AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I had so many questions, but one weighed heavy. If he knew about Elda, and she was real . . .
“What about Josiah?” I asked, raising a brow. My dad’s eyes flashed with hatred, and it was at that moment I knew there was more truth in my dreams. I felt another rush of anger when I recalled the disgusting words he’d said to Elda. The ire mingled with shots of an icy burn that covered my skin.
“That parasite is dead,” he answered through clenched teeth.
Before I could respond, a sharp wave of pain crashed through me. My entire body jerked, and I felt a horrible tearing sensation across my back. I cried out, doubling over. The world began to spin in dizzying revolutions, and the stench of decay filled my nostrils. I began to dry heave, the arching of my midsection increasing the pain.
“Reagan!” Sin yelled, grabbing a bucket and putting it under my face.
My dad hovered over both of us while he lifted my shirt slightly and inspected my back as my sister tried to soothe me with soft shushing noises.
“The infection is spreading,” he whispered, then let out a string of curses.
Sin sat up slightly, looking at what my dad had just seen. Her eyes widened. “It’s tearing open,” she said in horror, standing up quickly. “What do we do?”
“I don’t know. I can’t transfer the ward. I have nowhere to move it.” He thought for a moment, then looked at my sister. “She needs to shift so she can heal. It’s our only chance.”
“Is there even a way to let Eres out to protect her?”
“Fuck if I know anymore.” He pulled a phone from his pocket and pressed a button before holding it up to his ear. “Celeste, I need you at Reagan’snow. Bring the kids. The ward is breaking. We need to get her to shift, but the infection needs to be contained.”
“What do you mean let Eres out? Who is Eres?” I coughed, tasting blood in my mouth.
“Tell her,” Sin whispered. “You said we’re out of time. She needs to know, Dad. Now.”
My dad closed his eyes. Running his hands through his hair, fisting the ends.
“What aren't you telling me?” I said weakly, tears of anger threatening to spill over.
“It’s not that simple,” he began.
“Dad,” my sister shouted. “Tell her!”
He sighed, long and hard, as though he was gathering courage. “ Eres is your animal. I bound your magic when you were eleven, Reagan,” he said slowly. “Both your magic and your memories. I left what you needed to know, and nothing more.”
“That’s not possible,” I argued, wincing at my every move.
He shook his head, his eyes welling with tears. “I don’t have that magic, no. So I did what I do best. I tracked down those that could. It took three witches to create the spell.”
My dark unicorn stirred inside me, and a sense of internal discomfort tickled the edge of my psyche. Betrayal flooded me. “No . . .”
My sister cut in. “You were so broken when you came home, Rea. The nightmares. What that damned coven put you through.” Sin swallowed thickly, but she held firm. “You lashed out so much. Fits of blind rage, and feral explosions of your magic. Even in your sleep. You were so . . . you couldn’t control your power. It was going to consume you, and everyone around you. We had no choice.”
“You were in on it?” I asked, my voice breaking as the tears flowed freely. Sin’s lips parted, but no words came out.
“You almost killed her.” My dad’s admission startled me, and for a split second, I almost forgot the pain.
“I would never?—”
“Reagan, you weren’t yourself.” He spoke in a gentle tone, one he used when he was trying to make me see reason. “We both knew you would never do it on purpose. You were reliving a nightmare day in and day out and you had no way to escape. It wasn’t your fault.”
“Eres . . .” I started, choosing my words carefully before I passed out again. “You can’t bind a shifter.”
“You can if the animal agrees,” my dad said quietly.
Time stopped. The sound of blood rushing to my head echoed in my ears, and I tried desperately to swallow the thick lump in my throat. “You . . .what? Youspoketo her?”
He held his chin up, but whatever bravado he had as an alpha was wavering as he spilled his secrets. “It’s how I knew you were truly a guardian. She knows what you protect. Everything we saw you experience, Eres felt tenfold. She feels what you feel because she was living itwithyou, and she fully believed it was going to destroy you both. From the outside, we saw you shrinking in on yourself. It was only a matter of time before your mind shattered entirely. My choices were limited.”
