Arooo….5

Chapter 5

It’s almost funny enough to make me laugh even with every damned thing that’s going on is that. I might have only changed not that long ago really the first thought in my head as we took another turn and then another side street was.

……Fucking men!

Honestly it just jumped in my brain first thing really.

I look at Justin. “Are you out of your mind? What’s going to keep this Fiona from turning us over to whoever just to get back at you?”

“Whomever…and she won’t. Fiona’s not like that.”

“When was the last time you talked to her?”

“The day of our wedding.”

“Oh Jesus Christ on a pogo stick.”

Justin turns to look at me. “Just bloody hell is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that you don’t know a goddamned thing about women. It really, really might not matter if she’s not “like that” because you stood her the fuck up at the altar to marry someone else! Even if it’s an arranged marriage you left her there in her gown on her wedding day in front of all of those important people and she had to deal with that while you took off with the woman that you loved.”

“I know all of that Erica, bloody hell woman do you think I’m some dumb as bollocks lad who just took off to do as I pleased? There were consequences then and still. It’s not like I’m exactly liked and trusted amongst the guild or my family even. But it was love, love dammit you know what that is right!?”

I snarl and part-shift and elbow out his passenger side window.

“I just lost the greatest love of my life to this fucking bullshit! Don’t you ever! Ever! Accuse me of not knowing what love feels like or…or…”

“Or what!” Justin stamps on the brakes and I hit the dash a bit and we nearly get rear ended but with everything going on and the anger in both of us…

“Or I’ll fucking kill you!” I scream it at him and start hitting him. I think the first couple of punches hurt him a lot because I was part shifted but then I’m back to normal and hitting him over and over and I’m angry, angry at him and the world and I’m hurt and I’m crying and I can’t stop the crying even if I tried….The last time that I cried like this I was in her arms letting out shit that I had buried for most of my life and now it’s over losing her still and crying because she’s not there to hold me in that way that only the other half of you can and it just hurts so much.

Then he’s holding me and I’m having that really bad cry and freak out that I’m actually awake for and stuff. I’ll tell you one thing…the transformation into being a girl is one thing, and even the whole crossing the sex bridge is another but nothing cements you into being a girl like having the full on ugly cry.

It kind of is really that powerful it kind of drowns those hard edged lingering guy feelings.

I cry for a good long time and I have to push myself off of Justin. “Get driving…I’m holding us up and they’re not taking the time to be a damned cry baby.” (Sniffle.)

I’m trying to get it in gear and wipe my face and get myself not looking so messed up when we end up pulling down one of those odd English alleys that’s a lane in the city. I don’t know but we’re in this back courtyardy thing that’s sort of like a cul-de-sac but it’s not and he stops and parks.

He even does that mannerly thing where the guy opens the door for the girl and stuff. I grab my bag and go with him to this back door of a house and I feel something like spiderwebs as we walk through the gate.

Weird English homes really their back step is as nice as the front for most American steps. All brick with a four foot solid wall/railing that comes down and has this little black weather painted wrought iron gate. I wish we had stuff like that home more often.

I mean it’s just red bricks and the area isn’t all that fancy or anything but at the same time all the other houses have steps and back gates and that whole cul-de-sac thing is brick paved. I don’t know, I suppose I’m still way to American about this but it’s…classy. Like the back door that Justin’s ringing the bell for. One it has a doorbell two it’s one of those old wooden outside doors with the frosted glass in it too.

I feel really off my comfort zone here. I’m well kind of feeling shabby.

I guess that’s the right way to feel when you’re coming to beg for favors huh.

The door opens and this dark black haired pale skinned beauty open the door. She’s in really nice clothes even if their a sweater and slacks she just has this look and air to her, like if you spliced Rachel Weis with Kate Beckensale. She’s really stunning. You know the English are sneaky like that there’s some of them look like the English people you see on TV and you kind of think meh…then there’s these people there…here and there that just are holy crap good looking or sexy.

She looks like a Brit TV starlet or something.

I feel like a very lost red headed street urchin.

“Well Justin it looks like you haven’t lost your ability to make women cry.” Then her face warms a bit. “Come in you look like you could use a coffee.”

“Not a cuppa?”

“Well you can call it that my dear but I’m not one much for tea actually.”

She leads me into her house by my hand and leaves Justin to come in on his own. I was expecting this whole neat and organized Marry Poppins like place. Not this neat but well lived in place with old wall paper on the walls and just everything well ordinary from the microwave on the counter and there’s garbage that needs to be taken out soon and there’s some dishes in the sink too.

She’s actually pretty normal.

“I thought that all you Brits drank gallons of it?”

“And that’s exactly why I don’t care for it and I’m not a great fan of those so called British food you Americans see us eating all the time on the television.”

“Oh like steak and kidney pie?”

“That’s one, gives me the shivers just thinking about it.”

“It’s actually pretty good; I like it and those pasty things too.”

“Well you’re a wolf dear, you’d like all that meat and stuff in it.”

“You know?”

“Oh yes I felt you pass through my wards. Though I’ve never met a wolf with the power before.”

“Huh?” Yeah typically clever of me.

“What?!” Justin’s apparently surprised too.

She starts making coffee and she has these really good beans that she just puts into a mortar and pestle and not a grinder and sets her hand over it covering it and I feel something…? I can smell the coffee so strong though too. She moves her hand and the beans are reduced to this really ultrafine powder. That’s a neat trick;)

“I said Justin that she has the power as in majik just like you seem to have recovered somehow from having yours sealed.”

“Were’s don’t have power, it’s one of the major laws.”

“Why not? And are you sure that I have it, I was linked to my queen and she helped me heal Justin from being hurt.”

Fiona gives me this look then him. “You can’t link to another person unless both parties have magic dear. And I’d wager to say that your Alpha healed Justin of his seal.”

“Oh.”

“Why?” Justin asks.

“To help your girl here of course you twit.”

“I’m not his girl.”/ “She’s not my girl.” We both say in stereo.

“Good for you luv trust me Justin’s not worth the heartbreak.” She stares at him a little hard as she loads the coffee maker.

I cough. “Ahem? Why are the Were’s forbidden to use magic?”

Justin looks at me. “Were’s are primals, the real link between man and the animal kingdoms from the first great wars when the Old ones were fought. Mortal melded spirits together to fight the darkness back them to save both and became supernatural beings. The thing is there were already many of those in existence and the Fae seeing the Weres as halfway human forbade them to breed to power.”

“Huh?”

“All Weres have some mana they use it to change but the more mana they have the stronger they can get, faster, heal quicker. This is a linked thing as well with each member of the pack making the older ones in the hierarchy more powerful by passing forward a little bit of power. This makes the Alphas really powerful in the end. If the Weres have mages then they have even more power in their lines and those Alphas get even more powerful plus they can draw on the power of not just the pack but the power of the mages in the pack and the Fae’s most powerful are suddenly challenged by an species that is now as powerful as they are and with the human factor in the mix they won’t allow it.”

“Won’t allow it?” I’m not liking the fae right now.

“Humans brought the age of high majik to an end by embracing the power and dominion of God. The religion of god didn’t tolerate the presence of those as strong or stronger that it and they made war on majik but also brought their own civil war to the realms with the battle with Lucipher.”

“Wait what? God’s real?”

“Yes and no. It’s all mixed up truth be told but there has always been that connection between mankind and the religions of god and bad things as far as the Fae are concerned.”

Fiona’s pouring coffee. “It’s not all like that there are huge differences between the kill em all spiteful jealous god of the Old Testament and the god of the New Testament. But where the churches and faiths have really flourished magic has been under siege.”

“So the fae blame us and god for fucking up their world?”

“Yes essentially and we’ve really only gotten worse as a species. They keep a very close eye on anything to do with magic in the hands of humans on Earth and limit the mages too in some cases even in the old days forbidding certain mage families to marry like the ban on mage blood mating with Weres.”

“So…I’m really in shit.”

“You’re here without leave that makes you fair game Erika.” Justin says looking at me worried. “Fang if he learns of this might just want you for himself and to hell with the laws if he can get pups out of you. The mages and those in the guild will want you for study but some will want you because to turn you over to the fae might make you a bargaining chip in getting them more power.”

“Uhm…fuck no on both of those parts.”

Justin shakes his head. “There’s not a lot you’ll be able to do to stop either faction from coming down on you…us about this.” He looks at Fiona. “Sorry Fi, I didn’t mean for this to be what it is but we really need your help and a place to lay low.”

“It’s alright Justin but Erica…it is Erica isn’t it. Why are you here in the first place?”

Justin looks at me like he’s been waiting on this too.

“I’m here tracking down the Templars here overseas. The one’s that were in the North American command had actually made a Were effecting bio-weapon and they were going to use it.”

“What!” Oh yeah that came from both of them and they both sit down actually and Justin looks at her. “Fi, I think a shot of something stronger might be in order…”

“That’s not all of it.”

“What…”

“That group I was tracking here Justin, the ones I had you tail well the Templars aren’t just being psychos because they well a bunch of psychos, no this time they’re on a holy mission.”

“Holy mission?”

“They’re trying to release this Angel with the green eyes to remake the world and wash away all the unbelievers.”

Fiona looks pale. “Asmodeus.”

Justin’s like pale too but confused. “He’s one of the Kings of hell, a demon.”

“No…he’s an Angel or was.” She says.

I hear this sound like rushing feet?

The sound of chains and metal, I smell wolf on the wind.

Gun oil too and combat gear, rubber, all that good stuff.

There’s breaking glass from all these different angles and the flash bangs and the concussion grenades go off.

I’ve never felt pain like this.

I see smoke.

Then I see… RED…as I shift.

They have NO idea who they’re fucking with.