Angel Blackwood(108)

“I’d like to see her too. Let’s go then, it’s already dark out.” Alex jumps off the bed and heads for the door.

“Wait, what about Dad? Is he okay with this?” I ask as I pull a sweatshirt over my top.

“He won’t be a problem. C’mon lets go.” She smiles as she leaves the room.

“Wow! You’re mom is gorgeous,” Phoenix says softly, still looking at the door.

I smile at that; Alex is truly stunning.

“Come on. Let’s go before we run into any of the boys.” I pull at her hand dragging her behind me.





****





Alex decides to take us in her car. We’re not even on the dust road yet and she is already battling to go further.

“I completely forgot about the spell to keep the wolves away. Shit, Mom are you okay?” I pull off my seat belt and lean over to see if she’s okay just as Alex pulls onto the dust road that leads towards the witches camp.

Alex covers her ears with her hands as she scrunches up her face. “I don’t think I can go further,” she forces out.

“Wait! Here, Alex. I’ve got something to help… jeepers this bag is fill of rubbish. Here… take this.” She hands me this little vial with purple liquid in.

I look at it, then back at her. “What is it?”

“It’s a sort of potion. It will allow her to enter the camp without the spell affecting her. I’m not sure how long it will last though. I’ve been experimenting with the potion and its ingredients for some time, but if all my calculations are correct, it should at least last for a couple hours.”

My mother snatches it from my hand and downs the liquid.

“Mom! What the hell?” I gape. She leans her head back against the head rest and closes her eyes, eventually her frown disappearing.

“You said Phoenix was a brilliant witch. I’m sure she knows what she’s doing. I have no reason to worry, right Phoenix?” My mother says, keeping her eyes closed and head rested.

I look back to see why Phoenix hasn’t said anything. I find her staring at my mother wide eyed.

“Right, Phoenix?” I repeat.

“Uh… yeah.” She shakes her head. “I mean, I haven’t had a wolf to test it on yet, but… by the looks of it, it’s working.” Then a big smile forms on her lips.

“It’s working! I figured it out!” She claps her hands and starts giggling.

“Hold up. What are you talking about?” I reach out and grab her hand to make her stop jumping up and down.

“The potion. Only the elders know how to make it. The less people that know about it, the better. No offense, but witches don’t want it to get into the wrong hands. The spell to keep wolves away is the strongest and only affective spell we have against wolves. Knowing the spell works at keeping wolves out of our camp allows us to sleep at night without worrying about our safety.” All of a sudden she goes quiet. She looks out of the windows and then back to me and Alex; all I see is fear.

Quietly she says, “You can’t tell anyone about this. If the wrong wolves find out that I’m the one who knows how to get wolves into the camp, they’ll use it against me.” She covers her face with her hands and starts shaking her head as she mutters, “I’m so silly. Why did I have to know.”

Alex, fully composed now, reaches into the back seat and places her hands on Phoenix’s shoulders.

“No one will know and no one will ever harm you. You have my word, Phoenix.”

Phoenix looks up and nods, giving my mother a small smile.

Alex climbs back into her seat and starts the car.

“Phoenix, how long have kept that vial in your bag? why are you walking around with it?” I ask.

“Oh… uh well… I’ve been working on a potion since before I even met you. I just… I didn’t know if your friend Nixon would need to come with you to the camp again. I just kept it with me as a precautionary measure. You never know when someone might need it,” she says. Her voice is weak and I bet if I looked back I’d find her blushing. My wolf can sense her nervousness. I look up to see Alex smiling, she can sense it too.

Phoenix has a crush on Nixon. Moreover, with the way Nixon always asks questions about her, I think the feeling may just be mutual.





Chapter 23





We enter the camp the way I usually do, over the wall by the big tree. I keep a close eye on Alex, worried about the potion wearing off.

“This way.” We follow Phoenix as she quietly sneaks between two cottages and toward Noelle’s back door.

Noelle is sitting at the kitchen counter with a glass of wine and magazine. When she hears us coming through the door, she quickly stands up. Her confused eyes find Alex’s, then she finds mine and she rushes over to me, pulling me in for a hug. I stumble a bit on my feet, not really anticipating the embrace.