"Are you sure?" Nathanael asks.
"I am certain. I mean it was impossible to miss it, it was at the center of the table," I say, my eyes back on the small jar, "It had different markings than this one, though. They were drawn in red and it contained salt. I found it odd because there was already a saltshaker on the table but mainly because the jar wasn't there when we first sat at the table," I add.
"Well, I completely missed it," he averts his eyes away for a moment, before continuing, "But from what I know of witchcraft, the runes drawn in red rarely signify something good. I'll have to look into that as well," he says.
"Runes? That's what the markings are?" I crouch down by his side.
"Yes," he pulls the lid of the jar to reveal that it contains some wet dirt and fresh grass. It looks just as fresh as the grass I saw outside the cabin, a bit like this jar was filled mere minutes ago, "This dirt was placed in this jar on the day the construction of this cabin began," he explains.
"But…," I start but he stops me.
"I know, it looks recent but… It only makes sense with witchcraft, I am afraid," he chuckles lightly, "That's how the spell protects the cabin. This dirt was picked from the ground this shack is built on, that's why outsiders don't see it. They only see empty land when they look this way. They also can't sense, hear or smell our presence in here, the spell blocks them from doing so,"
Some things start to make a little more sense to me. I am relieved to know the way I acted yesterday, the way I felt before ending the date was at the very least justifiable and that I wasn't losing my marbles. But why? Who put that... spell there? What was the exact goal from doing so? To keep me and Nathanael apart? Or is it something else? And I still have many other questions. I ask the first one as he's putting the lid back on the jar and covers it with the wooden board he's previously pulled, "Is that how Ava got me out of the hospital without arousing suspicion? By using spells like this one?"
"I believe she did, yes. But she sure as hell did not have the right to, and she will…,"
I know he's sharing something of importance, but my words escape my mouth like they have the habit of doing. A habit that I direly need to leave behind, "How did she transport me from the hospital all the way out here?"
"She… Drove her car," he looks at me like I just asked the dumbest question he's ever heard, "Or so I believe," he quickly adds as to not sound condescending.
"Oh… How old is she?" I ask, a bit taken aback.
"She's sixteen," he says simply.
I breathe out and slowly stand up. I allow my body to sink back into the couch as the information I just received sinks along, "She just looks… Younger… I guess," I mutter.
"Yes. Our bodies don't exactly evolve the same way a human body naturally would; especially before our first full moon," he says as he stands back up like I did a few seconds before him.
His last statement teases my curiosity and further kindles my thirst for knowledge about his kind, but I manage to set the urges to dive into the biology of shifters just immediately. My eyes travel towards the window, which brings back the questions I already had in mind into full view, "For how long do we have to stay here?"
"I… Can't really know for sure but… Right now they are all around us. There's no way for us to get out of here without being noticed. I know I am safe from them but it might not be the case for you,"
He sounds contrite at those words. I lay my eyes back on him, to see that he is looking at the window the same way I was a few seconds ago. I scoot towards one side of the couch, where I pull my feet upwards and turn my upper body to the side, which gives me a way to face whoever would sit next to me.
Nathanael seems to have gotten the gist of my action, he nears the couch and sits down by my side.
"So, they would attack me but not you?" our newly found proximity to each other allows me to speak in a lower tone. A softer one.
"They might not dare to, in my presence but… Some of them have a predatory nature. All it takes is for them to catch your scent once…," he explains, mirroring the calm tone I spoke in before.
Our exchange on the matter leads me towards a new train of thoughts and opens up a new door in my mind for different questions to flow out of it, "You can… Smell and hear them all around us? Right now?" I ask sheepishly.
"I can mostly hear them, yes. I can't necessarily hear every detail about them but some of them are quite loud. Kelpies for example, usually travel in groups and they walk quite fast but… I can tell they're kelpies because when they shift to their human form, they don't have feet like you and I do. They have hooves like a horse does, so the sound of their steps is vastly different from the rest of the creatures around. I can also hear sets of footsteps ambling the forest, at first I could mistake them for humans but…I hear almost nothing around them, like every other creature is doing its best to avoid their path,"
Absorbed by his tales, I only break out of my trance to ask, "So, what are they?"
"Vampires," he says. He seems just as enamored by his own exposition as I am. Almost like he's been wanting to tell someone about all of this all along, "They're right below wolf shifters in the food chain. They travel alone and… Let's just say that they're not known for their friendliness,"
A shiver runs down my spine. He did tell me about how vampires lost their ability to experience feelings the way we do once they become of age. Hearing it again, simply hammers it home. It's outright unsettling and I make a mental note to myself to do my very best in order to steer clear of these fuckers. A series of new questions line up for me to ask, the first one of which concerns the kelpies he just mentioned but I note that he hasn't really expanded on wolf shifters, like him and well, I am sitting with… Him so, I think I should prioritize his kind.
Images from yesterday flash back before my eyes. Images of him on the rooftop and the way he looked at that moment, "I know that you can partially shift and I know that you have learned to control your shifting but… Do you need the full moon in order to shift like you did yesterday?"
In response, he shuts his eyes for a moment before opening them again. They offer me the most sublime of green shades. A tad different from the one they wore yesterday, but it makes perfect sense, considering I am admiring his emeralds in daylight for the first time.
"Can you show me… more of your shifting?" I ask, "If it's not too much to expect, of course," I add quickly, seeing as his eyebrows furrowed for a split second.
"Yeah, sure," he basically whispers.
He lifts his hand up and maintains it in the air for a short while before I start seeing what's happening to it. His skin tone around that area goes lighter and fairer by the second until finally… I am able to spot multiple white, little hairs protruding and growing taller ever so slowly.
"You become a white wolf," I half ask, half exclaim.
"Yeah… My last name comes from back to back generations of white wolves," he speaks as his eyes linger on his own hand, his smile dimming down as he does.
I know he knows that I am looking at him. I don't want to make him uncomfortable but… I can't take my eyes away from him. It was only when I noticed his face twitch slightly that my gaze fell back on his hand. By this point, his white fur is completely coating his skin, claws almost half out but something else is happening. It seems to occur underneath his skin. His bones are slowly shifting from their place and the more they do the more I can feel his body tense up by my side. I feel his warm breath on me going a little faster.
I instinctively but gently rest my hand on his and gradually push it downwards, letting him know that he can stop, that he doesn't have to do it anymore. He looks at me inquisitively and I find my voice again, "I am very curious, believe me but… Watching someone suffer just to get answers isn't in my nature,"
He smiles and flips his hand around so it, too, can hold mine. He intertwines his fingers with mine. He allows his eyes to revert back to their natural, obsidian black color. We stare into each other's eyes for a little longer until he breaks our silence, "Why did you go out with me yesterday? I mean, I don't know what goes on between you and Isabelle but… I would've been put off by her decision to set me up on a date without my knowledge or consent,"
Without looking away from him, I answer, "Because… I wanted to. Really, I can't think of any other reason. But speaking of the date, why did you agree to it? You even said that your kind doesn't date or marry outside of your own…,"
"Isabelle is very persuasive and… I think you know that more than anyone," he chuckles. Although, I feel his hand tense up a bit in mine.
"I can imagine," I laugh, but then I continue, "Seriously though, why?"
Once again, his smile dims down before he answers, "I just… Wanted to know what it felt like to be with and talk to someone other than the people that know me… Know what and who I am. Someone that doesn't expect me to act or speak a certain way. I realize it wasn't fair to you, I am really sorry," I discern some glistening in his eyes, almost like they are welling up with tears.
"So, in a way, you were using my company… for your own benefit… Hmmm…,"
I thought my tone was sarcastic enough for him to know that I was joking but his hold around my hand tightens a bit, not enough to hurt me, though.
"Well, I've got to look at the bright side, now," I announce with an obviously fake look of concern on my face, "At least, I don't have to feel guilty when I use you to get answers about the supernatural, if you still want to answer them, of course," I chuckle.
He seems to have finally understood I was just pulling his leg since his radiant smile came back to illuminate his features.
I think I want us to stay in this position for a while longer. I feel at ease again, I just want to enjoy his company while it lasts, hoping he's enjoying mine all the same.