Love Charms (8 page)

Derek’s smile slid from his face. “Raven,
what happens if we end up getting a divorce and there are kids involved?”

She looked down, not knowing what to say.
“It won’t be fair.”

“What do you mean, ‘it won’t be fair?’”
His tone shifted. He didn’t like the sound of that.

“Listen, if you’re worrying about
divorce, maybe we should rethink this. You can walk away at any time; it’s just
that once you do it’s all over, completely over. If we have kids, you’ll still
get to see them, but you’ll lose some of your memories of the past where it
comes to our family, as will any friends and family who know us in the mortal
world. Like your parents will still recognize us, but it will be foggy –
the details of our lives. It’s hard to put into words. It’s very complicated.
It’s for their safety, my safety, the community’s safety…” she trailed off.

“It’s all or nothing. This is so screwed
up!” The frustration was overwhelming. There were so many details, so many
people involved.

Raven couldn’t blame him. It was messed
up, but this is why most witches couple with other witches. There are so many
variables with a mortal, and most of them end poorly. It’s not that it can’t be
done, a happy union between a witch and a mortal, but it can’t be entered into
lightly.

“Maybe it’s best if we go our separate
ways.” Her head was down, her voice quiet. As the story unfolded, she finally
saw all of the tiny puzzle pieces she’d never paid attention to before. Her
family warned her. They tried to get her to understand, but she was stubborn.

“…And yet I have to make a lifetime
decision in hours. I can’t leave, because if I do I lose you. If I take the vow
of secrecy, I don’t know what happens years from now. I pray nothing, I pray we
live happily ever after…but who knows, and what of our children? You do want
children, right?”

Raven nodded. “Very much. I’m just not
ready yet. I’ll be skipping Season of the Witch’s breeding season this year,
obviously. Crap, I have to explain that, too. I can’t get pregnant the way
mortals do. It’s a process, a time of the year, an invoking…long story. I can’t
get into it now. I promise that I’ll discuss it later if we go forward. It’s
just pointless to have this conversation if we aren’t moving forward as a
couple.”

“Breeding season? Lovely.” He didn’t know
what to say anymore. It all became so complicated. What started as a joyous
moment suddenly left him smothered and overwhelmed.  There were so many parts
to this puzzle that Derek didn’t understand. He was walking into something
blindfolded, and that was a scary place to be.

“Derek, maybe this just wasn’t meant to
be.” She felt it more and more. As hard as it was to admit it, maybe it
wouldn’t work out after all. Raven’s heart fell to her stomach. It was
difficult to admit, but maybe it was for the best.

His hand shot up. “Stop. It was meant to
be, but it’s a lot to swallow. I’m going to toss the dice here and take a gamble.
I’ve never met a woman that’s made me feel this way before. I’m not going to
lie. I’m terrified of what the future may hold. It’s an uncertainty I never
dreamed I’d face, but I’m not going to just up and walk away from you. While
the circumstances are messed up, it’s you that I want. Please promise me that
no matter what, even in our most difficult struggles that you won’t try to cut
me out and dissolve my memories. You only do that if I ask you to. Deal?”

“Are you sure about this?” She needed him
to be sure. She didn’t want him to regret his decision. This entire thing was
life changing. He wasn’t just getting a wife, but a full base of witch
knowledge and a heavy weight on his shoulders to keep such an important secret.

“I hope so. My gut is telling me not to
let go. I don’t want to lose you, Raven. I want you to be my wife. We’ll get
through it together.” He hated how this conversation had turned. He wanted to
celebrate and be happy, not worry about things that made no sense to him.

“I wasn’t supposed to date a mortal. I
thought I could handle it, and here it is…the big mess my family warned me
about. I feel like a fool.” Raven dropped her head. This was her fault.

“Let’s do this together. Now, tell me
more about the vow.” Derek reached out and held his future wife. “We can get
through this together, okay?” The longer they talked, the longer they put it
off, the more doubts would arise.

Raven nodded. Her voice was weak. “Okay.”
She took a deep breath and tried to get back on track. “I’m going to make a
witch’s brew, and you’ll need to sign something. Once you sign it, you’ll be
obligated to keep your word. If at any time you break your vow, all memories of
us dissolve, and knowledge I’ve passed on about the witch community will also
be gone.”

Derek nodded. “Okay, let’s do it.”

Raven headed to the pantry and pulled out
ingredients for the brew. Once they did this, there was no backing out. Her
belly fluttered with butterflies. Derek’s entire reality was about to change.

She pulled out dandelion, honeysuckle,
jasmine, and a pinch of strawberry seeds. She added lemon rind and magic herbs.
The herbs were special brews that had been blessed, kissed with magic dustings,
and minced with golden web.

It was an automatic process. Her mind
knew the path to follow, even though she’d never officially made it before.
She’d made previous brews, but knew she was being guided as she selected the
special ingredients.  Invoking help, her intuition led the rest of the way.

Raven set the kettle on to boil. Her
cauldron was a decorative piece at this point, since she’d tried to hide it,
and a simple tea kettle would have to work. She hoped the right words came to
her as she asked for divination. Derek watched Raven as she worked. She crushed
the ingredients with a mortar and pestle, her attention tightly focused. A drop
of grape seed oil hastened it into a semi-liquid. Singing softly in tongue, she
asked for the vow of secrecy to be held fast and with integrity. The words came
from within her, guided by something she didn’t fully understand. She did
everything as her mind led her to as the brew cooked. Once it was ready, she
poured the efforts into a tea cup.

Carefully, she set it before her future
husband. “Be certain,” she said, reaching out to touch his hand. “This is serious
stuff.”

Derek looked at the cup before him,
curled wisps of steam rose. “The words…what were you singing?”

“It’s in tongue. My mind and body took
over to guide me. I was just along for the ride. I did ask for integrity on my
own, though.”

“That was fascinating. It was like you
were talking a different language.” He watched her with interest, looking at
her in a new way. There was so much more to know.

“I was. Derek, you don’t have to do this.
I understand if it’s overwhelming. If you need to walk away…” She looked down,
hesitating. She wanted him to want her. She needed this, but only if he needed
it too.

“I don’t want to walk away.” His eyes met
her gaze as she looked up at him. Lifting the cup to his lips, he drank.

A few sips later the hallucination started
for him. Raven understood it was very real, but to him it was a transparent
type of vision. From the thin air a scroll and feather pen revealed itself.
Raven reached up and removed them, placing them on the table.

“Once you sign this, the vow of secrecy
has been taken. There’s no going back.” She warned with caution.

“Did you just take that out of the air?
Where did it come from?” Derek’s eyes grew large. It would take a while getting
used to this magic stuff. He’d never seen anything like it. Derek rubbed his
eyes. It was still real.

“Sshhh, we’ll discuss it later. You need
to decide now, before it fades away.” She tried to keep him on track.

“I’ll sign.” He took the feather, and
looked at the pointed bottom. There was no ink.

“It will write,” she assured him.

There was no lengthy contract, no legal
fine print, simply a phrase or two explaining that the vow would remain intact
until it was broken. At that time everything, all knowledge, would dissolve
from memory for everybody’s protection.

Derek looked at Raven one last time
before signing. Taking a deep breath, he signed his name on the dotted line.
Handing her back the quill, he spoke. “Raven, will you be my wife?”

Tears of joy streamed down her face.
“Yes!” They really did it. He signed. It meant the world to her. They’d be
husband and wife one day soon!

Raven lowered her voice. “May it be done,
blessed be.” The paper and feather slowly vanished into the air before them.

Chapter
10

“So, this is Derek?” Raven’s father sized
up the man beside his daughter.

“Sir, I’m pleased to meet you.” Derek
stuck out his hand. Raven’s father was an imposing figure. He held his ground,
knowing it was the only way he’d respect him. “I’ve come to ask for Raven’s
hand in marriage.” How was he, usually a confident man, suddenly feeling like a
child? Maybe it had to do with the important question of the day.

“I’ve heard you took our vow. That’s
quite a big step, son. We will welcome you into our family, but understand it
will be with hesitancy until we’ve established trust. I know my Raven loves
you, and I want her to be happy. If you’re the person that makes my daughter
happy, I’ll accept this request. So it shall be.” He didn’t sound enthusiastic,
but gave Derek the benefit of the doubt. He did go as far as coming to ask for
Raven’s hand and taking the vow. The least he could do was try to accept this
mortal into his daughter’s life.

He turned his attention to his daughter.
“What of children? Shall you be breeding this Season of the Witch?”

“Daddy, we aren’t even married yet. We’re
going to go slowly. We’ll get married in a bit, maybe next warm season, and
then we’ll breed the following year. We still have a lot to talk about.” Always
about the breeding-- when would it stop? She already knew that answer, but she wasn’t
ready. That always seemed to be the most important question to them.

“What of Samhain? The perfect time to
celebrate, don’t you think? You could commence it during that time.”

Raven rolled her eyes. “We’re combining
two worlds here, Daddy. Let me go slowly, okay?”

“Samhain?” Derek asked curiously. He
obviously had a lot to learn about Raven’s other world.

“It’s an important holiday, part of our
“Season of the Witch”, a time to celebrate new beginnings and let go of the
old. Each community of witches has different things they celebrate, their own
holidays of sort. We don’t have a lot, but basically it transitions us into
“Season of the Witch” – that happens to be our breeding season. There’s a
lot I’ll fill in over the next few months, but basically our life will continue
on as it’s been, on the mortal side of the world.”

Her father groaned. “Whatever…I’m just
saying, tradition isn’t such a bad thing.” She could learn to bend a little
more, try to do things more traditionally. But she was always so ready to
modernize and meld into the mortal world. Why couldn’t she be content in their
world, like he and his wife were?

“Derek and I think maybe we’ll do a
private little ceremony, and just do a reception or party for each separate
side of the family, so it doesn’t raise flags.” She hated that it had to be
that way, but it was truly the best answer for everyone. There was no need to
raise alarm or red flags when questions were asked.

He nodded. “Yes. Yes, I can see that
makes sense.”

Raven’s mother finally joined the
conversation.  “Am I ever going to have more grandchildren?”

“Mom, stop. Maybe next year, okay? Let us
get married first!” She felt the pressure for children every time she came to
visit. Why was everyone in such a hurry?

Derek laughed. “My parents are the same
way. They think I’ve been a bachelor too long. No need to worry Ma’am, children
will be in our future.”

The door opened after a quick knock.
“Hey,” Ziara announced as she and Benji joined them. Her husband, Jork, was at
home watching the kids so that Ziara and Benji could break in Derek gently.
They knew too much too soon would be overwhelming. Besides, Derek had already
met the two of them.

“I’m starving,” Benji said. When wasn’t
he starving?

“You’re always starving.” Ziara laughed.

“I have a dashing bulldog figure to take
care of. I can’t let myself go now, can I? I have ladies to think about.” He
grinned with a big sloppy smile. Their mother was a good cook. There was no
reason he couldn’t enjoy some homemade morsels.

“Ladies are what got you into this
trouble in the first place,” she shot back.

“Enough,” Daddy interrupted. “Benji, your
mother has some treats in the kitchen.”

 Raven’s father watched as Derek’s eyes
glazed over hearing about their life. He figured it was a lot to take in. “…so
we strive for balance in nature, and use our knowledge wisely.” Raven’s father
finally ended the long-winded monologue.

Raven grimaced. He tended to go on and
on, but she loved him. He’s just
wordy
.

It was a long day, but a life changing
one for Derek. It was filled with good food and interesting conversation.
Finally they made their way home. Raven hoped it wasn’t overwhelming. He made
the vow, but there was nothing that said he couldn’t back out. It would just
end what they had. She hoped today’s visit wasn’t too much.

“I never would have realized there’s a
village there. When you were turning, it didn’t make sense.” He was amazed how
they could drive right by something and barely notice it. Nobody would notice
it. It just didn’t…Derek stopped his thoughts. He realized a lot of things
wouldn’t make sense now. He’d have to get used to that.

“That’s why I figured it would be best if
I drove. Trying to explain the ins and outs would be difficult. It will become
second nature to you after a while.” It took her a while to get accustomed to
some things in the mortal side of the area. Not everything was the same. Sure,
trees, flowers, nature and such, but things like grocery stores were different,
department stores. She’d tag along with Ziara early on, which helped her
decipher things like money as well. Witches traded and made stuff with what
nature provided. It was a different type of community. Paper money that mortals
use, that took some getting used to. It wasn’t the kind of currency she used as
a child.

Benji hopped out of the backseat, content
to have had his face in the wind for a while. He stretched his legs after the
two hour drive and toddled around back to take care of his business.

“It still blows my mind that your brother
is a dog. Well, a dog for now,” he said following her up to the porch. Derek
wrapped his arms around Raven and spun her around for a quick kiss. “I love
you, Raven. It’s been a long day and I’ve got work tomorrow, but we haven’t
gone ring shopping yet. I want to buy you a proper ring.”

“There’s no hurry.” She smiled. It was
sweet he wanted to buy her a ring.

“Sure there is. I want to show you off as
my future wife. Maybe we could go shopping tomorrow night.”

Raven smiled. “I’d like that.”

The next few weeks flew by quickly, and
every time she looked down at the ring on her hand, she grinned. Mortals had
different traditions, and the ring she wore symbolized a lot to Derek. His vow
of secrecy symbolized just as much to her-- a promise to love and trust one
another and spend their future together.

She was still a girl, and the sparkling
gem on her finger made her giddy. Witches don’t choose diamond rings as a
symbol, but she wasn’t complaining. It was lovely, especially when the light
hit it.

“When is he moving in?” Benji asked.

“After the wedding, he’s putting his
condo up for sale. We’ll have more space here,” she answered, lost in a
daydream.

“Hey, wonder what form I’ll be in when
you say your vows?” Benji tossed out, trying to get more details.

Raven rolled her eyes. “I still don’t
know when, Mr. Subtle.”

“Come on, sis. You have to make a
decision sooner or later,” Benji pressed for an answer.

“I know, I know. I’m thinking at the
start of the next warm season, but we keep changing dates around. He has a
different calendar to go by than we do. It’s not that we can’t pinpoint a time,
it’s just figuring out how long we’ll be married before we start working on a
family.”

“Kids?” Benji perked up. “You’re thinking
next season? One “Season of the Witch” to go! I can’t wait for more nieces and
nephews.” That was one thing he realized might be an issue in his life. Kids
might not happen if he couldn’t get his act together. At least he’d have nieces
and nephews to dote on.

“Do you think one day…” She felt bad
asking, and stopped herself before she could finish.

“I don’t know. I risked it all on
Charlene and screwed that up. I can’t believe I’m even saying this, but I miss
her. I mean, I know I did her sister, but Charlene was sweet.” Benji lowered
his head in shame. He never meant to hurt her.

“She’s so sweet that you ended up doing
her sister? Something must have been lacking for you to go elsewhere.”

“Nah, I can’t blame her. I was just a
guy, an immature guy. I’ve done a lot of thinking in this form, believe it or
not. I was a jerk. I mean, I don’t think I deserved all of this, but I treated
her pretty badly, even with the potion intact. It’s just that I had a wandering
eye. I could have controlled it…should have.”

“Do you want her back?” Raven asked
softly. She could tell that he was lost in remorse. Lost in the past. Her heart
broke for her brother.

“There are days I think about it, but it
wouldn’t work. I think I’m just lonely and full of regret. I feel badly. I hurt
her deeply.” Benji missed human interaction. He missed holding his wife. And
there was nobody to blame but himself. He did this. She deserved better
treatment.

“Maybe if you told her that, she’d
reverse the spell,” Raven said, offering hope. She knew it was a long shot, but
it couldn’t hurt to try.

“Or remember how pissed off she was and
make it permanent. I’ll just take my chances. No thank you. No need to stir up
the past.” Benji shuddered thinking about going back to being a toad. At this
point, being a bulldog was way better than toad life.

“Benji, I’m sorry you’ve been stuck this
way for so long. You’re a good guy.”

“Thanks, but I guess I learned my
lesson.”

“I guess so.” Raven said softly. She
wished it didn’t have to be this way.

“Hey, could you scratch my back for me? I
can’t reach.”

“Yeah, buddy.” Raven sat down and turned
on the television for her brother.