The next thing I know, I was the one lying on the bed and Hera was sitting beside me, holding my hands. Rubbing my eyes groggily, I questioned, “What just happened?”
“I think those raisins were laced with wolfsbane.”
“Wolfsbane? Why would they be laced with wolfsbane?” I stuttered as I tried to think. The throbbing in my head made it impossible to form any coherent thoughts. So, I looked at Hera, hoping that she could give me an explanation.
“They must have grown raisins on the same land as wolfsbane.” She shrugged before brushing the strands of my hair lying on my forehead. In that groggy daze, I recalled that such an error was impossible because they were deliberately injected with arsenic.
My heart almost stopped beating as the realization hit me like a zapping meteor. It was all a part of Melinda’s master plan. The raisings weren’t poisoned with wolfsbane; it was the fumes. I had heard from my father that there was a flower that was extremely powerful and werewolves could die just by smelling it.
If I had given the black raisins to Hera, she would have become weaker and the fumes would have killed me. If I didn’t, the fumes would still kill me. This could mean only one thing. Melinda had lost faith in me. I wondered if she had already reported this to the Lycan King too.
At that moment, Dreki walked inside and made a strange gesture with his hands. Hera nodded and beckoned him to leave, “You can go now. Remember not to take any unnecessary risks.”
“Where is he going?” I asked, trying to get up. Hera held me back and gave me a kind smile, “You don’t have to worry about that. Just rest….”
My head hurt too much to bother. So, I turned my back to her and slept; despite the fact that I was lying next to a killing machine; despite the fact that Melinda was out there, probably looking for another way to eliminate me.
***
I was woken up by the sound of a wooden creak. My eyes drifted to the clock to find that it was almost 3 am. Rubbing my eyes, I dragged myself to my feet and walked over to the window. The crescent moon was shining near the horizon scattering its silvery glow over the path.
A few minutes later, I saw Hera emerge out of the Tavern. This was such a perfect opportunity to find more about her. So, I followed her despite the exhaustion. To my surprise, she hired a coach. Waving to another one, I asked the man to follow her closely.
After riding for an hour or so, she stopped at an old abandoned factory. I stopped a few meters away and asked the coachman to wait for me there.
Following her inside I found a group of twelve women huddled in the center. They looked absolutely terrified and pale. Hera waved her a hand to reveal a dark orb surrounding them. She closed her eyes and chanted something. The orb faded slowly until there was nothing left.
“I have lifted the barrier, leave before they return.” She said; walking over to a stool and sitting down. The women kept gaping at her for a few minutes. When they realized that she meant what she said, they scrambled to their feet and scurried out of the factory as fast as possible.
So, she was here to save those women. I leaned against the wall as I watched Hera. Her face shone with radiance in the soft glow of the lighted candles. The term ‘Ethereal beauty’ popped in my head. My heart fluttered just a little, filling me with a strange ache.
“Ouch!” I winced as someone grabbed my arm forcefully. I didn’t get a chance to look at them as the person twisted my arm and held me upright.
“Look what we have got here, the werewolf and her faithful pup.” A shrill voice sounded behind me. Hera’s eyes widened momentarily as her gaze landed on me but she was quick to regain her composure.
She stretched her arms, “Loyal Pup? He is just a prisoner.”
“That is great then, I am sure you wouldn’t mind if we use him as a sacrifice.” Another voice sounded to my right.
“Now that you have driven away those women, we can only use him,” The woman standing behind me said, increasing the pressure on my arm.
“No!” I shouted in pain as an intense wave of pain seared through me. Hera’s eyes flitted with something and the next moment two balls of fire zipped past me and hit the two witches. Their grip on me loosened and I managed to free myself.
Hera grabbed my arm and pulled me behind her. The woman in the black dress raised her eyebrows, “That is quite a fiery move to save someone who is just your prisoner.”
Hera raised her hands, a small orb of blue energy condensed between her fingertips, “I am not going to kill you but you need to be punished for trying to steal my prisoner.”
The way she said ‘My prisoner’ made my insides melt. My face flushed and my heart started throbbing wildly. Damn this girl! Why did she have such an effect on me?
“W…What are you going to do Hera?” The woman wearing the black dress questioned, eyeing her in horror.
“I am just going to suck all your power and make you as weak as those fragile women you had kidnapped,” Hera’s words dripped with vehemence. She was about to hit them with the spell when I grabbed her arm.
She turned to face me with a puzzled expression, “Why did you stop me?”
“I…umm…” I ran the tip of my tongue along my lips, lowering my gaze. Her temper flared and she grasped my neck, throttling me with one hand.
I lowered my gaze and muttered in a feeble voice, “I just didn’t want you to get hurt.”
The frown present on her forehead deepened, “What do you mean?”
“The last time you tried to absorb the power of the witches, you were badly hurt. So….” I looked into her eyes, “I was wrong to interrupt you like that. I am sorry.”
Her features softened and she let her hand slide down my neck to my shoulders. A surge of warmth coursed through me as a wave of energy flowed through my veins.
Her eyes roamed from top to bottom as she assessed me, “Are you okay?”
Biting my lower lip, I nodded, “I caused a lot of trouble by coming here. I didn’t want that. I was just worried about you.”
She let out a deep sigh, “The next time you want to come with me, just say so. I will bring you along.”
I let out the breath that I was holding and nodded. Thankfully, she wasn’t too mad.
She reached over and held my hand before leading me out of the factory. My gaze drifted to our hands that were linked together. They seemed to fit so perfectly. If only she wasn’t the wereheretic.
“You are still weak. I don’t want you to fall,” she explained, sensing my gaze. Heat crept my neck and I nodded.
Walking under the moonlight, hand in hand with Hera evoked a different kind of feeling within me. Tingles rose in the region where our skin was in contact, flowing through my veins, it caused my hands and neck to bristle with goosebumps.
I stole a glance at Hera to find her smiling sweetly. Slowly, I drew closer to her until our shoulders were almost touching. She didn’t pull away; the smile on her face bloomed wider. At such moments, it was easy to forget that she was the Wereheretic, the mindless killing machine….