Chapter Six-Kenna

"Well?" He repeated as he and Delilah waited for my response.

Inconsiderate ass. I had no idea what I was expecting from people like them. Of course they'd want their part of the deal fulfilled first. If it weren't for the blood oath I'd be convinced that they'd kill me as soon as the curse was lifted. They still might, but that wouldn't end well for them.

If a blood oath is broken, an irreversible curse is placed on the one who broke it. Nobody's lived longer than two weeks after having broken an oath such as that and once broken, there is no going back. Not many people I know are willing to do it. I knew he had no choice but to keep to his side of the deal, and that was the only reason I wasn't as afraid of fulfilling my part of the deal first.

Sighing, I resigned to the fact that we'd have to find the witch first and walked over to them. Ignoring Jed I looked at Delilah, "Let's get this over with, what do you need me to do?"

"Great, just stand right here." She pointed to a small stick-like symbol drawn in white chalk on the ground, "and you," she looked at Jed, "stand here."

Jed ran his fingers through his long black hair and did as she said. Once we were all in place, Delilah drew a large circle around the three smaller ones, this time using black chalk.

Once complete, she took her place in the third ring with a different symbol. It didn't escape my attention that mine and Jed's symbols were the same, but perhaps that was because she was the witch casting the spell.

I'd never witnessed a witch's ability first hand so I paid close attention as she lay all the little trinkets in front of us.

First was a small ornament of a jaguar carved from wood that was set on the mantelpiece a few seconds before, then she pulled out a small picture frame and placed it face down in the middle before walking over to us with a pin in hand, "just a small prick," she said as she lifted my finger and drew blood.

She turned my hand so that a single drop fell onto the picture and waited until another fell onto the ornament. Once she'd done the same thing to Jed and then herself she began reading from an old leather book.

I fought hard to keep my eyes open as I started to feel lightheaded and pressure began building in my head. I swayed on my feet and almost stepped out of the circle but was steadied when someone placed their hand firmly on my shoulder, stopping me from falling face first into the ground. Closing my eyes tightly, I groaned as the uncomfortable sensation grew more intense, causing my body to shake uncontrollably.

Wind began whipping around us and I heard Jed shouting over the noise, "Delilah! What's happening?"

I attempted to open my eyes again but they felt as if they'd been glued shut, "I can't open my eyes," I managed to choke out.

"Jed! Don't do it!" I heard Delilah say in a frantic voice before I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around me.

My face was pressed against Jed's solid chest as he cradled my head and wrapped his other large hand around my waist. I should have been afraid, but something in me found comfort in the smell of fresh rain and the solidity of his muscles keeping me in place. It was the strangest sensation; I actually felt
safe.

Without warning, I started to see images flash in front of my eyes. It was just like the first time except instead of seeing the little girl in the snow, or the old lady baking, I was surprised to find myself looking at Jed.

He was dressed in a burnt-orange shirt that showed off his broad shoulders coupled with a pair of long denims and no shoes. He leaned casually on a metal railing with his back to me while enjoying the peacefulness of the evening. I heard him sigh in contentment, gazing out at the moon's reflection as it danced on the calm surface of water.

The smell of the salty sea air washed over me and I smiled to myself. Jed turned his head as I approached, smiling warmly as I stood beside him and he draped his arm lazily over my shoulders, allowing me to lean Into him.

It was different seeing him this way; so calm and happy. He almost didn't seem like the terrifying monster I knew he was.

There was no way I could control my actions in a vision such as this, so when he leaned forward to brush a strand of hair away from my face I could do nothing but bask in the whirlwind of emotions I felt for him.

"You're so beautiful." He whispered in a low and husky voice as he began trailing kisses along my neck. When he reached my jawline and started inching closer towards the corner of my mouth, everything ended.

Just like the last time, I felt like something had been stolen from me, a part of me left empty as I wanted with everything in me to be back there with him.

Before I had time to read into exactly what happened, everything came to an abrupt stop. It was like falling flat on my back; the air was forced from my lungs and I was left gasping for air.

Jed quickly lay me down onto something soft. My eyes opened a fraction to find him watching Delilah as she rifled through her rucksack.

My mouth felt dry and my body weak as I managed to slowly reach out to Jed, "Hey, did you see that too?" I managed to whisper.

His attention snapped to me and I could have sworn his face became a few shades paler as he studied my face without answering.

"I found it!" Delilah stood up and rushed to my side, kneeling in front of me and pressing a small vile filled with luminescent green liquid to my lips, "Here, drink this. It'll make you feel better." I knew she wouldn't kill me, not yet anyway, so I swallowed the disgusting drink and almost instantly I began feeling a little more stable.

"What happened back there?" Jed asked her, tearing his eyes away from mine.

Delilah shook her head, seemingly just as confused, "The barriers were thrown up around the island mid-travel. It was like someone was purposefully trying to throw us off course. And you," she said angrily as she poked him in the chest, "You should never have jumped from your zone to hers! You could have put yourself in immense danger."

"She could have been lost anywhere in the world, Delilah. How would we have found her then? What would we have done about this wretched curse if she was lost in a world she knows nothing about, without any knowledge on how to contact us?" He spat, "I did what was necessary and look around, we all made it out here didn't we? So mission accomplished."

"Am I going crazy?" I whispered sceptically as I closed my eyes and lay back onto the soft cushions, "I saw you, Jed," it felt weird having his name on my lips as I spoke softly, "you were there with me, looking out at the ocean but it wasn't the one from the Sanctuary,"

"What is she talking about?" Delilah asked, crossing her arms and looking at Jed with a frown.

Jed studied my face for a while, and for a fraction of a second I saw his walls drop. He'd seen what I'd seen too, I just knew it, but if he had any clue as to why we were experiencing this, why wasn't he telling me?

"Nothing," he said to Delilah, "she's probably just a bit delusional from the travel. It takes a lot out of someone who's never done it before and it's not like she knew what to expect."

His warm hand pressed against my forehead and I tried to avert my gaze but found myself looking up into his golden eyes. For the first time I actually saw the man from the vision; he seemed a little more gentle. It was unexplainable and a little unnerving but I didn't want him to stop looking at me like that.

Neither of us broke eye contact as his hand moved to caress my cheek. As if pulled from a dream he shook his head slightly and pulled away. His eyes darted over the bruises on my neck and arms and I heard a low growl start up in his throat.

Feeling embarrassed, I looked away, trying to fight the tears that threatened to spill over when I thought of that night.

"She's probably hungry," he told Delilah without looking at her, "When last did you eat?" He asked me before giving her a chance to respond.

I licked my chapped lips as I thought of my last meal with disgust, "Two days, maybe three. I can't really remember."

Delilah walked towards the window with her phone in hand. She paced the length of the small apartment whispering into it frantically. When she saw me watching her she moved into the bedroom and shut the door.

"I know you saw what I saw," I told him. My bluff worked and I knew I was right when his eyes widened a fraction. "Just tell me what it is, tell me I'm not crazy."

"That's just it," he said softly as he looked away, purposefully avoiding eye contact, "This curse, it makes you crazy. So I can't say that you're not crazy because there's a good possibility I'm going crazy too."

"What did you see?" I asked, hoping he'd explain the same vision I saw and hopefully let me know whose eyes I was looking through. Was it real or just a vision created purely from my imagination, nothing but an effect due to the mark?

He gave nothing away as he cleared his throat and stood up, "It doesn't matter. It's not real." Grabbing a black leather jacket, he made his way to the door and left, slamming it behind him.