15. Autumn
Igroaned as I sat up and clutched at my aching head.
I wasn’t used to using my magic in such a great big burst and I probably shouldn’t have been sleeping in the woods hiding and I should have come inside and eaten something right away to replenish my energy. Instead I hid like a coward because I didn’t want to face the consequences of my actions.
They’d been kind to me anyways, like I should have known from their previous actions that they would be.
And then we’d come inside and…
And…
“Finn,” I blurted out as my eyes snapped open.
I frantically searched the room for him to make sure he wasn’t simply a figment of my imagination.
It had been years since I’d seen him last and it was like I had mentally blocked him out from my mind. I was good at blocking things out for my own sanity.
He looked the same now, only older. The years he’d been away had been kind to him, if looks were anything to go by.
But that hadn’t been what shocked me about seeing him sitting there. “They said you were dead. That you tried to run away and didn’t survive your punishment.” I shook my head to clear it. I was looking at a ghost right now and it was doing a number on me. “You were used as an example to control the little one’s since then… what are you doing here now, Finn? Where’ve you been and how do you know these people?”
I had so many questions but that was all I seemed capable of getting out at the moment.
Finn stood up and held his arms out to me as tears streamed down his cheeks. “Autumn. You’re alive. Come here, beautiful girl.”
I had no idea what he thought was going on here but I certainly wasn’t about to get up and run into his arms so I could embrace him. I had never hugged him before in my life. I wasn’t about to start now.
“Sit down, Finn,” A man with long red hair murmured as he wrapped an arm around Finn’s waist and dragged him back down to the couch. “The girl just fainted, she’s not gonna wake up and run into your arms like some fucking scene from a movie. Besides, I don’t think it’s a good idea to be touching her or getting up close to her with all those warnings on her face. Nobody should be touching her.”
I wanted to cry. People didn’t usually try to touch me or try to get close to me with all of the tattoos on my body. Finn had always been one of the few who’d never been afraid of me in any kind of way. And here I was and I wouldn’t even give him a hug when he wanted one from me.
I felt absolutely horrible.
“It’s not a good idea,” I croaked out in a voice thick with emotion.
“Don’t say that, Autumn,” Finn rushed out in a heated voice. “Don’t let what those monsters tried to force feed us get into your head like that. There’s nothing wrong with you and your tattoos are beautiful. They’ve always been beautiful. If someone means you no harm then they shouldn’t have anything to worry about. And I’d never do you any harm. Ever. I hope you know that.”
I did know that. Finn had always been a rule breaker and he could be downright cruel and mean at times. But he had never been anything but kind and sweet to me. He’d always looked out for me and never treated me like an outcast the way everyone else had.
It was mostly everyone else that he’d been horrible to. And I really couldn’t even blame him for it.
“Autumn. I thought you were dead like everyone else. Like… Plume,” he choked out.
Dead? Like Plume and everyone else?
What the hell was he talking about?
I looked up at Liam questioningly. He’d been so sweet to me and I was still leaning into the warmth of his body.
I never leaned on anyone. No one ever dared get close enough to touch me.
He swallowed roughly as he reached up and trailed his fingers along the tattoos that ran down the side of my face.
“We went back to the camp tonight to talk to your people,” he said in a thick, rough voice. “And they were all dead. We were trying to figure out a way to tell you and we didn’t want it to come out like this. I’m so sorry, Autumn.”
Dead?
Did he just say that they were all dead?
I swayed on my feet and he tightened his arm around me.
“What are you talking about?”
He couldn’t be telling the truth, right? My people weren’t all dead.
“Maybe we should sit down.”
I allowed him to guide me over to a couch and I sat down heavily beside him. The rest of his coven spread out around us and Raven crouched down at my feet.
Raven took my hand in his as Liam slipped his arm around my waist in between me and the couch. My shoulders were squeezed gently and I glanced behind me to see Mason standing behind me, lending me his support. Gunner and Scout were right there with the rest of their coven, only they weren’t touching me. But I felt their presence almost as if they were.
I didn”t understand their motives but they were definitely here for me in a really big way. Maybe they were just good people. I had never met many of those before.
I looked back to Raven expectantly. He was the leader and I knew he’d be upfront and honest with me.
He swallowed thickly and squeezed my hand. “You know we went back to your camp tonight to talk to them. What we found was an absolute bloodbath. Everyone was dead. Their throats had been slit and all of the tents were on fire. We took care of the bodies and put the fires out. But whoever was responsible wasn’t there. They’re out in the wild somewhere and they’re clearly dangerous to anyone they happen to come upon. I hate to ask you, especially after just learning this, but… Autumn you are going to have to talk to me about who hurt you and who you think could have done such a thing. You’re the only one left to do it.”
I closed my eyes and bowed my head.
I didn’t know what to do with this information.
It was absolutely devastating and broke my heart completely.
“All of them?” I whispered as I stared down at our joined hands.
They couldn’t all be dead. There were so many children. So many innocent little children.
“Yes, precious, they’re all dead. I’m so sorry.”
All of them.
Dead.
I couldn’t sit here anymore because I knew. I damn well knew that whoever did this was thinking about me and likely blamed me for it instead of claiming responsibility themselves.
I was going to be sick.
I stood up and ripped my hand out of Raven’s.
My first instinct was to run outside and hide somewhere out in the woods. I had already done that once today though and I refused to do it again.
Instead, I ran towards the stairs and up them.
I found the bedroom I had been given and locked the door behind me.
I sucked in deep breaths in an attempt to keep the vomit at bay. It worked. Then again, I had plenty of practice.
I crawled into the center of the bed and curled up in a tight ball.
The tears came and my body shook with my sobs.
People kept knocking on the door but I ignored every single one of them.
Eventually I cried myself to sleep.