The Immortal Vow Page 2

  With a cat’s smile, he rested a hand on the wall. I was sure it sent little electrical jolts up his arm, but he didn’t seem to care. “You can’t run forever.”

  Luana held her chin high. “I don’t plan to.”

  Drake cradled my hand in his. “How long will this wall last?”

  “A couple of hours,” I said as a new wave of exhaustion hit me hard. I swayed on my feet and Drake caught me in his arms.

  “You shouldn’t have done that.”

  “Well, now it’s done.” I curled into his arms, wishing I was back in our house, lying in our bed, resting for three thousand years. “Let’s keep going before they run around it, or find a way to break it.”

  “Is there a way to break it?” Luana asked.

  “I’m sure there is, but I wouldn’t like to be here when that happens.”

  Drake adjusted his grip on me. “Then let’s go.”

  If I had any magic left, any strength, I would have used it to block the queasiness and the pain while Drake ran with his super speed. I closed my eyes and focused on breathing in and out, on Drake’s scent surrounding me, on his strong arms around me—that was the only thing keeping me from passing out or throwing up.

  I felt in a daze while we zipped through the forest.

  “Here,” I heard Luana say. Drake slowed down and fell into step with her. I peeked at her as she pointed to some long vines twisted across the grass, going from tree to tree. “Once we cross this, we’ll be safe.”

  I frowned. What did she mean?

  But I didn’t have time to ask. Drake and Luana marched ahead—I hadn’t seen Thomas in a while. He was probably saving his energy to show up later—and then I felt it. The magic coming from the vines. I felt it all. How they extended in a wide circle around the clearing and the cottage on its center. How they were some kind of shield to stop supernaturals from coming in. How they had allowed us to pass.

  Gently, Drake put me down, but kept holding me. He probably thought I would fall down if he didn’t. I thought so too.

  I stared at the small wooden cottage and a pang cut through my heart. Even though it was completely different, it reminded me of the cottage where Drake and I met so many times before. And now it was gone. Burnt to the ground by Morda and her inner circle.

  “Come on,” Luana said, beckoning us toward the cottage. “I’m sure she’s waiting for us.”

  Drake frowned. “Did you tell her we were coming?”

  Luana smiled. “There’s no need for that.”

  She rushed around the corner of the cottage. Drake reached for me, to carry me again, but I grabbed his arms for support, and walked with him. Rounding the corner, we found a wide porch with rocking chairs. And sitting on one of those chairs was an old woman with a long, white braid, knitting a thick string of dark green wool. She had many wrinkles around her eyes, but even so, I could feel the magic emanating from her.

  This woman was powerful.

  The old woman stopped knitting and smiled at Luana. “I’ve been expecting you. How are you, my dear?”

  “I’m doing okay.” When Luana approached, the old woman stood and embraced her. This woman was tricking us. She looked old, but her movements and her posture were of someone with a lot of energy. She wasn’t as old as she looked. Luana gestured toward Drake and me. “I’ve brought some friends to meet you.”

  “I know,” the old woman said, turning her attention to us. “I’ve been expecting all of you.” Her brows curled down. “Where’s the ghost? I could have sworn there was a ghost with you?”

  How did she know that?

  “He’ll be here soon,” Luana said. Then, she glanced at us again and her next words changed everything. “Drake, Thea. This is Bagatha. Former Queen of All Witches.”

  3

  Drake

  I had no idea what Queen of All Witches meant, but by Thea’s reaction—her heart skipped a beat, then began hammering against her ribs—I would guess it was either really good or really bad.

  “That’s impossible,” Thea whispered, her eyes wide. “The Queen of All Witches is a character from stories older witches tell to scare little girls, to make them behave.”

  Bagatha let out a deep laugh. “Scary? Me? No, my dear, I’m not scary. Not anymore.”

  “What does that mean?” I asked, not liking how uneasy Thea felt right now.

  Bagatha opened the door of her cottage. “Come in. We can talk while having some tea.” She disappeared inside the cottage.

  I turned to Luana. “Who is this woman?”

  “I just told you,” she said. “Bagatha, former Queen of All Witches.”

  “Is that even a title, or some lie she told you?”

  Luana rolled her eyes. “Drake, lose the attitude. Remember I told you she probably knows about your bond.” With that, Luana entered the cottage.

  Beside me, Thea was still frozen in the same spot. “What is it?”

  “I … I don’t know,” she whispered. “I can feel the magic pouring out of her, but I don’t know. Queen of All Witches? That was a myth, a legend.”

  I took her hands in mine and made her face me. “Do you want to leave? Just say the word and we’ll leave right now.”

  She glanced toward the cottage’s door, then returned her gray eyes to mine. “I’m just stunned. We’re all right. I think she’s all right. Besides, what other choice do we have? We need to talk to this woman.”

  I leaned into her and pressed my lips to her forehead. Her hands squeezed mine. “All right. But stay close to me.”

  A small smile spread on her lips. “When don’t I?” She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to mine.

  A sigh ripped out my throat. This woman …

  I put Thea’s hand on the crook of my arm and walked in the cottage with her. As expected, the inside was small and simple—a living room with a stone fireplace and two ragged couches, a wooden table for four, and a small kitchen to the side. In the back, an archway led to what looked like a bedroom and bathroom.

  “Please, sit down,” Bagatha said from the kitchen. Luana was in there helping her.

  Thea and I took one of the couches. A minute later, Luana brought over a tray and placed it on top of the small coffee table between the couches.

  She grabbed a mug and handed it to Thea. “Bagatha said this one is for you.”

  Thea wrapped her hands around the steaming mug, but didn’t drink it. “What is it?”

  “I’ve put some herbs in it that help with tiredness and nausea,” Bagatha said, coming to the living room. “Here.” She handed me a dark glass. “Blood from a deer.”

  I frowned. “Do you always carry blood with you?”

  Bagatha laughed. “Of course not, dear. I knew you were coming, so I went out and collected some. It’s from this morning, so it’s not fresh, but I hope that’s okay.” She sat down beside Luana and took a mug for herself. “Now, what do you want to know first? About me being the Queen of all Witches, or about your bond?”

  I stared at Luana. She raised her hands, palms out. “I didn’t tell her anything. I swear.”

  “If you really are the Queen of all Witches, then nobody would have to tell you anything,” Thea said. “Start with that.”

  Bagatha glanced down at the mug in her hands. “We have been at war with vampires and werewolves and fae, and all other kind of supernaturals for many millennia now. Not to mention with hunters too. Ever since the beginning of time, really. And, as wolves know well, our strength lies in groups. So, the witches on this side of the world got together and created the most powerful coven ever. And I was the witch queen.” Did that mean she had been alive for thousands of years? And here I thought she was younger than she looked. “As the war with each species went on, the witches started bickering among themselves—about everything, but the main topic was on how to defeat the other supernaturals. The witches were killing each other. So, trying to prevent a war within my coven, I separated them into factions—the Blackmarsh, the Bluemoon, the Silver
blood, the Wildthorn, and the Bonecrown. I appointed a leader for each of these covens, while I became the queen of all witches. We had a common council and periodic meetings so I could check on how each coven was doing.” She sighed. “My plan backfired. Separated like that, the covens became enemies. Besides the war with other supernaturals, the witches were now at war with each other. Many, many witches died, and even with all my power, I couldn’t stop them. The leaders of each coven now called themselves witch queen, and they created ranks with princesses and councils inside their own covens.” She took a sip from her tea before continuing. “In a last attempt to bring peace between the covens, I poured half of my power into the five witch queens, hoping that with that much magic they would be satisfied, they would forget about fighting with the other covens, they would realize they were equals, and they would turn toward the vampires and werewolves … But once again, it backfired. The witch queens turned against me. They used my power to banish me. That was over a thousand years ago.” She gestured to the cottage. “And here I am. Living in exile in a small corner of the world.”

  Was Thea buying all of that? For all I knew, this woman could be an old witch who had gone crazy.

  “In the stories, the Queen of All Witches had an actual wand,” Thea said.

  “Oh, yes.” Bagatha twisted her hand and a long black stick appeared in her open palm.

  Thea stared at wand. “This is incredible. Does it work?”

  “No, my dear. It was always only for show.” Bagatha pointed the wand to the fireplace. Fire roared to life. “I never needed it.”

  So, this was for real? This old woman was really the Queen of All Witches? And she had been banished over a thousand years ago … that was why I had never heard about her before.

  “In the stories I was told when I was little,” Thea began, “you were depicted as the devil. You stole magic and tortured witches who misbehaved.”

  A sad smile appeared on Bagatha’s lips. “I didn’t think they hated me that much.”

  “Perhaps they don’t,” Thea said. “They just took advantage of your banishment and created such a nasty tale to scare us.”

  “It makes sense.” Bagatha nodded.

  “How about you two?” I pointed to Luana and the old witch. “How did you two meet?”

  “That was what, twelve years ago? Maybe thirteen?” Luana glanced to Bagatha. “That doesn’t really matter. I had always been fascinated with the scouts in my pack. I wanted to be one. Once, when I was still little, I watched their training in the woods, and after they were done, I tried it out. And I got my paw stuck in a bear trap.”

  “I heard her howls,” Bagatha said.

  “But aren’t you banished?” I asked.

  “I am, but that means I was cast away from the witch covens. I can still go anywhere I like, as long as I don’t go near the covens,” Bagatha explained. “Besides, Luana was close. I didn’t have to go too far. I brought her in and healed her paw.”

  “And we’ve been friends ever since,” Luana said with a smile. “Bagatha told me who she was when I met her, but because I like and trust her, I haven’t told anyone about her.”

  “Until now,” Thea said, her voice low.

  I paid attention to her. Her breathing was growing shallow and her hands were shaking. “Are you okay?” Stupid question, I knew she wasn’t okay.

  Thea smiled at me, but I could see her eyes weren’t focused. “I’m fine.”

  “The hell you are,” I snapped. She always told me she was fine, even when she wasn’t. She lied to me about it all the time. It drove me mad.

  Her heartbeat sped up. “You’re right. I’m not.” She closed her eyes and her hands dropped like jelly. I caught her in my arms before she fainted and slid down the couch.

  I held her tight against me and stared at Bagatha. “Since you’re the Queen of All Witches, then you’re probably powerful. Can’t you reverse this curse?”

  Bagatha’s brows knit together. “Curse?”

  “Yes. I think Princess Morda from the Silverblood put a curse on Thea.”

  A loud cackled echoed through the cottage. My anger rose and my fangs elongated. “What’s so funny? Can’t you see she’s sick? Help me?”

  Bagatha’s laughter faded, but a smile stamped her face. “It’s not a curse, my dear. It’s the baby.”

  I froze. “W-what?”

  “Thea is pregnant.”

  4

  Thea

  I stared at the old woman seated in front of me. I was sure I hadn’t heard her right.

  “E-excuse me?”

  Her smile widened. “You’re carrying Drake’s child.”

  “Really?” Drake asked, high-pitched. There was a faint grin across his lips, and his green eyes were wide in surprise. It was a surprise all right, but while Drake seemed pleased, I felt shocked and unsure of my feelings.

  During my last few weeks with the Silverblood coven, Princess Morda had ordered all our witches to get pregnant. She thought it was the only way to produce a new witch queen for our coven. So, I had made love to Drake, wishing I would get pregnant, but it was mostly for survival. Princess Morda would have killed the witches who didn’t conceive.

  I never expected it to happen. Witches didn’t get pregnant easily, and ninety-nine percent of vampires were sterile. It should have been nearly impossible for me to get pregnant, and yet …

  “That’s not possible,” I whispered.

  “Improbable, but not impossible,” Bagatha said. She pointed to the mug in my hand. “That’s more than a simple tea to help you with your pain and weakness, my dear. It’s a tonic that will grant you a little energy too.” She glanced from me to Drake, and back to me. “In any case, even if it’s impossible or not, it was meant to be.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Her smile lost its shine. “You’re not the witch queen of the Silverblood coven, Thea. Your daughter is.” I put my hand on my stomach. It was a girl. Drake and I were having a girl. Drake’s hand slipped over mine, and he held on, as if he wanted to cradle the baby in my womb. I shook my head. By all that was sacred, I was pregnant … “More importantly, your daughter isn’t only the witch queen of your coven. She’s powerful. She’s the new Queen of All Witches and she’s the one destined to bring all the covens back together.”

  “W-what?” That was too big of a burden for such a small baby. “But … I was able to summon the heart’s power before.”

  “That’s because you conceived this child two months ago, when you first met Drake,” she explained.

  “Even before Princess Morda’s order,” Drake said.

  “Like I said, it was meant to be.” Bagatha nodded. “I can feel my magic fading as hers grows stronger. She’s getting ready to replace me.”

  I frowned, feeling a little embarrassed. How did she know so much? Did she have a crystal ball? Did she watch us all day? All night? “Is there anything you don’t know?”

  “Oh, there’s plenty.” Bagatha waved me off as if I had told her a joke. “But in this case, I know a lot. For example, I know your daughter became this powerful because of the strength of your bond. The Immortal Vow.”

  “So we’re not imagining things,” Drake said. “We do have a bond.”

  “Yes,” Bagatha said. “Some souls are given the gift of choosing how their lives will go, what their destiny will be, and what they want to accomplish. Some rare souls choose mates. You two chose each other as soulmates in the ether even before you came to earth to be born.”

  “Wait.” I lifted a finger. “Drake is five hundred years old. That means …”

  “It means you two chose each other over five hundred years ago,” she said. “He was patiently waiting for you to be born. And now you’re here.”

  I glanced at Drake. He had this shine in his eyes, his dreamy expression in his perfect face, as if he couldn’t be happier with all of Bagatha’s answers.

  “I knew you were my soulmate,” he said with a lopsided grin.

  Bagat
ha continued, “The magic of the Immortal Vow is so strong, it creates a telepathic bond. I would say you two feel pulled toward each other now, but in the future, you’ll be able to read each other thoughts and talk without actual words. The Immortal Vow is a testament of a lifetime of true love.”

  I couldn’t deny this all sounded so romantic and perfect, but there was still one thought that I couldn’t swallow. I was pregnant in a time of war. I couldn’t bring this child to life right now. It was not the right time.

  “I can hear your heart and your breathing,” Luana said. She had been so quiet, I had almost forgotten she was here too. “But I don’t think it’s from excitement.”

  Drake frowned. He probably heard it too, but hadn’t said anything.

  I forced the words to come out. “I’m worried. We’re planning a war. I can’t have a daughter right now.”

  Drake hooked his arms around my shoulders and pulled me closer. “I’ll protect you both.”

  “Thea is right to be worried,” Bagatha said. “But not just because of the battles to come.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  She sighed. “A witch’s pregnancy isn’t normal. First, it’s extremely difficult for a witch to get pregnant, and then it’s hard to keep the baby during the entire pregnancy. If the witch is able to hold on to the baby, it’s a painful pregnancy, riddled with complications. Then there’s the birth. The delivery is long and painful, and most babies don’t survive. However, children conceived with the power of the Immortal Vow are so strong, they suck up all the energy around them and end up killing their mother during childbirth.”

  My heart stopped. My stomach dropped.

  “You mean …” Drake shook his head. “No. No. You can’t mean what I think you do.”

  “I’m sorry,” Bagatha said. “But I’m afraid that, if Thea makes it to the end of the pregnancy, I don’t think she will survive the delivery.”

  Drake’s arms shook against me. “Thea is strong. She can survive this.”