Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Monkey Wrench ❯ Blind Date ( Chapter 13 )

Tuesday, January 11, 2005

7:05 p.m. EST

Dover, DE

The Bluecoat Inn

 

Lisa cursed as she screeched into a parking space at the elusive Bluecoat Inn. She was five minutes late and mad enough to spit nails. This was how you lost sales, dipshit! Throwing the door to her Jeep wide open and narrowly missing a puddle with her brand new black Prada boots, she marched toward the log cabin restaurant with purpose.

 

She had come very close to canceling her appointment because nobody knew where the damn Bluecoat Inn was. She had exhausted her list of friends and acquaintances, all of whom were frequent restaurant goers and had come up empty. No wonder, this place was WAY off the beaten path, back in a secluded cul-de-sac off Rt. 13. Thank God for Joe, he had been her last resort and lucky for her, he had heard of the place and gave her perfect directions. Now she just had to make a good first impression on Dr. Selso, and since she was already five minutes late, it had to be a damn good one.

 

Lisa reached inside her blouse to adjust her lacey red bra strap as it slipped down her shoulders. Stupid thing was always falling down at the most inconvenient times, like now, when she wanted to make a grand entrance. Stealing a quick peek at her perfectly made up reflection from the antique glass windows of the lobby; she strode up to the hostess as her boots clicked sharply on the stone floors, and announced her presence.

 

“Hi, I have a seven o'clock reservation for McKinley. I'm supposed to meet a Dr. Selso for dinner.”

 

The matronly greeter inspected her for a moment then turned to a map of tables and after a few seconds of searching, led her to an intimate booth in the back of the restaurant. The place was a throwback to colonial times, apparently a play on Delaware's role in the Revolutionary War. The only lighting was provided by flickering oil lamps and beeswax candles, the furniture was hand carved benches and sturdy maple tables. It was rather charming, although Lisa wondered how the place stayed in business as so few people had ever heard of it.

 

Looking around she saw no lack of customers though, the tables were packed with people, must be a lot of locals. The hostess left a menu on the table for her and made a hasty retreat. Lisa finally got a look at this doctor she was supposed to reel in and decided he was well worth tonight's directional issues.

 

He was as Italian as his name implied and dressed in this season's best Armani. She nearly swooned right there, a man after her own heart whom appreciated the wonder that is designer clothing. Theryn thought she was insane to spend so much on Gucci, Yves St. Laurent, and Versace, but it was well worth the investment. However, she had never met a man with similar tastes, as the majority of guys she dated thought Eddie Bauer was the height of haute couture.

 

The doctor quickly stood up upon seeing her, smoothing down his exquisitely pressed pinstripe jacket as he did so. She did a quick wedding band check for Theryn's sake. No ring, Score!

 

Lisa offered her right hand in introduction, making sure to tuck a blonde ringlet behind her ear with her left, proudly displaying her lack of ring as well.

 

“Hello, I'm Lisa McKinley. Sorry I'm late, but I had some trouble finding the place.”

 

She was pleasantly surprised when he brought her hand to his lips instead of the customary handshake. Wow, talk about old world chivalry!

 

“Lovely to meet you, Lisa; I'm Anthony Selso. Please don't apologize; it was my fault for not providing the directions to your employer. I'm afraid I had forgotten that few non-locals know its location,” he assured.

 

After motioning her into the bench seat opposite him, Dr. Selso charmed his way through all three courses. The man was quite simply a master of conversation. Lisa was so enamored of his company she forgot she was supposed to be hawking the benefits of prescription Prevecet until dessert came.

 

Feeling a little guilty for not doing her job, Lisa began her speech about the nature of hormonal chemical imbalances and how the new drug compensated for the increase in alpha receptors by forming beta blockers in the bloodstream…blah, blah, blah. She had never dreaded her sales pitch before and she could tell Dr. Selso wasn't thrilled with the change in topic.

 

“You know, I think it's a shame I have to waste the pleasure of your company hearing about the benefits of a drug I already have every intention of prescribing to my patients. I hope you won't be disappointed if I ask you to play hooky tonight?”

 

What?! This guy was telling her NOT to be saleswoman of the year and forgo her employment obligations in favor of basking in the pleasure of her company? Give her a moment to think about that…. Oh hell yeah!

 

Throwing her head back in a full hearted laugh, Lisa winked at him. She knew she had him in her clutches now and this one was a keeper.

 

“I think that can be arranged. So tell me Dr. Selso, what are your plans for tonight?”

 

He flashed perfect white teeth at her, “Please call me Anthony, and as for tonight? I had been planning on making a hasty retreat from an odious pharmaceutical sales rep with nothing but my favorite restaurant's leftovers to comfort me; however that plan has been most pleasantly derailed.”

 

Lisa smirked at Doctor Studly with a toss of her riotous curls. So he'd been expecting a night of stilted conversation and overbearing sales practices? Guess he didn't know what hit him when she walked through the door. God she loved her job.

 

“Well,” Lisa replied, while running her finger around the rim of her wine glass, “since I threw a monkey wrench in your plans for the evening, the least I can do is offer an alternative. There's an amazing martini lounge in Wilmington that opened up right next door to my apartment building, want to go?”

 

Dr. Sel-- No Anthony, smiled broadly at her suggestion. Without a word he caught their waiter's eye and the dishes were cleared immediately. Lisa was prepared to pay the bill, as it was part of her company expense account, but Anthony refused to give her the check. She was more impressed when he asked the waiter to put it on his tab and they left without a single exchange of legal tender, very nice.

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9:00 p.m. EST

Uig's Hunt Farm

The Library

 

I was in my full nerd glory. Books on every Snib subject from Alchemy to Zephyr Spirits were carefully cataloged in row after row of towering shelves in the Uig Library. Lucky for me, it was early in the semester for the high school kids so I had the place practically to myself. I grabbed the appropriately titled, Magic for Dummies text and took a seat at a nearby carrel. I figured this would be a good place to start since I was for all intents and purposes a dummy when it came to this paranormal stuff.

 

Rowan had inexplicably left about fifteen minutes ago, after helping me pluck about a thousand books from some of the taller stacks and giving me a quick tour of the Supernatural Section. I was a little wary of checking out the Null Section; apparently this was the part of the library dedicated to all things human. We were “nulls” because we lacked supernatural abilities. It was weird seeing humans lumped together with common animals and plants, but I wasn't complaining. The Dewey Decimal system wasn't at the top of my priorities right now.

 

Leaning back in my cushy blue velvet chair, I started on page 1.

 

Welcome to Magic for Dummies. We are not liable for any injuries, loss of limbs, brain damage, deaths and/or purgatorial sentences that may occur in the experimentation, practice, application, or performance of magic taken from the text herein. Use at your own risk. Please be aware only highly trained mages or natural born Spell Casters may call upon the spirit of magic and all attempts made by others will result in failure at best, never ending torment in the seventh circle of hell at worst. Thank you for using Magic for Dummies, and don't forget about our companion tomes, Spells for the Stupid, and Creative Curses for the Casual Caster.

 

Well this should be interesting…

 

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9:15 p.m.

Milford, DE

Nikolai's House

 

Nikolai drummed his fingers over his knee as Darastus talked on the phone with the leader of a small band of werelynx. They had been contacted by Meghan earlier in the evening and the little stalker had given them surprisingly good news. She had ingratiated herself with the Thompson boy and simply by being in the right place at the right time, had found out a crucial bit of logistical information. Theryn Thompson would be visiting her parents the day after tomorrow and consequently, be far away from the all encompassing protection of the Hunt.

 

He knew he had to strike then, his time was running short. Darastus agreed with him and was now making contacts with some of the braver enemies of the Uig Pack. This particular werelynx pride had been trying to establish greater territory, in both acreage and money, and was looking for a way to stick it to the wolves. The opportunistic vampire had somehow convinced them the kidnapping of a human girl would be the appropriate devastating blow; Nikolai couldn't fathom how he did it.

 

The plan was to use a locator spell on Seth Thompson, as they already had his blood for the necessary ingredient and simply follow the brother's trail to the homestead. Once they had a lock on their location, it was simply a matter of sending in the werelynx to abduct Theryn. Plus, this time, they had a surefire way to deal with her ever present protector, Rowan, and by taking him out early, she would be helpless.

 

Nikolai smiled for the first time in days. He had been nearly inconsolable with grief after the crushing blow of his previous failures, after so much long and tedious research, to end up barely clinging to sanity was a piteous state of affairs indeed. But that was before Darastus had revealed his vision and Nikolai's spirit had been rejuvenated. He had never dreamed it was possible, but he would be free again, free from even the tethered bonds of the fusion spell if all went according to plan.

 

He would not lose this battle. He swore to himself he would hold onto every last shred of reason until he could finally embrace his destiny, and it was all riding on the existence of a druid blooded human and the steadfast passage of time.

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10:30 p.m. EST

The Hell Dimension

Mastema's Quarters

 

Rowan gripped the lava-red brimstone key firmly in his left hand as he finally crossed the blackened stone entrance to Mastema's rooms. The ancient rust colored scepter was his ticket home and he had no intention of losing it to the likes of the cursed Budsturga whom was trapped in the vortex between dimensions. From all accounts, she would be a most unwelcome visitor on Earth. He was here because Mastema had asked for his presence tonight and Rowan had never before missed a summoning by his demon teacher, and he wasn't about to start now.

 

Nothing much had changed since the last time he had visited. This circle of Hell was still just as deadly and unforgiving as ever, and it was still the home of the demon/human hybrids working under Mastema's unrelenting tutelage. Rowan wondered if the demon ever resented his position, forever ordained as a hard bitten drill sergeant of the underworld, constantly recruiting new soldiers in the territorial fight for supremacy. If he did, his teacher never mentioned it, but that was to be expected. You did not complain about your life in Hell, you were lucky enough to have one at all.

 

Mastema beckoned Rowan inside as he was finishing up suffocation techniques with eleven elemental air hybrids, sons of the demons Oroan and Samail. The twin sons of the serpent demon Dagon, were learning to improvise with water, by filling up the lungs; just another lesson in the art of death at the University of Hell.

 

Rowan nodded at the assembled boys, (as all demon hybrids were male, another quirk of demon genetics) and awaited Mastema's dismissal of the teenagers. After a few more minutes of fine tuning the air pressure and molecular resistance, the students marched out of the room, not one missing the opportunity to size him up as a potential target.

 

It made him smile. He remembered doing the exact same thing when he was their age. Making three second judgments on everyone in a 25 foot vicinity, looking for weaknesses, gauging reaction times, it was all so ingrained in him that he did it with the same involuntariness as breathing. He learned a long time ago that lost innocence is a small price to pay for staying alive.

 

He was pulled from his ruminations when Mastema spoke.

 

“Rowan,” the demon called in a voice like crushed ice, “I have called on you most suddenly, thank you for coming.”

 

He bowed his head in acceptance of his teacher's gratitude, “I would not miss your summoning Mastema; no matter how unexpected it may be.”

 

The ebony skinned demon nodded his head in acknowledgement.

 

“Are you are aware of the pact between me and Seraphiel?”

 

Rowan was startled, he had not been aware the leader of the Strata Dimension had made an agreement with Mastema. The Prince of the High Angelic Order was not prone to entering foreign entanglements; whatever was at stake must be big.

 

“No, what's this about?”

 

Mastema took a few steps closer to him, “Strata finally recognized the need for an information exchange when it came to supernatural activity on Earth. Our people simply spend too much time among humans not to be concerned with your dimension's welfare. As it turns out, Seraphiel approached me yesterday with some disturbing news. It seems Darastus has made a visit to Gaea, without Inter-Dimensional Portal Council permission.”

 

Rowan knew this was bad. The Gaea Dimension was strictly barred to visitors. It was a frozen vortex, a dimension unmoving in space or time. Interestingly, Gaea was the Earth, only it was the Earth before any populated life inhabited the planet and therefore had a nearly unlimited and untapped supply of raw Earth magic. It was the same magic that fed Earth's current Spell Casters and mages but in a much more potent and concentrated form. Consequently, the Gaea Dimension was deemed too sacred and dangerous for unchecked visitors and the IDPC was fanatical about keeping Gaea off limits.

 

Another thing that instantly bothered him was that it was Darastus whom had made the jump. That vampire had something to do with Theryn's attempted kidnapping and Rowan just knew this latest stunt was no coincidence.

 

Looking Mastema straight in his glowing yellow eyes, he stated, “He siphoned off raw magic didn't he?”

 

The demon nodded in affirmation, “Quite a bit from the looks of things. The IDPC has issued an inquiry into the matter but you know how they are when it comes to Darastus. The vampire mage has always been considered a special case. He'll more than likely try to pawn it off as a scholarly endeavor.”

 

“He is up to something and it involves Theryn, the girl I've been guarding from Nikolai. I had to fend off a gang of vampires Darastus sent to kidnap her last night.”

 

Mastema's face approached the closest thing to a smile Rowan had ever seen in twenty years.

 

“Yes, Dom had mentioned you had initiated the lupinara claiming mark on your human charge. I should have congratulated you earlier.”

 

“Don't bother, the mark was an accident,” Rowan assured. Shaking his head at Mastema's questioning expression, “You know the mystery surrounding my genetics and well, let's just say instinct took over and I had very little to do with the decision.”

 

The demon was not deterred, “You know Rowan, sometimes our instincts recognize what the rational mind would overlook. I wouldn't be so hasty to discount your more basic behaviors.”

 

“No offense Mastema, but you're a demon. Basic behaviors are all you've got, and you've never met Theryn.”

 

“Well that's easy enough to remedy…”

 

“Why don't we hold off on the introductions until she finds out about the existence of other dimensions, much less about demons with black lizard skin and yellow eyes?”

 

“Ah, a true novice to our world, I see. She will have much to learn. However you feel about her Rowan, keep her safe from Darastus. If he is targeting her while pulling magic from Gaea…the outcome cannot be good.”

 

Rowan sighed loudly, “I know, I know. Things have just gone from bad to worse.”

 

“In that case, I will not keep you any longer. I just wanted to you to know what I had learned from Seraphiel. He has agreed to keep me updated should anything further develop and I'll pass that information along to you.”

 

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

 

“May the fires of Hell burn within you, Rowan.”

 

“And you too, Mastema.”

 

Rowan looked at his watch and saw it was 11:10 p.m. He'd better hurry if he was going to be on time. Finding an unoccupied Earth wormhole, he dashed back to Uig's Hunt, managing to avoid any mischievous vortex spirits in the process.

 

Running through the Hunt's hallways to the local portals, Rowan allowed himself an internal smirk. If Theryn could see him now she wouldn't be laughing about his inability to drive. Why use expensive machinery to navigate congested roads when he had an entire network of instant wormholes leading to wherever he needed in the continental U.S? He found the portal to his destination and jumped in feet first; guess it was time to be Beta Guard again.

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11:00 p.m. EST

Wilmington, DE

Lisa's Apartment

 

Lisa snuck into her kitchen to retrieve a glass of water. She had invited Anthony up to her apartment after drinks at the martini lounge. Feeling rather tipsy, Lisa was very much looking forward to a night with Dr. Studly.

 

Taking a seat on her couch, she awaited his return from the bathroom. They had spent another two hours at the bar, with him buying her round after round of girly frou-frou drinks while he stuck to a steady diet of the house's most expensive merlot. Double checking her lipstick in the mirrored coffee table, she was startled by the sound of knocking on her door.

 

Peering out into the peephole, Lisa didn't recognize the man outside and decided to ignore him rather than acknowledge his presence. Besides, with Anthony around, she didn't want any interruptions tonight.

 

Unfortunately, the man didn't take the hint, so Lisa decided it was best to get rid of him before Anthony came back out. Then they could pick up where they left off. She unlocked the latch and made a mental note to tell her landlord about the broken door chain as she opened the door hurriedly.

 

A man no taller than 5'6” in a bright yellow Rehoboth Beach sweatshirt greeted her with a smile.

 

“Hi, are you Lisa McKinley,” he asked eagerly.

 

“Yes, can I--”

 

Suddenly the man rushed at her, knocking her down on her suede covered butt to the carpeted floor. He pulled out a cloth and landed on top her, restraining her flailing limbs and narrowly avoiding a boot stiletto to the head.

 

Lisa knew she had to scream before he got that cloth in her face. She knew what was on that rag, it was chloroform, and if she got so much as a whiff of it she'd be out like a light, helpless and at this weirdo's mercy.

 

“Anthony! Help!” Lisa managed to say before her attacker wrapped his hands around her throat and shoved the cloth at her nose and mouth.

 

Lisa struggled and held her breath for another minute, but eventually her body's need for air overcame her desire for consciousness. The last thing she wondered before she blacked out was why Anthony stood stock still in the hallway, watching placidly as she was assaulted.

 

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“That's enough David. She's out.”

 

“I don't want to take any chances with this one; she almost knocked me out with those spiked heels.”

 

Dom smirked at the mage's statement, the girl whom was wearing those lovely Prada boots was quite the fighter. Although he had expected nothing less after meeting her, she was definitely a firecracker. Hard to believe she and Theryn were friends at all. Damn shame she was human, Lisa McKinley would have made a splendid bitch, of the lupinara variety of course.

 

“Take the cloth away now; she'll be out for a half hour at least. I assume you have the memory spell ready?”

 

The mage nodded his head quickly, “Yeah, just pick her up and put her on the couch. I'll get started.”

 

Dom did as he was told and deposited the Uig Pack's second-highest human liability on her pure white low backed sofa. It was a top of the line Stickley silk shantung with a matching armchair and ottoman. Lisa really did have spectacular taste. He felt somewhat regretful for this whole memory erasing business but there was no way to avoid this, she had seen and knew too much. Theryn's knowledge was one thing, her brother and Rowan's involvement made her a special circumstance.

 

But Lisa's information on the Thompson family and the Uig Pack's Beta Guard made her a prime target for any would be enemies. Dom, Gage, and Rowan had all agreed that this was a necessary precaution and they had also agreed NOT to tell Theryn until after it was done. Better to ask for forgiveness than seek permission and all that. Not that they needed her permission for doing this, but still, Gage thought it would be easier for her to accept after Lisa's memory had been erased and it was too late to do anything about it.

 

David, his personal mage contact, shambled over and set up his spell casting ingredients. It had always amazed Dom that so much of magic was a literal interpretation of events. The spell was to erase Lisa's memory of all things Uig Pack related, so nothing more was needed but a few eraser rubbings, three hairs from Gage's wolf pelt, two cotton balls, a small amount of Lisa's blood and a bowl to set them all on fire. Utterly elementary, but it still required magic as a catalyst, and it that was impossible to do unless you were a mage or a Spell Caster.

 

Dom stood back and waited as David threw all the aforementioned ingredients in the cast iron bowl. Then he pulled out a pocket knife and nicked at Lisa's index finger, spilling three drops of blood into the bowl as well. Dom nearly laughed when David pulled out a band aid and wrapped it around her wound; magicians were so meticulous.

 

He figured this would take a total of ten minutes tops, and then they could go on their merry way, one less human to worry about. So while he was in this lackadaisical state it was not entirely his fault that he missed the presence of another in the room until it was too late.

 

Suddenly, David's wrists and ankles were bound together with strong black ties, as if an invisible farmer had showed up and hog tied him in the blink of an eye. At the same moment, Dom was instantly encased in a cage of ivory spikes, and he could smell the sharp poison of hydrochloric acid coating their deadly pointed tips. He barely had enough room to breath, much less change to his wolf form. Whomever he was dealing with was a crafty son of a bitch.

 

“What the hell have you done to her?” barked a tall dark haired man in jeans as he inspected Lisa's prone form for injuries.

 

David was still struggling from his position on the floor; Dom could hear him start to hurriedly whisper something in Latin.

 

The other guy must of heard it too because his pupils narrowed to pin pricks, and an aura of blue electricity shot out of his hands onto David. The mage made a high pitched squealing sound and promptly stopped moving.

 

Dom knew he was in deep shit. A fucking Warlock Mage had just showed up to the party and here he was stuck in the keratin castle of cutlery. Who the hell was this guy? There were very few Warlock Mages left in this age of inbred Spell Casters and even fewer with the power and control this stranger was displaying.

 

“I won't ask again, what happened to her?” the man demanded, obviously wanting an answer.

 

Time to avoid getting skewered.

 

“Nothing fatal, she's just been knocked out with some chloroform. She'll be awake in less than half an hour,” Dom answered matter of fact, “We weren't going to harm her.”

 

“I don't think so. Your Cub Scout mage here was attempting a memory erasing spell from the looks of things. And what have we here…looks like animal fur. Trying to make her forget an incident with a Were?” the man demanded snidely.

 

Dom narrowed his eyes at the Warlock. Bloody bastard was too smart for his own good. He decided to plead the fifth and see were this guy went on his own.

 

“I'd bet my right arm that these hairs are from a werewolf. Incidentally, I know of only one pack in the area capable of organizing this stunt, the Uig Americana Pack. Now why the most powerful pack in the Northeast would be performing memory spells on poor unsuspecting humans is beyond me. Care to enlighten me Wolf?”

 

Damn it, he was going to have to talk. Maybe he could find out some answers for himself. Like what the hell this guy was doing showing up at Lisa McKinley's apartment, apparently worried for her safety?

 

Taking a shallow breath, Dom revealed as little as possible.

 

“She had information that put her at risk from some of our more degenerate brethren. The Pack decided it was in the best interests of all involved if she were to `forget' a few isolated events and identities. You know humans are not meant to be burdened with our internal machinations, they are too easily damaged.”

 

The Warlock walked up to him slowly, hands balled into fists, blue electricity arcing and zapping in the air with malevolence. Dom was not intimidated, his ego knew no bounds. Yet, he hadn't been prepared for the frosty inquiry issued by the avenging magician, it was downright chilling.

 

“This wouldn't have anything to do with Theryn Thompson would it?” asked the Warlock, as he danced a trio of blazing white fireballs on his fingertips.

 

Shit! Not another one after the Thompson family bloodline! This was all the Pack needed, a fully trained Warlock Mage on the trail, on top of Nikolai and the vampires. Dom knew he had to stall this guy though, Rowan should be showing up any minute now and they could take out this Houdini on Steroids before he became a bigger threat.

 

Apparently, thinking of the Pack's Beta Guard was enough to conjure the intimidating werewolf himself because just then, Rowan decided to make an appearance. Barreling through Lisa's living room like a cannonball, Dom watched as he grabbed the dark haired stranger from behind and threw him up against the exposed brick wall.

 

Rowan had the unique ability to partially transform and focus his beast to particular body parts, like now when he had his lethal claws poised above the Warlock's throat. Dom, unlike Gage, never regretted sending their Beta Guard to Mastema at such a young age. It was times like this that such deadly training sure came in handy.

 

“Christ! Don't kill me Rowan! It's me, Joe!” exclaimed the man.

 

Dom watched as Rowan visibly swum through his rage induced haze to recognize the head attached to the throat he was ready to tear through.

 

“Joe! What are you doing here?” Rowan asked.

 

“I followed Lisa tonight. And it was a damn good thing too or your spell happy werewolf buddy here would have fucked with her mind!”

 

“You followed Lisa? Why would you do that?”

 

“She called me earlier asking for directions to the Bluecoat Inn. I know that's an exclusive Dover Snib hangout and figured she'd gotten herself involved in some shady business. Looks like I wasn't too far off. Anyway, I recognized this bastard as a Were but I couldn't do anything until he made his move.”

 

Rowan looked at Dom in annoyance.

 

“You took her to out to dinner? You were supposed to get in, get the spell done, and get out. What were you thinking being seen with her in public?!”

 

Dom wasn't about to be scolded by Rowan for this, especially not in front of this Warlock with a superhero complex.

 

“How else was I supposed to gain her trust? I didn't think we'd have company either,” Dom defended, as he cut a glance at the Warlock. Looking askance at the house of daggers pointing in his direction he added, “And would you mind taking down this cage, I'm starting to get a bit claustrophobic?”

 

The man whom called himself Joe narrowed his eyes at Dom, but after a warning glare from Rowan, nodded his head and whispered a word under his breath and the deadly construction evaporated into thin air. As Dom took a deep breath for the first time in five minutes, he received the same warning glare from Rowan as well. That wasn't necessary, he knew better than to transform and shred the insufferable Warlock to pieces. They simply didn't have the time.

 

Addressing his scorn at Joe, Dom stated, “If you are quite done, we need to complete this memory spell before we leave. If it would make you feel better I'll allow you to do the honors, since you've so graciously put the Pack's mage on permanent disability…”

 

“I'll do no such thing Wolf. Lisa doesn't deserve to have her mind raped by anyone. I refuse to help you,” Joe declared. He looked at Rowan for assistance, “This has to do with Theryn, doesn't it? That's why Lisa's been targeted by the wolves.”

 

Rowan sighed before nodding in affirmation.

 

“What's happened to Theryn? If you bastards have done something to her--”

 

“Rowan,” Dom interjected, “How does this Warlock know you and Theryn?”

 

The Beta Guard cut his eyes toward Dom, “We met last night as a matter of fact. At the party I was told to allow Theryn to attend. You know the one where she decided it would be a good idea to escape from me.” Rowan accused.

 

Joe started to laugh riotously, “She left right out from under your nose, didn't she Wolf? That's hilarious. I knew she'd get the better of you sooner or later.”

 

Dom had never seen such a look of smug satisfaction as the one gracing Rowan's face when he turned to Joe and stated, “Don't worry Joe, she wasn't gone for long. And by the way, I didn't sleep on the couch last night either.”

 

The Warlock stopped laughing.

 

It was obvious to Dom there was something he was missing, an underlying tension between the two guys that had developed before tonight. He had a nagging suspicion it had something to do with Theryn Thompson. Unfortunately, he never got the chance to confirm his notion because the thud of a female body hitting the living room floor could be heard in the momentary silence.

 

Lisa was cradling her head in her hands and rotating on the carpet like a stop, drop and roll commercial. Her blonde curls were pitched out in all directions and her black leather skirt had ridden up to indecent heights. Dom thought she'd never looked lovelier.

 

“Where is that little bastard,” she moaned while attempting to bring herself to her knees, “I'll kick his ass.” She managed to seat herself rather clumsily while muttering expletives and declaring vengeance on “that midget intruder and that worthless pansy, Anthony.”

 

Dom was not looking forward to her discovering `Anthony' standing in her living room with two additional guests and a knocked out mage. He had hoped to be gone by the time she woke up but needless to say nothing was working out like he had planned.

 

Lisa flung her hair out of her eyes and cocked a slow, deliberate stare at all three men.

 

“Joe? Rowan? What are you doing here?” she exclaimed. Then her face contorted into a mask of rage and she bolted off the couch, only to fall back down again. “You!” she screamed at Dom, pointing her perfectly manicured nails at this face, “Get out of my apartment, you creep!”

 

Joe shot him a look of disgust, while Rowan merely looked resigned to the theatrics that were sure to ensue. Dom had no idea how to handle this gracefully so he decided not to bother. Thankfully, Rowan stepped up to the plate and explained the situation.

 

“Lisa, this is Dom Marsetti. He's a werewolf from the Uig Pack like me. You're not in any danger, so just calm down.”

 

“Calm down? You want me to calm down?! I was just attacked by a chemical wielding freak and this spineless fur ball watched him do it,” Lisa gestured at Dom angrily.

 

The Warlock's eyebrows nearly shot off his head and Rowan made an exasperated sound. Dom just shrugged with indifference, wasn't up to him to make her understand. If he had his way they would have left a long time ago.

 

“That guy, who attacked you, the one lying on the floor over there, is a mage. He was supposed to perform a memory spell on you so you'd forget about the Uig Pack. Dom was the Pack's supervisor to make sure it was done right. But Joe had followed you and stopped them before they had a chance to do it.”

 

“So this whole night was an elaborate set up to erase my memory?” she asked.

 

Rowan crossed his arms and looked down at her, “Yeah, pretty much.”

 

Lisa grew more agitated, “Does Theryn know about this little scheme?”

 

Rowan suddenly looked uncomfortable in his own skin, “No, she has no idea.”

 

Lisa then looked at Joe, “How did you stop these guys from screwing with my head, and why did you follow me?”

 

All three of the men stared at each other in silence. Dom guessed that Lisa didn't know about Joe's Snib status. Just as Joe took a breath to explain away his actions, Lisa's cell phone loudly rang to the instrumental notes of the latest Coldplay single.

 

The phone was right next to the Warlock and after Lisa's confirming nod, he answered it.

 

“Hello, Lisa's phone.”

 

Joe was silent for a few moments, then a bemused smile spread across his face and he swaggered toward Lisa, phone extended in the air.

 

“It's Theryn. She wants to know what the hell I'm doing with your cell phone and how you're `hot date' went with a `Dr. Selso' tonight.”

 

She grabbed the phone from Joe and placed the tiny black gadget at her ear. “Well Ther, it could've been worse,” she lamented breathily, “At least he isn't married…”