“You're not supposed to do anything. We ask them questions and they will tell us what they know.”
“Why would they do that?”
“Because I am going to give them what they want.”
“Do you think that they will actually know?”
He agreed and started to move into the bed with Sarah. His hands were sure on her body.
“What are you doing?”
“We need to finish what we started.”
“Oh yeah? I think I finished.”
“Well, we can use it as a way to teach you how to control your inner beast. It can be harder than you would think.”
“Is it hard for you?”
He smiled and disagreed. “I don't even notice it because it really is just a part of me. But around you, I don't know, you just do something to me, and it has become harder to control.”
With a few touches, she was no longer worried about any of it. She didn't ask any more questions, and this time she didn't shift when she came. Sarah was relieved, but it didn’t last long. The questions were back.
What am I, she wondered to herself.
Chapter 24
Harold
Harold had just as many questions as Sarah did, maybe more so because he knew how things worked. He knew how strange it was for a full-grown shifter to not know that they were a shifter. It was impossible really, considering the first shift that should have happened when she went through puberty. Why hadn't she? She might be a half blood, but she should still have shown the signs of being a shifter. Harold should also have seen it. He had no idea how she had fooled everyone. How had she fooled him? And how, how had she not known?
His first instinct was to go to the witches, but then he thought about her parents. Her mother in particular. The stepfather didn't seem to know much about anything that was going on. He just loved the two women to death and did what they wanted. It was Carolyn that knew something. She had that look in her eyes, all the time, just like the witches, like she knew the future before it even happened. And if that was the case, what did she know? Harold was going to drive himself crazy trying to figure it out.
Harold wanted to go to Carolyn, but thought against it, at least at first. He didn't want to start problems. He liked them both and he didn't want Sarah feeling like her mother had left her in the dark, even if that was exactly what had happened. No, Harold had to be very careful.
He decided instead it was better if they went to see the witches first. He wanted their truth, before he heard an unadulterated version from Carolyn. Harold hoped that it would be easier to hear it from a stranger than to hear it from her own mother.
Sarah was about as excited to go as he was. She was not happy about the whole magical world that she didn't know about and was suddenly a part of. Sarah wanted to be normal. She didn't have to say that out loud, it was just a feeling that he had. He almost wanted to take it all back. He knew that he couldn't. Sarah was what she was, but he hoped with some answers, she would be able to find some sort of peace in the news.
When he got to the outskirts of the woods, Harold thought it was the perfect time for Sarah to get her first lesson. Since she had shifted once, he figured that she would be able to do it again. He just had to help her concentrate and focus her energies on doing so.
The first time was a bit of a mess. Sarah was able to shift twice, but she kept shifting back, like her mind didn't want to admit what it was doing.
Harold told her that it was fine, and they both walked for a while. It was nice, and he realized how much he missed just walking in the woods. Usually, he was shifted and running fast all the time. Now though, he was not going anywhere in a hurry. All of his attention and time was focused on Sarah. They had a mystery to solve. It was more important to her of course, her origin story and all, but Harold was certain that it was a larger part of his story as well. Why he felt that way or what it meant, Harold couldn't be sure. What he did know though, was that he was ready to find out.
***
“Ah, I see that you have brought your friend with you this time. Glad you realized what it was that your inner beast wanted. I see now that you know why.”
Harold was always mystified that the witches knew exactly what he wanted. He had been to a couple in his lifetime, and they had always come through. Afterwards, their words would have meaning. He would go to them for guidance on something and they would confuse him with riddles, and somehow it would all come full circle. It was like that this time and Harold did not want any more confusion. He wanted to know what they knew. In plain English that he could understand.
“No games this time, witch. Tell me what I need to know.”
She smiled. “But you don’t have anything for me.”
“You said you wanted a favor, a future favor. If I give that to you, will you tell me everything that I need and want to know?”
“If I know it, then you will know it. Is that good enough?”
