Chapter 37
ARIANNA
My breaths come in rapid bursts, the air rushing in and out of my lungs.
It takes a moment to adjust to my surroundings; the lighting is dull, almost hazy.
The softness of a bed under my body brings me comfort.
I shuffle to the edge of the mattress and scan my surroundings; the old pink wallpaper, the little trinkets, and dancing medals all over the room…
I’m in my old bedroom back at Aunt May’s house. Am I dreaming again?
A frown mars my face, confused as to why I am here. I was just at Westrey. I wonder where Gaelan is.
Climbing off the bed, I pull on my bathrobe, the pink fluffy material wraps around like a warm, familiar blanket. Making my way downstairs, voices come from the kitchen. Laughter echoes down the hall, reminding me of what this house was like when it was full of life, when my family was still alive.
What are they doing here? The question rings in my head, pushing my feet toward the kitchen.
I pause when I see my mother and father, Aunt May, and my grandfather.
They all turn to me, the smile on their faces makes a sob leave my lips.
My heart has been broken for so long; they have no idea how much I’ve missed each one of them.
Until I met Gaelan, I’ve felt so alone in this world without them.
Mom is the first to step forward. “Arianna?” Her voice is soft and gentle, just how I remember it when she was alive.
Tears roll down my face. I’ve not heard anyone call me that for a long time; my mom was the only one who used my full name.
She would always say the name was given to me for a reason, and she would use it as it was intended.
“Mom?” Rushing toward her, I gasp when I can touch her rather than my arms going through her like a ghost. I can’t let her go, so I hold her close, remembering how much I longed for her touch. Her embrace surrounds me with love, healing, and peace.
“Am I dead?” I cry.
“My baby, you are very much alive and kicking some butt,” she answers proudly with a light laugh.
“What do you mean?” I frown at her; everything about this, seeing my family standing as if they are all alive, and the bad stuff that took them from me. Never happened. All feels so surreal, like I’m dead or in some kind of weird dream.
“Don’t mind your mom,” Dad comes over to me and pulls me into his arms. He still smells like orange, reminding me of times we would spend in his workshop.
Happy memories I longed to come back to so many times.
I bury my face in his shirt, breathing him in deeply as I hug him tighter, not wanting to let go.
“Dad, I miss you so much.” My voice is muffled against him.
“I know, sweetheart, but we have always been right here.” He lifts his hand and places it on his chest, right where my heart sits. His voice is filled with unspoken emotion.
His eyes meet mine; he looks so happy. I’ve missed the way his green eyes crinkle up at the sides when he smiles and the way that no matter what, he always makes me feel safe.
My grandfather comes over next; he looks me up and down before a huge smile spreads across his lips, making his familiar, happy eyes sparkle with joy. “Pudding?” He calls me by the nickname he gave me when I was born. He would always say I was so fat and squishy, I looked like a bowl of dessert.
My heart feels like it’s going to burst open. I rush to him and hug him hard; he was the only father figure I had when my parents died—my lifeboat whenever I was sinking in my grief.
“I’m sorry, Papa. I couldn’t save you.” Tears soak my cheeks. I was so young when he died—the guilt of not being there for him still feels like a stone in my gut; it’s never gone away.
“Shhhh, it wasn’t your job to save me, it was my job to save you.” He assures me. He looks down at me, his eyes matching my amber ones. “You have grown into a beautiful, powerful lady, and I’m so proud of you.” Pride glistens in his eyes.
I’ve missed my family so much. I wished every day that I didn’t have to lose them, that I wasn’t alone in a world that got so much larger and scarier.
Aunt May stands next. She is elegant as she strides over to us, as if floating on air; her eyes are tear-filled, and she smiles.
“You are brave, my darling, you are a Jay after all.” She envelopes me in a tight hug, her warmth and scent wrap around me like a cozy blanket, and she whispers, “You are going to be so powerful.”
I wish I could feel that way. Right now, I’m terrified of what I am going to wake up to. I reluctantly step back, immediately missing my aunt’s warmth. I have questions that need answering. I never thought I would get a moment like this to ask. “Why didn’t you tell me we are daemons?” I question.
My dad speaks first. “Because I asked them not to,” his voice stern.
Flicking my eyes to my dad, baffled that he would care so much.
He is not magical at all; his side of the family was all non-supernatural.
I remember him not getting too involved in the witchy side of things—only if he had to, and only if my mom asked him to.
Other than that, he kept away, always making sure I knew how to do things the non-magical way.
I thought he loved that I had powers like my mother.
“I asked your mother not to tell you; I wanted you to have as much of a normal childhood as possible.” He waves a hand dismissively.
“What your father is trying to say is,” my mom interrupts him, placing her hand on his chest and giving him a look that says, “I’ll handle this.” “Being a Jay comes with risks, not only as the Book Reader, but as a member of an ancient daemon witch tribe.” She explains.
“With Tate after us, the whole clan went into hiding centuries ago. When we found out that we were going to be gifted you… We knew Tate would stop at nothing to get your powers. So, we stayed hidden and kept our powers secret. Everyone thought we were normal, low-level witches, just like we wanted them to.”
“You knew I was the Book Reader?” My voice rises with shock that hits me hard in the chest, making my heart beat faster. They knew all along.
Aunt May steps forward again and takes my hand before squeezing it lightly to comfort me.
“I had a vision that you were going to be born into our family, a gift from the powers that be, and what a gift you are.” She smiles fondly.
“We knew you would be powerful. Even at a young age, you showed signs.” Sorrow fills her eyes, and Mom comes to stand next to us both, linking her arm with my aunt.
They look so similar, amber eyes, the same kind smile, and olive skin.
“We had to protect you at all costs,” Mom says, reaching for my other hand.
“At all costs? Your lives is what it cost!” My voice shakes.
My heart feels like it’s about to shatter from the pain I felt when I was told about each of their deaths.
I was left at a young age by my mother; I had to go through my life without the one person who was meant to show me how to be me.
My father was gone before he could even scare my first date away.
My Papa never got to see me dance again.
My aunt died in my arms. I clamp my eyes shut tight, trying not to let my mind relive each moment that everything came crashing down around me.
“At all costs, Arianna, you are my baby. I was not going to let anything happen to you, even if that meant I had to die.” Mom’s voice breaks my thoughts, stopping me from spiraling down into the dark hole of grief again.
She squeezes my hand as I begin to cry. My eyes still clamp shut, the tears leak out through the lids, soaking my cheeks anyway.
“You don’t remember because you were so young.
Tate found out where we were, and he came to our home.
Thankfully, I was the only one there. We fought, and I couldn’t win; neither could your father when he came home.
He took our lives.” I peel my eyes open, tears overflow, and rush down my face.
Hearing Tate killed my parents is torment ripping at the roots of my soul.
I don’t want to hear anymore. I just want to take my family home with me.
Mom lifts her hands and wipes the tears from my cheeks, just as she used to when I was a kid; her touch is capable of fixing everything.
“You’ve got to live a full life, Arianna, just as we all hoped you would.
The sacrifice was worth knowing you are going to save everyone,” She sounds confident, and I wish I could join her in that feeling.
Knowing Tate has been after my family and me my whole life makes dread and fear churn in the ever-growing pool of anxiety in my gut.
Aunt May rubs the back of my hand, her touch as familiar as my mom’s.
All these touches I’ve longed for so long…
I just wish it were under better circumstances.
“You are going to be even more powerful than we thought. You have a lot to learn, my darling. I know you can do it.” She leans up and kisses my tear-stained cheek.
“I don’t think I can do this alone, not without you all.” I weep as the realization that they are never coming back crashes into me. Whatever this sick dream is, it’s breaking my heart all over again.
“You can, Pudding. You are not alone, Gaelan is with you—your soulmate.” Papa comes over and wraps his arm around my shoulders.
“Papa? How do you know about Gaelan?” I glance.
“He came to visit me a long time ago. He was interested in a spell book… wanted information about it. I knew who he was then; he knew too many details about a book that no one should know about, and you had not even been born yet, so whispers of your power or the book hadn’t started yet.
” He beams. “He is meant to be yours, Ari. Your lover and protector,” he finishes, looking satisfied.