Sweeter Tease (Sequel To Sweet Tease)

Chapter Thirteen

{Octavia's Point of View}

Introducing my son and his mother had caused a huge commotion, and I had had to be the bad guy when I threatened to kick asses and give demotions and the like.  Now we sat in one of our lounge rooms, discussing everything.  I rubbed my face in frustration, Winifred and Janessa squirming on my lap.

"Tell me again why you helped my ex-girlfriend kidnap my wife and daughter, and why I shouldn't kill you where you sit?"

I growled, Janessa and Winifred the only reason I was able to keep from jumping on her and hurting her.  Donavan's eyes widened as he heard about my daughter and Janessa.  I hadn't even mentioned the fact that they had killed Janessa -- yet.  Ichure looked nonchalant about the conversation.

"Cassandra had gotten into some trouble with that cult, the Anuubi.  You should remember how she is, wolf."

Ichure laughed, waving at me.  Sure, I remembered, but that was years ago that I tried to forget.

"Yes, I remember."

"Right, well.  She had to bring a pure-bred child to hem.  With you being the daughter of the Chosen Warrior, Winifred being a purebred, and Janessa being the last purebred female of her line, it was obvious who the child would have to come from."

I felt my body tense underneath my wives as Ichure stared at the three of us.  Janessa snarled, her fangs extended and Winifred growled deep in her chest.  Ichure didn't seem bothered.  She simply shifted in her seat and took a sip of the water in her glass.

"The Anuubi have a prophecy about Guinevere.  It goes on to say that they will raise the purebred child as their own.  On her eighteenth birthday, they will sacrifice her to their Goddess.  Their Goddess will take over the child's body and the child will be no more.  Once the Goddess is revived in the child's body, the world will be at risk of destruction."

I felt the snarl leave my body before I could stop it.  My wives shivered atop me while Ichure flinched lightly and Donavan cowered.

"So, they'll just kill her with no thoughts to what family she has?"

Ichure shrugged lightly.

"Cassandra told them that you all didn't want the girl and that you got rid of her because you didn't love her."

I saw Janessa move before I could catch her.  Her fingers wrapped around Ichure's neck and she held the woman off the ground by the throat.  Her eyes were black in anger and her fangs were extended threateningly.

"Wie kannst du es wagen?!" {How dare you?!}

I moved Winifred out of my lap quickly, wrapping my arms around Janessa's waist.  She snarled at me, anger controlling her actions.  She snapped her fangs in front of Ichure, who, for her part, looked genuinely afraid.  Moving her hands to her neck, Ichure tried to scratch at Janessa's fingers on her throat.

"Sie haben meine Tochter mitgenommen, mir erlaubt zu sterben und die Kühnheit zu haben, hier Ihr Gesicht zu zeigen und diese Lügen zu sprechen?" {You took my daughter, allowed me to die, and have the audacity to show your face here, speaking those lies?}

Thinking quickly, I leaned against her back and brought my teeth to her neck and bit her in such a way that during her breeding season, it made her whole body go limp. Her fingers released Ichure's throat and she went limp against my body with a groan. I placed Janessa on the chair with Winifred and turned back to Ichure with a raised eyebrow.

"Explain to me why you're turning on Cassandra. Why should we trust you when you kidnapped my daughter and let my wife die? You could have saved her before and kept all of this from happening."

I watched as Ichure squirmed lightly in her seat, rubbing her throat where Janessa's claws dug into her flesh. Donavan looked a bit shocked at the fact that Ichure had been involved in any of that that had happened. I gave him a sad smile. Obviously, Ichure hadn't told him anything about how we came to need his mother's help. I watched several emotions pass over her face before she sighed and gave an apologetic look.

"Many years ago, my own children were taken by the Anuubi. My late husband had been one of the Council of Seven, which, if you remember, is only for a select few. We had met at one of the council meetings, and it was instantaneous. We had to keep our relationship a secret, since he would have been banned from the council if they found out, and I would be murdered. Soon after we got married, we found out I was expecting twins. He was so excited."

She smiled warmly at the memory of him excitedly twirling her around, then dropping to his knees and talking to her still flat belly.

"Once the twins were born, things went south."

Ichure's voice changed to very soft and sad and if I didn't know any better, I'd say she was fighting tears.

"The Healers had just handed our daughters to us when the Council and the Anuubi burst into the room."

Her face twisted in pain as if the memories were still fresh. I felt a tug in my chest, almost similar to the ones I get with my wives when I feel the need to comfort them.

"The Council took my husband. They bound his magic, bound his body, and threw him in the middle of the ocean to die, weighed down with everything they could find. Our daughters weren't so lucky. Once they turned eighteen, the Anuubi sacrificed them in an attempt to resurrect their Goddess."

Ichure took a breath, and blinked away the tears. It took her a few moments to compose herself enough that she could speak, and her voice was still soft and fragile.

"The ritual was not successful. The Goddess they were attempting to resurrect was not compatible with their genetic make-up. My daughters died, one right after the other and I was unable to do anything about it."

Her voice hardened and she looked directly at me, her bluish eyes cold.

"I will do everything in my power to stop this cult and save your daughter."