“Mom?”
“Sweetheart,” she says softly. She stands on the other side of the blankets, wearing a long, flowy dress, bracelets circling her wrists, and smiling.
“How?” I cross my arms over my stomach and lean against the wall.
“You know the world is filled with magic.” She tilts her head. “How’s Rylee?”
“Rylee,” I laugh, straightening. “How do you know? Are you real?”
“I wish I could have stayed with you, so instead I sent Rylee.”
“Did you also send Jennifer?” I shake my head, moving forward.
“Jenica,” she says.
“Whatever.” I stare at her. “You're the same.”
“You aren’t.” She points to my hair. “I like it.”
“What's going on? I don’t know how to react.”
“You could hug me.”
I blink.
I take a step, and then run. My body hits hers, and she wraps her arms around me. I tuck my head into her neck and hold on. I don’t care what magic this is, being able to be close to her againis worth the mind fuck this will cause. Her smell is the same. Her hair always smelled like flowers. I flex my fingers, and her body is solid.
“You’re dead,” I mumble.
“Yes, but I’ve never left you.” She pushes me back, grasping my shoulders. “I didn’t have a choice. My time was over. I lived on in your dreams and memories. Rylee was a gift. She was as lost as you were, and I knew you could help each other.”
“Seriously, you sent her?” I ask, stepping back.
“I did. I couldn’t change the things you would go through, but I could give you an outlet. I didn’t know how your dad would change.” She brushes her hand through my hair. “It was your journey, and I wasn’t allowed to interfere. All of it led you here. To your mates.”
“You knew I would become a shifter.”
“Our choices put us where we're supposed to be,” she says.
“Why?” I look around the space. “Why did I have to live with him? Why did he change? I lived in that house, afraid all the time. He turned into a horrible man. I would cry at night for you, wishing you could come back.” I throw my arm out. “You're here. Why now? Am I talking to myself? Is this my imagination?” I exhale harshly, tears in my eyes.
“Would you be the same if your experiences were different? Your father made his choices. He didn’t have to become the man he is now. Something broke inside him when I died, and he could either rise above or fall. He fell low, and I hated watching it.” I stumble back, my mind whirling. “I tried to protect you as much as I could.”
“Rylee,” I whisper.
“Yes.” She smiles. “She saved you over and over again.”
“I know. She killed Jenica.”
“I will forever be grateful to her. I hope she will be at peace soon.”
I frown. “Is she going to find a mate?”
“That's her journey.”
“Great.” I roll my eyes. “I finally get to see you again, and you talk in riddles.”
“There is the sass I remember,” she laughs, and I stare at her.
