As I walked out to the garden I found Irene sitting on the threshold. She sat on the floor with legs crossed and hands stretched out to the sides. On each hand lay a burning candle and several other
burning candles encircled her. She seemed to be mumbling something with eyes closed while melted candles were dripping down her hands. The hot wax must have been burning her skin but she didn’t seem to be in pain.
“Irene?” I whispered as I neared, but she just continued mumbling some unknown words. I walked even closer and called once more. “Irene?”
With eyes still closed a tear fell down her cheek. the candles in her hands were burning out and more wax was dripping down her hands. She was hurting herself.
“Irene! What are you doing?” I said as I threw the candles out of her hands. Her eyes shot open and a strong wind put out the candles.
Irene’s green eyes were filled with tears as they looked into mine. “Irene? Are you alright?”
“No, I am not.” She whispered. I looked at her hands, they were red and covered with dried wax.
“Why are you doing this?”
She looked at her hands. “I do this every day. It’s nothing new,” she said taking her hands away.
“Why?”
“I am trying to break the curse.”
“But who cursed you?”
“My mother. She is the most powerful witch.”
“Why did she curse you?” I asked wondering why a mother could curse her own child.
“I can’t tell you much. I can only say I broke the rules, I did something forbidden.”
“Can’t you ask your mother for forgiveness? I am sure she will forgive you.”
Irene’s eyes widened. “She will not!” She said shaking her head. “My mother has disowned me Hazel.”
I looked at her. What had she done that made her mother disown her?
“Can you tell me how she cursed you? What is the curse?”
“That I can’t tell you.” She said.
Suddenly her gaze shifted to something behind me and I could feel the hair on my back rising. I got goosebumps and a cold shiver went down my spine. I knew someone was behind me, I could feel a powerful presence. My heart began to beat rapidly and the air felt suddenly cold.
“Would you stop love? You are scaring her.” Irene said standing up. Love?
I stood up as well and turned around slowly. A tall figure was standing in the shadows, the only thing visible thin was long silver pale hair. Was it hair? I wasn’t sure yet.
Slowly the figure stepped out from the shadows and into the light and my breath caught in my throat. I had to blink several times to make sure I wasn’t dreaming, or that I didn’t die and go to heaven and an angel was standing right in front of me now.
This man, if he was a man, was breathtaking. He was tall, lean with facial features that seemed to be made by Gods own hands. His silver hair, a very odd hair color, matched perfectly with his looks and his eyes a midnight blue seemed colder than the glaciers. Yet as he looked into my eyes I felt as if he could burn me with his gaze if he wanted to.
They say the hottest fire always burns blue.
Irene walked up to him and put her arm through his.
“Hazel, this is Lothaire. I had promised you to meet the man I love, here he is.” She smiled.
“Hi,” I said as I still stood frozen in the same place. God, I was being rude. “It’s nice to meet you.” I forced myself to speak.
“The pleasure is mine.”
Married To The Devils Son.
Chapter 53
I kept looking down at my hands while sitting in the garden with Lothaire. Irene had left saying she would bring us some tea that would help us sleep. I just hoped she would come back soon because I had never been so nervous in my life before. But since she just left I knew it would take some time before she came back and I couldn’t just let this awkward silence continue. Besides I was the one who told her I wanted to meet him so I should say something.
“Irene has told me a lot about you,” I said finally looking up.
“I hope it’s good things.” He said his voice as cool as the air around him.
“Yes, she lights up when she talks about you.”
“She is very fond of you as well.”
I just smiled not knowing what to say anymore. Irene please come back fast.
“Here I am.” Irene came back with a tray of teacups and put it on the table. Then she went and sat next to Lothaire and he immediately put his arm around her shoulders.
For some odd reason, I suddenly missed Lucian. Irene and Lothaire looked at each other as if they heard my thoughts… or maybe they did?
Irene nodded and smiled and I looked down embarrassed.
“I made your favorite tea, it’s Lothaires favorite too.” She smiled. “Drink.”
I took the teacup from the tray and sipped the tea. No tea tasted better than Irenes. She smiled, probably heard my thoughts again.
“I should go to sleep.” I said putting the teacup back. It was late and maybe they wanted to be alone.
“Sure,” Irene said getting up. “I’ll follow you.”
“You don’t have to.” I said, but she just ignored me and led the way.
“Is your… um… is Lothaire also a witch.” I asked as we headed back.
“I hoped you would ask.” She said.
“Why?”
“Because the answer might help you and me.” She explained. “But I need you to be calm and not get scared.”
“You are a witch, and my husband is a… I don’t know, anyways what could scare me more?” I said. At this point, nothing could scare me, even if Lothaire was a ghost.
We stopped right in front of my room.
“Lothaire is the Devil.”
My brain stopped thinking for a moment then got flooded with thoughts. Devil like in Satan? Like the Devil in the Bible? What did she mean?
“Yes, Devil like in Satan.”
Huh, right. I just sat and drank some tea with the Devil himself. I began to laugh. Maybe I had already gone to bed and was having a funny dream.
Irene put her hand on my shoulder. “Get some rest, we will talk tomorrow.” She said and left me alone.