Page 39 of Branches of the Willow

“I wanted to apologize for your circumstances.”

“Um, okay. What circumstances would those be?”

“I, well…” Serena paused and collected her thoughts. “I messed with Mikael’s mind a little the night that he turned you. I’m afraid he would not have behaved that way, or attacked you unprovoked, without my influence. I planted some ideas in his head about his brother, because he wouldn’t get close enough to Jess to react to her. I needed him to see them together. He was out of sorts and not himself that night with me mucking around in his brain. Plus…” she looked ashamed before admitting the rest. “I told him to bite you.”

“You did what?” I asked.

“You needed Ashley with you, and not in a fragile human state, Jessica.”

“You mind-raped Mikael to bite Ashley?”

“I only planted a suggestion. He clawed her instead.” She snickered. “Even at my suggestion, he wouldn’t think of putting his mouth on her once he saw you.”

“Well… I guess, screw you then.” Ashley stated matter-of-factly. “And thank you too,” she added. “I’m happy where I am, and you’re right, Jess needed me to be a wolf. So, it’s whatever.”

“Ashley…” I was ready to cry. Her choices had been taken from her since becoming my friend. Hell, her brother had been taken too. “That is too much.”

As if she had read my mind, Serena spoke up. “I didn’t take her choice, Jessica. Ashley’s mind had already been made up. She wanted to be turned so she could be a true part of your life, and that of her brother’s. If there were any doubt on her part, I would not have done it. Asriel was close by and I knew he would help her. If those things hadn’t been in place, her chances had not been good enough.”

“Still,” I attempted to argue.

“No, Jess. Come on, we’ve been over this where Mikael’s concerned. I forgave him. I forgive your witchy fairy godmother too. She had your best interest at heart. I don’t have to like the deed to respect that it was necessary. Plus, at least now we don’t have to wonder about Mikael’s hidden temper anymore. It never did seem right that he’s been such a sweetheart after the way he behaved that night.”

“I don’t know how you do it, Ashley.” I was still in a mild state of disbelief. The slight popping sound of the magical fireworks above my head leant to the effect, casting a surreal tone over the whole conversation. “Is there anything else you need to tell me?” I asked Serena before I lost the nerve.

“I’m not sure I get your meaning.”

My mom piped in then. “She’s asking if you have any other secrets that you’re hiding up your sleeve that effect our family.” My mom paused for a moment, getting her thoughts together. “I like you, Serena. I respect that you are also a distant relation, but enough is enough. These girls have been through too much already in their short lives, and they don’t need magic mucking things up any further.”

“You are absolutely right, Eileen. I was just trying to come clean and apologize.” Serena appeared to be somewhat ashamed of her actions. “There is nothing else of note that involves the girls.”

“I wonder what’s going on with Annabelle.” I thought out loud, suddenly needing to change the subject.

“If they’re dumb enough to leave your mate, or his brother, with her then she’s probably dead. Lord knows, I’d kill the bitch myself if they had let me tag along.” Ashley was twirling a curly red lock around her finger as she spoke. Her mind was elsewhere, no doubt, on the way she had become a werewolf.

“Well, let’s hope they get something useful out of her before that happens!” I managed to get out before my mom chastised me for being somewhat heartless. “The bitch poisoned me and had me thrown in a cage. Excuse me for not really giving a shit what happens to her.”

“Then try caring about how either of the boys will fair after taking matters into their own hands. Neither one of them has the type of personality to carry out brutal acts against women. Imagine, allowing her to get the best of them by goading them on where you’re concerned.”

“Oh, fine, Mom! Always the voice of reason.” I snipped. “Maybe, I should get dressed and go down there to take care of things myself, so I don’t have to worry about anyone else’s guilt, but my own.”

“Except that you now have a baby growing inside you to worry over.” Serena interjected. A knowing smile swept across her face as I blanched a bit. “She is fine, by the way. The drugs had no effect on her. Your wolf saw to that when she protected her from everything that was happening to you. I’m sorry I couldn’t get back here sooner to ease those worries for you. If I knew you were holding back with the news because of that, I would have made it clear before I left. Your wolf was protecting her the whole time, sweet girl.”

That did it. Tears broke free of the damn I’d built to keep them at bay. Everything that happened to me came flooding out, and I was thankful to have my family there to comfort me as it happened. I was even more thankful that Mikael hadn’t been there when all those emotions came pouring out, because he hurt when I hurt. I didn’t want him to have to live that kind of pain with me.

15

Plans

OnceIallowedmyselfto finally give in to the emotions I’d been repressing, I was a mess for days. Not that I wasn’t coherent, because I was. Mikael sat with me, and when he wasn’t there, Ashley or my mom were around to give me a shoulder to cry on or to listen. I had already told Mikael about everything that happened to me, but when I told him the first time, I left out all the emotion. Now, the actions and emotion were married together, and I was truly dealing with things. I also had pregnancy hormones running rampant, that made me weepier than I ever would have been on a normal day.

“Has anything changed yet?” I asked Mikael as he started getting dressed. “She has to be tired of this game by now.”

“She’s still refusing to speak to anyone but you.”

“Maybe I should just go.”

“No.” Mikael turned to look at me and pierced me with those hauntingly bright green eyes of his. “I don’t want you anywhere near her.” He leaned over, and gently stroked my hair back out of my face and planted a kiss on my forehead. “She’s not worth it, and I doubt she has any actual information.”

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