Her smile was huge and she giggled when I responded, “You might have to fight Bethany for him,” and nodded in their direction. Bethany sat next to Cora with her arm around Dillon, who beamed from his position between the two beautiful women.
I was still uncomfortable being in charge. I wanted to put air quotes around in charge because it seemed like such an insane prospect. Yet, these were my people. They were my responsibility. Well, now they were both of our responsibility.
“Everyone here knows Amelia now, so we don’t need introductions,” I started. “Now that she’s back with us and the Keeper power is contained, we can make some decisions and figure out what to do next. To start, let’s just go around and everyone give me a quick update on where we stand. Micah, go ahead.”
I put my arm around Amelia and pulled her to me. I couldn’t get her close enough lately. The way our power flowed in and around each other made it hard for me to focus. I felt her emotions very clearly, as real and raw as my own. I had no doubt that she meant what she’d said, that we were in this together, but I could also feel her hesitation and I wanted to know what caused it.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking about, but you’re not hiding it well,” she muttered under her breath. I realized then that I was staring down at her and looked up to find the room staring back at me. Dillon pulled the collar of his shirt over his mouth to hide his laughter.
“So, as I was saying…” Micah’s sarcasm sent a snicker through the room.
“Sorry, sorry…go ahead,” I said, laughing. “I promise I won’t let the gorgeous girl sitting next to me distract my attention too much.”
Amelia blushed and ducked her head into my shoulder.
Cole piped up, “Hey, man, that’s my little sister you’re talking about,” and the room erupted in full blown laughter. It brought the tension in the room down and everyone visibly relaxed. I gestured for Micah to continue.
“Ahem.” He cleared his throat and the room settled once more. “I’ve collected information on the women and AniMages who are here. Once Baleon broke the binds on those who needed it, we realized there are a host of abilities between them. Some I think will be very useful — power redirection, shielding, projection. They continue to build back their strength and even though those with children are scared to try too much, the options are there once we’re ready to explore them,” Micah finished, sitting back and tipping his head to Derreck.
“As far as the shields I have in place now, that’s part of who I am and what I can do,” Derreck explained. “Baleon helped me reinforce them, along with another AniMage who has a similar ability to mine. Between the three of us, we know we’re safe and hidden for now.”
I nodded and looked toward Rynna. “Nell will be giving birth any minute now,” she started. “She finally allowed Cora and Willow in, and they’ve been able to help the process along. We have a few more who will also give birth soon. At this point, Lilith should be fine staying in her shifted form and the other AniMages are in human form.
“We still don’t know what to expect from the children, but power or no power, they will stay with their mothers. Long-term, we need to decide where the women and their children should go if the time comes to fight. Or, if they stay here and we go. Some mothers are still very early in their pregnancies and the fear of the unknown from my sister’s experiments haunts them.”
“I trust your judgment, Rynna. And we will do everything we can for them and their children.” I wouldn’t allow another child to lose a parent because of Julia’s insanity.
Amelia finally broke into the conversation, saying, “I don’t understand why no one is concerned about them tracking us. I know you have shields, but they could be tracking the AniMages on their way here. Or, really, who knows which other ways they could get to us. The Hunters aren’t going to give up. Rhi won’t give up. Micah, you know Julia’s insane. We can’t just sit here and wait.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but Micah beat me to it. “Perhaps I can explain that, Amelia,” he said as I trailed my fingers lightly up and down her arm, a reminder that she didn’t have to make decisions alone anymore.
“I’ve spoken with others about this, but you aren’t aware of the connection I have with my mother. It is actually a common bond between parents and children, which allows them to essentially monitor each other. You wouldn’t have felt it because of the binds.” Micah stopped, realizing he’d referenced Nathaniel. Amelia’s breath hitched, but she didn’t acknowledge it any further, and Micah wisely continued.
“It isn’t detailed, she cannot find me or see through my eyes. She can’t read my emotions either, but she never could. She only knows if I am alive and I know the same of her. Right now, she continues to recuperate from the escape.
“The amount of power she used to control the Hunters drained her past a point she’s ever been. The Hunters are doing what they can to heal her, but the process is slow and there are a select few Rhi will allow near her. The biggest boon for us is the fact that the Hunters cannot leave the premises of Cresthaven without my mother’s permission. Right now, she is still unconscious and that means she is not able to grant the permission they need to come after us. If they attempt to leave Cresthaven now, the collars will activate and cause them excruciating pain. They know that.”
Cora spoke up next, reaching down to grasp Dillon’s small hand in hers. “I can confirm what he says, Amelia. Once my power was fully restored and we had escaped, I knew immediately that Dillon was still alive. I felt him inside me and only had to wait for him to arrive.”
Amelia sat quietly, taking everything in. Dillon was next to break the silence. “Mr. Aidan, they’re here.” His small voice echoed through the room. The last AniMages had arrived.
I looked around at the people I trusted. “We don’t know what will happen with everyone in the same place and I know the last AniMages joining us are the most likely to cause trouble. We don’t know who we can trust outside of this circle, so what we discuss doesn’t leave this room. We are all smart enough to know there will be people who don’t like our plans, so keep your eyes and ears open, okay?”
I made eye contact with each one of them as they nodded. The tone in the room was a mixture of unease and determination, but I didn’t mind that. Unease kept them alert. I’d always believed if you expected an attack, then you couldn’t be taken by surprise. It had served me well in my various homes and schools throughout the years.
“I’ll go out to meet them and try to set this off on the right foot. Ryn, please keep me updated on Nell, and tell Elias we are here for whatever he needs. Micah, can you get me that list and some of your recommendations? Cole, would you mind walking Amelia back to her room? We’ll regroup tomorrow morning and talk more.”
“I don’t need help, Aidan,” Amelia protested.
I gripped her chin lightly and swept a quick kiss over her pursed lips. “You don’t need help, Amelia, but you do need to talk. Go with your brother and I’ll be back soon.”
I stood and strode out the door. I didn’t wait for the argument I knew would come. She sent a wave of annoyance through our connection and slammed the door shut, dampening the constant flow of emotion between us.
It was good to know my girl was back.
16
I stood and glared at Aidan’s back. I heard him chuckle as I slammed the door between us and was actually kind of pissed to realize I could still feel him. I couldn’t completely shut him out. Go figure. When he turned the corner and I could no longer shoot daggers at his back, I turned to find Cole next to me, his eyebrows up and lips twisted into a stifled grin.
“Oh, don’t start,” I muttered as embarrassment flushed my cheeks.
Cole put up both hands, and said, “Hey, not my fight. You guys are something else, though. He totally gets you, Ame.”
As I caught myself looking out the window wanting to see Aidan, I realized Cole was right. And, I kind of hated him for it.
“Oh, just shut it,”
I said as I shoved at my brother’s chest playfully. “And I can make my own way back to my room. I’m not an invalid, you know.” Cole brought out those little sister antics in me. I couldn’t help but prod at him.
I started toward the door and Cole fell in step with me. He didn’t speak the whole way to my room and I was content to let him do just that. When I got to the door, I reached out to open it, but Cole put his hand over mine on the knob.
“Dad’s dead, Ame,” he said, his voice low and soft. “He’s dead and he died saving us — both of us. He loved you and he loved me and he did the best he could.” I stood there frozen. Aidan had told me this. I knew my father was dead. I knew I would never see him again, could never tell him I was sorry, could never tell him I loved him, or that I knew who he really was. But, as my brother held my hand and spoke in my ear, I heard it for the first time.
One tear popped and trailed down from each eye. As the words spun in my head, the tears continued to fall faster and faster, until a cry tore from my chest and Cole pulled me into him. The sobs were ugly. I didn’t try to speak, I didn’t tell my brother all the reasons I was sorry my father had even been in that room in the first place, or how I would someday find a way to dismember Rhi one limb at a time. I struggled to breathe through a clogged nose and the vise grip in my chest. No amount of soothing power could calm the heartbreak I had finally acknowledged.
Footsteps thundered across the floor and I pulled away to see Aidan careening around the corner of the hallway. His eyes were wild, until they landed on me. He took in the situation — my red, swollen eyes, the snot dripping from my nose, and the giant wet spot on Cole’s chest. He gave me a questioning look and I managed to shake my head. He looked over me at Cole and they nodded simultaneously. Then, he turned and walked away.
Aidan knew he wasn’t the person I needed, although I could feel how much he wanted to be the one I was latched onto right now. Feeling his wolf, the AniMage part of him exuding even more alpha male than I’d ever thought possible, I was impressed he could fight it. That he did fight it, for me.
“Why don’t we go into your room and talk, Ame?” Cole opened the door and gestured inside. I wiped my eyes and was thankful I hadn’t asked Bethany for makeup yet. I could only imagine what mascara would have added to the mess that was my face.
“Leave the door open. Charlie will come back soon,” I said before Cole could shut it all the way.
“Onyx has been glued to my side, too,” Cole muttered as I dropped onto the bed and stared at the ceiling, the tears dripping a steady stream.
“I didn’t get to say anything, Cole,” I said, my voice wavering. “You got to talk to him. You made sure he knew you forgave him and that you understood. I never got to do that. I don’t know what he thought of me, or what he thought I thought of him. The last time I hugged him and told him I loved him was the day I left home.”
Cole reached across the bedspread and gripped my hand in his. He waited for me to look at him before he said, “He thought you were amazing, Ame. He said you were stubborn like Mom, and that you didn’t think enough before you acted. That you were more than he had ever imagined. He hated what he had to be, but he never regretted a minute of it because he still got to watch you grow up. He got to see Mom in you. That’s what he said, Ame. He saw Mom in you.”
I turned my head toward Cole, my cheek resting in a pool of my own tears. “He saw Mom in me?”
His dark eyes were filled and he swallowed down the same cries I imagined were choking me.
“More than once,” Cole continued, his voice thick with emotion. “He believed in what we’re doing, Ame. This was what he and Mom were doing all along. They ran because she saw it. She knew they had to get far away and that it wouldn’t be easy. She knew it would hurt both of us — all of us — but we were the only ones who could change things. He looked at me, and said, ‘Cole, there are times when you have to rip your own heart out to show it how to beat.’ I thought he was crazy, but I get it now. We were his heart. And what he had to do to us tore him up, but we had to learn how to beat alone. We had to be able to take this on. He did his job the best he could.”
I lay back on the bed and watched the ceiling fan slowly swirl around, the blades blurring through my continued tears. “I just wish I had something from him. I have Mom’s journal, but there’s no way for me to know who he really was.”
“Journal?” Cole asked. I realized I hadn’t had the chance to tell him about it. I pulled myself up, wiping my eyes and swallowing the pain. I reached into the bedside table, pulling the pages out carefully.
“These were Mom’s,” I said as I held them out for him. “I found them at Cresthaven. It’s a long story, but Micah brought them to me. I only got to read a few pages before Julia took me down to where she was holding the women.” It seemed like a lifetime ago. A nightmare, not our reality.
Cole held the pages gingerly. He didn’t flip through them or try to read the words. He just stared at the top page, where our mother’s looping script noted this was her journal. He stood and quickly put them back into my hands.
“I think these were meant for you, Amelia. You’re right, I had time with Dad and I think you need this time with Mom. I got to know her, and this is your way. If you want to share them with me when you finish, that’s your call.” I took the pages and set them next to me as I stood.
Cole reached out and pulled me into a hug. “We’re gonna make it, half-pint. I may not be able to help like I used to, but Bethany’s proven you don’t have to have power to make a difference. I’ll be just down the hall, and if you need anything, you know where to find me, okay?”
I nodded into his chest. I wasn’t ready to let him go. I wasn’t ready to be alone with my thoughts. But I let Cole pull away, squeeze my shoulder, and quietly leave the room.
I sat on the bed and stared at the wall. Charlie nosed open my door and leapt onto the bed next to me, jarring me out of my thoughts. He whined as he dug his giant head under my hand and I gave in, scratching behind his ears and letting the normalcy of the act comfort me.
“Where’s Onyx? I haven’t seen him lately. Don’t you two go everywhere together?” I spoke to Charlie as if he were another person in the room. I always had. We hadn’t had an exchange like the one at Cole’s apartment since I’d woken up, but I had a feeling the ability was still there. I just hadn’t felt a need to use it, and neither had he.
Charlie grunted, a quick exhale through his nose, showing his annoyance for his little brother. “Pffft, been there, buddy. Brothers can be something else.” Then, I leaned down, and whispered, “But mine’s pretty great. Just don’t tell him I said so.”
Charlie’s tail thumped a beat onto the bed and I couldn’t help but smile. As I sat back up, my hand came down on the journal pages. Aidan was busy with the arriving pack, and maybe I should have been annoyed that he didn’t even ask me if I wanted to join him, but I didn’t want to and I wasn’t.
I toed my shoes off and scooted back up against the headboard, piling pillows behind me. Charlie stood up and rocked the whole bed until he situated himself by my side with his giant head in my lap.
I laid the stack of pages on the other side of me and flipped them over one by one until I got to the last entry I’d read. A nervous ache twisted my stomach, but I knew this wasn’t a choice. My mother wouldn’t have kept a journal without reason and I knew I was meant to see this. There was something for me here, I just had to find it. I had to believe that.
Julia continues to seek me out. She hides in hallways and waits in corners for me to pass by so she can smile while she pelts me with questions she knows I will not, and usually cannot, answer. The problem is with every encounter we have, her questions only fuel more of my own. Our people have been here for hundreds of years and it is hard for me to believe that we have lived so long with no one requiring answers. But, I know what Julia is not saying. She believes Mages are better than the other races. Instead of each race having their equal place among u
s as the Elders believe, she feels all others should be subservient, and I cannot fathom that outcome.
Tragar continues to assist me. He brings me books from his travels and we work together to try to understand. I worried he would question my loyalty, but he only laughed and told me any intelligent person should ask the questions in their heart. My heart wants to know why the Elders try to hold us all here. Why do they contain us within the lands surrounding the castle, and why do the Elders on the council hide from the people?
The council members should not be hidden. They should be respected and celebrated. I fear for Nathaniel. He shouldn’t even know I am destined for the council. And I know Rynna has guessed. She looks at my brother the way that I look at Nathaniel. If only I’d been as smart as she was and kept my distance, then my heart would not be crumbling inside my chest.
I have been invited to my first meeting. Next week, I will stand before the council for the first test. With each test, I will understand more about what my life will be. I both fear and look forward to the coming days. It will stretch my power and my understanding, but perhaps it will all fall into place as it should.
She sounded so optimistic and hopeful, but I read between the lines. There were secrets and lies she was wading through to get to the truth. I turned the page to find a new entry.
Nothing is as it seems. Maybe Julia is right to question it all. My heart breaks a little more each day I’m away from Nathaniel and the visions grow darker. All I see is death. Our people. Their children. Our home. It will fall to ruin, and I’ve tried to tell them. I’ve tried to tell the council.
I’ve passed my first test, if you can even call it that, and I know who they are. I see how tired they are and I don’t understand what they do in that chamber that taxes them to this point. But I can see they need me. They need someone with fresh magic, yet they continue to question my abilities, wanting to know each and every thing I’m capable of. I haven’t told them, though. Not yet. Unless someone compels me, there are some secrets I must keep.
Bound by Prophecy (Bound Series Book 3) Page 8
