A Legacy of the Damned: Daughter of Astaroth

Chapter 55 - Building Trust

"I asked Katherine to take me there. I was going no matter what," I quickly blurt out before Sacha could blame her for taking me there. "I was going whether or not she'd take me."

Three sets of eyes are now looking at me with raised eyebrows. I'm actually more surprised than any of them. I'm usually the type to throw other people under the bus for my own sake rather than defending or protecting them. The fact that I'm feeling kind of protective of Katherine is new...and different.

The witch who is now staring at me in surprise had probably put a spell on me. That must be it.

*****

"Why?" asks Sacha.

"I don't know," I reply, avoiding his eyes. I push the onion rings and the calamari around and around my plate.

The silence between us grows and I see them looking at each other from the corner of my eye.

"Look, Danica," says Elias. "If you want us to be your ally, you should not be keeping secrets like that from us."

I put my fork down and gaze at the roaring fire, not willing to meet their stare. It's not easy for me to open up, especially when I think that they're going to be judging me.

Sacha places his big warm hand on top of mine and it feels like a reminder that we're in this together. When he curls his fingers around mine and rubs a circle with his thumb over the back of my hand, I feel safe and protected.

I don't want to go back to Astaroth. Maybe it's time for me to learn to trust them. I glance up at Sacha before I look at them then back at Sacha again.

"There's an energy coming from the mansion and I...it felt as though it was calling to me...trying to control me. So, I went because I was drawn to it and I wanted to prove to myself that it couldn't control me. And that I could control it if I wanted to."

Sacha looks concerned "Was it controlling you?"

"No, not really," I answer.

"What about the room?" Katherine asks. "You went right to it when we got there. And when you put your hand on the door, my spell came undone. The vines took your hand and you almost managed to unseal it."

"I was drawn to the energy in that room," I tell her. "But I swear that it wasn't controlling me. I was curious, that's why I put my hand on the door. I didn't mean to unseal it. Like I said before, I don't know how it happened."

"Only a strong magick could undo my spell," says Katherine, staring at me as though I was a puzzle that she needed to solve. "Unless you're a witch or..."

"I'm not a witch," I tell her. I'm positive that I'm only a half-demon. "But something about the energy in that room had felt familiar."

"What do you mean?" asks Elias.

"You know, all energy has a signature...like a certain smell that lingers. Or certain feeling that comes with it. It's hard to explain, but...you know what I mean."

Katherine nods. She knows what I'm talking about.

"It felt like I've encountered it before...that energy," I explain.

Sacha has stopped rubbing his thumb across my knuckles but he's still holding my hand. "You've encountered it before? Where?"

"The Grimoire," I reply. "Whatever it was at the Blackwell Estate, it had felt like the energy from the Grimoire."

"You've seen the Grimoire?" Katherine asks with raised eyebrows. Elias leans forward in his seat while Sacha is watching me with those piercing eyes.