“I never heard anyone’s thoughts until the day I met you.” I poked him hard on the chest.
“Ow,” he touched his chest where I had poked him. “You stepped into our world—your world.”
“Why didn’t it before?”
“I don’t know, but whatever was blocking it unblocked when you got reset. Something, I doubt, they bargained on.”
“’They’?”
“Whoever give you the potion. Marick is speculating a lot. He doesn’t know, and it’s going to drive him….” He paused and look at me again. “You need to embrace this gift, Danielle. You can find out from Eric who is behind all this.”
“I just told you that I’m not sure if I heard his voice.”
“You know you did.”
I grunted.
“Eric has seen things we haven’t. If you are linked to his curse, Danny, you can find out who’s doing all of this.”
“I can’t do this, Sebastian. You were born into all this shit. I feel like I am losing my mind. It’s too much.” I wanted to cry.
He hugged me tightly. “I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t think. I’ll get Marick to help you to feel better.”
“I can’t deal with him now.”
“He can take the headache away and make the load on you easier. I told you what it is he can do, Danielle.”
“He’s going to persuade me to feel better, that it?”
“Look at it however you want to. His gift is rare, and it works.”
I closed my eyes. “I’m so tired—tired of not remembering, tired of feeling like this all the time—Sebastian.”
“Then let Marick help you, Danielle. Please.”
I climbed on my bed and lay my head on the pillow. “He will never hurt you in any way. He’s not like that. He loves you way too much. Trust him, Danielle.”
I finally nodded, and I watched Sebastian leave.
Chapter 13
MARICK
* * *
I sat and listened to Sebastian as he came hollering excitedly that I could finally reclaim the throne. Another dose of shock made me collapse in the chair. I gave up the throne to be with Danny because she was a human. She wasn’t a human—she was a most powerful witch, one worthy of a wisp.
He entered the room, and his smile turned soft when he saw me. “Marick, she is one hell of a witch, one with a rare gift too.”
“What?” She showed him? “How do you know?”
“She blurted it out.”
“What is her gift?” Francine asked me.
“She doesn’t only hear Minaut’s voice, but Eric’s too.”
Everyone gasped.
“A mind reader?” Katia asked.
“That is so friggin’ cool,” Louise said.
Her dad scolded her with a sharp look.
“What? I said friggin’.”
“A mind reader?” Luke asked.
“You sure?” I looked at Sebastian.
“She said she doesn’t hear him like Minaut’s voice—only heard it once. But it wasn’t any of our voices. She didn’t make much of it, but I know she knows it was him.”
“What did he say?”
“He’s angry and frustrated.” Sebastian sat on his haunches in front of his brother who was looking at the wall. Both his hands were in fists, deformed by the curse so that he couldn’t even type out what he saw.
“Buddy, just a little more time. She is still freaking out. But she might be able to help you if you give her time, okay?”
Eric didn’t answer him. I always wondered if his mind was still coherent.
Sebastian looked over his shoulder, still smiling. “She’s freaking out, Marick, and not dealing well with any of this. And she has a slight headache.”
Why was he telling me all this?
“I told her you can help. She’s waiting for you. You can thank me later.”
“What?”
“Just go.” He chuckled, and I turned around and went upstairs to Danielle’s room.
I knocked on her door softly and opened it. She was lying on her bed.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Define okay. Physically or mentally?”
“Both?”
“I have a mother of a headache and”—her lower lip started to quiver, and I realized I even missed that—“I can’t be a witch. I can’t deal with any of this.”
“Shh, Danielle.” I climbed on her bed and lay next to her.
I cradled her head in my hand gently. “Look at me.”
“Don’t, please.”
“I can’t take the headache away if you don’t look at me.” I smiled softly.
“You seriously can do that?”
“One of my many talents,” I said softly.
She opened her teary eyes and looked at me. I looked deep into her brown eyes and felt the darkness behind them.
“You don’t have a headache,” I said.
She repeated it—they always do.
“Being a witch is not so bad, and hearing voices, especially Minaut’s, is not the end of the world, Danielle. Find the balance. The only way you can do this is if you speak to her, tell her your boundaries.”
“Tell her my boundaries.”
“That’s it,” I said softly, and she closed her eyes. I stroked her cheek as she fell into a blissful sleep.
She was alive, all this time. I missed her so much, a total mess without this woman in my life. I still struggled to believe that she was here.
I was terrified that this was a dream, that I was going to wake up and discover that everything was a dream, that she was still dead. I stroked her cheek with my fingers gently.
I never loved anyone as much as I loved her. She showed me what it was to love the way humans did—what it meant to not be able to fix a problem, work hard for what you want. She taught me to be humble, patient, everything I never knew. She changed who I was and turned me into the man that I became, one that I almost lost.
I will always love her, and I will never leave her side again.
Her skin made my lips tingle from the kiss I pressed on her forehead. It was as if they were burning, burning with the love I still felt for her.
She will be okay, though I still couldn’t believe that she was a witch.
I could claim my throne back. She never was a human to begin with. I could be in line to be king again, and my dad could finally retire.
My eyes closed for what felt like a brief second. When they opened again, light streamed into the room, and I found myself alone on Danielle’s bed.
Shit. I fell asleep in her room!
Her bathroom door opened, and she walked out with a towel wrapped around her drying hair.
“I’m sorry that I….”
“Don’t. Thanks for last night. My head feels much better and this witch thing”—she smiled—“it’s not really that bad.”
I smiled and shook my head. “No, it’s not. You have all of us to help you through this, Danielle.”
She sighed then smiled, but her smile didn’t reach her eyes.
Was I ever going to truly get her back? “How did Minaut tell you about me?”
I chuckled. “The house gave her a witch hat.” My voice was hoarse from the sleep.
She laughed sweetly. “And you happened to figure out the rest?”
“No, actually, she got frustrated with me. She kept looking at the ceiling corner. We have this thing for ‘yes’ and ‘no’ where she taps a different knee with her paw.”
“Wow, she really is smart.”
“She isn’t an animal, Danielle. She’s a magical being.”
“I wouldn’t mind that type of communication though.”
I laughed again. “You have no idea how special you are to hear her voice.”
“I didn’t know, Marick.”
“I know. You would’ve told me if you knew.” Silence fell. “Speak to her, Danielle. It’s been almost a century since the last time someone could hear her the way you do.”
“If you
are trying to make me feel bad, it’s working.”
I got up as tears filled her eyes again, and I didn’t care if she liked my touch or if it made her uncomfortable. She needed a hug. “No, believe me, it’s the last thing I’m trying to do.” She sobbed in my chest, and I was glad that she broke down instead of pulling away.
“How is this possible?”
“I don’t know, but it’s the best news I got in a long time,” I said.
She didn’t reply.
“Can we please have a conversation?”
She sniffled and nodded. “Yeah, I need to speak to you too.”
She pushed herself out of my arms and sat on the bed.
I sat next to her. With my feet on the ground and my elbows on my thighs, I turned my head and looked at her. “What does her voice sound like?”
“Kind, and yet, slightly annoying. She couldn’t stop talking though. I’m sorry. I didn’t know what it meant, and it is still weird. The effect it had on me, it’s like she forced those words inside my head.”
“It’s not like that. Her voice is powerful, or so my father said, it takes time getting used to. On top of that, you have your natural gift which happens to be the exact same thing.”
“I’m really going to hear voices?”
I smiled. “Danielle, it’s a rare gift. And with time, you can use it when you want to. You will have a normal life.”
“I will?”
I nodded. “Look, there are plenty of witches out there who don’t know they are witches.”
“I’m not like them,” she blurted out.
“What?”
“I probably didn’t know while we were married as it only happened during my reunion with my mother. When my grandmother died…”
“Your grandmother died?”
“You knew her?”
“No, but I know she wasn’t your favorite.”
“No, she wasn’t.” She sighed and fiddled with her hands. She was nervous.
I made her nervous. I didn’t like it.
“We had to sort out her house. In the basement, just as we were about to take out the last of the boxes, a hidden panel in the wall slid opened.” The corner of her lips curved. “I remember how my heart raced. With what my mind told me what happened, I could have sworn that a hidden panel was part of those five years. My mother is so much braver than I was then, and she went to investigate. I was so scared that some monster might pull her in and come for me next. But then she pulled out a box. When she shone a light on it from her phone, she told me that other boxes were in there too. I knew I had no choice but to help her.” She swallowed hard and looked at me. “When we got all of them out, she opened the one box, and I had a feeling of suffocation.” Her hands pressed against her chest as if feeling it again. “I begged her not to open that book, but her curiosity was too pressing. She did. Nothing happened, but I still can’t look at those books.”
“What is inside the books?”
“Magic spells, potions. They are old, Marick, journals of our ancestors. For the past four years, she’s been trying to figure out our family tree and where we fit in as she honestly believes that we come from a long line of witches.”
She looked at me again, but I kept quiet. “She hired a student that was doing a thesis on the Salem witch trials who found all of it fascinating. My mother believes that it’s our ancestors’ history, that her mother hid it from her. She was supposed to share that information with us, but instead, she kept it to herself and condemned everyone around her, knowing what truly flew through our veins. My mother and Percy had been trying to figure it all as I wanted nothing to do with it. And here I am, living in a house that dishes out cutlery and witch hats.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“She wanted me so badly to help her unravel everything, but I couldn’t fathom the existence of it.” She got up, pace a bit. She ran her fingers through her hair and looked at me. “It didn’t matter though. She tried to tell me about them all in her own magical way.” She smiled. “They eventually hit a roadblock.” She came to sit back down on the bed and turned her head in my direction. “I don’t know which line of witches we came from, Marick.” For the first time, she touched my hand. “And I’m scared to find out. You haven’t seen what I’ve seen, and you didn’t read what some of those books contained, especially one book.”
“It must be a journal from a warlock who lost his way. They tend to dabble into the dark arts. That magic is powerful, unforgiving when you cast it, and evil. It leaves a mark on the book containing it, Danielle.”
Tears filled her eyes. “I thought it was my imagination. Now I’m really afraid because of who is in that house with my mom.” She started to cry again.
I pulled her closer to me. “It’s okay.”
She pushed me away. “No, it’s not. I have ancestors, some of who did evil things. They wrote it down. Others look like pure evil, ancestors we have no knowledge about. I know you gave up the throne to be with me, and I know that I should be brave to find out more, but I’m scared.” She grabbed my hand, and I squeezed it slightly.
“Hey.” I tugged a lost lock of hair hanging over her face and tucked it behind her ear. “I’m here now. You will be fine. We can keep this a secret for now as I don’t even trust my father at this moment. I will help you find the truth, and then we will know what we are dealing with.”
She looked at me as more tears ran down her face.
“What is it?” I asked softly.
“There’s something else.”
There was another man. I knew it. The idea of her and someone else caused tears to threaten to pool in my eyes. I shut my eyes and pulled away slightly.
“After they told me that I was a victim of Brolin Maartin, I found out I was pregnant.”
My eyes opened.
“I didn’t know.”
I pulled her close again. She was pregnant? “We were trying. You can’t blame yourself.” I knew she had an abortion. I would’ve if I was in her shoes. This time, tears did pool in my eyes thinking about how scared she was. “I don’t blame you.”
“I couldn’t do it,” she said.
Another wave of goosebumps sprawled over me. “What?” I pushed her softly from me.
She shook her head and swallowed her cries. “I tried, heaven knows I tried, but every time, something always happened. Whenever I came in for the procedure, I couldn’t do it.”
“The baby was born?”
She nodded.
“Where is the child, Danielle?”
“With my mother. She raised her as her own.”
A tear rolled down my face. “It’s a girl?”
She nodded, biting her lower lip. “Her name is Eva. She thinks I’m her sister.”
I pulled her in. “We have a little girl?”
“She doesn’t know, Marick. I thought she was a monster’s child. I’m not the one she calls mother.”
“She can’t live in the human world. She’s magical as both her parents are witches, one of whom is enormously powerful witch who got herself a wisp, whether she wants her or not.”
She laughed.
“She will gain her abilities around thirteen, and when that happens, she has to be in a safe place where there aren’t people like your grandmother around to judge her.”
She nodded.
“I’ll make arrangements for you to go back to your mother, you can tell her the truth, but not that she is a witch, not until I know where you both fit in. If we are going to want to go public with this, we need to know which bloodline you belong to, Danielle.”
“I’m so sorry for everything.”
“Don’t. You have no idea the gifts you have given me. We will be fine. Everything will be fine. I’m here now.”
* * *
DANIELLE
Marick left.
He was going to tell the others that my identity needed to stay a secret until he could figure out which bloodline Eva and I were from. He was going to tell them everyth
ing I told them—about the books my mother and I found and about how he needed to see the journals and books with his own eyes to figure out where we belonged in this world.
It wasn’t easy telling him about Eva, but he took it well for someone who didn’t even know he had a nine-year-old daughter.
The knock came first, and Marick walked back in. I didn’t even have photos of Eva to show him.
She wasn’t going to accept the truth, that I was her mother. She would feel rejected and that was the last thing I wanted her to feel. But I had to try because her father wasn’t a monster.
“Sebastian just told me that she was the other evidence. I have to tell my father about her, Danielle.”
“Will it help? I don’t want them to do tests on her, Marick.”
“I doubt that they would. She’s a minor, and they usually won’t do that to kids because they haven’t received their magical abilities yet. They see them as being fragile. If anything went wrong with the test, it could harm her development.”
I sighed with relief. Good news.
He sat down on the bed. Silence lingered between us.
“So, how did we meet?”
He chuckled. “You were a waitress in New York, and I was punished to go live there to gain respect for humans.”
“What?” I said with a raised eye.
He chuckled and looked at me. “Not what you expected. Yes, I wasn’t always filled with charm and respect. There was a stage in my life that I thought we were more superior than humans. Never thought I would lose everything willfully for one.”
I blushed a little when he said that.
“My father bounded my abilities and magic, chucked me into New York, and forced me to live among the one race I didn’t understood. To say the least, I learned the hard way that there was a lot of magic inside humans too. The kind we can’t brew.”
“Like what?”
“Love, cooking a great meal, humility, patience—all of those things I had to learn, Danielle, and you taught them all to me.”
“Me?”
He nodded.
“You didn’t like me much in the beginning—always spoke French to one of your friends whenever I was around.”
Playing With Fire Page 31
