Abella didn’t understand this comment, but before she could ask what he meant, everything went black. When she opened her eyes again, she was in the hospital and couldn’t remember anything except the men coming upon them.
Abella felt the dream leave her, but she heard Mrs. Benders voice in her head. “You need to remember it all. You pushed out what happened with your father’s family by downgrading it to taunts and sarcasm, but you need to remember.”
Abella shook her head weakly, she didn’t want to remember those years, but she had no choice as again the darkness claimed her.
She cried out as the sting of the whip came down across her thigh, and she scooted across the floor to get away from it.
“Get back here,” he ordered in a hard voice, and Abella cringed away from it although that didn’t stop him. He grabbed her by the back of her neck and tossed her to the middle of the room, and she heard a voice call out, “Daddy, are you done? I want to go shopping.”
“Go ahead, sweetie, my wallet is on the counter,” he said in a gentle voice, but when he looked at Abella, there was disgust in his eyes.
“I told you not to talk back to me,” he ordered bringing down the whip five more times before tiring of the game and walking out of the room.
Abella lay on the floor in her own blood as she cried and her body ached. Why were they keeping her here? She asked herself repeatedly until she fell asleep. Her aunt who threw water on her and told her to get upstairs to clean up woke her up.
The days went by slowly as they sent her to school although they constantly told her she was stupid and made her do things around the house. The beatings continued although they made sure she ate, not much, but enough to keep her going and not make her look sickly. She didn’t understand the way their mind worked, but she kept her block up and her face became blanker as the time went by.
It was her 17th birthday, and she had just come back from the lawyer’s when she learned the truth.
She walked through the door and was grabbed by the arm dragged into the family room.
“So where is it?” Her uncle smiled although Abella looked at him in confusion.
“Where is it what?” Abella had asked confused at what he was referring to.
“The money, you dumbass,” another voice said, and Abella turned at the sound noticing that there was another woman in the room. Abella only caught a quick look, but she remembered everything about her including the scheming look in her eyes.
“What money?” Abella asked before it dawned on her. She paled as she stated, “That is why you took me in. You learned about the inheritance I was going to come into when I turned 17.”
“Yeah,” her uncle smirked at her. “Imagine my surprise when going through my nephew’s things; I learned that his daughter would come into a decent amount of money.”
“But it is nothing compared to…” Abella began only for her uncle to slap her across the face.
“If wasn’t for the fact that I learned about that inheritance, you witch, would have died three years ago,” he sneered. “Your father was supposed to marry her not your witch whore of a mother.”
He pointed to the woman in the corner and Abella noticed that she was older than she originally thought.
“But he had to fall in love with that damn witch and destroying everything,” his shouted in her face.
“Come now,” a soft voice, said, and Abella glanced over as the woman smoothly stood up. “David always loved me and was only bewitched by that bitch.”
Abella felt for a second her faith in her father dwindle until something inside her mind spoke to her sharply and she narrowed her grey eyes at the woman.
“Where is the money?” Her uncle yelled shaking her by the arm. Abella’s hair flew around her head as she started to notice things for the first time; how the curtains looked shabby although well mended, how her aunt’s clothes weren’t the newest in fashion, and then she had a flash of just a few months ago when their daughter complained about her car being picked up. Everything swirled into her head until it clicked and she started to laugh.
“You’re broke,” she said in between the laughter. Her uncle’s face reddened at her laughter, but Abella didn’t stop as she continued to laugh.
“We would have more left over if we didn’t have to cloth and feed you,” her aunt taunted not going to tell Abella how every month they received a check in the mail with her name on it. Abella never knew about it and they used that to live off although it was never enough.
“I won’t ask again,” her uncle growled.
Abella shook her head, and said with glee, “Then you are doomed for disappointment because, my dear uncle, any money I take from it has to be approved my lawyer.”
“What?” Her uncle whispered his face pale with shock.
Abella nodded her head as she explained, “He told me today that I have to show reason for any money that I ask for, and then I have to show a receipt for everything.”
Then she started laughing harder that she didn’t even see the punch as he swung at her.
She was stuck in her room for three days after her return from the lawyer, while they thought of a way to get the money. On the fourth day, she received a call from her lawyer asking to see her, and her uncle offered to drive her. Once there, the lawyer took one look at Abella and he kicked her uncle out of the office.
It was the last time she saw her uncle and his family again.
As she came back to the hidden room in the library, Abella felt as if her whole life had been a lie.
“No, not your whole life,” Mrs. Benders told her leaning down to touch her lightly on the shoulder. “Only the last four years as a way to protect yourself from the memories, and the pain. You never told anyone about them and your mind just blocked it away with the rest.”
Abella shook her head as she muttered, “I am such a coward. I am supposed to be a witch from an ancient bloodline. What a joke I am.”
Then she did something she hadn’t been able to do in a long time, she began to cry huddled on the floor as Mrs. Benders looked at her with sad eyes.
“I am sorry, but you needed to remember,” Mrs. Benders said, “If you are going to be able to fulfill your role in the prophecy.”
However, Abella didn’t hear these words as she sobbed her heart out feeling as if she failed her father and her mother especially her mother.
Chapter 16
Caden sat in his office thinking all he learned about Jared Jenkins, Jessa’s father. Jared had been two years older than their mother, and he had lost his mate in a hunter attack a few years before they met. He had been a damn good fighter wolf until a rogue attack surprised the pack killing his pregnant mate. Caden closed his eyes as he remembered his mother’s words on how he helped her to relieve some of her loneliness, which Devin created with his own unfaithfulness.
He looked down at the file on his desk and a smile crossed his face before he allowed it to slide off as a knock sounded on his office door.
“Come in,” he said closing the file and placed his hands over it as the door opened.
Jenna came walking in with a smile on her face and she closed the door behind her before giving him a look over her shoulder.
“Hi Caden,” she said with a slight pout to her over-made up lips.
“Hello, Jenna,” Caden said as his wolf rolled his eyes within him. “What can I do for you today?”
Jenna’s eyes narrowed slightly at his tone of politeness, but she smiled. She walked over to him and leaned against his desk running a hand down her throat, “How about we go and have dinner out tonight? Then maybe we can come back here and have a little fun by ourselves.”
Caden didn’t move and his eyes flashed in disdain although she never saw it as she ran her tongue over her lips and fluttered her eyelashes at him.
“I am sorry, Jenna,” Caden said. “I am taking Jessa out tonight.”
Jenna frowned as she looked at him, and she waspishly, “Why are you taking Jessa out
instead of me?”
“She is my sister,” Caden said a hard edge entering his voice.
Jenna bit her bottom lip and leaned over more so that he had an unobstructed view of her cleavage.
“Okay,” she said softly with an invitation in her eyes. “But after dinner, I will be waiting in our room.”
She leaned forward to kiss his lips and although he didn’t move back, he received no pleasure from the kiss. He remembered the light kiss that he given Abella earlier that morning and his eyes flashed causing Jenna to smile as she caught it when she broke the contact.
Caden watched her give him a wink before walking out the door and he shook his head knowing what she was thinking when she saw the flash in his eyes.
Too bad, we cannot tell her that it wasn’t her kiss, which we were responding to, his wolf howled in laughter.
Caden chuckled at that comment before his eyes went back down to the file his hands were laying on top. He sighed before standing up and grabbing the file, he walked out of the office.
Timothy was standing by the front door when he exited the office.
“Timothy,” he called out heading straight for him, and Timothy smiled just as the door opened and Jessa walked in.
“Just the person I wanted to see,” Caden said as he stopped in front of them.
Timothy looked at him with narrowed eyes and Caden said, “Why don’t we go out for dinner tonight?”
Jessa looked at him in confusion, “Caden, what…?”
“I need to talk with you and Timothy about something,” Caden admitted, and he saw the confusion on their faces.
“Okay,” Timothy said as Jessa asked, “Is something wrong, Caden?”
Caden hesitated for a second before confirming, “Not wrong, Jessa, but something that you need to know.”
Jessa looked at him with wide eyes and Caden had to laugh, which caused both Timothy and Jessa to look at him in disbelief.
“When do you want to go, Caden?” Jessa asked him with a frown wondering what had come over her brother.
“Around six tonight,” Caden said tapping the file against his leg. He leaned forward kissing her cheek and whispering, “Don’t worry, Jessa, it is nothing bad. In fact, I think you might actually enjoy it.” I know I did, he thought to himself not saying it aloud.
Jessa smiled and nodded her head as Timothy laughed, “Six, it is.”
Caden nodded his head as he headed for the stairs going up to his room.
He sunk onto the bed putting the file next to him before pulling his phone out of his pocket.
He dialed Abella’s number and he frowned when it went to her voice mail, but a look at the time told him she was still at work.
He shook his head at his own impatience before sending her a text; Taking Jessa and Timothy out to dinner. I am going to tell her then. Maybe I can come over afterwards. Caden
He put the phone down on his bed and leaned back against it not tired, but relaxing as he thought about the talk he needed to have with Jessa.
Mrs. Benders heard Abella’s phone go off and she walked over to the sleeping young woman. Once Abella started sobbing, she couldn’t stop until she cried herself to sleep. Mrs. Benders took the phone from her jacket pocket and her eyebrows rose as she saw the caller id on the text message before reading it.
She looked down at the young woman before she sent a short text back.
“You slept peacefully last night for the first time in weeks,” she murmured before going over to a chair to sit down to wait.
It took another hour before Abella opened her eyes and when she did, everything came rushing back.
“Abella,” Mrs. Benders said quietly, and Abella turned her face to her with grey eyes shadowed with pain.
Mrs. Benders narrowed her own eyes before saying bluntly, “You are not a coward. You were merely trying to survive and your young mind didn’t know how to handle your parents’ death.”
“He did love us,” Abella murmured pushing up into a sitting position.
Mrs. Benders smiled, “Yes, sweetie, he did.”
Abella nodded her head before looking at her, “Why did I block what happened at their house? I actually believed that it wasn’t that bad.”
“It was easier for you to live there if you blocked it out,” Mrs. Benders told her gently. “I think you always knew but you wanted to forget and it was easier that way instead of constantly being afraid.”
“So the kidnapping by the rogues brought back the fear,” Abella stated.
“I think that it did, but it also showed you that you are stronger than you think,” Mrs. Benders.
“I panicked when the man came at me in the parking lot,” Abella admitted for the first time. She looked over at Mrs. Benders, “My mind was shifting through spells I learned, but it was like I froze.”
“Abella, what happened wasn’t your fault,” Mrs. Benders told her firmly. “When that man came at you, you did what all women do even witches. You tried to find a solution to get out of what was going on, but in your case, I think just for a moment your mind flashed back to that night, and that is what caused you to freeze.”
Abella looked at her in disbelief before she started to shake her head.
Mrs. Benders gritted her teeth and then she stood up swiftly before lifting her hands to the ceiling.
Abella looked at her in confusion as she began chanting, and then she stopped and looked at Abella although her hands were still raised to the ceiling.
“Abella Deans,” a voice said suddenly. “We didn’t raise you to second guess yourself in that fashion.”
Abella paled as she stumbled to her feet and spun around as her eyes widened.
“Mom,” she uttered as her mother literally walked through the door.
At six, Caden met Timothy and Jessa downstairs before they walked out to his truck.
“Where are we going, Caden?” Jessa asked as they drove out of town.
“Somewhere were we can talk without being interrupted,” Caden said quietly, and at his words, Jessa and Timothy looked at each other with worried faces.
They pulled up to a nice, quiet restaurant almost two hours away from the pack house.
“Mr. Brody,” the hostess addressed him as soon as they entered.
Caden smiled, “Good evening, Laurie. How has business been going?”
“Good, sir,” she said with bright smile, and Cade nodded his head observing the full place.
He smiled as he said, “That is good.”
She smiled again before leading them to a table in the back away from prying eyes where Caden sat down as Timothy, and Jessa settled across from him.
For a moment, he wished that he had invited Abella to join them, but he knew that this was something he had to do himself.
They selected their drinks and looked over the menu as Caden said, “Let’s order first, and then talk while we wait. Someone told me that food tends to be helpful when trying to get people to talk.”
Jessa looked at him in surprise as she said, “So that is where you went last night.”
Timothy looked at her confusion as Jessa explained her eyes never leaving Caden, “When that misunderstanding occurred between us, I ran to Abella’s house and she got me to talk while feeding me.”
At first, it didn’t sink in what she was saying and then Timothy’s head spun around to look at Caden.
“I needed her advice on something, and I fell asleep on her couch,” was all Caden said.
He watched as Jessa closed her eyes and smiled, and Timothy shook his head as a chuckle spilled from his lips.
Neither one of them said a word about it though as they selected what they wanted to order, and after the server left, Jessa looked at Caden.
“So what did you need her advice on?” she asked taking a swallow of her drink.
Caden looked at her and said, “Timothy and I were talking yesterday, and something he said got me to thinking.”
“About what?” Jessa asked throwing Timothy a f
rown, but Timothy was looking at Caden as understanding crossed his face.
“How neither one of us take after Devin,” Caden stated bluntly although quietly.
Jessa’s mouth dropped open at that before she snapped it shut.
“I don’t think…” Jessa began only to stop when the server returned to refill their glasses.
“Jessa, mom wrote everything down in her diaries, which I read last night before heading over to Abella’s,” Caden told her.
He watched her eyes shifted to sadness before she said, “We are not brother and sister.”
Caden looked at her in shock before he asked, “Why do you think that?”
Jessa shrugged her shoulders, “We are completely different even our eye color. I just figured it was because one of us was adopted, or something else.”
Caden laughed as Timothy shook his head.
“Jessa, we are brother and sister even though it is half-brother and sister,” Caden informed her.
Jessa looked at him in confusion as their server returned, but this time with their food.
Once he left, Caden waved his hand, “Eat Jessa, and I will explain.”
Jessa began to eat as Caden started to talk beginning with his stop by the infirmary. He told her Dr. Olsen had confirmed his suspicions and their mother’s diaries had explained them.
“Caden, what are trying to tell us?” Timothy said quietly.
“Devin is not my father. In fact, he wasn’t even our mother’s true mate,” Caden stated without sugar coating it.
Jessa dropped her folk into her plate and her face whitened, “He wasn’t her mate?”
Caden shook his head before telling her, “Jessa, he isn’t your father either.”
Jessa’s mouth dropped open and looked at him with wide eyes.
“Caden,” Jessa began.
“Your father was Jared Jenkins, Jessa, a fighter wolf that mom spent some time with after Devin started his unfaithfulness,” Caden stated pulling the file from the inside of his coat pocket. He handed the file over to her and Jessa took it with a trembling hand giving him a look.
The Witch Prophecy Page 15
