Inescapable : The Hexborn Series Book 2

by Cara E Holt

  “It’s not safe, raven. We have no idea what their agenda is and well, I don’t trust them.”

  I scoff and stand to my feet. “This is not your decision to make Drayce. I’m not your property. I will decide if I go, thank you.”

  Drayce’s jaw ticks in annoyance. “I’m trying to keep you safe.”

  Laughing, I throw my hands in the air. “It’s not safe anywhere, Drayce. Beside if he had wanted to take me he would have done so by now.” I glance briefly at his father. I had to remember to be careful what I said in front of him. Theon had no idea that this vampire was my father. He was still under the illusion that he wanted me for my power.

  “I need to talk to my parents first and see how they would feel about me going.”

  Theon leans over his desk and pushes his phone towards me. “I will give you some privacy.” He stands and as he passes me he squeezes my shoulder. “There is no crime in wanting to know where you come from Elara.”

  He leaves the room and I dial my parent’s home number. The phone rings a few times before my mum’s cheery voice answers.

  “Latimer residence.”

  “Hey Mum,” I say with a smile on my face. It was so good to hear her voice.

  “Hey butterfly,” She replies, the delight clear in her voice. “How are you enjoying your holidays? Are they being nice to you?”

  “It’s been great Mum.” I look over at Drayce who is listening in. “It’s an unfamiliar world to the one I am used to, but it has been nice meeting Drayce’s family.”

  “That is great honey,” she pauses, “and how are you doing with the other stuff? You know the vampire side of things?”

  “I don’t know how secure this line is, so it’s probably best to talk about that another time. Listen, the reason I’m calling is that I need to get your opinion on something.”

  “Okay honey, what is it?”

  I take a deep breath. “The Bennett coven has been in touch. They have invited me to stay with them.”

  There is silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds. “That is nice of them. How do you feel?”

  I bob my head in uncertainty. “I’m not sure. A part of me is curious. Another part of me is less enthusiastic. I have a family and a coven. I’m not sure I need another one.”

  My mum sighs down the phone. “Elara, we will always be your family, always. But it is okay to want to know who you are and where you come from. If you are worried about upsetting your father and me, don’t be. We always knew this day would come and we are okay with that.”

  I smile, even though she can’t see it. “You’re the best, you know. I will think on it for a while, but I’ll let you know what I decide. I love you both.”

  “Oh butterfly, we love you too. Speak soon.”

  I’m quiet the rest of the day as I war with what I should do. Drayce doesn’t try to influence me not to go. I think he got the message that it would be my decision loud and clear.

  We are taking a walk around the coven grounds when I announce my decision.

  “I’m going.”

  “Elara-”

  I put my finger to his lips, to silence him. “I’m only going if they allow you to come with me though. If they accept me, then they have to accept you.”

  Drayce looks instantly relieved, and he wraps his arms around my waist. “I’m happy with that plan.” He chuckles. “I’m not sure they will be though. A Black entering the Bennett coven grounds.”

  “Well, they can like it or lump it,” I state with a shrug. If I was going into the lion’s den, then I was taking him with me.

  The Bennett’s accept my terms and a day later we take Theon Black’s private plane down to Dorset to meet with my blood line. I clutch tightly to Drayce’s hand as we sit in the back of the sleek Mercedes that came to collect us.

  “You okay?” He asks me with concern.

  I nod and release a breath I hadn’t realised I had been holding in. “It’s weird, you know. Growing up as a Latimer, I always hated how we were seen as a lower rank coven. I always felt this need to prove myself, to show that I could be just as good as an elite witch, but now..., now I find out I am from an elite coven and it hasn’t given me the satisfaction I thought it would.”

  Drayce nods, quietly listening to me. “People often think they want one thing and then when it is within their grasp they often realise it was never that great to begin with.”

  “I am a Latimer witch not a Bennett, no matter what my blood says, but I am curious to meet them and find out more about my family.”

  He squeezes my hand and with a glance at the driver he lowers his voice and talks directly into my ear. “Just remember they have no idea about your true parentage. All they know is that you are a Bennett witch. They do not know who brought you into this world.”

  I nod. We were constantly keeping secrets, and it was sometimes hard to remember that only Drayce, my parents and a few other trusted people knew that my mother was a Bennett witch that died centuries ago.

  We arrive at the main house in the Bennett coven a few minutes later and my nerves increase when I see a line of people waiting to greet us. My eyes fall on the high priest who is easy to make out as he has a silver pentacle painted on his forehead. The car comes to a stop, and the driver walks around and opens the door for us to step out. Drayce goes first and I climb out behind him, I keep my hand gripped tightly to his.

  “Elara.” The high priest steps forward and greets us with a friendly smile that reduces my anxiety slightly. “Welcome to our coven. I hope your journey was pleasant?” He was a tall, thin man with a mop of unruly dark brown hair.

  I give him a nervous but hopefully friendly smile in return. “We had a pleasant journey thank you.”

  The high Priest’s eyes move their attention from me to Drayce, and he visibly stiffens. “Mr Black, welcome to our coven.” I can tell that he almost choked on his own words.

  Drayce nods his in head in greeting. “Thank you for extending the invite to include me.”

  The high priest nods. “Yes, well, Elara insisted.”

  In other words, it was not something they had much of a choice over if they wanted to meet me.

  “I have some people I would like you to meet.” He gestures to the line of people standing slightly back from us. “This is Anwyn, my wife. She will help you get settled in here.”

  Anwyn is a petite woman with dark curly hair that falls down her back. Anwyn steps forward and leans in and kisses both my cheeks.

  “We are so pleased to have you here, Elara.” She keeps her hands on my arms as she stands back and takes me in. “You look like a Bennett. You have the dark hair and green eyes. They are a genetically beautiful bloodline. Although, I am very biased. I think all my children are beautiful.”

  I smile at her humour. “How many children do you have?”

  “Four boys. All a handful, but I wouldn’t be without them.” Anwyn turns her focus to Drayce, and he leans in and kisses her on both cheeks. “Ah the Blacks, another perfect genetic pool.”

  The high priest clears his throat and gestures to the man next to his wife. “This is Cael. He is our coven seer.”

  Cael reaches out and clasps my hands in his before I can protest. His eyes glaze over all white for a few seconds before they return to green. “You have an old soul child.”

  Worried that he can sense my secrets, I pull my hands from his as gently as I can. “It is nice to meet you Cael.”

  “Next is my youngest brother, Ozias. Ozias is our coven inscriber.” Ozias is a handsome man, who looks to be in his early thirties. He has a head of dark brown hair that hangs into his eyes.

  “Elara. I am looking forward to speaking with you and hopefully working out where you fit in our bloodline.”

  I scoff, smiling. “Good luck with that one. I know nothing about my real parents.” I was becoming too good at this lying business, but I had to protect myself.

  Ozias studies me closely. “I am rather puzzled myself, but I lo
ve a challenge. We will talk later, but I have some ideas on that matter.”

  I doubted those ideas, including my mother being a witch who was executed hundreds of years ago.

  “Anwyn will take you to get settled in. We have an empty cottage on our grounds we thought you could use for the duration of your stay.”

  “That would be lovely thank you.” I thank him and I realise I am no longer squeezing the life out of my fiancé’s hand. “Is Kavan home?”

  Anwyn shakes her head, smiling. “He isn’t I’m afraid. Kavan is our second eldest son. He has told us so much about you. I know he will be sad to have missed you.” She gestures towards the path. “Now, let’s get you settled in and you can unpack and freshen up.”

  As we follow behind Anwyn, I look back over my shoulder to find the high priest and Cael standing together with unreadable expressions on their faces, watching us.

  The cottage was very picture postcard and quaint. A garden of wild flowers surrounded it. It had a thatched roof and the walls are painted white with shutters on the outside of the windows.

  “This is beautiful,” I exclaim as we follow her up the path to the door.

  Anwyn seems pleased that we liked it. “I’m glad you like it. It was my Mother-in-laws. She sadly passed last Beltane at a hundred and fifty years of age.”

  “Wow, that is a good age,” I comment as we follow her inside. Witches lived longer than humans. On average, a witch could live to around one hundred and thirty years.

  “Ah, she swore it was her daily shots of griffin tears that kept her young.”

  Inside was just as cosy and quaint as the outside. Drayce struggled to stand straight with its low ceilings. The small lounge had a comfy floral settee in front of a large open fire.

  “We hope you will feel at home here, Elara. We have much to discuss with you over the next few days so I am sure you will need a good soft bed to fall into at the end of the day.”

  Our suitcases have floated in behind us, and they continue up the stairs towards the bedroom.

  “Right, well. I’ll leave you to unpack and get settled in and then I’ll come back to collect you in say an hour?”

  “An hour’s perfect,” I reply, taking off my shoes and letting my feet sink into the soft fluffy beige carpet.

  Nodding and smiling, Anwyn bustles off, and hurries back down the small path.

  “I like her,” I state. Drayce nods with a tight smile as he watches her disappear from sight.

  I throw myself down on the welcoming sofa, finally feeling like I can relax a little. “Well, that was not as bad as I thought it would be.”

  Drayce takes the seat beside me and I place my legs over his and get comfy. “No, they were very welcoming to you.”

  I tilt my head, picking up on his choice of words. “You don’t think they were to you?”

  Drayce scoffs and smiles. “They were courteous. They must feel chilled at the thought of welcoming a Black into their coven grounds.”

  I shrug my shoulders. “Well, times are changing and centuries old feuds need to be left where they happened, in the past. It is time both covens moved past the bad blood.”

  Drayce holds up his hands. “Hey, I agree with you. I’m not sure anyone else does, though.”

  “Then it’s time we educate them. I mean, look at us. We like each other despite our bloodlines.”

  Drayce nods in agreement but holds up a finger. “Ah, but would we have done, if you had grown up here as a Bennett?”

  I snigger. “I wouldn’t have been given the opportunity to grow up. They performed a spell to ensure no females were born to the coven. I would have been an unwelcome anomaly.” I lean my head back on the cushion and close my eyes. “This is the kind of place I could see myself living. In some cosy cottage in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by wildflowers and herbs. I’d work with the guards at night and then spend my days enjoying the fresh air and quiet.”

  I look up to find Drayce looking at me with an arched brow.

  “What?” I ask.

  Drayce shakes his head, a teasing smile on his face. “I just didn’t have you down as the cottage type raven, that’s all,” he laughs. “I could see you living in some dark gothic castle.”

  I glare at him. “If you mention a moat and a coffin for a bed, I will hex you Black.”

  Drayce laughs and holds up a hand, using magic to stop the cushion I have thrown his way. “Play nice raven.”

  I leap up and throw myself on him. “I never play nice Black.”

  He grabs my thighs and keeps me where I am pinned against him, straddling him and he winks. “Got you.” His hands stroke teasingly up and down my thighs, creating a wave of heat inside me. “You can have your little cottage raven, just as so long as when we’re inside, you wear no clothes.”

  I cock a brow. “Oh, really.”

  “Exuo,” Drayce whispers and I immediately feel a chill down my back. When I look down, I am in my birthday suit, not wearing a stitch. My eyes heat with anticipation when my gaze returns to Drayce and he is as naked as the day he was born too.

  “Someone might see through the window.” I hesitate.

  Drayce grins as he leans up and places his lips on mine. “I don’t care. Let them.” He drops soft teasing kisses along my face and down my neck, creating a pool of heat between my legs. “Feed Raven.”

  “Not yet,” I whisper breathlessly as my hands roam over his naked torso. Damn, he was a fine specimen of a male. I lift my hips up and then slowly sink myself down on his length and I sigh in pleasure at the feel of him filling me. “So good,” I moan. His mouth has now found its way to my breasts, and he teases and sucks at one and then the other, making me roll my head back in pleasure.

  “Ride me raven,” He demands, the heat clear in his tone and with a wicked smile on my face I move my hips and take us both to that beautiful crest of pleasure.

  I rest my head on his, catching my breath, as we both come down from our bliss.

  “You’re my addiction, raven. I crave you like I have craved no one else.” He pulls my hair from off my face and holds it gently behind my neck as he leans in and kisses me. “I can never get enough of you.”

  “Ditto,” I confess against his lips. “I hope we break this curse.”

  Drayce nods and leans his head against mine again. “I think we’re almost there.”

  Were we? Were we falling in love? I had never been in love with anyone before, so it was a foreign feeling to me. Trying to analyse what I felt for Drayce was something I had avoided, mainly because I didn’t want either of us to force feelings due to the pressure of the curses. I loved having sex with him, that much was obvious, but that was lust, that was a physical attraction. Lust and love were not the same, but from the first time we had touched he had set me alight. He had awoken something in me that had lain dormant. My body responded to his in a way that it had never responded to another. He was my escape. When I was with him, the world around me ceased to exist, it was just him and me, and in moments like right now it was a place I wanted to lose myself in and never resurface.

  “I hope you got some rest?” Anwyn asks us both when she returns to the cottage for us just over an hour later. Drayce gives me a side glance before he answers her.

  “We feel fully energised.”

  Anwyn nods, pleased. “Good, let’s go up to the main house for tea shall we?” She opens the front door and holds it open for us to pass through. The main house was a Georgian type mansion house, like the type you would expect to see in an Austen novel.

  The high priest is already in the room when we arrive. He sits in all black, wearing tailored trousers and a polo neck. I was related to all these people here, and it was a strange feeling. He stands when we enter and gestures for us to take a seat. The tea cups float into the air and tea is poured and sugar and milk added before it floats over to us and lands softly into our waiting hands.

  “Elara, I’m sure you can imagine, it shocked us to discover a living female Bennett of
eighteen years of age. There have been no females born for over a hundred and fifty years. So, you see, you really are a puzzle.” He studies me intently as he speaks and I almost feel like he is circling my subconscious, trying to find a way inside. “Do you have any idea of your parentage?”

  I shake my head with a sigh. “I’m afraid I do not. I am as surprised as you, I can assure you. My parents also have no clue. I was left at their coven gates as a newborn.”

  The high priest nods his head, the serious expression he wears deepening. “We have questioned all the males of breeding age and all of them swear they have fathered no children outside of the coven. They all took a truth potion. You really are a mystery to us.”

  I am not sure what he was expecting from me here. Did he perhaps know my true parents, and he was seeing if I would admit the truth?

  “We would ask if you would allow us to take a lock of your hair? To see if we can establish which of our bloodlines you belong to.”

  I nod my head, considering his request. Was it wise to agree? Could they figure out the truth if I did this? I realise though that if I decline it will look suspicious, so smiling warmly I agree. “Of course.”

  Anwyn eye-balls her husband and none too subtly gestures over at me.

  The high priest clears his throat. “We would also like you to join the coven. You are, after all, a Bennett.”

  “Well, she is for another ten months,” Drayce states, rubbing his finger across the large diamond that sits on my finger.

  The high priest’s eyes flash briefly with something that looks like anger before he trains his expression back to a polite smile. “Yes, the engagement. It surprised me your father agreed to the engagement continuing when he discovered her true bloodline.”

  Drayce shrugs, remaining cool and collected under his scrutiny. “My father believes it is time to move past the feud that has been between our families.”

  The high priest nods, watching us from over the rim of his cup as he takes a drink. “I am sure it also helps immensely with his upcoming campaign to become the next high councillor.”