Witch Page 4

  A remarkable, mysterious man awaited her downstairs, and she couldn't wait to see what their festival entailed. She rushed to the bathroom and quickly stripped of her old clothing.

  The night ahead promised to be full of adventure and excitement. Maybe Rita coming after her was just what she needed to find her place in the world—or in another world. She smiled, hoping Hawk was everything her body was telling her he would be.

  Donning the dress with much pulling and tugging, Isabella couldn't wait to see Hawk's expression when he got a load of her in this historic and beautiful gown.

  * * * *

  Everyone was waiting for them before the festival could begin. He hoped he had all his bases covered, and Isabella would not find out what he was until she confessed her feelings for him. His body tightened. He would do anything for his light to his soul. Her expectant eyes and full lips just waiting for his kiss, Hawk could not get her taste out of his mouth.

  The craving for her grew with each passing second. He looked up the staircase as he felt her energy ripple through the air. His heart sped up, and his insides danced with jitters.

  Hawk's hand covered his heart as she stepped onto the first step and looked down at him with smoldering eyes. The gown he chose for her could not have been more perfect. The wide skirt swooshed as she took each step down to him. This was the way he had always imagined his mate to be.

  Fighting back the urge to run up the stairs, take her in his arms, and cover her mouth with his own battled inside him. He clenched his fists at the side in order to stay in control.

  "What do you think?" Her magical voice caressed his ears. He could not talk; he could not breathe, just look.

  "Hawk," she asked playfully. "How do I look?"

  "Absolutely stunning," he breathed out.

  Her cheeks took on a rosy hue, and he fought the smile threatening to make itself known on his face.

  "Thank you. You look rather remarkable yourself. I'm lucky to be your escort."

  Stepping from the final step, he pulled her hand up to his lips and covered the soft skin there with a kiss.

  "Shall we join the others?"

  "Oh yes. I can't wait.”

  * * * *

  Isabella's eyes widened as they walked out of the castle into a huge clearing a few yards away. The large bonfire roared with a passion all its own. She feared the warmth from the flames would make her hair limp and her gown droop, but the air remained a cool temperature. Her fear quickly disappeared as she began to enjoy herself.

  A large wooden table had been moved out of the castle and positioned by a row of tents. The scent of food drifted to her, and she figured the food was stored there for them to eat later.

  Hawk pulled her to the head of the table and pulled her chair out, so it sat beside his facing the bonfire. Isabella soon understood why when the music started, the dancers began to dance.

  Men and women poured from the crowd, weaving their bodies between the ones not participating. They wore skimpy costumes over bodies covered with paint. Isabella looked over at Hawk, catching the pride in his eyes.

  "What are they doing?" She whispered.

  "They are choosing mates. Halloween is the time when the vale between worlds is thin. They hope to find their mate in the flames and be granted access to the world to bring their mates home."

  Watching the sway of half naked bodies, Isabella found herself aroused. Her thighs tingled; her core felt empty as she recalled the way Hawk had filled her with just his fingers. She wiggled in her chair.

  Hawk covered her hand with his just before he looked into her eyes. A darkness resided there she could see, a cold void that called to her to warm. Reaching up she cupped his cheek before turning back to watch the erotic dance before her eyes.

  Before too long, she felt the slide of his hand along her thigh through the thick material. She remembered she had foregone the undergarments not knowing how to put them on. With that knowledge heat rushed to her cheeks.

  "A beautiful blush is so alluring," he whispered in her ear. "What makes my exquisite guest pinken so?"

  She looked away, wishing she had kept her thoughts neutral.

  "I think it’s the dancing."

  "But you are a witch of the earth. Do you not perform ceremonies in the nude?"

  "Yes, but they're not strangers to me."

  Hawk chuckled. Bending forward he kissed her innocently on the lips; then, he turned to watch the dance.

  As the beat of the drum pounded in her mind and body, the flair of the flames roared higher with a loud whoosh of flame. The dancers reached high in the sky as they stomped on the smooth earth as if calling to a higher deity to grant them the access to the other world.

  Their breathing rushed in and out of their lungs. Sweat coated their darkened skin. Men had erections. The women touched themselves, fondling their breasts.

  As Isabella's eyes roamed over the bodies before her, the heat inside her twisted tighter and tighter as it shot straight to her pussy. It took all her power not to reach beneath her skirts and at least stroke herself.

  A large flash of light, bright as the sun, erupted behind the bonfire. All eyes turned to see what caused the disruption. Hawk stood up. His shoulders rigid with tension. Isabella knew this wasn't part of the performance.

  A loud cackling sounded through the night air bouncing off the trees that surrounded them. Her heart seized; her blood rushed through her veins as the one person she never expected to see again stepped through the smoke the flash had created. The woman narrowed her evil eyes right at Isabella.

  "You child, have disobeyed me!" Rita bellowed. Her arms were stretched out as if she waited for her to embrace her. No chance that was going to happen.

  Isabella pulled Hawk's arm as she stood up beside him. She hated how much she feared Rita.

  "Come here, child, and return with me. You have a date you cannot miss."

  "You, High Priestess, have no business in my realm." Hawk's voice dropped an octave as his anger radiated outward. Isabella felt his emotions just as clear as day. His anger scared her. No one had ever protected her before.

  "How dare you keep what is mine. She is pure and untainted. She belongs to me, in my world."

  Rita walked slowly toward them. The people gave her plenty of room. Most ran into the forest, taking safety in the trees. Isabella wished she could run also.

  Yet now, she knew if she didn't finish this once and for all with Rita, then she would be running for the rest of her life.

  "I won't go back with you Rita. My life is my own. You cannot just kill me and give me to whatever evil demon you cooked up."

  Isabella saw the woman's eyes widen. A knowing smile crossed her lips. Rita's eyes narrowed.

  "A demon, you say? You are scared I'll give you to a demon, hmmm?"

  Isabella didn't like her tone. This wasn't good.

  "What the hell do you think is standing right beside you, child." Rita emphasized her words with a sharp pointy finger aimed directly at Hawk.

  Isabella's world ceased to rotate as she looked up slowly at Hawk. His eyes were narrowed; blackness filled even the whites of his eyes.

  Isabella gasped then stepped away from him.

  "Hawk, what is she talking about?" Did she really want to know? The darkness in his eyes, the coldness she felt, it would make sense if he were a demon.

  Chapter 7

  Hawk couldn’t believe Rita had the nerve to enter his realm. Looking at the witch with her long dark hair and her pale smooth face, he saw all his dreams slipping away.

  He wanted to answer Isabella, but he knew she would shun him. He pulled her closer by the shoulders angling her face, so he could look into her eyes. Her body tensed. Hawk turned his attention back to Rita, narrowing his eyes on the evil woman. With a finger, he pointed in her direction.

  “I will not give her up. You have walked on my land, in my realm without invitation; therefore, I should throw you out once and for all.”

  “She is mine, y
ou evil bastard. You will give her over to me!” Rita shot out her hand, sending a fireball from her fingertips. The whoosh of the ball rushed past Hawk’s head as he gripped Isabella, dropping to duck the incoming missile.

  “How dare you assault me!” Hawk countered with a shot of lightening from his own hand. He let Isabella go, and she backed away. He felt her turmoil inside. She wanted to run, but her emotions demanded she stay. He hoped she would stay. Not wanting to be distracted, he focused once again on Rita as another ball of fire hurled his way. He ducked and heard Isabella’s indrawn breath. With a quick check to make sure she was okay, he threw another bolt with all the power of his rage behind it.

  Rita screamed.

  “Give her back to me! You have no right to her, demon. She has not killed anyone. She has no nick upon her soul.”

  “You may be right, Priestess, but she holds something far more important. She holds my soul. Now, you will not threaten her life anymore!”

  Then, a rush of wind whipped through the frozen crowd, over Hawk and Rita. Hawk turned his attention toward Isabella. She looked at him with sad eyes. Her hand was clutching her heart while the other covered her stomach. She leaned over, screaming in pain.

  “Hawk!”

  He rushed to her side, grabbing her to lower her slowly to the ground. Her body quivered as convulsions overtook her. Her hand clasped around his. Forcing her eyes open, she looked up into his gaze.

  “Hawk. Help me!”

  She closed her eyes as darkness overtook her.

  Off in the distance, she heard Hawk yell into the night. “Noooo!”

  “She’s not dead you fool. Her powers are coming in. Now, give her to me, so I may do what needs to be done.”

  “You will not kill her, Rita. You will have to go through me first.”

  Rita laughed. “Well dear that can be arranged.”

  Then, even their voices faded away.

  * * * *

  From deep within her body, Isabella felt a tingling sensation. It started around her feet working its way upward to her torso; then, it branched out to her arms. She wanted to rub at it, but the feeling went too deep. Her breathing picked up as she frantically tried to fight her way back to consciousness. Hawk and Rita continued to argue in front of her. At any moment, she expected the true fighting to start up around her. She would have to get back to them.

  The tingling grew worse until finally it reached her neck then up into her mind. She squeezed her eyes closed. There in the distance of the darkness she saw a light. Within the light was a shadow. At first it appeared small, wavering back and forth, steadily growing.

  Isabella wondered what was happening to her as she tried to focus her inner eye on the object coming toward her. She started to make out a shape. It had a head and shoulders. It was dark like the shadow people from her dream.

  Closer and closer it came until finally she could make out the image of a person. She couldn't tell if it was male or female. It stopped moving but appeared to float casually back and forth in front of her.

  "Hello Isabella. I've waited a long time for this." Again, she couldn’t tell if the voice was male or female.

  "Who are you?"

  "I am you. I am them. I am everything. I am a gift." The shadow floated back and forth, growing big then smaller.

  "What do you want with me? Are you the one Rita has sacrificed me to?"

  The shadow laughed.

  "No. I am what will help you defeat her. You are a High Priestess now. There is only one to a coven. You know that. You must look beyond your Hawk being a demon and see inside to his soul. He needs you as much as you need him. He may be a demon, but he is not evil. He is what evil hides from. His prison holds the evil doers."

  The information shocked her. How could she have grown in power so fast? Now, she would have to accept Hawk for what he was. She truly didn't feel like it was a bad thing, and she never felt threatened by him, but why?

  "Because it is meant to be." The shadow read her thoughts. Of course it could, it was in her head.

  "Do you accept me, Isabella?"

  "Accept you how?"

  "You must accept me, accept your power and accept your place."

  Inside her body, she felt the magic coiled like a snake ready to strike. All she had to do was say the word. Was she ready? She was definitely ready to take out Rita. Her life was her own. If truth be known, she was ready to see what was between herself and Hawk. He called her the light to his soul.

  If that was true, then surely there was some good within him. She would just have to see where things went with him. He was someone she could love, and no matter what she didn't think she wanted to pass that up.

  "Yes, I accept."

  "Good, very good!"

  The shadow moved closer and closer until she thought she would feel its form cover her. When it did, she couldn't breathe. It felt suffocating. She jerked, pulled away, and swatted at the image, but it didn't budge.

  Then, she felt like she was falling, and she hit something hard. Her body wouldn't respond as she tried frantically to move her arms or her legs.

  Time seemed to stop as Isabella felt the shadow now inside her. It moved and squirmed as if trying to get comfortable. Finally, with one final turn of its body, it settled within.

  With a gasp of air, she opened her eyes to see Hawk kneeling down by her side and Rita standing over his shoulder.

  "You are awake!" Hawk pulled her body into his embrace, and she reveled in his warmth.

  Chapter 8

  Hawk’s emotions poured over her. Isabella could feel them now like a new part of herself. Hawk pulled her upright and stood her beside him. Turning to him, she reached up and cupped his cheek—her demon, her life.

  "You fool! You should have let me kill her. Now, she will kill us all!"

  Rita’s grating voice brought Isabella's attention back to the threat around them. Isabella felt taller, her mind clearer as she looked slowly in Rita's direction.

  "How dare you enter our realm! Hawk warned you before that you should leave." Whoa, where did that deep commanding voice come from? Isabella loved it! The power now pulsed within her veins, and the shadow creature was tucked nicely inside her mind. She could feel it readying for a battle, and Isabella found she didn't fear Rita anymore.

  Hawk touched her arm taking her attention away from Rita for the moment. "You do not have to do this Bella. Together, we can banish her from here."

  "No, I need to do this. Rita is not safe to allow back into the coven. There are innocents there, and unfortunately many who she saw to their demise. I cannot allow that any longer."

  Rita screamed. "Just who the hell do you think you are, child? I will kill you now!"

  With a flick of her hand, a pulse of light shot from Rita's hand. The energy rippled through the air causing sparks of blue and white to penetrate the night. When the force hit Isabella, she stumbled back, but her body absorbed the power, feeding her own magic.

  Isabella laughed. The sound was dark and menacing. She had never felt such control, such power. She enjoyed it very much, but she refused to allow the power to rule her. Closing her eyes briefly, she controlled the shadow and its want to take more power and grow stronger.

  Opening her eyes, Isabella raised her hands to the sky calling on the lightening that now lit the clouds. The rain fell from the clouds like a heavy weight, pounding across her skin. Hawk stood at her back and lent his own power to her.

  The lightening shot to Isabella's fingertips.

  "No! Child, you must not do this! I can train you. We can work together. The power will be ours to call and control! You have no place with this demon! You are light, and you are pure!"

  Rita shrank back to the ground, raising her arms defensively. Isabella walked up close and peered down at the shriveling witch before her. Rita's hair hung haggardly around her face, her makeup streaked and splotchy. For a moment, Isabella felt guilty that she was about to send her away; then, Isabella turned to Hawk.

&nb
sp; "Her soul will be yours, right?"

  He nodded his head before he answered. "Yes, she has done much evil, and her soul will need to be punished."

  "Good."

  Letting all emotion leave her, Isabella raised her hand to Rita.

  "A witch no more, Rita van de Mere, witch you will never be again. High Priestess once and now no more. Your powers are stripped and passed down to your heir. This next witch will be High Priest. Peter van de Mere, I call on thee." With a flash of light, Peter stumbled before them. He looked puzzled as he took in his mother and Isabella's positions.

  "The power is yours now Peter as long as you do what is right. The coven has been passed to you this night."

  Carefully and unsure, Peter nodded his head accepting what now was stripped from his mother.

  "You, Rita van de Mere, your punishment will be handed out this night by the one you have wronged."

  Isabella felt the power being pulled from Hawk, from the sky, from every living creature in the area. The people were still frozen around her, but their bodies slumped as she soaked up what they offered.

  "By all that is right, die!" Pointing her finger, the magic shot forth into Rita's body. Her scream echoed through the trees. Shrill and grating, high-pitched and low, the woman screamed until the light burst forth from her flesh. Rays of blinding light poured out in different directions.

  Peter, Isabella, and Hawk all turned their faces away until finally Isabella said, "So mote it be."

  All was quiet.

  The people began to move, slowly coming to their senses. The fire flared to life, and, in the distance, bells began to toll.

  "It is midnight, my beauty." Hawk's deep voice made her shiver. His breath brushed across her neck just before he planted a searing kiss to her skin.

  The people languidly began to dance, and those seeking mates circled the fire. Then, with the last gong of the bell, the fire flared to life, and the dancers vanished.

  Isabella caught her breath as she stared in wonderment.

  "They have been granted their right to find their mates, haven't they?"