"Are you insane, Alexi?" my father asked. He seemed near the edge of his temper, yet again.

Doctor Alexi looked unconcerned with his reaction. "No. I believe it would perhaps be easier for Elise if she could be with her own pack while suffering in this state."

I considered that suggestion. Would it be easier?

My father seemed to cool down just a bit with her explanation.

"I'm not saying this to be crass, Nick, but Serge is relatively young. You'll likely die before he does, freeing your daughter that much sooner."

I could see that Moramay did not like Doctor Alexi's words any more than I did. I swallowed past the lump in my throat.

My father, however, nodded as if this was a reasonable consideration.

"How do you know that it would work?" I heard Serge ask flatly. I could not read his tone.

Doctor Alexi looked towards him. "I don't. That's why it would be nice if there was another thrall around to test my theories first."

Serge sounded a bit annoyed and the sound caused the curse to make me flinch. "Then you don't know what might happen."

"That's true. It might make her a thrall to Nick's pack instead or it might not work at all," she agreed.

"Or," Serge continued, "It might make her a thrall to both packs, which would be impossible to manage. Her suffering would double. Where would she go?"

He sounded angry and even though it was on my behalf I shook with the curse.

"Another possible outcome, obviously," Doctor Alexi agreed. "This is why I think you should make a thrall or two out of the enemy forces so that we can test my theories without harming Elise."

They began to argue about Doctor Alexi's suggestion all over again. I barely listened as my mind wound through the possibilities.

I definitely did not want to bear two thrall curses, if such a thing were even possible.

And I considered being a thrall to my father instead of Serge. I would be at home, with my family.

A family I could not bear to look at or speak to normally.

"N-no," I interrupted their discussion. "I-I don't w-want dad to b-bite me anyway. I w-want to stay as S-S..."

"You want to stay with Serge?" Karen asked, sounding slightly surprised.

I nodded. "As h-h-his thrall. Until i-it's gone."

My father looked confused and upset, his brow furrowed. I tried to explain, "I'd rather only see you occasionally than be near you, but never able to look at you or talk to you normally."

I looked as close to Serge as I could without the curse attacking me. I felt terribly guilty that I was arguing against a possible means of his escape from the situation.  "I-I'm s-sorry, but..."

"Don't be sorry. This is my responsibility," he explained in what was probably supposed to be a soothing voice.

And maybe it was, but the prickles continued over my skin with each word.

I looked at my father and I could see that he understood.

"I still could use another thrall. More data," Doctor Alexi said.

"Absolutely not," my father said in a tone that booked no disagreement. I was grateful that he was standing so resolute, because I did not want to see anyone else who did not deserve this under the power of the curse.

She looked irritated. "What do you expect me to do without data, Nick?"

"The best you can," he responded.

Doctor Alexi looked irritated. Everyone was silent for a long moment.

Missus Lindale had been hovering like a hummingbird by the door during the exchange. She took the opportunity to break in. "Anyone need a refill?" she asked brightly through the gloom of the room.

* * * * * * * * *

After Missus Lindale refilled our cups, while everyone seemed to take a moment to breathe and collect themselves. I fiddled with the edges of the envelop in my hands.

Finally, Moramay, who had been listening in quiet attentiveness, spoke. "I heard there was a way to remove the curse, aside from the death of the master, I mean."

Doctor Alexi raised an eyebrow.

My father glanced at her, surprised. "What do you mean?"

She smiled uncertainly. "It's just something I heard from Jake Tiller when I was talking to him a few days ago. I didn't think to mention it before now."

My mind instantly formulated a picture of the skinny old human working in his garden.  Every year he looked older and frailer, but his habits never changed.

She continued. "He mentioned that there was an old story about how a thrall saved his master's life and the curse was broken. He did not remember many of the details, though."

Doctor Alexi looked dismissive. "Everyone's heard that story."

"I'd never heard that," my father said, echoing my own thoughts.

Missus Lindale chirped in, "I'm not surprised, Nick. You and your father were always so busy you scarcely had time to breath, let alone for folklore, no doubt. Let me tell you the tale."

She came and perched on the edge of a chair. Doctor Alexi pinched her lips, but did not argue with the interruption.

Missus Lindale began, "You understand this tale was from a long time ago. I'm not even certain if it originated here or in Europe, but I heard it originally from my own grandfather and even he did not know when or where it happened."

"Go on," my father prodded.

"It came to pass that there was a young man, Helki, who took the life of another man in a moment of rage. His leader punished him for his crime with life as a thrall to his pack. He guiltily served his master in times of peace for many years."

The word years made me shiver with the grim reminder of my possible future.  My throat felt dry.

"Then the time of peace ended and Helki followed his master into battle. Helki was a formidable fighter and even as a thrall he slew many foes to protect his pack and his master."

I wondered if it were Helki's battle prowess that freed him. If that were the case, I was doomed.

"It was in the thick of battle that an enemy overcame his master. Helki threw himself into the path of danger, taking the brunt of the weapon to save the master who had become his true friend. The curse lifted in that moment."

"So, you're saying that Elise needs to save Serge's life to be free for the rest of her life?" my father asked incredulously.

Missus Lindale smiled beatifically. "Well, presumably the rest of her life. Helki died a few days after taking the blow."

"Death is not a solution," my father snapped.

An exasperated look flashed across her face, reminding everyone that she was indeed Doctor Alexi's mother. "Of course not. She only has to be willing to trade her life for his. That sort of self sacrificial bond has a power all its own, I imagine."

"As interesting as this is," Doctor Alexi interrupted in a flat voice that denied her own description, "There's no way to test this. Especially if I don't have more thralls to work with."

"We are not discussing that again," my father growled.

"I can't bring her out to the battlefield in this state, regardless," Serge put in.

My father looked extremely annoyed to be agreeing with Serge. "Elise never had an interest in learning to fight beyond what was required," he added.

I might have had a different view of the matter had I known I would one day be in this situation.

Everyone went quiet again.

* * * * * * * * *

Doctor Alexi was the one that broke the next uncomfortable silence. "I need to talk to Karen and Serge alone, now. Come with me," she ordered in a way that aggravated the bite on my neck.

I felt them move past me. I considered trying to take a peek at their backs as they walked out of the living room, but decided that the curse was already agitated enough with the situation. Just the thought ran more shivers over my skin.

I was left alone with my parents and Missus Lindale, who promptly left the room.

"So, how are you today?" asked Moramay.

"Okay," I said. It was relatively true.

Missus Lindale returned with a plate of cookies and guilted us all into taking a couple each.

I bit into a wolf shaped cookie with its candy decorations and eyed the living room.

I had been here before once or twice and not much had changed.  Time seemed to have forgotten the house from the fake flowers in vases, the myriad of photographs of grandchildren, the framed embroidered flowery cross on the wall above the door, to the clock that chimed different bird sounds on the hour.

I felt so different, but so little seemed to have changed in the world around me. I swallowed hard past the lump in my throat that did not seem related to the curse.

"These are very good, Missus Lindale. The shape is a nice touch." Moramay commented.

"Thank you, dear. I got those cookie cutters from my grandkids." She proceeded to go into a long description of her three beloved granddaughters, Doctor Alexi's nieces.

I knew most of what she was telling Moramay, so my attention wandered to the back bedroom where Doctor Alexi was surely grilling my pack members. I wondered what they were saying. Obviously it involved me, but the specifics were where my interest lay.

Would Doctor Alexi have something more substantial to add than suggesting I take the risk of a double curse?

I could feel the curse rage against the idea of its removal and my real fear intermingled with it.

I sat, nervously clutching my hands while Missus Lindale intermittently forced food on me.  She was exactly like a robin stuffing worms down its chicks throats.

Finally, Serge and Karen returned and my fear rose to the level of sheer panic.

Doctor Alexi had followed them back into the living room.

"Elise. Your turn," she said.

I swallowed hard and forced myself to my feet against the curse's insistence I stay put and cower.

The walk down the hall seemed terribly long.

* * * * * * * * *