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When he first knocked on the door, the woman that answered it, as if on cue, seemed middle aged in the dim light. After she turned on several lamps, Wilder could see her clearly. Her face was unlined, perfectly smooth. Odd, Wilder thought, her face was symmetrical. She looked like a doll or a mannequin with a big puffy afro. She wore black jeans with a white peasant blouse and no shoes on her feet. Celeste Howard was a witch doctor, registered in their database that Wilder had committed to his memory. She was the closest to medical help he could find.
Celeste brushed him aside, going to the couch where Velvet lay. Not touching her body, Celeste examined her by simply moving her hands in the air over her body. She did the same to Devon who lay on his back on the floor.
Wilder didn’t understand why the two were sick. A vampire bite shouldn’t have Velvet in a fever, and Devon’s injuries should have healed rather leave him in such a weakened state. Something wasn’t right. Jerome could have killed her. Instead he merely bit her and decided to gloat. It was a sick game to him.
“How is she?” he asked the silent witch doctor. “Miss Howard, I asked you-”
“Be quiet, please.” She frowned as she stood staring down at Devon. “Are you certain about this one?” At Wilder’s silence, she turned to him. “Are you certain he is a wolf?”
“Yes, I’ve seen him change countless times.”
“And nothing else?”
“All I’ve seen and all he claims to be.”
“Then why isn’t-”
“What?”
“Never mind. Excuse me,” she said, and left to march into the kitchen. Wilder trailed her to the swinging door. He watched her handle some dried herbs from the counter and finally chose a bunch of lavender. She filled a watering pot with water and the herbs, she eyed Wilder silently with those big eyes he somehow found unsettling. He almost could swear she hadn’t blinked once the whole time since he entered the small house, which was practically in the woods.
“Celeste, please, hurry.” Wilder spoke, moving urgently from the swinging door. Since their arrival, Celeste moved about like she had all the time in the world. Picking flowers and running water on slow. Hadn’t even lit any candles or chanted once. She looked up from the watering pot, gave a tolerant smile as she moved down to the far drawer. A junk drawer it seemed and pulled out a short length of rope. She bade him to come to her. Warily, he complied and she measured the rope by wrapping it around him one and a half times before cutting it with a double edged knife. “What are you doing?”
“Go bind the boy’s arms to his sides.”
“This rope isn’t enough to hold a werewolf.” Wilder looked at the rope to her too perfect face. His confidence in her was waning rapidly, and he debated whether to take his comrades somewhere else. But there was no time to waste, not knowing the true extent of Jerome’s bite to Velvet.
“Do as I say and now,” Celeste said. “Vampire, did you say those people were your friends?”
“Yes, and I demand you help them now.”
“What do you think I’m doing?”
“I have no idea. Vee doesn’t take this much time.”
“Do I look like Vee to you! Go bind the boy and undress the woman. Then place them side by side on the floor. Center of the carpet. After that make sure all the windows in the room are open. Do it now, vampire!”
“My name is Wilder,” he said. “If you can’t help them, tell me now.”
“The one not helping them is you, Wilder.” She walked away from him back to the watering pot at the sink. “I’m not like your woman, am I?”
“You are not like any witch I’ve ever met.” Where was that mystique and style witches naturally exhibited? He didn’t even feel mildly queasy as he did whenever he encountered a strange witch. But now wasn’t the time to figure this woman out.
A few minutes later, Celeste exited the kitchen, carrying a dripping bouquet and watering pot. She stood still, gazing down at Wilder as he gently caressed Velvet’s face. Except for an occasional whimper from Velvet and a series of growls and grunts from Devon, the two had been pretty much still as their condition had not changed. He hoped that was a good sign.
“She’s a witch and you a vampire, must be a story there.”
“Yes.”
Celeste began pouring the lavender water on Devon’s head, and slowly saturated the rest of his body. “Sprinkle the water off the lavender on her. Head first, pause at the heart and pelvic area then continue downward and back up to the heart.”
“Me?” Wilder looked at her like she was crazy. “I am a vampire!”
“So?”
“My nature counters human magic.”
“Wilder, this isn’t magic. Besides, one mere vampire’s nature is not enough to counter anything I do! Sprinkle the flower water like I told you, then wash her body with the water in the pot. After that, use this oil all over her skin.” She pulled a small round jar from her hip pocket and placed it on the floor near Velvet’s head.
Later, as he dried her face, he saw the change in her. She appeared to rest in peaceful sleep. Devon began to transform back to human. His body was finally letting itself heal. Celeste had placed towels on her couch and loveseat, sprinkled them with dried lavender and blue flower petals. Wilder lifted Velvet gently and laid her on the couch. Suddenly, he noticed her nakedness, in particular her breasts. She rarely showed cleavage when she dressed, looking at her now was a delight.
Celeste left the room. In her short absence, Wilder thought to move Devon from the floor as well, to the loveseat. Not sure if he should remove the rope, he let it be. “When will they wake up,” he asked Celeste upon her return. She held a neat square of folded clothing against her chest. She didn’t answer, but began to dress Velvet.
“Did you hear me, Celeste?”
“Dress the wolf boy.” She said.
“Are they recovering or not?”
“Handsome boy,” she remarked and left Velvet without pants to go kneel over Devon. She looked behind his ears and frowned briefly.
“What?” Wilder demanded. What was so interesting about Devon that she’d forget about seeing to Velvet? “What is wrong with him?”
“Nothing,” Celeste said. She stood smiling at him with her big eyes that seemed to have no soul behind them. Wilder for the first time since his mortal death got a sudden case of the creeps. It came off Celeste in a big wave, and then just as suddenly it was gone.
“You wish to take them and leave me now?” She moved closer to Wilder, taking small steps. “Can’t stand me any longer, vampire?” She stopped just a couple of steps from him. Her eyes now were bright and trying to hold his gaze.
“Your help is greatly appreciated,” he said, refusing to look at the floor. He swallowed and took out his wallet. “How much do we owe you?”
“I don’t want your money,” she said.
“But you must take something,” he insisted, even risked looking directly at her. She was just a woman. That feeling of dread and fear was just a classic case of why vampires and witches couldn’t stand each other.
“Your witch has altered you,” Celeste stated more than asked. “How did it happen?” She reached out to touch his chest.
“What?” He couldn’t help it, he had to take a giant step back from her. She was glowing from her aura. Dark purple. The creepy feeling was back. “Don’t attempt to touch me again. Take this money and I will collect my friends and leave.”
“Wilder, you tell me how she bound you to her!”
“She- I am not bound to anyone!” The glow spread from her body until it looked like a backdrop in a portrait. Things were getting weird. Wilder ran a hand through his thick waves and glanced at his sleeping friends. He had to get them out of there before he risked engaging the strange case Celeste was proving to become. Vee, wake up! His mind tried to reach hers, penetrate into her dream state. For a second there, it felt like she was moving toward him, then she was gone again. And Celeste was standing directly in front of him, blocking his line of sight to Velvet. “All right, Celeste,” he braved, looking her dead in her eyes. “What the hell do you want?” She shoved her hands into her jeans pockets, and pulled back her aura. She grinned at him as if pleased with his reaction to her. Without a word, she walked past him back into the kitchen. He debated should he follow her. Looking at Velvet on the couch, he decided he had no choice.
Celeste returned from the fridge with a bottle of white wine. “As you can see, Wilder, I am not like her. Most people would call me a kitchen witch. She’d probably call me trash.”
“Velvet is neither a bigot nor a snob. Besides, you saved her life.”
“Please, sit down.” She indicated the chair that was already pulled from the wooden table that took most of the floor space of the kitchen. She pulled the cork from the bottle with her teeth, then she sat down as well. The aroma of fresh human blood filled the air as she poured a glass of the white wine that turned to blood. She offered it to Wilder.
“No, thank you,” he said, even as his mouth filled with saliva.
“I won’t tell her. Come on,” she urged. “You’ll feel better.”
“No.”
“All right then.” She sighed, pouring the blood into another glass. It turned back to white wine. She giggled as she turned the glass up and drained it. “I have to be honest with you, Wilder. I didn’t save her life.”
“But Celeste-” Velvet was better! He felt her coming back! In a panic he shot up from the table meaning to go to her side and take her swiftly away from there.
“Calm yourself.” Celeste commanded. Her words paused his body before he even turned away. “Sit down, please.”
“You think you can control me?” How dare she presume to control him? Did she not know he was a master vampire? Or did she want him to lash out at her? He had to be careful, so far he was not able to judge the strength of her witchcraft, as she had not yet displayed very much of it. “You think I will allow you to threaten my friends?” He felt her hold on him weaken. She could not force her will on him if he opposed her actions, he was sure of that now, but he would not force a confrontation- yet.
“I haven’t harmed anyone.”
“You just said you didn’t save them.”
“Vampire, they were not dying. Witches go into healing trances and I assume she is aiding the wolf boy.” Then, “They are very close, aren’t they? Are you jealous?”
“Excuse me?”
“She and the wolf boy have a bond,” she continued. “It is recent. You don’t like it. She spends too much time with others. Once you thought you’d lost her to another. He is-” Celeste frowned. “He is not a regular man.”
“Now, what are the odds of that?” She was good, he hardly felt her trying to probe his mind, but blocking her efforts was simple as child’s play. Wilder grinned at her annoyance.
“He isn’t human. He pretends,” she tried again, appearing to attempt going deeper. Wilder smiled at her then laughed. “He still wants her and means to have her!”
“She’d never have him again.”
“Are you sure? Did you make sure of that, vampire?”
“Yes! Yes, I did!”
“You’d do anything, wouldn’t you? You’d even kill him, but you can’t.” It was almost a question. She wasn’t sure of anything. Didn’t even know what she was talking about! She wasn’t even in his mind. Just guessing and he had been letting her lead him to her lame conclusions.
“Wake them up, Celeste play time is over.”
“Take the wolf. She will stay with me.”
“You must know that isn’t going to happen.”
“Oh? Who will stop me?”
“I will. Even with the last breath I take.”
“I’ve fought your kind before.”
“Then this fight should be quite interesting.” He pushed back his chair. His eyes flashed red and his brow and forehead furrowed. “Even if you are lucky enough to get the upper hand, Velvet will rise and strike you down, and crush you as if you were just a worm beneath her feet.”
“I could kill you with a just a thought.”
“Really, Celeste? Then why haven’t you?”
“If she could, she’d break away from you. You know that!”
“What is that to you, Celeste? Are you jealous of her? You don’t even know her! Whatever is going through that head of yours is a mistake!”
“Is it?”
“Indeed, it is.”
“Then we will call this a misunderstanding.”
“Fine.”
“Gather your friends and leave,” she said, giving him her back. “Now,” she added and vanished in a puff of purple smoke.