[Chapter {19}]

Callum's POV

"Mother,"

I scanned the people sitting beside her with the same blank expression as hers on their faces. Vanessa, Matt, Clara, Veronica also Nathan's mom and Damon Nathan's dad.

"What are you guys doing here," I asked taking cautious steps back since none of them had moved an inch since I got here.

"You guys, we're scaring the poor kid," Veronica complained flashing me a smile that instantly brought relief to my tensed form.

"I brought them here, it took a while to track you but with their amazing noses, we were able to," Vanessa explained but I raised a sceptical eyebrow at her.

"You saw a bunch of werewolves and you did not kill them, instead you worked together with them, that sounds far-fetched even for you," I crossed my hands and leaned my weight on my right hip waiting for an explanation from her.

"Relax Callum, I'm getting to the kill but that would be after we get you and your mate out of here. You are the one who said werewolves aren't as bad as rumoured right,"

"I guess so, I can't believe you set aside your fear of werewolves just to help me," I gushed and she gave me a shy smile.

"I did threaten to drink their bloods dry if they tried anything funny," she stated and I laughed because that sounded more like Nessa.

"How did you get past your parents though," I questioned worriedly and she gave me a mischievous smile.

"I knocked them out."

"What, you fought with your parents," I exclaimed and she shushed me.

"No no, your mom knocked them out with a spell. You'll be surprised how easy sneaking into the Queen's chamber is with a witch in your mist," she added the last part but I guess I failed to register what she actually meant.

"As fun as it has been to listen to you kids converse, I will like to know what you meant by 'you are getting to the kill'," Damon asked and Vanessa answered with a nervous laugh.

"Just ignore me okay, sometimes I can't control the rubbish that spews out of my mouth," she joked and Damon nodded the murderous glare still on his face.

"How did you guys even know about this?" I asked referring to the werewolves that were surrounding my mom.

"Nathan mind linked me and told me to get help from your mom," Matt said and I nodded in understanding a pained looking crossing my features at the mention of Nathan's name.

"He said he didn't call his parents because they would have asked a lot of questions and his mind link was not going to last that long," Matt paused looking at me for an explanation as to why that happened.

"They put a lot of silver in his blood, he is also chained with silver so the wounds he has sustained aren't healing at all, I don't know how long he will last," the last part was more of a whisper but since everybody in the room had heightened senses, they all heard me.

"They put silver in him," Veronica whispered and I gave her a small nod trying to keep my tears at bay, an embarrassing sniffle still escaped though.

"I tried to stop them but I was practically useless, I couldn't do anything so they took him away. If only I was a bit stronger or less cowardly, I would have done something, but no, I had to be a weak bastard," I seethed and although I wanted to be angry at myself, it did not last long because the next minute I was bawling my eyes out.

I felt arms go around me and I leaned into that person desiring their comfort.

"You are not useless Callum, I've told you several times that you are special," my mom consoled but I let out an unamused snort.

"If I was so special then why couldn't I save the boy I love," I questioned and I felt her arms stiffen in their position around me.

"You love Nathaniel," she asked and I nodded frantically.

"So much that it hurts," I whispered and just like that, my dam broke again.

"Sweetie, it's all right," this time it was Veronica's voice consoling me.

"Your mom is right, you are not useless, you are very strong," she said and I gave her a half-hearted nod.

"If that vampire Queen thinks she can hold my son captive against my will then she is more stupid than I gave her credit for. He is the next alpha for goodness sake," Damon cried swiftly standing up. He looked just about ready to pounce on someone.

"You guys don't really need to do anything. I have already agreed to give her my powers in exchange for Nathan....oh wait that's not going to work," I remembered what I had heard earlier and any ounce of hope I had left came crashing down.

"Your mom briefed us on this powers of yours, we still don't fully understand most of it though," Matt explained.

"Yeah, why won't you giving her your powers work," Clara asked and I gave her a teary smile before answering.

"For my powers to completely transfer to her, we need to be mated."

"You are not thinking of doing that are you," Vanessa asked narrowing her eyes at me.

"I admit, the thought has crossed my mind," I shrugged at the incredulous look on her face.

"How can you even consider that. You know, when they tortured Nathan to get information about you from him, he didn't budge. He had been purposefully defying the Queen even when he knew he will get hurt in the end. Dave told me that he is incredibly stubborn and that even on the brink of death, all he ever thinks about is you," Vanessa said and I began tearing up again.

"I'm a coward aren't I, always choosing the easy way out. I really don't deserve Nathan," I whispered covering my face with my hands.

"Oh stop all this self doubt madness and come and help me with this spell," my mother pipped in rolling her eyes at me.

"So Matilda was telling the truth, you are a witch," I had a feeling Matilda was not lying but my mother confirming it put me in a whole new level of shock, and Vanessa's words from earlier finally registered.

"I'm half witch, my grandmother was the full witch. I'm sorry Callum but I'll have to explain this later, if we are saving your mate then we have to be quick."

I gave her a nod because Nathan was more important than some history about witches.

"Huh, I guess you really did need me after all," my mom teased as I went to sit in front of her an orb in between both of us.

"Callum, you are part vampire, part witch and part human, and this three beings combined have incredible power. That is why you were never really as strong as other vampires your age. The goddess also blessed you with immunity to sun among many other gifts, as a consolation gift to me for loosing your father. You were meant to harness this powers combined when you turned eighteen –except the immunity to sun deal, you already have that– but you need the rest of your powers now more than ever. I thought seeing Nathan in danger will awaken them but I guess everything needs a little spell to work," my mom lectured and I felt my eyes bulge out of their sockets at the discovery. How is it that so many things were hidden from me despite me having lived for seventeen years, eighteen in the next few days.

So this is what my dad had been talking about when I visited him, why would anyone give a being as weak as me so much power?

"Like I said earlier, quit self doubting and pull yourself together. This spell isn't going to work if you are still in doubt," my mom chastised and I gulped down my fears. Even if I didn't deserve this powers, I'll accept them for Nathan's sake, he needs my help.

My mom began to chant some words which I was positive were not in English and the orb began to glow.

"Place your palm on mine," she commands and I obey putting my hands on top of hers which were on the orb.

"Deam amoris, Ministerium tuum sermo, potentem illum satis servare  eius dilectione," she chanted and I gasped audibly when I looked up to see that her eyes were now a bright red.

There was a shield forming around us and the more she chanted, the more intense it became, feeling rather hot on my pale skin. The blue coloured shield felt like a part of me as it grew bigger and brighter around us.

She kept chanting the same non-english words over and over again till it felt like the shield around us was going to explode. And a minute later, the shield did, it exploded right into my chest causing a blast of pain to soar through me. I wanted to yell but my voice seemed to have stopped functioning so I settled for gritting my teeth.

When the blue flash had stopped piercing through my chest, my mom released her grip on my hand which she had started to hold later on when I wanted to rip mine from the orb, I went into a coughing fit almost immediately grasping much needed air into my empty lungs.

I felt different but not anymore powerful.

"How do I know if it worked mom. What kind of powers am I to expect," I asked alternating between looking at my palm and the back of my hands to confirm if anything had changed.

"I can't tell you that Callum, you'll have to listen to your heart for this one," my mom responded and I nod grimly but got caught of guard by an impressed Vanessa throwing herself into my arms.

Normally I would have fallen down because of the force but this time, I only stumbled back slightly. Vanessa noticed this because next thing I knew, she was circling me.

"Woah, this is so cool," she whisper yelled still going around me as if searching for something we missed.

"Yeah," I whispered still in awe at the prospect of having powers. Bless the goddess of love for her gift, Nathan's life would have been in serious danger without this, although I'm having a nagging feeling that my mom would be a close match to Matilda.

"How do we get you to her now?" Clara asked from her position on the king-sized bed in the corner of the room.

"Yeah, how do we take you to her without being caught," Matt concurred from beside Clara.

I thought back to Eliza and Matilda's plan, Matilda had initially told me that she'll come to get me on my birthday, but judging from her little meeting with Eliza it'll be sooner than that.

"You guys don't have to do anything, Matilda will be coming here tomorrow morning. Matt and Clara you guys know Eliza right?" I asked waiting for their replies.

"Yes but only because Nathan kept whining about how he hated her," Matt said and Clara nodded in agreement.

"Well he had every right to, Eliza had been spying on us for Matilda. She's a witch and the main reason Nathan came to my clan alone. She gave him a letter insisting he come here alone and now her and Matilda plan to make me have a fall out with Nathan by kissing him in front of me," I tried to explain as well as I could.

"So they want you to walk in on Eliza kissing Nathan so that way you feel heartbroken and then she can tempt you into mating with her," Veronica clarified and I confirmed her theory.

"I don't know why she thought it would work though, she's older than my grandmother and definitely not my type," I shuddered at the thought of being mated to Matilda, now that was just disgusting, I can't believe I had been considering it.

"So what is your plan," Damon asked and I slightly trembled at the authority in his voice, almost similar to Nathan's.

"I plan to go along with her scheme which means that she would lead me right to Nathan. Everything will play out on it's own from there," I ended the plan with a shrug since that was all I could come up with for the time being.

"Since we have your mom with us, you can send her your location and we'll meet you there, just in case you need any help," Matt put in and I gave him a greatful smile. It meant a lot that they were willing to work with vampires even if it's for the sole purpose of rescuing Nathan.

"Well, the plan is in motion so I guess we will be taking our leave," my mom informed me getting up from her position on the floor having regained most of her energy that had gone into the spell she casted.

I gave her a nod as they all piled out of the room not seeming a bit bothered by the idea of getting caught. I guess that won't happen since my mother is with them.

"Good luck," Veronica whispered pulling me into a hug.

My mom flashed me an encouraging smile before closing the door to the room.

I fell into the king-sized bed feeling pumped up for tommorow. Queen Matilda and that witch Eliza won't even know what hit them.

*****

More drama, but I hope you liked it.

If you enjoyed this chapter then don't forget to vote, comment your thoughts too (that'll make me happy:)

Also I didn't write the meaning of the chant because I think it's way cooler if you don't know it, that and the fact that everything is translated from Google so it might wind of not making sense. If you want to check it, it's Latin so you can go ahead.

Thanks for reading, see you in the next chapter, byee.