by Sammy King
“They knew what they were getting into” Merza said.
Ada smiled weakly and nodded her head. It still didn’t make it right she thought.
“Anyway, I just came to give you an update on the casualties. I’m going to go home and get some rest.” Karla said turning away. “Oh and Ada, you won’t be able to go home just yet, your house was pretty much destroyed”
Ada nodded; she hadn’t wanted to return to her home. It felt horrible to go there.
“Thanks Karla. It’s alright” she said forcing a smile to her face as Karla left.
Chapter Thirty Two
“You can be the moon but still be jealous of the stars” William Penn
Ada felt exhausted by the time she pulled into her childhood home and was excited to see Travis curled up in her bed asleep. She crept to his side and felt herself drift into sleep. Her dreams tormented her. Ada stood in the woods, she was naked and Dane stood behind her. He touched her body gently, running his hands down over her breasts down to her mound, twisting his fingers through her pubic hair. He kissed her on the neck and she groaned leaning against his bare chest. He reached up and caressed her tummy, which when she looked down was round and protruding. Ada frowned and shook her head. She turned to look at Dane who smiled a wicked grin at her.
“Did you really think that was the end of it?” he said with a raised eyebrow.
Ada pushed him away, shaking her head. She turned and ran towards the coven, but the woods seemed to be able to reach out and grasp her, tangling with her hair, snagging at her skin. Every time she felt she got close to the coven it seemed to be further away again. Ada heard a screech behind her and she flicked her head over her shoulder just in time to see Dane with large black wings bearing down on her.
She sat up in bed with a scream. Sweat dribbled down her spine and her hair was damp and stuck to her head. Travis sat up beside her and touched her gently.
“What was it?” he asked with a frown.
“A dream; I think” she replied rubbing her belly, which was still flat.
“Want to talk about it?” He asked rubbing her back and kissing her shoulder.
“It was Dane. We were in the woods. I was pregnant. Carrying his child” she said frowning at the memory of the quickly fading dream.
Travis frowned and turned away from Ada.
“Could you be pregnant Ada?” he asked.
Ada shook her head. She didn’t want to think about it.
“I don’t think so” she said hiccupping back a sob.
“How will you know for sure?” Travis asked standing from the bed.
Ada could feel his anger beginning to increase. She knew that he felt jealous about her time with Dane, albeit short. She tried to send her feelers out to soothe his pain, but he instantly blocked her. The rejection sent a pain through her spirit.
“I will go to Morrigan, she will know” Ada said wearily.
Travis nodded taking his clothes off the chair and heading towards the bathroom.
“You go. I need to feed first” Travis said sharply.
“Would you like to feed from me?” she asked trying to heal the pain he felt.
Travis looked back out the bathroom door.
“I love you Ada. But just understand what happened between you and Dane. It hurts” he said before shutting the door again.
Ada listened as the shower turned on before she let out a shaky breath and a few tears fall down her face. Running her hands through her hair she stood and headed downstairs to the living room where she could feel her Mother’s energy. As Ada rounded the corner, she saw her Mum sitting on the couch with her eyes closed. Ada cleared her throat to alert Merza, who opened her eyes with a start.
“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to scare you” Ada said.
Merza smiled and shook her head.
“It’s alright” she patted the seat beside her “come sit; something tells me you have stuff on your mind you need to chat about”
Ada nodded and went to sit next to Merza.
“I do. Mum could it be possible that I’m pregnant?” Ada asked.
Merza frowned and shook her head.
“No Travis was human up until last night” Merza said.
Ada lowered her eyes and shook her head.
“Not to Travis but to Dane” she said quietly.
“Oh Ada” Merza said reaching for Ada’s hand. “What makes you think you are pregnant?”
Ada told Merza about her dream and the threat that it wasn’t over. Merza sat and listened to the story.
“I think it was a dream and that is all. You have been through a lot over the last few weeks.” Merza said.
Ada sighed and sat back into the couch and ran her hands through her hair.
“Yeah you might be right. I’m thinking I might go see Morrigan anyway” Ada said with a sigh.
Merza leant back and put her head on Ada’s shoulder and put her hand on her tummy.
“That’s a good idea. But the idea of a little grandchild is kind of nice” Merza said rubbing Ada’s tummy.
Ada snorted out a laugh.
“Yeah I love the idea but an evil Warlock grandchild of a fallen Angel doesn’t sound overly appealing” Ada said with a laugh.
Merza laughed and sat up.
“Yeah I think your right. Go see Morrigan. Then get on the job of making babies with that sexy Vampire you’ve got upstairs” Merza said with a wink.
Ada laughed again before standing up to head out to see Morrigan. As she left the room Kade came in and gave her a kiss on the top of her head.
“Where are you off to?” he asked.
“To see Morrigan” Ada replied with a smile.
“Is Travis going with you?” Kade asked.
Ada’s smile dropped as she shook her head.
“No he said he needs to feed and would see me after” she said trying to keep the hurt from her voice.
‘What’s going on?’ Kade asked into her mind.
‘I’ll explain later’ Ada replied as she left the house for her car, turning to see Merza standing in the doorway eyeballing Kade, the look Ada knew as a warning not to push the subject.
When Ada arrived at the coven Morrigan was busy fussing around the garden collecting flowers and herbs to fill the various jars that had been lost in the fire. When Morrigan saw Ada she stopped and smiled, embracing her niece.
“What brings you out here tonight?” Morrigan asked.
“I need some help Aunt” Ada replied. “I’m worried that I might be pregnant”
“Pregnant? Isn’t that a good thing?” Morrigan asked.
Ada shook her head and dropped her eyes to the ground.
“Not this one. If I am pregnant the child would belong to Dane” she said.
Morrigan sighed and put her hands on her hips.
“Well come now, let’s go inside and we will see what is going on” Morrigan said directing Ada into the coven.
Morrigan lead Ada into the library and directed her to lie on the sofa beside the window. Ada did as instructed and stretched out on the soft sofa. She looked out the window to see the moon high in the sky. Not full but just waning. Morrigan pulled her gold ring from her finger and lifted Ada’s shirt. Carefully Morrigan placed the ring on Ada’s stomach and closed her eyes. She covered the ring with her hands.
“If the ring heats then we will know that you are pregnant” Morrigan said.
Ada closed her eyes and sent a silent prayer to the moon goddess that the ring wouldn’t heat up. Morrigan began to chant and Ada focused on the temperature of the ring. It stayed cool on her stomach, with every fluctuation Ada felt panic rise in her throat like bile. After a short while Morrigan took her hands off Ada’s stomach, and put her ring back on her finger.
“Well my love. You aren’t pregnant” Morrigan said reaching out a hand to help Ada sit up.
Ada sighed with relief and felt the panic disappear from her body.
‘I’m not pregnant’ she spoke into Travis’s mind.
>
She felt warmth flood her body, which allowed her to know that he was relieved also. She couldn’t help but smile. Ada explained the dream to her Aunt. Morrigan sat and listened and nodded before standing up and rummaging through various jars of dried flowers and herbs. She mixed several into a small bag before handing them to Ada.
“Brew this into a tea before you sleep tonight. It will end the dreams and protect you in your sleep. It is residual energy. Come tomorrow night and we will break the bonds that are held between you and Dane” Morrigan said.
Ada smiled and took the package from her aunt agreeing to return the next night for the bond breaking ceremony. That day Ada slept soundly after drinking the tea that Morrigan had given her. Not a single dream disturbed her.
Chapter Thirty Three
“A fallen Angel, in the dark never thought you’d fall so far. Fallen Angel, close your eyes. I won’t let you fall tonight” Three Days of Grace.
When Ada awoke she felt like she had finally rested for the first time in months. She climbed out of bed and went in search of her Mother. There was something that had been gnawing at her since the attack on Travis. It was something that Abaddon had continued to say. He called Merza a whore, he wanted her to know his love, he said that they had made a good team before Merza and met Kade. Ada had never heard Merza talk about Abaddon. But his words continued to play on Ada’s mind.
Ada found Merza sitting at the dining table sipping at a cup of tea. Ada quickly sent her feelers out to make sure they were alone. As she sat down beside her Mother, Merza glanced up and frowned.
“You need to chat” Merza said with a small smile.
Ada lowered her eyes and nodded her head.
“About Abaddon?” Merza questioned.
Ada nodded again.
“It was something that he said, well a few things that he said” Ada replied.
Merza sat back in her chair and reached out for Ada’s hand. Ada raised her head and looked at her Mother, whose eyes were brimming with tears.
“What did he tell you?” she asked.
“It wasn’t so much what he said as to what he implied. He called you a whore, which from his mouth I suspect any woman is a whore, but he wanted me to send you his love and he seemed to know you. He said that the two of you made a good team before you met Dad. Yet you’ve never spoken of him” Ada explained watching her Mother’s face.
Merza nodded her head and rubbed her thumb on Ada’s palm.
“What I am about to tell you, you must not share with anyone.” Merza said looking into Ada’s eyes. “Your Father is the only other person who knows. It doesn’t matter so much now that you are the Queen, however, if it had of come out back then I would have lost my standing and probably been killed”
Ada frowned and shook her head. Merza again rubbed her thumb along Ada’s palm and cleared her throat.
“When I had just turned twenty one and received all my powers, I met Abaddon. I knew who he was. I knew that he was the fallen Angel. But something in the way he looked, in who he was attracted me.” Merza said a single tear dripping from her eye.
“I was young and not very smart. I knew your Father, but we hadn’t formed a relationship yet. He was working with the Aje Authority. Abaddon was wreaking havoc on the human world. But I couldn’t see it. I chose not to see it”
Ada frowned and shook her head.
“You were in love with him?”
Merza sighed and nodded her head, tightening her fingers on Ada’s hand.
“Yes I was. Our love affair was in secret, it was sordid and it was exhilarating. We couldn’t stay away from each other, like an addiction” Merza said.
“Oh Mum. So what happened?” Ada asked shaking her head.
Merza let out a shaky breath and another tear fell down her cheek.
“He was growing even more angry with the humans. He wanted to eradicate the entire population. But he wanted me to help. I had just obtained the amulet. He knew that it was a powerful piece of jewellery, he had seen me practicing my magic, just as Dane had with you.” Merza said with a sigh. “I wasn’t willing however to help him, I couldn’t use my magic for such a dark result. I was scared. I was young. I couldn’t go back to my Mother, I couldn’t tell anyone. What I had been doing was shameful, they would have executed me for sure, not to mention what the humans would have possibly done to me”
She leaned back in her chair and ran her hands through her hair.
“So I went to the only person that I knew could help. I went to Kade. Your Dad was furious. He couldn’t believe I could be so stupid. I think he was hurt also. He admitted to having been in love with me for as long as he had known me, but I had rejected him and so when he found out that it was for Abaddon that I had rejected him for, well you can imagine how hurt he was” Merza said. “I knew that Kade was my soulmate, Morrigan had seen it, and I’d seen it. Like you and Travis, your Father and I had grown up together, we both knew. So you can imagine what a sucker punch it was to him to be told his soulmate had been carrying on an affair with Abaddon”.
Ada nodded her head, thinking about how much her time with Dane had hurt Travis. Her heart ached at the thought and she found herself longing for the breaking ceremony.
“So what did Dad do?” Ada asked.
“We came up with a plan. I lured Abaddon; the one thing that Angel couldn’t resist was sex. So I used it to get him alone, away from the protectors he had surrounded himself with. That was when the Authority swooped in and arrested him, putting him into banishment”
“Did you know about Dane or Irza?” Ada asked.
Merza shook her head.
“I knew about Irza. He used to like to flaunt it in my face when he felt I was withholding something from him, or wouldn’t help him. But I never knew about Dane. I wasn’t even sure that Abaddon knew about him, until he went back to free Irza”. Merza said with a shake of her head.
They sat at the table in silence for some time, digesting the story that Merza told, before finally standing to leave for the coven. Ada made the decision that she would never speak of it again, she was shocked, but didn’t feel anger at her Mother. Ada couldn’t help but smile. Abaddon had said the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and she had to agree. Like Mother like daughter, both found the sex appeal of a bad boy too much to ignore.
Chapter Thirty Four
“Our past may explain why we’re suffering but we must not use it as an excuse to stay in bondage” Joyce Meyer
Ada and Merza arrived at the coven and saw the other Witches milling in the library.
“I feel like I’ve been through so many ceremonies lately” Ada commented.
Merza giggled behind her hand.
“Welcome to the world of being the Witch Queen” Merza said wrapping her arm around Ada’s shoulders.
Morrigan rang a small bell to get the women’s attention and directed for Ada to change into a white robe. Once Ada had changed she joined the women in the circle. Morrigan had placed out a pentagram of salt on the floor and purple candles were burning. Ada could smell the dragon’s blood incense that smouldered in the air and the room seemed to buzz with energy.
Ada stepped into the centre of the pentagram and instantly the women began to chant. Ada felt herself fall back and levitate into the air; something that didn’t scare her anymore. Ada closed her eyes and allowed herself to float on the aura’s that cushioned her. The chants filled her ears with a melodic comfort. Ada opened her eyes to see her aura mingled with a green colour, it was a murky swamp like green and made her feel sick at the sight of it. The ribbons of the green aura flew from her body and waved around her, Ada could see her aura ribbons and that of Travis’s aura; she knew that the green belonged to Dane. Not only from the feeling of nausea that they produced but she recognised the colour as being a bondage rather than a healthy bond.
Morrigan stepped into the pentagram and Ada could see the flint of metal in her hand as she raised a heavy sword high above her head. Morrigan brough
t the sword down with a swoosh, cutting through the first thread of green aura, severing it, followed by the next and the next down the line until eventually all the aura threads were severed. They lay on the floor writhing as if they were in pain. Morrigan took oil from her robe and began to sprinkle the auras. Ada could hear them scream as they smouldered under the oil and disappeared. Morrigan then turned to Ada and began to spritz the oil over Ada’s body. When the oil fell on Ada’s body, pain seared her skin as the ends of the aura’s that had been sliced from her withered away.
Slowly the chants slowed in tempo and silenced. Ada was set upright by invisible hands. She knelt in the centre of the pentagram as Merza and Morrigan stripped her from her robe. Ada knelt naked on the floor surrounded by the Witches of the coven. She looked down at her body there were red raised welts where the aura threads had exited her body. She ran her finger along the bumpy skin that circled her wrist. Ada felt tears begin to sting at her eyes. They weren’t tears of regret, but tears of relief. The scars wouldn’t be visible in any other realm other than the psychic one. Ada continued to finger the scar, her memories of Dane slowly fading, she no longer felt disgust at herself for allowing him to betray her, for being so gullible. She had forgiven herself for her transgressions.
Morrigan and Merza both took Ada’s arms and slowly lifted her to standing and then picked up buckets that held warm soapy water at the edge of the circle and with a natural sea sponge began to wash Ada’s body. It felt good to be washed and have the stinging ease from where the oil had burnt away the auras.
Once Merza and Morrigan had finished cleansing Ada’s body they stepped out of the pentagram. Each Witch then came and took it in turns to blow incense smoke over her body, cleansing her with fire and air, Ada felt lighter than she had ever been before. She felt positive about her life and where it was now going to take her. Once the last Witch had covered Ada in the smoke, Morrigan and Merza stepped forward once more and placed a clean robe over Ada’s head, dressing her once more. Morrigan closed the circle.
“Well you know what that means? Time to eat” Morrigan announced with a laugh.
