Samuel had dropped me off at my office early, needing to have a meeting with The Lady long before my own. Laid on my office couch, the door mostly locked, I’d tried to get at least a few more hours of sleep and gotten nothing. Draped about in a dress I’d worn a couple days now, Annabelle’s red jacket over it, I looked ridiculous. Everything feeling groggy, everything like it was through a hazy, my body feeling like a rock and brain like it was made of cotton, it was torture even as a werewolf. I’d fucking slept better when I’d first been found by the Purists, and I’d hardly slept then.

  Now, forcibly sat up, sipping on my third cup of coffee for the day, I watched as Elizabeth sat a large thermos on my desk. A surprisingly quick turn around on my request, I’d been surprised the witch had been able to help so fast, and been willing to deliver it an hour after it was done.

  “This should get past your healing factor, but at the very least should weaken it,” she explained, saying something else before needing to snap a few times and repeat herself, “mix two spoonfuls in with a small glass of milk each night, if you’re still awake in an hour do it once more.” and then added on, “Milk, not water or tea or anything, you need something fatty to not make it taste like you’re drinking oil. You’ll dream, but it’ll keep you asleep through the first couple sleep cycles.”

  “Got it, thank you,” I muttered, rubbing my eye to try and keep myself alert, “and this should last?”

  “Four to eight months, depending on how often you take it and how much. Don’t let the liquid see direct sunlight, or it’ll ruin the batch.” Elizabeth said, sitting on the edge of my desk, almost a blur in my vision as tired as I was, “when was the last time you slept?”

  “Last night,” I admitted, not a complete lie.

  “How long?” she asked, catching onto the but within.

  “Little less than an hour,” I said, frowning as I tried to think if that was even right, “maybe thirty or forty minutes?”

  “The last time you slept more than a few hours?”

  “Friday I think?” I asked, seeing the witch immediately get concerned at that fact.

  Shaking her head, she opened her purse and began pulling out mixtures of herbs and leafs. A mortar and pestle next, she began mixing them as she scolded me, “you were in a magically induced coma, that wasn’t sleeping. Do you have any plans for the day?”

  “Old friend and I are supposed to catch up, we’re watching a few movies tonight? I said, for some reason feeling like I was asking a question, like I wasn’t sure of the answer.

  Elizabeth sighed, muttered a few words in a language I didn’t understand until the leaves briefly burst into flames, and passed the mortar over to me. Smelling vaguely of gun oil and tree bark and now a thick sludge, the witch explained, “I’m only doing this because you’re a werewolf, and it’d take a few more days for the brain damage to set in. Drink this, it’s a Midnight Elixir.”

  “What the fuck is a midnight elixir?” I muttered, feeling my arm grabbed and the mortar moved to my lips. Too tired to resist, I drank down a sludge that tasted as good as it smelled and barely felt the wolf fight that or the forced movement.

  The elixir was barely finished before I suddenly perked up, feeling like I’d actually awoken from a good sleep and chugged a pot of coffee. The woman chuckled, shook her head, and explained, “you’re going to be wide awake for a little over twelve hours, and then you’re going to crash harder than you ever have in your life. You might not need the sleeping serum tonight.”

  “Holy fuck they should bottle this shit,” I muttered in disbelief, blinking a few times as the feeling continued to grow, almost unable to sit still. “How much do I owe you?”

  “First spell’s free and the Midnight Elixir’s a gift so you’re not dead asleep on The Lady,” the witch explained, packing her bag slowly, “the thermoses are four hundred each; it’s almost a hundred dollars in ingredients and two hours brewing, you’re paying the specialist fee. If you don’t want to pay, I can give you a list of specialist ingredients I need, and I’ll give you…well, let’s call it store credit.”

  “I’ll keep it in mind,” I muttered, laying back against the couch, “just haven’t been able to sleep, want something to help until I’m feeling better.”

  “Yeah, The Lady mentioned some of what happened, included the counterspell she ordered on you in the midnight elixir, already handled the one to speed the other up. Haven’t had to mess with memory spells like this for her in a long time,” Elizabeth admitted, before letting out a small laugh, “makes you feel better, I’ve had worse exes. I had an affair with John Wilkes Booth.”

  I nodded, not sure I’d heard her right before I did break down and ask, “why?”

  “Okay, look, I don’t say this often, and this is why,” the woman said with the tone of someone who had to defend herself a hundred times before, “he had not killed the president at this point, I was in theater, a lot of actresses were dating him. No one fucking expects the brother of your favorite actor to kill the president, and you know people were looking at me in the fucking audience, like I knew it was going to happen? I just wanted to watch Our American Cousin, was a little upset I didn’t get a role but wanted to support my friend, but no, he had to-” she stopped herself, rubbing her eyes in annoyance before finishing it off, “you live long enough you get bad exes.”

  “Have you ever found out the girl you were dating was dead and secretly murdered hundreds of people?”

  “I was involved with the two weird Borgias, but I knew what they were about. I was having a phase,” the witch admitted with a bowed head, quickly trying to change the topic, “I’m a witch, I’m not a good judge of character here. Witches are either asexual or getting into relationship drama, we don’t have many anything between, especially when we extend our lifespan.”

  “Is this an attempt to cheer me up?”

  “Little bit,” she admitted, throwing her bag over her shoulder, a knock coming at the door as she left.

  I turned almost fully on the couch, getting the door only as The Lady walked in wearing something that looked out of the Great Gatsby. Almost seeming bored she sat on my desk, waiting as a nervous looking Sigyn came in standing at the doorway. I eyed the half-one suspiciously, struggling to keep both in my vision, and The Lady let me set on that for a time.

  “What’s going on?” I asked, frowning as I shifted in my spot.

  “What’s going on?” The Lady repeated, sighing as she drummed her fingers on the desk, “Mary you were very risky. Dealt with a problem on your own, let no one person know all you knew, disobeyed…orders. Things could have gone very wrong.”

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  “I’m aware,” I admitted, frowning at the thought, “I got help where I thought it was needed. I figured out the answer, and let Samuel know where it was, is that not enough?”

  “Not enough,” The Lady admitted, chuckling almost darkly, “you got results this time, so I will…forgive you here. Do know though Mary, I can’t have further disobedience in the future.”

  “I understand,” I repeated, turning to look at Sigyn as I asked, “why’s she here?”

  “Why’s she here,” The Lady said, gesturing the woman in who came to stand beside the vampire’s side, “I understand you brought this little morsel along a few times on your investigation, and had her help with…research. I was considering the idea you’d need further assistance, I knew your paperwork was lacking, and it seemed you… hired some for me.”

  I sprung from where I sat, trying to not let the wolf growl as I pointed out, “she’s a half…she’s human. She has no combat training, she-”

  “No combat training,” The Lady interrupted with a soft chuckle, “you can handle the fights, I’m sure, she can assist with your investigations still. After all, I read Samuel’s report on the most…recent aspects, it seems like this should have been much simpler than you made it. Having someone to keep you on the right track and lend a hand where needed seems to be a requirement for you going forward.”

  I froze at the thought, shaking my head as she stared me down and I asked, “why?”

  “Why,” The Lady agreed, sighing as she rose to her feet, “It might surprise you that I think of you as more than a…servant, Mary. Did you know that?”

  “Are you going to claim I’m a friend?” I asked with a roll of my eyes.

  “A friend,” the vampire actually laughed at that, resting her nail under my chin, meeting my eye with hers, “No, I think of you as a pet; and perhaps I’ve put my pet under too much stress. We’ll do a ceremony later, let Allie know what cake you enjoy, but I’ll be…removing your parole, no need for your friends to shadow you. I’ve given you such a lovely assistant in their place, haven’t I?”

  I remained silent as my answer, not sure what the fuck I was supposed to say to any of that, and The Lady seemed amused by whatever reaction I was having.

  “Keep in mind you’ll be working around her college schedule,” The Lady warned me, letting go of my chin as she went towards the door, “I’m already making other arrangements for her, Samuel begins her education soon. When you come back you’ll finish it off, and feel free to use her…however you think she helps best.”

  The Lady left, closing the door behind her, and I was left alone with Sigyn for a time as she watched me hesitantly. A look of nervousness, confusion, until I eventually asked, “how did you end up here?”

  “The Lady had me over for something with Elizabeth about last Monday…I forget, I think she was asking questions about me helping you?” she actually laughed a moment, “I had a couple glasses of wine, think I drunk more than I thought. She pulled some strings for me though, kept me out of trouble for missing classes and assignment, can’t believe I did that,” Sigyn said, frowning as she shifted in her spot, “anyway, I went to classes yesterday, she was there when I got out and took me out to dinner. We talked for a while about different things, she offered me a job to help out with college and getting me on my feet.”

  “This is going to be dangerous,” I warned, and the woman shrugged as though it was no big deal.

  “Mary, I…I don’t remember any of why I was helping you, but I think it’s been nice,” Sigyn admitted, laughing awkwardly at the thought as she shifted in place. I felt like crying again, which might have been only my third sob in as many hours, “you’ve been nice to talk to this whole time, I want you to know that. I know I was in a bad place, they told me I had my memory manipulated by something, but you helped me get through it.”

  “Thanks, I needed to hear that,” I muttered, leaning back against the couch with a sigh.

  Sigyn watched me for a time, shaking her head as she slowly sat beside me and asked, “are you okay?”

  “This shouldn’t have happened, I’ve been thinking about this,” I admitted, shaking my head in disbelief as tears started in my eyes, “I should have thought to investigate the library, I would have found shit out sooner. I should have read things I found closer, I should have tried and found animals to talk to about what they saw. I…there were ghosts all over your campus, and I kept thinking I needed to get back to them and didn’t. I could have had this figured out in a day or two if I’d just stayed in the library five fucking minutes and…” I trailed off, not even sure what the point was before I finally admitted, “I had a girlfriend, I was trying to fix shit with my dad, and this went on longer than it should have and hurt more than it needed to.”

  “You can’t be blamed for that, Mary,” Sigyn comforted me, resting a hand tenderly on mine, “you deserve some time to yourself, and…well, as I understand it not a lot happened anyway, right?”

  That was a lie, but technically the truth as I answered, “no one died who probably wasn’t going to.”

  “Then you made a mistake, but no hard feelings on it,” Sigyn said as though it were that simple, “don’t kick yourself for trying to do something with your life. You deserve some happiness too.”

  I nodded, feeling her thumb run along the back of my hand, watching her as I wondered what she was thinking. I’d admitted to risking lives, to the fact people could have fucking died while I was wasting time, and this is what she did? Acted like it was no big deal, tried to say I deserved fucking happiness. She’d lost her girlfriend because I went and got a painting done of me, instead of searching the campus properly.

  She didn’t remember that.

  Maybe I did deserve happiness.

  Turning on the couch I cupped the girl’s cheek, seeing her cheek’s tint red as the blood in her veins before I kissed her. Not slow, not deliberate, I kissed her like I was trying to consume her, pulling her into me with a growling breath. She let out a noise that might have been a whimper, a moan, and grabbed my shoulders as she pulled herself half into my lap.

  Seeming hungry for me as I acted, I held her for but a moment before a twisting feeling entered my gut. Something felt wrong, sickening, like the pleasure was sour on my tongue until eventually I pushed her away.

  “I’m sorry,” I muttered before I could say anything else, rising to my feet and taking a few quick steps away.”

  “No, it’s fine Mary,” Sigyn half-panted, seeming a little disbelieving it had happened as she adjusted her shirt, “I…I didn’t expect it, but definitely been wanting to do that for a while.”

  “I shouldn’t have,” I answered, and realizing she didn’t fully understand I added on, “just…too soon, not the right…I shouldn’t have done that.”

  “Right,” the woman muttered, slowly rising off the couch, “I’ll…I’ll give you some space, sorry. I’ll see you Friday, if you’re still needing help with GED stuff.”

  “I’ll let you know.”

  I turned my back to her, the wolf hating it as I leaned hard on my desk and tried to keep myself contained. The sick taste in my mouth not going away, the twisted feeling in my gut, not even as my door opened and closed and I was left alone. Not subsiding, only growing as I felt the urge to scream, tried to keep the feeling contained.

  A growl escaped my throat, and I spun around, my hand erupting in pain, drywall cracking, the feeling and noise repeating and repeating. I screamed, and there was a knock on the door as Allie yelled, “are you okay?!”

  There was a hole in the wall, my hand was screaming with pain and dripping with blood, and I nodded to no one as I walked to the door and opened it. The woman looked concerned, today wearing a sleeveless shirt that showed off the scar on her arm.

  She was scared, and I apologized “sorry, you might want to call The Lady about that.”

  “I will,” she agreed, her eyes on my hand, the healing cuts slowly forcing out bits of wall, “did something happened?”

  “Just been a rough week,” I confessed, hesitating to ask before I did, “can you do me a favor?”

  “It depends, you’re still on vacation,” Allie said slowly, leading me back to her computer as she kept glancing at me with a worried look.

  “Tell The Lady I really need to kill something,” I said, rubbing my eye in deep annoyance, “if she has a simple job I can do, I’ll do it, otherwise after tomorrow I’m going to see about going camping for a few days. Maybe try and catch myself a deer or something.”

  “Alright,” Allie said slowly, frowning as she shifted in her spot, “anything else.”

  I considered not answering, not saying the thing that was on my mind, and instead I stared down at her arm. Not able to phrase it much better, I pointed and asked, “how did you get that scar?”

  “This thing?” she asked, laughing as she ran her fingers along it, “can’t remember honestly, I don’t remember much from before my mom adopted me. She offered to remove it when I was sixteen. It apparently hurts like a bitch so she wanted to wait until I could choose, but I figured I kinda liked it. Something kinda cool to look at, you know?”

  “Yeah, I get it, why I keep mine,” I said, frowning as my eyes kept staring it down at the twisted flesh.

  She seemed to notice something was wrong, and almost hesitantly asked, “any reason you were wondering?”

  “No,” I admitted, sighing as I walked back to my office to fetch my things, “I think I just understand why The Lady hired Sigyn now.”