I'll Be Damned (Anna Wolfe Series) (19 page)

“Sometimes the people who love you don’t want to believe you are anything other than what they think you are,” he answers, looking directly into my eyes. 

I swallow hard. “He could have warned you... at least, you might not have felt so alone.”

Valen shrugs. “It might have been worse... I don't know. Society would have eventually found out and shunned me, or worse, killed me. This isn’t a divine gift, Anna... it scares people."

"Divine? What could be divine about turning into a wolf?"

A grin pulls on the sides of his mouth. “A werewolf is considered a celestial position. We are a special line of defense for The Highers. We’re trained to use our powers against the evil that Lucifer and his minions unleash in order to maintain the peace in the human world. For years, I’ve managed to stay on the outskirts of this war…” he trails off.

I gawk at him. It's hard to imagine his godlike face twisting into that of a warrior’s. This is what makes him so dangerous.
Satan in a Sunday hat
as Martello would say.

“Do you have… powers?” I ask, turning away. I stuff my hands under my thighs, embarrassed I’m entertaining the subject.

“Yes," he answers, grinning. "Strength, speed and shifting at my leisure are my powers.”

“So not all werewolves can shift the way you do?” I question.

“That’s correct. Werewolves here,” he answers, pointing to my floor, “can only change during the full moon."

I assume my floor is Earth. I don’t even want to know what otherworldly places he’s referring to, not tonight.

"There is a small, dangerous grouping of our species,” he says nonchalantly, like mean werewolves are as common as ice cream cones. “If werewolves are killed by a demon, they can return to life as vampires… vampires that shift into wolves. They're extremely powerful and ruthless. Not only do they have the powers of a werewolf, they also possess those of vampires.”

"How is that possible?"

"Anna, anything in our world is possible..."

I shake my head. "All of this is too much. I’ve had doubts about ghosts; now you're telling me vampires, werewolves, evil crossbreeds and God knows what else exist?" I couldn’t help wondering where I fit into all of this.

"It's a lot to process, but the world was created by supernatural begins," he pauses. "The crossbreeds are called Vulkodlaks. Most of the time, they’re forced to remain in their wolf form.”

A shiver taps my spine. “What do vampires look like?”

“Not pretty," he smiles. "They don't twinkle or have incredible hair. In fact, it’s the opposite. They are ghastly creatures. They have slick skin that stretches over dense bones so tightly, it looks like it might rip. Dull, yellow balls float in their sunken eye sockets, which are rimmed in black,” he replies with loathing. “They look terminally ill."

I cringe in fear. "What makes the wolfy crossbreeds so dangerous?"

Valen stands. "The stripe of evil... the area behind the left ear," he responds, pointing to his own, "is where two black lines are carved, marking their souls like cattle.”

"Like cattle?"

"Yes. Lucifer brands his souls. Whoever is marked belongs to him and under his influence. Most Vulkodlaks wear enchanted silver steel collars around their neck to avoid decapitation and shifting.”

"Why don’t they flee or refuse him?"

Valen shakes his head like a frustrated parent. "Anna, they can't disobey him or hide. Sooner or later, they would be found. If their souls are marked, they’re under his influence, regardless of right or wrong. They are sired to him."

"Sired?”

“Yes, subservient.”

“Amazing," I respond, trying to comprehend the huge chunks of bizarre information.

“Lucifer specifically created this species for his cause.”

“And what cause is that?”

“To rule both worlds... his mission is to collect the souls of those who don't follow him by plaguing the Earth with wickedness," Valen answers sadly. "Why do you think the Bible and prophecies were written? In some way, all religions have credos to teach them how to live.”

I snort. “If that's the case, then the Bible should have been more specific in its description of the devil’s plan to take over the world,” I counter. "Who are The Highers anyway? Are they God?"

Valen shakes his head no. "The Highers are an assembly of ten powerful celestial beings. They oversee us," he replies pointing to himself, "and the human world. Years of folklore wrote of one man, God. Centuries ago, a member from The Highers, Panthous, unlawfully left the confines of Agartha for a life of normalcy. Over the years, hardships and societal injustice made him expose his powers. This is where the story of God and Jesus originated from. The Highers simply allowed the humans to believe what they wanted."

I groan. My entire childhood revolved around a Catholic upbringing and never once did the nuns hint to any of this. Now, God is a group of people called The Highers and Lucifer wants to wage war with the world? The nuns should have handed out something useful like a handbook to hell…
How to Defeat the Devil
or
The Survivor’s Guide in Hell
just in case. I want a refund.

“Evil's presence is unrelenting,” Valen says, pillaging my thoughts.

Although this chance of impending doom appears severe, my mind needs the basic building blocks of inquisitive questions answered first. “So how exactly do you… wolves… lose immortality? A stake through the heart, silver bullets, or something?” 

“Stakes are a myth," he replies amused. "We recover rapidly from wounds. Silver can weaken us temporarily, and sunlight doesn't affect us," he pauses. "Decapitation kills us. That's why Lucifer forces his Vulkodlaks to wear the steel collars. It makes decapitation nearly impossible.”

“Scary thought.”

Valen exhales. “There is one other way to destroy our kind...” he hesitates. “A powerful witch.”

“Witches? They exist too?” I ask, beginning to think I'm trapped in an alternate universe, which technically, I guess I am. “This is crazy. There's absolutely no way... Wait. How do Janie and I figure in all of this?”

“You don't know how involved you are, Anna. After all, Janie was kidnapped just so he could get to you.”

I snap my eyes towards him so fast, I'm surprised they don't pop right out of their sockets. “What are you talking about?”

“I will get to that, but you need to be patient.”

I want to protest against waiting, but whatever he thinks he knows about Janie, I need to find out. I swallow the sharpness of my words and close my mouth.

“Witches have been around since creation. Some believe a witch by the name of Hecate was one of the Originals. She's the destroyer and restorer of life, the patron of magic and witchcraft. Her ancestry originated in Greece thousands of centuries ago, but her blood exists today in all witches. Early natives documented a special group of extraordinary witches, capable of changing into different forms, performing spells, controlling the Earth’s weather, transferring thoughts, invading dreams and predicting the future. They can control many things no other supernatural can. For centuries, they hid in fear of Lucifer finding them," he exhales. "Locating the remaining witches has been my job for the past hundred or so years," he pauses. “I need to find them before Lucifer does.”

Fear burrows in me at the thought of all this. Witches tie into our family somehow. “Okay stop. I've had enough. This is too much to grasp, let alone believe,” I say, utterly frustrated.

“Anna, you need to hear the rest.”

“Valen, none of this makes sense! This whole battle with good and Lucifer, the devil or whatever, is ridiculous. The Highers can kill him, so all of this storytelling is just that... storytelling!”

“Anna, it doesn't work like that. Politics exist in the religious realm too. The whole system is a delicate seesaw of checks and balances. A doctrine was signed centuries ago between Lucifer and The Highers.”

“A holy treaty between The Highers and the devil is illogical.” As if anything in his story contained logic.

Valen rakes his sturdy fingers through his onyx hair nervously. “The doctrine states, as long as there is free will, there will be a balance of good and evil. If everyone was good, there would be no need to worship or believe in anything. Humans would lack appreciation, and there would be no need to choose between right or wrong. In a sense, everyone would be perfect… life would be perfect.”

I shoot up in anger, steadying myself on wobbly knees. "If the world were perfect, then I would never know how crappy life is, Janie wouldn't be kidnapped, and I wouldn't be listening to your crazy story!"

Valen strides over to me, grasping my wrists in his hands and sending an electrical current through my body. "Anna, please," he begs. "Let me finish."

"This better be good," I growl, shaking him off me. I plop back on the couch, quickly losing my patience.

“The Highers want humans to have free choice. If there's no free will, the Treaty of the Holy Doctrine has no validity. If it's not valid, then Lucifer has free rein. Think about all the murderers and rapists. People like that exist in this world because of Lucifer's influence, people whose souls are for rent. If he gets hold of one of these witches, who knows what can happen!” he spits passionately.

My brain is stretched to the limit, and I'm waiting for the snapback. Processing any more information at the moment seems highly unfeasible.

“You’re in danger,” Valen says.

"I'm in danger?" I ask a little too calmly. Judging by his grave expression, I can tell he believes it. "Why would I be in danger?"

Valen sits back on the loveseat. “Netherworlders may be after you,” he pauses. “Shane, your date from the other night… reeked of dark magic,” he concludes unpleasantly.

I cringe. “I sensed something off about him.” If I’m in danger, then last night’s events have to be connected somehow. “Last night, Janie and I were followed,” I begin. Valen’s interest piques as I recount the chilling events of the night before.

He exhales deeply. "This is developing quicker than I thought,” he says out loud, but to himself. He turns to me. “A demon was after you last night, probably the same one that took Janie. From now on, you need to be more vigilant. Don’t give anyone the chance to figure out your importance. Your existence is vital.”

How can I protect myself when I don’t even know what he’s talking about?

“Anna, I’m here because of you,” he states. 

“Because of me?” I question, pointing to myself.

“You're an anomaly.”

I stare at him blankly.

“You’re a witch, the most gifted of their kind. Your lineage mixed somewhere, transporting the dormant gene for centuries until it finally reached you. This gene is elite, and its capabilities are unknown,” Valen says excitedly. 

I want to bury myself in the ground.

“There hasn't been a lot of research about your lineage, or what you’re capable of because there's no one left... they’ve all been killed," he says in a low voice.

"Killed? Who was killed?"

"Witches… your ancestors… all killed because of their powers - powers that have the capability of destroying many supernaturals."

"You mean to tell me I have powers?" I ask, laughing. I don’t want to insult him and I sure don’t find any of this funny, but I can’t help it. Laughter nervously pours out of me. I roar, slapping my knee. "Me… Anna Wolfe... a witch," I say between breaths. Finally corralling my chuckling inside, I wag my finger at him. "I have to say, you had me going there."