Chapter 19
Chapter
Nineteen
Rose
Throughout our meal, my parents largely dismissed my questions, insisting we would discuss it later. What truly baffled me was how they had shifted from being on edge and prepared for a confrontation at the door to their normal selves. I understood their belief in everything fae, but that didn't explain how they'd immediately recognized Magnus and his brother the instant they opened the door.
I stared down at my bowl, the remnants of my stew swirling like a storm on the horizon. Everyone seemed calm, but the air in the room was charged with an unshakeable tension. It was as if we were on the brink of something monumental, yet no one was willing to start the conversation. Their refusal to look in my direction now gnawed at me, and I swallowed hard, wrapping my arms around my midsection as if I could stop whatever was happening.
The familiar sight of our dining room—the rustic table, the faded photographs of my childhood hanging on the walls—should have brought me comfort. Instead, the walls felt like they were closing in.
I remembered back to a summer day long ago, a day bright with sunlight and laughter. My father hoisted me onto his shoulders at the village festival, the world spinning around me with colors and sounds that felt magical. As we walked among stalls adorned with handmade crafts and delicious foods, my mother wove tales about the generations who’d come before us, how they had harnessed the power of nature and the elements. Those stories had always made me feel safe, hidden within the warmth of my family’s love.
But now, as I forced myself to focus on the present, those memories began to feel tainted. The laughter echoed with an unsettling hollowness, especially now that I was faced with the truth lingering at the edge of their never-ending small talk. I flopped back in my chair, frustration building.
Finally, unable to wait another second, I pushed my bowl away and placed both my hands on the table as I leaned forward again. I was officially over their stalling tactics.
"Okay enough. Tell me what's going on, and don't leave anything out. How did you know Magnus is a dragon?"
My father quirked an eyebrow as he casually scooped more stew into his bowl. “It's impossible not to notice. These two smell like hellfire and smoke. Not to mention their eyes are a dead giveaway,” he said, motioning at Magnus and Isaac, who loomed around the table like shadowy sentinels.
I turned to Magnus—his stunning green eyes met mine, full of an intensity that sent shivers racing down my spine. His gaze was captivating, almost hypnotic, and for a fleeting moment, I forgot the chaos surrounding us. They'd been a little more golden the night before.
“I don’t get it. His eyes look normal to me.”
"Do they?" my mother asked. "Maybe look a little closer."
I narrowed my eyes, leaning in, studying him. My pulse raced, and I felt sweat bead on my brow. “I don’t see anything.” But that wasn’t exactly true—I felt something simmering just under the surface, a crackle of energy that whispered of secrets I couldn’t quite name.
“Then open your mind. Think about the possibilities,” my father urged.
I blinked. What possibilities? This was starting to feel like a cruel game, and I wasn’t in the mood to play. The air around me buzzed with tension, and every breath felt heavier. I pulled back, hands trembling slightly as I crossed my arms over my chest.
“Why won’t you just tell me?” My voice cracked. “I can’t handle this dancing around the truth anymore.” I was starting to get scared.
Magnus reached over and took my hand, his grip firm but comforting. “You’re safe with me,” he murmured, his voice low and steady. “No matter what happens, I would never hurt you. Not even if the dragon takes control.”
Everything inside me constricted as I wrestled with my emotions. Even as I soaked in his words, I couldn’t shake the feeling of insecurity. I slowly unlaced our fingers, pulling away. “That’s nice to hear, but it’s hard to forget the rage that boils inside the dragon.”
"You might as well just tell her. What's that human saying? Rip the band-aid?"
"Tell me what?" I insisted, barely able to hold back a scream.
“Rose, we’re not human,” my father declared, his voice firm, breaking through the haze of confusion.
I blinked, trying to process what he'd said. “What? What do you mean?” I stuttered, my heart pounding an erratic rhythm in my chest. “Are you talking about you identifying as witches? That’s nothing shocking! I’m fine with it!”
My mother’s fingers gently brushed against mine, trying to anchor me. “We. As in me, your father—and you.”
A heavy stone dropped in my stomach, and I shook my head vehemently. “No. I’m human. You adopted me! My biological parents died in that car accident years ago! You told me the whole story!” I could feel hysteria rising, the air in my lungs constricting. “They were on vacation. That’s what you told me! ”
My mother's lips pursed, and she continued to shake her head. A trembling sensation worked its way through me as I started to panic. This was too much. It couldn't be real. Was I dreaming? Had I been in a dream ever since I went to the homeless shelter?
That had to be it. I was stuck in an incredibly long dream, and everyone here was part of it. All I needed to do was make myself wake up, and it would all end.
My heart raced. I pushed away from the table and stood.
"Wake up," I said, pinching my arm hard, searching for a sign that this could all be a dream—or a nightmare I could shake off. This couldn't be happening. Not here, not in the only safe place I had left.
"What are you doing?" Magnus asked, his voice edged with confusion.
"She's having a panic attack. She thinks she's dreaming," Kitra added, glancing between my parents and me.
"Rose. It's not a damned dream. This is all real."
The room spun, my mind racing as I shook my head frantically. "No. It's not real. You don't exist." I pointed at Magnus, then whirled to Isaac. "Dragons. Are. Not. Real."
"Oh boy," Kitra murmured, her expression shifting to concern.
"Roger. We have to do something."
I didn't even trust they were real.
"This is crazy," Isaac said, pointing down at his arms. "The hair on my arms is standing on end! Is she channeling energy somehow?"
"It's trapped inside her," my mother half explained.
Magnus jumped up, concern etched on his face as he grasped my arms. "What can I do to fix this? How do we make it stop?"
A sudden pain shot through my stomach, hot and relentless, and tears streamed down my cheeks. Each wave of hurt felt like another part of my humanity fracturing, leaving nothing but raw anguish in its wake. "It's too much," I gasped. "I can't… handle this!"
"Breathe, Rose! Just breathe!" Magnus said, his grip tightening.
"What is wrong with her?" Isaac glared at my parents, his voice sharp. "What exactly is trapped inside her?"
"That's the easy part," Kitra interjected. "Whatever magic she possesses is stuck and it's burning to get out. Can't you feel it? It's bound so tight, it could take me days to unravel it! Between that and— well, it’s too much."
"I don't think we have days!" Magnus snapped, returning his focus to me as he pulled me against his body. "Whatever you need. I can take it. I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you."
"You can't make promises like that to my daughter when you're likely the cause of this. You are going to get her killed!"
The conversation swirled around me like a tempest, drowning out the individual voices as I fought against the pressure in my chest. I felt like I was disappearing, my identity slipping away like sand through clenched fingers. "Someone better start explaining," I said through gritted teeth. "And I don't want some half-baked witchy theory. I want the truth—with hard facts to back it up."
My mother rubbed her temple, appearing overwhelmed. My father paced back and forth across the room, his agitation mirrored in his narrowed eyes. "I don't know what we can do for her," he finally admitted. "The spell that bound her was done over twenty-five years ago when she was but a babe. If we just release it now, it could kill her."
As he spoke, the air crackled with tension, and the burn in my stomach intensified, forcing me to double over from the agony.
"She's going to die if we don't!" Magnus yelled, his voice panicked. I couldn't see him well from my position, but the heat radiating from him told me all I needed to know—he was teetering at the edge, where rage and protection clashed in a dangerous dance. He was going to lose control to the dragon.
"Please don't shift," I cried. The thought of the home I'd grown up in being destroyed was too much to bear.
"She's right," Isaac growled. "Go outside."
"Fuck you. I'm not leaving her."
"But—"
"Stubborn dragons," Kitra spat, shoving Isaac out of her way. "Go outside and let me handle this.”
"No."
I peered up at Magnus's refusal. "It's okay," I said slowly. "I'm not going to calm down at all if I'm worried about you destroying this house."
"If anything happens to you, it won't just be this house," Magnus threatened. "I'll destroy this entire village and everyone in it. There will be nothing but ashes when I’m done."
My mother gasped and I shook my head in disbelief. The pain was enough to drive me to my knees and I wasn't sure how much longer I could stay upright.
Kitra grabbed Magnus by the shoulders. "Look at me.” When he met her gaze she whispered, “Do you trust me?"
"Maybe. But she's my?—"
"I know," she interrupted, her voice sharp with authority. “Which means your focus needs to be on her and her well being right now."
"I'm your what?" I cried out, the tension twisting tighter in my chest.
"We'll talk about that later. First we fix this mess and then we'll deal with the other." Kitra’s attention turned back to him. "But I need her calm. Are you listening, Magnus?"
He hesitated, seemingly as reluctant to take his eyes off of mine as I was his. "I'll only go because if I destroy this home she will never forgive me. But I'll be right outside that door waiting. Don't let her die. The consequences will be dire for everyone." Leaning in, he planted a soft kiss on my heated skin, and for a fleeting instant, warmth and safety flooded through me.
"I promise you're not going to break. But I might. Stay safe, my precious flower," he whispered before he stepped back, leaving a lingering warmth in the space where he once stood.
"We'll protect the perimeter, make sure no one attempts to interfere."
Magnus exchanged one last worried glance with me before he and Isaac strode out the door, leaving me with a turbulent mix of emotions swirling together in my gut.
Once the door closed behind them, the atmosphere shifted. I inexplicably felt vulnerable without his presence, but at the same time, a rush of gratitude washed over me that my parents’ home would be safe.
"Now," Kitra said, turning to my parents. "Which one of you is going to tell me what kind of magic we're talking about? I also need all the details of this spell and how to unravel it."
Neither of them spoke immediately and Kitra huffed in frustration. "Would you rather I let the dragon handle this? He's very good at starting fires and biting people's heads off. His threats are his word and if you piss him off or hurt her in any way it's he who will make you pay."
"Violence won't be necessary. We want to help her. We just aren't sure we can. “It's not our magic that did this. It was already done when we took her in and promised to keep her safe," my father replied.
"Keep her safe from who?"
Both my parents exchanged tense looks, compressing their lips, and I could feel my anxiety rising, clenching in my chest like a vise. "Tell her!" I screamed, feeling the pressure tighten. "I feel like I'm going to explode!"
"We can't. It's forbidden."
"Fuck forbidden," Kitra said as she moved lightning fast, pulling a knife from Gods knew where and pressing it to my mother's neck. "Dragons aren't the only ones with a mean streak, and I'm all about the greater good. And right now, keeping Rose alive falls into the greater good. So pull your heads out of your asses and tell me what I need to know." To emphasize her intent, she pressed the sharp blade against my mother's skin until the red bloom of blood dripped down her neck.
"You don't have to hurt her. Please."
I watched in disbelief as Kitra's fierce demeanor sent chills down my spine. I'd thought the dragons were the dangerous ones. I should have looked harder at the woman.
"The dark fae king… her father," my mother stammered. "And if he figures out she is alive, he will come for her."
"What?" I lunged forward, fueled by disbelief. My mind reeled, connecting dots that felt like they shouldn't exist. "You told me my biological parents were dead."
Kitra stepped back, alarmed, her eyes wide. “Oh Gods.”
"Exactly," my father said, yanking the knife from Kitra's hand and placing it on the kitchen counter before he grabbed a towel and pressed it against the tiny wound on my mother’s neck.
"But…" Kitra seemed at as much a loss for words as I was. "Why would the dark fae king care about one baby? From what I heard, he has sired many heirs. Doesn't he have a harem of seven wives? All whom have given him children?"
"But only one child was born with the omega mark," my mother replied softly.
Kitra didn't ask any more questions, and I didn't understand why. Were they talking about me? Was I that baby?
"Yes," Kitra said, looking at me.
My whole body jerked when she answered the questions I was positive I had not said aloud. "What the hell? Can you read my mind?"
"Also yes," she answered matter-of-factly. "If I try hard enough, and considering the situation we find ourselves in, I think it's warranted."
I shook my head. "No. Get out of my head. I—" I had an entire tirade in my mind ready to go, but the sudden cramping in my womb made it impossible to continue.
"I swear to the Gods," Kitra breathed, panic creeping into her voice. "I don't know what's worse—dark magic trapped and ready to explode or an omega in the throes of mating heat. I know it hurts, but I promise it won't kill you. Not if Magnus has anything to say about it, and I'm sure he does."
Just as those words left her mouth, he charged back inside, the door slamming against the wall so hard I was sure he’d cracked the plaster. "What's happened?"
"Nothing yet," Kitra answered. "But I'd wager you need to stay close. We need to find her a safe place to nest until we figure out how to fix this. If the magic doesn't kill her, she is going to be in agony. I think I can buy us some time. Although I can't guarantee how much."
Ignoring everyone, Kitra helped me to the floor and laid me out on my side. She placed a warm hand at the small of my back and my eyes widened at the sharp tingles of her fingertips.
She looked at me with sympathy. "I'm really sorry, but this is going to hurt."