Switched Fates

Just a little charm

"Hey Elodie?" Elara's tone changed to a serious one.

"Yes?"

"Can you do anything else, like without your book?"

"I mean I can mend and help plants grow."

"O yeah! I have seen that. You did that in your garden at the cabin. Is there anything else?"

"Well, my mother taught me how to charm men, it's something witches do throughout the ages to keep the bloodline going. I have only done it once though." Elodie hesitated, she was now concerned that she had said something she shouldn't have. But they were friends, right? Like true friends.

"O wow really? Can you like show me how you do it?"

"Ahhh, I mean it's sort of dangerous, some men have a hard time being told no, and I have only done it once before. Not to mention it needs to be in like a music type of environment."

"What do you mean?"

"Like a place that has loud music, like a nightclub or a ball or something. It's why witches are often depicted dancing in stories and art throughout history."

"Cause that’s when the men would notice them!"

"Yeah pretty much."

As they got closer to the bar they could hear dance music being played. It seemed the bar was a popular place for the locals.

Elara stopped and looked a Elodie with a smile and pleading eyes.

"Elara, it's not a good idea. It's not safe."

"Of course it is! You are with me, do it and when he gets too close to you I'll tell him to get lost."

"Tell him to get lost. Really that’s your plan. I guess I could end the charm, but I have never ended it so abruptly before. I don't know what the repercussions will be. "

"It's settled then!" Elara interrupted, pulling her with quiet a lot of force towards the bar.

The music of the bar was loud and there were a lot of people crowding around ordering drinks and dancing on the dance floor. A pop song that Elodie was not familiar with was playing. It did have a catchy beat though. Elodie really did love music and to dance. So did her mother. Dancing to music made her magic swirl around her body reaching from her fingertips all the way to her toes. It was quiet freeing. So she didn't object when Elara ushered her to the dance floor, and they joined in with the dancing crowd.

"You're such a good dancer Elodie!" Elara smiled, yelling into her ear so she could hear. They danced together for a while before Elara pointed to a guy behind Elodie. He was sitting at the bar. "Him! Charm him! I can protect you from him easy."

Elodie gave her a disappointing face, she was just enjoying herself dancing. She really didn't want to use her magic and charm a stranger. She remembered what happened last time.

How that completely changed the trajectory of her life. It was the school dance. His name was Morgan. Elodie didn't attend much school. Her mother homeschooled her for the most part. But Elodie really wanted to give school a shot and get the experience. So her mother begrudgingly let her attend the local high school. She didn't really make any friends. People were nice, but Elodie was too concerned about not getting too close to anyone that they eventually would lose interest in her. And then there was Morgan. Elodie saw a lot of herself in him. He was always kind to her, and never appeared to have any friends either, always keeping to himself and had his head in a book. He was quite pleasing to the eyes too. Elodie's teenage brain kept fantasizing a romance between them that, of course, shouldn't happen.

Until that night of the school dance. They had both come alone, the DJ played one of her favorite songs, her mum had just taught her how to charm a male "partner" and she thought it was now or never. They would never see each other after graduation and this was her one shot to live in some aspect of her teenage fantasy.

The Charm worked, a bit too well. They danced together for the entire dance, sharing kisses and touches all the way through. He then took her to his car and drove to an isolated park. Where she experienced her first time with him. He was rough, and took everything he could. Elodie didn't object. It felt good to be desired and wanted like that. His hands seemed to be everywhere all at once. Gasping for breath just to breathe her in more. She woke in the morning, feeling empty. Knowing that it wasn't actually her that he had wanted or had feelings for. That it was just the charm. Which worked perfectly, too perfectly. Elodie found out 4 weeks later that she was pregnant. She wasn't shocked after all, that what the charm was meant for.

It wasn't ideal for her to have a baby now while she was so young, but she was confident she could do it. Try and make it all work. Try and have a normal life surrounded by family and love.

The guilt and the pain of it all was too much for her, though, and apparently too much for him as well. Although she kept the baby a secret from him, for the next month they started dating and having a relationship. That was all until that fateful day when he caught a glimpse on what she was and everything came crashing down.

The memory put a chill down Elodie's spine. It was the spell that started it all, she thought. I can cut it off, and I'm with werewolves, and I'm stronger than I was back then. It seems pretty poetic for the same spell to end it all, and its not every day I can show someone my magic- and I really like Elara.

Elodie turned around to see the guy that Elara pointed at. He was at the bar flicking through his phone, looked to be a similar age to Elodie, average build and attractiveness. Everyone is going to be average compared to Emmerson. Elodie thought. Emmerson. What will he think of this? Wait? Why am I thinking of him? It is not like there is anything between us, we are just like friends, maybe. Ugh why am I thinking about this? Just do the charm and dissolve it, she told herself.

Elodie walked behind him and brushed her hand against his arm and apologized. Pretending to reach over the bar to grab a straw, which she quickly discarded.

She then took a deep breath and mumbled the Latin words under her breath, the chant her mother taught her. It came back to her so naturally even after all these years. She had to touch him to get his imprint on her skin. His heart rate, his breathing pattern and his pheromones. She focused on her hand that touched him and pushed his imprint so that she matched what fit with his. The music was able to assist with this, pushing it throughout her body so her heart rate and pheromones matched and complimented his. Her mother always said that it reached and drew out the instinctual primal nature in people. That people thousands of years ago humans relied on something very similar to find a suitable partner and produce healthy offspring.

Elara looked shocked. "Your scent changed! Elodie! You smell like a normal person!" Elodie frowned. That was news to her. She didn't know that it would have that much of an effect on her scent like that, that it would be visible to beings like werewolves. It made sense that a werewolf with a heightened sense of smell would pick up on the change. Elodie had her back to the man at the bar again, and saw Emmerson at the edge of the dance floor. His eyes were locked on her and he looked furious. Elodie was confused. She hadn't done or said anything to him. Maybe Elara mind linked him something she thought. She was just about to ask her, when it was no longer Elara in front of her but Emmerson pulling her into his chest.

"Get lost!" He growled menacingly. Elodie turned her head and saw the guy from bar was now behind her and was reaching for her. He had stopped and glared at Emmerson. Elodie focused on reversing the charm. Letting go of the pheromones and coming back to her normal heart rate. It took her a bit longer to return to normal. She was focusing so much on it, she had not really taken in that she was still in Emmerson's arms. He was really tense, but as Elodie reversed the charm he relaxed. She didn't want to move, she didn't want him to move either, she just wanted to stay. She felt safe, she even felt somewhat at home - In his warm muscular arms her head resting on his chest.