Griff
“We need the scythe. Fen has it.” Uriah flew close to the protection shield created by the witches, giving a squeeze as they drew near. “Think it’s safe for us to go through?”
“Yes,” nodded.
Uriah shrugged before plunging through the transparent shield, landing next to Fen and Magnus.
“Think I could use that?” Uriah asked, nodding to the scythe as he set on the ground.
“Please do.” Fen handed the weapon over to Uriah.
Quinn gestured to the protective shield. “This won’t last long, you two. I recommend chopping off the bitch’s head.” and Uriah both nodded.
“, one other thing,” added Old Mother Madge. “The potion you’ve taken is known to be very dangerous if you’re not in the right state of mind. Don’t let emotions get in the way of the mission.”
“Let’s go,” said without missing a beat, turning away from Quinn and Old Mother Madge as he grabbed onto Uriah. The two took off into the air, past the shield, and directly above a roaring Luna.
“Think he listened?” Quinn asked of his magical colleague.
Old Mother Madge let out a long sigh. “I surely hope so.”
Strands of electricity engulfed Luna’s megawolf form, temporarily stunning it.
“Take this!” Uriah shouted, swinging the scythe into her shoulder until it stuck. The werewolf shook its body before the vampire could let go of his weapon, sending and Uriah flying through the air in separate directions. The scythe slipped out of Luna’s shoulder as it healed almost instantly.
“Don’t worry about me,” said as he pulled himself to a stop before diving through the sky to grab the scythe at the last minute. He channeled his electricity through the weapon once it was in his hands, sending a spark directly into Luna’s open mouth as she snapped at him.
“Get away from him!” Uriah hissed from behind, pouncing on Luna’s back and clinging onto her neck fur as though he were riding a wild horse. Luna flung Uriah off of her back, sending him directly into . blacked out as he felt himself hurtling through the sky.
A much smaller grabbed for the silver wolf plushie, squeezing it tight. “This is the one I want, mommy.”
“All right, in. What a great choice,” he heard the voice of his mother.
As the memory seemed to slow down and freeze, admired how vivid the experience felt. He remembered cherishing his stuffed animals, cuddling with them before bed and any time he felt lonely.
“, this is what has to happen. It’s right here in her notebook—but I know more than she does. Let me explain.”
flashed between jumping into bed with his favorite stuffed animal as a child to meeting Pruitt in the parking lot before the game. He recalled Pruitt’s concerned look and the serious tone of his voice.
“ Look, I’m not sure there’s any other way, but I do know that it won’t last. Even though I have to die, Theodulf—the King of Wolves—is going to… Well, I think he’s going to bring me back. ”
wiped tears from his face, at the same time remembering crying in the middle of the night as a young child. In that memory, his wolf plushie fell out of bed and he was too scared to get out from under the covers to retrieve him.
“G, babe, why are you crying?” Pruitt’s voice played over his childhood memory.
“Because I don’t want to lose you. And I’m not sure if I’m ready to face the bad guy on my own.”
“, one of the most important things I’ve learned in this horrible and wonderful life is that things like hope and faith are even more important than any kind of magical or paranormal power.”
Young finally got up the courage to peel back his bedsheets, untangling them from the legs of his onesie as he rolled to the edge of the bed to peer down at the dark and scary floor.
“They’re stronger than anything a vampire, witch, or werewolf possesses alone. Have faith that we’ll make it through it. All of us. I’ll be there for you—and so will Uriah, Darcy, even Haven. We know how it ends, baby. We just can’t predict how we’ll get there.”
In the dark of the night, young could just make out the outline of his toy laying half-under the bed. He reached for it, but his small arms weren’t long enough.
“Be brave, and fearless, and badass like you always are, .”
Almost as though reacting to Pruitt’s motivational words, young swung his legs over the side of the bed and dropped to the floor. To his right, an ominous darkness seemed to stare back from behind his ajar closet door. To his left, the nightstand with his glasses. The youngster quickly grabbed up his frames, sliding them over his face so that the temple tips were secure behind his ears. Leaning to his knees, he blinked rapidly as his eyes adjusted.
“I will do my best to keep you safe. I’m doing all of this to keep you safe.”
Young ’s eyes widened as he found something soft and squishy with his hand. Pushing back the bridge of his frames onto his nose, his face lit up with joy when he inspected what he had found. It was his favorite toy, the silver wolf.
“This isn’t how I expected to first say this, , but I want you to know that I love you. It’s been my greatest honor being your protector, your familiar.”
Young jumped excitedly back into bed, burying himself under covers and blankets before wrapping his arms around his plushie. The creak of a floorboard from his closet alerted him to one of his biggest fears. Was someone in his room?
“I love you, too, Pruitt. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”
As he looked over, though, he could see that his closet was empty, the light of an outdoor street lamp reflecting in at just the right angle to ensure everything was safe. He squeezed the silver wolf tight, too caught up in excitement to remember to take off his glasses. “Thank you for always being my protector,” the young said to his toy before closing his eyes. Darkness followed.
“The Silver Wolf will always protect you, baby. But right now, it’s your turn to protect everyone else. And I know you can do it.”
The sound of wind whistling in his ears stirred . He was back in Mystic Hollow now and free-falling—a mere thirty feet from crashing into a burning row of bleachers—when he finally opened his eyes. A smile finding its way to his lips, he could see clearly now.