26. Rule #26 Let Go Of The Past

Rule #26: Let Go Of The Past

Zoe

" A nybody home?" I called out as I pushed the front door of the manor closed.

"In here!" Lewis called from the back of the house.

I frowned as I made my way to the library.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, leaning against the doorway.

Lewis sat crossed legged on the library floor surrounded by piles of books, some of them lying open around him, while Lexi floated near his elbow.

I fished my phone out of my jeans pocket and snapped a picture. Ghosts didn't usually show up on photos or in mirrors, but crypto witches made literal magic with their apps.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"Never thought I'd see the day that Lewis Tanaka was besties with a ghost," I said, moving further into the room, picking my way through the mountains of books to get to the couch.

"What are you doing here anyway? Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"Did you check your messages? I closed the gym for today. We need to prepare for tonight. "

I looked at him dumbfounded.

"What?" he asked when he found me staring at him.

"Well, one, you know I don't read the messages in the gym group chat. Melissa keeps trying to sell us Herbalife. And two, you are nowhere near involved in anything tonight. It's far too dangerous."

"I'm just as lethal as you are in a fight. More so probably, or did you forget that I'm the one who trained you?"

"Be that as it may, I'm not risking it. I can't protect you from a werewolf bite."

"What about a wolfsbane protection potion?" he asked.

My eyebrows shot up so high, I'm pretty sure they disappeared into my hair.

"What do you know about potions?" I asked.

Lewis searched around in his piles of books. "Ah ha! Here it is. Potions for Protection ."

"He's been researching," Lexi supplied. She had an amused look on her face. Like she was trying to hold back a laugh.

"How long has he been here?" I asked her.

"Since the sun came up. When Rory went to bed."

My eyebrows pinched together in a frown. Something was evading me right now and I made a mental note to grill my best friend when things calmed down a bit.

"You're not taking a wolfsbane potion. I can't be worrying about you out there with a pack of werewolves."

"What if you get bitten?" he asked.

I shrugged. "It will be painful as fuck, but I won't turn. I'll be poisoned. Werewolf magic and witch magic don't mix," I answered.

A look of deep concern crossed Lewis's face. "That makes me even more worried about this whole thing," he said. "And if a human gets bitten? "

"One of two things will happen," Lexi answered. "Either you'll get infected with the werewolf curse and turn on the next full moon. Or…"

"Or what?" Lewis prompted her.

"Or your body won't take it on and you'll die."

A heavy silence settled over us.

"Wait. If werewolf and witch magic don't mix, what happens if you and Daniel have a baby?" Lewis asked.

I gaped at him. Mostly because I hadn't really thought about that. Babies weren't on my agenda. I was nowhere near ready.

"I have no idea to be honest. We'll cross the bridge if we ever get there."

" When you get there!" Lexi squealed happily.

"Calm down," I replied, rolling my eyes. "What are you researching anyway?" I asked Lewis.

"There must be a way that we can figure out what happened to Lexi," he replied. He frowned in concentration as he paged through a book.

A sudden burst of emotion gripped my chest. I clenched my jaw to try and force the overwhelming sense of gratitude down. What had I done to deserve his loyalty? His love? He was my best friend. The closest thing I had to a sibling. He was my brother in every sense of the word. The family that chose me.

"What?" he asked, looking up at me.

I blinked my tears away.

"Thank you," I whispered. "For not abandoning me. Even when I lied to you. I don't deserve you."

Lewis cracked a smile at me.

"You definitely don't," he joked. "When was the last time you paid for food?"

I threw a pillow at his head.

"Love you too," he said, catching the pillow and placing it behind his back .

"What have you found so far?" I asked.

"Well," Lewis started, pointing to a whiteboard behind him that I hadn't noticed, "I've written everything that we do know on there."

Both Lexi's birth and death dates were written down. Her family tree took up a good portion of the board as well as her friends from school.

"I've found a spell for memory retrieval," Lewis continued. "But it seems it's for living people."

"Let me see," I asked, reaching my hand out and he gave me one of the books that lay open by his side.

"Do you remember what you had been learning last?" I asked Lexi.

"Basic spellwork and potions," she replied.

"What were you doing in the attic?" I asked as I read the spell Lewis spoke about.

"I don't remember," she stuttered.

"Lexi?" I pushed gently. I had good instincts for when people were lying to me.

"I honestly don't remember, but I do recall a dark feeling. I remember feeling devastated and shocked, terror, but nothing else."

"Maybe the attic has more answers," Lewis suggested as my phone buzzed in my pocket. I took it out and read the message.

"Maybe," I agreed, "but that's going to have to wait for another day. Amelia wants us at the shop."

I stood from the couch and looked around the library and located a cubed paper weight sitting on a desk. Picking it up, I held it in both hands, mumbling a spell under my breath. The cube glowed a brilliant shade of pink for a second and I put it back in its place.

"Tell Rory to use that when she wakes up," I told Lexi. "It will take her straight to Amelia's. I'll text her the instructions."

Amelia flipped the sign on the door of the shop to Closed , and turned to face us. Daniel and I sat on the barstools at the coffee bar while Lewis had gotten lost somewhere amongst the books.

"We have a couple of hours before the sun goes down, but I thought it would be best to get you here early. I have a few things for you, Zoe."

She drifted behind the counter and pulled out some potion bottles and a gun.

"Yessss," I said as I picked up the holster, pulling out a 9mm SIG Sauer. I turned it to the side, it had a Celtic shield knot engraved on it for protection.

"It's loaded with silver bullets," Amelia said as I checked the chamber then made sure the safety was in place. "Only use it as a last resort. We don't want to start an actual war with the wolves."

"I don't know how comfortable I am with you handling a gun," Daniel said as I secured the holster to my hip.

"She knows how to use one," Lewis said, ambling back from the bookshelves, placing a stack near the till.

"I have no doubt about that, but look how happy that's making her. Someone should be afraid."

"They should," Lewis agreed. "She's a weapon herself and she also knows how to handle them."

"I also have several knives!" I said, revealing the bandolier of daggers strapped to my chest as I removed my leather jacket.

Daniel walked over to me, grabbed my face, crashing his lips to mine. "You have no idea how much this turns me on," he whispered.

"Okay, okay, you two. Calm down," Amelia said, drawing our attention back to her. She picked up a bright orange bottle and handed it to me. "Extra strength power booster. Just this once, the comedown won't be pretty."

Next was a bluish-green bottle. "Wolfsbane. It should counter the poison if you get bitten. Don't," she emphasized, "get bitten. Only use it if you need it."

"Right," I said, slipping it into my running belt. It also held my phone.

I wandered over to where Lewis was looking at a range of magical talismans. His stack of books lay near and I frowned, grabbing the one on top.

Go Hex Yourself.

"Lew, this is a novel."

"I know," he replied with a smirk. "Apparently it's spicy."

I rolled my eyes. That was the thing about Lewis, looking at him, you wouldn't say the playboy was a closet nerd, but the man had layers. Like a very handsome onion.

"Amelia, do you have any more of those brownies?" he asked her.

She gave him a warm smile. "Sure do," she replied.

He took my vacated seat next to Daniel, while the man in question came to stand next to me. I glanced up at the clock, it was inching toward seven p.m. when a dark pink swirl appeared in the middle of the room and Rory tumbled through, holding the paper weight I had charmed earlier.

Lewis's gaze swung to her and I didn't miss the way his eyes drank her in before they shuttered and he went back to leafing through one of his books. Rory's eyes lingered on him for a second too before she rushed over to me and enveloped me in a hug. Surprising both Daniel and myself, she threw her arms around him for a quick one too. Daniel stood stiff beneath her embrace and I suppressed a smile when he patted her back.

"Um, yeah, thanks for doing this," he said rather awkwardly .

"Of course!" she piped up. She was dressed similar to me in black running tights, and a sports bra. Except I had thrown a cropped t-shirt over and we both wore running shoes. Her long blonde hair was tied into a high ponytail, while I had left my shoulder length hair hanging loose.

"So what's the plan?" she asked.

But before she could answer, the bell above the shop's door jingled and the last two people on Earth I wanted to see walked in.

Katie and Agatha stood in the doorway and Amelia hurried over to them. "Sorry, girls. We're closed for the night."

"I have an order," Agatha said to her, but her gaze locked with mine in some sort of stupid battle of wills. At that moment I found that I actually didn't give a shit anymore. I was done with them. They'd chosen Marcus over me.

"Oh yes. I told you it would be ready in the morning," Amelia replied.

"I need the contraception potion tonight, Amelia. It's a full moon," she replied. Contraception potions were tricky. They had to be taken on either a new or full moon. Agatha's eyes slid to Daniel. His hand had wandered to the small of my back but I could feel the violence rippling off him, and a low growl rumbled from his chest. It was too close to turning time for him. He would be a bit unhinged. And it seemed nothing set him off more than my ex-coven mates. He had even accepted Rory's presence begrudgingly.

I lay my hand on his forearm, willing him to stand down.

"Good to see you have your boy on a leash," Agatha sniped.

"Oh, fuck off, Agatha. You're so exhausting."

Amelia hurried to the back room, probably to retrieve Agatha's order, while the redhead took in the room. As her eyes fell on Lewis, they widened.

"What is he doing here?" she spat .

Lewis and Agatha had never seen eye-to-eye. Likely something to do with the three drunken times she had thrown herself at him and he turned her down. Lewis had just never liked her as a person.

"Ah, Agatha," he said, standing to his full height. "I thought I smelled something rancid walk in."

She spluttered and I spotted Katie trying to hide her smile. "Humans aren't supposed to be able to get in here," Agatha doubled down. She charged up to him, looking like her head was about to explode. Her red hair didn't help the matter at all.

"Unless Amelia gives them permission to enter," Rory said, coming to stand by Lewis's side. "Which she did, so what's your problem?"

Agatha tilted her head to the side, meeting my roommate's gaze, then swiveled towards me. "Quite the little rat pack you've got here, Zoe. A werewolf, a vampire and a human. It's like the start of a joke. Oh, wait. That would be you, wouldn't it?"

The dig was supposed to hurt, I knew, but I couldn't help but burst out laughing at this situation. Agatha looked comical in her rage. All she needed was the steam billowing out of her ears.

"The problem with that, Aggie," I said, using the nickname she hated, making her face turn a brilliant shade of crimson, "is that I would actually have to give a fuck about your opinion. And I don't."

Amelia came blustering in from the back room and shoved a package into Agatha's hands.

"Now, if you'll excuse us, we're busy and unless you can't read, the sign on the door says we're closed."

But Agatha stood rooted to the spot, glaring at me then taking us all in.

"What are you up to, Zoe? The Council of High Witches won't approve of you running around with lesser beings. "

Both Rory and Daniel growled at that, leaving Lewis and I to restrain them.

"I think it's best if you leave now, Agatha," Amelia cut in. "Katie, those ingredients you ordered should be coming in next week. I'll text you when they're here."

"That would be great, thanks, Amelia," Katie said, tugging on Agatha's arm.

I didn't watch them leave, but the doorbell's jingle and the snick of the lock told me they were gone. Instead I turned around to face Daniel and placed my hands on his chest.

"Hey, look at me," I said, because his now yellow eyes were locked firmly on the door, a growl rumbling in his chest once more. "Daniel. Look at me."

He glanced down and I could once again feel the violence radiating from him. Standing on my tip toes, I reached up for his face, bringing his lips to mine and kissed him softly. "Come back to me. I'm here," I whispered.

His mouth was frozen and he was slow to respond, then suddenly he grabbed my face, deepening the kiss. One of his hands reached down to grab my ass and he pulled my body flush with his as his tongue stroked mine. His animal instincts were harder to control tonight. I broke the kiss, breathing heavily. We were in company after all.

Lewis cleared his throat while Rory was positively glowing and Amelia pretended to straighten the candles on one of the display stands.

My face burned brightly, but I took Daniel's hand and led him to an armchair. He promptly pulled me into his lap but I wasn't about to argue right now.

"So, the plan," I said as Rory, Lewis and Amelia joined us on the couches. "Firstly, Lewis is staying here with Amelia." I pointed at him. "Don't even think about arguing with me about this. "

He looked unhappy about it, but thankfully didn't give me any grief.

"Rory is only going to be able to leave once the sun sets. We'll only have fifteen minutes to moonrise, so Daniel and I will meet you out back where Amelia's garden leads to the forest."

"Are we sure the Silvertooth pack will be in the forest?" Rory asked.

Daniel worried his bottom lip between his teeth. "I didn't see them last month. They have a big compound on the south side of town with acres to roam on. But since they've claimed the forest now, I don't see that they wouldn't have some sort of presence," he said.

"So we don't know for sure?" Lewis asked.

"Look, best case scenario, Rory and I get a little exercise," I said with a shrug.

"And worst case?" Lewis prompted.

"I mean, death is always the worst case, but it won't come to that," I said with a confidence that was wobbly at best. But that was the thing about being a leader. You couldn't show fear in front of your team, even if you were shaking down to your bones.

"Okay, bottoms up then, Zo," Amelia said, handing me the vibrant orange bottle. I stood from Daniel's lap and tossed it back. An orange creamsicle flavor burst in my mouth. It tasted like summer days spent at the pool. Amelia was amazing like that. It was like I had been hit with a shot of adrenaline as power surged through me. My hands flipped palms up and my head shot back as I rose a few inches off the ground.

"Zoe!"

Daniel's voice floated to me but it was like the wind had grabbed it and stolen it away. My body buzzed, and crackles of electricity ran over my skin. Just as suddenly as it started, it stopped and I dropped to the ground. My knees bent a little as I landed so I didn't topple over. Looking up, I was met with a wall of stares.

"You okay?" Both Daniel and Lewis had rushed up to me .

I opened the palm of my hands and jolts of electricity jumped from fingertip to fingertip.

"Never better," I replied with a broad grin.

"Oh my god, you're Thor!" Lewis cried and was two seconds away from squealing.

I pushed him. "You're such a fucking nerd. Be cool."

He slung an arm around my neck. "I'm the coolest person you know."

"Remains to be seen," I grumbled, extracting myself from his hold. "Be good and stay here."

"Don't worry, Zoe. I'm restocking the shelves tonight. He can help."

Lewis's eyes lit up like it was his birthday, Christmas and the opening of a new nightclub all rolled into one.

I let out a long breath. "Let's do this then."

Daniel and I made our way to the edge of Amelia's property, where it met the forest. The sun was on its way down, painting the sky in a brilliant display of pinks, purples and oranges. My fingers itched to recreate it and I stared up at the sky, trying to commit it to memory. A photo on my phone camera would never do it justice. A set of strong, and very bare arms, wrapped around my waist. Turning around in Daniel's arms revealed him to be almost entirely naked, except for a pair of tight black boxer briefs that left very little to the imagination. I ran my fingers lightly down what I was sure was an eight-pack of abs, I'd tried to count once but got sidetracked, and he let out a strangled sound.

"Not fair," he groaned, as his muscled abs contracted under my touch.

"Is it entirely necessary for you to be this naked?" I asked.

"Well, I didn't want to rip my good jeans when I turned," he replied. "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be," I said .

The sun said goodbye to the sky and we were covered in the soft twilight, my favorite time of the day. Everything was still. But I could feel a menace in the air.

"Whoa! I was not prepared for butts tonight!"

I laughed as Rory's voice came from behind us. I peeked around Daniel's body to see her turned in the other direction with her hands covering her eyes.

Daniel's chuckle rumbled through his body before he leaned down to kiss my forehead.

"Better step back, darling. I'm going to need some space."

I walked over to where Rory stood, and looked up at the darkening sky. The bright, full moon rose on the horizon, and I was stunned as it kissed the tips of the towering pines and firs of the surrounding forest. It was a gorgeous summer night that quickly turned on its head when a baying howl cut through the air. I spun around at the same time Rory did and I couldn't help the little gasp that escaped me.

"Daniel?"

A huge gray wolf stood before us, his head in line with mine. Holy Hecate, he was huge. I trembled as he stepped toward us, and I put out the palm of my hand to stop him coming closer. Daniel let out a soft whine then butted his head against my palm before licking it with his rough tongue. I couldn't help the laugh that escaped me. I hugged his massive head. "You're beautiful, Daniel."

A big laugh bubbled out of me as he licked my face, but he let out a low growl when Rory stepped to my side. I ran my hand soothingly over his head. "Hush now, it's just Rory. She's a friend, remember?"

Usually when werewolves turned they remembered who they were, but on a full moon their animal instincts were closer to the surface. But he was still my Daniel. To both Rory's and my surprise, he butted his head against her side then turned around and sprinted toward the forest .

"Shit!" I swore.

"I've got him!" Rory yelled, zipping after him.

"Here goes nothing. Celeritas, " I whispered. My magic flooded my veins and I darted forward as I ran to keep up with them. The speed spell meant I caught up in no time. A laugh burst out of me, I felt like I was flying. My purple hair whipped behind me, as my feet tracked through the loamy soil. The scent of the forest surrounded me, fresh pine needles and the air still ripe with the smell of mulch thanks to last night's summer shower. The moon glinted through the towering pines and Daniel let up a howl. I laughed again when Rory echoed him and I joined with one of my own. Rory and I trailed a couple of feet behind Daniel and I marveled at his strong beauty once again. He truly was a prince of wolves.