The Illuminated Witch

by Imogene Nix

  She dabbed at her face with a fresh tissue. Kharisma gave her a mock glower. She drank the juice slowly, her eyes scanning the people working. Everyone had a role to play right now. “I should be helping. I can ward…”

  Kharisma’s head shake stopped her in her tracks. “No. That’s part of your problem. Eat and I’ll explain.”

  Hunger had fled, but she knew she wouldn’t get her answers until she did, so she took a bite, chewed the sandwich and swallowed, then repeated the action while Kharisma watched. “I know Bertha was working with you to find what fired your magic. Do you remember what she said?”

  “Umm, Bertha said it was light that was my affinity. That was why, when I couldn’t contain it, the lights blew around me first.” Celina picked up the next sandwich and chewed while she thought over what she’d said. Light. I’ve been inside for weeks. And when I’m awake, it’s night. Unnatural light.

  “Your mind is ticking over. I can almost see it.” Kharisma gave her a weak smile as Celina swallowed.

  “I need natural light, don’t I? That’s what has caused this… This weakness, I suppose you’d call it.”

  She was rewarded with a nod. “So I need to go outside during the day. Well, that’s simple enough.” She smiled, but that faded as she noted the frown on Kharisma’s face. “What?”

  “Our nest is night focused. We have guards, but…” She turned away and Celina felt physically ill.

  “Javed is a man of the night. My magic is of the day. They don’t mix.”

  “Not easily, no.”

  If someone had driven a stake through her heart, it wouldn’t have hurt half as much. “So… So when do I have to leave?” She whispered the words.

  “We can’t arrange it right now. Not with the state we’re in, but soon. It has to be, otherwise you will collapse totally. We need to make arrangements with the Conclave Paramount to find you an alternative home.”

  “Can I say goodbye to Javed?” The pain stole her breath.

  “I don’t know if that’s wise.”

  Celina nodded. Kharisma was right, of course. But it didn’t make the truth easier to accept.

  Cold seeped into her pores, taking over her body. Her brain refused to think of any way to reject the information. It was frozen with the truth that she had to go away. Far away. Never see Javed again. The thoughts spiked through her brain.

  She pushed from the table with a jerk. The chair fell to the ground. Celina ignored it and on shaky feet left the eating area. If she had peered around, she’d have seen Kharisma watching after her. She’d probably also have seen pity. “I don’t want pity.”

  Pushing past anyone in the way, she made for the lift, depressing the button when a hand caught her shoulder. Spinning her. She didn’t know the older man, but recognized the emotion on his face—animosity.

  “Where is she?”

  “Sorry? I don’t—”

  The man loomed closer. “You’re not… You’re not her. You look like her. You act like her, and share some of her mannerisms. Where is she? Where is Farrah?”

  “Wha—?” She wanted to run away. To tell the man to leave her alone. He was old and frail but his words were harsh, just like the emotion in his eyes. Her head ached again and black bled into her vision.

  No more! Please don’t… Then she crumpled to the ground.

  * * * *

  “What the hell did you think you were doing?” Javed couldn’t contain the rage. Too much had happened in such a short time and now that Celina had collapsed, there was no way to stem the tide of fury that roiled in his belly.

  “I told her that you were incompatible. She’s day, and you’re night. She needs daylight. You’ll die in it. Who will protect her if she’s out there on her own?”

  Kharisma stood toe to toe with him. Celina was resting in his room, he’d been informed. He was thankful they had at least made it to his office before he had exploded.

  “That wasn’t your decision to make! You’re my second—”

  “And your friend. You’re tearing yourself apart. And in the process she is dying. You can’t keep her like this. It’s cruel to both of you.”

  He shook his head. “Do you think I don’t know this? I thought I had time! I was going to ask her to change.” He jerked away, needing space.

  When he stared back at her, she seemed strained and shocked. “You never said!” There was accusation in her tones and he cringed.

  “I didn’t have to. It’s between us. Something I can’t and won’t discuss with you.”

  Kharisma shook her head. “But you are going to kill her if you don’t do something soon. Her body will shut down, organ by organ.”

  Her damning words stopped him cold. “That’s not what I want. I just… I can’t let her go. Not like this.” He turned away and covered his eyes with one hand. “But I won’t let her die either.” His guts churned. “I don’t know what to do, Kharisma. I just…” He shook his head, blinded by his fear. “In my head there’s so much…”

  Kharisma grabbed his hand. “You have to talk to her. You’re almost out of time. You both need to make a decision and you need to do it tonight, my friend. Her body was weak when she came to us. She hadn’t fully healed. Now it’s under pressure again.”

  She left him then staring blindly into the corridor. How could he go back to her right now, knowing that his intractability was doing this to her? Kharisma had told him he had to make a decision. He hastened up the stairs and along the corridor, through the doorway and sat down beside the woman on the bed, twining his fingers through hers.

  He noted the way her chest rose and fell, slowly, the red of her hair against her pale skin. The bruises beneath her eyes hurt him. The knowledge that he was the cause of them being there tore at him.

  In his mind, he played over the vision of the woman he had first met. The exquisite curves of belly and breast. Her eyes had flashed fire and captured his attention. Now they were faded, as if her light was dimming.

  She moved, her hand twitching just a little, and he turned back to gaze into her eyes. They opened slowly. “Hi there.”

  “Hi, yourself.” His heart beat a slow and steady rhythm. “We need to talk.”

  She pushed up carefully onto one elbow. “I think this has gone beyond that, Javed. Everything Kharisma said is correct. I can’t stay because I’m damaging your ability to think. It’s time to let me go.”

  “I can’t.” He inhaled deeply. “I’ll find a way. I just need some time.” He knew he was pleading.

  “You need to find me somewhere else to go. Once everything is settled…”

  He hated the weak and strangled tones in her voice. Until they had everything under control he couldn’t ask for anything else. When she changed he would need to be there with her. Right now his attention was splintered. He didn’t like it, but he could send her to Hope and Xavier. They would protect her. Not a perfect outcome, but it was a temporary fix. One he could live with, in the short term.

  “Kharisma said you weren’t alone when you passed out. I’m thankful for that.”

  She groaned, her forehead creasing. “I don’t know who it was, but they weren’t at all impressed with me for some reason.”

  “You are sure you don’t know them?”

  She shook her head, hair flying around her face. “No. It was an older man.”

  Someone new in the house. Someone older. It could only be the father of his Yeux Secondes. “Are you well enough to rise?”

  “Yeah. What are you thinking?” He lifted her against his chest.

  “We need to talk to the man who scared you.”

  Celina was silent as he strode down the stairs and to his office. He entered the room and placed her down on a chair.

  “I can walk, you know.”

  He winced. “I know. But humor me, okay?”

  She nodded and he picked up the phone, calling Daniel’s room. “Daniel, if you and your father could please join me in my office?” He waited for the answer before hanging up. />
  Within minutes, the door opened and Daniel entered, followed by his father Albert.

  Albert’s gaze flitted automatically to Celina. “You! Who are you?”

  His voice chilled the air. Javed bristled. “She is a member of the nest. In good standing. If you have a problem with a nestling, you tell me.”

  The older man, with faded blue eyes and gray hair, must, at one point, have been tall and well built, but that had melted away leaving him spare framed. The man, in his late sixties, was stooped as if carrying the weight of the world.

  “She looks just like Farrah. My wife.”

  He heard Celina’s intake of breath. “But she isn’t.”

  “No. But you look like her.” The tone was warmer just only by mere degrees. “Do you know where she is?”

  Celina huddled, as if lost, and he knew it was time to step in.

  “Celina doesn’t know. But she is related. She’s your wife’s child. She’s Farrah’s daughter, it’s true.” He challenged the older man in front of him to deny his words.

  Albert’s gaze burned with a cold fire. “She’s not mine?”

  “No. But she is your son’s half-sister.”

  * * * *

  Celina wasn’t in any way sure of how to deal with this latest problem. What the hell was she supposed to do with a bitter, angry and twisted man who just wanted to yell at her?

  “Look, I don’t know what you are searching for, but this Farrah? I don’t know her. I don’t even know where you got the idea Daniel is any relation to me, Javed. I honestly don’t want anything to do with this.”

  She rose on shaky legs, but Javed took her hand. “It’s correct. He’s your half-brother. The only reason we know that is because the blood tests came back. They always cross reference the DNA against existing nestlings, it seems.”

  “Javed, I don’t know anything about any of this. I just want to go. Please?”

  She needed to escape the anger in Daniel’s father’s face. She wanted to be somewhere quiet. Free of any upheaval, because, right now, it was too much. “I can’t do any of this. I thought I could, but I need to get away. Please arrange somewhere now.”

  Javed blanched. “Fine. I’ll have you transferred to Hope and Xavier’s nest. But this isn’t over.”

  She turned and made her way to the door, but refused to turn back. She had been out of her depth for as long as she’d been involved in the whole vampire world. She needed reality. So why does my chest hurt so damn much?

  The walk to the lift felt like it took forever. By the time she had arrived at the bedroom, the tears were streaming once more, but this time they were of anger and betrayal. That Javed had kept this from her hurt. If he’d kept that a secret, what else was there that he hadn’t told her?

  She grabbed her bags from above the cupboard and threw them down on the bed, before she thrust clothing into the suitcase. Then she emptied the drawers and headed to the bathroom for her toiletries. She’d already gotten rid of everything that had no particular meaning to her. Her small stash of photos and books were still in storage, so she had little to pack.

  She hurried through the door, seeing one of the men of the nest. “Joel, can you help me?” He gave a terse bob of his head, indicating his acceptance, though he looked surprised. He carried her bag downstairs and out to her car without a word.

  Good thing Joel isn’t a talker.

  She was pleased no one intercepted her. A burst of adrenaline coursed through her system and gave her the boost she needed to keep going. But it would soon run out and she wanted to be far away from here when that happened.

  For an instant, she regretted her outburst, but drew strength from the knowledge that the ordeal would soon be over

  She refused to consider that it might just be beginning for her. Once her bags were loaded into the car, she turned the key without a glance in the rear-view mirror.

  Celina slewed onto the road and hadn’t gone far when she was flagged down by another motorist. The woman seemed pale and lost as she waved madly for Celina to stop.

  She pulled over and cautiously wound her window just a small way as a woman hurried in her direction.

  “Can I help you?”

  A bright flash of light flared and she fell into the darkness.

  * * * *

  Javed paced the floor of his office after Celina had left. He knew he should have told her, but he hadn’t expected her angry response or the fact that she would leave the room.

  His anger had telegraphed to Albert who settled into the seat heavily. “Forgive me, master, but… She looks so like Farrah. My wife…” He turned away, and for a moment Javed felt a seed of pity for the man. But it quickly dissipated.

  “But she’s not. She is your wife’s daughter but not yours.” He watched as he flinched and almost instantly felt a flare of guilt at the man’s reaction.

  “She… Farrah took off when Daniel was only seven. I don’t know where she went. She just left the nest abruptly one day and was never seen by anyone who knew her ever again.” Albert leaned forward. “But you are sure she’s not…”

  A shake of the head had Daniel’s father releasing a sigh and Javed hardened his heart.

  Albert had been willing to yell at Celina. Demand what she knew of Farrah. He would have taken his anger out on her for something she had nothing to do with. One thing she would always be totally innocent of.

  “I didn’t mean…” His words stopped, and Javed stood, anger radiating from him.

  “No. But you were willing to blame her, even for an instant, for being Farrah’s daughter. I have asked Cressida for assistance in finding Farrah. If she turns up dead or alive, the researchers will find a record. But never again will you address this situation with Celina. She doesn’t need the angst that goes with it.”

  In his mind, a whisper of doubt argued that he couldn’t ask that of the man. Instead, he quelled the concern that came with his decision firmly.

  Albert shrank back into his seat. “No, master. You are right.” His head hung low and Javed nodded. Perhaps now I can find some way to salvage the situation with Celina when I’m done here. Offer that knowledge so she’ll see I meant well.

  “Fine. Then if there is nothing else?”

  As soon as Javed indicated there were no other issues, Albert stood and left the room. Javed breathed deeply before turning to Daniel, who waited, perched on the side of the couch. “Your father must earn his place in the nest, as does every other nestling.”

  Daniel had been silent during the earlier exchange but showed his agreement with a quick bob of his head. “I will make sure to discuss it with him.”

  Then he cleared his throat, and indicated the stack of files in front of him. He wasn’t totally sure of his new Yeux Secondes’ reaction to his announcement. He wasn’t unmoved, but he also assumed a businesslike manner quickly.

  “If you have a few minutes, I’d like to talk to you about your proposal.”

  With a wave of his hand, Javed signaled toward the large meeting table and Daniel stood, making his way over and laying the files on the marble top.

  His thoughts fractured for a moment and he inhaled deeply. Business had to come before pleasure, but for an instant he wondered where Celina was. What was she doing? How was she coping? Once the meeting had wrapped up, he planned to go searching for her.

  “I have quickly read through the reports you sent. To be honest another day or two to familiarize myself with the operations you are considering would be welcome. However, I have made some notes.”

  Daniel waited in silence, his face drawn and pale. But there was an air of determination about him. He handed him a file, and Javed flicked through it, reading the detailed information his new Yeux Secondes had prepared. It included conceptual outlines, and the basics of a business model.

  “In all honesty, do you see the ventures as viable?” The Council may have allocated funds sufficient to seed his business idea, but he had to get it off the ground first.

  It
was up to him and his nest to ensure that the business turned a profit as quickly as possible while ensuring its long-term ability to provide for the nest.

  “Yeah, I think a meat processing plant is a great idea. The added benefits of utilizing the blood products are, I believe, inspired.”

  Daniel glanced at him and for a moment he wondered what the nestling was thinking. “I am a little unsure about the concept of the Blood Sorbet dessert, though. I can see that drinking blooded wine must get a bit wearing and while I can see the benefit in a Bloody Russian drink, I’m not so sure about some of the animal blood based products you are suggesting, but the majority I think will be financially rewarding. I’d like to run some modeling, once you have a sample of the products in hand.”

  Javed nodded. This kind of planning had always been the problem of the master of whichever nest he had belonged to. Now it was his.

  At that moment, the door to his office was flung open and he spun, hand at his hip, expecting an attack.

  Kharisma stood there, her face red and tight. “She’s gone, Javed! Celina left while you were in the meeting. One of the nestlings just informed me.”

  He pushed away from the table, papers flying. “What do you mean?” He advanced and was nearly out of the door when Kharisma caught him.

  Her fingernails dug into the flesh of his upper arm. “She left. Packed her bags and took her car. I didn’t know until too late.” Her chest heaved, and her blue eyes swam. “But, Javed? The guards found her car not far from here. I think…”

  His heart stopped beating. Suffocating emptiness filled him. He didn’t need to hear her words, because, inextricably, he already knew.

  “I think she’s been taken.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Dull lights shined overhead and Celina shivered in the cool air. Celina slumped against a cold metal wall. The wall was smooth, and the contact chilled her to the core.

  She wondered how long she’d been out of it and where the hell she was. She tugged experimentally on her hands, but they were fastened tight. The bindings burned the skin of her wrists.

  She was bound to the wall. Though she had some small amount of movement left and right, she couldn’t escape the pervasive cold. The ache of her bones and screaming muscles warned her that she’d been here for some considerable length of time.