Merida could feel everyone’s eyes on her from around the room.

“How would you know anything about the Vampire King?” Ruby asked her.

Vita stood up quickly and walked over to where Merida stood to defend her. “There’s something I have to tell you all. Amanda and I have been talking with the woman the city fears as Merga. She’s not the threat people have been saying she is; she’s just a victim in all this,” Vita explained.

Zachary shook his head. “You don’t know that; why didn’t you come and talk to us about this? This woman could be playing mind games with you to get what she wants.”

Merida was furious that they would accuse her of such things when they didn’t even know her. “I would not, I’m a part of your coven, and I would never hurt my coven members.”

Zachary froze as he looked at the girl he knew as Amanda but realized it wasn’t her. “What did you do to Amanda?”

Merida glared at Zachary while he accused her. “I didn’t do anything; she’s still in here with me.”

Zachary folded his arms over his chest; he didn’t believe a word this woman was saying and wanted proof. “Three questions. One, what do I do for a living?”

Amanda laughed inside Merida’s head, “Zachary is a professor at the college I was going to and teaches English. Call him Professor Warren.”

Merida recited what Amanda told her, “Well, Professor Warren, you teach English literature at the college she attended.”

Zachary lifted a brow at the girl but didn’t let it show that he was rattled. “Question two, what happened on the first day of class, and who else was there?”

“I bumped into him while trying to find a different seat to escape my then high school tormentor, now husband/mate Hudson,” Amanda answered.

“Amanda found out her high school bully Hudson was in the class and trying to find a different seat when she bumped into you.”

“Last question. What does Ruby do for a living?”

Amanda smiled genuinely. She missed that cafe and wondered when would be the next time she would get to visit that sweet place again. “Ruby owns a cafe called Just a Sip by the college where I worked.”

“You mean the cafe called Just a Sip where she met Ruby and gave her a job.”

Zachary looked over at Ruby, who simply shrugged at him and nodded in agreement. Zachary sighed. “Alright, why are you in my mate’s niece’s body?”

Merida strolled over to the window and looked at the dark city before she started her story. “I should probably start at the beginning. Growing up, magic was my world. I loved everything about it and wanted to learn all I could about the craft and the powers bestowed upon me. The witches in our coven were impressed with how quickly I picked up on things and how much power I could harness inside me. Unfortunately, they weren’t the only ones watching me. A vampire named Emil had been watching our coven from afar; he was fascinated by how powerful I had become and wanted the power for himself to control.

"He approached the coven one day and offered to make a deal with me. He wanted me to leave the coven to be his and stay with him; Emil promised the coven protection from the other factions. He asked them to craft a spell that would bind me to him like a mate so I could never leave. The coven was concerned about this deal, but it would keep them out of the war between the other factions. Ultimately, it was my choice; Emil added a little incentive when he whispered in my ear that if I didn’t take this offer, he would massacre the entire coven in front of me, leaving no one alive but me. There was nothing else I could do; I was trapped. I didn’t want the blood of the coven on my hands, so I agreed.”

Merida stopped for a moment. She didn’t realize how difficult it would be to retell this story.

“In the beginning, things, of course, were rocky, but like a true mate bond, I started to have feelings for him, and back then, I thought those feelings were mutual. Emil moved us here to Silver City, giving us a new start. I was willing to do anything to please him to make him happy. Whatever he asked me to do, I would do it. At the time, it didn’t matter what it was as long as it made him happy. Deep down, I knew it was wrong, but I didn’t care. Years passed, and the factions were growing stronger and larger. Emil got the crazy notion that he wanted to control the factions and be their king.”

Merida shook her head as she chuckled, “They just laughed at him. Emil was furious; he wanted them to pay for making him feel like a fool. As I got older, my powers were getting stronger; the covens established within the city feared me. Emil wanted to use their fears against them. So he went to the factions and told them about my untapped powers that I could take away what made them special. At first, they were skeptical about believing him. They wanted proof. So we showed them. Emil had a test subject thrown to the floor in front of me; they begged me not to hurt them. But I didn’t listen; I stripped them of their certain abilities and turned them into a normal human. I hated it. I begged Emil not to make me do this. I was tired of hurting people to gain him power.”

She wrapped her arms around herself. “He was so angry with me; he said I was betraying him and his love for me.” The tears raced down Merida’s cheeks. “I just wanted to practice my magic and be with him. But that wasn’t enough for Emil. He thirsted for greed and power. Emil didn’t want anyone to have power over him. I knew then I needed to figure out a way to rid myself of the mate spell. I devised the mated curse, hoping it would force him to reject me so I could be free.” Merida laughed again at herself. “Before I could use it, he conspired with the factions and turned me over to them, offering them help to banish me to gain their respect for him. I couldn’t believe it. After everything I did for him, everything I gave up to be with him. I was just a stepping stone for him to reach the top. Amanda found a spell to call upon a spirit, and with how powerful she was, I could tap into it to pull myself over to this plane to get my revenge on Emil. I want to trap him in that curse and give him an ultimatum, he can either reject me and let me be free, or he can be bound to the curse that will drive him to insanity until the day he dies.”