Chapter 3

Meredith

Wrapped up in my thoughts and memories, I never heard her come back in. As I came back to reality, I felt Hannah in my mind looking at me. The pain was passing, but I remembered her words of what was coming, and it made me nervous. She held a glass that looked like it had tea in it. “This is something I made that will help with the pain. It won’t take it away, but it will lessen it to some degree. It will also aid you during the next spasm.”

I sat up and drank most of it down. “Thank you, Mistress. May I continue my story?” My mistress sat on the bed and reminded me where I’d left off. “The knife is also downstairs in Allison’s chambers. It was empowered with a spell that would allow it to be tracked.”

She looked at me and asked, “Did you nullify the magic before you moved it?”

Smiling weakly, I said, “I did. Whoever cast the spell was a rank amateur. It wasn’t much of a challenge.” I drank the rest of the tea. After a few minutes, I started feeling better. I felt my muscles relax to the point where they felt lethargic, but my mind stayed sharp and functioning.

“The tea is mixed with some fruit juices that were in your fridge. Also mixed in is a small bit of magic, to help your body relax as you drink it,” Hannah said to me. “Please continue your story.”

Putting the glass on my nightstand I started talking again. “The house has security cameras inside and outside, so we have pictures of who left the card and blade. I also believe that either Michael or Allison killed many of the attackers.”

She raised her eyebrows at me. “How did you come to that conclusion?” she asked me.

“After talking to the police, I went to the spot where dad’s Tahoe was found. There were burned pieces of it laying on the ground. Whoever did the investigation was sloppy. The place they found his SUV was staged. If you had walked a hundred yards into the woods, you would have found places that vegetation had been removed to cover shoe prints and drag marks at the crime scene.”

“Where did these marks lead you?” She asked me. There was a place about half a mile away from the crash site that was covered in blood. There was also a stand of trees that where you could see that people were shooting into. When I looked in the area around the trees, I found that Michael was taking shelter behind the trees.”

‘What did you find that suggested that to you?” She asked me.

I paused for a moment to collect my thoughts and then spoke. “Daddy was very scrupulous about some things. His weapons and ammunition were one of them. He’d try many different brands of ammunition until he found one that shot the way he wanted it to and that would be all he’d carry in his pistols and rifles,”

“You found shell casings of his brand?” My mistress asked me.

“He always carried a small bag in his work truck that held extra ammunition for his work rifle and carry pistol. There was enough expended ammunition to tell me that he went through all of it and then fought hand to hand with the attackers. He died in that first place I found.” She told me. “When I cast a spell to look for someone using magic, it led me almost 2 miles farther into the forest to a clearing that had been burned for 50 yards in every direction.”

Hannah nodded her head understanding what I was saying. “If I understand your thoughts, you’re convinced that Michael held them off in order to give Allison time to escape?” She asked me.

“Yes...” I replied feeling the tears building in my eyes. “Michael must have loved your mother very much to lay his life down for her.” Hannah said quietly. “He sounds like the best example of a man that there ever was.”

“He was...” I replied to her trying not to cry but failing. Hannah moved closer, wrapped her arms around me, and spoke quietly. “You will have what your heart wants, I swear this to you.”

When I finally had control of my emotions again, I laid back down on my bed and relaxed, getting ready for when the next spasm came. “Tell me what you know about your parent’s history,” she asked me.

“I started learning about Allison’s family history right after the fight in the locker room. Mom and Dad withdrew me, and I was homeschooled for the rest of high school. After a couple of years of her teachings, mom took me into daddy’s man-cave and showed me her ‘workshop’. She had hidden it behind the foundation wall and the only way to get to it was to cast a spell to open the portal. Her chambers are filled with parchments, old tomes filled with spells or history, and items of power. She explained to me that our family has been practicing magic for centuries and that she had writings from before the 1500s. Michael did nothing with magic at all. He was a special forces soldier; he did a lot of things with unconventional warfare. He served twenty-two years and retired from the army as a Major. He was a genius with computers as well. The company he worked for had put him in charge of cyber-security for them and their clients. He never did any hacking, as far as I know; he was a stickler for right and wrong. He did seven different tours to Iraq and Afghanistan and was wounded twice. I know he went to other places too, but he never told me where specifically. I asked him, once, what he did in the military. All he told me was that he walked around and talked to a lot of people. Both my parents taught me many things growing up, not the least of which is the value of family.” I told Hannah. “I know that the police searched this house after their deaths. I don’t know if they found it or not, but Michael has a small arsenal downstairs, hidden in his man cave. I haven’t been in there since I started my master’s degree, so I don’t know what he’s got stocked up now. Still, I know enough to tell you that he was prepared for anything that might happen. I don’t know if you’re familiar with human weapons, but, like Michael used to tell me, it’s better to have and not need, than need and not have.”

“I know all about human weapons. Demons are creatures of conflict, so it’s wise to know about things that create destruction. I have to say, the more you tell me about Michael, the more he impresses me. Your father’s weapons will be a great asset in our quest for vengeance,” Hannah said.

“My mistress, OUR quest for vengeance?” I asked her. “Of course, Meredith, it’s our quest now. You are mine and anything that affects you affects me. Therefore, your desire for revenge is now mine as well. Besides, how can you properly do my bidding if you have this hanging over your head?” she explained.

Pride. That’s what I was feeling right then. Michael and Allison would have been right next to me whenever I needed them. Allison would be thinking up ways to get at them with magic, and Michael would be getting intelligence and gathering information about who was coming after us. But since it was them that I needed to avenge, Hannah would be right next to me instead. She was my family now. “Meredith, tell me of your family’s lineage,” she asked me. I told her as much as I could from memory about how our family was directly descended from a powerful warlock known only as ‘Cyril the Wise’. “His true name has been lost to history, but much of our strength and knowledge comes from him.” I went on to tell her about Allison and her teachings of our family’s knowledge of demons, both light and dark magic, and how to use it.

“Cyril the Wise?” she asked me. “I know this name. He was very powerful indeed. Many of my kind sought alliances with him. As to what happened to him, I have no idea.” After she told me that, the next spasm hit. Hannah

Listening as I looked down at Meredith, I felt her mind tense up, feeling another spasm coming. There wasn’t any screaming this time. I watched as her eyes started to roll back into her head. I pulled her back into my arms and held her. At the same time, I whispered in her ear, “Est animus tibi, ut cogitationes meas tibi meus est affectus tuus.” This time, the drink that I had made for her lessened the impact and tremors. She was shaking only mildly.

After a couple minutes, she started to relax a bit. She looked up at me and met my eyes. I could feel Meredith trying to move her arms and legs, but her mind wouldn’t cooperate and tell them what to do. She nodded and then shook her head. That’s all the movement she had at the moment. Her eyes rolled back into her head again and she went slack. Her eyes closed and I saw them move like they would during REM sleep. After 45 minutes, she opened her eyes.

She then looked down towards her feet and back at me. She looked down again and then back at me. I nodded and proceeded to rub her clit. It was still sensitive, even more than a day later; she jumped when I touched it. I lightly rubbed it in small circles, and I could feel her body relax some. Her clit was now sticking out at least a half-inch from her hood. I tapped it lightly with my index finger. She started to rock her hips up and down as I tapped. I felt her mind relax and decided to finish her off to make her feel better. I ran my fingers up and down her soaking wet lips. She started to moan louder and move with my rhythm. I pushed two fingers into her and found her G spot again. It was even more pronounced and larger than it was 24 hours ago. I rubbed it in small circles again and she couldn’t manage to catch her breath. So, I slowed down to give her time to breathe.

At the same time, I used my thumb to rub her clit. She started to buck her hips harder and I could feel the orgasm coming. She grabbed my wrist and held it in her pussy while she came. “YESSSSSSSSSS!” she whispered. I felt her juices start to pour out. Her cum puddled under her and she just rocked from side to side as she came down from her orgasm. I took my hand out of her pussy and licked my fingers. “You taste excellent, Meredith. I look forward to more of you,” I told her. Breathlessly she said, “Thank you, mistress, I look forward to that as well.”

Meredith slid into unconsciousness again. “You are very intelligent,” I said out loud. She’d figured out that increasing dopamine levels in her brain would aid her in getting past that part of the change. I reached out to her mind and felt her calm and relaxed state. I could feel the changes happening in her. I noticed that she appeared to be a bit thinner than she was before. Her face was a bit more defined and her cheekbones higher on her face and more pronounced. Her hips had narrowed a bit and her breasts were a bit bigger and sat higher on her chest. She had very nice curves before; when this was finished, she would be drop-dead gorgeous.

She would be out for 18 hours minimum until her brain finished “rewiring” itself. I took this opportunity to get some things done to start down the path in front of us. The first thing I wanted to do was walk through her house. I stopped at the door as I walked out and looked back at Meredith. She was lying on her side, not moving.

Walking out of Meredith’s room and into the master bedroom, I went looking for a phone. I found a cell on what I guessed was Michael’s dresser. I called my solicitor in England. Charles Windsor was responsible for growing my holdings on Earth. I had made a contract with the patriarch of his family 400 years prior. He would manage my holdings in exchange for longer life and prosperity; he further agreed that one of his children would carry on in his place when he passed. So, in exchange for his services, I granted him the caveat that the child that took his place would receive everything he did.

The phone picked up on the third ring; a very English young lady asked to whom I wished to speak with. “Ms. Gaynor for Charles Windsor.” I was placed on hold and two minutes later he answered the phone.

“Pleasure to hear from you, how may I serve you?” he asked me.

“Charles, I’m in the United States at the moment, and I’m going to be staying for an extended period of time. Would you please have my black Amex and Chase Palladium cards sent to me.” I gave him this address to overnight them to. “Also, please double-check my accounts in the United States, I might find an investment opportunity on this trip. Lastly, expect a call from Ms. LaCroix. Please get her a first-class ticket to Atlanta.” I told him. He asked to put me on hold for a couple of moments, then came back on and started updating me.

“Without going into details over the phone, your business and 2 personal accounts are untouched and have more than enough liquid funds to invest in just about anything. My paralegal just left to retrieve your cards from the safety deposit box right now. He’ll overnight them from Barclays of London to that address. Do I need to arrange transportation for Ms. LaCroix when she arrives in Atlanta?” Charles asked.

“Yes. Please arrange a vehicle for her.” I told him.

“I’ll have my office manager contact a dealership in that area and it will be waiting for her at...” He paused for a moment, “Hartsfield/Jackson when she arrives. Shall I save this number as a contact?” he asked me.

“No, this is temporary. As usual, please purge all records of this call, and block this number after we hang up. I’ll get a new phone and have Ms. LaCroix call and give you my new number after I’m set up here.” He said that it would be done. “Thank you, Charles. Stellar work, as usual. Please tell Catherine that I said hello.” I hung up with him, snapped the phone in half, and started planning for the near future.

Meredith

Slowly I opened my eyes again. I looked over at the clock on the nightstand and it said 4:30 PM. It was a Sunday afternoon; I’d had 18 hours’ worth of sleep again. You’d figure that after as much sleep as I’d had in the last 2 days that I would be wide awake and ready to go. You’d be wrong. I felt like my body had been put through the wringer, twice. I was so sore. My head felt like someone had taken a railroad spike and driven it into the front and back of my skull. My arms and legs weighed a hundred pounds, minimum. Never mind about my back and shoulders. I tried to get up out of bed, but the world decided to go into a spin instead. So, I just lay there and enjoyed the ride, so to speak.

I thought about Hannah and where this path would take us. She was a mystery to me. Some of Allison’s texts said that demons are renowned for cruelty and general feelings of not giving a shit about anyone but themselves, but my mistress had shown me kindness and had cared for me during the last however many days it had been. I was puzzled, to say the least.

I felt a bit cold, so I grabbed for my woobie and covered up with it. As I felt it warm up, I remembered daddy getting ready for another deployment and hearing him ask mom if his woobie was clean. I must have been five or six at the time and asked him what a woobie was. He picked me up, saying, “A woobie is actually a camouflage blanket that I use in the Army to keep warm. If you ask any soldier who their best friend in the field is, they’ll tell you it’s their woobie. Mine’s kept me warm on many cold nights. If you’re good for mom while I’m gone, we’ll talk about getting you one when I get back.” I remember feeling so happy that my daddy and I were going to be matchies. I smiled at that memory as I slid deeper into it. I felt someone in my mind checking on me, I guess it was Hannah. I was genuinely thankful to her and what she was doing for me. Mentally I told her that and I could feel her smile in return. Back to Meredith’s past