The mysterious mate

The right way

It was a hard road to get there. For at least a mile, they drove on a dirt road with potholes. Darcy became agitated. The car was moving irregularly, every bump awakened her body. Goose bumps all over, she was so stressed that she wanted to go back to the hunted manor. Her eyes were glued on the road. It became a thick forest, some passages were narrower and required a certain maneuver to circumvent it. At least the weather was nice. Ethan, on the other hand, was pissed and swore to take his jeep next time. He was worried about the suspension on his car.

Unfortunately, the road became too narrow to go any further.

Ethan: Great...

He got out, making her wonder why they stopped. She watched him bypass the car to her side and open her door.

Ethan: Come on Darcy, we need to walk the rest. I can smell they are not too far from here.

She got out nervous. She looked around the forest. It was bright and ominous. Someone or something was watching. He began walking, she followed him fidgetly. They walked for 10 minutes before she heard a noise. She turned that way to see where it came from. Ethan looked too, but there was nothing... anyway, for his eyes.

From hers, it was a man, standing in between two trees. He was wearing an elegant suit. He seemed to be in his forties, his posture was straight, his arms were behind his back. He had this melon hat that he carefully waved to his stomach while bowing lightly. His mustache was thick and his hair was black and gray. His skin was ivory, his face was elegant with a long pointy nose and his eyes were pitch black. She walked toward the man, entering the forest. Ethan grew nervous. What was she seeing? A ghost? Was it dangerous?

Ethan: Hey.. why are we going toward the noise? Okay, I'm coming I just... I'll go front..

She could feel his fear as clear as day. She watched him slowly get to her level. She smiled at the ghost who found him just as amusing.

Darcy: It's okay if you want to stay back, I got this.

Ethan: Oh thank godess. Good, good. I'll be right behind you.

Darcy kept going until she was at least 10 meters from him. He looked at her. His mustache lifted from his smile.

Harold : Bonjour, je suis Harold Dalbuquerque. Je suis heureux de vous revoir Mademoiselle.

She understood him very well and from that language, she felt a connexion with him. She nodded, wondering what he meant by "Happy to see you again". Did she know him? She didn't recognize him at all, but he sure looked like her. He showed them the way, deep into the depths of the forest.

Harnold: We don't want just anyone to enter our domain. Arianna knew you were coming with this... wolf. He told us something very interesting about you, dear and I admit, I could not believe it! We wanted to make sure it was true. And here you are. This road is a trap. You would have walked until the next town! He laughed. But only someone who could see me could ever find the Dalbuquerque residence. Funny, isn't it?

Darcy: Smart.

Ethan: What is smart? Why are we going this way?

Darcy: He is showing us the way. The road is a dead end.

Ethan: Great... Great, great, great.

Harnold: Nervous I see...

Darcy shrugged while her muscles drew a smile on her face. She felt safer and allowed herself to talk more around dead people, especially Tish and, strangely Harnold, but obviously it was the opposite for Ethan.

She could feel how uneasy he was towards the situation. Maybe it was a thing? Are wolves scared of ghosts? She reached for the mirror on her back and plunged her hand in it. He watched her carefully. "Man, this is awesome...". She pulled out a pouch and handed it to him. He looked inside and found 5 little salt marbles.

Darcy: If you get scared, you can throw this on the ground to chase a ghost away. But please, don't hit this one... I'm sorry...

"Me? Scared? eh... maybe a little..." But he trusted her. He kept the pouch in his hand, following his mate. For some reason, that pouch made him feel better.

Harold led them to a charming garden. Fruits, vegetables, flowers, it was colorfull. Her eyes met this beautiful red strawberry. She stopped to watch how the fruit curved. She thought nature was splendid. A bee drinking on a flower, a worm, digging in the earth, the leaves, dancing with the wind and the smell of fresh air. She could stay there forever.

Ethan smiled. Behind the sunlight, her skin glowed, almost sparkled. Her lips became scarlet. Her silk wavy black hair, reflecting the sun like little mirrors and her dress. She had a simple pale dress with red doc martins. She also had a belt on which she sewed four sets of pockets; front, back, sides and a mirror that she strapped on her back like a guitar.

It was such a strange girl, how could he not realize she was a witch before? Yes, the manor was hunted, but he didn't think that she was seeing ghosts and demons.

He was angry. That girl never had a childhood; no mother, no father. She has been raised with hate and pain. How could she be okay? She had been hiding so many things until now, her whispers never became louder, she still tilted every time he was about to touch her. She could never be normal, but he swore to himself, he was going to make her happy, a little more confident and a great Luna. It has been a while and the pack still waited for him to do the Luna ceremony. Some think it's because he has doubts, others think it is not the time with all of those disappearances. However, he had to wait. They had not mated and it takes time to build trust. He wanted this to work. There is no way he is going to reject her.

They finally arrived in front of a gate. He narrowed his eyes and leaned over to her.

Ethan: Nervous?

Darcy: Yes.

He gently slid his hand inside hers. She felt her cheeks burn. He held her hand. She felt so much safer. Until now, only loneliness held her, this sensation, as if the more he squeezed her with his thick hand, the more her own demons let go. She looked at him with tenderness. A slight tear rolled down her cheek. It looked like a small diamond, cascading on her face. He leaned in, kissing her tears. "You will never be alone again, my Darcy..." He lifted her chin for her eyes to meet his. This time, she looked. He could see so much through her eyes. He softly brushed his lips on hers. The contact created an eruption of new sensations. The touch, the moment, their connection. He plunged the kiss deeper. She didn't know what to do, so she followed his lead. His body was reacting to the kiss. All of his senses improved for a second. He slowly opened her mouth to touch her with his tongue.

Harold: Mh Hm!

She jumped, knocking him on his nose. He backed out, biting his tongue.

Ethan: Oh F*ck! Ouch! F*ck!

Darcy: SORRY!

She flinched and became agitated, mumbling some excuses in such a low whisper. He grabbed her shoulder to make her look at him. She closed her eyes, pulling her head down. "You promised. You promised! you promised!"

Darcy: Oh! Sorry... Sorry, I'm so sorry.

Ethan: It's okay, it's okay! I'll heal from that, don't worry.

Harold: Shall we, Miss?

She nodded almost aggressively, her heart pounding so hard it threatened to escape by force, she instinctively just ran toward the house. Ethan scoffed and followed her into the domain.

Behind the gate, they ran toward an elegant house with rock walls and vines covering the side of the windows. She stopped running when they reached the stairs. Two people were standing on the porch. They were old and smiley. When they saw them coming, the old woman smiled wide. She looked like the typical grandma, sweet and wise with cookies in her wig. She waited until they reached the door before she talked.

Old lady: Oh! Lily! You came back! We missed you dear.

"They missed me?" She grew self-conscious. All of those people seemed to know her and to be happy to see her. She tried to chase this awkward feeling, but she couldn't. Who is "Lily"?

Old lady: Well? Open the door, dear. It's your house after all.

"My house?" she looked up at the green door. It did felt somehow familiar. Uncertain, she reached for the handle, pushing it down.

Ethan: Woah, Darcy, don't open a witch's door without knocking first.

Darcy: But, the lady told me to open and this was my house...

He swallowed thickly, looking left and right for a lady and wished for the best, following her again. They entered a living room filled with plants. She recognized the ones she planted as well. There was a cream sofa with an iguana on it and a snake on a vine, maybe a bird somewhere screaming "Lily Where are you!". They walked toward the kitchen and she realized she had seen it before. This rooster curtains over the sink. A big window, letting a lot of light come through. This well maintained old counter. The round white wood table was decorated with a vase of lily and roses. The floor was a pattern of ceramic. There were plants hanging from the ceiling. It felt welcoming but the air was a bit moist.

A black cat jumped on the table, making Darcy jump. She glared at Ethan. He shrugged. This is the soft cat she has been seeing lately. She extended her arm, to touch the creature and felt some deep connection to it.

Ethan: Miss. Dalbuquerque? My name is Ethan Rivera. We talked over the phone yesterday...

No answer.

Darcy kept observing the kitchen looking for something. It wasn't there. She frowned. How could she see that kitchen then? This cat? She met this cat a month ago through a mirror. Was is a lie? There was no mirror nor any place to put one in that point of view.

Suddenly, a voice awoke through the walls.

Arianna: Welcome.

A ravishing woman, dressed in gardening overalls and a red shirt appeared in front of them, making Ethan and Darcy jump. Her golden hair fell straight on her shoulders, she had pearly blue eyes and seemed to be 25 (She was older). Ethan watched her traits, her eyes, her mouth, her chin. Except for the nose, her skin color and the hair, she looked like Darcy. The woman frowned at them suspiciously. She didn't trust them.

Arianna: So... Show me the girl...

She approached him but before getting too close, Darcy interposed. The lady looked at her with curiosity. She silently circled her, observing her from head to toe. Darcy didn't move, her eyes were glued to the ground. She was nervous, trembling lightly. When Arianna saw the look on her face, she flinched.