Red Hood: The Hunt (7 page)

I was acutely aware of our proximity to each other.  Laying on the ground facing each other.  She moved a hand to tuck some hair behind my ear in an almost intimate gesture, then she stopped and looked at her hand. When she pulled it back, like she was as surprised as me that she did it.  I admit I really liked it, she was so fascinating to look at.

She smiled one of her crooked half smiles, took a deep breath, held it a few seconds, then exhaled.  “The prior Red Hoods have been able to piece together the sins of Marcus, using the Marcus Tome, druid writings, gypsy witches, and the oral histories handed down by tribes of Romanian gypsies.”

I nodded and she continued, “Then let me tell you of how the werewolves came to be.”

In 1608 in the Citadel of Bucuresti or modern day Bucharest, lived a man of means, Marcus.  This man had a thirst for power.  Power to rule over all men, power to defy fate, to cheat death.  He spent years researching and collecting items of power in his quest, during which time his thirst for power only grew.  He wanted to be a god among men, to be immortal.

There were stories of those who lived among the traveling people.  The gypsies of the mountains, who were rumored to have power beyond that of men.  They were labeled witches by the local populace.  He sought them out and made a pact with the old crone Alina.  A gypsy witch who was rumored to be almost one hundred years old.  It was unheard of in those times to live so long.

If she helped him attain the power he wanted, he would give her half of the new world order he would bring about.  Through druidic rituals and gypsy incantations, they were able to summon into the mortal realm, Styche the Trickster, a demon of old who walked the earth when mankind was young.

He promised to tell Marcus how to obtain all that he wanted, inhuman speed, strength, the ability to heal from any wound, to live forever.  To become immortal.  Once the ritual was described in great detail, Marcus went back on his word and had Alina dissolve Styche's binding to the mortal world. He sent him back to the realm of the demons since he had no use for him anymore and he didn't want another immortal being roaming the world besides himself.

Alina prepared the ritual for Marcus, then when the crone's back was turned, Marcus stabbed her through the heart.  If she could help him obtain immortality, she could assist others, and he just couldn't allow that possibility.  With her dying breath, she cursed him.  “May the power you seek, be like the sour milk left in the sun.”

With the rituals ready, all that was needed was one thing, to sacrifice innocence on a full moon.  To drain the blood of that innocence at the base of the eldest oak in the forest.  Marcus searched the realm for the most beautiful unwed maiden, Adelina.  He dressed her in a heavy white cloak, pure as snow, and brought her to the tree that was bound by the magics and amulets of power at the height of the full moon.

Then he drove a silver dagger, with the runes of binding etched into it, through her chest.  Her life's blood flowed from her body, staining the white cloak a blood red.  She sighed out her last breath when the first rays of the sunrise spilled into the world.

Marcus was filled with power, but whether it was the witch's curse or Styche the Trickster doing what demons do, things were not as they seemed.  Like the story of the scorpion frog, the scorpion stings the frog, dooming them both in the middle of the river because it is in the nature of the scorpion to sting.  On each full moon, Marcus gained the power he coveted, only he could not enjoy it as the full moon changed his form to that of a monstrous wolf.  He had just the residual power in daylight, being a little faster, stronger, and able to heal.

In his rage, he attacked the people of the village in his wolf form and found that if they survived his bite, his curse was shared with them.  He could control them, being the Alpha, the power over men that he sought.  So he went about trying to spread his curse through every man woman and child in the world.

He found great joy in learning when they transformed in the moonlight, they were mindless beasts, and he was the only one who maintained his intelligence.  Just as it should be, they were cattle to him, dumb animals to begin with, so he took sadistic pleasure in watching them as mindless killing machines.

Either the old gods or nature spirits took exception to this unnatural evil consuming the world and decided there needed to be a balance... parity.  So they enchanted the red stained cloak of the innocent who fell to a blade of silver, and that blade itself.

The cloak called out to the world, to find the nearest innocent woman.  Rania answered the call and donned the cloak.  The power arced through her, giving her what Marcus had sought out.  Immortality and power without the curse of the wolf.  Rania became the first Red Hood, with the speed, strength, senses of the wolves... all of their attributes without the drawbacks.

And because of the knife that sacrificed the first innocent, silver became the bane of the werewolves, the one thing that could end their lives by unraveling the curse in their bodies.

Where the world had countless werewolves being created, the gods or spirits put on the earth one individual to balance the scale.  But as silver and the Red Hood can kill the wolves, so too can the wolves kill the Red Hood.  Then the cloak would call out to another to take up the mantle of the Red Hood.

From what has been gathered through centuries of research and studying the rituals of the sacrifice, and the talismans of power, is that once the Red Hood kills Marcus, the wolf curse will be released and all infected will be free.  The only thing not resolved is the repetition of five in all the writings.  There was something about 'five' that was never explained.  It was speculated that it was possibly the five talismans of power used in the binding.

Maireni finished staring off into space wistfully. “It is hoped that once the curse of the wolf is broken, so too would be the curse on the Red Hood.”

I tilted my head at her as she shrugged, seeking my eyes for my reaction.  I said, “Your abilities don't seem like a curse to me.”  I grinned and wrinkled my nose. “Except maybe the enhanced sense of smell.”

She smiled sadly then said in a soft voice, “To watch those you love succumb to the ravages of time over and over as you remain static, unchanging, never sharing their fate. It is a curse beyond all others.  It steals a little of your soul each time you have to endure it.”

I hadn't really thought of that, the emotional aspects of it, and the true pain I could see in her eyes told me I would never want to have to endure it myself.  I instinctively reached a hand out and cupped her cheek again to console her.  She sort of rubbed the bottom of her jaw against my hand as she closed her eyes and growled contentedly again.  I smiled at being able to elicit this response and give her some measure of consolation.

Then I thought about everything as she pulled reluctantly away from my touch.  “You think Marcus is here?”  She nodded with a predatory smile, showing her long canines again.  Good lord, I could almost see the joy the anticipation of ending the curse of the wolf was giving her.

I prompted, “How do you know he's here, have you tracked him?”  Then I locked eyes with her, letting my unasked question hang in the air... was Marcus the wolf I had watched kill my family?

She read that in my eyes and said instead, “There will be time to discuss that, but first I have shared my tale, now you must share yours.”

I nodded then a thought hit me.  She had mentioned that once the Lycan curse was broken, then all the cursed would be set free.  Would that mean Prue would be free of the contagion?  Could we be a family again if I could ever find her?

I snuggled my head into my jacket and looked at the timeless woman before me and retold the story of my family for the first time since the police questioned me before shunting me into the foster care system.  But for the first time, from the perspective of an adult, sharing my impressions and suspicions.  Sharing what drove me.  My thoughts on the Alpha, I believe I saw.  Then my thoughts and concerns about my sister, with the new fear pressing down on my chest now that I knew the Ferals and even non-ferals were being compelled by the Alpha to swarm the city each full moon, and the beta wolves were all powerless to resist.

She shared that between that and the other night, she believed I was being targeted for some reason we just haven't figured out yet.  She hoped that this meeting between Slater Mining and the mayor would help her locate Marcus.  Since everything she had researched was that the apparent silver shortage was just screaming Marcus' involvement to her.

We talked well into the afternoon and I didn't know when I drifted off.  The next thing I knew I was waking up feeling warm and comfortable.  I was curled into Maireni who slept beside me, she looked so innocent as she slept.  The heat from her was incredible and seeped into my body like a warm caress.  I inhaled deeply, there was a sweet musk, and pleasant animalistic scent to her that made my toes curl and want to purr against her.

I looked up to her face and her eyes were halfway open now, studying me.  I blushed and moved away from her and sat up.  “I'm sorry, I get a little clingy when I sleep.”

She didn't look entirely alert yet and there was something animalistic, predatory, in her eyes.  I froze as she leaned into my neck faster than I could follow, and she drew a deep breath through both her nose and mouth, more like she was tasting the air rather than smelling it.  Her hot breath on my neck as she exhaled with a guttural growl, made me shiver and gooseflesh travel down my neck.

She pulled back suddenly and her eyes were dilated, she looked fully awake now.  Was she blushing?  She started donning her cloak and gathering her things into the silver netting.  She spoke away from me, “Sunset is a couple hours away, you need to eat before you go on Howler Duty.”

I stood stiffly and she tucked her pack away near the base of the bridge foundation, still not meeting my eyes.  I found my mouth moving again before it consulted me. “Have 'breakfast' with me, Red?”

She finally looked at me again and offered up her half smile.  “Ok, but then I have to get cleaned up.  It has been a couple days.”

Again I spoke, “Just shower at my place.” 
What the hell am I doing?
Her eyes lowered and she gave a single nod.

Then I tilted my head and asked her again, “Why do you camp outside.  I know you say to smell people approaching...”  I left it at that.

She regarded me for a moment then shrugged and said, “It is hard to explain.  I belong more in their world...”  She left the word werewolves unspoken. “...more than the Clean Blood world.  I have urges, to hunt, to run free.  It is part of the curse that gives me the abilities of the wolves I suppose, I get some of their primal nature too.  Sometimes I feel I am more animal than human anymore.”  She curled her upper lip and smiled, purposefully showing her teeth that almost resembled fangs, as if to punctuate the admission.  She paused then said carefully, “I've never shared that with anyone, I don't know why I'm sharing it now.”

I smiled.  “I'm glad you did.  Thank you.  I just ask too many questions, a dangerous habit of my occupation.”

I followed her up the bank to the street.  She leaped the last ten feet and over the railing like she was just hopping, then she offered her hand down.  I reached up and we clasped hands and the next thing I knew I was being hauled over the railing by her and she set me on my feet one handed.  I chuckled and couldn't stop the smile on my face.  I said, “Show off.”

She returned my chuckle and I saw humor twinkling in her ice blue eyes.  Then she looked down at our hands.  Oh!  I hadn't released her hand.  I let go quickly and walked past her quickly toward the car so she wouldn't see my blush.  I could still feel her unnatural heat in my hand.

We stopped at the gates and my vehicle was searched and we were subjected to the silver blood test.  As I drove north, I looked down at her finger.  “Though you have wolf abilities, silver doesn't affect you?”

She shook her head. “No.  If anything, it makes me feel stronger.  Like I am drawing off of the metaphysical purity of it in some manner.  I don't think it really is pure, I think it is just the symbol of its purity, and symbols have power in magic.  I'm sort of the antithesis of the wolves.”

I nodded in understanding and almost rolled my eyes at myself how easy it was to accept talk of magic and curses.  But I'm sure most of us are preconditioned to believe, when a third of the world's population transforms into wolves on a full moon with no scientific or medical explanations as to how it is possible.  And the fact that a bite from an infected cannot pass the contagion unless it is a full moon?

Plus, I know Red now.  I smiled at her as we pulled up to my place and we went in.  I took my jacket off and hung it on a hook by the door.  She cocked her head like she was observing and then took off her red cloak and hung it on a hook beside my jacket.

I started toward the kitchen.  “I'll make breakfast while you get cleaned up Red.  Bathroom is down the hall, linen closet at the end has fresh towels.”  She nodded and headed for the hallway.  I called out,  “How many eggs?”

I grinned at the fact I really wasn't taken off guard when she said offhandedly, “A dozen or so is fine.”  It was more absurd that I was cooking breakfast in the early evening.

I thought about it a bit as I started cooking.  The things I have seen her do took a lot of energy, if it wasn't magic giving her that energy, it had to come from somewhere. So I could imagine it took a hell of a lot of food to fuel the woman.  I postulated that the truth was probably somewhere in between, the magic had to help some.

I started more eggs than I had ever cooked at once then got out a couple more skillets. I put a few sausage links into one, then looked toward the bathroom and thought better of it, and put half a package of them into the pan.  Then dumped half a bag of frozen hash browns into the last skillet.  It looked like I was cooking for half the department.  I started a pot of coffee brewing while I cooked.

I was starting to load up the plates, I had a serving platter that I used for her plate.  Then she came out of the bathroom in one of my robes and nothing else, drying her long dark hair with a towel.  I could see her eyes dilate from where I stood as she approached.  Her mouth was open and her nostrils were flaring as she took in the smells.

She licked her lips and swallowed and did that tasting, smelling thing again.  I swear she was drooling.  Her well-toned legs and wild wet hair was doing the same to me.
Damn. Wait, aren't I supposed to not like her for getting me assigned to babysitting duty?  Oh who the hell cares?  Just look at her.

I blinked when I realize she had been standing in front of me as I perved out in my head.  I blinked and she leaned toward me slightly and opened her mouth and inhaled.  She gave me a sly grin as she walked past to sit at the table. 
Oh god, she couldn't smell that I was...  Shit!

I blushed into the pits of Tartarus as I spun to grab us two cups of coffee.  I set one down in front of her and I could see her scenting it.  Once I sat, I grabbed a fork and looked up as I was about to dig in.  She was staring at me and offered a hand.  I squinted in confusion and took her hand and she lowered her head. 
Oh dear lord, she was going to say a prayer.

I felt more like an animal than her, I hadn't said grace since I was shunted off to foster care.  Any faith I had in God had been discarded by me.  I mean, what kind of a God would let that happen to my family?  I'm not sure if I really believed back then either.  I really wasn't old enough to make an informed decision about faith.

But here was a woman who had the weight of the world thrust upon her, and she was giving grace.  I lowered my head but kept my eyes on her as she closed hers.  “We give thanks oh Lord for this bounty.  Bless those at this table and those in the world who cannot help themselves.  Bless the cursed that they may some day be free.  Amen.”

I echoed, “Amen,” I tilted my head to regard her as she smiled at me then her plate.  She was asking for blessing for the ones she was created to kill?  I wondered if it were hard for her, knowing that every wolf she killed meant a human died as well.

She was; oh god I almost said wolfing; shoveling the food down as fast as her fork could bring it to her mouth.  She ate the sausages first then the eggs.  Then she slowed down on the hash browns before she looked up to me and I realized I still had my first forkful of eggs halfway to my mouth.

She grinned around her fork and looked embarrassed.  “Sorry, it takes a lot to fuel this body.”  She tilted her head cutely and I just grinned and shook my head and finally took my first bite.

Then I shrugged my head toward the counter. “There's more sausage there I can cook up if you want it.”  She looked up and stood and went to the counter.  She sniffed at the box, opened it and pulled a link out.  It was half way to her mouth when she stopped then looked at me sheepishly and said, “Oh sorry, I'll cook it up.”

I looked intently into her eyes, as I wondered if she were going to eat it raw.  I shook my head at her, “You don't have to if you don't want to.  You can be yourself around me Maireni.”

She blushed at my use of her name, looked at me then the sausage link and popped it into her mouth with a grin, then joined me at the table with the box.  She snacked on them like they were potato chips as she watched me eat.
Eww.

We finished up without speaking, just watching each other eat, then I stood and started clearing the table.  She stopped me. “I'll clean up, you cooked.  You go get ready for your shift.”  That seemed very domestic of her, I wouldn't have expected that, nor the prayer I guess.  I nodded and headed for the bathroom.  I looked back and caught her sniffing a lock of her hair she had between her fingers.

I noted her clothes were folded neatly in a stack on the counter and I stepped out and placed them on top of my laundry hamper beside the linen closet so she could finish getting ready while I showered.  Knowing she was in the next room, it was a pleasantly interesting shower indeed. 
Oh hell, I'm fucking attracted to her.
  I admitted to myself.  I was going to kill Victor if he said one damn word about it.

I ducked out of the shower in another robe across to my bedroom.  I glanced over to see a shit-eating grin on her face over the cup of coffee she was sipping. 
Oh good lord, did she hear?
  I shut my bedroom door and buried my blushing face in my hands. 
Note to self, don't do anything embarrassing when Red was anywhere around.

I got dressed and brushed out my hair to let it air dry before I joined her.  She was in her white billowy blouse and peasant's skirt sitting on the floor in front of the couch.  There were dozens of weapons laid out in front of her.  Silver knives, daggers, and a long blade that was too long to be a knife, but too short to be a sword.

The thing that got my attention was the rustic crossbow I had got a glance at in the alley the other night.  There were silver bolts clipped into a holder on the back.  Then almost comically, there was a tiny, almost dainty gun that looked like a muzzle loaded derringer.