by V L Peters
Witch or not, I can’t see this slip of a woman sitting in front of me, harming Aria. She would seek Scarlett out. No matter how many times I told Aria not to and no matter how powerful Scarlett might think she was. She wasn’t a match against Aria, she was a powerful Demon in her own right and one of the best fighters I had ever seen and for that reason Scarlett didn’t stand a chance in protecting herself against Aria. Scarlett was safer here than being back at her own home, no matter if she thought differently.
He shrugged, bluntly ignoring what I had just told him, idiot! ‘’Stay out of her way when she’s here and there shouldn’t be a problem,’’ Talking to me as if I were a bloody two-year-old. I’d let it pass for now. I could see he didn’t believe a word I was saying. To him, I and I had no doubt he thought the same way about my family, were just a silly witch, and I wasn’t going to turn blue in the face trying to convince him differently. He could believe what he wanted, he obviously thought I was exaggerating. If that’s what he wanted to think then so be it. He had been warned. He sat there stony faced, his dark eyes staring at me, ignoring my reply as if I’d never spoken, he carried on speaking ‘You’ll stay in the same bedroom as you have been. I’ll make sure that one of my men will be at your side when you’re out of your room, for your own safety,’’
My safely, ok ….so either he was full of wind or he wanted to make sure I wasn’t up to no good. If he wanted to play it that way let him go ahead ‘’that’s fine,’’ I told him, with a shrug of my shoulders. Thinking over my options. I needed to work, I had a deadline to meet and I couldn’t miss it, plus I needed clothing, a laptop and some shampoo, conditioner, body wash to name a few things. I had no intentions of telling him to get anything from our home. I didn’t want anyone I didn’t trust going there. He’d just have to get someone to either go to the shops to get said items or he could get someone to take me. Either way I didn’t care, as long I got what I needed.
I told him what I’d need if I were going to stay here, there wasn’t much of a reaction to my requirements. He raised an eyebrow waiting for me to explain. I signed, I hated having to explain myself to anyone, let alone strangers. Only my family and a few close friends knew what I did for a living. I was lucky I made enough money to live on and enough to buy a few luxury items if I choose to. There was no way out of explaining why I needed my laptop, but I wouldn’t tell him everything. ‘’I work from home, so I need a laptop,’’ I explained with a shrug of my shoulders ‘’I don’t have a money tree I can just pick money from when the need arises. Plus, I need more clothing. Not just the ones I was wearing or the ones you have supplied for me,’’
‘’That’s fine. I will get one of my men to pick up anything you’ll need, write out a list and I’ll get someone on it. You’ll have your things by this evening,’’ he told me as he stood up. Ok then, I’m guessing our little talk is done.
He strolled to the door calling out for someone called Alex, as I grabbed a piece of paper laying on the desk and quickly wrote out a list of the items I’d need. I’m guessing this Alex would be the one who would be constantly at my side. I was shocked to see a young shifter enter the room; I’d say he was about my age. He was tall standing a good 6 foot plus, with light blonde hair and friendly pale green eyes.
‘’Scarlett this is Alex,’’ I was told, as he introduced us to each other ‘’Alex, Scarlett Winters.’’
I gave him a small smile as he nodded towards me in greeting, closely watching me out of those pale eyes, as if I were suddenly going to weave a magic spell out of thin air. He stood to one side waiting to hear why he had been summoned, he didn’t have long to wait.
‘’Scarlett is going to be with us for a while, as a guest of mine. She’s asked me for the help in finding her sister which I’ve agreed to. You are to be her…….’’ He paused, turning those black eyes towards me sending shivers down my spine ‘’bodyguard. You’re to be with her twenty-four seven, unless my orders change,’’
I watched as Alex nodded, listening. It was obvious that he knew not to question him.
‘’I have an upcoming appointment that I can’t miss,’’ Lucien informed me, as he glanced at the watch on his wrist. As if he’d spent enough of his valuable time on me already ‘’I except I’ll catch you later at some point. Alex will show you back to your room. Give me the list of what you need, and I will make sure it’s delivered to your room later today’’ he tells me. I hand the list over to him. He glances at it with a raised eyebrow, before turning on his heel and walking out the room without a word.
Charming, I wasn’t even worth a Goodbye. Err, I just knew that my life was going to be so bloody hard while I was staying here. Could things get any worse? Yes, yes, yes, I screamed out to myself. I had no doubt in my mind that I was going to be looking over my shoulder the whole time I was here.
I turned my attention to the young male in front of me. We stood there looking at each other, like two idiots, as if saying what the hell do, we do now. I didn’t want to go back to the room I’d been staying in. I needed some fresh air.
‘’I’m not going back into that room,’’ I told him, breaking the silence ‘’I need some fresh air and a change of scenery,’’
There came a huff from the male sitting in front of the TV scenes. I’d forgotten that he was in the room with us. Listening in on our conversation. It was like he could blend into the surroundings around him.
‘’Lucien won’t like it. You should just do as you’ve been told,’’ he tells me, as he swung the chair, he was sitting in towards us. He stares at me, through those beady black eyes of his, making me shiver. He gives me the creeps. Alex, at first didn’t even acknowledge the fact he was in the same room as us. It was as if he was below him. I wondered what the hell was happening. I know a bit about shifters through our cousin Melissa. She had lived with a group few years ago. We never completely knew what had happen while she had been there. She hadn’t ever been the same since. Whatever had happened, that’s her story and not my tale to tell. We all know through her that there is like a kind of level of command. From the Alpha who was the leader, right down to the lower soldiers. I had the feeling snake boy there was on the lower side. He started to tell me in uncertain terms what he thought of me when I took no notice of his comments. It wasn’t anything to do with him. I really wished he’d shut the hell up, he hadn’t said one word while Lucien and Aria, had been in the room, now it seemed he couldn’t shut his mouth.
Alex shot him a menacing look, eyes flashing yellow. Causing the other shifter to cower. I was sure from the way he’d just acted that Alex was higher up than the other shifter. The deep, rough growl that rose from deep within his chest as if warning him that he had gone too far, confirmed it. It was crystal clear he had overstepped his boundaries.
Fuck, I thought, as I stood looking at Alex. I was sure my mouth was hanging open as if I was trying to catch flies. Alex’s whole demeanour had changed in a blink of an eye. The friendly guy who had come through that door was no longer standing in front of me. Shit, I needed to get Alex’s attention back on me before he killed the guy.
I knew that I was going to appear rude, but I didn’t care, not at that moment and there was just something about the other male, that caused my hackles to rise, ‘’Alex, I’ve been cooped up in that room for days. I’ll take full responsibility if you get into any sort of trouble with Lucien,’’ I reasoned with him, placing my hand on his arm. Finally grabbing his attention with a smile upon my lips as he turned his yellow eyes towards me. ‘’Even if it’s only for ten minutes’’ I told him, ignoring the shifter from the side of the room. I knew I was placing Alex in an uncomfortable situation. I wanted out of this room. I felt a sense of relief, as his eyes slowly began to change, from the yellow back to his normal colour. I would deal with Lucien Sinclair. If he found out, I’d disobeyed his orders. I needed to get out. Not only because I’d been in the same room which seemed like forever, I also had to see if I could send a mental link to my family.
If not, I’d have to do it the old fashion way. Plus, I needed him to come with me. I didn’t have a blinking clue how to get around this forsaken building. The place was huge. I looked into Alex’s eyes knowing he was weighing up the pros and cons.
He must have decided on the pros, ‘’Fine, I’ll take you outside.’’ he told me placing his hand on my lower back as he escorted me out. Taking no notice of the other shifter sitting there. Who was listening to our exchange and watching us bluntly ignoring him. I felt like giving him the middle finger, as we walked past. I resisted the urge.
I let Alex guide me as I hadn’t a clue where I was going. It was like the Tardis. He took me down hall after hall until we finally got to an enormous black wooden door. Pushing it open, we stepped out into a garden, I couldn’t hide the surprised shock appearing upon my face. It wasn’t something I was expecting, in the middle was a large natural lake and next to the water’s edge stood several different trees, one being a weeping willow, its branches partly hanging over the water, at the foot of its large trunk sat a white, wooden, black, metal, garden seat. It was one of the most peaceful places I had ever set my eyes upon, and I felt as if I was stepping into a fairy tale. I thought back to the other night and wondered if this was the same lake I had seen through the window. He walked with me, up to the seat that was underneath the willow tree. I sat myself onto the wooden seat, leaning till my back hit the back of the seat. Closing my eyes as I let myself sink into the surroundings. In the background I could hear the twitter of birds it was as if I were in the middle of the countryside. It was surreal. In a way, it kind of reminded me of home. Mad, I know, I mean how a place like this could even be in the middle of the city, how was it even be possible? Magic, maybe.
‘’It’s beautiful,’’ I told him, as I briefly opened my eyes to look up at him, he was standing beside me staring down, as if trying to work out what I was. I realised I was a curiosity to him. It didn’t faze me in the slightest. There were worst things that could happen.
Had he ever witnessed witches communicating before? Would it shock him, I thought, with what he was about to witness?
CHAPTER NINE
I sat dead still letting my whole body relax. I close my eyes once again, it felt as if my very soul had left my body and resting upon a fluffy white cloud. I felt the warmth within my body begin to grow. The intensity started building up, causing my skin to radiate. My hair would now be changing colour and flickering like the flames of a burning sun. I cleared my mind of everything that had happened to me in the last few days. Opening our mental link, we all shared. I felt the impression of all the others that stood at the edge of that same link. I searched until I found the one, I needed to contact. I felt the relief radiating from her, the minute she sensed me and answered as I reached out.
‘Scarlett,’ I could feel the relief she was feeling, that quickly went out the window, ‘Where the hell have you have been?’ if she’d been standing in front of me it would have been a screech piercing my ear drums ‘I’ve been trying for days to contact you, we all have,’ I could feel how upset she was and the relief she felt as she reached out. As if her arms were wrapping around me, pulling me tight to her.
I reassured her as much as I could, telling her that I was fine. That Lucien had agreed to help us in finding Megan. Which she was suspicious about, but also relieved at the same time. I decided not to tell her about the agreement made between myself and Lucien, nor what happened between us, there wasn’t much to tell, and I decided for the moment, not to tell her about Aria. I knew she’d blow her fuse, which I didn’t need, then she’d tell the rest of the family and they would try to talk me out of staying. It would only cause unnecessary upset. It wasn’t just Megan’s life on the line now, there were so many others that needed to be found. The very thought of what they were going through was daunting. I made up my mind to tell her, what Lucien had told me. They could come to visit me while I was staying here. Which, I stressed, wasn’t necessary. I thought it would be wise to tell her about the others who had been reported missing to the human police. I made her promise to be careful and to tell the rest what was going on. Every single one of them had to be extra careful. They needed to watch each other’s backs. Anyone could be taken. Until we found out who was taking humans and supernatural’s, everyone was in danger. Pamela agreed to tell the others and told me to keep in touch. Making me promise that I’d get in contact with one of them every other day. Then followed on to tell me that they would come to see me next Saturday. No matter how much I protested the idea, she took no blinking notice! Just continued to say that they would come to see me on that Saturday, late afternoon, and demanded that I tell Lucien to expect a few guests. I once again protested at her suggestion. It’s not that I didn’t want to see them, I do. It was just that I didn’t want them here, it’s just too dangerous for them. I didn’t trust anyone here. Come on, I didn’t know them. I didn’t care how kind or nice they might appear to be. I could leave at any time I decided to. The choice was mine. Having my sisters here wasn’t a good idea, I thought it was downright stupid. I decided to keep that last thought to myself. Pamela would not take kindly to it.
After a lot of toing and throwing, I finally gave in and agreed about them visiting. I didn’t really agree, I just had no choice in the matter. Even though Lucien was the one who had suggested it. I could imagine seeing his reaction and those around him when they saw a group of witches arriving on his doorstep. It was laughable really, I wanted to feel a bit sorry for him and the others, but I didn’t have it in me. I just hoped no one lived to regret it. The others would want to come and that would be due to their curiosity and to make sure I was alright and that no harm had come to me. I couldn’t blame them really; I’d be the same way if I were in the same position.
Before ending the mental link with Pamela, I told her I was looking forward to seeing them. Opening my eyes, I saw that Alex had been staring at me the whole time, there was a look of wonder written across his face. I knew what he’d witnessed. I had seen my family to the same very thing. I wondered had he ever seen a witch. We were after all completely different from the ‘old witches. As a Witch, Omega, Supernatural, Human, blood mix. Our powers were……. different. When we made a mental contact with someone our whole bodies set off a glow. We lit up like a beacon that was glowing in the darkness.
I gave him a reassuring smile; I know I had to remark on what he’d just witnessed ‘’was I glowing?’’ I asked him with a light laugh trying to put him at ease.
He nodded, eyes gleaming in wonder as if he were a young child looking at their first toy, the nervousness radiating from him in waves ‘’I’ve never seen a witch before.’’ He admitted, with a slight smile. ‘’You’re the first. Your body lit up; it was like a shining star. Your hair was like at a ball of electricity’’
‘’Mm first witch. Well, we’re human, mostly,’’ I told him shrugging my shoulders returning the smile, ‘’I’ve gotten so use to it and I do tend to forget what kind of reaction it can have on anyone who hasn’t witnessed it before.’’ I sighed, I didn’t want to go back in. If truth be told, I’d rather stay out here in the open air and with the feeling of peace surrounding me, but I didn’t want him to get into trouble either. I would come out here again I decided then and there. This would be the place where I could relax and write. I was going to start to take close scrutiny of how to get to my room from here and anywhere else in the building.
‘’Well I suppose you’d better take me back to my cell,’’ I huffed, as I walked over to the door that led us back into the building. I pulled open the door and waited to one side, so he could take me back to the room I’d only left a few hours ago, though it felt like a lifetime. I hoped that the items I had written down were waiting in my room. At least I could check my emails.
‘’Are you hungry?’’ he asked as we headed down one of the hallways. Smelling the aroma of food, I heard my stomach rumble, I realised with surprise that I hadn’t eaten since that morning, afte
r someone had brought me breakfast
‘’Actually, yes I could do with a bit to eat,’’ I confessed ‘’I’m starving,’’
He grinned at me, ‘’the kitchen is just up here,’’ he told me with an indication of his head, ‘’we mostly eat there through the day. Dora’s the cook. Her foods fantastic,’’
I stopped beside him, as he led me through a door into a kitchen, the place was huge. There were three women working away and I wasn’t sure which of the women where Dora. Sitting at the large kitchen table was another woman and two men eating what looked like a beef stew.
‘’Dora,’’ Alex called over to the women, ‘’this is Scarlett, she’s a guest of Lucien’s,’’ Was it me or my imagination, for I’m sure he seemed to exaggerate on the word guest and Lucien. On hearing his voice one of the women turned around, a smile across her face in greeting. She was stocky in build with black hair with grey streaks running through it. I wasn’t getting any vibes off her to tell me if she was a supernatural, so I knew straight away she was human. Which I was surprised at knowing what I knew of his dislike of humans.
‘’So he let her out at last ’’ it wasn’t a question, ‘’don’t hide behind him girly, let me have a good look at you,’’ she told me with a slight Irish hint to her voice, with a wave of her hand indicating for me to come forward.
Bloody hell, I hated to be in the spotlight. All eyes turned towards me, assessing me. Even though I wasn’t here to make friends, I didn’t want to admit it to myself that I would care if they liked me or not. I couldn’t forget that I was here for one reason and one reason only. I shouldn’t care, but deep down, for some reason, I did, I had to shake off that feeling and let the witch in me take over slightly. I could hear her, saying with a sign and a shrug of her shoulders ‘if they liked us fine if not tuff shit,’ I sometimes wished the human part and the Omega could have the same attitude as my witch.