Six
Aurora
No, no no! I need to get out of here! Fuck! I wasn’t ready for that stupid girl to attack me. There was no time to control my reaction, and I ended up exposing a well-kept secret. At least there were only a few witnesses. They probably thought they were seeing things because of the alcohol. At least I hoped that’s what they would think.
Looking at the faces of my friends, I realized they didn’t miss a thing. They both saw the glow and witnessed the protection spell taking place. How was I supposed to explain that I was a witch to my new friends and co-workers. They would never understand my life. Instead of enduring their scrutiny, I decided the best course of action would be to leave and that’s just what I did.
Without hesitation, I snagged my purse and headed out of the bar as fast as my legs could carry me. I could hear my name being called but I just kept walking. There was an uncontrollable need to escape before Sheol came back from dealing with that little bitch. No way was I ready to spill my secrets to that man. I liked him too much to get him involved in my mess.
As soon as I was outside, I breathed a sigh of relief. I ran to the street where there just happened to be a taxi. Since I didn’t get that dangerous feeling, I jumped in and gave the driver my address. Well, at least it will be my address until tomorrow. After what happened tonight, I will be moving again. Fuck, I was just starting to like this town. Now, I was going to have to leave this town and the man I liked, more than I wanted to admit, behind.
On the ride home, I received non-stop calls from both Crystal and Lilly. When they realized that I wasn’t going to answer, the text messages started. What I wouldn’t give to just be honest with people for a change. It was a pipe dream. Normal people could never understand my life and where I came from. Being the last of my coven was difficult. It was up to me to keep the bloodline going.
How was I supposed to do that when I was single, uninterested in having babies and, oh yeah, had witch hunters on my ass. They were ready to take my head off as easily as plucking a piece of lint from their person.
I made it home safely. My guardian did not activate, so I figured there was no one inside my home. However, I didn’t leave anything to chance. I still did my regular routine of checking all closets, the bathroom, and under the bed for intruders. Having found no one in my place, I relaxed a bit.
Knowing my time was limited here, I decided to indulge in a nice hot bubble bath. I absolutely loved the claw-foot tub in this apartment. It was one of the main reasons I chose this place. I sank into the water and closed my eyes to help me relax. Only that didn’t happen. As soon as my eyes closed, I was overcome with visions of crazy bikers armed with flame throwers. They were chasing me as I ran down a highway.
Since the bath was no longer serving its purpose, I jumped out. After throwing on my pajama pants and tank top, I climbed into bed and prayed for a peaceful sleep. In the morning, I would pack my clothes and the little possession I had and head out. Before doing that, I needed to look at a map to decide my next destination.
New Orleans had been the perfect place to hide out. There was so much paranormal activity happening in the city, that I knew it would be difficult to weed me out. The witch hunters could search for me here, but their search would almost be impossible to be successful. Maybe I could simply change apartments, to avoid being found.
One thing was certain. I would have to quit my job and find another one. There was no way I was going back to the shop to face Lilly or Crystal. I just hoped they would keep my secret. I would draft a letter of resignation and email it to Lilly in the morning. My mind was overrun with thoughts of Sheol as I closed my eyes for the night. It would be best for everyone involved if I just walked away from him before things went too far. That way he wouldn’t be in any danger.
I drifted off into a peaceful sleep, only to be awakened by a loud knocking on my door at seven in the morning. Nobody knew where I lived. I was very careful not to give out that information. So, who was knocking at my door? Surely, it wasn’t the hunters. They would never knock. Those fuckers would simply blow the door off the frame.
Since my amulet wasn’t glowing, I knew it had to be someone who made me feel safe. Keeping that in mind, I made my way to the door and looked through the peep hole. What in the world was he doing here?
“Sheol?” I said as I opened the door.
He looked a hot mess. His hair was disheveled, and he was still wearing the clothes he had on last night. The wild look in his eyes told me he was a little off.
“Cher, I need you to come with me, right now.”
“What the hell? First, I’m not going anywhere with you. Are you fucking staling me? How did you know where I live?”
He stepped inside and locked the door after closing it behind him. The man looked like someone having a manic episode. What was his deal?
“I’m sorry to just show up out of the blue, but this is important.”
“What’s so damn important that you tracked me down at seven in the morning? You need to leave.”
The crazed man grabbed my arms and shook me. He actually shook me. That shit was uncalled for. Why was he able to put his hands on me without triggering my protective shield? Something must be off with my magic.
“Look, Aurora, I don’t mean to be aggressive. You’re in danger and I need you to take it seriously.”
A cold shiver ran down my back at those words. I stopped fighting him and decided I’d better listen, for once.
“What do you mean I’m in danger?”
He took a deep breath and looked as if he was battling something internally. I knew that look from experience, so I allowed him to collect his thoughts. When he was ready, he started explaining.
“This is going to sound insane, but after last night’s events, I think you may be open to it. Things sometimes come to me in my dreams. My dreams are never wrong. If I get them in time. I can try to prevent something bad from happening.”
I listened to his rant. Well, at first, I thought it was a rant, but the more he talked, the more he made sense. Sheol was a seer and didn’t even know it. His dreams were indeed a gift. If he was here to warn me, that meant the hunters knew where I was. We needed to leave immediately.
“What exactly did you see in your dream?”
He visibly relaxed when he saw that I was taking him seriously. After taking a deep breath he told me what happened in his dream. It was just like I thought. The hunters, disguised as a biker gang, were on my trail. They were chasing me around the French Quarter trying to kill me. It was worse than I thought. They knew I was here and more than likely rode all night to get here.
“Fuck! They know. Give me five minutes to get dressed and grab my stuff. I’ll take off and you won’t have to worry about me anymore.”
“The fuck I will. Do you think I’m just going to let some gang of assholes chase you down and kill you? Not on my watch, Cher. You are mine and I will protect you with my life.”
“Now wait a damn minute. I don’t recall ever consenting to being yours.”
“I don’t need your permission to claim you, Cher. You’re mine whether you want it or not. That claim comes with the benefit of my protection.”
“And what if I don’t want your benefits? I am a grown woman and don’t belong to anybody. You can’t just come in here and claim me like a piece of property. I am a human being. In case you forgot, my people haven’t been slaves for a very long time. Ever heard of Juneteenth?”
“That’s not what I meant, Cher. Of course, you are not my slave. I would never even think that. What I meant was our souls are tethered so no matter what you do or where you go, we will always be tied to each other. I am a protector by nature. I will keep you safe in this life and the next. There is nothing you can do about that. It just is.”
I was stunned. When I was a little girl, my mother told me stories about a witch’s familiar. They are usually there to protect and guide young witches. I never met mine and thought it was just a legend. Could Sheol be mine? If so, it would explain why I was so drawn to him.
“We don’t have much time. Get your things and come with me, now.”
Sheol may be a protector, but there was no way I wanted to drag him into my shit. Those hunters were ruthless killers. They would show him no mercy when it came to getting their blood thirsty hands on me. It wasn’t just that I was a witch. I was the last in my line. I had to find a way to run, but in the meanwhile, I allowed Sheol to believe I was willingly going with him.
After packing my things into my sturdy backpack, I left the apartment with Sheol. He attempted to carry my bag, but I wouldn’t allow it. How could I ever escape, if he had my bag. That was not going to work for me. I waited until he turned his back to get his extra helmet from his saddlebag. In was now or never. I took off running, but I sadly underestimated my self-proclaimed protector.