Chapter 30

Massive apology.
 
 
 
 
"Grandpa, what are you doing? It's too late. She’s dead," I stuttered, shaking my head unable to process that she was moving. Ella couldn't have survived unless Grandpa Fred was using black magic to bring her back, to heal her—spells that were illegal for a good reason. He was toying with nature.
"Julia? Is that you?"
I refused to open my eyes. Ella hadn't just woken up. She hadn't just asked me a question.
"Julia, please look at her. She needs you," Grandpa said. When I obeyed him I nearly tripped, backing away, my lips trembling. Ella was alive, and she was staring straight at me. Magic couldn't do that. It couldn't bring someone back from the dead. There were bloodstains on her sleeves and around her throat. I started touching her, wanting to see for myself that she was all right. 
"Julia? Why are you crying? What happened?" she asked. She finally noticed my grandpa and flinched with shock. My hands were trembling; tears were streaming down my face.
"Oh, my God, please tell me you’re all right, Ella," I whispered.
“She's fine, Julia," Grandpa Fred said.
"Julia, Tron was here. He grabbed me and… and—"
"Tron was Sid, the man who murdered my grandmother. The royal," I said, still not able to come to terms with everything that went on only a few minutes ago.
"He showed up at the house unexpectedly," Grandpa Fred said. "Your grandmother fought, but he overpowered her, used spells that aren’t known to elves or fairies. He restrained me and kept me prisoner in the woods for weeks at a time. He was trying to make me honour the contract, to make sure that he could go on. Sid had been a family friend for over a decade. He kept me alive because he thought I would eventually break."
"We’ve been looking for you, Grandpa. The whole family knew you weren’t dead. I found the letter in Grandma’s office. That was my first lead."
I could feel my father was on the way. When I killed Tron, the spell had sent him a warning. This always happened when I was in danger, but Jasper had blocked my energy before.
"I was cursed, spellbound," Grandpa said. "Sid kept me alive because he needed the contract signed. Once he married you and gained his immorality he could claim the king’s crown. No one would have been brave enough to stand against him and his powers."
"I killed him, Grandpa. Someone fired a shotgun, distracting him and Jasper.  I lost control and drowned him in the lake. A few hours ago, I was arrested, but someone bailed me out. I should have known it was a trap. Jasper used black magic, he blocked my power, then brought me here. We drove for ages. Tron—I mean, Sid appeared a bit later.  He… he slashed Ella’s throat. He killed her real father, Alex.”
Ella gasped and touched her throat. I still couldn't believe she was okay. I hoped this wasn't a trick or dark magic.
"Julia, Sid has been tormenting your grandmother and me for months. I don't know how he found out. We didn't want to say anything to anyone because we thought we had it under control. Your grandmother went to the king and he promised to take care of everything. A few weeks later Sid paid her another visit, so I intervened. I began travelling abroad to see a friend, but no one wanted to help. This situation was getting out of control. Then, one evening, Sid showed up and used a deadly curse. When Barbra resisted him, he suffocated her with his bare hands. While he held me captive in the woods, he kept coming back to the place where he had me bound, telling me all that was going on and that he was close to getting what he desired most."
"So how?  How did you manage to escape?"
"It was you, Julia. The spell stopped working when you killed him. Your grandmother had been trying to void the contract, but the king who ruled at the time wasn't having it. She knew you were the one with the gift the moment you were born. She used a spell to make sure that no one else recognised it, that no one in the family knew what you were, even your father. Sid was always ambitious; his overinflated ego and desire to rule put you directly in danger."
"Dad knew about the contract. He told me it was a boy who was supposed to be born, not me. I don't understand how they thought I was the one with the gift. Besides, how are you so sure I can give someone immortality?"
"The imbalance of power was the first sign and the mark on your neck," Grandpa replied. "You won't see it, but it's there. Your grandmother hid it. Well, the prophecy was wrong. For some reason, when your dad chose to love a human, he created something special—you. You made us proud, Julia, but your grandmother never showed it. She was constantly worried, especially when you chose a vampire. She thought you were putting yourself in danger."
"I met Tron two years ago. He came to the agency when I started blacking out. I was scared, and I didn't want to tell anyone. His magic lessons were helping. He introduced Ella to Alex, her real father. I was silly, I should have told Grandma."
Grampa Fred looked astonished. Tron or Sid, had known about me for longer than anyone thought. 
"We made a mistake. Too many people knew about your imbalanced power. I wish we had been more careful."
Ella stepped forward. "I'm sorry, Mr. Taylor, but I still don't understand. I was dead? Is that right? This man, Tron killed me?"
Grandpa smiled and placed his hand on her shoulder.
"His spells died with him, so I knew we had a chance to bring you back. You don't know it, Julia, but I have some rare abilities of my own that sometimes come in handy. I healed Ella, because there was still time. Your love for Ella was enough to bring her back." 
I was so overwhelmed and lost, trying to deal with all the information.
"Jasper…you killed him, Grandpa. He knew—he was ready to complete the ritual to gain immortality," I whispered.
"Actually, he’s not dead, Julia. The dagger was an artefact. Jasper has no more magic left in him. It was a gift from a friend of mine back in Africa. It had been charmed with black magic. You no longer need to fear Jasper. He has no more power, and I can say that he’s no longer a wizard."
I knew I shouldn't have been happy, but Jasper had only gotten what he deserved. He had always wanted to be more powerful than anyone and now he lost everything, all because of greed. We kept talking, and soon after, we heard voices and police cars racing through the field. Dannika, my father, and Stewart with other police officers surrounded the place, sealing the magic.
Minutes later, I watched as Jasper was lifted off the ground and dragged to the ambulance. My father was going crazy, demanding the paramedics check if I was all right. Other officers found the human man several meters away from the lake. He’d been in the woods when Jasper was performing the ceremony. He was the one who used the shotgun—he was my saviour. Luckily, he was alive.
Shortly after that, the officers transported Tron’s body out of the water. Then Dad wanted me to go to the hospital. I was saved, my best friend was alive, and my grandfather was going to be all right. Everything was fine, so I closed my eyes wanting to drift away and rest.

 
***
 
 
"Julia, oh honey. I'm so glad you’re okay. I felt better when I didn't know about magic," Mum said, blowing her nose. She had been crying, happy this whole thing was finally over. It had been a few days since the night in the forest, when I nearly married the royal fairy.
It was my last day on the ward. I was going to be discharged today. There was nothing particularly wrong with me. I had a large wound on my back that was healing very, very slowly, from where Jasper had cut me with the knife, plus some scratches and bruises. The healers insisted on keeping me, just to be sure that everything was all right with me. My grandfather was a few rooms away, so I wasn't bored at all. He’d spent two months being locked up somewhere in the forest, so the healers needed to make sure that the curse had faded, and he wasn't a threat to anyone around.
"No, Mum, I think if I had to do this all over again, I would have told you everything from the very beginning," I said. "Lying never got me anywhere."
"Good, I'm glad, because I don't think I could take any more of your father’s humours. He’s finally back at work."
 “That's good, Mrs. Taylor. I’m sure he couldn't wait any longer." Kelsie chuckled.
Then, one of the healers came back to the room.
 "Mrs. Taylor, I think your father-in-law wants to talk to you."
Mum sighed loudly and left, telling me not to get excited about the fact that all my friends were with me. Nicky, Ella, Kate and Kelsie were sitting at the back, waiting for some time alone with me. We all had a long chat when I woke up. 
"I told you that Tron…or Sid was bad news," Kate insisted for the tenth time.
"So, has your grandfather told you anything else about your gift?" Nicky asked, obviously curious. "Immortality sounds pretty good. Do you know what you’re supposed to do?"
"No, and I don't want to hear it. I’ve had enough surprises as it is. I just need to get back to normal."
"What about Mr. La Arse? Has he been around at all?" Kelsie asked, knowing full well that Nathaniel hadn't shown up. "You know, since Tron made him do all those horrible things to you."
  "No, but Rufus told me that everything is fine. Apparently, Nathaniel has reinstated the contract and employed everyone again. I'm sure you’ll be getting a phone call, too," I said, looking at Kelsie. When Nathaniel had broken the engagement, humiliated me and got me arrested, I knew he wasn't himself, but he hadn't made any effort to straighten things out between us. I was still hurt.
A few days ago, Dad found out that Tron paid one of the members of the Association to make it look like my grandmother had committed fraud, that she stole the money from the organisation that she truly loved. Tron needed to have leverage; he wanted to control me from the very beginning, but he failed.
 "You know what I think? I wouldn't be so sure that it was just magic that turned Nathaniel into a total twat," Kate said.
I didn't say anything to that. I looked at Ella, who hadn't said a word since she arrived with the girls. Grandpa Fred had a new task. He was supposed to search for her family. She was sad that Alex was murdered and didn’t even have a chance to get to know him. 
 "For the first time I do have to agree with everything you said, Kate," an alluring voice said from behind the door.
My magic swamped the room when Nathaniel walked in, looking good, shaved and handsome. The girls got up, not looking pleased at all. I opened my mouth, then closed it. My heart pounded loudly, sending signals to the rest of my body that the love of my life was standing a meter away from me.
"I don't think you’re welcome here, Mr. La Arse," Kelsie growled, standing right in front of him.
 "Kelsie, I'm terribly sorry for the way I treated you and I'm sorry that I slapped you. You can have your job back, if you still want to work for me, that is."
"You can shove that position back into your—"
"Kelsie," I cut her off, raising my voice. She narrowed her eyes on him, chewing her bottom lip.
"Fine, fine. I get it; he was charmed," she muttered, folding her arms over her chest, not convinced. "I’ll come back, but I want a raise."
"Not a problem, you’ll get a raise and a new office. Now, may I please speak with Julia alone?" he asked the rest of the girls. Kate didn't look very happy either, but she agreed, smiling at me. Nicky took Ella’s hand and shut the door behind them.
Now, it was just me and him. The man who I’d loved continuously for five years.
"Sit. I guess we have a lot to catch up on," I said, not really knowing how to behave. The last time I saw him, he called me a whore in front of all his investors.
"I’ve spoken to your father. He told me everything," he said, with a sharp intake of breath. 
The energy was flowing between us, and the familiar scent made me feel warm and secure. I shouldn't have been angry with him, after all, he was manipulated by the royal fairy, but his words still hurt me.
"What took you so long? I’ve been here for days."
He dragged his hand through his hair.
"I couldn't just come to see you, after realising what I did, the things I said. It was like I was awakening from a nightmare only to be faced by a living nightmare. I was at a meeting when this started. I hurt you again and again. This wasn't going to fix itself easily. I needed time to repair the damage that I’ve done."
"Were you aware when the charm started working?" I asked, desperately wanting to touch his hand.
He dropped his head. 
"Our first fight, during the evening when you came to me, I’d felt angry all day. There are no excuses. I shouldn't have said what I did. Tron or Sid, whatever he was, I shouldn't have trusted him last year.”
"He said that your presence blocked my real potential, that if I hadn't met you, he would have come to me much sooner."
"Julia, I understand. Your father wasn't particularly keen on me talking to you. I won't forgive myself—"
"Nathaniel, shut up. You were under Jasper’s influence, too. I got arrested because that’s what they wanted. We just have to pick up where we left off," I said, as desire flew through me, broadcasting to me loud and clear that I still loved him.
"Julia, I'm sorry. I never stopped loving you," he said, wrapping his hands around mine.
"Jasper lost his magic. My grandfather saved my life. He’s no longer a threat to us and I would rather marry for love, than genes."
"Do you still want to get married, after all that, after everything that’s happened?"
"Yes, do you? I haven't changed my mind."
He was kissing me then, long and hard. The sparks began crackling in the air, as his tongue moved into my mouth. It was bliss and I was falling in love all over again. Maybe we were different, and he was blocking me from my real magical potential, but I didn't want anyone else. He was always the one.