Chapter Six
Danica was raiding the refrigerator when he came in. She faltered, her mind spinning. She turned around very carefully.
"So the Jaguar let you have free rein, did he?" Kestral voice was dangerous. Danica took a deep breath and let her gaze fall to the floor.
"Milord." She said quietly, afraid to anger him.
"Imagine my surprise when I found out that Jaguar had finally decided that he wanted you. After years and years of waiting to take you, he finally decided. If he had only waited two more weeks, his contract on you would have ended and you would have been mine, Danica." Kestral reached out and backhanded her hard.
"I-"
"You what? You're sorry? No you aren't. I'm leaving, Danica." He grabbed her arm. Danica instantly pulled a spell from the back of her mind and whispered it.
"Irral n'hast de. Firel." Kestral yelped as her arm suddenly became too hot to touch. He snarled and backhanded her again. She fell back a few steps. This time, when he grabbed her, fear overtook her body and she couldn't remember a single spell or a single fighting move.
"I've leaving, Danica and you're coming with me."
"Don't you think you should discuss that with me first?" Jaguar's voice came from the doorway. It was calm, dangerously so, almost a purr, but still laced with threat. Kestral cursed softly and turned to face Jaguar without letting go of Dani.
"I'll pay you double her cost." He said quietly.
"She's not for sale to you."
"Just to me?"
"To anyone. I happen to be fond of her." Danica wrenched her arm from Kestral's grip and stepped backwards.
"Fond of her?" Kestral whispered, his eyes narrowing. "Does the jaguar think you're his? You're mine!" He slapped her hard enough to knock the wind from her and slam her into the wall.
Danica winced when she heard the crack of a whip. She was so sure it was for her, but she never felt the stinging cut of the leather. She glanced up to see that Jaguar's whip was wrapped tightly around Kestral's throat, a thin line of blood trickled from under.
"You have no right." Kestral hissed.
"It's called right of ownership. Even you understand that. I bought her. She is my property." Jaguar's every word dripped with coldness, as if he was speaking of only a pet.
"Fine." Kestral snarled. Jaguar glared at him and then released him. Kestral stalked from the room.
Jaguar knelt beside Danica and reached for her arm. She flinched.
"Are you okay?" he asked, not touching her as he didn't want to cause further damage.
"I'm fine." She snarled.
"Dani-"
"What do you care?" Danica hissed as she pushed herself up from the floor. "I'm only property." She slammed her shields up and limped from the room.
She went up to her room and gasped in pain as she tried to pull off her binding shirt. Her ribs were bruised badly, maybe even broken. She right eye was swollen almost shut. And she was still having trouble breathing.
"Go away." She snapped when a soft knock came at her door. The door slid open anyway as Jazmyna, Amy, and Lena all came into the room.
"Are you okay? We heard what happened from Eric." Jazmyna came over, carrying ice for Dani's bruises. Amy was carrying water and a few aspirins. Lena carried a small basket of crystals all powered to heal.
"I'm fine." Dani hissed in pain when Jazmyna pressed the ice to her eye.
"Fine, my ass." Amy said, handing her the painkillers, which Dani took, graciously.
"Eric told us you were a witch. And well, Jaguar wanted us to bring you these. He said you would know what to do with them." Lena placed the crystals next to Dani.
"I don't want them. I don't want anything to do with that man." Dani took a piece of rose quartz from the basket anyway. She could feel her ribs pop in relief as the power from the quartz entered her body. She gasped as it healed broken ribs.
"Wow. You really are a witch." Jazmyna watched her in astonishment.
"Yeah. Goddess, I need a good soak." Danica winced when she accidentally stretched the muscles in her ribcage. Lena nodded and disappeared into the bathroom. "Ugh, help me up." Danica stumbled into her closet and found a clean pair of jeans and a shirt.
"You're not that bad off, are you?" Amy said, bitterly. Danica only glanced at her.
"What do you expect? I'm his pet witch, remember?" She said in an equally bitter tone. The girls helped her into the bath and went to wait for her in her bedroom.
Danica heard the door open and heard Jaguar's quiet voice order the girls to leave. You aren't welcome here, Jaguar.
"I don't care." He answered, walking into her bathroom and sat down on the edge of her tub.
"I don't want to talk to you."
"Then just listen. I'm sorry I called you property. You are so much more to me. You're my Danica. My wild cat. But in the eyes of my kind, you ARE property. I know that sounds bad, but that's the truth. And I'm sorry that Kestral hit you so badly. If I had know, I would have thrown him out before he ever had the chance." Jaguar sighed when he saw that nothing he said had affected Danica. "I'm sorry, Dani. I really am. I hope you'll forgive me."
"Tell me the truth. Why am I so important to you?" Danica said after a moment of silence.
"Because I spent years just watching you. I know you and I know who you are. And I fell in love with the girl I got to know." Jaguar answered, opening his mind to her so that she could see he spoke the truth.
"Why did Audra leave you? If she was so important to you?"
"Why wouldn't she? I became so caught up in preparing Midnight for your arrival; I completely forgot she was here half the time. And she got tired of that so when did the only thing she could think of. She went back to her life before she got caught up in all of this. The last time I heard from her, she was married to this human she dated in high school."
"Do you miss her?"
"No. Not really. After she left, I kept telling myself it didn't matter. You were coming soon and it really didn't matter to me. I was in love with you, not her."
"Oh." Danica nodded her head.
Danica was raiding the refrigerator when he came in. She faltered, her mind spinning. She turned around very carefully.
"So the Jaguar let you have free rein, did he?" Kestral voice was dangerous. Danica took a deep breath and let her gaze fall to the floor.
"Milord." She said quietly, afraid to anger him.
"Imagine my surprise when I found out that Jaguar had finally decided that he wanted you. After years and years of waiting to take you, he finally decided. If he had only waited two more weeks, his contract on you would have ended and you would have been mine, Danica." Kestral reached out and backhanded her hard.
"I-"
"You what? You're sorry? No you aren't. I'm leaving, Danica." He grabbed her arm. Danica instantly pulled a spell from the back of her mind and whispered it.
"Irral n'hast de. Firel." Kestral yelped as her arm suddenly became too hot to touch. He snarled and backhanded her again. She fell back a few steps. This time, when he grabbed her, fear overtook her body and she couldn't remember a single spell or a single fighting move.
"I've leaving, Danica and you're coming with me."
"Don't you think you should discuss that with me first?" Jaguar's voice came from the doorway. It was calm, dangerously so, almost a purr, but still laced with threat. Kestral cursed softly and turned to face Jaguar without letting go of Dani.
"I'll pay you double her cost." He said quietly.
"She's not for sale to you."
"Just to me?"
"To anyone. I happen to be fond of her." Danica wrenched her arm from Kestral's grip and stepped backwards.
"Fond of her?" Kestral whispered, his eyes narrowing. "Does the jaguar think you're his? You're mine!" He slapped her hard enough to knock the wind from her and slam her into the wall.
Danica winced when she heard the crack of a whip. She was so sure it was for her, but she never felt the stinging cut of the leather. She glanced up to see that Jaguar's whip was wrapped tightly around Kestral's throat, a thin line of blood trickled from under.
"You have no right." Kestral hissed.
"It's called right of ownership. Even you understand that. I bought her. She is my property." Jaguar's every word dripped with coldness, as if he was speaking of only a pet.
"Fine." Kestral snarled. Jaguar glared at him and then released him. Kestral stalked from the room.
Jaguar knelt beside Danica and reached for her arm. She flinched.
"Are you okay?" he asked, not touching her as he didn't want to cause further damage.
"I'm fine." She snarled.
"Dani-"
"What do you care?" Danica hissed as she pushed herself up from the floor. "I'm only property." She slammed her shields up and limped from the room.
She went up to her room and gasped in pain as she tried to pull off her binding shirt. Her ribs were bruised badly, maybe even broken. She right eye was swollen almost shut. And she was still having trouble breathing.
"Go away." She snapped when a soft knock came at her door. The door slid open anyway as Jazmyna, Amy, and Lena all came into the room.
"Are you okay? We heard what happened from Eric." Jazmyna came over, carrying ice for Dani's bruises. Amy was carrying water and a few aspirins. Lena carried a small basket of crystals all powered to heal.
"I'm fine." Dani hissed in pain when Jazmyna pressed the ice to her eye.
"Fine, my ass." Amy said, handing her the painkillers, which Dani took, graciously.
"Eric told us you were a witch. And well, Jaguar wanted us to bring you these. He said you would know what to do with them." Lena placed the crystals next to Dani.
"I don't want them. I don't want anything to do with that man." Dani took a piece of rose quartz from the basket anyway. She could feel her ribs pop in relief as the power from the quartz entered her body. She gasped as it healed broken ribs.
"Wow. You really are a witch." Jazmyna watched her in astonishment.
"Yeah. Goddess, I need a good soak." Danica winced when she accidentally stretched the muscles in her ribcage. Lena nodded and disappeared into the bathroom. "Ugh, help me up." Danica stumbled into her closet and found a clean pair of jeans and a shirt.
"You're not that bad off, are you?" Amy said, bitterly. Danica only glanced at her.
"What do you expect? I'm his pet witch, remember?" She said in an equally bitter tone. The girls helped her into the bath and went to wait for her in her bedroom.
Danica heard the door open and heard Jaguar's quiet voice order the girls to leave. You aren't welcome here, Jaguar.
"I don't care." He answered, walking into her bathroom and sat down on the edge of her tub.
"I don't want to talk to you."
"Then just listen. I'm sorry I called you property. You are so much more to me. You're my Danica. My wild cat. But in the eyes of my kind, you ARE property. I know that sounds bad, but that's the truth. And I'm sorry that Kestral hit you so badly. If I had know, I would have thrown him out before he ever had the chance." Jaguar sighed when he saw that nothing he said had affected Danica. "I'm sorry, Dani. I really am. I hope you'll forgive me."
"Tell me the truth. Why am I so important to you?" Danica said after a moment of silence.
"Because I spent years just watching you. I know you and I know who you are. And I fell in love with the girl I got to know." Jaguar answered, opening his mind to her so that she could see he spoke the truth.
"Why did Audra leave you? If she was so important to you?"
"Why wouldn't she? I became so caught up in preparing Midnight for your arrival; I completely forgot she was here half the time. And she got tired of that so when did the only thing she could think of. She went back to her life before she got caught up in all of this. The last time I heard from her, she was married to this human she dated in high school."
"Do you miss her?"
"No. Not really. After she left, I kept telling myself it didn't matter. You were coming soon and it really didn't matter to me. I was in love with you, not her."
"Oh." Danica nodded her head.