Shades of the Wolf

“Make it as simple as possible, please.” Though she hated to interrupt her kind friend, Anabel knew every second must be an eternity to the poor woman being held prisoner.

Eyeing her, Juliet appeared to consider. “All right,” she finally said. “But you need to know, magic can be dangerous without knowledge. Extremely dangerous.”

Anabel locked eyes with her friend. With her smooth face and long gray braid, Juliet always radiated peace and tranquility. And strength, Anabel thought. “Teach me how to protect myself.”

“I’ll do my best. But understand, you could still be killed. I don’t know how powerful this warlock is.”

Tyler began to flicker, his form wavering in and out of view. Anabel glanced once at him, bracing herself for the swooping of her stomach as she did. Their gazes locked and held as he slowly solidified. I’m okay, he mouthed.

Once she knew he was all right, she refocused all her attention on Juliet. “Teach me as much as you can in as short a time as possible.”

Juliet nodded. “How long do I have?”

“A woman’s life is at stake, so I don’t have long.” Anabel glanced again at Tyler. “A day?”

Frowning, he shook his head.

“How about twelve hours?”

This time, Tyler reluctantly nodded.

“Twelve hours?” Eyebrows raised, Juliet glanced at her wrist even though she wasn’t wearing a watch. “Sorry. What time is it now?”

“Nine thirty. That gives us until tonight.”

“It’ll have to do, I guess.” Juliet sighed, her soft blue eyes sharpening. “It’s not nearly long enough, but let’s get started on some basics.”

After a quick explanation of what magic was—not so much an external thing, but part of Anabel’s inner spirit—Juliet told her it was time to see if Anabel could feel her power deep inside herself.

Anabel didn’t even have to think. “No.”

“Well, then we’re going to try and feel it.”

“I already tried last night. Nothing happened.”

“We’ll try again.”

“How?”

“Take a deep breath,” Juliet advised. “First, you need to slow down your pulse. Your heart is beating so fast I can see the fluttering in the hollow of your throat.”

Self-consciously, Anabel raised her hand to her neck. “Sorry. I’m a little nervous.”

“Deep breath.”

Obediently, Anabel inhaled. “I can’t help it,” she said, fidgeting in her chair. “This is all very odd.”

“Then we’ll wait until you’re tranquil.” Rising, Juliet lit a candle, moving it over so the scent was close to Anabel. “We may have to do some yoga if this doesn’t help. Breathe. It’s eucalyptus. Very calming.”

Desperate, Anabel inhaled the scent, trying to think calming thoughts, using the same mantra she used when meditating. A moment or two later, she blinked. Darned if she didn’t feel better. More confident and stronger.

“Now we’ll talk about power,” Juliet said, smiling slightly as if she knew Anabel’s thoughts. “Everyone has a spark of magic inside. Some just have more than others.”

Anabel nodded, the fear trying to creep back in. She couldn’t really explain her intense nervousness, but for some reason the entire idea of having magical powers scared her.

If Tyler’s sister hadn’t needed her help, Anabel figured she would just have let the so-called magic stay locked up inside her. If she’d even ever learned of its existence, that was.

“That you are able to see ghosts as more than energy speaks to your level of power. That’s one of the ways it manifests itself.” Juliet grinned. “And the fact that your ability to see and hear spirits didn’t make you go stark, raving crazy is another testament to your strength.”

Strength. “I rarely feel strong, though I’ve realized what I’ve been through and overcome has given me strength. But that doesn’t matter. Tell me what else I should be able to do. Most important, I need the ability to track this creep who has Dena.”

“And fight him,” Tyler chimed in, making Juliet jump.

“I forgot about you,” Juliet said, shooting a stern glance in his general direction. “Fighting won’t be possible, not without a lot of practice. But I can teach Anabel to protect herself.”

“That will have to do,” Anabel said grimly. “As long as I can hold him off long enough to get his captive—or captives—out.”

“And then what?” Juliet asked, her sharp voice telling Anabel what she thought of that idea. “He’ll likely be furious. You won’t be able to hold him off forever.”

Again Anabel and Tyler exchanged a glance. Again, her heart turned over in response. Tearing her gaze away, she focused on Juliet. “Then you’d better do your best to teach me as much as you can. It’s not like I even have a choice.”

* * *

Tyler didn’t know what it was about Anabel—other than her beauty—but every time their eyes met, he found himself entranced. His fascination deepened the more time he spent with her, which was not only impossible, but an unnecessary distraction. He’d come back to the earthly plane with one objective—to save his sister—and he couldn’t let this compelling attraction detour him.

So he decided to leave the two women alone. There wasn’t much he could do anyway, other than be a disruption. Anabel had asked Juliet for twelve hours—an eternity for his sister, trapped and tortured. But this was only the second day since he’d appeared and begged Anabel for help. She needed to learn how to tap into her power if she wanted to have a prayer of finding Dena. He had to allow himself to trust and to hope.

He left the human plane and went to the gray area he privately thought of as the in-between place. Not earth, but not the afterlife either. Once there, he made himself still and then sent himself out. Seeking, searching, for the spark of life force that belonged to his sister.

There. Faint, but still burning. He zoomed to it, passing through nothing and everything, clouds and earth and night sky. When he reached her, in that damp, dank place where she was being held, he once again tried to communicate with her and comfort her.

But Dena had no power and couldn’t sense his presence. In fact, he realized she’d sunk into a state of consciousness where she couldn’t sense much of anything at all.

Horrified, he took stock of her condition. Her once slender body had become emaciated, and even though she lay curled in a corner in the fetal position, he could see the sharpness of her bones. Her labored breathing attested to her general state of unhealthiness, as did her lank and tangled hair. Even her aura had changed, becoming speckled with brown and black, as if a rotting poison festered inside her system.