The Awakening: A Witch-Vampire Romance: Feel the Heat. (23 page)

Hekate narrow
s her eyes in the direction of the twin Elders. They both drop to their knees in screams. Blood is pouring from their eyes, ears, and mouths.

“Kelian
is and was a weak man. If it is he that you show your allegiance to after he cut you loose to survive this troubled world on your own, then you are as worthless as the parasite that my daughter eradicated,” Hekate’s voice echoes throughout the room.

“There
is a war coming. All factions will be forced to join a side. Tread lightly. You do not wish to be on the losing one.”

With
that bit of advice she releases them from her thrall.

The Elders quickly
stand and flash out the door as if the hounds of hell are nipping at their asses. Good riddance and all that jazz. My mother walks to where Sebastian is still kneeling on the floor and bids him to rise. I quickly make introductions.

“Mother, this
is Sebastian. He is Jaxx’s uncle.”

“It
is a pleasure to finally meet you in the flesh, teacher of my daughter,” her voice is back to tinkling bells.

Sebastian look
s flabbergasted. It is a good look for him. I smile into my hand to hide it.

“It
is an honor, my lady,” Seb bows low over my mother’s hand.

“Seb,
we have healed Jessa. Moira had been torturing her in your absence. That is why...Umm. Why I killed her. I read her thoughts and memories. The things she said and did were horrid. I couldn’t just let it go. Elder or not. I’m sorry if this upsets you.” I hang my head. I love Seb. He is a part of my newly formed family. I don’t want him to hate me.

“I don’t blame you for your actions child. T
hey were wisely done.” Seb turns back to my mother.

“You said something of a war on the rise
, my lady. What did you mean by that?”

When Seb sp
eaks to my mother he whispers like he is afraid of her disapproval. I have never seen him so humbled.

“There are certain clans of True Witches that have turned to the ways of darkness. They have turned from me and from the light. They want to eradicate all others who
do not follow their new ways,” Hekate whispers with great sadness.

I
go to her and clasp my hand in hers to offer what comfort I can.

“They were once my children. Not children of my blood. Not children of my light or soul
, but my children all the same. I listened to their pleas and prayers. I led them in the way of the light, the way of the just. They have turned from me. Who they follow now I cannot see. They have cloaked themselves from my sight.”

“Well I don’t think we can rely on the Vampire factions to be on our
side in the upcoming conflicts,” I whisper to the room at large.

“There are many factions of Vampires. There are many Elders in each of these factions. The Elders you met tonight are of no consequence. Many of my kind still follow the
old ways.” Sebastian nods in my mother’s direction. Then he looks to where Moira’s remains still lay on the floor in a steaming pile of flesh. I had completely forgotten her.

My mother
sees the direction of our stares and waves a gentle hand through the air and what remains of Moira just disappears. Well, that takes care of that. I shrug. You either roll with it or drown.

“It
is time for me to take my leave from this plane.”

Hekate look
s at me, squeezing my hand tighter. “Child, take wisdom from the book I have gifted you. If you have need of me, I will come. You are loved, my little light.”

She step
s forward and embraces me in a tender hug. When she pulls away I feel as if I am going to weep.

“You have many trials ahead. Dan
ger looms very near.” She closes her eyes and inhales deeply, and then shakes her head in the negative. “This danger is hidden from me. They wear a false face. Someone familiar to you, I think. Tread carefully. Trust only those closest to you.” She looks around the room and the people in it. My new family, people I will gladly kill and die for if I have to.

Hekate back
s away from me and green-tinged mist starts to surround her. Once she is fully covered in it there is a bright flash of light and she is gone. I feel her absence keenly, but I have to push it back. There are more pressing matters to attend to at this moment.

Everyone in the sitting room
is looking at everyone else’s shell-shocked faces. It isn’t every day that you are in the presence of a Goddess. Seb looks at me with questions in his eyes.

“We healed her
, Seb. Jessa will wake sometime tonight.”

“Thank the Goddess,” Seb sigh
s out.

Jaxx
comes over, pulling me close to him and settles us into a vacant club chair with me sitting sideways across his lap. Everyone is silent for a while, taking in the events of the morning. I lay my head on Jaxx’s shoulder and am almost asleep when Gavin speaks. I jump at the sound of his voice.

“So what are we going to
do about this upcoming war? It doesn’t seem like this is something that we can put off. Or something that we can handle alone.”

“I agree. There
is a gathering coming up in one month’s time. The Wandering,” Jaxx says. When I look at him in question, he explains.

“It
is a gathering that True Witches flock to for the chance they might meet their intended mate. Or soul mate.”

“Yes! My boy
, I think you have it,” Seb shouts.

“There will be every
clan of True Witches present, along with their Clan Elders. We can bring the warnings of the Mother Goddess to them there.” Seb looks at Jaxx like he is a genius.

I snuggle back into the space between Jaxx’s neck and shoulder and decide t
o doze for a while. The boys can speculate and plan all they want but this morning had wiped me out.

When I wa
ke up a little later, I realize I need to check my phone and email. I need to touch base with the real world for a bit before my uncle and Devon send out the FBI to look for me, even though it’s only been a week since I have spoken either of them. They are most likely freaking the fuck out.

“Has anyone thought about what
I’m supposed to say to my uncle and Devon when I decide to contact them again,” I ask the room at large, which is rewarded with weird looks from everyone. “Geez, sorry! It was just a stray thought, but a valid one I think!”

“Your uncle thi
nks that you are at a boarding school in upstate New York. He won’t be expecting you to be checking in every second Ella. He will be thinking that you are spreading your wings a bit.”

I sigh
in relief, close my eyes, and feel my mind begin to drift. Snuggling into Jaxx is my favorite place in the world to be.

“I am so happy to be here with you.” I whisper to Jaxx for his ears alone.

“And I you, little raven. We have much to discuss when you wake, but for now sleep and dream of good things, dream of me.”

If it was only that easy. As soon as I close
my eyes I find myself running through that all-too familiar maze. It is made of giant thorns and I can hear the footsteps of the person chasing me gaining ground. I can almost feel their breath on the back of my neck. I remember the part that comes next and I am seriously not looking forward to it.

Good dreams indeed.

Chapter
18.

I wake up to people shouting. I roll over and try to bury my head in the warm pillow my head is nestled against. Unfortunately, I am not lying on a pillow at all. I accidentally head butt Jaxx in my attempt to escape the noise.

“Umph! What are you trying to
do, little raven?” He smiles at me while rubbing his chin.

“
I’m trying to get away from whoever is downstairs squawking.” I shake my head to clear some of the cobwebs.

“What
is all the commotion about anyway,” I ask him.

“
Jessa woke up hungry.” He laughs out loud and shakes his head.

I guess that explain
s why someone is bitching. Just when I am about to ask what she has gotten herself into this time, Gavin charges through the door.

“Knock much?” I scowl at him.

“You wouldn’t bother knocking either if someone just tapped your ass like a juice box,” he yells at me.

“She bit me!”

“Watch your tone, brother,” Jaxx snarls at Gavin.

“You are upset
, but don’t take your frustrations out on your sister. You get me boy?”

Gavin look
s down at the floor and I notice that he is holding his neck. Blood is dripping down his arm. I throw back the covers and crawl out of bed. Once my feet hit the cold wood floor, I stride over to Gavin. I pull his arm away from the deep laceration that is cut deeply into his neck. He looks like he’s been mauled by a wild animal.

Jesus. I would be pissy too
!

I put my palm to the wound and push a gentle trickle of my power into it. I feel a tingling warmth that radiates from the center of my hand. I watch as Gavin’s wound slowly knits itself back together.

“Why didn’t she use her saliva to close the wound herself
,” I ask.

“
I’m sure she would have if she was in her right mind. The elders weren’t joking when they said she was feral. If Sebastian hadn’t pulled her off of me she would have drained me,” he huffs out a deep breath.

“
I’m going out for a while. Call me when you get that she bitch under control,” he snarls as he leaves the room.

I look back at Jaxx reclining on the bed without a
shirt. He is a variable buffet for the eyes. I shake my head to get my mind out of the gutter.

“How long have I been out,” I ask Jaxx as I throw a blanket over his manly chest. I keep asking him that. I need to stop overextending myself.

“Not l
ong. Just about six hours or so,” Jaxx laughs at me for avoiding the bed with my eyes. The blanket that I covered him with hits me in the side of the head.

“Come back to bed
, little raven. I have a present all ready and waiting for you,” his voice is low and growly. When he sounds like that, it always makes me want to forget about my promises to myself. No sex until marriage, or a mating ceremony. Whatever it is called now.

“You know I can’t
” I huff out in frustration.

“Besides
, I need to check on Jessa.” I sneak one last look at him, regretting that I have to leave my man in bed waiting for me. I turn and head for the door. I am still wearing the clothing that I’d worn earlier this morning. I guess I look presentable. Just a little wrinkled. When I make my way down the stairs and wander into the front room it is like war of the blood suckers. The front room is completely destroyed. Furniture is busted, tables are turned over, and pictures are smashed on the floor. Jessa and Seb are in opposite corners of the room just staring daggers at each other.

“What the fuck
,” I shout.

“We are guests in this home. You are both too old for this shit!”

Jessa turns and looks at me when she hears my voice. The shock on her face is almost funny. I guess she didn’t expect to see me here.

“She cannot be controlled. When I
try to help her, she acts like someone belonging in Bedlam,” Sebastian snarls at me while staring daggers at Jessa.

I stop
cold. No one talks about my bestie like that. That shit got Moira boiled and gutted. I might like Seb well enough, but I love that furious girl in the corner with every inch of my soul.

“Get out
, Seb. Go for a walk. Just leave.” My voice leaves no room for an argument.

“It’
s your funeral little niece,” he hisses at me through clenched teeth as he slams out the front door.

I turn
to Jessa. She hasn’t moved from her space in the corner, but now she huddles and burrows like she is trying to find a place to hide.

“Jessa. You are safe.” When I get no reaction out of her, I approach her with my palms outward.

When she register
s that someone is getting closer to her, she whirls around, hair flying, fangs punching out, and hissing. She crouches down, getting ready to spring for me. I don’t want to use my gifts against her, but I might not have any choice. I don’t want her to hurt anyone else, especially Jaxx. I can hear him moving around upstairs. It won’t be long until he makes his way down. I fling my palm outward and freeze her mid-pounce. I wave my hand toward the sofa and set her down as gently as I am able. The truth is that I basically fling her onto it. I need more practice for finesse. I still have her body in stasis, so I move her into a sitting position. Her eyes are about to pop out of their sockets.

“Yes
, Jessa, there is quite a bit that we both need to confess and catch up on,” I tell her gently.

“You know me
, though. I would never hurt you.” I shake my head sadly at her. I don’t know what to do to help her. Obviously, judging by her physical appearance, she is healed. Her curves are back, her hair is wavy and shiny, and she doesn’t look like a shriveled husk of herself anymore.

The tiny voice in the back of my head
is muttering something. Sometimes I try to block it out. It can get fucking annoying, but I choose to listen to it this time. I need to feed her, it says. She isn’t fully healed. On the outside maybe, but the inside of her mind is still damaged. My life blood should finish healing her fully, poor Seb. He probably thinks he got stuck with a bat shit crazy mate. I reach for my mother’s jeweled dagger that is still sitting where the coffee table used to be. Once I have it, I slice vertically down my wrist, just like I was told to do earlier.

Jessa’s stare
is rapt. She can’t pull her eyes away from my blood that is dripping from the wound. I walk to her, carful to keep her in stasis. I force my wrist into her mouth and let my blood run freely.

“This
is my gift to give. Take freely with no artifice.” I pull back on the stasis spell a bit so that she can drink. I feel her fangs slash into my raw wound and bite back a curse. With every pull of blood she ingests I can see the sanity returning to her eyes. When she’s had her fill, she gently pulls back from my wrist and runs her tongue over my wound. It closes almost instantly.

“Where are we
, Ells?” Jessa looks around the room in confusion. She still seems weak, slouching into the sofa as if she doesn’t have the energy to make herself sit up straight.

“We are a
t Gavin’s cabin.” When she looks at me blankly, I explain.

“Gavin
is my twin. I told you about him over the phone right before your accident.”

“That’s right,” she sigh
s. “Why am I so bloody tired?”

“You have been through a lot. I think it would better for Sebastian to explain everything to you though.”

She smiles a dreamy smile at the mention of Seb.

“Where is Sebastian? The last thing I remember is traveling with him to a safe house. He was going to teach me about what I am now.” She looks at me with a question in her eyes.

“
Jessa, I know all about what you are. I’m not afraid of you, as I told you a minute ago. We have a lot of catching up to do.” I sit on the sofa and grasp her hand. I smile gently at her.

“I have missed you!” She s
till isn’t up to snuff. My snarky best friend is tired. She looks so drained by everything she has been through.

Jessa look
s around the room in wonder, cataloging every bit of the mess she and Seb made during their confrontation. “Did I make this mess?”

“Yeah
, but you were pretty pissed at the time. So it’s okay. I can clean it up in a snap,” I snap my fingers and send the books lying on the floor sailing back into their rightful places.

Jessa gasp
s. She looks at me and nods.

“Bitch
, we do have a lot of catching up to do, but first answer a question for me. Is there a cunt by the name of Moira staying around here,” she is snarling and her fangs have pushed out by the end of her question.

“Moira’
s dead,” I tell her frankly.

“What? How? She’s so fucking strong
, Ells. You have to stay away from her. She almost killed me on more than one occasion.”

I ha
ve never seen Jessa whisper in fear. It is like she didn’t ever register what I just told her. Before I can explain further, Sebastian walks back through the front door. He is walking into the room slowly, as if he is preparing for the worst. His jaw literally drops when he sees Jessa sitting calmly on the sofa holding my hand. Jessa jumps a little in excitement when she notices Seb standing there. She looks at him with full-on eye contact. She seems to be waiting for him to make the first move.

Seb
walks quickly across the room, stopping directly in front of us. The strong man drops to his knees and buries his face in Jessa’s lap. His shoulders start to shake with sobs as he wraps his arms around her waist.

I quickly extract myself from them and move across the room.

“I’m so...so very sorry, my dove. Please, tell me you forgive me,” Seb tells her in a choked whisper.

I quickly make for the door and let myself out of the
room. After everything they have been through they deserve some alone time.

I quickly mak
e my way up the stairs. The events of late are getting to me. I am starting to feel really worn down. It is like someone is taking sand paper and slowly rubbing away at everything that I thought I was. This new person that stares at me in the mirror each morning isn’t the person I once saw. In some ways I love the new me. She is stronger, bolder, and less inclined to take people’s shit. I can protect the people that I love, but at what cost? One day am I going to buckle and lose everything I once thought I wanted and loved?

Jessa
is back in my life now. I have my sister back, but there is still so much up in the air. There is a war looming on the horizon. A war I am supposed to lead, prevent, or even win for the side of the light. I am only eighteen. Until two weeks ago I was just a regular girl. Sure, I’d had a shitty home life. My parents hated me, despised everything that I did, everything that made me the person that I was.

Now I ha
ve a destined mate, a Goddess for a mother, a vampire best friend, and lies that hide my new reality from the rest of my family. I know it is to keep them safe, but it galls me to lie to those closest to me, even if it does protect them from a fate that could be far worse than death.

I fin
d Jaxx still in our room, rummaging around in his luggage looking for something to wear for the day. He has been my rock in the never ending storm. I am starting to doubt my path in this life of chaos. I know I am supposed to be stronger than this. On the outside someone might see me as some badass with super powers unlike anyone else, but inside I am still the same girl. Scared of being alone and left behind, even though he has been with me through everything that life has thrown at me these past weeks. There are still things about even him that I don’t know.

I c
an feel my eyes filling even as I watch the man that I am falling for fumble with a T-shirt. I want to wall up the tears that are going to start to fall at any moment. I want to lock them away and be the person everyone wants and expects me to be, but I can’t. I just want to lock myself away from the world, for just a few minutes, and wish for peace. So many wonderful things have come with this new life that was handed to me. I am looking at one of them right now.

Jaxx stiffen
s and I know that he can feel my turbulent emotions through our shared bond. He turns and looks at me with confusion in his eyes.

I
walk over to our bed and sit on the corner.