Arkadia (Halfway House Series Book 1) (9 page)

“Be calm, be helpful, and be nice.” Eloise’s words ran through Arkadia’s head as she wandered into the living room. Two officers were sitting on the couch talking to Eloise. Of course, she had given them tea and cookies—there was nothing like some good old home cooking to make them think only the innocent live here. Arkadia softly chuckled to herself as she sat on the single seat left in the corner; she had made the assumption they would want to talk to her, so might as well get it over with.

Officer Barns was a pretty young woman, and had the face of an angel, blonde hair, blue eyes, and unblemished pale skin. Arkadia was tempted to ask what kind of skin care she used, but thought it might not be the best time. Then there was Officer Totts. He looked mammoth, even in a sitting position. His dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and his eyes were the color of mud and just as cold and uninviting. His dark skin was …
WAIT.
Arkadia’s breath hitched; he had the mark on his hand.
Oh no, oh no, oh no. Was he the council coming to take her away and dispose of the problem named Arkadia?

“Calm down.” Arkadia heard Eloise’s voice in her head. “Breathe in … out … in … out … better … he is not council. He is simply a cop who is a para, and by his scent I am thinking wolf, maybe bear, but definitely shifter. Just answer the questions they have to ask and then they can go … easy.” Eloise was looking at Arkadia as she spoke into her mind, calming her with her gentle eyes and soft voice.

Arkadia took a very big breath and slowly exhaled. She looked at the officers and said in the most polite and feminine voice she could muster, “Hello, Officers. My name is Arkadia. How can I help you?”

Arkadia was in the kitchen making a very strong cup of coffee as Eloise showed the officers out the door.
That was rough. So many questions about where I was, about the ‘incident’ at the school between Diane and me. Even my family history came into question.
Arkadia just did what Eloise had said, and answered everything politely and calmly.

It was hard to remain calm when they made reference to Diane’s body being found in a mummified condition, having apparently had every cell of oxygen stolen. They weren’t sure how, as there was no wounds. Officer Totts made a comment about it being “sucked out of her.”
Eeeewwwweeeeee. I’m not sucking anything, least of all Diane.

A click of the door and Eloise walked into the kitchen. “Good girl, Arkadia, you did really well. I understand about trying to keep Bohdan out of it, and I am okay with you trying, but if push comes to shove, I will throw him under the train to keep you safe.” Eloise ran her hand softly across Arkadia’s arm in a sign of comfort. Although she and Arkadia were becoming closer, it wasn’t quite up to the hugging stage yet. Eloise gasped as Arkadia spun and wrapped her arms around her, giving a tight squeeze as she whispered, “Thank you.” Arkadia ended the hug as quickly as she started it, grabbed her coffee, and headed for her room. Eloise just stood in the middle of the kitchen feeling the glow of the goddess all around her.

Vi had been away all week. No one could contact her on the phone either, and everyone was beginning to worry. Arkadia’s week had been busy with three more visits from the boys in blue, including one trip to the station. Arkadia got the feeling they wanted to arrest her, but didn’t have any evidence. No one had seen anything, heard anything, or knew anything, even though Huntsville was a small town, and its main source of survival was a steady diet of gossip.
With all the gossip about her and whether she was a murderer or not, the town’s diet was set on BINGE. The town might need a visit from Jenny Craig weight loss soon.

When Arkadia left the Huntsville Library, it was already dark. She had phoned Eloise to let her know she was staying late to gather some material for an assignment. It had taken Arkadia longer than she expected. The library all but emptied when she walked in, and never had she felt so alone. It was always something she counted on, her friends. Arkadia always helped out around the school, showed the fashion-challenged what not to wear, and even gave a couple of pity dates to the less fortunate guys.
Who else was going to show them what they should strive to achieve? I tried to be good and helpful, dammit!!!
With all the shenanigans going around about her at the moment, she needed a distraction, and an assignment about Shakespeare and his tale of
Romeo and Juliet
was just what she needed. The unbridled love, the rocky road; she just hoped her tale didn’t end up in her dying.

Arkadia had left the main strip of town as she walked home, but being a Friday night, it was already void of activity, apart from the local pubs at the other end of town. Eloise had offered to pick her up, but as she explained to her, it was only a few blocks, and everyone was scared of her anyway. As far as Arkadia was concerned, she was perfectly safe. Passing the last street light, she only had a few blocks to get to the corner of her road, but those few blocks were very dark now. She swallowed hard, pulled up her big girl panties, and strutted forward.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw a movement, low and fast, most likely a raccoon, and continued to walk. Again she saw a movement, and every hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Being a witch, Arkadia wasn’t used to feeling threatened. Hell she was the most popular girl in school.
Wait … scratch that.
As of a few days ago, everything had changed. Arkadia knew she was far from popular; those she thought were friends turned and ran like mice caught in a cattery. Arkadia was quickly learning the only person she could rely on was herself, and that all the pretty clothes and fabulous shoes didn’t make her worthwhile, or valuable as a person. Arkadia felt a soft glow radiate from her heart as she reconnected with herself. SNAP. A twig broke just a few feet in front of her. It was darker than usual due to the new moon phase. It was like walking with your eyes shut with visibility only about four feet, and that was being generous, but what she saw next, stopped her dead in her tracks. Only a couple of feet away from her was a set of glowing yellow eyes, and attached to those eyes was the biggest brown wolf she had ever seen. His fur was the color of deep rich honey, and if fear wasn’t threatening to stop her heart immediately, she may have taken the time to admire how it almost floated in the breeze.

The wolf in all its glory growled at Arkadia, taking two steps forward low to the ground in a striking stalk. “Good puppy,” said Arkadia in a light and friendly voice that hid the pure terror presently running through her veins. She knew enough about wolves not to run, but she couldn’t help herself from taking a step backward. As Arkadia’s foot hit the pavement in a backward movement, a growl was released from behind her. She promptly spun around, her eyes widening by the second, as she focused upon the second largest wolf she had ever seen.

Standing sideways trying to keep both of the large beasts in her view, Arkadia said nervously, “Nice puppies, pretttttyyyy puppies, goooood puppies.” Her hands were extended trying to keep them calm as to not attack her.

Arkadia’s breath was suddenly expelled from her body in a whoosh as her mouth dropped open. “Holy Shit!!” Arkadia whispered as the first of the wolves shimmered and wavered as he took human form. A fully-naked human form was revealed, which this werewolf didn’t seem to mind sharing. Arkadia was a few seconds away from needing new underwear to make any references to how well the wolf was hung.

“You’re a wolf?” Arkadia asked softly, still not sure what was happening. Her body screamed at her to stay alert; this was far from a friendly visit.

“And you’re a witch that is drawing far too much attention to our kind,” the werewolf said, his voice low and powerful, a rumbling that she could feel in her bones. “

“Our??” Arkadia questioned.

“Once questions are asked about the existence of witches, we all are in jeopardy of being exposed,” he answered. A deep frown ran across his face as Arkadia still didn’t seem to get what he was saying, so he decided to dumb it down for her. “My name is Butch. I am an Alpha male werewolf, and this is my pack.” As Butch waved his hand back in a smooth gesture, another twelve wolves appeared to come out of the darkness, waiting in wolf form for orders from Butch. Their soft growls and whines made Arkadia very nervous.

“What do you want with me?” Arkadia asked, her eyes darting from wolf to wolf, becoming aware that she might never make it home. These wolves looked pissed and hungry.

“What do we want, boys? What do we want?” Butch turned to the wolves and asked them, striding back and forth as an uproar of howls and growls reached her ears. It was almost deafening for a few seconds as they all apparently had an opinion on Arkadia. “They,” Butch swept his arm to include the entire pack of wolves lining the edge of the trees, “want your blood.” Arkadia gasped and frantically looked for an impossible escape route. “I, however, firstly want you to stop bringing the attention to the paras. We wolves have no intention of outing you, but you in turn can’t out us,” Butch spoke clearly as Arkadia took another step back and bumped into a very large and very naked man who she guessed was the second wolf she saw.

“That’s Cris, and he will be your restrainer this evening.” As Butch spoke, Cris grabbed Arkadia from behind, holding her to his chest in a very tight bear hug. Even in this time of grave peril, the irony of getting a bear hug from a wolf was not lost on Arkadia. Cris’s huge, muscular arms tightened painfully around her torso. To prevent her from casting any spells, at least for a few more minutes, he squeezed her tightly, making sure the air had escaped her lungs. “No one questions a wolf attack; think about it. YOU kill a bitch and drain her of oxygen, BEEP BEEP BEEP, sending warning bells to the authorities, STUPID!!! A wolf bites some random chick’s throat out on a cold dark night, no one says anything. It’s called a food chain, and you’re about to become the latest link.” Butch stepped forward showing Arkadia that he had partially shifted his muzzle back to wolf form, flashing an evil grin full of shiny wolf teeth in his mouth. “This will only hurt for a second.”

Arkadia’s blood turned to ice as she let out a heart-stopping scream.

Time seemed to slow down to a snail’s pace when she felt Butch sink his teeth into her shoulder. She could hear her flesh being invaded and torn as he ripped a section of her skin away. Arkadia watched in disbelief.
There’s no pain?
Obviously, shock had well and truly set in, and the pain would kick in very soon. Arkadia’s green eyes widened in horror as she gazed upon Butch’s face, her blood dripping from his chin, and a sparkle of pleasure in his eyes. Butch lifted his chin and howled to his pack that immediately returned the wolf cry. He looked at Cris over her shoulder, and gave him a nod and a wink.

Cris leaned in to whisper in Arkadia’s ear. “Ready, sugar lips?” His hot breath on her neck was bringing back some sensation, and she was starting to feel the pain of a gaping wound bleeding openly from her shoulder.
Holy Shit, I think I am going to die tonight.
As Arkadia made this realization, the wind began to pick up, hitting her face in waves, getting harder and harder. The sound of a deep whoop, whoop, whoop accompanied the waves, and her hair flicked from side to side. It was like a mini tornado was about drop from the sky. Cris, Butch, and Arkadia all looked up at the same time, expecting to see a massive wind storm.
Well, it was massive, alright, but it wasn’t a storm.
The sound was from the beating wings of a ginormous black dragon descending from the sky, and from the look on his face, he was mighty pissed off.

Landing behind her and Cris, Arkadia felt the thump of the dragon’s weight on the pavement. The werewolf that had been holding her released her without warning, letting her body slump suddenly to her knees. Her lungs desperate for breath, she braced her body with her one good arm, and hung her head down, waiting for enough oxygen to re-enter her bloodstream so she could see straight again.

A muffled yell behind her made Arkadia look up a little, wishing she hadn’t as Cris’s head rolled along the road. It had been ripped clean off his shoulders and tossed to the side like a half-eaten apple core. Not knowing how much more her mind and body was going to be able to take, Arkadia scrambled back on her hands and knees, wincing at the pain radiating through her shoulder; her only thought was to get away from the fight that was happening all around her.

Arkadia settled her back against a tree and peered up, holding her one now limp arm with the good arm for support; she was breathing heavy, and in disbelief of what her eyes were showing her. Only a few feet from where she sat was Cris’s dead body, slumped in an awkward pose, where the dragon had tossed it, minus the head, of course; it was last seen rolling south along Cragmire street. A small shiver ran up her spine, not because the werewolf had gone and lost his head, but because she was realizing how close she had come to losing her own.

A massive flash caught her eye, then she heard a bloodcurdling howl as two of the werewolves took off for the forest, flames lighting up their fur.
Who ordered the hotdogs to go?
Arkadia chuckled softly. She was watching a dragon, YES, a dragon, fight a pack of wolves.

With her hand pressed hard against her shoulder trying to stem the flow of blood, she knew she needed to do something to stop the bleeding. Her brain struggled to find the right healing spell as she watched the ongoing fight; there was only one wolf left, Butch. He was standing his ground while the rest of his furry crew had tucked tail and headed for the woods. The dragon stood a glorious ten feet tall, Arkadia guessed, and his wingspan would be that again. His scales looked to be made of polished onyx, glittering and catching the light. He looked spectacular. A few white scales on his chest were the only variation to his black as night appearance. Lifting his massive jaw, the dragon roared at Butch so deeply Arkadia could feel it rumble through her butt on the ground. His wings were at full width, and he appeared to almost shimmer with pure power. Butch looked over to Arkadia and yelled, “Keep your mouth shut, bitch, or next time we will make sure your PET won’t be there to save you.” Butch shivered as he returned to his wolf form and loped off into the woods to find the rest of his pack.

Arkadia took this as a moment of self-preservation to cast a quick healing spell; she was not one for hospitals, and this was the next best thing. Closing her eyes she whispered to herself.

“Spirit … Earth … Air … Wind …Fire …

By the power of all five,

Knit and weave and fix my wound,

I just need to stay alive.”

Arkadia could feel a heat beginning to radiate from her shoulder. She hoped she had cast the right spell and it wasn’t a searing heat to warn her that her arm was about to drop off. Opening one eye to peer at her shoulder, she could see the skin beginning to close. Arkadia smiled. It was working; a spell she actually cast was working. It was burning like a Boy Scout campfire, but as long as it was working, she knew she could handle it.

Lifting her head, she gasped. Not a foot away from her stood the dragon, watching her with his deep brown eyes. He had tucked in his wings, and seemed to be waiting for Arkadia to say something to him.

The only dragon Arkadia knew was Bohdan, but she had never seen him in dragon form. She didn’t know if this particular dragon was Bohdan, or some other random dragon that just happened to jump to rescue a damsel in distress. Arkadia was also unsure that IF this was in fact Bohdan, he might not know her in dragon form. Meanwhile, the dragon sat and waited while she pondered the situation. He almost seemed to have a wry grin on his face, and Arkadia didn’t know dragons could smile, but this one was certainly grinning.

Pushing herself up to a standing position against the tree, her shoulder burning as it healed, she took a tentative step toward the dragon that was almost twice her height. “Bohdan?” she softly asked. The dragon snorted with a nod. “Do you recognize me?” she asked as she took another step forward. Again, the dragon snorted with a nod. Getting closer to the dragon, Arkadia reached out her hand, feeling somewhat confident that she was safe, and that this was in fact her Bohdan. The dragon leaned out with his muzzle and put it under her hand, letting her feel the top of his head. Arkadia rubbed his muzzle softly. Walking closer to him now, she watched his eyes close in pleasure as she laid her head against his, wrapping her good arm around his neck and whispering, “Thank you for saving my life, Bohdan.”