The Blister Exists.

Human blood, even if it wasn't exactly “fresh” was like drinking 5 energy drinks back to back. I couldn't believe how different it was from the animal blood I had tried before. For a moment, I had forgotten all about the situation I was in.

“Pace yourself, Connie.” Sid said laughing at me as I dipped my head back with the cup completely vertical on my face with my hand tapping the bottom in an attempt to get every last drop.

“That's attractive.” Corey said with a small chuckle.

Maybe the situation wasn't as bad as I had thought it was. Maybe this new information changed things.

I snapped back to reality and sat the glass on the coffee table and eyed Corey. He knew what I wanted to know, and there was no way to get out of answering me now. He took in a deep breath and sat his glass on the table as well.

“I did kill someone close to Otep.” He said in one breath. “Her best friend. I think she called her Annie something.” He looked to Joey for assistance remembering.

“Christ.” Joey said.

“You're saying this like you accidentally ran over the woman's dog. Why are you acting so casual about this, fuck. You killed her best friend and you didn't remember it? Really?!” I was outraged and appalled by the thought of this.

Corey didn't interrupt me like I expected him to.

“Finished?” He asked with a cocky grin on his face.

“I guess.” I answered giving him a look of pure disgust.

“Annie Christ is, was, her dog.” He said watching my face turn from disgust to confusion.

“Now I feel like a jack-ass.” I said.

“We were on tour together a few years ago and she'd bring her dogs with her. Two yappy little things.” Sid began to explain. “Well, one night, one of her dogs got out and was sleeping outside of our tour bus.”

“I didn't even know it was there.” Corey said. “I stepped outside to have a smoke, and accidentally stepped on it's neck.”

“She wants to kill me over an accident with her dog?” I said being sure I was hearing this right. “And, when we say dog, we mean an actual dog, right? Like, it wasn't a shifter or something?” This was not making any sense to me at all.

“Nope. It was an actual dog.” Sid said getting ready to prepare everyone's second helping.

“The thing is, Otep is a little... out there. For werewolf standards that is.” Said Joey.

“Yeah.” Corey agreed.

The confusion still on my face must have been easy to read.

“Okay, let me try and explain this to you with a little more details.” Corey said shifting his body so that he was facing me more. “Are you a fan of hers?” He asked.

“Well, I was before finding out that she wants to kill me!” I answered.

“Right, but before all of this you were a fan, correct?” He asked.

I nodded.

“Okay, then I'm sure you probably know that she's a vegan,” he waited for me to nod, and I did. “an animal rights activist?” I nodded again. He waited for it to catch up to me.

“Wait, she's a vegan werewolf?” This sounded hilarious to me.

“Yeah. Denying her wolf any meat has kind of made her...”

“Fucking insane?!” I finished for him.

“Right.” He agreed.

“Great, so what's the plan then? Buy her a dog that looks like 'Annie'?” I asked.

“Not that simple.” Joey answered. “Being a wolf, she has a strong connection to canines. She'd never bond with it like she did with Annie.”

“Fantastic. I get to die because a dog was sleeping in an bad spot.” I was pretty irritated.

Corey moved closer to me. He grabbed my face and turned my head to him. “You're not going to die.” He sounded pretty sure, I just wish I believed him.

“Our plan is to dig up her dead dog, get Wednesday to do the Voodoo that he do do and bring that puppy back to life.” Sid said proud of himself for saying that.

“Wait, Wednesday 13?” I asked.

“Yeah.” Joey answered sounded a little disturbed by my question. “He's a necromancer.”

“That's... not nearly as surprising as it should be.” I replied. “So, he's just going to bring her dog back to life, and everything will be okie dokie?”

“No. The dog will return to life, but it wont be the same. It'll most likely try to kill her and everyone in its path.”

“Then why the fuck would you reanimate it?” This whole thing was beginning to be a little too much.

“The dog will be a distraction.” Corey answered. “She'll be focused on the dog. In that moment, and that moment alone, we'll have to put her down.”

“Put her down.” I repeated.

“We'll need silver bullets.” Corey said looking to Sid.

“I know.” Sid grinned.

“So, we've got a plan. Perfect. Let's go.” I said standing up.

Corey stood up as well and pushed my back down. “Not yet.”

“What the hell are we waiting for?”

“She's watching us.” Corey said flicking his head towards the living room window. I didn't see anything out there, at first.

Across the yard, at the very back, two silver eyes glowed under the moonlight. It was... beautiful.

“If we try anything tonight, she'll be on us.” Corey said turning my head back to him. “It's a full moon tonight, and she's stronger than any other night”

“If we're not fighting tonight, than why are we drinking this?” I asked. He explained to me that the blood was to help my body grow stronger and heal faster during training so that I'd be ready for the real deal. “I still don't understand why you guys don't just kill her.”

“It's not that easy.” Joey confessed. “She's a pureblood.”

“Come again?” I figured they'd learn to just explain everything to me without me asking. This shit was all very new to me. How the fuck was I expected to just know stuff?

“There are two types of werewolves. It's one of the things that sets them apart from other shifters.” Corey took it upon him to explain this seeing that Joey was looking rather annoyed. “A pure blood was born into it. A mother wolf, and a father wolf. If a pure blood attacks a human under the full moon, and doesn't kill them, they'll turn.”

I nodded showing him that I was understanding.

“Okay, so, since she's a pure blood, she's strong. Very strong. If she were to give her wolf meat, she'd be even stronger... but still, she's strong.” He said. “For a while, I thought she had just moved on... but then again, I didn't feel... I wasn't close to anyone other than the guys.” He said trying to choose his words carefully.

“I think I understand.” I said looking back to the window at them glowing silver eyes in the distance.

“You do?” Corey sounded a little excited.

“Yeah. She's a fucking lunatic.” I said ready for my next serving.

❦ ❦ ❦ ❦ ❦ ❦ ❦ ❦ ❦ ❦ ❦ ❦ ❦

An hour or so after finding out why Otep was after me, Corey and I were back in the training area under the back yard. It was weird, walking past her, knowing she was there. Smelling her stench and having the urge to fuck her shit up. Didn't understand why the four of us, and Pippin, couldn't just gang up on her, but then again, I'm very new to all of this. I had to trust in their knowledge, and I didn't like that.

“You smell it?” Corey asked once we were inside.

I nodded and crinkled my nose up like a kid sitting in front of a bowl of spinach.

“She's doing that on purpose. She wants to entice you, and provoke you.” He said “If you attack her first, she could kill you without you having to answer to anyone”

“Who would she have to answer to?” I asked stretching.

“Everybody had someone to answer to.” He smirked.

“Even you?”

“No, not me.” I couldn't tell if he was joking or not.

That was the end of joking for a while...