I smiled and knew that I would certainly, most definitely be calling him that in the future.
“I know what you’re afraid of,” he said. He caught my arm and kept me standing next to him. I looked up at him. I hated the hunger I saw there.
“And what’s that?”
In a blink of an eye Vance had me pressed against the wall, his body smothering mine. I wanted to bring my arms up and push him away, but his hands them pinned down at the wrist.
“I told you, you will respect me,” his breath was hot and suffocating against my neck.
I wanted to retreat, to pull away, but I was stuck. I turned my head and snapped my teeth at him, warning him to back off.
He knocked his head against mine. My head snapped back into the wall. White blinded my vision.
I felt his lips against my exposed neck, teeth pressed down. My heart stopped.
The range of my anger and fear were at such odds with each other my body felt like lead. Rage won and I pushed against him trying to get him off of me. I couldn’t move him and his hand clutching my wrist. I snarled when he held too tight.
He let his teeth nibble against my neck. My rage melted down to what drove it. Fear. No. Not there. That was for Hunter. For our pairing. I felt sick to my stomach, his touch brought tears to my eyes, and I couldn’t breathe. All I could think of was Hunter. Sorrow stole through me. His face appeared behind my close lids. He lifted away, brushing his nose through my hair to the shell of my ear.
“I fought for you and I intend to keep you.”
With that, Vance left. I held out until he was gone before my knees gave out.
A fear so great pressed on me weighing me down. Markings meant everything to wolves, a mating wasn’t complete without it. If he had bit in, broke the skin and left a mark…I felt bile rise up my throat. I moved to clutch my stomach and felt the book instead.
I breathed through my nose and stood up straight. I walked to my room on shaky legs. I had to figure this out. I had to know what Aradia was up to before I was trapped.
I shut the door behind me and wished for once that it locked on the inside and not the out. I climbed into the bed and wished for a familiar scent that would give me comfort. Instead it was the scent of the house. A hint of ocean and an overpowering scent of lavender. I craved the woods. I shut my eyes. No, I craved him. Pine needles and sandalwood.
I pulled out Emery’s diary. I needed something, anything to keep my mind off of what had happened in the hallway. Off of him.
Aradia’s plan is a foolish one, but I have to hope that it will save our kind. The babe in my womb depends on her. Aradia’s own daughter is only five. Her daughter – Ari, was the reason she turned to such dark magic. We have discovered that with those spells, the stronger blood used, the stronger the spell. I fear the consequences of her actions, for us and for the future generations of our coven.
Aradia has her prize. The spell requires the blood of the strongest creature we could find. The blood of a were. An Alpha were. We have caught him and she plans to drain him and use it as part of the spell. In order for werewolves to be able to mate with a witch, or even a human, they need to be broken free of their own line. I have gathered all the supplies as Aradia asked of me.
We were going to twist the Goddess’s wishes and warp her gift to the wolves. The prospect leaves me nauseous. Tonight begins the curse.
I stopped reading. The fact that this Emery girl I had been reading about was willing to go through with the evil spell showed me that she was scared for her life. When backed into a corner, people act much as an animal would. Aradia, from the diary, was from my mother’s lineage.
Emery was honestly worried about the spell they were about to perform. I turned the page where I expected it to give details about the spell that they were about to do. There were the ingredients. Next to ‘werewolf Alpha blood’ was a question mark. I felt the fear in my gut expand. I knew that turning the page would not end well. From history alone, I knew the spell didn’t work, but I was scared to find out why. Emery at the bottom of the page explained how the spell should be performed. How it should work. They wanted to make wolves submissive to witches. To be their mates. I read the words over and over again and yet they didn’t quite seem to fit.
Emery mentioned in the spell explanation that if witches could gain weres as their mates that they would be able to use weres as their personal body guards. Another word for slaves. Emery mentioned her worry of Aradia’s intentions but continued on.
I turned the page.
I fear for our kind. We have done the unthinkable and the wolves have attacked. The spell we thought would work failed. Aradia is taking out Coven to the West, it is our only option now. She will not give up though. I see the hunger in her eyes and I see the blood magic destroying her already. Her sweet child has already started the change as well. Her magic is different. She was always powerful, and even now, at the tender age of 10, she is showing something darker. I believe that her mother’s decision to use such powerful blood magic will taint their line for many generations to come.
Aradia is now power hungry. The wolves may have made it through this, but I fear for their future as well. Aradia will not stop.
I flipped through some more of the pages but most of them spoke of Emery and her life after the Salem Witch Trials started to dissipate. Their lives were changing. Emery and her husband, who she never named, had a new life with their first and only child, Emery.
I set the book down. It would still be helpful because of the other spells, but for right now my head was pounding. I was of that line. And who knew what crazy ideas had been passed from daughter to daughter.
I looked at my hands and wondered if my magic was tainted. Was I tainted because of a decision my ancestor had made? I was sure I could never fully hate my magic anymore because over the past few weeks it had become one with me and my wolf. But I hated that it could have been from the same line that would try to enslave the wolves.
At least I knew what was going on. There were many things I had to do before the next full moon.
****
At dinner Aradia had Vance joined us and I nervous. Could play the part I needed to? Not after all I had learned, and what he had done to me. My hand twitched as if wanting to move to cover my neck from his view. He thankfully sat on the other side of the table. Jackson was quiet and reserved as usual. Aradia ate her food precisely. I watched her.
“If there is something you wish to ask me, Colette, then ask.”
Aradia didn’t even peek at me from her spot at the front of the table. I didn’t mince words.
“I want to know about your lineage.”
At my words even Jackson stopped eating and looked up. He stared at me, then stared at his wife. Vance didn’t take his eyes off me the entire night and I hated how he was looking at me. In his mind, I was sure that I was already his to claim. Only I would never belong to him. I would never be his mate. There was only one being out there for me. No other wolf, human, or warlock could ever make me forget him. At the thought of him, his yellow eyes flashed in my mind. There was anger there, and… hatred towards me?
“Our lineage, dear,” she answered sounding slightly miffed. She set her fork down and looked at me. “We come from a very powerful line. My great-great-grandmother was one of the witches who survived the Salem Witch Trials. She saved many witch’s lives. My mother was named after her as the first born, and as I was the first born, so I was named after her as well. If your ungrateful father hadn’t stolen you away, you would have been named Aradia as well. It’s a tradition among us witches, though you seemed attached to your name. No matter.”
“Do Coven Leaders always stay the same?” I asked, I could see the hint of curiosity and what almost looked like excitement light Aradia’s eyes.
“They can change, but Coven Leaders are the most powerful. Their powers are always strengthened. Now we don’t know if this is the case with you, Colette. You, my dear, are only a half breed. But
that makes you special on a different level. Both a witch, and a werewolf, you are a rare breed indeed. A powerful breed. Possibly the most powerful.”
I didn’t say anything to that. What was I supposed to say? Thanks for letting me know I could be more powerful then I even realized. I didn’t want that responsibility. I did notice she reminded me that I was nothing compared to her. My eyes glanced over to Vance. It clicked for me then.
She had set up this up as a challenge for me dealing with male wolves. Aradia might claim that she wanted a strong male to protect me, but what she wanted was a wolf that would make me submit. She wanted a wolf that could control me. I think she was scared that one day she wouldn’t be able to control the witch part of me. I looked back over at her. Her “half breed” comment made sense now. She wanted me beneath her always. Submissive.
Dinner finished and Vance started to stand. I practically tried to run from the table. Aradia made a motion with her hand, and Vance sat back down. I watched closely. He shouldn’t respond to her like that. While she was the Alpha’s wife, she still wasn’t the Alpha. I didn’t understand why he would listen to her. I looked over at Jackson, he sat rigid as he did every night.
“Come, love.”
Aradia grabbed my elbow and took me upstairs. She was quiet until we reached my doorway. I hated that I now thought of it as that. As mine.
“You seem interested in learning more about our past. That is good. One day you will play a very important role in our new world. I need to know your loyalties lie with the right side.”
Aradia stroked my hair as she looked over top my head.
“One day you will understand.”
Aradia left after that. She almost sounded mournful when she said it. I watched as she walked away. I knew that she was warning me about something. In her own strange way, she had shown me compassion, in that moment. For a second, when she looked at me, warmth filled her eyes. I swallowed hard. I needed to finish Emery’s diary.
There was more to this story than I realized.
Chapter 27 — The Key
Twenty years have passed since the original spell. I had hoped in the years that followed that Aradia would change her ways. That the blood magic she had conjured would not corrupt her. I have noticed changes in her. Once, I was her second in command. I was her advisor. But with the passing of her husband, a powerful and loving warlock, she has committed herself completely to the spell.
I fear for my friend, she is losing herself to the dark magic she has committed herself to. My sweet child, I write this diary for you now. I believe it is our line’s duty to protect our future. The Goddess I hope will forgive us for the sins that Aradia has brought upon us. Her need for power is only growing, and I fear she is teaching little Ari the same principles. I hope that I teach you and direct you correctly so that if the time comes you can lead our coven back to the white magic. I hope that Aradia never finds out the key to the spell.
Dear Emery, my sweet child. Less than five years have passed, you have grown so much. And you have such a long life ahead of you. I have come to the realization that, I will not survive much longer. Aradia has thrown caution to the wind to perform her black magic. She is converting other witches and warlocks in our Coven to her ways. There are those of us who remain faithful to our Goddess. She gave us greater power, and she gave us an amount we could safely use. Adding blood will taint and destroy our kind.
But there is not enough time to explain everything. I have no time to digress, my darling.
You see, I have decided that Aradia must be stopped. I am not strong enough to stop her and survive, and Ari has enough power now to take control when her mother’s gone. My only hope is to die and end her mother’s corruption. But is it too late for daughter as well?
Only time will tell.
Emery, my child, please steer your friend in the right direction, do not let her follow in her mother’s footsteps. The hope of our Coven and the peace between our races does not lie with the Aradia line. They will destroy us.
Keep my love for you close, and the love for the Goddess closer. Emmie, may you and your future children live in a better world. I hope that I have not waited too long to try and save our races. Keep these spells safe, and keep your own diary. My daughter, history is fickle, it is biased. Please be safe. All my love.
There is one last thing I must confess to before I go my child. I fear I have done the worst. I was the witch who counteracted the spell. I did all that I could. In the end, I could only replace the mate in the spell over the wolves. I feel the guilt and shame of our accursed bloodline. The Goddess must know I did what I did to save her beautiful creations, but I fear we will always be a slave to the Aradia line. She will find out my betrayal eventually, and I fear she will make my children suffer if I fail to kill her.
My dearest one, I believe I have made the right choice. I pray to the Goddess every night she will have mercy on our line.
~Emery Winchester Lam
I stayed up all night re-reading her last entries. My heart stunk in my chest. This Emery had tried to stop my ancestor. Aradia – the one she went to kill, at that time already had a daughter, who I was assuming was my grandmother? Our line was yet unbroken, and the darkness in it was real. I didn’t trust Aria, my mother. I couldn’t. I also knew there had to be another diary in that library and I would have to find the next of Emery’s diaries.
Sitting on the bed looking out the window had me jittery. What was this key to the spell? The answers were waiting for me in that library. But was Aria was aware of them as well? Spells Emery had pleaded her daughter keep secret and safe were ripped out of the back of the book. Had to be one my ancestors work, if not my mother. At least the text describing the spells was still there. I hoped it would be the same for the other diary. I had to go back to the library and hope to find the second volume.
I slipped from under my covers and tip-toed to the door. I listened carefully. When the house appeared to be asleep, I slipped out the door.
I moved through the house as quietly as I could. To get to the library I knew I would have to head to the other wing of the house. I took the round-about way most of the time, to make it seem like I was just wandering. I rarely ran into anyone, but I didn’t know for sure if Aradia had someone following me.
The house seemed so different this time of the night. Each sound was like thunder. I tried not to flinch every when wood creaked beneath my feet.
I stopped. There was an unnatural creak down the hall. I steadied my breathing and waited. I closed my eyes and listened as carefully as I could. When there was nothing else I moved forward again.
I passed one of the many windows in the house. The sky was sparking with stars, and an almost full moon. The sight brought upon longing and fear. I longed for the nights I spent with Hunter walking through the forest. The next full moon held only fear. I moved forward knowing that I had to find out what was happening.
I made my way into the library heading straight to the back where I had found the first diary. The spacious room was silent, and had a familiar scent that calmed me. I walked down the shelves to the back. I started my search, I didn’t remember exactly where I found the book.
I had been searching for a little while when I heard the murmuring of voices. I crept forward and strained to hear what they were saying.
“I know she is the key. I have to find out what that little bitch did with the spell though,” Aradia said. I moved a little closer and peeked between the books to see her pacing at one of the shelves. In her hands she had a small book that looked like the twin of the one in my room. I looked back up at her. Her brow was pinched and she kept pacing.
“Jackson!”
He came when she called, his face blank. His lips were lax, his eyes straight forward as if he wasn’t really looking at anything.
“There you are. You and that other wolf are practically useless. She is getting stronger and I need a way to control her. Both sides of her. Come along.”
&
nbsp; Aradia strode out with the diary clutched in her hands, an Alpha wolf at her heels, and all my questions unanswered. I waited a little longer until the creaks of the floors all hushed, and the pounding in my heart retreated. I sat down, my back against the shelves behind me.
Who was the key? Emery’s diary had mentioned something about a key. There was only one person I could think of that she meant when she said, both sides. It had to be me, there was no other being out there like me. After all, why else should she have had me with my father? My breath caught. Was I the key that would complete this spell?
I blindly made it back to my room knowing that there was only one way that I would get the information I needed. I had to get my hands on that other diary. Helplessness rushed through me. I had to hold onto something, anything.
I grabbed the diary and held it close. I needed sleep. The pounding behind my eyes had become unbearable. Blood was rushing through my ears. I couldn’t stop thinking about her words.
I was the key. My blood would be the blood needed for the spell. The life-source inside of me would destroy and control those I loved. Those I wanted to protect. Emery said she would stop Aradia because it was the right thing to do. As I held her diary, I hoped that I would be able to do the same thing.
But I had to act fast.
****
The next morning I read every spell in the book, none were helpful to my cause. It came right back to finding the missing spells and the other diary. I had to find where Aradia took the other diary. The full moon was getting closer. Aradia said I would be mated by then, but I think I was supposed to be under her control as well.
It made sense why we trained and why she held me back. She was trying to see if she could control me. To see if she could control and manipulate my powers. I took a deep breath in. I would have to search her room.
I only had to figure out how to get inside.
Hexed Hearts Page 31