AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It means you’re a witch of the strongest bloodline, unequaled in strength and power,” she replies.
“But…who are my parents, and why did they abandon me? And did they bind my powers, or did someone else?”
“Those are questions I cannot answer, Eden. I plan to send inquiries to the other North American covens. If anyone knows anything that can help us, I’ll find out. I promise to do everything I can.”
“Thank you,” I say, then take a deep breath. “And what does this mean for Jesse and me?”
I feel Jesse stiffen beside me, but I keep my focus on Bernadette. She tilts her head, studying me.
“What do you mean?” she asks.
“He’s a vampire. I’m a witch. And not just any witch, but my ancestors are the ones who created werewolves to destroy his kind. How can we be fated mates?”
“Your ancestors not only created the werewolves, but the vampires, as well. It was the Grundelier coven who cast the curse on that village.”
“What?” I bark, looking from her to Jesse and back again. “But Jesse said the first vampires decimated the entire coven that created them.”
“That’s what I was told,” Jesse says softly, tightening his grip on me.
“It’s true, they killed every witch in the kingdom,” Bernadette says, “but there were a few who were not present during the massacre. As soon as they realized what their spell had created, the leader of the coven, Maximus Grundelier, sent every child under the age of fifteen away under the supervision of his sister and her husband. Thirteen souls escaped before the vampires attacked. They boarded a boat for the Americas and never looked back. And once they settled, they formed what is now known as the Grundelier Coven in southern Louisiana.”
“New Orleans?” Steph asks.
“Thereabouts,” Bernadette says noncommittally.
“So I could have family there?” I ask.
Bernadette shakes her head. “As I said, the coven died out as far as the magical community knows. If Bethany Grundelier did have a child out of wedlock, there’s no record of it.”
I let all that information sink in for a moment as I stare down at my cooling coffee, then return my gaze to Bernadette. “You never answered my question. How does my ancestry affect my bond with Jesse?”
“Only as much as you let it, dear. I can only assume your mate will not hold the actions of your ancestors against you.” I see Jesse nod in my peripheral vision, and Bernadette smiles. “There is nothing to stop you from leading a happy, fulfilled life with your mate.”
“And if I decide I want him to change me? To become a vampire, myself?”
Bernadette’s smile drops into a deep frown.
“Any witch becoming a vampire is unheard of, but someone of your bloodline?” She shakes her head. “I don’t know what would happen. Being infected with the curse cast by your own magical line could have irreversible consequences, Eden.”
“What kind of consequences?” I ask, almost afraid to hear her answer.
“Best case? You could go mad. Worst? You could die.”
“Or I could become a vampire with magical abilities,” I offer, hoping she’ll agree with me.
“Which would drive you mad,” she counters with a small shake of her head, then pins Jesse with a dark gaze. “I’m afraid the risk is too great.”
He doesn’t respond, but I feel him stiffen beside me once more. I know what this means. He’ll never agree to change me, now. I’ll grow old and die while he stays young and virile, and after my death, he’ll fade away, himself.
“There has to be a way,” I say, breaking the silent tension that’s fallen over the room.
“We’ll figure it out, Eden,” Jesse says softly, but I can hear the resignation in his voice.
“Can I break the curse? Make Jesse human again?” I ask as the idea pops into my head. “If my family’s magic created it, I should be able to remove it, right?”
I’m panicking, throwing out asinine ideas. Before this moment, I was still debating the decision to become a vampire. Now that the decision has been taken away from me, I realize it’s what I want. I don’t want to grow old while Jesse remains frozen in time. I want to live my life with him, as equals.
Even if that means we’re both human…or at least, somewhat human.
