“But…”
“I said no, I refuse to put too much on her. It’s too soon.” Sophie heard the chair scratch against the floor and the frustration in Rafe’s voice. Then she heard the backdoor slam, and assumed he left the house.
Sophie waited for a few minutes and then entered the kitchen. She hadn’t planned on confronting Chelsea, but that was exactly what happened. Sophie stood with her hands on her hips. “What do I need to know, Chelsea?” the words spilled out of her mouth before she could stop them.
“It’s not polite to eavesdrop, Sophie.” Chelsea used that motherly tone with her that she hated.
“You’re right,” it was a painful admission, “but what I just heard can’t be unheard so you might as well tell me.” Sophie grabbed an apple and poured herself a glass of milk deciding the conversation would go better if she wasn’t standing there with accusation written all over her face. Chelsea was the one who argued that she needed to know so that meant she was on her side, right?
She needed coffee, but didn’t want the jittery after effects of drinking coffee on an empty stomach. The whole time she spent gathering her food and drink they didn’t speak a word which made Sophie more upset than necessary by the time she sat at the table with Chelsea. Maybe Chelsea wasn’t on her side? “So?”
“Your father and I are concerned about the connection you’ve made with Giovanni.” Chelsea began carefully.
So this had nothing to do with her family gifts and everything to do with the man she was interested in. She wasn’t sure if she felt relief or frustration over that realization. More importantly she wasn’t sure how she felt about Giovanni, which meant Chelsea and her father were getting worked up over nothing…maybe. She decided to be honest with her friend. “You’re not alone in that. I never thought I’d be interested in a vampire.” I never knew they existed until a couple of days ago, “and I don’t know how far it will go but I’m drawn to him like a moth to a flame. I know it’s inevitable that I’m going to get burned, but it doesn’t scare me like it should.” Sophie finished her milk and started on the apple and coffee, knowing she sounded foolish but relieved she could share her feelings with someone else.
“So you understand the danger? Did he tell you everything?” Chelsea took a sip of her tea, blowing once on the liquid out of habit.
Sophie rolled her eyes. “It’s not like we’ve had much time to talk, but he’s told me about Marissa.”
“And his father?”
“He has a father?”
“A prince generally has a king, otherwise he’d be the king.” Chelsea grinned over the rim of her cup. For a moment Sophie saw the light of mischief behind Chelsea’s brown eyes and couldn’t help but grin back.
“Sarcasm isn’t needed here, Chelsea.” Sophie said pointedly, but failed miserably at trying to sound annoyed. Her grin probably made things worse. “But since you brought it up, how serious is the whole prince thing?”
Chelsea sighed, and like that the mischief was gone and seriousness took its place. Chelsea had always been one to wear her emotions for the world to see. It was why Sophie liked her so much. She was honest because her face and body language gave her away when she wasn’t. “Pretty serious. Over a century ago the witches in this town were tasked with a great challenge of protecting a power source. They did a good job for a while, but another coven got jealous of the gift given to our coven and attacked. Witches are strong beings, but the problem with fighting against your own kind is that both sides know their enemies’ tricks. The war between the two covens waged for a good while, each side taking turns one-upping the other. Lives were lost, and the humans were becoming suspicious. I don’t think I need to remind you what happens when humans feel threatened.”
Sophie shook her head, but didn’t speak. The secret history of her town was fascinating, and she was becoming engrossed in the story.
“The witches on both sides began to call on other races to join the battle. First the Amazon warriors were called in which resulted in terrible blood battles. Amazon’s are a blood-thirsty group and once they are set on a task they rarely stop until it is completed.” Chelsea took another sip of her tea, savoring the herbal mixture before continuing on. “Then another group called in the vampires. Two families; the Mancuso’s and the Westchesters. Vampires are also loyalists, but they concern themselves more with survival than treaties. Instead of following the witches request the vampire’s decided it was more important to wipe the opposing family out first. The Mancuso’s won, chasing all but three Westchesters out of the town. Our coven was in league with the Mancuso’s which gave us the upper hand long enough to form a partnership between our Amazons, witches, a select few humans, and the vampires. It was this small advantage that gave us the win.”
“Wow.”
Chelsea nodded with a frown on her lips. “Once that battle was up the remaining groups threw the partnership out and started battling among themselves. Every group wanting access to the power source. It was Giovanni’s brother, Johnny, who managed to bring peace to the warring groups. His love of an Amazon brought the groups together.”
“Like a Romeo and Juliet type of story?” Sophie swooned a little at the romance of it all.
“Of sorts, only Johnny and Rebecca didn’t commit suicide, they were killed by their own parents effectively creating a truce between the vampires and amazons through an evil deed - they were forever joined.”
Sophie’s heart dropped. She couldn’t imagine being killed by her own parents. The very idea was ludicrous. “Why?”
“Because many believe mixing of the races is a step down the path to annihilating the race, and the elders of most races refuse to accept mixed relationships.”
“That’s an archaic belief. Maybe mixing the species would create a new, more improved race.”
Chelsea shook her head sadly. “For the most part, mixing species is a bad thing for sustaining the existing line. For example, a vampire can only create offspring two ways; siring or mating with a true mate. Johnny and Rebecca weren’t true mates so she would never have been able to produce a child. Amazon’s can mate with others, but only to produce a pregnancy. Once pregnant they were expected to kill their mate. Failure to do so would’ve resulted in death from the sisterhood. If they had a girl, the girl would be part of the tribe, the boys were either kept as slaves or given up for adoption.”
Sophie felt sad for the boys. “They enslaved their own children?”
“Only the strong. Now they don’t operate that way. From my understanding, the Amazon’s prefer artificial insemination, and if they do mate, they aren’t allowed to kill the man.”
“Technology really has made them less barbaric. Do they still treat the boys the same?”
Chelsea shook her head. “They aren’t kind to men, but the boys are all put up for adoption now. Slavery was a dark part of their past just as it was for the humans.”
Sophie nodded, “makes sense, otherwise there’d be a ton of women in jail for murder.”
“There are, and there are still some that follow the old ways. They are caught and punished. In Mystery Springs, they are usually put to death. In other towns, they are punished by human society, which means jail.”
“The council is tough on supernatural criminals.” Sophie spoke her thoughts.
“They have to be. If left un-policed, there are many supernaturals that would slip into the darker side of this world.” Chelsea’s smile was uneasy.
“So how did Rebecca’s and Johnny’s deaths bring about peace?” They’d gotten off track and Sophie wanted to know how the tragic love story ended.
“The aftermath of their actions shamed them into peace.” Chelsea pushed her cup forward a few inches. “The idea that tradition forced two parents to kill their children was a moment of enlightenment.”
Sophie nodded her head as understanding began to dawn on her. If Johnny was Gio’s brother that means his father was the one to sacrifice his son for a belief. “So Giovanni’s father doesn
’t like the idea of mixing races?”
Chelsea got up and placed her mug in the sink after rinsing it out. “The Mancuso’s are a private group. I don’t know much about the inner workings of their family but I do know Giovanni’s brother, Nicolai, fell in love with a shape-shifter years back and that ended badly.”
“Death?”
“No.” Chelsea sat down, “the treaties in place prohibit unnecessary death anymore. But Josephine was shamed out of Mystery Springs and Nicolai has been single since she left. He also lost the favor of his father. Some say Nicolai’s choice in lovers is the reason why Giovanni is the prince apparent.” Chelsea sighed heavily. “I do know the siblings in that family have all had the favor of their father Gregor at some point, but Giovanni has been the one that has kept it the longest. To be with you, without his father’s approval, will create a rift in the family.”
Sophie felt guilt sweep through her. Gio might have to give up his position in his family to be with her. “It sounds like his father needs to get caught up with the rest of the world.”
“He’s not alone in his thoughts. There are far more who believe mixing races is dangerous.”
“And you?” Sophie found she really needed to know Chelsea’s stance on this topic. She was surprised at how much it mattered to her that Chelsea was on her side, that she approved of her and Giovanni.
Chelsea sighed heavily, “I’m of the new age school of thought, but I still don’t believe witches should mix with vampires.”
“Why?”
“Two reasons really. Demeter, the mother of witches, wouldn’t appreciate vampires, children of Hades, soiling her line. The two deities already hate each other ever since Hades kidnapped her daughter Persephone, and forced her to eat food of the underworld, which made her his prisoner.”
Sophie frowned, she vaguely remembered the mythological story. She found the story far more romantic than Chelsea obviously did. A man loved a woman so much he took her and made her his bride. A mother loved a daughter so much she let the world fall apart until she got her back. Sophie was sure, if they were ever real, that family dinners might be a little strained, but Persephone got the best of both worlds. She got unconditional and romantic love. But they were myths, stories told to teach lessons. Nothing more, right? “You mean we’re creatures of the Gods? That’s a little far-fetched don’t you think?”
Chelsea shrugged her unusually thin shoulders. “It’s not my place to change your beliefs, just to educate you on other beliefs so you can make a well informed decision.” Sophie digested Chelsea’s words and wondered if her budding relationship with Giovanni was worth the trouble. “The second reason I oppose it is because Gregor is going to be a terrible roadblock to your happiness. He may never do you physical harm, but he is not a novice in emotional warfare. He’s had centuries to hone his skills.”
Sophie didn’t have to wonder if it was worth it. She listened and weighed the pros and cons and the idea of being without Giovanni was far worse than the consequences of being with him. She didn’t understand the extent of her feelings. She didn’t welcome the strong, unexplainable emotional connection, but she didn’t think she could change it. Chelsea’s warnings didn’t matter. She couldn’t change how she felt. She couldn’t change the instinct that kept telling her no matter what was thrown at them, if they were together they’d come out on top. She’d felt the attraction from the first moment their eyes connected in the nightclub and she knew he did too. “Then let Demeter, Hades, or Gregor come and tell me I can’t be with him. It’d take a Godly, or at the very least, kingly action to keep us apart I suspect.”
“That’s highly unlikely, but they can make your life difficult.” Chelsea added more to her warnings.
“My choices make my life difficult, not some mythological God created by people to explain strange occurrences that science and philosophers couldn’t dissect and answer. Doesn’t the mere fact that angels exist disprove the gods theory?” She bit into her apple, surprised that she’d eaten it almost to the core.
“No, and if you’ll take my class you’ll better understand. There are multiple religions across the world, everyone a little different, but many of the core beliefs are the same. They have similar themes with minor differences. In terms of western civilization think of the Greek gods as angels.”
“Well, that seems like a downgrade.” Sophie couldn’t help the sarcasm that came from her lips. She really was interested in learning everything she could about this new world, but things were getting so far from reality she was having a hard time believing it. “Next you’ll be telling me there are demons.”
“There are, as well as many more other creatures. You’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg.” Chelsea fought the smile that spread across her lips. “But we’re getting off topic. The reality of the situation is that there are multiple supernatural creatures that can make your life miserable. It’s important to make smart choices that keep you on the good side of as many of the more powerful ones as possible.”
“I may not understand everything but I’m not going to make choices that will make others happy. It’s still my life, and last I checked I still have free will.”
“That’s one way to look at it.” Chelsea agreed. “But remember, choices have consequences.”
Sophie gave Chelsea a somber look. She knew that all too well. She understood her mother’s decision to let her live a normal life, though she didn’t really agree with it. Sophie was fast realizing she had a lifetime of knowledge to catch up on and she was worried she wasn’t going to get a learning curve in real life. “There’s so much to learn.” She placed her head in her hands. “I’m a little overwhelmed… and scared, Chelsea.”
“It’ll all work out. Just be careful. Things are a little more dangerous than you’re used to.” Chelsea reached across the table and covered Sophie’s hand with her own in a rare show of affection.
A vision of a younger Chelsea popped into her mind. She was kissing a rugged looking man in the forested area outside of town. She felt Chelsea’s passion, her need to be with the man despite the rules they were breaking.
‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ the man with blond hair broke the kiss, they were both breathing heavily, their pupils were dilated and hands were hungrily roaming over each other’s bodies.
‘Yes, Roger, I’m sure. We need to run away, it’s the only way we can be together.’ Chelsea’s need overflowed into Sophie and made it uncomfortable to hold onto the memory. It felt like she was stealing a moment from her mother’s friend and she didn’t want to take that from her. Sophie pulled her hand away quickly and broke the connection.
“I’m sorry, Chelsea.”
“What did you see?”
“You and Roger talking about running away.” Sophie looked away guiltily.
“It looks like your powers are strengthening nicely.”
“Being able to see memories is normal?”
“For a healer, yes. Sometimes knowing what happened to your patient helps you heal them. And of course, there’s the fact that 80% of the pain one feels in the body is brought on by mental or emotional distress. Not being able to feel, not being able to see the mental side of illness would put you at a great disadvantage.”
In a strange way what she was saying made sense, and it was a reminder of something her mother always tried to teach her. But her mother never talked about having a conversation with a patient in their mind. “Should I be able to talk to a physical representation of the patient in their mind as well?”
“In dire situations, I’ve heard that was possible.”
There was silence between them. It was strange. All of this was odd, and she didn’t know what to do or think or feel. She was terrified and exhilarated in the same breath. “Could I have saved her?” Sophie asked barely above a whisper. “If I had my powers could I have saved mom?”
“No.”
“How can you know for sure?”
“Your mother saw multiple witch doctors. She
didn’t want to die yet. She wanted you to go to college and come home a doctor so you could do what you were meant to do.” Chelsea went to pat Sophie’s hand, but thought better of it. “Everyone dies, Sophie. Even immortals, strange as it sounds. This is simply one journey in our soul’s life. We’re here to learn what we need to have our soul progress, and then we move onto the next journey in life which is death -a subject matter your father would be best suited to teach you about.”
Sophie nodded, she didn’t know why she wanted Chelsea to think she understood. She didn’t. She couldn’t agree with her mother’s decision to keep this part of her life a secret, why she didn’t let Sophie help with her treatment. It was possible that since she was closer to her she would’ve been able to do more.
“That’s not how it works.” Chelsea answered her thoughts with a soft smile.
“Did you just…?
“Yes. You’re a healer and I’m a telepath. We all have special individual gifts. I knew your mother’s thoughts. She chose this path for you because she loved you with all her heart, more than anyone in this world. Her sacrifice gave you a normal life, something you’ll never have again. It was the greatest gift she could give you.”
The Witch's Vampire Page 9
