Wolfsbane: Aspect of the Wolf (6 page)

"I don't mean the spell.” He lifted each of her eyelids to check the pupils. “I meant that you managed to shatter that bottle in your hand and not need stitches."

He gently turned over her palm and looked at his work. No blood seeped through the layers of gauze he'd wrapped around her hand.

"What's important is the spell worked, right?” She sat up and tried to look past him.

He pushed back her shoulders and helped her adjust the compress on her head. “Take it easy. You've been out for a little while."

"I'm fine. Except for ... the blinding headache and mild nausea.” Her voice faded as she settled her head onto his makeshift pillow.

"Is plain aspirin okay? It's all you have in your medicine cabinet."

He rose and retrieved the glass of water he'd prepared and handed her four small, white tablets. Her hand shook a little as she reached for the glass, so he held it to her lips.

She cringed as the pills went down. “Thanks."

He gave her a dark look and tried to maintain his ire, which wasn't easy since he'd never seen her look sexier. With her hair spilling wildly around her face, a smudge of otherworldly soot above her left eye, and the fingers of her bandaged hand idly toying with the protection amulet on her chest, she appeared invincible and vulnerable at the same time.

It bothered him that he felt every ounce of her power, and seeing her in action, holding back the forces of darkness, had given him a raging hard-on. His blood ran hot at the thought that she might have tried this spell all alone and failed.

She blinked up at him, all innocence. “What?"

"This is exactly what my petition was about. Reckless magick."

"
Reckless
?” She bolted upright, then grabbed her head and moaned. “I closed a portal to hell,” she said through clenched teeth.

"By yourself. What if the potion bottle hadn't broken? What if I hadn't been here to pull you out of the hole?"

"What hole?” She looked around him again at the expanse of intact, but dirty, floor.

"The hole that opened up under your feet. The one you sank into about knee-deep."

She stared at him for a moment, obviously dumbfounded, then winced and rubbed her head. “I don't remember that part."

"I'll never forget it. Thanks."

When she struggled to her feet, Daniel forced himself not to go to her. He wanted to stay mad and make her fully understand how dangerous her plan had been. And he wanted to kiss her until she couldn't breathe and demand that she never put herself in that kind of danger again.

His resolve crumbled when she put her hand on his shoulder. Her touch electrified him. She still resonated with the power of her spell, and the energy in her body shot through him, straight to his heart.

"Thank you..."

Her voice was a whisper over the pounding of blood in his ears. He could have sworn sparks flew between them as she leaned closer and grazed her supple lips over his jaw. He turned just slightly, wondering how easy it would be to capture her lips with his and taste the power that emanated from her.

But she pulled away before he had a chance. “Now we're even."

"Even?” He backed up a step and glared at her. Sinful thoughts of taking her in the middle of the floor dissolved into frustrated anger. “How do you figure?"

"You tried to run me out of town. Then you saved me from being dragged through a portal into hell. I'd say the two things cancel each other out."

"Not wanting you to set up shop in Cypress Park, and not wanting you to fall through a portal into hell, are
not
the same thing."

"Obviously."

He made a sound much like the ones that had issued from the portal before it closed. “They're not opposites either."

"So you still want me out of town?"

God, the woman was impossible! He spread his arms wide to encompass the black, waxy sunburst on the floor. “If it means no more portals, minions, demons or warlocks, yes!"

She put her hands on her hips and squared off, ready for another battle, by the look in her eyes. “If I leave, you're on your own if Chester Creek comes back."

He squared off, too, all thoughts of kissing her into submission forgotten. “Your coven banished him, remember?"

"That doesn't mean he won't try to come back. Or send someone else in his place. You need a witch in this town, bucko. You need a lot of witches, in fact, because without us, your sleepy little town would be knee-deep in portals to the underworld."

"Somehow, I doubt that."

She tossed her hair and swayed a little. Daniel resisted the urge to steady her. He'd lose this argument big time if he touched her now.

"Fine. Well, thank you again for all your help, Mr. Garrison. There's the door."

"You're kicking me out?"

"Turnabout is fair play.” She held up her bandaged hand to stop his protest. “Before you say it, I'm still going to help your brother. In fact, I'll come over Saturday night. The spell I have doesn't require a full moon, but you may have to wait until then to find out if it worked. Oh, tell Vance to avoid dairy until then."

Daniel blinked. Not only was Emilie Swanson utterly exasperating, she was completely insane. “Dairy?"

"It makes phlegm."

He shook his head. “There's going to be phlegm?"

"I certainly hope not.” She roughly handed him his jacket. “Good night. And again, thanks for the bandage."

"I'm vibrating,” Emilie announced when Charlotte answered the phone on the first ring. She slammed the door of her apartment and dashed her keys into the ceramic bowl on the end table.

"That's a little too much information, sweetie. What you do in the privacy of your own home—"

"I
mean
from a spell."

"Ah. Werewolf?"

"Demon banishing.” Emilie threw herself onto the sofa and stretched. Once the aspirin had kicked in and dispatched the pounding in her head, another sensation had taken over, a more intimate one that had her replaying every moment she'd spent with Daniel.

Even when she'd been yelling at him and shooing him out of the shop, she'd been hot and hungry for him. The aftermath of good spell work varied from total exhaustion and even amnesia, to the female equivalent of a five-alarm boner.

Now, home alone and frustrated, angry and shivering with unspent energy, she decided confession of her sins to Charlotte would cleanse her soul and help her put Daniel's deep blue eyes, broad shoulders and deliciously tight butt out of her mind.

"More demons?” Charlotte's voice took on a familiar tone of suspicion.

Emilie winced. “I had to re-close the portal in the shop. It sprung a leak."

"Would you prefer I lecture you, or should I call your mother?"

"You, please. That's why I called. If I can get this off my chest now, I won't feel the need to confess the next time I talk to her."

"Reckless."

Oh, God.
Moaning, Emilie sank deeper into the sofa cushions and tried not to imagine how it would feel to have Daniel's muscular body on top of her right now. “That's just what Daniel said."

"He was
there
?"

"Yeah."

"Spill it. I want all the details."

"Okay, okay. But then I need a favor."

"Anything."

"I need you to talk me out of hunting him down and jumping his bones."

Daniel greeted Emilie with a civil smile and a cool glare when she arrived at the Garrison house around 8:00 PM Saturday night.

Vance stood behind his brother, looking anxious. He took the box of magickal items from Emilie and carried it into the house. “So this is it? You've got a spell that will work?” He followed her into the dining room where, as she'd instructed over the phone earlier that day, he had covered the table with a red cloth. A small silver bowl filled with sea salt sat at each corner of the table, and in the center stood a fat red candle.

"This spell will separate you from the wolf,” she said, careful to keep her voice neutral. Daniel's proximity had already started her blood pumping and brought back unwelcome thoughts of lust. She allowed herself to glance at him when he picked up the brown bottle of coffin nails that rested on top of the items in the box.

"I see you brought these back."

"Don't worry. We won't be burying anyone tonight."

His gaze flickered to hers and her cheeks grew hot. Carnal thoughts churned in her. How was it possible that she would want to kiss him and throttle him at the same time?

Daniel set down the bottle and turned to open a cabinet in the adjacent kitchen. Vance helped Emilie unpack the box's contents, carefully placing her small cauldron, an herb bundle, his grandfather's silver chain and the small bottle of wolfsbane potion she'd concocted on the table with a few other magickal tools.

"Extra strength aspirin,” Daniel said, setting a familiar white bottle on the corner of the table next to her other necessities.

Warmth washed through Emilie's body, but she refused to smile at the sweet gesture. Was this his way of apologizing for the other night? After all, he'd insisted on staying for the banishing ritual after she told him to leave.

Vance reached for the aspirin. “Good idea. I could use some right now."

Emilie slid the bottle out of his hands and replaced it on the table. “You don't want to take anything that will interfere with the potion. You may need it afterward, though, more than you do now."

"That's reassuring.” Vance rolled his eyes.

"Sit at the head of the table. Take some salt from one of the bowls and rub it on your hands, then put the chain around your neck."

"I can't. We already tried it and it burned me."

"It won't now. I cleansed it and respelled it.” She handed him the chain, and it coiled harmlessly in his palm. “Daniel made it a little too strong. It'll be fine now."

Daniel gave her a curious look, but Vance did as she instructed. He sat patiently while she set up the cauldron and lit a fire within it.

While a small pile of rowan twigs burned in the iron pot, Emilie motioned for Daniel to turn off the lights. Vance placed the silver chain around his neck, and Emilie caught the look of relief in his eyes. She had to admit, she felt relief as well that it caused him no discomfort.

In a fifth silver bowl she set in front of the cauldron, she poured a small amount of blessed water. She dipped her fingers into it and began her incantations, drawing power from the elements to aid her in her endeavor. Fire, Water, Earth and Air commingled their essence in the room, and Emilie felt the power rise around her as she placed the ingredients of the potion in the bowl and stirred them.

To his credit, Daniel stood out of her way as she began walking the circle of protection around Vance. Three times around the table, widdershins she went, holding the water bowl in her cupped hands. When she briefly set the bowl on top of the cauldron, the liquid brew bubbled violently and turned from clear to blue. When Vance's eyes widened, Emilie wondered if Daniel clued him in about the color change. She hoped it was something he could live with for a day or two.

When the potion cooled, she plunged an empty glass vial into the liquid and let it fill. Then she blessed the bottle and its contents before handing it to Vance. She didn't need to tell him what to do.

He sipped the still-warm potion, made a face as she'd expected, then gamely downed the bottle. Emilie held her breath and waited.

After a moment, he shrugged. “That's it? Now I have to wait three weeks to see if it works?"

"Do you feel any different?” she asked, ignoring Daniel's questioning gaze.

Vance wrinkled his nose. “It tasted a little like mouthwash. With basil."

"How come he's not turning blue?” Daniel asked.

Vance laughed. “That's a good sign? Right?"

"I don't know. I used plenty of silver."

"Blue?” Vance's worried gaze bounced from Emilie to his brother.

"You didn't tell him?” Emilie asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Daniel shook his head.

"Aw, come on. Is this a practical joke? I'd rather be a werewolf than a Smurf!” Vance began checking himself for color changes.

"It was supposed to last for only forty-eight hours, tops,” Daniel said. “Anyway, it looks like it didn't work. Nothing seems to have happened."

Emilie frowned. She'd followed all the instructions to the letter. “Maybe the wolfsbane I used was stale. It's hard to tell with that stuff."

"This is not funny, you two. Honestly.” Vance started to remove the silver chain from his neck and gasped. His left hand ended in five misshapen claws. Dark hair began sprouting on the back of his arm and yellow rimmed his irises. “This shouldn't be happening, should it—?” His question ended in an incoherent growl.

"The chain should still arrest the transformation,” Emilie said, though she took a step backward.

Vance bolted from his seat. Both his hands had become claws. Gleaming fangs protruded over his lips and his ears had elongated to points. With a snarl, he pawed the eyeglasses from his face and raced across the room.

"How can he be transforming? It's not a full moon,” Daniel yelled over Vance's unearthly howl.

Why hadn't they done this in the basement room where a brand new padlock gleamed on the reinforced door? He put himself between Vance and Emilie as his brother tore off his own shirt and scattered salt and silver bowls across the dining room with a swipe of his gnarled hand.

"I don't know what went wrong,” Emilie said, ducking as Vance yanked the red cloth from the table and threw it across the room.

Daniel sidestepped and caught the beast with a cuff to the back of the head as it bounded across the table. The creature—Vance—only glanced back and growled, then advanced toward Emilie, who held a bundle of dried herbs in front of her like a weapon. She shook the leaves at Vance, who swung at them, distracted by the movement.

While Emilie and Vance sparred with the herbs, Daniel picked up the discarded tablecloth and prepared to throw it over his brother's head. Unfortunately, Vance obviously noticed the movement and whirled around. He snarled and tore at the cloth. Daniel teased him like a matador, while Emilie scrambled for the spilled contents of the magickal box.