apparently working together on a case, and were need at the DA’s office. They left in short order, leaving the two teens with Lilia, who had discarded her disguise and was flitting around the apartment in a fit of giggles, thanks to one of the gifts she had received.
“What did you give her?” Heather asked as Lilia flew by, giggling madly and looping through the air.
“I had nothing to do with it, I gave her a spell book. Aunt Sab’s gift is the one that sent her off her rocker,” Hunter replied as Lilia began flashing different colors, finally settling on a bright shade of red.
“What is it?”
“Salt water taffy, it’s like catnip for nymphs. Don’t worry, she’ll wind down in a moment.”
“WHEEE!” Lilia shrieked, flitting around the room as fast as she could.
“At this rate, she’s gonna wind down like a plane colliding with a missile.” Heather said, dodging as Lilia zoomed by again before finally puttering out and crashing onto the couch.
“I swear, she gives her taffy every year, knowing damn well Lilia goes to her family after spending time with us. If there’s one thing you never want to see, its seven hundred nymphs hipped up on taffy.” Hunter said, checking to make sure Lilia was still breathing.
“That bad huh?”
“Oh yea, remember reading about Chernobyl? That’s what happens when they get out of control.”
“Yikes.”
“Yea, she should be find though, her family hides out in a national park, which isn’t a popular place on Christmas day.”
“So, what’s the plan for today, some new adventure?”
“Actually, I was thinking I’d just spend the day with you.”
“Like I said, some new adventure.”
Hunter chuckled before pulling her close to him, kissing her deeply, and feeling deep and irreversible love for the beautiful woman in his arms. A love that was returned by her.