Roweena

Chapter 18-Explanation

Roe, Adrian and Shane sat down on the bed. Roe was leaning back against the headboard, and the two guys had sat down, one on either side at the foot of the bed.

Roe took a deep breath, then began. "Most supernatural creatures mark their mates. Werewolves, vampires, faeries, they all mark their mates."

"Fairies?" Shane asked, incredulously. "There are actually fairies?"

"Yes, there are actually faeries, but they're not exactly the tiny little pixie things that you're thinking of, they're different." Roe shook her head. "We're getting way off topic here. My spell won't last forever. I'll tell you about faeries later, okay?"

"Yeah, sure."

"As I was saying, most supernaturals mark their mates, but traditionally witches don't. My line of witches actually do mark their mates."

"Why?" Shane asked.

"If you will hush for a few minutes, I can finish telling you. Please hold your questions until I'm done explaining. If I don't answer something, then you can ask." Roe said, slightly annoyed.

Shane nodded and pantomimed zipping his lips.

"Thank you. Anyway, my family figured out that they formed a connection to whatever type of supernatural creature they got marked by, so we started waiting until we got married to be marked. It had led to a lot of issues when a witch in my family was marked by a different species than the one they married. Once we're marked, we feel compelled to help the species that we were marked by, even if it's not the same species that we're married to. That has caused some major issues between spouses."  She paused then added ruefully.  "I'm not doing a very good job explaining this am I?" 

"Well, sort of." Adrian tried to reassure her.

Shane looked at Adrian then back at Roe.  "I'm really confused."

"Okay, let me see if an example will help.  My great aunt Katherine got marked by a werewolf.  At the time, she thought she was in love with him.  Later, he actually found his mate and dumped Katherine.  Then she fell in love with a vampire, whom she married.  After that whenever a problem arose between werewolves and vampires, she was extremely conflicted. She was compelled to help any werewolf that needed her because of being marked by one, even if it was against her husband's coven. It led to a great many fights between them, and problems in their relationship.  Does that make sense?"

"Basically, whenever you get marked, you're tied to whichever species marks you, correct?"  Adrian asked.

"Yes, but it only works the first time you get marked. If you get marked again, it's just like a mating mark."

"Okay, so what does that have to do with your powers?  And why tell us this?"  Shane asked impatiently.

"The first time that we're marked is when we come into our full powers, and we share some of those powers with the one who marks us."

"Marked as in bitten or marked as in mating mark?"  Shane asked.

"As in mating mark.  It doesn't have to be a completed mating though.  Some of my family have wanted to marry other witches and marked someone else to have the connection with that species."

"I'm a little unsure why."  Adrian said.

"Why what? "

"Why your family would do this, and why others would allow it."  Adrian replied.

"Remember how you had heard of the packs and covens around here trying to get me to align myself with them? That's why."  Roe said, slightly embarrassed.