Frankie's Bride

“Frankie. You’ll be fine. I have to save the little girl. You understand, don’t you?”

“No. I won’t allow it. I saved you, that makes you mine. What about our son?”

“Sorena will give him to you when it is time.”

“Yes. Yes. I promise. You can have the boy.”

“That isn’t good enough. I need you, Polly.”

“Calm down,” Polly says, her thoughts invading mine.

“What the hell are you doing?” I think but she doesn’t respond.

That doesn’t sit well with me.

Chapter 5

Polly

I have a plan, but I’m just not sure it’s a good one. Something in me is telling me all is not as it seems. Again, I find myself praying for salvation. For more than just myself this time. I must protect my baby and Frankie as well. I have to control my thoughts, putting up a shield I block my thoughts from the man I love. It’s hard, almost crippling, but I manage it.

“How does this work?” I ask. I can’t pinpoint it, but she is important to me. I had a slight inkling while I was babysitting, but now it’s overwhelming.

“It’s simple. I will emerge from this vessel and enter yours.”

“How do you enter? What happens if you wait too long between vessels,” I ask. Though I mean to knock her off her kilter, I am genuinely interested in how this all works.

“I’m going to stab you again, enter through the wound, and heal it from the inside out. I would have done that yesterday, but we were interrupted. If I don’t enter a vessel within five minutes, I am doomed to my natural form forever or until someone kills me. Though, no one on Earth possesses the strength to do what’s needed.”

“Right, I remember.”

“You can’t be serious,” Frankie asks. He sounds pained, but I can’t deal with that now. I feel stronger than I ever have before. I am beginning to think that my plan, ill planned as it is, will work.

“Show yourself, Sorena,” I ask and the air changes. It’s now cloyingly thick smelling of sulphur and burnt skin. It’s awful. I almost vomit but manage to control the waves of nausea being caused by the revolting smell. When the air clears of smoke the scent lingers. Standing over Demina’s lifeless body, is a hideous creature. I think it used to be a woman. In my mind, I can see a pretty girl with a bonnet on her head, but that is not what I am seeing now. She’s short, wrinkled, and pale. Her grey hair is scraggly and matted. She doesn’t have working legs, instead she drags them as she scrambles up the rock table to sit on my chest. She’s not wearing clothes, but neither is she “naked” per se. With no discernible features, it’s hard to tell what she is really. The rotten egg smell makes me think of Hell. I reach out to touch her skin. It’s hot but surprisingly soft. Her eyes connect with mine and they are human eyes for sure.

“Sorena, who did this to you?” I ask. I can’t believe I am sympathetic toward her, but something’s not right here.

“What do you mean?”

“There’s a young woman inside you. I see her. I feel her. Tell me so that I can help you,” I plead with her.

“You can’t help me. No one can.”

“Sorena. Who did this?” I ask more forcefully this time. She closes her cerulean blue eyes. Tears are streaming down her face.

“My father.”

“When?”

“1694.”

“After the witch trials? Why?”

“Yes. I refused to marry for anything other than love. He wanted me to marry an old man he owed money to. I couldn’t do it. He was a powerful warlock who remained undetected during the mass hysteria. He cursed me to live forever as a beast of sorts until I found my precious love. I scoured for the perfect host so that I could find it, but I was rejected from every vessel. I think I’ve gone crazy, Polly. I don’t know what to do.” I can hear Frankie talking to Demina who appears to be just fine.

“Three hundred and twenty-five years is a long time to be looking for love.”

“At first, I thought it was you, but it’s not. Your old blood was closer to my love.”

“My old blood?”

“Yes. Before he saved you, it was different. Not exact but so close. I went crazy.” In my mind, I see it clearly now. My brother, Braum, is her love. Their love radiates in my heart. He is the answer she’s been waiting for. It’s been well over five minutes. Her skin is starting to get a rosy hue to it.

“I know what you’re looking for. Who you’re looking for, but the perfect vessel isn’t the answer.”

“I know. I’ve known for some time but how will he fall in love with me when I look like this?”