I smiled, reassured by his vague explanation.
I wandered down into the great hall naked and collected up my clothes. He watched me as I dressed and his breath caught in his throat each time he glimpsed a new patch of flesh, some bearing his teeth marks from the night before.
“Come back as soon as you can,” he whispered as he kissed me goodbye at the doorway. “Do what you have to do, and then return to me.”
I nodded and let go of his hand as I walked down the steps.
As I drove back to Woodmont my pulse was racing and my anger was building. I had to have it out with Marianne, but at the same time I didn’t want to destroy our relationship. Her and Mom had lied to me for years just to make sure I didn’t rise above them, and that was unforgivable… but did they do it to keep me safe because I was too young to truly understand?
I pulled up outside of the house and looked up at its gothic splendor. I knew Marianne was home from the trail of smoke that drifted from the chimney above the kitchen and as I walked through the front door I heard her drop something. I followed the noise and found her out in the orangery. She was still cleaning up glass from the night before when my power had shattered everything into thousands of pieces.
“Aradia,” she said.
My face was like stone, and she knew I had found her out.
“Just tell me why,” I said. “Why lie to me all this time?”
The tears began to roll down her cheeks and she got to her feet, clasping her hands together and beginning me for forgiveness.
“We just wanted to keep you safe,” she sobbed. “And Lucifer already had so much power over us… He owns this house and he could have evicted us at any point… it didn’t feel right that he should be able to collect you too.”
“He’s not collecting me Marianne!” I shouted. “He loves me!”
“I don’t doubt that…” she whimpered, “But together you two could be a malevolent force.”
“We don’t want to hurt anyone,” I clarified. “We just want to be together.”
“He wants to rule the world,” she laughed, “And with you he could do just that.”
I thought back to the previous evening and about the fact that Lucifer had used the exact same phrase. But I still knew he was genuine. Whether he was going to explore dark arts or not, I wanted to be beside him.
“I’m his now,” I told her. “And there’s nothing you can do about it.”
I turned on my heel and made for the door. As I walked through the stone hallways, my heels clipping hard beneath me, I knew now what I had to do.
In my bedroom I pulled out my cellphone and called my mother. I hadn’t spoken to her properly in such a long time and I needed to make my peace. I knew she wouldn’t be out for some time, and even though I had no desire to see her, I wanted to ensure she was okay.
“It’s me,” I said as she was put on the line by the warden. “I know about Lucifer and what really happened that day in the forest.”
She sighed.
“I’m sorry,” she began to cry, “I don’t know why we let the lie carry on this long.”
“Well at least now I know the truth,” I said as I wiped a tear away from my eyes. “And now I know where I really belong.”
We said our goodbyes and she promised that she would write to me soon enough. When I lay the phone back down on the bed I looked out of the window and I could see the gold light of the morning sun glistening through the trees. Its warmth made me smile.
I packed up my clothes and threw them into a suitcase. They had only been in the closets there for a few days but I knew I could never stay another night in Woodmont again.
“Be careful,” Marianne said from the doorway. She stood with her arms crossed and a hard expression etched on her face. “I wish I had your power.”
“Was it always jealousy?” I asked her.
She smirked and shook her head.
“Of course not,” she sighed, “But we witches always compete in the end.”
I pulled the suitcase towards the door.
“I’m only up at Valmont,” I told her as I kissed her on the cheek, “Don’t feel like we can’t talk…”
I walked past her and out onto the galleried landing.
“Goodbye Marianne,” I said. “Thanks for everything.”
I walked out of the front door of Woodmont and closed it behind me. Even though I loved that house and knew it held many memories, it wasn’t the home that Valmont was.
I walked down the driveway, under the trees, pulling the suitcase behind me. This was the first time I hadn’t minded the walk and felt glad of the time alone to reflect. However, as I got to the end of the driveway I was shocked to see the familiar glisten of the black Ferrari. Lucifer was waiting for me, leaning against it, with his amazing smile.
“You didn’t really think I’d let you walk all the way back did you?” he said as I made through the gates to meet him.
“Well I did wonder,” I smiled.
He opened the door for me, shoved my bag under the hood and climbed in beside me.
“Let’s go home,” he said as the engine roared.
I reached down and took hold of his hand. I felt different, like something within me had changed.
“This is so right,” I told him. “All of it is meant to be.”
He smiled and looked down at me.
“It most certainly is,” he said, “Over six years in the making.”
He pulled away and we thundered down the woodland roads. I reached down and touched my belly… aware of a new sensation there I had never felt before.
And with a calming realization, I smiled.
“We’re going to have a baby,” I told him. “You were right, together we will create something amazing.”
Lucifer looked at me and flashed me that wicked smile.
“This is just the beginning of our journey my queen,” he smiled as he took another corner and we approached the gates to Valmont. “And I can’t wait to see where it’s going to lead.”
We pulled up the long, winding driveway, under the black canopy of trees. In the forest I could still see the eyes following and watching us but they no longer looked menacing, their demeanor was soft. They were our protectors.
I turned to Lucifer and smiled.
I had found my fate.
I was where I was supposed to be and I had never been happier.
“Here’s to our future,” I whispered.
THE END
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A Bear For Christmas Page 12
