Chapter 236

Tessa’s POV

“That’s it, Tessa! You’re doing it!” Lucias exclaimed, clapping his hands.

The others in the coven came outside to the backyard to see what I was doing. They all stared up at the sky and watched as the clouds darkened, just as I wanted.

There was a small fire in the middle of the yard; a fire that I had set. But I wasn’t afraid of it like I was at that time I set the forest on fire. This fire was controlled, and I knew it wasn’t going to hurt me or anyone around me. It was listening to me; waiting for orders and wanting to do right by me.

It was working for me, not against me.

The clouds exploded and rain poured down, soaking us all. The others screamed and laughed as they got drenched. I didn’t get wet though. A small bubble formed around me, shielding me from the wrath of the water.

It took out the fire only leaving a small cloud of smoke that emerged from the ground and disappeared into the night’s air.

I raised my hands and swiped away the clouds and the rain and it stopped almost immediately.

“That was incredible,” Lucias said, gripping my shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze.

I smiled brightly at him.

I’ve been practicing a lot of magic throughout these last couple of weeks and I was getting better each day. I’ve been training tirelessly day and night and even Patty was impressed with how quickly I was learning each new spell.

“How about we call it an early day,” Lucias said, “Your father called earlier and he’s requesting to see you.”

My heart fell into my stomach and all the joy I once felt was quickly drained away.

“My father wants to see me?” I asked, my stomach feeling queasy.

Lucias’s smile faltered and he nodded.

“I think it’s time you spoke to him,” Lucias said simply. “I know you are angry with him, but he’s still your father.”

I knew he was right; I didn’t want to admit it though.

I sighed and went back inside and to my room so I could get ready for this visit. I wasn’t sure what to wear to see my father and I wasn’t even sure what I was going to say once I did see him. I wondered what he was going to say to me as well.

“Hey, sorry I got you kidnapped and got your boyfriend killed.”

The thought of Joseph actually being dead made me feel sick to my stomach. There was a part of me that was still keeping hope that he was alive. But if that were true, then why hasn’t he come for me yet?

I thought he would have by now.

Not a night goes by that I don’t cry for him. My heart is shattered. It almost felt like my soul was shattered in a way. A couple of weeks ago Lucias told me he wasn’t going to throw out my ring just yet, but he would probably do so at some point, despite me begging him not to.

I’m not sure if he still had my ring, but my finger felt naked without it. I’ve been busying myself with spell work and strengthening my powers. I was stronger than I thought, and I was a quick learner, much to everyone's surprise.

I’ve even gotten to know some of the coven members. Not everyone was open to knowing me; some looked at me like I was a stray dog or something. I would receive dirty looks in the passing. But some were open to conversation and made me feel welcome.

I grabbed a cute skirt and a blouse. After I finished showering, I stared at myself through the foggy mirror. For some reason, I looked older. I looked stronger and more mature. It was a strange sense considering I’d hardly eaten, and I cried myself to sleep every night. I don’t think I will ever truly feel okay again without Joseph.

I brushed my hair, braiding it down my back. I’ve been braiding my hair a lot since I’ve been here. Patty said it’s a good style to have while practicing magic so I knew my hair would be secure and out of the way during spell casting and potions.

I quickly dressed in the skirt and blouse and left the bathroom. I sat at the vanity that used to belong to my mother; this was the first time I sat there since arriving. For some reason, I had been avoiding it, but now I almost felt a compulsion to sit here.

I looked at the many pictures that occupied her mirror and a fond smile played on my lips as I looked at all the pictures of my mother. There were many photos of her with Lucias; they looked like a power duo. I could tell he was happy working alongside her for all those years. She was so young in most of these photos.

She only had one photo of her and my father while they held me the day I was born. Then there was one photo of my mother and me. My mother had me wrapped in her arms and we were standing in this very room. I couldn’t have been much younger than 2, maybe 3. She had a faint smile on her lips, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

Her eyes actually looked terrified.

My mother died when I was three, so I wondered how long after this photo was taken, she died.

Flipping the photo over, I saw there was writing on the back of it.

My heart fell deep in my stomach when I read the writing: Protect her.

Protect her?

Protect who?

There was a slight knock on the door, drawing me out of my head and I stood up quickly.

“Yes?” I said, trying to sound as normal as I could.

“It’s me,” Lucias said, opening the door only enough to peer inside. “Can I come in?”

“Yeah, of course,” I said, putting the picture in the pocket of my skirt, and making a mental note to ask him about it later.

He stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. When he took a look at my appearance, he smiled fondly.

“I’ve never seen you in a skirt before,” he said, his brows raising as he took in my appearance.

I shrugged, trying to act as casually as I could.

“I wasn’t sure what kind of party this was,” I told him. “I figured I’d try and dress for the occasion.”

“You look beautiful,” he said as he stepped closer to me.

I smiled.

“Thanks,” I said in return.

“Your father is here and waiting downstairs for you,” he told me.

I nodded in response.

“Thanks,” I murmured, my heart picking up speed in a nervous rhythm.

Lucias smiled and closed the gap between us, stunning me by his closeness as he wrapped his arms around my body.

I didn’t like how close he was to me, and I didn’t like how he was touching me like this. He was always hugging and touching me, and I didn’t want anything to do with it. But I’ve seen his wrath and I never wanted to be on the other end of it. My entire body was tense as he held me close, breathing in my scent like he was memorizing it.

“It’s going to be okay,” he whispered. “I will protect you if I have to. Don’t ever think I won’t. I couldn’t protect your mother. But I will protect you. That’s a promise, Tessa.”

I nodded, unsure of what to say in response.

He pulled away from me and smiled down at me, running his hand down the side of my face and making me shudder in response.

“Soon, the pain of your ex will leave you and you will no longer cry yourself to sleep,” he said, his tone soft as he spoke. “And when you are ready to move on, I will be here.”

My eyes widened.

“What?” I managed to ask.

His smile expanded.

“Don’t worry about that right now,” he said simply. “Just focus on healing your broken heart and when you are ready, we can both move forward.”

His meaning was not lost on me and I felt uneasy. I took a step away from him, shimmying his hands away from me.

“Look, Lucias—”

“I have something for you,” he said quickly, stopping my words.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a long black box.

I knew the kind of jewelry that a box like that occupied. When he opened it, I couldn’t help the gasp that escaped my lips. Inside the box was the most beautiful ruby-red necklace embroiled with diamonds. He lifted the silver chain so I could better view the necklace and my breath had been taken from me.

“Oh, my god,” I breathed, staring at the necklace with wide eyes. “It’s beautiful. I can’t accept it…”

“I want you to have it.”

“Lucias…”

“It’s my gift to you, Tessa. You deserve it. You’ve done so well these last couple of weeks and I really wanted to get you something special to celebrate that success,” he told me, giving me a warm smile.

I wasn’t sure what to say. I wanted to deny it, but the look on his face told me that wasn’t possible.

“Turn around,” he instructed.

I sighed and did what he said.

I felt the cold ruby dangling against my chest as his fingers worked to clasp the necklace. Once he was done, the necklace lay lazily on my chest, glistening in the illuminating lighting.

I turned to face him, forcing a smile.

“It’s amazing,” I said, trying to sound convincing. “Thank you.”

“You’re amazing,” he surprised me by saying.

My chest tightened from his words. His eyes dropped to my lips, and for a moment, I feared he was going to kiss me.

I stepped away from him and out of his reach.

“I should go downstairs. I don’t want to keep my father waiting,” I said, feeling my cheeks heat under the intensity of his stares. “Thanks for the necklace, Lucias….”

I stepped around him to leave my room and I was glad that he stepped aside to let me.

“Anytime, Tessa…” he said to my retreating back. “Any time.”