Blood Runs Through the Heart Read online

  The sorrow and shame in Brandy Lee’s eyes were as bright as the low moon. She mouthed, “I am sorry.” Their predicament was her fault. They should have left long ago. She wished she had listened to Raven. It was her soft side that put them in danger. Her love for kids was the culprit. Growing up in foster care, she played big sister to the younger children in the home. She wanted children of her own, but that dream vanished. Like so many, once it was revealed she was a she-wolf, the dream disappeared. Only human women could have children, and because all males were human, that eliminated any chance of a vampire or a wolf reproducing.

  “Are you okay?” Raven asked.

  “Yes, but the cage is silver. I can’t break it.” Brandy Lee responded.

  Raven turned her attention to the ringleader. Her eyes glared at Theo. “What do you want?” Raven hissed out. A burst of light blinded her, just as the pain seared through her body. Her head fell back in agony. Andy recovered from his fall and sat at the flood lamp, the knob on full blast. A grin stretched across his face — revenge for the embarrassment that he suffered.

  The suffering watched from a distance filled Brandy Lee helplessness. Wetness flowed down her cheek, and she wiped at her face. Her heart was about to explode from the pain.

  “Andy, stop!” Theo snapped the order. He watched as the light dimmed again.

  Raven hissed. “I will kill you.” Her breath heavy.

  “Why are you doing this?” Brandy Lee yelled.

  Everyone’s attention jerked. Theo circled with his hands behind his back. His eyes stared at the ground. “Why? Why? Why? They always ask the same question. It is simple. You’re our sacrifice. See, if we give the Lake Witch a sacrifice, then we get to live here. Fear free. Oh, and trust me, a she-wolf and a vampire would get us paid-up for years.”

  “You little shit. When I get free, I’ll rip your...”

  Red cut her words off. “I don’t think you are in a position to make threats. If you don’t calm down, then Andy and Randy will be glad to turn up the lights.” She raised her eyebrows.

  Theo stepped in front of Andy, their eyes inches apart. The glare deep. Andy folded. He stepped back, and with a bite of the lower lip, he took his place beside his brother. Theo turned on both heels, clapping his hands together. “Okay, that’s enough playing. Listen up, you two. The Lake Witch will be here tomorrow. Sooo . . . Let’s all get along. We will not hurt you. You are no good to us as damaged goods. So, Raven, we will cover you soon with that special blanket that you are carrying around for protection from the sun. Behave, and tomorrow it will be all over.” Theo started to walk away before Raven’s words stopped him.

  “You’re not a child, are you? None of you are.” Raven asked.

  Theo stopped with his back to her. Moments clicked by before he spoke. “No, we are not.” He spun around. “Frozen in the age of when we arrived at the lake. We remained seized in a child’s body, so that we won’t run away. None of us would last a day in the Dark Forest in these pathetic bodies. Does that answer your question?”

  “Well, it makes me feel better. This way, when I slit your throat, I won’t feel too bad.”

  Theo released a belly laugh. The other children giggled and snorted along. He couldn’t count how many times the sacrifice threatened him. Grant you, most of the previous victims were drunken college students that entered the forest on a dare. Urban legends of the evil that lurked in The Dark Forest proceeded itself. Laughter slowed, and Theo’s thoughts went back to the day his life became part of that camp-fire scary story. The group of them were traveling when a tornado dropped from the clouds, and in a split second, they were tossing and turning. With the wind the strength of ten lions, they swirled like rag dolls. They fell into the lake. Some members of the group perished, including Theo’s and Red’s wife. The two wives were sisters, thus, bonding Theo and Red for life.

  Ridden with grief was the door of opportunity. The Lake Witch needed to place a spell on them without a fight. The lake became the jail, and thereby the bodies became their restraints. They got summoned to feed the witch with any dupe captured. This ritual kept them safe and away from landing on the witch’s dinner table as the main course.

  With a heavy sigh and the slightest hint of empathy, he raised his eyes and shifted them around, not moving his neck. The neck injury was courtesy of the free fall from the twister that dropped him from the sky. With his lips making a thin line, and eyes that went black as coal, he ordered, “Cover her up. The sun is close. Tomorrow evening we present our gift to the Lake Witch with the hopes of freedom.” Theo turned, walking away. Red followed suit. Their silhouettes melted into the shadows.

  The Smittens each grabbed an end of the blanket. Spreading it out, they formed a large rectangle. With a quick lift of the arms, the coverage rose like a parachute. The material fell over Raven, covering her head to toe. The four of them grabbed mistletoe, skipping and dancing around her while tying the blanket to her.

  Just like that, silence echoed.

  “Raven!” Brandy Lee whispered. “Can you hear me?”

  “I can.”

  “Are you okay? The sun is up.” Brandy Lee said, lifting her face to the fireball in the sky.

  “I am fine. The cover is protecting me. Are you okay?”

  “Yes, just wanting to rip these bars apart. What are we going to do?”

  “There is nothing we can do until tomorrow. Not with the sun high.” Raven answered in frustration.

  “I should’ve listened to you.” Brandy Lee’s voice quivered.

  “Don’t cry. Please don’t. I will figure a way out of this. I need to think about it. You have my promise. We’ll not die here.” Raven did not know what the plan was, but she would think of something. No make-believe child or witch would be the end of her. Nor the end of a relationship with Brandy Lee that she was planning to explore.

  “Raven,” Brandy Lee whispered.

  “Yes-” Raven said back.

  “I like you. Like, I mean, I like you.” Brandy Lee said. Once again, a quiver rattled in her words, but this rattle was from nerves.

  Raven smiled a hidden smile. Her wording sounded like a middle-school-age girl. She knew it took some mustering for her to say those words. “I like you too. There is something about you that makes me feel alive. Your lips, eyes, and kiss had me from the start. When we get out of this - I mean the whole forest - I want to spend time with you and get to know you. You are one of the sexiest creatures that I have ever seen. You make me feel whole.” Silence filled the air. “Brandy Lee, is something wrong. Did I say something to upset you?”

  “No. I am blushing.”

  “That must be a sight. I wish I could see the redness.”

  “You will — one day. I can tell you are getting tired. Sleep. When the moon rises, we will fight.”

  13

  Lake Witch

  Complete darkness smothers . . .

  The ties that bound her released and, with a quick yank, the cover that protected her flipped off. The moon was bright. Raven opened her eyes to find all the children in a semi-circle. An arrangement of rocks and twigs laid on a table about fifty feet away. An odd mixture for the ceremony, Raven thought. She remained tied to the stake. Her legs and arms felt like wet noodles. Half her strength was drained from the sunlight lamp which shone against her body.

  “Good morning, ladies.” Theo grabbed their attention.

  Brandy Lee was slow to rise. She stretched, trying to relieve the pain from stiffening bones. The metal floor in the cage was hard and made the day long. Her blonde hair tousled like a one-night stand. Brandy Lee stood.

  “We’ve about an hour before the Lake Witch arrives. So, let’s get you ladies cleaned up.” Theo motioned the women to get busy.

  Red, the two female Smittens, and Pigpen Peggy made their way to the table. Pigpen Peggy arranged the twigs in a bowl, four diagonals and four verticals. Her fingers repeated the design in the second bowl. The Smittens leaned over the table, twisting the rocks over the twigs. The loud, crunching noise echoed over the lake. A red flame burst from a long match as Red stroked it across the table. A flick of the hand and the glow of the fire filled the bowls. Black smoke billowed upwards, filling the air. The smoke twisted and swirled into shapes. The other children's voices rang out in awe. The four girls split into pairs, and with a turn of the heels, they headed towards Raven and Brandy Lee.

  Chanting began. “Auda, Mone, Tila, Shaname.” The girls circled their captives, repeating the chant over and over. Black smoke circled the two captured bodies. The smell was unbearable to the nostrils, causing both women to gag at the odor. After four slow circles, their steps reversed the path, and the chant flipped. “Shaname, Tila, Mone, Auda.” the girls chanted.

  Brandy Lee’s eyes pursued Peggy as she followed Red in a circle. The pain and hurt transferring from Peggy to Brandy Lee. Brandy Lee's heart ached for the young girl. Peggy was just as much a victim as she and Raven. The women finished and walked to stand behind Theo. His smug smile gleamed in the moonlight.

  “We’ll be back in thirty minutes, and the party will begin. Let’s eat.” One by one, the children followed him away, all except Peggy.

  Peggy stood at a distance staring at Brandy Lee. Her big eyes filled with fear. She pushed her matted hair away from her face before wiping at her eyes with her sleeve.

  “Peggy, it’s okay. Come here.” The words whispered loudly.

  Raven murmured under her breath. “Grab her when she gets close.”

  “No, I won’t.” Brandy Lee responded.

  “Fuck. I’m scared. Grab her ass.” Raven mumbled back.

  Peggy kicked at the ground. Her eyes looked at the worn shoes, and her fingers played with the dirty torn dress. “I’m sorry.” The words barely muttered out.


  “Let us go. We can get you out of here. I promise. We will take you away with us. There is a better world beyond this lake.” Brandy Lee tossed the promises out. Time was running out.

  “Theo will kill me. Red will torture me. I know of the other world. I don’t belong there anymore.” Peggy kicked more dirt around. She felt her heart skip a few beats. She wanted to help her new friends, but the fear ravishing her body was crippling.

  “Peggy, unlock the fucking gate,” Raven yelled.

  Peggy backed up. She froze. Suddenly, she shifted in a surprise move. Peggy stepped in front of the lock of Brandy Lee’s cage. Her hands fiddled with the combination. She rotated the first number and the lock click. With a twist, the second number fell in place. One more. One more was all it would take to free Brandy Lee. Peggy’s turned her head in search of a watcher. Raven and Brandy Lee’s heart pounded with each motion of the lock. The air was thick, and breaths came hard. Hope was rising.

  The red blur sprung from the dark shadows, catching Peggy in the mid-section. Her body hit the ground hard, as a puff of dirt encircled her and Red. They tumbled with legs intertwined. The air knocked from her lungs; Peggy gasped. Fingers around her throat tightened, and she was looking into the eyes of rage. Red hovered over her. The fingers tightened, and the air became scarce. She couldn’t speak. Her arms scraped at the outstretched arms of her attacker. Her grasp became weaker and weaker as the world around her went black.

  “Red! Let her go!” Theo screamed as he ran across the yard in a huff. Sliding to a stop beside her, the dirt puffing in a cloud again. He grabbed at her arm, but Red was not letting go. Her mindset remained on one thing. Kill Pigpen Peggy. Theo's eyes searched around for something, anything, to make her release the vice hold. He didn’t care about Pigpen Peggy; he wanted her for a sacrifice. Reaching down by his feet, he picked up the boulder, swinging his arm in a circle. The rock came down, cracking Red’s skull. She slumped over. Shit, that was too hard, he cursed himself.

  Peggy coughed and gasped. Grunting, she pushed the dead body off her. Her body curled into a fetal position with her eyes closed. Cold air surrounded her body. The temperature dropped twenty degrees. Goosebumps trickled over her arms, as hair lifted on the back of her neck. Her eyes widened into huge circles, and she pushed up on her arms, with her eyes skimming the water. She was here. The Lake Witch was a breath away.

  Raven and Brandy Lee watched the lake as the transformation began. Ripples turned into waves; blue water turned black as soot. Multiple times the liquid rose into the air, swirling into a sculpture. Each piece of art took the form of a human. Just as the girls started to recognize facial features; the water dumped back into the blackened pool.

  At the shore’s edge, the water pulled back. She arrived. A tiny black dress hugged her body, with marine foliage dangling from her arms. Her eyes black as the water that birthed her. Hair, the color of the night, moved with a life of its own. At first glance, it appeared the wind blew the wet strands. With every step onshore, those moving strands became water snakes. With bodies intertwining, they hissed and snapped at each other with eyes that matched their master.

  “What the fuck?” Raven said out loud. She started to yank harder on the vines that held her wrist, searching for an escape. When she looked back up, the Lake Witch was inches from her face. Her breath smelled of stagnant water. She studied Raven.

  “A vampire.” She hissed like the snakes on her head. “What a treat.”

  “And a she-wolf,” Theo added from a distance.

  The Lake Witch floated over to the bars that held Brandy Lee. Her long fingers wrapped around the steel, as she placed her face between two bars. Her tongue slithered from between her lips, flicking into the air. “You’re not in your natural form.”

  A pluck of her hair and a snake wiggled into the cage. It slithered around in circles before standing straight up. Releasing a hiss, it jumped towards Brandy Lee. She backed into the corner. The snake lunged, and she hurdled to the side. Her anger tipped the scale. Jumping into the air, Brandy Lee came down on all fours. Standing in the cage was a majestic white wolf. Long smooth fur covered her body. Her well-defined muscles revealed the power behind them.

  Her teeth, as white as snow, glistened with salvia. She growled, and saliva hit the ground as it dripped from her canines. Her large paws took a step towards the snake. One swift move and the snake became pinned under the massive foot. It wiggled wildly under crippling pressure. Almost human screams emerged from the seized reptile. The wolf’s eyes fell to its prey and snapped. The snake divided into two pieces with the head between Brandy Lee’s jaws. She tossed the head to the side. In the same motion, she leaped at the witch, snapping her powerful jaws.

  Pulling away, she laughed. “Oh, impressive. You’ll be a fine addition to my collection of souls.” As the words slipped from her lips, she stroked her hair. The snakes wrapped around her fingers. They were the people she killed in the past. That was why the snake’s screams sounded human.

  Brandy Lee circled the cage. She stopped to look over at Raven. Her golden eyes, the only resemblance of her, stared deep into Raven’s emerald eyes. What do we do? Brandy Lee thought.

  Raven’s eyes widened when she heard the thought develop in Brandy Lee’s head. She could hear her thoughts. Raven smiled and answered. “I don’t know. But this bitch of a witch will die.”

  You can hear me? Silent words asked.

  Yes. That must be the gift that Queen Lana gave me before I left. I can hear your thoughts and talk to you.

  I better be careful of what I think of then. Keep my thoughts clean.

  Raven laughed out loud. A witch with snakes for hair was about to eat them, and Brandy Lee cracked a joke. Perfect. Another reason to fall in love with this woman.

  Lake Witch squinted her eyes in disbelief. Of all her years of terror, no one ever laughed. “Laugh now because it is all about to change. Prepare your sacrifice for me!” The Lake Witch screamed the order. The children started to move in different directions. Except for Red, who remained in a puddle of blood on the ground.

  14

  Run

  Darken clouds rolled across the sky. The Lake Witch stood in front of Raven, arms outstretched. She summoned her army. They responded like perfect soldiers. Hundreds of black water snakes squirmed their way from the water. They all stayed behind the witch, waiting for the command to feed.

  “It’s time for you to be a part of me. I’ll assume your powers. You’ll live with me as one of my servants.” The Lake Witch lifted her arms. Thunder rolled.

  A flash of light sent electricity blazing through the ground with smoke rising. Everyone, including the snakes, jumped at nature’s fury. The black blur was unnoticed until the last minute since the power behind the voltage was so distracting. The black panther landed between the witch and Raven, releasing a deafening roar.

  The cat, pushing off on her legs, landed in the witch’s chest. Their bodies tumbled into the snakes, causing them to flee back into the lake. The panther’s jaws clamped down onto the right arm as her head shook from left to right. The panther pulled the witch across the dirt, kicking and screaming.

  All the children huddled in the corner. Their bodies shivered with fear, frozen in their tracks. Except, Pigpen Peggy. She ran in a vast circle to avoid the twisting pile of fur, arms, and legs while hurdling snakes that snapped at her. She reached the cage where the white wolf stood watching the chaos from inside. She only needed to roll the combination to the last number to unlock the gate. Her fingers trembled, and the lock shook in her hand. She twisted, and a click sounded out. Her hands wrapped around the bars and pulled, allowing the door to swing open.

  Brandy Lee stepped forward. Her head turned, and her golden eyes met those of Peggy’s. Then her head turned towards Raven before turning back to Peggy. Her way of telling Peggy to free her friend. Brandy Lee released a growl deep from her throat and ran towards the fight. Arriving, she wasted no time attacking. Her leg stomped down on the fighting witch, pinning her body to the ground. The evil woman’s strength was no match for the wolf. The black panther let go of her bite, hissing at Brandy Lee. For a time, it appeared the two beasts were about to clash over the prey. Brandy Lee hunched, and a slow vibrating growl escaped. The panther swatted at the air with her claws, but then coward down. She was backing up in a crouch with locked eyes on the competition. A twist of the body, the panther jumped towards the black snakes which were emerging back from the lake. Brandy Lee straddled the witch with her body hovering over. She laid bleeding from multiple bites wreathing in pain. Her magical powers reduced to a few flickers. Lowering her head with powerful jaws inches from the witch’s face, drool dripped between clenched teeth onto the witch. The upper lip raised and moved as a thunderous rumble rolled out into the night from deep inside Brandy Lee. Her mouth parted, and the death was over in seconds. She stretched her neck up and a howl released into the night.