The Magic of Hecate
Chapter 19 Chapter 19

The next morning,

I woke up in the comfort of Leo's arms for the first time in far too long.His bare chest was warm and soft and his scent was lingering on hisskin in all its sweet-smelling glory.

He was still fast asleep with his lips parted slightly and his hair messyand tousled. I kissed him on the cheek, got up and walked into thebathroom for a shower. The house was still deadly silent meaning itmust be before 6 am. My children seem to have inherited their father'shabits of getting up extremely early.

After my shower, I just had time to get dressed before Leo began tostir.

"You're up early,” he said in a deep morning voice.

"After breakfast, I'm going to go and visit Milly," I said brushing myshort hair in the mirror.

"No, you're not," he grumbled, his voice muffled by the pillow.

“Yes, I am."

"I said no," he repeated sitting up and sending me a glare.

"And I said yes."

"After you ran away from me for three months, do you really expect meto allow you to leave my sight?”

"You can come with me if you like, but you can't stop me,” I said tyingmy hair into a ponytail.

I saw his eyebrow raise in the mirror as he lay on the bed.

"You think?"

"You shouldn't stop me," I sighed. "Whether you believe that there isanything supernatural about her or not, she is still a thirteen-year-oldgirl being brought up by three older brothers. I bought her her first braand helped her through her first period. She needs a woman for stufflike that and I am all she has. I haven't seen her in three months and Ireally need to check that everything is okay.” I explained. "Please, Leo."He sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Go now and take Luca with you. I will stay and look after the kids,” hesaid after a few moments of thought. "And just so that you know, theborder security is ten times tighter than it was when you first left and ifI found out that you have even considered-"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," I replied. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Ella, come here," he said as I stepped towards the door.

I made my way back to the bed and kissed my mate softly on the lips."Thank you, Leo," I said placing my hand on his cheek.

"Be back before 8," he said. "Any later and I'll be out hunting youdown."

I nodded and left before he had the chance to change his mind.

As I made my way down the stairs, I dialled Luca's number. He took awhile to pick up but that's because, knowing Luca, he was probably stillasleep.

"Hey, are you up?" I asked once he had answered his phone.

"Of course. It's 5:50 am. Why on earth would I be anything else?” Hegrumbled sarcastically.

"Oh sorry, did I wake you?" I said knowing full well that I definitely did."Don't worry about it. What's up?" he asked as I put a piece of bread inthe toaster.

"Do you remember all those times that I asked you to babysit whilst Ivisited someone?"

"Yes," he replied. "And you told me to just agree and not ask anyquestions and definitely not tell the Alpha.”

"Precisely. Well, I need to visit them again but Leo won't let me goalone so I was wondering whether you could pick me?"

"Sure," he agreed immediately. "I'll be there in ten minutes.”

When we arrived at the Megestanis house, Luca agreed to wait in thecar whilst I went to the door.

"You can't come in," Miles, the youngest brother who was nowapproaching 19, stated after unbolting the wooden door.

"Fuck off,” I snapped stepping into the house anyway.

"My house. You fuck off," he replied.

"As much as I enjoy your company, cousin, I am here to see Milly," Isaid walking into the hallway and towards the stairs.

"You can't. She's out of control. Just give me the amulet and go."

"I don't have it right now."

"Then you should leave," he replied although slamming the front doorclosed defeatedly.

"Once again, fuck off," I added making my way up the stairs to Milly'sroom anyway.

"Whatever," he grumbled giving up.

Miles was always the brother that didn't really care about anything.Mattio was the sarcastic one, Mason had the temper and Max was justa horrible concoction of all three. They must have inherited it from theirfather because Milly was the sweetest girl I had ever met. She was kind,thoughtful, generous, humble...I could go on. She certainly didn'tdeserve this.

"You have to leave," Milly said as soon as I entered her little attic room."I don't want to hurt you."

"Milly, what is wrong!?" I asked as I saw the thirteen-year-old curled upin the corner of her room.

"I don't know what is wrong with me. It's getting worse and I can't stopit," She sobbed.

It was only then that I noticed the carnage in the room. Every piece offurniture was misplaced and on every wall was singe marks.

"There's a storm coming. I can feel it. And I am going to be the cause ofit. People are going to die because of me, Ella! So many people,” shehowled looking frantically at her hands.

"You have to calm down," I said remembering what happens when shegets worked up and emotional.

I hurried towards her but she only screamed more.

"No! Don't touch me, I will hurt you!" she exclaimed causing theshutters of the window to fly open letting a gust of wind sweep into theroom cause every door in the house to slam and swing.

I stepped back, totally shocked. Things had changed in three months.A moment or so later, Miles burst into the room. He marched throughto his sister and withdrew a needle from his pocket.

"Miles, no! Please,” she begged as he pulled up her sleeve and held herarm still. "It hurts!"

"What is that?" I questioned as he injected Millie with the clear liquid."Wolfsbane," he replied as her little body went weak and floppy."You're giving her wolfsbane?!" I exclaimed rushing forward. "You couldkill her!"

"If she had carried on that way she would have killed herself andeveryone else in this village," Miles snapped. "It is the only way to calmher down."

"She is in enough pain, Miles. There are other sedatives you could use.”"Why don't you have the amulet and where is my brother?" he askedchanging the subject as he lifted Milly onto her bed and placed a pillowunder her head. "Max said in a letter that you would have it and returnby the end of the week."

"Well, things changed. We bumped into our delightful second cousin,Luciano, and it got complicated. He took the amulet and called theAlpha, who proceeded to drag me back here. Max and the amulet arestill in Venice," I explained.

"Then get your ass back to Venice and get them," Miles replied.

"It's not that simple. Leo, has stripped away my freedom and thesecurity of the borders is insane. I'll never get there without gettingcaught first."

"Then I'll go," he said.

"You'll never succeed. You don't know your way around the building,you don't know how the mafia operates, you don't have a magicalparalysing knife. Milly will just end up with two brothers being heldcaptive on the other side of the world and still no amulet,” I said indespair.

I didn't know what to do and the situation was only getting worse.Without that amulet, people will lose their lives and what will that do toMilly if her power hasn't already killed her?

"Then persuade the Alpha. I don't care how. Bring him here, show himMilly, let me talk to him. Whatever just do it," Miles said.

"He won't listen. If he sees Milly like this, I dread to think what he willdo. He thinks the amulet can only bring evil and we might not like hisalternative solution.”

"Then we will have to smuggle it in," he concluded. "You will have to atleast try and get you off territory and on your way to Italy so that youcan post it back or whatever without the Alpha replaceing out,” Heconcluded.

"And how do you plan to do that?"

“I'm a trusted member of this pack. When I cross the border the guardshardly check me at all. You hide in my truck, I drive out and claim I'mgoing to visit a family member off territory, easy peasy lemon squeezy.”"And what if we get caught? Leo would very possibly have youexecuted for that,” I replied.

"I can't sit here and do nothing whilst my sister goes through this. Inmy eyes it is worth it,” he replied.

I looked down at Milly who although now was completely unconscious,still had an exhausted, pained expression on her face.

"Okay," I said eventually. "You are right. We have to try."

"Text me when you have a chance and I will pick you up,” Miles repliedsetting out the basis of a plan. "Then I will drive you to an airportbefore getting back, hopefully before he realises that I am gone too.”

I nodded.

"I'll see you soon then. And please for the love of the Goddesses, replacesomething that isn't wolfsbane,” I said looking at the needle still in hishand. "Have you ever had that stuff injected into your bloodstream? Ithurts more than childbirth...not that you've done that either..." I addedbefore leaving the room and heading back to Luca's car.

I got home before to the sounds of children's screams and voices wereechoing through the house.

"Dadda, can we play a game?" I heard Cato say to Leo as I made myway up the stairs.

"Not right now, Cato," Leo replied. "I'm feeding your sisters."

"Please, Daddy, pwease, pwease, pwease,” he nagged.

"When Mommy gets home, we can go to the park, okay?" Leo said witha sigh. "But your sisters need their breakfast first.”

I walked into the twin's nursery to replace Leo trying to bottle feedFrancesca as Cato clung to his leg and Marie attempted to climb out ofher cot.

"Mommy's back! Can we go to the park now?!" he squealed.

"You can't go to the park in your dinosaur pyjamas,” I said lifting himoff Leo's leg. "Why don't you go and get dressed and then help yourbrothers too?"

He nodded and raced out of the room and down the hall. I then liftedMarie out of her crib and picked up her bottle from the side.

"You weren't gone for very long," Leo pointed out as I sat on therocking chair behind him as I fed Marie.

"Well," I began. "Milly is not exactly in the best condition. Miles had tosedate her."

For a few seconds, neither of us said anything.

"He wouldn't have had to if she had the-" I began

"You should know that I will not change my mind," he said. "Don’t eventry and persuade me to allow that wretched thing into my pack.”

"It's not wretched. It could save her life and maybe even your packmembers. She says that there's a storm coming because of her powersand people are going to die if she can't control them.”

"Then maybe I should exile her from my pack,” he snapped. "I don'twant to hear another word about the amulet ever again. Understand?”I narrowed my eyes and looked away.

"Ella," he said sternly. "Do you understand me?"

"Maybe if you actually explained why you resent it so much, I might beable to begin to understand why you can't bring yourself to help athirteen-year-old girl in your pack from excruciating pain,” I replied.He sighed and paused for a moment.

"You don't need to know," he said eventually.

"Then how can I ever understand you?" I replied just as Cato camerunning in with his t-shirt on inside out and back to front and his shoeson the wrong feet.

"I'm ready for the park!" he announced.

I smiled at Cato before looking over to Leo who was looking vacantlyinto space.

"Come here, baby," I said. "You've got your shoes and your shirt onwrong. How are you meant to see the lovely dinosaur on the front ifyou've got it inside out?"

"Mama, it's not a dinosaur. It's a dragon,” he corrected as I lifted hisshirt off.

"Silly me," I said touselling his blond locks.

"Leo, could you go and check Silas and Mathias are ready?" I saidnoticing that he had finished feeding Francesca.

"Sure," he said with a nod before getting up and leaving the roomwithout another word.

"What's wrong with Daddy?" Cato asked as I put his top back on.

"He has a lot to think about, that's all,” I replied. "Don't worry,bambino."

He nodded before switching his shoes around and helping me get hissisters ready for the park.