Ellida (11 page)

“Can we invite Peyton?” I asked.

“I was about to ask. Sure, phone her.”

In spite of my miserable physical state, it
turned out to be lots of fun. We chatted and laughed, manicured and
pedicured each other. I was the only exception because of my skin
sensitivity. Peyton came back from the bathroom with a box full of
curlers, gels, hair sprays and brushes. “Go wash your hair,” she
said. I smiled and went to the washroom. Thirty minutes later, I
looked in the mirror, delighted with my 1960’s retro ponytail.

“My turn,” Peyton said. She picked a thick
lock of her beautiful curly hair. “Can you straighten it?”

“I don’t know anything about hairstyling. I
usually use a bit of my witch power,” I said.

“Then use it, please. I don’t mind my curls,
but sometimes I want my hair straight.”

“Okay, then.”

I gently combed my fingers through her curls,
sending subtle waves of energy through them. I always did it with
my hair when I wanted it smooth. In no time, Peyton’s
shoulder-length curls hung sleek and flat down the middle of her
back.

“Splendid!” she said, happily. “How long is
it going to last?”

“Until you wash it. Ask me whenever you want
to have it straight, I’ll do it for you.”

“Oh, you can count on that!”

Instead of making sandwiches, we grilled
steaks so that I could get enough protein, went through a few
bottles of wine and watched one of the recent werewolf movies with
our feet propped up on stools and faces stiff under thick layers of
white, creamy masks. I’d let Maggie apply it on my face in spite of
my hyper-sensitivity. She’d put a few drops of mint oil into the
mixture, and it soothed my hot skin.

Looking at the TV screen and trying to
minimize her facial muscles’ movement, Maggie murmured, “If only we
could turn so fast like those guys.” Then she suddenly turned to
me. A chuckle slipped out, and the white crust cracked. “You can,
can’t you?”

“Well, yes, but it hurts. I hope to learn how
to slow it down,” I said, cracking a smile that in return cracked
my own mask. “Besides, I don’t know how I do that. I don’t remember
a thing.”

“I’m looking forward to see it. It must be
spectacular.”

Oh, God! “I think it’s better if nobody’s
around me,” I said, looking hopefully at Betty and Morgaine.

“There won’t be any man around, don’t worry,”
Betty said. “Only us.”

Morgaine smiled gently and squeezed my hand.
“It’s going to be fine, Astrid. We won’t let you down.”

So far, everybody had a plan for my next
change except me. I’d only planned to do it alone, but that didn’t
seem like an option anymore.

CONFRONTED BY a united front of two
strong-willed Mohegan women, two Ellidas and an honorary family
member, James couldn’t do anything else but agree to Betty’s plan.
The newly formed Fellowship of the Full Moon, as Maggie had named
the five women, would go to Astrid’s house and stay there with her
until the transformation was over.

A DAY before, Betty and Maggie had made the
house ready. The big living room sported Astrid’s beige couch with
a pile of pink cushions and blankets neatly arranged in the corner
and two matching armchairs. There were two older armchairs as well,
probably some remnants of her parents’ furnishings, along with the
coffee table and several other mismatched pieces. The fridge was
stuffed with food and drink: water for Astrid, soft drinks for her
companions. They’d brought in a TV, a Blu-ray player, and pile of
movies and magazines.

Astrid filled them in on the details of the
first stage of her transformation. She reclined on the couch and
wrapped herself in the blanket. “Is it too much if I ask for
privacy when I change?”

“One of us should stay with you all the
time,” Morgaine said. “You pick.”

Astrid shrugged. One of them or all of them,
what was the difference? “Oh, forget it. Enjoy the show.”

Every cell in her body hurt. The soft cotton
blanket felt heavy and prickly. She was hot and her breathing was
ragged. The physical symptoms seemed more severe than last
time.

Last time… Jack had been with her, she
thought. He’d held her; that eased the pain. Where was he now? She
closed her eyes and tried to locate him with her inner senses. She
had discovered that ability for the first time in Rosenthal, when
she had tracked Jack and Tristan in a store buying clothes.
Encouraged by Jack, she tried it from time to time, but with very
limited success. In those rare instances when her suspicious
tracking skills actually had worked, Jack had to be relatively
close by although very often even that wasn’t enough.

This time, she couldn’t see a thing. The
image in her head looked like a flickering, static TV screen.
Astrid sighed and gave up. Successful or not, mental tracking
required more energy than she could afford to spend right now.

And she could feel her wolf awakening.

“
Behave yourself
,” she ordered her
silently. “
Peyton’s here
.”

“
And why exactly did you invite her? Don’t
tell me she’s your best friend now.”

“
She’s a part of this family. Our
family.”

“
Sometimes I don’t understand you at all,
Ms. Spock.”

“
Likewise. Don’t talk about Jack, do you
hear me? I know you miss him, but just don’t talk about him. Okay?
Miss him silently.”

The wolf made an angry growl. “
This is the
last time I’m doing this. Better tell him to do his part before the
next full moon! Damn it, Astrid, we must connect. It’s getting
dangerous to stay like this, in two parts. I’m not sure how long I
can handle it.”

“
You’re handling it fine. I would say
better than ever.”

“
Make sure this is the last time we’re
doing this. I’m tired of keeping both of us under control.”

Astrid rolled her eyes. The wolf had been
keeping
her
under control. No kidding!

“Next time,” she said weakly. “I promise. And
you promise to behave.”

“What, Astrid?” Maggie asked, concerned.

“I’ve just reminded my wolf about ‘behavior
expectations’ in the next two days. Ellida, don’t let her get
carried away.”

“
I don’t need your ‘code of conduct’, Miss
Spock.”

“
I’m sorry if I offended you. You’re the
one who carries us both through the change every time. I know
that.”

Peyton moved to the sofa and sat on the
opposite end. “I’m the smallest, I can fit here. Let me hold your
hand. That might help a bit.”

The wolf just smirked, but Astrid managed a
tiny smile. “Thank you,” she said and touched Peyton’s fingers.

Peyton winced, but didn’t move her hand.
“God, you’re burning! You sure that’s okay? Do you want some
water?”

“No, thanks. I could eat, though.”

“Maggie, let’s make supper,” Betty said. “Is
sautéed beef liver okay, Astrid?”

“With lots of bacon and onions, yes,
please.”

“Is there anything else we can do for you?”
Peyton asked, gently stroking Astrid’s hand. “It doesn’t look like
we’re much help here.”

“She’ll be fine, Peyton,” Morgaine said
reassuringly. “I had similar experiences before my spirits got
linked.”

“Tell me about it, Ellida,” Astrid said
quietly. “I can’t compare my symptoms with anyone else’s because no
one else I know went through this.”

Morgaine smiled. “Only Ellidas sometimes.
Well, it was relatively easy in my case. My spirits got connected
shortly after the first few changes. You’ve been dropped in the
deep end, Astrid. You’ve been doing it for—how long?—three years?
And it’s getting worse. You must have them linked as soon as
possible.”

Astrid nodded, closed her eyes and drifted
into a shallow, unsettled drowse.

“What would happen if they didn’t connect?”
she heard Peyton’s voice again some time later.

“That’s what we don’t know for sure. During
the full moon, Astrid’s in an estrous phase. This is actually
pseudo-estrus because conceiving is not possible for us in the wolf
form, but all other symptoms of heat are there. Among wolves,
estrus occurs once a year, during the mating season. Werewolves
avoid it completely because they can control the transformation, so
it doesn’t affect them. For Astrid, that’s an involuntary process,
like her monthly period, and she goes through it once a month.
There’s an incredible amount of sexual energy in her body that
requires immediate release. Yet she’s been accumulating it month
after month, year after year. And she doesn’t even allow herself to
feel it like sexual energy. She suppresses it because she doesn’t
have a partner. That why she’s in so much pain. Fortunately, her
wolf is very strong and capable of coping with that.”

“She needs to have intercourse with a
werewolf to get her spirits united, right?” Peyton said.

Morgaine confirmed. “And she needs to do that
soon. She’s way overdue.”

Astrid stirred and peeked at them through her
heavy lidded eyes. “I heard you. We are not having this
conversation. Please.”

Inside her head, Astrid heard her wolf’s
throaty laugh. “
Why? It’s just started getting
interesting.”

“
Oh, you shut up!”

Peyton squeezed her hand. “It’s okay. I know
who you’re going to do that with, and I’m still sitting beside you
and holding your hand.”

Morgaine chuckled. “Ah, I see! A conflict of
interest. In that case, you’re doing great, Peyton Kincaid. I have
to tell you something, then. You know that, fortunately, Ellidas
cannot foresee the time to come, but since I’ve met you I have a
feeling
that a great future’s awaiting you. And it’s going
to happen soon, mark my words. You just need to open the door to
new possibilities.”

Before Peyton could respond, Betty and Maggie
came back with supper. Food usually made Astrid feel temporarily
better, but not this time. She hardly managed to take a few bites
before she pushed her plate aside.

The pain increased. She kept her eyes closed
and lips pressed tight. No sound came out. A few more hours and the
wolf would take over. The next time… the next time, her hazed mind
chanted. There wouldn’t be a next time. Jack would come back, they
would make love before the next full moon, and her wandering
spirits would unite.

Another gush of pain ripped through her,
taking her breath away. A string of tiny beads of sweat broke out
on her forehead.

“
Please, help me
,” she pleaded
silently to her wolf.

A moment later, a soft growl broke out from
her chest. Astrid slowly opened her feverish eyes, golden-amber and
bright.

“I sent Ms. Spock to sleep,” she said in her
deep, velvety voice. “The pain was too strong for her.”

The Fellowship looked at her in amusement
mixed with worry.

Astrid repositioned herself on the sofa and
reached for her plate. “I’ll finish my supper now.”

Morgaine, Betty and Maggie moved their
chairs, semi-circling the sofa. Peyton remained beside her.

“How are you feeling now?” she said quietly
and glanced at Astrid.

Astrid tilted her head as her eyes swept over
the girl sitting beside her. “You’re still here, huh?”

“I’m not going anywhere, whether you like it
or not.”

“You’re looking exactly at the part of me
you’re supposed to hate, Peyton: my jealous, selfish, possessive
side.”

Peyton smiled. “I don’t hate you. I never
have. There was a time when I wished you’d never come, but not
anymore. I like to think things happen for a reason.”

The other women sat quietly, listening to
Astrid and Peyton’s exchange.

Peyton continued. “I’ll deal with my issues
one step at the time. But you don’t need to worry about me anymore.
I’m smart enough to know when to cut my losses.”

Astrid smiled, and her eyes, hard and sharp
just a moment ago, softened. “You’re a better friend than I
deserve. The other Astrid’s more like you, generous and
understanding, but I’m not such a noble creature.”

“There is something to work on, then,” Peyton
said lightly.

Astrid smiled. “Do you mind holding my hand?
I can cope with the pain better than
her
, but it still
hurts.”

The atmosphere in the room loosened up.
Maggie moved the TV set closer and put a Blu-ray into the player.
The women continued chatting as the movie progressed, keeping an
eye on Astrid all the time.

She would rarely join the conversation,
letting her mind wander, thinking about Jack.
Why didn’t he
phone? Where was he? What was so important that he couldn’t come
and be with her today?

Every time another rush of pain swept through
her, she would shut her eyes and tighten her grip around Peyton’s
small hand. The same hand she’d seen on Jack’s arm a week ago and
disliked so much was her greatest comfort now.

“Things change, don’t they?” Astrid murmured
and smiled weakly.

“You okay?” she heard four voices almost in
unison as four heads turned in her direction.

“Uh-huh. What time is it?”

Betty glanced at her wristwatch. “Five
thirty. Do you shift as soon as the moon appears or closer to
midnight?”

“When the moon rises. I want to take a shower
now.”

“I’ll go with you,” Maggie offered.

Astrid lifted her hand up, stopping her. “No,
Maggie. Nobody’s going with me to the washroom. I’ll be fine.”

THROUGH THE sound of running water Astrid
heard her phone ringing. Jack! immediately crossed her mind and her
heart gave a strong thump, angry and happy at the same time.

It wasn’t Jack, though.

“Your friend Ingmar, Astrid,” Peyton said
when Astrid came out. “Can you talk to him?”

Astrid nodded and took the phone.