by Celeste Raye
The scene had been so real in her mind that she could have reached out and touched it. The smell of the burning flesh, the screams of horror.
While the prediction that she had was real, she knew it deep down, Cira had long since told herself that she was wrong that it was the Clendon clan. She had been utterly convinced that it was them though and had made quite a spectacle when nobody would believe her. She was a lot older, and her powers were stronger now, but there were still times that she was wrong.
Cira heard a knock at the door and went to answer it.
“What's going on?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, there is something going on with you. You didn't even really say anything when you came in, and I can see the distress on your face. What is going on?”
She tried to wave her off, but Delores sat down next to her anyway. She was the type of mother that was always in her daughter's life. Whether Cira wanted her there or not really didn't matter. Something was wrong, and she was going to figure it out, so Cira knew that it was best to give her something.
“I just had a bad day. You know these visions I get are sometimes a lot more complicated than they appear.”
“The visions—have you had one today?
“Of the Clendon clan. One of the women that the alpha is dating right now is a witch. I don't know what exactly is going to happen, but something bad is coming. I can just feel it.”
Her mother pressed her lips together and Cira knew that it was her way of trying to figure out a way to tell her not to do it. Cira wasn’t the only one that was embarrassed when her last prediction was so off from what actually happened.
“Do you really want to go down that path again? It didn’t go so well the last time.”
Cira sighed out loud and wrinkled her nose. “Mom, sometimes you just don't understand. You act like I have a choice. Like I see some other path in front of me, but I don't. I get these visions, and if they are bad, I want to at least warn the people. I don't want anything to happen to them. They are family, and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t at least try to help.”
“I know, honey, but they are old-school shifters and they don't want to think about all of this. You have to understand that there is a reason they keep to themselves. There is a reason that they don't deal with witches. It's just not the way it's done in their clan.”
“So, am I not supposed to say anything? You told me before that my visions were a gift. How can they be a gift if nobody will believe them and I am supposed to keep them to myself? It doesn't seem like much of a gift. It makes me feel like I'm supposed to be ashamed about it.”
“I don’t want you to feel ashamed, darling; you just need to learn to read the room and the situation first before you go in guns blazing. You get a little excited, and after what happened last time, you can imagine that they are a little skeptical.”
“Just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean that it won't happen.”
Delores sighed and hugged her daughter. “I have told you before, and I meant it. Visions and premonitions are one of the hardest talents. Since you are a natural and you can't stop it, all you can do is still your tongue. Until you know what you see is real, there can be more damage done if you say something. Make sure that you know what you're saying first.”
Cira held her tongue at that moment because nothing good was going to be said. She could not believe that her mother didn't believe her. She was the one that was supposed to believe. Cira just shrugged her shoulders.
“You’re right. I'm just going to let it go. I did go over there and say something, maybe that was wrong, but I thought I had to.”
“I know that you have to do what your heart tells you to do. But when it comes to the Clendon clan, let's keep the premonitions out of it, okay?”
Cira agreed and hoped that she was going to be able to keep her promise.
Chapter Six
Broch knew that what Cira said wasn't true, but he couldn't get her words out of his mind. She did have the ability of foresight but she had also been amiss before in her predictions. They always seemed to be warnings, and even though he figured that it came from her jealousy of him being with Jewel, he couldn't believe that such a big deal had been made. Fred, in particular, knew better than to have given her a chance to air such grievances.
Broch didn't want to think about Jewel in that way. He did not want the nagging words in the back of his mind making him question everything she said and did. That was not a good place for Broch to be.
When Jewel and he went to dinner the next time, it was still playing in his head on repeat, and it wasn't going away.
“You look like you have something on your mind, Broch.”
“I guess I do. I just heard some rather strange information. I don't know how to take it.”
“Most of the time you just have to go with your gut to find the truth. The truth will present itself if you look for it.”
“I've heard that said before.”
Marl smiled. “I'm sure you have. It's a rather common adage.”
“Well, in that case, I am not going to worry about it then. My gut says don’t worry about it, but it gave me just enough doubt to leave it in the back of my mind.”
“What was it? Maybe I can help you.”
Broch shook his head. “Trust me; it’s nothing.”
“It doesn’t seem like nothing. Just tell me what is bothering you. Sometimes just talking about it helps.”
Broch knew that he couldn’t talk about what was really going on, not with a human. He felt drawn to Jewel for one reason or another, but that didn’t mean that he was going to give himself and his kind away. He wasn’t going to ply her with stories of witches and werewolves. That would be too much and dangerous. She would only find out such a thing if they were to be mated. He could not foresee him telling her for any other reason. He certainly couldn’t tell her that someone had claimed that she was a witch that was going to bring him misfortune.
“Someone I know from Eau Claire told me something about you. They said that you have another boyfriend or something like that. I don’t believe them, but it put it in my head. I don’t like the idea of it, as you can imagine.”
“Do you want me to give you an answer?”
“I wouldn’t expect such a thing out of you. It’s not needed.”
“Maybe it is if you feel like you can’t get it out of your head. I am not with anyone. I don’t date all that much. The speed at which people move in dating now is too fast for me. So, most of the time, I just opt out of it altogether.”
Broch liked that answer because he could relate to it in a way. It felt like everything moved too fast, and since he wanted to wait until he was mated to go too far with a woman, it was viewed as old fashioned. It didn’t feel that way; it just felt like it was the right thing to do.
“I am glad to hear that.”
“Are you?”
“Yes, I am glad to hear that. You’re a beautiful woman, and it isn’t like we have commitments to each other or anything. You wouldn’t be in the wrong if you were with someone.”
Marl smiled, and she told him to drink up.
“If I didn’t know any better, I would think that you are trying to get me liquored up.”
Every time Broch turned around; he was getting another glass handed to him. Some of them had a funny taste but she would just tell him that it was a new drink and that he should try it. Strange thing was that she would never try it. He was feeling the alcohol far more than he should have. He felt lighter than usual.
“What if I was? Maybe then you would come back to my place with me so that we could spend some time alone. As much as I love going out and having dinner, I think that it’s time for us to become more intimate, don’t you?”
Broch wanted to say no. He knew what it was going to lead to, and he had spent a lot of time and energy saying no in the past. Broch had learned not to put himself in certain positions. It never ended
well, especially when the woman was looking at him the way that Jewel was. She obviously had something on her mind, and he was nervous about what it was.
“I don't think we are ready for that, Jewel. We haven't known each other that long.”
“It feels like a long time. I feel like I could tell you anything, and I don't think I've ever felt that way before.”
While he did like the answer, he did not think that it was the full truth. There was just this glint in her eyes that he didn't quite trust.
“I have not felt this way for anybody either. I just want to take our time and savor it a little bit more. Once we go down that road, there's no coming back.”
“You make it sound like it's the end of the world.”
“No, just the start of a new one. I think it should be considered a big deal.”
“What do you mean?”
Broch waved her off and didn’t really give an answer one way or another. They hadn't known each other that long and it certainly hadn't been long enough for him to start talking about what was really on his mind.
“Nothing. Why don't we just agree to say that it will be soon?”
Marl smiled, but again, it didn't quite reach her eyes. She was not happy with his answer, and if Broch was honest with himself, he wasn't quite happy with it either. There was no denying the stiffness that he felt below the waist from her mere mention of some alone time together. His mind had instantly come up with several scenarios that ended with him breaking all the rules that he had set in place for himself.
He had to get out of there before he did something he was sure to regret later. The need that welled up inside of him was almost suffocating. He didn’t know what to say to her, just that he had to go. Broch had to get some distance between them just so he could breathe again.
Chapter Seven
Broch was on the way to his car when he realized that he had forgotten his wallet at the table in the restaurant. He had pulled it out to get a tip for the waitress, and he must have forgotten it. Jewel had insisted that she would find her way home, so he was walking back towards the restaurant when he saw her walking out.
Jewel did not see him, but he saw her. She was talking to another guy. It made Broch stop immediately and he was rather confused. She had just told him that she wasn't with anybody, and now she was outside of the restaurant with another man. How did that even work? How were they so cozy all of a sudden?
Broch was still a bit of a distance away, and he was walking towards the couple when he saw a flash in Jewel’s eyes that was not supposed to be there. He knew that flash well because he had seen Cira do it. Broch just shook his head and did his best not to think about it. He had said a lot about the woman, and now he was going to have to apologize.
More than that, though, Broch could see that Jewel was not the human that he thought she was. She was a witch, just like Cira said she was. She lied to him, but why?
He watched the woman that he had been considering mating with as she kissed the new guy on the street. There was a bit of color that left his mouth when she pulled back, and it was almost like she was sucking something out of him. Broch did not know what to say or what to do. He was transfixed by the scene in front of him. He knew then that everything Cira had said was true.
Her foresight was right this time.
Cira was right about the fact that she was a witch, so most likely, she was also right about the fact that Jewel was trying to do something bad to him. Broch did not know what it was. It could have been anything, but he knew that he had to figure things out. He also needed to do it before Jewel knew that he was onto her. It was the only way that he was going to get the truth.
After she had sucked a little bit more out of the man, he stumbled backward and Jewel started to walk away. She was walking in the opposite direction of Broch, and he was happy about that. He knew that his face would give him away if his mouth did not.
It wasn't that Broch was afraid of her; far from it. He knew enough about witches to know that they had power, but they could also be defeated. They were weak physically. He was a bit more bummed out about the idea that he had been so wrong about her character. The draw that he had felt to her was most likely from magic and spells.
He stroked the pendant on his neck, the one he’d worn for the last ten years. It had been given to him by Cira, and now the metal was hot to the touch. It made him wonder if the token actually helped keep him safe. That was what Cira said it would do, and Broch was never so happy to have kept it on, though he still didn’t know why he had.
The tiny silver ring was not much to look at. It was very old, and the ring had marks where it was pounded into shape with a tiny hammer. He wrapped it in between his fingers and thought about when Cira had given it to him. It was also the moment that he had realized that the young woman was falling for him.
Now he wondered if that little token that she had given him so long ago had actually done something to save him. What would have happened to him if the spells would have worked the way that Jewel wanted them to? He had a feeling that it would not have been good. She obviously did not have the right intentions. Jewel probably knew what he was, but she had made sure to keep her true self. That did not bode well for her intentions.
Broch was lost in thought, playing with the warm metal around his neck, twirling it in his fingers. Cira. He had much to speak to her about.
Marl was getting fed up with her lack of results. For a reason that she did not understand, Broch was not responding in the way that she was used to. It was starting to become bothersome to her. She needed to get his protection so that she could take on her nieces. The only way that she was going to get the power that she needed to move forward was to kill them both, take their power, and then take the potion that she knew they possessed. It was only then that she would be back to where she was supposed to be.
She got a bit of a snack from a guy that she saw on her way out of the restaurant. She used her glamour, and it took only a minute to convince him to leave with her. That told Marl that whatever was going on, it didn't have anything to do with her. Obviously, she still had the same power as before. It was just Broch. Somehow, he was able to push back against her spells.
Marl was going to get to the bottom of it the next day. She was frustrated and agitated that things were still not going her way. Marl was sick of waiting around. It felt like that's all she did lately, and the faster she got things back on track, the better she would feel.
Going back to the house of the family that she had killed before, she started to relax in the solitude. It was a decent place, but there wasn't any proper tea or coffee to be had. Instead of going back out and getting some, Marl just decided to lay down and try to get some rest. She had a feeling that it was going to be a long day.
She also talked herself up, that she was finally going to convince Broch that they were meant to be together. When she got him in her bed, there would be nothing to keep him from falling in love with her. She knew the way to get to his heart, and it was going to go right through his fly.
Cira was awakened by a knock on her door. She was still half asleep, and she asked her mom what she wanted. Who else would it be? Her eyes glanced at the clock, and she groaned.
“What is it? You realize it’s two o'clock in the morning, right?”
“Um, why don't you get dressed, Cira, and come out here, sweetie? I need you for a minute, to talk to someone.”
There was a different tone to her voice, and it made Cira nervous. Her mother never sounded like that.
“Who is it?”
“Just get dressed, Cira, and get out here. I am not hollering through this door any longer. It’s too early, or late. I don’t know.”
Cira figured that something was wrong. She was called on to help heal some of the shifters from time to time, but her mother was better at it. Cira had no idea what was going on, but she knew that she was going to have to do as her mom suggested.
Cira got up and got dressed. The air
was chilly, and she was shaking a little bit as she put on something decent. She never wore much to sleep in, thus why she was reminded to get dressed first. Cira was happy that she had been when she saw who was waiting for her in the living room.
The tall man was towering over her and her mother with a grin on his face. His piercing green eyes were burdening hers with an intensity that was unmatched. Broch’s tan skin pulled her attention when just the slight move of his arm made it all flex, and she was unable to get her eyes off of him. Her breath quickened, and Cira groaned inwardly. She needed to pull herself together quickly.
“Broch, what are you doing here? You know that it’s the middle of the night, right?”
She didn’t need to tell him that. It was obvious, but Cira was incredulous as to why he was there at any hour. She also needed to deflect some of the attention off of her. The intensity of his gaze was too much for her to handle.
“Sorry to come over so late, but I really wanted to talk to you, Cira. You came by the other day and told Fred something about a vision you had. I need to hear it for myself now.”
Cira sighed and looked at her mom. She was the one that had told her to cool off on her premonitions, but it was apparent now that whatever she had said rattled him. That could only mean that it had come true enough that he was standing there in front of her.
“I heard your response when Fred told you, so I don’t think that I am interested in reciting it to you right now. Especially not now. If there is nothing else, I’d like to return to bed.”
Cira was mad, and more than that, she had been hurt to hear all of the mean things that he had said about her. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t like she did anything than try to warn them. Now that it had come true, he wanted to talk.
“Please, Cira…”
His hand wrapped around her wrist, and it wasn’t like he was holding her hard enough that she couldn’t get away. But she didn’t want to. Cira had fallen for the green-eyed man a long time ago. She had met him when she was younger, and he wouldn’t give her the time of day. He still didn’t, but the connection was enough to pull her out of her funk.
