Wolf Blood

Chapter Twelve: Wolfsbane

“You don’t have a choice,” Clove said crossing his arms. “Just get inside.” He started tapping his foot.

“It’s probably for the best. If you go wolf on us it could be bad for everyone involved,” Kinsley said. “I’ll be here the whole time.”

“I do this under protest,” I said before walking inside the cell. I hadn’t seen the cage when I first walked in. The cell was tucked under the stairs, set back behind the wall. The cage looked like those jails you see in old western sheriff’s offices. The clang of the closing door echoed. The cot looked at least a hundred years old. Springs were poking through the surface and there were brown, yellow, and red stains covering the mattress. The brown blanket folded at the bottom looked like burlap.

“Safety first,” Clove said chuckling. “The bed is more comfortable than it looks. I promise.”

“I’m inclined not to believe you,” I said turning around to face him. For many reasons. One, the springs look like daggers. Two, the blanket looks scratchy, and three he didn’t like wolves.

He shrugged. “You might want to have the blanket close by, just in case.”

“In case what?” I said, grabbing the cold bars. I gently shook them and the door barely budged.

“In case you go wolf and then change back. I mean, I wouldn’t mind, but I think you will.”

I shuttered. “Kinsley. Is it too late to back out?” She smiled at me.

“You’re in good hands and by that-,” she said looking over at Clove. “I mean the only hands we know of.”

“Don’t you forget it.” He smiled. “I can smell desperate women miles away.” He wiggled his brow before heading to the table. I didn’t know how I felt about him yet. He didn’t seem like a horrible guy, but he did seem a bit weird. But not weird in a creepy way. He struck me as a joker and the kind of guy that took some jokes too far.

“I’m nervous Kinsley,” I said. Jokes aside, I was panicking.

“You should be. The pain is excruciating. It will be the worst feeling you have ever felt,” Clove said as he put gloves on to handle the wolfsbane.

Kinsley placed her hand over mine. “It’s going to be awful, but it could be the one thing you want. We might try increasing the dosage if we see positive results.”

Clove walked over to the bars with a vial of pale purple liquid. “If we get positive results you may be rid of your lycanthropy.”

“What do positive results look like?” I asked, squeezing the bars. I could feel sweat beading at the back of my neck. My pulse quickened.

“More human less wolf,” he said, whatever that meant. “When you take the wolfsbane your wolf will want to flee, and they’ve been known to come out. If I give you more, it may kill the wolf, leaving you human.” He spun the glass, mixing the liquid. “Of course, these theories have not been recently tested. We’re not sure what will happen.”

“Comforting.” I groaned leaning my head on the bars. My heart thudded. The pulsing reached my ears. I feared that pain. Ridding myself of the wolf was not something I wanted to experience. I imagined it was like ripping skin off.

“Are you ready?” Clove asked. I shook my head. “I’m sure you’ll be fine.” He stuck the vial through the bar. “Try to use the bucket near the bed.” He pointed to the top of the bed where a silver bucket rested. “Vomiting is a common side effect.”

“Selene,” Kinsley said. I looked up at her. “I’ll be back with a water bottle and a nicer blanket.”

“You might want to bring a change of clothes,” Clove said.

“And clothes,” Kinsley said. “I’ll be right back.” She quickly left.

Clove watched her leave before returning his attention back to me. “I know you don’t trust me, but it is not my intent to kill you.” His bright amber eyes watched me. “I know how much Kinsley cares for you.”

“And you care for her?” I asked.

Clove nodded. “I know how I present myself, but I do not like experimenting on people who are close to my coven. I will do everything in my power to keep you safe, while trying to kill the dog in you.”

“Thank you,” I said. This didn’t mean I trusted him completely now, but I felt better. Knowing he cares about someone other than himself was comforting. Though I was still terrified, I felt better about doing this whole thing. “Thank you for saying that.”

“I’m not a monster.” He paused. “Anymore. That’s the thing about immortality, it gives you the chance to redeem yourself.” I wanted to reach out to him but decided against it.

It wasn’t long before Kinsley came back into the room. She slid the items between the bars to me and I took them before placing them by the bucket. When I returned to where they stood Clove handed me the vial.

“I’ll be here the whole time,” she said before giving me a small smile.

“What if it doesn’t work?” I asked.

“We will figure that out after we try it,” Clove said then pointed to the monkshood. “You may not feel it right away, but you will definitely feel it. Prepare yourself for extreme pain. Prep the bucket and scream if you need to.”

I lifted the monkshood. It looked chunky with half chopped flower peddles and leaves. Far away it looked much more appetizing and more like liquid. I pressed the glass to my lips, paused, took a breath, and then leaned my head back and swallowed.

The monkshood burned my throat while it went down. I walked to the bed and grabbed the blanket. It was scratchy and I was grateful for the one Kinsley brought. I laid the scratchy blanket on the floor before sitting. I pulled the bucket closer and it screech as the metal slid across the concrete. That was a horrible noise. Clove and Kinsley watched me with their bright eyes. I guess this was what zoo animals felt like.

“So far so good.” My voice was hoarse. I sounded like a man. Kinsley and Clove raised their brows at me.

“It takes effect very quickly,” Clove said before writing something down. “For none supernatural cases, many people died within four hours of consuming it. Even being treated for monkshood, it still took several hours for them to recover.” He looked up at me. “According to lore, that time-line should be sped up. Werewolves have a unique relationship with wolfsbane.”

“Her heart is racing,” Kinsley said glancing at Clove.

My breathing quickened. My heart felt like it was ready to burst. I groaned and clutched my stomach. Getting on my hands and knees, a growl rippled through me. I could feel the wolf fighting to get out and my desire to keep it in waned. Pain rocketed through my body and I howled. Claws shot out from my fingers. My moaning turned into growling. I looked up at the vampires watching me, they stepped back.

The tearing of clothes was quiet compared to my ragged breathing. I wasn’t full wolf, but I was hanging onto my humanity as best as I could. I never had a use for the word agony, until today. My insides burned and puke shot all over the floor.

“The bucket,” Clove whined.

I fell to my side and my body grew numb. I couldn’t move my arms or legs. My neck grew stiff when I tried to look at them. I whimpered. It hurt to move my head. Sweat dripped onto the floor off my arms. I could feel the beads sliding down my face. I took deep breaths but couldn’t catch my breath. Panic rose in me, I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t move. At least the numbness helped with the pain.

“Clove. Something is wrong,” Kinsley said, her voice high.

“These are the side effects. She’s fine. After this subsides, we will try a higher dose,” Clove said.

“I’m not sure that’s wise.” I couldn’t see them, but I knew Kinsley was trying to remain calm. The hard edge in her voice always came before she lost control.

“Every book I read said pain, nausea, vomit, loss of control, in no particular order. But those symptoms always preceded numbness. According to them, she should be feeling pretty numb right now.”

The numbness only took the edge off the intense pain. My stomach clenched and my limbs burned. I felt the bile coming up again. I pressed my cheek against the cement floor. The cold felt good against my burning skin; it helps ease my pounding head. Kinsley and Clove continued to talk, but they sounded muffled. I heard my name before darkness brought its silence.