A Witch's Destiny

by E. J. Bennett

  Well, despite all the predatory intensity he seemed to radiate all around him, all but oozing from the least pores to the largest on his body, she wasn’t afraid of him. Somehow, she didn’t think he was bloodcurdling or menacing.

  Divina knew how she was feeling, but out of her innumerable vocabulary, she couldn’t just find a word to describe what she was feeling now.

  It was like something dark and uncomfortable- yet warm and charming. This didn’t help, it only bolstered her sense of emotional insecurity.

  “Well? Am . . .” she snapped from what would have been a fantasy in the unadulterated utopia. Her voice-wispy, having an iota of fear which actually purred at him.

  “How can I help you?” His voice hard, developed, delicious and deep embellished around with some roughened edges.

  Divina fought the urge to roll her eyes, thinking they certainly grew them breathtakingly big around here, but truth be told-her eyes could do more than that but her concentration had been buried long time ago in the pits of lust. For some seconds, the pain from her injured leg had dissolved.

  “What. Do. You. Want?” she asked slowly, mumbling each word incoherently. She regretted that absurd question after she had vocalized the last syllable. She was in no position to ask him what he wanted.

  He blinked, a conspicuous corner of his mouth suddenly twitched. A smooth spill of surprise which did nothing but to warm her inside followed. His reaction was more sarcastic with a touch of humor.

  “No, am sorry. Kane, I need to see him” Divina tried this time to make sense.

  NO! It wasn’t Kane she wanted, all she wanted now was for him to leave her alone. She wanted to just disappear into her room at home to get some sleep. He had been rude and....... She hoped she would be able to forget this fluttery feeling he had placed in her belly.

  Although it felt so damn good. Hazardously delightful-this only propelled her thoughts to a nervous primitive intensity of sexual desire. This was a dangerous trap, she couldn’t have fallen for it, and she didn’t need to fall for it.

  In her head she began searching for a successful defensive mechanism. She had to ignore it fast, no matter how good it felt, no matter how the rush in her pulse fondled.

  God, he is as sexy-as-hell

  “Kane is occupied right now,” he answered. Divina was about to say something but he read her mind and provided an answer before she began her incoherent spree of words.

  “I am Mr. Steel,” He said as he stretched his hand to her.

  Divina’s eyes almost popped out from its socket, she couldn’t hide her bewilderment.

  He is Kane’s father! He was undeniably out of her league, yet he didn’t look old enough to be a father to a young man, maybe that is what living amongst nature did for you.

  Byrd was tired of all her fluttery. He was taking her home immediately.

  “Am taking you home now,” he said firmly, not aware of the fact that the human may pick up some hints about his feelings.

  “Okay,” Divina answered abruptly.

  They walked to the car, parked a few strides away from the house entrance. Byrd got in likewise Divina. The car was cozy and looked expensive. But she couldn’t tell the brand. After they got into the car, a thunder suddenly rumbled in the distance, beckoning on an approaching storm. The crisp scent of rain filled the air. They needed to get home fast. Fifteen minutes later, they were on the high way leading to Divina’s home. She hadn’t realized she had wondered that far out.

  How was he able to know that I needed to go home? Divina wondered, maybe it was just a lucky guess. But as they approached the untarred road leading to her home, more questions crept into her fact-finding searching mind.

  He didn’t ask her for her address, but he was able to get there. How was that possible? The journey had come and gone with a heavy presence of silence. But Divina needed to know more about him.

  “Thank you Mr. Steel,” she said calmly. She had gotten over the fantasy of his body.

  “No, you can call me Byrd,” he answered briefly.

  “If I may ask, you just probably made the guess that I needed to find my way home then?”

  “The injury you had, told me so,” Byrd responded sharply. He had hoped that there wouldn’t be any cause for a conversation but this was what she needed.

  “Uhm, I got injured in the woods and couldn’t find my way back. But thanks to you . . .”

  “What was your business there all alone?” Byrd asked. He thought that the only way he could stop her from further questions was to place the focus on her. In some micro seconds before Divina gave her response, she had noted another thing.

  How did he know that she was alone in the woods?

  “I just needed a place to be alone. Going through some hard times. My Pa has grown wild. . .”

  As much as Divina wanted to gain some bits of information from him. Byrd was working towards the same goal.

  “Your Pa had grown wild in what sense?”

  “Road accident-It affected some parts of his brain,” Divina responded deliberately withholding the truth and feeding him with her abridged version. She noticed that Byrd’s eyes were keen with interest, so she needed to hide something’s from him.

  “Any sign of an animal bite on him?” Byrd asked.

  Divina’s suspicion had just been confirmed. He had something to do with the bite or why else would he be asking? And truly there was an animal bite. Or he knew something about what happened to her Pa.

  “No,” Divina lied.

  Byrd was ready for this game of wit, but a little child was no match for him.

  “How was it possible for you to-” Divina was interrupted by the rapid patter of the rain. They pulled up outside her Pa’s house and she quickly, got out of the car and made her way to the doorway. Amy was waiting for her, worry dominated her look.

  Amy saw the car leaving, but she couldn’t make out who the driver was. When she saw that her daughter was injured, all thoughts of yelling at Divina were temporarily dispelled. Amy ran to her daughter, placed her arm on hers and attempted to aid her locomotion. Divina shrugged off her arm and walked in without saying a word.

  “What happened? Where have you been? I have been worried sick,”

  “I take that as a ‘how are you feeling?’” Divina retorted.

  “How are you Pumpkin?” Amy asked softy. Exactly what Divina needed.

  “My leg . . .” Divina raised her injured leg but was surprised she didn’t feel any pain. Quickly she rolled off the biding just to meet her leg as good as new not even a trace of the scar was seen, the cut had been deep and evidence still lingered on her leg in the form of dried blood.

  “Impossible . . .” she said slowly.

  “What is it Pumpkin?” Amy inquired.

  “My injury, it’s been healed all this while . . .”

  “Where did you get, what you used to dress it?”

  “Kane, it can’t be Kane . . .” Divina said slowly

  “Who is Kane? Tell me what is going on,” Amy now had one hand on her lip and her face a mixture of worry and anxiety.

  “Nothing serious Mom,” Divina finally answered.

  “You failed to provide me with some answers and you say there is nothing serious . . .”

  “Mom, am fine. Everything is okay,”

  Amy was now getting irritated. Her daughter was talking in riddles.

  “I feel you are hiding something from me, you walk in here with your leg all wrapped up. And all of a sudden you are healed-it’s no magic tell me what is going on!”

  It could be magic, but Amy knew that healing spells could only be executed by a superior witch with pungent powers. Even if Divina’s power suddenly surfaced, it would be something deadly.

  “I met Kane in the mansion within the woods. . .”

  “In the Mansion?”

  “No! Not really outside, I didn’t go in,”

  “He gave me all I needed to take care of my injury and was off before I could say anything.”
>
  “Then?”

  “I met his Dad, who brought me here,”

  “That’s all?”

  “Yes Mom,”

  “Go wash yourself,” Amy told her. What the hell had happened today? Amy was worried. She was confused and in that moment she was scared. Her daughter had changed overnight. Asking questions Amy had hoped she never would. Talking in riddles, she wasn’t the same. Amy had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that nothing would be the same again. Her make believe life would soon crumble around her. The question she asked herself was. Would she be able to stable what was left? Would Divina forgive her once she learns the truth? Or will their relationship be shattered? When she was sure Divina was up stairs. Amy picked up her cell and dialed a number.

  “Aiden, a lycan is in town. We need to leave. Call me as soon as you get this message,” Amy left the voice note.

  Fifty yards away, Byrd’s ears had picked up their conversation and the voicemail.

  Divina wasn’t to be trusted and if his gut was right then they were in deep trouble. He would have to sort the problem before it occurred.

  Chapter 6

  Miles away, under the cold moonlight. A dungeon underneath a castle of death housed three girls, innocent souls-guilty spirits. The walls wrecked in darkness, the chains, restraints skin-tight. Dispersed hair glued to the floor, lifeless yet thriving bodies.

  Skinny bones on the verge of leaving the thaw flesh behind. At the left side of their neck were bruises which could only come from the fangs of a vamp. Legs void of shoes, face gulfed with starvation and surfeit while lips as parched as dead bones. Their hands were numb from being so much acquainted with the heavy shackles. They were served with yeast less bread like hostages which they were, twice a day.

  But they themselves were cuisines to at least two vamps each day. The innocent souls must have forgotten the feeling of sunlight, rain drops, the cold and gentle breeze, the birds in the sky, trees and all of nature.

  They had not seen daylight for a dozen days, which made it hard for them to really know the number of days they had spent in the dungeon. The steel reinforced door had a little hole where they received their daily suckle. That was the closest they had to their freedom.

  The dungeon was all they had but not what they needed. There weren’t vamps, surprisingly they were humans. That was because their father had them before he joined the vamp world. His name was Vanir. Bella, Belinda and Bianca were sisters and daughters of Vanir, they were taken captive by the vamps a month ago. Vanir had the same problem that every other parent had and that was how to protect his offspring from his horrible fate.

  Making a deal with the head vamp was like making a deal with the devil. Tricks and deception were involved. Leaving Vanir in a battle to protect the ones he loved.

  Years ago, being a werewolf was all he could think off, but just a few weeks after he had been indoctrinated into the werewolf family he just picked up a little fight with the wrong person and that was enough to finish him. The vamp’s had a tradition. Those who were born vamps were placed in societal strata higher than humans who “begged” to become a vampire. One would have thought, why would someone in their right senses beg for a curse? But the thought of ‘eternal’ life, extraordinary strength, speed and immeasurable super powers could only push a frustrated being like him into taking such a decision. But this was it. He needed to face the ugly head of reality. He had enjoyed being a werewolf, it wasn’t is chosen supernatural but it had its perks. It was now time to pay for it. He had lost his wife in life’s struggles, one of the emptiness which propelled him to quest for the curse of being a wolf. He only had three daughters in his life. He wasn’t going to lose them. More reasons why he accepted the deal to serve the vamps for one-hundred days until the other parts of him which were human would be released. Like he had any other option.

  The trio had been asleep for a while till Bianca screamed for help from her slumber. She was the youngest, fifteen years of age to be precise and it was just too much for her. The vamps had crawled from reality to her unconsciousness, the only place of comfort.

  “It’s okay, we’re here for you,” Belinda spoke softly. She was the eldest and her role as the mother of the other two had played itself successfully even more, now they were in danger.

  “Another nightmare?” Bella asked.

  But she got no response from any of the girls.

  “Come here,” Belinda beckoned unto Bianca in the dark. What was followed was the heavy clanging of the shackles and movement she could only feel. Bianca placed her head on her sister’s left shoulder. Sorrowful tears began dripping from her wet eyes.

  “If only dad had told us the truth, we wouldn’t be here,” Bella whined.

  “Now is not the time for this,” Belinda answered finally sick of her sister’s whines.

  “It’s okay now, Bianca, we will get out of here soon.”Belinda offered some sense of comfort even though herself doubted her own words.

  “Hell yes! Like he cared,” Bella retorted.

  “You not helping issues here,”

  Bella was fuming, like always. She hated her father, because she blamed him for their Mom. Belinda was not in the mood. Bianca needed to be comforted, she needed to be assured that there was hope. But even Belinda had lost all hope. Her father had always been selfish, she knew that. How could she put her faith in someone who only thought of himself? He had lied, and put them in danger. Now Belinda was trying to give her youngest sister the hope she didn’t have. A new surge of anger sprang to life. She would fight. She would do whatever she had too. Her sisters would leave that dreadful place behind, alive. When they did. She would kill her father herself for the suffering he had inflicted upon them.

  “I assure you, we are leaving here alive and . . .”

  They were interrupted by the heavy bang of the dungeon door. Was it time for feeding? Not now. As usual, they felt someone walk in and for the first time they saw light, a bright torch which made their eyes so uncomfortable that for a few seconds they were temporarily blind. The man held a bunch of keys and freed them of their restraints. Walking seemed to be too hard because they were weak. Their legs wobbled and buckled from the sheer weight of their bodies. Each step they took caused pain to rip through their legs. Muscles that they hadn’t used in a long time screamed in protest.

  He said nothing but just shoved them out. Their legs were dead, heavy weights that they more or less dragged across the floor. They had been blindfolded when they were kidnapped, so this was also the first time they were able to see outside the terrible walls.

  It wasn’t much better than the prison dump they had been kept.

  Same stone walls and floor. Parts covered in mould and a green slime. You could see the dampness in the walls, the slivery affect it had on them.

  “Where are you taking us?” Belinda voiced out. She didn’t know whether it was dumb to speak or not. The man continued walking, without saying anything, they climbed the steep stone stairs just to walk into a hallway with many rooms on each side. Belinda eyed and memorized each door. If they were to escape she needed as information and visionary as she could get.

  He walked to the third door, opened it and pushed them inside. It would have been better if they were changing confinement, but that was far from it. The room was properly lightened, and they were four chairs and a table. A laptop was placed on the center of said table. Belinda immediately had a hint on why they were in the room.

  After all, thrillers were her favorite movie and she had seen the scene many times before. Only this time she was the victim.

  “This will be over as soon as it starts. So be sure to get your head straight,” The nameless and vile looking man spoke. He looked like he had dove straight from a horror movie with is papery white skin which was covered in deep veins. His eyes were the worst, bloodshot with a red hue and iris that were nothing but black holes.

  The trio was very sure he was a vamp. The white complexion and hollow eyes, the kind where
you can see evil inside them, menacing and dangerous, were a good give away. He walked to the laptop and placed its’ video on. Bianca was sure that this was going somewhere and as soon as the recording started, she began screaming.

  “Help! Help!” she was silenced by a blow to the jaw. A sharp acute pain took her breath away as her eyes flashed with light. Dizziness caused her to feel light head and nausea rose in her throat.

  “You shouldn’t have done that!” Belinda bellowed furiously, basked in hatred that was inflated in her voice.

  Bianca was going to get them killed. They had to be smart, think first then act. She was too headstrong. Determined to be strong. It was how she had to be to take care of her younger siblings and the habit was hard to die.

  “Take that as a warning,” he gestured to the remaining two with a slight wave of his hand.

  He hit the recording button.

  “Vanir! Since you have decided to flaunt the rules and fail to report back with what we asked for, Blackclaw has given you three days or one of your precious little humans becomes a main meal.” Out of the shadows one of the vamps held Bianca in a vice like grip and sunk his teeth into her neck. Bianca screamed, from both shock and pain. The vamp pulled back, with blood dripping from his mouth and chin he grinned at the camera. The one who had hit Bianca nodded and walked back to the laptop and stopped the recording.

  Belinda and Bella shared a horrific look. There was nothing they could do. But watch.

  Chapter 7

  “Back off Seth!” A female voice from behind warned. Divina had no idea when the owner of the voice had arrived. These guys were just something she couldn’t really understand. The guy who she now knew as Seth had to walk back, then receiving the shock of her life.