Chapter 2
Two
IZZY
“The Maiden is Soraya.” Amanda awkwardly perches against the desk, her fingers drumming against the varnished mahogany.
“Soraya,” I repeat, envisioning the red-haired beauty I met in the woods.
Amanda nods once. “She’ll be the easiest of the three to win over.
She goes to the local college and is a member of the sorority there.
She, more than any of the others, likes to keep one foot in the real world.
Try to relate to her. Get her to see your point of view.
” She waits for me to nod, signaling I understand, before she continues. “Ara is the Crone.”
“She hates me,” I point out.
There was something deeply unsettling about the older woman with keen eyes and frizzy gray hair. It felt like… Well, would it be ridiculous if I said it felt as if she was looking into my soul? That she was picking me apart piece by piece, only to find me severely lacking?
Amanda snorts, and the tiniest hint of a smile tugs at the corners of her lips. “Ara hates everyone.” She shifts slightly and folds her arms over her chest. “But despite her crass demeanor, she’s just and fair. She’ll hear you out.”
“Wait. Wait. Wait. Back up.” I wave my hands in the air, garnering her attention. “Why are you making it sound like I’m on trial?”
Amanda blinks in surprise. “Because you…kind of are.”
At that, my eyebrows shoot to my hairline. “What?”
“You have magical blood, Izzy. And you know about this world. The Trinity doesn’t understand why you didn’t seek them out sooner.” Amanda’s features twist with sympathy.
“That doesn’t make any sense!” It takes considerable effort to keep from throwing something. Anger pulsates beneath my skin like an electrical current. “I don’t have any magical powers. At all. Everybody knows that. And I only just discovered my mother was a witch once upon a time—”
“It doesn’t have to make sense,” Amanda interrupts calmly, her cherry-red lips curling into a frown. “But you have to understand one thing—the Trinity is the law around here. What they say goes. And apparently, they’re not happy with you.”
“They’re looking for an excuse to punish me,” I snap.
The words are curt and angry, but then I realize that…they actually make sense. I have a feeling I would be in this exact same situation, regardless of what happened in the past. For some inexplicable reason, the Trinity wants me to pay.
But why?
Because of my mother?
My fathers?
Amanda’s lips part, but she doesn’t utter a single sound. She simply stares at me for a long moment, seemingly attempting to gather her thoughts, before she pushes out a heavy breath.
“That may be the case, but it doesn’t change anything.” Her arms lower, and her fingers resume their drumming against the desktop.
“You talked about Soraya and Ara,” I say, changing the subject, my mind whirling. “What about Delaney? She’s the…Mother, correct?”
It feels weird to apply that term to her, considering how closely she resembles me in appearance.
And the fact that she’s, technically, a blood relative of mine.
My aunt.
Ice skates down my spine, and a tremor works its way through my body. I cross my arms over my chest as if that can somehow protect me from the invisible wind pelting me from all directions.
“Delaney…” Amanda turns towards the far wall, where there probably should be a window. Instead, the wall is solid cement, painted an unassuming shade of beige. “Delaney will be difficult to win over.”
I snort. “Why am I not surprised?”
“She’s always been strict,” Amanda continues. “But losing her twin—your mother—changed something in her. She hates shifters for what they did to your mom.”
“So she’ll hate me just because I have shifter blood in my veins,” I reason, my voice turning cold.
Amanda doesn’t answer, but her silence speaks volumes.
“The shifters didn’t kill my mother,” I say, my nails biting into my palms. “From what I heard, my mother…”
I can’t finish the sentence. I never met the woman who gave birth to me, but knowing that she killed herself… It slices at my skin like a thousand rusty blades. Not sharp enough to cut efficiently but capable of producing festering wounds.
Amanda’s eyes soften. “I know that. Delaney does too, though she’ll never admit it. However, that doesn’t change the fact that she blames the shifters for stealing your mother away in the first place.”
I process all of this in silence. I have no idea what to feel, how to react. I don’t know Helena, yet she’s my mother. She gave birth to me. And obviously, something happened that made her decide to take her own life.
I can’t even blame Delaney for being upset. Helena was her sister, after all. Her twin. The closest thing I have to a sibling is Jake, and if I were to lose him, I would go insane.
God, my aunt. It’s strange to wrap my head around.
How is it possible that I went from having no family to more than I can possibly deal with? I have birth fathers who may or may not know of my existence. An apparently evil aunt who rules the witches. A dead mother.
What about grandparents?
Cousins?
Siblings?
My heart begins to pound faster.
“I’m sorry, Izzy.” Amanda’s soft voice pulls my attention back to her.
Tears glisten in her eyes. “I never wanted this for you. When I first saw you and discovered you didn’t possess any magical abilities, I tried my hardest to shield you from this world.
Then, when it became apparent that it wasn’t possible, I put you with Hale and Gerry, knowing that they would look after you. I never wanted you to be here.”
I study her expression carefully, searching for any discrepancies, but see only sincerity emanating back at me.
I believe her.
Amanda may not have been the warmest parental figure in my life, but she’s been with me from the beginning, from the very first shitty foster home to the last. She believed me when I claimed my old foster brother used to sneak into my room and tried to touch me.
She didn’t bat an eye when I showed up at her office, crying my eyes out after my foster mother slapped me.
She simply took me in her arms, promised everything would be okay, and moved me to a new house.
She tried her best, and though I sometimes wondered if her best was good enough, it kept me alive all these years.
I offer her a wobbly smile. “What should I expect next? Will I be entering a courthouse? A creepy, abandoned church?”
Amanda chuckles, absently brushing at a stray tear on her face. “How do you take your tea, Izzy?”
Um…what?
I blink, certain I heard her wrong, but she simply meets my stare with an arched eyebrow.
“My tea?” I ask, slightly incredulous.
Amanda checks her watch, frowns, and then moves to her feet. She smooths her hands down the sides of her skirt, straightening out imaginary wrinkles.
“The meeting will begin soon. Come along.”
Amanda doesn’t even wait for me to respond as she hurries towards the front door. She lifts her hand, waves her fingers, and the telltale sound of the lock clicks.
Despite the trepidation still reverberating through me, I have to admit that’s a useful trick. I’ll never get used to magic being real.
“Are you coming?” Amanda asks, not bothering to look over her shoulder.
I quicken my pace to catch up with her, wondering what fresh hell I’m getting myself into. I can’t help but think of the Mad Hatter’s tea party.
Though I have the distinct impression that my trip to Wonderland will be paved in bloodshed and darkness.
And down the rabbit hole I go…