The look on Henriette’s face when I walked in with him was priceless. She sat rigid in her recliner, the anger wafting off her in waves, and glared at us through narrowed eyes.
“Where the hell have you been?”
Silas sighed, his head bent, eyes downcast. I had never seen him so submissive. It made me uncomfortable.
“Henriette, I know you’re angry, but you need to listen. Your bloodline is in danger…”
She cut him off with a sharp wave of her hand.
“Obviously. I figured as much when you took off like that. I should have known you’d be with her. Trying to wriggle your way out of your little predicament.”
Apparently, Henriette had formed the same conclusion as her daughter about why Silas had attached himself to me. His curse was an old one, and it bound him to the Matriarch of the Duvain Clan as a familiar. He had been passed down from generation to generation, forced to do their bidding, and bound by his curse to protect the Duvain bloodline at all costs. He believed that the Matriarch of the Clan had the ability to free him from his curse - and both Leena and Henriette thought he expected me to break it for him - when I eventually became Matriarch.
I had no intention of doing either.
Henriette shifted her bloated legs restlessly and turned her shrewd gaze upon me, as if expecting me to respond.
I clenched my jaw tight but kept my mouth shut. This was between the two of them.
“It’s not like that.” Silas held his hands out towards her, pleading.
“I’ve heard enough from you.” She snapped. The venom in her voice was thick and hard.
Silas’ brilliant green eyes went wide.
“Henriette, wait!”
“Revert.” She commanded, a cruel twitch curling the corners of her burgundy painted lips.
Silas turned to me, his face filled with anguish.
“Please, Henriette! Not in front of her…”
“Do as you’re told.” She spat.
Her dark brown eyes fixed expectantly on Silas. His shoulders sagged, crushed by the weight of her stare. I wanted to turn my eyes away but found that I couldn’t. I watched in horror as his body began to contort and shift in unnatural angles, his legs buckling as he fell to his knees. His skin pulled away, splitting like ripped seams, revealing black soft fur the same color as his luscious hair, that spread across his body covering every inch of him. I could hear his bones snapping and popping as his body started to shrink. His beautiful face warped - his nose flattened and spreading across his cheeks.
Silas howled with pain - a piercing, unearthly sound that echoed in my ears. I wanted to cry - to beg her to make it stop. When it was finally over, he lay limp and exhausted on the hardwood floor nestled in the crumpled heap of his human clothes. I knelt beside him, watching his small body shudder as he sucked air into his lungs. My hand gently stroked the length of his fur, trying to calm him. As angry as I was with him, it broke my heart to see him that way.
The most beautiful man I had ever known was an ordinary black cat.
Mister Whiskers, as Henriette called him.
“Was that really necessary?” I said through gritted teeth. Silas’ tail swept back and forth across the floor slowly.
“He is what he is. You needed to see it for yourself.” Henriette smiled viciously.
“You’re a cruel, heartless bitch.”
“Watch your tongue.” Her voice was deadly calm. I lifted my eyes to meet hers, glaring defiantly. I could feel the power Leena had given me boiling just under the surface. The angrier I got, the harder it was to keep it at bay.
“It’s all right, Denora.” Silas’ voice was barely a whisper. He had lifted his head, his big green eyes flashing. The small curves of his feline lips lifted into a sad smile, making his long whiskers brush against my palm.
“This is about your brothers?” Henriette frowned at me, the crease between her eyebrows deepening. I was amazed at how coherent she seemed. Usually, Henriette had a hard time holding on to her sanity for more than a few minutes at a time.
“They’ve been cursed.” I responded evenly, trying to gauge her mood. She nodded to herself, her brown curls bobbing around her weathered face.
“I feared as much. What is the nature of the curse?” The small table beside her recliner was devoid of it’s usual tea cup and newspaper. I peered at the doorway to the kitchen, wondering why I hadn’t seen Vicky since our arrival. I suppose it was a good thing my Great Aunt’s live-in nurse wasn’t around to witness all this.
“A cursed object.” I stood and dug the box I had shown to Leena from the bottom of my bag. Inside was a delicate silver necklace with a black enameled bird in the center. The bird sat in a bed of leaf-shaped beads. “They all touched it and it turned them into…”
“Crows.” She butted in. “Yes, I’ve been seeing the signs for days. Ever since you got that message in your coffee cup.”
“If you knew, why haven’t you tried to help us?” For a moment, her eyes clouded over and her expression looked lost and confused. “Henriette?” I peered at her, wondering if she had slipped out of reality again. The old woman snapped back to attention and she snorted in disgust.
“Why should I?” She pursed her lips, a stubborn set to her jaw.
Typical Henriette. Pathetic, crazy pain in the ass…
“Because they’re your family.” Silas said softly. He slowly pushed himself up onto his legs and I moved away to give him space. “Because they’re all you have left.”
“Bah! Their ungrateful mother made them useless to me. She made me swear to keep them out of the Clan… to let them live without magic. Fine. I’ve kept my word.”
“You may have kept your word, but things have changed. They were completely unprepared for this - and now Denora knows and there is no going back.”
Henriette rolled her eyes.
My patience with her was wearing away quickly. How could she be so unfeeling towards her family? She had disowned her own daughter - pretending Leena didn’t even exist - and my brothers and I were the only family she still had. I was beginning to think the old bat had no feeling left within her.
“She doesn’t want to help? Fine. Leena told me what I need. I’ll figure it out myself.” My fists were clenched at my sides, my nails digging painfully into my palms and I could feel the wild power building in layers the angrier I felt. The night before, when Leena had played her little joke, heightening my magic, I had caused a violent tunnel of wind to lash out at Silas.
As my anger towards Henriette grew, the pictures hanging in her livingroom began to shake, lifting and slapping against the wall like paper caught in a rainstorm. Henriette sucked her breath in roughly, her big brown eyes wide.
“You went to Leena?” She hissed under her breath.
“Well, you didn’t want to get off your ass and help. I needed to free my brothers and she had answers you obviously didn’t feel like giving.”
The air in the room felt electric, like the tiniest spark and the room would explode with my fury. Silas placed his small body between me and Henriette, trying to get into my line of sight.
“Denora, you need to calm down. Please, this is why we’re here, remember?”
“She doesn’t give a shit. The old bat can rot for all I care.”
Henriette was watching it all quietly, her face suddenly calm and composed.
“You need to learn. I can see that now.”
“No kidding? Now you want to be helpful?” I said through gritted teeth. My eyes had fixed on hers, her hair swirling around her face violently from the storm I was creating.
Silas nuzzled my hand and I jumped, startled at the unexpected feel of fur against my skin.
“She’s offering to teach you. Please, I know you’re angry, but do this for your brothers.” He knew that would get to me. I would do anything, undergo anything, to free my brothers from their curse. “If you want to learn control you’re going to have to suck up your anger and your pride and figure out a way to get along.”
I closed my eyes, willing my body to relax. I could feel my heart racing with adrenaline. I let out a slow breath, un-clenching my fists, and then opened my eyes.
“I want you to come here after school. You are still going to school?” Henriette said.
My jaw tightened but I was determined to keep my cool.
“Yes. I promised Julian I’d graduate this year, and I intend to.”
“Good. You’re mother would turn in her grave if…”
Silas growled at her and Henriette snapped her mouth shut as the lamp beside her chair suddenly flickered and the bulb popped loudly. I was trying to stay calm, but my anger was still just below the surface.
“We’ll start tomorrow.” She added quickly.
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