Within the Sapphire Forest

Chapter 17

I had a horribly rude awakening, as something landed on my chest. I opened my eyes to see brown eyes staring at me, a mop of unruly blonde hair dangling in his face.

I groaned and pulled the blanket over my head.

“Aunt Eve, you have to wake up. Mom said it's time for you to wake up!” Thomas roared in my ear.

I sat straight up, knocking him back, and unleashing a barrage of laughter from him.

“What did you say?” I asked, shocked.

“Mom said I should come wake you up for breakfast.”

“No, what did you call me?”

He seemed confused, c*****g his head to the side in thought.

“He called you Aunt Eve,” Carrie answered from the doorway.

I jumped, and Thomas started laughing again.

“Sorry, I just thought you’d like to wake up before Christmas. We were going to head over to Sophia’s for pancakes, if you’re interested but it looks like you’re just waking up, so I understand if you’re not up to it.”

I shook my head as I said, “No, I’m in, I just need to shower, then I’ll be right down.”

Carrie nodded and ushered Thomas out of the room. I jumped to my feet and stretched my arms over my head, trying to wake up.

“Damn it, woman,” someone said at the door, and I wondered why I didn’t just shut it and lock it.

I turned to see Caden standing at the door, his eyes glowing as he tried desperately to tear his gaze from me. I blushed and pulled the shirt down to try to cover my underwear.

“Sorry, I was just about to jump in the shower,” I said, dropping my gaze.

A growl was the only warning I had before Caden grabbed me by my waist and pushed me up against the wall, my feet dangling, and my only support his body pressed against mine.

“Caden,” I whispered, his face inches from mine.

“Every time I think about you in this shirt with no pants on, it's all I can do to control myself, but this? Little Love, I can’t take this. I know you’re not ready, but I don’t think I keep my sanity any longer with you looking like this,” he said, his voice thick with lust.

I couldn’t meet his eyes as I felt shame and embarrassment bring tears to my eyes. I didn’t know how to give him what he wanted, how to give him my body without feeling like I was losing myself. In the past months of living together, he’d never seen me naked, and rarely had he seen me fully in my pajamas. He normally just flipped around so he didn’t look at me.

He dropped me gently as soon as he saw my tears.

“Hey, Evianna, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to push. I promise I’ll wait as long as you want to,” he apologized, forcing me to look at him.

“No, I’m sorry,” I cried, feeling myself crumble. “You’re so good to me, but I’m terrible to you.”

He wrapped me in his arms and rubbed my back.

“You have every right to want to wait, and really, I don’t mind. I just want you to be happy.”

“But I want you to be happy, too. It’s not fair if you’re the only one trying to make this relationship work.”

“You have given me so much. You saved my life, saved my pack, gave up your home, your culture, everything, to live with me, and you haven’t complained about it once. I love you, and I’m so grateful to have you in my life. That’s enough for me, so I’ll wait for you without complaining anymore.”

I looked up into his eyes and the sincerity that filled them gave me enough courage to plant my lips on his. He froze for a second, before deepening the kiss, moving his lips in rhythm with mine. 

I broke the kiss suddenly and raced for the bathroom, shutting the door behind me.

I showered quickly and threw on my favorite skinny jeans and a cute striped tank top. I braided my hair and quickly raced out of the room and down to where Carrie and Thomas were waiting in the living room. Together, we walked to the main building.

An older short woman with greying red hair bustled around the kitchen, flipping pancakes, cooking bacon, and generally making my mouth water. I couldn’t cook a decent pancake for anything. They were always burnt, or gooey, and once I somehow managed to do both, so staring at the stack of beautiful golden brown deliciousness made my stomach growl.

The woman turned and fixed me with a scrutinizing stare. Then she crooked her finger at me, motioning me towards her. I took a few steps as nerves shot through me, not knowing what would happen. Carrie and Thomas seemed perfectly okay with the situation, which made me feel a little better. 

The mystery woman circled around me, looking me up and down. When she faced me again, she smiled and said, “You’re too skinny, dear. Eat some pancakes before you starve to death. I’ll have the bacon done in a second and you just let me know if you need anything else.

“Oh, um, thank you,” I replied, still confused.

“My name is May, but everyone calls me Mama May. I cook for the pack most days, so everyone gets a good meal. The exception of course is the members who have families. They tend to care for themselves.”

I prepared a plate of pancakes and replied, “Nice to meet you, I’m Evianna.”

“I know who you are, darling. You’re pretty famous around here now, and I think that’s so nice. Witches never bothered me, any, I just never got to see much of them when I was kid. I’m sure you understand.”

I didn’t know what to say so I nodded passively. 

Carrie smiled encouragingly as she made pancakes for herself and Thomas. Once the bacon was finished, we snatched that up, and thanked May on our way out. We decided to sit outside since the weather was so nice, just before it got really hot in the day.

“When do you think you and Caden will complete the bonding ceremony?” Carrie asked casually.

I choked on my pancakes. The bonding ceremony to werewolves was even more intense than a simple marriage, given it bonded the souls and lives of the two who completed it. I hadn’t even considered marriage, let alone the bonding ceremony.

“I have no idea,” I replied as soon as I could breathe again. “Caden and I hadn’t discussed it.”

“You two don’t discuss a lot of things, do you? I know the romance is new, and your situation is unique, but the sooner you guys get it done, the better.”

“You say that like it's getting laundry done, not binding my soul and my life to another person. And it’s not that I don’t want to eventually complete the bonding ceremony. I’m just not ready right now.”

“When will you be ready?”

“I don’t know.”

I felt like I was being interrogated, and it made me uncomfortable. She started glaring at me, unhappy with my answers, and said, “You better figure it out soon. Caden is driving himself crazy for you, the least you could do is the binding ceremony.”

I was shocked at her tone. I thought we were becoming close friends but her accusing eyes, and demanding tone made me reevaluate.

“I need to go care for my creatures, I’ll see you later.” 

I excused myself quickly and ran to the cabin. Why couldn’t everyone just leave me alone. I wasn’t a werewolf, it wasn’t my culture, but here I was giving up everything for them to make the pack more comfortable.

I opened the door to an empty cabin. The fairies and pixies had vanished, and I’m sure the brownie didn’t care very much for me. Not knowing what else to do, I sat on the floor, numb and confused.

“What are you moping about?” someone sneered behind me.

I turned to the back of the cabin and saw Zoey hiding in the shadows.

I jumped to my feet, mumbling, “Oh, sorry, I didn’t know anyone was in here.”

“That’s because you don’t look before you leap. You just assume everythings going to work out for you, because you’re some super powerful witch with an alpha wrapped around her finger.”

I couldn’t grasp what she was saying at first.

“I’m sorry, Zoey, I never meant you any harm. Things just happened.”

She stalked toward me and my stomach twisted. Something about her wasn’t right, but I couldn’t put my finger on what.

“Yeah, well, things are just going to keep happening then,” she replied.

Her words didn’t make sense to me, but her tone was malicious.

“If you want to talk, figure out a way to make things work, we can go back to the main house and sit down together. I want to help you.”

“Help me?” she laughed. “Don’t worry, you will.”

I tried to back up, worried about what she would do, but she lunged forward, grabbing my arm tight, and slapping something onto my wrist. It burned, and I looked down to see a scar on my arm, a power binding sigil. 

“What the f**k?” I yelled, yanking my arm out of her grip. “Where the f**k did you get this?”

“From a friend, and he’s desperate to meet you.”

I bolted for the door, but she grabbed my tank top and threw me backwards. I knocked over some supplies on the counter. I grabbed anything my hands could reach and started throwing them at her. I even tried to use my magic, but it felt like burning pressure in my chest every time, so I had to give up that tactic, or get seriously hurt.

She blocked the door, so I couldn’t make an escape, and she was faster and stronger than me, so I wasn’t likely to win in a fight. I could only think of one other thing to do.

I screamed at the top of my lungs, praying that if I didn’t damage her hearing, then at least the closest wolves would hear me and come running.

Zoey leaped while I screamed, landing on my chest and cutting off my airway. I started punching, and fighting as my lungs burned and black spots danced across my vision. The only thing I could think was, I need air, but I couldn’t get any. The spots grew and ringing filled my ears as my body lost energy. I couldn’t see anything, and the last thing I heard before losing consciousness was Zoey laughing at me.

When I came to, I was slung over somebody’s shoulder, my wrists and ankles bound with rope, and something gagging me. I studied the area, and saw we were walking through a dense forest of spruce trees. I also noticed that I was being carried by a massive dark man, and two men flanked him on either side, but I didn’t know if anyone was in front of him. I realized very quickly that even one was more than enough to handle me, considering the mark burned into my arm.

But I healed quickly from burns, the one self healing aspect of witches that was superior to every other creature. We could not burn, no matter how hard anyone tried. The only exception to that rule was celestial fire, a magical blue flame powered not only by the most expert of magical users, but also by the gods. It was very rare for someone to wield that level of power, so I wasn’t too concerned with the mark lasting long.

“Hey, she’s awake,” the man to my left announced.

The three came to a stop, and the massive brute dropped me to the ground with a harsh thud. I protested, but whatever was over my mouth trapped my voice. I looked around and saw five men all smirking down at me. The one that caught my attention was the gray haired man with yellow eyes.

“Nice to see you again,” he purred, making my stomach twist in revulsion. “I suppose now is as good a time as any to teach you your first lessons.”

He yanked the materials from my mouth, and I spit at him, landing a fairly impressive glob if I do say so myself.

His hand connected with my face so fast, I didn’t even see him move, but I felt the intense sting that spread across my cheek, and tears welled in my eyes. I forced them back, refusing to cry in front of him.

He grabbed my chin with so much pressure, I was certain he would break my jaw, and he leaned in so his face was a breath away from my. He smelled like he hadn’t bathed in weeks, which he might not have, and his skin and hair were caked in made.

“First, I’m in charge. I’m your alpha. What I say goes, or I’ll only punish you again.”

“If that’s what you call a punishment, I think I’ll be okay,” I commented, and I deeply regretted the attitude as soon as it escaped my mouth.

A deep smirk distorted his already creepy face into an even creepier one as he answered, “Oh, trust me, my rabbit, I can do so much worse to you.”

He emphasized my dropping his hand to my lap and rubbing up my leg from knee almost to my crotch. I jerked back as much as I could in my bound state, which earned a laugh from the men. Nathan glared up at them and they stopped suddenly.

“Second, you belong to me now, and me alone. Caden is dead to you, now, and if I ever hear his name come out of your mouth, I won’t hesitate to cut your tongue out.”

The crazed look in his eyes made me believe him.

“Third, when I see fit, you will use your magic as I see fit. If I want you to burn down the false Wyoming Mountain Pack, you will. If I want a protection spell, or fertility magic, even a love spell, you will do it without complaint.”

“What happened to Cleo?” I asked, then flinched back, prepared for another hit.

I really needed to learn to control my damn mouth, but he didn’t touch me. I looked up and saw the pleasure in his eyes. He enjoyed the stupid mind game he was playing with me.

“Cleo is no longer useful in the ways I need her to be,” he explained. “You made it blatantly clear that she’s not nearly powerful enough to protect my pack, or attack my enemies. So, now she’s just a mediator between me and my newest ally, which brings me to lesson four.”

He stood and pulled me to my feet, positioning himself behind me so he could wrap his arm around my waist to keep me upright. 

Then, he leaned in to whisper in his oily slick voice, “Don’t trust anyone but me. Everyone else will turn their backs on you and lie to you, but I never will.”

A figure stepped out from behind the trees, and my stomach dropped and my blood ran cold. She smiled menacingly at me as she walked towards me.

“I told you I would make your life a living hell, Evianna,” Grandma Rose said. “This is your last chance to apologize to me, and I’ll forgive you and your actions and accept you back into the coven.”

I couldn’t believe her. I knew she was a controlling vindictive b***h, but to give me to another pack just because she was bitter was insanity.

So I spoke the only words I knew that would finish our stupid squabble once and for all. 

“I, Evianna Fallon Woods, denounce you, Rose Deanne Garret, as my blood and family. May our ties be broken by Great Luna, and our bond burned away by Great Sol, and may I never see your face again.”

She sucked in a breath as rage burned in her eyes. I’d said the one spell that didn’t need magic, only true conviction, and it couldn’t be undone. It made it so the blood bond between us, the same blood bond between all relatives, was destroyed. It was also a massive slap in the face to her, my last way of taking a stand against her.

Suddenly, she grabbed my bound hands and ran a knife over my arm, drawing blood. I pulled back, afraid of what she would do, but she kept hold as she dragged her finger through the blood. Then she pulled out a black leather collar that had a cotton inside and sturdy silver colored ring and clasp. She smeared the blood around the outside of the collar and the clasp, chanting the power binding spell.

“No!” I shouted, realizing what was happening. “You can’t do this!”

She finished chanting and gave the collar to Nathan, who grinned wickedly as he turned me around.

“It’s already done,” she replied.

Nathan’s men held me up and held me steady as I tried to fight against them, struggling and shouting with all of my might. As soon as he clicked it in place, I lost control of my legs, and if not for the men, I would have hit the ground.

“I bet you’re wishing you’d just apologized now,” Rose hissed as she disappeared into the trees.