Chapter 13
Vance shifted beside me, groaning, and my eyes popped open. Blinking several times, I was completely disoriented as I stared at the unfamiliar walls and ceiling around us.
Gasping, I quickly sat up, clutching the covers to my chest. "Where are we?"
Rising slowly beside me, Vance glanced down in amazement at the soft quilt of the comfortable bed we were lying in, rubbing his hand over them as he looked around the space.
"Are you okay?" he asked, running a hand down my arm, and I knew he was checking me with his powers.
"I think so," I replied, stretching my neck and back, not feeling anything too different about myself, other than tender feet. "Are you?"
"Yes." Continuing his slide down my arm until he found my palm, he slipped his hand in mine, squeezing it slightly.
"I don't remember anything. Do you?" I searched his eyes for answers.
He shook his head with a barely perceptible movement. "Not much, although some images of the two of us involved in some pretty intimate situations are suddenly beginning to pop into my head," he replied, not looking too happy about it.
Some of the fog lifted at his words. "They forced us to sleep together, didn't they?" I said closing my eyes, feeling a wave of nausea wash over me, wondering who else might have been a party to our situation last night.
"I'm afraid so," he replied, leaning over to rest his head in my lap. "I'm sorry, Portia."
Stroking his wonderful hair while he lay there, my eyes traveled over his perfect form in front of me. "Don't be sorry. I love being with you. I just hate being manipulated." I sighed, wishing I could comfort him somehow. "Where do you think we are?" I asked again, looking around the green and white bedroom.
At that moment the door to the room opened, and I stared into the handsome, concerned face of my dashing father.
"Dad?" I squeaked out, jumping off the bed, relief pouring through every cell at the sight of him. In two steps he was beside me, folding me into his arms, and crushing me hard in his embrace.
"Hi, Pumpkin," he said softly. I began to cry against his shoulder, unable to stop myself. He didn't try to shush me, allowing the floodgates to open, as he stroked my hair, murmuring soft words to me.
"It's okay now, Pumpkin. You're safe. I won't let them harm you anymore," he said reassuringly.
Pulling away, I watched as Vance joined us, giving Dad a hug also, and they patted at each other hard on the back.
"How did you find us?" I asked, wondering how he managed to locate us.
Instead of answering the question, he pointed to some clothes sitting on top of the dresser. "Why don't the two of you change out of those robes and grab a quick shower. There's a bathroom across the hall. Then come join me in the other room. You were drugged pretty badly and you've been asleep for a while. There are a lot of people waiting to see you. We'll talk in there," he replied.
"All right," I said, and he headed for the door, giving me a soft smile as he moved away. Grabbing him once more, I hugged him again. "I just had to make sure you were real," I explained and he laughed. "I love you, Daddy."
"I love you too, pumpkin, and I'm not leaving you." He squeezed me tightly one more time. "Now hurry and change."
I watched the door close behind him before turning to Vance. He smiled at me, and I rushed into his arms. "We're safe!" I placed a kiss against his neck, nuzzling my face there in the warmth of his skin.
"Yes, for now. But this isn't even close to being over," he cautioned me, before he lightly kissed me on the lips.
I nodded, understanding what he was trying to explain, but not really wanting to contemplate it at the moment. "I know. But having someone on our side sure takes a huge weight off."
"I agree," he replied. Kissing me again, I could feel the relief flowing through him also. His hands drifted down, moving over my scantily clad form before he pulled away from me. "Let's get out of these awful robes."
Minutes later, the two of us stepped out into a narrow hallway with a low ceiling. Following the sounds of murmuring voices, we moved on until we reached a living area. There were easily twenty people in the room waiting for us, but most of them I didn't recognize.
"Mom!" I called out when I saw her and she rushed toward me. She grasped me tightly, and I let the tears fall freely.
"I've missed you so much, precious!" she said breaking away and holding my face in her hands and kissing each cheek.
"I love you so much, Mom!" I replied, kissing her back, a well of happy laughter bubbling up in my throat.
Grandma Milly was right behind her awaiting her turn, as well as our Brad and Shelly. Once they were done hugging me, they moved right on to Vance. It was so emotional that I couldn't stop crying.
A man, with curly blond hair, stood and made his way over to us. "My name is Crispin," he said extending a hand to both of us, smiling warmly. "We met briefly, earlier this morning, though you may not remember it. I'm the leader of this coven," he said turning to gesture to the others who were seated in the room.
"Crispin and his coven were instrumental in getting you back this morning," my dad explained.
"Thank you," Vance said, his eyes moving graciously around the room. "We're very indebted to you."
"It was our pleasure," Crispin replied. "I'm just sad we were unable to do it sooner. We've been watching the Cummings residence for a long while, but no opportunity ever presented itself."
"How long have we been prisoners exactly?" I asked. "We completely lost track of time."
"It's the first of May today. You've been held for about three and a half months now," he replied.
I looked at Vance. Three and a half months, gone, lost.
"How did you know where we were?" Vance asked him.
"Well, apparently we have a double crosser in our coven. You may know him. His name is Brian Fitzgerald," Crispin explained looking a bit forlorn as he spoke.
I gasped at the mention of Brian and turned in time to see the angered look that flashed over Vance's face.
"Brian is in your coven?" he asked flatly.
Crispin shook his head. "Not any longer. We were unaware he was Douglas's nephew. Apparently Douglas sent him as a spy to infiltrate our coven and keep a watch over what we were up to. We've always been openly opposed to the Cummings family."
Vance's face fell a bit at this remark, before he masked his expression once again. "I'm sorry my family has caused everyone such hardship," he apologized, his eyes quickly darting over every person.
"Vance, none of this is your fault," my dad interjected, shaking his head. "Stop taking responsibility for it. We're simply happy the two of you are safe and we were able to get you before any real harm was done."
"Let's just take them home and get out of here!" my mom spoke up, a pleading expression on her face.
"We can't leave," I said.
"Why not?" she asked, perplexed. "The safest place for the two of you is as far away from here as possible."
"My mom is here," Vance replied.
"Your mom?" my dad asked, perking right up at this bit of information. "You found her?"
Vance nodded. "She's been a prisoner at Bell Tower Hall almost since the day she gave me up."
"So it was a demon shape shifter you killed," Grandma added.
"Yes. I won't leave her behind, either. She's helpless. She has no powers to protect herself with. My father performed a demon kiss on her as punishment for defying him."
An audible gasp went through the room.
"Why have they kept her in her current state?" my dad asked, perplexed by this revelation.
"They've been trying to breed her," Vance spoke with a disgusted look. "Apparently she carries the blood of a white witch, something Portia also happens to have in abundance. They want Portia and I to have a baby so they can receive something called the Awakening."
"So that's why they performed a Celtic fertility ritual on you last night," Crispin muttered.
"Yes," Vance replied with a sigh. "And if my memory serves me correctly, they were very successful at it."
"Actually, they weren't," Crispin said with a knowing smile.
"Oh, I assure you, Portia was well . . . loved . . . last night," Vance said, shaking his head in disagreement.
An awkward pause hung in the air for a moment before Crispin spoke again. "I am—how shall I say it—um ... aware of that fact," Crispin said, obviously uncomfortable at the blatant referrals to the intimate moments Vance and I had shared. "What I was referring to was the fact the ritual was never completed."
"There was more?" I asked, wondering what else could have possibly been done that hadn't been.
Crispin nodded in the affirmative. "In the ritual, the woman, that would be you, has to wash herself in the first morning dew after seducing her lover. That never happened. We took you well before the morning dew had fallen."
"So I won't get pregnant?" I asked, hopeful.
"Well, not because of the ritual," Crispin pointed out. "But as your husband said, you did have plenty of ... exposure . . . of the regular kind. Anything could happen."
I couldn't help blushing at his comments, thankful when another woman in the group spoke up. "We could give you some herbs or something that wouldn't allow the pregnancy to continue if you've conceived," she offered.
"Absolutely not!" I said, feeling offended and placing my hands protectively over my stomach. "If there's a baby in here, it's my baby. Vance and mine's, born out of a strong love. I would never let anything happen to it."
"Sorry," the woman amended, casting her eyes about nervously. "I didn't mean to upset you. I was just trying to offer a suggestion."
Pulling me closer, Vance tucked me under his arm, hugging me tightly around the shoulders. "Portia's right," he said, matter-of-factly. "If we're having a baby, getting rid of it isn't an option."
Tears pooled in my eyes, threatening to spill down my face. "Thank you," I said into his head.
"I love you," he replied back in the same fashion, and he squeezed me, and a loving look passed between us.
My dad piped up, breaking the moment. "We need to make a plan, people," he said, snapping his fingers together in rapid succession. "I want to know everything there is to know about this Awakening thing and what it's all about. We also need to figure out a way to rescue Krista in the process. It's time to put our heads together."
Everyone nodded, and talk began rippling throughout the group. My dad motioned for Vance and me to come sit by him. "What do you know about this Awakening?" he asked, directing the question mainly to Vance.
"Not much," he replied. "I don't know where, when, how, or why it happens. I only know that the power of it goes to the witch or warlock with the most amount of white witch blood in them. My grandparents want this power. They believe if they combine the white witch blood I have with the blood from Portia, it'll create a child with an extraordinary amount of the heritage. They want to drink the blood of the child. It's the only way they can assimilate the white witch power. It has to be mixed in with their own bloodline in order for it to work."
"So, they're basically cannibalizing their own offspring," Dad said while he rubbed his hand over his face in a frustrated gesture.
"Pretty much," Vance said, complete disgust passing over his features.
Dad glanced at me. "I really hope you aren't pregnant," he said flatly, his eyes flickering briefly down toward my stomach.
"Me too, but it won't matter to them if I'm not," I replied with a slight shake of my head.
"What do you mean?" he asked, not following.
"If I fail to conceive, they'll just go back to their original plan," I said with a shrug.
"Which is what?"
"They'll try to use Vance. He already carries the bloodline mixed with their blood. They're just hoping to make that bloodline even purer through me," I explained.
Dad looked a Vance for several moments before he answered. "This isn't good, son," he said with concern.
"I know," Vance replied with a sigh.
"We really need to get you both away from here," Dad said, his voice sounding more insistent.
"I can't leave my mom behind," Vance said stubbornly, refusing to budge on the issue. "I won't leave her behind," he amended a moment later.
"Well, you being here isn't going to help her either. If they catch you, things go from bad to worse, for everyone involved," Dad countered, trying to persuade him otherwise.
Vance had that look in his eye—the one he got when he was not going to be easy to reason with. I decided maybe I should give it a shot.
"Look, Vance," I said softly, hoping I wouldn't anger him by standing with my father on this. "Krista has been with them all these years, and they've never hurt her. She herself said she's absolutely no threat to them without her powers. They probably hardly even notice her at this point."
Giving me a hard stare, he was not happy. I swallowed, a lump forming in my throat. "I'm not asking you to leave her behind. I'm asking you to consider what she'd tell you to do about this," I said, wishing I could somehow make him understand what I was trying to say.
Folding his arms over his chest, he looked back and forth between my dad and me with a slightly angry expression. I could tell he was really struggling with this.
"Fine," he said, dropping his hands to his sides in defeat. "But I won't go far, maybe to Ireland or England, but no farther. We stay there, find out everything we can about this Awakening, and we come back for her as soon as we possibly can."
"Done!" my dad said, and he patted Vance on the back. "Trust me. I'll do everything in my power to get her back for you."