Chapter Seven: Dancer Or Whore

Baila

"What?" I spluttered. My eyes were wide like saucers as I stared at the redhead.

Aaron glared at me. Now, he chose to pay attention.

"You want to say that I'm your whore?" I frowned, confused. I did not understand what Sara was trying to do. Either way, I would still end up with the brand of a whore.

"No. A dancer. I had many dancer friends before I became.....well....this. All of them have travelled far away from the city. I could say that you're having money troubles and came to me for help. You can stay here for as long as you want with that excuse," Sara explained.

"Like hell, she can!" Aaron swore, approaching Sara. "You can not possibly think of vouching for her. If anyone ever finds out the truth, you'll be punished or worse,"

"You chose Aaron, why can't I?" Sara shrugged, straightening up and squaring her shoulders to face him.

I had never seen Sara behave this way before but I hadn't known her long enough to come to that conclusion.

Aaron grabbed her by the elbow, glaring down at her petite form. I looked between them, wondering if they were still talking about me. Nolan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose like Aaron and Sara's confrontation was an everyday thing.

I felt uncomfortable about them fighting over me. But then again, I didn't think they were fighting over me.

"If this is about....if it's about that then it's a stupid thing to do," Aaron hissed.

Sara snatched her hand out of his grip and scoffed. She came to stand by me.

"It's settled then," she licked her lips and run her hand through her red curls.

Nolan nodded, he looked tired. The bags under his eyes were more prominent now. I felt sad for him. He must have been exhausted. Aaron shot a wicked glare Nolan's way but Nolan ignored him.

"Fine. Do whatever you want but don't forget, she's a witch. You know what their kind is capable of," Aaron sneered and stormed out. Sara stormed out after him, slamming the door shut.

I flinched, squeezing my eyes shut. I was causing too much trouble than I was worth.

"Why was he so angry?" I asked Nolan.

He looked up at me. I saw the turmoil in his eyes. He was wondering if it was a good idea to tell me.

"It's fine if you don't want to tell me. I understand" I added quickly. He had saved my life and given me a place to stay. I didn't want to push him or put him in an uncomfortable position.

"He loves her. They were mates. He rejected her to serve me and become my beta and captain of my guards. He said she would be a distraction. The bond might be broken but he still loves her," Nolan replied.

"I'm guessing you're not getting married to your mate," I muttered. I knew I was treading on dangerous waters but I was curious about Nolan.

"I'm not," he nodded.

"Why not?"

"Because I haven't found her yet and I'm not sure I want to," he replied with a shrug.

Somehow, I could tell that he was telling the truth but I felt horrible for his mate. Not every werewolf had a mate. Some of them were not granted the sacred gift for some reason. From the books, I had read and from what I had been told, I knew that werewolves who had mates knew it. Somewhere in their hearts and their souls, they felt it.

Werewolves who had no mates felt it too. Usually, werewolves went to great lengths to find their mates. They loved and cherished their mates except for a few exceptions. And right now, Nolan was one of those few. He did not want his mate.

"Can you live without her?" I asked. I didn't know why I was concerned for him but I was and the words kept spewing out of my mouth. "Will you be able to live with that hole in your chest? I hear it hurts,"

Nolan chuckled bitterly and hopped off the edge of the table. His bright blue eyes darkened significantly and I feared that I had pushed him too far.

For each step he took towards me, I took a step back until I was backed up against a wall. My heart thudded furiously in my chest as Nolan placed a hand above my head.

"I can live without her," he hissed "I don't need nor do I want her,"

I nodded my head vigorously. I hoped he wouldn't hurt me. My eyes shined with tears. At the sight of tears, he backed away from me and shook his head.

"I'm sorry," he apologized.

"There's no need," I shook my head and smoothed down my skirt. For a moment, I thought that he was going to kill me. He had a very good reason to. I was a witch—a red one too.

The door groaned open and Sara walked in muttering profanities under her breath. I noticed how Nolan's eyes lit up with amusement when Sara walked in.

Sara locked elbows with me but tensed shortly after.

"Did he make you cry?" she asked, concern filling her green eyes.

"No, of course not. Something got into my eye," I denied quickly.

Sara didn't speak but I could see it in her green eyes. Sara did not believe a word I said.

"I'll escort her to her room and go about my duties," Sara bowed before dragging me out of the room.

Back in my room, I sat still as Sara cleaned my wounds. I wanted to send a letter to my mother but needed help with it. The village of Ash was my only option. The village of Ash used to be home to the witches. It was once called Ardena. It was the kingdom where the witches ruled and lived and thrived until witch-hunting. Now, it was the only way witches received letters from outsiders.

All I had to do was drop my letter in the old cart in the middle of the village. The witch who collected letters from the cart every week would deliver my letter to my mother.

"Is there a way to get a letter to the village of Ash?" I inquired, breaking the silence.

"We haven't communicated with the witches since the treaty but write your letter and give it to me. I'll make sure it gets there" Sara replied.

She left a few moments later and returned with sheets of paper, ink and a quill. I made sure to thank her before she left again. Sara had duties to attend to.

My mind went blank when I dipped the quill in ink. With a sigh, I wrote only one question. I knew my mother would know who it was from.

"What do I do now?"

I couldn't write the words I truly wanted to say. Each time I tried, it felt like I was saying goodbye. I made up my mind then. I would say sorry when I saw my mother again. I only hoped it would be soon.

The day went by quickly as I sat alone behind the paper with scrambled thoughts. Soon, I had to light a candle. I frowned, staring outside the window. There was no moon in the skies. Only darkness—the kind I had never seen before.

I found myself panicking in the dark as the hairs on the back of my neck and arms rose and a nasty chill sent goosebumps up my arms and legs.

Then, I heard it.

A loud shrill cackling sound broke the silence. Two more cackles followed and soon, the cackling was coming from everywhere.

My eyes went wide as I searched around the room for a weapon. Something was coming and whatever it was, it wasn't good.

Lightning flashed in the black sky, giving me enough light and time to see the shadows that moved swiftly in the dark as if they were walking on air. My hand reached for my necklace instinctively. If it came down to the worst moment, I would rip off the damn thing that restricted my powers and use my gifts.

A strong wind blew and the candle I had lit went off. The darkness swallowed me—fears and all. My breath stuttered to a halt as the castle walls grew eerily quiet. I could not hear the guards' footsteps as they made their nightly rounds. I couldn't hear the maids laughing as they gossiped and I couldn't hear the squeaking of the mouse that irritated me to no end.

It was dark but I knew the way to my door. I stumbled in the dark and without thinking, I pushed the door to my room open and stepped out. The hallway was dark as well but the cackling had stopped. I didn't know where I was going or what I was doing. All I knew was that I needed to be around people.

A low hissing sound came from behind me, freezing me where I stood. Sweat slithered down the side of my head and into the cleavage of my nightgown. One by one, the torches in the hallway lit up, allowing me to see.

"Don't look back," I whispered to myself as my feet moved slowly on their own.

"Don't look back," I whispered, hot tears streamed down my face.

When I turned to face the source of the hissing sound, all my nightmares began to look like fairy tales.