Moonlit Fur Chronicles: Lucid Fur
Chapter 17 Broken Stone

I felt the bed give way as someone climbed in with me. My chest itched and burned. I felt someone lift my arm and drape it around them. I smelled Quinn. She snuggled in beside me, wary of my chest wounds; I smiled. We fell asleep in each other’s arms. The bright midday sun woke me up. The buzz in my ears had faded during my sleep. I could hear Quinn’s troubled breathing, birds sang outside, and someone rummaged around loudly in the kitchen. I was thrilled. I almost regretted it as my phone buzzed loudly. I snatched it off the bed table and answered it, hopefully before it disturbed Quinn. “Hello,” I whispered. I pulled myself out of bed, went into the bathroom, and closed the door. “Reese! Are you alright? I’ve been calling all night! What happened? Are your wolves and gargoyles okay? Is everyone safe?” Dylan was in a panic.

“Yes, we are all fine. I think so anyway. Haven’t heard about Max yet. I’m sorry I didn’t answer. I didn’t hear the phone go off.” I peeked under the bandage on my chest to see how much it had healed. Small red dots littered my chest, but there was no pain. I pulled off the bandage and checked my back in the mirror. There was a long dark scar that was along my spine. The skin felt hard and terribly dry. I had a feeling that this was permanent. Dylan told me that he had been kidnapped and brought to a hotel. He didn’t see his captures very well but oddly he felt safe with them. “Yeah I think it was my parents. The witches put them under a spell; I fought my dad last night. He shot me with a shotgun. No no, I’m fine. Hurt like hell, but no permanent damage, not from that anyway.”

The phone beeped. My mother’s number flashed on the screen. I ignored her call and finished my conversation with Dylan. I dialed my mother’s phone and she answered. She peppered me with frantic questions about Davy and why she was in a hotel with Dylan. She finally calmed down long enough to hear that Davy was relatively safe with me and I’d explain everything later. I peered at my dark scar the length of my spine in the mirror. I wondered what Phoenix or Quinn would think. “Anyway Reese, I was finally able to translate your phrases. The first one should be magic blood or witch blood. The second was very confusing. I checked and rechecked several sources. I think it means stone blood, but that makes no sense because stones don’t have blood.” “Oh thank you! I’m so happy! Thank you! Look, I have to go. It’s really important. I will check in with you later,” I replied.

I glanced outside, the sun was still high in the sky. I checked the clock on my phone, it read ‘2:30’. I groaned. I grabbed a hoodie and slipped it over my bare chest and slid a pair of gym shorts up around my hips. I stealthily exited my room and came face to face with Ash and Casey. Ash’s face was tear-stained and Casey looked miserable. “What happened?” They stepped to either side and I noticed a long sheet covering something on the couch. “No,” I whispered. I approached the couch, I was sick to my stomach. A sickly sweet stench filled the air. I gingerly pulled the sheet back slowly. Max was still in wolf form. His empty eye stared up at me, his jaws were slack and his tongue hung between his teeth. I reverently touched his head, his fur was stiff. Ash sniffed and fresh tears began rolling down his chin. “He died a hero,” I muttered. “He died protecting others. His sacrifice will not be forgotten.” Tears rolled down my face as well.

Phoenix stepped beside me and took my hand. Ash spoke up, his voice thick with despair. “Max, I will make a statue to honor you.” Ash lowered his head and walked out of the house. “Casey, stay with him. Make sure he is safe, even from himself,” I directed. Casey didn’t respond, they silently followed after Ash. “Drew, Ellis,” I called in a loud voice. They lifted their gaze to meet my eyes. “Please begin to dig a suitable grave for Max.” They nodded. I found River and asked her to watch Quinn for me as I wanted Phoenix and Kai to come with me. River was agreeable. I asked Kai to bring bottles for potion ingredients. I had Phoenix bring towels and a bandage wrap to prevent the bottles from breaking. Once the girls had collected their items, I placed them all into my backpack. Phoenix, Kai, and I walked out of the back door, across the patio and into the forest. I explained that we were going to check on the gargoyles.

We chatted and walked for long enough to watch the sun start to set. We started to move a bit faster, we had a ways to go yet. Soon enough we arrived at the mouth of the cave the gargoyles inhabited. We entered the cave and began the long trek below ground. The gargoyles were awake. We rounded the corner and watched the gargoyles stretch their massive wings. Goliath waved to Cordelia and pointed at me. She nodded and greeted me mentally. I smiled and spoke to them, “Thank you. My hearing returned some time while I was asleep.” Goliath smiled and responded that he was happy I was feeling better. I introduced Kai and Phoenix to Goliath and Simeon. They already knew Cordelia. I mentally asked Cordelia about the possibility of witch and gargoyle blood being the last two ingredients to the cure. She agreed there was a strong possibility, blood was an incredibly powerful substance.

A wicked gleam flashed in my eye. I approached Isadora and Isabella who were chained to the wall. “Ladies,” I greeted scornfully. “Izzy, you once offered your assistance with my potion. I’m going to give you the opportunity to assist me. If you perform well, I will try to convince the gargoyles to be gentle with you. If you fail, there is nothing I can do to help you.” Isadora’s eyes were full of hatred, Isabella’s eyes were full of fear. “I mean, after all, you did invade their home and assault them. Have you ever seen a truly furious gargoyle? If I’m honest, I’m of the idea and I’m a powerful alpha. What do you think they will do to you, especially now that you are at their mercy.” Isabella trembled. Isadora rolled her eyes. “So help me. The cure for the sleeping gargoyle. You know the spell. The ingredients you sold me can’t be all that common. I’m sure an experienced witch like you knows exactly which spell I need.” Isadora glared at me. Isabella whimpered quietly against the gag in her mouth.

“Oh wait…no you can’t help me…you don’t have a tongue,” I laughed gleefully. “Maybe Bella could help me.” I drew my finger along Isabella’s jaw line. She shivered and Isadora screamed at me. I glanced over at Isadora, she shook with rage. I reached inside my backpack and pulled one of the bottles out. “You see ladies, I need blood. Your blood. You can give it to me or I take it. I’d prefer to take it from you in retribution for the pain you put me and my pack through.” I stepped up to Isadora and muttered to her, “Did you know there is a blood vessel under your left breast? I can actually feel your pulse if I hold it just right. Granted I’ve never tried it. Maybe we can experiment.” I ripped her shirt down the middle and put my fingers under her left breast. Isadora gasped. She seethed with anger. “Oh, would you look at that! I can feel your pulse!”

I pulled my hand away from her breast. I slowly curled my fingers into a fist. I snapped my fingers out, my fingernails transformed into wolf claws. I dragged them gently across Isadora’s cheek. “Are you ready?” She struggled against the chains that bound her. I dug my claws up into the underside of Isadora’s breast. Her blood poured down her belly and into the bottle I held firmly at her navel. I let the bottle fill about half way before I meandered to Isabella. “Do you want the same treatment or are you going to be helpful?” Isabella shook her head and then nodded. Her eyes were wide with terror. I smiled, “Good girl. Now I’m going to remove this gag. If I hear anything that sounds like a spell, I’ll do much worse than drain a little blood. Do you understand?” Isabella nodded hurriedly.

I pulled the gag from her mouth. “Yes you need witch blood. Only her blood though, she cast the spell. I just watched. I was too scared back then. Please don’t hurt me! And yes you need gargoyle blood. Izzy sold you the rest of the ingredients, she told me so. Please don’t hurt me!” I turned to Goliath, “What do you think? Is she telling the truth?” He nodded. “In that case, do what you will with her. It may be a good idea to keep her whole until our mates are returned to health.” Goliath agreed. He made eye contact with Cordelia, “Go and help the Alpha with the potion. We will keep watch over the prisoners.”

I looked at Kai and Phoenix. They stared at me in awe. I raised an eyebrow, “Did you so easily forget what Quinn and I did to Chad? Maybe you should come to my room and see what is left of him.” Kai and Phoenix looked at each other then back to me. They shrugged; it seems their memory was intact. “Let’s go save the day.” Cordelia joined us as we returned home. We brought her the box of potion ingredients and set it on the kitchen island. Phoenix placed a large pot on the stove.

Cordelia put the ingredients in the pot in the proper order and softly muttered an incantation. She withdrew a small dagger from her belt and pricked her finger. A solitary drop of her blood fell into the slurry. Cordelia added some witch blood to the concoction as well. A puff of green smoke billowed from the pot. “It is ready. This will awaken Lilith,” Cordelia exclaimed. I smiled even though I was unconvinced. “Let’s go. Kai, Phoenix, are you coming or staying?” They were already on the move to the door. We got outside and stripped our clothes off. We were going to run as wolves, Cordelia would fly and carry to the potion.

Cordelia poured the potion into a glass jar and joined us outside. We put our clothes in my backpack. We phased into wolves and sped off into the night. We quickly reached the cave and raced down the dark path. We slowed to a stop, turned back into human shapes, and donned our clothes. Cordelia gave Goliath the potion. He reverently approached Lilith’s statue, “My Love, it is time for you to awaken!” He poured the potion on the statue’s head. It dribbled down Lilith’s hair and face. A brink green light blazed throughout the cavern. It started at the top of her head and worked its way down her torso and legs. The light was so dazzling we were forced to look away. The light died away as quickly as it had appeared. Lilith stretched her arms and wings. She yawned the biggest yawn I had ever seen. “Goliath,” she murmured. “I am here, My Love,” He dashed to her and scooped her up in his arms.

Goliath and Lilith kissed. My heart ached. I was happy for them no doubt. I wanted to be reunited with Quinn. I had watched her suffer for so long. Phoenix’s hand slipped into mine. She cleared her throat but I shushed her. “Give them a moment. Quinn will be okay.” The minutes felt like an eternity. Goliath finally separated from Lilith just enough to introduce me to her. “This is The Alpha. She and her pack helped us. Her lover is poisoned with Wolfsbane. You hold the only cure in your hand.” Lilith looked wistfully at the flower, “It is a small price for my life. Please take it.” Lilith handed me the flower. “Thank you. He told me how much this flower means to you,” I nodded to Goliath. “Thank you for bringing her back to me,” Goliath replied.

Lilith gently instructed, “Put the petals in boiling water for fifteen minutes. Remove the flower and have the poisoned werewolf drink the tea. They will show signs of improvement. It may take a few days to return to full strength.” Quinn would be healed! A tear pooled in the corner of my eye, “Thank you. I will not forget this!” I put the flower in my backpack, and led Kai and Phoenix up the path. We stripped, packed our clothes in my backpack, turned into wolves and ran home. I could feel the excitement and hope as it emanated from Phoenix. My heart wanted to shout and sing. I refused to let my hopes get too high until Quinn was healed and back to full strength. We weren’t out of the woods yet.

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