To be Claimed by Her

Chapter 21

Kota's POV

I watched as my brothers fawned over this woman that we knew so little about. The timing just seemed too convenient to be real, and don't get me started on the 'witch' thing. I thought Victor and Gabe were just exaggerating from the adrenaline rush of the car wreck, but for Owen and Sean to believe also, was just mind-boggling, especially Owen.

Sure I'm a huge science fiction and fantasy fan, but this is real life. Things like this are just fiction, right? I mean, if it's real, then what else is real? 4, 8, 12, 16, 20.... Okay, counting is not helping. Then again, since she left, it hasn't helped.

I looked up as Owen sat down next to me, "You look pretty deep in thought, Kota. How are you handling all of this?"

"Handling this?" I gave a short bark of a laugh, "how does one exactly handle something like this, Owen? I mean is this real? What if her apparent help is actually a trap?" I cradled my head in my hands, then ran my fingers through my hair, "I just can't process it. I know you swear it's real, but I don't think I'll truly believe it until I see it with my own eyes."

Owen nodded and put a hand on my knee. "That's fair. Perhaps when Eveleen wakes up, we could ask her to show us some of her abilities." While I really wanted a demonstration, I felt like that was asking her to do party tricks. Before I could respond, North and Silas came through the door with bags of food from Uncle's diner. "Let's eat. I think we could all use a good meal and some relaxation." Owen said, standing up. I nodded and followed him into the kitchen.

Everyone was there already when Sean and Eveleen came down the stairs. Her hair was unruly and she looked tired. I watched her for a few moments longer until she turned her gaze to me.

"Did you want to ask me something, Kota?" she said, putting her elbows on the counter and leaning on her hands. "You seem very focused on me and you're giving off distrust in waves."

What? "Um, what do you mean 'giving off distrust in waves?" I snapped.

"I mean, I can feel your emotions because they're so strong. You don't trust me, and I can understand that. You just met me and frankly, the amount of information you all received earlier would crumble most mundanes." She said with a shrug of her shoulders.

I started to ask her another question, but Nate cut me off. "Mundanes? What does that mean?"

"Non-magical people. Most humans go their entire life and never learn that the supernatural world exists outside of movies and books." She pointed to herself, "But beings like me are born this way and we learn to navigate both worlds or die."

"Beings? Does that mean you aren't human?" Luke asked, eyes wide. "What are you exactly?"

She gave a short laugh, her face lighting up. "Actually, milseán, I'm not entirely sure what I am. I know I'm a witch and my mother was Fae, but no one knows about my father. The Council has always presumed I was half-human, but again, there's no way to be sure."

"Can your mother not tell you about your father? And why do you keep calling Luke, milseán?" I asked.

"I call Luke milseán because he was sweet to me the first time I met him. In Gaelic, it translates to sweet or sweetie." Her expression darkened for a moment before she continued. "As for my mother, she's dead. According to the Council, I was taken from Faire when I was a toddler."

Owen cleared his throat, "Who or what is this Council you keep referring to?" She paused as if uncertain how to answer at first.

"The Council is a group of witches who keep an eye on the magical community around the world. They are the ones who referred me to the coven to help investigate the disappearances." I noticed she began to pick at her fingertips. "I've been able to determine it is a shade doing the killings, but I don't know who or what summoned it." She locked eyes with Gabe and Victor. "I also don't know why it attacked the two of you. You appear to have no magic, and shades usually prey on magical beings or those they have been summoned to kill." She held Gabe's gaze, tears rimming her lids. She's scared for him, but why.

Gabe must have realized it too because he silently stood from his seat and made his way to her seat. Without a word, he lifted her into his arms and sat down again with her on his lap. She let out a ragged breath as a few tears fell when he whispered something in her ear too low for us to hear. He stroked her hair and just held her as if they were alone in the room. Without further discussion, we all resumed eating.

Author's Notes:  I'm loving the connection Eveleen and Gabriel share.  While I love all the characters, I've always felt his was underdeveloped in so many ways.