by C Zinnia
“I made you a cup of tea just the way you like it,” the witch, Tish, said. “And with a little extra kick to soothe your nerves.”
Jesse felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Tread carefully, Jesse’s intuition warned. She rejected the warning. “How did you know I was coming?” she said.
Tish smiled. “Come now, Jesse. Give me a little bit of credit. My abilities are why you are here,” she said.
Jesse didn’t deny it. She followed Tish inside.
The house was an enigma to Jesse. The walls were pastel colors to bring in light and warmth. The various bookshelves and wall racks were filled with books, herbs, candles, and statues of saints and gods of various religions. The statues unnerved her because she felt like they were silently judging her as they watched her. There were also animal skeletons and tattered animal pelts, which were always creepy to Jesse.
The kitchen was bright, cheerful, and open. It was Jesse’s favorite part of the cottage because there was a large window that showed the woods and stream outside.
Jesse sat at an old worn table while Tish brought her a mug of tea. There was a hint of liquor, but she was too anxious to care. “You sold me lies. Those potions didn’t work,” Jesse accused. She knew her argument was weak, but she wanted to blame someone other than herself.
Tish laughed. “Really Jesse? That is how you’re going to start our conversation? Haven’t you accused me enough times of such lies? You know as well as I do the only reason you two stayed together as long as you did is because those potions worked. That was the only reason Viola kept coming back to you. When you first came to me, I told you the potion would wear off as the two of you got to know each other. If you two weren’t meant to be, then you weren’t going to last anyway. And I had told you it wouldn’t last. You wanted to force the situation because you wanted the power and status that came with being Viola’s mate. So, don’t insult my product when you were fully aware of what would happen,” Tish said sternly.
Jesse bowed her head. Everything Tish had said was accurate. “So, it’s true then?” Jesse asked. “Did Viola find her mate?”
Tish nodded. “It appears so. I haven’t looked deeper into the matter. I dreamt of you last night appearing on my doorstep talking about Viola.” Tish took a sip from her mug. “I did see Viola was travelling to visit my old pack. Is her mate from Mason’s pack?” she asked.
“Viola thinks so. She hasn’t met her mate yet. She just smelled her at the fight last night,” Jesse said. “What am I going to do?”
“You should just let Viola go and move on. You are only twenty-three. While this breakup may feel like the end of the word, I promise that it isn’t,” Tish said. “You can find someone else that you’d care about more than Viola if you just allow yourself the chance.”
Jesse frowned. She didn’t like the fact that Tish spoke as though Jesse was so much younger than her when Tish was only four years older.
“Don’t give me that look. Your intuition is telling you to let her go, yes? But you are too busy listening to your ego. You refuse to put your ego in check and that will lead to your downfall as it did for me,” Tish said before taking a sip of her tea. “But you won’t let Viola go because you can’t stand the thought of another person walking away from you like your mother did. You already know what you’re going to do. And you want my help.”
Jesse was quiet. This was why Jesse didn’t like dealing with witches and psychics. They saw past Jesse’s façade and had no qualms calling her out on it. She felt like they had an unfair advantage in a realm she couldn’t comprehend. “How much?” she asked.
“Before I tell you my fee, I feel the need to warn you that the universe doesn’t take kindly to those who try to break up soulmates, if that’s what Viola and this person are,” Tish said.
Jesse snorted. She didn’t believe in soulmates.
“Soulmates exist, Jesse,” Tish said. “You haven’t found yours because you haven’t been able to look past your lust for power. Your mother had the same problem. She wanted status, not love. She married your father for status. When he refused to challenge Bruce for the alpha position, she went after an alpha elsewhere. She will never know what love feels like and she will die alone because she burned too many bridges attaining her position. She isn’t someone you should aspire to be. And you need to accept your mom abandoning you is proof of her shortcomings, not yours. You did nothing wrong.”
Jesse glared at Tish. “Wise words from someone living alone in a shack,” she said sourly. “Forgive me for not taking your advice on love seriously.”
Tish smiled, unbothered by Jesse’s venom. “You should take my advice since I am living proof of what happens when you act irrationally and act without love. My ex and I are not soulmates and I knew that even when we were together. How I responded to our breakup was further proof that I never truly loved her. My baggage and insecurities were attracted to her insecurities.
“My ego demanded retribution for our breakup. I treated my ex as a possession instead of respecting her as a person. As though my ex wasn’t allowed to break up with me when in truth it was in her best interest. Honestly, it was in my best interests as well. I just didn’t see it at the time. None of how I treated my ex was love. Just like how you feel for Viola is not love.
“You came to my shack, Jesse, not the other way around. Your whole reason for being here is to hear my advice and get my potions. Mock my advice if you want, but you are the one who will face the consequences. You have yet to learn the true power of karma because your dad has managed to keep you on a pedestal of privilege. But if you continue down this path, even your dad won’t be able to save you. You don’t want the lesson of karma when it leads to negative repercussions as I have,” Tish said.
“Then why offer the services?” Jesse asked.
Tish mockingly smiled. “As you said, I’m alone in a shack. I have to live. I have no pack. I have a fulltime job and it pays the bills, but it never hurts to make extra cash in case of an emergency,” she said. She tilted her head. “And I had done a reading on Viola before I gave you that potion. Dating you was important for her as well. It helped her grow in ways she wouldn’t have otherwise. If it had been harmful for her, I wouldn’t have sold you the potion.”
Jesse hadn’t realized that. “Why don’t you join a new pack?” she asked.
“Other packs will not take me. All of the packs across the Appalachian have heard of what I did. They all fear me.” She was remorseful. “I do not blame them for their fear. I certainly deserve it. The mountains are my heart and home. I can’t imagine living anywhere else. I’d rather live in these mountains in solitude than live in a pack somewhere else,” Tish said. She seemed sad. “I did very ugly and ruthless things that led to my banishment, so I know I have deserved this treatment. I do pray that someday I will be forgiven and let back in, but that is unlikely.”
“Would you be able to handle it if your ex, Alura, found her mate?” Jesse asked. Jesse posed the question to try to manipulate Tish. She knew Tish was still in love with Alura and wanted to rub her nose in it.
Tish saw through Jesse’s tactic. Tish’s eyes hardened. The pressure in the room became so heavy that Jesse felt like she was going to fall out of her chair. “Treat carefully, Jesse. I will not tolerate you trying to use my emotions and my past to get what you want. Haven’t you learned yet not to anger a witch?” she asked.
Jesse felt like she couldn’t catch her breath. “I’m sorry,” she cried in a strangled gasp.
The pressure suddenly eased and Tish leaned back. “To answer your question, yes, I could handle it. I know Alura and I aren’t soulmates. I also know one day she will find hers. I do hope she finds her soulmate. Alura is a good person who deserves happiness. She and I just weren’t good together. I pray to God to send me my soulmate to take away this ache I feel,” Tish said. “I also recognize that I may not meet my mate in this lifetime and I have made my peace with it.”
“Well, God hasn
’t seemed to give me that sort of insight. I want Viola and no one else. Now, are you going to help me or not?” Jesse asked.
“Perhaps, I will,” Tish said. “It’ll be three hundred.”
“Dollars?” Jesse asked, astonished.
“Yes. That covers the reading and any talismans or potions I provide you with. And you have to pay it up front. By helping you, I’m getting into darker realms that come with an inherent risk. I won’t take such risks for pennies,” Tish said.
Jesse grumbled as she pulled out her wallet. At least she still had money saved from doing odd jobs with her father. She placed the three hundred dollars on the table.
Tish stared at the money. “It’s a pity that you don’t view your dad’s love for you as a strength. Many a child wish for the kind of father you have. The irony is the deepest parts of you wished your mother was more like your father. He is a good man with good parents. You should see this as something to appreciate instead of a weakness to exploit.” Jesse had a blank face. Tish tsked as she shook her head. “Maybe one day you will learn.” Tish paused. “Or not.”
Tish took the money and tucked it away in her pocket. She pulled out a deck of cards and proceeded to shuffle. She threw them on the table. Tish cackled. “Oh yes, Viola is the only one for you,” she mocked. “You were all for Chris until he lost the match to Viola.”
Jesse flushed. Damn witches, she thought.
“He’ll end up fighting for the alpha position, so you may want to keep an eye on him,” Tish said. “It looks like he may end up being Alpha.” She was sad. “Alura would be a better alpha.”
Jesse was surprised. She thought Chris would be kicked out of the beta position, not brought up to the alpha position. She liked the thought of being the alpha’s mate. It would be a very cushy position. It was a possibility she had to keep in mind. She would have to see how popular Chris was as an alpha. She doubted his popularity could compete with Viola’s even without her having an official title. “Why not use your magic to help Alura?” she asked.
Tish shook her head. “Their hatred of Alura is too strong to sway with potions or magic,” she said. “I had tried to help while I was dating Alura. A few of them saw the light of their foolishness and became supportive of Alura, but those were people who had waivered in their judgement anyway. The ones who are firm in their horrible beliefs and hatred weren’t affected by my magic.”
Jesse was astonished by Tish’s admission. “Really?” she asked. “Why didn’t it work?”
“Emotions and beliefs are a powerful thing,” Tish said. “With those, a person has to be willing to change to let them go.”
Jesse nodded. “What else does it say?” she asked.
Tish looked down at the cards and became sad. “Oh, that poor girl,” she murmured. The cards gave Tish a private glance into the dynamics between Viola and her soon-to-be girlfriend. Her heart ached at the information.
“What?” Jesse snapped.
“That information was not for you,” Tish said simply. She continued to study the cards that pertained to Jesse. Her face tightened. Tish was quiet for a very long time
Jesse had never seen her so still and silent before.
When Tish looked up at Jesse, her expression alarmed Jesse. “Is all of this worth dying for?” she asked.
Jesse internally rolled her eyes. Witches and their drama! she thought.
“Yes,” Jesse answered, knowing it would never come to that.
Tish knew Jesse was lying. “Very well,” Tish said. “Viola’s . . . mate isn’t part of any pack. She has her own set of gifts that will make her a challenging opponent. In fact, her gifts are getting stronger as we speak. It appears the connection with Viola has opened up her potential.”
“They’ve already bonded?” Jesse said. “How?”
“I’m not sure. The . . . mate has already connected somehow with Viola and once Viola meets her, it will be solidified.”
Jesse did not want to hear this. “What else?” she said.
“You’ll come across a man who shares a common problem with you, but you don’t want to take his help,” Tish advised. “He is unpredictable and would kill you as quickly as he would help you. He hates our kind.”
Jesse brushed off the description. She would never take help from a non-werewolf. “What else?” she asked.
Tish clucked her tongue. She hastily gathered her cards and put them away. The three hundred dollars appeared and she pushed it to Jesse. “The cards have made it quite clear, dear. I can’t help you,” she said. “What you are planning to do to this woman will only set you up to be gravely punished by the universe. I suggest you let go of your obsession with Viola. And if you can’t let it go, then join another pack. There are plenty in the Appalachian. You could join Mason’s pack. Chris would still take you as his mate if you went over there. A wife of an alpha is good for you, so be satisfied with the opportunity and go for it.”
Jesse was dumbfounded. “But you would retaliate if your ex bonded to someone else,” she said.
“No. I wouldn’t,” Tish said firmly. “I’ve already done my foolishness and paid dearly for it. Whatever I do is my responsibility and my karma. I will not take the risk of acquiring bad karma from helping you. Your plans could lead to good people dying and I have enough innocent blood on my hands.” She stood up and forced Jesse up. She placed the money in Jesse’s hand as she marched her to the door. “Leave and don’t return until you’ve gotten over this foolishness. Frankly, you need to learn that you are too old for this petty shit. Grow up.” Tish closed the door in her face.
Jesse left, furious. She couldn’t understand why Tish wouldn’t help her. As she got back on I-81, she felt a twinge of self-assurance return. I don’t need that crazy bat’s help anyway, she thought. She had a vague idea of who Viola’s mate was and the best part was that her mate was a lone wolf. She had no pack to look out for her.
Jesse grinned. Chances are her mate was long gone and Viola would never see her again. And if Viola’s mate does come by, I’ll be ready, Jesse thought. She wasn’t beneath using her claws and fangs if needed. Despite Jesse’s size, she had enough cunning and ruthlessness to be a very dangerous opponent.
Jesse didn’t buy into the mate-for-life fabrication. Her mother hadn’t loved Samuel and her mother had a happy life. Before she left Jesse and her father while Jesse was a child, she always told Jesse not to give true love so much credit. It only led to foolish mistakes and a broken heart. Because of her belief, Jesse’s mother was able to find an alpha on the West Coast to be with. Jesse never heard from her mother again because her mother was too busy with her new family, but the lessons she taught Jesse from the experience were invaluable. Power triumphs everything, including so-called love.
Jesse knew that once Viola’s mate was gone or dead, Viola would come back to her. And Jesse would gladly take her back. Jesse said; “Yes, everything will work out just fine.”
Chapter 17
Mel was still astonished she had graduated from college yesterday. At the same time, she felt lost. What am I supposed to do now? she thought.
Mel had gotten off work at the café and checked her voicemails. Her sister had left a message. “Mel, please call me when you get a chance,” she said. The pain and grief were palpable.
Dread filled Mel. She glanced at her phone. Her sister was calling her again. Mel didn’t want to answer the phone.
Mel answered. “Hey, sis,” she said. “What happened?”
“Dad’s dead,” she said.
Mel felt air rush from her in a whoosh . She couldn’t catch her breath. “He’s dead?” she exclaimed. Tears filled Mel’s eyes as she glanced over.
Her dad was sitting in the passenger seat. He smiled at her like he always did.
“It’s not supposed to be this way!” Mel yelled
Her dad shrugged, still smiling.
Mel fell from the bottom of her car seat.
Mel was alone in the woods. She shivered as she tried to fi
nd her way through the dark. She cursed when she stumbled over tree roots. She looked up, but there was no moon in the sky. The stars shined down on her, but not enough to provide a reliable light source. A cold wind ripped through the forest. Mel hunkered down from the cold.
“Mel?” an all-too-familiar baritone voice said.
Mel’s heart stopped. She was no longer in the middle of the woods.
Mel was in the living room of her childhood home. The owner of the voice patiently stood in the middle of the room with his normal easy-going smile. His eyes were a reflection of her own. She realized now she got her smile from him.
“Dad,” Mel said. Hot tears poured down her cheeks as she threw her arms around him. His arms were strong as he held her while she cried. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” Mel sobbed.
Her dad held her closer. “Oh, Mel, you need to forgive yourself. You were so young. You didn’t understand. You were too hurt. Forgive yourself. Holding to this hate and guilt will only make your life difficult. It only hurts you. Create a life you can enjoy.” Her dad kissed her forehead. “I love you. I always will. Know that I’m at peace. You deserve peace too. Take care of yourself. Don’t punish yourself because of me. Don’t make the same mistakes I did.”
Mel was confused. “I don’t understand,” she said.
Her dad was sad. He said; “I’m afraid it will take you a while before you do. I just hope it won’t be too late.”
Mel woke up perturbed. She tried to fall back asleep. She had hoped if she fell asleep again, she would find her father and he could explain more. She did not succeed. Mel sat up and walked over to her notebook.
“Dark dreams riddle my sleep/ Down which path do you lead?/ Should I push away the subconscious?/ Or is there something you foresee?” Mel wrote.
Mel was tempted to play her guitar, but she worried she would wake someone up. It was still dark outside and the last thing she wanted to do was incite another conflict with Bill.
I wonder if he told Trixie, Mel thought nervously. Instinctually, she doubted it. Bill was too proud to ever admit he was bested by a mere woman. If he did tell Trixie, Trixie obviously wasn’t upset with Mel since no one tried to bust down Mel’s door in the middle of the night. Did Trixie come back?
