Turned (10 page)

"Bernard, get away from him!" Charlotte
cried. Pain crawled through her and she realized she was
transforming again. The Alpha Staff lay forgotten on the ground.
She stumbled toward it on her shifting legs.

Bernard ripped a bloody chunk out of Allard's
forearm, and leaped away as Allard roared and slashed at him.
Before Allard could follow up his attack, four fireballs struck him
in the chest and back. He screamed. But the smoke billowed up in a
cloud, revealing scorched flesh that began to heal itself.

Allard hurled himself at the mages, slashing,
biting and tearing. The men fell, screaming, spells fizzling in
their hands.

Bernard ran to Charlotte and helped her up.
She gripped the Alpha Staff in one claw. "Quick!" he panted, tongue
dangling from blood-smeared jaws, "command him to leave them
alone!"

Charlotte gripped the Staff and focused all
her thoughts on commanding the beast to face her. Beside her,
Bernard's ears flattened as he did the same.

Slowly Allard halted and turned to look at
them, trailing smoke and dripping blood. He bared his teeth in a
devilish grin.

"We're going to die," whispered Bernard.

Charlotte looked over her shoulder at the
open gate, and the pit filled with hundreds of staring wolves. "No
we're not! Quick, into the pen!"

Still clutching the Staff between them,
Charlotte and Bernard leaped into the reservoir. Allard bounded at
their heels, teeth snapping.

Charlotte swept the Staff at the entire
werewolf pack. "All of you, kill Allard!"

Then she and Bernard ran straight into the
midst of the wolves. Allard followed them. The wolves let them
pass, but closed upon Allard with hungry ferocity. At first he
threw them aside with heavy blows from his claws, but hundreds of
starving werewolves piled on him. They tore at his arms, legs,
body, until he disappeared from sight under a snarling horde of his
own making.

Charlotte and Bernard reached the far wall
and huddled together, arms around each other. But no wolves paid
attention to them. They were being fed at last, and avenging the
curse upon them at the same time.

***

"Justice was served," said Bernard.

Four months had passed. Charlotte and
Bernard, human once more, sat on a love seat on their veranda. The
warm summer air was scented with hot grass and cool leaf mold from
the neighboring woods. Cold drinks sat beside them, as well as
forgotten books and sewing.

"Yes." Charlotte clasped one of his hands in
her own. "Allard is destroyed, but his curse cannot be undone."

"Only changed." Bernard kissed her lips. "The
final batch of elixir will be distributed tomorrow. Then all of
Grayton will possess their sanity, no matter which form they
take."

Charlotte sighed. "This will have a strange
effect upon our laws."

"Yes. And upon talks about opening the
Grayton Wall."

Charlotte stroked Bernard's sparse hair. His
waistline had become much more trim lately. But she hardly noticed
his shortcomings these days, for the delirious infatuation of a
newlywed gripped her.

The hardship they'd experienced together had
shown her Bernard's heart, and it was as affectionate as she'd ever
desired. It was a shame it had taken a curse to bring such a
blessing. She laid her head on his shoulder. "Perhaps it's a good
thing we are isolated. The curse must not spread."

Bernard stroked her face. "I, for one, am
thankful for it."

Charlotte smiled into his face. "Why is
that?"

His smile promised years of happiness.
"Because it taught me to love you, no matter your appearance."

The End

###

Thanks for reading Turned! If you enjoyed
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About the author:

K. M. Carroll has been writing various genres
for fifteen years. She lives in Arizona with her husband and four
children, and enjoys painting and excessive cookie baking. She
blogs about all of the above, as well as her fascination with
dinosaurs and other monsters.

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