~

 

“It’s clear…”

Nathaniel had scoped out the shop and the area before he’d even considered letting Morgana out of his sight, and then it was only a concessionary thing. She was allowed to retrieve the amulet that she was hoping to trade with Daniella for information, and he had her back, guarding the space between her and the rest of the area.

“Turn around…” Morgana demanded.

“So, you have a secret stash…” he grinned.

“That’s protected by wards, so don’t get any ideas…”

“Then what are you worried about?”

“Vampire’s with big mouths.” Morgana cocked her head and just one eyebrow at him.

“Me?” He placed his hands on his chest and tried to look suitably shocked, but when Morgana rolled her eyes at him; he gave up the pretence and shrugged. “You know, for a witch – you have no sense of humour.”

“For a vampire, you have too much,” she shot back, and then flicked her fingers at him, motioning for him to turn away.

Nathaniel huffed, but did as she asked. He turned his back on her and folded his arms across his chest.

“Wouldn’t life just be one long chore without a sense of humour?” Nathaniel shot back over his shoulder as she went about retrieving the amulet… “Even a vampire, or should that be, because I’m a vampire and have such a long lifeline – sometimes a sense of humour is what separates us from the animals.”

“Hyenas laugh.”

“Yes, but they don’t really see the funny side of things. A bit like church folk…”

“I know some very nice church people…”

“Hmm, but secretly, and given half the chance – they’d probably burn you at the stake.”

“Speaking of stakes…” She tossed back at him.

“You’d miss me if I dried to ashes…”

“Not so much…” Morgana noted the quick flick of his eyes in her direction and grinned happily.

She liked to keep the man on his toes – it was best for everybody that way. It was best that they kept each other at arms length – they’d both found out the hard way in recent days just how dangerous their world was for the both of them.

“Don’t you have it yet?” Nathaniel grumbled.

“Yes. I just prefer looking at the back of your head.”

Nathaniel turned to find her sitting there clutching the amulet in both hands. The item had been wrapped up within a black velvet bag, and he couldn’t make out the contents.

“How dangerous in the wrong hands is that?” He asked.

“Only to your kind…”

“Morgana…” his tone was rigid. He wasn’t playing anymore.

“Relax, Dracula … its fine.” She informed him. “Unless you mess with the wrong witch.” She grinned when he gave her a look of pure exasperation, but the sound of a car drawing up outside stole his attention.

“Follow my lead,” Nathaniel said starting towards the curtain and running into an imaginary brick wall – held in place by a jolt of magic that came from the witch that looked as if she should have still been in school and it was way beyond her bedtime…

“Yeah, I don’t think I’ll be doing that…” Morgana chuckled, just a little, but enough to get his attention.

Nathaniel didn’t bother to struggle – it felt as if his whole body had been encased in concrete. Daniella’s crystal blue eyes took him in…

“Less of the Miss Judgemental … I’m not the enemy, ask her…” The vampire bit out.

“You’re not all sweetness and light either,” Morgana offered back with a small snort of amusement.

“Whose side are you on?” Nathaniel bit back.

“Mine…” Morgana shrugged.

“Good to know,” Nathaniel bit out with a roll of his eyes for Daniella’s benefit.

When the professor stepped inside the curtain behind the witch; Morgana had to wonder why the woman had brought him with her. Without the supernatural, be it a special power or magic, he was something of a liability and about as useful as a chocolate teapot.

“What about him?” Morgana asked Daniella. “He’s human.”

“He’s on my side,” Daniella said; eyeing her brethren as if she didn’t much trust her.

“In what?” Nathaniel asked.

“Life …” Daniella offered back. “Human life, and preserving it.”

“Then at the moment we are on the same side,” Nathaniel assured her.

Daniella looked towards Morgana; searching for answers. The witch took in a breath and huffed it back out.

“He’s trying to stop whatever is taking, and the seer says killing, the humans…” Morgana offered.

“They’re not dead.” Daniella offered back, and Morgana’s eyes flicked towards Nathaniel as the man shot a quick look back at her.

“Come again?” The vampire asked.

“We believe that someone is snatching them and turning them into werewolves.” The professor offered.

“You couldn’t have said that when we met earlier?” Nathaniel asked… “Can you let me out of this…?” he would have motioned around him, but he couldn’t move a muscle.

“No,” Daniella offered back with absolutely no sign of any emotion upon her face.

“Do you know who?” Morgana asked and the witch shook her head.

“Whoever’s doing it is using powerful black magic to cloak their presence that Daniella hasn’t been able to break through…”

“Yet,” the young witch said as if the professor had insulted her abilities.

“But with this …” Morgana held up the velvet bag, “and with me…”

“I work alone,” Daniella shot back.

“Well, excuse me – Miss Independent,” Morgana snorted her contempt for the witch.

“Daniella is a solitary…” Harold started…

“Tell her to get over it and move on.” Nathaniel bit out. “I’m sorry if that hurts your sensibilities … actually, not so much … but we need to put a stop to the abductions, and if it is as you say – somebody turning them into werewolves…”

“It is,” Daniella shot back.

“Well, then we need to act fast before the next full moon – or don’t you care for human life?” Nathaniel asked.

Daniella turned her dark glare on the vampire and Morgana was surprised when the man didn’t disappear within a puff of smoke.

“Okay – let’s play nicely…” Morgana said, trying to cool egos and temperaments.”

“It’s not an entirely bad idea…” Harold said, and Daniella shot a surprised look back at him over her shoulder.

“You want to work with them?” She bit out as if the idea itself was an affront to her abilities and left a bitter taste upon her tongue.

“We could use the help, and as they say, we only have until the full moon if we have any hope of saving the recently bitten with…” he twitched his nose at the sheer thought of it.

“Vampire blood,” Nathaniel announced with a little too much glee.

“Do you have any other volunteers to open a vein for your purposes?” Morgana asked.

“We weren’t looking for volunteers,” Daniella shot back. The meaning in her glare towards Nathaniel was clear – they had planned to take what they needed from his kind.