Mathilda, SuperWitch (Mathilda's Book of Shadows #1)(81)

Ack!

(Yay me!)

“The Witches Council asked the Directors and Elders, who, in turn, told Wilding and me to keep quiet. They didn’t want you to think of The Prophesies as fixed. They don’t want you to know what’s prophesied just in case you need to change it.”

“So, Ash is a traitor, will I change that?”

Aidan shook his head. “Darling, Wilding isn’t a traitor.”

“You know that? For certain? Or are you just saying –”

“Yes, I know. For certain. The Prophesies state that you will marry one of us and one of us will…”

He stopped but he didn’t start again.

“What? One of you will what?” I prompted.

Pause.

“What?” I pushed.

Big sigh.

“What!?” I was getting kinda louder.

“One of us will father your children and one of us will die for you.”

What?!

“What!?” I jumped out of bed and started pacing as well as chanting. “Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap. You’re joking.” Aidan kept his place by the window and watched me while I paced. He looked serious. He didn’t speak. He wasn’t joking. “Oh shit, you’re not joking. Why did you tell me this? Why?”

At that point, I forgot that I pushed him to tell me.

He didn’t remind me of this. Instead, he said, “Two reasons, one, because I don’t want you thinking Wilding is a traitor. He’s a lot of things and one of those is, he’s loyal to you.”

Thank the goddess for that one.

Aidan kept on. “Althea Appleton is a drunk and she’s a meddler and she’s an oracle for God’s sake. Never trust one of those.”

Great. Never trust an oracle.

So noted.

It made no sense but whatever.

Aidan continued, “And two, because you might be able to change it”

“Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap,” I chanted again, still pacing.

Aidan started toward me but I put up my hand. He stopped.

“So, you realize that it could be you… that…” I gulped, “dies?”

“I’ve known since I was a little boy and my grandfather introduced me to the Mathilda Prophesies and explained my part in them. Just as Wilding has known what his destiny was since he was young. We’ve both grown up knowing we’d either marry you or bleed for you.”

“Oh Great Goddess and all things under the moon and the stars,” I breathed.

I wanted to cry, I really did, but I was getting sick of crying.

“You’re telling me your choice is a lifetime of tantrums, drama and ‘does my butt look big in this?’ or… death… and you’re sticking around?” He made no response so I asked, “Are you nuts?”

He started to grin.

Holy shit.

What if it was him, Aidan, who was going to die?

What if it happened tomorrow?

What if it happened tonight?

I put my hand to my mouth.

“I can’t bear this,” I told him on a whisper.

His face got gentle. “Yes, you can.”

“No, I don’t think I can. What if something happens to you, soon, tonight, tomorrow? How will I, we haven’t… you and I haven’t… but Ash and I…”

I stopped.

Aidan’s body went still.

“Ash and you what?” Aidan asked.

“Well, Ash and I at least have…”

I stopped again because his grin was gone.

Oops.

Uh-oh.

“Ash and you have at least what?”

“Aidan, you have to know this is an impossible position for me to be in.”

“Ash and you have what?”

His voice was icy and he was coming toward me in that stalky way again.

“Aidan, you’re stalking me,” I told him as I backed away.

“Damn straight, Ash and you have what?”

I stood my ground and he stopped in front of me. I was a big idiot for saying anything at all. In my defense, I had just learned one of the men in my life was going to die for me and I thought that was a pretty good excuse. But since I did say something, I had no choice (obviously, because he was being stalky and looking broody) but to finish it.

So I stood on tippy-toes and whispered in his ear, as quickly as I could, about the Big O and Ash sleeping in bed with me.

It was only fair.

What were the words? He had a fifty-fifty chance to “bleed” for me.

Ack!

When I was done, Aidan rocked back on his heels.

“I see.”

“I feel like I should apologize,” I told him. “But these aren’t exactly normal courtships, you know. Neither of you have taken me to a movie or on a picnic or dinner… oh wait, you’ve taken me to dinner, um… kinda twice… but…”

Shit.

I was babbling.

Shit!

He started stalking me again.

I moved back.

“I thought you were shattered… you were gonna find another bed,” I reminded him.

“I’m thinking I might stay in here tonight.”

Oh boy.

There we were, me retreating, him advancing.

This man was either going to die for me or give me three babies.