Playing with Monsters (23 page)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

I sat on the couch, numb, and unmoving. Netflix was offering suggestions for movies and shows, loading them as I stared blankly at the TV. A partially melted pint of Cherry Garcia waited for me on the coffee table, and Luna slept peacefully in my lap, unaware of the nightmare that was brewing.

The door opened and I jumped, scaring Luna, who hissed and darted from the couch and out the door. Lucian stood in the doorway, his face angry as he looked around the room. He moved into the room with long strides and stood in front of me, taking in the ice cream and Netflix randomizer, not to mention my disheveled state.

“You were supposed to be at that meeting, not here at the cottage, and certainly not alone,” he pointed out, and I gave him a blank stare.

“I told you more than once that I wasn’t going. I didn’t need to be present to be an example of what could happen if they didn’t do the right thing. I also wanted some solitude, so I did some gardening.” 

“There’s a situation,” he said softly. “Some facts have been brought to light, and you shouldn’t be alone right now.”

“Demons are coming to take me away?” I laughed nervously. His eyes hardened and he pushed aside a pile of clothes I’d placed on the couch to fold. I’d never actually folded any of it, because I’d been too busy imagining a world where demons existed and hunted witches, because my life wasn’t complicated enough.

“The Awakening is happening tonight,” he said as he sat down and turned to look at me.

“And?” I asked, my eyes meeting his. I knew exactly what he meant; I’d be off limits to him, at least for longer than either of us wanted. There was a cool-down period after the Harvest, to see if conception had occurred. You could either continue sleeping with the same guy or go without sex until you were sure you weren’t expecting a child. It was a way of marking which bloodlines had successfully bred during the Harvest.

“Magdalena,” he said softly, his eyes narrowing on me as he considered his next words. “I need to know why you were specifically targeted by the demons. Do you have any idea why they’d want to attack you?”

That threw me. Mister Know-It-All was asking me? I laughed and shook my head. I wanted to know the answer to that question as well.

“Maybe because my family is one of the original bloodlines, or maybe he liked my outfit; how am I supposed to know why he did that to me?” I asked with trembling lips. I’d thought it was dark magic, but it hadn’t been; it had been a fucking demon. Then again, Tabitha had mentioned that demons were attracted to darkness.

“This isn’t a joke,” he growled.

“You think I don’t know that? I was…he did that to me, not you. I know exactly how serious this is.”

“Good. You’ll be okay, I’ll make sure of it,” he said firmly as something passed behind his eyes and he settled back on the couch and turned towards the TV. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

“I can take care of myself,” I whispered, hating that he’d been the one to save me from the fire and pick me up when my legs were too weak to make it back to the house after the attack. It was becoming a pattern; I was starting to feel like a damsel, and I didn’t like it.

“Of course you can.” I wasn’t sure if he was mocking me or not. “However, you can’t save yourself from me,” he replied, his eyes heating as they raked over me slowly.

“Why would I need to save myself from you?” I asked softly as my eyes lowered to his sexy lips and I absently chewed on my bottom lip. He hadn’t kissed or touched me in a week, and I missed it. I was glad he was giving me space to make sure I was okay, but I didn’t want space. I wanted him.

He laughed soundlessly and a chill raced down my spine. His fingers moved in slow motion towards the thin strap of my camisole, and he ripped the strap off, pulling a soft gasp from my lips.

“What the hell?” I demanded as I moved to sit up, only to be pushed back down as a cocky grin formed while heat flooded his eyes.

“I told you that I would have you, Lena,” he said hoarsely, his mouth lowering to kiss my shoulder, which sent heat racing through me and caused an inferno in my stomach.

“Lucian, the Awakening is tonight,” I replied breathlessly as I subtly reminded him of why this was a bad idea.

“So it is,” he continued as his fingers slid inside the soft material and pinched my nipple. His eyes watched me closely for any reaction to his touch. I knew he was testing me, seeing just how damaged I was from the attack.  “I actually feel sorry for the fuck that gets paired with you,” he growled.

“That’s an asshole thing to say. I’m not that bad,” I replied harshly, my pride was already dinged, but hearing him say that sent anger pulsating through my already throbbing body. Pretty much no one had looked at me sexually since the attack, and it stung. I felt like a tarnished toy, one that no one wanted because it wasn’t new and shiny.

“Because he’ll never get to have you,” he clarified softly, his fingers pinching the puckered flesh of my nipple, pulling a gasp from my lips. “Not fully; you may fuck him, but you’ll be thinking of me, wishing it was me between these sexy thighs. It won’t be his face you see when you come, it will be mine.”

“And why’s that?” I demanded.

“Because you’re mine, Lena. You and I both know it. You don’t want another man, you want me.”

“If that’s the case, then why not make me yours now? Why not take the choice away and undo it after the Harvest?” I watched him close down and frowned. “I may want you, Lucian, but I have no choice in this matter and, really, neither do you,” I mumbled. “Besides, I’m not yours. You don’t own me. It’s my Awakening; it’s my time to gain my powers. It’s important to me that I do it correctly.”

“What happens if you’re not selected? There is always that chance,” he said harshly. “What will you do then?” He waited until I shrugged and then whispered, “I never said I that I own you; I said you’re mine.”

“I don’t know much about the ritual itself, but I know that no Fitzgerald has ever missed being selected at their Awakening, and I don’t plan to be the first. Especially with demons moving into town,” I replied with pride. If a fight was coming, I planned to get revenge for what I’d been put through.

“Demons are deadly,” he mused as he continued to stroke my nipple distractingly.

“That’s mine,” I announced when the ache between my legs became painful.

“Is it?” he asked innocently, his breath fanning my neck before his lips lowered and pressed a kiss to my racing pulse. “I don’t care too much for traditions, but I do know once the Harvest is through, you will be mine in every sense of the word. I plan to do bad things to you, until you’re begging me for more.”

“Is there anything you
do
care about?” I asked, hating the fact that a simple touch, or pretty much anything to do with him turned me on.

“That’s a loaded question,” he mumbled as he sat up and looked at me. “Find something that isn’t ripped; the coven is requesting a headcount of all witches.”

“Well, it
wasn’t
ripped,” I murmured as I reached up and pulled him down until our mouths were inches apart. “Until you ripped it,” I finished breathlessly.

“I like your clothing on the floor more than I care for them on you, little witch,” he said before his mouth touched mine softly, and his teeth nipped at my bottom lip, pulling the flesh before he released it and dipped his tongue into my mouth. It wasn’t demanding, but it still curled my toes and made heat flood my core.

I struggled to hold him against me. The sound of the fabric ripping more only intensified my need to get him closer to me. His mouth left mine and I cried out at the loss of its heat, only to suck in air as his teeth clamped against my nipple and sucked the heated peak while his teeth grazed the flesh. His hand moved down, cupping the ache between my legs and pressing against it.

Our breathing was labored, mingling together in the electrical field that the connection of our bodies charged. His touch locked me into a luscious fog of intoxication, fueled by lust and need. I pulled his hair, needing the heat of his hungry mouth against mine. He allowed it, his tongue drawn by the invitation of my tongue.

His mouth never left mine; his hand stroked my pussy, slick with the wetness he’d created. I felt the material of my slacks give way, felt the rush of soothing cold air as it fanned my naked flesh, and then it was on fire as his fingers slid between the folds, creating a violent reaction that tore through my body from head to toe. My legs fell open, exposing the mess he’d made to his greedy eyes.

He didn’t speak; instead he added his thumb to the mix of fingers strumming my soaking wet, heated flesh that seemed to only respond to him in this way. He pulled his body away and I shied away from his heated eyes. I felt a rush of panic at the idea of him not wanting me because of the attack. I’m not sure where it came from, but it did and I didn’t want to see him look at me with anything but the heat he usually held, in his eyes. His eyes watched me as I began to close myself down, trying to cover my exposed flesh against his greedy eyes, unwilling to watch them change. 

“Don’t do that,” he demanded. His hands spread my legs as I tried to place them together, hiding the mess and reaction that he’d created with just his kiss. “Show it to me, witch,” he demanded, as if I had a choice. His hands pulled my legs apart and those midnight blue eyes feasted on my wet pussy. “I’m going to get what I want from you, sweet girl. You see, I always get what I want and right now, that’s you. In a day, or a year, you will be mine. I can wait until you’re ready. What happened to you, it didn’t touch your beauty, or tarnish you in any way. I want you the same as I did before it happened. Don’t think to shut me out because of what happened to you; I won’t let you. Now stop thinking, and kiss me,” he demanded as he claimed my lips hungrily.

He broke the kiss after a moment, and I growled from the loss of contact. The moment he moved from me I felt barren, chilled by the loss of his heat. He towered over me, his face hidden in the shadows of the room, and yet I felt the heat of his eyes as he took in my disheveled form. Once again he’d ripped the panties I wore, and my slacks were on the floor, tattered and torn in a useless heap of material.

“Go change, Lena,” he growled, his hands delving into his jeans as he fixed his erection that strained against the material. I heard something slam against the house, and my mind fought to escape that haze of lust. The next explosion shook the cottage violently, and I sat up, but Lucian was faster. He picked me up and moved in the direction of the bedroom, placing me on the bed as he pulled the blanket up and wrapped me in it.

He turned to look over his shoulder, and Spyder entered with a hard look on his face. His eyes scanned my blanket-clad body before moving back to Lucian.

“We’ve got unwanted company,” he announced.

“Find them,” Lucian said as his eyes held mine. “And take care of it.”

“Good, was getting fucking boring around here anyway,” he said, ignoring my wide-eyed owl look. “Incoming,” he growled and disappeared.

What. The. Fuck.

The entire cottage shook and the windows heaved from impact.

“This thing between us, Lena, it isn’t finished. Understand me?” he growled as he helped me up from the bed and pulled out clothes from my closet.

I couldn’t think past the noise outside; it sounded like a war zone. The only thing missing was bomb sirens going off. I flinched as he moved to me, pushing a bra and panties into my hands. I noted that they were anything but sexy, as well the clothes he gave me. He pushed more into a bag and I smiled as I realized what he was doing. He was sending me to the harvest with anything I owned that wasn’t sexy.

The cottage shook again and he paused, his eyes scanning me with heat mixed with uncertainty.

“No pretty babies; you belong to me,” he growled and smiled. “Remember that when they try to tell you how important it is to reproduce bloodlines.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Lucian had walked me out the front door of the cottage, shielding me from anything that might be outside, slipped me into a sleek black car, and drove me straight to the abbey and the protection of the coven. Before I could get out of the car, he’d pulled me back and kissed me hard, so hard that even hours later, I could still feel the pressure of his lips against mine. With my head still reeling from the kiss, he’d walked me to the massive main door of the abbey and left the moment I was inside, safe from whatever had been outside of the cottage. 

As soon as the door closed with a bit of an ominous boom, I’d been grabbed by the arm by Helen and dragged to a small anteroom where other elders of the coven waited. For close to an hour, I was grilled about everything that had happened when Todd attacked and raped me. I almost felt like I was on trial for something I didn’t do and Helen had appointed herself my judge and jury, and I was sure she would have loved to have been my executioner if they would have let her. The moment the others had left the room, she threatened me to stay away from Lucian. Apparently she was still planning to set him up with her daughter…but considering there were only a few hours before the Awakening began, I didn’t see Cassidy and Lucian tying any knots together.

It was the only way to be excused from the Harvest selection, and Lucian didn’t seem like he was all that into her, considering his obsession with frustrating me to the edge of sanity. At least, that’s what I kept telling myself. I could be wrong. He could be planning to do a quick and dirty handfasting, which was the same as marriage to the coven.

Now, I waited with the rest of the postulants in the small library and idly examined the ancient pictures and portraits that lined the walls. I also took note of the old books of spells and incantations that previous generations must have been using well before the abbey had been built. It was telling, because unlike what we’d been taught…The elders had more information available than they’d led us to believe.

“Ladies,” Samantha, one of the elders, chirped as she whirled into the library wearing an outfit that looked straight out of the set of
Little House on the Prairie
. The bell skirt was outdated and even had a lace apron which she was currently wiping her hands on. Her gray-streaked dark hair was swept up in a topknot and she had little curls framing her face, giving her an overall schoolmarm look. I smiled at Kendra, who was trying to smother a giggle with the back of her hand. 

“I’m to teach you all about what you should expect during the Awakening, and time is limited. I need you to pay attention, because you’ll only be told once.”

I felt a chill race down my spine as worry flittered across Samantha’s brow. Her eyes moved to me and Kendra, and she quickly looked away. Like the others, she didn’t look at me too long, as if she didn’t know what to say to me, or maybe it was because they thought I would snap if they did. Whatever, what happened had happened. It wasn’t my fault or Todd’s; only the demon who had taken control of Todd was to blame.

“Normally you’d have longer to learn about the changes that are going to happen to you. I wish I had the luxury of giving you that time, but I don’t.”

“I’m sure we don’t need to know more than we already do,” Cassidy smarted off, and I looked at her, really looked at her. Shortly after I arrived, Kendra had informed me that Cassidy had stood up for me at the assembly. She’d defended me against Todd’s mother when she’d accused me of murdering her son before we’d learned that he’d been possessed by a demon. The thought of Cassidy standing up for someone not of her clique was mindboggling, although at the moment, I couldn’t see any trace of the kind of person that might have had a little humanity tucked away in there. Right now, she was the same old self-serving, bitchy Cassidy.

“Is that what you all think?” Samantha demanded, her eyes moving around the room as many of the girls shifted uncomfortably.

“Everyone is afraid, but admitting that we are is a weakness,” I mumbled. “It’s not that we don’t want to learn, it’s because change isn’t easy. Growth isn’t easy, though, it’s painful. The pain is what will remind us of what is needed to become the Awakened witches of the next generation. Change isn’t easy, either. It’s supposed to take effort on our part, because the struggle that makes us into the people we become will always remind us of how we achieved it.”

The entire room looked at me as if I’d grown another head. I realized I was repeating my mother’s words as if by rote, her logical reasoning for why change was needed and why it was never easy to do so. It was supposed to be hard and scary. It was that way so you remembered it.

“Thank you, Magdalena,” Samantha said as her eyes skimmed over me and finally looked right at me. “There is nothing to fear from the changes that are coming. This Awakening is being rushed for good reason. We’ve been sheltered from the monsters of the past, which, I’ve said to the council many times before, is a mistake. Knowledge is power, ladies. These monsters want to destroy us. With your curse lifted, we’re stronger. Together we can face whatever is coming,” she said with a soft smile that didn’t seem to reach her eyes.

Once everyone had quieted down she hurriedly launched into an overview that was hard to hear because her voice was soft as she spoke so fast. “We will start with the Awakening. We will take you to the rooms where the rites will take place. In the antechamber, we will have you change into ceremonial robes. Just the robes, everything else comes off; you won’t need anything, and if you bring anything from the outside into the ceremony, it could taint the ritual.” She looked pointedly at all of us to make sure we got the message that nothing meant
nothing
. “From there you will go to the main chamber, where the fire pit will already have a nice sized fire going and the ceremonial cauldron should already be at a rolling boil. You will assemble around it as the ceremony begins. Salt will be laid behind you, sealing you into the circle, and torches around the circle will be lit,” she explained as she wiped her hands nervously on her apron and continued.

“The coven will begin to chant the spell to bring the ancestors forth for the selection. You may see some elders moving around you as herbs and salts are added to the fire and cauldron for the rite. This part of the ceremony can be intense for some as senses and the inner eye is opened. Once the spell has been cast, each of you will receive four runes that have been carved into different crystals. The Rings rune is carved into moldavite, a traditional Gender rune carved into jet, the Harvest rune is carved into selenite, and the Eye is carved into azurite. After receiving the crystals, the elders will assist you in moving a little closer to the fire and kneeling as the protection barrier slips into place just before the ancestors appear. Now, during past Awakening ceremonies, it has never been clear as to which ancestors have been seen, just that they do become visible and they will select those who are worthy of having their curse lifted, so there be no doubt in your mind if you have been chosen or not. As they are roaming amongst you, the elders will give you each a mortar and pestle to grind your runes; a bit of your blood will be added to the ground mix to channel the power of the runes and stones through you. The ancestors usually make their selections then, when the third eye is open and they can see to the depth of your soul. Once you’ve been selected, the elders will chant the incantation that will remove the curse that binds your powers. After you’ve had a small respite, our friends from out of town will join us and we will begin the Harvest Ceremony. The ancestors will pair you up with the person they feel will make the strongest match, then a spell will be cast to bind the union for the duration of the Harvest. The dead will then be released to go back into the veil, and you will be bathed and prepared to enter the chambers of those who you have been paired with. This preparation will protect you as well as your partner as you…”

“Fuck,” Cassidy said and her girls giggled brainlessly.

“Mate, produce the next generation, who will preserve and carry on our heritage and bloodlines,” Samantha said with red cheeks. “After that, you’ll be sequestered in the abbey while you learn to respect and use your new powers. It’s a time to bond together, and learn to use and wield your powers for the good of the coven.”

“So we won’t have powers right away?” Kendra asked.

“It takes time to learn to use them correctly.” She smiled tightly, and nodded at Aurora, who had raised her hand.

“So what’s the point in lifting our curse if we can’t do shit?” Aurora asked, and Cassidy made a grunting noise of approval, which had Aurora beaming with a cocky smile.

“The point is that we can draw from your powers once the coven is tethered and bound together. When a new witch is awakened to the powers of their soul, that magic is pooled into the coven’s bonds. Each one of you will add something to the magic this coven already has. Think of it as a cauldron that is already half full. Each one of you will add a cup of power to it, making it full again.”

“What if we’re not selected?” I asked.

“Anyone not selected would return to the abbey and wait to be excused to go home,” she said softly.

“I get that, but what happens then?”

“You’ll wait until the next Awakening, but it’s highly unlikely that if one wasn’t selected during their first Awakening, that the person would be selected in a second attempt,” she whispered with a frown. “But it isn’t unheard of, either.”

“Will Lena be excluded because she was raped? You know, the whole not having sex within the month leading up to the Awakening rule thingy,” Cassidy asked, and my stomach dropped.

Every one turned to look at me, and it took everything I had to remain emotionless as I stared at Samantha, and waited for her to answer the damn question.

“What happened to Magdalena was horrible, and certainly not what anyone should consider sex. The ancestors choose from bloodlines. Cassidy, the question you should be asking is if you will be chosen. Your lines are watered down, to say the least, and power isn’t something that can be purchased.”

Ouch.

“I think money can pretty much buy anything, or anyone,” Cassidy countered smugly. “I wasn’t asking to be rude, but she could be pregnant; she was after all, raped, right?” Her eyes moved to mine with smugness.

“Actually, he didn’t finish before…”
I killed him.

“Before what?” she pried. “Before you killed him?”

“Enough, Cassidy! This is not something to be shared with the room. If you have questions for Magdalena, ask her at a more appropriate time,” Samantha interrupted.

I felt sick to my stomach, because the question brought up the images I’d refused to see for the last few days. I stood up and left the room, moving towards the entrance of the abbey to feel the cool, fresh air. The moment I touched the door, Tabitha stopped me; her hands on my shoulders were calming, her words comforting as she whispered something in a mixture of English and Latin.

“Better?” she asked after a moment.

“Where the hell did you come from?” I asked, looking around the bustling room.

“I felt the discomfort. I told you, Magdalena, we’re connected. All of us, even Cassidy.”

“I’d rather be connected to a skunk than that bitch,” I retorted, and winced. I’d no sooner said it than regretted saying to the high priestess. “Sorry.”

“You’re not,” she said softly. “Just because you’re connected doesn’t mean you have to like her. What she did in the library was callous, and meant to hurt you. She lashed out because knows the selection can’t be bought and things she can’t manipulate and control frighten her. She’s a spoiled child, one whose mother indulges her entirely too much. Not to mention, the one man she decided to have, hasn’t paid her any attention since a certain witch rolled back into town. He’s only had eyes for you, and that has added a good deal of salt to her wounded pride. Helen has dropped hints on many occasions that he was courting her daughter, and Cassidy would be the key to bringing wealth back into the community.”

“Perhaps that’s why I’ve always been told that one should never assume or indulge in idle gossip,” I mumbled.

“You like him, Lucian, yes?” she continued.

“He’s not on my radar for the Harvest,” I admitted.

“Because you think he is better than you? I will admit, he’s a mystery, that one. I’ve heard that his mate was killed by a monster, which is why he refuses to attend a Harvest. He isn’t an easy one to read, either. I understand his birth coven is scattered, however, he does descend from a pure bloodline that originated out of Aberdeen. The coven that we believe the Blackstone line belonged to took a different route to get to the New World; however, it appears that his coven wasn’t able to withstand the creatures who hunt witches, as ours was.”

“He’s from Aberdeen?” I asked, my curiosity piqued at knowing more about him.

“He has not said as much, but when anyone new approaches the coven, we dig into their background and our records to be certain it is safe to allow them near. In the early 1600s, there was a very powerful family with the surname Blackstone, of English descent, and rumored to have been a very powerful bloodline, one with enough power to match our own. They were granted land outside of Aberdeen by the Queen of Scotland herself. If it’s true, that he is descended from that bloodline, he would be a very powerful mate.”

I blinked, and whistled low. “No wonder why Helen is trying to land him.”

“Exactly, but he isn’t interested in her daughter anymore, not since the moment he laid eyes on you,” she said with an impish grin that made her eyes brighter. “I personally wouldn’t wish that spoiled child on any man,” she laughed.

“Someone is going to end up stuck with her,” I mumbled, my mind considering how far Helen might have her claws in Lucian, and I’d been right about her trying to force a match. No wonder Helen was being such a bitch to me; I’d ruined her plans for a powerful match before the Awakening for her spoiled little brat.

“Yes, but it won’t be Lucian. He’s not interested in being among the men who will join us in the Harvest, not even tempted by the call of the blood of the original line which has brought in a large selection of males hoping to be chosen to mate with one of the women.”

“I thought that they were here because the ratio was off, and we needed the extra studs?” Studs? I frowned.

“Studs indeed, Magdalena,” she laughed. “We did have a ratio issue, as you so delicately put it. Too many flowers and not enough bees to pollinate them.” She smiled and shook her head. “I do enjoy our chats, but in all seriousness, they’re here because there is an abundance of girls being awakened from the original bloodlines, which is a rarity for so many to be coming of age at the same time, let alone awakened. Speaking of awakening, you’re missing out on the questions and answers about the ceremony. Cassidy is smiling right now, thinking she won. Don’t let her win; you’re stronger, and just as easily as you can build walls in your head, you can build walls around her instead.”