lightning witch 02 - lightning legacy (22 page)

This is the prophecy, my darling girl. I wanted to stop it from happening. I wanted to prevent you from experiencing any pain. But I cannot. Just know that when I am gone, I will be with you always. And tell Troy he is welcome for the gift I will be giving him.

I love you daughter mine,

Mil

What. The. Actual. Hell. Did that even mean? I handed the letter to Reid. I understood all of the prophecy. All but one line. The bit about me being mated. Did that mean what I thought it meant? No. No. It couldn’t.

I looked to Reid, whose eyes went wide. Oh yeah, I was betting he just got to that part.

"Well, that wasn't straightforward or anything," he finally commented in a sarcastic tone.

“Yeah.” It was all I could say.
Oh shit
. We both sat on the bed not talking, not voicing our thoughts. I thought I would be in tears, but I was in too much shock for that.

“So, that part about being mated. Does it mean what I think it means?” Reid finally asked.

All I did was nod. I mean what else could I do? This letter basically just said that all the things that should be impossible weren’t.

Surprise! Not only can you be turned into a werewolf, you can get pregnant too.

"Okay." He was a little dazed, but he seemed calm. Calm? I was having a panic attack of epic proportions over here and mister big bad was calm.

“I think I can kill Mitch,” I intoned, not meeting his eyes.

“Delaney, you can’t kill your maker. It’s impo …” I held up a hand, stopping him.

“I’m not a werewolf. I’m not bound by those laws or compulsions. Come on, I think I know what I am. Let’s go find Monique. I want to be sure.”

WELL THAT LETTER
was ... enlightening. And Delaney looked freaked out, to say the least. I wondered which part freaked her out the most. My fear was with this news, she would draw away from me. We had been through hell and back and I wouldn’t let her run from me. After the shock of the contents of that box, she could have crumbled. Damn if she looked more pissed off and seemed to have this drive about her. I was so proud of her. Now, this letter, the knowledge that her future had been mapped out for her, seemed to really scare the shit out of her. Or was it that we could have children? I mean, did she not want children or did she not want them with me? I’d given up hope of that long ago, but now that it was possible, my heart began to swell with just the thought of it. Delaney didn’t need more on her plate. She needed to be supported. I needed to put my own personal feelings and thoughts aside.

When she got up from the bed and finished getting ready for the day, she seemed almost somber. I wanted to know what she was feeling, but knew she needed to be sure about the prophecy before she would put words to her feelings. It just hurt my heart that I couldn't offer her solace.

Finding Monique had been easy, as she and Troy were working in the backyard.

“Monique, do you have a moment?” I called from the porch.

She looked up and nodded. She walked toward me with a small smile on her face.

"Hello, Reid. What's up?"

I handed her the letter. Delaney needed to be alone for a few moments, and I wanted Monique to be ready for the conversation. As she read, her face gradually fell. When she finished, her mouth was set in a white line.

“Listen, we have been told half-truths this whole time. Delaney and I need to know everything. We need to know about the past and the prophecy. We need to know it all. You’re the only one who can tell us.”

I met her dark eyes. She needed to know just how firm I was on this. So, I added the one thing I knew would break any doubt or loyalty she had to the Coven.

“You owe it to her.”

Her head dropped in resignation. She nodded, not meeting my eyes. What could she have said? The whole fucking Coven owed her. I owed her. We both walked into the living room and waited on Delaney to come in. Knowing Delaney, she was trying to avoid it. If it were up to her, we would be waiting here for another few hours. As much as I didn't want to rush her, time was not on our side. We wouldn’t wait for Mitch to come here, we would go to him. We needed to take him unaware.

It only took Delaney twenty minutes. She looked so defeated. My heart ached for her. She sat down next to me with her feet tucked up under her. She looked like she was trying to make herself a smaller target. As though whatever was to come wouldn't hit her. It was hard enough seeing her pain, but now, with our connection, I could feel it. I grabbed her hand and laced our fingers together. She was mine, and I protect what's mine.

“Is it all true? Is that all of it?” she asked.

Monique seemed uncomfortable, but resigned.

“Yes. Please know it’s ingrained in us when we enter the inner circle that this prophecy is to be kept hidden.”

"I want to know about our origins. Mil told me, but I want to hear it from you. I want to be sure about everything."

"Werewolves and witches came from one being. Druids." With the mention of Druids, Delaney seemed to breathe again. Even a small amount of tension left her body.

“When the Druids stopped the human sacrifices, the power split. Originally, we had the power to shift into an animal and control any earthly ability. When the powers split, the witches’ powers were greatly diminished. And the werewolves kept the strength, but lost the magic. They tried to change witches at first, hoping that would unite the power again, but it didn’t work. Well, not until you.”

"Why hide this? If they wanted the powers brought back together, why not just be open about it. Hell, why wouldn't they want me to be turned?" I’d been wondering this same question.

"The Coven has changed. They have become self-serving and power hungry. They have been looking for you for years. They knew Mil had something to do with it, but no one could find her."

“Why did they want me?”

“They wanted to use your power and then they would breed you. They knew all of your offspring would be what we used to be.”

“So, I can have children?”

My heart was racing with that question.

"Yes, but only with a mate. I don't know how that works. As witches, we love like humans. Werewolves are a little different in that regard." Her eyes flicked from me to Delaney and back. I was sure she knew.

An uncountable amount of heartbeats had gone by before she spoke again, "What am I?"

Monique seemed troubled by the question. She shifted and seemed to be giving the question serious consideration.

“Delaney, I think you are as we used to be, and if I had to put a name to it, I would say you’re a Druid.”

Why did that word, Druid, seem to carry so much weight? I looked over to Delaney. This news had shocked me. I thought she was a werewolf like me now. I should have known better. My Delaney was different. She was perfect. I just hoped she could see what I always had. When I met her eyes, she didn't look shocked. Instead, she had a wicked smile on her face. A knowing smile. I raised an eyebrow at her in question.

"I don't have to follow the rules you’re bound by. I was born to break them."

She was staking her claim. She was stalking her kill. Druid, witch, it didn't matter, she was all wolf, all predator. I couldn't be prouder of my mate, my Delaney.

"Reid, you said you had a plan. I need to hear it."

Her tone was icy, and I almost felt bad for Mitch. Okay, not at all did I feel bad for him. I just hoped when it came down to it, my wolf would let her have the kill.

"Well, this whole thing with Anderson, as we know, was a ploy. Simply to make us wait for Mitch to amass power and come here."

"I agree, when I heard about it, it sounded like some mind trick Mitch would play," Monique added.

“Well, what do you think we should do?” Delaney asked.

"I think we need to ambush him. Hit him hard and fast. Power or not, we can’t wait until the full moon. I have a plan, but it will take you, Monique, and Troy. Especially Troy. This all hinges on his ability. And one other person."

After I detailed my plan, everyone looked cautious. Hell, I had no idea if this would even work. Delaney had been through so damned much that it had to work. It just had to.

“I’ll go tell Troy,” Delaney stated as she got up and walked out the back door.

I immediately felt the loss of her. Touching her, hell, just being near her, felt so damned right. After the months of not having her around me, I had to fight the urge to go after her. And oh the things I’d done to her and still wanted to do to her.

"So, she's your mate then?" Monique's voice seemed to jolt me from my thoughts.

I nodded. I couldn’t place Monique’s expression. It seemed odd to me. And that sparked my curiosity.

“Well, let’s hope she’s not expecting. That would sure make this more difficult.”

It would, but why did something seem wrong about her tone?

“Did you tell us everything about the prophecy?”

Her eyes widened at the question.

"Yes, Reid, I did. I know you don't trust the Coven as a whole, and the inner circle did nothing to help you, but I swear I have told you everything."

I believed her when she said she told us everything, but still there was something. I think I was overthinking the situation. Monique had proven helpful and was willing to lay down everything and fight Mitch. That alone spoke volumes. I nodded and then got up and walked to the back door. Troy sat behind Delaney doing something to her hair. Every time he lifted a brown lock up and twisted it, it seemed to spark with red firelight. She looked happy. Her eyes flicked to me, and they sparked with silver then returned to their gray. I growled in response. I couldn't help it. She must have heard me, because a bright smile spread across her face.

“D, your hair's a mess. I refuse to be seen out in public with you until something is done with it. So stop moving. Don’t worry, I got this,” Troy assured her.

"You know, Troy, nothing scares me more than you saying you got this. Talk about the fear of God."

He pulled her hair and she shouted in pain, then they both started laughing. Something I wasn't sure I would ever hear again. This whole thing had changed the woman I loved. It had hardened her to the world. It had opened her eyes to everything. In that moment, she was my Delaney, my sweet mate. She was strong and could protect herself. Not all bad came out of this.

The words from my dream so long ago came back to me in a rush. "Reid, she is breaking." The words had nearly killed me. It seemed like she had to break. And now she was who she was always meant to be … Mine.

She tentatively reached up to touch the mess atop her head. Her eyes went wide, and she turned to face Troy.

“It’s worse than when you started!”

"I'm a drag queen, not a miracle worker!" Troy exclaimed, eyeing the mess that was her hair. "I can't be in public with you like this, go shower and then we will go."

Go? My hackles rose at the thought of her going off in the city alone. Okay, not that Savannah was a big city, I just didn't like the idea. Delaney stiffened and looked over at me. She could tell I didn't much like the thought.

"Delaney." I tried to keep the warning out of my voice, I failed utterly.

"Reid," she said as she walked over and stood just a few inches from me.

Her scent assailed my nose. That scent of gardenias and ozone spiked with the faintest spice of her arousal. It made my chest tighten and things began to stir in me. She had me wrapped around her finger. I was beginning to think she knew it. This little female could bring me to my knees, and there would be little I could do about it.

"We are going to pick up a few things and stop off at a favorite spot to train."

There was no question.

She used her two fingers to walk up my chest. Each small digit left a heated trail that went straight to my shaft. It wasn't until her pinkie finger slipped between buttons of my shirt that I realized I’d stopped breathing. She was playing me, and there was nothing I could do. I swallowed the large lump that was tightly situated in my throat. It did little to elevate the building pressure in my body. I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her to me, burying my face in the crook of her neck and inhaling. She gasped. I looked past her to Troy.

"She will be ready in an hour and a half." My tone was guttural. Without another word, I turned and walked her to our bedroom. I needed her and only right now would do. Right now, with my Delaney.