To Save My Daughter

Part 14: Old Gypsy Woman

He continued to carry me all the way to the bedroom, with my head resting against his chest. I couldn’t help but take in his scent. There was something about him that made me want to be near, when I knew I needed to stay away. I hated how confusing everything was now. Just hours ago I was trying to scrub his sent off me, and now I couldn’t get enough of it, or was it him?

Entering the room, I expected him to put me down, but he closed the door behind us, and continued to carry me over to one of the chairs facing the fireplace. Sitting down with me on his lap, I tried to get up, he held me in place. I swore I was losing myself, but I stayed there without fighting him. Snuggling into his chest, I watched the fire flicker.

After a few minutes, Xander finally broke the silence.

“See, now isn’t it nice when you don’t fight me.”

I didn’t want to answer him. Half of me knew that was a true statement, but the other part of me knew those were also fighting words. How was I not supposed to fight him, when he took both Grace and I from everything and everyone we knew. He did this all on the bases that he believed I was his mate, from my silly moon and star tattoo.

More time passed, and I was the one that broke the silence this time. There were so many unanswered questions that I needed to ask.

“Xander?”

“Yes, Love?”

Aarghhh, I am never going to like that name. Protesting that stupid name, I just ignored him. I didn’t respond, just kept sitting there, folding my arms across my chest. Tightening myself off and closing him out.

After a moment he figured out what I was doing. “Ok, I get it. Yes Ava.”

I smiled. “Thank you.”  I paused for a moment and then built up the courage to ask my question.

“Xander I need you to answer something for me. This has nothing to do with what we discussed at dinner.”

“I’m all ears, go ahead and ask. Anything you like.”

“Even if I you know I won’t like the answers, I need you to tell me the truth.” I pleaded

“I promise I’ll be truthful as I can.”

I knew he left a door wide open in that statement, but I didn’t want to argue schematics. Just going for it I said. “You said that I’m your mate, and you have said more than once it is because of my silly little tattoo. You have to understand this makes no sense to me. It’s just a stupid tattoo I had done in my twenties. I was pissed at the world, and my mother. So I got it, too prove I was my own person. It is not like I was born with it.”

“Well, don’t you believe in love at first sight?” Xander chuckled. 

Giving him a dirty look. “Don’t give me that crap. You told me you would tell the truth? Now spill it” Keeping my arms tight against my chest.

“Did you ever realize how demanding you are?”

“Oh, and you’re not?”

“Touché. One thing you’ll learn is I tend to keep my promises.” Xander said giving me a knowing look. I looked back rolling my eyes, getting the gist of that remark; subconsciously I brought my hand to my neck.

Xander collected his thoughts, after a few moments he began to speak. “Countless of years ago I was going through a self-loathing stage after I was turned. I was not in control of my emotions and let my blood lust control me. During this time I happened to come across a gypsy camp. Sitting in front of a campfire was an old fortune teller. I was surprised to find out that she knew exactly what I was, and she astonished me more that she had no fear of me. She stood up to me and made deal; I spare her life and she’ll tell my fortune.  Of course I was cynical, but agreed.”

“Once the terms were met, she went into this weird trance and revealed to me that I if I desired to continue to roam the earth for centuries to come, I would have to change my slaughtering ways. If I couldn’t control my lust, I would destroy myself and live out my final days alone. Continuing she illuminated how I need to find my inner peace, then and only then would I meet my everlasting mate. That one person who can make me whole. She also prophesize that my true mate would hold a mark, upon her neck. When I asked her how I would know, the old woman described in detail that upon her neck there would be a crescent moon and star. I would know that it was her because of this mark, and that we would meet for the first time during the harvest moon…. Did you not realize that the harvest moon was a few nights ago?”

“No, but did you ever think that this was a coincidence? Tattoos are common now, and I’m sure there are hundreds of women with moons are their neck.”

“Of course I felt that she was fraud. A century later, I ran into another fortune teller, who again told me my true mate was marked by the moon and the star.” Xander explained. “Then I found you, just like she said I would. How could I deny it now?”

For a while, all was quiet, and Xander looked deep in thought.

Almost mumbling to himself, “Then I happened upon you, and something inside me changed.”

I sat there thinking about the story he just told me. All it did was bring up so many more questions. I thought I had grown out of believing in the fantasy world. Now it was smacking me in the face. Not only or there vampires, there are witches, werewolves, and fortunetellers. What more is out there that I don’t know about.

“So… technically speaking how old are you?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood.

“I was born in 1762, so technically speaking I’m going to be 249 years old. But for all intensive purposes I’m 32.”

As I sat there in shock at his age, I kept thinking how I was going to have anything in common with him. He has experienced so much. Seen so much. I was just a single mother with at 13 year old. My life revolved around Justin Bieber, Cody Simpson, and Selena Gomez. My world was so narrow, there was no way from me to keep up.

Hell, what was a thinking this for. It wasn’t like I was going to stay. My goal was to go home, prophecy or no prophecy.