Moon-marked 3: Quintessence

Chapter 9

Human for a day. Becky had heard of 'queen for a day' spa treatments and when Finn had said all three of them would have to be rendered human before he could repair the fractured magic, she had to admit she agreed with Paige. She might not have been as vocal about her dismay as the now-former vampire had been, but she felt the same anxiety, the same outrage. Though she loved all her human friends—and Seth—dearly, she had no desire to join their species. She was a werewolf through and through, and she couldn't wait until she could feel the kiss of the moon properly once more.

Seth had made being human for a day feel special, however. It wasn't just the sex, though that had been amazing in its own way; she was definitely more sore and spent than she would have been if she was still a werewolf, but that was its own sort of pleasure. Over the course of her one day as a human, Seth tried to introduce her to experiences big and small that she would process differently. The electronic bleat of the alarm clock was no longer as piercing, though she still hated it on principle. Since caffeine had a greater effect on her, coffee was even more delightful. Scents were weaker on the whole, but somehow even more interesting; since they were more of a curiosity than a burden, Becky found herself actually wanting to sniff different flowers and tea blends and even perfumes. Seth's beard didn't feel as scratchy, so she cuddled up to him as often as she could. His eyes, however, were still as beautiful as ever. She was grateful for that. Nothing about the spell was guaranteed, but if she could still hold his gaze, deep and clear and sure, at least she would have some sense of peace.

"Are you sure we should do the spell here?" Seth asked as he parked his SUV at the end of the trail. Finn had recommended not going to one of the spots where Becky liked to shift, just in case the magic left residual energy that might affect her—and potentially Seth—later, so they had gone to a smaller park instead. It wasn't popular with locals or tourists because it didn't have many trails, so they wouldn't have to worry about being seen, but it also meant the spell would have fewer potential side effects. "If you don't feel comfortable driving after—"

"I know how to drive an SUV, Rollins," Finn answered dryly. "I'm not going to drive it into a ditch."

Becky smiled to herself as Seth and Finn debated about who would drive after they had all recovered from the spell. Finn had considered doing the spell at Seth's house, but he worried about the magic lingering in the house or even potentially affecting Seth's neighbours. The small woodland area afforded less privacy, but it also made the magic easier to manage; if things went horribly wrong, Finn would at least be able to steer the energy directly into the earth. "I'm sure one of us will be able to drive," Becky said, raising her voice. "Why don't we start the spell? Paige should probably go first, since Emily was kind enough to arrange to have a donor ready for her." In all honesty, Becky wanted Paige to go first just so she would stop complaining, but she also knew it was rude to keep a volunteer donor waiting; blood loss could leave a person tired and disoriented, so most donors scheduled their offerings for times when they would be able to rest afterwards.

Paige shot her a grateful look and rose from the fallen tree she was sitting on, taking a moment to brush off her pants. "If we're starting soon," she said, reaching into her pocket, "I should let Emily know so she can head to the meeting spot." Earlier, Paige had offered to stay with them in case Becky or Seth needed help, but Becky knew how anxious Paige was to get back to her vampiric form; Emily and the donor had arranged to meet Paige at the small picnic area at the park's outer edge. According to Seth, it had gained a reputation for drug use when he was a teenager and even though it had been cleaned up and safe for decades, the stigma remained. In Paige's case, that worked in her favour, because no one was likely to notice anything strange. "And she said she'll monitor me and the donor tonight, so you don't have to worry."