A Witches Heart by Lisa Marie McDonagh (best short novels of all time .txt) 📕

my head was just resting on and put it on his lap. He pushed my shoulder down so I was lying down again. When I started to protest, he said, "You need to rest." 
I would have disputed that, but I knew he was right, I was tired, and I relaxed into unconsciousness again. 
When I woke again, I was alone in the living room. "Daren?" I whispered, afraid to be left alone. 
"In here," he called from the kitchen. I breathed a sigh of relief and headed into the kitchen. He was making dinner.  
"How long was I out for?" 
"Oh, I'd say about hmmm, well, it was first hour when we left and school is over now..." 
"Nine hours?!" 
"Yep, seems about right." 
"Were you here the whole time?" 
His face softened. "I would never leave you alone if you needed me." 
I walked over to him carefully, I was still dizzy, and rested my arms on his neck. "Thank you." 
He smiled. "You're welcome, I would too it anytime," he murmured then kissed me.  
Daren held out a chair for me. "Sit Kates, you look like you are going to fall over." 
I sat gratefully. "So what happened anyway? You said something like a... warlock... attacked me." 
He finished making his spaghetti and set a plate in front of me and another beside me for him. I looked at the food dubiously, I wasn't sure I could keep it down. "I'll only eat if you eat something." I sighed, grabbed the smallest amount of noodles I could, and put them into my mouth. He took a deep breath and started his explanation. "A warlock had put a spell on you, a... how do I put this? A dying spell, at first you seem sick, very sick, and then in a few hours, you're dead. The one put on you was extremely powerful; it almost killed you in just an hour." 
The blood had been draining out my face as he spoke, I was sure that there was no color in my face now. "How do know if there is a spell on you? How do you stop it?" 
"Your eyes become completely black, well your irises are, it is quite strange actually. And you stop it by using a counter spell of some kind. Some spells can only be stopped by specific spells while others you can use a more general one." 
"Is there anyway to prevent someone form putting a spell on you?" 
"This is actually." Then he reached towards me and fingered the heart around my neck. "Wear this always," he said intensely, looking into my eyes. "The protection spell that your mom had put on it when she was alive is powerful enough to protect you from most things." 
"I'm sorry." 
"For what?" 
"For putting you through what I must have." His whole explanation had been tinged with that same anguish that I had heard when I was floating in the golden light. 
"It's okay, it's not like you could have controlled what happened. One good thing came out of this though." 
It was my turn to be confused now. "What?" 
"I realized how much I desperately need you. I love you more than anything Kates. You stole my heart without my permission, but I want you to keep it now." 
I smiled and kissed him. "I love you too Daren." 
We talked a little bit more as we-mostly Daren- finished our dinner. 
Something occurred to me then. "Daren?" 
"Hmmm?"  
"I want you to train me to be a witch." 

 
Chapter 17 
Katheren: 
He looked at me uncomprehendingly. "But you don't like being a witch." 
"I never said that." I may have thought that multiple times, but I have never said that. 
"You didn't need to; it was written all over your face when I was teaching you those protections spells." He reached over to cup my face in his hand. "Why do you want to learn? Why now? I won't allow anyone to hurt you if that's what you arte worried about." 
I don't want you to get hurt while someone is going after me, I almost said but bit my tongue. "I know you won't but I hate not being able to do anything, so the least I can do is learn some spells." 
"Hmm, I will teach you, if it is what you want, but only because I have to." 
"It is what I want and why do you have to?" 
"It's a tradition that if a new witch asks to be taught, you must take them in as your apprentice or help them find someone who can teach them. Usually you would be taught by your par-" he broke off suddenly and took a breath before continuing, "-to another witch in the family, to teach you, but we don't know who on your mother's side knows, so you can't so that. And having you go to some stranger is out of the question," he jaw tightened, "so I guess I have to be your mentor." 
I giggled. "'Mentor' is such a funny word." 
"Maybe you should go back to sleep, you are acting kind of erratic." 
"Nope. I'm f-alright. So 'mentor', when do we start?" 
He frowned. "Since it's Monday... uh, Wednesday after school." I opened my mouth to comment, but he cut me off. "No, we are not going to be training today or tomorrow." 
"Why?" I whined. 
"Because your life force is too low, using your aura now could be dangerous." 
"I thought that you said that I have a really strong aura.... Shouldn't I be fine to use my... powers then?" 
"You have a strong aura that you can't control. Control's what makes all the difference." 
"But shouldn't I still be strong though?" 
"When you can't control your aura, you waste it; you use much more than is needed. But you seem, like I had said before, to have more control than other witchlings, so you could probably learn more, faster." 
"'Witchling'?"  
"A witch that is just learning about there heritage, to control their powers." 
"It sounds like duckling."  
Daren laughed. "If you want me to call you that, then I will... duckling." 
"Oh shut up!" I laughed and tried to hit him. But he only caught my hand and intertwined his fingers with mine. I smirked; it was time for a little pay back. If he was going to call me duckling... I leaned forward and just when my lips brushed his, I jerked away. 
His eyes flew open and frantically searched mine. "That was mean," he said when he saw only humor there. 
"Don't call me duckling." 
He bit his lip. "Only if you don't so that again, because I don't think that I would be able to refrain myself form grabbing you and making you kiss me. That was really mean!" 
I chuckled. "Deal. Oh, and let me make it up to you." I leaned forward to kiss him again, he let go of my hands to grasp my shoulders. So I couldn't get away I guessed and smiled against his lips. "Wait, I wasn't really sick, so I won't get you sick or anything, right?" I asked after he pulled away. 
"You're not sick, it was all the warlock." 
"Hmm, okay. Oh my god, it's only six o'clock; let's watch a movie." 
Daren ended up letting me pick what movie to watch again. I picked an action one this time instead of a romance. "Does that deal still apply?" Daren asked as I fast-forwarded through the previews.  
"Which one?" 
"The one where if I watch the movie, I get a kiss when ever someone in the movie does and if they have se-" 
"I wouldn't finish that if I were you! But for the first part, yeah, the deal's still on." 
He smiled. "Okay." 
The movie finished at about nine and for some reason I was tired. I had slept nine hours and yet I was still tired! 
"That's because you almost died," Daren said, making me jump. 
Crap! Did I say that out loud? 
"Yeah and that too." 
"Well I must be tired. I guess you should take me home now." 
He bit his lip again. "After what happened today, I would prefer that you spent the night here, since my parents are still gone, I have the extra room." 
"Sure okay." I guess that I was lucky my aunt had to work the night shift for the week. What she didn't know wouldn't hurt her. 
"You should still tell her though." 
"Either I need to stop thinking out loud or you need to stop listening to my conversations with myself." 
"The second one is never going to happen," he said smirking. 
I ignored him to text my aunt to tell her that I was spending the night over at a friend's house, if I was lucky, she would think that I was talking about Sabrina's house and not a guy's. 
"Yeah, that would be kind of bad." 
"Daren! I wasn't talking or thinking or whatever to you, so butt out!" 
He laughed. "Sorry, I can't help it, your thoughts are quite amusing, and I am starting to wonder what you think about when you don't say it out loud." 
"Well you're probably not going to hear, the only reason I am thinking out loud is because I am so tired." 
"Come on then, you can sleep in the guest room." He led me upstairs and stopped by his room. 
"Huh I thought t-" I started but he cut me off. 
"-That I was taking you to the guest room? I am, turn around." I did and I saw another door. Oh. "If you need me, you know where to find me; I'll let you sleep now." 
He kissed me lightly on the lips then turned to open the door to his room. "Daren?" I asked, hesitant. 
"Yeah?" 
"I don't have anything to wear; sleeping in jeans isn't the most comfortable..." 
"Oh, I forgot, I am so sorry. Uh, my sister-" 
"Daren, I don't want to keep borrowing you sister's clothes all the time. Do you think that I could, um, just... borrow...uh one of your...shirts?" 
He laughed quietly at how uncomfortable I was with asking this. "Sure, no problem, if that is what you want." 
"Thanks." He disappeared for a second and came back with one of his large- well to me it was, because of how small I was- light blue shirts and handed it to me. "Thanks," I told him again and gave him a peck on the cheek then went into the guest room. 
I closed the door to change out of my jeans and shirt- I left my bra and underwear on or that would have been kind of gross- and then opened it again. Daren's door was also open and I could see his already lying in bed. He looked so cute that I was smiling to my self like an idiot. 
For an hour, I honestly tried to sleep, but I couldn't. I quietly got up and tip-toed across the hall until I was standing by Daren's bed. "Daren," I whispered, trying not to wake him up.  
He rolled over and looked up at me. "You can't sleep either, huh?" 
"Not really," I blushed. 
He moved over and lifted the covers so I could slide in beside him. "You can't imagine how hard it was so try to sleep when I know that you are just across the hall from me, so close and yet still so far away," he murmured wrapping his arms around my waist.  
"Mhm," was all I was able to answer. I felt so safe, warm, and loved in his arms that I was finally able to relax. I snuggled into his chest. "I love you," I whispered then fell asleep.  

 
Chapter 18 
Katheren: 
I woke up to