Witch's Bane

I ran as fast as I could, scratched, clothes torn ,' there goes my designer silk shirt' I thought to my self as I felt my lungs burning for oxygen. My legs were ready to give up as the muscles were tired of being torn but I had to push on. It was me, the searching party or the beast that was coming up right behind me. I could feel it's snarl almost to my calf but it was my fearful imagination playing tricks on me says my perimeter magic that had kicked in at my flight or fight instinct.   

Clutching the one thing that was connecting me to the life that was soon to be my past, the tome of ancient spells, our family heirloom and the very thing they wanted from me, I couldn't let them have it after everything that had happened that day. Hugging it closely to my chest I just continued running and kept on tripping on the buttresses that lay scattered about the carpet of the voluminous undergrowth but quickly found my footing and kept on running.  

He was near, I could almost feel his breath on my rare, the beast was right behind me running, did the search party see him? I thought to myself. Why didn't they attack him too, I wondered but was too afraid to look behind.  

'SNAP' and then suddenly the ground was so near my face and I found my self eating some of the rotting leaves on the ground and I felt a sharp pain in my ankle, I guess I wasn't so lucky afterall with the buttresses. I was too shocked and in pain to cuss and everything was going round in circles I could hardly remember what was happening till I heard a growl and I immediately remembered that I was the prey.  

'No time for naps' I told myself and I also remembered I had an important book I had to protect, it was right in-between me and the predator who in the spotlight of the bright moon that had escaped through the thick canopy was the hugest wolf I'd ever seen. Standing a few feet taller than an Indian tiger with snarled teeth that were sharper than a serrated knife, I knew I was done for. The only good thing out of this was that the search party was long gone but I guess it was more of a misfortune than a fortune. As they say, from the frying pan into the kettle or is it fire, anywho I was just unlucky I guess. 

Seeing my book on the ground, I couldn't leave the one thing that could tether me to my recent past and I was ready to die fighting to get it so I forced my poor body to stand up, took a fighting stance which was weak compared to the beast before me. I tried to put on a brave face and maybe snarl my teeth a little at the wolf. It was a intense staring contest and I could feel my hands shaking out off fear but I folded then into fists as I got ready to snatch the book before the wolf, I had to forget about the pain, I guess that bump to the head and the pain in my ankle was to blame for my new found courage or the importance of that book. Funny thing is that he knew what I was going to do so he also bent a little on his hind legs ready to pounce on me but I took the risk.

So I took the first step and aimed for the book on my right side and at the very moment, the wolf also jumped but before I could reach the book, I channelled the spirit guide of air, Sylphy and beckoned the wind to change my direction to the left, the wolf was fast enough for a regular human but my magic was faster so he went the wrong way and I snatched my book but on standing up, I hit my head hard on the tree trunk Infront of me and that was my end, a new sharp pain replaced the old one. I fell down near the tree and I was slowly losing my conscious. The wolf got up and came up to me growling, I decided to say my prayer to the Mighty one as I clutched my book tightly onto my chest that I could feel the hard leather cover dig into my skin, I had accepted my fate. He came closer and I could feel his breath on my neck and I waited for death as I closed my eyes but death didn't come so I opened my heavy eyes to see why, in the place of the wolf, was the most gorgeous man I'd ever seen. The natural tan of his skin was glowing in the light of the full moon, it suggested that his was of Latino descent, he was well built with muscles allover his body.

' Was this Hercules I saw?' a thought popped into my head temporarily forgetting that I was helpless before the predator man or not! He had wavy hair that didn't exceed his shoulder, with the brightest amber eyes I'd ever seen, and a prominent jaw that had a slash scar on the left with a simple nose and soft kissable lips that called to me for a taste. My eyes drank his body from chest to the central area and my! did he pack! He was what our ancestors would call well endowed and my dying body was thinking of things I'd let him do to me.  

Kneeling down near me,   

Seriously? Now??  

"Are you okay? Can you understand me? " he said with a Latino accent in their, which was so sexy that I just oogled and tried to roll my eyes at my silliness.  

" Hey, stay with me" he must've mistaken my oogling and faux eye roll for losing my conscious because he put his hand on my cheek to check on me and it was warm, too warm for a human and I guess it's normal for a werewolf. I couldn't see his face clearly tomknow whether he was concerned of not. I was still enjoying my view but my body was taking no more of my pushes so my eyes grew heavier and I couldn't hear what he said. All I remember before I completely passed out, were strong hands picking me up and being laid upon something warm and solid and I drifted off into heavens knows where.