by Martha Woods
“You don’t have anything to be sorry for,” Calla reassured her. “Don’t forget that everyone is being a little selfish in all this. It’s not like their entire world is revolving around you just because they care about your well-being. The vampires and the witches alike don’t want you falling into the Calders’ hands because they know it may very well be the end of them all if you do. Don’t feel like a burden, Tess. You’re more of a liability; one that they care about as much as you do.”
Though it was never fun to hear yourself labeled as a liability, Calla was right, and her words actually did make her feel better. It was hard for Tessa to remember that all of this wasn’t just for her benefit. “Don’t pay Veronica any mind, either,” Jared chimed in, surprising both Tessa and Calla. “Kristian is her brother as well as her creator. They share a bond that’s like the one you and Kristian hold. Instead of romance, there is brotherly and sisterly love. Anything putting him specifically at risk will provoke an insane reaction from her. It’s a million times worse now that she’s in charge of the family as well. Give it time, and things will hopefully level back out.”
Tessa was completely taken back by the kindness of the two of them. Out of everyone, they had the right to hate Tessa the most. Yet they didn’t. No matter how much Kristian and Tessa asked of them, they still greeted her with kindness when she was in distress. “You guys are so underappreciated,” she let out in a breath without thinking. “Thank you both. I know that things haven’t been at all ideal for the two of you…”
“I care about this family as though they are all blood to me. You’re a part of that now. While we might have a bit of a rocky past, it doesn’t mean I want you treated poorly. I don’t want that for anyone,” Jared clarified. Even though his words held so much meaning and sentiment, his voice was very even and matter-of-fact. Tessa would have thought he was being sarcastic with her if she didn’t know that was just how Jared was. Other than with Calla, of course.
“That means a lot to me… Thank you, Jared,” Tessa spoke to him.
He nodded and looped his arm around Calla. Tessa relaxed in her chair and rubbed her forehead. A comfortable silence filled the room. It was a short and to the point conversation, but it felt needed. It soothed all the worries Veronica had provoked in her, and opened her eyes to how kind and thoughtful those around her were. Calla opened a book she had in her lap, and the two of them looked down at it. They were reading a novel together? Well, that was cute. Tessa sat and watched them idly with admiration as she slowly simmered down from the interaction with Veronica. She wasn’t really prepared to find out whatever Kristian and Veronica were talking about outside, but she knew she would have to suck it up and get through it. Taking long, calming breaths, she waited patiently for Kristian to return.
* * *
Kristian and Veronica ended up talking for a couple of hours outside, having a pure heart to heart. By the time Kristian returned, the elders were already starting Tessa’s lesson for the night. He didn’t disturb them and retired to his and Tessa’s bedroom. After several hours of lessons and practice, Tessa was finally able to retreat to bed. As she made her way up the stairs and down the hall, Tessa found herself taking more calming breaths. She knew that once she walked into the room, eventually, they were going to get onto the topic of Veronica. Maybe she could avoid it for the night. Tessa wasn’t dull, she knew she couldn’t hide from it forever. However, she was tired and really didn’t want to delve into it anymore for the day. She had tortured herself all night with thoughts of what the conversation could have been like between the two of them. There was something about the entire situation that Tessa couldn’t shake. It was driving her mad.
She paused at the door, contemplating whether or not to use her ability to read minds to see what Kristian was thinking about. It would be nice to have a heads up to what she was about to walk into. At the same time, however, she didn’t want to betray his trust. For the first several months of their relationship, she had a cheat sheet to exactly what he was thinking and feeling. It wasn’t fair to him. He deserved to have his own private thoughts and emotions, and she wanted them to have a normal relationship with normal communication.
Finding the strength not to use it, Tessa pushed open the door and stepped inside. Kristian was already laying in bed, but he was on top of the covers with his fingers laced together over his ribs and eyes fixated on the ceiling. What could that body language mean? Could he be upset with her about anything? Tessa realized at that moment that she never had to pay attention to body language before. Having a direct line to peoples’ thoughts completely negated the purpose of observing such a thing. As she began to disrobe at the dresser, she could feel his eyes on her from behind. Tessa slid one of her pajama shirts on and headed over to the bed with his eyes on the ground. When her body met the surface of the bed, Kristian’s arm was over her and pulling her closer to himself. “How was your lesson?” he asked softly.
“It was good,” Tessa replied simply, starting to chew on the side of her cheek nervously. It had only been a few days since she completely mastered how to block out thoughts. It was becoming more and more apparent that without her ability to read minds, Tessa was extremely self-conscious. Self-esteem had never been a worry of hers at all, knowing everyone’s honest opinion of her. Of course, Tessa didn’t think that Kristian suddenly despised her, but not knowing how he felt was unnerving her.
“Is everything alright?” Kristian asked, propping up on his side.
“Yeah, I’m just tired,” Tessa mumbled, turning her cheek to her pillow.
“Ah,” Kristian muttered. His hand grazed up and down her side as he spooned her from behind. After a few long moments, Kristian gingerly began, “So, when Veronica and I were talking, we got on the—”
Tessa quickly interrupted him, “Can we talk about it tomorrow? I just want to get to sleep…”
Kristian deflated a little and nodded. He laid back down and rolled onto his other side. Tessa let out a heavy sigh, relieved that he hadn’t persisted. While it should have comforted her that he was touching her and talking to her kindly, Tessa’s worrisome brain didn’t ease at all. They had been so good for so long, she was afraid that a fight over his sister would make them crumble. While they had been together for months, their love was still new it felt. It made her stomach churn with worry. Tessa felt the blankets move as he finally got underneath them.
Tessa quickly discovered she was restless. Her mind wouldn’t stop wrestling with the possibilities of what had happened in their conversation. She had no reason to worry, but there was a feeling in her gut that she simply couldn’t shake. Tessa wondered if it was her just being paranoid, or if it was because there was actually a reason to worry. The elders had to explain to her that when you got into higher levels of magic, one of the first ability many witches obtained naturally, was the gift of premonitions. What if this was the first inkling of that gift?
She had to be overthinking it, so it was silly for her to harbor on it so much. Even though she was aware of that, she laid awake all day, combatting every thought that entered her mind surrounding the issue. By the time the sun started to fall, Tessa had risen from bed and showered. When she emerged from the bathroom, fully dressed but still towel drying her hair, Kristian was sitting up on the edge of the bed rubbing his eyes. He glanced up to her and a deep frown set in his face. “You showered without me?”
They always showered together, but Tessa had wanted the solitude that morning. “Sorry, I was feeling a little gross and didn’t want to wake you up,” she lied.
“Why were you feeling gross?” Kristian questioned, his brows knitting together.
Tessa chewed her lip, not having anticipated him asking a question like that. It was understandable, though. It wasn’t like they could sweat, and they hadn’t had sex that day so she couldn’t be uncomfortable in that way. “We did potions last night, and I had gotten some stuff in my hair,” she lied, yet again.
You’re the one creating pro
blems, you half-wit. Tessa shook the thought off. She couldn’t help it. It wasn’t like it was any more comfortable to tell him she had laid awake all night worried about what he talked about with his sister, and that she needed time to herself, than it was to lie. “Are you sure you’re feeling okay? You seem off…” Kristian asked her gently, rising from the bed and began pacing over to her.
“I’m fine. I didn’t sleep well is all,” Tessa grumbled.
“You were acting weird when you came in last night, though,” Kristian challenged.
“I was tired then.”
Kristian cocked a brow, the skepticism clear on his face. She was making excuses for anything. Yet, he didn’t badger her on it. Instead, he remained silent and continued to observe her. “Alright,” was his only response to what she said on the matter. Kristian started to redirect the conversation, “So can we talk about—”
“Sorry, we just lost a lot of time yesterday with everything that went on. I need to get to studying now,” Tessa quickly spat out, beelining for the door.
“Come on, Tess,” Kristian sighed, trying his best not to get frustrated with her.
“I’m sorry. We can talk later,” Tessa promised before stepping out the door.
“Don’t forget to—”
The door closed behind her. Tessa hurried downstairs, wanting to find one of the elders to ask about the possibility of it being a premonition. If it was, then why was it such an overwhelming worry? Did that mean it was bad? Walking into the kitchen, she was relieved to see that Marjorie was already up, fixing a pot of tea. Her pale blue eyes shifted over to Tessa. She looked as though she was about to smile before her thin lips pulled into a straight line. “What’s eating at you, dear?” she spoke.
She wasn’t sure if it was written on her face, or if it was Marjorie extraordinary magic that gave Tessa away. Marjorie poured them each a cup of tea and moved over to the dining table. Tessa moved to join her, adding some honey to her tea to give her something to fidget with. “I was wondering if you could tell me more about the gift of premonitions. When a witch starts to get them… how do they first present themselves?”
Marjorie scanned over her, studying her as though the reason she was asking such a thing would be obvious. “Well, it’s different for certain witches. Some start to have them as dreams, others get little snippets of a vision when they zone out. In some cases, it has hit the witch full force, suddenly having the ability to see into the future and call it at will.”
“What about… intuition?” Tessa asked, having to think of a word to call it. “Like a feeling in the pit of your stomach. One that won’t go away even though it has no reason at all to be there.”
“Hmm…” Marjorie sounded as the pondered over Tessa’s words, slowly stirring her tea. “I think I’ve heard of a couple of witches say they had something like that right before getting the gift. All of us may get it but never quite pick up on it being a symptom of premonitions,” she explained. “Do you have a feeling you can’t shake, my dear?”
Tessa nibbled her lip, her eyes shuffling around the room to look for any sign of Kristian. She hadn’t heard anyone come down the stairs, so he was probably still in bed. “I do… For some reason my mind just won’t let me talk to Kristian about Veronica. The very thought of having the conversation fills me with anxiety and worry. I shouldn’t be that concerned, though. I know he loves me, and he’s been calm toward me. He doesn’t seem upset by anything but the fact I’m acting weird.”
“It sounds like it could be very possible that it is the beginning stages of you getting premonitions. It could also just be paranoia, though. You know there’s only one way to get to the bottom of what it is,” Marjorie stated simply, holding Tessa’s gaze to show how serious she was.
“I know, I know,” Tessa muttered, biting so hard on her lip that she could have drawn blood. “I just can’t seem to bring myself to do it, Marjorie,” she frowned. Tessa brought the cup to her lips and took a sip of the tea. Instantly, her face screwed up as though she had just sucked on a lemon. It was disgusting. She had seriously forgotten that she was a vampire for a second. “I don’t like human things,” she said aloud, as though to remind herself as she pushed the cup away.
“Oh, that’s right,” Marjorie chuckled softly. “Sorry. We’ve just been so wrapped up in magic that sometimes I forget you aren’t just a young witch.”
“Me too,” Tessa smiled weakly.
“Good morning,” Silvia announced as she walked into the kitchen with Pearl and Selena close behind. It wasn’t long before Jared and Calla joined them as well. They all bustled about the kitchen to make themselves something to eat and drink before joining them at the table. By the time they were all sat in their usual spots, Marjorie had taken it upon herself to lead the lesson. Tessa did her best to pay attention, lack of sleep wearing on her.
* * *
Halfway through the night, the elders decided that she had enough knowledge on the basics of magic and needed to focus on combat. Tessa was hesitant at first, but accepted the new challenge, knowing the Calder could attack any day without any warning. They moved out into the backyard, where Jared lit tiki torches to provide them with some light, as well as keep the mosquitos at bay for the witches. To which Charley eloquently commented: “There are already enough bloodsuckers around”.
Selena was the first to spar with Tessa. They stood several yards apart with everyone on the sidelines. “We’re going to start off very slow, ladies. Selena, let Tessa get her footing before giving her your all. Of course, don’t try to actually maim one another. We’ll be quick to heal either of you if something does occur, though,” Silvia explained.
Both women nodded and then looked to one another. “Selena, you start it off,” Pearl instructed.
The young witch cracked a wicked smile before charging at Tessa, her hands raising and setting ablaze as she did. When she grew close to Tessa, though, Tessa used her inhuman speed to dodge her attack. “Very good, Tessa!” Silvia cheered, clapping her hands. Tessa did her best not to let it distract her, her eyes staying glued to Selena. She huffed and blew a curl from her face before charging at Tessa again, this time with gusts of wind swirling in Tessa’s direction. Doing her best to stand her ground, Tessa waited for her to draw close before focusing her energy on using telekinesis to lift a rock and place it in Selena’s path to trip her.
It worked, the petite witch falling to the ground with a thud. As Tessa moved over her, Selena sent out a whip of fire at Tessa’s feet. Tessa tried to jump out of her line of attack, but the flames managed to graze her bare ankles. She howled in pain. Rage suddenly jolted through her. Effortlessly picking Selena up by the hair, Tessa launched her across the grass.
“Remember what we said, ladies. Gentle!” one of the witches called, but Tessa wasn’t paying attention enough to identify the voice. She was standing over Selena in the blink of an eye, raising her hand to conjure fire. Selena saw what she was doing and quickly swooped her leg to the side and tripped Tessa. Tessa fell on her bottom and hissed, tackling Selena. The Firehaven witch’s eyes bulged and she struck Tessa in the chest with both hands, scorching her with fire.
Tessa’s resolve completely broke. Instead of crying like she anticipated, more rage filled her. The sound of Selena’s pulse suddenly rung through Tessa’s head like church bells. Acting solely on instinct, Tessa leaned over and latched onto Selena’s neck. Thick, warm blood rushed into Tessa’s mouth, and she gladly drank it down. It had the same spice to it that Calla’s blood had, and it was utterly addictive. Selena screamed at the top of her lungs, snapping Tessa out of the trance she had been in. As she already started to pull herself away from Selena, Jared was ripping Tessa away from the witch.
“I-I’m so sorry, Selena… I didn’t mean to,” Tessa stammered, the weight of her mistake already settling on her shoulders. The elders rushed over to Selena, while Calla went to Tessa to assess the burns on her. Jared quickly stuck his arm out to keep Calla at a distance, not wanting h
er near Tessa. “I-It was instinctual… She burned me a-and then I guess the vampire part of me took over… I was so mad. I couldn’t control it,” she explained. “I didn’t mean to hurt her. I won’t hurt her or Calla, I swear.”
“You promised that back at the apartment,” Jared murmured. “It’s not something you can control fully. You’re adjusting still, even if you feel like you’ve mastered being around them.”
Tessa worried that Jared would now put his foot down and leave with Calla. “It was just because I had gotten hurt… I would never attack Calla again…”
“Tessa,” Jared began, looking down to her torso before back up to her, “You’re hardly burned. It looks more like a sunburn than anything.”
“Wha… what…” Tessa murmured, finally glancing down at herself. Her eyes widened. Jared was right. Just above the neckline of her shirt, there was a large reddish pink area—not the raw and deep burn she expected. “It… it hurt so badly…”
“When was the last time you ate?” Jared questioned.
Tessa opened her mouth to respond and realized she didn’t know the answer to that. Had she eaten that day? She didn’t remember drinking any blood... As she pondered, she pinpointed the last time she recalled drinking blood was the night before, rather early in the evening. The Veronica thing had seriously distracted her, even from eating.
Jared sighed, able to read the look on her face to get his answer. “You have to stay fed and rested while a newborn, Tessa… It’ll make you extremely testy if you don’t. You can’t risk doing this again. The family has a zero tolerance rule when it comes to consuming human blood. That includes witches as well.”