Woman from the Past!!

**Nora’s POV**

“Rebekah”, she spoke as I gulped the fear. We all stayed too stunned to speak for a few seconds until reality sank in. The instincts deep buried in my heart were screaming to go and hug her, but my body chose otherwise, too stubborn to trust yet.

The mental struggle between my instincts and body was still flickering as if a switch was turning on and off. Before I took any further step, the woman stormed inside the cave and leapt on me, hugging me tightly as if meeting a long-lost sister after centuries.

I was too shocked to react but couldn’t help to hug her back, but before I could do it, Ronin grabbed me by my elbow and yanked me back as I stumped back on his chest.

“Who are you?” he said, pointing the nuzzle of the gun at that woman. His serpent eyes were on high alert, glaring at the woman for any hostility in her behaviour and actions. Rorik and Zach quickly moved their guns on forth as they scanned the entrance and the area near the cave for any probable acquaintance of that woman. The fight between the brothers didn’t affect how they carried on their defence plans. All the while, their eyes and actions were silently communicating with each other in a code language they used during the time of crisis.

“The raptor who attacked Nora is outside. I guess it’s with her,” Zach said, pointing his gun at that bird, but the raptor stood there indifferently as if not interested in any fight till its owner commands. That woman ignored all the glances and weapons pointed at her and focused all her attention on me.

“I know you would come back, Re”, she said, but I was still struggling hard to remember her. She noticed my awkwardness as the fine, happy lines on her face turned into a frown, “Impossible! Don’t you remember me, Re?” she muttered under her breath.

“Why don’t you give your damn introduction? You ugly witch!” Sypha shoots through her nasty mouth. Ronin frowned at her.

“Sypha! Stop it!” Ronin shouted at her and then pointed his gaze at the woman, “Don’t mind her. We want to make sure that you mean no harm. Please introduce yourself and your purpose here. We are not here to make enemies or mean any harm to locals. We have no intention of taking prisoners as well,” Ronin asked of her in a very humble way making sure of not angering or scaring her like a true gentleman. I have never before seen him interacting with any lady other than his sisters and mother. He never even spoke directly to Meghan, so this was my first time noticing that side of him, and I couldn’t help but admire him. The woman took a glance at Ronin but soon retorted back to me.

“Re, I am your sister Vena” she gasped in a deep voice as if swallowing a breath. I saw tears forming at the corner of her exposed eye. Maybe, she is still hurt that I didn’t remember her. The mention of the name Vena shuddered my body as the fog of darkness took over me as if transporting me to a different time where I saw myself wearing different types of clothes, more kind of flowy silk drapes and sharing a few light moments with this woman Vena. I saw both of us giggling, fighting, complaining and crying. I couldn’t help but stomped towards her and returned her hug. Ronin’s grip loosened on me, and he left my elbow. Vena and I stood like this for almost a small eternity, still unable to believe if this was a reality or another vision and cried our hearts out.

We silently sat down near each other, slowly coming back to our senses. I had many questions about my previous life as Rebekah, which I desperately wanted to ask her. Still, the words couldn’t just come out as the overwhelming feeling spinning through my heart was not leaving me, and the same can be said about her as her eyes were searching for the long list of answers. She finds my name Nora cute, but then she says that she prefers Re.

“So, what have you got for me, Re?” She muttered in a naughty flirtatious tone glaring at Ronin, clearly smitten by him. I couldn’t help but give a faint smile as Ronin shrugged his shoulders, aiming to draw his gun out again as Vena tried to touch his face.

“Ah…Vena…Be careful with that one. Serpent’s curse…I guess you know about it?” I told her as she recoiled her hand back.

“Of course, of course…like that damn Ornith. Why is it that you always get the hot delicious ones to play with?” she grimaced, and I swear she cursed her luck under her breath.

“What about no touching, only striptease?” She narrowed her glare, still playfully munching on Ronin’s view. Ronin gave an amusing look as if she was mad or what?

“You won’t be disappointed”, I retorted back. As soon as the words crept out of my mouth, I realized what I had just spoken.

Shit! Damn!

Vena’s company is changing something in me as if beckoning out a flirtatious face of Nora, which was hidden somewhere deep inside. Meghan couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Ronin silently mouthed the words, ‘Don’t you dare’. I gave him a stupid grin feeling sorry for my words caressing my baby bump, and whispered to Vena, “Babies father”.

“What! You are married?” She exclaimed as her voice soared to new heights.

“No, he is my boyfriend”, I snapped.

“Okay, okay…understood…out of my league, but what about this hottie with killer looks?” she pointed at Rorik, who was still in the shock of the morning’s event. Meghan and I gave each other an amused look because that’s what we always called Rorik, a hottie when talking about him. Liam also knew this. Maybe my expressions were too obvious, or Vena seemed to know all of my nerves; she instantly spoke up, “Don’t tell me, he is also yours?”

Shit! Shit!

I am dead now as I saw Ronin’s jaw clenched while Rorik turned away from Vena.

“My bad! I guess they both are not interested in me. Well, I am an ugly witch, after all. I wish I could have both together,” Vena muttered.

“Tempting as long as they both don’t kill each other”, Meghan responded, leaving me, herself and Vena in a raucous wave of laughter. Sypha was throwing poisonous daggers on us through her spiteful eyes. A trademark Gemini twins frown appeared on Ronin and Rorik’s face. Liam couldn’t help but mutter, “These Women!”

“Re, I have lots of questions”, Vena said to me, looking serious.

“Same can be said for me as well,” I told her as she raised her eyebrow, beckoning me to continue.

“Who is the Dark Prince?” I asked as that was the single question haunting me since morning. She seemed a bit amused, as if I was joking.

“You don’t remember him? Are you joking? Seriously Re, I am having a hard time believing Nhala didn’t tell you any of this? Wasn’t that her job? Whatever…well…Dark Prince was the first Serpent Prince, a three-headed Orynx. He was the most powerful predator, which goes back thousands of years. He was also known as Demon Prince, but he made the mistake of falling in love with a mortal woman, which was forbidden,” she said.

“Rebekah? But I guess she was a witch who doesn’t die unless killed,” I asked, sounding amused.

“Yeah, she was a witch, but I am talking about Rebekah’s previous birth where she was just a mortal woman. Then the woman was killed; her soul was damned to the Dark World of Hell. Dark Prince wanted her back at any cost, so he resorted to a form of dark magic, ‘A blood curse’ in which he stole and trapped the soul of the woman he loved in a small stone using her blood and to keep her that way he transformed all his powers into it and named it as ‘Crescent Lure’. ‘Crescent Lure’ was the key that unlocks all the powers of the Serpent Prince by combining it with your blood and the waters of the Temple of Sanctum, and it is the only weapon to destroy him as well. But, every form of dark magic has side effects as well. ‘Blood curse’ made the Dark Prince lose all his powers and body and become a mere dark shadow. After the numerous attempts, the witch couple who performed the ‘blood curse’ successfully restored the soul of that woman in the body of the daughter of Temple of Sanctum’s high priest”.

“The daughter of high-priest of temple of Sanctum was Rebekah?” I asked.

“Yes, we both were. Our mom was a witch,” she responded.

“So, the dark prince got his love back in the form of Rebekah?”

“Yes, but that was not enough as though Rebekah has the soul, face and exquisite blood of that woman, but she didn’t remember anything else of her previous life. Like you, she had her visions and dreams, but somehow, she couldn’t reciprocate the feelings and attachment to the Dark Prince and who can blame her for that as Rebekah has her own needs, desires, sexual urges which cannot be fulfilled by a Dark Prince who she was betrothed to as shadows can’t touch. Dark Prince was obsessed with her, but Rebekah didn’t revert his feelings. She just wanted to run away”.

“And so, she ran away and went to Crixus for Ornith’s help?” I asked.

“Nope, she didn’t run away; she was sent to Ornith for a mission.”

“Oh, I see. But how did they send her? Is there any portal?” I asked, and the main reason to know this was to know of the way to get rid of this place.

“There is no portal, but you can create one”, she said. My muscled stiffened at the thought.

“How?” I asked.

“Three things are needed; first is Crescent Lure, second is your blood, and the third is the person who can create the portal”, she replied as if it was as simple as that. Okay, maybe as I mentally calculated that I had crescent lure and my blood.

“Who can make this portal?” I eagerly asked her. She grimaced as if the information was not going to help but still, she answered my question, “The witch couple who helped Dark prince to resurrect the soul of that woman in Rebekah”.

“Oh, are they still alive?” I asked.

“Oh no! But their son is. He also knew how to make the portal. It was all his idea and planning to make Rebekah go for a mission. He was the one who dragged Rebekah into this dangerous and deceptive web. His mistakes led Rebekah to fool the most powerful predators of Azra and Crixus. Rebekah double-crossed both Dark-prince and Ornith to incur their wrath, which led to her fall, and that son of a bitch was solely responsible for this,” Vena muttered in a pained voice, reliving the whole event and deeply cursing that man who led to the death of her sister.

“Who was that man?” I asked her.

“Dasan”, she replied in a spiteful voice.

“See, I knew she had a history with Dasan”, Sypha snarled in between.

“Oh yeah, a very intimate history, before Re met Ornith”, Vena replied. “Remember, I used to guard the door when you both were all alone getting naughty,” she told me and then turned towards Meghan, “Me and Re made a deal, I will help her to meet Dasan, and in return, she will share the details of all the things which they both do together,” she giggled in between, “As you know I can only dream about all these fantasies, my body doesn’t let me, but Re always made me feel special, I was living all my forbidden urges with her real experiences. I can share the few details of your intimacy if you can’t remember,” she giggled at me.

“Stop it, Vena! I don’t want to hear,” I scoffed, looking at Ronin, who was shooting killer waves in my way as if I was the one who slept with Dasan.

“Oh, baby’s father, I guess. Men can be possessive and definitely the ones whose veins pump serpent’s blood,” she muttered.