Fallen Love
Chapter 18

Chris.

Gathered in the living room, I observe everyone present. Lisa is pacing back and forth, wondering if she should jump on Casey, who is filing her nails on the sofa. Nick is in the corner by the window watching his sister’s movements. Emmett at my side, doing the same as me. When he came out of the house after Esra, I could feel that he was less nervous, so I concluded that his talk with my soul mate had worked well. A beep broke the silence and Lisa pulled out her mobile, her eyes opened wide and she let out a “Shit”, then turned to me before looking around.

– Em’s coming and it looks like it’s going to hurt.

No sooner had she finished her sentence than Casey started screaming and for good reason, Em was on her knees.

– I can’t move, please help me,” she begs.

– If we move, she’ll do the same to us,” warns Lisa.

Ah, so Lisa will act as interpreter. On the plus side, we can talk to her and try to reason with her. Casey continued to shout but suddenly her mouth closed and she panicked. Em spat at her ready to pounce before looking at Lisa, which we also did. She came towards us.

– She’s furious, Esra helped us again and yet she’s the one who was attacked.

– It’s not our fault,” I declare.

This time the snake spits at me, looking at me blackly. Damn, she’s scary. But it’s true, we didn’t do anything.

– We don’t deserve their protection, between you Chris, the witches and now Casey. Esra is overworked and tired. You’ve ruined her TV,” she says, pointing at the guys involved. And no one apologised or bought her another one.

I’d forgotten about the TV thing. It’s true that last time we smashed his TV and his furniture. It’s also true that we left in a hurry, leaving a mess and without saying a word. The snake is right, we’ve never done anything for her, apart from endangering and abusing her.

– I’ll sort it out, I promise.

– One last thing,” Lisa begins. Don’t call my relative any more. I know she’ll never be accepted among you, so stop trying to make her believe otherwise and she’ll leave, don’t you worry. … Wait, Em, what do you mean she’s leaving? That’s the second time I’ve heard that sentence,” the she-wolf snapped.

Lisa’s face changed from angry to sad. She wanted to speak but stopped herself. Emmett moved to stand next to her half, which surprised her, but she pulled back from her grip. Em stood up slightly and spat on Casey, freaking her out to the point of tears. Well, I think she’s realised her mistake. The python looked at us one last time before evaporating, the she-wolf was unblocked and caught her breath, one hand on her heart. She was scared, so much the better, it will teach her to be careful. Once she’d come to her senses, she got up and came towards me.

– You’re going to kill them, aren’t you? She had no right to attack me the way she did.

– Because you had the right to do it earlier?

– Of course I had the right.

– Hold me back before I gut that bitch,” roared Lisa.

Nick and Emmett barely had time to get in her way before she pounced on Casey. Seriously, that girl can’t keep her mouth shut.

– Go to bed Casey, you’ve done enough,” I sighed.

– What? no….

– Now,” I growled, running out of patience.

She hesitated but finally headed for the stairs, adding one last sentence.

– You have to destroy the link Chris, you can’t stay linked to this witch.

Lisa shouted threats at him, fortunately the boys held her firmly. Once she had calmed down, Lisa freed herself from their grip and went to sit down. Bloody hell, what a night. It had started so well. Alice’s disappearance caught us unawares but thanks to Esra everything was sorted out, the little girl had a great birthday and the most beautiful of presents, with the bonus of a photo of a beautiful memory. I had the impression that I was back with the girl I’d seen before, before learning that she had powers, and I remembered how lonely she was, unlike us. Em was right, we did nothing for her when all she wanted was to be accepted. Our fear forced us to be distrustful and unkind to her, to the witch at least. She never blamed us and she understood us despite everything. Casey is also right, the bond must be destroyed, Esra will be free again like that. She’ll get on with her life without putting herself in as much danger.

– What did Em say to you?

I see Lisa looking at Emmett, who’s kneeling in front of her. I haven’t seen them this close for a long time. Especially the Beta.

– She said that if Esra keeps hanging around with us, she’s going to get herself killed, and that after the exam results, they’ll leave.

– Or will they? asked her brother.

– Away. Very far away.

– But what about you? You’re related,” continued Emmett.

Lisa shrugged her shoulders, sad. Nick wanted to take her in his arms but Emmett put his hand on hers, which made Lisa react and look at him strangely.

– What’s the matter with you,” the she-wolf whispered.

– I’ve spoken to Esra and she’s right, you don’t have to suffer the consequences of my past.

– I don’t understand, Emmett,” she says confused.

Emmett just smiled at her, then stood up and walked over to Nick. Lisa glanced at me, both surprised and frightened. I take a few steps to intervene if necessary, as I have an idea of what Emmett is going to say and of Nick’s reaction. In the end, I think it’s a good thing that Esra has wiped our memories: we’ve already lived through this scene and we can anticipate it with Lisa. What the f**k did Esra say or do to him to make him open up so much? In five and a half years I’ve never succeeded.

– Nick!

– Yeah,” said the person concerned suspiciously.

– Well, it’s me.

– What’s it to you?

He turns to Lisa, who shakes her head, but he inhales and then looks at his ‘brother-in-law’.

– I’m Lisa’s soul mate.

That’s it, the bomb’s dropped. At first Nick had no reaction, not believing a word of it, but when he saw that no one was saying anything else or laughing and that everyone was looking at him, he quickly understood and his eyes turned yellow and he pushed Emmett, fortunately he landed against the wall. Phew, he didn’t break anything, strangely enough I thought of Esra at that moment. She wasn’t so lucky. I stand in front of Nick, who’s walking towards Emmett with Lisa’s help. I don’t need Lisa physically, but psychologically she’ll come in handy.

– Nick, calm down,” his sister tells him.

– Let me calm down, Nick struggles. You nearly died because of him, I confided in him, I cried on his shoulder and he lied to me.

– I thought I’d betrayed you if you knew about the bond,” said Emmett, getting to his feet. You’ve done so much for me since we’ve known each other that I felt I wasn’t good enough.

– I’d have known from the start I’d have been proud to see a friend, my brother with my sister, now don’t even think about it.

– Esra knew you’d say that,” he smiled. Don’t worry, I understand, but I couldn’t keep it a secret any longer.

Then, without adding anything, he left the house and quietly closed the door. Nick took a step towards the entrance, pointed to the door Emmett had left through and looked at us incredulously. Yeah, I’m stunned too.

– Has he really just left?

– It looks like it, I can confirm that. This ending is a hell of a lot better than the last one.

– You said it,” murmured Lisa.

Suddenly the door opened and Nick was about to pounce on the person but held back when he saw who it was, his mouth opened and so did ours when I saw my parents. My breath catches at their kind looks and their smiles, as big as Texas. It’s not true, they’re back, and without waiting I go into my mother’s arms, she wraps them around me and cradles me. I feel like a child again.

As for the role of the big Alpha of the pack, the strongest, the bravest, blah blah blah … we’ll have to wait and see. It does me so much good to see them that the weight on my shoulders is greatly reduced. And I really appreciate it.

– Well then, kids, are you lost without us? mocks my father gently.

– It’s good to see you,” says Lisa. A lot happened while you were away.

– Sit down so we can tell you all about it,” says Nick, pointing to the sofa.

My parents look at each other and then sit down where I’ve indicated. I start to tell them about the problems with the witches who associate with the werewolves, the witches who are looking for cubs’ bones for evil spells. I then bring up the subject of Esra, but Lisa cuts me off, talking about her encounter with Esra and the protection bracelet, and my parents go through all the facial expressions… but we’re so caught up in our story that we’re not even laughing. Once that part was over, Nick took over to explain my link with the witch, my actions and reactions to her, which earned me some disapproving looks. We ended up talking about what had happened that evening, about Lisa and Emmett’s relationship. Knowing that I’d already told them part of the story when I’d spoken to them on the phone, they put a lot of things together. I glanced at the clock and realised that it had taken us a good hour to tell them everything and answer their questions. Emmett hasn’t been home for an hour either. Where is Emmett?

– Emmett? Are you all right? I asked through the pack link.

– Yes, Alpha, don’t worry, I’m watching the territory.

– My parents are back, you should come back, Esra’s barrier works you know.

– Yes, I know, but I’m not sure Nick would like me showing up.

He’s not wrong, it’s true that I don’t know if Nick has calmed down and won’t go berserk, bearing in mind that Lisa has explained a few things about their relationship that we didn’t know and that he’s probably had to answer a few questions. Suddenly, without understanding, Esra appears in her pyjamas, half asleep and rubbing her arms.

– Is something wrong, Lisa?

Esra rubs her eyes and yawns. Lisa gets up and hugs her. The witch wakes up a little but is still in a fog. If she was sleeping peacefully in the warmth, I can understand her condition. Especially as she’s done a lot of magic, it seems to be wearing her out. My parents get up, which catches Esra’s eye and she moves away from Lisa, bowing her head.

– Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” she apologises.

I hand her a cardigan, but she backs away. Nick hands her his and she quickly slips it on, thanking him. I glance at her legs and can’t help imagining them around my waist. Of course Tracker is delighted at the thought and imagines even more. No, I’ve got to stop.

Casey, think of Casey.

– There’s no need to apologise, my child,” my mother tells him.

– We’ve heard a lot about you,” continues my father.

Esra nods but doesn’t look up. She takes two steps back when my mother takes a step towards her. The door opened on Emmett, who stopped when he saw Esra, but Nick growled at him as he came towards him. Thanks for the reflex Esra.

– Stop it, both of you, this is tiring,” Esra sighs.

She walks over to them and looks at them in turn, running one hand over her forehead and the other over her waist. She must be exhausted because she’s throwing things at them that I’m sure they won’t appreciate.

– Look, Nick, I know you’re angry, but Emmett didn’t feel right about his past, and with everything you’ve done for him, he didn’t mean any harm. So yes, he was a jerk to Lisa, I’ll give you that, but ….

– He should have told me,” Nick cut the witch off.

– Maybe, but it’s done, so you can sulk and get angry all you want, but it won’t change a thing. The best thing is to move on, the rest is just a detail,” she turned to Emmett. I’m glad you’ve decided to get better, you’ll see that everything will be much more pleasant for you, but you’ll have to make amends with someone.

The wolf smiled at her, then looked at Lisa.

– Are you Esra? asked my mother.

The witch turned towards her, not reassured. My mother sees this and tries to smile sympathetically, but it doesn’t convince her. I wonder why, she’s so suspicious all of a sudden, worse than with us, but she wasn’t comfortable with Noah’s parents either. It’s a strange thing. She’s fine with young people but not with old people. Well, in a manner of speaking. With Nick unblocked, he put his arm around the witch’s shoulders, which I didn’t like at all. What right does he have to do that when I’m related to her? Not in the best of situations, but it’s still topical.

– Don’t worry, they’re Chris’s parents, they won’t do anything to you.

Esra turns to him out of her embrace, which reassures me, but puzzles me by the look on her face.

– You think that’s supposed to reassure me, he hates witches and you tell me they’re his parents. Are you calling me to kill me or something?

– No, Esra, no one wants to kill you here,” Lisa intervened.

– They don’t? Esra raises an eyebrow, arms folded. The she-wolf upstairs isn’t coming down to kill me because I blocked her in.

– The she-wolf upstairs? Asks my mother. Casey?

We all nodded to confirm the presence of the she-wolf, her father is an Alpha from the south coasts and she comes from time to time to see that we’re still allies and incidentally to see me since we’ve slept together quite a few times too. She’s an ally and she’s good in bed, so why deprive yourself?

– You remind me of someone,” says my father.

– I should have listened to Em and not come,” says the witch.

– Where are you off to?

Esra doesn’t answer him and teleports home, I think. In a moment of calm, Nick’s waistcoat appeared on the armchair and he took it, smiling.

– I love this girl, she surprises me every time.

– You’ve missed out on three great years with her then,” laughs Lisa.

– It’s not fair, you should have introduced us to her before.

– She didn’t want to. And now I understand why.

Footsteps roll down the stairs and Casey appears furious in her underwear. She ran at me to give me a hug.

– She came back and paralysed me, what did she want now?

– I’m the one who called her,” Lisa said flatly.

– Why do you always bring her back here? She’s a f*****g witch.

– A good witch, Casey,” intervened Nick.

– I want you to kill her baby,” Casey tells me.

I shake my head as she pulls away from me, my parents choosing this moment to intervene with a cough. Casey turned crimson when she saw them and realised that her outfit was totally inappropriate. Esra was in a tank top and shorts, Casey in a thong and bra. My parents really don’t seem to be enjoying this show.

– Go back upstairs and don’t come back,” growled my mother, her eyes red.

Casey doesn’t ask for anything else and hides upstairs. It’s good that she’s not arguing for once. Thanks, Mum. This time her red gaze was directed at me. Ouch, I’m not feeling it.

– Honestly, do you prefer Casey to your soul mate?

– She’s all sweet and nice compared to that … whore, my dad doesn’t dare use the real word but I can guess.

– She’s a witch,” I defended myself.

– Oh, come on, Chris, how many times has she saved our butts, and you’ve still betrayed her like a monster,” Lisa snaps.

My parents sigh, disappointed, given that their best friends – apart from Lisa and Nick’s parents – are dead wizards and they’re looking for their missing child. Some people say that this child is dead, but my parents have nothing to prove it, so they’re still holding out hope and have been trying to find him for seven years now.

– So how is the search going? Emmett said to change the subject.

My parents are aware of it, but they don’t get up, so we watch them sit down in despair.

– At a standstill,” says Mum.

– We know she’s alive, that’s something,” laments Dad.

– She’s alive? I asked in surprise.

What about her? They always told me it was a boy and the ‘boom’ is a girl. I just don’t get it. Why is this child changing s*x like that?

– Yes, it’s a girl,” confirms Dad.

– But you said it was a boy,” enquired Nick.

– They must have put a spell on us so that we can’t remember the truth,” said Dad.

– That’s so like them,” laughed Mum.

– And do you know where she’s hiding?

– I think we’re going to have to look in another country,” said Mum.

They tell us that since they started, not a single person has been put up for orphanage, adoption or in a centre, she’s just vanished into thin air. They fear that she is being held somewhere or that she has changed country or identity.

– The Co’Wayne family were very powerful wizards, they ran the wizards’ council and also the inter-species agreement. I think that’s why they were killed in the first place.

– And you hope that their daughter will take up the torch?

– If we can find her, that would be wonderful news.

– And you don’t have her name, just to widen the search?

– We’ve forgotten,” grinned my father.

They don’t know who to look for, they don’t have any clues, this witch could be anywhere, she could have another name, she could be in another country. They’d need the help of a witch to save time, which reminds me again of Esra. F**k, I can’t get her out of my head, we’ve got to break the link and quickly before it gets worse. I don’t propose the idea, thinking about what Em said about her bond. Let’s not upset her, eh, I don’t want to get my balls busted.

– Well, I’m going to bed, I’ve had enough of all this,” said Lisa.

She waved at my parents, who were smiling at her, but as she passed Emmett, he followed in her footsteps; I think they’re talking in their heads so we can’t hear. Nick tried to follow them but I told him to stay back, which he did reluctantly.

– Don’t worry, I think he wants to make up for his mistakes.

– I don’t want Lisa to be hurt.

– I know, Nick, I wouldn’t either.

– We should all get some sleep,” said my mother.

With that, we headed for the stairs but I can feel Casey in my room and I don’t want to go. I make my way back to the door, reassuring my parents about my night-time stroll.