Iris: Child of prophecy

Chapter seventeen

"Bullshit!" Lily yelled at me. "You know that's not true. I'm the master manipulator, not you, so shut it."

"Hey, I'm not the one that is still seeking the old witch's approval even after this long." I smiled at her.

Her jaw tightened, and I could see her clutch the sides of her dress. "You fool."

I smiled again, disguising the pain of old wounds being reopened.

"I just don't get it. Why come back here after the scene you made to get out? It's not just money. Besides, that wolf has a lot of nerve showing up in the west like she owned the place. Polly took it easy on her, if you ask me." This girl doesn't give up, does she?

"It's nothing. Don't bother too much, just help out your sister now, would you? And I'll admit it was stupid to come to the west." She nodded.

"You're too selfish to do this only for money," she smiled. I wasn't going to fall for the bait. I knew she was trying to get me agitated, so I would blurt out a secret.

"Well, too bad, you're caught. Hand over the child," I stood up.

"Not until I know the reason." she folded her arms and came back to the seat. I ran my hands through my hair and sighed. "What else can I do?"

"Well, it's never something for nothing," she grinned.

"What do you want?"

"Hmmm what do I want" she tapped her hands against her chin and looked up as if she was thinking. "I know what I want." she got up almost immediately and walked to me.

"I want you," huh.

"Me?"

"Yes, you," she smiled and walked away from me slowly as she spoke. "All I ever wanted was for mother to love me as she did you, and what better way to gain her approval than presenting her with her run-away daughter? Don't you th-" her eyes narrowed when she turned to look at me.

"What the hell is that?" She asked in one breath, pushing her brown waves away from her shoulder.

"What?" I looked down at myself, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"Is that a hickey on your neck?" She tilted her head, her green eyes widening.

I touched my neck. The part where her stare burned and felt nothing. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, my gosh," she murmured to herself. "You can't feel it, can you?"

I said the words and cast a spell until a mirror appeared in hands and I looked through it and still did not see any distortions to my skin.

"I don't see anything."

Lily looked at me and for a second or two, she just stared at a spot on my neck. Then suddenly she started cackling, her head twitched, and she was phasing. My eyes widened, and I stepped back in panic as the mist began to rise. Then just as suddenly she stopped, phased right before my face, she spoke.

"Of course you don't," she whispered. "You bitch, you found your mate, haven't you?"

I tried to look confused, but I'm sure the clenching of my jaw and the entire state of my face gave me away. How did she piece it? And what hickey?!

"That's why you're here, isn't it?" Her viridescent eyes sparkling, she smiled. Looking extremely satisfied, now I lost the upper hand. The ball was in her court. She could do whatever she wanted.

"So what's the story?" She clicked her tongue and walked round the room, piecing my predicament together. "If you're here because of your mate, it must be someone important to him, or wait, it's his child," she gasped and looked at me. Clapping and jumping.