The Beta's Witch

Chapter 8: Forgotten Memories (Part 1)

ADRIANA'S POV

“Mom!”

I chuckled lightly. Little feet pattered like rain down the hallway. I sidestepped Aiden, just in time to see my seven-year-old and Henry burst into the room like the building was on fire.  I was surprised the man was not used to this, he lived in a house with five other children.

Huge eyes filled my vision, and I couldn’t help but grin. Danial could make the worst of days better just by being himself.  

“Mom, they have Mario Kart! Can you come play with us? Pleeease?”

The kid was actually hopping up and down. I could tell he really wanted to play, and with everything that had happened, I owed him some quality time. It had been a while since I let myself relax and enjoy . . . well anything. Might as well make it a night to remember.

“Hmm.” I tapped my finger to my lip like I was seriously considering it.

His eyes lit up. He knew where this was going. I made a mental note to stop being so predictable.

“Okay fine.” Daniel whooped and ran from the room.

“Daniel,” His head to popped back in the doorway. “Set up the boardroom.”

I heard his excited chatter as he went to grab his new friend. I grabbed the note from Aiden and shoved it back under the clothes in my top drawer. I don’t know why I brought it but revealing my secret to Aiden felt like a heavy weight had been lifted off my chest. Being alone in this all these years had been hard. I believed that Aiden wouldn’t let anyone hurt me, for the first time since I could remember, I felt safe.

I shook my head, clearing the heavy emotions. Tonight, was supposed to be fun. Closing the drawer, I looked up to find Aiden staring at.

“What?” That sounded harsher than I intended.

“Uhh, nothing about what just happened made any sense to me.” He admitted sheepishly. I grinned.

“You know how it’s my job at Grey Enterprise to negotiate deals between clients.”

“Yeah,” he narrowed his eyes. The wary sound of his voice made me chuckle. I was damn good at my job.

“That’s just practice. You’re about to see a master at work.” I smiled wider, “You’re going to love this.”

I quickly made my way downstairs, leaving him to follow at his own pace. If anyone could turn my day from utter s**t, to blue skies, it was Daniel. I decided I was going to enjoy myself.

….

DANIEL

Daniel ran down the hall and down the stairs toward the kitchen where he knew Henry would be. He told Daniel he was going to go check on his mom. Henry had said his mom was always baking something around this time, and he was going to try to reserve some sweets for them. That sounded pretty cool, but when Daniel had wandered into the game room and seen the set-up he immediately checked for the game and ran to find his mom.  He knew Henry would like his game better. He and his mom played Mario Kart all the time, but it had been a while since they added the Board Room terms.

As he got to the kitchen Daniel ran straight into his mom’s boss, Lucas. The burly man moved faster than his size would suggest and grabbed him by the arms before he hit the ground.

“Woah! Slow down Daniel. Is everything alright?” heavy eyebrows drew together in concern as the boy looked up speechless.

Shaking off his hesitation, Daniel straightened himself. “Sorry Mr. Grey, I was looking for Henry. My Mom said she would play Mario Kart with me and I need him for the negotiations.”

“Negotiations?” Daniel looked around Mr. Grey to find the kitchen was full of adults. The voice belonged to Henry’s dad, Elijah. He was sitting next to a pretty lady that Daniel hadn’t met yet. Henry’s mom was closing the oven door.

“I didn’t know Mario Kart included negotiations.”

“They do with my Mom. And I need Henry’s help to take her down.”

They all chuckled. Only Henry looked serious. “Alright man, tell me what I gotta do.”

Daniel assessed him as cooly as a seven-year-old possibly could. They sized each other up for a few more seconds before Daniel nodded his head. “Follow my lead.”

Shoulder to shoulder they ran from the room. Leaving the adults in confused silence.

It was Lucas that spoke first.

“Grey Enterprise’s top negotiator,” he started slowly, “against two kids.”

“There’s no way I’m missing this!” yelled Elijah as he ran after the boys. The rest eagerly followed. Taylor, Henry’s mother, a few seconds behind as she set the timer for the cookies.

….

ADRIANA POV

When I got down to the game room, I was surprised to see it was full. Apparently, Daniel had announced to the whole house what was about to go down. The adults filled the couches surrounding the huge TV that rested against the far wall. The game room was impressive, I took a few seconds to admire the rows of games and movies that lined the walls before my gaze fell on the two little boys sitting on the floor.

They both sat at one side of the coffee table eyeing me with the best poker faces they could muster. I had to admit I was rather proud. On the table were three controllers, a notepad and pen. The theme song to Mario Kart played loudly.

With all eyes on me, and Aiden’s warmth gently caressing my back, I lifted my chin and started forward like I would toward any negotiation. Except this was not just any negotiation. This was serious, and if I wasn’t careful, I might just get my ass handed to me. By my own kid. In front of my bosses. Heaven help me.

“Mr. Ryder. Mr. Thomas.” I greeted sliding my eyes from one to the other.

“Mom” Daniel said evenly. He reached out and shook my hand. Firm, but not too hard, just like I taught him.

“Ms. Ryder.” Oh, this kid was going places. Henry was picking this up beautifully and I could not stop myself from glancing at his parents. Both looked torn between pride and amusement. The times that he visited the office were some of my favorites, watching him sit behind his father’s desk and pretend to run the company had made some days more bearable than others.  

“Thank you for joining us Henry.” I shook his hand too, not surprised by his firm grip. He had a great father.  

“The rules of engagement are simple gentlemen. Best at three out of seven rounds, winner takes the pot, losers pay all. Any questions?” I picked up the notepad and paper, writing our names in a triangle. 

“What are we gambling with?” Henry was starting to look nervous, so I quickly assured him.

“We don’t gamble, dear sir. We barter. Nothing is off the table but try to make sure that what you give is met with something of equal value. There is three of us so negotiations will be divided three ways. It sounds trickier than it is. Let’s let Daniel start and I will help you if you need it. Sound fair?”

Henry nodded, confident once more. Then Daniel, never one to disappoint an audience, pulled out the big guns. The anticipation in the room was heavy, the adults leaning forward eagerly.

“If I win, I get to choose dinner for the week.”

Hmm, I heard this one before. “Four out of those seven days must include a vegetable AND we can only have pizza once.” I countered. His eyes narrowed, but my poker face was solid. We had pizza for a whole week last time, and I wasn’t making that mistake again.

“Make it twice and I’ll settle.”

“Deal!” We shook. I glanced at Henry to see if he was following along. He didn’t look too sure about what he wanted to negotiate for yet, but I was way ahead of him. I just had to steer the conversation in the right direction. I turned back to Daniel.

“If I win, I want you to tell about this Charlie girl your crushing on.” I blurted out. s**t. Did I sound too excited? Rule number one of negotiations: never let slip how much you wanted something. Critical mistake. I glanced at my boss, surprised to find that he and the others were more than a little interested.

“What?!” my attention snapped back to Daniel, “That information is not worth what I’m getting!”

“I’d have to agree on that one.” I spun around to find Henry grinning slyly.

“You told Henry!” I yelled in disbelief, “I’ve been asking for weeks.”

There was no way I was budging on this. I’d been trying to bribe him for information on his crush since I heard him sneak a phone call to her a month ago. And he had told Henry within hours?

“Maybe you should renegotiate Daniel.” Aiden mused from the corner. I shot him a dirty look. There was a quick assent from the rest of the crowd. Traitors. All of them.

“I’ll allow it,” I sighed dramatically, crossing my arms. Daniel smiled wickedly. Uh oh.

“If I win, you buy me the new play station.” I dropped my arms in shock.

“What?! A $500 dollar console for information on your crush? That hardly seems like an equal trade.”

Daniel leaned back and folded his arms calmly. “How bad do you want to know?”

My mouth dropped open. Lucas and Elijah simultaneously burst into laughter. That was my line and they knew it. I had closed way too many deals with this technique. I had to admit it didn’t feel great on the other side of the table.

Taylor and Aerin at least had the decency to hide their chuckles behind their hands. I knew I liked those two.

“This is too good! I need some popcorn,” laughed Elijah. Taylor nodded in agreement. Aerin looked like she was watching her favorite show. Lucas looked on with professional scrutiny and Aiden was doing a poor job of hiding his laughter. To my dismay the crowd had somewhat grown. Carson was leaning against the frame of the door in the entryway and Darius was sitting on the couch next to his father, the device in his hand forgotten. I held out my arms to Darius, letting him come and sit on my lap before I turned to glare at the rest of them over his head.

 Time to deal with the monster I somehow created. I needed to pull Henry in.

“I’ll agree to it, on one condition.”

“I’m listening”

“Henry,” I turned to him as he jumped. He wasn’t prepared to be brought in. “When is your bedtime?”

“Uhhh,” he glanced at his mom.

“Usually nine, nine thirty-ish.” She responded for him.

Bingo. Daniel’s eyes widened.

“That’s a whole hour later than mine!”

Rule number one, I sang in my head. If I could get Henry to agree to accepting the extra hour on Daniel’s behalf, I wouldn’t be subjected to the insane whims of two smart little terrors. And put Henry on the board at the same time. Damn I’m good.

“Henry, I’m going to offer to move Daniel’s bedtime to nine o’clock, if you win. If you accept it, I’ll accept Daniel’s deal.”

Daniel looked pleadingly at Henry, who nodded his head. Daniel celebrated and threw his fists in the air. I wrote down our agreement then turned back to Henry.

“Alright, sir. If I lose, you and Daniel get an extra hour to play. If I win, I want you to convince your mom to make me a batch of triple chocolate chip cookies.”

He looked to his mom, who nodded eagerly.

“Deal!” we shook on it.

Henry agreed that if he lost, he would teach Daniel how to ride his dirt bike. I just about had a heart attack up until Elijah said he would supervise. I wasn’t expecting what his son asked in return.

“If I win, you have to help me convince my parents to go to Berkley with you.”

Daniel quickly agreed, and the shook on it. I froze, completely caught off guard. The last thing I wanted was to offend Henry’s parents in any way. I heaved a sigh of relief when I saw their expressions. They looked contemplative. I’d table that thought for another time.

I quickly wrote down the three-way negotiations and grabbed a remote, settling my hands on either side of Darius. He rested his hands on top of mine, ready to help me win. I beamed down at him.

The boys were already in position and choosing their characters. I was about to follow suit when I heard something that made me falter.  

“Are you placing bets?!” I said incredulously at the adults behind me. They were energetically putting money down on who would win.

My eyes widened as Lucas, put down a hundred on Daniel winning. When he caught me staring, he shrugged, looking a little guilty.

“There’s no way I’m betting against a kid who can negotiate like that. I’m tempted to hire him.” He grinned. They continued to place their bets, none predicting I would win, while I turned back to the screen.

A few rounds later, Daniel, Henry and I each had two wins under our belts, and we were about to start the final round.

The room was in chaos. Elijah was shouting encouragement to his son. Taylor was rushing back into the room after checking on her baked goods. The guys were just wordlessly howling. Darius was hopping up and down slightly, jittery with excitement. When had this become Sunday night football?

Internally, I was sweating. If I lost, Daniel was going to take me to town, and I was sacrificing an hour of me-time so the boys would get to stay up late, for however long we stayed. There had to be something I could do. Hmmm.

“Are you sure you gentlemen don’t want to revisit the terms of our agreement? Losers have to pay up everything they offered.” Please take the bait. Please take the bait. Please. . .

Daniel looked hesitant. Henry was sure that he didn’t stand to lose too much, win or lose. Just a few more seconds . . .

“I know what you’re doing!” Damn it! If anyone knew how to see through my negotiation strategies it was my him. Working with someone for a few years will do that for you.

“I got too much money riding on this for you to wiggle your way into their heads!” yelled Lucas.

I spluttered. I was the top negotiations expert in his company. I had closed over a hundred deals in his favor over the years. And not only had he bet against me; he was deliberately sabotaging me!

Unfortunately, that was all the confidence boost Daniel needed and we quickly prepared to start the final match. I shot a death glare at Lucas for good measure. He couldn’t fire me off the clock, right?

A few minutes later Henry and Daniel were in the lead and the stupid turtle looking thing waved the final lap sign. I was going to lose. Exactly one second before the boys crossed the finish line, I paused the game.

“Are you sure you don’t-“

Both Daniel and Henry tackled me, causing me to resume the game. Cameron’s player flashed across the screen in victory and I groaned from under the two boys while Darius giggled.

The room exploded with sound. Elijah leapt for Henry, lifting him onto his shoulders and dancing around the room. Lucas grabbed Daniel, throwing him into the air as well. The whole room celebrated while I laid on the ground in defeat. Darius ran to join the fun.

“That was brutal.” I looked up to find Aiden crouched next to my, grinning from ear to ear. I dropped my head back to the floor, groaning.

He chuckled before helping me to my feet. Everyone in the room was winding down and I knew what was coming next. I double checked the notebook, to remind myself just how screwed I was. Then I remembered.

Losers had to pay. And I wasn’t the only loser.

Aiden noticed the change in my demeanor, but before he could ask, I sauntered up to the winner’s circle.

“Congratulations Henry,” I said cheerfully. Three pairs of wary eyes were trained on me in an instant. Lucas, Elijah, and Daniel knew I did not like to lose. When I made a deal, I always got something out of it.

“As per our agreement, Daniel can stay up until nine with you.” I was happy the boys had bonded, in such a short time. Daniel rarely talked about his friends from school, I wasn’t really sure he had any. But . . .

“You owe me the new PlayStation!” Daniel looked smug, until he caught the impish smile I just couldn’t hide.

“Yes, I do. And you are going to tell me all about Charlie,” I sang smugly.

Daniel groaned while I did my little happy dance. I may have been out five hundred bucks, but I got what I wanted.  

Elijah patted the boy’s slumped shoulder, “You can’t win them all son. But I will say, your mother is one of the best negotiators I’ve got. I can count on one hand the amount of people who made out better than her in the business. I’m impressed with how well you handled her.” He was chuckling.

“Hey!”

“Hey Daniel! Wanna keep playing?” asked Henry, ignoring us completely.

“Yeah sure. But I don’t have any more negotiating in me.”

“Me either.”

And just like that, they were on to the next thing, inviting Darius to join them. I took a few moments to watch as they decided to pick a different game. He didn’t have many friends, and there was only so much time I could spend with him. Most days he sat in his room or played video games when he wasn’t focused on his studies. In just a few short hours of being here, he had smiled more, laughed more, and opened up in way I have not been able to reach. He was happy. A sad smile played at my lips. I decided I needed to talk to Elijah and Taylor about allowing the boys to hang out after all this mess was over. Daniel deserved something for himself too.

I hadn’t realized I’d been so deep in thought until I heard someone clear their throat. Startled, I looked up to realize everyone had made themselves scarce. The boys went back to the couch to watch. I could hear the ladies in the kitchen. While Lucas, Elijah, and Carson seemed to have disappeared. Aiden was standing in front of me, looking more than a little concerned.

“Where did the guys go?”

He shrugged, eyes searching my face. “Lucas and Carson had work to do, and Elijah went back to the office to take care of something.”

“Are you okay?” he asked, reaching for my hand, but I quickly stepped back. He stepped with me, instead reaching up to cup my face. Warm tingles danced across every inch of exposed skin that connected us. He wiped away a tear, I hadn’t realized was there.

I gasped, pulling from his grip, and turning my back to him. Part of me wanted him to hold me, I wanted that something for myself too. But the other part could not let go of the fact that his crazy ex had almost killed me and trashed my home.  Now wasn’t the time for me to unpack whatever feelings I had for Aiden.

“Adriana, please talk to me. I can’t imagine how scary and overwhelming life has been for you over the past six years. If I could take all the pain of it away I would. I’d do anything to make you smile.”

I turned back to him, more than a little confused. How did I end up here? Taking refuge in my boss’s private estate, while the man, whose ex was trying to kill me, professed he would do anything to take my pain away. Not to mention they were all wolves.

It was a reality I was not ready to face. Instead I did what any experienced professional would do. I slammed my walls into place, and I put on the brightest smile I could manage.

“I’m fine Aiden. I was just thinking about how nice it would be if Daniel could come visit Henry more regularly after all this stuff,” I waved my hand, “is over.”

I knew he wanted to say more. He was ready to push me a little further just to make sure I was okay. I knew if he did, I’d probably give in, but I didn’t give him a chance.

“I’m going to go get some work down before bed. Talk to you later Aiden.” My retreat was neither graceful nor dignified. This man left me dizzy. A dangerous game I was not sure I wanted to play.

…

I tossed and turned in the large bed that took up a good portion of the guest room. I couldn’t get comfortable, no matter what I did. Henry and Daniel had really wanted to have a sleep over, so he was spending the night in Henry’s room. I missed him like crazy, even though I knew he was only right across the hall. The clock flashed 1:00am. It looked like I was not getting any sleep tonight.

Giving up, I grabbed my robe and made my way down the stairs and out to the back porch.I hadn't seen Aiden since I left him in the game room, I wasn't sure if I wanted to bother him now.

 The pool lights glowed faintly. The rippling water was eerily soothing, and I found myself relaxing in the lounge chair right by the water.

I must have drifted off because I woke up to someone shaking me.

I opened my eyes, to look straight into a startling blue set of eyes. When he saw I was awake he backed away a few feet.

“Elijah? When did you get back from the office? What are you doing down here?” My brain wasn’t fully functional yet. What time was it?

“I could ask you the same thing.” His voice sounded flat. Something about it snapped me back to the present.

“Are you okay?” His face was as smooth as stone. He betrayed no sign of acknowledgement at my words. Instead he replied in a quiet monotone.

“I have something I want to show you. Come with me.” He turned robotically to the forest that sat at the edge of the massive back yard, not waiting to see if I followed.

This was weird. Scary weird. There was no way in hell I was following him into the woods at night, alone. I was contemplating whether I should just run back inside or tell him to screw off when he appeared before me again. This time he looked impatient.

“Aren’t you coming?”

“Uhh, no actually. I think I’m going to go back to bed. Maybe later today-“ before I could finish rambling off my excuse he swung me easily over his shoulder and strode purposefully towards the tree line.

Just as I was about to scream for help, a sharp prickling sensation jarred my senses. It felt familiar, and yet I was sure I’d never felt it before. Had I? I gasped, desperate to get away from it.

Elijah had easily carried me well passed the tree line and deep into the forest in a matter of moments. It took everything to tear my focus away from the unpleasant feeling of sharp needles pressing into me. I finally took a deep breath, ready to scream, when images began to flash across my vision.

My mother with her hands on her swollen stomach. My father laughing as he held his son. The crow flying into our house. A bad omen. A cup full of blood. Women dying. My mother dying. My father . . .  and Daniel.

Years of suppressed memories raced through my brain, each more traumatizing than the last. Every event of my life falling together like pieces to a demented puzzle. Suddenly the world made so much sense. Twisted, cruel, and uncensored sense. 

I remembered it all. I was a witch. A witch a powerful one. Something had gone wrong and I had run. I had taken my and Daniel’s memories away, and I had hidden us in plain sight. Stupid. I was stupid, naïve and selfish. I should have known we couldn’t have a normal human life.

Elijah was still striding purposefully through the forest. Where he was taking me, I wasn’t too sure. But I did know one thing. He wasn’t in control. He was radiating flashes of dark magic in time with his heartbeat.

Breathing deeply, I threw myself back off his shoulder and jammed my elbow into the muscle connecting his neck and shoulder. He instantly dropped me and stumbled back a few steps. Clutching at his shoulder his blank stare cracked a tiny fraction. The horror was quickly subdued as something else took control once more. I ran through my knowledge of the possible rituals and spells that could attack the mind like this. Then decided it did not matter. I could purge dark magic by overwhelming it with light magic.  Reversing whatever had affected Elijah with an elementary approach.

Speaking of the affected, he quickly shook off the pain and charged toward me. It was now or never. I threw up both my hands and countered the black magic in his mind and body with what I hoped was enough light magic. It had been a few years since I practiced this crap. The feeling of using my magic was euphoric.

Elijah flew back as if he were struck by an oncoming car and plastered against a tree a few feet above the ground. Bright white light emanated from every orifice of his body. I pushed soothing thoughts into his mind while I continued to hold him there. I wanted to be sure all the darkness was purged.

Something slammed into my side and breaking my focus. He crumbled to the ground. Low growling and snapping jowls filled the air around me. I felt like I had been attacked by a battering ram. My head snapped up and I found myself face to face with a full-grown wolf. My sudden movement must have caused alarm because the force of the heavens came down on my back and darkness clouded my vision. Where the hell had these wolves come from?

“Stop!” an unquestionable authority bellowed through my hazy thoughts. An immense weight was lifted from my back and I sucked in a grateful breath, waiting for my vision to clear.

“Alpha, we caught this witch attacking the Gamma,” a deep voice spat in disgust. 

Alpha? Wolves, Mr. Grey? Realization slammed into me with jarring forces. I was in the middle of enemy territory. I cursed my foolishness once more.

Still dizzy, I raised my head slowly. Praying to the goddess that tonight was not the night she called me home. I needed to make it back to Daniel. Carson was lifting Elijah off the ground and Lucas was standing a few feet away, looking down at me. As our eyes met, I imagined my face mirrored his bewildered expression.

“Witch?” he snapped.

“Alpha?” I croaked at the same time, he looked at my strangely.

Aiden burst through the trees. When he saw me under a wolf, his eyes widened in disbelief and anger. The rage on his face sent shivers through me.

“What the hell is going on? Get off her” he growled. Carson intercepted him before he got too close.

Lucas exhaled loudly, as he crouched down, bringing our faces close together. He looked pissed. I was immediately on guard. Alphas protected their pack first and asked questions later. I had no proof that I was not the threat. I had known this man for years, but that meant nothing now. Members of his pack had identified me as an enemy. I knew how packs worked.

“Alpha wait!” Elijah stood supported by two wolves I didn’t recognize. His eyes were clear and free of influence. I heaved a sigh of relief. He was okay.

Lucas shifted his attention to Elijah. “You alright man? I saw the light as soon as I entered the woods. What happened?”

“She saved me.”