The Greyback Manor

Chapter six

I remembered that memory I had seen with a younger Alexandria and Connor being held captive during a full moon. Even if I didn't see the whole thing, I knew what the intention had been.  

"So, it’s a true that a werewolf reacts to the full moon?" I asked.  

Her face dropped at my question, and maybe I was mistaken, but she shuddered a bit. I didn't blame her. There was no way I could ever understand what she had seen. Even with these strange memory flashes, that was child's play compared to living them.  

“Unfortunately, yes, and I don't know what Connor has told you, but it’s the one night he's not in control," she responded. "I'm not in the best mindset either."  

"Wait, how can that be? Your kids told me that you were a Kitsune," I said. She giggled and adjusted the necklace around her neck. My eyes narrowed, unable to process what she found funny about my question. Before I could even ask, she lifted up her long dark wavy hair to reveal a faint scar. It took me a few minutes to realize it was a bite, which meant she had been bitten. "He bit you?" I asked.  

All I could do was stare at the mark while she placed the old book back on the shelf.  

“Yes, he did a long time ago, but it saved me from something much worse," she admitted. "You see, Connor has two wolf forms, a regular one and a primal one. I only have one," she explained.  

I still didn't understand, as there was nothing about a primal form in werewolf lore. Nor was there anything that said they could have more than one form.  

"A primal form?" I asked.  

She giggled again and gestured for me to sit next to her at the table. I agreed, as I had my suspicions about her being a werewolf already. My immediate thought was that I just needed to know more.  

"What do the humans say about us in your time?" she asked. "A primal form is a form only certain werewolves can take. It's more of a supe-human-wolf type of form."  

That would explain why he looked like something from a werewolf movie when he fought against Dracula. Why I hadn't picked up on that before? The two had even said they met in the woods. Connor was injured. It wouldn't have made sense for Alexandria to think he was a dog in need of help, if he was three times bigger than her.  

“Oh, I knew that," I said, sarcasm dripping from the tips of my tone. Alexandria looked at me with disapproval until her eyes glowed orange and we both laughed.  

"You definitely didn't know that, but for both our amusement I'll pretend you did," she responded. "Anyway, you're correct in a way. I am a Kitsune, however what you humans mistake as fox spirits are actually a different kind of werewolf."  

Now I knew she was talking in riddles. First she said that she was a werewolf, and now she was saying a kitsune was a werewolf. That wasn't right. I knew all about those mischievous nine-tailed foxes. They didn't even come from the same lore as werewolves, so how could they be one in the same? She let her hair fall back into place, concealing her scar. Unfortunately, that left me with more questions.  

"I don't understand what are you trying to say," I said after a moment of silence.  

A part of me expected her to laugh at me again or to run out of patience. But she smiled warmly and told me more about her past. I made a joke to lighten up all the tension when she talked about the torture she went through. Just like the vision I had she was locked up in a rundown shed with Connor on the night of a full moon. They were both hurt and terrified as Dracula’s plan to stop their wedding seemed seconds away. Connor did transform, however Alexandria refused to be afraid of him which allowed him to stay calm. “So do you have nine tails or?” I joked.  

“No, I don’t have nine tails that is just an illusion I use to protect myself.” she seemed to get the joke and pushed me playfully. We shared a laugh before she went on with her story.  

"Let me put it this way. When I was Dracula's prisoner and fiancé, he bit me," she said. I couldn't hold back a gasp, since I had seen a glimpse of her torment. "The night it happened, the pain was overwhelming, and I thought my heart was going to burst."  

Her words sunk deep into my mind, and I could hear the sound of painful cries. Followed by breaking glass, the rattle of chains, and blood dripping. I gulped in an attempt to hide what I heard, but that didn't last long.  

"I don't mean to say this, but your twins said that you almost died," I whispered.  

In the fraction of a second, she looked at me with tears in her eyes. I gasped and apologized for hurting her, but she dismissed it.  

“Yes, I did, because that's what vampire venom does. It kills you slowly, and my babies almost died as well," she said.  

Tears fell from her eyes, and I lowered my head in shame. Clara, what were you thinking? Of course she doesn't want to relive it! I screamed internally. A few tears fell from my face as the story went on. Eventually I couldn't take it anymore, and I told Alexandria she could stop.  

"I'm sorry I brought this up. I'm so stupid," I said. "If I was better, I could have solved this mystery at the hotel, but I didn't see what was really going on."  

Alexandria sighed and handed me a box of medicine paper to wipe my tears. It was rough on my skin, but I appreciated the gesture. I don't know why she was being so nice to me, but the more she interacted with me, the more she reminded me of not only my best friend but a mother who tended to her child.  

"There's nothing you could have done, Clara. If it hadn't been for you, we probably all would have died," she responded. "And you don't have to be sorry I'm still here. I'm not going anywhere."  

“Yeah, well, everything was a lot simpler when I didn't have all this to worry about," I said.  

The clock hadn't stopped, and I needed to figure out what the real purpose of that dinner party was. I only had eight days left, and if I kept losing time to the Jekyll situation, there wouldn't be any days left, and whatever fate came would consume me. My thoughts were interrupted when Alexandria tapped me on the shoulder and gave me something. It was none other than her knife from that puzzle.  

"If what you told me is true, then you have a special gift, Clara. You can absorb the memories of any monster by touch," she said. "I want you to take this and see what happened."  

I shook my head instantly. I wanted to stop having those visions. Even if they were helpful, they made me believe I was crazy.  

"No, I can't keep seeing..." I began but was cut off by Alexandria.  

"I know how scared you are, but you can't run from this," she said. "I promise you that I will do all I can to help but you have to trust me."  

I took a deep breath struggling to respond until I nodded. There was no way I could ignore these visions. I needed to know what they meant and why I had them. Alexandria smiled, and I took the knife from her. A bright light filled my vision, and an image began to form. Unlike my previous ones that were rougher, this one felt like a dream.