Chapter 3: The Decision to Chase the Wolf and the Wolf's Decision to Run!
The warm water cascaded from my head to my toes soothing every aching muscle to some degree. I was still recovering from this half change, and getting zapped by Jessica's stupid barrier. So it happened, the inevitable had happened and we fucked. I guess it's for the best though, we nipped the sexual tension in the bud and it was suppose to make it easier to let go. I knew there was a reason I felt like running away from her every time I was within her vicinity. In my twenty years of living I've liked girls oh my whole life and had my heart broken more than enough times to know when to protect it. What I'd learnt so far is, she is my guardian and I am her charge and when she had finished guiding me to the Oak Lands she would leave and I would probably never see her again so I would do what I had to do and keep my distance. I hate falling for the never available type, emotionally or physically so there was nothing left to say.
The rest of the day was used to prepare for the inconspicuous journey. She told me all I needed to know about the Oak Land people and they seemed like my kind of people. Apparently women who mated with women where highly revered unlike back home where my mother just chose to ignore it and whenever it was referred to it was referred to as a faze, that never failed to piss me off.
"So where are you going to go, when this is all over?" I asked her knowing I was treading on tender eggshells of my own right now but I had to know. Did she normally sleep with her charges or was it just me? Urgh I don't want to know who else she's sleeping with.
"I'm unsure, I spoke with the council last night and they've have assigned other guides to all my other charges as you are a special case and need pretty much all my attention," Jessica replied with a glint in her eye I tried to ignore but of course it wasn't that easy. You would think having sex would kill your sexual frustration, not make it fucking worse.
"Well as soon as you drop me in the Oak Lands I'll probably be too busy training how to change into all sorts of animals, you know, when I was shifting in the between world I felt all my bones rearranging itself it was the most painful thing I've felt in a long time but also the most powerful, is it going to be that painful every time?" I asked memories of my spine cracking into a different shape played over in my mind like a scratched vinyl.
"The first time is the most painful I think" she said with a giggle. I thought I was supposed to be the childish one here.
"Shut up," I laughed throwing a pillow at her. Forgetting I was supposed to be playing the strictly business game. To be completely honest I don't actually know when I made my peace with the fact that this was my new destiny ... before or after the sex?
"Hey I was completely clean minded when I said that," she said with a coy smirk, sending sexual waves with those eyes of hers, we would have to have some words about that.
"You need to quit it with that eye thing on yours," I said to her seriously.
"This is like the third time you've said that, what eye thing, I get that their strange but I can't help that," she replied emulating my serious tone. It's at that moment I figured it out, let's just say I watched a lot of charmed as a child ... Alyssa Milano was the main reason though.
"How did you calm me when I was having a panic attack in my room the other day?" I asked knowing the answers.
"Well I wasn't completely successful in calming you but my power is linked to my eyes," she explained.
"And what exactly is your power?" I further questioned.
"Well I'm a magical being so I can perform your everyday magical incantations though I have a limits, but the power I was born with is being able to slightly manipulate human emotions, well more bring out any emotions that are already there like I can't make someone calm down unless they have the ability to calm down and I can't turn someone on unless their actually attracted to me," she said beating me to my point and completely flipping the switch on me.
"Right way to make a conversation awkward," I sighed.
"Look, what we did was amazing, I mean we ..." she began
"Had sex," I said as she said "Made Love," I was taken aback by the term, the L word always made me want to run for the hills, if it weren't for those goddamn barriers.
"You mean we had sex," I corrected her I know I should have let it got but I'd known her for just over 48 hours but apparently time moves differently in the between plane, but the point was three days ago I didn't know her and I am not the u-haul type.
"You're scared that I'm saying I love you but I'm not I'm saying we made love, calm down honey you're not that special," she said playfully which wasn't the reaction I was expecting. It was frustrating that she didn't react like normal women, because normal women I can read like a book but her unless I look into those unnervingly sexy eyes and tried to channel what she was feeling I couldn't read her, and as frustrating as that was it was a huge turn on, but a year ago I'd made my peace with the fact that I wasn't built for relationships, they are too stressful, I like sex but sex normally leads to more stuff that I couldn't handle so I think it was time to lay all the cards on the table.
"Look whatever we did, I agree was amazing but we have to leave it at that, I mean I'm busy trying to save the magical world your busy trying to save the magical world we don't have time for this," I told her in the most serious voice I could muster though now I was imagining her naked, I had to fight off the flashbacks from earlier when we were bare, sweaty and fully engrossed in pleasuring each other.
"Oh please you shape shifted once, and have been exposed to the magical world for what, two days, stop being a coward, I like you, you like me so what's the problem?" something flashed behind her eyes, she wasn't telling me something and how the fuck could I have known that since I'd only known her for two days, beats me.
"The answer is no to whatever you're going to propose and I suggest we start to get a move on," I replied getting up from the sofa and picking up newly magically acquired backpack.
"Fine we'll just talk about it later, take my hand and we'll be on our way," that stupidly cute grin was still plastered to her face.
"Isn't there a way for us to go without the physical contact," I asked already knowing the answer.
"Nope there isn't, how about you stop resisting," she said in a low husky tone as she stepped into my personal space. Her eyes were on mine and before I could say anything her lips were on mine. I should have pushed her away to prove my point but those lips just do it for me. I couldn't control myself my arms went around her neck as she pulled me into her and then we disappeared.
"Cut it out," I said breaking our kiss that was getting heated we probably would have screwed in the middle of transporting if I didn't have such amazing self control. Ignoring her cute pout I looked around. "Where are we?" I asked her.
"In between Chicago, and the mirror world to Chicago," she stated.
"I thought this place was a little grey to be Chicago I mean I've never been there or here or wherever but this sure doesn't look like the windy city where Kanye West grew up, and why the hell did you say we were coming to Chicago if we, weren't actually going to go to Chicago, is that what you were hiding from me," I asked, a bunch of suspicious thoughts sneaking into my mind.
"We are in Chicago, just a different plane; we can't go jumping through portals with an audience of stunned civilians and what makes you think I'm hiding anything from you," she replied with a mixture of hurt and guilt in her eyes.
"It doesn't matter, where's this portal?" I asked, changing the subject though the subject was still heavy on my mind.
"We have quite the trek before we get there," she announced stretching. I watched as her shirt rose to reveal a cute navel and smooth, pale skin. I must have stared for a bit too long.
"See something you like," she asked with a smirk. I felt my cheeks heat up.
"What do you mean it's quite the trek why couldn't you just teleport there," I said completely ignoring her statement.
"The people of the Oak Lands are very protective of the portal and if I had tried to teleport there the portal would have moved, we have to walk and be granted entrance to the portal by the guards," she explained.
"Oh goody, so how long is this going to take?" I asked staring at nothing but grey skies stretching out for miles thinking whoever created the between worlds seriously lacked imagination.
"Like I said a while so why don't you just relax and take a walk with me," she replied that stupid glint had now returned causing giddiness within me.
"Fine," I gave in and followed her lead. "It isn't possible for me to shift here too is it?" I asked remembering what happened the last time we were in this Godforsaken place. For the first time today she looked at me seriously.
"I won't lie to you, yes it is possible but only if something triggers like severe anger, or emotional pain, but it shouldn't happen because very few people are gifted with knowledge of where the portal to the oak lands is," she replied as we walked.
"Okay next question I shifted into a wolf so doesn't that make me a werewolf," I further prodded.
"Oh God no! Werewolves are devious violent creature who we are very wary of I mean not many people would be too upset if they became extinct, you are nothing like a werewolf babe, for one they are a lot weaker and the only power they have is to shift into a wolf on every full moon that's their curse plus your wolf form is completely different from theirs they turn into your everyday gray wolf, you turn into something magical bigger and a lot more powerful, in your full form you would stand taller than me," she explained. I was in awe that werewolves actually existed but I guess it makes sense considering the events that have occurred in the past few days.
"Since we're doing so well in question and answer tell me what you're not telling me," I said calmly though I was slightly on edge because I knew she wasn't telling me something important.
"I don't know what you're on about, any question you ask me, I answer fully and with complete honesty so I have no idea what you're talking about, it's all that shit you've smoked, it's got you paranoid," she laughed.
"The one thing I know is that I'm not paranoid, I've never cared about anything enough to be paranoid about it so stop changing the subject and fucking tell me," I snapped. I don't know what it was but I looked into her eyes and I saw the secret tucked away. She stopped walking and faced me eyes blazing. She stepped into my personal space but I wasn't going to be intimidated. She looked down at my hand and took it into hers. Those beautiful blue stilled my bubbling emotions.
"Please stop pushing me away with these crazy notions, I get it you're scared I'll leave you or hurt you but I won't I just want to be with you and I know you want to be with me too," she said once again shocking me that she knew what had been bothering me and the fact that she'd been straight with me, my heart was pounding as she leaned forward and pressed her lips to mine, my response was immediate. Though I soon broke the kiss to say what I had to say.
"Good, because the one thing I can't handle is lies," I told her.
"So is that an I-want-to-be-with-you-too response," she asked all of a sudden getting shy making me smile.
"Yes it is and that's all you're getting," I told her with a playful pout.
"I'll take it," she laughed catching my lips with hers briefly before we pressed on to the portal. So as we walked on I took hand and our finger intertwined I could see a small look of triumph glinting in her eyes which kind of made me feel special. Suddenly she came to a halt. "We're here, be respectful they'll be on alert from the reports of demons in the between worlds," Jessica whispered to me.
"Okay cool," I replied shaking with anticipation. It was all becoming real I was about to step onto a magical land where one of my ancestors was from.
"Identify yourselves," a deep voice spoke as two men materialized. Their chests where bare with a leather strap going across with huge swords attached to it matched with skimpy shorts. They looked like something out of a fancy dress hen party.
"Jessica Cornish guardian to Renee Magena of the Distant Magena tribe hailing as an ancestor of the Oak Lands wishing to return home," Jessica said confidently, I saw as one of the men raised his eyebrow and a piece of parchment appeared in his hand. He slowly approached me bringing out a small blade. I staggered backwards as the huge man approached me.
"Just a prick child, don't be frightened," he said with a look of humour in his eyes. I should have said okay and stopped being a little bitch but I kept looking at that huge knife and couldn't help, but be `frightened' as he put it.
"Maybe if I had a huge knife such as yours and advanced towards you, you would understand how silly the notion of not being frightened is," I retorted. I felt Jessica's eyes on me almost instantly. I wanted to look into those calming blue things but my eyes wouldn't leave the knife.
"Renee," she whispered her voice a warning.
"What?" I snapped. "If you had to get pricked by that you would be just as scared so don't give me that," I added taking a step away from all of them.
"It's okay, she has the Magena fire, I know that look well, we won't convince her to trust us if we push her to do it," he said with a look in his eyes that showed wisdom way beyond his age appearance. He'd sold me on the whole knowing my ancestor thing.
"Yeah, what he said," I said giving Jessica the we-are-so-going-to-talk-about-you-not-telling-me-about-the-knife-thing look. I confidently approached the man holding the knife and handed him my hand turning away as the knife moved towards it. It was a small sharp pain and then he pressed my hand firmly onto the parchment then pulled it away. I watched in utter amazement as I saw words magically appear.
`WELCOME DAUGHTER OF THE OAK LANDS AND MAGENA TRIBE' they read.
"Which one of my ancestors did you know?" I asked the man who had recently mutilated my hand.
"The first one Sheila Magena going back to five hundred years ago the first and only giant wolf she was magical," he said with a distant look in his eyes.
"Wait does that mean she's still alive," I asked my voice filled with excitement, questions buzzing around in my mind.
"All will be revealed in time, the portal is now open," his voice boomed as he waved his hand and a star-gate looking portal appeared. I felt Jessica take my hand and walk me towards it and before I could protest I was sucked into the bright lights and blue swirls.
As soon as I felt I was going to hurl the feeling stopped and I was on a soft patch of green grass. My first thought was Jessica. I got up quickly to see her standing behind me with a huge smile on her face.
"You made it babe, your home," she announced pulling me into her arms and kissing me intensely that I could only kiss her back. As her tongue snaked into my mouth I felt like I was falling for her and falling hard.
"Yes she is, welcome to your homeland," a voice rudely interrupted. Jessica pulled away abruptly and looked ridiculously guilty.
"Who are you?" I asked as I stared at a beautiful woman with long wavy brown hair and intensely green eyes, almost as beautiful as Jessica's... almost.
"I am Miriam I will be your guardian for the oak lands, I'm taking over from Jessica," she said with a smile.
"What!" we both said at the same time.
"You're not even a fucking guardian what the hell are you talking about Renee is mine," Jessica went insane so much was going through my head. She'd promised she wouldn't leave me.
"You're right I am not a guardian for the council I'm a guardian for my people of the oak lands we are grateful for all your help but we will take care of our own," she replied politely but I could hear the underlying venom.
"She's my girlfriend you can't just send her away wherever she goes I go," I added finally speaking up.
"Well that's interesting seeing as it is fully against the council's rules for Jessica to be your girlfriend and she knew this, the council lies and that's why we have decided to sever ties with them for the time being," Miriam stated. I suddenly became filled with anger, a blinding rage I hadn't felt in a very long time.
"That was the secret! You're a liar Jessica and I never want to see you again," I screamed. I saw the tear fall down her cheek and I felt my heart break and the shift began to happen. It was the same as before but quicker less painful, nothing could amount to the pain I was feeling now. Like before it was only half way but I took that over anything.
"Renee I'm sorry I was thinking of a way around it, please let me explain," she said through choked tears but the animal had been released. She was in black and white, I watched as Miriam stood back in awe.
"Leave me the fuck alone," I boomed as I started running and didn't look back.
To be continued? Let me know.