The Garden Witch

Chapter Three

I was on my feet before I could think. Why were they after me? Were they trying to scare me, to reinforce what the Alpha had told me? Did they want me terrified? Because it was working if that was their goal.

I ran my head through the protective spells that I knew. The house was already warded, which mean they would have minor trouble getting in if they decided to knock the door down. But, like the two men earlier, they would be able to do it if they were persistent enough. I was a green witch, not an enchantress or a sorceress. I didn't weave illusions or use a wand to cast destructive spells. Maybe I should have chosen a different career path but it was too late to lament that now. Besides, I had seen what happened when I went down those roads and it wasn't pretty.

I paced to the window and looked out. It was dark.

"Brilliant," I hissed through gritted teeth. "Of course it's dark. It's winter. What was I expecting to see?"

I stepped back from the window as an object slammed into it. An object that was large and furry. I jerked the curtains closed and stepped back into the warm light of the house. The howling was starting again. There were a lot of them, more than the two I had heard originally.

I grabbed my protection bag from under the couch and gripped it in my hand. I wasn't sure what it would do against werewolves but it was all I had.

Then someone was knocking at the door. Did werewolves knock?

I crossed the room and peered out the small window in the door. It was the man from the night before. What had the Alpha called him? Alex Carter. He was knocking hurriedly and looking behind him. I froze, not sure what to do. Was he here to kill me? Was he angry that I had told the Alpha about him?

"Damn it, Tabitha, open up," he called through the door. "I'm here to help."

Behind him, in the light from my windows, I saw shapes moving. Large, wolf-like shapes. Wondering if I was making a mistake, I opened the door and tugged him inside, slamming it behind him. Breathlessly, I turned to look at him.

"Thank you," he said, straightening his jacket where I had drug him inside. He wasn't wearing the flannel and flip-flops anymore. Instead, he was in a hoodie and basketball shorts. What was it with werewolves and that outfit?

"What are you doing here?" I demanded.

"I'm here to help," he said, glaring down at me. "Do you hear them outside?"

"Yes, but why are they here? Are they after you again?"

"Not me, you. They're angry you helped me and they want to get rid of you."

"But why?" I demanded. "I just talked to the Alpha and he warned me not to talk to you. Why would he send them after me right afterward?"

"Don't ask me to get inside of his head, because I can't. I just know they're here to kill you and me too, if they get the chance. We need to get you out of here."

"How are we going to do that? It sounds like they've got the place surrounded. How did you get in here, anyway?"

"I'm faster than them. Better. But you're slow, they'll be on you in a second if you try to get out."

"Gee, thanks," I muttered. That was nice to hear. I knew I wasn't exactly the most athletic person, but still. You'd think the man would give me a break.

"You're human. Of course, you're slow."

"How do we get out, then?" I demanded, deciding that between the howling wolves outside and Alex Carter, I'd take Alex Carter. At least he wasn't actively trying to break into my house. Maybe that was because I had let him in, but whatever.