Her Decision
Kiara
“This is worse than we thought, isn’t it?”
“Demons are rare, and if this was cast by a demon, and I’m sure it was, then finding the one behind it is going to be rather difficult, even for us.” I closed my eyes, wishing that was not the case.
“Is there no other way?”
“Of course there is, finding the one who summoned the demon. If we find him, then we find the rest of the answers,” Magdalene stated, smoothing out the sleeve of her dress. The two women exchanged looks. I knew they were keeping something from me.
“There’s more to it, isn’t there? Tell me,” I demanded sharply, just as Mom entered. Janaina sighed heavily.
“If anyone else had performed this spell, or any spell for that matter, trying to lift the curse…. they would have died instantly. The only reason Delsanra survived is because of her demon side.” Her words made my blood run cold. I felt as if I had been slapped across the face. Goddess.
My heart was thundering erratically, thinking of the consequences of what could have happened. I had called her here; she could have died…
Mom placed her arm around me, and, for a moment, I took comfort in her touch before I walked over to Delsanra, thinking of what could have happened.
“What do you propose?” Mom asked them.
“We shall perform a spell to simply bring them to consciousness, however, they will remain cursed. That means hallucinations, weakness, and whatever other side effects there may be. I can’t be fully sure,” Magdalene said quietly.
“Are they not better off staying unconscious, then?” Mom asked.
“No, there is a chance they will begin to lose their minds if this continues. Time will run out. We need to make sure the curse is broken before then, but how long that may take, I am not sure. Whoever is behind this planned it very carefully,” Magdalene continued.
Janaina sighed, “Someone strong enough to summon demons and to have them do their bidding… that’s a first.”
“We all know what happened the one time our kind tried that; male demons are extremely hard to capture... to think they made a deal with them. It has to be a djinn. Normal demons are more… childlike, you could say; they don’t think like humans.
Then, there are the djinn. How they managed to get a hold of one, however…
is beyond me. He must have paid an extremely high price… ” Magdalene murmured.
“So, is the enemy a witch?” I asked, frowning.
“We cannot say for sure, but if it is, it is not anyone we know of. Someone of this calibre… is definitely not from our Coven,” she replied.
I listened to them, my mind made up. I was going to have to find this person.
“They left a message.” I reached into my pocket, grabbing my shattered phone, and held up the picture of the notepad where I had written the two sentences. Janaina took the phone from me, and they both read it, looking thoughtful.
“The Crimson King, I haven’t heard of anyone by that name. We can check if there’s anything we can find on him via magic. For now, let’s perform the spell,” Janaina remarked when Magdalene raised her hand.
“Wait… I feel like I may have heard the term somewhere… I will look into it,” she mused.
I nodded, watching both women get to work. Individually they may not be as powerful as Delsanra, who was at a calibre beyond even the most powerful witches, yet it was clear they had experience on their side.
With each passing moment, as I looked upon the two forms on the bed, their hearts beating fast and those dark, angry veins lining their skin, I knew that I had to do something. I couldn’t just sit there and allow everyone else to be out there…
The two high witches had been at the spell for a while. It took them almost an hour to steady Dante and Delsanra’s heartbeats. I left for a short while to check on Skyla whilst Mom got the witches some refreshments, despite both being in full concentration mode.
When Delsanra and Dante’s eyes flew open simultaneously, they blazed red as they looked around. The veins still remained on their bodies, and their skin remained ashy, yet their heartbeats were level.
“Mom?” Dante croaked as I rushed to the edge of the magic trigram that was surrounding them.
“Baby, you’re going to be okay,” I whispered, relief flooding me. I fought back my tears. His eyes met mine, confusion clear in them as he looked around, tensing.
“They’re coming,” he croaked.
“Who is?” Magdalene asked sharply.
“The wolves of fire,” he murmured.
I exchanged looks with Mom, turning back to him. His eyes closed, and he took a deep breath. Anything Dante said that wasn’t in normal conversation was not something to sideline. His intuition was far stronger than mine or Liam’s.
“I see the boy is special,” Magdalene said keenly.
I did trust her, but I wasn’t completely comfortable with them knowing about my son’s ability. Dante knew I was having twin baby girls when I had first found out I was pregnant. Janaina had given me the amulet that Dante always wore, and she must have seen it. I was sure she had her assumptions.
“Delsanra,” I called, turning towards the white-haired beauty. She looked at me and gave me a small, weak smile.
“Sorry, I just caused you more work. I messed up, and I wasn’t able to help him.” She looked at Dante, reaching over and stroking his hair. For once, he didn’t blush or pout. Instead, he just stared ahead, his face deathly and his eyes dark with thought.
“They won’t be able to do much, but at least they are conscious for now.
You are on a short time leash, Queen Kiara.
” Magdalene’s words held the weight of reality in them.
If I’d had any doubt, it was gone. I had to do something.
“As the Lycan King asked, he wished for some protective spells to be placed around the Night Walker Pack. So, without further ado, we should head there. I’m sure it will be safer for you all as well,” she continued.
I nodded. They were right. Returning to the pack would mean better security, and from there, I would decide what to do. I kissed Dante’s cheek before giving Delsanra a hug.
“Want to talk to Ahren and Sienna?” I asked her softly. Concern filled her eyes, and she nodded.
“How long have we been out?”
“A day,” I replied, taking the water bottle from Mom and holding it to her lips as Mom helped Dante drink.
“Not too long.” She seemed relieved. She was a mother, too, and her pups were still so young.
“I will pass the message to Alejandro,” I said, deciding to reach out to the nearest of our men who formed a chain of communication that reached each wolf that was out there searching.
Let Alejandro know we are returning home with the witches. Julio and Phillip will remain to keep an eye on the villa in case something else odd shows up. Also, let him and Rayhan know that Dante and Delsanra are now conscious.
Understood, Luna. That is great news.
Night had fallen, and I had just put Skyla and Dante to bed. Mom would watch them; as much as I didn’t want to leave them, I had to. I had made my decision. Delsanra was still there; however, Raihana had brought her pups to see her and to check on Skyla and Dante.
I felt better being at home in the comfort and safety of our mansion. Alejandro had called at one point to speak to Dante, and I had filled him in on everything the witches had said. They had put some protective spells in place before they’d left with a promise to look into the Crimson King.
It was silent, with everyone having settled down for the night.
Mom would sleep in Dante’s room. I was meant to be sleeping with Skyla, however, I would tell Serena before I left and order her to stay with Skyla.
I brushed my fingers through Dante’s hair, having slipped a small note under his pillow, letting him know I’d be back soon.
I was about to leave the room when Mom stepped out of the adjoining bathroom.
“Kia.” I turned as she towelled her vibrant red hair with a navy towel.
“Hmm?” She didn’t speak. Her eyes were locked with mine as if she was peering into my soul. You can’t hide things from your mother, right?
“Are you heading to bed?” She asked after a moment. That was not what she was about to say…
“Yeah, I’m just going to shower and then get some rest.” I turned the door handle.
“Kia…”
I looked at her, and I knew at that moment that she knew I was going to go. I didn’t reply as we stared at each other. I saw her concern and worry, too, but mixed in with it was the conflict of letting it slide.
“I am not a child, nor am I just a trophy on my king’s arm… I am a fighter, a queen, and, above all, a mother,” I replied quietly, staring at the handle that I was still holding onto.
“I know. Take care of yourself,” she replied quietly.
I didn’t reply, casting her a small smile and leaving the room. I returned to my own, where Skyla was fast asleep. I sat down on my bed, brushed my fingers through her long hair, and sighed heavily.
I will be back soon. I didn’t want her to get scared, but I needed Kataleya home.
“Mama?” She asked sleepily, her eyes fluttering open.
“Darling, I’m here, but I’m going to go find Kat, okay?” I whispered, bending down and kissing her forehead. She looked at me, frowning as she took in what I had just said, and the sleep vanished from her eyes before she nodded determinedly.
“Okay, Mama,” she replied.
“Be a good girl for Mama Red, okay?” That’s what they called Mom. Skyla had started it off, and even Dante, who used to call her grandma, called her Mama Red.
“I will, Mama. I love you.” She sat up, hugging me tightly as I wrapped my arms around her.
“I love you, too, baby; you, Kat, Dante, Daddy.” I kissed her cheek before she lay back down.
“I know, Mama… will you come home tomorrow?”
“I’ll come home when I find Kat, okay?”
“Okay! Mama is strong.” I hoped so. I just needed to find my baby.
“Sleep. I will stay here until you fall asleep, okay? Want me to sing to you?”
“Yes, Mama, a Disney song, please! Savages! From Pocahontas!”