Chapter Fourteen: Rivals become an Ally

Genovi:

Her chest rose up and down, the hole now sealed shut. Rubbing my forehead, she tossed and turned in her sleep. My mind flashed back to how sure she held that blade to her neck, defending Sarah. Her head popped in again, the rug probably seconds from wearing thin from all of her pacing. Blood soaked her tank top, all of the lilies hanging in the closet. How come she had to keep nearly killing herself?

"She is fine." I growled through gritted teeth, Sarah scurrying away. "Why do you have to keep getting hurt! Do you not understand that you are carrying a pup!" Stirring in her sleep, her golden eyes fluttered open. Sitting up slowly, she clutched her chest. Fresh blood dripped from her wound, her face contorting with agony. Rubbing the back of her neck, my mother burst into the room with Tammy chasing after her. Embarrassment burned my ex's face, the flustered look in her eyes making her look a little more human.

"I tried to tell her not to just run up here, but she ignored me." Tammy stammered oddly, waving her hands around. Shooting her a sympathetic smile, she nodded her head before leaving. My mother fussed over her, a tender blush rising on Celly's cheeks. Chuckling to myself, she was so cute when people took care of her. The two chatted happily for a minute, shivers running up my spine as my mother glared at me.

"Why can't you protect her at all." She chastised tiredly, pressing a Ziplock bag of herbs. "Honestly, where is your manliness?" Cocking my brow, her eye fell on the recent photo of us. It was the wedding photo, her looking radiant next to me. Picking up the photo, she pressed it to her chest.

"I am sorry, but the car wouldn't unlock and the glass was unbreakable." I retorted venomously, my face softening. "Why did you assume that I didn't even try?" An apologetic smile danced across her lips, her curls bouncing around her face. She wiped her tears with her white apron, the blue uniform covered in stains. Wrapping her arms around my shoulder, the familiar scent of my childhood relaxed my muscles. It was the smell of apples and cinnamon, a sudden craving for her world famous apple pie rising inside of my heart. Jumping to her feet, a devious smile curled on her lips.

"I left a whole pie in the fridge for when you two get hungry." She chirped cheerfully, clutching her small red purse. "Give her a bath please, those herbs should heal her right up." The door shut behind her, offering Celly my hand. Accepting it, she fell into my arms. Scooping her up, I set her down on the toilet. The knob squealed as I turned it on, warm water pouring from the spout. Steam danced in the air, her trembling fingers ripping off her bloody clothes. Horror widened my eyes, the wound in her chest had black veins leading away from the reopened hole. Setting her in the tub, her fingers danced on top of the water. Something was eating at her, she was chewing on her bottom lip. That was a sign of severe depression for her, the bright smile she wore was a good mask for everyone else. Dumping the herbs in the water, childlike wonder brightened my eyes as her chest wound sealed shut again. Turning to leave, her hand wrapped around my arm.

"Please don't leave me alone today." She pleaded gently, quiet sobs wracking her body. "I don't want to be alone. I feel like I screwed up, but I don't know how. I feel like someone should punish me or something, and I don't know why." Pulling her knees to her chest, the white flowers in herbal mixture absorbed all of the blood in the water. My heart shattered, defeat dimming her golden eyes. Guilt gnawed at me, not really knowing how to fix it. Surely, this was some serious PTSD from her childhood. Tears streamed down her cheek, hurt evident in her eyes. Stripping off my outfit, it thudded into a pile on the floor. The water splashed onto the floor as I got in, her sad eyes refusing to meet mine. Clutching her close to my chest, tears soaked my shoulder. Lifting up her chin, rings danced in the water as teardrops flooded from her eyes.

"How can I help you?" I questioned helplessly, a small smile brightening her face. Pressing her lips against mine sensually, my heart fluttered. My inner wolf yipped with joy, her soft lips refusing to let go of mine. Sliding my hand down to her stomach, she finally let me go. Sinking under the water, her hair clung to her face as she came back up.

"You already did." She said numbly, the herb mixture cleaning her hair without shampoo. "I am going to hide in our room today, so don't bother me." Her cold tone threw me off, her drying off before crashing onto the bed. Hiding under the covers, she shivered. Hopping into bed after her, my body wrapping around hers. Her wet hair tickled my chin, Thomas popping his head in. Shooting him a death glare, he waved me out. Gentle snores told me that she was asleep, her body curled into a ball. Shutting the door quietly, my fingers settled on a black business suit. My nimble finger buttoned up the navy dress suit, the Italian jacket feeling soft against my skin. Zipping up my pants real quick, I stepped outside. A guest was at the gate, his pen bouncing off of his clipboard impatiently. Joy twinkled in his eyes, a mark on his neck. Placing two and two together, he must have mated with Sarah. Following him to the front gate, my face paled. A defeated Raven Loveredcraft stood in front of me. Her gloved hand held her stomach, the black robe still drenched with blood. Slamming the gate in her face, she caught it just in time. Letting herself in, her black hair was tied into a simple ponytail. Dried blood covered her face, a wave of water crashing over us. The two of us turned behind us, shooting daggers out of our eyes. Sarah shrinked back, Raven offering me her hand.

"I came to make a truce." She offered with a stiff tone, attempting to smile warmly at me. "I will stop fighting you if you help me with a group of rogue witches that are teaming up with your rivals, the vampires." Her attempting to smile looked rather painful, perhaps she should stop trying to kill herself by attempting to be friendly. Shaking the hair out of my eyes, a small pebble smashed into her forehead. Beaming with pride, Celly stood behind me as my heart skipped a beat. Her wet hair hung around her face, her short shorts cutting on her upper thigh. A black band t-shirt floated off of her chest, a pair of gray sneakers on her feet. Raven fell back unconsciously, dirt flying up around her.

"Could you not kill yourself by trying to smile? Celly, she wanted to make a truce." I shouted louder than I wanted to, the whole clan turning to look at us. "Nothing to look at here." Taking me by my word, they went back to what they were doing. Dirt crunched as she dragged her body back towards the cabin, tying her to one of the kitchen chairs. Snapping her finger, she tapped her foot impatiently.

"Wake up, you ancient witch!" She barked venomously, slapping Raven's face. "What the hell are you doing in my home! You stab me, and then you dare come back to me after all of that." Groaning groggily, her black eyes met hers. The tension could be cut with a knife, Celly ripping off her gloves. Dark marks covered her hand, her hands cupping hers. Closing her eyes, she stumbled back.

"Do you see now that I just want to work with you?" She begged honestly, Celly folding her arms across her chest. "There are forces coming down on top of us, and they could ruin everything that you all built." Cocking her brow, maniacal laughter erupting from her lips. Sitting down across from her, her head resting against the back of the chair. Confusion twisted my face, the corner of my lip curling slightly.

"Our biggest problem is that none of us are really working together. Even the different clans aren't working together, the only exception being my cousin of course. As for the vampires, they never really liked us. I would hunt in the woods, and see them all of the time. I am not talking about the rogue ones." She commented uneasily, chewing on her nails. "I can't place my finger on it, but a great force is coming. It is more than the individual groups of monsters. Do you have any ideas?" Leaning back in her chair, she licked her painted lips. A small stream of blood dripped off of her nose, Celly wiping off of her face.

"I am not sure either." She informed us calmly, Celly untying her. "I was hoping you knew more. I have had my head shoved so far up my ass that I didn't learn anything. I could send a few of my ravens out and about the town to pick up information." Helping her up, Sarah glaring at the two of them. Clearing her throat, she raised her hand up in the air. Rushing over to Sarah, she held her hand behind her back.

"If you want to stay in my home, you will not use your water powers in it. I would have to get flood damage money, and we certainly don't have that." She threatened hotly, letting her arms go. "I don't have my parents anymore, and you two should try to work it out. I would give anything to be in my father's arms again. Sit!" Slamming her down into the chair, she sat in between the two of them. The water dripped off of my suit, her shooting me a sympathetic smile.

"I hate how you pushed me to be evil!" Sarah shouted, smoothing out her white summer dress. "You were so mean to me, never being proud of my powers. I hate you." Turning in Raven's direction, her lips pressed into a thin line. Her fingers dug into her knees, dismay dimming her eyes.

"How dare you run away the moment you turned eighteen!" She screeched shrilly, gripping her knees tighter. "I just wanted the best for you. You are a smart and intelligent woman who made a bunch of stupid decisions, like drinking your life away. You did hard drugs for most of your high school years, so kill me now!" A shouting match ensued, Celly grabbing both of their heads. Banging them together, they both stopped. A snarl curled on her lips, a groan escaping her lips.

"How about this!" She barked bitterly, still holding their heads. "We turn the volume down, and have a bit more substance please. Now how about this, three compliments to break the hate." The two of them sighed with disbelief, her hands letting their heads go. Sarah cleared her throat, a heated look burning in her eyes.

"I love it when you used to sing me to sleep at night and how you would use your ravens to spell out happy birthday every year. Finally, I love that you are my mother, and if I am in a pitch you will always be there for me." She complimented her begrudgingly, attempting not to throw up at her words. "Long story short, I love you even though you piss me off a lot." Raven slammed into Sarah's arms, Raven kissing the top of her head. A tender blush rose to her cheeks, her shoving her mother off of her

"I don't have a single compliment about you that you haven't heard yet." She blubbered jovially, cupping her face. "I love you more than the moon, my dear snookums." Embarrassment burned her cheeks, her teeth clenching. Rolling her eyes, a small smile brightened her face. Embracing her tightly, Sarah gave a reluctant peck on her cheek.

"Okay, mom. Don't call me Snookums in front of my friends ever again." She grumbled under her breath, Novi stealing me away. Pinning me against the wall, the water from his clothes dripping onto my sneakers. His lips kissed mine sensually, his hand sliding up my shirt. Thomas rushed past us, dragging Sarah with him. Raven stood in the hallway sliding on her gloves, gathering herself. Growling to myself, Celly ran up to her. Raven offered her hand, a pleasant smile which looked like she was trying too hard.

"Could you please stop trying to smile?" She teased playfully, shaking her hand. "You look like you are going to die or something. We get it. You are a serious person, but your insides are all fuzzy. That is why I didn't kill you the other day. I knew you had a soft spot, so off you go. I expect a report by Monday. Can you manage?" Her painful smile melted to her evil grin, the ease clearly in the evil grin. Perhaps someone has been evil for a bit too long, Raven shooting me a death glare in my direction. Shrinking back, Raven snapping her fingers. Black feathers drifted aimlessly, ravens spinning around her. Catching a couple of feathers in my palm, she was gone. God, I hate other witches. Rubbing my forehead, I now had to sweep up all of her feathers. Celly got to her knees, a single raven bouncing around the wooden floor. A roll of paper sat in its beak, the paper crinkling as she opened it. Offering the large bird her finger, it hopped on. Kissing the top of its head, it bounced up to her shoulder.

"You will make a lovely gift, Miss Lenore." She chirped cheerfully, offering her a piece of bread. "How about you send this back to her." Scribbling on a small piece of paper, the bird shook her feathers as she took the note in her beak. Fluttering out the open window, a thud echoed in the still house. Rushing up the stairs, laughter erupted from her lips. Sarah lay on the floor,her dress slightly skewed. Thomas' face burned scarlet with embarrassment, his shirt floating to the floor. Saying nothing, my strong arms scooped her up. Tossing her on our bed, she unbuttoned her shorts. Sliding them down slightly, the message was received. Pinning her down, a beak knocked on the glass window. Leaping out of bed, she opened the window. Unrolling the note, she chuckled to herself.

"Leave me alone, brat! Sincerely, Raven." She read out loud, her real smile making my heart flutter. "P.S. Thank you for the counseling. I look forward to working with you." Running into my arms, she pinned me down. A devilish grin frightened me, her inner wolf wagging her tail. Tonight was going to be fun.