by Martha Woods
Liam looked away in guilt, hand sweeping across her stomach and lingering at her forearm. “I’m so sorry that I couldn’t be here for the birth, I should have been able to do something...”
“Liam...” She ran her thumb across his cheek, his head leaning gratefully into her touch. “There was nothing that could have been done by any of us.” She looked away, and he noticed that she started rubbing at her arm. “Honestly it was probably best that you weren’t here, I don’t know if I would have wanted you to see me like that...”
He tilted his head at her, expression equally confused and cautious. “See you like what Sky?”
It was a long time before she answered, fingers digging lightly into her arm and rubbing small circles into the skin. Skylar looked down at her fingers, twiddling each one like she was trying to get the feeling back into them. She sighed, “Don’t worry, it’s nothing. Hopefully you’ll never have to find out.”
“Skylar...”
“Don’t.” Her voice was severe as she looked at him, her expression softening as she saw the hurt look on his face. “I’m sorry just... Not now? Please?” She ran her hand over Abigail’s head, whispering to him, “I just want to enjoy this moment with you, can I do that?”
His first instinct was to argue with her, clearly something was bothering her deeply if this was how she felt. But he stopped himself as he opened his mouth, looking back down at Abigail then up to her, and it struck him just how tired she looked, the months of stress and worry finally catching up to her. For the first time in a long time, she looked like she just wanted to sleep, to fade away from the world for just a little while and recover from whatever it had decided to throw at her.
So instead of pressing the point he leaned forward, his lips touching her forehead and his hand sweeping the hair out of her eyes. His voice was barely a murmur as he said against her skin, “I’m sorry, you’re right. This can wait till a better time. I just want to enjoy being with the two most important women in my life right now.”
“If you want...” Cassandra said, interest peaked as she looked at the two of them, “We can call everyone else into this room, I figure that an explanation is in order for your friends, and it will be good for Skylar to see everyone.”
“What do you think Sky?” Liam rubbed her shoulder. “Do you want that? We can leave you to rest if you want.”
“No, I think I’d like to see everyone. Besides, I’m sure they’re all just dying to see Abigail, don’t you think?” They both looked down at the sleeping infant, still not quite able to believe any of this was real.
“Alright.” He turned to Hayley, trying as hard as she could to otherwise stay out of their conversation. “Hayley? If it’s alright could you bring everyone else in?”
“Sure thing.” She smiled at the both of them, brushing past to the door. “I’ll be back in just a moment.”
“So...” He asked Cassandra, who perked up at the attention. “What’s your story?”
She smirked. “I think it would be best if everyone else was already here for that, I do so loathe having to tell the same story too many times, don’t you?”
He nodded, unsatisfied with the answer but understanding why it was all the same. Besides, it wasn’t like he had to wait too long before he would be given the answers he desired.
Everyone filed into the room after Hayley, taking various seats around the room as they stared at the child in the middle of the room. They were all in awe at the sight, fighting the urge to swarm the quite clearly exhausted mother just for a chance to touch the infant. Instead, they settled for standing off to the side and staring out of the corner of their eyes.
Cassandra cleared her throat, all eyes turning to her as she stood up, brushing her hands off on her pants as placing them behind her back. “Now,” She said, “I’m sure you are all wondering who I am and why exactly I was here. Well, let me introduce myself.” She mock bowed, a playful smile tilting her lips. “My name is Cassandra, and I am perhaps the most powerful witch that you will meet in a very long time.”
“Humble too...” Hayley chuckled, Cassandra joining in.
“Humbleness is for people who are insecure about their abilities, and I most certainly am not.” She swept a hand over to Skylar and Abigail, any joviality she possessed disappearing in an instant. “I am here because this birth would have been impossible if she was still a human, and even now was a difficult undertaking on both our parts.”
“What do you mean?” Cayden asked, head cocked to the side in confusion. “I thought that a birth would go fine if both parents were supernatural?”
“Normally, yes they would. However, Skylar is far from a normal supernatural.” She took Skylar’s hand, rubbing her thumb lightly on the palm. “Show them dear, if you will.”
Skylar took a deep breath, focusing for a second before light wisps of smoke stretched through the air and up Cassandra’s arm. The others made small noises of alarm at the sight, but none reacted with horror, and for that she was glad.
“That is merely a fraction of what someone like Skylar can do,” Cassandra told them, “With appropriate training and willpower they can do things that are only the realm of myth for many others. The reason I am here is because unlike so many supernatural beings, Skylar has not discovered her powers until very recently, and with strength like she possesses this could have been disastrous not just for her and the baby, but for all of you.”
“What can we do to help?” Farah raised her hand, eyes narrowed in concern. “There must be something that we can do.”
“Out of everyone here, as the only two witches Hayley and yourself will be the greatest help to her.” She sighed, “As sorry as I am to say this, you will not be able to help for a little while. It is very important that right now Skylar goes into isolation with me so that she can better learn to control her powers.”
“Isolation?” Skylar looked up, alarmed. “I thought that was just until the baby was born!”
“I’m sorry Skylar, really, I am.” Cassandra came over, taking her hand in hers and kneeling down. “I know how hard it is to be away from your family, and especially so soon, but you know better than anyone else in this room what you are capable of. Can you honestly say right now that your family would be in no danger from yourself? Are you willing to take that risk with yourself? With Liam? With Abigail?”
“I...” Skylar looked away, blinking back tears as she did. “No, I can’t. And I won’t.”
Liam was similarly conflicted, but he accepted that this was out of his hands. It did not mean that he liked it however. “How long is she going to have to be away? She just gave birth, she shouldn’t have to be away from Abigail right now.”
Cassandra shook her head sadly, wincing as she said, “She’s not going to be away from Abigail. The child is going to have to be in isolation with her as well.”
“What?” Liam shot up, expression desperate as he tried to understand what he was being told. “Why Abigail too?”
“Skylar has incredible powers, and is only just beginning to understand them. Abigail has also inherited those powers, and I can tell already that she is going to have miraculous strength, but with that comes a lot of vulnerability.” The witch looked down at the sleeping infant, the image so at odds with what was lurking below the surface. “These first few days need to be spent helping her adapt to the world, separated from her mother she won’t be able to survive, and if she somehow managed to pull through she would be in incredible danger.”
She saw Liam looking down at his daughter in sorrow, she stretched out a hand and squeezed his shoulder. “I’m sorry, I can give you a few more hours to spend with the two of them, but after that they are going to have to be alone.”
Skylar shook her head, still in disbelief over everything. “How am I supposed to learn this? I don’t have the first idea what I’m doing.”
“You are strong, very strong.” Cassandra allowed a small smile at that. “You’ve already shown impressive control over your ab
ilities in miraculous time, I imagine you should only be away for a few days, likely five at most.”
“Five days...” Skylar looked up at Cassandra. “You’re sure that I can do this? That I can learn to control these abilities so fast?”
“Honestly? I think that you’re a natural. I think that most people who discovered their powers as late as you have would have long killed themselves by now.” She looked around the room, taking in the faces of everyone who was present. “And yet, here you sit. And not just you either. Your friends are still here, you haven’t harmed them at all. Same for your husband, he seems to have no complaints with how you’ve been the last few months.” Cassandra brushed an errant strand of hair out of Abigail’s face, chuckling a little as she did so, “And do I have to remind you of what you accomplished little more than an hour ago? You used your powers to help give birth to a perfectly healthy little girl, something that even I was having doubts about when I asked you to do it.”
Cassandra took a deep breath, smiling down at her. “So yes, I think that you can control this, I think you can dominate this. And there is not one damn person in this room who thinks otherwise, mark my words.”
Skylar looked around herself, seeing only confidence written on her families faces. She felt herself tearing up at the sight. “Alright then. I... I’ll do it. If you think I can then... Then I know I can.”
“Exactly what I wanted to hear.” Cassandra grinned, turning to look at Liam. “Now I can tell by that look on your face that you have something that you want to say as well. Do you want to tell everyone or is it more of a private affair?”
Liam exchanged a look with his mother and brother, sighing to himself, “No, it’s best that everyone knows, we should all be on the same page.” He took Skylar’s hand, bringing it to his lips and kissing lightly along her fingers. “My father was a monster, he forged a deal with a coven to give my mother cancer and force me to return to my duties as Alpha. But this was far from all that he was doing.”
The rest of the group leaned forward, even Cassandra drawn into what he was saying. Farah and Cayden however, were on the edge of their seats.
“My father learned of a prophecy, a prophecy relating to myself and...” He looked to Skylar, apology written clearly in his eyes. “And my future wife.”
Farah’s hand tightened around the arm of her chair, the wood creaking and cracking in protest. “What was he planning to do to the two of you?”
“This prophecy stated that I as the Alpha would marry a woman of great strength, more than had been seen in generations. These covens were attempting to find a way to use her for themselves, and my father was more than happy to help.” He growled, “What they didn’t know was that my father was looking to find a way to seize her power for himself.”
Cayden couldn’t hold his tongue any longer. “That fucking prick.” He shrugged, though his shoulders were heavy with anger. “What then? He’s dead, isn’t he? So’s the coven that he used to attempt to kill Leah.”
“That they are.” He nodded. “But we can’t rule out other covens who are attempting to continue their work, just because my father is dead doesn’t mean that they suddenly gave up the hunt. If anything, it might have just made them more desperate.”
Skylar’s eyes widened in realization. “That’s why you’re trying to get that bunker built... In case of an attack you can keep us all safe.”
He nodded. “I don’t want any of us to come to harm from this, but I will not take any chances where I can help it.” He bowed his head. “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you, it was incredibly selfish of me. Given everything we’ve built together and what we mean to each other, I shouldn’t be keeping secrets from you.”
“It’s alright.” She laughed, “Well, quite clearly things are far from alright, but I forgive you. You’ve told me now, and now we can work out where to go from here. So long as it’s together, I’m sure we can beat whatever comes at us.”
He chuckled, shaking his head. “What did I ever do to deserve you?”
“One of life’s great mysteries, I’m sure.”
* * *
The next few hours passed by them faster than anyone would like to admit. Gradually, everyone in attendance got to see and hold Abigail at least once, Leah in particular being moved to tears at the feeling of her grandchild in her arms. She had showered Liam and Skylar in kisses, holding them tightly in her arms and sobbing openly, telling them both how proud she was of them, that she had never been truly certain that a day like this would ever come for her.
Michael was much the same, marveling at the sight of his niece, the newest blood in the Conway clan and potentially some of the strongest there had ever been. Words couldn’t describe how amazed he was at the image of the happy family, and hours later when Hayley asked him about it he still wouldn’t be able to accurately describe how he was feeling. He only wished that the world would be kinder to them all for once, that they wouldn’t have to be kept apart so soon after meeting their daughter, but that was simply just not how their luck worked.
None of them wanted to acknowledge it, but before they knew it their time together had come to an end, Cassandra standing and clearing her throat apologetically to get everyone’s attention. “I’m sorry to have to tell everyone this, but the time has come for you all to leave. Skylar and myself have to start as soon as possible so that her training will have the maximum effect.”
Everyone said their goodbyes, filing slowly out the door one by one as Cassandra shuffled them out. When she looked back she saw that Liam and Skylar were wrapped in each other’s arms, Liam desperately trying to savor his last moments with his wife before saying goodbye. Cassandra laid a hand on his shoulder, telling him gently, “I’ll give you a minute.”
By the time he joined the rest of them out in the lounge his eyes were red rimmed and his voice hoarse. No one drew attention to it, but everyone knew what had been happening, none of them blamed him for it either, they were all dealing with their own grief over Skylar’s situation.
Cassandra drew him over to the couch, his mother and brother taking their seats next to him and putting their arms around his shoulders. “I know that you are all saddened by this situation, it is one that I’ve had to do many times, but none have been as important as this one right now.” She shook her head. “I wish that you could have enjoyed this moment like any other couple, but this was a matter of safety.”
“There’s really nothing we could do to protect them ourselves?” Liam spoke through his hands, “You’re the only one who can do that?”
“I don’t think you understood me properly. The isolation isn’t for her safety, it’s for all of yours.”
“Ours?” Leah’s eyes widened. “What do you mean? You don’t think she would hurt us, do you?”
“Not intentionally, but I’ve seen it happen with people inexperienced with their powers. And believe me, you have no idea just how powerful she is.” She looked down at her hand, tracing the faint scar running across her palm. “Beings like her… If she lost control, there would be nothing you could do.” She looked at each one of them, making sure that they all understood just how serious she was. “She could kill every single one of you and never break a sweat, that is why she needs to be kept away.”
* * *
Andrew’s head snapped back as Sarconi’s fist connected with his nose, not even dignifying him with a grunt of pain this time. “Jesus, who taught you how to punch? My daughter hit me harder than that when she was twelve.”
“You really don’t know when to shut up, do you?” Sarconi shook out his fist before sticking it into a nearby bucket of ice. “Never thinking it’d be better to just keep your mouth shut.”
“Never know when not to screw with people bigger than me either, but your dumb cocksucker of a son couldn’t figure that out either.” He shrugged, spitting a tooth out on the floor. “But hey, for now I’m still alive, I’ve got that over him now, don’t I?”
Sarconi chuckled, though he
could feel his temper rising over the fact that Andrew had yet to break. “That you do, but not for long.” He walked over to him slowly, leaning over and gloating, “We’re going to drag you down to the town, and I’m going to make you watch as I tear your daughter’s life apart right in front of her eyes.”
He thought that would be the thing that pushed him over the edge, wailing and screaming for mercy. He almost screamed in rage when all it got him was a mocking laugh.
“You’re gonna do that huh? You’re gonna posse up and show her just what a big, bad man you are?” He spat a mouthful of blood at him, Sarconi recoiling in disgust when it landed on his lip. “How’d that work out last time dickhead?”
Sarconi roared in anger, slamming his fist into his cheek over and over again, bone starting to give way under his intense assault. “I am so sick of you thinking you are smarter than you are! Tougher than you are!” He lifted his foot, planting it square in Andrew’s stomach and making him wheeze. “I am to be feared, I am to be respected! Who the fuck do you think you are?”
Sarconi yelped when he felt something hot score across his shoulder, the room erupting with a thunderous bang as he dropped to his knees. He looked back over his shoulder, the edges of his vision dark with pain to see Christian approaching, pistol help carefully in his hand and ready to be raised at any moment.
“As much as I understand wanting to beat someone to death for their stupidity, especially in this moment, I’m going to have to advise that you don’t do that to him.”
“And why is that?” Sarconi spit through his teeth, shoulder burning with pain. His vision flashed once more as he felt something slide down the side of his face, head turning to see Andrew smiling through a mouthful of blood.
“Because I’m more important than you are Leonard.” He hung his head back, laughing and wheezing in equal measure. “I’m strapped to a fucking chair in some shit hole warehouse, getting the shit beaten out of me day and night, and you’re still less valuable than me! Guess the apple didn’t fall far from the tree, did it?”
