Within the Sapphire Forest

Chapter 6

I didn’t waste any time the next morning. There was too much to be done, and I was the unfortunate soul who had to get it done. I fed my creatures their breakfast, but kept them around the house to discuss dinner.

“As I’m sure most of you have heard, Rose Garret, my grandmother, and an elder coven member, is coming to dinner tonight. I expect everyone to be on their best behaviour. If you don’t feel comfortable interacting with her, then I encourage you to hide in the woods, or in your homes. The fewer distractions at dinner, the sooner she can say her piece and go.”

They all nodded their understanding and finished their meals. I shooed them all out so I could clean up, again. I scrubbed the entirety of the already spotless houses, earning worrying glances from Wolfie as he followed me. 

I then cleaned Wolfies fur of all the mud and dirt, and dried him off again. He didn’t seem too pleased with me, but I didn’t have time to debate it. 

Once he and the house were clean, I focused on getting myself ready. I showered and scrubbed every inch of myself, feeling like I just couldn’t get clean enough. I finally stepped out of the shower, raw, but clean. I dressed in my best clothes, a cute pair of skinny jeans, and a black t-shirt with an open back. I wore a red tank top underneath to cover my back and add a pop of color, and decided on my black flats to complete my outfit.

I returned to the bathroom to fix my hair and make-up. I straightened my hair, causing the long black locks to reach down almost to my tail bone, and applied base to my ivory skin. I then fixed my green eyes with eyeshadow, eye liner, and mascara, before finishing with blush and powder. I took a step back and felt pretty happy with the sight in front of me.

“Hopefully, Grandma approves,” I muttered to myself, but I earned a nudge from Wolfie, as if to say he supported me.

“Thanks,” I said, moving slowly into the kitchen.

I checked the time and saw it was almost six thirty. The day really flew by, and the hardest part was still to come.

“Alright,” I spoke, receiving Wolfie’s full attention, “this is your last chance to run. After this, you’re stuck here with me and at minimum two other witches.”

He rolled his eyes and laid down on the floor, effectively making his decision.

“Fine, but do you need to use the bathroom before I get started on dinner?” I asked, a giggle in my voice.

That earned me a soft growl from him and I burst in full laughter. He looked at me with disappointment, but I didn’t earn any more growls from him.

A soft knock on the door ceased my laughter and brought Wolfie to his feet. He stood at attention, ready to strike if need be.

“Relax,” I coaxed as I hurried to the door, “it’s probably just Melissa.”

Sure enough, standing on the porch was a head to toe masterpiece, also known as my best friend. Her auburn hair was curled around her tanned face, and her gray eyes were framed by long beautiful lashes. She wore a glitzy blue tank top with her faded skinny jeans and her blue stiletto heels.

“Hey, Missy,” I greeted her. “You know Grandma is going to have a fit over your outfit, right?”

“Yeah, that’s the plan,” she laughed as she stepped into the house. “I make you look better by comparison, while also getting to piss Rose off.”

I rolled my eyes as I closed the door.

I gestured to the on guard werewolf and introduced them to each other, “Mellisa, this is the werewolf I’m caring for, who I call Wolfie because he has yet to give me a name. Wolfie, this is my best friend, Mellisa Ashby.”

They stared at each other for a few minutes, I’m sure to gauge the others reaction. Then, Mellisa knelt down in front of Wolfie and extended her hand.

“Nice to meet you,” she declared.

Wolfie extended his paw to put in hers and nodded his head.

“Good, now that you too have met, let’s get cooking.”

Melissa agreed and we gathered the ingredients to set on the counter. I opened a bottle of wine and poured two glasses for myself and Missy to sip out of while we cooked. Wolfie nudged me, so I poured a little into a bowl and set it in front of him.

“Are you sure you can have this in wolf form?” I questioned.

He nodded and slowly lapped up the red liquid, careful not to stain his fur.

We cooked some chicken, boiled water for penne pasta, and mixed marinara sauce and alfredo in a large bowl. Once the chicken and pasta were done cooking, we poured them into the bowl of sauce and mixed them all together. I added some cheese, this sime mozzarella, though I had used other cheeses before. We poured that all into a baking dish, topped it with cheese, and popped it in the oven.

While our meal was baking, I quickly fed everyone else dinner. Not too enthusiastic about my grandmother visiting, most of them finished in record time, the exception being Manny and Jewel. Manny didn’t care one way or another about my grandmother, or most any other witch, wizard, sorcery and such, because manticores were immune to magic. Jewel was just too young to understand what was happening beyond her bowl.

Melissa helped me clean up, and we waited for dinner.

A soft twing filled my skull, like someone pulling on a tight string on a guitar, or, more appropriately in this case, a bug vibrating a spiders web. It was the sound of someone trying to enter my territory who shouldn’t be.

I focused my energy on seeing who was at the edge wanting in. It was similar to astral projection in a way, where I sent my consciousness out to view the world. I saw two figures waiting, the first I easily recognized as Grandma Rose, but the second wasn’t someone I immediately recognized. I chanted a quiet spell to open a hole in the shield to let them through, and closed it quickly behind them.

“Quick warning for you, she brought someone,” I reported, bringing myself to my feet.

Missy snorted her discontent and sipped on her wine.

I removed the pan from the oven, a few minutes early, but everything looked delicious. I set it on the table I rarely used, along with some store bought salad, plates, glasses, and silverware. 

Everything was ready, just in time for a steady, single knock on the door. I forced a smile and opened the door cautiously to find Rose and her guest waiting.

Grandma Rose was dressed in an elegant gold dress, her copper hair pulled into a neat bun, and a gold necklace hanging from her neck. Her no nonsense attitude was clear on her face as she let herself in without so much as a “hi.”

Her companion was much younger, probably around thirty or so. I had light brown hair and dark brown eyes, and was dressed in slacks and a dress shirt. He gave off an air of cool superiority, which also translated to arrogant d**k. He followed my grandmother's lead and quickly entered my home.

They gazed around the house, probably trying to decide what state they deemed me in based on my home, but quickly found and glared between Melissa and Wolfie.

“What is this?” she sneered as she turned her cold gaze to me.

I gestured to Melissa first, not meeting Grandma’s eyes, and answered, “Since you decided to invite someone else, I assumed it was fine if I had Melissa over as well.”

“And the werewolf?” she prompted.

“He’s a guest in my house, and you’ve already agreed to show all of the creatures in my house respect.”

“Yes, but I didn’t even imagine that you would have a werewolf staying in your home. Is he holding you hostage? Is he forcing himself on you? Why is he here?” she demanded.

“No, no, he’s been really great. He’s here because he was hurt, and he needed my help. I don’t turn away anyone who is willing to follow my rules.”

Grandmother seethed quietly for a few moments, then seated herself at the table.

“Fine, if he’s behaving like good dogs should, then I won’t push it further. Besides, we have other things to discuss, and if you wish an audience, so be it.”

I nodded and grabbed the fifth plate off the table. I scooped some pasta onto it and placed it on the ground in front of a very angry werewolf. His eyes glowed dangerously as he glared at my grandmother.

I ran my hand over his head comfortingly and he settled a little.

I quickly took my place at the table and we all made our plates and began eating.

“Melissa,” Rose spoke, grabbing all of our attention, “your top is rather revealing, don’t you think, and are your pants really appropriate for this dinner?”

Melissa glared and responded, “I don’t have any idea what you are referring to. I came to have dinner with a friend and this is what I always wear here.”

I smirked down at my pasta, trying to hide my amusement. Grandma didn’t find it funny as she glared back at Melissa.

“Oh, well, I suppose it’s a good thing you’re not quite a member of the coven yet. I would hate for you to embarrass yourself with your clothing choices.”

“Yeah, I would hate to look better than everyone else there.”

I almost choked on my food, but managed to cough neatly into my napkin. Grandma’s friend, who I still hadn’t been introduced to, ignored everyone, focusing only on his plate.

Grandma scoffed and turned to the man, choosing to no longer acknowledge Melissa.

“I don’t believe you two have been properly introduced, have you?” she mused.

At this, the guest finally looked up and replied, “No, I don’t think we have.”

Grandmother turned her grin on me and said, “Evianna Woods, this is the famed Jasper Douglas, most powerful witch of his generation. Jasper Douglas, this is Evianna Woods, my granddaughter.”

I groaned inwardly, realizing what this meeting was about.

Jasper turned to me with a dazzling smile, but it only sent shivers of disgust down my spine.

“It’s such a pleasure to finally meet you, Evianna. I’ve heard so many wonderful things about you, it’s almost as if I’ve known you my whole life.”

I gave him a forced smile and said, “I promise, they’re all lies.”

He laughed and reached for my hand, which I pulled well out of his reach, earning myself a disappointed glare from Rose.

“Oh, I doubt that very much, from what I’ve heard, you’re quite the force to be reckoned with. You’re fiercely independent, learned magic at an alarming rate, and give everything of yourself to your little projects.” The way he referred to my creatures as “projects” made my blood boil. “I truly think you are amazing, and I want to get to know you better.”

I shook my head and responded, “I really don’t think that’s possible. I’m far too busy caring for all my little ‘projects.’”

My mimicry of his own words, dripping with my disdain, seemed to set off some sort of warning system for him, because he leaned away from me and back tracked his statement.

“Well, I suppose that’s not really what I meant. I just meant once we get married, you won’t have time for most of this anymore.”

I dropped my fork with a loud clatter, scaring everyone.

“Excuse me? What?” I probed, my stomach dropping.

“I don’t mean to upset you, but once you move in with me, there won’t be much space for all of these creatures. I encourage you to find somewhere else for them to live before the elders announce our engagement,” he advised.

Melissa and I stared at each other in shock. I certainly didn’t remember agreeing to this.

Grandmother chimed in suddenly, saying “Oh, yes, I’m sure we can find them each a good loving home. Then, you two can move in together, and get married and have wonderful little babies. I almost forgot, Evianna, you have been chosen to play the part of the Goddess in the Beltane ritual. Isn’t that just fantastic.”

My ears started ringing as I came to terms with what was happening in front of me. They were completely disregarding my wishes, disrespecting my creatures, and deciding my future for me, as if I were still a child. I felt like my veins were on fire with rage, trying to burn me from the inside out.

“I think it’s time for you to leave,” I declared, bringing myself to my feet.

“I beg your pardon,” Grandma said, shocked.

“You’re not welcome here. You blatantly disregarded my rules and my wishes, and I won’t allow it any more. You can’t just come into my home and disrespect me and my creatures.”

“Settle down, Evianna. It’s not a big deal. It’s not like any of them are intelligent enough to understand us. Also, everyone in our coven has arranged marriages, you’re not the first,” she chided, sipping her wine.

“I’m not in your coven!” I roared. “You always told me I was too young to learn magic, so I learned it on my own. I was too young to join in rituals, so Melissa and I did our own. I was too young to be a part of your life, so I made my own. I will not allow you to come in here and decide how I live after all these years.”

“You really don’t want to do this, dear. We both know I could burn this little hut to the ground and drag you out of the ashes by your hair.”

My rage consumed me as I looked her dead in the eyes and said, “I f*****g dare you.”

She manifested fire in her hands and held out to the floor. Melissa leaped back away from it, while Wolfie snarled and growled. Jasper watched in boredom.

Rose flicked her hand, throwing the fire at the opposite end of the room. It hit the wall, crashed to the floor, and sputtered out where it landed. She turned to glare at me, frustration fracturing her cold façade. 

“You think that pathetic spell will keep me from tearing this all to the ground!” she screamed, finally showing her true colors.

“You can just keep trying, but I’ll always rebuild it. I will not join your Beltane ritual, I am not marrying a f*****g stranger just cause you said so, and I will never let you take this away from me,” I stated, refusing to back down.

The force of her energy flung me backwards against the wall. She hadn’t even moved, so I couldn’t have dreamed of protecting myself. It felt like a brick wall was holding me in place, and I couldn’t push it off. I looked to see that Melissa and Wolfie had also been flung backwards, but only Melissa was held like me. 

“I’ve had enough of this pointless conversation. I wasn’t asking you, Evianna, I was telling you. You may not want to do it, you may think you need to fall in love to get married and have children, but I assure you it couldn’t be farther from the truth. Love is but a figment of naïve little girls’ imaginations. It’s not real and if you keep deluding yourself into believing that, you’ll only end up weak and dead like your mother!”

I snapped. I felt the fire surge out of my veins and I only saw red. I pushed it out with all of my might, shoving past her hold and throwing her and her companion across the room. Objects flew in all directions splattering and shattering everywhere. I stalked toward my grandmother, feeling as though I would rip her to shreds if given a chance, but a jolt went through me, bringing me to my knees.

My grandmother’s hold on Melissa must have faded when I threw her, which allowed Melissa to bring me back from the edge of destruction by electrocuting me. It brought me back out of the red haze and I could focus again.

“Get. Out.”

I burned with rage, everything inside of me ready to jump back into the pit and end this stupid familial rivalry once and for all.

Rose stood slowly, trying to regain some grace and dignity, but it was too late. I had seen the fear in her eyes. She grabbed Jasper and led him out, shooting us all glares as she left.

We stood in silence for what felt like eternity. Shame gripped me tight and kept me frozen in place, too afraid of how they would react. I hated that side of me, the side that was fueled by my father’s blood, powerful, but dark. 

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see Melissa with her arms outstretched to me. I leaned into her arms as she wiped away tears I didn’t even know I was shedding. We sank to the floor where she rocked me back and forth while I cried out all of the pent up energy inside me.

A wet nose on my arm caused me to turn to a fearful Wolfie. I couldn’t tell if he was afraid of me or for me, so I stretched a tentative hand out to him, praying he didn’t pull away. He nuzzled into my hand, and I started bawling harder.

How can he be so caring? I wondered. Isn’t he afraid of me? I’m a monster with a raging anger problem, and he’s cuddling up to me. Why?

When it felt like I didn’t even have the energy to sit up on my own. I forced myself to stand.

“I guess I should clean up,” I announced to the others.

They nodded and joined me as I grabbed a broom.