Chapter 2
Chapter
Two
Torin’s body stiffened, and his pained stare caused my stomach to churn. The Alpha fell to his knees and buried his head in his hands.
Smiling, Cordelia waved her hands, and the demonic dogs stepped behind her as if they wouldn’t fight with my mate any longer.
“I’m sorry,” I said in a low voice, letting out a soft, shaky sigh, but Torin didn’t look at me.
By glimpsing Torin’s past, I could get confirmation that he was my fated mate. And what was it that he hid from me, making him so desperate and hurt? Why wouldn’t he want to build more trust with me?
Sharing his past with me would foster a more profound connection. I was ready to see the secrets that prevented him from being vulnerable and opening up. My heart ached for Torin, but I was prepared to pay the price for my decision.
“By sharing your past, you show me that you value me enough to share your innermost self, leading to a stronger bond. Why don’t you want this for us, Torin?” I asked.
He gave me a slight shake of his head and remained on his knees.
I took a deep breath, rummaged through my backpack, and pulled out the book, walking closer to Cordelia. What if Cordelia took the book and disappeared? I wasn’t sure if she would hold her promise.
“Deal is a deal, child. You also get to keep your bracelet. I won’t come after you for it anymore,” she said with a small smile as if she knew my thoughts.
I nodded and extended my hand, holding the book. She placed both hands on it, one on the front cover and one on the back cover. She held the book while I grasped it, too, for a moment, hesitating to let go.
The material was slightly weathered and worn. In Cordelia’s palms, the book appeared medium-sized and light, but in my hand, its weight felt heavy, as if it carried centuries of wisdom. The book wasn’t just an object but a gateway to a world of secrets.
Cordelia leaned in. “Once this is over, I feel like you’ll be looking for me soon enough, child.”
“Why would I want to see you again? I’d rather not. And there is nothing else you want from me.”
The smile on Cordelia was nothing but mischievous and a little evil. A cold chill ran down my spine.
“But there is something of yours I have,” she said. “It’s very precious, and I think you’ll want it back. Just like I’ve wanted to have my family athame back.”
I shook my head. This woman talked in riddles. I was about to dive into Torin’s memories, so why was she talking about something she’d stolen from me?
“What is it?” I let out a heavy sigh and released my hold of the book.
“You’re about to find out, child.”
Torin had prior dealings with the dark witch. In his memories, I could find out more about Cordelia, perhaps.
I sucked in a sharp breath and reminded myself that I’d chosen this.
The Book of Shadows and Memories was swathed in a lighter shade of brown, its pages bound tightly by two robust straps. A daisy wheel symbol that mirrored my own adorned the simple back cover, and the book emitted a mysterious but powerful aura of life.
It was like each witch book had its own life, serving a different purpose. Opening The Book of Banished Souls gave me a soothing, comforting feeling while The Book of Shadows and Memories stirred up a sense of nostalgia and mystery.
Retracting my hand, I stepped back as Cordelia began murmuring a spell beyond my understanding. A spark ignited in the air around us, accompanied by an electric hum. With a sudden jerk, the book flung itself open at its midpoint like the one in my room.
The intoxicating scent of aged paper and ink hit my nose. After spending my career studying and archiving books, I could recognize this scent anywhere.
The familiar specks of light lifted from the pages, but this time, there were so many more tiny bright lights. In the air, they formed the silhouette of a glowing man’s face. I could recognize Torin’s head by the shoulder-length hair and sharp features.
More tiny lights detached from the pages and swirled around me like a swarm of fireflies before settling into a tranquil orbit. Then the sheets started to crumble, disintegrating into a fine dust that joined the bright lights in the air.
My heart pounded against my rib cage.
Cordelia’s mouth still moved, but her voice became muffled as the movement of the tiny specks caused a hum of voices like a whisper. The air filled with stillness, which I recognized as the calm before the storm.
The white specks traveled around me, engulfing me as they formed a vortex. I twisted my body, tracking their hypnotic dance. The unique odor of dampness and earth lingered around me, laced with notes of ozone and the acidic smell that usually accompanied thunderstorms.
The world I knew began to dissolve. Everything around me faded away with the settling of a white fog.
The distant Hollywood sign vanished from sight, and my surroundings morphed into unrecognizable shapes and forms. A wave of unease washed over me, but I reminded myself that despite the surreal shift in scenery, my feet remained firmly on the same ground where I stood a moment ago.
As the foggy haze cleared, the wind picked up and became a stream of moving images like in a movie preview. I suspected Torin’s past would be a horror story. A cool breeze brushed against my skin, and I couldn’t shake off the feeling that something monumental had just begun.
Suddenly, Torin appeared in front of me on his knees, just as I had left him when he learned of my choice to view his past. But this wasn’t the same Torin.
His eyebrows were not as furrowed as when I faced his angry vampire.
The wrinkle between his eyebrows was not as deep.
Dark circles were absent around his amber eyes.
The skin on his face appeared flushed, and the pink shade on his sharp cheeks made him look more alive than I had ever seen him before.
My breath caught in my throat as I stared at my handsome mate.
He was a werewolf in his human form before he was turned.
Even without his vampire, Torin captivated me with his allure.
His body exuded confidence even though he knelt on his knees.
He possessed pride and a magnetic force that pulled me toward him.
But it wasn’t the time to marvel at my werewolf mate, so I twisted my head to scan my surroundings. Where had the book magic transported me to? Disoriented, I couldn’t focus on anything around me except Torin.
After a moment, my mind cleared. Snow on a mountain peak surrounded me, but my body wasn’t cold.
When I joined Dad at the annual winter hunt, the mountain air was crisp and exhilarating, but now, although a pristine blanket of snow engulfed the ground, my nose only detected the scent of decay and ozone.
The tall tree branches looked heavy with snow, creating a breathtaking sight that seemed like a fairy tale.
Tiny tremors ran down my spine in anticipation of what would unfold in front of me, and acid burned in my throat.
I had a feeling that whatever memory I’d entered, it wouldn’t be a fairy-tale ending.
My gaze fell on a beautiful woman with long red hair. A black coat buttoned up to her collar covered a long red dress. Brown fur wrapped over her coat’s lapels that I hoped was faux.
She lifted her delicate, pale hand and patted her fur, grinning. A chill crawled down my spine as I stared at her deep black eyes, void of sanity. Within those black orbs, a sense of darkness, chaos, and pain existed.
My gut feeling told me the woman was dangerous. I didn’t know her, but the way she stalked Torin made me restless, and for some odd reason, I wanted to throw my body in front of her before she reached my mate.
“Don’t move, and do as they say, Torin, if you don’t want to end up like your wolf friend. I had to kill him while he was in wolf form.” She stroked the fur on her coat again.
Torin gagged, and I swallowed hard.
Now I realized why I didn’t like her. The woman’s eyes were a window into a world that had been lost to reason. She was cruel.
I looked back at Torin. He wore thick brown pants with suspenders over a long white shirt.
His hair was shorter but long enough to split it to the side.
His clothes looked unusual, like nothing I would expect to see now.
I remembered Mark’s words about Torin being 120 years old.
Perhaps his memories had taken me to the early 1900s.
The breeze picked up and caused the bottom part of the woman’s red dress to flutter around her pale legs. Her mid-calf boots were laced and had a small heel, but the tall woman still hovered dangerously over Torin.
With the wind came a low whisper of another female voice, and I darted my gaze around the mountain.
Cordelia stood behind a tree, muttering a spell, her lips moving with muffled words I couldn’t clearly hear.
Her dealings with Torin had started much before I was around.
The dark witch wore a dark-blue cloak, not the ripped jeans from my present.
The woman in the red dress waved dismissively at her, and Cordelia nodded and disappeared.
The woman moved around Torin like an octopus, snaking her tentacles into her prey. The red dress didn’t prevent the woman from crouching in front of Torin, her face inches from his. He flinched at the invasion of his personal space, and his body became restless and fidgety.
“You will not remember anything from the past from now on. But you can thank your brother for that too,” she said.
I blinked repeatedly because I couldn’t fully understand her words about Torin’s brother. But I realized Cordelia’s job must have been to place a spell over Torin.
With a flick of her hand, the woman gave a signal, and two vampire guards moved behind Torin and grabbed and twisted his arms behind his back. I inhaled deeply as I glanced at the men’s red eyes before I settled my gaze back on my mate.
Torin panted, grimaced, and appeared ready to shift into his wolf as if he were losing control over his senses.