Fighting For Freya

Chapter 9: Witchy Ways

   The next few days fly by quickly. I learn basic spells and study about herbs and plants. I help my aunt out in the garden and we identify the herbs as we work. Once finished I go to work for my shifts at the bookstore. Afterward I come home and eat dinner with my family. I'm so focused on learning what I need to that two weeks fly by. I now know the basic spells so I move on to potion making. 

   I wake up and get dressed in some comfortable leggings and a t shirt. My aunt knocks at my door asking me to meet her in the basement. Confused at why we would need to go down there I shrug and do as she asks. I only go into the basement to do my laundry, but it's fully finished with a few separate rooms. 

   The laundry room is off to the left in its own separate space, the main room is more of a recreational room with a flat screen mounted on the wall and a plush love seat and matching recliner. It is basically my uncle's man cave. Sports posters are framed and hung on the walls and there is a small, but nice bar on the opposite wall that is fully stocked with liquor bottles. The walls are all white and the ground is covered by black indoor/outdoor carpet. Across the laundry room is a room that I noticed is always kept under lock and key.

    As I arrive downstairs my aunt is already there waiting. She leads me to the locked room and she unlocks it, letting us inside. The walls in here are a cream color with dark tile floor. I step onto the brown rug that takes up most of the floor. 

   "This is our potion room. We mix and store our potions in here where it is safe from prying eyes." My aunt explains as she walks over to the large wooden table that holds empty vials, an empty mixing pot and an electric burner. 

   On the shelves above the wall are numerous mason jars that hold herbs and ingredients that are labeled. Behind the table is a large bookshelf with numerous books about herbs and ingredients, their uses and books about potions. I run my fingers over the titles just itching to open one and see what information is held inside. 

   My aunt grabs a book titled Potion Making For the Young Witch by Lucinda Johansen. My eyes widen as I realize my mother wrote this book. 

   "Your mother was one of the best potion makers the witch community had seen in a very long time. She never wasted any ingredients and she had a knack for growing them, every potion she made always did the intended purpose and everyone she gave potions to were very satisfied." I smile warmly reminiscing about my lovely mother.

    The smell of her perfume and her warm hugs, and the weird label less medicines she would give me when I fell ill. "She used to make potions for me when I was sick, didn't she?" I ask. 

   "Yes, the best potions she made were ones used for medicinal purposes." My aunt explains. 

   I open the book and start to read the do's and dont's about potion making. It was more or less the safety guidelines. Once I was finished reading, my aunt explains to me that I am going to assist in creating a potion to weaken the affects of the she-wolf heat, which is basically something all female werewolves have to deal with but they don't want to give into until they find their destined mate. There are quite a few she-wolves in the area that are not mated and wish to wait. This potion alleviates the burning sensation and intense need, it also makes them incredibly tired so most sleep through the night. 

   "We will create a few vials of this potion and bring it over to the Blackstone residence." My aunt explains. 

   Confused, I ask "Why would we do that? The only female werewolf that lives there is Mrs. Blackstone and she is already mated. Obviously." I point out. 

   "We as witches do not frequently interact with the werewolf community. We create the potions the need and they offer to protect the community against any problem people. We keep up the barrier around here that keeps humans out (except for humans that appear by chance because their other half awaits them on the other side of that barrier) and they offer us tighter security should we need it. We only interact with the Alpha and Beta families.." she explains. "Asher's father is the Alpha and his mother is the Luna. They run the werewolf community around here." 

   My eyes widen in shock. "That was quite the house for me to stumble upon when I first arrived here. No wonder its so huge." I state calmly, trying to ignore my racing heart. 

   Obviously done with that conversation we get to work putting some water in the mixing pot and setting it on the burner. Once it starts to boil I follow my aunt's instructions carefully, selecting the ingredients from the wall and measuring them out to add to the boiling pot. I'm grinding the last ingredient in a small mortar and pestle set when my aunt curses and explains we are missing an ingredient. 

   "I will fetch it. Where do I find it?" I ask, feeling relaxed from the quiet and calm work environment. 

   "It actually grows by the hot spring.." she explains. "We need to add it within the next hour or we will have to start over. Take the four wheeler and you should make it in time." I nod my head in agreement and make my way outside with a small basket in my hands. 

   I open the garage and start the four wheeler. I pass the house and make my way toward the middle of the properly. The path is wide and surrounded by trees. As I drive I see a few bunnies scamper out of the way and a doe and her fawn munching on some wild berries from a bush. It takes about fifteen minutes to get there so I hop off and start to gather as much of the herb as I possibly can. I am not paying attention to my surroundings until I hear a twig snap a few feet behind me.

    I go completely still as my heart starts to race. I turn with the intention to make a run for the four wheeler until I feel a hand grab my hair, dragging me backwards. I let out a cry of pain as I drop the basket and reach back to try to free myself. They yank harder, making me fall to the ground. I look up into the bright red eyes of my attacker. I am not sure how I know but I can tell he is a vampire. 

   When he sees my face he stops for a second, seemingly stunned at something and I start to wonder if I have something on my face. His face goes from confused to enraged, I feel the sting as he smacks me across the face. 

   "How dare you walk around here with her face! You Fae fucks sicken me, transforming into whoever you choose at whim and will." 

   I don't care to argue with him about who I am as I scramble to get away from this mystery vampire. He keeps a firm hold on my hair and he climbs on top of me and sits on my abdomen to keep me from running.

    I start to struggle and he smacks me again, this time way harder than the last. My eyes start to water but I refuse to let this bastard see me cry. "You may have her face and features but you got the hair and eye color wrong." He points out. "Either way, you will perish for this." He says as he moves my hair away from my neck. 

   His fangs drop down and he leans forward to drink from my neck until he hears a low growl coming from behind him. The vampire stops midway and I look in the direction of the growl and automatically recognize this wolf. 

   "Asher.." I say breathlessly, reaching for him. He snarls when he sees my rumpled clothes, exposed neck and bruising face. 

   I hear footsteps and see my aunt approaching. "Vincent if you do not remove yourself from my niece you will not fare well." She says, eerily calm as she points her walking staff at him. Asher snarls again in agreement. 

   "Okay, okay my bad Jen. I had no idea you had a niece.." He trails off as his eyes glaze over in thought. "No way.." He hisses as he stares down at me. "She is Lucinda's child?" he questions as he removes himself from my body. 

   I look at him in wonder, curious as to how he knows my mother but not curious enough to ask considering he just smacked me around and I'm pretty pissed off about it. 

   I glare daggers at him as my aunt helps me up and Asher runs into a bush to shift and change into the clothes my aunt had thrown to him. "You better have a good explanation about why you broke the barrier us witches tirelessly keep up and are now trespassing on our land." My aunt says angrily. 

   Asher walks up to me and examines me from head to toe. "Are you okay?" he asks me, his anger rolling off of him in waves. "I am okay, my face just hurts a bit." I state as I rub my cheek. I bend down and collect the basket full of herbs I dropped in the struggle. Asher's eyes narrow as he turns his angry eyes on Vincent. "Start talking. NOW." He roars.