Chapter Nine
Melissa had to explain the obvious shift in her mood to Julia upon her return to her table. Understanding that revealing the entire truth to her would effectively ruin their night, she preferred to show her Joe’s letter, and maintained that this was just his way of turning her down. To her pleasure, Julia was convinced. She didn’t ask for any details, and enjoyed Kate’s performance with her. The trio had a fantastic night, full of happy and sad tunes, as well as endless hours of fun in Kate’s apartment.
The following day, Melissa was happy as they were driving back to Paxton. She would get to meet with Joe on more familiar territory. Still, the notion that she would have to talk to him about her dual nature that very night sowed the seed of doubt into her heart. Revealing her secret to Joe could have catastrophic consequences on their relationship. He could well get in his car and disappear, never to be seen again. In any case, however, Melissa had to be honest with him, hoping that he would show the same level of understanding as she had. She wanted a relationship with him; and a strong, healthy relationship could not be based on a lie, especially as big as this one.
The night had veiled her birthplace, as Melissa eased her front door shut behind her. The clouds that covered the moon and the stars sent a wave of unease sweeping through her. A second storm in a matter of a few days during the summer was a rather unusual phenomenon, even for Paxton. Luckily for her, her friends were over at Raul and Monica’s cabin. Melissa strolled away from the Bradford property, casting furtive glances over her shoulder. Anyone could walk out of her brother’s home and start asking questions. She could not afford to be late.
Ducking a low-hanging tree branch, she stepped into the forest. Her initial thought was to wave her head around, in an attempt to catch Joe’s scent; yet, she quickly rejected it. Humans are not creatures of the night, like her. The little available light coming through the trees would not help him much. He would have to resort to the use of a flashlight. Melissa could spot that beam from half a mile away. Heading west, the Bradford’s sister jumped over a bush, keeping an eye out for that particular sight, when the distinctive sound of a brush pile being squashed under a foot caught her attention. Joe was still a little too far from her, using the light from his cell phone to guide him, as he held it at hip height. Striding through the trees, he kept pointing at one direction and then another, as his gaze followed the light. Melissa was just about to part her lips, when Helena’s red eyes glowed in the darkness behind and to the left of him. A furious grunt tore the silence, as she thrust her staff into his side. Joe’s phone slipped out of his grasp, as his body was sent flying across the woods. A long cry of pain escaped him, as the witch pinned him up against the thick trunk of a cedar tree. Melissa hurried off towards him, as Helena’s hurried footsteps brought her closer to him. Sadly for her, the witch reached him before Melissa could ever do so. His head bowed back against the tree, as she thrust her staff towards him.
“Blackened souls are not allowed in my domain, you filth,” Helena growled, gripping her staff tightly in both of her hands, as her eyes darkened in rage. “Give me a reason not to kill you.”
“Who are you?” He choked out, as he squeezed his eyes shut. “Where’s Melissa?”
“Helena, please!” Melissa cried, her voice broken as she stared down at the witch. “Don’t hurt him! I told him to come here!”
“Foolish little girl!” Helena snarled, snapping her head towards her, her eyes fading to their normal, red shade, as she jerked her staff away from him. Joe inhaled hard, shutting his eyes, as his brows twisted. “I warned you about him, and what do you do? You bring him right in our town!”
“He needs help,” Melissa stated, struggling to maintain a calm tone, as she took a short step towards Helena. “He wants to break free.”
“Free?” Helena squeaked, her eyes glinting with amusement, as she cocked her head towards Melissa. “My God…” She sighed, running her hand through her hair. “You really have no idea about the mess he is in, do you? What about you, counselor?” She asked, turning her gaze to him. “What do you think is going to happen, when the demon comes to harvest your soul? Honestly, do you believe that you’ll die peacefully in your sleep?”
“Enlighten us, please,” Melissa requested with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
“First of all, he is beyond redemption,” Helena replied in an emphatic tone, as her smile fell from her lips. “I don’t know the name of the demon who offered you that deal, but demons are not famous for their mercy. The most common method of harvesting one’s soul is the use of hell hounds. Large, black dogs, invisible to the eye will tear him apart. His death will be brutal, yet mercifully swift.”
“Azazel,” Joe interjected, settling his gaze on her face. “His name is Azazel. And I already knew about how I would die. He told me.”
“Will you please help him?” Helena frowned at the sound of her pleading tone. She threw one look up at Joe, and then slid her gaze back to Helena.
“Come with me,” The witch urged, starting forward. Melissa sucked in a deep breath, as the witch’s words swirled in her mind. She didn’t want to believe that Joe was doomed, not even for a second. Nevertheless, Helena’s judgment was rarely mistaken. Her beliefs had been shaped by decades of experience: watching a vast number of battles, and living through a vast number as well. The chances of her being wrong were very slim indeed. After putting enough distance between them and Joe, she moved around a balsam fir tree.
“No wonder you are closer to Dean than you are with Raul and Ray,” Helena whispered, stealing a glance at Joe, as she leaned closer to her. “You’re both suffering from the same disease.”
“What disease?”
“The Messiah Syndrome,” the witch explained, slightly raising her feathery voice. “Dean meant to save your friend Kate from her misery. To accomplish that, we had to face a strong, vicious foe. But still, Marianne McIntyre could be managed. She was a powerful witch, but a witch all the same, not a creature of the underworld. This…” she faltered, exhaling hard. “This is way more dangerous. I’m sailing in uncharted waters. My knowledge on demons is quite limited.”
“I’m not asking you to fight anybody, Helena. I just want to know if his soul can be saved.” Melissa clarified, her voice fading, as she risked a sideways glance up at him. “That demon took advantage of his weakness. He shouldn’t have to pay with his life for that mistake.”
“Theoretically? Yes.” Helena gave a firm nod. “Your counselor could offer Azazel someone else’s soul in his stead. But demons are foul creatures, my young one. They cannot be trusted. There’s no telling what he will do. He could come back later, and claim what is his. Anyway, I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thank you,” Melissa sighed in relief. This time, the witch did not come up with a rebuttal. Her lips curved into a sweet smile, as she tapped her staff on the ground. A red cloud of smoke sprang from the bottom end of the stick, as her ears caught the sound of his quick footsteps. Melissa realized that she was just seconds away from the most challenging revelation of the night, as Helena vanished into thin air.
“Stay right where you are, Joe!” She commanded, turning to lean against the tree.
“Was that a real witch?” His question put a smile on her face. Still, she had no time for jokes. Melissa pulled her shirt up and over her head, feeling her pulse rising.
“You’ve sold your own soul to a demon,” she muttered, reaching behind her back to unclasp her bra. “This shouldn’t surprise you.”
“Unbelievable,” he sighed, shaking his head in disbelief, as she kicked her shoes off.
“Not as unbelievable as what you are about to see.” Melissa thought to herself, unbuttoning her jeans. She pulled them down her legs and off her feet, readying herself for what she was about to do. Finally, she tipped her head back, closing her eyes, as she drew in a sharp breath. Joe ducked at the gunfire-like noise of Melissa’s jaw stretching and growing, as big, pointy ears sprouted from the back of her head. Her hips changed shape, her legs shortened and thinned, as her light-gray fur replaced her human skin. The wolf whirled around, and padded out of her hiding spot, her gaze locked on him. Still sat down on his knees, Joe opened his mouth wide, awe and amazement written all over his face, as their eyes met.
“My God…” he whispered, banging his hand against his forehead. “This can’t be real.”
Melissa’s response came in the form of a loud yip, as she paced towards him. All of a sudden though, he jumped up. Disappointment unfurled in her chest, as he spun around.
“Damn it,” Joe groaned, frantically looking around him. “Where the hell is my cell phone?”
Before long, he noticed a white glow, a few yards across from him, on the right of a tree.
“Please don’t act like an idiot. Don’t take a picture of me, or I swear to God, you’re going to regret it,” Melissa thought once more, as he picked up the device from the forest floor. But Joe did no such thing. Instead, he turned on the flashlight on his phone, and then pointed down at her face. The blinding light forced her to tear her gaze away from him.
“You’re the wolf I saw, up at Acheron River,” he remarked, his surprise sending his baritone two octaves up, as he stared down at her. “Are you a magician of some sort?”
His last inquiry was not at all entertaining. Melissa’s wolf let out a deep snarl, lowering her head, as she padded back towards the tree. Unfortunately, Joe was ignorant, especially for a man who had some awareness of the supernatural. Shifting back into human form, Melissa bent down and picked up her panties.
“Don’t move unless I tell you to,” She grumbled, putting her underwear back on. “You’re disappointing me, Joe. I thought you’d have figured it out by now.”
“Which part?” Frustration was lingering in his voice, as he thrust his arms out.
“Hold on. I’ll be right with you,” Melissa replied, clasping her bra against her breasts. His sweet scent rose above every other smell in the woods which gave her goose bumps as she once again bent down to grab her jeans. Just when she was about to stand up his black boots came into view.
“You took your clothes off,” Joe remarked, his tone of voice sounding suspicious. “How come?”
“I’m a shape shifter,” She replied, a hint of anger in her tone, as she raised her eyes to glare up at him. “Part human, part wolf: I had to undress myself, because clothes get ripped during the transformation. And it’s not polite to peep.”
“Sweet mother of God,” he whispered, his eyes widening in surprise, as he stared into the void.
“You told me the truth about you. I just thought I should do the same,” Melissa stated, pulling her jeans up her legs, as she gauged his reaction. Suddenly, Joe raised his gaze up. The corners of Joe’s lips lifted upwards, as he leaned in towards her. Lifting his hands up to her shoulders, he gently held her closer.
“I couldn’t care less,” he said, his deep voice softening, as he gazed down into her eyes. “You barely know me, and you offered to help me. Nothing else matters.”
His words sounded like music in her ears. The warm look in his eyes – that had enthralled her ever since she saw it in the cemetery – made her heart thump against her chest. Yet, before Melissa could react in any way, Joe tilted his head down, angling his lips. His kiss ignited the fire within her, as he slid his large hands across her shoulders and up her neck. This time, the notion that it would be their last kiss would not spoil it for her. She felt her feelings dissolving, her joy, deep inside her, growing like wildfire, consuming everything in its wake, as she threw her arms around his neck. There was no bitterness in it like their first time, or any haste, like the night before in the parking lot. Instead, it was filled with care, and a desire that had been kept secret from her, up until that moment. Joe was cupping her cheeks in both of his hands, holding her, his fingers trembling as he conquered her mouth. Raising his lips from hers, he laid a quick kiss on the dimple above them, and one more on her forehead, as he eased her into his embrace.
“And to think that I treated you like crap…” he sighed, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.
“Stop thinking about that,” she whispered, savoring the closeness, as she rested her head on his chest. “You’ve already apologized for it.”
“Hey…” Joe pitched his voice louder, opening his eyes, as he leaned back. “Is that why you scared the hell out of me when I ran into you?”
“Yeah,” Melissa snorted in amusement, nodding at the same time. “I had to pay you back somehow.”
“Well, I deserved that,” he admitted, dropping his gaze from her.
“Now, can I please finish dressing myself?” She requested, making her voice sound sweeter.
“Sure.” Joe said with a smile, glancing down at his watch, as he brushed past her. “Damn, it’s late. I must be on my way soon.”
“Not before I offer you a drink in my cabin,” Melissa retorted. “Don’t worry. It’s pretty close.”
“One drink,” he raised his index finger in the air. “Then, I’m out.”
“Yeah, right,” she told herself, as a mischievous smile formed on her face. Melissa was not going to tell him of course, but a drink was not exactly what she had in mind. She was happy, yes, but there was only thing that could make her even happier, and it was not alcohol.