a Witch's Wolf

Episode 10 - the Tower

Episode 10 - the Tower

She tried not to look at him as she made her way toward a little alcove. Pushing aside a heavy curtain, he let her lead and followed behind. She had to calm down. It wasn't her actual bedroom, just the room she usually slept in. She took a deep breath and held it until she almost blacked out a little.

“The tower is just up these stairs.” She said softly and led the way up a narrow staircase. It spiraled along the cold stone wall, and she suddenly felt self-conscience with him following so closely behind. Was he staring at her butt? She turned and tried to walk sideways without looking strange, but it was harder than it looked and when she noticed he wasn't even looking at her, she rolled her eyes and straightened back up. He was looking out the thin window slits that wound along the outside wall. The higher they went, the more the wind howled through them, and he wondered where she was taking him. Her hair whipped around like angry tentacles, and he realized how stupid this was. He was alone, in a tower with a Stone Hill witch.

They finally made it to a landing and a big heavy door. “This is my favorite room in the whole place.” She pulled the door open with a screech and he was overwhelmed by the smell of her. Calling it a room was an understatement. It felt like they were outside, above the whole world. There were great windows on every side, overlooking the lake, the woods and the windy road below. They were high above everything; you could see all the way to the village. He stepped toward the center and could smell the witches that had stood there before and wondered what she wanted from him. He knew following her up here was a terrible idea but he couldn't turn back. He walked over beside her instead and breathed her in.

She was standing at the windows that looked over the woods. "This is my favorite view." She leaned against the window and sat on the ledge. "Sometimes I just stare out at the woods and get lost." She didn't know why she told him that. She couldn't look at him for fear he'd think she was as weird as she felt. She just kept talking and fidgeting with things around the room.

"This tower was always my favorite place to explore when we would visit." She moved some books off a chair so he could sit down and walked around tidying up. "My dad says it's too far from everyone to be a bedroom, so he won't put a bed up here, but I've tried to make it somewhat livable, like a clubhouse or something." She looked around and sighed. There were chairs and baskets, pillows and rugs, stacks of books and shelves lined with bottles, jars, pots and plants. "I usually just curl up in one of these chairs or on the rug in front of the fireplace with a book... or ten." She half-laughed and pointed a huge stone fireplace and tossed some socks and a towel into a basket before going back over to the window. She pointed to a little cubby on the wall and said, "Plus, I have this little dumbwaiter for firewood or food or whatever. It goes all the way down to the kitchens!" He'd never heard her say more than two words and now she was talking nonstop. He realized how much he liked the sound of her voice.

"So what was this place supposed to be then? A library?" The more he looked around, the more uneasy he felt and quickly remembered why wolves never came here and got up again. He was so big and beautiful it made the room feel small around her. Without her sweater, she felt a little n***d and walked over to a pile of clothes and pulled out a sweatshirt. Watching her pull it over her head and tug her hair out of the back made his breath catch and he tried not to imagine the girl in the woods without her shirt. He swallowed and sat back down. He needed to go soon.

"Actually, I'm not sure." She laughed nervously and moved some books to sit down across from him. There's a pretty big library downstairs and my dad has the study so I'm not sure what this room was." She looked around and he saw her smile fade. "I guess most girls might think it's creepy." She shrugged her shoulders and fidgeted with a pillow. There were some odd things. "I just feel like I'm in a different world up here." She got up and walked over to the window again. He swallowed the lump in his throat and realized that avoiding her after this was going to be impossible.

"Every sunset and sunrise is spectacular from here and when the weather turns, it's like I'm inside the storm!" She looked over at him and noticed how pale he was. “Are you feeling okay? I forgot to get you some water.” She dug through a few bags before she pulled out a bottle. “Here.” She held it out.

“Thanks,” he said, and took a long drink. He'd been watching her way too intensely and realized there was something really wrong with him for wanting her this way. She was a witch and nothing could come of it.

“I never thanked you.” She mumbled a little and leaned against the window before looking over at him. “For catching me at school last week.” She looked embarrassed. He tried not to smile.

“I guess we’re even now.” He half smiled anyway. I guess I'm in trouble, he thought to himself.

“I guess so.” She turned away so he wouldn’t see her smile, but he noticed her reflection. God, she was cute.

“So do you have any aspirin or anything?" He finally asked. "My head is killing me.” He rubbed his side where his ribs hurt too and grunted a little. He could never explain this in a million years.

“Oh, I do. She dug through a few drawers before finding a bottle of something and tossed it to him. "You never said what actually happened?" She rummaged through different jars and bottles on a shelf by the door as she asked. He dumped some pills in his hand and tossed them down his throat. When she turned back to him, she held out a small jar and traded him for the pill bottle. He just stared at the jar, then sniffed it. He wondered if it was something weird like frog blood or cat liver when her soft voice interrupted him and the way she was looking up at him made him forget she was a witch. "You don't have to tell me." She trailed off. The way he looked at her made her face catch fire and she turned away. "I mean," She stuttered. "I wouldn't say anything..." He laughed before he realized she was embarrassed.

He stepped toward her and surprised himself. "I'm not worried about you saying anything." He put his hand on her arm and she stopped breathing. "You don't really talk much." He smiled and she could feel the heat from his hand burning a hole through her sleeve. He held the jar up, "What is this?" He sniffed at it and she laughed.

"It's for pain. You just rub it on whatever hurts." She opened the lid and dug her fingers in. She held some up for him to smell and it made his eyes burn a little and he shook his head. "Lift your shirt." If he was surprised that she was suddenly bossy, he didn't show it. He turned his ribs toward her and lifted his shirt, sucked in his breath when her fingers touched him with cold ointment and held his breath as her hands left a trail of heat as they glided over his skin. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out and as she gently rubbed the ointment in, they were both silent, staring intently at her hands. When she finally pulled away and he dropped his shirt, it felt like a spell broke and he shook his head clear. She wiped her hands on her pants and cleared her throat.

"I can't really tell you what happened." he finally broke the silence when he realized that he wanted to tell her everything but couldn't say anything. He had to get out of there, being surrounded by her was intoxicating. "We better get going." He turned toward the door. She had forgotten what she'd even asked him and completely lost her ability to speak. It was all she could do to not pass out, so she just nodded and followed along like a simpleton. One foot in front of the other, she grabbed her bag, shoved the jar inside and followed closely behind him.

He led the way and found it easy to smell his way back the way they came. Once outside, he stopped short and asked, "Are you ready to head to school?" She nodded and pulled her bag tighter. She still couldn't talk, she felt like she was drugged. Was he really going to walk her to school?

He wasn't about to leave her to walk alone in the woods with whatever had attacked him last night, but he wasn't sure what to tell his pack about it or admit to how many rules he'd broken. Even if he could convince them she wasn't a threat, he wasn't supposed to be anywhere near her, her house or her side of the forest. He looked back at the tower and realized that all the times he'd been staring up there, she'd been staring back and the struggle inside him dissolved. Witch or not, he couldn't stay away from her now.