“It might just be hikers,” I said, hoping that’s all it was, but dread twisted in my gut. “Stay behind me.”
We walked toward the footsteps, my heart hammering. As we stepped out from behind the bushes, my pulse came to a full stop. A group of eight people stood before us—four boys and four girls around our age. A frizzy-haired girl walked beside a nervous-looking boy, and a blonde with huge glasses clung to the arm of a tall man with pale hair.
At the head of the group was a redhead. She looked completely panicked, as if she was in a great hurry to save someone’s life.
One of the guys looked like he’d been beaten. A hugely muscular man dragged him along the ground. His face was covered in bruises, and his body appeared starving. The guy looked to be withering away against some kind of magical bonds he was bound by.
I didn’t know how I knew what they were, but I could sense it immediately. It must’ve been something magical inside of me that I didn’t even know was there. I could practically smell the wet dog on the wolven shifter and the reptilian scent of the dragon. Something rebelled inside of me, like I knew these individuals were my worst enemy.
A battle orb formed in my hand. “Get back, Nad! It’s a group of fucking fae!”
“Wait!” Kallie stopped him abruptly. “I know that line. It’s in The Alicorn Court.”
“What are you suggesting?” Danny asked. “That Nadine and Lucas copied from Emma and Ethan’s records?”
“No, but it seems weird they use the same quote. Hold on.”
Kallie plopped a book on the table and flipped through the pages. “I was right! It’s on page 259 of The Alicorn Court, written from my father’s perspective.”
Kallie began reading the passage out loud.
Two figures stepped out of the bushes, a boy and a girl. They looked to be around our age— probably students at the nearby college. Definitely a warlock and a witch.
The girl stared at us, but the boy jumped into action. Some sort of spell swelled at his command, and whatever it was, it didn’t look pleasant to be at the other end of.
“Get back, Nad,” the boy warned. “It’s a group of fucking fae!”
The girl’s brow furrowed in confusion, yet she didn’t make a move to attack. The shifters bristled, but seeing as there wasn’t much they could do, held back. Kiara put her hands up, and the other girls followed her lead.
“We’re not here to harm you,” Kiara pleaded. “We need help.”
“Yeah? Then what’d you do to that guy?” The boy gestured to my body, which was convulsing as the leshane struggled to break free.
“He’s been possessed,” Kiara went on. “We’ve been told there’s a witch who can save him.”
“Why should we believe you’re not invading?” the boy snarled. “There’s eight of you!”
Stefan sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, we might’ve been able to do this without everyone coming along.”
Emma took the lead. She stepped in front of Kiara and asked, “What are your names?”
The boy went to object, but the girl replied, “Nadine and Lucas.”
Emma took a breath. “Nadine. Lucas. My name is Emma. This is my mate, Ethan.” She gestured to my body.
“It’s the same event from two different perspectives,” Marcus noted, stating the obvious.
“This explains how our parents knew each other before that meeting in Hemlock’s secret illusion room,” Kallie said. “My parents went to Octavia Falls while they were in university, and Marcus’ parents helped them get past the town’s shield. They needed to get in to find help for a spell from a specific witch. It also explains why my father owes Lucas a life debt.”
“Why not my mom?” Marcus asked. “She helped them too, didn’t she? Why doesn’t Ethan owe her a life debt?”
“Lucas was going to attack, but he chose mercy instead. He’s the one who made the choice to help, and it was my father who was vulnerable,” Kallie noted. “Lucas’ decision saved my father’s life.”
“That’s cool and all, but did my parents have to get so explicit about their escapades in the woods?” Marcus complained. “Your mom and dad basically walked in on mine!”
“It’s a very important part of the story!” Danny argued, clearly trying to get a rise out of Marcus. It sure sounded like Marcus’ parents hadn’t left out a thing in their personal books. “The intimacy, the lust?—”
“Ugh,” Marcus cut him off. “Can you stop?”
