by Celeste Raye
He didn’t want to wake her up, but he knew that he must. Freya was drained from the spell and all of the new information. He had a lot to process himself, but it wasn’t his family involved. Maybe. Nik wasn’t sure, but he was going to take great strides to find out. One way or another, he was perfectly ready to move on in the same direction they had started so long ago.
“Come on, Freya. It’s time to go outside, if you want to end this siege. I wouldn’t mind something fresh.”
She smiled at his words and let him kiss her before she stretched out like a feline. The motion pulled the sheet down off of her body, and he was immediately sidetracked from his mission.
It was well after dark when they came up for air, and his brain was back to working right.
“I think we missed our window.”
“Why, do you think it wouldn’t be safe to go after dark?”
“I think that I need a clear line of sight on you. I know that this isn’t just anyone, it’s your family, but if you’re right and they’re behind it, I wouldn’t put anything past them.”
“I wouldn’t either, but I know that I’m going to have to get it through my head that they aren’t the people that I thought I knew. It was my mother, all the way. She is the one that has my father wrapped around her little finger. Nothing happens without her knowing about it and if what Glenda said was true, then that means that she knew I was a witch this whole time because it was her power I was getting. It also means that she suppressed my powers somehow. My mother is the one that I need to talk to. I have very little to say to my father and brother because I know in the end, they are her puppets.”
Nik was never amazed by how much baggage one family could have. His certainly had their fair share, and it was always more complicated than anything else. Family was a burden, from his experience.
“Request she see you. You can do that now; maybe she will come by morning and we can end this siege and you can work on mending bridges.”
“I’m not ready for that yet, Nik. At the moment, I want to light a match and watch it burn. There is going to have to be a really good reason for them doing this, and I haven’t been able to think of one yet.”
He just nodded his head and listened to her. She didn’t want him to fix anything, even though that was his first inclination. Freya needed him to hear her, and he was there to let her rant, hurting inside for the pain that he couldn’t protect her from. It was always family business that cut the deepest and stung the most.
Chapter Twenty-One
Jillian had been full of nerves, and most of that was because she hadn’t gotten any news since Franklin had come back. As much as she wanted to believe that it was all going to work out, another side of her was sure that she was going to have hell to pay.
When she got the urgent message that was sent from her husband in the middle of the night, it wasn’t too hard for Jillian to imagine what it was about. She didn’t have to read it to know that she was needed there. Her daughter knew the truth, maybe the whole truth, whatever that even was, and there was going to be a reckoning. It wasn’t something that she was looking forward to.
Jillian was already ready to go when she got the letter. She had known that it was coming. Not because she was some sort of seer, but because she had felt a bit of her power being taken away. And that meant that her daughters had been awakened.
Not only was she going to have to answer for the life they had taken away from the couple, but she had to answer for the fact that she had suppressed her daughter's powers and lied to her about it the whole time. That was something far worse.
Jillian had to catch a ride from one of her husband's loyal followers. She wanted to bring multiple people with her as protection, but she thought against her. Jillian hated the idea that she would need protection from her own daughter, but she knew that she very well may have to. What she had done was not going to be easily forgiven. Even though her daughter was new to being a witch, it wouldn't take long before she could overpower her. There was a reason for everything that she had done, and all she could hope for was some understanding from her daughter.
When she was close, she knew almost immediately, because she could feel her daughter’s presence, as well as a forcefield. If she had to get through, Jillian wasn't sure if she would be able to.
She got off of the back of her ride and thanked him. He was so tired, and he could barely walk, but he smiled at her after he switched back to his human form. “Anything for you, my Queen.”
That made her smile even brighter, but Jillian was quickly reminded of why she was there and the problems that she was supposed to overcome. It all seemed impossible.
“Jillian, thank goodness you're here. Your daughter will not speak to me. She only wants to talk to you.”
“She knows. Part of her powers have left me, so she knows she's a witch.”
“And what about the rest of it?”
“That I do not know. I guess we're about to find out. Where is she?”
“She is on the balcony, waiting with Nik for you to arrive.”
“You knew that this would happen if they ever saw each other again. The bond that they had together, was not something that could be easily broken. It took a lot of magic and even then, I knew that it wouldn't last forever. This was only a matter of time.”
“Be careful.”
Jillian found it strange that he would say that. She never, in a million years, would have believed that she would be afraid of her own daughter, but she was. She knew the anger that was going to well up inside of Freya; from her own experience, she knew that it could come out in some very nasty ways. Her power would feed off of it, and it would make her stronger than ever.
“It’s going to be okay. I know that this is going to be hard, but maybe it’s for the best. I know that we are trying to keep her from this, but maybe we were wrong to try. She is a part of it. Freya has to know.”
“I don’t want her to know. We kept this between us so Freya wouldn’t have to live with this. It isn’t her fault, and she shouldn’t have to. I know that you agree with me.”
“It doesn’t matter what I agree with, dear.”
“Just don’t say more than you have to, Jillian. Trust me. You’re going to want to bear your soul and explain it to her, but she can’t know. She is still not ready. None of us are; that’s why we did this in the first place.”
Jillian kissed Franklin and moved to the gates. She called out her daughter’s name, just so that she would be able to see her face. It was going to be a pained meeting, but a necessary one, and Jillian knew all about necessity.
“She’s out there. I can’t believe she got here so fast.”
“Your mother knows that she has some things to answer for. I suspect that she could have blinked here. I have seen witches do that, or something like it.”
“I don’t know. I don’t know much about witchcraft. Not really, just that it can cause a lot of chaos.”
Nik chuckled, remembering times a few witches changed the course of history.
“Yes, they can.”
“I don’t know if I want to be one of them.”
“You’ve been one this whole time. There really isn’t much you can do about it.”
“I don’t want to do much about it. I can’t help it; it’s just so strange to think that I’ve been one this whole time and I didn’t even know it. What am I supposed to do with that information?”
“I don’t know.”
Nik kept wondering who wouldn’t have died if this so-called blood feud between families hadn’t been made up? How much time and energy had he wasted fighting for what amounted to nothing? It was not a good feeling to have, and the more he thought about it, the more stressed out he became over it.
“Let’s just get this over with. I will be right here and can be down there in seconds. Don’t worry about anything.”
“I’m not worried. I know that I am going to finally get answers and we can move on together. That’s all I am
thinking of now.”
“Liar.”
“Well, I tried. Let’s just get this over with. Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?”
“No, I have to do this myself. I love you, Nik.”
“I love you too.”
He watched her walk away, filled with anxiety that he had lied to her about it. She didn’t need to know that he was terrified. No one needed to know that.
Chapter Twenty-Two
It was good to see her mother. Freya had been waiting a long time to see her, and this was the longest the two of them had been apart. But she didn’t rush into her arms and hug her like she would have wanted to. Instead, her body was held rigid, and she tried not to show the wave of emotions that came over her.
“Hello, Mother.”
Jillian shooed the bodyguards away from her.
“It’s good to see you, Freya. We’ve been worried about you.”
“Yes, well, I am fine. No thanks to you, I might add. I want you and everyone to leave this place, please. I have made my decision, and this is an act of war. A war that we both know is unnecessary.”
Freya was trying to measure her words well, but her tone was giving away the anger that was dying to come to the surface.
“Yes, well, we can’t just walk away without some explanation.”
“How about the explanation that we’re in love, have been for over a century, and now that we remember everything, we’re not going to play by your silly rules anymore?”
She said it quickly, and Freya expected there to be some kind of response from her mom, but there wasn’t. Jillian was just as calm as when she first got there, and it was driving Freya nuts. Why was she so cool and collected about it? Didn’t she understand what she had done? She had to. How could she not?
“I don’t think that it will do.”
“Tell them whatever you want, but we want our freedom. You have taken enough of our time away from us. I just want to be rid of the whole ordeal, so I don’t care how you have to frame it to save face. You will have Dad do whatever you want, so why are you even talking to me about it?”
“You asked me here.”
“I wanted to know why you did this, but I am starting to think that it doesn’t matter. I should have known that you were going to be like this; not an ounce of remorse in your body, is there?”
“I do regret many things when it comes to you, Freya. I have never denied that.”
“Then why would you do it?”
Freya said that she didn’t want to know, but it was a dying question inside of her and she wanted to know badly. It was all she could think about, and since it had changed her life so drastically, Freya felt like it was her right to know why.
“Because I had to. It was my way of protecting you, and while I will say that it didn’t go as I planned it to go, the truth is that I would do it again.”
That wasn’t what Freya wanted to hear. She was sick of people doing things because they ‘had’ to. It just felt like an excuse to her.
“Tell me now, or I will never be able to forgive you. I want to, Mom, I really do, but you have to tell me the truth, all of it. The powers, the Rands, all of it. I have to know.”
Her mother bit her lip and then smiled. “I am glad that you’ve finally gotten your powers. You’re from a very strong bloodline, mine.”
“And how is it that I’m just now getting my powers?”
“I held them off with a Belen Stone. I wanted to keep you unaware of it as long as I could. It kept other people from being aware of it as well. It was a good thing, I thought.”
Freya wanted to ask about the stone and why it could do that. She wanted to know who would care that she had her power and why she needed saving and protection. None of what her mother said made much of any sense.
“So, what is all of this for? You are talking in riddles, just like a witch. Why can't you just tell me what happened that made you do something like this? I remember that you were happy at one point. So, what was the sudden change that made you do this?”
“You have remembered quite a bit. You must have found strong witches to help you.”
“Nik has several witches inside of the walls, but they actually had to siphon off of my power to get a clear picture for me. Whoever took my memories away did a very good job of it. You can imagine my surprise when I found out it was my own mother that did it. You can also imagine my surprise when I found out that I had powers that could be siphoned off to begin with.”
“I am sorry that you had to find out this way, Freya. I never meant to hurt you. You have to believe me.”
“And why didn't you help me find out another way?”
“Because I didn't want…” Jillian stopped suddenly as though what she as going to say would make matters worse. It only made Freya want to know what was going on more. Something was missing, something big, and she was sick of getting the runaround from everyone.
“I am never going to get a straight answer from you.”
“It is just not as cut and dry as you're trying to make it, Freya. Not everything is so black and white.”
“No, I am starting to realize that my world is full of the many colors of betrayal. Is that the gray that you want me to look for?”
The problem was that she was not going to get any answers in the current situation. Freya was far too upset to have a serious conversation at all. All she wanted to do was yell at her mother and accuse her of lying to her. She wanted answers, but that wasn't the way that it was going to happen.
“I want you guys to leave. It is becoming clear to me that this is futile. I know that, and even though I don't know everything, I know enough. I know that I don't want you guys in my life anymore. Why don't you give me some space? This little show of force here is a waste of time, and I would like you to leave please.”
Freya was so upset. She felt like she could really do some damage as the anger and power flowed out of her, crackling the air. Her mother tried to reason with her, but it was no use. Freya didn’t want to be reasoned with. She wanted everything to be fixed, for this to have not happened, and that was never to be. Freya didn’t know if she could ever forgive them.
She couldn’t get over the lies and deceit that had shaped the better part of her life. She needed time to lick her wounds and getting them away from her was the first step.
“I will ask them to leave, but I don’t know how well they will listen.”
“Make them listen, Mom, or I will figure out a way to make them listen myself. You will not like the path I choose if you fail.”
“You get that from me, you know. The open-ended threats.”
“They work, don’t they?”
Jillian agreed though she didn’t like that her daughter had picked up that particular trait.
“They do. The mind can always come up with something better to dwell on. It’s the unknown that people fear the most.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Jillian realized that her daughter didn’t know everything, and she had to make a decision that was going to affect someone. She knew that no matter what decision she made; someone was going to be devastated.
“If that is really what you want, we will leave you alone.”
“All of you?”
Jillian agreed, and before she could say anything else; to tell her what was still in her heart, Freya walked away and made it clear that she was done with the conversation. No matter what happened next, there would be problems.
She watched her daughter disappear on the other side of the gate, and her heart dropped. It had been harder than she would have imagined. Freya hated her, and there was nothing that she could do about it. If she told her the whole truth, she would be in danger, and most likely hate her even more.
Jillian knew that she was in a situation that she wasn’t going to be able to solve. There was not much she could do but uphold her side of the bargain. Freya wanted them gone, and she was going to make sure that it happened.
J
illian was just a woman after all, but Fredrick knew better than to defy her. Not many people knew about Jillian’s powers, and she liked it that way. No one needed to know how powerful she was until she had to show them. There weren’t many that were able to walk away from it and share it with the world.
When she got back to Franklin, he looked worried, and it bothered her because she didn’t want to see it. Jillian wanted to pretend like everything was okay, but it wasn’t. She wanted Franklin to be a man and help her, but she knew that she had put herself there. There was nothing that she could do about it. Nothing at all.
“We need to go, Franklin.”
“Does that mean that she knows?”
Jillian agreed with a nod of her head. “Yeah, she knows.”
“And Abe?”
Her eyes cut to his and she gave him a dirty look. “No, and she never will. I never want to hear that name again for as long as I live.”
“Well, if she is on a fact-finding mission, she is going to find out about it. You know that.”
Jillian didn’t want to think about it. She was dealing with everything that she could at the moment.
“For now, we need to leave.”
“Why?”
“Because if not, we will regret it, Franklin. I don’t care how you have to sell it, but we’re out of here.”
Franklin was wanting to ask more questions, but her expression did not invite it.
“Alright, Jillian. I will call everyone home. I don’t know how well Lachlan is going to take the news. He is bound and determined to end the Rands once and for all.”
“Maybe we should work on that as well.”
He agreed, and Jillian worried. She knew that there was going to be hell to pay. Her secret, Lachlan’s secrete, everyone’s secret, was going to be out. Jillian just knew that it was only going to be a matter of time. She’d looked deep into her daughter’s eyes and saw the will of her father. Sometimes Jillian wished that Franklin used that will with her. It would have made it easier on her if she didn’t have to make all of the tough decisions.