Spell of the Werewolf Page 2

  “Because he’s my friend and because he doesn’t deserve to die for something he has no control over,” the woman stated flatly. “He didn’t ask to become what he is. He’s trying to find the one who bit him, to end the curse.”

  “You’re not doing him any good. The more he is denied the taste of flesh, the more dangerous he becomes,” Vincent told her coldly.

  “It’s worked for ten years. Now get out of my house before I shoot you,” she threatened again, her finger tightening a fraction on the trigger.

  Vincent stared at her, curious as to why she cared so much about a snarling, slavering beast that would kill her without a single ounce of remorse if it ever got free. He knew he could kill the creature before she could get off more than one shot, but instead he bowed his head and walked around her, up the steps, and out of the house. He wouldn’t risk harming a human.

  The next morning, Kara told Justin about the white-haired man who’d come to kill him. “I knew there was something weird about the way he watched me at the restaurant,” Justin mused, mostly to himself.

  “What? He knows where you work? You can’t go back there, Justin!”

  “I need the job, Kara. If we don’t have money we can’t stay here, and I can’t find him.”

  “But he’ll kill you,” Kara said vehemently.

  “Maybe it would be better if he did.”

  Justin ignored her gasp of shock and went into his room to get ready for work. He knew she didn’t understand why he wouldn’t run. What was the point? He’d spent most of his life running, looking for that one needle in a haystack, searching to find a ghost practically. There were always whispers, rumors of the one who’d bit him, but it never panned out into more than disappointment.

  Fully dressed, he left his bedroom and grabbed his keys on the way out the door. He glanced around him as he walked out of the house, wondering if the man from yesterday would be there, watching and waiting for him, but he didn’t see or sense anyone outside. A slight sigh of relief left him as he climbed onto his bike and started the engine. Everything passed by him in a blur, his mind still on the events of the day before. When he reached the restaurant, he found out the hostess had taken another sick day, and he would have to be up front again. He shook his head in resignation. Being the host gave him too much time to think. The lunch rush came, giving him a couple of hours where he was too busy to brood over his life, but after it calmed down, his mind went back into overdrive. Stepping out into the back alley for a smoke break, he flicked his lighter, touching the flame to the end of the cigarette.

  The smells in the alley were almost overpowering today. He wrinkled his nose in disgust and took a deep drag before breathing out slowly. Maybe it would be better if he killed me, Justin thought to himself. I’m tired of living. Kara is wasting her life, and my entire family is dead. What’s the point of still being here? To spend eternity alone?

  Kara’s smiling face came to mind, and the same regret he’d felt since the day he’d wound up in her yard filled him. She wouldn’t let him go off alone. When he attempted to leave her behind, she simply followed. He’d tried more than once to convince her to go back to her life, but she’d just smack him for being stupid and go about taking care of him. His lips curved in an affectionate smile. He really did care about her.

  A slight breeze kicked up through the alley and he tensed, catching the scent of another werewolf. He narrowed his eyes and approached the end of the alley to look around for the source. He saw a man across the street who moved in a way only his kind could. Crossing the street, he followed the stranger. The scent didn’t belong to the one who’d bitten him, but in the past two centuries he’d taken out quite a number of the beasts in search of him.

  The werewolf stopped to look around, making sure no one followed him, and then slipped into another passageway. Justin pursued him single-mindedly. Once they were far enough away from the street so as not to draw attention to them, Justin said, “You’re getting sloppy. You couldn’t even tell I was behind you.”

  Swinging around in surprise, the creature stared at him, eyes flashing yellow. “You!” he snarled, hatred buried in the dark irises. “I’ve heard of you. One of us, yet you hunt us.”

  “I am nothing like you,” Justin growled, clenching his fists at his side. “You’re a monster, a killer.”

  The man snorted. “And what makes you so different, boy? Because you kill your own kind? You’re still a werewolf inside. You still change on the full moon. Too bad you chose to pick a fight with me. I think I’ll take your head and wear it as a trophy.”

  Justin opened his mouth to snap back, but no words came out. Before his very eyes, the man began to change. Without a full moon! Justin reared back in shock and horror. He couldn’t believe it. Their kind could only shift during a full moon, not in broad daylight in the middle of the city! Within seconds, rather than the thirty minutes to an hour the change could normally take, the creature stood in front of Justin in all his glory, seven feet of hairy, hulking flesh. Saliva dripped from the long fangs Justin knew too well. Justin reached down to grab the gun loaded with silver bullets that he kept strapped to his leg under his jeans. He straightened, bringing his hand up at the same time, but it was too late, the creature had already launched himself at Justin.

  The werewolf backhanded the gun out of his hand and grabbed his throat. Justin’s eyes widened in surprise. The beast seemed to have conscious thought despite having shifted. Justin found himself flying through the air for a split second before slamming into the wall and tumbling down to the cement. Several bricks knocked loose from the building rained down around him as he dragged himself to his feet. He saw his gun lying on the ground by the beast’s clawed toes, but there was no way he’d be able to get to it.

  The werewolf moved toward him, a purposeful look in the glaring yellow eyes. Just as he went to reach for Justin again, a figure landed next to them, crouching down with a huge silver sword arced out behind him, blood dripping from the blade. If the situation had been different, Justin may have laughed at the incredulous expression on the werewolf’s face as he realized the truth. The sword had sliced clean through his neck, and gravity hadn’t quite caught up just yet. His eyes rolled back as his head lolled to the side and separated from his body. The loud thud of the corpse hitting the concrete echoed along the side of the buildings.

  Justin moved with preternatural speed to snatch his gun from where it lay, swinging around to point the barrel at the white-haired stranger from the day before. “Who are you, and what the hell do you want?”

  Smirking, the man leaned against the side of the building. “So you’re the one the others talk about.”

  Chapter 3

  Justin stared at him and repeated the questions. “Who are you? What do you want?”

  “My name is Vincent, and I want you dead.” He pointed his sword at Justin. “I just want to know why you’re hunting your own kind?”

  “My own kind? I’ve never been like those monsters,” Justin said bitterly.

  “Except three nights a month, right?” Vincent challenged.

  Despair, regret, and pain swamped Justin, and he was pretty sure Vincent could see his emotions on his face, if not in his eyes. “I didn’t ask to be this way, you know. I was attacked by some monster and not given a choice.”

  “You could have killed yourself,” Vincent pointed out.

  “You think I haven’t tried?” Justin demanded in anguish. “Every time I attempt to, Kara finds a way to stop me.”

  “Kara? Ah, the girl from last night. Your protector,” Vincent sneered at him. “How sweet. A human protecting a werewolf.”

  Justin got angry. “Leave her alone. You know nothing about her or me. If you’re going to try and kill me, get it over with before you bore me to death with your talking. I have to get back to work.”

  Vincent raised his sword and advanced on him, but in the blink of an eye, Justin leapt into the air and grabbed the fire escape. He hauled himself up onto the metal stairs and started running up them. The metal clanged loudly beneath his feet, and he could hear Vincent in pursuit behind him. Reaching the roof, Justin raced to the edge and bounded across to the other building. Vincent couldn’t follow him there, or so he thought.

  His breath caught when Vincent jumped over to the other building with ease. The man’s impact on the roof caused it to crack in several places around him. Pushing back his trench coat from his crouched position, Vincent drew his sword again and stood.

  “What are you?” Justin asked incredulously, backing away.

  “I’m what you’d call… a hybrid. Part human, part werewolf. Without the nasty beast side three times a month.” Vincent advanced toward him and watched as Justin retreated.

  “So you hunt your own kind then?” Justin challenged.

  “Touché.”

  Justin continued inching his way to the other side only to stop when his knees hit the edge. “All out of roof, wolf.” Vincent smiled in triumph.

  Closing his eyes, Justin pushed himself backward off the building. He flipped over in midair and landed with both feet under him. He smirked at Vincent peering at him over the ledge and gave him the middle finger before darting down the alley to the street, bursting out into the crowds on the sidewalk. Immediately, he headed back to the restaurant, knowing Lee would be pissed.

  His theory proved correct. The moment he walked in the door, Lee demanded to know where he was at. “I’m sorry, Lee. Something came up, and I had to take care of it really quick. I was only gone for a half hour.”

  Lee shook his head and glared at him. “Don’t do it again.” He spun on his heel and went into his office.

  Asshole, Justin thought to himself and forced a smile for the next person who came in the front door.

  Later in the afternoon, he left work and breathed a sigh into the early twilight air. This was the first night after the full moon where he would remain human. He decided to go for a ride on his motorcycle before going home. The streets were littered with tourists and residents of Tokyo. He looked at the sights around him as he drove. His mind went back to the events of earlier in the day. How the hell did that werewolf change in the middle of the day? And how was it possible for him to have conscious thought while in his wolf form? Justin’s thoughts went around and around, unable to find the answer.

  When he reached the house there were no lights on, and he frowned as he dismounted his bike. Where was Kara? The front door stood slightly ajar, and panic began to set in. Maybe one of the werewolves had found out where they lived. They knew he hunted and destroyed them. He found nothing disturbed within the house as he crept through the entry and into the kitchen, searching for Kara. He noticed a small dagger stuck in a wall in the kitchen with a piece of paper. Grabbing the knife, he yanked the point from the wall and snatched the paper before it could hit the floor.

  I have your friend, wolf. If you ever want to see her alive again, you’ll be at Wadakura Fountain Park at seven o’clock.

  Justin growled and crumpled the paper in his hand. So the asshole wanted to threaten Kara. Justin slammed into his bedroom and pulled out the sword he’d banished to the trunk in his closet a long time ago. He’d sworn to never use it again, but Kara needed him. He changed out of his work clothes into a pair of dark-washed jeans and a tight white tank top with a black jean jacket and stuffed his feet into black combat boots. The ruby stud earring in his left ear glinted in the nearby mirror as he tied his hair back from his face with a bit of string.

  After sliding the sword into a duffle, he strapped the bag to his back and stormed from the house to his motorcycle. The waning moon hung above him as he revved the engine of his bike before streaking off from the curb. All he could do was pray Kara hadn’t been hurt. Rage boiled through him, rippling beneath his skin and through his veins. Wind whipped at his clothing and hair. The sword bounced against him when he hit small bumps in the road, reminding him of the heavy presence. His heart thudded harder when the park came into view.

  Stopping his motorcycle, he got off and kept to the shadow of the trees, attempting to remain unseen until he’d scouted the situation. Kara sat on the edge of the fountain with Vincent only a matter of feet away. The sound of Kara’s voice reached him where he stood.

  “Why are you doing this?” Kara demanded.

  “I already told you, human. I want him dead.”

  “Why? What did he ever do to you?”

  “Nothing. His kind deserves to die. Every second draws him closer to the murder of another human being,” Vincent snapped.

  Kara shook her head. “I feel sorry for you.”

  “Sorry for me?” Vincent gave her an incredulous look. “Why should you feel sorry for me?”

  “Because you are so closed-minded you can’t see anything but what you want to see. Justin is a good person. He didn’t ask to be what he is. We can still find the one who bit him!”

  Vincent laughed, a clear cynical sound behind it. “If he can find the one who made him. The number of werewolves grows every day. It’ll be impossible. So, no. He has to die!”

  Justin had heard enough. He stepped forward and called, “Vincent.”

  Vincent whipped his head around and smiled, harsh and bitter. “So you decided to show. This human means that much to you?”

  “Let her go,” Justin snarled, ignoring Vincent’s question. “Then we can fight.”

  “I’ll let her go… once you’re dead.”

  Justin pulled the sword from his back and moved into the light shining from the fountain. “Let’s do it then.”

  “Ah, so the little boy went and got himself a big knife, did he? Do you even know how to use it?” Vincent taunted him.

  He did an expert twist of his wrist, sending the blade of the sword spinning around him. Vincent’s eyes narrowed just before he attacked. Their blades clashed against one another as they fought; their movements almost an elegant dance between them. “So you’ve had some training, kid? It’s not enough to save your ass.”

  Vincent thrust at him, but Justin cut up with his sword and sent Vincent’s flying into the air. The blade clattered against the ground, landing a few feet from them. Before Justin could strike at him again, Vincent leapt backward, grabbed his sword, and flipped, landing several yards away from Justin. Justin knew it wasn’t going to be an easy fight.

  Circling one another, their swords glinted in the moonlight. Justin narrowed his eyes while he waited for Vincent to make the first move. Too impatient to wait for Justin to make his move, Vincent went to strike once more. Justin blocked the blow and attempted a return hit, but Vincent was too fast, crashing his sword into Justin’s. Swords crossed at the blade, Justin thrust upward and managed to nick Vincent’s cheek. Vincent cursed, jumped backward, and touched the small cut. His fingers were dark with a smear of blood when he dropped his hand from his cheek. Justin smiled mockingly at him. “Aw. Did I cut you?”

  Vincent curled his lip into a snarl and rushed toward Justin with his sword raised. The fight continued for some time, and eventually they stood facing one another, panting for breath. Justin could see Vincent’s anger reflecting outward from bright violet eyes. He’d never met another person with eyes the shade of amethyst. If he were honest with himself, Vincent would have caught his attention many years ago. The broad shoulders, gorgeous white hair, high cheekbones, and obvious strength rang all of Justin’s bells. Of course, the idea of Vincent ever having an interest in him caused Justin to snort.

  The sound set off the next chain of events, flaming Vincent’s rage even higher, or so Justin figured when Vincent struck harder than before. They circled each other. Vincent took the next chance to slice at Justin, but Justin grabbed his wrist and wrenched him forward and over his shoulder, sending Vincent’s sword across the ground to Kara’s feet with a clatter of metal on the cement. Justin immediately pinned Vincent underneath him. Breathing heavily, Justin sat there atop Vincent for several seconds without a word, trying to catch his breath.

  “I don’t want to kill you,” Justin rasped.

  Vincent looked up at him in skepticism. “Why?” Vincent demanded.

  Justin retained eye contact with him. “Because I don’t like hurting someone who hates those monsters just as much as I do.”

  Vincent seemed to contemplate Justin’s words, and then something seemed to click inside Vincent. The fight left his body. Justin became aware of Vincent’s hard body against his, their suggestive position, and what it could have meant in another world. Flushing, Justin stood and held his hand out to Vincent, who studied him for several heartbeats before allowing Justin’s help up from the ground. Justin rushed to Kara’s side to untie her hands and massaged them to bring the feeling back into them.

  “Don’t think this means I trust you, wolf,” Vincent growled as he retrieved his sword. “If you even so much as look at a human in the wrong way, I won’t hesitate to kill you.”

  The sound of his sword bottoming out in its sheath punctuated his promise.

  Kara glanced at him and snapped, “How do we know we can trust you?”

  “You don’t.” Without another word, he strode off into the darkness.

  They watched him disappear and then looked at each other. Justin helped Kara stand, and they headed back to his motorcycle, both lost in their own thoughts of what had taken place mere moments ago. Justin climbed onto the bike and waited for her to slide on behind him. “Justin?”

  The bike started with a loud roar. “Yeah?” he responded as he pulled onto the street and made a U-turn toward home.

  “You used your sword.” Kara shouted into his ear to be heard over the wind rushing by them.

  He tensed and rolled his shoulders. His words were almost lost to the breeze as he responded. “I know.”

  Chapter 4

  The next day Justin didn’t have to work, and so he decided to return to the alley from the day before. He wanted to see if he could find out where the werewolf had been headed. Justin still couldn’t fathom how the werewolf had changed without a full moon and how he had retained control of himself once fully wolfed out. There were no traces of the body, and he figured Vincent destroyed all of the evidence. He checked three doors before he reached the end of the alley and realized there was another one, almost hidden from sight. The door would have been rather heavy for a human, but he opened it with little effort. It emitted a high-pitched squeal on the swing inward, the hinges obviously needing oiled. Justin winced, waited to see if the noise drew attention, and then continued on when nothing came charging at him.