My Crush or My Mate

12

Things were getting more and more intense not just with Calian, but also with my new found powers. I couldn't do much but mix potions, and have types of visions about people. I hadn't told Calian how I saw he and his mother be cursed, or not yet it felt wrong to just bring it up, after the s*x.

Now everything Nick had tried to teach me, Calian was giving me a refresher, and it was that easy, I could use his shapeshifting power, and Calian would know when he felt a pull of power from me. He had claimed me as his mate and now we were, of course we fell into a normal routine, I was still getting my workshops up and running, and I came to realize Calian had a head of business, and he didn't mind the hard work, but for right now we were just focusing on finding their mother, and stopping her from killing anyone else.

One morning while I was getting ready for the day, I heard a knock on the door, when I looked it was Lisa.I had made a point of staying away from her, the spirits just didn't like her, and after she saw my potion mixing, I wasn't sure i wanted to be around her. She had been a awesome person of support but then Calian came into the picture, and now she was really cold toward me. I got she was still skeptical about him, but I wasn't and I think that was the problem.

"Lisa."

"Andrea."

"How are you?"

"I'm good but was wondering if we can talk."

I would invite her in but past experince had taught me a lot.I stepped out side and walked into the back yard. We both sat down, and I listened.

"I know it's nothing you haven't heard before, but we need to stop, the boys mother."

"You mean Ruth?" I hated how the name had power over them, it was always their mother not Ruth.

"Please don't call her name."

"Fine out of respect, I won't say her name but I do agree, she's hurting people, or killing them have you seen the news?"

"Yes, I have and yes, it needs to be done, but..."

"But what?"

"Will, Calian allow it?"

I sat back we'd talked about it, and yes I saw the sadness that came when i talked about finding a way to stop her, he's just go quiet, and change subject. It was their Mother I saw in my visions how much she had loved them, but who she was now was too much.

"I don't know."

Lisa gave me the I told you so look, but I pushed on.

"What do you suggest?"

"We need bullets specially made for this, and it requires the bullets blessed by a shaman."

"Okay, where do we get these bullets and the blessing?"

"I know of a town, but it won't be easy, these people won't like a new witch, walking around tainting their lands."

"Would they take a peace offering?"

"Would have to be really big of an offer."

"A trade?"

"Maybe, like I said you're still new in all of this, and I doubt they'll like it."

"When do we leave?"

She got to her feet, I followed suit.

"I'll let you know, but think really hard on what you're going to give, cause it could be soon."

I nodded and she was gone. I practice tiredlessly , on my potions all coming from my instins I was also writing them down and hiding them away. My powers were growing, all I knew right now was, I had all types of visions, i could heal, either with potions or by touch, and because of Calian I could shift. Now I was practicing my protection spells, again all from "memory" even if it wasn't mine. I haven't fully recovered from the attack, I was still getting dizzy and wasn't keep food down too well. Then again I did get my insides and stomach sewn shut, so that was to be expected. I wasn't really getting too much sleep, Calian was always hot and ready, I wasn't complaining, but we really couldn't keep our hands off each other.

My workshops were going up, like fire, it wasn't just the women or Mom's that went now it was the experts asking for a number of the brands I used, and that was making me money. One day I was cleaning up after a workshop and I got a phone call. Number unknown.

"Hello?"

"Be ready tomorrow we leave at five."

"Right."

Lisa hung up and I was hoping to be ready.

The next morning Lisa and I went to a town I had never heard of, it was smaller then my home town, and it was close to the Uintah and Ouray Reservations, I was scared I had never seen any tribe or people of these traditions at work and it was nerve wrecking, but I kept my cool.

We drove on a road i didn't even know was on a map, and in the middle of forest. we drove maybe half an hour in, then she stopped.

"Why did you..." I was about to ask, when i heard a gun click right behind me, and an other man with an other gun came at Lisa's side. They told us what to do,  and it seemed Lisa understood, I followed her lead. We stepped out of the car and they pushed my against the car, to search me. The man was getting a little touchy, When i suddenly said a word in a language I had never spoken before, but they understood, and the man that had been searching me stopped and turned me around to look at him.

"So the little witch, knows things."

I looked right back at him, he was the one to look away. He said something to the other man, and Lisa's head was covered with a cloth bag, I turned to look back at the man in front of me. He held up the bag, I took it from him and put it on my head, and we were lead some were. It was maybe twenty minutes later that they made us kneel, and took the bags off of our heads. The familiar smell of herbs, met my nose, but it was different, it was like the difference between my magic and theirs was only a grain apart. I looked ahead, and a woman came very close to my face, her wrinkles were the only thing that indicated she was old she was quick on her feet, and moved with the agility of any young person.

She spoke in a language, I had never heard and yet I understood, and talked back. She looked at me with stern eyes, then she smiled at me.

"You need to stop doing that." Whispered Lisa.

"I can't help it."

"Well, help it they can kill us,Andrea."

I looked at Lisa, she was scared these weren't her people and I could be making things worse.

"You have nothing to worry about little sister, I had believed your race destroyed, but I'm happy to see it  wasn't that way."

"You know of my ancesters?"

"Oh, yes, my teacher had dealings with your race, after she died the connections were severed, and I soon heard the last of your race too had come to a close."

"I just started finding myself again."

"So it seems, you wish for blessed bullets, for the demon."

She looked at me and I looked at Lisa who just pointed with her head, indicating for me to continue, I looked back at the old woman and nodded. She nodded once and someone behind us walked forward and handed her a small box, she opened it and in the box was at least twelve bullets, Lisa sighed with relief, but I looked at the old woman.

"What do you want for them?"

She grinned like she had hoped we would just be happy to leave, but I had caught on.

"My teacher never, helped me open my gift, I can work everything else but I have never had a gift."

"If you're doing well, then why play with a good thing."

She suddenly went very serious, and grabbed my face.

"I don't want good I want great."

I nodded once, the spirits around me told me not to, it was a bad idea, but we needed the bullets and she wanted a trade, then fine.I turned around to look at the men, and put out my hands.

"I need my hands to make it work."

He pulled the rope at my hands, and pulled out the knife, pointed it at me, then cut the rope. Nice way to warn someone of no funny business. He cut the ropes and the woman asked me to stand, she was about the same height as me, but there was something like I was just catching on to something wrong. She put her hands out and the spirits kept teling me it was a bad idea.

"I really don't think it's a good idea." I told her and one of the man suddenly hit me with the butt of the rifle in my side, making fall to my knees in pain.

"I didn't ask if it was a good idea or not you want my help , Then i ask for ours in return."

She bent down a little to look at me, and I finally saw it, the wrongness in her eyes, she was crazy. For all we knew the bullets didn't work. I looked at Lisa but she was looking at the ground, looking back at the woman, I slowly got to my feet and she extended her hands again, angrily I placed my over them, and focused. Her teacher hadn't brought her student's power forward not because she didn't want to, but because this woman didn't have one, she was playing witch or shaman, but wasn't, she had killed her teacher in the hopes she would get her powers, but was kicked out of the reservation instead. The teacher was renowned for her visions, this woman had wanted that.

"Your gift of visions." I said.

"Yes, I knew I was chosen, just like my teacher before me!" The madness was really showing now, I felt a strong spirit push forward, it was the teacher.

"Let me give you what you deserve."

"Yes!" The old woman shouted, as I placed my hands on the side of her head, and let the teacher give her student her gift.

I felt the power running through me and the old woman, must've too, she was so happy. When the feeling stopped, something inside  told me to grab Lisa, I did,  making her stand, and I prepared to run. The woman was so happy, but then she started crying tears of blood. I didn't wait I grabbed the box of bullets, pulled Lisa and we both ran. I could hear the woman's screams behind us, as we ran in no particular direction.

When we heard the rifle shots, we both came to a halt, and slowly put our hands up. I turned and saw in the distance the man chasing us crumble to the ground, and a few others came out of the trees on horses. Some pointing rifles at us, as they came closer.

"Lisa Stocking Weasel."said one of the men, he reminded me of a peacock with the viberent colors he wore.

"Jumping Horse."said Lisa without looking at him, I snorted but made it a cough.

Lisa gave me a glare, I kept choking, then pretended to recover.The man looked at me, then came closer on his horse, not taking his eyes off me. the an couldn't be that much older then Calian, late thirties I'm guessing, The authorty he held though, was very impressive. He nodded at someone behind me and they took the bullets from me. I didn't fight, but it did make me a little mad, Jumping Horse took one out and looked at it, then took out a gun and placed the bullet in.

"Please don't..."

I stopped that man's eye were so freakin heavy, on me, I couldn't argue.Out of now where he shoots Lisa in the leg.

"Lisa, what the hell?" I tried to get to her but the others stopped me.

"You did us a favor, getting rid of that old woman, but these are fake, it they weren't there wouldn't be a hole in your friend's leg."

I glared at him, and felt something rise inside me, but he then pointed the gun right at my head.

"I wouldn't do that, my teacher might need you, but he can definitely understand me hurting you."

I calmed down, but I looked at Lisa.

"She's going to bleed out, let me help her."

They all looked at me for a second, but allowed it.I quickly got to Lisa, first I called the bullet out, it was painful, it was still lodged in her leg, she screamed. Once out I focused and said a type of prayer and felt a warm feeling in my hand and guide it into her leg , again she screams,  essentially I was cauterizing the bullet hole from the inside out, but it was healing. Not painlessly but it was healing.Once done, she stopped screaming and i sat back to give her some air, I was tired. When I turned back to the others, I got to my feet and without words we were taken toward the reservation. We entered through a fence, the other men rode ahead to open it, and we walked in.

"Isn't that illegal?"

Jumping horse looked down at me but didn't say anything. When we arrived further inside the reservation, it looked like any other town, stores, roads, and small houses.

"This is really old western you couldn't come get us in a car?"

"Not in that part of the forest no roads in that direction."

"Right." I had a feeling it was more of an excuse to show off, but I'll take it.

We arrived at a building and we were taken inside. It was a clinic of some sort, I could feel the sickness, the death, and spirits were louder in here. We walked in and the men stayed back, taking Lisa somewhere, leaving me to follow Jumping Horse. This place was a clinic but there was something really bad in her, I could feel it.

We reached a room. and he stopped me, knocked and a voice invited us in. We walked in a room filled with candles and and herbs burning, and was suddenly feeling really alone in my head, the spirits were gone. The herbs burning were to ward off any spirit. I could here grunts and thrashing movements. Looking around there was a young man tied down to a table, and a man praying over him.

Then the man turned to look at us, the young man still twitching on the table. The man was older much older, but he also looked exhausted. He gave me small nod.

"I hope they found you alright, little sister."

I looked at Jumping Horse, he wasn't looking at me, but I didn't say anything, just nodded, giving the older man a reassuring smile. He smiled too, and started to analyze me. He didn't seem too impressed but I guess he didn't have any other choice, the young on the table started to shake again.

"What did you need?"

"A healer, in all my time of medicine in both sides, I have never seen anything like this, his mother thought him possessed, it's not exactly the case, and the only thing I found was this."

There was a piece missing from his calf, that looked clean, then why was the kid still so bad. I had to pause of a second and shook my head.

"Werewolf?" they both looked at me, not in disbelief but at how I said it.

"I'm aware you are knew to all this little sister, but there are monsters out there, and that could be a possiblity."

I was shocked I had just heard of witches and shifters, now werewolves?

"Then if that's a choice then why not treat him?"

"I have conculted with an Alpha, and he reassured me it's not the case, he says this is poisioning his blood, and I don't carry the same power as before, to heal this."

"I just started to heal mainly myself and just a few moments ago my friend I don't have that kind of pull."

"But my student does, but he's doesn't heal the same way you can, with your powers combined you might even now what did this."

I looked at the kid, and remembered my grandmothers warning, toe that line do not surrender to the darkness, but I need to help. I looked at the men and nodded, taking my jacket off, and relaxed. Jumping Horse came and stood next to me, I placed my hands over the kid's body and he started to chant. I let my inscets flow and chanted under my breath, and the room filled with energy. I was looking into the kids soul, much like I could see with my bond with Calian. The kid had been hunting, suddenly something grabbed him and dragged him, I could feel the evil twirl it's self up  my arms, I kept focused. It was her Ruth. The kid had ran from her by mere luck he was live, I canceled the mark he had put on the boy, then worked on the bite, she had wanted to turn him, like her, but it doesn't work like that. She's frustrated and lonely. The bond she tried to make was strong, and felt never ending, then I found it. The poison base, then like with Lisa I pushed the hot energy into the wound and the boy screamed in pain, I was burning the poison out, then all too soon there was a heavy silence, I let go of the boy's leg and stepped back, I was falling, someone caught me, but it got dark fast.