"Keep it up, Liam!" Damon's voice in a mind link in my head, a reminder that our mental connection remained intact even in this chaotic fray. "We've almost got it!" But the demon wasn't going down without a fight. It thrashed and roared, blindly swinging its massive arms in an attempt to fend us off. I could feel the sting of its claws raking across my fur, the sharp pain igniting a primal rage within me. Damon lunged at the demon once more, his teeth sinking into its thick hide. The creature roared in pain and anger, its furious gaze now fixed on my friend. I snarled and hurled myself onto the demon's back. My claws dug into its flesh, anchoring myself in place as I tore at the beast with all my might. The demon bucked and thrashed, desperate to dislodge me, but I held on tight. Blood dripped from my maw as I bit down on its shoulder, my vision blurring with a mixture of pain and determination.
Then a sudden blast of light caught me off guard, my wolf's instincts screaming at me to shield myself. The force flung us all backward like rag dolls, my breath stolen from my lungs as I slammed into the cold stone wall. My vision blurred, the world spinning wildly around me for a few agonising moments.
I growled, disoriented and bracing myself against the wall as I struggled to regain my footing. The pain in my side pulsed with each heartbeat, but it was overshadowed by the adrenaline coursing through my veins. I shook my head, trying to clear my vision, and focused on the scene before me. The woman stood over the demon's now lifeless body, the spade that Damon had brought down firmly in her grip. Her long black hair framed her face, which bore the most captivating blue eyes I had ever seen. She looked fierce, powerful, and entirely in control, even as the demon disintegrated beneath her.
With a triumphant smile, she tossed the spade aside, the clang of metal against stone echoing through the basement.
"Well, that scratched an itch," she announced, her voice laced with satisfaction. "Who wants breakfast?" I whined at her as I tried to process her casual demeanour. We had just battled a demon straight out of a nightmare, and she was talking about breakfast as if we'd just finished a workout.
"Fresh clothes too," she added, pointing toward a pile on one side of the room as she headed for the stairs. "You both look like you could use them. Not that I would complain if you wanted to go without." I glanced down at myself, and then across the room to where I had shifted, realising that my clothes were shredded beyond repair. My wolf instincts were quick to assess the pile of clothes the woman had pointed out. The thought of slipping into fresh clothes after such a harrowing fight was oddly comforting.
The woman stopped near Damon in his wolf form, her slender hand reaching down to scratch him affectionately behind his ear.
"Hey Wolf," she cooed before her smile widened, a glint of mischief in her eyes. "Hey Damon." I watched as Damon's form began to shift back into his human self. His grin remained on his face, a testament to our victory against the demon. Feeling the familiar pull of my humanity returning, I focused my energy and shifted back into my own human form, the sensation of fur receding and muscles reshaping as natural as breathing. In no time at all, Audrey was already making her way up the basement stairs, leaving me with a myriad of questions swirling in my mind. What just happened? Who or what was that demon? Why was there a portal in the basement?
"What the hell was that?" I blurted out, unable to contain my confusion any longer. Damon only grinned wider, a sort of pride radiating from him.
"That?” he said looking up the stairs at the retreating figure, and then turning back to me. “That was Audrey."
"Is she always like this?" I asked, not sure if I was referring to her casual demeanour after slaying a demon or her undeniable beauty. Damon laughed, a genuine sound that brought a smile to my face despite the lingering confusion.
"Oh, you have no idea."
Dressed in the strangely well-fitting clothes, I trailed behind Damon as we followed Audrey up the creaky staircase. The main house was a different world compared to the basement we had just left: old-fashioned, yet warm and inviting. The dark wood panelling on the walls and the flickering candles in antique holders cast a cosy glow over everything.
"Come on, Liam, don't dawdle," Damon called back to me, his voice teasing. "You act like you've never seen a witch's lair before."
"Hardly a lair," I muttered, quickening my pace to keep up with them. We ended up in a large, rustic-style kitchen with a high ceiling and glass walls that made it resemble an orangery. My mouth watered at the sight of two plates piled high with English breakfast staples, steam rising from the delicious-looking food.
"Bloody great! Werewolves." An older woman with a thick Scottish accent slammed the plates down onto the table, her gaze flitting between me and Damon. "Now I'll have to make more food and take out a second mortgage just to feed you werewolves." She grumbled under her breath as she made her way back to the stove.
"Ah, don't worry about us," Damon said, flashing her a charming grin. "We can always hunt for our own food, right, Liam?"
"Watch your tongue, or I'll clip it for ya, boy," the woman snapped, swiping at Damon's ear with her wooden spoon as he ducked away, laughing. Audrey, already seated at the table and eating, chuckled at our antics.
"You haven't changed a bit, Damon."
"Neither have you," he replied, taking his seat next to her while I hesitated for a moment, unsure of where I fit in their dynamic. Finally, I pulled out a chair and sat down as well.
"Come on, you two, eat up before it goes cold," Audrey urged, her fork poised above her plate as she savoured a bite of crispy bacon. She glanced up at us with an impish grin, her dazzling blue eyes sparkling in the morning light. "I don't know about you, but I'm always ravenous after using so much energy."
"Thank you, by the way," she added sincerely, her gaze shifting between Damon and me. "My people have been struggling to hold that beast off all week. We couldn't have defeated it without your help."
"Wait a minute," I interjected, raising a sceptical eyebrow at her. "What if we hadn't decided to come?"
"But you did, didn't you?" Audrey replied, a mischievous wink punctuating her words. I stared at her, my mind racing as I tried to process everything that had happened. The demon, the strange portal in the basement, and now this cryptic comment from Audrey, it all felt like pieces of an elaborate puzzle that I couldn't quite put together. And yet, despite my unease, a small part of me couldn't help but feel drawn to Audrey's magnetic presence.
As I dug into the heaping plate of food before me, I found myself both physically and emotionally famished. The rich flavours of the sausages and eggs seemed to permeate every fibre of my being, nourishing not only my body but also my battered spirit. I could see Damon practically inhaling his food, no doubt feeling the same intense hunger as I did.
"Delicious," I mumbled through a mouthful of eggs, unable to contain my appreciation. "This is just what we needed."
"Indeed," Audrey agreed, her eyes meeting mine with a knowing glint. "It's been quite a morning, hasn't it?"
"Definitely not one I'll forget anytime soon," I admitted, a wry smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.
"Neither will I," Damon chimed in, pausing his voracious eating just long enough to shoot Audrey a meaningful look.
"Speaking of unforgettable mornings," I ventured hesitantly, my curiosity getting the better of me. "What exactly was going on down there? With the demon and the portal, I mean." Audrey locked eyes with me for a moment, as if weighing how much she should reveal. Then, with a small sigh, she set down her fork and wiped her mouth daintily with a napkin.
