Chapter 49 Forty-Nine
Danica desperately tried to open her eyes so that she could fix her gaze on her adoptive mother. It had been over a month since she last saw Martha, and the sudden longing she felt at just hearing her voice left her in a state of struggle.
"Who are you?" Nigel asked. "Why are you here?"
"I can help." Martha said once more with a long sigh.
"Help us?" Mason asked, sounding unsure.
"May I come in first?" Martha asked.
Danica could hear the sound of feet shuffling before Martha's high-heeled steps made their way across the floor and to her side. She could feel the sensation of her cheek being touched as Martha took in a shaky breath.
"Now that you're in, what do you plan on doing?" Nigel demanded.
Trying to open her mouth Danica wanted to reprimand Nigel for the way he was talking to Martha; no one was allowed to disrespect her.
"I can lift the curse that is on Danica," Martha said.
Shocked Danica tried to figure out if she had just heard Martha right—had she really just said that she could lift the curse? But how was that possible? Martha was just a human.
"How can you lift it?" Mason asked, sounding hesitant. "How do you even know about this anyway?"
Another long sigh left Martha: "I know because I am the one who placed it."
A collective gasp could be heard around the room as Danica felt her heart squeeze painfully at Martha's words. She couldn't help but find herself thinking that what she was overhearing at the moment had to be a dream. That was the only logical explanation; after all, Martha was her beloved parent; why would she do such a thing?
"You placed it?" Nigel asked, sounding unconvinced. "What proof do you have that this is your doing?"
"Forget that; why did you do it?" Mason's words dripped with anger as he spoke.
"I will explain after; first, we need to help her." Martha huffed.
The faint feeling of warmth and tugging began to form near Danica's hip, where the mark of the Sarff clan resided.
"Will she be able to heal after this is gone?" Mason asked. "She will be alright, right?"
"Calm down, Alpha." Chris warned.
Danica could feel the warmth and tugging growing as Martha worked to remove the curse layer by layer. With each layer, discomfort began to form before turning into severe pain. Unable to move or speak, Danica endured as the pain overtook her little by little.
"The bleeding is worsening!" Mason yelled as Danica's consciousness began to fade again.
"Let the woman work," Nigel insisted.
The sound of a struggle could be heard as Danica continued to drift; it seemed that someone was fighting, or rather someone's, as Danica was sure it was probably two or three of the men present attempting to hold the frantic Mason back.
"Done." Martha's shaky voice spoke. "Now, Shaman, please help her along with the healing process."
"Of course," Nigel said.
The faint feeling of needles piercing into her skin brought Danica back to the moment, despite her mind's desire to fade into darkness. The piercing sensation intensified as she continued to regain feeling in her body, starting from her toes and slowly working up to her head. With the feeling came pain, a pain so severe that Danica wanted nothing more than to scream; however, she was still unable to speak or even move.
"Look, it's working." Mason said as Danica felt a warm hand engulf hers, sending comforting warmth through her. "That's it, baby. Keep fighting."
"Alpha, be careful not to justle her." Chris warned, reprimanding Mason's sudden action.
"Sorry," Mason said while squeezing Danica's hand.
With the help of Nigel and the warmth from her mate, Danica could feel the excruciating pain she was experiencing beginning to fade away until she was left with nothing more than a dull ache. Letting out a mental sigh, she was finally able to open her eyes.
Initially, everything around her was nothing more than a blur before it began to form into people and Nigel's all-too-familiar hut around her.
"Danica..." Mason said, noticing that she was now fully alert. "Baby, are you feeling okay?"
Before Danica could even respond, Mason was scooping her into a hug against his warm and firm frame. She could hear him letting out a prayer to the moon goddess as he did so.
"How..." Danica tried, only to realize talking was difficult.
"Save your energy." Mason insisted, continuing to cradle her. "Thank the goddess; you're okay."
"Alpha." Chris, who was posted up against a wall with his arms across his chest, snapped. "You shouldn't be so rough with her."
"I'm not." Mason growled, narrowing his gaze on his beta.
Too exhausted to say much of anything, Danica snuggled in closer to Mason. He wasn't lying when he said he wasn't being rough with her; instead, he was being extremely gentle as he held her close like a precious gem.
"Danica..." So lost in the moment of comfort, Danica had forgotten about Martha's presence.
Turning her gaze, she found Martha standing to the side, looking unsure of herself. Her face looked pale, and she seemed to have aged tremendously.
"Martha." Danica squeaked as she immediately began trying to pry herself away from Mason.
"Careful." Martha said, surging forward and placing a hand on Danica's arm to stop her struggle. "Don't move so much; you need to rest."
"What's going on?" Danica asked as she stopped moving. "Why are you here? What is going on? How were you able to lift the curse?"
"Calm down first, please." Martha said, giving a small smile. "I said earlier I would explain, and I intend to; after all, I think it is about time you knew everything, sweetheart."
About time, she knew everything? Danica couldn't quite wrap her head around what Martha was getting at. Hell, she couldn't even process why Martha was even here and why she was able to lift the curse that even Ash couldn't.
"Can someone please explain to me what's going on here?" Danica said as she continued to try to process everything.
"It seems this woman is a sorceress." Nigel mused in the way of answering Danica. "How does she know you?"
"I'm her adoptive mother." Martha responded just as Danica opened her mouth to speak. "I've been the one taking care of her since she was a little girl."
"Why would a loving parent do such a thing?" Nigel continued to push.
"I had my reasoning." Martha responded firmly. "Now, will you allow me to tell my tale?"