Page 35 of Monster's Heart

“I will be compensated for your breach of promise, Witch!” Arthur raised his hands, claws extended as if to hit my mother.

Angry or not, I could not allow her to be hurt. I reached out with my hands, but I was too far away to make contact. Didn’t seem to matter, though. Bright blue lightning shot from my hands. My magic seemed electrified as it connected with the male, sending him flying and kinda sorta setting his fur on fire. The stink of burned hair made me want to gag, but I managed to keep it down.

“Amrin! You saved me,” Mother said, her eyes wide.

“This is the headmistress, send a nurse down by the Tilt-a-Whirl for Mr. McFadden. Tell her we need burn cream,” Headmistress Blackthorn spoke into the receiver of her phone.

She shook her head as she placed a pair of magical cuffs and a muzzle on the fallen Werewolf. Gunner stood nearby shocked, before turning his angry gaze on me and Menon.

“Bitch! How dare you? I wanted your fat ass when no one else did—”

“That’s where you went wrong, dog. She was always wanted,” Menon grunted, and that time he succeeded in putting me behind him before he lodged his fist right into Gunner’s face.

Everything went crazy for a little while. Menon and Gunner fought like mad things. My mother ran to my side, pulling me back when I almost got hit by the idiot Werewolf. She was still shaking, but for the first time in her life, she’d actually acted maternally toward me. Finally, the headmistress broke them up, and I ran to Menon, who caught me in his arms, as he always seemed ready to do.

“Enough! Menon is mated to Amrin, Gunner, and you have no claim to her whatsoever.”

“What? They’re mated?” the Werewolf said, looking shocked. “I didn’t— I mean, I’m sorry. I just felt this, like, blinding rage fill me.”

He looked as confused as I was, but then I felt Menon’s chest rumble as he made a sort of hum of acknowledgement.

“That is to be expected,” Menon explained. “Your kind has hunted mine for eons, Gunner. You see, I am not just Sten, I am Menon Blau.”

“Holy shit,” the Wolf said, eyes wide. “You’re the prey.”

“I beg to differ, but maybe save it for another time,” my mate growled.

“I heard stories of your kind. I cut my teeth on them,” the Wolf said without heat.

“Yes. It is a long shared history of animosity, but while we are here, I think we can agree to a truce?” Menon said, his tail wrapped around me once more. “As long as you know my mate is off limits.”

“Agreed. While we are here, I will not fight you or attempt to take Amrin from you. She is your mate, and we Werewolves understand the importance of that,” Gunner said, and for the first time I saw him as something more than just a jerk.

But he, and all others, still paled in comparison to my beautiful, blue-skinned mate. I sank into his warmth, allowing his arms to circle me as he nodded in accord with Gunner. Then I watched, shocked, as my mother approached.

“I am sorry, Amrin, for the way I handled this. I know you are justified in your feelings, but maybe, maybe we can try to have some sort of relationship?” she said, and I saw feeling in her eyes.

Real feeling which was not something I had ever seen on my mother’s face before. I swallowed and nodded, not quite ready to forgive, but definitely ready to move on.

“Well, this is turning out to be quite the Equinox,” the headmistress said, interrupting the moment. “Shall I walk you to the portal, Evelyn?”

“Yes, that would be fine,” my mother said.

Gunner went with his father to the infirmary where his wounds were to be treated, and I said my goodbyes to my mother, a new understanding dawning between us. Menon held my hand, standing beside me, offering me silent support, which I took gratefully.

“Take care of her, young man,” Mother said.

“With all my being,” he replied.

“Oh, and Amrin,” Headmistress Blackthorn said. “I have arranged a new schedule for you to start immediately. After all, we can’t have our newest Lunar Witch running ragged without sleep.”

“Lunar Witch?” I asked, shocked into stillness.

“Of course, dear. Hadn’t you ever considered it? You’re a night owl, insomniac for lack of a better word, and you are mated to a direct descendant of Mani himself. Your powers are energized at night. You are wearing a piece of the sky as a dress, for Pete’s sake. Of course you are a Lunar Witch!”

“I knew she was special,” Mother said, bowing to me before she took off with the headmistress.

I could have sworn the older woman said something like kids these days, they have worlds of information at their fingertips with those darn smart phones and they still don’t bother using them. I grinned, biting my lip. It all made perfect sense. Why I was always tired and impotent during my classes. Why I could never rest during the night.

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