AT YOUR MERCY

32. Information Is Power

"Morning sunshine!" A shrill loud voice said. My head whipped towards the sound. My vision was blurry from sleep, and partly because of the absense of my glasses.

I saw the blur of Annas cloak fly by me. I squeezed my eyes to try and focus. And when i reopened them i saw anna snap her fingers towards the fireplace, igniting it in the process.

She turned back towards me and smiled.

"I made you some tea?" She looked expectantly at me.

"Thank you very much." I said as she grabbed a steaming mug from the windowsill next to her. She sat down where she had yesterday and helped me drink it.

"I wanted to ask you something..." I said lowly to Anna.

Her eyes lifted to my own as she nodded lightly.

"Maybe I am just imagening stuff here, but David told me that you had helped his family before, and Stefan seemed... Affected, when we got here yesterday. Was it him you helped?" I asked.

A humorous expression spread on her face as she let a small laugh escape.

"You could say that." She looked at me knowingly.

"26 years ago, Stefans dear mother sought me out. She and her mate, Stefans father, had tried for seven years to get pregnant, but so far no success." Anna told me. She was looking out of the window, seemingly somewhere else all of a sudden.

"Now I could of course help, but dear Elinor as I know you have been told, I only trade equally. So for mother-dearest she wanted her biggest dream to come true. Now she had to trade something valuable to her." Anna got a glint in her eyes that made me want to back away. "David's dear father, brother to Stefan's mother, knew me from a dark past of his. He had sworn to never trade me again, and guided his family as such. But... Some things you will go great lengths for." Anna sent me a develish look.

"Even your little mate, knowing what a wrong trade could lead to, would never have traded me. And I may not have been as merciful as I was to Stefan, had he been the one offering to trade."

"BUT! Do you want to know what little mamma traded?" She asked, whipping her head to me. Before i could answer she continued.

"She traded her unborn childs biggest wish, for her own. And to the little wolves, only one thing matters. To find their mate." She gritted her teeth on the last word and breathed out a laugh.

The reality of her story dawned on me. Why Stefan had been so hostile with me, why he seemed both so irritable but also so determined to help David save me. He would never find his mate...

Anna brought the cup to my lips and urged me to drink the rest.

When the mug was empty she rose and left the room. The crow suddenly appeared in the doorway and landed onto her shoulder.

I lqid my head to the side, staring into the fireplace ad i tried to understand. What dark past did David's farther have? What did she mean she wouldn't have been as merciful on David in a trade?

Just as she dissapeared from sight her voice dropped a few octaves as she spoke.

"Yes Munin. Did she escape again?" The sound of her feet were loud, as if she suddenly had started kicking her steps.

"He is good, that sorcerer. But not Malin-good." Anna cackled.

"He can't tell that she is listening to their little mind-conversations. Always a step ahead." She suddenly coughed violently before silence took over in the small hut.

I tried to piece together what she was talkung about. Is this Malin listening to what David and Stefan is thinking to eachother? Is she listening to what I am thinking to David?

As the story slowly got clearer for me, I felt fear slowly creep up on me.

Elinor! Is something wrong?

Davids rough voice appeared in my head. My nerves involuntarily calmed before I amswered him.

Yeah yes, Anna just told me a story.

I knew with the possible information I had now, that i needed to be careful with what I told him. Can I even control that? I keep asking him questions regardless of my intention to do so...

I thought to myself, but before I knew it I had pushed the question to David.

Can i in any way stop myself from asking you questions? Fuck.
Uhm, just because I don't wanna disturb you unnessecarily.

I quickly added.

I heard his deep chuckle in my mind before he answered.

My mother always said that of all impossible things, resisting your mate was the worst.

So that's a no. Fuck.

Okay, just wondering. I wont disturb you anymore.

I pushed the thought to him as I contemplated how to stop myself from talking to him.

You could never disturb me darling.

His voice send a shiver through me, and I allowed myself to enjoy it, if only for a moment.

Oh darling...

The huskyness of his voice deepened and I closed my eyes as I let a deep sigh escape.

You will be the death of me. He said.