The Coven: Book 1 | ✔️

Chapter 28 - Scars on Body 🔞

[TRIGGER WARNING: mentions of abuse and rape]

"About 80 years ago, Lucy took us to London. She was visiting a friend from back when she worked on the Witch Council. She lived in the more expensive side of town, you could say. All pretty, similar looking houses everywhere, with cute old ladies that talked about gardening and tea. Anyway... Me, Em and Amelia went as well, cause, hell, we always travel together!" Mina said, with Jimin listening very attentively.

"I decided, like the dumbass I was, it was a good idea to go to a little bar in the center of London. Em never goes with me to bars. Those trips usually end up with me going to a hotel with a random man, anyway, so she grew bored of it." She took a glance at him to see his reaction, but Jimin didn't waver for a second "I met a guy there, basically. He was nice, I guess. Didn't pay much attention to what he was saying, so whatever. I went to a hotel with him, boom, got the job done."

"The problem was the guy apparently got obsessed with me. For a whole week, he went wherever I went to, he would sit in the park and watch me and Em and Amelia while we went around. Hell, the guy even followed us all the way to the house we were staying in. I think he put the pieces together. I don't know what he found out, or how, since I don't know if me and the girls were obvious about what we are, but he knew I'm a Witch."

"Two days before me and the girls came back home, he met me in the park and asked if we could meet again... I said yes, because I wanted to place a spell on him so he became confused about what he knew. He was smarter than me, though..."

Jimin frowned, suddenly not liking at all where this was headed. Well, he hadn't particularly enjoyed the feeling of thinking of the guy's hands on Mina, but, truth be told, he couldn't do anything about it, nor could he tell her what to do with her body.

"What did he do to you?" He asked, feeling himself grow angry.

Mina smiled bitterly.

"Chloroform." She looked up at him to see anger in his eyes "Remember when I said that I didn't pay any attention to what he said? Well, he was scientist. A very... creepy... one. It seemed he studied all things genetics and all. I remember making it to the hotel, talking to him briefly and then reaching the room. I don't remember anything else from then on. I woke up in a lab looking place. I know I was surrounded by scientists, all of them had white coats. They looked at me like I was some sort of object, a thing to experiment on."

"They wondered if I felt pain, like humans do, if my blood was red, if my insides were the same... " Mina lifted her shirt just enough to show a faint, pink scar near the place her womb was "If I could carry children, like humans do."

Jimin was horrified...

To think that someone could have been a monster enough to inflict such pain on someone else. To hurt and maim another like the person was nothing more than an object to cut open... His eyes were red by now, showing the on growing fury he was feeling.

"I was drugged most of the time. Anytime I would wake up and start a spell, they would keep me awake only enough so they could study my tattoos and eyes and then put me to sleep again. It lasted not more than five days... until one of them tried to have his way with me."

Her eyes darkened, a spiteful hatred flooding them. It was a look that Jimin had only seen when she was facing demons, the one she had killed in the basement and the one she talked to in the alley. But it made anyone see that Mina wasn't just a beautiful woman with a pretty face and body. She wasn't just a woman with good sex appeal... This woman was dangerous. Downright terrifying, if she wanted to.

"I set him on fire." She nonchalantly said, looking at him dead in the eye "And then I set the lab on fire. I burned the whole place to the ground. I don't know if there were innocent people in there, and, frankly, I don't care. I murdered every single one of them that day. And there hasn't been a day that I've regretted it."

Mina's face was blank, not showing any sort of emotion. Jimin could still see the hatred in her celestial eyes, but the blankness in her expression was what confirmed the lack of remorse. Mina really had none.

"Good." Was all he said, a sudden sense of pride in her.

The silence that settled in the room was comfortable. It was the perfect time that she needed to adjust her emotions and thoughts. Relief sunk deep in her chest, for knowing Jimin wouldn't think she was some sort of murderer for killing those humans.

"Jimin?"

"Hum?"

"I know you've probably guessed it but... I've been around. With men, I mean. I'm not some sort of innocent virgin. I'm almost 250 years old, so, really, I've lost count." She blurted out, bluntly accessing the elephant in the room... or at least her brain.

Jimin arched an eyebrow, not expecting her to say it.

Well, yes, he had guessed that. Mina was stunning. She carried herself in a very confident way, entering each place like she owned it. The previous night, at the bar, Jimin had to restrain himself when he saw most men look her way as soon as Mina entered. He hated it... Absolutely hated the way their hungry eyes would undress her in their minds, how they would smirk when she walked by. One of them even made a nasty comment. And Mina simply smirked smugly and kept walking.

She knew... and didn't care.

"I don't care." He found himself saying "I don't give a shit about how many men you've been with... It doesn't make you any less of a person."

Mina blushed. She blushed hardcore. She had never blushed like this for anyone. Damn, this was weird... Funny, it was just like Lucy had described. There were no butterflies, no weird sweating or strange sensation in her gut. It was nice. Like a warm hug from someone you really like. Her chest wasn't tight, it felt light and airy.

This was the best feeling she had ever had.

Unlike anything.

So she smiled. She smiled wide and beautifully, her cheeks flushing a healthy shade of pink and her blue eyes shining amazingly, drifting away from his as she grew flustered.

"Your smile is beautiful." He mumbled.

A wave of pain washed through her middle at his words, making her inhale sharply and close her eyes, taking in deep breaths to try and ignore it. Jimin was a little alarmed, frowning when she became pale and her breathing deeper.

"Mina?"

She smiled and waved him off, dismissing his concern and pretending nothing was wrong.

"Tell you what. Why don't I do that Tarot reading for you tonight? I think Lucy wanted to start scouting the city for the place the clan that hurt Amelia is located, but after that I can do the reading. As a thanks... for hearing me out."

Jimin frowned. Mina was pressing one hand on her stomach, as if she was being attacked with cramps there, her complexion had turned a bit paler and her smile was clearly forced. He didn't want to anger her by pressing too much, but he couldn't lie that he was starting to grow concerned over her.

He decided to take small steps... Maybe he could understand better what was going on with her when she did that Tarot reading at the end of the night.