Chapter 251

Tessa’s POV

Esmeralda stood at the doorway of the kitchen with her arms folded across her chest and her eyes narrowed at us.

I shrieked and scrambled off the counter, trying to hide my naked body behind Joseph who stood in front of me protectively. He turned to face her with a scowl on his face after he adjusted himself in his boxers.

“Sorry,” she said, amusement clear on her face and in her voice. “The door was unlocked.”

“What the hell are you doing here?” Joseph growled through his teeth, his voice booming across the kitchen, and it even made me tremble.

Esme didn’t look as phased though, but she did look a little embarrassed.

“I wanted to finish our conversation from earlier,” she said, averting her eyes and fixing her attention to the ground before her. “I really wasn’t trying to intrude.”

“You couldn’t have called first?” He seethed.

I could feel his anger radiating off his body and I touched his back gently to calm him.

“It’s okay,” I whispered to his ears alone. “I’m going to get dressed and then we can all talk.”

I wrapped my arms around his waist and gently kissed his incredibly toned back. I felt his body relaxing as he sighed.

Without another word I stepped around Joseph, not caring that Esme could see me completely naked. Thankfully, she was trying hard not to watch me. She kept her eyes everywhere except me.

When I was in the closed compacity of Joseph’s bedroom, I let out a breath of air I hadn’t known I was holding. My heart was racing wildly against my chest with the knowledge that Esmeralda just walked in on us having sex in the kitchen.

But it’s not like we knew someone was going to break into his house and catch us in the act. I couldn’t help but feel just a little bit annoyed over the fact that Esmeralda took it upon herself to walk into Joseph’s home as if she owned the place.

As if she had done this a million times in the past.

I grabbed Joseph’s shirt off the ground, knowing that it would be huge on me and enough to cover my entire body down to my knees. Once the shirt was on, I threw my hair in a messy bun and then made my way back into the kitchen.

Esme and Joseph were in the middle of a heated stare-down, neither of them looking pleased.

“Everything okay?” I asked, snapping them out of whatever issues they were having.

“Yeah,” Joseph murmured as he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me into his chest.

I smiled into him and kissed his chest.

“Let’s go into the living room so we can talk,” he said, motioning for Esmeralda to follow us.

We all piled into the living room; Joseph and I curled up on one couch while Esme took the other couch on the other side of the coffee table.

“I figured we should probably finish our conversation,” Esme said, meeting my eyes. “You should know that if word got out about what you are, it’ll put you in grave danger. They won’t stop hunting you.”

A knot formed in the pit of my stomach.

“Because I have the heavenly heart,” I whispered, touching my chest and feeling my rhythmic heartbeat.

“People were after you before you were even born,” Esme told me sadly. “They were after you before you were even conceived. The only reason they aren’t after you now is because of your mother’s spell. She made everybody forget about Constance’s prophecy.”

“And the only ones who remembered were those part of the circle?” Joseph asked, his tone indifferent and gruff.

Esme nodded.

“Which means one of them, if not all of them, told Lucias,” she said, folding her hands together and placing them on her lap. “He’s aware of what Tessa is. Those documents you took pictures of are proof of that. Thanks to the parental protection spell on Tessa, he can’t force her to join the coven. But that doesn’t mean he can’t use reinforcements to kidnap her.”

My heart grew heavy in my chest and the knot in my stomach only tightened.

“What am I supposed to do?” I asked in only a whisper.

She met my eyes and leaned back in her seat; she studied me, and I felt so exposed in that moment. Joseph draped his arms around my body and held me close to him.

“I’m not going to let anything happen to you, Tess,” he whispered, kissing my temple gently.

“That potion you drank before you left the Coventry should make it impossible for them to track you,” Esme explained. “I doubt they even know where you are right now. But that doesn’t mean they can’t figure it out sooner or later.”

“Are you trying to freak her out?” Joseph asked in a growl.

“No, I’m trying to prepare her,” Esmeralda said, folding her arms across her chest and giving him a pointed look. “I’m saying I have bought her an unknown amount of time. Tessa has a heavenly heart. She’s not only the protector of all species, but she’s meant to be the most powerful witch to ever exist. So powerful that not even the prophecy could tell us all she could do. All I know is she needs to work on her magic and learn how to use it properly so when it comes down to it, Tessa will be able to protect herself. Nobody can use her as a weapon.”

My eyes grew large as I sat up straight and looked at Esmeralda.

“How am I supposed to learn this stuff? I don’t have a coven, remember?” I asked, furrowing my brows together. “Am I supposed to self-teach myself magic? Last time I did a spell without another witch present, I almost burned down an entire forest.”

Esmeralda nodded.

“I’m not telling you to teach yourself,” Esmeralda said gently.

“She’s not joining any coven,” Joseph said firmly. “Not after the shit we just went through to get her back.”

“I’m not saying that either,” Esme said, shaking her head.

“Then what are you saying?” I asked, my voice oddly calm despite all the anxieties I was feeling.

“I’m saying that I will teach you.”

My eyes grew large from her words, and it felt like my heart completely stopped beating. I stared at her with my mouth agape.

“What?” I asked after a brief silence. “You’ll teach me?”

Esmeralda nodded.

“Yes,” she answered simply. “I will be your witch mentor and I will teach you.”

I opened my mouth to say something in response, still in disbelief that she would do that for me. But Joseph beat me to it.

“You’re not part of any coven?”

Esmeralda snapped her gaze to Joseph.

“No, I’m not,” she answered. “When I left the coven, I vowed to never be put in a position like that again. I refused to join any coven. Besides, I wanted to stay close by, so I planted myself outside of your territory.”

“To stay close by who? Me?” Joseph asked, dumbfounded.

Esmeralda shocked us both by nodding.

“I had my eyes on you for a long time, Joseph,” she admitted. “You helped Alison and Tessa when they needed it the most and I wanted to repay that favor by helping you and your territory whenever you needed it. I opened a witchery shop and planted my roots.”

“But you always hated us,” Joseph said, narrowing his eyes at her. “You always gave us attitude whenever we asked for help. Bernard can’t stand you.”

“Bernard can’t stand witches in general,” she muttered, shaking her head with dismay written all over her face. “Alison might have wiped away the memory of the Heavenly Heart, but she didn’t wipe the memory of the war. That’s what started the feud between witches and vampires. Nobody understood how it started and nobody really questioned it. But I had to play the part. Carter came to see me often because his troop was always getting hurt and eating things they shouldn’t be eating. I always had an antidote ready for him. I’d give him a small fight, but we both knew I was going to give in and give it to him anyway.”

“So, it’s been an act?” Joseph asked, furrowing his brows together.

She nodded, a small smile playing on her lips and amusement flashing through her eyes.

“I played the part quite well,” she said, shrugging as if she was incredibly proud of herself. “Meanwhile, I made sure no humans and no witches found your territory. I kept it protected the best I could, but I could only do so much…”

“What about me? Did you not want to stay close to me?” I asked, feeling a little hurt by her admittance.

She met my eyes and smiled softly.

“Of course I kept my eyes on you. With no one remembering the prophecy, and the fact that your powers weren’t there yet, there was no reason to stay close to you,” she explained. “But once you turned 21 and were able to start training, I went to your father and asked him for permission; I can’t do anything without his consent due to the spell placed on you. He denied me and told me to stay away from him and from you. I had no choice but to accept it.”

I felt a stab of pain in my chest, though I wasn’t surprised that my father denied her.

“What is the purpose of the Heavenly Heart?” Joseph asked.

“The prophecy wasn’t clear on it,” she admitted. “Constance said it was fuzzy and none of us really questioned it. But whatever it is, I’m sure the Moon Goddess has a good reason behind it, and we will find out soon enough.”

A knot formed in the pit of my stomach, and I suddenly felt sick. Seeing this, Esme reached across the table and took my hand into hers.

“Your father had given me permission before I came here. I’m allowed to teach you everything you need to know. You aren’t alone anymore, Tessa,” she told me gently.

I took a deep breath, feeling my body relax slightly as Joseph rubbed my back.

“Were you worried with my powers showing up and my blood smelling like it does, that I would be found out?” I asked, unsure if I wanted to know the answer. “I’m assuming if I got close to other witches, they’d be able to tell I was something special and investigate it. I must stand out…”

She paused for a moment and pulled her hands back.

“I was worried, yes,” she murmured. “So… I did something…”

I raised my brows.

“What?” I found myself asking.

She visibly swallowed and lifted her gaze to meet mine.

“The new vampires that woke in the city earlier this year… The ones that brought Joseph to the city,” she said slowly. “I was the one who brought them there, and I was the one who helped keep them hidden.”