Trina hurries over next, followed by Rhys and Owen.
“Is it okay for us to be in here? Owen asks. “Isn’t this a magic circle?”
“The barrier has been dissolved,” Sadie says. “I believe the curse is broken. I’d just like it if Hyacinth woke up.”
“I am awake,” Hyacinth whispers.
Without thinking, I shove everyone else away and lean over to kiss her, stroking her cheek and muttering incoherent streams of utter nonsense. Hyacinth raises her hands and giggles.
“Shane, let me catch a breath. I’m okay.”
“I was so scared,” I reply, stroking her hair.
“So was I,” she admits, holding my hand.
“What happened in there?” Sadie asks.
“Lynette was still trapped in the manor,” Hyacinth says. “Her soul. She was suffering terribly, wondering why Darian betrayed her, but never giving up hope he’d come for her.”
“I pieced together some of it,” Trina says. “But you finally got the whole story, didn’t you?”
Hyacinth nods. “Darian received a message that he thought was from Lynette to another man. Mad with jealousy, he locked her up and went on a killing spree to exterminate the witches. He lost the stomach for it, though, and decided to go back and question Lynette. That’s when his beta killed him.”
“What?” Rhys asks, shocked. “What are you talking about?”
“It was a plot by the council the whole time,” Hyacinth says. “To get rid of the witches and take power over the valley.That’s why no one ever knew what happened to Darian, and why Lynette died in the manor.”
“That explains a lot,” Rhys says, his voice harsh. He turns around slowly, his gaze sweeping the edge of the circle.
“We have to find them!” Hyacinth says, grabbing Sadie’s hand. “We have to find Darian’s bones, and Lynette’s, and put them in a grave together. She said it would seal the curse for good.”
“We’ll find them,” Trina says, patting Hyacinth’s arm. “And we’ll give them a decent burial.”
“I hope they’re together,” Hyacinth says, starting to cry. “Darian said he couldn’t have found her without me—without us. He was wandering the otherworld looking for her, desperate to be with her.”
“You saw them in the circle of light?” Sadie asks.
Hyacinth nods.
“Then they’re together,” Sadie says, smiling. “We’ve brought peace to their souls and power back to the pack. The wolves should all be healed now.”
“Will more witches wake up?” Trina asks. “We knew nothing of our history or our powers before we connected to our wolf mates. Surely there are other witches out there that don’t even know what they are.”
“Yes,” Sadie agrees, nodding. “The witches who managed to escape would have used a standard amnesia spell to protect themselves and their daughters. Now that Lynette’s curse has broken, that ripple could undo the spell, too. Witches might be waking up for miles around.”
A shout comes from the edge of the circle, and all of us turn to look. Someone has fallen down, and the crowd is gathering around them.
“What now?” I mutter.
“Help me up,” Hyacinth says. I put my arm around her, and both of us get to our feet, following the others.
As we get closer, I see Darla writhing on the ground. Her eyes are dark pits, and her skin runs with black lines as if her blood is full of ink.
I look around at the other elders. All of them are glowing with health. My eyes snap back to Darla again as a guttural howl rips out of her throat.
“I knew it,” Rhys says bitterly. “It was your line that started all this, wasn’t it? It was always you.”
Darla laughs maniacally, pointing at him. “Darian didn’t deserve to live,” she spits. “He was unclean.”
