Precious Anathema (21 page)

“
Delilah, please don’t
speak. I have something to tell you, something that I have never
told anyone before and you can’t question it, just believe it for
me. Many years ago I lived with an evil sorcerer who wanted nothing
more than to have the richest blood line and become the strongest
family known to the universe, he was obsessed. I grew up with this
every day, it was drilled into me that I had to fulfill some
prophecy and he trained me my whole life to take over once he
passed away. He told me about the Grace women, and that if we had
any chance I had to make sure that each of the women were
impregnated with my child, his blood child. I tried to get out of
it, to change it somehow but he said he would kill me, and I loved
him, he was my father and I couldn’t disappoint the only person who
ever loved me, so I did as I was told and I have regretted it every
day since. He was not proud or happy with me, I hurt your mother
and your aunts, not to mention you girls and I just want you to
know that it haunts me every day. I love you and your sisters and I
am sorry Delilah.” He reached his hand out to me, and thinking it
was a trick I stepped away from his hand. He nodded and turned from
me, walking back up the hill without another word. As his
silhouette was almost out of sight I swore I saw him turn into a
horse, and then he was gone. Lukin scratched his head and looked at
me and said exactly what I was thinking.

“
What the hell was
that
?” I fell back on my
ass and sobbed with my hands in my face, this was too much. I
needed to hate him, I needed to be angry at him and yet I found
myself feeling so sorry for him. I wished I could be colder, I wish
I didn’t care so much.

“
Lukin, I am not sure where
we are but I don’t like it.” I looked around and saw no one else in
the field; I buried my face in his chest and sobbed.

“
Delilah, can I tell you
something that might make you feel better about me?” I nodded and
wiped the snot from my face. “I had a beautiful and brilliant wife
once, two amazing children and a blessed life.” I picked my head up
so I could see his face as he told me the story. “One night some of
the men in town invited me to the pub for a drink, that’s where I
met Emma. Every man in the bar wanted to take her home. Old men,
young men, single men and even married men, but not me. I didn’t
feel she held a candle to my wife and I ignored her.” I felt the
tears coming again as he told me his side of the story. “Leaving
the bar I had one too many pints, and she offered to take me home
in her carriage, I agreed and thanked her for the kindness. When
the carriage stopped I thanked her again and stepped out, only she
hadn’t taken me home at all. I was at the Estate and she invited me
in for a nightcap. When I told her I had to get home to my wife she
became annoyed, asking me if I could just get help her fetch
something from the basement before the horseman took me home. I
agreed and long story short, once at the stairway I turned to ask
her what she needed me to get and she screamed in my face that no
man rejects her ever and that I would pay, that’s when I was pushed
down the stairs and have been here ever since.” My mouth was frozen
open, and my tears fell like his heart had. I believed him, and I
loved him for his honesty. I couldn’t tell him I knew, I hugged him
tight and spoke through tears and crying.

“
I don’t have much family
Lukin, but I would love for you to be part of it.” He smiled and
hugged me back. It was a very uplifting moment, and then we heard
the grass moving beside us again. Picking our heads up I looked in
the eyes of an angel, and Lukin gasped. Her long brown hair laid
perfectly over her shoulders, Big brown doe eyes and cherry lips
made her the most innocently beautiful woman I had ever
seen.

“
Dad is that you?” I looked
at Lukin who ran to the woman, picking her up from the ground
spinning and crying. Placing her back on the ground, he took her
face in his hands and wept as he kissed her forehead.

“
Bryn Leigh my beautiful
baby girl, is it really you?” She nodded and threw her arms around
him again. I slowly got to my feet and watched as my heart broke
hearing her words.

“
Dad, I am here because I
have to tell you something. The night you went missing Mom had sent
me to the pub to find you. I saw you get into the carriage with
that witch, and told Mom you had been unfaithful. We never looked
for you and I am so sorry for that. It’s my fault Daddy I am so
sorry.” Lukin didn’t look upset at his daughter at all, and her
guilt trapped her for so many years.

“
Bryn Leigh, you were so
young. You only knew what you saw; you didn’t know any better
honey.” Lukin looked at me and then back to her. “Bryn how did you
now Emma was a witch?” The beautiful girl rubbed his arm and
smiled.

“
Daddy, every woman, and
girl in town knew what she was. Everyone knew what happened to men
that got in her carriage, we were just too afraid to stop her.” She
kissed his forehead and smiled. “I love you Daddy.” She turned to
walk away just as Justin had done, and as she walked out of sight I
heard Lukin whisper.

“
I have never stopped
loving you Angel Baby, and will continue forever and a day.” He
buckled and hid his face from me as he cried. I knew that magic was
behind all the truth we were being told, but what purpose was it
serving? I backed away and decided to give him some time while I
tried to make sense of the place we were in now.

TWENTY

Walking back to the Estate I had a lot
to think about, I had choices to make and it was time to man up and
get it done. My biggest fear was losing Ella, but being shunned by
Freya was right up there. I wasn’t sure how I would do it, but
maybe it was the key we needed to get her the hell out of hell for
good. I was passing the bloody pillar when I heard a scream from
inside the estate. I charge in like a bull, taking Selene out with
the door, sending her flying through the parlor. I gasped and ran
to her, I didn’t have it in me to wish her harm but just as I got
to her Eris was at my side putting her hands on the egg that was
starting to form. Selene glared at me and then pushed me out of her
way to get up unassisted.

“
Who the hell is
screaming?” She looked at Eris as if I wasn’t in the room at all. I
touched her shoulder and she shook it off.

“
Selene, I really am sorry,
it was an accident I didn’t know you were running by, I swear and I
am sorry.” She glared again and walked ahead of Eris and I, who
suddenly looked at me with disgust.

“
Oh my goodness, I figured
it out. You shithead, you slept with her didn’t you?” I took her
arm and walked to the corner where we had more privacy.

“
Eris, it’s not how you
think I promise you I didn’t really cheat on Ella. Selene tricked
me by pretending to be her the night she disappeared, I didn’t know
it wasn’t her until it was too late, I love Ella.” Holding her
stare, I watched her face become soft again; she could read me and
knew I was telling the truth.

“
Xander if Ella finds out
she won’t care for the details you know.” I nodded and took a deep
breath.

“
I think Selene knows that
all too well Eris.” Another shriek came from the sitting room and
we took off running. I am not sure what I expected bu I put my hand
on my knife just to be safe as we entered the room. The aunts were
hugging one another and Freya had her hands up chanting something
about a Goddess. Eris and I were very confused when Kali looked at
us with tears in her eyes and a smile.

“
We know where they are and
how to get to them.” It was Eris who let out the shriek this time
and we all hugged, all but one until Freya waved her arm and Selene
screamed before rubbing her face and sulked into the circle. Freya
took a breathe and began explaining that everything in the curse
had grown over the years, but that everything was once a simple
spell, once they were able to find that spell they could find it’s
weakness. Carna quickly put a slight damper on all the happiness
with one sentence.

“
Someone has to have
wronged her in some way, to feel guilt for that wrong or we don’t
have a way in.” Freya shot me a look, I shot Selene a look and Eris
screamed again. I knew that Freya had known, but obviously she
didn’t know that I was tricked or why, otherwise the look would
have been to Selene. This was my out, I wouldn’t have to tell Freya
the truth about the prophecy and we could still save Ella, I just
had to believe the lie and feel enough guilt to get myself to her.
I looked at Eris and flashed a look, begging her with my eyes to go
along with what was about to come out of my mouth.

“
I will do it.” The aunts
turned to face me, and suddenly I could feel heat traveling up from
my toes, there rage was actually burning me until they both looked
at Selene who backed into the corner but held a devilish grin.
Carna flashed me a look and began to walk to me as she
spoke.

“
You have
far
more than just Ella
to answer to for what
you
have done Xander, we
just
got her back and
when
she finds this out
we have
no
chance
of
ever
breaking
this
curse
, or
convincing her to
stay
with us.” I stood in my place, taking it all in. A tear fell
down my cheek, but I never spoke simply because I knew she was
right about all of it. She turned to look at Selene but Kali pushed
her out of the way to get to her daughter first.

“
You are a
real
piece of work you
know that young lady, you just couldn’t
stand
that Ella had something
you
didn’t even
want
. Was it
worth
it, to
lose
the respect of this
family and that includes me. Ella would never hurt you, and you
look proud of what you have done to this family.” Selene winked at
me as she smiled at her mother’s words and that’s when I knew in my
heart she would never feel guilt for what she had done, it was up
to me to turn something horrible into the thing that could save her
before it was too late, I could blame Selene all I wanted but in
the end it was my fault. As this thought filled my head I felt
dizzy and my knees buckled under my own weight, both Kali and Eris
lunged to catch me as everything went black.

*

One by one they kept coming to confess
guilt and ask for forgiveness, Both Lukin and I shared a laugh as a
classmate from fourth grade came to tell me they stole my favorite
scarf, but other than that it was a little tense. Lukin’s wife had
come to confess that she had not been a virgin when they married
which made me laugh, but he didn’t find it funny at all.

“
Lukin that’s nothing,
these day’s a woman is lucky to reach fifteen before losing her
virginity.” He rolled his eyes at me, taking a deep breath and
said.

“
We were fifteen when we
married.” This was the statement that had me in stitches
momentarily until I could compose myself and offer a sympathetic
hug. Mostly Lukin had the guilt train running on full steam. I had
maybe four people come for me which I took as a good sign until I
saw
him
. I backed
away from Lukin, pointing as we made eye contact with each other; I
started shaking my head back and forth feeling like I could throw
up any moment while Lukin stood still, looking stunned and
scared.

“
No! Tell me that is
not
the man I see coming
towards us Lukin,
please
tell me that’s not
him
.” My chin began to quiver and my
hands flew up to cover my mouth as I began to cry, knowing why he
was here. Knowing I had been right about what I had seen, knowing
that I couldn’t forgive him. As he got closer I couldn’t deny it
was Xander any longer, my tears wouldn’t be held back and I began
screaming. “
No
!
Please just go back I
don’t
want to know,
please
go back Xander!” He just kept
walking, looking me in the eye and with every step I screamed
louder. He didn’t look upset, he didn’t seem remorseful at all, yet
he was here and I knew why. Lukin grabbed my arm and only then did
I see Xander’s face go from stone to anger as he sped up his
pace.

“
That’s
Xander,
why
and
how
is
he
here
Delilah?”
I looked in his eyes and then his face turned cold as he glared
toward the coward that had hurt me. Taking my hand he stood tall
beside me as I choked back the sounds of my own heart breaking its
sound was an ear piercing scream, and then I heard it again, only
much louder this time, it
wasn’t
my heart at all. It was
women
screaming and laughing, as I
watched raven haired women come over the hill I screamed and
ran
from Lukin,
ran
by Xander without a
glance,
ran
into
the arms of
my
family. They were
here
, we were
all
here and as I fell to the ground
holding onto my aunts, being tackled by my cousin I realized, we
are
all
here
, we were
all
trapped
here
.