The Witch's Brew

Chapter Thriteen: Kai

The woods were peaceful tonight, the moon risen high in the sky and full. The transformations from me morphing into a wolf were getting easier. It stopped hurting as much. Now all that was left was the slight soreness from muscles and bones shifting and growing.

The wind ruffled my dark fur as I ran through the woods hunting small game. The feeling of chasing is pleasing to my wolf. Thump thump thump. The sounds of my large paws echoed through the treeline. My wolf was chasing a small white rabbit as it howled. It was gaining up on it and pounced, catching it underneath of it’s paws. My face buried itself into the much smaller mammal and bit.

The idea of eating raw meat still made my human self sick, but it was getting easier to stomach as more full moons have passed as a werewolf. When I finished off the rabbit, I took off running towards the bayou inside the forest of Cyprus trees. The smell of the wet soil wafted up my nose. The sounds of the cicadas and other insects filled my ears. I felt like I was at home. Finally, I was once again one with the swamps. Just like when Iris and I were young, we’d go hunting in the swamps.

The moonlight incandesced through the branches and shimmered on the surface of the water. The way the water rippled as amphibians moved through the shallower bits of the swamp mimicked pebbles being skipped across the surface. My paws splashed as I ran through the water.

I keep exploring the swamps until the sun starts to rise; only then do I head back home and shift back into my human form. I groan as my bones and muscles shift back into my normal body. I get dressed and head back inside the house.

“Gods, I’m tired,” I yawned and headed back into the bedroom for a nap.

I trudged up the path to my family’s home. I wasn’t looking forward to the family dinner and to meeting my brother’s fiancée. When I opened the door and entered, I could hear the commotion of my family’s boisterous energy.

“I’m home!”

The talkative chatter stopped as my mother emerged from around the corner, leading into the living room,

“Kai!” She wrapped her arms around me as she embraced me in a tight hug. “I’ve missed you! How is everything going since you got back from college?”

“Yeah, everything is going good… how are you guys?”

“Come on into the living room, Elijah and his fiancée are here!”

I nodded and followed her into the living room. Elijah looked up and smiled.

“Kai! It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

My brother looked at me, and his smile turned sharp. I could already see the gears as they turned. Like he was a snake in the grass waiting to strike. I sit down next to my mom as she fusses over his fiancé. Elijah drapes an arm over her shoulder.

“So this is my brother Kai. Kai, this is my fiancée, Etta.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Etta.” I smile at her just to be nice.

“Likewise, Kai.”

She reached out her hand in an offer to shake. I took her hand and gave a quick, curt shake. I released her hand as I leaned back into the couch cushions.

“So when’s the big day, bro?”

“Well, we’re still figuring out the exact date, but sometime next spring. I want to make sure my queen is completely spoiled on our big day.”

I wanted to scoff at that. The thought of my brother settling down was laughable. He was a womanizer, and the whole family knew. They just ignored that toxic trait because boys will be boys…

My mom’s eyes sparkled with mirth before her gaze landed on me. “So, Kai, are you going to be bringing over a lady soon? I just want both of my boys to be happy and in love.”

“Well… I mean, maybe I’m not sure to be honest…”

How could I tell her it’d be more than a woman… it’d also consist of a male day walker who has a blood addiction. Plus, my girlfriend is a witch with a rare power. Yeah, like that would go over well. I slumped back into the plush couch.

“Really? There might be a girl visiting our home soon with her on your arm?” My mother almost squealed in delight.

I laugh awkwardly. “I don’t know… just don’t get your hopes up, okay?”

My mom sighs and looks back over at Elijah. “Did you hear about Robert, our neighbor? He’s dating a man… I used to think he was a Godly man, but I guess he lies in a bed of sin.”

Elijah chuckles. “Ma, I could’ve told you that when he first moved in next door.”

I shifted on the couch awkwardly and looked down at my hands. I watched them flex as I opened and closed them. I was so ready to f*****g leave. Wanted to go back to my small apartment and just be in a good place with good vibes, or go to Iris’ bar and chill with her and Silas. f**k I was head over heels for both of them…

“I wished that an actual good Christian man moved in next door… If your father were still alive, he’d have marched over there and told him how much of a sinner that man is.”

I groaned audibly this time, and not just in my head. f**k…

“Honey, is everything okay?”

I nodded and stood up. “I uh just remembered I have somewhere to be…”

I made my way to the front door with post haste. I needed to get the f**k outta here.

“Kai?” My mother’s unsure question hit me hard.

“Mom, with all due respect, I don’t like how you’re,” I turned around to face them, “attacking your neighbor for loving someone regardless of their partner’s gender…”

Her mouth dropped open. Elijah smirked, and Etta’s eyes widened. Great, now they’re all looking at me like I had grown a second head or some s**t.

“Kai! How dare you say what that man is doing is…is okay!”

“Mom, I’m gonna say this once, and I want you to listen. I’m bisexual. I like both men and women, and there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, I have two partners, and one is male, and one is female… That’s why you wont be seeing them anytime soon. I wont subject them to this kind of treatment.”

With that, I walked out of the house and got into my car.

“f**k! Why the f**k can’t they just understand!”