AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Jolon glanced over his shoulder to Syler, who nodded. “Seems like he’s a warlock, baby,” he finished for me.
“Fuck.” Dason rubbed his chin, sitting back in his seat as a range of mixed emotions pelted me through the connections I shared with my men. The loudest of all was Kota’s shock, my bloodline one more black mark against our relationship.
“To the best of our knowledge,” Ashkii agreed. “But your mixed heritage wouldn’t have dissuaded us from rescuing you and bringing you home. You are, first and foremost, a shadow touched woman, and, perhaps even more importantly, you’re our veil keeper. Only you can help us seal the gate to the shadow realm. To think you were raised by witches…” He trailed off, disbelief pulling the curve of his lips into an unpleasant frown.
“It’s unimaginable,” Elan practically growled, seeming to calculate something in his head. “It seems too much of a coincidence that the bond between your mother and me broke around the time you would have been born. Nine or so months… it fits the timeline.”
“It does make sense.” Axel’s low voice cut through my shock. “Lorn dreamt of demons for years. Who knows how long—”
Jolon jumped in again, speaking over Axel. “When her mother died, it’s possible she could have turned.”
“As an infant?” Chayton questioned, awe suffusing his tone. “I don’t believe that’s ever been documented.”
“I’ve never heard of it before. How would it have even been possible?” Dason mused from my side.
I was struggling to keep up with all the conjecture being thrown around, totally lost to what the hell they were talking about. “Turned?”
“Are you completely ignorant to the history of the shadow touched?” Elan furrowed his brows and then shook his head, uttering under his breath about educating me.
“Dad,” Tye barked, his warning clear. Turning my way, he tried to explain before his father could mutter more harsh words. “Shadow touched aren’t born, they’re turned.”
“Like vampires?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Kind of, but not exactly.” Tye shrugged unhelpfully.
My head was already shaking. “I don’t understand.”
“First, you have to be of Native American descent, most of us have Navajo blood in our backgrounds,” Tye stated.
“And second?” I prompted, ignoring the wavering quality of my voice. My heart was pounding so loudly, I barely caught his response past the roar in my ears.
“And secondly…” Tye shut up when Dason gently grabbed my arms and spun me in my seat to face him, holding me a few scant inches away from his body.
“Secondly, Lorn, a person must be responsible for the death of someone they love.”
The blood drained from my face as I stared into Dason’s stormy gray eyes.
“Are you telling me I killed my own mother?”
Three
Lorn
My eyes stung from the tears ready to spill. I wish it had been because of the smoke billowing from the bonfire, which would have been the far less painful option, but instead, I was trying to swallow down the emotion that rose up my throat, threatening to choke me. I was the reason my mother was dead.
I pulled away from Dason and looked around the group, gauging their reactions as I wrapped my arms around my middle, holding myself together.
Kota and Axel were both staring at the ground somberly. Chayton’s gentle brown eyes were beseeching me to understand what I’d just learned. Syler watched me intently, while Jolon appeared to be only a moment away from closing the distance between us to comfort me.
Dason beat him to it, hooking a finger under my chin and bringing my attention solely back to him. “Lorn, you didn’tkillyour mother,” he insisted, but Elan was already speaking.
“It’s not impossible,” Elan commented. “Ashkii.” He gestured toward me like a king ruling over his subjects. “I think it’s best if you solve this once and for all.”
Ashkii unfolded himself from his chair and rounded the fire, arching an authoritative brow at Axel until he scrambled to move. Axel scrubbed a hand through his hair as he took the spot next to Kota, the two of them talking quietly while Ashkii stood in front of me.
“Lorn, if you would.” Ashkii held out his hand, and I stared at it hesitantly. “I may be able to help you learn more about your past,” he pressed gently, ultimately leaving the choice with me.
I wavered until Jolon spoke quietly into my mind.It’s up to you. If you feel like you need answers, Ashkii may be able to help. But you don’t need to do this. You can walk away right here, right now, and no one would question it. This is your life. Your choice.
