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Author's Note: Just so you know there's a big time jump in this chapter from the last one, nearly a month. I did it to move the narrative along to where I wanted it to go. I've been told I did a good job filling in the gap :)So the chapter is so short, I promise the next one will be longer :) I'd like to thank djkauf for the editing and everyone else for loving my universe so much.

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Ch.12

“So is today the day?” asked Mary as she painted my toenails.

All I could do was shrug. She knew about as much about the Coven as I did. In fact, seeing how she was a witch she should have known more. But she didn’t, in fact no one knew more. We tried getting info out of her grandmother but Mrs. Crawford told us the Coven was a sacred thing and that its secrets were not to be shared. So all I could do was wait and wonder and wait I did. In fact, the Coven seemed to excel at making me wait. I was expecting to hear from them again the day after they gave me the Summons but apparently, that’s not how these things worked. There was a process and sometimes that process was the longest thing in the world.

It was nearing the end of October now. Halloween was right around the corner. Any later and I think I’m going to die of boredom. Not that things have been boring for me, far from it, actually.

After the group date at the movie theater, things with Chris and me were wonderful. We didn’t go on an official “just the two of us” date until a week later. It was really nice, nicer than I expected it to be. It started with another movie and then a light dinner afterwards. When he kissed me good night, I wasn’t sure how to react to it. I was a little scared that I liked it so much though. After that, Chris and I were pretty hot and heavy---ok, so nothing more than kissing but we spent a lot of time together. That’s where the tension came in though. Carly loved to see the two of us together, flirting in the ring, teasing one another during training and whatnot. It was my family that seemed to have a problem with it. I’m not sure why they were so against it but in the end that’s what it came down to.

I’m not saying my family broke us up but the idea of them not being happy with us kind of killed things. It didn’t help that all we really liked to do was kiss. So about three weeks after it started, it ended. We parted on good terms though. Chris was still a good friend; we just couldn’t make out anymore. At least we could still beat the hell out of one another. I took to martial arts like a fish to water. It amazed me how easily I picked it all up and I was so grateful for that. It helped stem a lot of my aggression, especially where Mike was involved. Though he didn’t try anything more, it was the dirty looks that really pissed me off.

Mary kept telling me he’d get his. I’m not sure what she was up to but I hoped she turned him into a rat or something.

Besides my love life---or lack thereof---, my social life skyrocketed. Dana and Clara became official members of the group too. I’m not sure Mary was too happy but they were even starting to grow on her. Not that Mary was going out of her way to reflect their more girly styles but at least she didn’t sneer at them anymore. Dana didn’t have an effect on me either but some of it did. I’m not saying that I was prancing around in dresses and giving people daisies now but I was more comfortable with things. Dana and I have been going shopping together; it started the weekend after the group date. She was even able to convince me to wear my first skirt. When I came home with it on, I think Constance had a heart attack.

I’ve never seen my stepmother so happy in my whole life.

The rest of my life was pretty much the same. I was still a girl, still had no idea why I was one and there was a chance that I might be one for the rest of my life. Mrs. Crawford’s tests came back negative. Well not exactly negative but inconclusive. She was certain there was something there but it was nothing she could detect. She asked my permission to allow other practitioners to look at it; of course I agreed. Anything to help me figure out what the hell was wrong with me. It’s strange really though. I was still adamant to get to the bottom of this change but it was no longer the top priority on my to do list.

Right now, that spot was apparently Halloween.

“Why are we painting my nails again?” I asked, looking at the black polish that Mary suckered me into.

Mary smirked. “It will go with your costume.”

“The super secret one that you won’t tell me about?”

Mary smiled. I could only groan, fearing what she was going to rope me into. Mary went to the shop without me. Apparently, I was too busy, what with dating and all. Chris and I were now officially over for a full week. Mary had been anxious to get the costumes without me though, wanted it to be a big surprise. Thankfully, today the surprise would be revealed as the two of us were picking them up this afternoon. A week from Halloween and not a moment too soon. Halloween was going to be different this time of year though. The party---our annual party---was cancelled. Dad was too tied up in his new development project, especially now that his contractor was dead. Apparently, it was Maury Goldsmith---victim #3. There was going to be another party though---just as big---at the Stiles.

Dana made sure all of us were invited of course.

“So what’s your costume?”

She shook her head. “No way. It ties into yours. If I spill mine then you’ll figure out yours for sure.”

I stuck my tongue out at her.

I spent the rest of the time trying to get her to divulge her super secret plans but she wouldn’t budge. It didn’t really matter though because ten minutes later, the two of us were out the door and heading to town. We rode our bikes; I was still using one of my old ones but like it really mattered. Soon it would start to snow and then bike riding would be useless anyway. Besides, I took my driver’s test last week. I passed, of course, but Constance wouldn’t let me drive until I got my license. It was supposed to arrive any day. I couldn’t wait actually, neither could Mary. Her grandmother wouldn’t let her drive, too many distractions was her reason. Mary had enough on her plate as it was what with schoolwork and all the magic training. Though she still only had mastery of two spells, she was starting to learn some others. The other day she turned a block of wood into a mouse, which was really cool. She made a lot of Harry Potter jokes about that one.

It didn’t take us long to ride from the Crawford house into town. We went right to the costume shop. There was a small crowd already inside; most were last minute shoppers I guess. We chained our bikes up at the rack before going inside. The place was wall-to-wall costumes, with several clothes racks in the center, separated into makeshift aisles. The owner thought it might be a good idea to play Halloween music too because it was blaring from the corner sound speakers, filling the room with screeches and screams. When we went inside, I lost sight of Mary. She slipped off and around a group of sorority bimbos, disappearing off to destinations unknown.

I decided to browse a bit. I found myself at a rack with some light and airy dresses. One of them had fairy wings attached. As I was running my hands along the fabric of a dress, I suddenly noticed a presence beside me. I nearly jumped because she snuck up like that. I turned to her and smiled weakly. This girl was peculiar to say the least, black clothes, shocking pink hair. The strangest thing about her was her ability to sneak up on me like that. I was getting more used to things, especially my senses. I could usually smell most people and there wasn’t a single person that could walk up to me without me noticing. But this girl did. What’s more though was her smell; it was a strange odor, unlike any human I’d smelled before.

She gave me a strange look too.

“You going to buy this one?” she asked, pointing to the lavender colored gown I was still fingering.

I let it go quickly. “No, it’s not really my style.”

“Shame, it would look real cute on you.”

I smiled. “I’m not here to shop actually; I’m just waiting for a friend. She ordered our costumes ahead of time.”

As we talked, a pair of guys came into the shop. They were an odd pair to say the least, one of them tall and brawny, a clear frat boy contender. The other was tall too, taller than his friend in fact. He was of the Goth variety with long black hair, makeup and black leather pants. I couldn’t help but wonder what Mary might say if she saw him. The pink haired girl noticed the two boys too, because she followed them with her eyes, watching as the Goth one disappeared off by himself.

“It was nice talking to you,” she said before vanishing herself.

I found myself still looking at the frat boy. I didn’t mean to, it just sort of happened. I’m not saying he wasn’t a bit nice to look at of course but he wasn’t really my type. Unfortunately, he caught me staring because he came wandering over.

“Hey babe” he said, I think I threw up a bit in my mouth. “See something you like?”

Seriously? Did he actually think that line worked?

“I’m just looking,” I said, hoping he got the hint.

He didn’t. “Well you found me. My name is Steve, what’s your name?”

“Unavailable” said Mary, appearing at my side.

I was never more glad to see her in my entire life.

“Don’t say that” said Steve “I even have a friend for yours, he’s into all that gothy stuff.”

Mary sighed then took on a severe tone. “Leave before I tazer your nuts.”

The color drained from Steve’s face. He got that blank look that Greg got that one time and then he walked like a tin soldier away from us. I gave Mary a stern look to which she shrugged too. Then I smiled. I had to admit that sometimes her magic did come in handy. If she hadn’t made that guy go, I’m sure he would have still been trying to hit on me.

“You could have told him we were sixteen you know?”

She laughed. “It was a lot more fun that way.”

It was actually. We didn’t stay around much longer after that. Mary was already holding her purchases, two garment bags. We left the shop but she wouldn’t let me look inside. She said they were still a secret. We got back on our bikes and rode slowly back to her house. She dropped her top secret purchases off before we turned around and headed back into town. The two of us were suffering from a serious case of the munchies. It being a Saturday afternoon we decided that Mario’s might not be the best place. It was usually jam packed on Saturdays. So we rode to our favorite little bistro. It was strange eating there without Greg but he was so busy with Rita that he didn’t have time for us anymore. I was happy for him even if I did miss my friend a little bit.

“Hey guys,” said Clara as we took a seat outside. “Your usual?”

I nodded then asked. “You stuck working on a Saturday?”

She sighed. “Unfortunately. I get off in an hour or so. Dana and I were planning to do some shopping; you can tag along if you like?”

“Not likely” said Mary, answering for both of us.

I gave her a look, one that told her that I could speak for myself. So I did. “We’re kind of vegging today, taking a nice and easy weekend doing nothing. Can we take a rain check?”

Clara laughed. “For you Miss Locke, anything.”

She overdid it with an elaborate bow before heading off to deliver our order. As she left, three guys at another table started to stare. Well two of the three actually, the third had his back to me. They were older, probably in their twenties, most likely college guys. I groaned. What was it with me and college guys today? The two guys stared at me for a few moments before one of them nudged their friend. When he did, I caught a familiar scent. It was made all the more apparent when the third member of the group turned around. My heart skipped a beat but not because I thought, he was attractive. He was a bit but he was more creepy than cute what with his hawk-like features and piercing eyes. I knew those eyes well, I knew him well too.

It was the Were Lion from the woods.

“Did that waitress call you Locke?” he asked, getting up from his seat and wandering over to ours.

His presence sent chills down my spine.

“Get lost,” said Mary “we’ve had enough of you guys today.”

The guy turned to Mary, eyes narrowing. “Zip it Witchy Poo before I bite that pretty little tongue out of your mouth.”

He snapped his teeth at her. I saw the fear in Mary’s eyes. She looked at me, the color slowly leaving her face.

The guy turned back to me. He looked at me long and hard then smiled. “You’re that cute little thing from the woods, aren’t you?” He didn’t wait for a response before he sat down in our empty chair.

“Boys, here we have the pride of the Locke family, their precious rose.”

He leaned in close, sniffing me. The bastard actually sniffed me. I wasn’t sure what to do. I wanted to kick him in the face but somehow I couldn’t move. Instead, I found myself staring into those piercing eyes of his. I got lost in those eyes, mesmerized by them. He reached forward and ran his fingers through my hair, slowly stroking it between his fingertips.

“Such a beauty, it’s no wonder your family has been guarding you so tightly? Tell me little rose, where’s your big bad protector today?”

I couldn’t say anything. I’m not sure why.

I felt like an ass for ditching Carson now. Well not really ditching him, he actually wanted to be ditched. Carson it seemed had found himself a girlfriend. Some girl from one of his classes. The two of them have been secretly seeing one another behind his father’s back. Apparently, my uncle didn’t take too kindly to the fact that Carson wasn’t dating someone that he himself approved of. Trev was a great guy but he was a little old fashioned when it came to some things. There were rules that the family had to follow and one of those rules was to date only who the family said were appropriate. I think that’s one of the reasons they didn’t like me dating Chris.

But all of that was trivial at the moment.

I was fucked. A lone wolf with three vicious lions.

“Why don’t you and I have some fun? What say we get up and you can follow me back to my truck? I’ve got this nice little apartment down the road a bit. Maybe you can show me some of that stamina you wolves are so famous for.”

The Lion put his finger on my chin and I slowly got to my feet. I couldn’t stop myself; it was almost as if I was caught in some kind of spell. I looked at Mary but she was no help either. She was just like me except she appeared to be frozen, too scared to move. I saw it in her eyes as they teared up slightly. These Lions had some kind of power over us, a power that not even she could resist. I sadly couldn’t resist either as I pushed in my chair. The Lion took my hand and slowly started to lead me away but we didn’t get very far before his two buddies stopped dead in their tracks.

“Damien” said a stern, familiar voice from behind us.

My “captor” sighed. He turned slowly around, bringing me with him. What I saw made my heart skip a beat again but for good this time. It was Terry. He apparently just stepped out of the shop next door. He looked from the Lion---Damien---then to me and back again. His eyes fell on me and stared for a moment. Shit, this was not how I was imagining our reunion. I could see it in his eyes, the anger. I just hoped that that anger wasn’t directed at me.

“Get your scummy hands off my sister.”

Damien smirked. “The great Terry Locke, here to save the day once again.”

His friends laughed.

Terry didn’t look amused. “You dare lay your hands on a Locke, knowing full well what will happen if the Council finds out?”

Damien smirked. “Who’s going to tell them, you? Last I checked, you were excommunicated. Meaning that you can’t even step foot anywhere near the Council grounds.”

“That’s very true,” said another voice, a female voice. “But I’m not banned from doing so.”

A seductive redhead appeared from behind Terry, almost slinking around my brother as she did so. She was gorgeous, dressed in a low-cut top and tight, skinny jeans. She was a bit too pale and there was a distinct smell to her, just like the girl from the costume shop actually. Her appearance seemed to change the tide of things. I felt Damian’s control over me slipping. I was able to push away slightly, turning to catch the look on his face. It was priceless. What was seconds ago a very confident WereLion was now a scared little puddy cat. He wasn’t the only one either. I caught sight of his friends; the looks of fear on their faces were priceless. This woman---whoever she was----scared the hell out of all of them. I looked back at her, trying to figure out what made her such a scary thing. She was gorgeous actually; in fact, she was one of the most beautiful women I’d ever seen.

“This doesn’t concern you,” stammered Damien, though when he spoke he refused to look at this red headed goddess.

“If it concerns the Lockes, it concerns me.”

“This is Were business” snapped one of his friends, finding a streak of bravery.

The woman smiled. When she did, I thought I saw two fangs. Fangs? Did that mean…holy shit!

The fangs didn’t go unnoticed by any of them either.

“The way I see it gentlemen and I use the term loosely, we have two options” She held up two fingers. “One, you can leave this beautiful young girl and her charming friend alone or two, you three can join me back at the house. I’m sure me and the girls would love to have you over for dinner.”

That did it. The hold Damien had on me shattered completely in that instance. Then I smelt something, I think it was fear. He and his buddies were started to sweat heavily. The woman gave them all a nasty look; Damien took a step away from me. Then he took a few more before he and his friends were slowly walking away. It didn’t take long before that walking turned into a run and they were gone. I sighed with relief, sagging forward slightly. I was lightheaded for a bit and found myself in a pair of strong arms. I looked up and saw Terry staring down at me.

“So you’re my new little sister huh,” he said then smiled slightly.

“Umm hi” I said sheepishly.

Terry shook his head. “I think you and I need to talk.”

All I could do was nod.

The woman stepped up to him. “Not here. C’mon doggies, let’s get your pet witch and talk somewhere without so many eyes watching.”

I looked at her and smiled. I always imagined vampires being a little more…well, evil.

But I kind of liked her already.

“Here take these, they help” said Terry, handing a groaning Mary a pair of aspirin.

My friend nodded, not saying a word. She still harbored her schoolgirl crush on my older brother. Instead, she took the pills and a glass of water, downing everything in one quick sip. I looked from her to my brother then around the room. We were in his apartment---the one he had above The Guardian. It was the first time I’d ever been here and it was surprisingly a lot like I thought it might be. It reeked of Terry and not just his style either.

Apparently, my older brother now had a distinct odor of beer and pretzels. It was a smell I definitely was going to have to get used to.

Terry and the red head---Carmilla---sat across from me on a large green sofa. They were staring at me intently, like I was something out of television show come to life.

Me, I was still a little groggy from earlier. I was woozy and my head was spinning but I was fairing a lot better than Mary. She was practically passed out in her chair, the aspirin apparently not helping all that much after all.

“What the hell did they do to me? To us?” I asked, rubbing my temples.

Terry scoffed. Carmilla answered. “They call it the Gaze-binding, it’s their natural ability. Were-Cougars can paralyze their victims and control them. It’s not that far from what we vampires call Mesmer or what witches do when they use Command spells.”

“Can all Weres do it?”

Terry shook his head. “It’s a cat thing.”

The room fell into silence again. I don’t think any of us were sure what to say. After saving us, Terry and Carmilla---my brother’s vampire girlfriend---led us back to the bar. Thankfully, it was noon and still closed not that that really mattered, apparently Carmilla owned the place. She let Mary and me be in there under the strict guidelines that we didn’t leave the apartment. She mentioned something about losing her bar license if they found out we were even in the building. After that, there was a lot of awkward silence like right now. None of us really knew what to say and there was probably loads of questions. I know I had tons; top of the list was why my brother was dating a vampire. It was really cool but really weird too.

Carmilla was finally the one who broke the silence. “You’re Tobias’ third son, am I correct?” I nodded. “And after the change, you became his daughter?”

I nodded again. “Not that he acknowledges me of course.”

She scoffed. “Your father is a damn fool but I’m sure he has his reasons.”

“How did this happen?” asked Terry, who turned with a stern look at Carmilla.

She held up her hands. “Don’t look at me; I have nothing to gain by turning your little brother into your little sister.”

“No one knows,” I said with a sigh. “I went to Mrs. Crawford, she took some blood and hair but the tests were inconclusive. She’s going to see if she can get some others to help.”

“Agatha is good at what she does” said Carmilla “and you have no idea how it pains me to say that.”

“Hey” slurred Mary, barely holding her head up. “That’s my gramma.”

I looked at my friend. “Is she going to be ok?”

Carmilla nodded. “The Sting hits humans harder than us. She’ll be fine in about an hour.”

“What I want to know,” said Terry, giving me a hard look. “Is why you didn’t come see me sooner? When Uncle Trev told me about what happened, I wanted to race to you to see if you were all right. But he told me to hold back and wait for you to come to me.”

I felt stupid now. Here I was thinking Terry would react like Dad and here he was in pain. He was my brother, the man who beat up half the football team for me. Of course, he wouldn’t flip out. I knew that now but before I was just too scared. I looked up to him more than anyone else in the world. If Terry didn’t accept me then I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. I loved my brother more than life itself.

I found myself crying. Before I knew it, I was in his arms. They were so much bigger and stronger than before. He held me for a long time, letting me get it all out.

After I was done crying, Carmilla started talking. She liked to talk apparently, which was good because my brother and I didn’t.

“I didn’t think the Lions would be that stupid, openly going after a Wolf in broad daylight like that” She shook her head. “There’s rules to these things.”

“Damien hasn’t always been the brightest of sorts,” said Terry.

Carmilla shook her head. “Even he’s not that stupid.”

She started pacing. Terry reached up and grabbed her hand, stopping her. She turned and looked at him. I saw it in her eyes; she truly did love my brother. It worried me a bit that he was dating her because I was certain she was using him somehow. But when I saw her looking at him like that, I just knew she wasn’t like all the other former girls in Terry’s life. She honestly cared for my brother and it made me happy that Terry was happy with her.

Carmilla saw me looking. “I’m not going to hurt him.”

I nodded. “If you do, I’ll come after you.”

She laughed. “Just like your great great grandmother, she was quite the wolf you know. I had the pleasure of meeting her before died. She was a fantastic woman, I mourned her passing. I’ve mourned the passing of several Lockes in my time actually.”

It amazed me that she looked so young and yet was so old too.

Carmilla fell silent for a moment, staring off into space. Then she turned back to me with a smile. She walked over and placed her hands on my shoulders. “It was really nice to finally meet you Tracy. I’d like to stay and talk some more but I must be going. I’ve got some things I need to take care of.”

“Party prep work?”

She laughed. “I’ve got one of my girls doing that actually” She sighed. “I’ve got a problem with you-know-who actually. “

Terry nodded. “Will you be by later?”

She smiled. “I think I can manage.”

She walked over and kissed my brother long and hard before leaving. She waved to me from the door before slipping out. When she was gone, I turned to Terry and heard him sigh. I realized something then, something I should have realized before.

“She’s the reason Dad exiled you, isn’t she?”

He nodded. “The Great Tobias Locke didn’t like the fact that his heir was sleeping with a vampire.”

“But I thought you said there was some kind of truce between us and them?”

He nodded. “Dad has his grudges; don’t ask me to even try to explain it or him for that matter.”

I nodded. If anyone knew more about Dad, it was me.

Terry and I talked after that. I’m not sure how long the talk went but eventually Mary came around. She was confused for a moment, wondering how she got there. I think she had some vague recollections, including Terry giving her some pills but it was all a bit fuzzy. We waited another hour before Terry decided Mary was good enough to stand. Even then, she was still a bit wobbly. HE actually carried her down the stairs and out of the bar. I could see the big smile on her face the whole time. When we got outside, he hailed a cab and told the driver where to take us. He made sure the man stopped for nothing.

As I was getting into the cab, Terry sighed. “You going to be ok?” he asked, I nodded. “If you have any problems, anything at all, you know where to find me.”

I smiled. “I’m ok, bro; nothing bad is going to happen.”

“Never say that” he said which scared me.

I watched him as the car pulled away from the curb. He stood and watched us go. I think he probably stood there the whole time, until the car was out of sight.
It took only a few minutes for the cab to get to Mary’s. The driver took her bike out of the trunk. I gave her a hug and made her promise to take it easy for the rest of the day. She said she had no intention of straining herself but she did mention something about learning a spell to fight off mental attacks. I think the Sting shook her up more than she wanted to admit. After leaving her, the cab ride home was kind of quiet. When we pulled up to the house, the driver’s eyes bugged out of his head a little. I couldn’t help but smile then I helped him get my bike.

He left me in front of the gate. I buzzed myself in, taking the bike across the circular drive, moving toward the garage. Out in front of the house though was a black car I didn’t recognize. After I put my bike away and went inside through the kitchen, I headed to the main room where we usually entertained guests. When I got there, Constance was sitting with a tall, thin older man in a charcoal gray suit. He stood as I entered.

“There she is” said Constance, there was a bit of worry in her voice.

The man nodded. “Miss Locke, my name is Josiah Wilkes, I represent the Coven.”

I gulped. I was wondering when they’d finally come around to this.

“This is about the Summons right?”

Mr. Wilkes nodded. “I was sent to collect you. Your mother has already packed a bag.”

I looked at the duffel I just now noticed at Constance’s feet as she stood.

“Am I going somewhere?”

“Just overnight” said Mr. Wilkes “the Coven will meet in the morning but we require all our guests to spend the evening in seclusion.”

I nodded. “What is this all about anyway?”

“I’m not at liberty to say. I’m just the ferryman.”

Ok, that’s not creepy or anything.

Constance walked over with my bag. “Just tell the truth, they’ll know if you’re lying.”

She wrapped me in a tight hug. Then kissed my cheek. When she pulled away, there might have been tears too. That scared me a bit. I looked at Mr. Wilkes and was even more scared. What the hell was I about to get myself into?

Author’s note: As I’m sure all of you know, comments are life blood to an author. I’m not begging or demanding, but I certainly would appreciate anything you have to say (or ask). It doesn’t have to be long and involved, just give me your reaction to the story. Thanks in advance...EOF

Picture Credit: Actress Jane Levy

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