My Long Lost Mate

My brows drew together, not expecting him to look for a witch. I mean, why would anyone look for a witch? Anyone who knew about the existence of the witches knew that they were wicked and vicious. Wouldn't it be better for us to stay away from them? 

Well, I knew that I shouldn't judge those witches because I have never met them before, but the fact that so many people hunted them down tells a lot. I heard about what would happen if someone was suspected of being a witch. People would go as far as burning them alive or even decapitate them without checking the truth of those suspicions. The thought of a witch living amongst them brought so much fear that they would act immediately once the suspicion fell on someone. 

People always talked about the witches being evil but never really talked about what they had done. Were they really as bad as what the rumors say? 

"I thought witches are bad?" I asked, tilting my head in confusion, "Why are you looking for one?"

"It is because they are bad, Violet," he answered, patting my head, "I need to catch those bad people before they do anything worse, starting from this witch."

"What did she do?" 

Following my question, his mouth set in a hard line, and his eyes not again meeting mine. It was as if he didn't want to answer my question. 

"Just... bad things," he coughed out. He quickly folded the map on the table, shoving it into his pocket before standing up from the sofa while pulling out his pocket watch, "Well, look at the time. We should hurry prepare ourselves for the upcoming ball."

Why was he avoiding my question? The way he tried to shift the conversation away was very clear, and not to mention the ball was not until this evening. I didn't think we would need all day to prepare for the ball when it was still morning.

"Tell me," I grabbed his wrist, stopping him from walking away, "What bad things?"

His reaction to my question struck as odd to me. Usually, he would be happy to explain about all the things that I didn't know. But this time, it was as if he was avoiding my question on purpose. Like there was something that he didn't want me to know. 

"You don't need to worry about it," he ȧssured, "I'll take care of—"

"Does it perhaps have something to do with me?" I asked, and he froze. I could see how his eyes were trembling, his tongue ŀɨċkɨnġ his dry lips. "It does have something to do with me," I confirmed.

"Violet, I just don't want to burden you with things like this," he sighed, once again letting his body weighed down the sofa. "I told you I would chase all the bad guys away, right?" 

"But if it's about me, don't you think I have the right to know too?" 

Though both of us never said any words about it, we knew that with me walking on the same path with him—a dark creature, it would be a path full of dangers. While I also knew that he would do anything to protect me, I needed to know what kind of things were waiting for me upfront. That way, I could at least brace myself for the danger incoming.

"You're right, I need to tell you," he said, finally giving in to my question. "Do you remember how there were a few rogues who tried to take you from me?" he asked, to which I nodded. 

"There were three of them, one being the man who has a scar on his face." 

"Well, there were more of them, but only three were close to success. And yes, the man with the scar is Leonard. He's dead now, so you don't need to worry about him," he smiled after realizing my body was tensing up, but the smile quickly disappeared when he continued, "The other two are the problem. While they are too are dead, I've heard from Leonard that these two people are not his men, and the attacks that happened in our territory after I met you were also not from Leonard. Do you know what that means?"

I took some time to put the new information in, trying to connect all the dots. "So what you mean is that Leonard and his men did not send any more attacks after I met you and only started attacking us again on the night where he took me to his cave, right?" I asked, receiving a nod from him, "Then the two other rogues who tried to take me were from a different group of rogues, which means that there is still someone out there besides Leonard who is after us? I mean—to be exact, after me?"

"That's right," he nodded once again. "Because Leonard knew that he could not kill me with his own strength, he used his attacks to take the people's heart in order for him to obtain a potion that could increase his strength from a witch. When he heard the news of me finding my mate, he thought that it would be a good idea to use you against me, and that's why he took you from me."

"And all the attacks that happened after I met you were caused by the other group of rogues, and their intention was solely to take me from you?" I asked, "But what does it have to do with the witch that you are looking for?"

"This is still a suspicion, but I suspect the witch to be the one who ordered the other group of rogues to take you," he explained, massaging his temple. "I guess she wanted to take advantage of all the rogues' attacks that were happening so that we would think that the rogues were the only ones who tried to take you and not her."

Why was a witch after me? That did not make any sense. I've never met a witch before. No, actually, have I? I wouldn't even know whether I have met one or not. But what did I even do? Was she also thinking of using me against Luke, or was it really me that she wanted? 

In any case, both answers were as bad for us. I need to be more prepared to protect myself in case of danger. It would be hard for Luke to protect me all the time, and I couldn't possibly hide behind him forever. I didn't know what kind of powers witches had and how strong they were, but what I knew for sure was that two people will always be better than one. 

Sensing the growing anxiety inside me, Luke held my hands, "You don't need to be scared. You have me."

"I know," I smiled at the man, also holding his hands, "And you have me too—though I'm not sure I can be much of a help. But I'll try."

"You are a great help, Violet," he said, pulling me into a hug, "Yesterday, you told me that I gave you the strength to hold on. But what you didn't know was that you also gave me the strength that I needed," he breathed into my scent, and I could just see the smile on his face right now without actually seeing it, "People always get stronger when they have something to protect and someone to love."

A warm feeling replaced the building anxiety inside me, giving me a sense of peace. I leaned my head to his shoulder, giving in to the comfort of his embrace. Perhaps I have found the place that I fit best, and that was the space in between his arms. 

"I hope I can get stronger too." 

"Of course you can," he chuckled, "You'll need to protect me and love me for that."

"Really? Should I not get stronger then?" I asked, teasing the man. I could feel his body tensing up for a second before relaxing again when he realized I was joking. He broke the hug between us, his hands grabbing my shoulders. 

"I'll find thousands of ways to get you strong," he grinned, puffing out his ċhėst, "You have no choice but to love me."

"Not even one?" 

"Not even one," he repeated firmly.

I couldn't help but laugh when thinking about how I've met such a persistent man. Even so, I didn't think I would want to have any other men besides this one man before me. He was a persistent man, but I think he was also the right one for me. 

"Now, let us not worry about the witch," he pinched my cheeks, turning them left and right, "The ball is only this evening, so we need to enjoy ourselves to the fullest."

I didn't have much experience in going to a party, so I didn't know what was there to enjoy. I found the first party that I have attended to be rather unpleasant. 

"But what's there to enjoy?" I asked the man.

"What else? My company, of course."