Love Charms (5 page)

Was it fair to ask Benji not to use his
human voice for an entire weekend? What about her cauldron? And what of the
detailed ornaments or decorations that dotted the corners of her home? Spending
days here, those little details may stand out a little too much.

Maybe Benji and Ziara were right. Was it
worth it if she couldn’t be herself? How would she decide if he’s worth the
chance? She wanted to be with him, but at what cost?

Chapter
4

Raven planned to see her parents the
following day. She’d stop by for lunch and just get it over with. Dread was too
nice of a word for the afternoon, but she’d have to face her parents
eventually.  Derek wouldn’t be over until Friday. He said he’d come by after
work.  That left a gap of time, and without another client until Tuesday, she
was clear to get the visit out of the way. It’s not that she didn’t love her
parents, and well, visits were fine. Only this time it was about her choice in
men. They rarely approved, and weren’t shy about their feelings. This wouldn’t
go smoothly.

She fingered the amulet, rubbing against
the smooth glass. Who truly needed the protection, her or Derek? Maybe they
both needed a little protecting. Truth be told, she needed luck more than
protection. Her father would be free with his opinions, layering them on
strongly.

With summer coming to a close (their Warm
Season) and “Season of the Witch” coming up, Raven knew the pressure would be
on. Always the pressure. It grew tiresome. She wasn’t ready! Her family noted
that she’d gone longer than most female witches and still didn’t have children.
They were all waiting for her to settle down. But why were they in such a
hurry? She wasn’t ready! It was frustrating. Previous generations settled down
younger, but she couldn’t see jumping into marriage and babies so quickly. She
wanted to be sure she was ready. Drawing her fingers to her temples, she rubbed
them, wishing the situation away. She hated the rush. She hated that she was
expected to follow tradition.

Why couldn’t they just let her live her
life the way she wanted? Why did everyone demand she be like everyone else? At
least she’d only get pregnant when
she
was good and ready. That was one
thing she had control over.

Witches didn’t get pregnant like mortals
did. Once they’re ready to be a parent, they invoke the ability to become
pregnant. It took potions and herbs, along with a spell. Special verses were
cited. Only then can a witch become impregnated. Simply having sex wasn’t
enough. 

Raven’s family thought she’d be ready for
children by now. She just wasn’t. She needed to be sure. Free will was an
important aspect of her life. She got to make the divine decision, not her
family. And all the pressure in the world wasn’t going to change that. She was
determined to find her own happiness. Maybe she was stubborn, so what? Why
shouldn’t she choose her future? Dropping her head to her hands, she sighed
deeply. She’d have to get this conversation over eventually. There was no
putting it off.

Raven busied herself turning books around
and tucking away trinkets that might capture Derek’s interest. She moved vials
and beakers to more discreet locations, and decorated her cauldron with
flowers, making it look like a decorative piece. When he stopped by to pick her
up, it was easy to tuck things away for a few moments, but he’d be spending an
entire weekend there. Things that he barely paid attention to in a quick visit
would offer more curiosity if he was around longer. She didn’t need him asking
too many questions.

Thursday came way too quickly. Her
stomach knotted, already knowing what her father would say. Raven dreaded the
visit with her parents. It wasn’t going to be an easy day, that’s for sure. She
clenched her teeth. Her jaw was tight, tense over the impending conversations.

Benji was going home, too. She opened the
car door for him. It was fun to watch a slobbering bulldog with his head out
the window. It was weird knowing her brother was stuck in this form, but
moments like these, watching his cheeks blow around as he enjoyed the wind
against his face, it was kind of neat.

“Man, I totally get this.” His face was
planted against the wind as they drove. “It’s awesome. The wind feels so cool.”

It took them two hours to get there. The
closer they got to the witch village, the more Raven’s stomach played with her,
butterflies in full force. She loved her parents, but she wasn’t looking
forward to the conversation they were going to have today. She pulled her car
up to the familiar house she grew up in. They were good memories, but as an ambitious
teen and seeing her sister living out in the mortal world, she was itching to
start her own life. Some things never change. She still wanted to do things her
way.

“Mom, Dad, it’s nice to see you.” She
hugged her parents. She tried to hide the dread that had planted in her veins.

“Isn’t it, though? It seems like our baby
girl has been avoiding us,” Dad started, hardly hiding his feelings.

Mom nudged his side with her elbow. “At
least let her breathe a moment.”

“Thanks, Mom.” At least her mother gave
her a moment to breathe.

“I see you’re wearing the amulet. It
looks lovely on you.” Her mother smiled.

“Oh, is that why you sent it? It was
pretty?” Raven teased, tongue-in-cheek. It was going to be a long visit. 
Please,
please, please, let it go quickly
.

“I’m just saying, it’s pretty – the
colors against your hair and skin tone. Besides, a little extra protection
never hurt anyone.” Raven’s mother tried to make light of it, but she knew the
truth.

“Could I get a bowl of water?” Benji
jumped in, trying to cut the stress. “Great ride, but man, I could use a
drink.”

“Sure, honey. Let’s go into the kitchen
and leave your father and Raven to talk for a few moments. You can catch me up
on the latest gossip in town.” With that, they were pushing through the swinging
door that led to the kitchen.

They’d all gotten used to Benji as a
toad, and then a bulldog. The shock had worn off, and everybody just accepted
it was still their Benji they knew and loved. In a witches world, odd was
sometimes the normal.

“Pumpkin,” Raven’s father waved his hand
towards the furniture. “Why don’t you have a seat?”

“Daddy, before you start…I love him. I
need to put that on the table.” She rushed to get the words out. Words she was
nervous to say out loud, but nothing less than her truth. She did love Derek.

Raven’s father shook his head. “So soon?
Raven, I want you to be happy, girl, truly I do. I just worry that you’re going
to fall into a very complicated puzzle with a mortal. You saw what Sally and
Tom’s daughter went through when she married a mortal. It was difficult for all
of them, and what of their children – cross-bred, unable to carry on the
witches’ tradition, unable to practice magic.” Mortals and witches weren’t
meant to come together this way. She knew that, but Raven always had her own
ideas.

“Daddy, would you love grandchildren that
were cross-bred?” Raven quizzed her father.

“What kind of question is that? Of course
I would! I’d love any children that came of your flesh and blood. It’s not
about that. It’s about regret down the line. You may not wish it now, but what
of later when they grow? Will you then wish you’d been able to pass your gift
down? It’s such a rare thing. How fair will it be to them that their cousins
and friends will possess special powers, but they won’t?”

“In the mortal world, they won’t notice
it the same way. I intend to stay there, not move back to the village if I
marry – just like Ziara did. She manages.” She already felt defensive.

“You’ve always been a little stubborn, we
both know that. I’m not telling you not to love this man, but just realize how
much is involved, and not just for you, but for him as well. Your secrets need
to remain in him. He won’t be able to tell his own family, and the choices
he’ll have to make will be difficult. Is that fair to him? How will he react
when he hears he’s been dating a witch all this time, and he wasn’t even
allowed to know, even though you trusted him in other ways?”

Raven looked down. That’s the hardest
part; Derek didn’t know she was a witch. It felt deceptive, and yet it’s in the
witch by-laws, he can’t know – not until a commitment to matrimony is in
place. There was no easy way to deal with that tiny detail. It pained her to
think about how he might react. What would he say when he learned she was a
witch? Would he understand what it meant? Or would he think she being a witch
was like some make-believe fairytale he heard about as a child? 

The day moved slowly, her parents harking
on the fact that Derek was a mortal. Good points were made by all, but she was
more than ready to be finished with the conversation. Leaving, they said their
good-byes and headed out to the car. The drive home was quiet. Benji curled up
and napped a good part of the drive. His belly was full from their mother’s
good cooking.  That was one great reason about going home, their mother was a
damn fine cook.

Raven couldn’t stop thinking about her
father’s words. What would Derek say when he found out she was a witch? Would
it only end with hurt feelings? What about kids? She hated the idea of her
children not getting her special gifts passed down. And yet, there was
something special about Derek. She needed more time with him. Her stomach
clenched. She’d have to tell him eventually. This wouldn’t be easy. No matter
how she looked at it, the truth had to come out. How he reacted, she had no
control over. What if he rejected her? What if he walked away?

When Friday evening rolled around and
Derek showed up at her doorstep, Raven knew it was pointless. Every worry she
had melted away. The only thing that mattered was being in his arms. It’s where
she belonged. She’d never been surer of that. The stress drained off of her
shoulders. Everything inside of her told her exactly what she needed to know.
Derek was the one, the one she wanted to spend her life with.

His kisses were tender and his embrace
strong. She always felt secure in his arms. Was she fooling herself? Was this
all some façade that would melt away once he knew her truth?

Raven’s hands roved across his taut body,
his muscles rippling under her touch. She couldn’t get enough of him. He’d
stolen her heart. She loved making love to him. His body moved like a stallion,
mesmerizing her. His hands and mouth knew how to push her to its peak, and then
just as she’d start to let go, he’d pleasure her all over again.

Together in bed, come Sunday morning, she
thought she was hearing things.  When he spoke, she had to hold in the gasp.

“Let’s move in together,” he said,
starting his case. “I don’t want to be apart from you. We’ve been dating a
while now, we should live together.”

She backpedaled.
It’s too complicated
.
“I can’t live with you, I have Benji. Your condo doesn’t allow dogs,” she
protested softly.

“I can move here, and I’ll sublet my
place for the time being. What do you think?”

“Derek, I love the idea, but….” How would
she get around this? The idea excited her and scared her at the same time. This
was big. Only, bigger than she was ready to tackle.

“But?” He couldn’t see the issue. He
adored Raven and knew he wanted to be with her.

“I can’t live with you. I believe in
traditions. I don’t want to live with someone before I’m married.”

“Then marry me,” he said, barely missing
a beat.

“What? What did you just say? Isn’t it a
little soon?” The shock on Raven’s face said it all.
Did he just say what I
think he said?

“Raven, I love you. I want you in my
life. If living together doesn’t work for you, it doesn’t work for you. If
you’re my wife, we can be together. That’s my ultimate goal, being with you. So
what do you say? Will you marry me?”

“I don’t know. It feels so rushed. I love
you too, but…” Her insides twitched with excitement. Did he really mean it?
Adrenaline kicked in as her heart raced. Was this for real?

“And? So it’s rushed. It doesn’t change
the question. Will you marry me?”

Raven burst into a grin. “Really? You
really mean it? Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but yes, Derek,
I’ll marry you!” Her entire body tingled. It was so unexpected. Marriage?
Really? Were they really going to do this?

“Really? You’ll really marry me?” He was
in shock. “We need to go ring shopping!” He was happy, genuinely tickled, and
not scared or hesitant. There was no regret that the words had slipped out of
his mouth.  Would there be when he found out the truth?

Raven was quickly grounded when she
realized what this meant. “Derek, there’s just one thing. We need to talk
first. There’s something I have to tell you. Things may get complicated.” The
dread quickly filled back through her veins. She’d have to say the words, the
words she was afraid to admit. She was a witch. There was no way around it.

Chapter
5

Snuggled against her future husband, she
was still in shock. It was a lot to take in. Derek proposed to her when she
least expected it. And yet here they were, ready to build a future together.
There was so much left to talk about, and at some point she’d have to tell him
the truth. She’s a witch. She was clueless how to actually broach the topic.

Hey sweetheart, would you like bacon or
sausage with your eggs, and by the way I’m a witch!
Maybe she could bring up Benji.
Hey
babe, remember when you thought you heard the dog talking? Yeah, that was real,
and by the way I’m a witch.
Either way she sliced it, it still left her
afraid of his response. Would he take it well and simply be surprised or would
he freak out never wanting to see her again? It was a scary proposition.

Raven’s head was spinning; she’d just
agreed to be Derek’s wife. She loved him, truly she did, but that meant it was
time to pull things apart and take a closer look at what it meant for them.
There were so many possibilities, but most came with complications. This would
touch so many lives, not just her own. And what about children-- what would it
mean to their families?

Her chest tightened. There were so many
things to discuss. It seemed less complicated when it was just about dating
somebody. Maybe her family was right. A heavy feeling sat on her shoulders.
Taking a deep breath, she knew she’d have to deal with the reality of the
situation sooner rather than later.

Maybe saying yes was a mistake. Once he
learned she was a witch it probably wouldn’t matter anyway. This might be too
big to overcome. It could overwhelm him, the fear of the unknown. She wasn’t a
mortal like he was. Raven sighed, realizing that things were going to get ugly.
The truth was staring her in the face. She’d lied to him, never told him what
he was getting in to. Would he be angry or simply curious? She hoped he’d let
her explain herself before he ran off screaming in the other direction.

What should have been a magical time, a
beautiful moment, left her filled with anxiety instead. The truth could wait
one more day, right? She knew the answer to that, even if it was an answer she
didn’t want to accept. Derek deserved the truth.

Raven rolled over and gave Derek a kiss,
wishing him sweet dreams. Curling into him, she closed her eyes, but sleep had
no interest in coming. Her mind was overactive, thinking of every possible
outcome. If only she could stop thinking about it for even a moment, she might
actually get some sleep. When she did finally drift off, her sleep was fitful.
When morning came, she wasn’t ready. This wasn’t going to go well. She was more
afraid of his reaction than saying the words out loud.

Derek stretched and rubbed his eyes. “I’m
going to make some coffee. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

She nodded and rolled back over. How much
time could she buy? Raven took a deep breath. She’d have to say something soon.

It didn’t take him long. When he showed
back up in the bedroom doorway, eyes wide open, she knew something was wrong.
He looked like he saw a ghost.

“What happened?” She almost didn’t want
to know.

“The dog…” He could barely speak. He
turned to look toward the stairs. “The dog…” he said again.  He stood in shock,
almost unable to talk.

“Benji?”
Oh shit
.

“The dog…the dog was talking.” The words
felt funny coming out. A talking dog, who says stuff like that? It almost felt
like a dream. This couldn’t be real, could it?

“What?” She tried to play it off and
remain calm. “What are you talking about? That’s silly. Dogs don’t talk.” Panic
filled through Raven, realizing she’d just been thrown into the fire. She’d
have to tackle this sooner rather than later.

“The dog, he’s on the sofa. He was
talking in his sleep! I heard him. He was talking just like a person, in a
man’s voice.” The color drained from his face. How was that even possible? Was
he losing his marbles? Dogs don’t talk, and yet he was certain he just heard
it…no, he knew what he heard. He was positive.

“But that’s not possible.” She played
dumb. She wasn’t ready to have this conversation. “Are you sure?” She went
downstairs with him. He practically dragged her.

There he was, sprawled out on the sofa,
talking in his sleep. Dammit, Benji!

“Wow! That’s messed up.” Taking his hand,
she led him to the kitchen. He was frozen, barely able to move. “Come on,
sweetie,” she added. “Let’s get some coffee and try to figure this out.”

He didn’t want to move. His eyes were
huge, and finally, mumbling under his breath, he followed Raven to the kitchen.
“Did you see that?”

Raven added calming herbs to his coffee
and a quick drop of suggestive potion. She hated that she had to do this, but
it was for his own good. With her own tea in hand, she handed him the coffee.

He was rambling quickly now, tripping
over his words. “He was talking, something about a dove, and the name Charlene.
What the hell was that?” The words…nothing made sense.

As his words slowed down, Raven could see
the coffee’s mixture starting to work. It was for his protection. She
instinctively reached up and fingered the amulet around her neck. She took a
deep breath, and cautiously timed her words. She had to replace what he’d seen
with a new suggestion. If she didn’t time it right, it might not stick.

“That was weird, right? By the way, you
were talking in your sleep last night. It was so strange. You were going on and
on about the dog talking like a person. I’m not sure what kind of dream you
were having, but you were talking in your sleep last night.” She planted the
suggestion and let the potion do the rest.

Derek cocked his head. “What?” Wait…what?

“You had some weird dream or something.
You were mumbling in your sleep, something about a talking dog…” she said
calmly, giving nothing away.

He rubbed his temples with his fingers.
“Really?” He didn’t remember that.

“Yeah, it was kind of funny. You didn’t
seem stressed about it, but you did it a few times, then rolled over and went
back to sleep.” She continued, hoping it would stick.

“Huh. I wish I remembered my dream.”
Derek shook his head, not really sure what happened.

Raven saw calm gently glide across his
face. She knew the potion took, because there was no more talk of Benji. He
seemed resolved. At least that was behind them. How many more times would she have
situations like this? She’d have to tell him soon, admit that she’s a witch.
Before returning to the living room, Raven raised her mental voice loudly,
hoping to rouse Benji from his sleep. 
Phew, no more talking…

“Raven, what the hell? I’m sleeping here!”
Benji growled out loud, annoyed that his sister disturbed him. He was in the
middle of a great dream.

“Shit.”
Here we go again.

Benji was just waking up, and didn’t
remember she had company.

Derek’s eyes popped open again. He was
backing up, this time afraid. Panic filled his face, his eyes went wide, and as
he shook his head, Raven groaned.

“Derek, we need to talk.” She wasn’t
ready. It’s not like she had a choice now, though.

He spun around, confusion written on his
face.

Raven shrugged. “This is going to get
complicated, but if you truly want to get married there are some things you’ll
need to know.” She took a deep breath and continued, “Once we have this
conversation, you’ll need to make a choice. If you choose to keep the
knowledge, you’ll retain it. If you opt to let go, you’ll lose your ability to
remember any of this…and me, well, our relationship.”

“What the…” he stammered, his jaw hanging
open.

“I’m sorry to do this, honey.” Raven did
a quick spell. He sat on a chair, held gently in place, while they had the
conversation. He didn’t understand why he couldn’t get up. He also wouldn’t be
able to leave quite yet; he just knew he was fixated.

She hated to do obvious magic before
somebody, and preferred the discretion of herbs and potions, but there was no
time for that now. Besides, once he knew she was a witch, there was no going
back.

“Raven, what’s going on?” Derek was
confused, nervous, and completely unready for what he was about to hear.

“Derek, there are some things I have to
tell you. It’s going to get a little bit bumpy, but please hear me out. You
have free will to shut me down and leave before I finish, but there’s an aura
of suggestion around you, suggesting you stay in place until we finish.”

“An aura of suggestion? What the hell
does that mean?”

“It will help keep you in place when your
first instinct may be to flee.”

“Flee? I’m confused. What’s going on?
This is freaking me out!”

“Derek, I love you, baby. Due to my
family’s by-laws, I wasn’t allowed to tell you this until you proposed
marriage. I apologize for that. I know it’s a huge secret to keep, but I had
reasons I couldn’t say anything. Here it goes…”

He cut in, “By-laws? Family by-laws?”

“Honey, you need to let me finish. Here
it goes…” The words wouldn’t come out. Raven wanted to look in his eyes, the
eyes that still adored her, one last time…but it was too late. All that was
left was confusion.