Her Hunters

He growled and pushed me back into the shelves, a hand wrapped tightly around my throat. I gasped, surprised and aroused by his actions. “The town witch. It figures that they would have you in charge of the Book.” I could feel the energy of his wolf just underneath the skin and I found myself trying to summon it. What would it be like to face this man’s demons? I laughed to myself at the thought.

 

“Careful, now. I was not trying to hurt you, nor do I want to. I am just trying to protect the Book… Our secrets.” He seemed to calm slightly, and his grip relaxed. “Now, what do you need the book for? And under whose authority?”

 

I could see the urge to lie in his eyes, but he battled it down and stared into my eyes. “Have you met my father? Xavier Wolfbane? He is ill and the Book may have a spell or remedy that will cure him. My brothers and I were going to call a witch from a couple of towns over to perform whatever we found, but if you are truly a witch…” He shook his head and trailed off. “That isn’t important right now. I need to get into the vault and see if there is anything that can even save him.”

 

“I can tell you right now you will find a couple of options, but each one comes with a different price. Are you sure you want to pay the price of magic?” I knew that magic often ended in death, for one person or another. I was just curious to see just how far this wolf would go to save something he loved. “You will need to think long and hard about what life bringing magic may bring into your life. I…” I trailed off, knowing that I did not need to go on about my own sob story.

 

I watched as he mulled over what I just said. For a split second, I thought that he would back out and put his own life first. His eyes snapped back to mine and he gave me a reassuring smile. “I am sure that I want to do this. My father is the only parent I have left and I will do whatever I can to save him.” He paused, looking back down at his feet. “Well, I can at least try.”

 

“Alright. I will help you find what you are looking for.” I said, almost reluctantly. My heart thudded harder when he gave me a genuine smile that lit up his entire face. I turned away from him, facing the wall that held a hidden trigger. I looked around, noticing that the old woman had left and the library was now empty. “Stay here. I am going to go lock the door.” I made my way to the front of the library, pausing for only a moment. “I mean it. Do not move.”

 

* * * *

 

“You never told me your name.” I looked over my shoulder at the dark haired werewolf, before resuming my search for the Book. I stretched up on my toes as soon as I spotted the golden spin of the Book and grabbed it. I grunted and rubbed the cover of the book, closing my eyes as the magic reached up and caressed my fingers playfully.

 

He moved to stand next to me, staring down at the Book in my hands and swallowing hard. “My name is Gabriel Wolfbane. I am surprised that you didn’t figure it out already.” His hands reached for the book, but I stepped out of his reach. “What are you doing? Give me the book.” His voice deepened with frustration and he reached for it again.

 

“Slow down. It is spellbound. Only a witch can open it, or it will be destroyed.” I set the book on the table and placed my thumb against the glowing red gem in the center of the cover. “Another reason that the book is kept locked away.”