Chapter 4

The witch.

I rubbed a hand across my tired red eyes and tried to focus on the documents before me.

I had barely slept in the last four days since the accident and all the stress was finally catching up to me.

A frown formed on my face as I peered intently at the document Danica handed me.

“He was in rehab?” I raised my head to stare at Danica, my heart pounding wildly as all traces of sleep cleared from my eyes.

“Yes,” Danica gave me a slow nod. “He had just been released and was on his way home to his family when he had the accident,”

“Goddess save me,” The documents fell from my hand and I sank down into a chair opposite Danica..

The hospital room seemed to spin about me at Danica’s revelation. Now it all made sense. Thomas. The man from the accident was an ex alcoholic.

“Apparently, he went to rehab because he promised his wife he would change for their kids,”

I shook my head, wishing Danica would stop but also knowing it was important I knew all the facts.

“He did change. He wasn’t drunk, he changed…” I moaned into my hands as grief racked through me.

The innocent man. Images of his wife leaving, him crying and begging. Yelling he wasn’t drunk and even worse, no one believing him.

“Herley,” Danica whispered and placed a hand on my shoulder.

I shrugged her away.

“Herley. It wasn’t your fault. You did what any mother would do.”

Danica’s words didn’t change what I did. I was a terrible person, a fact I made peace with when I stole my sister’s baby six years ago. And yet, in a way they bought me peace.

I ran my head from my hands and sighed deeply.

“Listen to me,” Danica turned my head to face her. “The man is a journalist and his talk show has a reasonable following. No way could you allow Batya be exposed that way. You did what you had to do to protect your daughter,”

A flash of panic ran through me. “I’LL EXPOSE YOU!” He threatened me. I clutched Danica’s arm in fear.

“He’s a journalist?!”

“Yes, Herley but that’s not important. What we need to focus on now, is getting the money for Batya’s treatment,”

My heart sank at her words. She was right, for the four days we had been in the hospital, I had already borrowed all I could from Prisca. Even Danica had chipped in but what we had combined wasn’t enough to treat Batya and still bribe the hospital to let her remain undocumented.

Prisca stirred from her spot beside Batya’s bed, roused by the topic of money. “That’s true Herley, we barely have enough to last us for today. Have you tried calling Gabriel again?” She asked, worry stark in her voice.

I sighed and massaged my temple. “Countless times. I’ve called…”

“And?” Prisca urged.

“Basically all I got was an invite to his wedding,” I confessed, the hurt and anger if his betrayal still fresh. Nafira whimpered feeling sorry for me but I brushed her off.

I didn’t want pity. Not even from my wolf. I have made the wrong decision to trust Gabriel and slave for his family, now I will suffer the consequences alone.

“Except you’re not suffering alone, are you? The girl is also affected by this,” Nafira sighed.

She was right. The person who suffered the most was Batya. My eyes trailed to the bed where my little girl was still unconscious.

“So no money from your husband,” Danica looked from me to Prisca.

“Ex-husband!” Prisca hissed immediately.

“Have you considered asking her for money?” Danica stared intently at me.

I froze, the intent of her words very clear. She wanted me to ask my sister, Daciana for money.

“No! Absolutely not!” I shook my head and got to my feet.

“Um, guys?” Prisca spoke up.

“Herley use your brain and swallow your pride before we lose Batya!” Danica hissed hotly and got to her feet as well. “She has the money and we both know she’ll give all her gold in a heartbeat to save Batya,”

“I SAID NO!” The ache in my head pounded louder.

What would I even say? I stole your baby and now, six years later she’s on her deathbed and I need your help?

“Well we have no choice! We have no money and no where to–”

“Guys!” Prisca yelled again.

“What?!” Danica and I turned to face her in exasperation.

“I think you need to see this,” She whispered in a low voice and increased the volume of the room television.

Really? Is now the time for Tv and—

I froze as the sound of Gabriel’s voice filled the room. My head snapped up immediately.

He sat on some sort of coffee couch opposite Thomas, beaming happily.

“Wha…What’s he doing?” I whispered, my knees suddenly too weak to support me.

“Good evening and welcome back to the Brunchtime Talkshow. Before the break, Mr Thomas who is a victim and was married to the woman told us he had some evidence for us.

I shook my head, dread building in my stomach as a clear picture of my face on my wedding day flashed across the screen. I looked happy with Gabriel’s arm flung across my shoulders.

“She’s a witch!”

My knees gave out. Prisca and Danica rushed to hold me but my eyes were locked on the screen.

“She does voodoo black magic. She blinded my eyes and trapped me in marriage but even worse than her is the child,”

“The child? Tell me more. I personally am a victim of this little girl,” Thomas’s eyes shined in glee.

“She’s a freak! A child with dark powers, I believe is a result of voodoo. She’s not mine, I don’t know her father but I do know that the girl is a spawn of the devil,’

“No no no…no,” Tears ran down my cheek as a clear picture of my daughter flashed across the screen.

“You said you have evidence. Could you show us?” Thomas asked.

“Of course,” Gabriel chuckled and a video began to play on the screen.

I recognised myself with my hair in a messy bun and Batya in her night dress. We sat upon my bed with several things on the bed. The first night, I had trained her on element control.

A gasp left my lips and beside me, Prisca stared at me strangely.

My instructions to Batya rang clear as she raised her little small hands and sure enough, each one of the objects began to float in the air until she was laughing happily and zooming them all around the room.

The camera shook a bit and the video cut.

“H…Herley, what was that?” Prisca’s voice came out strange and fearful as she stared from me to where Batya layed on the bed.

My frame shook, unable to speak a word, I turned to Danica but she was on the phone.

“They’re coming?--” Danica’s eyes bugged open, increasing my panic as she put the call on loudspeaker and turned to me.

“The CIA. They’re coming for Batya. They just claimed her as a property of the state. She’s to be sent to a lab for further testing,”

“WHAT?!”

I don’t know who shouted, me or Prisca as I grabbed the phone from Danica with shaky hands. “They’re coming? How many minutes do we have?”

The room seemed to spin about me as I began to think of possibly exits.

“None,” The person on the other end whispered. They just got in through the back of the hospital.

“LEAVE NOW!” Nafira warned me. Her fear feeling me with adrenaline.

“We have to go through the front!” I ran to the bed and lifted up my daughter, my hands shaking as I slung her over my body, prepared to run.

“We can’t,” Danica shook her head, her eyes wide open. “The press and police are outside. Thomas has been cleared from causing the accident. His alcohol test results came back negative,”

My heart sank. Where would I go? I couldn’t let them take Batya but I had no money to rush us someplace else. My tears streamed down my face, momentarily blinding me. From where I stood, Nafira could hear the sound of the agents running for our room. It’s all over.

“Call her!” I whispered to Danica.

Danica’s face paled. “But you said—”

“Call her! I have no choice,”

“But you do,” A man’s voice purred.

My tears caught in my throat as I raised my head to stare at him. If I believed in the devil, this man would be Hades. With his form cut like a Greek statue, he embodied the God of underworld sparking my memory of the picture I had seen of him.

Gabriel’s Uncle and nemesis. The famous powerful Billionaire who controlled Wolfe industries.

“A…Atlas?” His name left my lips in shock.

What the hell was he doing here?

He cocked a brow like he was surprised I knew him. “You need what I can offer. Money and protection for your daughter from the government,’

My hand stilled Danica immediately. I did not want to drag Daciana into this.

“What do you want in return?”

I would give anything, even my soul. Just to save my daughter.

“Nothing much. Just marry me,” He smirked like the devil he was, a document materialising in his hands. “ You have five seconds to decide,”