Caged in Darkness (Caged #1)(10)

“Excited about shopping?” I said this sarcastically Willow disliked shopping even more than I did.

Willow rolled her eyes and rasped “Oh, of course. I’ve been anxiously waiting for this day! Or rather the end of it…” Izzy grabbed a rolled up napkin and threw it at Willows face, and Willow batted it away.

“Ha ha, very funny you two! Just wait, when we arrive at the bonfire and everyone stops to stare at our gorgeously clothed bodies, you will thank me.” Willow and I exchanged a horrified glance and burst out laughing. Izzy may want everyone staring at her, but if they did that, it would only be in revulsion. People attending the bonfire were not overly fond of our little group.

“So, where are you planning on taking us for our little field trip? The strip in Landing or the mall in Bloomingdale?” I already knew the answer, but I also knew Izzy would have a riot talking about our excursion, which would provide me with time to think about more important subjects, while I nodded absently in affirmation.

Maye wasn’t giving me a choice. Her text said “We are going to your parents’ house this weekend”, not “I would like to” or “Are you interested in.” She had made her text a statement and when Maye did that, the subject was not to be argued. I wouldn’t be given any leeway about confronting that place. For whatever reason, Maye required me to face my childhood for the possibility that I might want some of their things. I thought that was ridiculous, but I couldn’t tell Maye that.

My heart constricted, as I remembered Maye’s text. As their only child, my parents’ estate had been left to me when they died. Maye, as my guardian, had been in control of that estate all these years, and we had silently agreed that it was a subject I did not want to talk about. However, according to her text, she had a buyer who was interested in my parents’ home. She knew that I would like to wash my hands of that house and accepted the offer on my behalf. She wanted me to go with her to the house this weekend to see if there was anything I wanted to keep before papers were signed.

I wondered what the house would look like now. As far as I knew, it hadn’t been touched since the night my parents’ lives were extinguished. Would my cage be there? Would it stand erect, surrounded by tacky wallpaper and grime coated windows. Or had Maye have removed it already?

I wasn’t sure I could face the memories that home carried. They would echo through the barren existence of that house. I knew from experience a home like that bled a soul of all happiness. I wasn’t certain I could retain that place again without succumbing to the imprinted memories my parents had left me with. Would the taint spread? Could I infect others with their remembered evil?

“And I thought we could buy some tissue paper, cover it in mud, and use it as belts to whip all the boys into shape with.”

“Huh? What about tissue paper and whipping?” Willow snickered softly, while Izzy stared me down with her parental, “don’t mess with me” face. She was testing to see if I was listening and I failed.





LIAM





My coven was congregated in an overly large barn that my mother designated for our rituals. Ordinarily, my afternoons were spent being home schooled in both the traditional and witch ways. However, today as the High Priestess of the Sacred Moon coven, my mother called a meeting.

It was rare for us to convene for reasons other than rituals. Since, we didn’t have a ritual scheduled for today, they were puzzled and worried. We hadn’t set up for the amount of witches attending this gathering. I sat to the side on a barrel of hay, which was the only type of seating available. I had no desire to mingle with the others.

As the son of the High Priestess, I was frequently plagued by women in the coven, who wanted to exploit my connection to my mother. I wasn’t interested in a serious relationship and if I showed interest in a member of the coven I would be expected to commit. I chose to only see non-witches because those relationships came with no strings attached. Luckily, the human population was overrun with sexually frustrated women, who considered me the bad boy type. I never wanted for company, and I did not need the complications of the type of company I would find here tonight.

My mother, Diamante climbed the stairs to the stage at the back. She commanded their obedience without saying or doing anything. They simply quieted at the sight of her.

“I’m glad to see you’re all here. We need to address an issue and it cannot wait since there is limited time to court her. The child of Irena and Devon Cross, is about to ascend.” Diamante paused for the coven to react, and proceeded. “I know you must be surprised, because I have kept their child a secret all these years. However, I did not wish another coven to learn about her existence and stake a claim on her. Unfortunately, it has come to my attention that another has.”

The assembly of people began murmuring, a sign that my mother’s capabilities were being doubted. As the High Priestess, she was expected to uphold our coven’s best interest. A witch with Cross blood in her veins could have brought an obscene level of power to our collective.

Bored, I began inching away from the wall to leave the room. I wasn’t interested in politics or my mother’s plotting. I was almost entirely through the exit, when I heard my mother say my name.

“Liam has agreed to help us fix this issue.”

Hearing shouts that questioned how I could possibly help; I couldn’t help wondering the same thing. I thought back to the past few days and… nope. I did not suffer an injury that would cause memory loss or poor judgment, and that was the only way I could be expected to help my mother with anything. I wondered how she expected to ensure my cooperation.