The Five Cursed Witches: Volume 3 - Morana, the Witch of Life

Chapter 43 Alejo's Samhain

Alejo

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I wanted to kill him. I wanted to hunt him down and cruse him into oblivion. Or no. I wanted to get to crush him with my own two hands. No magic. I wanted the satisfaction of physically beating him up.

It was easy enough to understand what had happened by looking at Morana. Her top was torn, she held it in place with her arm, and her hair was disheveled. I just prayed to the Goddess that he hadn't gotten too far in hurting her.

But looking at her also made me swallow my anger. She shook with tears and hyperventilated through them. She looked completely shattered, hugging herself, seemed to try to disappear into the couch, and she was the priority. I could always beat him up later, but Morana needed me then and there.

I slowly walked over to her and sat down next to her. But I felt uncertain about what to do next. What I wanted to do was hug her and let her calm down in my arms, but considering what she had just been through, I wasn't sure if physical contact was the way to go.

Deciding to try, I reached out to her and gently placed a hand on her cheek. When the touch didn't make her recoil, I moved closer so I could put my arms around her.

"I'm here now," I whispered to her. "I won't let anyone hurt you."

She moved closer, and I held her steady, help her get up on my lap. There she curled up. Hugged herself, pulled her legs close to her chest, as if she tried to make herself as small as possible. As if she tried to hide in my embrace. My arms went around her to help her in that endeavor and to shield her from any more danger.

"I'm going to teleport us home. Alright?" I whispered to her next, and she nodded against my chest.

The next moment, we sat on her bed instead. I didn't know what more to say or do. I wanted to find the right words or action which would make the pain that poured out with her tears completely go away. But I knew there were no such words, no action that could make it undone. All I could do was to make sure she knew I was there, and that she was safe.

Unfortunately, I couldn't even do that.

An alarm on my phone went off. It made Morana jump and straighten herself, while I swore as I turned it off. I put it on to make sure I wouldn't end up forgetting about the coven, no matter what happened. I hadn't thought I would actually need it, but I did and I loathed it.

When I put my phone down, she wiped with her hand under her eyes. Wiped away the tears. It made me hate the alarm even more.

Wordlessly, I took her hand, kissed her palm, before hugging her so her head rested on my shoulder. I considered ignore it all. To not go to the coven, but to stay there with Morana, where I was needed. But if I did that, more shit would only follow. They would send a message like last time and if I decided to ignore that too, they would come. Maybe Morana had to meet the coven one day, but that night was certainly not the time.

But I kept her in my embrace just a little longer, just a minute more. Her tears had subsided and her breathing evened out. I hated it. It meant she was likely pushing her emotions away, tried to hide the true extent of the pain she felt.

But I couldn't stop her from doing that, not at that moment. I didn't have time, and I hated myself for it.

"Morana," I whispered. "I have to leave. I don't want to, but I have to go to the coven."

She pulled away a little so she could look at me.

"Okay," she nodded and brought up a hand to dry away some stray tears. "Tha-thank you for coming to get me."