"It's complicated", Merlin replied softly.
"Let's get cleaned up and get out of here, you can tell me all about it over dinner", he said, smiling reassuringly.
Later that evening, after dinner, as they sat outside on the balcony, watching the sunset, Zeke turned to look at her, a questioning look on his face.
"What did Aunt May say to you that day?"
Merlin hesitated, running her tongue over her lips as she stared out at the forest, trying to gather her thoughts and arrange them into some sort of order. Zeke waited patiently, reaching out to take her hand in his and running his thumb over her knuckles. When she eventually spoke, her voice was soft and halting and filled with so many different emotions.
"She said, trust no one but the Alpha, his destiny is tied to yours"
A strange, but not uncomfortable, silence settled over them as they became lost in their own thoughts, while above them, the moon and
The next day, Zeke took Merlin to the mansion infirmary, she had no idea why they were here and he had made no effort to explain. Following him through the examination/treatment room, they entered a small room in the back. Walking through the door, Merlin found herself face to face with the dark-haired witch who had almost killed her in the library. Her eyes widened in shock as she staggered backwards, her hands reaching for the door before Zeke’s voice stopped her cold."Merlin, this is Juliette and she's going to teach you to use your powers""I will do no such thing!", Juliette spat, even before Merlin could voice her disagreement."You will do exactly as I say if you wish to continue to remain here, safe and alive", Zeke countered, glancing at her sharply."This! This is the person you want to teach me?! She almost killed me!", Merlin exclaimed angrily."And I would have, if you hadn't stolen my magic!", Juliette y
After her first day of training, Merlin returned to the third floor that evening, to find that Zeke had left for a series of meetings with the neighboring packs and would return at the end of the week. She was, in fact, quietly relieved as this would enable her to focus on her training so she could be ready when he got back.With each passing day, Merlin’s magical abilities improved, along with her confidence, under Juliette's unorthodox tutelage. The two witches had formed a friendship of sorts and a peculiar bond that, under different circumstances, might never have been forged. They were frequently seen either arguing loudly or doubled over in fits of unrestrained laughter, completely oblivious to the stares from passing werewolves. For the most part, their training sessions were uninterrupted, the werewolves steering clear of them, due to the long-standing feud between witches and werewolves.As the end of the week approached, Juliette prepared Merlin f
Zeke felt her stiffen at his words, and he playfully bit her neck, chuckling softly against her skin, "Relax Merlin, I'm not gonna fuck you, not unless you beg for it" Merlin sighed with relief, her body relaxing against him as she rested her head on his chest and breathed in his familiar scent. Zeke nuzzled her neck as he gripped her hips and lifted her off the floor, pulling her legs around his waist as he walked into his bedroom. Laying her down on his bed, he swiftly yanked off her jeans and panties and stretched out beside her. Staring into her eyes, he began massaging her full, rounded breasts, brushing his fingers over her taut nipples and pinching the erect buds. He watched as her pupils dilated, her emerald eyes becoming darker with her growing arousal as he moved his hand lower and firmly pressed his fingers against her wet vulva. She was panting heavily and had slightly parted her legs in anticipation of having his fingers inside her. M
Merlin lay asleep in Zeke’s arms, on the narrow bed nestled in the back of the cabin, the only light coming from a single lamp sitting on the small table in the center of the room. Suddenly, Zeke stiffened beside her, and looking up, she saw his eyes were open and his jaw was clenched, he was wide awake. Silently, he motioned for her to be quiet as he sat up in bed and sniffed the air, his head cocked to one side. He quietly got out of bed, pulling her with him and gestured for her to get dressed as he moved towards the table and extinguished the lamp. Padding silently to the window in just his underwear, he peered out into the night just as a long, piercing howl broke the silence.Merlin froze, goosebumps forming on her arms as the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Fully dressed, she went to stand beside him at the window as another howl came from outside, followed by a series of howls that reverberated through the trees. From the window, she could just
By the time the sun rose the next morning, Zeke and Merlin had both fully recovered from their ordeal the night before. Hastily eating a hearty breakfast, they packed their lunch in backpacks and headed out, making their way deeper into the bayou. Cypress and tupelo trees grew high above the soggy undergrowth, their branches twisting and turning to reach the sunlight above, as long, silky tendrils of Spanish moss clung tenaciously to the branches and trunks. The sun was high in the sky when they reached the water's edge and set off in an airboat across the bayou.Crisscrossing the water as they tried to hide from the sun's rays, they traveled upriver, following waterways that wound under the trees and through swampy marshes. They passed alligators lazily sunning themselves on the riverbank or floating inconspicuously just below the water's surface while some were bold enough to swim up to the airboat and stare, with one eye, at the occupants.It was late af
Onika stared hard at Merlin, her pale eyes, unreadable and a disconcerting look on her face that caused Merlin to squirm a little in her chair. Zeke was strangely quiet, his eyes darting between the two witches but he found himself unwilling to intervene, his instincts warning him to remain silent.The solitary lamp flickered as a sudden breeze stirred throughout the room, cold enough to cause goosebumps to appear on their flesh but the voodoo witch seemed not to notice. Instinctively, Merlin rubbed her arms and gazed quizzically around the room before turning her gaze back to Onika."Ah sacrifice mussi mek, ah blood sacrifice (A sacrifice must be made, a blood sacrifice)", Onika stated, her eyes taking on a faraway look."Yuh will overcome much an yai waata will bi shed (You will overcome much and tears will be shed)", she continued speaking, without looking at either of them.Merlin glanced at Zeke, who seemed utterly mesmerized by Oni
Merlin opened her eyes and blinked slowly, trying to adjust to the light streaming through the windows as she looked around and realized that she was lying on the dusty floor. She pushed herself up on her elbows, wincing at the flash of pain in her head and the soreness in her joints. Her mouth was dry and her throat felt like sandpaper as she coughed, a brittle, rasping sound that sounded alien to her. She felt like she had woken up to the worst hangover of her life as she lurched to her feet, the room swaying around her.Clinging to the table, she glanced around, noticing for the first time that the cabin was in a state of utter decay and disrepair. The floor that she had been sleeping on, was covered in a thick layer of dust and broken in places, through which weeds and bushes grew. The sunlight shone through holes in the roof and windows, illuminating the room with narrow beams of light. In a corner of the room, a dirty, tattered curtain hung tethered to the wall on
Merlin stared out over the water, her eyes hidden behind her sunglasses and her hat pulled low over her face. The sun was merciless, beating down on the boat and leaving a shimmering haze on the horizon. The rain from the night before had flooded the bayou, making it easier to move through the marshes and they were making good time. They were both starving, having eaten all their rations the day before and they couldn't wait to get back home.It was early in the evening when they came within sight of Zeke’s grandfather's cabin, set back from the water and nestled between the trees. Merlin turned to Zeke, a big grin on her face, to see Zeke frowning and his body rigid with tension. Confused, she turned back to see three figures standing on the riverbank adjacent to the small pier. A sudden inexplicable sense of dread gripped her as she stared at them and she got to her feet, standing at the front of the boat, her hands clenching and unclenching, at her sides. Even