Kiss Me at Midnight

Part 4

TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter contains conversations and situations about domestic violence. Reader discretion advised.

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"Mother?" I gaped, looking back to William. "How can you have a mother?"

He sighed. "I wasn't the only one who was cursed."

I looked back over to his mother. She looked somewhere between furious and flabbergasted. She looked so much like William- or, I guess, he looked so much like her. She had the same blonde hair, the same blue eyes. She was wearing a red wrap dress.

"William... can she- can she see us?" she glanced between me and her son. He nodded, and she slowly took a step forward. "Hello." She whispered, laughing with an almost exasperated breath.

"Hi." I responded, unsure.

She walked up to me and very slowly extended her hand. I watched as it made contact with my shoulder, and she gasped. Her demeanor changed immediately, and she threw herself against me in a hug. I couldn't move she was holding me so tight. Her body was shaking a little, but from what I wasn't sure.

"Mom," William stood from the couch and pulled her gently away from me. As he helped her into a seat on the couch, I realized she was silently crying, and that's why her body had been shaking. My heart panged with sympathy.

This poor woman had spent decades like William- completely unseen. Her reaction really was quite sweet.

William sat down next to his mother, his hand rubbing her back in comfort. I knelt down in front of her and took her hand.

"I'm Brenna." I said. "Nice to meet you."

She looked up at me, tears gleaming in her eyes. Her breathing slowed and she smiled.

"I'm William's mother, Mary Ravencrest. You can call me Mary if you'd like." She said. She took hold of my hand and shook it. I stood, and we dropped hands. "How... is this possible?" she asked no one in particular.

"I'm not sure, mom. She only just appeared at my door last night during the party." William rose from his seat and took my hand. I smiled at him, enjoying the contact. "Does it really matter?"

"Well, what if she's the key to all this? What if she's the one who can help us break the curse?" she looked pleadingly at her son.

His face was hard as stone. "Don't start with that again, mom. What's done is done, and we just have to accept it."

"I can't just accept it, William! This is the first chance we've had in decades! And you want to, what? Just galivant around the property having sex with her?"

I coughed, nearly choking on my spit. Yeah, I wasn't prepared for that conversation... especially considering I'd never actual done any of that stuff before...

William looked pissed. "I'm not involving her. End of story."

Mary looked crushed. It was weird, seeing him act like he was the adult, while his mother was some helpless child. She stood, resolve in her eyes. Then she stormed out of the room.

"So... anyone else who might come popping in here that I should know about?" I smirked, trying to break the tension. His frustrated expression softened, and he let out a single chuckle.