Chapter 9

"No!" Pearl cried. She was hysterical, her heart felt as if it would pound out of her chest, her whole body felt like rubber, and tears were streaming down her face.

"NO! You're wrong! It's just not possible!" Her body was shaking and she felt as if she were going to throw up right there in the attic.

Her cousins stood on the other side of the altar looking forlornly at her. In front of them was the Book of Shadows, much smaller than it was in Melinda's time. Pearl stood opposite them, crying and shaking violently.

"You're wrong! You know that you're wrong. You have to be sure first, you can't just vanquish an innocent man on an assumption!"

"Pearl, Sweetie…" Pippy said helplessly. "It's not an assumption. Our sources tell us that it is in fact him. He's been using you, using you to get closer to us, to all of us, to steal our powers."

"Why would he do that?" Melinda asked, although she already knew the answer.

"Because that's what warlocks do! Not to mention Melinda Warrens prophecy. The time is coming soon in which the Charmed Ones will be born, and they could be descendents of any of us! If the Underworld strips us now, then they will have nothing worry about in the future. You know that!" Prudence told her flatly.

"You just don't understand. I don't know who your sources are, but you're wrong. Anton loves me, and I love him. He would never hurt me, or hurt you because he knows how much I love you. Anton is NOT a warlock!" Pearl wasn't in denial. She truly believed that her cousins were wrong.

"Pearl, just think about it. Think about all the little things that seemed odd, but we all blew off. Remember at Thanksgiving, Gordan swore that the carving knife should have taken off the tip of Anton's finger, but there wasn't even a scratch," Pippy said calmly.

"It's not true!" Pearl cried a final time. As she ran from the room she heard her cousins calling after her, but she didn't care. She needed to find Anton, she needed to warn him. She had to figure out a way to prove to them that he wasn't evil, that he wasn't a warlock, and that he loved her, and was going to be a part of their family!

She and Anton were deeply in love. All she had to do was think about him and he would be there. He would show up on the doorstep, or she would run into him out on the street. He would send her flowers if she was feeling low, he always seemed to know.

'But,' she thought to herself. 'How did he always know? And why, after all these months have I never been to his home? After all these months, I still know nothing of his family. Stop this, I'm thinking crazy. They're putting crazy ideas in my head. He is the man I love, not a warlock…'

Pearl found herself walking along the beach, the very same path he had taken her down on their first date. She looked around and shuddered inwardly. This was the first time she had been there during daylight hours, and had never noticed how truly secluded it was. There wasn't a soul to be seen, and cliffs blocked any view from the east. Where the picnicked was down, near a cavern that was hidden from view of anybody. She stopped in her tracks and thought of their first date. The picnic had been laid out, with candles freshly lit. Nobody could have gotten there and gone away unnoticed.

"Hello, my love. What are you doing here?" She heard a voice from behind her.

Slowly she turned and came face to face with Anton. His soft gaze looked lovingly upon her, and she felt no fear. She ran to him and let herself be completely wrapped in his embrace. She sobbed into his muscular chest and he stroked her hair. Finally, when she calmed down she looked up at him.

"Anton…" she said. "Please, be honest with me. We've been through too much, and I deserve the truth."

"Anything for you. I couldn't lie to you if I wanted to," he said sincerely.

Pearl choked back a sob. If in face Anton was the Warlock that she and her cousins were hunting for so many months she didn't know if she could handle it.

"Anton, I'm a witch. A true born, bonefied witch. When I look into my crystal ball, I really see those peoples futures. I cast spells and fight demons and warlocks," she told him. A worried look crossed his face.

"Anton, my cousins and I have been hunting a very powerful warlock. One that has the power to take our powers, and that can completely destroy us. Anton, tell me… are you that warlock?"

Anton pulled away from the embrace and held her at arms length. He stared at her for what seemed an eternity. Pearl could almost see him thinking, feel the emotions streaming within his soul.

"Anton," she choked. "Answer me!"

He sighed and dropped his hands to his sides. "Yes."

"NO!" she screamed. "You're lying to me!"

"Pearl, my darling," he said softly. "I'm not lying to you. I couldn't lie to you! You are my life. I came to the speakeasy to destroy you and your cousins, and when I saw you I knew that you were the most vunerable. I figured that I could take you down first, I would pick you each off one by one."

"No," Pearl said stepping backwards. "It's not true. You're making this up!" She turned to run away. Fear beginning to encompass her being.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her close. "I couldn't do it! I fell in love with you that first night!"

"Warlocks are evil," she spat at him. "They're incapable of love!"

"That's not true!" he told her. "I used to think it was true, but then I met you. I met you and I realized that you are the reason that I was put here on earth. I love you, I love you more than anything!"

Tears overcame her as she collapsed to the sand. Sobs racked through her body, for she loved Anton with her whole soul, too. She knew at that moment that she would never be able to vanquish him, but at the same token, she could no longer be with him. She felt him sit next to her in the sand and wrap his arms around her. She leaned into him and allowed him to hold her close until she regained her wits about her.

"Do you really love me?" she asked him; her eyes swollen and red from the tears.

"Of course I do," he answered softly.

"And you'll do anything for me?" she asked.

"Whatever you wish."

"I need you to go away from here. My cousins will vanquish you, and I can't watch it. I need you to go, and never come back."

"But," Anton said. "What about us? We can figure out a way…"

"No," she said sadly. "We can't. There is no way. They'll kill you."

Anton took her chin in his hand and tilted her face up to him. She tried to turn away, for she couldn't bare to look at him. Her heart was breaking into a million pieces and she didn't know how long she could control her emotions. He leaned in for one more knee buckling, electrifying kiss.

"I love you," he told her before he shimmered away.

Pearl broke into tears once more. She wanted so badly to tell him, but she knew that if he did then he would never go. She wouldn't allow her cousins to kill him, but if he knew about the baby then he would put himself at risk.

Melinda closed the diary and laid down on her bed. Tears were streaming down her face as well. Her spell had worked a little too well, and she could feel the pain that Pearl had experienced all those years ago. Pearl must have truly loved him to have sent him away like that. The emotional toll that entry took on Melinda was mind blowing to her. She closed her eyes and decided to rest before she continued on.

"Are you done moping yet," Chris said through the door. "Because we need to talk."

"Go away, Chris." She mumbled, knowing that it wouldn't do her any good.

"I'm coming in," he called ignoring her request.

She sat up on her bed and looked at him as he crossed the threshold to her room. He had calmed down and his face wasn't hardened with hatred anymore. Instead, he looked concerned and determined. She sighed and motioned for him to sit on the foot of his bed. She knew that no amount of arguing would drive him away. What she didn't expect, was Wyatt following close behind him.

She shook her head and sat patiently waiting for the lecture. She really expected Chris to do the talking. Although Wyatt was older, Chris seemed to take charge more often. He was the one that had experienced three lifetimes, and had the wisdom of an old man.

"I really don't like that guy," Wyatt told her. Melinda blinked and diverted her attention to her oldest brother.

"Well, I do." Melinda stated. She could feel her temper starting to flare.

"Don't get mad. We just worry about you," Chris said, sensing her anger. "We know that you're a grown woman and that you are fully capable to make your own decisions."

"Oh?" she asked hotly. "Is that your way of apologizing for calling me a slut?"

"Lets not pick a fight," Wyatt interjected. "But Melinda, you can't just let people roam this house. There's way too much that could be found. What if he wandered up to the attic, or found some of the herbs in the kitchen?"

"God, Wyatt!" she said. "He was going pee!"

Wyatt and Chris exchanged a look.

"What?" Melinda asked.

"Nothing," Chris said. "You're right. We over reacted and I'm sorry for calling you a slut. We just want you to be safe."

Wyatt and Chris rose together and started to walk out of the room when Wyatt paused and looked over his shoulder at his sister.

"We're going to go up to the attic. There's another uprising in the Underworld that we need to take care of. Would you like to come along?"

Chris looked from his older brother to his younger sister. He elbowed Wyatt in the ribs, but Wyatt didn't flinch. He was looking intently at Melinda waiting for an answer.

"You know what?" she said to them. "I am so furious at you two right now, I would be afraid I'd vanquish one, if not both, of you instead of the demons so I think I'll take a rain check."

"Deal," Wyatt said with half a smile. "But just so you know, it's not demons it's warlocks. And we're only after one warlock in particular… the ring leader of them all."

"Then I guess you won't need my help," Melinda said flatly.

Wyatt and Chris stood outside Melinda's door and exchanged a worried look. Neither one of them said it, but they both knew how very much they needed Melinda's help to take out this particular evil.