Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Karsyn
Walking through the meadow, my feet wet from the dew coating the ground, I sigh in relief. It’s taken me a month to finally come out of the little cabin I found and turned into a home for myself. It’s nothing special.
The cabin is simple, with a fireplace, a few old rugs, and a small cooking stove and sink in the corner.
It’s all I need for myself and all I could ask for.
In fact, it’s more than I’ve had in years.
Before I escaped the blood witches, I lived in a small cell.
The bars were charmed, and if I touched them, they burned.
As it were, I grew weaker with each day I was in there.
It’s why it’s taken so long for me to heal as much as I have.
I was lucky to have enough strength by the time I made it to Redwich to be able to use my gifts in order to shield myself from the rest of the world.
I needed the time to heal, and I feared someone being able to come across where I’ve decided to hide.
In the time since getting to Redwich, this is all I’ve done . . . hide and heal. I didn’t even go to town for supplies. I stuck to the cabin, only venturing out for water and food. I didn’t connect with the earth any other way.
Today is the first time I’ve ventured this far. I’m scared and feel as if, at any minute, someone will find me, but I need to get out. Soon, I’ll need to finally make my way into the town to find my father. I don’t know how I’ll do that, but I’ll find a way.
The other night, I heard the sound of wolves in the area. Fear had threatened to choke me as I prayed my shields stayed intact. I wasn’t ready to come face-to-face with a wolf.
Sighing heavily, I spread my arms, lift my face to the sky, and twirl around. Now isn’t the time to think about the fear. I need to finally and officially reconnect with the earth. With Mother Goddess. Tonight, I hope to dance under the full moon as I used to do long ago.
I smile upward at the sun shining brightly and feel lighter than I have in years. Energy sings and curls around me. My body lifts off the ground, and I start humming, singing, and chanting the words that will fully connect me once again to nature.
The chirping of birds singing their song mixes with mine, becoming one.
The wind swirls around me, and the ground soon meets my feet again as I lower myself back down.
I lie on the cold ground, feeling the earth underneath me warm.
The grass whispers against my skin, wanting to be reborn from the cold winter.
Soon, the spring equinox will come, and flowers will bloom.
This meadow will be filled beautifully with wildflowers.
So many different kinds, it’ll take my breath away.
I stay where I am, watching the sky, listening to the birds, seeing deer walk by, and a bobcat race through the trees. Only when it starts to get dark again do I finally move. I still need to go to town, but it won’t be tonight. Maybe tomorrow.
Making my way back to the little cabin, I feel stronger, but I’m not strong enough yet. I keep my ears open, listening for any sounds that shouldn’t be there. As I close in on the cabin, something feels off. It’s not malevolent, but it’s . . . I don’t know how to describe it.
I stop on the edge of the tree line just to the side of the cabin. Only then do I smell them. Wolves.
“Come on out. I can smell you,” one of them states, looking in my direction. He’s older but still looks like the man in the picture of my locket.
“Get out here, witch,” the other man says, sounding infuriated, but he bears a resemblance to the older man.
Ever so slowly, I take a breath and step from around the tree. Meeting the older man’s gaze.
“Karoline?” my father whispers.
“The hell you talking about? Who’s Karoline?” the other man snaps, nostrils flaring.
“Karoline was my mother’s name,” I utter softly, my voice wavering as I drop my gaze to the ground. If they hadn’t been shifters, I know they wouldn’t have heard me.
“What’s your name then?” my father demands.
I bite my lower lip and take a step back into the trees.
“Don’t even think about running,” the other man says.
“Dane, stop scaring her,” my father snaps. “She’s your sister.”
“My what?” Dane snarls. “You’re fuckin’ kidding me.”
“Take a moment, push back your anger, and smell the air.”
Dane does as he is told, and his eyes widen before he growls.
My father ignores him and steps forward. “What’s your name?”
“Karsyn,” I whisper tentatively.
“Karsyn,” he repeats, also whispering. “Karoline named you Karsyn.” He says this as if he were talking to himself.
“Motherfucker,” Dane mutters.
My father shakes his head and jerks his chin up. “Come over here, Karsyn. Neither of us will hurt you. I need you to tell me where your mother is.”
I take a step closer and start fidgeting with my hands. I take a breath to keep the energy that wants to reach out of me trying to surface. “My mother was killed several years ago by blood witches while trying to protect me.”
My father’s nostrils flare and his eyes change right before he shifts. I scream and back up against a tree, fear overwhelming me. My magic envelops me.
“What the fuck is that?” I hear Dane snarl.
“Your mother was my mate. My fated mate,” my father says, shifting back, thankfully still with his clothes intact. I thought that was interesting. I didn’t know shifters could keep their clothes when they shift, but it seems so.
“Your what?” Dane demands.
“My mate,” he confirms and looks at me. “My name’s Daniel Syndey.”
My mouth drops open, and I’m surprised to know this. I never knew his name. Swallowing, I lick my bottom lip. “My full name is Karsyn Danielle Syndey.”
“She gave you my name,” Daniel murmurs and looks at Dane. “She gave her our name.”
“Still don’t know what the hell is going on here. How the hell did I not know this shit?”
I switch my focus to Dane and watch as he roughly yanks his hands through his hair. Eyes narrowed. Nostrils flaring. He looks to be trying his best to keep from losing it.
“Because Karoline left before we could complete the bond between us. Evidently, she didn’t want me or anyone else to know about Karsyn.” Daniel grunts. The gruffness of his tone takes on a whole new sound.
“Um, how did you find me out here? How did you know?” I find myself asking, panic starting to sink in as I think about the fact that if they were able to find me, then the blood witches or someone else could.
“Your mother and I used to meet here at this cabin,” Daniel announces.
“I hid her here after she’d been attacked.
I knew immediately she was my mate. I wasn’t thrilled about her being a witch, but she explained to me she wasn’t like the others.
When she left, she left behind a charm and a letter.
” He holds up a glowing charm. “She wrote in the letter that if the charm glows, she’s returned.
Evidently, she didn’t, but her daughter has . . . our daughter.”
“I didn’t know she’d done that. When I saw the cabin, I didn’t think anything of it. It looked abandoned, and I needed a place to heal.”
“This area is charmed,” Daniel states. “She made it so the only ones who can see this cabin share my blood.”
“Oh, okay.” That’s good.
“So, you’re the one my brother sensed while out running the other night,” Dane mutters. Evidently, he’s still upset, and I’m sure it’s rightfully so.
“Yes,” I whisper. “I . . . I needed to heal.”
“Why?” Daniel demands.
“It doesn’t matter.” I don’t want to talk about it.
I reach up, clutch the locket at my throat, close my eyes, taking a deep breath.
I just met these two men, my family. An overwhelming feeling wants to boil over inside me, for me to let it release itself.
To let it consume me, but I can’t. Not here. Not now. Not ever.
I won’t let the darkness win me over.
“It does matter. It fuckin’ matters a lot,” Dane growls. “Why the fuck did you need to heal? For that matter, what are you doing here? Hiding?”
“You curse a lot,” I blurt, only to cover my mouth with both hands. “I’m sorry.” The apology comes out muffled, and I stare at my brother with wide, fearful eyes.
Dane blinks at me, looks at Daniel, looks back at me, and shakes his head. “Fuckin’ A.”
“Karsyn, you need to talk to us. We can’t help you if you don’t . . .”
“You’d help me?” Again, I find myself blurting. “You don’t know me. I . . . I mean, I intended to eventually come find you, and I, um, well, I hoped when I did that you’d be willing to help me, but I didn’t think you actually would.”
“Blood helps blood, no matter what.”
I’m surprised when it’s Dane who speaks up.
I hold his gaze for a brief moment and nod before finally answering them. “When my mother was killed, they captured me. I finally escaped and found my way to Redwich. I’ve been here a month, healing and hiding. Trying to get my strength back.”
“So, blood witches had you?” Daniel growls.
“Yes.” I nod.
“You’re the reason they’re here,” Dane accuses.
In the blink of an eye, he shifts, causing me to scream in utter terror. Swallowing my fear, I turn and run. I think I run, but I don’t get far. Not because they catch me but because I find myself growing dizzy, and the next thing, everything goes dark.