Addicted to Witch by Billy London

this time. There were mornings when he’d wake up covered in blood and the grit of bone. Other mornings, he’d wakened and known he’d been as tame as a puppy. That usually meant Romely was feeling generous and didn’t mind if someone survived his baser instincts for another day. He wouldn’t be able to live if he hurt Helena.
    “Argh!” he cried out as his feet tore his shoes into pieces.
    The taxi skidded to a halt outside the gates of the house. Helena pushed Auden out of the taxi and handed over the money with a trembling hand as Auden collapsed to his knees.
    “Please get up,” she begged.
    His vision blurred, his lungs straining as they moved along his body. “I don’t know the code.”
    “845623,” he gasped.
    She tapped it in quickly, pushing them open and turned back to him.
    “Auden, please.” He couldn’t speak, his whole body was changing; there was nothing he could do to stop it.
    Helena gave up trying to coax him and with uncommon strength that would have distracted him, she yanked him to his feet and threw him through the gates. As he passed, a crackle of energy pulled at every bone in his body. He landed on his back, gasping for breath. Am I me? He held up a hand to his eyes and saw no fur.
    “Oh thank fuck,” he whispered.
    Helena dropped to her knees next to him, cupping his face. “Are you all right?” He nodded, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her on top of him. “You weren’t joking about the curfew, were you?”
    “I wish.”
    Eventually, Helena untangled herself. Auden got to his feet, glancing down at his ruined trainers.
    “Hope they weren’t expensive,” Helena’s mouth twisted.
    He shrugged. “Nah. Learned the hard way not to idolise false gods. Shoes,” he clarified when she made a face of confusion. Holding out his hand, he led her inside the house. The phone was ringing and it could only be one person.
    “You were out,” Romely’s voice sounded. “Where were you?”
    “Nowhere important.”
    “There’s no point hiding anything from me. I’ll know eventually,” her voice lowered, indicating her disapproval.
    “If you want to waste your time.”
    “Is someone there with you? Is it your counsellor?”
    “Yes,” he said with complete honesty, and Romely brightened.
    “That’s good. I want him to work through your commitment issues. I know it stems from your difficult childhood. You are so close to being the perfect partner.”
    It was futile, but meeting Helena changed everything. “Why me?”
    “I told you all those years ago, that you are special. So very special. I can wait for you to see that. Make sure you stay inside tonight, it’s going to rain.”
    She disconnected. He felt the warmth of a hand at his back. If Helena carried on, he wouldn’t be able to keep it together. There had been a peace in being emotionless. Now he seemed to be feeling everything at once.
    “Checking in?”
    He nodded, and sighed as she kissed the bone at the base of his neck. Turning, he looped an arm around her shoulders. “Do you want a shower?”
    She gave a nod with a half-smile.
    “Can I join you?”
    The smile lifted both corners of her lips. “Yes. But we do need to talk.”
    “Yeah.” He lowered his mouth to hers. “Later.”
     
    ***
     
    Helena woke to a room glowing with candlelight, and the distant chimes of a clock calling midnight. There was no Auden, she knew without looking to her side. Where was he? They hadn’t talked. Actually, they hadn’t really done much of anything, except… Well. Then she’d desperately needed to sleep and that was the last she remembered. Until now. Waking up sans Auden.
    She lifted the sheets and panicked at her state of dress. Who put the white silk nightgown on her? Why the hell was someone putting white silk nightgowns on her? Shadows waltzed over the walls, fireflies furiously circling the flickering flames of candlelight. Helena sat up and closed her eyes in an attempt to regain her grasp on reality.