Ava jolted up from what felt like a long, dreamless sleep.
The pain in the back of her head made her scowl. Her hand made its way onto her nape as she scrutinized the room she was in.
A cozy Persian carpet immediately made her realize she was not inside a hospital. A small cabinet was placed to her left that probably needed some new paint, a table and lamp and a small fireplace were just at the foot of her queen-sized bed, which was adorned with muted sheets. She was in someone else's house. Who? She didn't know.
She closed her eyes.
The room smelled old and dusty, yet the sheets smelled like they had just been changed today.
Her face turned ugly when she noticed people stationed outside of her room.
Witches, she assumed.
"I know she's awake! Let me in!"
Ava looked at the brown wooden door. The man's voice outside was familiar—too familiar. She frowned. Her memory pointed her to one person from the past.
But that person left… a long time ago.
Was this another dream?
"I can't…"
"Why? I need to talk to her." His anger reverberated inside the house. It was dark and harsh and she didn't like it.
"No, you don't."
"I said let me in! I need to know where Amelia is!"
"I told you! She's not awake yet!"
The second voice sounded like a teenager's.
"I said let me in!"
"No!"
"What is going on here?" Another voice. This one was that of an older woman. Despite being croaky, the voice held some authority. Ava squinted. Was it a high-ranking witch? She wondered if she should pretend that she was still asleep.
"I want to talk to her."
Ava heard a sigh before the knob turned. She looked at the first man who walked into the room.
Broody Jones.
Just as she was expecting. For a few seconds, her gaze lingered on his face as memories of the past filled her head.
He left almost two years ago, ghosting her after a three-year relationship. She expected to feel something when she saw him again.
She was wrong.
The man before her felt like a stranger.
A stranger she once knew.
"Where is she?" Broody took two large strides to approach her. His six-foot frame seemed to make the room smaller.
"Who?"
"Stop this nonsense Ava! Where is my wife!?"
"Your wife?" So, he got married. She was a little surprised. Broody should be a year older than her. So… twenty-seven? She never saw him as someone who married at that age.
"Amelia! Where is Amelia!"
Something clicked inside her head. Her eyes landed on the older woman and then on Broody.
"I don't know— "
"Then why were you at her cabin?"
"I— "
"Why were you at her cabin?"
Ava fought the urge to roll her eyes. She always knew that Broody was not the brightest even when they were still in a relationship, but this… wasn't he just a little too dumb?
She looked at the older woman. "Remove him out of my sight."
"You— " Broody's eyes were blood red, they bulged out of his sockets as he fisted his hands. "How dare you— "
"Now," Ava uttered. That was not a request. It was an order. She needed this man out of her sight before she lost her temper.
"Alright… take him downstairs." The older woman said. Almost immediately, two burly men walked inside the small room and held Broody's arms. Despite Broody's bulky appearance, the two men easily overpowered him while asking him to calm down.
Just as she wanted, they removed him from the room.
"I presume you are the High Priestess?" Ava stroked the back of her head as she put her foot down on the carpet. No shoes. But she still has her socks. She was also wearing the same black clothing that she had before she lost consciousness. Even her phone on her coat was still there.
"I am appalled by the lack of respect." The older woman held her scarf tighter. "I was not expecting a fellow witch to order a priestess around."
"Right," Ava responded.
"I have heard of people like you. Witches and shifters who exist to apprehend their kind." The woman walked towards the fireplace and added a few logs to the almost non-existent fire. Earlier, Ava had already noticed the temperature, but she didn't think of anything about it.
The moment she opened her eyes, she immediately thought of what happened. Someone attacked her from behind. The attacker had the advantage, but he or she actually let her live. Why?
"So, you 're there because of Amelia?" the woman asked.
"Yes."
"Ah… forgive my manners." The woman's lips thinned. "I am called Patricia."
She nodded in response. Patricia. Ava recognized the name. No, she didn't just recognize the name, she also recognized the woman's face. Earlier, she wasn't too sure about it. But now, she was certain, this was the same Patricia that her mother knew.
The woman wasn't a priestess back then.
"Ava," she responded.
"You are as cold as the rumors."
Her eyebrows lifted. "Rumors?"
"About Trillium." Patricia's lips thinned. She stared at Ava's clothes and her already wrinkled brows furrowed further. "Please don't misunderstand my previous comments. It was my first time talking to… someone from Trillium."
"Not a problem." Trillium is an organization that is keeping the witches and shifters at bay. Because of this, Trillium only accepts the best warriors, the best witches.
That means the number of officers on a continent can only be counted by hand.
"We found you outside of Amelia's house. You were asleep for three hours. We thought something must have happened, but someone in the coven assured us you are healthy. So, we didn't take you to the hospital."
Again, she nodded. Some witches were gifted with abilities that are beyond human comprehension. Just like how she was an Empath and how she could walk in dreams, others have the ability to heal and some could even do a little mind-reading.
Witches call these 'gifts'. And a witch can only have one 'gift'.
As to why Ava has three of these gifts… she didn't know. And frankly, she stopped caring about it a long time ago.
"Priestess… I brought the tea."
"Come in Lovella…"
A woman wearing a sky blue dress walked inside the room. She lowered her head as she carefully put the tea on the bedside table just next to Ava's bed and then left without saying anything.
"Tea? We harvested them a few days ago. It should be helpful for… anxiety."
Ava could sense the sincerity of the woman. She knew that the woman found her strange and was quite curious about her. She could feel it from the way she scrutinized her. Luckily, she wasn't using any spells to get into Ava's head.
"Thank you. But I need to leave now."
"Are you going to visit Amelia's cabin again?"
"I have a job."
"Please forgive me, but I don't think Broody would allow you to— "
"This is none of his business." Ava got up. She found her boots just a few feet away from her.
"Amelia is his wife. This is his business."
Ava started putting her boots on. "Does he know about Amelia?"
"That she is a witch? No. But she was already planning to tell him before she gives birth."
So a pregnant witch, she thought inwardly. "Then this is none of his business."
"I understand that Trillium only wanted to keep both the witches and shifters safe, but please understand… Broody is family."
Ava said nothing until she finished wearing her boots. "A witch's business is not his business."
"Can you really do that to Broody? To a man you once loved?"
Ava immediately arched an eyebrow. "What are you insinuating… Priestess?"