Chapter 4 Part 2 When Past & Present Collide

I rouse quickly, taking a deep breath to satisfy my burning lungs. I notice my body is soaked in

sweat as if I spent hours in a sauna. I'm too afraid to close my eyes again, so I take slow deep

breaths, in and out, attempting to calm my racing heart. When I finally feel like myself, I realize it

was all a dream. I search the room, looking for any sign that it was real, but all I find is Paisley’s

blanket and the note, still tight in my grasp.

I pull myself up from the bed and walk to the crib, placing the blanket back, before heading to the

kitchen. I peel the damp note from my hand and toss it into the garbage, with a sigh. I don’t know

what these dreams mean, but I know the man in my dreams is not my Malachi. I know it would

mean he is still alive, but these are only nightmares. “I need to talk to Sukie. She might know why I

keep having these dreams,” I think to myself, noticing the clock on the stove blinking. “That's weird.

The time was right yesterday. I don’t remember the lights going out,” I say puzzled. As I look around

the kitchen, I see all the other electronics are blinking too, but I shrug it off.

Turning to the door, I open it to reveal a clear sunny morning without a cloud in sight and the

bluest sky I've ever seen. I take a deep breath, picking up the scent of fresh cedar pines and fall

leaves. The cool breeze twirls my hair around, sending a chill throughout my body. I wrap my arms

around myself for warmth, but a new feeling takes over. I feel a pair of eyes on me, so I turn to my

left to see a shadow moving out of sight behind a tree. I squint my eyes, thinking my vision is

playing tricks on me before I'm rudely interrupted. “Chloe,” Blair says, coming around the corner of

the house behind me. My body cringes at the sound of her voice. “Ugh,” I sigh, rolling my eyes as I

turn around to face her.

"Yes, wicked witch,” I say, annoyance dripping from my tone. “Is that how you would speak to

Malachi’s mother?” she asks rudely. “No, she is dead,” I say with a smirk. She ignores my sarcasm,

but with the look on my face she can tell I'm the reason why. “I think it's time you and I have a chat

about starting a family with Luca. It's time the coven raises their next generation,” she says casually

like it's nothing but a fleeting thought. I cross my arms, giving her a look of disgust. “Um, no

thanks,” I replied sourly, scrunching my nose.

"Young lady, you need to learn some manners. I'm getting tired of your attitude,” Blair nags, moving

closer to me. "Well, you old hag, guess what. I don't give a shit what you think,” I snap, turning to

walk away from her. I am so sick of this witch telling me what to do or how to act. “Don’t you walk

away from me, you little bitch! I killed your so-called mate and don't think I would hesitate to do the

same to that abomination you call a child,” she shouts as if she’s proud of herself. I was already

fuming, and she made the mistake of placing her hand on my arm.

The anger in me rose to a whole new level, igniting an inferno within me. I swivel back around

ripping her hand off me, then shoving it away. “DON'T EVER TALK ABOUT MY DAUGHTER AGAIN!

AND IF YOU EVER MENTION KILLING MY MATE AGAIN, I'LL RIP YOUR COLD BLACK HEART OUT," I

growl deeply, stepping right up into her face. “How will you do that,” Blair sneered, meeting my

eyes. “You have no power without your wolf,” she laughs in my face. “That. Is. It. I have had enough

of this bitch," I think, bringing my hands up to push her away, but with so much anger coursing

through me, my body is overcome by an electrifying swarm. I feel like a completely different person

like evil has overtaken me, and a maniacal smirk creeps onto my face.

Instantly, my instincts kick in and I suddenly know what I'm doing as if I'm a natural. I follow the flow

of my body, raising my hand in front of me. I imagine my hand wrapping around Blair's throat and

she immediately starts to gasp for air. I look into her eyes, becoming satisfied by the panic that

starts to show all over her wrinkled face as if I'm ripping her soul out.

I close my fist as tight as possible, slowly lifting my hand toward the sky and Blair's body rises off

the ground, her feet dangling in the air. I smile when she kicks her feet frantically as she hangs in

the air, her hands grabbing her neck in desperation, trying to free herself. I have now cut her air

supply off completely, and it is one of the best sights I've ever seen. “Who has no powers now, “I say

in a low evil tone, even though I hardly recognize my voice, but I'm too busy to care. Anticipation

courses through me as I see life almost leave her body, when suddenly something slams into me,

breaking my concentration and Blaire falls to the ground.

From underneath my attacker, I can hear Blair coughing to catch her breath while lying in the dirt.

My glare meets Luca's, who is pressing his firm body against mine, holding me down. “Ugh,” I say,

repulsed as I use my full force to shove him off me. “Why did you have to do that,” I exclaimed,

staring daggers through him. Luca simply stares at me baffled while standing to dust himself off. I

can't help but laugh hysterically. “What is so funny,” he demands, yanking me up from the ground,

but I keep laughing. “I have powers,” I shout, proud of myself.

I take my focus off Luca and I bring my hair over my shoulder, to pick out the burnt orange leaves

when Blair finally stands boring her eyes into me. “You could have killed me, you hybrid bitch!” she

yells, walking toward me with heavy strides. I raise my hand again and she stops in her place. “Don't

make me choke you out bitch,” I snap, and roll my eyes when Luca turns to his mother. “Please

mother, leave my wife and me to discuss things and do not ever call her names again,” he orders,

dismissing her with a wave.

Blair scoffs at his remark for standing up for me and not her, but she walks off kicking dirt. I smirk at

her retreating form until Luca spins back around to face me. “What happened between you and my

mother?” he asks, rubbing his chin trying to come up with possible theories. “Oh, you mean the little

spat we had? I was just trying to kill her, no big deal,” I tease, shrugging my shoulders, without a

care in the world. I could taste the sarcasm on my tongue, and it was sweet. “I'm serious Chloe. This

isn't a joke,” he says with a rough voice. “I wasn't joking. I was going to kill her,” I retort, keeping my

face free of expression. I watch as he brings both hands to his temples rubbing them to relieve the

stress.

I could care less. I move to walk past him, but he reaches out, stopping me. “Where are you going?

We are not done talking,” he insists. I feel his grip tighten on my arm. “I advise you to let go of my

arm,” I growl, staring up at him. “Or what?” he snaps back. I rip my arm away and ram my shoulder

into him as I force my way past.

I shove the door to the house open, slamming it shut behind me, and walk into the kitchen. I begin

to look around, curiosity filling my thoughts. “What kind of powers do I have?" I think with

excitement. I raise both my hands in the air and close my eyes. I concentrate and think about lifting

the table in my mind. I slowly bring my hands up and open my eyes to see, not just the table, but

everything floating in the air. “This is freakin awesome!’ I cheer in my mind as the electricity starts to

flicker and the ground shakes beneath me.

My moment of joy is short-lived as I am interrupted when Luca comes through the door. I lose my

concentration, and everything falls to the floor making glass shatter everywhere. “Chloe stop,” he

orders with a heavy sigh and starts picking up the broken glass. “Screw you,” I snap, looking at him

sideways, growing annoyed with his presence. I watch Luca closely as he picks up the trash can I

knocked over during my experiment. He starts tossing shards of glass into it. “Your mother was a

very powerful witch and it looks like you have taken after her,” He claims, taking a break to lean

against the counter. “And?” I ask, raising my brow in irritation.

Luca takes a deep breath as I wait for him to explain further. “Chloe, I won't force you to stay here,

but if I let you go, you need to talk to Sukie about returning your memories,” he says in a calm

voice, “Then you can decide who you want to spend your life with.” I fight to keep my jaw from

dropping. “You're just going to let me leave? After all this time,” I ask, skeptically. Luca stood

straight, walking towards me. “I thought your memories would have come back on their own but

looks like that is not happening,” he explains., “If you could remember us, you wouldn't leave. I

know it,” He proclaims, pushing a strand of my hair away from my face. Then, out of nowhere, Luca

grabs my face pressing his palms on both sides of my temples, and in a rush, my spirit leaves my

body.