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“I just saw you both on Friday. What the hell has happened since then?”
“Nothing. We were hoping to do this after you danced with Finn, but what a surprise it was when we learned you had already left.”
I gulp, watching as my father knocks on the opposite door, all while keeping his eyes on me.
“I don’t understand,” I murmur, and he shakes his head.
“I know, but you will.”
What does that mean? Glancing to Mama for more information, I find her gaze is tipped downward again. Where is the woman with a backbone who picked me up off that porch and got us the hell out of there? Where is she now when I need protection from this man who is supposed to be my father? I don’t even know what’s happening, but I already know it’s not good.
Clearing my throat, I inch closer to the door behind me as I drop my backpack on the floor. If I have to run, the extra weight won’t help. There’s nothing important in there anyway.
“How about you explain it to me then?”
“Take a seat on the bed and I will,” my father counters, making my gut clench. He’s playing me, I fucking know it. “The door behind you is already locked, so running isn’t an option. The quicker you follow my orders, the quicker this will all be over with.”
“Whatwill be over with?” I grunt, frustration coiling tight in my stomach at his lack of information.
“On the bed.”
Grinding my teeth, I step back and test the door handle, confirming it is, indeed, locked, and my heart sinks. It’s always the same with this man: submit or feel his wrath.
I don’t want either.
I flex my hands as I go against my gut and move toward the bed. Mama plumps the pillows, still avoiding my gaze. Sitting at the foot of the bed, I hate that my feet dangle, not touching the floor, making me feel like a small child.
“Well…” I push, and my mother grabs my hand.
“When you and Sebastian were younger, your paternal grandparents gifted us with a seer who specialized in exploring a child’s gifts before they came of age,” she starts, looking deep into my eyes as pain seeps from her very essence. “It seemed absurd, like a violation or something, so we declined.”
“It’s a good thing they went against our wishes then, isn’t it, Evangeline?” Abel murmurs, his expression indescribable as my gaze flickers between them.
“No, Abel. It only made things worse,” she answers honestly, anguish quieting her voice.
“I still don’t know what you’re getting at,” I grumble, my body wound tight with what they’re saying. Someone looked at my magic? To what, learn I had none or…? Fuck. Hope seeps into my heart and I can’t take it.
“His parents had the seer look into your souls when they spent the day with you. It was our tenth wedding anniversary and they insisted we celebrate, so we took the opportunity. It was perfect.” Her voice grows shaky as she lifts a hand to her mouth, a stray tear tracking down her face. “Until we returned home.”
My chest is tight, my throat dry, and my pulse pounds in my ears.
The way she looks at my father in this moment, like the world was theirs, like the love that held them together was diminished by someone else’s actions. I try to remember who she’s referring to, a memory of spending time with someone other than my parents and Sebastian, but nothing comes to mind.
“What happened?” I think I might be sick, but I need to know.
“When we arrived home…”
“They learned of Sebastian’s powers…and yours,” my father finishes as the door he knocked on earlier finally swings open and an older man steps through.
My powers?
Mypowers…
I have them?
Mama smiles weakly at me, lifting her hand to my face, but she drops it before she reaches me. “They had your powers suppressed before we even returned home.”
“My powers?” I whisper nervously and she nods.
