they’d loved a thousand times, as if she’d been his in a hundred lifetimes. Minds, hands, eyes, bodies joined to form one entity as they moved together in a lover’s dance, old as time itself.
8
Ana screamed at the top of her lungs, until her throat burned. The metallic smell of blood and terror surrounded her in the dark. Wake up. Wake up. Just an awful dream. So much of it everywhere, covering the dirt floor of the shack, and the ruined body of a fair-skinned woman in a brightly colored dress. The dress was rucked up around her waist and torn. She could tell the woman was still alive, barely. The woman’s chest heaved and her cries wrested from her body. Ana wanted to pull the man off the poor woman, but some sort of barrier kept her from reaching them.
The woman’s keening wails were unbearable. Ana’s eyes wouldn’t close, ears refused to block the sound. Please. I don’t want to see this. Just a dream. Just a dream. Wake up, Ana. She pleaded with herself and the power of her blood magic holding her bound to the nightmare.
This was the worst part of her gift. Sometimes visions or dreams would come. Ana couldn’t stop them. She was being shown this scene for a reason. Still, it didn’t make it easy to watch. Frozen in horror, she felt sick as the man ripped his victim to shreds with the knife and his body. As the woman died, Ana heard her last words and knew why she had been made to watch.
“Blood and bone, my death heralds your own. Animal you are and you’ll stay. Those who come of you will walk as same, ’til red moon rings three and death is welcomed by she. In my blood, so mote it be.”
“Dirty Irish whore,” the rapist growled as he made a final slash with his knife across the woman’s throat. “Though shalt not suffer a witch to live. Curse me? Damn you to hell.”
Ana watched her die, feeling as though it were her blood that stained the earth. The man turned toward her, as if he could sense she was there, and looked at her with Howl’s eyes.
* * * *
Howl woke with a start. The wind had calmed down, but it was still raining. Ana lay beside him, bathed in a cold sweat, her luscious mouth forming a silent scream. He cradled her closer and shook her.
“Wake up!” He shook her harder. “Come on, sugar. Wake up now. It’s just a dream.”
She fought him, shoving him, shaking her head, before she woke with a groan, her eyes glassy with shock. “Howl? Oh, it was so awful.”
“I’ve got you. You’re okay. It’s okay.” He rocked her in his arms.
“It was so horrible. He raped her, tore her body to shreds, but she still had enough magic to curse him. Enough to curse you all. I saw everything as if I was there. I wanted to save her. Why couldn’t I save her?”
Her body was icy next to his. They had only been asleep for an hour, two at the most. It had been three when he lazily glanced at the clock and rolled her into his side.
“It was just a dream, Ana. I don’t know how the curse was started. I only know what I’ve managed to dig up on my own. Foster parents raised me. I didn’t know about the change until I turned twenty-one and it happened.”
“He had your eyes. I do know, and I think I know how to cure you, Howl. How did it happen that first time? Did you hurt anyone?”
“The first change, I was in my parents’ basement. We had a pinball machine down there, cable, air hockey. I spent a lot of time there when I was home from school. My adopted mom and dad were good to me. I was sent to the best schools. They gave me everything. I like to think they loved me.” If he could tell anyone, he could tell Ana. He snuggled her closer, kissed her, trying to block out the horror in his mind.
“Dark fell. I heard Mom call me to dinner. I remember horrible pain, in my head, my limbs. I thought my heart would explode, it was so intense. I had never felt anything of that magnitude. I had to stay in the dark. When I didn’t come up, she came down.” He
8
Ana screamed at the top of her lungs, until her throat burned. The metallic smell of blood and terror surrounded her in the dark. Wake up. Wake up. Just an awful dream. So much of it everywhere, covering the dirt floor of the shack, and the ruined body of a fair-skinned woman in a brightly colored dress. The dress was rucked up around her waist and torn. She could tell the woman was still alive, barely. The woman’s chest heaved and her cries wrested from her body. Ana wanted to pull the man off the poor woman, but some sort of barrier kept her from reaching them.
The woman’s keening wails were unbearable. Ana’s eyes wouldn’t close, ears refused to block the sound. Please. I don’t want to see this. Just a dream. Just a dream. Wake up, Ana. She pleaded with herself and the power of her blood magic holding her bound to the nightmare.
This was the worst part of her gift. Sometimes visions or dreams would come. Ana couldn’t stop them. She was being shown this scene for a reason. Still, it didn’t make it easy to watch. Frozen in horror, she felt sick as the man ripped his victim to shreds with the knife and his body. As the woman died, Ana heard her last words and knew why she had been made to watch.
“Blood and bone, my death heralds your own. Animal you are and you’ll stay. Those who come of you will walk as same, ’til red moon rings three and death is welcomed by she. In my blood, so mote it be.”
“Dirty Irish whore,” the rapist growled as he made a final slash with his knife across the woman’s throat. “Though shalt not suffer a witch to live. Curse me? Damn you to hell.”
Ana watched her die, feeling as though it were her blood that stained the earth. The man turned toward her, as if he could sense she was there, and looked at her with Howl’s eyes.
* * * *
Howl woke with a start. The wind had calmed down, but it was still raining. Ana lay beside him, bathed in a cold sweat, her luscious mouth forming a silent scream. He cradled her closer and shook her.
“Wake up!” He shook her harder. “Come on, sugar. Wake up now. It’s just a dream.”
She fought him, shoving him, shaking her head, before she woke with a groan, her eyes glassy with shock. “Howl? Oh, it was so awful.”
“I’ve got you. You’re okay. It’s okay.” He rocked her in his arms.
“It was so horrible. He raped her, tore her body to shreds, but she still had enough magic to curse him. Enough to curse you all. I saw everything as if I was there. I wanted to save her. Why couldn’t I save her?”
Her body was icy next to his. They had only been asleep for an hour, two at the most. It had been three when he lazily glanced at the clock and rolled her into his side.
“It was just a dream, Ana. I don’t know how the curse was started. I only know what I’ve managed to dig up on my own. Foster parents raised me. I didn’t know about the change until I turned twenty-one and it happened.”
“He had your eyes. I do know, and I think I know how to cure you, Howl. How did it happen that first time? Did you hurt anyone?”
“The first change, I was in my parents’ basement. We had a pinball machine down there, cable, air hockey. I spent a lot of time there when I was home from school. My adopted mom and dad were good to me. I was sent to the best schools. They gave me everything. I like to think they loved me.” If he could tell anyone, he could tell Ana. He snuggled her closer, kissed her, trying to block out the horror in his mind.
“Dark fell. I heard Mom call me to dinner. I remember horrible pain, in my head, my limbs. I thought my heart would explode, it was so intense. I had never felt anything of that magnitude. I had to stay in the dark. When I didn’t come up, she came down.” He
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