Page 41 of An Anomaly of Sunlight

That statement has my eyebrows shooting up, a punch straight to the gut. “Wow, tell me how you really feel.” She faces me once more. “I understand now how wrong I was in those thoughts. If only I could have seen it sooner. Tried to figure out if you were gifted or help you learn to shift. Then maybe...”

The unspoken sentiment hangs between us. Maybe you could have defended yourself.

“Let me help you now.” She places a hand on my shoulder, and her eyes showcase her sincerity. I want to understand this part of me. I want to become what I’m meant to be. Resting my hand atop hers, I nod. “I’d like that.”

An embarrassing amount of time passes as I try and fail to create a projection of myself. My grandfather was the last to have this power and he isn’t exactly alive to ask the specifics. “When you were projecting in your dreams what were they about?” Mom asks and I freeze like a deer caught in headlights.

“I... uh...” Clearing my throat, I decide to just bite the bullet. “I was dreaming of Skyler.” She loses herself in a spiral of thoughts, and I catch the exact moment the lightbulb switches on in her mind. Her eyes brighten with excitement dancing in them. “And you feel drawn to him? Connected, even. Like you can feel his emotions as your own?”

Until now, I hadn’t put too much thought into the mate bond. With her question though, I remember the pure, unchecked rage I had felt seeing Maeve touch Skyler. It felt like I was being burned from the inside out, flames devouring my chest. Could that have been his anger alongside my own?

“Yes, exactly that.” I confirm as my mind wanders to our trip and just how connected we had been. Mom nods as my cheeks heat. “Amethyst, he must be your mate. All shifters are blessed with one. Those bonds are pure magic and it must have awakened your power.” Pinning me with that knowing look only a mother can possess, she chimes, “You already know that don’t you?”

“The mate part, yes,” I admit. “The magic still doesn’t make sense to me. Why was it dormant this long anyway? In high school I was friends with a fox shifter. She shifted for the first time at sixteen. And surely all of us have assumed our feral forms at least once by the age of eighteen... I’m six years past that. Would I have discovered this power at all without meeting Skyler?”

Mom’s shoulders rise as she tilts her head. “I don’t have those answers, my dear. The Mother did not gift me with the family magic. I never figured out the why to that either.” She glances at the clock on the wall, eyes going wide.

“Shit, I need to be at the shop in five minutes! We’ll continue this talk, I promise. I’ll help you as best as I can to figure out this tricky power of yours. I love you more than anything, Bee.” She squeezes me into a tight, quick hug. “I love you, Mom.”

She pulls back, looking into my eyes, and rubbing my shoulders with a warm smile. “Take the spare keys just in case.” I nod as she rushes to the door and tosses the keys to me. Just barely catching them before they hit the floor, I stuff them in the pocket of my cardigan.

One last time I look inside myself like Mom had coached. Searching for a core of power. Hell, even a thread of power at this point. Easing myself down into a sitting position, I try a different approach. Imagining myself floating. Sweat beads on my forehead as I put every ounce of concentration into the vision.

Suddenly, I can see... myself.

Holy shit! I suck in a sharp breath, the projection failing as my sight returns to nothing. Just the back of my eyelids. Taking a quick mental note of the power being more visualizing than searching for a thread, I get back to my feet with a new determination.

I’m not very good at this. Yet. I will master these powers; I will protect myself. A primal sound rumbles in my chest, and I would swear it’s the wolfish side of me agreeing.

Twenty-Seven

Amethyst

After tidying the house a bit, I called the body shop to check on Delilah. It was a hard decision, but I ultimately told them not to do any repairs to her. From what they were able to tell me; diesel was put in the tank. When I tried to drive her home that night, it destroyed the engine.

I don’t remember making such a massive mistake, but I’ve been scatter brained since coming home. I guess anything is possible.

With a sigh, I plop down on the couch and pull up my app to the local pizza place. Pizza makes everything better. I tap through the options like second nature and place an order for a pepperoni and pineapple thin crust with a side of cheese sticks. I close that app, staring at the home screen of my phone.

For the first time since coming home I feel the urge to open my Hourglass.

Biting the nail of my thumb, I tap the icon. The first video is a day in the life with one of the girls I had gotten to know fairly well in Angel’s Rest. She always finds the most interesting items at thrift shops. Swiping to the next video, it’s of a cat being rescued. Just the wholesome energy I needed.

But as I swipe to the next — my heart stops.

I recognize the woman. She does quick news videos and in the top right corner is a picture of me. Me shirtless on Skyler’s lap in the hotel bed. She’s speaking, but I can’t hear anything. My phone falls from my hands, hitting the floor with a thud. Blood pulses in my ears as my world crumbles around me.

Somehow, I force myself up. Fumbling for the keys in my pocket, only one thought blares in my mind. Skyler. Retrieving my phone from the floor and quickly switching Hourglass for my contact list, I rush toward the door. As my hand wraps around the knob, a choking grip tightens around my throat.

From the cool feel of the flesh, I already know who it is. The scent of blood mixed with mint only confirms it. Without even a moment to scream, I’m on the floor. Enzo’s fingers fist into my hair, roughly pulling me along behind him. This can’t be real. It’s a nightmare just like the others.

Except this time, it is real. My nose really is bleeding from how hard I hit the floor. I feel it dripping over my lip. Taste it on my tongue.

Tears sting my eyes even though I know they serve no purpose. I mourn the life I could have had. Torn away from me in the blink of an eye. I can only assume he’s here to finish the job, and I am helpless to stop it. I never learned how to shift, and projecting won’t protect my physical body.

Enzo grabs my wrists with such force I fear the bones will snap. I frantically fight his hold, but he’s leagues stronger than me. It’s like trying to move a mountain with a feather. Discouragement seeps through my veins. I can’t win this.

Numbness takes over my limbs, and I drift out of this reality, losing myself in thoughts of mine and Skyler’s time together. The universe is purely fucking cruel. Were a few short weeks truly all we’re allowed to have?