Baila
I had a strange dream about a man with eyes so blue they frightened and entranced me at the same time. At first, he was a blue-eyed boy who got excited at the little things. His excitement and curiosity were infectious. I could hear his laughter as he ran through the meadow. Soon, he was a man with the same bright blue eyes. The only difference was that he had lost his excitement. His laughter was not as genuine and wild as it used to be.
I felt it. The emotion that swallowed him whole was not sadness or trauma. It was loneliness. I could feel his pressing need to have someone and to belong somewhere. I wanted to hold him. I reached out for him but the world swirled into different colors around me.
The dream changed, and I was drowning under the moon. I smiled up at the stars as hands reached down and pulled me to the surface. Frost. I heard the wind whisper. Air filled my lungs and I gasped awake.
The bed was warm and comfortable. Bed?! I sat up, looking around. Someone had saved me. I wasn't dead. I let out a loud squeal and bounced back in bed before jumping out of the bed. I was in the largest room I had ever seen. A wall and an open door separated the room from a long table covered in papers. It looked like a drawing room of sorts.
The bed took up most of the space in the room. I spun around, and a man was sitting in the chair in the corner of the room. A man in a chair! I yelped, pausing to look at him. Was he the one who saved me?
I watched him cross his leg and lean back in the chair. His chest rose and fell heavily. I was sure he was asleep. How did he fall asleep in such an uncomfortable position? I took slow small steps towards him. He wore a white shirt and had an arm over his eyes.
His brown hair was dark at the roots. I was curious about how he looked. When I was only one foot away from him, I contemplated lifting his hand to take a peek at his face. I frowned when I saw the slash of red on his tunic shirt. Was he hurt? Did I hurt him?
I backed away, shaking my head. I needed to leave. I couldn't go back home. The witches would kill me for jeopardizing their future. I was sure even my mother hated me, but Ayesha's mother must have hated me more. Tears welled up in my eyes as I realized that I had nowhere to go. Perhaps, I could leave the realm like other witches had done. But realm travel was a dangerous affair, and I did not know anyone who could take me through the golden sea and smuggle me through the portal.
Goddess!
My life was ruined. What had I done? Where was I? I had climbed over the black wall and fallen in the stream. Obviously, the sleeping stranger had saved me, but where was I? I looked out the broken window. There were wolves right outside the window. Wolves? Wolves weren't on this side of the realm.
I gasped. How far had I traveled? I couldn't have. No. It wasn't possible. But as I watched a wolf shift into a man, my heart stopped. Goddess! I had made everything worse. I was in Northwood. The city of wolves. No outsider had been to Northwood since the treaty was signed, and I, a witch, had trespassed into the territory of the creatures who betrayed the witches. If I didn't die in the river, I was about to die anyways.
But why would he save me if he wanted me dead? Maybe he wanted to know the witches' hideout. I scoffed, glaring at the man. He could forget about it. I had done enough harm. I was not about to send everything to hell by telling him the location of the last surviving witches. I needed to leave, and I needed to do it soon.
With sore feet, I hurried to the door. My hands had barely grazed the handle when a gust of wind blew my hair into my face and the sleeping man stood between me and the door. I breathed, ready to rip off my necklace if necessary. I reached for it instinctively, but the man simply shook his head. His tired blue eyes looked down at me.
"I only want answers to my question," he spoke softly, stepping away from me.
"I'll answer what I can," I ceded. He had saved my life. Werewolf or not, I owed it to him.
He squeezed his eyes shut and staggered back. For a moment, I feared that he would collapse, but he straightened his back and stood taller.
"I heard your voice last night. I saw through your eyes. I.......why?" he asked.
I frowned. I had screamed for help in my head. He couldn't have possibly heard me. How did he see through my eyes? It was new to me, and I didn't know what to tell him. I wished I could help, but unfortunately, I did not have answers to his questions.
"I don't know," I whispered.
"Did you cast a spell on me?" he asked, his eyes desperate for an answer.
Was he hoping I would say yes? Or was he hoping I would say no? I was confused. I had never been in a situation like this before. I had been weak and dying. I didn't have the strength to wake my demon or cast a spell.
"I did not," I replied.
The man's face fell, and he took several steps away from me. He muttered under his breath, running a hand through his hair and tugging on it violently.
I was worried. I hadn't said anything wrong.
"You're a witch," the man muttered, turning his back to face me. He walked into the room with the table and poured himself some wine.
Had he gone mad? I watched in horror as he ripped open his shirt and flung the pieces away. He gulped down the wine and walked across the room to a shelf facing the long table. When he turned sideways to reach for a book on the shelf, I saw it. It was only a brief moment, but I would recognize that tattoo anywhere.
On the left peck of the man's chest, swirling ink formed a huge snowflake with a snarling wolf. I knew that picture. It was the sigil of house Caldore. I had seen it in books and read about it in stories. The older witches whispered it in the tales they told my village at night.
Wolves with hearts as cold as ice and skin that snow melts upon. I was in Northwood, and what was worse was that I knew the man who was rummaging angrily through the books in his room. I should have realized it the moment I saw his glowing blue eyes.
This was him. The lycan king.
It was tradition for the lycan kings to have the sigil of house Caldore imprinted on their chest. Frost. The name slammed into my chest so hard, I staggered back. I decided to take my chances. I didn't know why, but I called out to him.
"Frost," my voice was so soft, I thought he didn't hear me, but he paused and looked up from the books scattered on the table.
I walked through the door and into the room with the long table. "Frost," my voice shook. I was scared out of my mind. What was I doing calling a man by a name I heard in a dream?
"I'm Nolan," he shook his head, "Nolan Caldore."
Goddess. I really did know how to find trouble.
"I'm sorry for calling you that," I said. "I thought you were someone else."
"It's fine," Nolan replied, going back to his books.
Now I did not know what to do. I had nowhere to go and no idea of how to fix the mistake I had made.
"You're certain you don't have answers to my questions? You didn't cast a spell by mistake?" Nolan asked, breaking my train of thought.
Oh yes. He had heard my voice and seen through my eyes. Perhaps it was an accident that happened every thousand years and it had happened to us because I had never heard of such a thing. A lycan seeing through a witch's eyes.
"I was too weak to cast a spell, but perhaps, it is possible," I responded. It seemed as if Nolan wanted to hear that I had cast a spell on him, forcing him to save my life.
I sighed. I had more important matters to deal with. Should I head back home? No. I was an outcast by now. Yet, home was the safest place for me at the moment. If I went back home, the high guards would hunt me down, and if they found me, they would kill anyone I was with.
The room went quiet. When I looked at Nolan, I noticed he had stopped flipping through books. What was he looking for? He pinched the bridge of his nose and walked up to me.
"I need to figure something out. I need to know the truth about something very important. Can you help me?" he asked in a pleading tone.
I lost myself in his bright blue eyes. "You saved my life. I will do whatever I can to help."
"Can I kiss you?"
That was certainly not the kind of payment I had in mind. I furrowed my brows, searching his eyes to know if he was serious.
"Not the way you think," Nolan chuckled. "It is only a kiss."
Twelve blasted hells! A kiss in exchange for my life was a tiny price to pay. I stood on my toes and wrapped my arms around his neck. Before I could change my mind, I pressed my lips to his. He growled, pulling me closer to him. Nolan wrapped his arms around my back and waist.
I felt a hum in my gut. Slowly, it became a tingling sensation that wrapped itself around my heart and squeezed it tight. My demon stirred, and I shoved Nolan away. I turned my back to him as I felt my eyes glow their usual red color.
What the hell was that? My demon had not woken up, but it almost had. I took in deep breaths, thinking of a time when this happened to me, but I found none. It had never happened to me before.
I turned to face Nolan, who was still breathing heavily. His blue eyes were glowing brighter.
"You can't leave," he murmured, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
I didn't know why, but that small gesture of him wiping his mouth had hurt me.
"Why not?" I frowned, focusing on the situation at hand instead of how his lips had tasted. He tasted like rain and wine.
"I don't know," Nolan replied. He looked genuinely confused.
I thought things through. Until I figured out a plan, I needed a place to stay. It would only be for a few days. But as Nolan's eyes returned to normal and he still looked at me with that broken and tired expression, I felt a strange sense of foreboding.
NolanI had backed away from Baila and chosen to stand in a corner far away from her. My heart thudded dangerously fast whenever I was near her.Twelve blasted hells!I had hoped with all my heart that I was wrong and yet when I kissed her, every sleeping part of me had awoken. She was the one. She was mine to protect.I watched her brown eyes gaze outside the window. I was certain she wanted to be free, to leave, but for some reason, she stood still with a lost look on her face.I couldn't let anyone know about her. Not yet.Goddess!The council. What would they say if I told them that my mate was a witch? I squeezed my eyes shut, wondering if I should let her know or watch her walk away forever. The latter was a better option, but somehow, I knew it would be impossible to let her go."Can I stay for a few nights?" she asked.I looked at her. There were a lot of questions I should have asked her. Questions that were very important and necessary for the safety of my people. Instead, I
BailaI felt quite uncomfortable as I walked alongside Aaron, the captain of the guard. He kept his distance from me like I was a kind of virus that had no cure, but his right hand was always on the hilt of his sword. I was scared to even sneeze. The slightest movement from me could cause Aaron to cut me down. I was sure the captain would not hesitate to kill me.As we walked further and further away from Nolan's room, I wondered why Nolan had asked me about the spell. I had been dying. Surely, I couldn't have cast a spell. I couldn't rule out the possibility though. But my necklace had been around my neck the entire time I was drowning. Besides, I didn't know any spells to call out to a werewolf or any other creature.Mother!No. It couldn't be. My demon had been dormant but the other part of me wasn't. I had also been underwater. That was where the siren part of me thrived. Could that side of me have called out to Nolan?I had never used my siren power before or even tried to tap int
Baila"The queen was a fireball,"Sara started. "She was so fierce but kind and warm at the same time. She treated me like I was her daughter. When she died, I felt like I lost my mother. Anyways, she and the king had an arranged marriage. She wasn't too happy about it initially but in time, they fell in love. King Arlen was a kind man and Queen Ariadne was his world even after they had Nolan, he doted on her like she was everything. Ariadne used to scold him all the time. It was fun to watch them be together. I miss them but Nolan must miss them more especially since he was crowned king three days after their deaths. He was only ten."I found Sara's hand in the dark and held onto it, squeezing it comfortingly. Unlike Nolan, I still had family but it did not mean that I was less affected by the deaths of the king and queen."Does Nolan have a mate?" I asked. I was scared Sara would snap at me as Aaron did but so far, the royal physician had been nothing but nice to me."No, but I hope h
Baila"What?" I spluttered. My eyes were wide like saucers as I stared at the redhead.Aaron glared at me. Now, he chose to pay attention."You want to say that I'm your whore?" I frowned, confused. I did not understand what Sara was trying to do. Either way, I would still end up with the brand of a whore."No. A dancer. I had many dancer friends before I became.....well....this. All of them have travelled far away from the city. I could say that you're having money troubles and came to me for help. You can stay here for as long as you want with that excuse," Sara explained."Like hell, she can!" Aaron swore, approaching Sara. "You can not possibly think of vouching for her. If anyone ever finds out the truth, you'll be punished or worse,""You chose Aaron, why can't I?" Sara shrugged, straightening up and squaring her shoulders to face him.I had never seen Sara behave this way before but I hadn't known her long enough to come to that conclusion.Aaron grabbed her by the elbow, glarin
BailaI stumbled back, struggling to breathe as my breath escaped my mouth in strangled hiccups. The creature before me was once human, I was sure of it. She was a woman with hair badly ripped out, and I could see the soft pink flesh of her scalp. Her teeth were a long line of small sharp triangles like a fish's teeth. She wore a tattered black dress, and black veins littered her pale sickly skin, which had a sticky transparent liquid on it. But what scared me the most was her eyes. They were endless pools of darkness like a bear's.Footsteps drew closer, and I glanced backwards to see Sara approaching with a sword. The creature looked highly amused with what was going on. I made a decision. I wasn't sure if Sara's sword could even nick the creature. With a trembling hand, I reached for my necklace."Baila. Don't!" Sara snapped, but I wasn't listening. I ripped the necklace off with all the strength I could muster, and it fell to the ground with a clink."Pretty girl. Dead witch," the
Chapter Nine: Little SuspicionsBaila I groaned into consciousness. The ruffled bed space beside me told me all I needed to know. Sara had spent the night in my room. With a frightfully loud yawn, I jumped out of bed and stretched. My muscles felt sore from releasing my demon the previous night. Memories came flowing back in and I pieced them together as my back popped and my pain was relieved.I had rejected Nolan's help the previous night. I felt horrible about it. My rejection must have stung him and hurt his pride. Lycans had a lot of pride.The sun wasn't shining and I had a feeling that last night's occurrence could be the cause. I wanted to bathe in the river and I wondered if Nolan would allow me to go. With a slight shake of my head, I headed out to find him. I was determined to apologize even if he shut me down.I found Nolan behind a stack of books piled on the table in his bedroom. He looked up from the books when I stepped in before gulping down the goblet of wine he held
SimoneWhen I was younger, my mother would sit me by the fire and tell me the same story she told every night. The story of the great black witch, Marinthia Galma. She was one of the most powerful necromancers to ever exist until she let her pride consume her. Until she started to want more.Desperate for power and total control, Marinthia led an army of power hungry witches to Randale, the ancestral home of the high king. All the witches were slaughtered before they made it past the castle gates. All eighteen thousand of them were killed because among them hid a traitor. The traitor was a more powerful witch than Marinthia was.She switched sides at the last moment and led the high king’s army to victory over her own people. Some claimed that she was in love with a vampire. A vampire who dwelt within the high king’s castle walls. But that wasn’t the main lesson my mother was aiming to teach me.No. Not at all. She would always end her story with the one witch who was said to have es
SaraWhen I first saw the witch, I was ignorant to what she was. Ignorant to how deadly she was. But after hearing the witch’s name, something inside me changed. All the threats and warnings I had prepared for Baila had been forgotten the moment Baila first let me into her roomAnd as we spoke and spent more time together, I forgot all the reasons why I should have stayed away from her in the first place. All I could think about was that I had a friend. One that wasn’t a mate who had rejected me to serve the lycan king and one who was not the lycan king in question. This new friend of mine was different and I was thankful for that.A few hours ago, I had dismissed every guard on my floor so Baila could gain easy access and now, I was at the deadliest lake in Northwood. Swimming. Sneaking out of the castle had never been part of my plan for the day. I had promised myself to stay away from Baila so Aaron and Nolan would have one less thing to worry about. I had failed miserably.And no
BailaSara left as soon as she had come.Apparently, there was an urgent matter that required her presence.The door clicked shut behind Sara, leaving me alone with the three maids and the heavy silence that followed.My room, usually a place of solace, now felt suffocating, as if the walls themselves were closing in.The flickering candlelight cast elongated shadows that danced across the stone walls, turning them into silent specters bearing witness to my turmoil.I swallowed the fear in my throat.If I wanted to survive, winning the bride trials was my only option.The gowns the maids carried were a riot of colors—deep crimson, sapphire blue, emerald green, and gold that shimmered like captured sunlight.Their fabrics cascaded like waterfalls, pooling onto the cold floor, a stark contrast against the rough stone. I reached out hesitantly, my fingers brushing against the silk and velvet. The cool, smooth textures sent shivers up my spine, reminding me of the weight of the decision I
BailaThe night passed in restless fits. Every time I closed my eyes, Nolan’s face appeared, his expression dark and full of fury. His threats echoed in my mind, weaving through Salem’s prophecy, which lingered like a foreboding melody I couldn’t escape.I lay tangled in the sheets, staring at the ceiling as shadows danced across the stone walls of my room.The fire in the hearth had long burned down to embers, but the chill in the air felt sharper than ever, biting through the thin fabric of my nightgown. Salem’s words refused to leave me.I had a mate.The thought gnawed at me. I wanted to tell Sara about Salem’s prophecy, to seek her counsel, but something inside me held back. It wasn’t just doubt—it was fear.Could I trust her? Could I trust anyone?Witches didn’t have mates. The idea itself was absurd. Yet Salem’s warning had planted a seed of uncertainty that was slowly taking root. My people’s survival depended on me, and I couldn’t afford distractions, not now.Sleep slipped t
BailaThe night air was sharp, carrying a faint chill that made me pull my cloak tighter around me as Sara and I trudged back toward the castle. The streets were unusually quiet, the usual murmur of voices and clatter of hooves replaced by an eerie stillness and the shadows seemed to stretch longer than usual. I kept glancing over my shoulder, the unease from Salem’s prophecy still prickling at the edges of my mind like a splinter too deep to pull out. The words rang in my ears, fragments of their meaning slipping through my grasp no matter how hard I tried to piece them together.A lying mate. A backstabbing friend. A foe turned friend.Sara walked briskly ahead, her green dress swishing against her legs, her shoulders stiff and head bowed low. She had not uttered a word since I told her about Salem being a witch. She had not asked me how I found out or what proof I had and I had not offered an explanation either.In fact, I was relieved by her silence no matter how uncomfortable it
NolanElder Sabyni had ordered an emergency council meeting whic required my presence. Initially, I had wanted to escape the responsibility of attending the meeting but Elder Sabyni had firmly stated that the entire council would not be present for the meeting since she wanted to address delicate private matters.The air in the council chamber was stifling, heavy with the weight of unspoken concern. Elder Sabyni and Elder Marcus were the only ones present. Aaron cleared his throat from his place behid me and I knew he was just as anxious about the meeting as I was.Elder Sabyni and Elder Marcus rose to their feet when I marched in with Aaron at my side. I nodded my head in greeted and they graced me with two small smiles. While I took my seat at the round table, Aaron stood behind me, tension rolling off him in waves.“Beta Aaron,” Elder Sabyni smiled curtly. “Please do take a seat beside our king,” she stared at him, waiting for what seemed like minutes as Aaron stood unmoving.I cra
BailaSara escorted me back to my room after we watched the disqualified women leave the castle. I spent my time replaying my mother’s words in my head over and over again. The high king had yet to send out a bounty for my head and I did not know why.Maybe, he had executed Simone and Ashley in my stead and decided that they were enough retribution. If so, then their blood was on my hands. Still, even if he was not searching for me, news of the high prince’s dead should have reached Northwood by now unless the king had not announced it to his own people.But why wouldn’t he? Had the prince survived?He couldn’t have. I could see his dead eyes staring back at me that day. I had snapped his neck clean.A soft rapt came at my door, pulling me from the grim spiral of my thoughts. I startled, instinctively glancing at the window where the faint glow of twilight had long faded. The darkness outside was thick, heavy, and it dawned on me how much time had slipped away.I rushed to the door, m
BailaThe relentless thud of knuckles on my door synced effortlessly with the pounding in my head. The headache torturing me that early morning was the kind of pain that happened every time I had to battle the demon part of me.Unlike the other headaches, this one was not accompanied by the usual screaming in my head demanding that I use my powers. There was no voice lulling and calling me to maim, kill, and destroy.There was only one other demon I knew. One who was the culprit for the headache threatening to make me pass out.Nolan.My muscles screamed in protest as I sat up, and the raw sting in my throat reminded me of how much I had yelled during my argument with Nolan yesterday. He deserved every sharp word I uttered. Unfortunately, I was paying the price for my uncontrolled temper.Whoever was at the door would soon pay that price as well.The knocking continued, grating on my nerves.“I’m coming!” I croaked, throwing the blanket off and shuffling toward the door. My joints felt
Baila"You know Nolan?" Salem asked, his voice low as he walked me back to the castle. "How do you know him?"I froze, my muscles tightening as I fought to keep my expression neutral. I couldn’t let anything slip. I didn’t know Salem well enough to trust him with the truth about who I really was or how I knew Nolan. Still, he had saved my life, and I knew I owed him something. But not this."Sara, the royal physician, is my friend," I lied, my voice steady though my cheeks warmed against the cold air. "I’m a dancer from a nearby village. I ran out of money, and Sara offered to help."Salem hummed softly, eyes flickering with suspicion. "Sara? I’ve met many of her dancer friends over the years, but never you." His red eyes had darkened to black now, leaving behind an unsettling emptiness."You know Sara?" I tried to sound casual, but inside, my heart pounded. I silently begged him to accept the story and drop the questions. I was already in deep trouble with Nolan; I didn’t need more c
Nolan I watched as Aaron’s face went blank. His emerald green eyes glazed over, turning that familiar creamy shade whenever someone mindlinked him. By the tension in his posture, fists clenched tight, I knew it wasn’t good news."What’s wrong?" I asked, my patience thinning. I hated not knowing what was happening."It was Rue," Aaron muttered, his voice tight as he referred to his right-hand man, and if Rue had something to say that made Aaron look like this, it couldn't be good. I felt my stomach churn. "What is it?""It’s Salem," Aaron said, swallowing hard. "He’s here."Salem. My jaw tightened at the mere mention of his name. "And what does he want?" I snapped, feeling the familiar rise of anger burn through me. "He brought Baila."My mind raced. "Baila’s locked in her room. I’ve had guards posted there. She..." My voice faltered for a second before the anger took over. "I warned her. I warned her what would happen if she tried to escape!" I slammed my fist into the desk, feelin
Nolan13years agoIt was going to be a great day. A grand affair filled with joy and all the food I could eat. My mother, Queen Ariadne, had promised me that for my eleventh birthday, the entire kingdom would be in attendance. People would travel from far and wide, bringing gifts. And honestly, it was the gifts that excited me the most. I couldn’t wait to unwrap them all. The thought alone made me giddy.I sprinted down the hallways, greeting everyone I passed—maids, guards, and anyone else who crossed my path. They’d all be there to celebrate with me. Their smiles and laughter echoed behind me as I rushed toward my parents’ quarters. The room was empty, just as I’d guessed it would be.Earlier, Aaron, my best friend and the son of Beta Carmine, the captain of the guards, told me there was a meeting happening between my parents and his father. I decided it was the perfect time to pull a little surprise. They’d never see it coming. Grinning to myself, I crawled under their bed, making