Wolfsbane Read online

  Wolfsbane:

  Not Everyone Is As They Seem…

  By Rebecca Davis

  Copyright © 2015 by Rebecca Davis

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Printed in the United States of America

  First Printing, 2015

  ISBN 13 – 978-1508528968

  ISBN 10 - 1508528969

  Rebecca Davis

  Also by Rebecca Davis

  ~The UnFairytales Saga~

  Hatter: Only the Best are Mad…

  Peter: It Only Takes A Wish…

  To my friends.

  Without them, I wouldn’t be who I am today.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue – Ina

  Chapter 1 – Ina

  Chapter 2 – Wolfsbane

  Chapter 3 – Ina

  Chapter 4 – Wolfsbane

  Chapter 5 – Ina

  Chapter 6 – Wolfsbane

  Chapter 7 – Ina

  Chapter 8 – Ina

  Chapter 9 – Wolfsbane

  Chapter 10 – Ina

  Chapter 11 – Wolfsbane

  Chapter 12 – Ina

  Chapter 13 – Wolfsbane

  Chapter 14 – Ina

  Chapter 15 – Wolfsbane

  Chapter 16 – Ina

  Chapter 17 – Wolfsbane

  Chapter 18 – Ina

  Chapter 19 – Wolfsbane

  Chapter 20 – Ina

  Chapter 21 – Wolfsbane

  Chapter 22 – Ina

  Chapter 23 – Wolfsbane

  Chapter 24 – Ina

  Epilogue – Wolfsbane

  Playlist

  Authors Note

  It was her favorite story, that she remembers, but she would be hard-pressed to retell it now, faithfully, as it had been told to her. All she could recall were frayed, sleep-watered images of a forgotten castle in the middle of a wild forest, stone statues, crimson roses, and a dark, animal presence never seen, but which stained her memory of the tale, even past its edges to the daylight after.

  Ava Zavora

  Bell Noir: Tales of Love and Magic

  Prologue

  Ina

  I was twelve years old when I became separated from my parents during a raid.

  I was twelve years old when I became lost in the Enchanted Forest, alone and injured.

  I was twelve years old when I was saved by a tall man with brown hair and green eyes.

  I was twelve years old when he took me to Fabiana and her son, Cane.

  The man watched over me. He stayed with me until I trusted Fabiana and Cane, until I felt safe again.

  After he left, he would visit me daily. He would always bring me a present, a doll or a book.

  But, soon, he started visiting less and less. Until, one day, he stopped visiting altogether.

  I missed him at first. I couldn’t understand why he would leave. But, the longer he was gone, the less I noticed. Until, one day, I stopped noticing altogether.

  I had been content with my life with Fabiana and Cane. Content with the simple, den-like hut we shared, content with learning the ways of the Healer.

  Until recently.

  Fabiana, thankfully, understood my discontentment with the unchanging ways of our life. She too had hated staying in one place for too many seasons until I came along.

  She and cane helped me find a place of my own. It was close enough to their home that she could check on me as needed, but far enough apart that I could feel the solitude I craved.

  But, as I learned from an early age, not everything is as it seems.

  A wolf-man taught me that.

  This is his story as much as it is mine.

  And this is the only story I’ll ever tell.

  Chapter 1

  Ina

  I closed the book I was reading with a sigh. It had been a great one, on the history of the Northernmost Kingdom. It seemed more like make-believe than truth, with all of the fae people and romance.

  I had learned from Fabiana that creatures like centaurs in the book had been killed off almost fifty years ago. And, marriage was no longer about love, it was about what was best for the Kingdoms. If love happened afterwards, it was like a bonus prize.

  The marriage between Queen Ella and King Richard was the last between a commoner and royal, and the last that was done out of love.

  Pushing myself off the torn chair I sat in, I leaped across the gap in the floor that separated where I sat from the bookcase. I had mastered the maneuver, among many others, not long after Fabiana had found this house for me. It had been abandoned for some time, she had told me. And, I believed her.

  On the outside, it looked like it was in pretty good condition, besides the broken windows and vines growing up into the second floor on the western side. The inside, on the other hand, was much worse than it appeared on first glance. The downstairs, except for some broken windows and missing walls, was mostly intact. There were some beams here and there that had fallen, but nothing that made the first floor unusable or would let the roof cave in.

  The second floor was almost completely unusable. There were beams down in almost every room, and so many holes in the ground it was like playing jump-the-squares at Fabianas when I was a child. Some rooms had no floor in them whatsoever. Many of the rooms couldn’t be used because of the water damage that had been caused by the broken windows during the rainy season.

  I heard the door open before I heard the familiar voice. “Ina,” Cane bellowed from below. “Are you in?”

  “I’ll be right down,” I called back.

  I hurried downstairs to find my longtime and closest childhood friend standing in the doorway. He was unloading the many burlap sacks and bags he had brought with him off of his arms and back. As soon as his arms were empty, I threw myself in them, not caring about the dirt or mud that was covering almost inch of him.

  I pulled back when I heard him laughing, sheer amusement in his sparkling blue eyes as my eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What’s so funny?”

  He shook his head, sending splatters of mud in every direction. “You’re acting as if you haven’t seen me in weeks.”

  I scowled at him. “It has been weeks! Six, to be exact. I would have come by, but you know how your mother gets about me going out alone.”

  He laughed again. “Yeah, Fabiana always has been very protective of you.”

  “You know, I don’t see what’s wrong with you calling her your mother. That’s what she is, anyways.”

  He shrugged. “She said that mothers are for children. Once she decided I wasn’t a child anymore, she told me to start calling her Fabiana.”

  I still didn’t understand, but decided to drop it anyways. I nudged one of the bags with my foot. “Are you planning on staying?”

  “I thought I’d stick around for a week or so, get some more work done on your abode.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “Don’t say that.”

  “Say what?”

  “Abode,” I said, stretching out the syllables. “It’s a weird word. I don’t like it.”

  He nodded his head. “Fair enough. Now, where am I going to be sleeping?”

  I rolled my eyes. “This way.”

  He followed me to the farthest room from the door, at the very back of the house. It was probably my favorite room. Floor to ceiling bookcases lined all of the walls, gaps between them only where there was a door or window filling it.

  The room was the only one in the entire house that was still in the exact same order it was before the house was abandoned. The furniture, all solid, shiny wood, looked as if they were brand new. The books
that filled the shelves and covered most of the tables and part of the floor seemed in near perfect order. Even the pillows and cushions were still full and fluffy.

  “You can stay in here. I’ll bring you down some blankets a little later.”

  He scrunched his nose is distaste. “Of course you would pick this room.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, crossing my arms.

  “I don’t read, Ina, and yet you put me in a library.”

  I rolled my eyes. “My apologies. Let me put you in the room with broken windows and a moss-covered floor.”

  He sighed and plopped into a large chair. “I’ll make the meal tonight.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” I said, shaking my head. “I have to go out, gather some things. I’ll be back soon.”

  He nodded. “I’ll get to work on the house tomorrow. I’d like to rest tonight.”

  “That’s fine.”

  “Ina,” he called when I started to leave. I turned back. “Just…Just be careful. There have been rumors at the post, talk of a wild beast.”

  “I promise,” I said, hugging him as if it would relieve his worry. “I won’t go far. Plus, I have the dagger from Fabiana. I’ll be fine.”

  He chuckled. “The Fates be with whoever decided to cross your path.”

  I shoved him playfully. “Get some rest, because you’ll be working on the great room tomorrow.”

  He groaned in reply as I walked out. Grabbing my cover from by the door, I snapped it around my neck and walked outside. I took a deep breath, savoring the sunlight on my face, before picking up my basket and heading deeper into the forest surrounding my home.

  Chapter 2

  Wolfsbane

  I stared at the tea that was in my cup, the dark brown liquid swishing as I moved my wrist in slow circles.

  I jumped as a hand dame into view and fingers snapped with a loud click, the tea sloshing over the edge of the cup. I looked up at Peter, who was sitting on his haunches in front of me. Glancing at the worried faces of Sam and Angie sitting on the couch, and Hatter sitting at Angie’s feet, I glared at the redhead before me.

  “What was that for?” I demanded, a bit harsher than I meant to.

  The boy shrugged, sitting back. “You were staring off into space again, and the girls were getting worried.”

  “You…You didn’t look like yourself,” Sam said meekly. “All I did was ask if something was the matter.”

  I sighed, running a hand roughly down my face. “I’m sorry for worrying you, Miss Sam. But, I assure you, I’m just fine.”

  She nodded, but didn’t look as if she believed me.

  “Well, since we have you back,” Hatter said, standing and clapping his hands together. :Why don’t we do something instead of sitting here? A game, perhaps? Maybe ‘Riddle Me This’?”

  Sam placed a hand on his arm. “ You always win at that one. How about you pick one where everyone has a fighting chance?”

  “Actually,” I cut in, before they could start arguing over whether Live Chess or Ring around the Mulberry Bush would be better. “I’m afraid I have to cut this visit short.”

  “Do you have to go so soon?” Angie asked, standing as I did. “We hardly see you anymore.”

  I nodded. “Unfortunately, yes. But, I promise, I’ll try to come by again soon.”

  “You better,” she said, giving me a soft hug. “Or else I’ll come to that Enchanted Woods myself to get you.”

  “Technically, it’s a forest,” said Hatter.

  “That doesn’t matter,” I said curtly. “The Enchanted Forest is no place for a girl. There are too many things there…”

  She rolled her eyes.” I know, I know, you’ve told me before. Boggarts, and dragons, and trolls.”

  “Oh my!” Piped in Sam.

  I rolled my eyes. “Hatter, how do you two put up with these ladies? They’d keep any man on his toes.”

  “I’ll tell you how Hatter does it,” Sam waited until she had everyone’s attention before continuing. “He’s mad, of course.”

  I chuckled a bit. “Then what’s Peter’s secret?”

  Angie gave the boy a look. “You better not answer that.”

  The redhead wrapped his arms around her, and she instantly rested her head on his shoulder. “I wasn’t going to.” He said, causing Angie to smile.

  “Well,” I sighed. “I must be off.”

  “I’ll walk you out.” Hatter offered, donning his hat.

  I agreed, and after the last farewells, we made our way outside. Hatter was quiet until we were about halfway down the drive.

  “It’s almost that time.” He stated, keeping his eyes on his moving feet.

  “It is,” I said simply.

  “She’ll be twenty, a grown woman.”

  “She will.”

  “Are you going too…”

  “I don’t know yet.”

  He stopped at stared at me. “But… But it’s finally time. Fabiana said…”

  “I know what Fabiana said.” I snapped, sighing in frustration when I saw the hurt flash across my friends face.

  “It’s just, you’ve waited so long…”

  “I know, but it’s been eight years. What if things have changed since then?”

  Hatter frowned. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

  I nodded. “I know. I’m going to see the Queens tomorrow. They would know if Fate has changed its mind.”

  “And if Fate is the same as it was?”

  I sighed again. “One step at a time, Hatter. First, the Queens; we’ll see what’s next after that.”

  He nodded. “Fair enough. Safe travels, my friend.”

  I nodded in thanks and continued down the beaten dirt path towards the forest.

  Hatter’s words kept playing back in my head. What if? What if Fate hasn’t changed its mind, and is the same now as it was all those years ago? What if the Queens tell me that this time apart was just a test that I had passed?

  With all these questions floating around in my head, it was surprising I felt until one question hit me head on.

  “What if she doesn’t remember me?

  Chapter 3

  Ina

  I carefully made my way through the forest, inspecting the berries, figs, and herbs that grew close to the forests floor.

  When I had been out for about an hour and my basket was full, I made my way to the familiar purple bush. Pulling my short blade out of the waistband of my skirt, I knelt down and started sawing off a few healthy sprigs of the fresh lavender.

  I gathered a heaping handful of the flowers, enough to hand and dry in each of the good windows of the house. Wiping of the dirt and grime from the blade, I tucked the small dagger back into the folds of my skirt.

  When I started to stand up, my foot got caught in the back of my skirt, arms flailing out as I tried to catch my balance. I could feel the earth quickly rising to meet me, but gave a cry of surprise when it wasn’t the hard-packed dirt that met me, but soft fur.

  I laid there silently, never moving. Whether it was out of surprise or fear, or both, I don’t know. I felt the beasts quick breath underneath me. Unintentionally, my heartbeat started to match that of the one underneath me. I leaned into the soft her as I relaxed, until the beast gave a deep, guttural growl from the back of his throat.

  I tensed and quickly scrambled my way off into an upright position. With a hand on my blade, I slowly turned to face the pile of fur that had softened my fall.

  Whatever the thing was, it was covered in a brown-red fur. It was almost as large as a newborn foal, it’s large brown eyes staring at me in what looked like concern.

  “I must be hallucinating.” I told myself. “That’s the only explanation.”

  I closed my eyes tightly and held them closed for a moment before opening them. When the large wolf-like thing was still there, my heart started racing. I closed my eyes again.

  “This is just a dream,” I told myself sternly. “So, when I open my eyes again, it wil
l be gone.”

  Only, when I opened my eyes, it was still there. Its head was cocked to the side, and it was looking at me strangely.

  The beast took a step towards me, and I took a step backwards. “It’s just a dream,” I reminded myself.

  It took another step forward, and I took another step back. “This is only a dream.”

  Every time the beast would take a step towards me, I would take a step back, and say again that it was only a dream, until was as if I was chanting.

  When it had backed me up against the trunk of a tree, I felt as if I would surely die. And yet, I kept telling myself that it was just a dream, over and over as it got closer.

  “It’s just a dream. It’s just a dream, it’s only in my imagination. It’s just a dream.” I squeezed my eyes closed as I felt its hot breath fam across my face.

  I stood there, clenching my eyes closed, trying to push myself into the tree.

  Suddenly, I heard a dark, gruff voice of a man. “You know, lass, you could have just said ‘thank you’. There was no need for the insults.”

  My eyes flashed open and my heart raced. I looked at the beast, who had backed up some, with wide eyes.

  “Did…did you just…”

  He turned his head from one side to the other. “Well, there’s no one else in this part of the woods, now is there?”

  “I suppose not,” I said, still not completely believing it.

  He nodded his head as if he were satisfied with my answer.

  “Well…Thank you, I suppose.”

  He chuckled. “You’re most welcome, Ina.”

  He started to walk off, his steps much bigger than when he had me against the tree. I chased after him. “Wait!”

  He stopped and turned. I stood a few feet away from him, remembering that he was still a beast, and my courage would be no good. “How….”

  “How did I know your name?” He asked, finishing my question. I nodded. “I have known you for some time.”

  “What is your name?” I pushed. “I’m sure I’d remember.”

  He shook his head. “In time.”