11: Teller Of Dreams

The sound of my alarm startles me awake. Nothing like getting up from being scared shitless. Blindly, I dismiss the alarm and crawl out of bed. It’s past noon, but who cares when you have to work the late shift. It doesn’t take me long to get ready for Mystic Moon. I get there by my scheduled time. I even have time to text Avery asking her to make a stop here on one of her coffee runs.

The shop’s aroma of sage and wintermint attack my nostrils the moment I enter. Monty casually leans behind the counter, waving a smudge stick in the air.

“What’s going on?” I ask her.

“Oh, you know. The shop ghost was wreaking havoc on the customers so I had to banish her for the time being.”

“Jezmin.”

“Yup. She nearly toppled that shelving unit on some poor human.” Monty points to one of the largest, widest shelves. “And before I forget, Gretchen wants to talk to you. Something about a client coming in later this today.”

“Really. Not one of her coven members is it?”

“No. Just some person off the street.”

I leave her at the counter, smudging away. It’ll only work for a day or two and then she’ll be back. Her body was found in the cellar over three decades ago and she’s haunted this building and its inhabitants since. She has nowhere else to go.

I give a soft knock on Gretchen’s door frame. “You wanted to see me?”

“Yes. I just wanted to tell you that you have a four o’clock appointment today.” Her words aren’t smooth and it seems like she having trouble giving the message. “I have a suspicion of why she’s seeking help.”

We look at each other. I wait a few seconds to see if she’ll elaborate more. When she doesn’t, I ask, “And?”

“She’s being summoned by a pack member.”

“An unsuspecting mate.” My hand flies through the air to point at her. “Why don’t you just tell her?”

“Because I don't know who or which pack. She’s having dreams and I’m assuming these dreams hold the answers.”

“Okay.” This is way too much pressure for me. I can only image how she’s going to take it and how miserable her life is about to become. Am I really the right person to tell her all this?

Just then Monty barges in, the smoke from her smudge stick trailing behind her. “Someone has a visitor.”

My mind races on who it could be, but a relief washes over me as I see a blonde head. She’s dressed more professional than the last time I saw her. Two trays of coffee are stacked on top of one another.

“How is work going?” I ask even though I know.

“She’ll kill me if I’m late, so what’s up?” The ‘she’ Avery refers to is her demon boss. Not a literal demon, just a bitch.

“The joys of being an intern.” I flash her smile. “I have something for you.” I dig into my purse for the small brown paper bag.

Avery takes it and looks at it with questioning eyes. “Okay? Is this a lunch snack?”

“Not necessarily. It is edible though, but don’t drink them all at once. Maybe one. Lasts in the system for three or four days. Use some of the other ones along the thresholds of your house.” I wag my eyebrows at her.

Her eyes close and stay closed for several seconds. A slow, “what,” comes out of her mouth.

“Repellent. Mr. Wolf may or may not come back. And then there’s the fact,” my voice gets low and the words quickly come out of my mouth, “a vampire followed me home.” Louder I say, “It’s fine.”

She stares at me. Speechless, not buying my lies.

“There’s enough in there for Avalos too.” I give another smile.

“Who the hell is Mr. Wolf?” Monty blurts out just at the same exact time that Avery mutters, “a vampire followed you home?”

“That too.” Monty adds ignoring the smudge stick. The smoke billowing in one spot and the thick cloud hovers over us making it hard to breathe.
“It's nothing. Go deliver them their coffees and you,” I point my finger at Monty, “put that thing out or go set in by the basement door. I have to get ready for my appointment.” I leave both of them at the counter.

Part of my regrets it, because knowing them they’ll sit there and gossip about me, but as the door dings not soon after, I know Avery left and Monty hopefully is taking my direction to heart and placing the stick at the basement door.

It’s been awhile since I had a client. Most people just go to the bookstore and get a book to decipher their own dreams. Only extreme cases seek out professional help. And who would blame her, she’s having nightmares about wolves...probably eating people or transforming or who knows what else.

The hours until four must pass quickly, because before I know it Monty is tapping my shoulder. “Your appointment is here. I’ll send her in.” She flashes me a good luck smile.

Both of us are all too aware of the last time I performed a dream telling. It was awful. A witch with a phoephic dream. So much blood, so many bodies. And I was stuck unable to get out of the dream realm. Fighting to survive right along with the others fighting for their lives.

It never happened, because it wasn’t a worldy prophecy, it was her. She was on the verge of being initiated into a coven or more like a cult that was going to bring it forth. Apparently, I freaked her out so bad that she didn’t join, told them she told other denizens about their plans, which freaked them out...for now.

Being mated to a werewolf can’t be worse than a witch driven apocalypse.

The girl enters the room right after Monty walks out. She’s younger than I thought she would be, but then again the pack likes them young. She’s thin and her hair is missing its shine, she’s missing her shine. These dreams obviously taking a toll on her.

“I hear you’re having nightmares?” She just nods her head in reply, “How old are you? What do you’re parents have to say about your dreams?”
“Just turned sixteen. And...I don’t have parents...they...I’m in foster care.”

“I didn’t mean-”

“It’s fine.” She cuts me off with a snappy reply. A reply I’m all too aware of.

“Have a sit.” We sit at opposite ends of the table. “First, I need to see the dream and I’ll interrupt it. Hopefully, get you some answers.” I hold my hands out, palm up and wait for her to place her hands in mine.

Grasping her calmly hands in mine, I mutter an incantation sending me into the dream realm.

*The woods are thick and unfamiliar. I stand in a clearing, shadows circle around me within the surrounding treeline. Some resemble people others are a large animal on four legs. A distant howl growls through the night air. several more follow suit filling the air. They become unison, the sound deafening.

Trapped.

And then a man steps out in just jeans, chest bare. Clean cut hair, piercing brown eyes, slick sweaty skin that gleasens in the moonlight. Marcus. He reaches for me with a clawed hand. The tips of his sharp nails snag on my shirt.

It all happened in slow motion. The snap of bones, his teeth growing incredibly long and pointed. The fleshy pink of his tearing away to reveal thick fur underneath. He throws his head back and his once human scream turns into a howl of a beast. My feet begin to work but only after he drops to all fours more animal than man.

I bolt into the woods careless of the other strangers, animals that lurk in the darkness. A terrified panic causes my legs to feel like jello and hitches my breathing. My hyperventilating lungs and tired muscles don’t stand a chance against him.

I fly forward as I’m tackled from behind. Frantically, scratching at the ground doesn't gain traction as I pull chunks of dirt and grass away. Tears blur my eyes as I’m flipped onto my back. My voice box refusing to work. His half human half animal clawed hands hold me down as his naked very human body sits on top of me.

His voice is the sinister tone I’m accompanied to. “Join us Amelia.”*

I jolt out of my very real chair at Mystic Moon. Amelia’s and my own hands snapping apart. After I collect my composure and wipe the sweat from my brow. I meet Amelia’s scared eyes.

“Did you see it?” Her voice soft and barely audible as she surely doesn’t either comprehend or understand what she saw.

“Amelia.” Her eyes go wide at me knowing her name. It’s like a band-aid. You just gotta rip it off. “Werewolf. You’re being summoned, chosen to join a werewolf pack. The Midnight Harrows to be exact. That shirtless guy was Marcus, they’re Alpha.”

“Werewolves? Werewolves are real?” Her panic distorts her voice.

“Lesson number one. Witches, vampires and werewolves are real. Some of them are decent,”my hand going to my own chest, “and some aren’t.” I say thinking of Gabriel.

Amelia’s twitchy eyes don’t stay on one thing for more than a few seconds, she’s ready to take off. Screw fight, it’s all flight with this one. “There’s no use running.” I spit out. I don’t know why I smash her hopes of escape, but I do. “There’s...something in you, your blood that connects to them. If you don’t go now, you go later. Maybe sleep walk there.”

Her hard reply of ‘no’ is abruptly cut off by the harsh ring of the bell on the shop’s door. We look at each. No one casually enters a shop that obnoxiously. “Stay here.” I demand, my hand pointing to a corner. The more hidden the better.

“Did you tell them I was here? This is your fault.” She whines in nothing more than a whisper.

“I had no idea who you were or what your problem was until you sat at my table. I’m not friends with the pack...well except for one of them. That’s besides the point. Hide and shut up.” I have no patience for her, because things are brewing out in the shop.

Multiple deep, rough almost growling voices fill the air. Monty’s squeally banter provoking them. This isn’t good. They’re not here for Amelia, they’re here for Monty. But if they catch a whiff of the small girl hiding in my office, they’ll drag her off.

One foot slowly in front of the other, I sneak out of my office and onto the sales floor. I make it look like I can up from the basement when I finally come into view. “Is everything okay here?”

The three werewolves heads turn in unison to look at me. Their thick necks, meaty arms with tracks of veins bulging out say it all. These are intimidator wolves. The ones Marcus sends out when he needs to make a message clear. Apparently, he didn’t feel that Caleb was harsh enough and has an unwanted soft spot for us.

“You’re Caleb’s ex.” One of them hisses at me.

Another spits on the ground, but his disgust in my relationship isn’t as close as disgusting as his manners. I fight the urge to call him a filthy werewolf. Caleb’s words run through my head. These three wouldn’t take so kindly to it. So I just flash him a repulsive look praying his head isn’t so thick that he can’t understand the unsaid message.

“I gave Caleb your order just the other day?” Gretchen says as she appears out of nowhere. “Are you in need of something else?” Her voice is all too kind. Something these animals don’t deserve.

“We’re here to give this one a message.” one of the wolves, a different one, says.

“Stay out of wolf business.” Another one says, the one that spit. He looks like he wants to spit again. This time right on Monty’s face.

“We are well aware of the message.” Monty hisses.

“I’ve already apologized to Marcus.” Gretchen jumps in before Monty gets jumped on. “If he was still not pleased, he could’ve spoken to me about it and I would’ve expressed my understanding of the situation.”

Halfway through Gretchen’s speech one of the wolves wanders off. And my heart goes into a panic. The shop is still smothered in the smell of sage and I hope it’s strong enough to mask Amelia. I’m sure if any wolf can smell of destined wolf...mate, or only the intended wolf.

One of the wolves still listening to Gretchen talkat them looks at me. He can sense I’m nervous about something. And then it all goes awry. They’re telepathic wolfy sense to each other alerts the other, because not even two seconds later a scream erupts from my office.

“Look what we have here boys.” The wandering wolf comes back dragging a kicking and screaming Amelia. He holds her by the back of her shirt, no doubt strands of her hair are being yanked out in the process. “This one reeks of pheromones. Not mine, but somebody’s puppy.”

“Leave her alone.” I shout as a take a giant step forward.

The one that snarled at me for being Caleb’s ex, seems to be taking a leadership role, he steps between me and Amelia. “I thought our message was received. No meddling in pack business, which includes our women.”

“I just found out. I told her she’s going to end with the pack just as you filthy werewolves barged in like the place was yours.” Oops.

“Oh, she’ll end up with the pack. Right now.”

“I’m coming with her.”

The spitting werewolf laughs while the other two just stare at me. leader of this small stupid pack says, “why would you do that? To see Caleb? Marcus is setting him up with a cute, sexy little pup, so he doesn’t need to see you.”

My heart wretches in my chest. Marcus is trying to get Caleb to take on a mate and not a witch. “I’m going for her. She’s scared to death and she doesn’t need your mindless drones telling her how great it is to be owned by a wolf.”

“She doesn’t need someone like you telling her she has a choice.” He snaps in my face.

“If she goes, I go. Otherwise, you’ll just have to wait for her to decide on when she wants to go. The longer the better right? The longer she holds out the more pliable she’ll be.”

The stories Caleb tells me play in my head. Girls and boys show up at the pack’s doorstep all the time. Completely infatuated and desperate for initiation. They lost themselves along the way, only to be replaced with a slave for the pack. Most of those innocent people end up with horrible people, horrible wolves, taken advantage of because they can be.

I know I’m right, they know I’m right. And they have no other choice but to agree.

“Well then, let’s go for a ride.”

One by one they lead the way. Amelia at my side. I dare a glance back, which is a bad idea. Gretchen and Monty look like I’m off to some death sentence. Hopefully, Caleb won’t let them kill me.

Just as I file in after Amelia, after all doors are closed and locked. After we pull away from the curb, I spot Gabriel lurking in the shadows just outside the shop, non doubt waiting for me to get done with work. How long does he sit out here, lurking? The sun must’ve just started to set within the past hour.

The look on his face is cross between concern and anger. I can’t help but to laugh a little at the predicament I find myself in.
I said no to a ride with a vampire, but somehow end up taking a ride with three egotistical werewolves accompanied by a scared little girl.