Fae Nuptials: The Witch

Chrys: Chapter Nine

Chrys

We went back to Arizona that next morning and after what happened the night before, I was glad to have left. It had been a mostly good getaway from everything for those first few days, but all I could think about after Jacob's surprise was the poor bartender's face.

I couldn't get him out of my head. He died and it was all my fault. If I had just left him alone. I should have known. I should have thought of how psychotic my husband was from the beginning and not let myself relax. I should have stayed vigilant and known that his crazy would come out eventually.

And Jacob just acted like nothing happened. He was as happy as a clam, holding my hand the entire flight home, humming and watching his movies like he didn't just murder an innocent man.

And I took good care not to look at anyone the entire flight back. When people smiled at me in passing, I just looked away and didn't acknowledge it. It was rude, but better for them not to be punished just because of a stupid smile.

Back in Arizona, Jacob drove us out into the desert for miles until we got to a small dirt road. Then he drove for miles down the dirt road. Every mile made my stomach ache more and more. Any thoughts of escape left me when we finally made it to a moderate size home in the center of the desert. It wasn't fancy by any means. It had two stories, a wraparound porch with an old, rickety porch swing in the front, and a small patio table and chairs.

The land surrounding it was lush and green, which didn't make any sense to me unless he watered the property twenty-four-seven. It was fenced in with a paint-chipped white picket fence and would have been cute if I didn't know some crazy things happened there.

Judging my husband's antics while we were away, he probably had half a dozen bodies buried in the property making good fertilizer for the grass that grew around the place. There was a tree that looked out of place in the front yard, large and shading the area.

It had to be some magic. But I had no idea how unless a Fae grew it out here for him. Or maybe he knew some elemental magic himself. Which I wasn't completely sure was possible for a regular witch.

He watched my face the entire time as I took in the yard. I plastered on a smile as soon as I realized and took a deep breath.

"It's beautiful. " I told him quietly as he pulled into the garage attached to the left side of the house. This house looked like it had been transplanted from a suburb directly into the desert. I looked around the property and beyond, noticing there was not a single landmark that would tell me where we were. I could see some mountains in the distance but very far away. I wasn't even sure what town or city was nearby.

I didn't know if he would tell me.

"Thank you, I was hoping you'd like it. Our children will enjoy playing in the yard and..." He continued to talk about our future but I stopped listening after he said 'children'. I stopped dead in our tracks in the middle of the yard, horror filling my every cell.

Children. I couldn't have children with this monster. A child would be ruined raised by this maniac.

He stopped talking and watched me with curious eyes. "What's going on?"

I pressed my lips together in a small smile and just shrugged my shoulders.0 "I...I just haven't thought of children yet. I...I don't think I'd like to be a mother. I think I like the idea of it being just the two of us."

I watched his face as he studied mine and then he smiled broadly. "I'm sorry, Flower, but children are non-negotiable." He held his hand out for me to take but I chewed on my bottom lip and took a deep breath.

"Shouldn't we talk about it? I mean, don't you want to be with just me? I...I don't think I'd like to share you with anyone else."

It was weak, but it made Jacob beam and puff up his chest. He took my hand and brought it to his mouth. I had to fight myself to keep myself from pulling away.

"It has to happen, unfortunately. The contract asks for me to impregnate you. But it says nothing about keeping the child. We can follow the rules and...well I think I have a solution for when you have the child."

My stomach drops at the mention of the contract. And what does he even mean about a solution for the child? I nod slowly to keep myself from asking too many questions. I know if I do he will get suspicious and I don't even want to know what he will do to me if I do.

"Okay, I...can it wait? Is there a time limit? I...I just want it to be us for a while."

He pulls me close into his arms and I swallow hard as he stares down into my eyes with bright, blue eyes.

"It has to be soon. Why do you think i wanted to start as soon as our wedding night?"

I frown. It's stupid. Really stupid. But...What did our wedding night have to do with children?

He must have read the confusion on my face and laughed before he scooped me up into his arms bridal style and kissed my cheek.

"Come inside, my innocent bride. And I will teach you all of the ways of conceiving a child."

He takes the steps lithely, even with me in his arms, and waves a hand to unlock the front door.

I don't know why I was expecting to see a dark, dungeon-like front room. Maybe my husband gave me those types of vibes. So color me surprised when we walked into a cute little foyer with a small bench and coat hook by the front door bright, baby blue painted walls.

He let me down by the front door and turned to lock it. I noticed he used his magic and it made me wonder if I would be able to unlock the door myself.

He placed a hand on my lower back and showed me to a comfortable looking livingroom with a large, beige couch that looked squishy and the best place to read a book. There was a coffee table on a matching beige rug and TV mounted on a wall above a console that doubled as a kennel.

I moved closer to the kennel, wondering if he had a pet, which would have thrown me for another loop. This man didn't seem capable of being a pet owner.

"My dog's old kennel. She passed recently. I just kept the kennel because I was thinking of getting a new puppy soon. Maybe we can pick one together?"

I brightened at the though of an animal and nodded vigorously. I probably shouldn't have gotten so excited. I probably should have known better. But in the moment I was excited because I had always wanted a pet growing up. But Daddy thought they were dirty and a waste of space and resources.

He nodded with pride and then led me to a large kitchen that looked like it came directly out of my dreams. It was a ranch style kitchen with oak furnishings and beautiful, new-looking stainless steel appliances. The fridge was huge, and when I opened it, was full of food, enough to feed an army. I had a double oven mounted on the wall and a coffee hutch that looked like it came right out of my DIY journal.

Despite being here with a psycho, I was excited. The rest of the house was just as beautiful as the kitchen and living room. It had four bedrooms and a home office. It struck me as very normal and something about it just didn't sit right with me.

He couldnt be this crazy without me seeing it out in the open in his own home, right?

It was only after the tour of the upper part of the house when he took a deep breath and smiled at me.

"I have my den in the basement. It's where I like to spend most of my free time."

I probably shouldn't have gone with him. I just figured that the rest of the house was normal, so maybe his den would be much of the same.

But the second we started descending the steps to hia basement, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

He opened the door at the bottom of the stairs and my heart began pounding.

It smelled. The smell was so bad I gagged as he gently pulled me through the door. He had the entire room filled with tables. On the tables there were cauldrons, beakers and jars full of stuff I didn't even know. In a corner there was a cell, bars that went from the ceiling to the floor with manacles hanging from the brick wall and hoops for chains on the ground next to a drain.

I backed up a step as I noticed the rust red stains on the ground in the cell. He had shelves full of liquids and books that looked old and worn. I swallowed back some bile and turned to look at him as he walked further into the room.

He turned with his arms spread wide and a grin on his face. He looked out of place here, but at the same time, I could see how relaxed he was in the space.

He looked serene as he began showing me his jars of stuff. He had pig fetuses and eyeballs from one animal or another. He had blood from a wolf and a siren's scales. He had fur from a bear and a small vial off what he claimed to be dragon egg yolk. He proudly showed me his collection of bones from the creatures he had killed and skulls from the wolves and sirens and bears he had captured. He was like a kid in a toy store, picking things up and showing me.

All I could think as I stared at it all was that I had to get out. I couldn't stay here.

"Would you be willing to donate for my experiments?"

I raise my eyebrows, missing half of what he asked as I take it all in.

"What?"

"Hair, blood, nails. I haven't experimented with Faes. And...this is where we could get rid of our child issue. Blood from a wolf fetus has so much power in spells, I can imagine what a Fae fetus will do. They never said what we had to do after you got pregnant. We can let the fetus cook in your womb for a few months to give us a good amount of usable blood. And then we can extricate it and you won't have to worry about anyone bothering us."

I swallow hard and feel my eyes tear up and my heart thud harder in my chest. I nod slowly and clear my throat. I don't want to offend him. I don't want to scream or cry at the mental imagery he's giving me. So I just nod and slowly walk backward towards the basement door.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." My voice shakes and he nods then grabs a few items from his tables. "Good. Now we can get a hair and nail sample here. But the blood sample I will get later. The. we can have a late dinner and watch a movie. What do you think?

I swallow back the whimper that wants to escape and nod. "Yeah, that sounds fun."

I had to get out of here. I had a strong feeling that this room would be the room I'd die in. It was only a matter of time. I just needed to figure out how and when. It would be a while, but there was no way I could stay with him. Not now. Not after I knew what he would do to any of my children.