Chapter 51 Fifty-One
Jumping up, Danica frantically looked around the room, trying to locate Martha. Even though her rational brain understood that the woman was gone, the other part was convinced that she had just disappeared and reappeared in a different location.
"MARTHA!" She screamed, urgently searching the room. "MARTHA, THIS ISN'T FUNNY!"
Danica's vision was blurred from all the tears that were falling, and her heart felt like a ton of needles were stabbing into it one after another. To her, Martha was the only family she had known since losing her parents, and in a way, she had been much more of a parent. She just couldn't believe that she was gone. There was no way she could be gone.
As she continued to search, Danica could feel the dark being emerging within her once more, and it was livid.
It seemed that the loss of Martha had hit the being hard as well, and now that the curse was gone, there was nothing holding the being's full force back.
Screaming, Danica grabbed her head, falling to the ground. The being was desperately trying to take full control, and it was being rough about it. The being wanted blood; it wanted revenge; it wanted to obliterate everyone in sight. It's parental figure was gone; there was no bringing her back, and the being was pissed.
"Danica." Mason yelled, rushing forward and kneeling in front of her.
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Danica screamed, trying her best to keep the being at bay; however, it was slowly winning the struggle.
Danica was still very weak from the wounds she had received from the abaasy, and add in having the curse removed, she was barely hanging in there as is. In her weakened state, the being was gaining the advantage, and all Danica could do now was warn those she loved to stay back.
"I'm not going anywhere." Mason insisted, pulling her to him.
Another enraged scream escaped Danica as the being yanked hard, pushing her consciousness aside as it took over. Growling, the being began clawing at Mason after realizing it was able to extend its claws.
Watching in horror, Danica tried to regain control, but in its angry state, the being was much too strong.
'Let me,' came a familiar voice.
'You are?' Danica asked, looking around before spotting a pure white wolf.
'Nice to meet you,' the wolf spoke, moving towards Danica. 'I am your wolf, Lizbeth.'
'My wolf?' Vaguely, Danica remembered Mason talking about an inner wolf when the dark being initially appeared; he had thought that was what it was. 'You're my wolf?'
'That is correct,' Lizbeth responded.
'Then what is this thing?' Danica asked, referring to the dark being.
'You're inner rogue,' Lizbeth responded. 'Things will be made clear later; however, right now we need to get it under control.'
'Right,' Danica responded, turning her focus back to the being.
While Danica was distracted, the being managed to extend its teeth and grab onto Mason's shoulder as it continued clawing at him, but despite all the pain it was putting him through, Mason held fast.
"LET ME GO!" The being shrieked, tearing at Mason's shoulder.
Swallowing it luxuriated in his blood, which slowly flowed down its throat. Snarling, it opened its mouth to latch onto him again.
'ENOUGH!' Danica commanded stopping the being in its tracks.
Whimpering, the being began to shy away, allowing Danica to regain the advantage again.
'BACK DOWN!' Lizbeth commanded now as a white light begins to glow around her.
Moaning, the being started to curl in on itself within Mason's arms. It seemed that the being was much more afraid of Lizbeth than it was of Danica, something that didn't go unnoticed. Giving a growl, Lizbeth yanked, pulling the being aside completely and urging Danica forward.
Feeling herself gain control again, Danica remained curled in a ball as new sobs began to wrack her body at the loss of her adoptive mother.
Realizing what was happening, Mason strengthened his hold on Danica, pulling her close so she could cry in his arms, all the while murmuring his sorries in her ear.
Around the room, everyone remained unmoving, watching the scene take hold. Since all present were aware of Danica's special circumstances, no one was caught off guard; instead, they were shocked and in awe at the strength Danica truly possessed now that she was able to fully tap into her wolf side.
Danica didn't know how long she remained in Mason's arms sobbing before the tears dried up and exhaustion began to consume her.
"I'm so sorry." She whispered now as Mason continued to hug her. "Everything is my fault if it wasn't for me..."
She trailed off, unable to complete the sentence. If it wasn't for her, none of this would have happened to Martha; she would still be here. If she hadn't attempted to save her as a child and now she wouldn't have depleted her life force.
"It isn't your fault." Mason murmured, stroking Danica's hair. "Martha was a grown woman, and she made her own choices."
"Mason..." She hiccuped as she looked up to meet his eyes. "Martha's gone."
With this realization, a whole new set of tears began to flow down Danica's cheeks.
"I'm so sorry." Mason soothed.
"She's gone." Danica wailed, burying her face in Mason's chest once more. "She's gone, and it's all because of me."
Allowing the sobs to overtake her again, Danica clung to Mason as if he were the only thing keeping her where she was. His warmth, which would usually soothe her in the worst of situations, wasn't even able to reach her cold heart, which was frozen from the loss of someone precious to her. Even his soothing words that were caressing her ear were unable to stop the agonizing pain she was feeling in her chest.
"The crone made her choice; you shouldn't blame yourself." Nigel tried, finally speaking up. "You shouldn't waste the gift she gave you by becoming a useless mess."
"Not the time, old man." Mason warned as Danica sucked in a shaky breath.
Looking at Nigel, she couldn't help but feel herself agreeing with him. Even though the loss was painful and it was suffocating her, it was a gift that Martha had granted her, and falling into a pit of despair would be like a slap in the face to Martha.
Sitting up more, Danica wiped the tears that stained her cheeks as she tried to compose herself.
"You're right." She agreed with Nigel. "I can't waste Martha's life."
Her words earned Danica a smile from Nigel and Ash, who stood closely behind him. Giving a small smile back, Danica strengthened her resolve. She would honor Martha's memory by appreciating every single moment and continuing to fight, no matter what.