Blood Magik: A Cold Day in Hell (Book One)

Chapter 3: ...Wolves Are Sure to Follow

The demon-wolf melted away its size until only the form of a strikingly handsome dog remained, with shiny black fur and glowing, yellow eyes. It shook off its transformation like dust on its coat and sniffed around. Combing over the area, it hoped to pick up a scent that would arouse it and give it purpose; the smell of blood and fresh flesh alluring even while heavily masked by a woman's product. Tessura's eyes gleamed and her fangs dripped, her mouth watering in anticipation of the scent that escaped its fate. She growled deeply under her breath a wanting groan. It was the primal whine of hunger unappeased.

2

Alex hurried from the alley, her breathing a bit erratic but she kept a level head. She wasn't sure what provoked such fright but knew by the stillness of the night that whatever it was wasn't going to go away.

When she was a child, she had an extra awareness that reached beyond the plane of a mortal existence. She'd sit for hours at night conversing with her mother, Aiyana, who'd been dead since the night of her birth. She never told a soul about her conversations with her mother's spirit except for her older brother who'd be a part of their talks through her.

A stretch of nearly a year went by when they'd speak to her nightly. Alex and her brother would sit and tell their departed mother about their friends at school, things their teachers would say, and stuff they did they thought would make her proud. Alex was four at the time and her brother twelve, both reaching for something in the world that existed beyond the confines of their callous reality. Eventually her brother started losing his conviction and growing skeptical of his sister's ability to commune with a woman she'd never met. But the way she'd describe her, and the things she'd tell him his mother would say were so much like her that at times he could feel her there in the room beside them; even smell her hair and sense her smile.

As the life of a child would grow more complex, with new friends, homework, and boys and such, Alex saw her mother less and less until she began doubting her own eyes and ears and dismissed her visions as the overactive imaginings of a lonely little girl. Her brother would bring it up at times as sort of a happy memory, but Alex was never very comfortable talking about it. Occasionally she would still see her mother in her dreams as she did as a kid and, through further experience, knew now her visions were more than just a lonely child's fancy.

The amulet she wore around her neck she got from her brother. He said their mother asked him to pass it on when she was old enough to wear it with respect. It had a historical background that was Native American, as was her mother's heritage, and was a gift she cherished and prayed with whenever she needed guidance or strength.

She reached under her coat and clutched the heirloom in her palm as she would whenever she grew nervous or frightened. Its form was made of a silver that would never get cold when it was close to her heart. On one side, it had an eagle's claw clutching a translucent green stone about the size of a marble, its consistency as deep as the belly of the sea. On the other, the green stone sat in the center of an eye, with ancient text encircling its edge and the sun shining behind it all. Neither she nor her brother really knew its meaning since their father didn't share their mother's heritage – or any other hallowed beliefs. He was a heartless, despicable tyrant of a man who'd lost custody of his children long before Alex was old enough to have the displeasure of getting to know him. She'd visited him in prison once, mostly to gain some insight into the "gifts" her life had been burdened with. Her visit proved to be less than heartwarming, but disturbingly insightful—

"Hi...dad."

The word "dad" was harder to pry from her throat than she expected. It tasted bitter when she said it, like a lump of sour mucus on the back of her tongue. She immediately wished she could take it back but hoped to use it to get him to drop his guard.