“Can he do that?”
“He can, but that doesn’t mean he will. He could just be using them because he needs help”—he appears torn—“getting ahold of you.”
I shake my head in denial. “No, there’s no way he could be after me. If he was, he could’ve taken me any time during my life. I was never protected until I went to live with you guys, so why wait until now?”
“That might not have been the case.”
“What aren’t you telling me?”
His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows. “My mom … Well, the elf they hired anyway … he found your parents. That’s the mission she’s been on for the last week.”
Fear crushes my chest. Oh god, something bad is about to happen. I can feel it—the dread—flowing off of him. “Are they …? Are they alive?”
He nods. “They’re living in a small town in Alaska.”
Hurt whisks through me, making it harder to breathe. So, darkness was showing me the truth that day. My parents did leave me.
I curl my fingers inward until my fingernails stab into my palms. “Why did they take off? Do you know? And, why didn’t they … take me with them?” I dig my nails harder into my skin until I feel warm blood trickle out.
Pity floods his eyes, along with something else. The lights around us pop against the energy rippling through me. But he doesn’t tear his gaze off me.
“I don’t want to lie to you, but the truth … it’s going to hurt.”
“Just tell me,” I choke out, piercing my fingernails deeper into my flesh, until all I can feel is physical pain. “I need to know what happened.”
He slips his fingers underneath the hem of my shirt, gently stroking my skin. “The people who raised you … who you thought were your parents—Scott and Marla—they aren’t your real parents.”
Tears burn my eyes, and my bottom lip trembles, but I bottle down those damn emotions and lock them up, my fists clenched so tightly my hands are trembling. “Did they adopt me?”
He reaches up and sweeps strands of hair out of my eyes. “They were taking care of you for your aunt, the one you said you never met … She’s your real mother.”
“So, my mom—Marla’s sister—is my real mom?” I shake my head, gritting my teeth. “Why didn’t they just tell me?”
His grip on my waist tightens. “Because… because she’s not really Marla’s sister.”
“Then, who the hell is she?” I bite out, blood trickling from the wounds on my palms and dripping onto my wrists. “And, why did she leave me with those random people?”
He winces at my sharp, clipped tone and the snap of thunder from outside. “It wasn’t random. You were sent to live with Scott and Marla because they’re humans who know of our world, so they could keep you hidden amongst the humans without getting freaked out when you showed signs of your powers. They were also sealed to secrecy by a blood oath made by your real mom so they couldn’t tell anyone what you are. They were also sealed to you and the wall around you, which means that, as long as they were near you, you were protected. Unfortunately, they …” He smashes his lips together, worry cramming his features and flickering down the link.
I brace myself for whatever he’s going to say, knowing with how worried he is that it’s going to be awful. “Just tell me, please. Like you said, I need to know.”
He frees a trapped breath then pulls me closer. No, not just closer, but to him until I’m straddling his lap.
“I just want to say first that you’re not alone in this. Me, East—my entire family—are going to protect and be there for you.” He places his palms on my cheeks again. “And we care about you. I care about you. Remember that, okay?”
I smash my lips together and nod. “I’ll try.”
He skims his finger along my side while holding my gaze. “Your parents were paid off by the hunters to leave you. We’re not positive since Marla was pretty vague with her answers. But from what she told my mom, they received a large sum of money to go to Alaska and never contact you again.”
Tears sting at the corners of my eyes, tears of hurt and anger. After all that time I spent looking for them, after insisting to everyone that they’d never leave me, that’s exactly what they did.
“Why?” I manage to get out.
“Marla didn’t flat out say it, but between the hunters contacting you after Marla and Scott took off, and then darkness showing up at the school, we think that the elemental god of darkness and the hunters bribed them to leave so they could weaken the protection spell to get to you, but it took some time for it to weaken. He probably showed up at the school to follow through with his plan to … to destroy you because he probably found out from that darkness that your wall was cracking. That’s what we think the darkness in the room meant when it talked about the condition you were in.
“Plus, my parents and the rest of my family were gone the day they put the school on lockdown so only me and East were near you. He could have done it at the house, but it’s much easier to break down the spells around the school than it is the ones put around our house. Plus, that stupid darkness room is in the school, and he can feed off the energy in it if he needs to.
“And … I’m really sorry about this part, but I think, when my brothers and I tried to take the wall down around you, we sort of sped up the process of him being able to get ahold of you.” Guilt reflects from his eyes. “I’m so sorry. I feel so awful—we all do. I’m just glad we were late to school that day and didn’t make the stupid mistake of driving around the line of cars and going right inside.”
“You don’t need to be sorry. None of this is any of you guys’ fault.” A few tears stream down my cheeks and I quickly swipe them away.
I can’t believe this. That the elemental god of darkness wants to kill me. That Marla and Scott abandoned me. That they’re not even my real parents.
“If anything, it’s Marla’s and Scott’s fault,” I mumble. “And my mom’s for abandoning me.”
“Your real mom didn’t abandon you.” He wipes a few tears from my cheeks with his fingertips. “She thought she was protecting you by leaving you with humans.”
“What was she protecting me from, though? Darkness? Because, if so, why does he want me? Just to be his stupid queen like he said? Or is he trying to kill me because I’m an elemental enchanter?”
He gives a hesitant pause. “Do you remember how I mentioned an urban legend about how some believe that, when the gods and goddesses died, they put their power sources somewhere else?”
I nod in confusion. That wasn’t what I was expecting him to say.
“Well, after I kissed you and you unleashed enough energy to create the portal, the rest of your wall collapsed, and we were able to read all the secrets hidden behind it.”
“Oh.” The question burns at the tip of my tongue, but it takes a lot of effort to say it. “What did you find?”
He circles his arms around my waist and holds me in place, as if he’s afraid I’m going to bolt. “That almost eighteen years ago, right before the god of elemental enchanters was about to die, he sent his power into the nearest and most powerful force he could find, which happened to be your mother, who was working for him at the time.”
“My mom worked for the god of elemental enchanters?” I ask in shock.
What the…
How…
What?
“Yes. Although, no one was aware of this. She kept her past hidden very well, probably to protect you.” He smooths his hand up and down my back. “When the god of elemental enchanters put that force inside her, he created an actual life.” He presses his lips together for a beat. “That life is you.”
Oh, my God … No … This can’t be true … It just …
I swiftly shake my head, my pulse soaring, my power crackling underneath my skin. “No. There’s no way I could be the power of a god. It’s just … weird.”
“Weird exists everywhere in our world. And I know this is a lot to take in, but what’s hidden be
hind your wall is the truth. And it makes sense when you really think about it; how you were able to open a portal to Elemental Enchantment.” He tucks a lock of hair behind my ear. “You were also sent to live with Marla and Scott until your powers were strong enough to start rebuilding our world. You are going to do amazing things, Sky, but until your powers reach full strength and the rest of the power sources are found, we have to keep you hidden. If not, things like darkness can find you and will either use your powers for evil”—he swallows audibly—“or kill you.”
My queen. Darkness had called me it so many times, saying I either had to join him or die. It makes sense now … sort of.
“How do you know there’re others?” I whisper as my mind struggles to process everything.
How can this be real? How can everything change so quickly? How did I never know any of this?
How?
How?
How?
“We’re not positive yet, but we’re assuming the other gods and goddesses had done what the elemental enchanter god did,” he explains. “Like with my brothers and you, their powers were merged by an enchantment so they could all sense each other and what they were thinking and feeling. Which means, more than likely, in their final moments before death, they all did the same thing to protect their powers.”
“So, how do you find out for sure?” I ask, digging my fingernails into my palms again because I can’t deal with this agonizing pain tearing at my chest. “And what about my real mom? Can I …? Can I meet her?”
“My parents and others are looking into how we can figure out where the other gods and goddesses power sources are, but you might be our best bet since you’re more than likely connected to all the power sources. But you might not be able to feel the connection to them until you learn how to control your powers better.” He reaches down and pries my fingernails out of my palms, then smooths his thumb along the open, crescent shaped wounds. “Until then, we’ll stay here, and you’ll not only practice controlling your powers, but practice trying to open a secure portal that you can control what gets in and out. Until then, it’s too dangerous to leave.”
He lifts my palm toward his mouth and places a soft kiss against the sensitive flesh. It’s a sweet gesture and I probably would’ve enjoyed it more if I hadn’t just found out my life was one giant lie.
“As for your real mom,” he continues, then places a kiss to my other palm. “No one’s seen or heard from her in a very long time, and she wasn’t at the place in the mountains like she told Marla and Scott. But, if she’s still alive, we’ll find her. She might know more about this, too, which will help.”
I just nod, unable to form words as tears gather in my eyes. I attempt to blink them back, but end up bursting into tears. I move to climb off his lap, but he tugs me closer, pressing me against his chest and letting me soak his shirt with my tears while the sky outside weeps with me.
Chapter 13
I cry myself to sleep, and thankfully don’t dream of darkness or anything for that matter. After Foster speculated my dreams might carry a bit of the truth, I’m reluctant to ever dream again.
Eventually, restlessness compels me to open my eyes.
Foster is sleeping beside me with his arm resting on my hip, looking peaceful and gorgeous as ever
I watch him sleep for a while, finding solace in it and trying not to focus on the fact that I’m the power source for the elemental enchanter god, that I could be part of what fixes our world, that I could potentially save others from deaths like Foster’s grandparents and Charlotte’s husband. But it’s all I think about—the possibility of what I could do and how frightening it is. Yet, in the back of my mind, I want to. I want to help others. Help the Everettsons like they helped me.
Eventually, I climb out of bed and make my way over to the window to see what Elemental Enchantment looks like.
When I lift my hand to pull back the curtain, I note the dried blood on my hands, a reminder of how much pain I’d been in when Foster told me about my parents. Or well, Marla and Scott. They almost feel like strangers to me now, even though they raised me. But technically, they didn’t. Technically, I pretty much raised myself. And it had never bothered me too much before. In fact, I thought that’s how things were supposed to be. But then I met the Everettsons and realized that parents are supposed to care about their kids. I wonder if that’s how my life would’ve been if my real mom raised me. Then again, she left me with Scott and Marla so she might not be that great.
As pain tears at my chest again, my fingernails instinctively curl inward. Not wanting to reopen the gashes on my palms, I open the curtain and focus on the scene before me.
The sight is startling, yet I find some sort of serenity in it, as if I belong to it or it belongs to me. And I’m kind of glad. This place is beautiful, with a sky as blue as lightning, and a sun as silvery as the crystals on snowflakes. The leaves in the flourishing trees look like iridescent rain lingering on the ground as the sunlight peeks out from the clouds to greet it. The wind dances around in ribbons of swirls, and the grass around the house I’m in is as orange and vibrant as flames. Put it all together, and this world is all the elements combined, which makes sense since that’s sort of what an elemental enchanter is.
“It’s pretty, right?” Foster says as he moves up behind me.
I whirl around to face him with my hand pressed to my heart. “Holy shit, I didn’t hear you get up.”
His hair is a little ruffled, and his clothes are wrinkled, but the dark circles underneath his eyes are less prominent.
“I think you were a little distracted by the view.” He looks at me. “It’s beautiful, right?”
I nod and try not to squirm, but the way he’s staring at me, as if I’m important, makes me extremely nervous. Between being one of the only elemental enchanters left, and being the power source of the god of elemental enchanters at that, how am I to ever know whether anyone really likes me for me or if they’re simply sticking around to protect what I am? Maybe I was always destined to be alone, which is a miserable thought, but nonetheless I can’t get it out of my mind.
Foster’s lips sink into a frown. “What’s wrong?”
Sighing, I brush past him and plop down on the edge of the bed, tucking my hands underneath my legs. “I’m just thinking about what I am and how it’s kind of a curse.”
He sits down beside me, so close our knees touch and his power surges through me. “It has to be hard to deal with. But, like I said, we’re going to protect you. My family and I, we won’t let anything happened to you.”
“I know, but between what I am and with my … with Marla and Scott just bailing on me … how am I ever supposed to know if anyone likes me for me?” I roll my eyes at myself. “Okay, please just forget I said that. I sound like a child.”
“You don’t sound like a child. In fact, you’ve handled this very maturely.” He intertwines his fingers through mine and gives my hand a squeeze. “Easton and I were honestly worried you might try to run again after I told you, but you didn’t, because you’re strong. You’re seriously the strongest creature I’ve ever met.” He looks down at our hands and swallows hard. “I think… I need to tell you something else.”
I struggle not to cringe, but I’m concerned about how much more new information my mind and emotions can handle. “Okay.”
He lifts his gaze to mine. “It might be easier if I just showed you by using my ability again. That is, if you’re okay with that?”
“You want to project your thoughts into me again?” I ask, making sure I’m understanding him correctly.
He gives a wavering nod. “But only if it’s okay with you.”
“It’s perfectly okay.” It’s not like it was bad the first time he did it. Just startling.
Of course, when he practically bubbles with nerves as he reaches out and places his hands on the sides of my head, I just about retract my statement. But before I can part my lips, his memories soar into me, clips and images filling
my mind. Memories of him standing outside the auto body shop, of the first time he saw me, which was the same day I first saw him. How beautiful he thought I looked. How he wished he could talk to me yet knew he couldn’t. How he went back to my town all the time just to get a glimpse of me. How he saw me around town, sometimes with my friends, sometimes alone, and how sad I looked—I never realized I looked that sad. How scared he was the day I approached him. How he wanted to kiss me so badly when I did. How much it hurt when he had to turn me down. How much it hurt every time he was mean to me. How excited he was when he found out what I was, but that he was also afraid. Afraid that I hated him. Afraid that he’d still be alone.
Afraid. Afraid. Afraid.
But that fear shifted into something else when he spoke to me in the bushes and continued to shift every other moment we spent together. And when he kissed me, he was still afraid, but for a different reason.
Afraid that he’d lose me.
By the time he lowers his hands, I’m breathing profusely. He looks at me, seeming a bit shy and unsure, like how I imagined he would be before I met him that day at the auto body shop.
Shimmering Chaos (Enchanted Chaos Series ) Page 14
