Chapter 24
Sasha
I knew this was a bad idea. The witches said they had a potion one of us could drink to find Jewel. They never mentioned it was dangerous and could kill you though. I was going to drink it myself but Zane volunteered and gave me a death glare daring me to argue with him. I didn't and now it's a huge mess. My soulmate is dying and it's all my fault.
"You have to let me save him, please!" I scream as Theo and others hold me back. The vampire's kiss on the back of my neck is burning and I can feel all the pain Zane is in, he's dying and they won't let me heal him.
"We have to finish or he will be dead." Arianna states as she goes back to chanting and holding onto Zane's pale face.
I feel sick to my stomach watching the blood spill from his face. I yank my arms trying to free myself but they just hold me tighter. tears stream down my face as I watch the man I love die.
"He'll be okay Sasha, Zane is strong." Theo tries to assure me but I can hear the worry in his voice.
Finally, the erratic wind dies down and the candles flicker. Arianna and the witches surrounding Zane stop chanting. Arianna sits back and nods. "You can heal him now, hurry." she says and I run over to him.
I cradle Zane's face in my arms. I kiss his forehead before I press my hands on his chest. My hands heat up and I close my eyes as I feel the power of the sun radiating through me. I've never tried healing someone this way but it has to work. I can't lose him.
"Sasha." Zane coughs and I open my eyes to see his beautiful gray orbs looking back at me.
"Zane." I wrap my arms around his neck and he rubs my back soothingly. I'm so happy he's back.
"I'm okay. I'm so sorry love." he says and I pull away. Zane sits up and I punch him in the arm.
"What the fuck! Did you know how scared I was? You could have died! you were going to leave me!" I shout and stand up. I can't even look at him as I turn my back to Zane.
"I'm sorry." he confesses and touches my shoulder. I shrug him off and I know he can hear my sniffles as I try to stop crying. "I would never leave you by choice Sasha. I didn't mean to scare you." He hugs me from behind and kisses the mark on the back of my neck. It tingles as he whispers in my ear. "I love you Sasha. I'm not going anywhere. I'm here with you."
I nod. "I was so worried." I turn around and face him. He cups my face and plants a gentle kiss on my lips. "I love you but I need a moment."
Zane looks reluctant to let me go. He kisses me again. This time I kiss him back deepening the kiss before I pull away.
"Do you want me to come with you?" Theo asks and I roll my eyes and walk past him. I'm still angry with him and the witches. They knew how dangerous it was and didn't stop Zane. I can't deal with any of them right now.
I wander away from the camp and through the woods. After walking for miles I reach town. My feet ache and I head for the first building I see. Lucky for me it's a bar.
The door dings above my head and a few patrons glance at me before they go back to drinking. I walk right over to the bar and sit. "A bourbon neat." I order.
"Coming right up." the bartender smiles. He quickly makes my drink and brings it back to me before serving others.
The alcohol burns as it slides down my throat. I can't help but smile as I finish off the glass and order another one. I'm not going to get drunk I need to talk to Zane about Jewel and if the evil potion worked. I'll just get buzzed instead.
I continue to drink for the next hour making sure to pace myself. It's been a while and I'm bored. I text Kandy giving her an update on my travels. She informs me her sister is pregnant. I tell her I'm happy for her even though part of me is jealous. I never wanted kids before but lately, all I can think about is a mini me and Zane running around. That's if I don't kill him first for scaring me.
As I get up to head to the bathroom someone sits beside me. The witches have avoided me all night so I'm immediately on guard. I slide my phone into my pocket and look at the person next to me. It's the same man as before in his dark green cloak with the hood on covering his face.
"You're still in danger." he says and I chuckle. If this man knows who I am then he knows he's the one in danger now. I could kill him in seconds if I wanted to.
"Funny you say that because I'm pretty sure I'm the most dangerous thing around here. Why are you following me old man and how did you get past the ward?"
"The witches know who I am. They banned me from seeing you. But I can't stay away any longer. I need to tell you the truth about your mother."
I gasp. "What? How do you know my mother?"
The man's calloused hands go to his hood and yank it down. I'm met with an older man with gray hair and a beard. He almost looks familiar.
"Because we were married. I'm your dad Sasha."
My jaw drops. "What? you're my dad? I thought you were dead, the witches and fairies-"
"The witches don't want me around you because they think I'll put you in more danger. As for the fairies stay far away from them especially one called Genevieve."
I try to hold in a growl. I knew she was up to no good. I shouldn't have trusted her or Zephyr something was always off.
"Why don't the witches want you around me? Can I trust them?" I whisper hoping nobody is listening.
My dad glances around the room before he nods. "You can trust anyone here. They just want the best for you. They loved your mom, Mike, and Julia. We were all one big family."
I'm still so confused. "Dad if you've been alive this whole time then why didn't you find me sooner? I thought Mike was my real dad."
He sighs. "As far as I'm concerned Mike is more of a father to you than I was. He and Julia loved you. They sacrificed their lives to keep you safe. Mike was my best friend." he says and looks down at his hands. I can feel how sad he is from here.
I grab his hands and our eyes meet. "What happened Dad? Tell me please."
Dad sighs before speaking. "It all started when I was in my residency. I wanted to be a doctor, a pediatrician actually. One day I was in the park near the hospital on my lunch break. A woman walked by and we made eye contact. I dropped my sandwich because she was so stunning. I remember she had the brightest green eyes."
"Mom?" I interrupt him and he smiles.
"Yes. It was love at first. Every day during my lunch break she would show up at the park and we would talk. I remember she was always nervous and looking over her shoulder like she was afraid we were being watched.
After a few months of dating, she told me what she was, a fairy. I thought she was crazy until her eyes glowed gold. She also told me we were soulmates. I was already deeply in love with Aurora. We ended up moving in together and a few short months later you were born."
"Who was watching her? Hunters, fairies, or maybe vampires?" I ask and Dad looks around the room again.
"Aurora said we were in danger. We packed our bags one night and never looked back. We traveled all over until we met the witches. They promised to keep us safe in return for your mom healing the injured witches. I thought we were safe but we weren't.
We left again in the middle of the night. This time we left you with Mike and Julia. Your mom said it was best and I knew then we were probably going to die and I would never see you again. I'm sorry Sasha I should have done more to save her."
A tear rolls down my cheek and I wipe it away. "How did she die? How did you get away?"
"Our car was ambushed one night by vampires. Your mom fought them off as best as she could but we were outnumbered. I was bleeding out and they were going to kill me. Aurora promised to go with them if they left me alone. I was dying anyway so they didn't care. They left me for dead and took her.
A human happened to pass by and took me to the hospital. After I was healed I went back to the witches. I asked them to help me find your mom. They told me to leave saying I was a curse and danger would follow me everywhere. Ariana threatened me, she said she would kill me if I ever returned. You were safe so I left. I still wanted to find your mom.
It took months but eventually, I found a witch willing to help me. She had just begun practicing black magic. With her help, I was able to see your mother's last few memories before she died. She was trapped in a basement. A vampire named Vlad was gloating about how strong her blood had made him. As he fed from her your mom cursed out the faires. She whispered the name Genevieve before she died. I believe she sold your mother out to Vlad to keep him from killing her. There was a war against faires then everyone wanted your blood, especially the vampire king."
The sound of the door opening makes us both turn our heads. Standing in the doorway of the bar is Arianna and she looks angry.
"I told you to stay away Bryan! Sasha doesn't need to know how you failed her mother." She snarls and marches up to us. I stand up and put my hand on her chest.
"You better back up Arianna! at least he told me the truth. How dare you and the other witches keep him from me? He's my dad!"
"Aurora is dead because of him! She was my friend!"
"I'm sorry." Dad mutters and puts his hood back on.
"Don't go please." I beg and he smiles softly at me.
"Arianna is right I'm cursed. The witch who helped me find your mom was Jewel. She told me the day I tell you the truth is the day I'll finally die, I'm sorry. The only reason she knows of your existence is that she saw your mom's memories. That's why she's after you. She can see the future also. You're destined for great things Sasha."
Dad walks away stumbling out of the door. I turn my focus to a glaring Arianna. "Is that why you came here? To ruin our only time together?"
"No." She answers. "I'm here to tell you that Zane left. He got a phone call and I was told he went across the border."
Across the border? Why would he do-
Jonah?
He's up to something I can feel it. I need to save Zane.