Accepting Fate - (Slums to Riches, Book one)

Chapter 32

Angelique woke to an underwater world. The sunlight blazing through the sheer blue curtains swirled and rippled against the walls. The cool breeze carried the scent of the Mountains, freshly tossed soil, and harvested vegetables. Of course, it also carried the fresh manure from the stables, but it smelled like home.

She turned her back on the ghastly dresser in the corner. She needed to ask Logan to sand it down and varnish it. Along with the rocking chair, which occasionally sat in her bedroom when her father rocked her to sleep, the furniture were arranged the way her parents had their room. She would rearrange it once she and Logan started planning for their own family.

She smiled as she thought of Jenny's room. It looked a lot less colorful when she slept and played there. Aunt Pauline slept in Jamie's room until she met Thomas Senior. He was human, but accepted them as they were. Unfortunately, he had spoiled his kids when their mother passed, and turned them into power hungry brats. Patricia accepted the demon into her first, and then convinced Tom to allow the demon to possess him, with promises of great power and wealth. They got neither, because of the prenuptial agreement between their father and step-mother.

Had Angelique known her aunt would die before she could return to the manor, she would have warned her parents. Unfortunately, her mother's protective shield prevented her from returning and it set of all the events that followed. She could not fault her mother for that. Jamie, Andrew, Ty, Michael, and Jenny, needed her at the Harlows. They also needed her to set them free.

Her father once told her, she would do great things. What greater thing could she do than to free the world of Thomas and Patricia for eternity?

Thinking of her past, she remembered one of her lessons. She reached out with her mind, and found her siblings in the kitchen.

Contentment surrounded Andrew and Ty. Michael hid his true emotions from the others. His thoughts were troubled with painful memories. Cook, Jamie, and Jenny were surrounded by love like glowing angelic auras. Ben, however seemed agitated. His thoughts were clearest of all. He once more proposed to Jamie, properly this time, but she refused to answer him.

Angelique needed to talk her into accepting, so that they could have the double wedding they always spoke of. Taking such a big step alone, scared her a little.

That thought brought her to Logan, who she could smell but not sense. His emotions should have pin-pointed his location, but she only picked up his honeysuckle, hay, and mountain air scent coming from the direction of the kitchen. It should have alarmed her, but she figured her mother must have taught him to shield his emotions.

Having them all in one location seemed like the perfect opportunity to check-in with them. However, she needed a shower first and her bladder ached. She rushed to her bathroom, slamming the door behind her, but avoided looking at the mirror. When she passed it on her way to the shower, she froze. Her eyes fixed on her hips which had grown since she fell asleep. She did not think her breasts could grow larger, but staring at them she was sure the double-D bras would no longer fit her. Even her arms and legs seemed more muscular.

Shifting and ascending clearly had pros and cons. Her wardrobe needed an update, but being a witch gave her the tools to do it herself.

After a quick, yet thorough shower, she dried her hair with a spell and braided it over her shoulder. Pinching the ends secured it until she could find a hairband. As soon as she walked into her closet, the hair on her neck stood up. The smell of magic lingered in the surrounding space. Her underwear, tracksuit pants, and t-shirt, which should have pinched and sat on her like a second skin trying to suffocate her, fit with enough space for her to move around comfortably.