Love Charms (7 page)

“Mmm, I love you, too.”

As her heartbeat slowed and her breathing
regulated, Raven turned to look at Derek, her future husband. She let herself
dream of the possibilities. She could see them laughing, married, playing with
their kids…and then her parents came into her thoughts.
Crap. I have to tell
my parents
.

Chapter
8

She’d make him an amulet this week. It
wouldn’t hurt for him to have a little extra protection when Derek met her
father. Fire, water, earth, and air…the four elements essential for her purpose
would need to be included. Spirit was considered a fifth element, but he’d have
her in spirit. How would she explain all of this? It started to close in on
her, and Raven’s momentary happiness was fleeting, realizing things were more
complicated than they seemed.

“Derek, I know this is sooner than you
probably wanted to, but you’ll need to speak with my father. It’s important for
you to request my hand from my elders. It’s not going to be an easy experience.
He isn’t thrilled with the idea of me dating a mortal. I’m going to put
together an amulet for you. It will offer a little extra protection to help you
through it.”

“Protection? You’re scaring me there.
What exactly am I being protected from?” Why would he need protection? What
exactly was happening?

“Oh, it’s not like that. It just offers a
little extra care and safety of your soul and spirit. I’ll create a special
“bead” for you to wear that combines the main four elements, sort of like what
I’m wearing. It’s not like you’re in danger, but it will help strengthen your
resolve if you need it. My father can be difficult at times.”

“Like that blue swirled bead you wear?
You touch it a lot. Is that an amulet?” He’d noticed the necklace she wore, but
never thought much about it.

“Yes.” She blushed. “My mother made it
for me. It’s to help me in my relationship with you. She knows I’m dating a
mortal. It was to protect me and to help us find our path. My father is less
than thrilled. My mother knows a woman wants what a woman wants. She figured it
couldn’t hurt. As a mortal, you see a swirled twist of color in a bead. With my
eyes, I see an ocean, a gentle summer’s storm – or as we call it, the
warm season-- and the wind blows softly.”

“You can see all of that in this tiny
bead?” He reached out to touch it.

“Yes.” She nodded. “My eyes are trained
for it.”

“Can I?” He fingered the smooth glass
bead around her neck. Leaning in closer, he wanted to see if he noticed
anything differently when he looked closer. He didn’t.

“You’re not a witch. You won’t see it,”
she explained. “It’s just a fact of life.”

“That’s interesting. I guess I have a lot
to learn about your world. Tell me about the vow of secrecy and what else I
need to know. I meant it, Raven. I love you and still want you to be my wife.”

She locked onto his gaze. He beamed with
love. “I’m just nervous now that it’s out in the open.”

“Be relieved. It’s one less stumbling
block.” He pulled her closer, exactly what she needed.

Derek rolled up on his side. “Tell me
about the elements. Let’s start small.”

Raven sighed. “Okay, but there’s so much
more to all of this. This is a basic, elementary way to explain this, sort of a
foundation.” She never thought about explaining things like this to someone
outside of witches, so it was odd trying to figure out how to put it into words
without sounding weird. “In my other world, our witch world, there are four
main elements in the universe: air, water, fire, and earth.” She took a deep
breath and continued. “Think of earth sort of like your body, maybe stability.
Air is your mind, like ideas, dreams, thoughts, or knowledge. Water is more
like your emotions, whereas fire is similar to passion, but represents change.”

“A lot of them sound similar-- ideas,
thoughts, emotions, passion – how do you separate those?” He was
confused.

“Right, I can see how it comes across
that way. Let me see if I can break it down a little differently.” She pondered
the question, something she’d known all her life, and tried to find different
words to explain them to someone who didn’t grow up bathed in this knowledge.

“Okay, some witches say there are four
main universal elements, others say there are five. One group keeps spirit as a
separate entity, where the others think of the four elements all combined
together are spirit. It doesn’t matter which group believes what, but in
general I’ll speak about the four elements, and just know that the spirit encompasses
the four. That’s what my family grew up with, so that’s how I’ll explain it to
you.” She continued. “Think of a tree. The trunk is grounded to the earth and
offers stability. It’s part of the tree.  The tree would be like our body, or
our earth element. Water helps the tree thrive. It needs this water to flow
through it, so water is like our emotions flowing through our body, helping us
thrive. Fire is change and growth. So as we grow, spiritually, emotionally, we
evolve in our spirits. This isn’t physical growth like growing taller, but
mental and spiritual growth.”

Derek nodded, following along through her
analogy. It was hard trying to break it down into little pieces.

“Okay, lastly there’s air or oxygen,
which the tree needs to flourish as well. In our case, the air fills us with
knowledge, ideas, rustles our leaves a little, helping us grow fully into who
we should be.” She shook her head. “That sounds funny. I’m not sure that’s how
I want to explain it. Maybe I should try again.” She was getting frustrated
with herself. If she couldn’t explain this tiny foundation of their beliefs,
how would she get through everything else?

Derek reached up, stroking his fingers
through Raven’s dark hair. “There’s plenty of time for me to learn more. I find
it fascinating listening to you.”

Ticking the elements off on her fingers,
she counted, “Earth is the body, air is the mind and knowledge, water is like
your thoughts and subconscious, and lastly fire is kind of like change and
energy. I guess that’s the most basic way to say it.” She laughed. “Who knew
talking about this stuff would be so weird? See, the thing is, it’s just always
been a part of my life, so I understood it like you’d understand what
applesauce tastes like. Trying to describe a taste – wet, mushy, cold,
maybe sweet, depends on if you use cinnamon…it’s sort of second nature to
recognize it when we know it, but to put it into words feels funny.”

“I’ve got a lot to learn. I’m glad I’ve
got the sexiest teacher in the land,” he cooed.

“You won’t actually need to learn most of
this stuff. It may be more curiosity for you, really. I may practice simple
potions and spells here and there, but it’s not something I do all day long. It
will seem like I’m cooking in the kitchen making a stew, only it will be herbs
and such. I’m really just working on my healing right now. I’d like to offer my
abilities to the small animals that need them. They know how to seek me out.”

“That’s pretty amazing stuff, really.”

Raven blushed. “It’s funny to hear it
praised. It’s just part of my life.”

“Do you do other stuff?”

She nodded. “I can’t get into all of
this, but yeah. My sister is much more evolved, and stronger with many things.
She’s pretty amazing, but I have always dabbled with the healing stuff. She
took her studies much more seriously than I did.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Yes,” she encouraged.

“That first time I thought I heard
Benji…I did, didn’t I?”

She laughed. “Yeah. We were freaked out.
My sister turned you to stone, and we worked out our agenda quickly.”

“What? Stone?” He got cold, obviously
freaked out. “What do you mean
turned
me to stone?”

“Don’t worry. It was just a temporary
state, very temporary. It basically held you in time, in place; it didn’t harm
you.”

“This is some serious shit, isn’t it?” He
was suddenly realizing being around witches was going to be more than he
anticipated. What if someone didn’t like him and turned him into stone
permanently? Would his life be over? What if he was turned into a dog like
Benji was? He hadn’t thought of the implications. It wasn’t all fun and games.
There was scary stuff, too. His life as he knew it might be over.

“What?” Raven, sensed something changed.

“I just realized that the witchcraft
stuff, the spells, the curses, it can go both ways. What if your dad doesn’t
like me? Can he turn me into a dog, like Benji? My life would literally be at
the whim of some random person who didn’t like me. That’s a scary thought.
Something like magic isn’t “real” in my world. It’s just something of
fairytales, and now you’re telling me it’s very real – the good and the
bad.”

“It’s a lot to take in. For the most
part, we live our lives like you do, but yes, there are risks involved.” The
mood had changed. Raven’s stomach twisted.

Derek brought his hand to his hair and
mindlessly raked his fingers through it. He stared at the wall in front of him.
“Raven, I think I need time. I love you, but I think I need time.”

“I understand.” She nodded, her
momentarily happiness fleeting.

It didn’t bode well for her; she saw the
change in his face from playful to somber. He was scared. Who could blame him?
His entire world was about to change. It almost seemed easier to put him out of
his misery. She could create the potion and dissolve this now. He wouldn’t need
to make the choice… she’d do it for him. Raven was being selfish and knew it.
She wanted him, but letting him go was the right choice for Derek, as much as
the truth hurt.

Maybe Ziara was right. She hated to admit
it. Ziara was always pushing Miko’s name her way. Ziara’s husband Jory has a
brother named Miko. She knew with a love caster potion and a spell, it would
resolve things. She’d be in love with him, and her life would move forward.
They’d be a couple, have kids…and she’d be happy enough.

It was how things worked in the witch
world. The spirit was in everything and everyone, to be respected and loved
– but love was not something you “accidentally fell into” and lingered on
like a mortal. Not in her brood, anyway.

The problem was that she wanted to choose
her own path. She wanted to select her mate. She wanted to fall in love, even
with knowing it may end. Falling in love was like breathing; she thrived in the
tiny details. She wanted to be bathed in the feelings. In the witch world it
didn’t work that way. Click, poof, drink, it’s done. Now that she’d fallen in
love with Derek she was terrified of losing him, but she knew she had to let
him go, as painful as it was. It was the right thing to do.

“I know you need time, but we only have
until the moment you leave. You can’t go with the knowledge and keep it. If you
leave, you lose all knowledge and we dissolve. You need to take your time here.
I’m sorry” Raven bowed her head.

Derek nodded, but didn’t say anything.
“I’m going to take a shower. I need a few moments alone, okay?”

He shifted and climbed out of bed.
Heading to the bathroom, she watched his naked bottom disappear from her view.
She knew what she had to do. It wasn’t fair, but it was right.

Chapter
9

She figured she had about 10 or 15
minutes to pull it together. Raven headed to the kitchen, tears streaming down
her face. Everything inside of her shook. Her chest heaved, her shoulders
hunched, and the knots in her stomach told her what she already knew. This was
the hardest thing she would ever have to do.

Raven pulled a vial from one of her
cabinets. Carefully, she poured a few drops into a cup of tea. Just the act of
making this…it wracked her with pain. She knew she had to release him. It was
time to set him free. Raven returned to the bedroom with the tea. It was as
simple as a few sips. She’d be just another girl he slept with. When he left,
he wouldn’t return. He wouldn’t answer her calls when she got weak and tried to
reach out to him. This was the simplest solution.

She dried her eyes and busied herself,
trying to play off what was happening. Derek entered the bedroom, a towel
around him.

“I made you some tea.” Raven pointed to
the cup on the nightstand. “I’m going to get my shower.”

“Thanks, love.”

Raven’s knees weakened. Seeing Derek in
only a towel, his chest a wall of muscle, he was like a piece of artwork. She
forced a smile and readied the water for her shower.

“What did you put in the tea, Raven?”
Something felt wrong.

“Sugar, why?”
Don’t give it away. Stay
strong
.

“I don’t want you making my decisions for
me. Did you doctor up this tea?”

She wanted to lie. It would have been so
easy, a simple singular word – no. “Why do you ask?” It took everything
inside to keep her voice from cracking and giving her away.

Derek entered the bathroom. “My
instincts. Something just told me not to drink it.”

“Shit, Derek, just drink the tea.” She
sounded so cold.

“You don’t get to play with my emotions
like that,” he scolded. “You were going to decide for me. Do you realize how
unfair that is? You were ready to walk away, take away something I love and
hold dearly, because of what….a little fear?” His anger was rampant, but more
than anything he was hurt. She tried to end things without his knowledge.

“Derek, this is huge, okay? Your entire
world is about to change, and it won’t all be sugar and spice. Do you realize
the commitment you’re making? If you walk away now, you have the chance of a
normal life.”

“…but a life without you in it. Don’t you
get that? I love you. I want you to be my wife. This has to be our choice, not
just yours or mine.”

Raven looked away. Tears welled up in her
eyes. “I’m scared. I don’t want to ruin your life.”

Derek pulled her into his arms. She clung
on for dear life, terrified she’d lose the man she loved. She was torn between
what she wanted and what she felt was best.

“Promise me… I mean it, promise me that
you’ll never pull a stunt like that again. I make my own choices, okay?” The
thought of her tearing them apart to make life easier left him feeling
frustrated. All he wanted was to make his own decision. He thought he had. She
nodded silently and buried her head into his chest. Her tears turned into sobs
as she shook with relief. Derek cradled her close.

“Be my wife. You’re everything that I
want.” Wasn’t that enough?

She looked up, embarrassed by what she’d
done. Nodding, she whispered. “Okay.”

Breaking free, she needed time. Time to
think. Time to heal. Time to know what to do. She didn’t have the answers. This
was her fault. She’d fallen in love with a mortal. He wouldn’t be going through
this if she’d walked away. Raven climbed in the shower and pulled the curtain
closed. She heard Derek at the sink as he poured the tea down the drain. As he
looked up, he caught her image in the mirror as she peeked out.

“Didn’t want to take any chances,” he
said, and set the tea cup down.

He let his towel drop to the floor,
exposing himself. “Is there room for me?” He bent and picked up the towel, and
draped it over the door.

Raven opened the shower curtain more,
inviting him in. “I’m sorry,” she said again. “Forgive me?” They stood in the
water, letting it caress their bodies. Derek nodded. Coming together, their
mouths locked in a kiss. She melted. He was everything she wanted. Standing in
his arms, she had all of her answers.

Derek took liberties, letting his lips
move across Raven’s neck and then to her shoulder. Scooping her breast in his
hand, he cupped her. Slowly his mouth moved closer, tantalizing her every
moment, suckling, nibbling, and then latching onto her nipple. Raven closed her
eyes, lost in the sensation. His fingers squeezed her other breast. Sparks
ignited into flames as pleasure coursed through her veins. She needed more.
Derek teased her body. Her hips pressed against him, aching for more. Soft
moans bounced off the tiled walls, echoing her pleasure.

Derek’s fingers slid down, across her
stomach and between her legs. Raven threw her head back. His fingers created
magic as he pressed into her. Electricity ran through her. She wasn’t sure how
much longer she’d be able to last. As the orgasm uncoiled within her, she cried
out.  Her knees were weak. Raven collapsed into Derek’s arms, her heart pulsing
with pleasure.

Eventually they found the soap and
shampoo, but only after they played together a while longer. Finally turning
off the water, Derek pulled a towel from the rack and wrapped Raven in it,
helping to dry her body. Grabbing his own towel, he followed her into the
bedroom.

“If you keep doing things like that,
we’ll never finish discussing things,” she teased.

“I’ll behave.” He grinned, and then grew
more serious. “I want to discuss the vow of secrecy. What exactly does it
entail? Is it just me making a promise to you?”

“It’s a little more complicated than
that, but yes, that’s basically what you’re doing. Only you’re not only making
the vow to me, but also to the witch community that you’ll keep our secrets
safe, and any knowledge you absorb from being around us.”

“Will it make me a witch?” Derek asked,
full of curiosity.

She laughed softly. “No, I’m sorry to
say. You have to be born into it. Sorry my friend, no magic powers for you!”

“And Raven, no more putting things in my
food or drink without my knowledge.” That was one thing he wanted control over,
his free will. He understood her fears. It made sense, but he wanted his own say.
This was going to be a choice they made together. She’d have her say, but he
wanted his just the same.

“Deal.” She smiled sheepishly. “What if
it was some super sexual-enhancing powers?” She couldn’t help teasing him.

“Well, I’m not averse to having a bigger
- ”

“It’s perfect as it is.” She reassured.

Derek pulled her back into his arms and
kissed her. His lips were soft and tender. When she was in his arms, when he
kissed her, everything felt right. She felt loved, safe, and warm. She never
meant to fall in love when they first started dating, but after spending more
time with Derek, she knew it would be hard to turn those feelings off.

After another long, leisurely kiss, they
headed downstairs.

“Looks like it’s going to be a nice day,”
she said, glancing out the window.

“The sun is shining and I’m in love. I’d
say it’s a great day.” He couldn’t hide his smile. That was one thing he
noticed; he was always smiling when he was near Raven. She filled him with joy.

“You’re all gushy and soft like a marshmallow.
I think it’s too much sex. Maybe we should cut you off until after the
wedding.” She teased him, knowing he’d protest.

“Don’t you dare!” He laughed sheepishly.
Their sex was amazing. He loved how she felt in his arms.

She showed her hand way too early with a
grin. “I couldn’t hold out either.” She loved being with him, naked and tangled
under the sheets. Their bodies fit together perfectly.

Heading into the kitchen, she reached
into the fridge for a drink. “This stuff has no place in my world, or
shouldn’t! I got hooked on it in the mortal world. Diet soda, dear goodness,
it’s my damn vice.” She groaned. She never drank soda as a child, but coming to
suburbia and the mortal world, it became a regular instance.

“No soda, huh? What did you grow up
having? What about juice?”

“Witch’s brew, tea, water… none of this
chemical-laden stuff I’m hooked on now.” She shook her head. Her eating habits
had changed dramatically. During her childhood she ate so much better, and
drinks were naturally made. Out with the mortals, the markets were stocked with
shelves of chemicals and preservatives. It wasn’t real food, not the kind she
ate growing up…and yet, it was what her body had become accustomed to. She’d
grown lazy, enjoying the convenience of boxed meals, or quick microwavable
meals.

“What’s witch’s brew?” There was so much
to learn. Even the tiny, trivial things would be new to him.

“Oh,” she sounded like an excited little
girl. “It’s a smattering of flavors from nature. It can be different flavors,
but my mom used to make this fun cherry, fruity brew for my sister, brother,
and me. It’s sort of like a tea that you chill. I guess it’s not far from your
fruit punch. Only, it was all natural stuff. I make it time to time, but now
with adult tastes, I tend to use things like variations of mints and dandelion
instead.”

He smiled, watching her talk. “You glow
when you’re happy. It’s nice.” He loved to see her eyes light up, joy washing
through her.

“Glow? Witch’s don’t glow, silly!” It was
nice to feel playful again.

“No, not like fluorescent glow, I just
mean your eyes get bright, you smile, and you’re radiant. It’s like your entire
being is just happier.” He hated to change the topic, but needed to know more.
“So, this vow of secrecy… what do I need to know?”

“Okay. If you choose to take the vow,
you’ll be signing your intent to carry through. Once you sign, you’ll be
allowed to continue learning more about my life as a witch. My family will
breathe a little easier, but it will still be awkward for a bit. We’re
naturally wary of mortals knowing about us due to past events. If you break the
vow of secrecy, any of your new knowledge is going to disappear. Also, our
relationship will dissolve. You’ll vaguely remember me as a previous partner,
but not as someone you love. I, however, will retain the memories. Nothing will
bring it back for you, not bumping into me at the store, not seeing a picture
of me, nothing. I’ll just be
some girl you randomly
dated, even if I’m
your wife. It all just ends, goes away like it never happened.”

He never looked away, never flinched,
took it all in. Finally, he spoke. “What will my family know?” His family was
another part of the equation. All this time he’d only thought about how it
would touch his life and Raven’s. But what about his parents, his sister, and
aunts and uncles… would they know?

“Nothing. They’ll know I’m your
girlfriend. They’ll know I’m your wife after we marry. They can’t know more. If
you slip and say something, it all goes away. You have to understand, this is
how we protect ourselves. It’s built in security. We take this very seriously.”
Her voice changed. This wasn’t a game. This was for the wellbeing of the witch
community. “There will be a spell involved; it’s not just you saying okay. Once
you sign the spell will be cast, and from that moment on your vow is on
record.”

“Will I be hurt or something bad happen
to me if we fall apart, like a divorce?” At times it sounded daunting. It
seemed so serious, and not knowing what the consequences were made him a little
nervous.

“It’s not like that, it will simply
dissolve. Dotted lines that hold signatures both in your world and mine will
dissolve; it never happened, it all goes away.  It will be painful splitting
up, but not physically, and nobody comes after you or anything scary like that.
It’s not about revenge, it’s about keeping our villages and witches safe. If
you want out, you can get out, but once you’re gone – I’m part of what
you lose.”

Derek picked up Raven’s hand. “Whatever
it takes to stay by your side, I’m there.”

“Let’s discuss what else you need to
know.”

He cut her off. “I am aware of the risk
I’m taking, but I want you in my life. I’m a stubborn guy like that. I get what
I want.” He grinned, trying to keep the tone light. “Let’s just do this, okay?
I don’t want to lose you. I’ll take the vow of secrecy.” The more they talked
about it, the more nervous he got. He was only certain of one thing-- he wanted
Raven in his life.

“You really should hear all of the
details.” She hesitated. “Derek, there’s a lot involved.”

Derek waived his hand. “Bring it on.”         

Raven shook her head. “Stubborn boy.”

“What do I have to sign?” He was curious.
It was all new to him.

“Just to let you know, it may freak you
out a little bit. You’re going to see things you haven’t seen before. It’s kind
of cool, but I still wanted to warn you.” This was going to get dicey. He’d
probably never seen anything like this before.