Curse the Dark (The Harstone Legacy Book 1)

Chapter 22

Once again, I woke up feeling like there was a lead weight on my chest. The nights spent sitting in that cell with Flora were definitely causing some issues. The first thing I wanted when I woke up was to get away from any enclosed spaces and watch the sun flaming across the horizon. I didn't bother leaving a note as I figured by now Tilda had a good idea where to find me if she needed to. When I reached the bench and looked out across the bay I started taking in some deep breaths.

"You're going to hyperventilate," Karl noted, as he dropped beside me.

I really should work more on my spatial awareness. "Didn't expect to see you out here this early."

"I figured we needed to talk before this day starts, make sure everybody is on the same page."

"How is he?"

Karl rolled his head and I heard a couple of creaks in his neck. It looked like I wasn't the only one to have a rough night. "Well now, I don't rightly know. A couple of hours after I dropped you off, he woke up and busted out of the clinic."

"Where did he go?" I asked, the alarm filling my voice.

"I followed him back to his place."

"Was that safe?"

Karl snorted. "After last night, I wasn't going to get in his way."

"What happened last night?" I needed to know. I thought I'd been keeping a handle on things, but last night the situation had spiraled out of control. If I was going back up that hill to find out what the golem was protecting, I needed every little bit of information that I could get a hold of.

"Well," drawled Karl, "last night you got attacked by a golem and, if I'm not mistaken, my boss turned into a berserker." Karl rubbed his hand over his face. "Damn, I need a drink."

"What's a berserker?" I asked tentatively because a part of me didn't think I wanted to know.

Karl gave me a sharp look. "Berserkers are from myths. Famous warrior werewolves with a lot of crazy in them. I don't know much about them, but there hasn't been one on record since the Middle Ages. They're considered dangerous and unstable."

"And the sheriff is one of these?"

"That's my best guess."

"That's going to be a problem, isn't it?"

"And there is the understatement of the day." Karl looked over at me and I squirmed under his assessing gaze. "Now I have a question for you."

I had a feeling I wasn't going to like this.

"Can you tell me why you had no idea what a golem was."

"I know what a golem is," I said defensively.

"You may know what one is now, but I will bet a good portion of my salary that last night you didn't have the faintest clue what one was."

I stayed silent, chewing on my lower lip.

Karl sighed. "There's something about you that doesn't quite fit. You realize that, don't you?"

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I just can't give you the answers you're looking for right now."

"Is there a possibility I'll get them in the future?" he asked, his eyes studying me closely.

I shrugged. Once again, he was asking questions of the wrong person.

Karl sighed and leaned back against the bench. "Fair warning, usually the coven is given a fairly long leash because the witch laws are so much stricter than normal laws." He paused, obviously looking for the best way to frame what was coming. "That isn't going to last. Things are happening in town, and I have a feeling that the coven is smack bang in the middle of it."

"I understand," I murmured.

"I'm glad you do because I thought I had a handle on everything that happens in this town, but as of yesterday I've realized that I know nothing."

We fell silent for a few minutes, having reached an impasse and unsure how to proceed.

"Can I ask you a question about last night?" I asked, feeling my face go red.

Karl glanced over at me and for the first time this morning I saw a small grin on his face. "From the amount of blushing you've got going on, I'm assuming you want to know about the kiss."

I nodded. I know, considering everything else that was happening, focusing on a kiss may seem to be a frivolous thing, but it was taking up too much of my focus for me to ignore.

"Okay, everyone knows werewolves are instinctual creatures. Their base natures have a tendency to get away from them sometimes."

"But they're also human. Shouldn't that keep them civilized?"

"You'd think so, but humans can be slaves to their baser natures as well. Hormones get involved and things have a tendency to get out of control. Trust me when I say that being a guy and going to high school with werewolves is not fun." He paused for a moment and lowered his voice, even though there was nobody around us. "Being a berserker ramps everything up. What the sheriff went through last night was intense. He could have just been reacting to it on pure instinct. Chances are he won't even remember what happened before he passed out."

That made sense. Last night had been a very surreal situation. "So, the sheriff was just acting as a werewolf. It meant nothing." I wondered why disappointment was slashing through me.

Karl put his hand on mine and squeezed. "I'm sorry if that wasn't the answer you were looking for."

I forced a smile as I looked up at him. "I don't know why it's bothering me."

"Last night wasn't just an intense situation for the sheriff. It had to be terrifying for you as well. It's no wonder your emotions are heightened."

"What the hell are you doing, Deputy?" a voice growled at us.

I blinked up at the interruption to find Sheriff Tolan glaring at us. He looked far better than last night, but he also looked like he wanted to rip off the hand Karl was very quickly removing.

"We're just talking, Sheriff."

"Finish it up. We've got work to do." Without even looking at me, the sheriff spun around and stalked off.

"Of course, there is also the distinct possibility that I have no idea what I'm talking about," muttered Karl as he hurried off after his boss.