‘C’mon, I’ll give you a ride to the hospital.’
He helped me onto my feet, checking around my neck. He spotted a purple mark.
‘I think Daniel has given you a love bite.’
I reached for the area and it stung. Shame took over me and I moved my gaze away from Ben. I had been so vulnerable, Daniel could have done whatever he wanted to me. Tears began to fall from my weary eyes.
‘I’m so sorry,’ Ben soothed, gently holding me and placing his lips on the area of my neck where the love bite was. It soon vanished. Then next he placed his hands over the marks on my wrists from the rope and healed them.
We held hands and made for the exit. Just as we were about to run up the stairs, all the stage lights came on. Just where we needed to go, Daniel was blocking our way. His eyes were as dark as night.
‘Grace, I leave you alone for five minutes and the wolf descends,’ He taunted me.
‘Daniel, fuck off,’ yelled Ben, his hair lit up again and his claws were back, ready for whatever Daniel had up his sleeves.
‘Give me Grace and I will let you live.’
I felt a surge going through me and I clenched my fists together. Florence’s gift took over my senses and I struck a fireball right at Daniel. It threw him into the wall, unconscious. Taking deep breathes, I look at my still-clenched fists.
‘Grace, we need to get out of here before he comes around,’ Urged Ben.
He grabbed hold of my arm and we made for the exit; passing Daniel, I heard him murmur. In that moment my legs picked up speed and we sprinted to Ben’s car. I heard Daniel shouting out my name in the distance. I didn’t stop or look back, just carried on running until Ben signalled for us to run towards an orange Ford Focus RS. He reached for his keys from his left jean pocket to unlock the car, I dashed into the passenger side followed close behind Ben into the driver’s seat.
‘Buckle up,’ he said as he turned the key and accelerated quickly out of the car park and onto the main road. I looked in the passenger wing mirror and saw Daniel watching us leave, then he transformed into a full black wolf and disappeared out of my eyeline.
----------------
The journey was quiet to begin with, but I had so many questions for Ben.
‘Say what you want to ask me.’ Again, it was like he was reading my mind.
‘Quit reading my thoughts.’ I snapped, but he just giggled.
‘Sorry. One of the many gifts I have. But it only works on you. You just need to skill your spellcaster abilities, so that you can block me from doing it.’
‘Well, you must already know what I am going to ask,’ I sulked.
‘How did everything start with me and Daniel,’ he said, and gave me a reassuring smile. ‘We were friends as kids and into our preteens. Then, one day, we were both visited by a Native American man in our dreams. We were the next chosen ones, he said, chosen to take over the wolf pack and protect the spellcasters, especially your grandparents. However, Daniel was also visited by Magnus’s spirit and took on his gifted abilities. I was gifted Constantine’s.’
‘Holy shit! Everything in my ancestors journal is true! Constantine and Magnus actually existed!’
‘Yes,’ he laughed, ‘they were the first ever cited werewolves during the eighteenth century.’
‘Is it just males who can become wolves?’
‘There has only be one known case where a female was granted the power to change into a werewolf and it was recently. My cousin, Stefan,’ he told me. ‘But there is more to Stefan. Although assigned female at birth, Stefan had longed to be a transgender male. I was happy for him and so were most of our family. Then, by the age of fifteen, Stefan was given the abilities to be a wolf and live as a full male for the rest of his life. Stefan moved schools to another town as there were too many questions about him undergoing surgery at such a young age. He is currently doing art at another college but loves tattooing. Stefan is well known for his black rose tattoo on his right wrist.’
This was all fascinating to learn all of Ben’s backstory. And it kept my mind occupied, instead of incessantly thinking about what could have just happened to me. I still had much to learn about being a spellcaster. For instance, I could block someone from reading my mind.
This would have to be a conversation I needed to have with my grandparents sometime very soon.
‘What will happen to me if Daniel gets what he wants?’ This was something I needed to know for sure. If the legends were true and the evil wolf took my virginity, would I belong to him for all eternity? Ben confirmed the tale was true.
I did like Daniel on the very first day I met him. I thought about the dance routine we had put together back in September on the first class of the year and it made me wonder if I was under his charm spell then. We were so drawn together and oblivious of what was going on around us. My thoughts were interrupted by Ben putting his foot down and being slung into the passenger seat along with the belt tugging tighter round me.
‘Oh, good, you are back with me.’ Said Ben, sarcastically.
It was rather annoying that I couldn’t keep my thoughts to myself whilst I was with him. This would definitely be something I needed to work on very soon. I wished we would soon be at the hospital, so I could see Natalie.
As Ben pulled into
