Forbidden

Chapter Two:

Flynn was bored.

Bored waiting for his so called 'desitined' mate, bored waiting for this curse to consume him, his simply saw his life and all his accomplishments as nothing more then... a bore.

A moan to the side of him gained his attention, dark eyes fell onto the limp form of the brunette woman, who's name keeps escaping Flynn's memory or he just didn't care enough to remember.

Probably both.

"So," Flynn's brother, Mikhail called as he towered over the unknown woman, with Flynn hanging back. "You now know what my lovely, Greta, is capable of, and of course you know what I am capable of- do not fail me or the clan again or this will the last time you will see the light of day."

"Yes, sir."

Yvonne... That was the girl's name- now Flynn remembered who she was. 

The brunette woman was in charge of bringing a supposed powerful witch, Shelia Black and present her to the clan- Shelia was rumored to be almost as powerful as the witch that had cursed the clans a thousand years ago. But sadly, Yvonne had let trust and respect for the witch cloud her judgement and allowed the old hag to escape. 

Great. Another person for Flynn to track down.

"Yvonne," Another voice called out in the dimly lit room, Flynn glanced up in amazement as Edgar made his presence known- how did no one sense that he was there? "Wait."

"Father..-" Mikhail began, but his word fell as Edgar lifted up his hand for silence, annoyance danced across Mikhail's face, Flynn could see it... Hell, he could sense it.

"There has been a change of plans." Edgar began, the authority in his voice echoed through the air, eyes all landing onto Mikhail and Greta.

"Change of plans?" Mikhail spoke, eyes narrowing slightly at the aging man before him. "What changes?"

"Mikhail!" Flynn hissed, elbowing his older brother hard. "Stand down. This was father's plan to start with."

Edgar cleared his throat, eyes narrowing at his two sons that were bickering like... Well, children. "If you both are quite finished?" He grunted, turning his attention back onto Yvonne. "Yes, there has been a change of plans."

Yvonne eyes darted between Mikhail and Edgar, a look of pure confusion danced across her face, as Edgar then blurred within a blink of an eye to be standing in front of her. To anyone, they could be kissing but Flynn watched as Edgar shoved his hand into Yvonne's chest and ripped out her heart, making Greta yell out in shock as Yvonne's body fell to the ground.

"Yvonne's services to the clan is no longer required," Edgar spoke with sheer authority, dropping the still beating heart of the dead woman, turning to face Mikhail. "That is how you handle things, Mikhail."

"I..."

With a snap of his fingers, two of Edgar's men dragged Yvonne's deceased body away to be deposed of, it was then that a small group of Edgar's followers dragged in another body; Flynn arched an eyebrow at the fact that this man was bounded by chains.

A soft laugh escaped from Edgar's lips, then he clapped in glee. Something that was so... Unlike him.

"Finally." He sneered, peering down at the limp body of the unknown male. "After all this time... The clan gets to put the famous hunter on trial for his crimes. Come my sons! Come and stare at the murder or your beloved mother. Tomas Jenkins!"

Well, at least Flynn won't be bored any more.

...

Rochelle sat at the Coffee Bean café, that's where she convinced Bane to meet her; the café was stylized with black Formica kidney-shaped tables, with half curving, scarlet bench seats curving around the widest side. 

Stainless steel pipes twisted and curved overhead, lights were affixed to them aimed at all directions. Some say it was designed in a slight retro, sixties chic but Rachel thought it felt more like 'Jetsons Chic' to her. 

The colours were perfect for today, it was Halloween, and Rochelle was sitting at one of the little orange table-clothed covered wooden tables, with a blinking ghost-shaped light waiting for Bane. Unknown to most people, apart from Rochelle and Roland, Bane's life long partner, Bane Anderson was in fact was a Wiccan; and Rochelle felt awkward as hell, waiting for him.

Several years ago both Bane and Rochelle been close, best friends even or had been until Rochelle renounced her Wiccan hood and handed in her pentacle-well she didn't actually hand in her small, silver pent over to her grandmother- it was buried somewhere in her treasure chest. 

Bane had started studying witchcraft in secret, due to his parents being totally against his beliefs from the start- they were still slight sceptical of him coming out as homosexual. Rochelle and Bane, both being the independent type, Shelia had placed them together and they have been glued to the hip ever since then.

Even now, when Rochelle was no longer a believer, the Craft Holidays still felt like they were hers as well, but there was a lot said for celebrating the holidays with the others, banging the djembe drum alone in her room wasn't the same as doing it along with twenty others, all playing as one. 

And since the only people that celebrated Wiccan holidays were Wiccan people, Rochelle had ended up seeking them out- her grandmother was back in her birthplace so she couldn't possibly call- she could write, call or even face-time Shelia via her IPhone- but it wasn't the same as sitting down across from her, holding her hands as she explained her strange dreams.

Bane's coven, Rochelle couldn't help but lightly snigger at the name, was a traditional one in a lot of ways, with a secret oathbound rites and all that. Bane was its second-in-command, with a Pagan lineage as long as his leg, and therefore was entitled to be addressed as Lord Bane but he had never brought into that lofty title- no called him Lord anything.

As soon as Rochelle's mind visualized Bane, from his sleeked platinum blonde hair, peachy, pale skin and dazzling brown eyes; Bane came in followed shortly by Roland, they both waved at her and sent her a charming smile, stopping at the counter on their over and not continuing towards her until they got their original coffees.

"Trick or treat!" Roland chuckled, as he sat across from Rochelle. "How have you been? The Daily Times missing their 'star' reporter yet?"

"Good." Rochelle replied, sighing. "I'll return to work soon, it's that I'm…."

"Feeling uncomfortable?" Bane asked making Rochelle look up at him and his hand reached across the table, covering her hand. "No need to be."

"I love your jacket, Roland."

"Thank you," Roland replied, unzipping the newly brought jacket and placed on the chair beside Rochelle. "But I assume the jacket isn't what you called Bane and I for and since I'm on my lunch break, my time is limited- as well as Bane, might as well skip to what has been bothering you."

Nodding in agreement, Rochelle pulled her head back into the game; not before reminding herself to ask Roland where he got that jacket from.

Stay on topic, Rochelle

"I appreciate you and Bane gave up your lunch hour to help me out, I'm buying by the way."

"Damn right you are, girl." Bane replied, winking at her.

"Well this is going to sound crazy, I know because I think I am going crazy." Rochelle explained, as she took a sip of her Mocha, and chewed on the donut Blaine had handed her. "But I've been having a recurring dream, well nightmare really."

"Alright, I am good at interoperating dreams." Bane said, smiling. "Go ahead, tell me about it."

Rochelle nodded, trying to believe that it could get better. "But I don't think it's a dream at all."

"No?"

"No."

"Then what could it possibly be?" Roland asked, looking confused.

"I was hoping that Bane could tell me." Rochelle asked, hopefully.

Bane's face then turned serious, it was then broken as he took a bite out of his donut. "Continue."

"Okay, in the dream, I'm standing on the edge of cliff, wearing clothes from a whole other era. There's two men, standing on either side of me, one of them I knew personally and loved dearly- the other not so much- I loved as a brother."

"Wait, is this heading for a three-way?" Roland asked, as both Bane and Rochelle looked at him blankly. "Sorry, just trying to lightened the mood- still not use to see you so intense."

"This, whatever it is… Is intense." Rochelle replied, shaking her head. "Can you both let me finish without anymore interruptions?"

Both males made a zipper motion over their lips.

"The three of us had just previously escaped danger, the two men helped me escape from capture; we all had some kind of plan- I can't remember what that plans is when I wake up, but I always seem to remember what it was in my dreams." Rochelle added, sighing as tears came to her eyes, as she could remember the pain from her back, it still was hurting a little. "We here shouts and the approaching horseshoes of the village men that hunted us down, the one closer to me- the blonde one, he pushes me behind him- the next thing I know I am falling, hitting the waters and sharp rocks below- voices start to chant in a dead language, a language I know yet have no clue in what language it is and before I could see myself impact with the waters, blackness tend to come then."

Bane blinked. "Any names floating around your head? Any words you could understand from the chanting voices?"

Rochelle nodded hard. "The man we were running from, his name was Marcus. I feel like I was captured not only because I was caught doing forbidden magic; hut because I was their protector."

"Any clues in your geography?" Bane asked, as Roland shifted uncomfortably in his seat- Rochelle knew that when Bane gets this deep into the Wiccan ways- Roland feels like he was going to lose him altogether. "Or the clothing you wore?"

"The dress looked to be in the 1100s era, I woke up referring to the country as Ireland, but then a voice whispered, correcting that it was Ireland."

"Anything else?" he asked, as if fascinated by the story.

"Why? Do you know something?"

His eyes flared a little, Rochelle shook her head lightly. 

"Then there's this." She then pulled back the sleeves of her black paisley, smock top and revealed the shackle burns on her wrists.

"Holy hell." Roland replied, as Bane grabbed her hands, turning them over.

"That was my reaction, too."

Their gaze remained on Rochelle's reddened wrists until she lowered them back into her lap, letting the sleeves fall back into place.

"So? What do you think?"

Bane shook his head as if he was trying to clear it, Roland looked as if he was thinking about something- and he decided to ask her what he thought. 

"Couldn't you have gotten those some other way? Some ordinary way?"

"A s****l b*****e sort of way, you mean?" Rochelle asked, folding her arms and looked at Ropand darkly.

"I didn't me-…"

"There were no marks when I went to bed. They were there when I got up. Plus, I haven't had s*x in like a month, after that horrid break-up with Derek. There is no shackles in my room, let alone my house. No one broke in, drugged me, bound me up then r***d me and left again, unless they managed to get into a locked all house, alarm and all. I'm telling you both this now…. It's something else… It's not natural."

"So you think it's supernatural?"

"Yes, I believe so." Rochelle replied, nodding her head. 

Which means grandmother was right that I was wrong to stop believing in the unknown.

Bane nodded. "Alright."

"Alright? What do you mean alright? You look like you know there's something more, you seem to know what this is all about. Do you know something I don't?"

Bane opened his mouth, then closed it again- along with Roland, who was puzzled at what Bane could possibly be keeping from them both- mainly Rochelle. "I'm going to do some research, and I'll tell you what I find, okay?"

He knew something, Rochelle could feel it, but she knew he wanted to be sure. Fine, she could wait- a little while. "I can't wait long."

"And I wouldn't ask you to, meanwhile I think we need to do a protection spell. Would you be willing for my coven to do that for you?"

Rochelle was sure the 'we' he meant the full coven, Rochelle would have to look in the eyes of those witches male and female knowing that they knew she had turned her back on their faith. On her faith, on their Goddess. And yet, Rochelle knew she needed something, she needed Bane and his cooperation in all of this- if nothing else.

"When?"

"Tonight." He said, looking at his watch then got to his feet. "The sooner the better."

Rochelle nodded, she didn't know if she should have explained her insane experience, or whether that just made it more frightening. "In the park, where you have your open circles?"

"No, god no Rochelle" Bane exclaimed, shaking his head. "This needs to be private, in an enclosed location- there's an occult shop in the town's square, and they have a small backyard."

He then pulled out a small slip of paper, scribbling on the back. "I'll ask to get the coven together, not all of them, just the Priestess, Seconds and the Thirds and maybe Shelia, if she ever picks up her phone. If this is what I think it is, then it is bigger than all of us." Bane handed Rochelle the paper, and then looked at Roland. "You need to get back to your dad's shop, I need to get a few things ready for tonight, Rochelle, be there by 10:00pm, ok?"

Rochelle nodded her head, blinking twice as she felt the burning sensation behind her eyes. "Okay, thank you."

"I'm second in command to the only Wiccan coven in Lima, it's part of my job- plus you're my friend, Rochelle."

Watching as Roland and Bane left hand in hand, Rochelle pulled out her phone and looked at the screen that displayed a picture of her and Derek, cuddling and looking back up at her- maybe she should give him a call and tell him that she feels a lot better and would be returning to work tomorrow.

She then swipe her phone to unlock it, pressing Derek's contact number, waiting for it to stop ringing and hear his voice, when it stopped ringing- and she could hear his breathing on the other end, a small smile came to her face.

"Hey Derek." Rochelle replied, happy that he had in fact picked up and she left the cafè. "Sorry that I haven't been in contact, but I thought to let you know that I am returning to the Daily Times tomorrow."