Don't move.
Darius' final command makes me hold my breath and my eyes go wide. The reaction is not lost on my mother.
"What is it, Bernie?" She leans in, inspecting me, clearly on high alert. I don't know if she senses something, or if she's just constantly on edge because she lives in a secret society in the woods.
"I'm... I'm afraid, mom." I decide not to mention the voice in my head, because I still don't know who to trust. The only thing I can think to do is keep this conversation going and hope the truth appears in big, flashing, neon lights. "I'm afraid of everyone. Including you."
Probably not what a mom wants to hear from her daughter, but she takes it in stride.
"Of course you are. I lied to you and broke your trust, and I don't expect to fix that just by showing my face. I only hope you take it better than Joe did when he saw Betty."
And the hits just keep on coming.
"Betty? His wife who died from cancer, whose funeral I went to?" I mean, has anyone ever actually died? And like... stayed dead?
Mom nods. "She's here. She's a witch."
As shocking as that is, I'm more heartbroken for Joe.
"And Joe found out?"
"About her, and about Alex," my mom says. "Betty worked for years on a spell that would bring her son's mind back, and it was finally a success. But the deception and the loss--and the knowledge that his wife was a witch, it was too much for Joe."
Of course it was. Sweet old man stopped caring about anything except beer these last two years, and to then replace out he didn't have to go through that agony? That his wife chose to leave him? No matter what her reasoning, that's a pill not a lot of people could swallow without choking.
"Why?" I ask. "Why'd she have to leave, or pretend to die?"
My mother looks into the distance, searching for the words that might make me understand. Open-minded as I'm trying to be, I doubt she'll replace them.
"It's too much to explain in one conversation, Sunshine. That might sound like a cop-out, but there's a long history of witches that makes everything--" "Yeah, I know the history," I interrupt.
"Well," she says, doubt heavy in her voice, "you know the history as told by the races that have been killing us for generations."
It's a fair point, though it's not like Darius, Zev and Rune minced words. None of them painted the treatment of witches in a flattering light. God, how is it that it feels like everyone on both sides of this argument is telling the truth and lying to me at the same time?
I want to ask more questions, about Betty, Alex, Mom--shit, I haven't even thought to ask about the father I never met, who was almost undoubtedly a minotaur or talking fish. However, all questions will have to wait, as a deep red glow ignites in the sky above us, accompanied by a low, bone-rattling hum.
Every member of The Order is on guard, and my mom is out of her chair the moment it happens.
"Where's the breach?" she yells to no one in particular. "Are they inside the field?"
A younger woman who I don't recognize runs over, her fiery red hair flying behind as her hood falls to her back. She speaks with some sort of accent, one I can't place except to say the girl ain't from Mass. "Someone crossed the river basin," she explains, her words rushed and breath short. "Non human. Three."
My hopes rise as I realize all three Sexies are coming for me, but they fall just as quickly. Are they coming for me and my baby, or just my baby?
"Arm yourselves and take your posts!" my mother yells, transitioning from chill witch mom to intimidating general in an instant. "There's a vampire in the woods, so don't show any hesitation."
She turns on me, suspicion clouding her eyes. "Bernie, what's your relationship with these men?"
"What? You know more about them than I do, you've been--"
"No," she cuts me off, searching for specifics. "I know they've stolen your trust, but have they taken your heart? Have you slept with them?"
This feels way too much like I'm a teenager coming home from the drive-in movies, and I don't really know what to make of it.
"No," I answer defensively but truthfully.
"Any acts of passion? Any connection that's more than skin deep?"
Her insistence seems strange, but the pointed questioning does make me think more clearly.
"I... there was a car crash, with Dar--with the vampire, and to keep me conscious, to help me recover..."
I don't finish the sentence because it's clear my mom has already heard enough.
"Oh, Sunshine," she says, with a mix of pity and scorn. "He gave you his blood. And now he owns you."
Before I can respond, she sprints off into the night, leaving me and Rain alone by the fire.
The Order is preparing for battle with the Sexies. The Sexies have come for me and Rain and will probably kill any member of the Order that gets in their way. Including my mother. I'm caught in the middle and don't know which way to turn.
A howl in the distance lets me know that Zev is near. It'll be an interesting twist if he can convince the wolves of New England to join the fight.
I stay by the fire, as it's my only
source of light in these unfamiliar surroundings. I know both sides of this skirmish say they want to keep me safe, but I still feel the need to duck and take cover. That need only gets stronger when the sky lights up again in a bright crimson, and a shrill siren wakes Rain. I cover her ears, trying to protect her. She probably wants to feed, but the poor thing will have to wait a bit longer.
"They're on the last ridge!" a man calls from the darkness.
"Ready yourselves!" my mother responds. "Stun, confuse, or kill, whatever you need to do to stay alive and protect the child!"
Moments later, clusters of light burst out of the trees and into the clearing. I can't tell where the Order's assault is targeted, but I know it's unending. I fear for the men who have come to save me, though I still wonder how much it's them I should be fearing. Suddenly, I see the shadow of a tree uproot, and the sound of branches cracking echoes through the woods.
"To the East!" a voice screams. "Target the fae!"
More fire and lighting bolts erupt from the witches stationed in the trees, now all directed nearer to where Rain and I sit. If this fight moves any closer to us, we're liable to get barbecued by an errant blast of fire.
Another tree tears from the ground, and I hear the sound of a man screaming as he falls from his perch in the branches, then a sickening thud as his body hits the snow. Seconds later, a beam of white light scorches the ground beneath the tree, and I hear Rune cry out in agony.
I'm compelled to move towards him, to see if I can help, to offer some sort of protection, but I know that's a fool's errand. I have my baby. I can't walk blindly into a firefight. Instead, I take the only action I can think of. "STOP!"
I scream at the top of my lungs, clutching Rain to my chest, trying to top the sound of the magical powers clashing around me. I don't expect my cry to be heard, but it's all I've got.
A few more shots are fired, but then the chaos seems to settle. A trace of quiet enters the night. Either everyone died, or my plea worked. Neither seems likely, so I keep Rain hugged against me, waiting for another outburst. Instead of fire, the next thing I see flying through the air is my pet wolf. Zev lands at my feet, then quickly begins circling me, staring and sniffing in every direction.
Around us, I hear the sound of
bodies scurrying down trees,
swinging from branch to branch as
they head towards the ground.
Footsteps come from every
direction as the Order surrounds us.
Zev looks more like a frightened animal than I've ever seen him, moving around me in a low crouch, a constant growl humming in his throat.
The Order members begin closing in on us, but there's still no sign of Rune or Darius. I don't understand what could have happened to them. They're both too strong, too
powerful, too cunning. What!
are we
up against? And of course, I'm once again torn by the lingering question in my mind... which of them is truly my enemy?
Darius, are you here? I think, hoping for an answer but afraid of what he'll say. Silence is the only answer I get.
"Get away from the baby, Wolf," my mother orders. Zev makes no move to obey.
"You're outnumbered and up against a magic your teeth can't cut through," she says savagely. "Move away and die quickly, or stay put and I'll make the pain linger much longer."
Zev only growls and continues his guard of me and Rain. I don't like where this is headed, and I'm terrified of how it might end.
"Mom," I say, fighting past the lump in my throat so I can speak clearly. "Please don't."
"I'm sorry, this isn't your conversation." Her response is quick and firm, putting me in my place like I'm a child and, in the process, pissing me the hell off.
"Of course it's my conversation!"
"Sunshine--"
"Don't 'Sunshine' me, Lauren." Her name escapes my lips before I even know what I'm saying.
"I'm late to the party, but I'm also the one holding the Last Witch," I say, glancing down at my baby. "If I'm going to bear this cross, I get a seat at the table."
My mom--Lauren--takes a few steps closer, seeming to accept that she won't win this argument with her I'm-in-charge attitude.
"Sweetheart, you're at the table. I won't keep anything from you..." she pauses, looking from my face down to the wolf. "...As soon as you're safe."
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