The Protected Luna

All's Well That Ends Well.

Artemis

"ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT! I'LL DO IT! I'LL DO WHATEVER YOU WANT ME TO DO, JUST PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!"

"Finally! I thought she'd never stop screaming," Presha scoffed as she leaned over Dimitri's body and snapped her fingers, immediately disrupting the hallucination hex.

With a strangled sob, I fell to my knees and cradled Dimitri's face in my hands. "Dimitri? Amore mio stai bene?"
(Dimitri? My love are you alright?)
"A..Artemis? You..you're still here?" Dimitri asked hoarsely as he reached a hand up and touched my face.
"Of course I'm still here darling, where else would I be?"

"He thought you had left him," Presha said tauntingly. "I saw the things that were running through his mind. You accused him of failing to protect you, failing in his duty as a mate. Then you gave him a rerun of your sad, miserable and pathetic life and all the atrocities you were forced to endure."

"Stop! Just stop it!" I yelled, tears of rage flowing down my cheeks.
"You told him you were going to die, then you walked out on him, leaving the poor thing to mourn in the darkness of his own mind."

"You're so selfish Presha," Marcus accused. "Here I am, wasting away in boredom while you get to see The Tragic Love Story Of Artemis And Dimitri, live from Dimitri's brain."
"Oh please, it wasn't all that interesting," Presha snorted. "There was too much drama, the graphics were a little fuzzy and the plot was far too cheesy. Horror movies are far more entertaining than the absolute bullshit I just witnessed."

"If you two are finished with your movie talks, could we please get on with this? I'd like very much to get back to Emerald Guardians and my bed. I'm exhausted beyond disbelief," Mother hissed as she grabbed my arm and dragged me towards the chair in the corner. "Marcus get me some rope."
"What do I look like, your errand boy?" Marcus scoffed.
"No, you more resemble a starved hound dog. Nevertheless, get the rope or else I'll ask Vera to make a movie out of you! We can call it Marcus's Misery: Special Edition. Now get the damn rope!"

Marcus growled and stomped off the terrace to get the rope while Presha and Vera started making preparations to resume the transference spell. The trident was brought back, the pentagon was drawn again and some of the blood that was left over from the first time was poured over it.

"Unfortunately my vampires that helped me the first time have been locked away. I would've set them free before coming to the cathedral, but it would've taken too long to breach Marguerite's boundary spell," Presha explained as she walked behind me and placed her hands on my temples.

At this time Marcus returned with the rope and handed it to Mother who used it to tie my ankles to the legs of the chair, thus restricting any movement.

"Are you sure you're strong enough to do this? Transitus Veneris has already passed its peak and if you attempt this spell without the full aid of a celestial event, it could be detrimental," Vera pointed out. "I'm a Salem witch so I can manage just fine. You on the other hand can die from the overwhelming power."

"Thank you for your concern Vera, but I don't need you telling me what I should and shouldn't do. Now, begin the damn chanting!" Presha ordered.
"It's your undead life," Vera shrugged as she pointed the trident to the sky and closed her eyes. "Benedicite, sol, mare et luna, virtute tua, eam benedic magica, ut exsequatur opus tuum."

Just like before, I felt my body burning up as the amulets' magic was transferred into me. It was agonizing to have to sit through this, but I had no other option. It was either me or Dimitri. And I loved my mate too much to sit by and watch him suffer as I have. It mightn't make sense to a lot of people, but that was our life.