A Wattpad Featured Novel. "For all you know there could be a shadowy Goddess cult ruling the world with us all just tiny cogs in its system... things are changing, can't you sense it?"
Daughter to a diplomat or not, Simone is just your average, bore...
Simone is shocked to literally bump into her mother at Sanctuary. She runs away to take refuge with the komodos and discovers Amira is also a Priestess of BastBula. After Amira's bombshell that Simone has a brother and living father she doesn't know what to think, never mind the fact she's some breeding experiment. She goes back to the cave she shares with the clutch and dumps her thoughts into her living spirit jelly, leaving her calmer. Until Joli admits she's pregnant.
Holy living goddess. That's a lot to take in. Maternal betrayal, superpowers and teenage dolketian pregnancy! I wonder how Simone reacts. She's pretty hot headed but first a peek at Elizabeth behind the scenes...
The lift was old-fashioned, small, with a heavy, black metal grate that you had to heave shut. It was lined with wallpaper, powder blue with ornate peacocks strutting across. A silver-trimmed French Louis chair had been crammed in the corner.
Elizabeth sank into it and allowed herself a minute of collapse. Then, slowly and carefully, she rearranged her features. She smoothed her full but furrowed brow and straightened her slumped shoulders. She put a practiced hint of a smile on her face and breathed deeply until a sheen appeared in those wide-set golden eyes. Finally she unbound her hair so it rolled down to the middle of her back. A little shake of her chocolate curls and a hitch of her Prada handbag and she was set.
She strode into the apartment, heels clicking.
"Mummy!" A solid little boy, dressed in Spiderman PJs threw himself in the general vicinity of her legs. He was followed by a tall dark-haired man with broad set shoulders and more dimples than anyone deserved. He even had one in his chin.
"Darling," he said, leaning down to lay a cool kiss on her lips, his hands hot on her hips. "How was your day?"
"Trying." Elizabeth slipped off her shoes and scooped the boy up in her arms. As always, she was taken by his resemblance to both Stefan and Simone.
"Hello Max. How's Mummy's little boy?"
"I'm not a little boy Mummy - I'm more than three and I'm Spiderman."
She half listened to his childish patter as he bounced on her hip telling her about his adventures.
"Has Marie already left for the evening?"
"Yes," said Stefan. "She left us a casserole." He sneezed then frowned. "Has the President's cat been in your office again?"
"Sorry love," she answered. "He's just such a handsome animal."
"Never mind. You look tired darling. Let me bring you a glass of wine and I'll put Max to bed."
Elizabeth smiled. This was just one of the reasons she loved this man. No one would believe that the tall, formidable former Italian politician could be so egalitarian behind closed doors, least of all his ex-wife. There was a reason Elizabeth had been top of the class in Assassination and Seduction at the Sanctuary. She handed Max over.
"Thank you Stefan. If you don't mind I'm not hungry just yet. I might run a bath and unwind first with that glass of wine."
"Alone?" Stefan gave her a cheeky grin.
"Yes, alone Stefan." She gave her son a kiss. "Night night darling. Daddy's going to read you a story."
Elizabeth sank into the claw footed bath with barely a ripple. Warm eddies of sweet ylang ylang and jasmine, edged with a tang of lemongrass and tea tree, teased tendrils from her upswept hair. As always, the aroma reminded her of early days with Stefan. She'd first used the oils to impregnate her soft skin with their scent, part of the spell to capture his harsh heart. Now she used the potion, hand crushed and blended in the Sanctuary apothecary, out of habit.
She raised her glass to toast her reflection in the framed mirror: "Happy birthday Simone. I hope you understand, you were never meant to be mine. I couldn't let you get too close, knew you were destined for greater things, promised to someone else."
It had been so hard to leave Stefan for those three years. To fake the fight, storm out, heavily pregnant and disappear. He had found her in a convent in France, as she knew he would, following the bread crumbs she left him when she was good and ready.
Elizabeth heard a soft tap on the door and closed her eyes to hide her pain.
"Cara mia. I know what today is."
"Yes Stefan."
"Do you ever think of what it would be like if you hadn't given her away?
"Oh Stefan, there's no point bringing this up again."
"We could still try find her."
Elizabeth knew that he had tried before and that he would try again, no matter what he promised. She had her informants. He'd never succeed. The Sisters of BastBula would never give up one of their own. Especially not this child.
"Stefan, it was a closed adoption, you know that. The Sisters either find a good home or raise the child in the convent. They found her a good home. She's happy."
It was true Elizabeth had spent her final trimester with the Sisters of the Abbaye de Notre-Dame de L'Annonciation, a Sanctuary stronghold based in the South of France. She had given birth to Simone under the eye of the Goddess. Afraid she'd get too attached but not willing to hand Simone over immediately, she'd given the child to Stefan's grandmother, Anjelica to foster for the first three years of her life. He had no idea the baby he made laugh was his own and Anjelica, a former priestess, kept Elizabeth's secret.
When Anjelica passed on, Elizabeth took Simone again and started a complicated juggling act. She sighed. Sometimes she thought it might be easier to tell him. But how? She could just imagine his response.
"Elizabeth! You promised your first born child to a goddess cult?"
"Something like that."
No, that wouldn't work. There was always one way to get Stefan off the topic. She lifted a sculpted calf and ran her foot along the cast iron tap. "Stefan darling. I've changed my mind. Join me."
A/N: Gosh Elizabeth, isn't that what got you into trouble in the first place! What do you think of the story so far?
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Why? That lets me know there are eyeballs out there mirroring these words.
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Dedication:
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This chapter is dedicated to Ziggy Long, whose book I discovered well before his well-deserved award. Give it a read, it's well worth it! https://www.wattpad.com/story/37588131-king-of-the-woods-or-trivial-pursuit
