Bound by Secrets

by Angela M Hudson

  Aubrey nodded, letting go of Arthur’s hand. I held my breath, waiting for him to vanish again, but he stayed—whole and complete. Human, I think.

  “Are you…?” I walked closer to press my hand to his solid chest, and when I felt a heartbeat within, drew back, covering my mouth.

  “Shhh,” he whispered, wrapping me up safely in arms that hadn’t cured my pain in so long. I couldn’t make sense of it—couldn’t grasp the reality that he was truly here, alive.

  “Oh my God!” a high voice screeched.

  I spun to see my daughter drop the bag she was carrying, holding Eve back as she went to run for Mia and Aubrey. “Is that…?”

  “Uncle Arthur.” I presented him with a smile.

  “Is he…?” Her head came forward. “He’s not a ghost, is he?”

  “No,” we both said.

  Without a step of hesitation, she bounded down the steps and rushed in to hug him. “Dad is gonna freak!”

  Arthur laughed, cupping the back of her head the way he used to with me—so long ago. I wiped my tears and brushed the sweat from my cheeks, looking down at my watch after. David would freak. But he wouldn’t be home from work for five more hours. I wanted to call him, except he was sitting in on Cal’s first major case in court today. I didn’t want to disturb them.

  “Is this permanent?” Elora asked, patting Arthur’s chest as though he was a lifelike dummy.

  “I think it is.” I nodded, moving my gaze onto Aubrey. “She said she just took his hand and brought him onto ‘this side’.”

  Elora glanced back at her baby sister, playing a clapping game with Eve and Mia. “Is that why, do you think?”

  “Why what?”

  “Why Morgana preserved her soul?”

  I blinked to process that, having forgotten about it after all these years. “Oh. Shit.”

  “I’m afraid I’m at a loss here,” Arthur said, his smile bright under the daylight that hadn’t touched his skin for decades. “What are you talking about?”

  “Morgana made it look like she killed Aubrey—before she was born,” Elora told him. “But she held on to that soul to allow its rebirth later on—”

  “After I was burned,” I said, eyes wide, so many things finally clicking into place. I turned and ran for the house, making it in past the kitchen and into the front living room before I felt the others behind me.

  “Mom, what are you doing?”

  “The phoenix.” I grabbed Harry’s picture off the mantle, tearing the glass from the frame. “Harry drew this just after I got my memories back.”

  “And what does that have to do with anything?” Elora asked, looking over the fiery red bird on the back, then handing it to Arthur.

  “A child born of a phoenix yields incredible power,” Arthur said simply. “You rose from the ashes, Amara—you’re the phoenix.”

  “Couple that with a possibly inherited ability to interact with beings from the other side, and…”

  “She must have known what Aubrey would be capable of,” I added. “Morgana.”

  “And why would…” Elora started, eyes going wide as it sunk in. “She means to resurrect her mother. She wants to bring back Anandene.”

  I nodded slowly, numb from the brain down.

  “Mom?” Elora grabbed my arm. “Is Aubrey in danger?”

  I glanced over my shoulder to the direction of the noisy backyard. “Only if Morgana remembers why she kept Aubrey’s soul on this plane.”

  No one said a word after that, all of us jumping involuntarily when my phone rang.

  I whipped it out and a flood of dread ran through me. What would I tell David?

  “Ara!” he said. I could hear the smile in his voice. “He did it! That brilliant smartass kid did it. We were done and dusted in less than—”

  “David,” I cut in, my grave tone silencing him.

  “What happened?”

  “Aubrey did… something…”

  “Did what? Is she okay? Did she break something—”

  “She’s fine. But she… she reached into the spirit world and brought someone back.” To put it simply.

  “Wait, she did what?”

  I looked at Arthur, who smiled, making this all feel a whole lot less scary. “It’s Arthur, David,” I said. “She brought Arthur back.”

  Epilogue: David

  * * *

  “She did what?” I asked, moving away from the crowd, leaving Cal to celebrate the win alone.

  “It turns out she’s got one hell of a unique talent.”

  “So… did I just hear right?” I put one finger in my ear to block out the noise. “My uncle is… alive?”

  “Alive and well,” he said, having taken the phone from Ara.

  My knees buckled. I sat down heavily on the courthouse steps, holding back tears. “Uncle Arthur?”

  “It’s good to hear your voice again,” he said. “How are you, son?”

  “I…” I laughed, nodding at Cal to say I was okay. “I’m good. Great now. How are you?”

  “I am well.” It was so strange to hear his gentle voice after so many years that I couldn’t quite allow myself to believe it was true. If he was back—if my clever little girl brought him here from the other side—who, or what else might she be capable of bringing to life? And while I was thrilled to hear my uncle’s voice again, a surge of dread swept through me. Aubrey’s power. This is why Morgana left her soul on this plane. All that time she spent with the Rune Readers over the years… they must have foreseen this. She knew what Aubrey would be capable of. Which meant she was after one thing.

  “Call Drake,” I demanded, standing up. “We need to know where Morgana is.”

  “Calm down, son,” Arthur insisted. “Nothing has happened yet and there is nothing to say it ever will.”

  “You don’t know Morgana like I do—”

  “No, but I knew her when she was just a girl, David. And—”

  “Nothing you say matters, Arthur—not after what she did. And all that has been forgiven, yes, but she could one day remember and—”

  “Hold on,” he said. “Ara wants you.”

  “David, stop freaking out. I have some news.”

  “What news?”

  “I just got off the phone with Drake. Apparently, Morgana did know about our daughter’s talent. And she has apparently known about everything—all of it; the torture, the kidnapping, being killed after—for a while now.”

  “What does that mean?” I gave Cal a worried look as he stood beside me.

  “Drake said that doing what Morgana did—killing our child, suffering the torture—left a stain on her soul. You know how I told you a few years ago that she became a teacher?”

  “Yes. And?”

  “He thinks she’s changed. He confronted her about this while I was on the phone with him. I heard her in the background.”

  “And?”

  “And she said she would never hurt Aubrey. She did say that she will ask her to bring her mother back one day, maybe when she’s grown up, but that there was no rush right now.”

  “And you believe her?”

  “She wouldn’t have come right out with the truth if she meant harm, David. I believe her. And Arthur’s nodding his head too.”

  “Has Arthur spoken to Drake?” I asked, thinking back to how he died. If Drake’s need for vengeance was still raw, Arthur might be in danger.

  “Not yet. He’s getting on the phone to him now.” She laughed. “He was actually pretty thrilled to hear Arthur was alive.”

  “What are they saying?”

  “Arthur’s crying.” Her voice softened. “Drake’s saying that he regretted Arthur’s death—that after that last round of torture, he planned to restore his health and set him free. But I… made him human and…”

  “Yes, I remember. How is Arthur taking it?”

  “I think he’s okay,” she said. “I think everyone’s okay.”

  “But Morgana wants to bring her mother back—that evil, twisted wi
tch—”

  “And we will deal with that when the time comes. If it happens. If Morgana is hell-bent on bringing her mother back, so be it. But she won’t be a witch, David. Arthur’s human—”

  “He’s what?”

  “We didn’t want Anandene brought back because she was a witch—a dangerous one. But if she’s human, she’s no threat. It seems Aubrey can bring a soul to this side, but not with any of the supernatural abilities they had and, if you think about it, that makes sense. I mean, our souls don’t hold those abilities.”

  She was right. I felt like I’d just had a car accident and then woken up to realize it was a bad dream. Everything was fine. The sun was shining. Cal won his case. Everything was fine.

  I smiled at Cal, saying goodbye to Ara. “We’re skipping the celebration drinks, Cal.”

  “Why’s that?” He looked disappointed.

  “Because you’re coming to my house to meet your great-great grandfather.”

  “I’m what now?”

  Epilogue: Ara

  * * *

  I heard his car pull up. Arthur looked up from the book he was reading to Aubrey and we all smiled.

  “Daddy’s home!” She hopped down off his lap and ran for the door, swinging it wide open before David had even made it to the step. “Daddy. Come see who’s here.”

  David laughed, taking her hand. “I know already, Aubrey. Mommy tells me you’re a very clever little girl.”

  “I am,” she said with a big nod. “I can make dead people alive again.”

  David laughed, stopping on the tiles as he looked across the room and saw his uncle. Cal came bounding up behind him and his eyes lit up.

  “Well, if it isn’t the man himself,” Cal said, pushing past David and moving swiftly across the room. He put his hand out to shake, but Arthur stood instead and embraced his long-lost family member.

  “I’ve been watching over you, Callum,” Arthur said. “I’m glad we could finally meet.”

  Cal leaned back, shaking his head as he looked over every inch of Arthur’s face. “I don’t know what to call you, like… do I call you Grandfather or—”

  “Arthur will do. Uncle Arthur if you prefer.”

  “But you’re not my uncle.”

  “And yet I hear you are more like a brother to David and Jason than a cousin.”

  Cal nodded, looking back at David with an expectant smile. “We gotta call Jason, man.”

  “I’ll do that,” I said, sweeping my phone off the coffee table. David still hadn’t moved, even as I reached the stairs; he just couldn’t shift himself. As much as I wanted to go upstairs and call Jason—deliver the good news—the bigger part of me wanted to see David hold his beloved uncle again for the first time in almost three decades.

  Arthur, realizing David couldn’t bring himself to do anything harder than breathing, walked slowly over to him, smiling. “Son.”

  “Arthur,” David choked out. “I…”

  “Say nothing.” Arthur hugged him, no back patting or awkward man grunting—just a strong, loving embrace. “No words need to be said. I am just grateful to be back.”

  “And what of Arietta?” David said sadly. “You wanted to die without her. And your daughter?”

  Arthur took a long, deep breath.

  Aubrey hopped up beside him and tugged his sleeve. “I can bring them back.”

  “Thank you, Aubrey, but you mother said you c—”

  “No it’s okay,” I said from the top of the stairs. “If she can find them, she can bring them back.”

  David was overcome then. I knew how much that would mean to him—to see his aunt again—to bury all the regrets he’d carried his entire human and immortal life. He covered his mouth with a fist, his throat making an odd noise.

  “How do I find them?” Aubrey asked.

  “We can ask Aunt Ali,” Elora said, moving her away from the men. “She knows how to summon spirits on the other side.”

  Arthur looked as floored as David. All he ever wanted was a human life, with his beloved Arietta and their child. Now, by what could only be called a miracle, it was possible.

  I turned away and left them to it, dialing Jason’s number.

  “Jase?” I said when he picked up.

  “We know,” he said in an urgent voice. “We’re packing now. We’re on our way.”

  “How did you…?”

  “Lily had a vision. And she said not to—”

  “Ara.” Lily took the phone. “You needn’t worry. I saw it.”

  “Saw what?”

  “Morgana will bring her mother back—in ten years—but we will all be there with Aubrey when she does.”

  “And is… is it bad?”

  Lily laughed. “Goodness, no. Without her powers, Anandene was never a threat. I cannot say it will all be roses for Morgana; she will find that this woman she placed on a pedestal is more of a disappointment to her than she imagined, but there will be no trouble for any of us.”

  “So stop worrying,” I heard Jason call from the background.

  I laughed. “And how did Jason take the news? Was he excited about Arthur?”

  “He saw the vision occur in my head as it happened,” Lily said with a laugh. “He was speechless for a full two minutes.” That pretty much described David’s reaction, too. “And then he just cried,” she added. “I never fully understood how much he missed his uncle until that moment.”

  “Aw, poor Jase.”

  “I’m okay, Ara,” he called again. “Just excited to get there and see him.”

  “And I imagine we’ll be staying for quite some time,” Lily said, “based on how big our suitcases are.”

  I laughed again. “Well, as always, you’re all very welcome here. I’ll get your rooms ready. And you’re bringing the kids, right? I haven’t even met Princess Rose yet.”

  “Of course we are.”

  “Yay.” I jumped on the spot. “I’ll see you in a few days then.”

  “See you then.”

  She hung up the phone and I snuck back out to the top of the stairs to watch, just as Mike arrived. Even he was overcome when he saw Arthur standing there, alive. It took me back to what seemed like simpler times, even though they were harder and more regretful, but I quickly moved on in thought to seven years ago, when Aubrey came into our lives. I never thought I could feel so complete, but it turned out that, while life had a funny way of doing harm, it could also do unbelievable and unimaginable good.

  I walked down the stairs and joined my family, giving David the good news about Lily’s visions, and though I couldn’t see the exact future that lay before us, I could see it shining brightly for us all—finally together. Finally free. Finally happy ever after.

  Fans asked for it, and they got it!

  Now, find out how different it all would have been if Ara’s mother had never died, and if she’d met Jason first, in this epic ‘what-if’ series, In Another Life.

  Expect the entrancing romance, the gripping conflict, and the mind-blowing interlacing of plots that you've come to love from this author, in this new series that begs the question, "What if you could choose a different fate?”

  Rule #1: Vampires hurt you because they enjoy it.

  After a familiar stranger warns Ara that death will befall those she loves, she moves across the world to live with her father. But she could never have imagined the safer option was to let them all die.

  Sent on a mission to protect an unworthy human, David Knight fantasizes about all the sordid acts he’ll commit against her while he’s away from the watchful eye of the Set. After all, he can make his twin brother erase it from her.

  But Jason falls deeply in love with what he’s sworn to protect—a crime punishable by extreme torture—and if he is arrested, no one will be there to keep the innocent human safe from his brother’s sordid acts of attrition.

  And David is the one man with the power to convict him.

  In an equally heart-warming and gut-wrenching tale of love gone wro
ng, this three-book series will make you cry, throw your book across the room and yet beg for more, because no one is immune to the charms of an evil vampire. Are you?

  A must-read before opening the pages of book 8 & 9 of Dark Secrets!