Awakening (The Magic of the Black Forest Book 2) (10 page)

“Wait, I have an idea. Bradley, I need to go outside and talk to the trees will you come with me?”

“Did I just hear you say you need to talk to the trees?” Colleen asked.

“Yes. It’s a long story.” I turned to look at Bradley but he was already standing there, grinning and holding out his hand, waiting for mine. “Come on, Seager.”

I led them deeper into the trees. As we walked past the trees, I took a leaf from each while thanking them for their sacrifice. After a few minutes I asked Bradley and Seager to wait while I went on without them. At the same time they both asked how far. It was just a few feet away, maybe a yard or so. When they realized they could see and most likely hear me, they were okay with letting me go on my own.

Up ahead was a narrow shallow creek; the flow was constant. Kneeling down beside it, I drew a seven-point star on the bank with a seven-point sun in the middle. A symbol, my magical energy, that helped me talk to the trees. Gathering all the leaves I had collected, I prepared for my request. One by one a leaf was placed in the flowing creek while asking the trees to let us know what Anthony and Andrew had to say.

For my protection, for my loved ones, please tell me the words that were unheard
. These words were chanted each time a leaf was set into the flowing creek. My thoughts were images of them sitting on our porch talking. Once all the leaves were gone I rose to my feet and thanked the earth, air, fire, and water for their assistance. I carefully brushed my star completely away and began walking back to Bradley and Seager.

Standing in front of Bradley, I was about to say it didn’t work when their angry words brought me to my knees. I cradled my head in my hands, trying to ease the pain caused by their hatred. I couldn’t hear anything through the pain so I let down my shield, hoping that Seager or Bradley could make out what they were saying. My head felt as if it would explode at any moment. Then, the light and pain disappeared. Everything went black.

Familiar voices worriedly repeated my name, pleading with me to wake. All the voices and sounds faded when I heard the most beautiful sound in the world… My Bradley’s voice. He kept telling them to give me air, to back away. The sound of his voice was fierce but hesitant, as if he was afraid and not sure what to do. Cradling my body against his, he wrapped his arms tightly around me, rocking us. I could also hear Seager trying to tell everyone that I was waking up, but no one heard him, they were too upset and weren’t listening. Slowly, I began to open my eyes and saw we were on the front porch, my body cradled in Bradley’s arms.

“Bradley, what happened?” I whimpered. He didn’t respond. No one heard me over all the commotion. With my arm that dangled behind him, I grabbed his hair and pulled his head back and whimpered the words again. This time he heard me and so did everyone else. When they attempted to reach out to me, Bradley growled furiously before he ran into the house and slammed the door behind us.

“Natalia, my love. Please tell me you’re okay.” It sounded as if he was crying. I opened my eyes again to see that he was, but without tears. I cupped his cheek with my hand and laid my head against his chest.

“I am now. I’m going to take a nap, okay?” I felt exhausted. Even though I wanted to know what happened in the woods, it had to wait. Feeling the safety of our house and his arms, I quickly drifted off to sleep.

When I woke up Seager was with me in our room. He licked my face and got on the bed to lie beside me. We laid there while I listened to everybody telling Bradley that he overreacted, that he needed to calm down. He defended himself by telling them he didn’t do anything differently than Dave or Jesse would have had it been Cheryl or Colleen.

“She’s my wife. I’ve waited a long time for her. I can barely remember how my life was before her… When I didn’t know why I even existed. Now I know it’s because of her. She is my only purpose for living. Without her there’s no reason for me to be a part of this world.”

Hearing him say those words angered me. I’m a mortal, and one day I will die. Upset and frustrated I quietly got out of bed and walked to the living room. For the first time ever I was able to sneak up on the guys.

“Bradley, please stop talking like that.” They quickly turned their heads with disbelief. Bradley was about to sweep me off my feet again but I stopped him by putting my arm up and hand against his chest. “Shouldn’t you men be discussing a strategy, some way to find and defeat our enemies? And you Brad…” I poked my finger into his chest. “I don’t want to hear you ever talk about not being a part of this world again. I won’t live forever. Do you hear me?” Stunned by my reaction, all three of them just nodded their heads. “Fine. I’m going in the kitchen with the women while you three come up with a plan.”

“Did she call you Brad?” Dave asked.

“Yes, she does that when she’s angry with me or I hurt her feelings. I don’t want to be locked from the bedroom tonight so let’s discuss the issue at hand. We need to find out where they are. Jesse, can you do that?”

“I don’t know,
Brad,
I think you’re already in the doghouse…” Jesse started saying sarcastically before Colleen interrupted. She told him he’d be sleeping outside if he didn’t get down to business.

Over dinner the guys caught us up on what was going on with Anthony and Andrew. Jesse found out that they were leaving Europe tomorrow and would arrive in the state roughly two days from now.

“Natalia…” Bradley put his hand over mine. “Seager and I could hear what the trees were telling you. It appears you’ve met my father in one of your previous lives.”

“
You see, Nat, his father killed you over a hundred and fifty years ago for choosing Brad over him. Actually, he killed Brad as well. What’s strange about this lifetime is that he’s Brad’s father as opposed to a friend or enemy.”

Everybody just stared at Seager like they’ve never heard him speak before. The only one who was experiencing this for the first time was Cheryl.

“Maybe we should do this in private,” I suggested.

Shocked by Seager’s comment, Bradley agreed and asked everyone to leave, telling them he would explain later. He also reminded Cheryl not to say anything about Seager.

Once everyone left, we sat down in the living room and Seager gave us some very important details about our past lives. Apparently, Bradley, in all his previous past lives, had always been a vampire. This lifetime was his first life as a human vampire. For several centuries Bradley’s father was the man responsible for turning him into a vampire. It’s a little ironic that he fathered Bradley in this lifetime, still making him a vampire. We were still unsure why the man had always hunted Bradley down.

What Seager said next sent fearful chills up and down my spine. It was his father that murdered me in every one of my past lives. When I entered Bradley’s life, whether as a friend or romantically, Andrew would go into a rage. After killing Bradley, he would offer me immortality and when I declined, he killed me as well.

“Seager, I don’t understand. Not too long ago, I had a nightmare of Bradley and me from years and years ago. He wasn’t immortal, he was a human. A man killed him, stabbing him in the back. Bradley was in my arms, I was hugging him.”

“That was the one lifetime the two of you met before Andrew turned Bradley into a vampire. Bradley was murdered in his twenties. Actually, that was his life before this one. Natalia, you were killed a few years later.”

“So now we know why Bradley’s father hates me, but why Bradley? Why does Andrew hate his son so much that murders him? And where does Anthony come in?”

“I think Brad’s father created Anthony to watch over Brad and to let him know when you entered his life again. I’m not sure, but if you had chosen Anthony over Brad, I think Andrew would have killed Anthony to get you. Or maybe it was a test to see if you were once again going to choose Brad. I’m not sure because this lifetime is different. This time Andrew is Brad’s father not his creator. And, Brad, we may be able to use that to our advantage.”

“How would that be an advantage? The man has never been a part of my life.”

“He has been a part of it, from a distance. Vampires that father a child with a human, especially a son, never go far. Your mother kept him from you so that you could have a semi- normal life. Brad, if we don’t find a way to defeat Andrew this time, we will all surely be killed. Right now we only have a few advantages and they are that he’s your father, he doesn’t know that Natty has magical powers, and he doesn’t know about me
.”

“Wait a minute, I’m confused. I thought you said I was a witch in my previous life.”

“You were but Andrew never found out. If he took Brad’s life before yours, you never fought back. It was as if you were dead, too. Once, Andrew tricked you into believing Brad was dead. The sick bastard offered you immortality or death with Brad. You chose death. After killing you Andrew tracked down Brad, who by the way had no idea that you had been murdered, and killed him.”

Bradley winced every time Seager mentioned that Andrew killed me.

There was a hardening in my stomach but I needed to know. “Where do you come in?”

“My death always came before yours, while I was defending you. I, however, was merely a dog.”

Unable to bear the thought of them dying because of me, I stood up and bolted out the front door. I don’t know where I was running to or why. Footsteps were quickly approaching from behind. My stomach clenched into a knot, and I could hear the sound of my heartbeat pounding in my ears. Fear had me running faster than my feet could carry me.

It was inevitable, just a matter of time before I tripped over my own feet. In slow motion I saw myself falling, about to smash my face into the ground, when I felt someone’s arms pulling me backwards, saving me. As Bradley carried me back to our house, I cried uncontrollably. It was too much information. The thought of losing Bradley and Seager devastated me.

“Both of you are older and have the ability to take him down this time.”
Without skipping a beat, Seager picked up where he left off.
“Natty, your magic alone could kill him. Let’s not forget the fact that we have a lot of friends and family to help us this time. As long as we’re not separated we will defeat them. And if we are separated we can’t let them use that against us. This time we’ll be ready, unlike all the other times. We’ve never had this much of an advantage,”
Seager repeated.

“Bradley, maybe if you turn me into a vampire we could get them this time.” Even though I knew he would be against it I had to ask.

“No, Natalia. This is not the life for you. Please don’t ever say that again.” He wrapped his arms around me tightly. “We’ll be the ones surviving this time. We just need a way to find each other should we get separated.”

That’s when I got a brilliant idea.

“I’ll be right back,” I said over my shoulder while racing up the steps, once again taking two at a time.

A few months ago, when I was searching the Book of Shadows for a spell, I found a unique protection spell. Flipping through the pages, “Got it,” I yelled down to them. All I needed was a tool that would always show me the way…

Calling from the top of the stairs, “Bradley? Could I borrow your compass?” Seager brought it up and I sent him right back downstairs.

Bradley’s mother gave him the sterling silver compass. Her love for him was pure.

Using my craft I changed the four directions to read; Bradley, Seager, Natalia and home. When I cast the protection spell onto the compass it disappeared, vanished. I double-checked the Book of Shadows and it read nothing about things disappearing. And, from what I read, I had performed it correctly. But what happened to the compass?

I walked back downstairs, my feet heavy with dread, to tell Bradley I lost his mother’s compass. Just as the words came out she appeared in front of our eyes, looking just like she did in the picture hanging in the room on the second floor of his mountain house. She held out the compass to me.

“Natalia, my dear, please be strong, as it will be your inner strength that will get you through until the end.” She backed away from me and looked at all three of us. “Use this compass to find one another when you get separated. No matter what Andrew says don’t believe it. Use his love for Bradley against him.”

She knelt down in front of Seager, “I miss you, my friend. You take care of them. This time your chance will come so be prepared. It will be you that helps her to survive.”

All the while Bradley couldn’t take his eyes off of her. When she finally turned to him he reached out to her.

Lovingly she cupped the left side of his face with her right hand.

“My sweet son… You must let yourself change completely. It will be okay and the only way to save her this time. Do not believe anything Andrew or Anthony says. They will try to discredit her in this lifetime, like in the past. She has never loved another, spiritually or physically. Never. It has always been you. Your souls are one.”

“Mom, I’ve missed you. I love you.” He stared adoringly, acting like he hadn’t heard a word she said.

Feeling how much he missed her, my eyes filled with tears.

“I love you, too. I’m very proud of you son. You must tell Natalia about the first time you met, tell her tonight. Tell her everything as soon as possible. The truth will help you defeat them all. Otherwise, they may use it against you. I’m happy you found her. Be happy and don’t forget what I said. You hear me?”