Chapter 26

I woke up to my wrist burning uncomfortably and Alizya shouting downstairs. I stretched and listened to her as I let my brain wake up.

“You can’t take her! She’s not a threat to you or anyone else!”

“She won’t be a threat if she’s in a holding cell.”

“You are not taking her. She is under my protection for training.”

“You will turn her over or we will take her by force.”

What was going on? Who was trying to take me and where?

I heard a door crash and instantly ran down the stairs to defend Alizya. My fists were on fire as I picked a man up off the floor by his shirt.

“Alizya are you okay?” I growled protectively without looking at her. I was staring daggers at the man I held.

“It’s all a misunderstanding. I’m okay and they’re leaving,” she answered carefully.

I carried the man over to the door and set him down, putting myself between them and Alizya. “As she said earlier, I am not going anywhere. I’m here for training with my grandmother and you are not welcome.”

Alizya touched my arm. “It’s okay, Raven. We’re okay and they’re leaving.”

I postured before the man even though he was bigger than me but he still backed out of the door with me following until I hit the barrier that I couldn’t cross.
“Go home,” I growled.

“The trial will happen whether you like it or not,” the man grumbled as they backed away from the front steps.

I stood in the doorway staring down the men until they drove away in their work vans labeled home repair down the side. I watched them drive down the street, still posturing until the moment that they disappeared around a corner. Then I was out of energy and slumped against the door falling unconscious as I went.

~~~

I woke up groggily in bed and covered with a blanket. I could smell tea near me and found a steamy mug of it on the nightstand next to the bed.

“Go slowly, sweetie,” spoke a voice from across the room.

I looked up to find my aunt sitting in a chair with a book on her lap.

“Your body has gone through a lot and we need to rebuild your strength slowly.”

“What was that drug?” I moaned as I forced myself to sit up with my legs over the edge of the bed.

“Not something that usually has reactions like that. Drink the tea before you try to stand. I’ll go get you something to eat and you can shower after that. That should help you feel better.”

I sighed and obeyed, shakily taking the tea and putting it to my lips. I wasn’t hungry and actually felt a little nauseous but I sipped the tea, trusting that Alizya knew how I would feel. Sure enough, I was greeted by the soothing taste of peppermint tea sweetened with honey. It was fairly soothing just to smell it but letting the warmth run through me let me sink into a calm I hadn’t felt in a while.

My aunt watched me for a moment then stood as I relaxed. “I’ll be right back with some food. Your grandma may want to talk to you but there’s a meeting downstairs so it may not be for a while.”

“A meeting?” I questioned.

“She called a meeting of the elders. They’re talking about how to keep you out of the hands of the hunters who want to put you on trial. Luckily, you have never harmed a witch and you actually saved a few on your rampage the other night so some of them feel indebted to you.”

“I’m not here to hurt anyone. I honestly just want to disappear with Leo and live my life,” I grumbled before another sip of tea.

“Not all of the elders are as understanding as your grandma. Stay here and I’ll be right back with some food.”

I nodded and she turned to leave, listening as she descended the stairs and padded through the living room. I couldn’t tell where the elders were exactly but I knew that they were in the house by the buzz of their concealing spells. If I pushed against one the way I had been taught to, I might have been able to get more information but I was tired and it didn’t seem like it would be in my best interest to go snooping. They were deciding what to do with me, not having a tea party that I could crash and everyone would laugh. If they decide to, I could be handed over to the hunters and put to death or they could strip me of my magic and I didn’t know what that would do.

I drank my tea in silence until my aunt returned to the room with a tray stacked high with food in containers. “I wasn’t sure what you would want but your grandma said that you would be hungry so I grabbed as much as I could find.”

I gave her a polite smile. “I’m not actually hungry but I’ll eat because I know she’ll worry if I don’t. Is there any meat?”

She set the tray on the end of the bed and began shuffling the containers. “I think there’s a roast in here somewhere.”

Once she found it, she handed it to me with a fork. I could tell that it was fresh from the refrigerator but I used a quick spell and heated it up without a second thought. While I was eating the contents of the container, I met eyes with my aunt who looked like she wanted to say something to me.

“I know that things have been rough for you but I want to thank you for standing up for my mom. I know that you are good at heart and I said as much when I was asked to tell the elders about you. I don’t know any other vampire that would have stood up for her the way you did, but I also don’t know any other vampires by name.”

I gave her a small smile while I swallowed what was in my mouth. “She has taken care of me for longer than I took care of her. Those idiots had no idea what they were getting themselves into.”

My aunt smiled and let me eat in silence. When I finished, I set the container aside and stood slowly, testing my strength. As soon as I stood, I was moved to the garage, to stand in front of the five elders of the London coven.

“Raven Hart, you stand before the council of elders. Any actions made against this council will face swift and severe–.”

“Stop it, this is my granddaughter. She will not harm any of you,” Alizya interrupted.

I stood still and kept my mouth shut, assuming that it was best not to give them a reason to be mad at me. Alizya had already stuck her neck out for me.
“Raven, the council has decided to allow you to stay in witch territory under our jurisdiction, but we have some conditions,” another woman spoke as she approached me. “You will not be able to leave witch territory without the council’s permission.”

She took my arm with the cuff on it gently and etched a symbol over the cuff with her finger. The symbol glowed golden for a moment then disappeared and she let go of my arm after.

I read from her face that something else was coming and she didn’t agree with it, but she backed away and joined the other council members in a semi circle in front of me.

“You will also be stripped of your vampire blood,” another woman spoke carefully.

I looked at Alizya wondering if that would even work. Would I be dead after they take the vampire blood from me? Would I even have any vampire blood to give if I was feeding on vampires instead of humans? How would Warren handle losing his prize?

“We don’t know if it will work but it has been decided that we will try,” Alizya added.

I bit the inside of my lip nervously. I didn’t really have a choice but to go with their decision.

“If it doesn’t work, we will lay you to rest with your ancestors respectfully,” someone added but I didn’t see who because I was still looking at Alizya.

“We will tell the family of your bravery,” someone else tried gently.

Alizya stepped forward and took my hands in hers. “You’re strong and you’re going to survive this. Then we’ll work on getting back your memories, okay?”

I nodded nervously before she returned to the semi circle which expanded to a full circle around me with an arms length of distance between each woman. Alizya stood directly in front of me and tried to give me a reassuring smile.

“Relax your shielding and remain as still as you can while we perform the spell,” someone behind me instructed.

I swallowed and obeyed, lowering my shielding with a shiver, then closing my eyes to let them work without me causing any problems by getting nervous again. I heard them begin a chant and I felt my body get lighter but I didn’t open my eyes, I just let the sound of the chant cloud my mind until there was nothing.