Chapter Twenty-Two
“This is going to suck donkey dick.” I grumble.
“Eloquent as ever Beautiful.” Kai chuckles, wrapping his arm around my shoulders as we pull up to my parent’s house.
“We convinced them to give you the evening last night, but everyone really needs to know what happened in that warehouse, you’ve only got to tell it once.
” He finishes. Worry clouds his eyes as he looks me over.
“And don’t forget Erin and her guys are arriving soon.” Jax reminds me as we get out of the car, Knot jumping down beside me.
“What?” I ask, “I thought they couldn’t come for two days?”
“They couldn’t but Thomas changed his mind and thought we should get it over and done with, there’s a lot to sort through, and not just from the warehouse.” Levi explains as he knocks on the front door.
Jax gently starts to run his hand up and down my back, I flinch but relax quickly as he leans down and whispers in my ear, “I’m so sorry we couldn’t heal them completely.” He says quietly as anger and sadness fight for dominance in his tone.
“I would be dead if you hadn’t done what you did to heal me.” I say firmly.
I was too distracted yesterday to notice or bother to ask but this morning when I had my shower, I caught sight of the faint lines covering my back, scars from the whip.
They could be worse though, they could be raised and red but instead they all look years old, silver lines in a faint pattern crossing my back.
The front door finally opens and I’m pulled into Willows arms. My emotions want to take over, but I can’t let them. If I want to get through the story of what happened in my past before Erin and her guys get here, I need to stay as emotionless as possible without locking my emotions away.
“Oh Sage,” she squeezes me tighter and then leads us into the house and towards the dining room, “would you guys like anything to eat or drink?”
“I’d rather just get through this, it’s not a pleasant thing to talk about.” I say.
The guys tense behind me.
“How are you Sage?” Thomas asks, all three of my father’s watching me in concern.
“As well as can be expected I guess, I just want to get this over with.” I grimace.
“Very well, when you’re ready.” Joey says kindly.
We all sit down at the table and Hunter grabs one of my hand’s as Mav grabs the other, it’s no secret that this is going to be hard for me, but I would rather get it over and done with. Knot jumps up onto my lap and settles in, offering her support.
“Ok well, the organisation that took me when I was a kid was Brent’s father’s organisation, the step bitch worked for him too.
They thought the best way to get me to use my powers was through torture.
” Everyone tenses and Kai curses inventively, I continue without pause knowing that if I stop now, I mostly likely won’t be able to start again, “I’m not going to go too far into it but they tortured me in different ways for a long time, healing me and then starting over again in multiple sessions a day, until I learnt to hide so deep within myself that I couldn’t feel pain or my emotions.
That’s what I did yesterday, they tried the same tactic and I shut it all off.
I couldn’t come back though, it was only when I saw you guys that the gate opened and everything that was blocked was released. ” I stroke Knot.
“When I stopped screaming when they tortured me when I was a kid, they switched tactics and brought in an illusionist and he would create elaborate scenes where he showed me my parents dying in thousands of horrific ways. Finally Cain Patrick saved me, in the only way he knew how, he suggested that a weapon with the kind of mental and emotional damage that I was rapidly heading towards, would be unstable and I would have to be put down,” I ignore the exclamations from around the table, “he suggested that I have my memory wiped to protect it from the trauma they put me through then be put into the care,” I sneer at the word, “of one of his employees in the hope that in a home environment I would reveal my powers, obviously that didn’t work out.
The step bitch is the least nurturing person I’ve ever met.
When that didn’t work he told his son, Brent, to get close to me to see if I would reveal my powers to him but apparently that plan backfired too because he fell in love with me, except his version of love was obsession, pain and control.
That’s pretty much it for my part. The rest is what happened in the warehouse with Erin and her guys. ”
I stop and look around at the people that care for me, Kai’s eyes are wild as are Jax’s.
Levi, my calm and always in control one, eyes are frenzied and unfocused.
My parents all have tears in their eyes, Willow openly crying.
Hunter and Maverick look enraged. I keep a close eye on Levi, nudging Maverick and nodding my head towards Levi, his eyes widen, well that can’t be a good sign.
“So that’s how my fucked up past all links up, I’ll wait for Erin and the others to arrive before we explain what happened in the warehouse, you already know that they tried to torture me again hence my back.”
“I am so sorry, Sweet!” Willow sobs but my focus is entirely on Levi, something is wrong, and the guys know what it is.
“Ok that’s great, er hey Willow can we grab those drinks now?” Kai suddenly asks.
She looks shocked for a minute before her eyes dip to Levi and widen, she nods and gets up.
“Why don’t you guys help her?” Hunter says catching on to whatever Kai is playing at.
My parents share a bewildered look but they all go into the kitchen, as soon as they’re out of sight the guys spring into action and grab Levi hauling him outside.
I rush after them and watch worriedly as Levi paces up and down, his breathing laboured and his hands clenching tightly at his sides, his head bows and the guys share a worried look.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
“You have probably noticed by now, but Levi doesn’t lose control, up until the last few days it’s only happened once, this is the second time in two days he’s lost control, somethings changed.” Hunter explains.
I dart forward and get in Levi’s path, his eyes dart up from the floor and connect with mine.
“Holy fuck!” I curse. “Guys, his eyes are red.”
Levi’s eyes are still locked with mine and I can’t help but find his red irises, beautiful.
“Well he is quite stressed, Titch. It’s not surprising that his eyes are a little bloodshot.” Maverick says.
“Not bloodshot, his actual iris is bright red, look.” I say, carefully watching Levi who has gone unnaturally still. “Move slowly guys, he’s on edge.” I caution them.
The guys all slowly move up behind me, Levi’s eyes dart to them once before his lip lifts in a snarl and an inhuman growl rumbles in his chest.
Well fuck.
“Holy fuck, that’s not happened before!” Jax exclaims behind me.
Once again, I follow intuition and step into Levi’s space placing my hands on his cheeks, I tilt his face down to mine. A growl builds in his chest again.
“Quit that, it’s me.” I tap his chest lightly. “Deep breaths Levi come on.”
I make him breath with me until the red fades from his eyes and he returns to normal.
“What the fuck just happened?” He asks, his voice low and gravely.
“I think I can explain,” Thomas says from behind us, making me jump, “it shouldn’t be happening yet though, you haven’t been through the ceremony to cement the bond and with Sage’s powers bound yours shouldn’t be manifesting yet.”
“They have been through a massive ordeal, losing Sage and then hearing about what happened to her and nearly losing her completely.” Micha says stepping up next to Thomas. “That could’ve triggered it maybe?”
“Can someone please explain what is going on, I’m getting really sick and tired of being in the dark where this Soulmate stuff is concerned!
” I state agitatedly, “Did you guys know supernatural creatures are actually real, as in shifters, vampires, witches, fae and all that?” I say turning towards the guys.
“You’re shitting me?” Mav asks incredulously.
“Nope, Erin told me, she’s learning all about it at the academy.” I shoot a pointed look at my dad’s.
“Yes, there’s a lot you need to know and I promise we will explain it all later but there’s not much time before Erin and her team arrive so, I only have enough time to explain what I think is going on with Levi.” Thomas states, “Although, I will tell you as much as I can before she arrives ok?”
We reluctantly nod in agreement.
As much as I want to insist that they give me all the answers right now, I know that we need to do the debriefing with Erin’s team and that although they know all about Soulmate Bonds, they might not know everything, since they aren’t a part of one and that means that the conversation needs to be a private one.
“Remember I told you that when your powers are unlocked your Soulmate Bonds will get their powers too?” Thomas asks and I nod, “Well what I didn’t want to tell you at the time because you were still dealing with so much, is that all the guys won’t get gifts like yours.
The easiest way to explain it is that in simple terms you are a very strong witch, so strong that your soul needs help to balance itself out, this is the same with all Soulmate Bonds, the difference with you though is that because you were so abnormally strong as a child, your powers were bound and so when you first met your bonded you didn’t release their alternate forms.”
“All of your men have a sort of switch inside them, that when they met you normally would’ve been tripped to let loose their supernatural side; they could be any of the supernatural species.
I’m a vampire,” Thomas explains flashing fang and I honestly wonder what alternate universe I fucking stepped into, seriously?
“I’m a bear shifter,” Joey explains, “that’s why you used to call me papa Bear.” He smiles softly.
It seems that not all of my memories have returned only the traumatic ones. Go figure.