The Awakening: A Witch-Vampire Romance: Feel the Heat. (22 page)

Jessa
isn’t just sleeping. I can tell because she is breathing very shallowly. I don’t know what was done to her besides what I pulled out of Moira’s head, but it has affected her in very physical ways. She doesn’t look like the little brash wench I knew and loved. Seeing her like this makes me want to kill Moira all over again, but before I can erect any more retribution I need to heal her. I just don’t know how to heal a Vampire.

I place my palms on Jessa’s chest and force a wave of healing into her rapidly depleting body. Wa
ve after wave of my light enters her chest, but nothing changes. Her breathing doesn’t even begin to get better. What am I doing wrong? I don’t know the physiology of a Vampire. Tears flood my eyes and wash down my flushed cheeks. I wish my mother was here. She would know. Vampires might not be her children but she is the Mother Goddess. I hear gasps and knees dropping to the floor behind me before I even register the new charge of energy in the air. I swing around, ready to battle some new enemy that has slipped past my notice. What meets my eyes is a most welcome surprise.

“Be at peace my child,” Hekate sa
ys in her bell-like voice. “I am here to offer my help, to guide you in healing this young one you hold so dearly to your heart.”

Hekate
is still wearing a Grecian-style gown and golden sandals. Except this one is in shades of blues, greens, and browns. She is exquisite. The very essence of what a Goddess should be. I run into her waiting arms and power down. When she embraces me it feels like I have finally found something to fill the gaping wound deep inside me. I pull from her and notice that there is blood smeared on her gorgeous gown.

“Mother you are bleeding
,” I ask in disbelief.

“No child. You are.”

Shit.
I forgot all about Moira biting me. Hekate lifts her hand and holds it against my wounded neck. I feel a sharp bite of pain then warmth flowing into the wound.

“There. All done.” Hekate smiles
at me, then waves her hand over her gown and the smears of blood disappear. With powers like that, who needs dry cleaning?

I look over her shoulder and
see Jaxx and Gavin face first on the floor. Kneeling like their lives depend on it and maybe they do.

“Do they need to remain kneeling
,” I whisper to my mother, not liking that Jaxx has his face plastered to the wood floor, but not knowing what to do about it.

“Just for the time being, my light. Let us heal your friend here. Then it will be time for introductions.”

I pull back and smile a smile so wide my cheeks hurt.

“
I’m so glad you have come.”

“I told you that I would when you were in need.”
Hekate glides over to look down at Jessa. She reaches down and lightly glides her fingers down Jessa’s hollowed out cheek.

“So young, s
he was nearly starved to death. No child this young should be tortured so.” There is a bite of anger to my mother’s words. I can’t agree with her more. She turns her face to look at me.

“I agree that the ancient one had to die. It was past her time to walk upon this plane of existence. Some cannot withstand immortality without becoming cruel as they grow older.”

Hekate shakes her head as if Moira’s very existence was a waste. I guess it was. Someone that old, so old that I could feel her age in my bones, could have lived a productive life, helping her kind and others instead of being the parasitic bitch that she was.

“What can I
do to help Jessa? I tried to use my healing magic. I forced an immense amount of my light into her chest. It didn’t help at all.” I shake my head with new tears forming in my eyes. I feel defeated. I couldn’t live with myself if I lost her.

“She needs blood, my
light.” Hekate once again wipes the tears from my face while giving me a gentle smile.

“Will my blood
do? Will it help her recover,” I ask urgently, getting excited at the thought of healing my best friend.

“You are the child of my light. The blood of a Goddess runs through your veins. Of course your life essence will heal her.”
Hekate pulls a small decorative golden dagger from a sheath on her belt. It is only about three inches in length, but it looks wickedly sharp. I quickly give her my left wrist palm up for her to cut. She shakes her head at me, then hands me the little dagger.

“Your blood must be given freely without help or artifice. Now slice in a vertical line down your wrist so that it doesn’t close too quickly.”

I take her ordinate dagger and slice deeply into my wrist. I wince from the sharp bite of pain. Blood rushes from the wound, dripping onto the floor. I bend down and use my right hand to pull Jessa’s chin down to open her mouth. I quickly push my gashed wrist to her mouth, letting my life-giving blood flow freely into her mouth.

“I give you this gift freely my sister. Let it heal you and right the wrong that was maliciously done unto you.” I look at Hekate for her approval and she gives me a small, almost regal nod in return.

Jessa’s body jerks
as if she is coming out of deep sleep, but her eyes do not open. Her arms rise to encircle mine as her fangs rip into my arm. I continue to let her feed off of me until I start to feel light headed from the loss of blood. I gently pry her arms from mine and remove my wrist from her mouth. I watch in astonishment as my wound knits itself back together on its own. I look at my mother in disbelief.

“When I healed your neck I gave you a gift
, child. You will now heal as I would.” She smiles gently at me.

“Why hasn’t she woken up yet
,” I ask.

“She
is still under the stasis spell. Look child. She is healing. Her body is rejuvenating.”

“How
do I remove someone else’s spell?”

“You don’t already know that answer? Listen to your mind, child. My book has been guiding you since it has come into your
possession. It should be whispering its wisdom to you even as we speak.”

I close my eyes and listen intently to my subconscious. I hear the whispered words of wisdom. It
is nice to know where they are coming from. For a minute there I thought I might have developed a split personality.
As if the world could handle more than one of me. Ha!
“Yes,” I whisper with my eyes still closed.

“I can hear the tiny voice in my mind.” I
look at Hekate and see her smiling at me like a proud parent would. That look alone, coming from my mother, makes my heart skip a beat. I have never experienced that look from a parental figure.

“What
is my book telling you to do? Listen to it. Follow its instructions,” Hekate instructs me.

I close my eyes
once more and raise my palms over where Jessa is still sleeping on the sofa. I listen to the chanting, whispering voice in my head, and then start to chant along with it:

“Those who have trespassed

Are welcome no more.

Release this child from her slumber.

Let her rise and see the light.

Let her soul resume to burning bright.

Let her lungs welcome the breath of life.

Let her eyes open to no more strife.

Remove the hold you have on this being.

Retract your claws.

Or feel my eternal sting.”

During the chant I was fueling it with all the power I could must
er inside myself. I could feel the spell start to lift like a rubber band stretching, then finally breaking free. I open my eyes and see that Jessa’s color has finally returned to normal and she is breathing regularly again, but she remains sleeping.

“Why has she not wo
ken,” I ask once more.

“She will wake when her body has fully healed. Now that you have removed the stasis spell she should waken with the rise of the moon. Her kind are more powe
rful then.” Hekate turns to look behind her where my brother and would-be lover are still kneeling.

“Can we please allow them to get up now
Mother?” I laugh slightly and try to hide it. I mean what are you supposed to do? A Goddess for a mother, people are meant to bow in her presence, but I am just not used to it.

“Yes, my light. It
is time for introductions. Let us leave this youngling to her rest.”

We stroll side by side over to where Gavin and Jaxx are frozen on the floor. “Children, you may rise and address your Goddess,” my mother tells them in an imperial voice. This is so going to take a while to get used to.

How did you go from being a bowing and scraping worshiper, to being the daughter of a Goddess?

“You are trans
itioning quite well, my daughter,” she whispers to me in an aside.
Shit! She can read my mind as well. Hmm. Not like I can sensor every thought, best not to think about it.

“Do I let the other Vampire Elders in
,” I ask, looking out the front window where Sebastian and the other two men are angrily pacing the front lawn.

“Not just yet.” She turn
s to Jaxx first and holds out her hand which he takes and bows lowly over.

“It is good to meet my daughter’s soul mate in the flesh.”

Ha!
Jaxx’s ears just turned pink. I didn’t think anything could make that man blush.

“Your destined suits you,
my daughter. He is strong of heart and soul. He will be steadfast and supportive.”

I grin at Jaxx. “I
am very lucky, Mother. He is special to me. He is more than just my soul mate. I would have chosen him regardless of the Fates matching us together.” I join Jaxx and wrap my arms around his waist and nuzzle my face into his chest.

Hekate
is approaching my brother and he looks a little freaked by her. He bows lowly in a show of respect but seems to be struck mute.

“It
is okay child. I’m not here to harm you. You are womb mate of my little light. That makes you precious to me also.” She pulls Gavin into a hug and his shoulders begin to shake.

“I will be a mother to you also. Know that you are loved my child.”

Gavin collapses in on himself, sobbing silently.

I look at Jaxx with wide eyes
, not knowing what to do.

“Just let him get it out. He hasn’t been shown much in the way of affection in his short life.”

“Sometimes I forget how old you are. Cradle robber.” I slap his chest with the back of my hand and laugh.

I turn back to my mother and Gavin and see that he has gotten himself together. Hekate has seated herself daintily in a green club chair and Gavin is sitting at her feet while she idly runs her fingers through his hair. If I didn’t already love my mother, I would love her right now for showing my brother that small kindness.

“It
is time to let in the Vampires that are waiting outside,” Hekate looks up at me when she speaks.

I wave my hand and the force field
surrounding the house disappears. Within moments the front door is sent crashing into the wall and three irate immortal males come flashing in. Seb stops in his tracks at the sight of my mother sitting in the room. He immediately drops to his knees and stays there, eyes prone on the floor.

The other two
didn’t notice her presence. She must have muted her power before they made their entrance. They are facing me where I stand, looking at me like they would love to follow through with Moira’s threats. They are both tall. Well over six feet in height with dark hair and muddy brown eyes. Their faces are nondescript and neither is handsome nor overly attractive. They are clearly twins. Their looks are nearly identical.

“Who are you to kill one of our ancients
? Some youngling drunk on power!”

I d
on’t get a chance to respond because my mother decides this is the moment to make herself known.

“Who you are speaking to
is my daughter, daughter of my blood, daughter of my light. You will show respect to your betters or I will cull you where you stand.”

“We are ancient Elders of an ancient and noble race. My name
is Odar and this is my brother Adar. Who are you to speak to us thus?”

Power unlike anything I ha
ve ever seen spills through the room like a tidal wave. It takes all of my stubborn will to remain on my feet. If I wasn’t clinging to Jaxx I would have been mowed over. As it is, we are both holding each other up. The two Vampire Elders finally realize their mistake. They might not know who exactly they’ve just insulted, but they obviously know when they are out matched and out classed.

“I know exactly who you are, Odar,
Adar. Twin mortals my once would-be mate decided to make into his play things. I saw the night that he took you whilst you were shoveling muck outside your pathetic little mud hut.”

The look on their faces
is priceless.

“We owe no allegiance to you
, Goddess,” Odar fairly spits. “You cursed our maker without cause. We did not worship at your alter like these weak Witches.”