13 Witches Cursed ADELAIDE

Chapter 5

The next day, during their lunch break, Adelaide was walking along the banks of a beautiful brook. They found a wonderfully shaded patch of forest, deciding this would be the place to unwind. It was lushly green, in various shades. The trees provided a beautiful backdrop, a canopy of nature, picturesque in its tranquility. The babbling brook wove straight through the middle of this luscious landscape.

Adelaide's mind raced as she walked. She was trying to make heads or tails of the swirling emotions coursing through her body. Zahn had awoken something in her...something she never imagined. But, it all seemed wrong, since in a matter of a few days, he would be turning her over to his brother. She was his brother's wife. She couldn't have feelings for Zahn. She just couldn't.

Adelaide would have felt better had she known that at the exact same time, Zahn was himself wrestling with his burgeoning feelings for her. She was his brother's wife. She was not free to be his.

Watching her walking the length of the brook, he noticed the subtle sway of her hips and the way her hair swished down her back as she moved. He loved her childlike curiosity at everything around her and the way her nose crinkled when she didn't understand something.

He knew he was being harsh to her. It was his way of protecting her from him. There could be no good outcome of this situation. That much he knew.

She was his sister-in-law. His brother's wife.

The future mother of his nieces and nephews. No, no. He would have to keep her at arm's length. He could be cordial but not rude. He would have to be stronger than he ever had before. He had to resist every urge in his body telling him to take her, to make love to her, to make her his, run away with her and build a life with her. Fill her belly with their babies.

Aggravated, Zahn strode off in the other direction. Adelaide watched him walk away, noticing his stressed posture. She wondered why he hated her so. Every once in a while, she would see a side of him...a vulnerable and precious side that seemed he kept forcefully hidden away. It was those moments, those raw moments when Zahn let his guard down that made Adelaide...love him.

She did. She loved Zahn.

She knew that in a matter of days, she would take her place by his brother's side, but it didn't matter. She loved Zahn. She was determined to spend the next few days with him in peace and harmony, burying her feelings and just allowing herself to enjoy his company. It would be over soon enough so she wanted to savor every moment.

She conjured a meal for herself, sitting on the bank of the brook, eating thoughtfully and slowly. She was entranced by the rush of the water over the rocks. It was peaceful and rhythmic. As she continued to stare into the water, a force took her over and an image in the shape of a person but made entirely of the water, rose from the surface.

Adelaide stood up quickly, ready to call Zahn if she felt threatened.

"Do not be alarmed child. I mean you no harm." Said the creature.

"What...are you?"

"I am your Guide. I am with you always, in everything you do, everything you see, everything you touch. You are troubled."

"I am."

"Tell me of your troubles. I will listen."

Adelaide looked around her, assuring herself that she was alone and Zahn was out of earshot. "I am in love with a man who is not my husband. I feel so guilty."

"Why guilt? You have done nothing wrong."

"But I have!! I am in love with my husband's brother! How could this have happened? I am a married woman."