Chapter 26
Chapter
Twenty-Six
Imade a mad dash out of the enchanted forest with the engraved trees. The more I ran, the deeper into the woodlands I went. Breathless, I arrived at the same meadow with daisies where I first saw Torin in my dream realm. The light breeze made the petals sway.
When I lifted my gaze, Torin stood unmoving on the other side of the field.
His black hair fell disheveled and wild around his face, and his amber eyes were like the warm sunset, boring into my soul with such intensity that they made my heart skip a beat. His presence drew me into him, but I planted my feet wide.
“Anna, come back to me,” he whispered, and the wind carried his words to me.
I studied the sincerity in his eyes for a long moment. My resolve weakened despite my better judgment. His sorrowful expression tugged at my heartstrings.
“You lied to me, and you kissed my cousin. But mostly, you make it clear you want me, but then you don’t want to mark me. Can you see that I’m hurting, Torin? I need you to get out of my dream realm now.”
“I didn’t kiss Layla, Anna. I don’t understand why you keep insisting on it.”
I couldn’t believe his audacity. He insisted that I didn’t see right, and that I was just crazy. I wasn’t making it up. How could I have seen it wrong? Layla didn’t have any special powers to change reality. I wasn’t even sure if a witch could do so with a spell.
Torin took a step forward, cutting through the meadow.
“Don’t come to me, Torin.”
If he touched me, I was afraid my resolve would crumble.
I looked around. There was nowhere for me to hide. He could catch me anywhere. But I remembered Dad saying that werewolves could control the images and locations in their dream realm with their minds.
I was kind of a werewolf. At least my father was, even if I didn’t possess a wolf spirit.
I imagined the kingdom’s forest, my bedroom, my London apartment, the library…and more and more images flooded my mind. To get to that memory, I picked one place and visualized I was there in my mind.
But as the images flew like a never-ending preview of a movie, I lost control. My dream realm swirled with images that flickered and flashed. Torin’s eyes gleamed crimson, and he looked around, his eyes moving fast from side to side as if catching a glimpse of each image.
“Gosh, make it stop,” I said.
My world spun around me, and I swayed as dizziness hit me hard. I placed my hands over my face and squeezed my eyes shut. Suddenly, two strong hands grasped my shoulders, and I screamed, my body jerking in surprise. Did Torin get to me?
I dropped my hands to my sides and reopened my eyes. Back in my childhood bedroom in the kingdom, Hayden stood before me. Had he pulled me in here? My mind must have taken me away from Torin and transported me to my old bedroom. To my other mate.
Hayden smiled. “I knew you’d come here. You always do. It’s one of your safe places.”
He brushed his hand over my cheek, leaving little electric shocks behind it.
“Come back to the kingdom, sweetheart. I need you,” he said in the softest voice.
I exhaled loudly. “I need more time after…everything that happened.”
“Sweetheart…” Hayden used his finger to lift my chin, and I had nowhere to look but his face. “He is not in the kingdom, and the King won’t let him in easily.”
“You mean Torin? Why is Dad mad at him?”
Did Torin punch Hayden again? But Dad wouldn’t kick him out for something like that. Unless the other Alphas were involved, and more rumors circulated.
“The King found out about the absence of your book and his sword from his vault. He is quick to connect the dots.”
“I’ll talk to Dad. Although I don’t want to. He also lied to me. How could he not tell me my mother was a witch when I struggled my whole life with being a human?”
“I know the betrayal hurts,” he said with a sigh, “but I like you the way you are. Human. Witch or whatever else you may be. Doesn’t this count for anything, sweetheart? Isn’t it about time to come back to me?”
I drew in a deep breath and with it the fruity scent of Hayden. It was sweet and bitter at the same time, and I couldn’t reconcile if it was more sweet than bitter.
Guilt overwhelmed me, and I swallowed. “Okay, I’ll be back soon, Hayden.”
He nodded and released me. “I’ll be waiting for you.”
But there was one more thing I had to do before I returned to the kingdom. I had to open my witch book, after I spoke with Dad on the phone, of course.
It was way too soon to get up, but my eyes were open, and I couldn't sleep. I stayed as still as a statue, hoping not to disturb Tammy's slumber. After what felt like the longest hour in my life, she stirred, turning and tossing, and eventually woke up.
“Tammy, I’ll have to use your phone,” I said.
She responded with a mumble of words. She turned on her other side and was fast asleep again.
I sighed. I was to blame for stealing the book from Dad’s vault. And I hadn’t protested when Torin took Dad’s sword.
Torin wasn’t in my good graces yet, but I didn’t want him to suffer more than he’d already endured.
I picked up Tammy’s phone from the dresser and walked out into the living space, shutting the bedroom door behind me. The office chair creaked as I dropped my body onto it. I pressed the digits for Dad’s cell number and waited.
“Hello?” His voice trembled.
He usually didn’t pick up unfamiliar numbers calling his phone, but his daughter was missing.
“Dad, it’s me.”
“Anna, I’m so glad to hear your voice. Where are you? Whose number is this—”
“Dad, Dad,” I repeated several times until he calmed down and listened. “This is Tammy’s number. She’s with me, and we’re safe.”
Even if I was still angry with the King, I didn’t want him to worry.
“Tell me where you are, and I’ll pick you up, honey,” he said.
Rustling sounded in the background.
“Brendan, is that our daughter?” Mom asked from farther away.
Although Mom had given me the mission to check on the problem of missing people from the shelter, she was a mother and must have been worried about me.
My eyes stung with tears, and I swallowed hard. Mom’s love for me had always been unwavering and unconditional. And I wasn’t her biological daughter.
I sucked in a deep breath. Even though I knew Mom loved me my entire life, the realization hit me harder. She loved me even though I was a walking reminder of Dad’s fated mate.
Even if she kept me around her, how could she love me so much?
“Honey,” she said on the line.
I imagined her grabbing the phone out of Dad’s hands.
“Mom, I’m okay.”
“I’m glad. But honey, you have no money. Do you need me to wire some?”
“Breanna is coming back,” Dad said in his stern voice, rather loud.
“She will be back when she’s ready, Brendan,” she said with a growl, and Dad quieted down.
I hated that I was the reason for their arguing, and I hoped their relationship wouldn’t fall apart because of me.
“Mom…” I paused to make sure I had her attention. “I’m doing fine. The humans helped me. They’re generous and kind. And now Tammy is with me. Please don’t worry. Okay?”
She let out a sigh. “Okay, honey.”
“Also, I found out the vampires have been replenishing their ranks. They’re prepping for a war.”
Mom sucked in a sharp breath. “I’ll let your dad and the Alphas know.”
“One more thing before you put Dad back on the phone.” I listened to her ragged breathing. “I love you, Mom.”
She exhaled loudly as if the weight of our realm lifted off her chest, and I thought I heard her sob.
“Love you too, honey. Always.”
Then there was a silent pause until Dad’s voice came back on the line.
“I’ll be coming back to the kingdom soon,” I said in a steady voice. “I was with Torin when we stole my book and the sword. So if you punish him, you’ll have to punish me too. Or are we going to have a double standard again? The King’s daughter won’t be punished?”
“Why are you so protective of the Alpha? I understand he’s your other mate, but…can’t you see he’s no good for you, Anna?”
I wanted to growl at him, just like Mom. No, I wanted to pull my hair out.
“Why is the sword so important to you?”
“Willa gave it to me as a gift.” His voice broke.
The slamming of a door echoed in the background, and I flinched. My chest tightened. I didn’t like that Mom suffered. But at least Dad told the truth even if it hurt the people around him.
“Why would she give you a sword? It makes no sense.” The image of the magic sword, retracted by Torin, popped into my mind. “Have you seen the blade?”
“I have when Willa opened it in front of me.” He cleared his throat. “I’ve seen the engraved pentagrams with the four elements matching the same ones on your bracelet.”
I took a deep breath and exhaled loudly.
“Willa said she had to bring a sword with her to be able to see me, but I don’t know what she meant. She refused to answer any of my questions, Anna.”
Did Willa engrave the sword with the witch symbols? But if she did, she’d possessed that athame described in the witch book I opened.
I placed my free hand over my forehead, a throbbing pain forming there.
My mind reeled, trying to connect events and people, but my heart refused to acknowledge the truth. I didn’t want my biological mother to be the witch who’d engraved the bracelet and the magic sword.
Because that would mean… My breathing turned shallow.
If she did, then Willa was the one who left the witch books in the libraries for me to find.
The throbbing pain traveled behind my eyes, and I shut them. If I could just shut away the truth, returning to living among the humans would be so easy.
But the Fates had a different plan for me.
If my biological mother was the witch with the athame, and the dark witch claimed the same athame belonged to her family, then Willa and Cordelia would be related.
And I was related to Cordelia.
Cordelia was a witch—the dark type, and so was Willa, although I didn’t know which kind.