Witch Hazel
Chapter 5 part 10
“Care to tell me why you decided to get married?” Leonardo asked his brother, tone unnervingly calm. “To that awful Goth woman, of all people.”
“I like her,” Diego had tensed despite himself. “I’m allowed to get married if I want to.”
“Have you turned her?”
“No, you know that’s against the rules now. Berenguer would have my head off,” Diego said. “Lucky you met yours before he came up with that.”
“Do you want to turn her?” Leo pressed.
“Well… not really,” Diego admitted. “I think about what she’d be like as a wolf from time to time but it’s mostly terrifying so I put it out of mind again.”
“Well…” Diego hung his head and rubbed his neck. “I guess I was jealous. I saw how happy you were, here with your wife and baby. I wanted some of that happiness. I wanted to feel like I was normal, that I belonged, that someone loved me. For the most part, Dementia is pretty nice to me.”
“You married a woman who’s just pretty nice to you? Don’t you love her?” Leonardo asked, horrified and astonished. “Diego, do you even know if you love her?”
“Not really.” The other wolf looked ashamed and uneasy, struggling to keep his dignity around his older and far more dominant brother. His wolf felt the tension rolling off the man and wanted to roll belly up but Diego fought it. “I’m defective, you know how dad says that. I can’t do things like other wolves, why would love be any different?”
“Dad?” Leonardo almost spat the word, but remember just in time to keep his voice down so he didn’t upset Rosa. “You take his word on it? He’s a hateful old bastard and can’t see past his own resentment that he lost his youth on kids he didn’t want to begin with. You’re not defective. You’re damaged because of years of abuse, worse than me by far because you happened to be a louder kid and it pissed him off more. Don’t let that asshole ruin your whole life, if you don’t put him out of your mind he’ll destroy you from the inside out like he did to Karisme.”
”I… I don’t usually but I can’t help but think he has a point here,” Diego mumbled, looking away. It was so hard to talk about, he usually preferred pretending he was fine and doing ridiculous stunts to draw attention away from the somber memories. He’d endured so much pain as a child that now he ran from it, into whatever pleasure he could throw himself into. Even if it landed him more pain later on, five minutes of bliss and forgetfulness was worth it to him.
Now as he sat in his brother’s living room, on secondhand furniture watching Rosa play with her wolf teddy and Leo lounge opposite him with deceptive calm, he knew he couldn’t run. Just from the tone of his voice, Diego knew his brother would have him by the scruff of his neck if he tried anything to escape this conversation. Something had happened to set his brother off, he was usually so laid back.
“I’ve never felt anything like what you have with Benita. I’ve never felt anything that seemed real and not just skin deep. I couldn’t have a woman the way you do, I’d… I’d destroy her. Like I destroy everything,” he mumbled miserably. Tears prickled his eyes and he sniffed.
“Listen, I know things have been hard but I need you to take care of yourself. You heard how I got this house?”
“Something about you becoming Berenguer’s second. I don’t know why you would, I thought he hated you,” Diego said.
“I think he does too but he needs me for something and I’m getting concerned. I took it to help my family because my wife and children need this home and I need the income. I could never have afforded this place on a cop’s salary, not even as lieutenant. Do you understand that, Diego?”
“A… a little.”
“My family is everything to me. My wife, my daughter, my unborn babe. You, Diego. Karisme. Aside from me, you’re the most stable child left with our older siblings dead in the old wars. Karisme is good hearted but terribly fragile.”
“Where are you going with this, Leo?”
Leo gazed over at Rosa as she patted Mr. Barky’s nose and giggled, talking silly baby gibberish to him. “If something happens to me, promise me you’ll take care of them.”
“What?”
Leo turned back to his brother, expression stern. “Promise me.”
“I-I swear it,” Diego stammered in shock. “I swear I’ll do whatever I have to, your family will be safe. Leo, what is going on? Are you in danger?”
“I don’t know. Something is going on in this town. I feel like something is being planned and I’m being left out of the loop. That moving van… the driver wanted us to ride with him. I still can’t wrap my mind around how he fell off the cliffside. Maybe it’s just a coincidence but I can’t let it go.”
“Christ,” mumbled Diego. “You’re serious. Someone’s trying to kill you?”
“I have a feeling that it’s connected to Karisme,” he said quietly. “Mom keeps calling. She won’t say it, but I can sense it’s dad behind it. You know how she gets when he’s telling her what to do. When she’s functioning under his thrall is the only time she isn’t trembly and shaky.”
“Shit,” mumbled Diego. “Why would dad try to get you killed? And how? He hardly leaves his boat.”
“Something happened at that Sanatorium,” Leonardo said. “Karisme came back covered in heavy warding tattoos and won’t say one word about the place. She stinks of magic and it’s not her own. Benita says they used to experiment on women in the human versions of those places.”
It took a moment for the pieces to begin to fit together in Diego’s mind. “You think Karisme came back with some kind of weird power dad wants?”
“I think Karisme came back because dad made them release her,” growled Leonardo. “He’s up to something but I can’t for the life of me figure out what.”
“Fuck’s sakes man,” Diego sighed. “You’re in a load of shit if I ever heard of one.”
“Thanks for that,” Leo said dryly. “That helps so much.”
Rosalinda hummed and hugged her Mr. Barky who only managed a garbled squawk around her choke hold.
“Benita! I thought I heard your voice earlier. It’s been years, how are you?” Owen greeted his once cousin with a huge smile. He’d had an enormous crush on her as a boy and he still thought she was beautiful. They were both married to different people now, though, and he doubt his mother would have allowed him to take her to wife anyway. Even if Benita wasn’t actually related to him, her not being a true traveler was somewhat stuck in her craw.
“Oh, hello Owen,” Benita barely recognized him. He’d grown his hair out and was sporting a beard that his mother must just love. He was tall and had filled out in a particularly nice way. Not as wonderfully beefy as her husband but a nice lean and strong man. “Surely you knew you were in my town?”
“Yes, I’d been meaning to come by but we’ve had a steady stream of customers since we established our camp,” he said. “And having twins…”
“Twins?” she echoed in surprise.
A thin blond walked up behind him. “Aye, twins. And who the hell are you?” she asked.
“Ah,” Benita was taken aback by the rude tone of the unknown woman.
“Relax Sorcha, this is my cousin, Benita. Benita, this is my wife Sorcha. Benita was taken in by aunt Brigid when she was a baby, they found her abandoned.”
“I see, my apologies for my tone. You wouldn’t be the first woman in this town to try chatting up my husband. Seems he’s quite popular amongst the womenfolk in these parts.”
“It’s the brogue, women can’t get enough of it,” Owen winked and Benita rolled her eyes.
“As humble as ever,” she said. “It’s been good to see you again Owen and a pleasure to meet you Sorcha, but I should get home. I left in a rush and my husband will be worried. You’re welcome to come by anytime, you know that.”
“Aye, quite gracious of ye. Be safe on your travels,” Owen gave her a hug and Sorcha waved as Benita turned to head home.
It wasn’t until she was almost to her door that she remembered something her mother had said. He will need you to teach him to be like his father. It made her feel sick, like someone had just walked over her grave.
“Benita, there you are!” Leo said as he got up. “Diego went home a little bit ago. How is everything?”
“I… I don’t know where to begin,” Benita wobbled a little where she stood. He was alive and very healthy. She could smell him from here, the musky scent of male wolf that made her tingle all the way down. Nothing would happen to him, she’d see to that.
Leo got up and came over to her. “What’s wrong? You look ill and exhausted.”
“Ma found a way to restore my powers,” she said. “I… I guess I have magic. Real magic.” She rubbed her temple tiredly. “I still feel off. That potion she gave me made me feel sick.”
“Maybe you’d better get a nap,” Leonardo frowned, reaching for his wife. “There’s still a few hours before I have to go to work. Lie down for a spell and maybe you’ll feel more like yourself.”
“I’m worried, Leo. She pushed herself so hard to read me and saw something bad. So bad she wouldn’t tell me. Promise me you’ll be extra safe.”
Leonardo took her hands in his and rubbed them lovingly. “I will be. I’m a hard man to get rid of, don’t you worry.”
Too bad Benita did worry. It was there in the pit of her stomach like a rock, causing pain and refusing to budge. “I can’t help it. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you.”
“You’d live,” Leo said sternly. “For me, for our children and most importantly for you. Don’t you dare follow me into a grave because you can’t see past your grief.”
“I’ll try but… I don’t know. I just don’t know.”
“I know. You’re a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for. I’m an old man, Benita. The past few centuries feel hollow and gray, living with you has brought me into color. Promise me you won’t stop living if you lose me. I couldn’t bear it.”
“I promise,” she said quietly.
“I love you, you stubborn man.”
“I love you too.” Leo gave her hands a reassuring squeeze. “Let’s get you to bed. You’re practically falling over you’re so tired.”
Benita gave a weak smile. “Ok.”
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