Macabre: the Gothic Boutique [1st draft]

Chapter 07

As it turned out, that first mile really wasn't part of the miniature mountain we had to take on. I thought she'd been lying about that or maybe it had been hope that she was fibbing to get to me. It hadn't been.

We'd gone past a mile of hilly green plains and hit a small, beautiful opening in the woods. It was an archway of tree branches with white and pink colored flower blossoms scattered and attached to the bark. The design looked intentional, like someone took a Magnolia tree and wrapped the branches into a U-shape large enough for someone to walk through. How they did it without damaging the flowers was beyond me. As we got closer, the fragrance of the flowers tickled my nose and my fingers itched to pluck one of the blossoms.

"I wouldn't do that," Arden said.

I lifted my gaze, slightly startled at the interruption. My arm, in the process of reaching for the tiny piece of perfumed bliss, paused mid-air. "Why not?"

"This opening was put here by the Fae. You take that flower, they'll take you. Most humans have lore about this, but they think it's only when a Fae offers you drink or food. It's not. Possessive evil heathens they are. You take something of theirs they take the one thing that matters most to you."

I couldn't help the snort that escaped as I plunked my hands on my hips and tilted my head. "And what is that?"

Arden turned towards me, just before taking a step through the archway. "Usually, it's your life. They love the taste of human flesh and they'll drink your blood like that Dr. Pepper you seem to love so much."

A burning flush warmed my cheeks. Darn. I hadn't let her in my apartment, mainly because I thought she was assaulting me, but the real reason had been because my place was a pig sty. Maggie hadn't been there long enough to clean properly and I wasn't about to do it.

"You'll have to do something about that if I'm to live with you for the week."

I continued to reach forward and swiftly plucked the blossom when Arden wasn't looking. "Yeah, about that... I don't want you living with me for a week. You're annoying," I said, inhaling the scent of the flower before slipping it behind my ear.

"Look who's talking," Arden said. "Besides, you paid for it. Don't you want to get your money's worth?"

"Wow, your come backs astound me, Oompa. Besides," I said mimicking her, "I didn't pay for it." I wasn't going to admit that the thought of not getting the money's worth was probably the only thing keeping me going, and curiosity... at the schmuck willing to play the Alpha werewolf.

She stamped her foot childishly. "I am not an Oompa loompa. When I go through my transition I'll be taller than you!" she said with a growl turning around to evil eye me. "Now, would you come on? We're going to be la-late." Arden stuttered and her eyes widened as she focused on the flower blossom in my hair. "Oh Annabelle, you didn't!"

I rolled my eyes and pushed past her, walking through the archway. "I appreciate that you're trying to keep this real but really, you can dial it back a little."

"I'm not acting! Didn't James show you that this is real? Didn't he drink blood in front of you? Didn't you see the changes in him afterwards? This is not a joke," Arden said, her voice tinged with panic. "You signed the contract." She added with wiggling shoulders and a whine. Her fingers slipped through her raspberry curls, shoving her hair from her freckled face. "We have to hurry. Simon... he'll barter for you."

"Uh," I paused as goose bumps spread across my arms. It seemed suddenly dark on the path ahead and I wasn't so sure I wanted to go first anymore. "What?"

"For some reason the Fae like Simon. I think it's because he's half Fae, though it's never been confirmed, but he has the tall lengthy form they have. I mean they come to visit him all the time. He'll be able to barter for you successfully," she said, twiddling her fingers in front of her as she nodded, looking anxiously at the ground. She glanced up and scowled, removing her teeth from her bottom lip. "Not that I care much, but we both happened to be bound by that contract that promises your protection for the week."