by Celeste Raye
Denise wasn’t too happy about all of it, but neither was Connie. She tried to tell Denise a bit about it, but she kept getting stuck on one thing or another.
“So, all of the people here are like werewolves?”
She was incredulous, and Connie remembered how she felt about it at first. It was a bit much, and she hoped that Denise would handle it better than she did. Connie had been a wreck after finding out, and she didn’t wish the same on her friend.
“Kind of. They turn into bears, though there are some that turn into wolves, all kinds of stuff from what Frank has told me. Each clan turns into something different.”
“Okay. You make it sound so normal.”
“Not at all. It’s crazy, but Frank is trying to teach me as much as he can. I don’t know what I would do without him.”
Denise had this look on her face.
“It’s not like that, Denise.”
“Just because it’s not like that for you doesn’t mean that it isn’t for him. I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”
Connie didn’t have an answer for that; she knew she felt something, but she wasn’t ready to put a name on it yet.
“Trust me, Denise, I don't know what's going on between Frank and me. This is all just happening way too fast. I just met him a couple of days ago, and now I don't know what I would do without him. He has explained so much of this to me. There is so much more that I have to tell you, but I'm not sure if you want to know.”
Denise came and sat by Connie and told her that she wanted to know everything.
“Of course, I want to know, Connie. If you're going through it, then I am going through it. Those witches talked a lot while they had me, and I'm pretty sure they said that you were one of their daughters. I'm not sure which one, though. I am hoping that it's not the main one. Her name was Marl, if I remember right. She was not pleasant at all.”
Connie had to do a double-take because it was more information that she didn't know before. She was one of their daughters? How was that even possible? The idea of it made her sick to her stomach.
“Are you sure that's what they said?”
Denise agreed that it was. They had not expected her to live through the ordeal or they most likely wouldn't have said all of that in front of her. Or maybe they just thought that she was a weak human that wouldn't make a difference either way. Whatever it was, Connie realized that she needed to get any information that she could from her friend. New information could save their lives.
“Frank does not think that my parents are really my parents. I haven't been able to get ahold of them, and I'm worried that something has happened. What if the witches went to see them first, looking for me?”
“It can’t be helped now, Connie. I have always said that you don't look like them, but I can't imagine that they knew all of this about you. Maybe you were adopted or something.”
Connie had been moving so quickly that she hadn't even really thought about it. Maybe that was the case. Maybe she was adopted and the parents that she had known her whole life had not deceived her. That made her feel a whole lot better than the alternative. She did not want to believe that they had done all of this to her on purpose. Every time she had asked them why she felt so different, Connie did not want to think that they knew and just didn't tell her.
“You're right, maybe I am. I can't think that Dina and Carl would have anything to do with this.”
“You're already calling them by their first names?”
Connie just kind of shrugged, not even realizing that she had done it. At what point had she internalized that they were not her parents? The world that she had known before was gone. Now, she was left in this crazy world that she didn't quite understand. The only thing that made her feel better was Frank.
“It just seems like the thing to do, Denise. Whoever they are, my parents are not who I thought they were.”
Denise was quiet for a time, and then she wanted to know more about Frank and the rest of the clan that she was staying with. Connie had taken off to find her, so there was a lot that she still didn't know. She tried to tell her friend all she knew about each one. They had been rather forthcoming with information the night before. There was still a lot she didn't know, though. There wasn't a lot of trust at the moment, especially with Connie knowing how they felt about her kind.
“So, witches and werewolves do not get along?”
“Not really, from what I hear. They apparently stick to themselves; all magical beings do.”
“What other kind is there?”
Connie rattled off a few that Frank had told her about. “All of the creatures in fairy tales were real. They really existed, and they just lived out of mankind’s way. It was the best way for them to stay safe.”
“Wow, Connie. How are you not freaking out right now?”
“Honestly, there hasn't been any time, Denise. I'm sure when I get a moment to really think about it all, I am going to lose it. It's just not the time yet. I had to make sure you were okay. Now that you are, I think that we need to get some sleep. Hopefully, tomorrow we will have some more answers.”
“Like why those witches want to kill you?”
Connie agreed with the sentiment. “Yeah, that is definitely something that I want to find out about. Especially if one of them is my mother. What do they want from me?”
Connie didn't have any answers, and she was worried that Frank wouldn't be able to find any either. “Who would they even ask about that?”
“There is another which that is staying here, or she's here for a little bit with her husband. She is the person that I think I'm going to talk to about it. Her name is Dahlia, and she is really nice. I just hope that she will have some answers because this is really confusing.”
Denise had to agree. She was confused and had only been introduced to the new world very quickly. It seemed like there were a lot of twists and turns that were coming ahead, and like Connie, she had no idea how it was all supposed to turn out. Her friend was taking it far better than she thought she would. And Denise said as much.
Connie had this calm that came over her, and Denise did not understand it. She was freaking out inside and out. Connie could see that Denise looked like she was going to come out of her skin at any moment.
“I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep.”
“I thought that too, but I think once I close my eyes and stop moving, it will come to me pretty easily. I am so tired.”
Denise hugged her friend and thanked her again for saving her.
“I am just sorry that you got dragged into this, Denise. They would never have come to the house if they weren't looking for me.”
“It's not like you knew. I will never be mad at you about this, Connie. This is so not your fault.”
Connie held her a little tighter, not knowing what she would have done if something had happened to Denise. She had to remind herself that Denise was there, hugging her. She didn’t have to worry about what would happen. It was done now. Denise was alive, and Connie knew that Frank would keep them both safe. It was the only way that she was able to close her eyes and get some sleep.
Chapter Seventeen
“How did you two sleep?”
Frank was all smiles, and he knew that his unusual good mood was because of Connie. She was still there when he woke up, which Frank saw as a feat, considering her track record. He was just happy that the girls were safe under his roof.
He was glad that they were brave enough to come down for dinner. For a while there, Frank had been worried that they might not come down at all. The human was undoubtedly scared, and every fiber of her body screamed it to him. He didn’t have to read minds to know how she felt about the whole situation. Her brain was on the verge of exploding, from the looks of it.
“We slept pretty good, Frank, how about you?”
He shrugged and said that it was alright. He was still sore from where the witches hit him, but that wasn’t something that Frank was going to commen
t on. He wanted her to think that he was unfazed by it all. Frank wasn’t of course. He wasn’t used to dealing with witches, and now he was reminded of why. They were scary in their element, and Connie had thrown him in the deep end of paranormal activities.
“Not bad. I think we should have a talk going forward. I know that this is a new kind of situation for the two of you, but I think that it will be made easier if we put down some ground rules. Ways to make it easier for everyone involved. You guys aren’t the only ones that are nervous to be around the others.”
Denise scoffed. “Well, considering I am not going to turn into an animal that can eat them, I don’t think they have much to worry about.”
“It’s not you that they worry about, Denise. It’s your friend. Witches are powerful and can take down my kind with a few bolts. They have their own worries.”
“Oh.”
It was clear that Denise hadn’t thought about that, and she gave Connie a serious side look. It was like it had all just came to her attention. Her friend was dangerous. So dangerous that people like Frank regularly stayed away from them. That should have made what he was saying clear.
Witches were feared and avoided by everyone. They had too much power, and with some creativity, they could do things that were impossible for everyone else. And they didn’t have consequences that were as linear as all the rest. Witches could use others to negate the consequences of their magic use like no other magical race could. Everyone else had to personally pay the toll.
“I wouldn’t worry about it too much. I think if everyone respects each other’s space, there shouldn’t be any troubles. Don’t use magic on any of my pack, and we should be fine.”
“Why would I do that, Frank? I don’t even know how to use it. I just get scared and it happens.”
“Dahlia has agreed to help you focus your energy. She says it was like that for her at first. You will have to train with her for a time, and then your power will manifest further, and you’ll be able to control it. Since you have other witches after you for some reason, I think you need to start now. I want you to be able to protect yourself.”
“From her own mother…”
Frank didn’t quite hear Denise, and he asked her to repeat herself.
“What do you mean?”
“When they had me tied up, the two witches did a lot of talking. I think they were related somehow. They went on and on about a shifter named Justin, a witch, and an orphanage. They also talked about Connie and how she was one of their daughters. I didn’t ever get which one it was. They kept changing physically, old to young. It was so weird.”
Frank didn’t know what to think about all of that. He knew which witches they must be if they were the ones left from the orphanage. Justin had come to the pack late in life. Conan, his uncle, had brought him in. He’d been hidden, and his memory had been wiped. These were the Stein witches that they were dealing with, and he was worried about what that meant. How was Connie supposed to fit in all of this, and why them? What did the strongest witches around want with his future mate?
“That’s not good. That particular coven of witches has wreaked havoc on the area for a while now. One of our shifter brothers and his mate, Dahlia, barely got out of there with their lives. We will have to speak on this more. For now, let me introduce you to Dahlia so that you can get started. If you’re a Stein witch, then you’re going to have to learn quickly to control all that power.”
Connie quickly agreed. It was scary for her to think that she was a witch, but it was even worse to realize that they wanted to get rid of her. Frank wanted to go to her, but her friend was standing there, and she was still protectively close. He would have to wait until they had a moment alone.
That came rather quickly after he introduced the two women to Dahlia. Dahlia and Denise had a town of origin in common, and they were chatting about that and the people that inhabited it. Basically, Denise was catching Dahlia up with the happenings that she had missed since being with the pack and Justin.
Frank pulled Connie to the side and asked her if she was alright. He was worried about her and hadn’t had a chance to touch base with her since yesterday.
“I guess I am. I didn't think that this could get any worse, but I should stop thinking that. I have been proven wrong several times now.”
“It is going to be just fine, Connie. You’ll see.”
“You heard what she said. One of them is my mother. What kind of mother would do that to me?”
Frank didn't have an answer. He knew that deep down, it would have been easier for Connie to find out that her parents were dead. That they had left her without knowing because they hadn't been able to take care of her. To know that she had a mother out there that was willing to do such a thing was more than Connie could take at the moment. She was saddened to her core, and all Frank wanted to do was help. He hated to see such pain in her eyes.
“It doesn't matter where you came from. It really doesn't. You are here now, and you don't need them anymore. I can't imagine how it would feel to know that my mother was one of those hideous women.”
“I guess I've always known. I always knew that my parents weren't really my parents, but I never let myself think past that. I'm starting to think that I should have never found out. It was easier when I didn't know.”
Frank pulled her in for a hug, and it quickly turned into a kiss. It was clear to him that Connie needed affection. She was in a dark place mentally and all he wanted to do was make her feel better. It wasn't her fault where she came from, and he didn't want her to feel bad about it. Stein witch or not, she was still the woman he was supposed to be with.
The kiss started to deepen, and his body was reacting quickly to the smell of her and the feel of her body against his. It did not take long at all for him to need her badly. Every part of him wanted to take her like he would take every other woman that he had so much desire for. But not Connie. There was something different about her, and he knew that he was going to have to take his time. He was going to have to move slow, so Frank was the one that pulled away.
It took a minute for Connie to open her eyes. She had a bewildered look on her face, and the need was rather clear. It called to him, and Frank had to look away.
“Why did you stop?”
“Because unless you want me to ravish you right here, right now in this spot, we need a little bit of space.”
“The way you say it, Frank, it sounds like it wouldn't be such a bad thing.”
Frank took another step backward. He did not need to hear that. Every other time she was shy, but he had awakened something inside of her, and now she was looking at him in a way that was hard to refuse. He was sure that it was the same look that he mirrored back to her. Frank was in dire need of Connie, and nothing else was going to do.
About that time, Denise popped her head out the door and asked if Connie was going to come back in.
“I want to see if you can do some of the stuff that Dahlia can do. This is crazy, Connie.”
Denise had excitement on her face, and Frank took another step backward. It was for the best, he kept telling himself. If she did not get away from him, he was not going to be able to control himself. The full moon was coming, and since she was to be his mate, he wanted to make sure everything was done perfectly. It had to be done right.
He watched Connie go inside, and he was torn by his own emotions. There was a big part of him that was ready for what was to come, but Frank knew that there was more to it than the physical. He had a large pack by most standards, and he wanted to make sure it was done right. Justin had already brought a witch in. Dahlia had worked out well. Why couldn’t Connie?
Frank kept that state of mind until he got around his brother Dennis. It was clear that he had something to say and though he didn’t want to get into it again, he knew that it was inevitable. He had to make his claim, and before Dennis could start, Frank called everyone else forward. All of his brothers and family needed to know what he wanted to h
appen, what was going to happen. Connie was going to be his bride, their queen. He wanted everyone on board.
Dennis was the first to object to his plans, but Frank ignored it. He wasn’t interested in opinions. He wasn’t asking for permission. He was simply stating the facts of how things were going to end up.
All that mattered was that Connie was going to be his bride in two days. He still hadn’t even asked.
Chapter Eighteen
Connie, Dahlia, and Denise were going back into the house several hours later. The three women had been busy learning each other’s crafts. Connie realized that she had a lot to learn. Dahlia was going to teach her, but it was going to take time, lots of it. Connie had no idea how she was going to remember everything that was being said to her.
She’d learned more about her family and where she came from. Connie didn’t know how to feel about her origin. It was clear to her that they were powerful, but also crystal clear that they were evil. They didn’t use their powers for good, but to stay alive and young as long as they could. No one even knew how long for sure, because records get sketchy the further back something happens. They’d lived for centuries at least, though more was attributed to them from as far back as a thousand years.
“Are you alright, Connie? You haven’t said much.”
They were at the door, and she tried to shake off her feelings.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I am just tired, I guess. Magic takes a lot out of you.”
Dahlia smiled. “And it burns calories, I swear. Carbs will help.”
Connie just shook her head. “I would have never guessed it.”
“Well, I wouldn’t have either, but then something came to my attention, and I think that it has to do with what’s going on with you. You felt so bad the next day because you probably went home and crashed. I bet you were starving.”
Connie shook her head. “Yeah, it was like I hadn’t eaten in a year. I had never been so hungry before.”
“Carbs are your friend. I told Justin to make some pasta. It will have you feeling better in no time.”
