Chapter Twenty-One
The following night after sunset, Cella and Cyrus met with Brone and Arissa, and several coven guards, and took a trip to The Cleveland Mother Earth Store, which was run by the wiccans. When she and Cyrus had come back to the club after getting only a little more information on tribrids, they spoke to Arissa who volunteered to take them to the wiccans and meet with Lorene and Bitty, both Corners of the coven.
“What does one have to do to become a Corner?” Cella asked from the second row of the SUV. Arissa and Brone were in the front seats, their hands clasped on the console between the seats. Arissa twisted in the seat and looked at them.
“Wiccans, whether they’re natural or unnatural, have one of four powers they’re connected to – Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. In order to become a Corner, a wiccan has to be the most powerful in their coven of whatever their power is.”
“Is natural and unnatural the way that we think of vampires, as born or made?”
Arissa thought for a moment and said, “I hadn’t actually thought of it that way, but I suppose that’s a good way to look at them. Natural wiccans are born of two wiccan parents. Unnatural wiccans usually have a wiccan somewhere in their family line, but the power was rejected and as the generations passed it grew weaker until it was nearly non-existent.”
“Why would anyone want to turn away from a naturally inherited power? That would be like me deciding not to shift anymore,” Cyrus said.
“A lot of wiccan families turned away from their powers during the witch trials in the 1800s, and they often passed down that fear to future generations. Most of the wiccans in the Cleveland coven are unnatural, with some buried power in their history that they can draw out and strengthen with training. An unnatural wiccan would have to spend years developing it in order to be powerful enough to be a Corner, but it can be done. Two of the four Corners are unnatural.”
“Could a human or a shifter just decide they want to study to become a wiccan and create a power within themselves?” Cella asked.
“No. It has to already exist within them, even minutely.”
Brone parked in front of the store and turned off the engine. The SUV with the coven guards parked next to them, but the males didn’t get out. They weren’t along for the ride to visit, they were there to keep watch. Even with the church’s Cleveland location closed and the offenders in prison with denied bail, she didn’t trust the leader of the church not to come at them again in some way. He’d done nothing but try to harm vampires since he started the church, and she wouldn’t put anything past him.
She accepted Cyrus’s hand and got out of the SUV. “I’m glad you’re on our side,” she said to Arissa.
Arissa smiled broadly. “Me too.”
Cyrus held the door open for Cella and Arissa, and all four of them walked inside. The large open space was full of tables containing statues, vessels, and various things she couldn’t name, and the walls were lined with bookshelves that were stuffed full. The air smelled heavily of flowers and herbs, and she was surprised to see a young woman behind the long, wooden counter grinding dried leaves with a mortar and pestle.
“Hi, Lulu,” Arissa said as she walked to the counter.
“Hey! I heard you were coming tonight.” Lulu rested the marble pestle in the bowl and gave Arissa a hug. “It’s so nice to see you.”
Arissa introduced Cella and Cyrus. “They’re meeting with Lorene and Bitty.”
“They’re in room three, you can go on back.”
Arissa led them through a door to a long hallway, where she knocked on the open door of a room with a large golden number three above it. “Hi, ladies.”
Two females were seated around a large round table, one of them quite old in appearance and the other looking as if she was in her late twenties. The younger-looking one stood and came to the door, hugging Arissa. “You always look so lovely. Immortality agrees with you.”
“Thanks,” Arissa said. She introduced Cyrus and Cella to Lorene. “She’s the North Corner and head of the coven.”
“I’d stand but my arthritis is giving me fits,” the older woman said. “Forgive my manners.”
Arissa walked to the table and hugged her. “I can make you a stronger tonic, Bitty.”
“It’s working, it just fades quickly.” She smiled at Cella and Cyrus and pulled an afghan tighter around her shoulders. “Come and sit. This old bird needs to get home to rest. I’m no night owl anymore.”
“Were you ever?” Lorene asked with a chuckle.
“Maybe sixty years ago.”
The four sat at the table with the two wiccans, and Cella smiled at the head of the coven. “Thank you so much for seeing us.”
“We’re happy to help,” Lorene said.
“Plus, I’ve never met a tribrid,” Bitty said, “and it’s totally on my bucket list.”
“Cella, Cyrus, this is Bitty. She’s our coven’s East Corner and our resident shifter expert,” said Arissa.
Cyrus linked his fingers on the polished tabletop. “Nice to meet you, Bitty. How much do you know about what happened to me?”
Bitty opened a book and turned it on the table, pushing it across to them. Cella leaned over as Cyrus inspected the page. “As I mentioned,” Bitty said, “I’ve never met a tribrid, but for the past few decades I’ve had a hobby of collecting information on shifters and their histories. When Arissa called and explained what happened, I knew I had some things that would help you out. I am guessing your biggest worry now is whether you’ll have trouble controlling yourself around other shifters.”
“Definitely,” Cyrus said. “Midas is giving me an opportunity to meet with him tomorrow night as a test. Of course, I’m concerned about my family being safe around me.”
Bitty arched a brow. “How do you feel right now?”
Cyrus looked at Cella with a frown. “Fine. Why?”
“Because wiccan blood is as potent as shifter blood to vampires,” Lorene said. “You haven’t made any attempt to feed from either of us, and as Corners, our blood is even more potent.”
Brone made an angry sound. “Are you telling me that I’ve put my beloved in danger?”
Arissa rolled her eyes so hard that Cella was surprised they stayed in her head. “I wasn’t worried.”
Brone growled. “You knew?”
She shrugged. “I called Lorene and talked to her about what happened to Cyrus because you’re always so concerned with my safety. She talked to Bitty, who said it was her understanding that tribrids had better-than-average control over their natures. After I met with him, I could tell he didn’t even think about taking a bite out of me.”
“You smell mated to me,” Cyrus said with a shrug. “You don’t smell like food.”
“I feel terrible.” Cella sat back with a groan. “Everyone was so worried about your shifter side, I honestly didn’t even think of it.”
Arissa lifted Brone’s hand to her lips and kissed it. “You know I’d never purposely put myself in danger. That would endanger your life because we’re beloveds and our immortality is tied together.”
He let out a growling sigh. “I know, beloved. Next time, let me know first.”
“I will, I promise.”
Cella leaned over and read the page again. Like the information they’d found in Mishka’s collection, it was very clear that the tribrids were able to handle their hunger and deal with it in ways that took newbie vampires years to master.
“If I’m reading this correctly,” Cella said, “Cyrus does need shifter blood, the way that a vampire needs human blood. But we can supplement our hunger with SyBl so we only need to drink real blood once a week.”
“SyBl didn’t exist when this information was penned,” Bitty pointed out. “That’s only come along in the last few decades. Turn the page.”
Cyrus did as instructed and read out loud. “Tribrids must feed from shifters after their initial waking. Daily feeding of animal blood can sustain a tribrid, assuming that shifter blood can be provided on a biweekly basis. Because prey blood is an integral part of the diet, rare meats and drinking of natural animal blood can be used.”
“And the next page,” Bitty said, lighting a clove cigarette and blowing a sweet-smelling stream of smoke into the air. “The second line I believe.”
“Tribrids are no danger to shifters, wiccans, or humans, provided biweekly shifter blood feedings and daily prey-blood intake.”
Cyrus blew out a breath and sat back, scrubbing his hand over his face. “It’s that simple?”
Bitty shrugged. “Sometimes the fates are nice.”
“The thing I don’t understand,” Cella said, giving Cyrus’s forearm a squeeze, “is if tribrids aren’t dangerous to shifters or anyone else, why have we read about them being killed as if they’re a threat?”
“From what I’ve studied, the issue is that they’re different.” Bitty opened another book and pushed it across the table. “Beloved mating is rare for vampires. Although it appears to be making a comeback in Cleveland, past vampire history shows that it wasn’t something that occurred regularly. Add in how vampires and shifters kept apart from each other, it would be unbelievably unusual for a vampire and shifter to not only become mates but to be beloveds. It just didn’t happen.”
Cyrus rubbed his chin. “Shifters in our history didn’t like anyone being different. There were some ambushes that exiled shifters if their tiger was a different color. I can’t imagine the issues a shifter would face from not only their own kind but also the vampires back in the days when minor differences could be a death sentence.”
“At least our people have progressed enough to not kill over that kind of thing,” Cella said. “I’m taking this all as good news, that Cyrus shouldn’t have any problem with being around shifters as long as he’s eating rare prey-meat or drinking natural animal blood.”
She didn’t voice the idea that drinking animal blood sounded super gross.
“We can perhaps have the scientists who created the SyBl formula work on a synthetic that would mimic shifter blood,” Brone said. “We’ve tossed the idea around in the past but have never pursued it.”
“You can keep the books as long as you like,” Bitty said. “I’ve got some tiger history books too, if you’d like to see them.”
“Thank you so much,” Cyrus said. “You’ve been amazingly helpful.”
Cella smiled at him. “Do you feel better about everything?”
“I do. But even if I’m feeling fine, Midas isn’t going to take these books at face value, he’s going to want to test me in person. Which he’ll do tomorrow night.”
“I think it’s pretty amazing that you’ve been eating rare steaks all along without realizing that you were essentially feeding your nature,” Cella said. “Pretty smart, beloved.”
He grinned.
They thanked the wiccans again and left. When they were on their way back to the club, Arissa turned around in the front seat. “What do you think? Did you get all your questions answered?”
“Definitely,” Cyrus said. The books they borrowed were heavy on his lap and resting a hand on them made him feel connected to his tribrid ancestors in a unique way.
“I’m glad,” Arissa said. “I’m sure I would have been unhappy to feel cut-off from the wiccans if that had happened when Brone and I became beloveds. Family is one thing, but a group of similar people who care and look out for you is unique.”
Cyrus looked at Cella. “I’m glad that we know I’m not a danger to shifters, but if I had to avoid shifters for eternity, I still get you and that’s more than enough.”
She chuckled. “You sweet talker.”
“Just for you.” He put his arm around her and drew her close, giving her a kiss on the temple. “Have I told you how crazy I am about you?” he asked as Arissa turned back around and let them have some privacy.
“Many times, but a girl never gets tired of hearing it.”
“Good.” He cupped her face and let both his beasts out, the tiger who wanted to curl up around her and keep her safe and warm, and the vampire who wouldn’t hesitate to use fangs and strength to keep her safe forever. “I love you, Cella. You saved my life, you looked out for me when no one knew exactly what I’d be like, and you didn’t give up on me. Thank you for all of that. You’re so precious to me.”
“I love you too. You’re worth everything. I’d fight for you no matter what. And I’m very grateful that we found each other. You were worth waiting three hundred years for.”
He kissed her, careful not to let the kiss go too long because of the couple in the front seat. But later, when they were home, he’d show her just how much he loved her.