Chapter Five
"Be strong, Danica! Be strong! You are Kennan! Don't you ever forget that! Now get your arms up and block him! Now! Danica, listen to me. Get you're arms up and block! If he were truly a vampire, he would have snapped your neck by now. Now block! Get your shields up! Danica, listen to me!" Danica struggled to obey her grandmother, but she just couldn't. She wanted to, she really did! But Danica just couldn't figure out how to block both the mind and physical attacks at the same time. She just wasn't capable.
"I can't, Grandmother! I can't!" Danica sobbed as her assailant continued to kick and punch her. Danica cried out in pain when she felt the bite of the knife slashing her arm open. "Stop! Make it stop!"
"How are you going to protect yourself, Danica? How will you protect yourself and revenge your mother's death? Are you not a Kennan? Of course you're not." Grandmother spat on the ground, next to Danica's head. "You're worthless."
Danica jerked awake, dripping in cold sweat. Gasping for air, she shoved away her covers and stumbled from the bed.
"I'm not! I'm not worthless!" She cried, covering her eyes with her hands as she collapsed to the floor. You okay?
Jaguar's concerned voice floated into her mind. Danica jolted back into the present world and realized where she was. She nodded, and then realized that he couldn't see her. I'm fine. Bad memories.
Danica felt him offering sympathy. She sighed, and allowed herself to open most of her mind to him. You sure?
Danica smiled, knowing his concern was sincere. Yeah.
She carefully put her shields back up before wandering into her bathroom. She splashed herself with cold water, trying to shake the memories from her mind. She changed into a pair of black jeans and a tank top and walked up to her balcony.
She stood, leaning against the stone railing and stared down into the darkness that was the courtyard. She had the only room that had a balcony over it. She could make out the outlines over a small pool and the most beautiful, or at least she thought, foliage she'd ever seen.
She looked at it for a while, enjoying its beauty before she slipped back inside to visit the Magic Room, which turned out to be a pretty good name for the place. She walked carefully, taking the directions that Eric had given her the night before. She gasped as the raven in front of the western wing suddenly shifted into human form.
"You have business here?" The girl asked.
"I've got permission to go to the Magic Room." Danica held up the key Jaguar had given her.
"The what?" The raven asked, one brow rose in question.
"It's alright. She has permission to be here." Jaguar stood at the door the raven had been guarding. "This is Danica, Gliss. She's gonna be coming by a lot. She's my new witch." Danica glared at Jaguar.
"I've already told you I'm not yours. Stop calling me that." Jaguar laughed, taking her into his arms.
"Behave or I might have a snack." He joked, kissing her throat softly. To Gliss, he said, "Treat her like you did Audra. Only better. Come on, Dani. I've just acquired a new book I thought might interest you." Danica elbowed him in the stomach.
"I'm not your Audra and I'm not your pet witch, so stop treating me like it." Jaguar grinned.
"She's feisty." He said to no one in particular as he followed her through his office to the Magic Room. "Here." He dropped a heavy volume onto the table where Danica had just placed herself and several books. Danica didn't bother to glance up at the book.
"It's the original Book of Shadows belonging to Esperanza." Jaguar looked at her, impressed. Danica continued to flip through the book on her lap. "Esperanza was the first Kennan. I can sense all Kennan magic at a couple of miles radius." She looked up at him and grinned. "And I can see it through your eyes."
"You little cheat!" Jaguar laughed, wrapping his arms around her.
"Don't leave your mind open to me, Jaguar. I'm just as skilled as you are in reading them. I've had a bit of practice. And don't forget that I'm a Kennan witch."
"I won't."
"Good." Danica brushed a bit of hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear, exposing her neck. She felt Jaguar gasp in his mind. She tilted her head to the side a little more and caught his eyes. He was hungry. She knew it.
"No." He whispered, although he hadn't released her. She didn't answer but relaxed into his arms, leaving her throat open. He took a deep breath and let his lips fall to her throat, not bothering to catch her mind.
He let her go after a moment, holding her too make sure she could stand. She hadn't taking much, but it was enough to leave her lightheaded.
"Thank you." He whispered, feeling the power of her magic fill his veins. Danica only nodded before returning to her books. Jaguar stayed and watched her for about an hour before announcing that he had business to take care of and would be back later.
Danica filled the long hours of the night studying the books he had left at her disposal. She learned a few new spells and practiced them for hours until she was sure she could use them if she ever needed to.
Dani glanced at the clock and sighed. It was nearly sunrise. She wanted to see it before she headed off to bed. Then she realized she had taken the vampiric days, and had turned completely nocturnal. She sat to think, trying to figure out exactly when this had happened.
Then she remembered that it was probably when she was kidnapped. She had bee unconscious for hours, and woke up during the night. And gone to sleep when the sun came up. It wasn't a bad way to live. She was more comfortable in the night, anyway.
Dani left the room, carefully opening her mind to Jaguar, looking for him. I can't come to you right now, love. I'm busy, but if you want, I can come by your room later.
Dani smiled. It was funny how Jaguar knew exactly what she wanted. Please. She answered before slipping off to the kitchens to catch a meal.
"Be strong, Danica! Be strong! You are Kennan! Don't you ever forget that! Now get your arms up and block him! Now! Danica, listen to me. Get you're arms up and block! If he were truly a vampire, he would have snapped your neck by now. Now block! Get your shields up! Danica, listen to me!" Danica struggled to obey her grandmother, but she just couldn't. She wanted to, she really did! But Danica just couldn't figure out how to block both the mind and physical attacks at the same time. She just wasn't capable.
"I can't, Grandmother! I can't!" Danica sobbed as her assailant continued to kick and punch her. Danica cried out in pain when she felt the bite of the knife slashing her arm open. "Stop! Make it stop!"
"How are you going to protect yourself, Danica? How will you protect yourself and revenge your mother's death? Are you not a Kennan? Of course you're not." Grandmother spat on the ground, next to Danica's head. "You're worthless."
Danica jerked awake, dripping in cold sweat. Gasping for air, she shoved away her covers and stumbled from the bed.
"I'm not! I'm not worthless!" She cried, covering her eyes with her hands as she collapsed to the floor. You okay?
Jaguar's concerned voice floated into her mind. Danica jolted back into the present world and realized where she was. She nodded, and then realized that he couldn't see her. I'm fine. Bad memories.
Danica felt him offering sympathy. She sighed, and allowed herself to open most of her mind to him. You sure?
Danica smiled, knowing his concern was sincere. Yeah.
She carefully put her shields back up before wandering into her bathroom. She splashed herself with cold water, trying to shake the memories from her mind. She changed into a pair of black jeans and a tank top and walked up to her balcony.
She stood, leaning against the stone railing and stared down into the darkness that was the courtyard. She had the only room that had a balcony over it. She could make out the outlines over a small pool and the most beautiful, or at least she thought, foliage she'd ever seen.
She looked at it for a while, enjoying its beauty before she slipped back inside to visit the Magic Room, which turned out to be a pretty good name for the place. She walked carefully, taking the directions that Eric had given her the night before. She gasped as the raven in front of the western wing suddenly shifted into human form.
"You have business here?" The girl asked.
"I've got permission to go to the Magic Room." Danica held up the key Jaguar had given her.
"The what?" The raven asked, one brow rose in question.
"It's alright. She has permission to be here." Jaguar stood at the door the raven had been guarding. "This is Danica, Gliss. She's gonna be coming by a lot. She's my new witch." Danica glared at Jaguar.
"I've already told you I'm not yours. Stop calling me that." Jaguar laughed, taking her into his arms.
"Behave or I might have a snack." He joked, kissing her throat softly. To Gliss, he said, "Treat her like you did Audra. Only better. Come on, Dani. I've just acquired a new book I thought might interest you." Danica elbowed him in the stomach.
"I'm not your Audra and I'm not your pet witch, so stop treating me like it." Jaguar grinned.
"She's feisty." He said to no one in particular as he followed her through his office to the Magic Room. "Here." He dropped a heavy volume onto the table where Danica had just placed herself and several books. Danica didn't bother to glance up at the book.
"It's the original Book of Shadows belonging to Esperanza." Jaguar looked at her, impressed. Danica continued to flip through the book on her lap. "Esperanza was the first Kennan. I can sense all Kennan magic at a couple of miles radius." She looked up at him and grinned. "And I can see it through your eyes."
"You little cheat!" Jaguar laughed, wrapping his arms around her.
"Don't leave your mind open to me, Jaguar. I'm just as skilled as you are in reading them. I've had a bit of practice. And don't forget that I'm a Kennan witch."
"I won't."
"Good." Danica brushed a bit of hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear, exposing her neck. She felt Jaguar gasp in his mind. She tilted her head to the side a little more and caught his eyes. He was hungry. She knew it.
"No." He whispered, although he hadn't released her. She didn't answer but relaxed into his arms, leaving her throat open. He took a deep breath and let his lips fall to her throat, not bothering to catch her mind.
He let her go after a moment, holding her too make sure she could stand. She hadn't taking much, but it was enough to leave her lightheaded.
"Thank you." He whispered, feeling the power of her magic fill his veins. Danica only nodded before returning to her books. Jaguar stayed and watched her for about an hour before announcing that he had business to take care of and would be back later.
Danica filled the long hours of the night studying the books he had left at her disposal. She learned a few new spells and practiced them for hours until she was sure she could use them if she ever needed to.
Dani glanced at the clock and sighed. It was nearly sunrise. She wanted to see it before she headed off to bed. Then she realized she had taken the vampiric days, and had turned completely nocturnal. She sat to think, trying to figure out exactly when this had happened.
Then she remembered that it was probably when she was kidnapped. She had bee unconscious for hours, and woke up during the night. And gone to sleep when the sun came up. It wasn't a bad way to live. She was more comfortable in the night, anyway.
Dani left the room, carefully opening her mind to Jaguar, looking for him. I can't come to you right now, love. I'm busy, but if you want, I can come by your room later.
Dani smiled. It was funny how Jaguar knew exactly what she wanted. Please. She answered before slipping off to the kitchens to catch a meal.