AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I glanced at Grayson again, hope blossoming in me for the briefest of seconds until a realization hit me. If she were still alive, why hadn’t she come for me? After nearly three decades, why hadn’t my mother wanted me? Had Mathis and Johnathon terrified herthatmuch?
Grayson finally pushed through the three witches and kneeled beside my bed. Still, he said nothing, but his touch eased some of the aching in my chest.
His eyes filled with flames when I stared into them. “Are you okay?” I asked, trying harder to sit up in the bed that felt like it had formed to my body.
He shook his head, and my eyes immediately cut to the three witches.
“What did you do to my mate?” I demanded.
The Mother looked at her nails casually. “He wouldn’t stop yelling, so we silenced him.”
“Well,unsilence him,” I practically growled, no longer caring how powerful they were. We’d already been through enough shit. I didn’t have time for theirs.
The Crone placed her hand on Grayson’s shoulder, and he quaked, closing his eyes briefly until she pulled her faintly glowing fingers away.
His forehead pressed against mine. “I’m so fucking glad you’re awake.”
“How long have I been out?” I asked with trepidation.
“Three days.” The sorrow in his voice nearly broke me.
Fuck.I’d been worse off than I’d realized. “I’m so sorry, Grayson.”
His head shook sharply. “Don’t apologize.”
“We didn’t come here for a casual visit,” the Crone said. “We only needed to make sure none of our magic was left inside you. Meeting your mate weakened the spell as it was intended to, and the unicorn helped you to see your true nature, but it wasn’t until you accepted your bond to Grayson that our spell was completely shattered. Now that we’ve confirmed what we needed to, it’s time for us to leave.”
As they turned around, I called out. “Wait.”
Only the Maiden turned around with a raised brow.
“Do you know where my mother is now? Or why she left me behind instead of taking me with her when she ran?” I practically begged, even though I’d just been a bitch to them.
The Maiden glanced at the Crone, who nodded tersely before walking away with the Mother. Once the two older witches were gone, the Maiden’s voice became softer, and her eyes glistened, almost as if she could feel the tears I was holding back.
“Your mom’s name is Rosella Moreno, and your birth name was Bethany,” the Maiden said. “We did not keep track of where she went after she left you with us, but she was hiding you from your father Mathis Del Reyes, as well as from her mate Johnathon. We foresaw what would become of the men and understood why she was running with you. We left you with the most inconspicuous coven we could find that had witches with good intentions. That’s all we needed to know.”
“Thank you,” I said earnestly, considering I hadn’t thought they would share even that much.
Still, I wondered why my mother hadn’t returned at some point.
The Maiden paused at the door to our room. “She would have come for you, but we warned her that our protection was a one-time deal. If she interfered in any way, the consequences were on her.”
A sob built in my throat as Grayson squeezed my hand tightly. Words wouldn’t come with the tears, so I nodded instead.
The witch disappeared into the hall, and I tried to get my shit together, but the moment Grayson wrapped his arms around me, I lost all sense of control.
My head pressed against his chest, and my fingers dug into his back as I held him, needing his closeness to anchor me back to the world. Needing his touch to soothe the agony storming through me.
“It’s okay,” he promised. “I’ve found hundreds of people before, and I can find your mom if you want me to.”
My muscles tensed. Did I want that? What if things weren’t as they seemed? What if she didn’t want me to find her after all this time? She could have a new family and be happy somewhere else. I couldn’t stand the thought of being disappointed.
“Let me think about it,” I finally said once the tears had begun to subside.
Grayson pulled back, his eyes their normal cognac color again. “Whatever you want.”
I glanced at the door, needing a change of conversation for the time being. “Is Sammy okay? Where are Lia and Markus? How areyou?”
