by Martha Woods
“Mariana. My mother’s name is Beatrix, and sister’s name—”
“Wilhelmina. Got it,” Tessa nodded to him. A slow smirk pulled onto Benjamin’s lips at Tessa remembering his sister’s name. She closed her eyes and then thought to Edna, “Mariana, and his mother is Beatrix. The only sister he has is the young Wilhelmina.”
“Very good… Now, ask him what it was that I said to Mariana when I left the clan.”
Tessa sighed outwardly. Oh, she was already tiring of this game of telephone. “What did Edna tell Mariana when she left the clan?”
From the look on Benjamin’s face, Tessa could tell that he was caught off guard by the question. He looked into the distance then, his eyes narrowing as he dug through his own memories to hopefully find the words his grandmother had bound to utter to him at some point in his life. A moment of panic flashed across his face, coming up empty in his search through his memories. “I-I… I don’t remember what she said exactly…”
“I’m waiting, child,” Edna pressed.
“Benjamin…” Tessa mumbled. She hated to rush him when he was trying to remember something that was perhaps told to him ages ago, but she couldn’t help it. Edna could think that Tessa was trying to play a trick on her or something, and block Tessa from her thoughts.
Then, he snapped his fingers together. “Right. She said something like… You’ll see me eat the tail of a skunk before you see me remain in a clan that cares more about being the most ruthless than it does its fellow sisters.”
Tessa quickly repeatedly his words mentally to Edna, making sure to get it word for word. She chewed her lip, locking into eye contact with Benjamin as she waited for Edna’s response, silently praying that Benjamin had thought of the correct saying that Edna was asking for. He then reached for her, his pale hand brushing against her bicep. A tension rose from behind her. Tessa glanced over to see Kristian glaring at Benjamin with an icy stare. Amusement sparked in Benjamin’s aura and Tessa couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Of course he was just trying to rile a reaction out of Kristian. She cleared her throat and looked back down to the bowl, watching the ripples continue to move in their mesmerizing pattern.
Finally, Edna spoke again. “Very well. Meet me at the aquarium on the Virginia coast, two days from now, at noon.”
Her face pulled into a puzzled expression. What a peculiar location to want to meet… But, Tessa figured the witch was picking a public destination that wasn’t too far from her home, but far enough to keep her home hidden. “Thank you, Edna. I appreciate it more than I can express.”
“Just don’t be late. I will not meet with you again.”
Tessa exhaled a breath she hadn’t been aware she had been holding in. “She’s going to meet with us,” she announced before excitedly running over to Kristian and hugging him tightly, but trying to remain mindful of his fragile body.
His arms enclosed around her while a long, sweet kiss pressed to the side of her neck. “Thank god,” he murmured.
“I think what you mean is thank Benjamin,” Ben called from the table.
Kristian pulled back from the hug and tucked Tessa under his arm before looking over to Benjamin, “I’m not thanking you until this is all over.”
Benjamin’s smug face fell flat, as though he was just realizing that his portion of the process was far from done.
Part Two
Tessa couldn’t hold Kristian’s hand in fear that she would crush it from her nerves getting the best of her. Kristian’s arm was locked around her waist as they made their way into the aquarium with Benjamin, Morgan, Charley, and a vampire named Cody. Calla had once again sacrificed some of her blood for the two vampires to go out in daylight. The group had traveled at night, and it was only then did they need to even drink the flasks of blood they kept stashed away in their pockets. Morgan had opted to come over for Veronica, since she was likely to get emotional and irrational if something were to seem even a little off. It was a decision she had made herself, and Tessa respected that Veronica had been honest with herself about it.
As they walked through the halls of the aquarium, the two vampires and demon stayed back a good distance, wanting to stay inconspicuous, but be nearby incase the witch tried to cross them. The creatures of the sea went unnoticed to her as they marched through the corridors, looking for Edna. Even though Tessa had never met her, she knew that she wouldn’t be too hard to spot. The Calder had a very distinct look to them. The taste of her own blood hit her tongue from chewing on the sides of her cheeks. There were so many factors of this situation that were making her insanely nervous. First and foremost, it was a Calder witch. Tessa had been nothing but hurt and tricked by the Calder. Benjamin was a gray area for her, however. She was using that small amount of trust she had in him to believe that this witch wasn’t going to bring them harm. Then there was the fact that Edna could flip out once she found out who it was she was meeting exactly. Tessa. The hybrid witch whose very existence had caused more havoc than perhaps anyone in the history of both clans she belonged to. Not to mention had just been directly involved with the slaughtering of the Calder council—some of which Tessa was sure Edna would still consider friends.
Or what if this witch would laugh in their faces that Tessa wanted to be turned human to have a child? What if she couldn’t do it, and this was a wasted trip? This could have been time that Kristian used to make the painful transition. If Tessa had the ability to be nauseous, she was certain that she would from how wound up her nerves were. Her arms stayed crossed firmly against her chest, needing to hold to something so that she didn’t fall into shambles. They headed down a new hallway that Tessa couldn’t help but to look at the exhibit. The path was a glass tube through the center of a shark tank. Deep sea blue surrounded them on all sides, sending beams of reflected light over them. Sand tiger, sandbar, and hammerhead sharks populated the tank along with various kinds of fish. Tessa walked along, mesmerized by it all, her stress and anxiety slipping for the moment as she watched the majestic creatures swim through the currents. Cold blooded creatures, just like her.
When her eyes fell back onto the path in front of her, she paused instantly. Sitting on a bench at the very end of the tunnel was a woman with stark white hair, thinned from old age, but still thick enough to make one braid crowning her head. There was no doubt in Tessa’s mind who it was. As she began to walk forward, however, Benjamin stuck an arm out in front of Tessa. Looking up to him, Benjamin held a finger up, asking her to wait a minute. He then walked ahead on his own. Benjamin stood behind the woman, reaching down and placing a hand gently on her shoulder. Her face turned and peered up at him, a smile stretching ear to ear. Even at a distance, Tessa could see the deep wrinkles around her mouth and neck that Benjamin had mentioned before. He then helped the woman stand, embracing her carefully.
The two of them exchanged words for a couple of minutes, more than likely catching up. The last time Edna had seen Benjamin was when he was a little boy, and there was no doubt some catching up to do. Finally, Benjamin stood straight and looked over to Tessa, beckoning her closer. Swallowing hard, Tessa moved with Kristian toward them. The woman wore such a kind smile on her face. Tessa could tell she was wearing a small amount of lipstick to give her white lips some color. She had to have been the oldest witch that Tessa had ever laid eyes on. From a human’s perspective, they would have been surprised that the woman was still able to walk around on her own. “Edna, this is the hybrid witch you spoke with. Her name is Tessa.”
Edna’s cloudy blue eyes searched Tessa’s face, narrowing her gaze as she stepped closer to get a better look at her. She reached for Tessa’s cheeks then, pulling her head down to examine her closely. Edna’s brows were so fair that they were practically nonexistent, but scrunched together nonetheless. “Your name isn’t Tessa… it’s Theresa…” she breathed. She pulled away from Tessa rapidly, as though the realization had physically burned her. Her eyes found Benjamin, “What kind of games are you all playing on me? I’m not loo
king to get involved with the chaos in which the Calder has recreated. This girl will—”
“Edna, please, calm yourself,” Benjamin tried to soothe, placing his large hands on her shoulders. “This woman means you absolutely no harm, and she isn’t looking for you to get involved with that. This is a… personal request.”
Tessa couldn’t believe that Benjamin was helping her so much. He had been so displeased with the entire idea, she didn’t think he would do anything but the bare minimum they asked of him. Edna hesitantly looked back over to Tessa, a leery expression setting into her deeply wrinkled face. “Very well… I will hear you out, but that is all I will promise. Come, sit with me,” Edna said evenly, pacing back to the bench and sitting down.
Stepping away from Kristian, Tessa looked back at him, trying to silently tell him to let her do this alone. She didn’t want Edna feeling as though they were ganging up on her. Kristian seemed to take the signal, and stepped back with Benjamin. Tessa sat with the old woman, following her line of sight to the sharks. The sound of the guys’ footsteps slowly faded into the background, and they were encapsulated by the sound of slow moving water; which Tessa was almost positive was being played on a CD somewhere. Tessa cleared her throat and looked to Edna, “Thank you so much for even just talking to me. I’m sorry I hid my identity, but I feared that you wouldn’t meet with me if you knew.”
“It was smart of you, because I wouldn’t have,” Edna bluntly stated. “But, since we are already here, I might as well hear you out. Tell me, child, what is it that you’re wanting?”
“You may call me a fool for it…”
“I already think you a fool, child. You came here for a reason, so don’t waste your chance.”
Tessa sucked in a deep breath and nodded. “Bethany turned my boyfriend, Kristian, human. He had been vampire… I was wondering if you would be able to do the same thing, but to me.”
“Why do you want such a thing?” the witch asked. “The gift of immortality is actually a blessing for someone in such dangerous conditions as you.”
“Kristian and I want to have a baby,” Tessa admitted, knowing that if the witch suspected her to be lying, she could just poke around in her head. “Since he is already human… We figured this would be the best window of opportunity we would have.”
Edna studied Tessa so long that she began to squirm. Why was she watching her so intensely? “I suppose it isn’t my place in the world to be the one to give you life advice. About how ill thought out this is… But, I understand the urgency, and who am I to squander someone else’s happiness? For the proper price, along with assistance with getting resources that I need… I will be willing to help you.”
Tessa’s eyes glimmered with shock and amazement. Edna was really going to help them? And so easily? She had expected some sort of debate or argument to spark over it, but there was none. Tessa did suppose that the woman was beyond elderly and was trying to survive in the human world on her own, so money was vital for her survival—and didn’t see the harm in performing a spell for it. Words caught in Tessa’s throat, getting tongue-tied over how touched she was that Edna was so willing to help them. The idea of having a child was still new to Tessa, and still scary, but she was just excited to even have the opportunity. She knew that people always said not to have a child to “save a relationship”, but this was much more than that. “Thank you, Edna… I don’t know how to—”
“Don’t go thanking me just yet, dearie,” Edna cut her off. “While I can’t tell you what to do, and am willing to do the spell for you… I do have some advice and suggestions I want you to seriously take into consideration. Alright?”
She nodded eagerly in response, “I’m all ears.”
“I know you know this, but I feel the need to reiterate it… You are trying to have a child in the most dangerous circumstances I could possibly think of, other than giving birth in the middle of an actual battleground. So, I think there are some things you could do to make this safer for the baby, as well as yourself.” Edna glanced over to Tessa, waiting for Tessa to nod in understanding before continuing. “You should use a surrogate mother. By this, I’m saying we turn you human, harvest some of your eggs, and implant them in another woman. This way you can turn back into a vampire immediately, to help lessen the chances of you dying. As well as, of course, the child being separate from you and can be kept out of the way of danger. If you were to get a surrogate mother, she would have to be a witch of some kind—since you are, after all, a witch and the child would be as well. Witch pregnancies are shorter, more intense, and would potentially kill a mortal as well as the child.”
Edna had certainly thrown a lot at her all at once. Blinking rapidly, Tessa tried to sort out all that she had just said, along with her emotions attached to each suggestion. A surrogate… Admittedly, it felt strange to think of being able to physically have a child, but instead giving that burden to someone else. Not to mention it had to be a witch surrogate, and they were only close to one witch. Asking Calla to be the surrogate? God, Jared might put them through a wall for even asking. After all, how fair would it be for her to ask Calla to carry her child, when Jared and Calla couldn’t have children either? Tessa sucked in a deep breath, trying not to freak out about that aspect. There was nothing saying that it was something they had to do, but Edna certainly made some good points. Perhaps if Tessa spent some time with Calla, and genuinely repaired their relationship, then maybe she would be willing… At the same time, Tessa didn’t want it to seem like the only reason she was rebuilding things with Calla was so that she could ask for a favor… Why did it all have to be so complicated? Tessa shook her head, doing her best to rattle the thoughts loose in her head. Her eyes finally returned to Edna, “So what all do you need to do the spell that you need help with?”
“I need only one thing, and it’s a big task. Perhaps Benjamin could assist you with it since he helped you find me.”
“Well, what is it?” Tessa questioned, her brows knitting together.
“I need a helper. A Calder helper, to be exact. And no lowly witch will do. It would have to be someone with a bit of status. Perhaps a councilwoman’s daughter or niece. Some witches scattered after that stunt the vampires and Firehaven pulled at the compound, so it shouldn’t be that hard to find one. The tricky part will be convincing them to help with such a task.”
Tessa internally groaned. Such a task felt impossible! They had truly lucked out with finding Edna, so they were meant to roll the dice again and hope to find another willing to help? She supposed that if they were serious about having a child, then they would have to do anything they had to, to make it happen. In a way, it was them proving just how much they wanted one and how much they were willing to do for the unborn child. “Alright. I’ll speak to Benjamin and see what we can do,” Tessa murmured. “Let me go talk to Kristian about all we discussed and get his input. Thank you again, Edna.”
“You’re welcome, child,” Edna simpered. “It is also very important for you to know that this gift doesn’t come without its trials.”
“What do you mean?” she questioned, brows knitting together.
“Like all things in the world, there is a price to pay for this. With dark magic such as what the Calder use, it is a curse. Now, you won’t be troubled much with it, since you’ll be returning to a vampire state shortly after. However, it does carry on with your DNA. So the child will be affected as well. As well as their children, and so on. Like a family curse.”
Concern sparked in Tessa’s chest, “What is the curse?” she questioned.
“With this particular spell dealing with starting your heart again, it actually weakens your heart. Quite a bit, sadly. Not to the point of being debilitating, but to where you’ll have to be very cautious with the child. They will probably not be able to play sports or anything too physically demanding, without being monitored very closely. Nor can they get excited too much. Things of that nature. They’ll have a weak heart just like you.”
; Tessa fell silent. Was it selfish of them to bring a child into the world, when they wouldn’t be able to live their life to its fullest? She debated it for a while mentally, wishing there was a clear answer to it. The best she settled on, was at least they would be overall healthy, and wouldn’t be disabled by it. They would just have to watch the child closely and be protective, which she was sure would happen. For the time being, she would agree to it, that way she could speak to Kristian about it later on. She nodded, “Thank you for warning me. I think we will proceed, anyways.”
“Very well, child. I respect your decision,” Edna replied before her attention turned back to the sharks. Her cloudy eyes were instantly entranced by the sight of them, reminding Tessa of a child seeing them for the first time. It caused a small smile to pull to her own lips, admiring how a witch as old as Edna could still find a childlike joy in the wonders of the world. Then, as though a lightbulb had sparked in her head, Edna returned her attention back to Tessa, gripping her hand.
Standing from the bench, she headed back down the corridor, beelining for Kristian—whose attention was already centered on her. Tessa did her best to compose her thoughts before approaching him, knowing there was a lot to tell him, and didn’t want to get it wrong and him be upset by anything Edna had said. His armed snaked around her as soon as she was in his reach, and his emerald hues burned down into hers.
Then, calmly and evenly, Tessa repeated everything that Edna had said. Kristian’s face flashed from looks of frustration, to stress, and then acceptance. She knew that he wanted to fight with the decision to have a surrogate, wanting Tessa to be the one to have their child, but that fight was crushed by the sentiment of what was best for the baby. One arm unraveled from her and he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Right… Okay. We’ll have Charley stay with Edna, keep an eye on her in case she tries to double-cross us. Then we’ll send Benjamin and the other two, to hunt down another witch. We’ll have our hands full with Jared and Calla… We’ll.. we’ll have to discuss this curse thing later. We need to get the ball rolling.” He then lifted his head and turned to the crowd of beings they brought with them, waving two fingers to motion for them to come over. Tessa leaned into Kristian’s chest, taking some soothing breaths. She knew that the chaos of this process was only beginning.