A Witch's Destiny

by Leigh Ann Edwards

  The spectral aged woman smiled warmly at Alainn and she touched her shoulder affectionately before she was simply gone again.

  The warm tears flowed down her cheeks and she sniffled as she placed her hands to Killian’s wounds. He briefly opened his eyes and touched her cheek to wipe away her tears. She despised the eternal witch more with each moment that passed, yet she fought to stem the hatred for that would do nothing to heal Killian or what was broken between them now.

  She had begun at his throat and his neck, then his shoulders and chest. The wounds on his back had been mostly deep and ragged scratches. These wounds were bites, and many of them were substantial and purulent. She cleaned and soothed the wounds and once again, placed ointment on each one. She then began at his lower thighs and worked her way up so that the only part of him that remained requiring healing was his manhood.

  As a healer, she was well aware that almost all men of nearly every age became aroused when they were touched anywhere near their male attributes. Killian had always been a man with frequent physical desires and who was readily aroused, but now that he had been affected by a lusting witch, Alainn was reluctant to place her hands anywhere near his manhood, especially given the fact her own sex still burned with constant discomfort from their last encounter. As she lifted the bedsheet, she observed he was indeed in a noticeably firm condition.

  “If you give me the cloths and the remedies, I can tend to the remainder of the healing,” he said as he opened his eyes and saw her hesitancy.

  “It is not as though I haven’t been required to attend to other males who suffered wounds or mishaps to their male parts. I recall when Morag was ailing; it was me who needed to mend the swine-handler’s injury when he had his digit nearly bitten off by a rowdy, hungry boar.” She hoped making conversation would make the deed less awkward for both of them.

  “Aye, I remember hearing about that incident. Riley and a few others suggested the swine-handler had permitted himself to be damaged just so you’d be forced to have your hands on his diddler.”

  “They didn’t speak on such absurd suggestions?” she said in disbelief.

  “Aye, well, it’s fortunate I wasn’t there to hear their bawdy discussion for apparently there were more than a few that said they might consider doing the same if the results would end in a similar time spent with you.”

  Even though Alainn thought the discussion had set Killian at ease to a degree or distracted him from his humiliation, he tensed and pulled the bedcovers over himself again as she attempted to heal his wounded manhood.

  “I am a healer, Killian, a gifted healer, a magical healer and I will see this healing done in its entirety.”

  He took a deep breath and closed his eyes once more.

  She felt enraged and had to stem her fury at the many jagged teeth marks all along the shaft and the tip of his manhood. Killian sucked in his breath and moaned as she tended to the many surely painful nips and bites. She was further sickened to see that the eternal lusting witch had used her long pointed fingernails to etch a tiny veiled symbol, an enigmatic dark branded mark that would be mostly shrouded by the skin where the shaft met the wider area below the tip and therefore making it nearly impossible to see. Alainn cleansed it with the heated water and Killian’s eyes filled with pain and unmanageable lust as soon as she touched the area.

  “You must terminate your actions now, Alainn!” His voice was ragged with mingled lust and pain. “For, sure I don’t believe I’ll be capable of resisting forcing myself upon you again.”

  “This is the hold she maintains on you, Killian. She has placed her lust mark on you, a hex so powerful she controls you even after death.”

  “By Christ, I am uncertain I can bear it!” He moaned and closed his eyes tightly in erotic agony as he began to thrust his hips forward apparently without the ability to control his body, causing his manhood to be swiftly jolted forward in her hand.

  He moaned in a strangled animalistic cry of carnal delight as his seed was spilled almost immediately, yet his arousal had not been alleviated. He hung his head again ashamed of his actions, yet unable to prevent them.

  “I will be swift.”

  “Do not continue!” he said in a voice that was not remotely similar to anything she’d heard before.

  He grabbed her wrist and squeezed it tightly as though he truly did not desire to be ridded of the witch’s hold on him. She remembered the witch telling her that she was of the line of ancient witches, and that Alainn was also of the ancient ones. She recalled the conversation with Aine confirming she was an all-powerful witch from the ancient line. As she dwelled on that thought, she knew she would be capable of seeing this through. She pulled her hand away from his powerful grasp, and continued what she’d begun.

  He soon overpowered her and threw her down upon the bed face first, tore her chemise from her body, and then grabbed her hair and pulled hard. He roughly forced her knees apart and thrust himself within her in such a violent manner her skin tore. Knowing Killian was almost always immune to her magic, especially if it was done in a manner that might harm him, she knew she must somehow prevent this attack from continuing for if the witch controlled him, in his angry state, he might do irrefutable damage to Alainn. The larger table by the window as well as the bedside table rose and fell in response to her magic. The pitcher and basin smashed against the wall and as the kettle was thrown into the hearth it sizzled and roared. The looking glass that hung upon the wall fell to the ground and shattered. Alainn finally called to her mortar and pestle, and feeling the weighty pestle in her hand, she brought it up behind her and smashed him on the head.

  As Killian fell down upon the bed, clearly dazed with a raised purple mark on his forehead, Alainn moved from the bed and with some difficulty turned him over so she could finish what she’d started, but not before she’d bound his powerful hands and feet with bedclothes. She regretted going to these lengths, but in his deeply affected condition, if he continued to harm her, in all likelihood she would never walk out of chamber for he would surely resort to killing her to prevent him from removing the witch’s mark.

  Alainn placed her hand upon the witch’s raised mark on his manhood and spoke an incantation of white magic. She was pleased to see it begin to glow as the light once more radiated from her fingertips as she spoke.

  “You are mine, Killian O’Brien, body and soul, heart and mind, through this life and beyond. We are joined, you and I, joined in love, in the holy union of marriage, through good times and hardships, in times of light and darkness. You are mine, only mine, body and soul,” she repeated over and over the entire time she magically healed him. “No more shall the evil bind you to her, for you are mine, body and soul, heart and mind, joined in love and in light!”

  Alainn noticed the mark had faded considerably, yet it remained. She removed the amulet from her neck and, as she placed it near the evil mark, the amulet glowed brightly and grew hot. The amulet had been charmed with her blood and with Killian’s as well. She hesitated only briefly and then placed it atop the witch’s mark. It seared his skin, and now, apparently fully conscious, he cried out in agony.

  “Feckin’ hell, woman, are you tryin’ to kill me, then?” He moaned and his hands tightly strained at his tethers.

  “I am trying to save you from her grasp, from her eternal control upon you, Killian.”

  Alainn observed the amulet had capably removed the witch’s mark and replaced it with a tiny triquetra symbol.

  Killian lifted his head and glanced at where her eyes were focused. “You’ve branded me now with your own mark then, have you?”

  Her lips curled up ever so slightly and her eyes held a possessive quality. “I suppose I have,” she whispered.

  Their eyes met and the darkness within his eyes was gone and the depraved lust had instantly turned to unmistakable love.

  “I regret the lengths I was driven to,” she whispered.

  “I do not blame you for that, Alainn,” he said as he looked
at the bruises on her wrist and her breasts, the state of the items in the chamber, her shredded chemise and the bloodstains upon the bed. “Christ, what have I done?”

  *

  “I never meant to hurt you, Lainna,” he whispered.

  “Nor I you,” she replied as she stared up at him.

  She went to him with the intention of untying him, but he dissuaded her.

  “No, Alainn. Leave them be. I don’t trust that I won’t hurt you.”

  “But I sense the spell is ended, Killian. I do not believe she holds any power over you any longer,” she said as she placed her hands to the angry raised lump upon his forehead.

  He closed his eyes, and it was clear he wasn’t convinced.

  “We will remove the bindings for only then will we know for certain.”

  “I don’t want to risk it, Alainn, what if I should hurt you again. I doubt I will ever forgive myself for what I’ve already done.”

  She would not be discouraged and when she finally untied all four of his tethers, he lay upon the bed without daring to move other than to cover himself again.

  Alainn felt the pain between her thighs as well as the pain within his heart. She dearly wished magic could undo some of the unpleasant happenings that had occurred within these four walls and within the inner circle on that fateful night. She was astonished to see that Aine appeared before her for clearly she had wished for Aine to intervene. Killian’s eyes were now closed and he was unusually still. Alainn assumed Aine had placed him in such a state for she did not desire Killian to hear their conversation.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  “Ah, my youngest kin, the encounter with Ebrill has left long-lasting consequences.” She assessed as she stared at the state of the chamber, Killian’s forehead, and Alainn’s own injuries.

  She nodded and attempted to cover herself with her torn chemise, not disturbed by Aine’s unexpected arrival.

  “We once offered to have your husband’s memories erased when it was believed you would meet with death. You said it would be easier for him to move forward without having to confront such grief.”

  “I still maintain that belief, but he disagreed wholeheartedly.”

  “You well know your time together is now much limited?” Aine questioned.

  “Aye, I am much aware, sure it is only weeks before we must be parted.”

  “And this is the last time you will live this life together, that was decided in the realm of the gods.”

  Alainn nodded again, but this time did not speak.

  “If untoward events happen in the future, if you should die, you won’t be together again.”

  Alainn thought of Killian telling her of her father’s prediction of her and Killian producing children together and wondered if he’d only spoken the words to comfort them and give them hope, but that it wasn’t something he had actually foreseen.

  She stared at Aine now also attempting to determine if the goddess was aware of her impending doom in the future, for she did maintain a most serious expression even for her.

  “Killian is my soul’s complement, my heart’s only desire. Our souls will find one another one way or another! Our hearts will be reunited. If not in this very life, then in another, whether the gods choose it to be so or not, it shall be so! We will choose it to be so, perhaps not as Alainn and Killian, but as two other lovers whose love cannot be terminated by death!” Alainn said with certainty as she smiled at her great-grandmother.

  “I do not doubt that you will discover a way to be together, Alainn, for your love is uncommon. But allow me to offer you something that is certain to bring joy and relief in this life, and brighten the limited time left to you.”

  “What is it you suggest, Aine?”

  “I will not take away the memory of all that transpired in your meeting with Ebrill for although you may not believe it now, there are elements of that happening that will only prove to bring you and your man closer.”

  Alainn glanced about the disheveled chamber and allowed her thoughts to briefly return to the despicable night with Ebrill. She closed her eyes and the memory was there upon her, painful and disturbing, as though it were happening even now. Killian would maintain those powerful life-altering memories as well.

  “What can be done?” Alainn asked again.

  “As a healer, you are much accustomed to seeing others who have suffered great trauma or injustice. You well know when first it occurs, the rapes, the beatings, being made to witness a loved one’s violent death, anything of such horrific magnitude… at the time and in the days and months, perhaps years that follow, it is unlikely the victims believe the terror or pain will ever be lessened, that it will stay there with them forever, a baneful reminder.”

  Alainn knew precisely what the goddess referred to it for she’d seen it often before. She’d sat with many a person whose heart was broken and soul damaged by what they’d seen or what had been inflicted upon them.

  “But, as the long years pass, and life brings about unknown joys, perhaps even unwelcome pleasures, they fade, slowly at first, but they gradually dissipate with the passing years and the wounds are less painful, less noticeable, recalled less often, even though sometimes we choose to hold on to the terrible memories.”

  “You can erase some of the pain within Killian’s heart, the terror within his mind?”

  “And in your own, Alainn. What you and your husband share is rare, in the realms of gods and humans and all worlds in between… your love and your passion is unparalleled. If you have weeks or perhaps only days together, allow me to lessen your pain, not erase it, but perhaps make it seem as though many years have passed since that night. Allow me to ensure Ebrill is but a distant memory, a fleeting unpleasant recollection from the distant past.”

  “Is that possible, even for a goddess?”

  “You are my kin and the hope for a brighter future for all worlds. I would do whatever I am able to see you content for a time, the love and passion you share with your husband returned.”

  Alainn stared from Killian back to Aine and she felt the tears in her eyes. “Aye, Aine, I would we much grateful if you can see it done.”

  “Lie now beside your husband, close your eyes, and remember how it once was between you, before that night occurred, before this night as well. Think back to how it was before you journeyed to England, before the time with the king, before you carried the evil child. Think far back to the passion you once shared and it shall be so. You will retain the knowledge of what happened, of all that occurred and at times you will even speak of it together as with all difficulties, hurts, and losses, but it will be only a faded indistinct memory,” Aine repeated.

  Alainn did as Aine had instructed. She closed her eyes and allowed her thoughts to go backward, further back, back to a time long ago. Her body grow warm and her heart suddenly much lighter, so much lighter than it had been in weeks. Killian’s arms came around her and when she dared to open her eyes, his intense green eyes were no longer filled with torment or shame, but only love.

  The room was now in its original state, the mortar and pestle intact on the bedtable, her chemise hung neatly over the chair, the bedclothes on the bed crisp and clean with no sign of blood or anything untoward. As she glanced at Killian’s forehead and her own wrists, they bore no bruising.

  She dared to allow herself to think of the eternal lusting witch, and as Aine had ensured her, when she came to mind, there was no jealousy, no pain, or torment, only a wisdom that Alainn had learned much from that night.

  Killian smiled down at Alainn again and pulled her close to share a passionate kiss. Her body responded as it always had, before they’d suffered so many hardships. His hand grazed her ankle and moved steadily upward over her calf, her thigh, and then found her intimate womanly area. She was overcome with instant passion and desire, healthy and unimpaired by visions of what once occurred.

  As Killian stared into her eyes with such love and respectful longing, she touched his impressive m
uscular back to find only light scars upon his back and as she looked upon his chest, the marks were barely visible. It was as Aine has said as though years had passed.

  She placed her hand to Killian’s manhood and his eyes filled with passion, but not glazed or entranced, for his arousal was welcomed and spurred on only by their love and mutual attraction. She guided him within her and they both gasped at the certain joy and delectation of the joining. She sent a silent prayer of thanks to Aine and basked in the knowledge their undying love and need for each other had returned. When she sensed he was near his release, she mounted him and gracefully rode above him. Their eyes met and the mutual passion and uncommon love was ever present once more.

  This time when he reached his crest his eyes remained open and he smiled at her as his warmth spilled inside her. She returned the smile, the affection, and the passion and as they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

  *

  In the middle of the night, he gently nudged her and she awoke to his arms around her and his forehead pressed against hers.

  “I need to tell you, Alainn. Yours is the only face I see now. Your lovely blue eyes are the only eyes that shine when I close mine. And I thank you for that, Lainna.”

  “My heart gladdens to hear that, Killian,” she whispered as she tenderly caressed his jaw and felt his heart against her cheek as she drifted into to a peaceful sleep, the first time in many moons.

  *

  When she awoke by the morning’s light, Killian rested on his elbow and stared down at her.

  “Killian, have you slept not a wink then?”

  “I slept well enough and thankfully with no more disturbing dreams. Sure you must have truly cured me, Alainn. But, I simply wanted to look upon your beauty and your peacefulness as you slumbered. I didn’t want to miss that by sleeping the night away.”

  “Well, you’ll soon grow weary if that’s how you plan to spend your nights.” She smiled up at him as he took her hand.

  He twirled a lock of her hair around his finger, and then placed his face to her hair and inhaled. “You have such a lovely scent about you, Alainn.”