The Bewitching - Midsummer Aine - Book 2

Chapter 2 - A Taste of Love

If she could, she would have found the darkest corner of the coffee shop and hid. It was already too late though. Dantes had seen her. Although, he looked almost as surprised as she did. The same look of fear and anxiety covered his face, just as it did Elyssa's. It was obvious he hadn't planned on bumping into her either.

He hesitated for a moment, glancing back at the door as if he had debated leaving. The woman he was with must have noticed the change in his mood, and the timid glances that followed in Elyssa's direction. She leaned into him and whispered up into his ear. He shook his head slightly before whispering something back.

With his head hung low and hands stuffed inside his pockets, he indecisively started to make his way towards her, his female friend following closely behind. Elyssa could feel her hands begin to dampen, and she tried desperately to dry them against her pants. Her heart was thumping in her chest, and she started feeling a bit queasy to her stomach.

She watched him approach. Her mind raced for something to say, but she was at a loss. The only thing she could hope for was that he would start the conversation and maybe she'd think of a way to respond. She felt a combination of nervousness and hurt, alongside some anger. She could only pray that her mouth didn't decide to speak with the later.

Little did she know that he was thinking the same, hoping that she would be the first to say something. He hadn't expected her to be here, and he had been so preoccupied he must have missed sensing her energy. He now cursed himself silently for not being more aware.

For the last several months he would visit this area of town at least once a month. His reason was to visit Annette and Alicia, at least that's what he told himself. Like them, he sensed that there was more danger in the not too distant future. He wasn't quite sure what it was though, other than just an odd feeling he'd get from time to time. They too had mentioned experiencing the same. It wasn't an odd feeling for them, but a strong tingling sensation that often brought headaches along with it.

At least that was what they told him. They had a habit of knowing more than they sometimes let on. It drove him crazy, but he also understood that there were certain things in time that couldn't be changed, certain experience we all had to go through. Warnings of these events, or interfering, could have extreme ramifications on lessons each soul had to experience in each lifetime. Small events were one thing, but certain events could completely collapse the world struggle between good and evil in unforeseen ways. Not that it mattered to him since at the moment he found himself unable to die.

Although there were others he did care about. For so long he had removed himself as best he could from the humans, letting them handle their own affairs in their unthoughtful ways. It was all because of her, the woman that now sat nervously across the room from him in the coffee house. She had broken him, and shattered his heart.

Love has a way of doing that, lifting someone up to experiences they've never dreamed of and then crushing them mercilessly into the ground when it ends. When she had abandoned him centuries ago he had felt the full weight of that pain, carrying it with him until fate had them crossing paths once again. While he still held his reservations about humans, seeing her again had changed something in him.

There were still some worth fighting for, even if he still found himself holding onto the pain they had caused him. Not that it mattered much in the greater scheme of things. At some point what humanity that was left in him would be gone, consumed by whatever demon now fought for his soul. Until then, maybe he could make a difference in the lives of a close few.

So he continued his visits once a month with Annette and her mom, solely to make sure that when this evil struck he would be there to help. That was the lie, and they would nod as they gave him what little, if any, updates they had. In this instance, he knew beyond a doubt that they knew more than they let on. They knew the larger reason he was there. He wanted to know she was okay, and that she was safe.