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Someone was pounding on the door. When she opened her eyes and looked around she realized it was the next morning.
What time is it? How long did I sleep?
She was still in her clothes from yesterday and had slept on the couch. The knocking came again. If she slept on the sofa last night, that meant that Eli hadn’t come home. There was someone at the door, but she ran to the bedroom first just to be sure he wasn’t there.
The bed was made up. She looked into the bathroom. No Eli. She dragged herself to the door worried about why he wouldn’t have come home. The knocking at this point had grown incessant. She threw open the door, ready to bitch at whoever was on the other side of it. She was in a foul mood and worried that Eli hadn’t come home because he didn’t want to face her.
Zoriana and Morgana walked past her into the living room the minute she opened the door. She bit her tongue and huffed.
What do they want, the Judases?
She was salty with them over not informing her about this heinous law and their lack of action yesterday in trying to stop the stripping thing from happening to Eli. The rational side of her brain understood they couldn’t go up against the Elders or this Congress of Supernaturals that was mentioned, but it didn’t keep her from being pissed. Eli was one of their own. He was their leader. “What do you want?”
All she wanted to do is to go find him and try and make sure he wasn’t angry or didn’t resent her and want to break up with her. She remembered everything he said before they took him away, but what if he was feeling differently afterwards?
“We came here to cheer you up and to let you know that Phaedra wants to head to Egypt the day after tomorrow.”
I’ll bet she does. She couldn’t wait to be the one running things.
She folded her arms across her chest. “I’m not going anywhere without Eli.” She glared hard at Morgana then Zoriana to make sure they got the message.
“Listen, we know you’re upset...”
Before she could launch into her rant, the door was kicked open. Phaedra and Ulrik held Eli between them, his arms slung over their shoulders. He was unconscious. She rushed forward to help them.
“Let us get him to his bed. Then he is all yours.” Ulrik offered.
She took a step back, but remained on their heels. When they laid him back against the pillows she could see his face looked haggard and ashen.
“Ladies, I’m sorry to hear about what has happened to our friend here. He is an honorable man.” Ulrik gave her a sympathetic look before he turned to Phaedra. “We’ll talk later about plans for Egypt.”
Willow waited until he left. She knew that Morgana and Zoriana lingered in the living room so she pushed the door closed so they wouldn’t be overheard. “What plans for Egypt? I’ll tell you like I told the two of them. I don’t go unless he goes...” She sneered at Phaedra. “You just couldn’t wait to call the shots. You’re ready to take off...”
“Don’t you dare.” It was the first time, besides the battlefield, that she’d witnessed Phaedra’s emotions. She was seething with rage, although she still managed to hold it in check. The woman was such a closed book she never knew where she stood with her or what she was feeling.
“Elias is my best friend. I warned him, I begged him to let you go. I came to you to get you to let him go. Don’t tell me how I feel.” Her nostrils flared as she glowered at Willow. “I don’t care about being head of The Protectors. It never interested me to be in charge.” Phaedra advanced on her until her back hit the wall. “The only reason I’m making plans to head to Egypt is because it’s where the book is located, so says you. I know it’s what he would want if he was still in charge because he cares about you and he would want to move as quickly as possible if it meant keeping you safe.”
Willow wished she could eat her words. It was too soon to try and apologize. She’d let her own anger keep her from seeing the pain that everyone else was in.
“It goes without saying that I wouldn’t leave on the mission without Elias. Protector or no Protector, he’s like my brother and I would never betray him. He knows that and now that I’ve educated you on the matter I’m going to leave. You can tell him I will check on him later and discuss the mission with him then.” She didn’t wait for Willow to say she was sorry or anything else, she left the bedroom. The door in the living room shook with the force of her slam when she left Eli’s apartment.
She felt like an ass for accusing Phaedra of wanting Eli’s position. She’d just been so angry over everything she hadn’t been thinking clearly. The woman had laid her life on the line for her more than once and that was how she repaid her. She had to make it up to her somehow. Her eyes looked down at Eli once more before she turned out the light and shut the door to the bedroom.
Zoriana and Morgana were great at pretending they hadn’t heard any of what happened between her and Phaedra.
“I’m sorry I was rude to the two of you earlier. It wasn’t fair. You’ve only ever tried to look out for me and I acted like a bitch. Now I have to find some way to make it up to Phaedra.” She sighed and looked at them. “Forgive me?”
They both came over and hugged her.
“Of course we do. Yesterday was hard on all of us.” Morgana was being very understanding.
It was her first smile since everything had happened. “I really appreciate you guys coming by. Now that Eli is here, I think I’m going to shower, change and make some food in case he’s hungry when he wakes up.”
“No problem. Call us if you need anything.” Morgana offered before she headed to the door.
Zoriana lingered for a moment. “I know I haven’t exactly been available...” She looked slightly embarrassed, and Willow’s heart went out to her. “I haven’t been handling this rift between Mathilda and I very well, but if you or Eli need anything please don’t hesitate to reach out. I mean that. Eli’s my nephew and you’re...” For a minute she seemed uncertain about whether she should say the next line. “You’ve become family too, okay?” She squeezed her hand and then left before Willow could respond.
Zoriana’s comment left her dumbstruck. It touched her deeply that the woman considered her family. It had been so long since she had one. The Protectors may not be blood related to her, but they were certainly starting to feel like the closest thing to family she had in a long time.
She went back into the bedroom and tried not to stand their watching Eli like a stalker. When would he wake up? How would he feel when he woke up? Would he still want to be with her? All these questions swirled around her head. She was about to head into the bathroom when someone else knocked on the door.
Who could this be?
She looked around on the way to the door wondering if Zoriana or Morgana had forgotten anything or if this time it was Max or Mathilda wanting to cheer her up. When she opened the door she was surprised to find Josephine there. The woman had been crying. Terror filled her at the thought of his mother hating her and wanting her gone, out of his life. “Mrs. Walker...” Words failed her. She waited for the stinging slap to mark her cheek.
Josephine stepped into the room and hugged Willow. Her grip was almost crushing. The woman’s grief clung to her like a second skin.
“They said my boy was here.” She squeezed Willow a little more tightly.
“Yes, Phaedra and Ulrik just brought him back. He’s still sleeping. Would you like to see him?”
Josephine nodded and allowed herself to be led to the bedroom. She turned on the light and his mother immediately settled next to him on the bed. She took his hand in hers and with her other hand she brushed his hair from his forehead. Willow felt like she was intruding on something that should be private so she backed out of the room and pulled the door behind her to give mother and son their privacy.
She decided to busy herself with cooking. Even though they’d only returned a couple nights ago, neither of them had been in the kitchen and they’d been gone for a while so she was quite surprised to open the refrigerator and cabinets to find them fully stocked. Her mind went back to Zoriana and Morgana, they’d probably done it while she was being chastised by Phaedra. She pulled items from the refrigerator for a salad. Something healthy would probably do him good. She wasn’t sure what stripping did to him, but if his unconscious state and pallid appearance were any indication he would probably be famished when he woke up. As a main dish she decided to make a baked lemon chicken dish when she found fresh lemons in the fruit bowl.
The chicken had just been put into the oven to bake and she was chopping up ingredients for the salad when his mother exited the bedroom. She sniffled as she walked into the kitchen. “He’s still asleep.” She used a handkerchief to dab at her red-rimmed eyes. Her glasses set on top of her head instead of perched on the tip of her nose like she’d seen them the night of the dinner party.
She waited for his mother to yell at her. Tell her this was all her fault. She would take whatever abuse the woman wanted to throw at her. It was her fault. She knew that.
Quietly, she put down the knife she’d been using and waited. She couldn’t bring herself to meet her eyes.
“Look at me.” His mother’s voice was authoritative and didn’t seem to tolerate people not listening when she made a demand.
She raised her eyes to peer at the woman, expecting to see hate and disdain, but instead she saw love, kindness and compassion.
“I know you’re hurting too... and you probably blame yourself. I hope you don’t.” She took a deep breath before continuing. “My son has always been strong-willed and he makes up his own mind about things... He made up his mind to love you despite the consequences. So, do me a favor and don’t get crazy thoughts in that pretty little head of yours. When he wakes up he’s going to feel out of sorts, but he will not regret the decision he made. He’ll live with his choices. I need you to live with yours and don’t second guess, play games of what if, shoulda, coulda, woulda or any of that nonsense... Be the woman he sacrificed...” Tears trickled down her face once more. She wiped at them with the handkerchief. “Be the woman he sacrificed part of himself for and love him like I know he loves you. That’s all I ask.”
Willow found herself crying at his mother’s words. “I promise.” The woman opened her arms to her once again and Willow went willingly. Her mother wasn’t here to comfort her, but she felt like her mother’s words would have mirrored Josephine’s.
After she left, Willow finished preparing the meal and went to take a shower. When she walked out of the bathroom wearing one of his t-shirts and some panties she was surprised to find him sitting up on the edge of the bed.