Chapter Fifteen-Kenna

Once Haden led me into the large living room he leaned in closer, "Don't look now, but I think someone's jealous." He whispered, grinning from ear to ear.

"Pfft! I doubt that." I replied, letting go of his arm and watching him walk into the kitchen where Agatha had called him to help her carry the glasses.

I stole a glance at Jed to find him glaring at his brother with a murderous expression on his face as he took a seat next to Delilah on the chocolate brown, L-shaped couch.

The house had a very ancient feel to it, perhaps it had to do with the maroon coloured wallpaper, or the old fashioned windows that stretched from wall to wall, framed in intricately carved wood.

Agatha came in with a bottle of red wine, placing it on the large glass table before Jed stood and pulled her aside. They began whispering to each other softly, I was sure I'd heard my name so no doubt they were speaking about the curse.

Deciding to walk away and give them a moment of privacy, I wandered around the living room, looking at the pictures hanging on the wall above the fireplace when Agatha appeared beside me.

"It must be nice to have such a big family," I said, turning to her with a smile, "Jed doesn't realize how lucky he is."

"Yes," she agreed, studying my face with such intensity it started to make me feel uncomfortable, "what about your family? Where are they now?"

Remembering the story I'd practiced with Delilah all day, I avoided eye contact, focusing on a specific picture of Jed and Haden wrestling on the grass as I spoke, "My real mother died when I was a few years old, I don't remember much of her. After her death, my sister and I were moved to relatives on an Island far from here. I didn't really get along with them so at last I made the decision to escape. As you can see I was not successful in the way I'd hoped. I ran into Jed and well, I'm sure you know the rest."

"Hmm," she said thoughtfully, "Jed did explain your rather unusual situation. Speaking of which, do you mind if I have a look at the mark? The one on your back. There's a room upstairs where we can speak privately."

I nodded and followed her out of the room and up the stairs, ignoring the nervous glances from Jed as we left.

Agatha didn't say anything until we reached a small bedroom. She shut the door and muttered a few words. There was a loud click that echoed throughout the room, thereafter everything went eerily silent.

Suddenly I felt nervous, something about this woman made me feel intimidated; she was a hexblood, but she cast a silencing spell like a well- seasoned, full-blood witch.

I turned around and lifted the back of my shirt so that she could see the mark. She stood silently for a few moments, not making a single move as she stared.

Pulling my shirt back down, I turned around to face her, surprised to find her eyes filled with unshed tears.

"Are you okay?" I asked gently, not really sure why this woman locked me in a room and began crying when I showed her my mark. It made me uncomfortable; was she crying because there was no cure for this?

She shook her head and cleared her throat, sitting down on one of the squeaky single beds before taking out a small picture and handing it to me.

The picture was of a couple; Jed and another red-haired woman. They were both pulling funny faces and holding onto each other playfully. I smiled, a warm feeling washing over me as if these were my memories to cherish. "It's a lovely photo," I told her, holding it out, "Jed looks very happy. So about the mark, have you seen anything like it before?"

"He was," she said, ignoring my question as she looked down at the photo before turning around, leaving me standing with it in hand as she opened the window between the beds. She leaned out and took a deep breath, "That was Tara, his mate. She died many years ago. Murdered in her own home."

"That's terrible, I'm so sorry." I said, looking down at the girl in the photo once more, "Did you ever catch the person responsible?"

"No," she said, turning around to face me, "but the night it all happened, Tara suspected there would be an attack. She encouraged Jed to go out with some friends, saying she had some work to do. He almost refused, but she promised to join them all a bit later that evening. As soon as he left, she came straight here,"

With her eyes on me, she walked closer before taking the photo, flipping it around and placing it back in my hand, "Does this mean anything to you?" She asked, pacing as I looked down at the symbol and foreign writing scribbled on the back of the picture.

"I'm sorry," I told her sheepishly, "unfortunately I never learned how to read, I'm afraid I don't understand what the words say. Forgive me if this sounds somewhat insensitive, but you said that she suspected the attack would happen, so why didn't she tell anyone? Surely something could have been done to stop them, maybe it would have even saved her life."

"Yes," Agatha said, "however, she knew that preventing that one attack would not stop them from planning another in the future. Her and Jed would never be able to live in peace, they would undoubtedly keep being hunted until eventually he ended up being killed. She loved him so much that she was prepared to temporarily sacrifice herself to save him."

"Excuse me? Did you say 'temporarilysacrifice herself'? How is it possible to temporarily sacrifice oneself?" I asked, sure that she'd misspoken.

A single tear rolled down her cheek as she sniffled and continued, "She came here with a spell that night. She believed that she'd found a loophole, a way to trick the attackers into believing she was dead forever.

This spell had everything to do with black magic; something I warned her against but she would not listen. She was adamant that this was the only way that her and Jed could live in peace, even if she'd have to live a life of misery before that happened. She paid the ultimate price. I admit. I didn't believe it would work, there was too much that could go wrong. I didn't believe it until now. Until you."

Her statement caught me off guard and I frowned at her, unsure of what to say as she walked towards me, "You really don't remember, do you?" She asked, her voice becoming desperate as she quickly stepped towards me, "you don't remember that night? you don't remember Jed? Or Haden?"

"I'm sorry," I told her, backing up until my back hit the door and I began shuffling along the wall, "I think there's been some kind of misunderstanding."

"No, no misunderstanding. You told me this would happen; that you'd come back here. I assumed you'd have kept your memories but obviously not. Sorry about this, Dear."

"Sorry about what?" I asked, trying to remain calm as she walked me into a corner, chanting louder and louder as the floor beneath us began to shake, "anairéste ti échei gínei, diorthóste ti eínai spasméno kai epistrépste se mas aftó!" she repeated this over and over at an impossible speed, her palms began to glow a brilliant green and I couldn't help but scream as she placed her hands on me.

She let go and I dropped to the floor. My whole body began to convulse as I lost control of my muscles. It felt as if I'd been struck by lightning and I looked up at her with wide eyes, unable to speak a word.

"I'm sorry, it's the only way to get you the answers you need." She insisted, "I'm only doing what you made me promise to do all those years ago." Her voice trailed off, leaving me lost in an ocean of visions that began flashing through my mind in vivid detail.

I saw Haden and I dancing in the dewy forest under the light of the full moon, his expression soft as he hesitated for a moment before leaning down and pressing his lips to mine. Our first kiss.

His laughter echoed around me as the image changed and I saw us skipping stones, the sunset reflecting a brilliant orange on the water as it rippled and my heart fluttered. "I'm the luckiest son-of-a-bitch alive" he said as he turned to face me, his grey eyes full of adoration as he ran towards me, scooped me up and walked into the cool lake in front of us. He stopped and rubbed his nose playfully against mine before dropping me into the icy water with a mischievous laugh, "Revenge is a dish best served cold!" He declared before I squealed and splashed water at him.

It all faded and suddenly I found myself standing in the entrance hall of Agatha's house, the smell of wood polish and lavender strong in the air around me as I watched the door handle begin to jiggle before the door swung open and Jed walked into the house, sopping wet from the downpour outside. He shrugged off his jacket, letting it fall to the ground with a wet thud and I couldn't tear my eyes away from him as he pulled his shirt off too.

As he tossed it to the ground next to the jacket I cleared my throat, making him look up in surprise. His eyes met mine and he smiled as he spoke, "Hi, Stranger."

"Hi, Stranger." I replied shyly, looking down as my cheeks heated. From then on his mere presence took my breath away.

Everything warped once more and we were back at Jed's apartment. I was tangled up in his arms, both of us wrapped in white sheets as our bodies collided and hearts became one. I breathed his name as he leaned closer, his hot breath on my lips as he whispered, "mine." before his lips found mine and my heart filled with love. That was the moment it happened; the moment we became mates.

Then it all changed again; I was now sitting on the fallen tree beside the lake, regret filling me as Haden paced up and down, "How could you?" He shouted, the raw pain in his voice was undisguised as he ran his fingers through his blonde hair.

He yelled loudly and punched a hole in the tree beside him before walking to me and dropping to his knees. He lay his head in my lap as he fell apart, "How do I do this, Tara? How do I go on after this?" He looked up at me, his eyes red and cheeks tear streaked, "Tell me how to stop loving you so that you can be happy."

I opened my mouth to speak but the sound of my scream followed by glass shattering ended the vision. I watched everything melt away, leaving my heart feeling raw and wounded as I found myself laying on the cold floor in a dark room.