Chapter 2 #2
“For your family,” Mona corrected, her eyes shaded with understanding. “Effie has gone through the closed gate before—when she first came to Earth—and it’s been foretold that she will be the one to reopen it. I know she has the power to…” She turned to me. “Well, once you awaken your magic.”
“Awaken my magic,” I murmured, inhaling deeply before exhaling, feeling a weird sense of relief.
Not because what she was saying was easy or simple.
Rather the opposite. But because it was easier to focus on a problem with an identified, concrete solution rather than sift through my complicated emotions. At least with this, there was a goal.
“Why should she believe you?” Caedmon demanded, a protective edge to his tone. “Why should she even believe you’re her mom? What if you’re saying that to use her like the others suggested?”
“She shouldn’t,” Mona said honestly. “But I think Effie can feel our connection—I think she knows there’s truth to what I’m saying. More so, this is the only way she can protect herself from Hastain.”
“What?” I asked, immediately keyed into her words.
“We protect Effie—she doesn’t need you for that,” Tore rumbled.
“I believe that,” Mona admitted, “but for Effie to have all her magic, to truly be able to protect herself, and for all of you to be as powerful as possible through the bond you share…she needs to awaken her magic. Without it the mate bond will never be fully complete, not as a full unit.”
“Is that true?” I asked Ryder as his brows dipped, looking confused.
“I’m not sure, it doesn’t say anything about that in what I’ve read—”
“Your pairing is not as unusual as you would think—at least it wasn’t at one time.
” Mona’s gaze went far away. “There were groups of six spread throughout, so believe me, you need her magic to be completely secured. It will cement it, and then no one, not even the dark god himself, could pull you apart.”
In some ways, out of everything she said, that motivated me the most. It shouldn’t have because there was clearly a larger problem at hand, but I wanted my mates safe, and I didn’t want anyone being able to break us apart.
Mona’s gaze turned soft as she leaned forward, looking at me. “I understand I have no right to ask any of this, and I want nothing more than to explain everything about what happened and how you ended up here, how we lost you…but even at this moment, it’s not safe enough for that.”
“And where is it safe enough to tell me?” I asked.
“In the divine realm—back home,” she whispered.
Back home? I didn’t think the divine realm was my home… No, my home was with my mates.
Biting down on my lip, I exhaled shakily. “Let’s say I wanted to open the gate—how would I do that?”
“You would need to awaken your magic—your divine magic, your true magic, and the elements associated with it. Only then can you open the gate from the outside.”
“And how does she awaken it?” Julian’s voice was rough, and when I looked at him, I found that Coffin had completely taken over. Mona noticed as well, staring at him in confusion before letting out an amused laugh.
“You are not supposed to be here, let alone in the body of a college student, Coffin,” Mona mused, shaking her head.
“No matter—better protection for my daughter, I suppose. To answer your question, the way you awaken your divine magic is by channeling true magic through your pendant and into you. You can use it to unlock all elements of your magic, through the Homura Stone and the Fengari Stone. I believe Ryder is intimately aware of where the first stone resides—it’s the same place where the magic was first truly lost.”
Ryder made a concerned noise but didn’t deny it.
Before I could ask him what she was referring to, the ceiling flickered like a projection, and Mona’s image faded slightly before returning in full vibrancy. Frowning, she stood, her chair disappearing.
“It’s nearly time for me to leave. I will quickly remove the memories from others, but then I must go.
When you unlock both parts of your pendant, it will show you where the gate is.
I promise I wouldn’t lead you astray, Effie, and I hope you can trust in the connection you feel between us.
If nothing else, I would want you and your mates as safe as possible. ”
Her gaze moved to my mates. “I would suggest leaving after you confirm their memories that Hastain was about to attack you. Don’t over complicate it.”
“I don’t know if we’re going to do this,” I admitted, getting the words out there. I felt bad about what I was saying, but I also wanted to be honest.
“I understand.” She nodded sharply. “I hope you consider it, though. There are so many women in danger right now. So many. If you don’t do it because of what I’ve told you, do it for them. Get your divine magic back, if only so you can stand up to Hastain by helping those women.”
I knew at that moment that I was going to do it.
Not because she was claiming to be my mom, but because Hastain was capable of so much darkness.
A darkness that continued to try to hurt my mates—my true family—and I wouldn’t stand for that.
I wouldn’t allow for there to be any chance of him being able to break us apart.
More so, if there were even more people like him out there, then there were women who needed help.
I couldn’t look away from that.
As she stepped back, she spoke softly, meeting my gaze. “Goodbye, little moon. I hope to see you soon.”
At that moment, the entire room warped and waved with power. I felt a momentary fog, like I couldn’t properly remember what had happened, but then my magic fought against it, reminding me of everything we now knew.
Mona was gone, though…and everyone in the room unfroze.