Embers & Spells

24 – Thirios

The school’s security heightened at the report that someone attempted to burn the campus during the Founder’s event. Apparently, the hooded body Arawn burned took longer, the fire crawled to the nearest fence and the school’s administration and locals were alerted of it. Fortunately, nobody was harmed.

The CCTV facing the area where I was attacked was not working as well, as they couldn’t find records of what happened that night. A week after the incident, they moved on, and I felt a sense of relief that the issue died.

Arawn was absent today, and I wondered if it was because of me knowing who he really was. When the clock ticked five, I went out the campus, only to see two strange men waiting near the exit gates. Their face registered in my eyes the moment I saw them, their presence putting me on edge.

The other bulky man had a buzz cut hair, his meaty arms showing, a tattoo peeking from the hem of his sleeve. The other lean guy had a short neat hair, eyes trying to scan every passerby. My steps slowed down, realizing it was full moon tonight.

“Are you waiting for Inigo?” I asked as I carefully approached them.

Buzz Cut seemed to remember me. “f**k off,” he spat.

He was a hot-headed one. “You can stand all night there and won’t see his shadow.”

The other guy regarded me. “He’s not here? Where is he?”

I shook my head. “Shouldn’t you know that? He’s your brother, right?”

His eyes narrowed. “Are you his girlfriend?” he asked.

I hadn’t expected that.

“She’s his toy, that’s what she is, for sure,” Buzz Cut chimed in, really getting in my nerves. He then stepped closer, his nose flared up. “That what you are, is that right? A waste of time- “

Buzz Cut guy couldn’t continue what he was saying. He bent down, wincing, legs twitching. He gasped for air, his hands on his throat, eyes bulging. He tried to speak, yet all that came from his filthy mouth was shrieks.

I tilted my head, my eyes unblinking, putting him under spell. I didn’t have patience in beings like him, not when he was treating me like that. I was literally choking him, forcing him to bend down, wanting to know how long it would take for him to break.

The other guy tried to calm him down, wanting to know what was going on when he glanced at me, quickly realizing what was happening.

“Stop it!” he yelled, his posture on edge, hands balled into fists. “Damn! Stop it! Please!”

I stepped back, glaring at Buzz Cut, cutting in the spell. He took in a lungful of air, as held to his friend, trying to regain his balance.

Looking at the other guy, who resembled a young Inigo, I could tell he just figured out who I was. Clearly, it wasn’t the first time he encountered a witch in his life, watching him kept his distance.

“Let’s go, West,” he muttered, tapping the big guy on his back. “We shouldn’t be here,” he added, throwing me a look.

They got in the car parked at the side street and quickly drove away.

****

The next day, Inigo’s car was parked outside my house, his window rolled down. He waved a hand at me and I thought for a moment before getting in his car.

“I just thought I should drive you to school today.” He smiled softly.

“Is it because you’re MIA all day long yesterday?” I asked. “Are you okay?”

He looked away, laughing a little, as he started driving into the road. He then cleared his throat. “I heard you saw my brothers West and Echo yesterday at school.”

So, that’s their names. I sat up straight. They must have told him that he was dating a witch. “They’re looking for you.”

He nodded, keeping his silence for a moment.

“Are they really your brothers? I mean, like blood related?”

The corner of his lips turned up. “I think you know, Tana.”

I tried to keep myself cool. “Know what?”

“Okay.” He changed lanes, slowing the speed of his car. “I am never a fan of being a mystery. I am who I am. You are who you are.”

I watched him closely, his expression unreadable, his knuckles on the steering wheel almost turned white at his tight hold.

“You know I like you. I care for you and I can’t deny myself for what I feel for you, Tana. Despite us being different beings, I really can’t help it.” He sighed, brushing the back of his neck, his usual move when he got stressed. “There’s this thing in our, well, culture, telling us who our soulmates are. An invisible connection, a fate drawn for us by the moon, and we couldn’t ignore it even if we wanted to. And you’re my fate, Tana.”

“Culture? Fate?” I repeated, staring at him.

Inigo swallowed. “I am not your usual guy. The moon is our curse and our gift. You know what I am. I’m a beast, Tana.”

Hearing it from him sent shiver down my spine. I tensed, my brain sending warning signals in me, wanting me to keep myself in a safe distance.

“You’re a werewolf,” I whispered.

His jaw clenched, his hold on the steering wheel tightened. Glancing at me, his chocolate brown eyes looked sharp and haunting.

“My pack isn’t the one attacking the town, that I assure you.” He shook his head, frustration in his face. “Nobody in my brothers attacked Claire or the second victim.”

“How can you be so sure about your brothers?” I asked, my hands cold, my shoulders felt heavy.

Inigo looked at me, as if I should have known the answer. “Because they can’t hunt without their alpha’s permission. Besides, we don’t do that anymore. We don’t just hunt because we want to. We are more in control now.”

I tried to digest every word he was saying, trying to comprehend his confession and race.

“Just like how witches don’t use their gift to menial things as they try to blend into the human world.” Inigo glanced at me, his eyes lingering on my expression.

When I didn’t say anything, he continued.

“I know we are different from each other, Tana. But not really. We both just trying to blend into this world, trying to find our place, if we ever had one. Because honestly? Humans will reject us the moment they learn what we really are, won’t they? ‘Cause they only see us as curses, not beings with emotional capability. They are afraid of our strength because it will expose their weakness.”

With his words, he surely knew who I was. He told me all those things in gentle way, as if we were just talking about some movie review.

Looking ahead on the road, he turned to the block going to the campus, flashing his ID to the security guard as we entered Michaelson High premise.

When he parked the car, I bit back the fear keeping me in silence. “You know who I am? What I can do?”

Inigo adjusted his body, facing toward me, reaching for my hand. “Didn’t I tell you I like witches? They’re beautiful badass and alluring.”

His playful tone made me smile.

My feelings were mixed in a way. I was overwhelmed by the fact that he didn’t even bat an eye when he revealed his race, as if he expected me to accept who he was just like the way he would accept who I was. I didn’t know what to do with him saying I was his fate. But is he mine? Witches of Ilkar wasn’t supposed to breed with another being. Wasn’t that the very mistake my mother committed? That she fell in love with my father- a dragon man?

I have no idea what to think anymore. All I knew was, it would be my call on who would be my soulmate. As romantic as it may sounded, werewolf culture was not the same as mine. I didn’t want to believe in love made by fate. But maybe Inigo was right at one thing. We were both trying to find ourselves a place in this world.