by LeAnn Mason
My head whipped to meet Gloria's steadfast, nearly cold gaze, my reaction making the wolf's attention focus on our hostess as well. “He's from here?” My head spun with the new information, dizziness overtaking me. My body tipped backward, luckily thudding heavily into the ornate, overstuffed leather armchair positioned to cradle me. Had it been there before? A subtle quirk to Gloria’s lips made me think she’d somehow moved it to catch me.
“Are you all right, Allya?” my not-grandmother asked worriedly, twin braids swishing as she moved swiftly to my side.
With an elbow perched on the arm of the chair, I buried my head in my hand, trying to talk my mind into clearing. This place, Grimm Hollow, was turning out to be… eye opening. I still didn't know if that was good or bad, or if I even wanted to stick around and try to sort it out. What else would they heap on me, and would I survive the knowledge?
“Seth was to be removed from the coven when he killed his older brother in what we assumed to be a play for Coven Master. Later, we learned there was much more behind the calculated move.”
“Actually, it was your mother who alerted us to the full extent of his treachery, Allya,” Elsie added to Gloria’s statement. Her tone and posture both seemed to indicate sadness, remorse even. Gloria and Jasper didn’t mirror the sentiment, seeming to not be affected by that fact.
“Yes, it was your mother who came to us. Seth had confided in her that the kill was part of a ritual. One of a type of magic that is highly forbidden to practice within the confines of a sanctuary city like Grimm Hollow. A very dark transformation spell.” Here, Gloria stopped to gauge my reaction. I was doing all right. That part I could have guessed at.
“That’s how he’s able to turn into a wolf,” I surmised confidently from my seat, moving my eyes to meet each of theirs in turn.
“It is. It is this same ritual that I believe to be the reason you see the wolf.”
Well, that I did not see coming.
“What do you mean? I’m not a Witch. I didn’t perform any rituals.” Were Jasper or faux-Grams going to clue me in? My head felt like it was on a swivel as I moved my attention between each face, all of them watching me intently.
“How did you come to be here, young one?” Jasper asked smoothly from his casual perch against Gloria’s dark-wood desk. His arms were crossed loosely at his chest. His feet, mirroring the position, were crossed at the ankles while his vibrant eyes seemed to look down into my soul. But in reality, Elsie had that particular ability. I wasn’t sure what Jasper was, but his deep green aura gave a peaceful and grounded feeling. I actually liked the guy.
I cleared my throat. It had seemed to swell as I realized they wanted to know what happened that night with Griffin. What would they do to me once they found out that I’d injured him? Would they make me go back? Would I be considered a liability? A danger?
My internal freak-out must have taken longer than I’d realized, because Jasper prompted me again, “How, after so long, did you come to be here?”
“I, uh, escaped.” Would that suffice?
“How exactly?”
Well, there goes that hope!
“I was able to disarm my… escort and run. I honestly thought Seth would catch up to me. Kill me himself,” I whispered the last part.
“Who was with you? What happened, child? It’s okay. We need to know. You’ll not be in trouble.”
I couldn’t help the snort that escaped. Wasn’t that just the perfect thing to say to someone to cut down their defenses? Nothing in Elsie’s pale-yellow aura gave me a reason to doubt her. Looking into her deep-brown eyes, eyes that looked so much like my own, I gave in. “Griffin, Seth’s son, led me into the forest behind the house that they used like a base, glued my feet to the earth with a spell, and drew a pentagram. It was then that I realized he set up a ritual site. They’d never let me learn magic. The only experience I had with the art was as a practice dummy. I knew that if I was to witness a ritual, it was only as a sacrifice. I found the only thing I thought might be helpful in keeping him away from me—a stick—and defended myself when he came for me.” That was the gist.
“Did he draw you into the center of the pentagram?” Gloria asked hurriedly.
“He was going to kill me,” I whispered, my words aimed at my hands on my lap. They twisted and writhed as I basically admitted that a boy whom I lived with for years had tried to end my life.
“What happened?” Jasper soothed.
“He was chanting, the knife raised above his head. He wouldn’t listen to me, so I—I defended myself. Then, I ran.” I couldn’t hold back the sob that wrenched from my throat. I’d nearly died. I’d hurt someone. Badly. Then, I’d just run away.
“Griffin. He’s Seth’s son, yes?” Gloria asked. She returned my nod with her own before continuing. “Do you know why your mother left Grimm Hollow, Allya?”
“I never had the chance to meet my mother. She died in childbirth. Grams always spoke of her but never that they came from anywhere… magical. I knew about Shamans only because she thought it would present in me. Before figuring out the wolf that killed Grams was the man whisking me away, I’d never suspected… anything.” That was the sad truth that most people fell under. The mistaken belief that magic and monsters weren’t real.
I knew different, but I had the distinct feeling I hadn’t even scratched the surface. Magic could hide almost anything.
“Your mother left just before Seth’s banishment for his crimes against the coven.” Gloria seemed to always speak up before the other two, jumping at the chance to deliver whatever bad news was next in the informational lineup.
“We now think she left to have you. My sister wouldn’t have let her be alone with a new child, especially a hybrid, so she went with her. Both of them cleaving themselves entirely from Grimm Hollow to live among the norms.”
“But… why?” I found myself leaning forward in the huge chair, completely enthralled with this information. It had been so long since I’d heard anything about my mother. I hadn't talked about my Grams, and I couldn’t help but want to soak up every little tidbit that they threw my way. Apparently, I was a glutton for punishment.
“I think she thought you’d be safer outside Grimm Hollow. We didn’t know how much influence Seth still had in the city, in the coven, and she didn’t want him to know about you. She didn’t seem to want anyone to know,” Elsie lamented, her aura dulling slightly with her sadness.
“Why would he care about me?” I didn’t see why I mattered at all to him. I was nothing, a nobody who had no family. Because of him. He’d become my world when he’d taken Grams from me. Please don’t tell me…
Gloria cut off Elsie’s response before she could utter a single word, all too happy to get to the punchline. “He’s your father.”
CHAPTER 9
T hank God I already sat, because I was one-hundred percent sure that my legs would not be holding me upright after that statement. With the realization of those three words, my entire world came crashing down around me. He’s your father.
“No. No, no, no, no, no! There is no freaking way that evil sadist is my father.” The word tasted vile on my tongue, like poison. Just uttering it made me feel like I had lost myself, like I would flake away to nothing. Ash on the wind.
“I’m sorry, my dear, but even if we weren’t sure, the wolf of your visions confirms it,” Jasper said, regret tingeing his tone.
“How does me seeing a freaking dead wolf confirm that evil bastard, Seth-freaking-Morgan, is my… sperm donor?” I couldn’t say the word again; I just couldn’t.
“Because, for the ritual to succeed, one must kill a close blood relative,” Gloria said matter-of-factly, shrugging her shoulder to show just how little she cared about my revelations. More times than I could count in the last several minutes, she had decimated my world, then come back to kick the bloody pulp of what she’d left in her wake. This woman, while smart and successful, far from cared. I’d need to keep an eye on her; that red-orange aura n
eeded to be monitored…
I was shell-shocked. No words found their way to my gasping mouth as I flailed for something to hold on to. Something to ground me in the sea of truths that threatened to pull me under. My head shot up as something finally registered. “You said that you need to kill a close family member… I left Griffin alive. I'm not a killer!” Oh, man, I was going to pass out. The whole of the conversation caught up with me, my breath coming in heavy gasps as I attempted to reconcile my new reality.
The wolf panted at my side, ears twitching toward the doorway. She wanted to flee as badly as I did. I needed out of this room, away from the prying eyes of these three… people. My mind balked at everything outside of normal. At least, my normal. “I… need some time to process… everything. May I go to the room?”
“Jasper, Elsie and I have a few things to discuss still. You are dismissed for now.” With that, Gloria dismissed me, moving her attention to Jasper and waving not-my-Grams forward and into the plush chair I vacated.
Elsie brushed my arm as we passed, her aged eyes searching my face for a moment before murmuring, “I’m here when you’re ready. Gloria can tell you how to reach me.”
With a stiff nod, I hurried out the open doors, my eyes catching on where the wolf—my wolf, apparently—first showed herself. I cast my eyes to the side, noting my companion steadfast in her vigilance of our surroundings, her awareness trickling through my own senses now that I let myself focus on it. We were definitely linked in some way, though I was still skeptical that she and I were now bound. What would that mean?
I couldn’t help the slide of my gaze to the rather large form lithely keeping pace with me as I ascended the wide staircase once again. I kept my comments to myself for the time being. I didn’t want people thinking I was crazier than they already did by talking to myself. My freak-out could wait until I was behind closed doors. Hopefully, the walls weren’t thin and I could fall apart in peace.
As I topped the stairs, I noticed Sasha leaving the room I’d been assigned. Her luminous green eyes were tipped toward the floor, whether by habit or reflection, I didn’t know. With the gap between us narrowing, I gave a small wave and called out to her. “Hello, again.”
It seemed she had been lost to her own thoughts, my presence pulling a squeak from her lips as I gently grasped her by the elbow when she about plowed over me in her haste.
“Whoa, there. Easy. What were you thinking so hard about?” I laughed quickly before the sight of the wolf dried my mirth. Dropping my hands from the poor girl, I stepped back. I had my own problems—plenty, in fact. I didn’t need to get tangled up on anyone else. For once, I needed to take care of me.
I was finally in a position to make my own decisions, and I needed to take the time to consider my options.
“Oh, no. I’m so sorry! Please forgive me. I was—I was lost in thought.” Sasha blushed, dropping her eyes to the wood flooring. When I followed her gaze, I noticed a couple of things that stood out about the girl. One, her hair was definitely a light shade of green like I’d thought before, but what were more surprising were her hands. Her fingers, which knitted nervously at the hem of the skirt of her gray uniform, were also green. Veining, like that of a leaf, ran the length of her hand to blend into the bronze of the rest of her skin.
I also noticed what looked like a tattoo of a tree just above her ankle, the branches seeming to reach and entangle further up her leg, like it was alive and… growing. She caught me staring and scooted past me with an embarrassed, “Excuse me, Miss.”
The wolf and I watched her go. Her retreat was quick and quiet as she descended the stairs without a look back.
“Okay, bye,” I murmured as I pushed open the door to my makeshift living space. Time for some heavy reflecting. “Are you going to stick around?” I asked the wolf as I shut the door, making sure to wait for her to pass the threshold. Why? I had no clue. It wasn’t like a door would stop her. It just seemed like the polite thing to do.
How was one supposed to interact with the invisible wolf spirit that seemed to be bound to them? I cast a side-eyed glance at my “partner” before striding into the bathroom to relieve myself. “You stay out there, Wolfie. I don’t know how I feel about an extra set of eyes seeing me pee.” I finished and walked over to the sink to wash up, my eyes flicking to my reflected self. The sight before me had the breath stalling in my lungs, my eyes unable to blink, glued to their reflection.
“Those are not my eyes,” I panted. My breath came in short, panicked bursts as luminescent golden eyes, reminiscent of the whiskey that Seth had enjoyed, stared back at me. Gulping, I backed away from the mirror, moving my feet to take me back into the bedroom. “Is this because of you?” I accused the massive animal now lounging on the plush bed. Wolfie’s dark head cocked to the side like she wondered at my words, her striking eyes catching my attention and holding.
Those very same eyes that peered at me from the mirror now bored into me from another face. Eyes that belonged on the wolf. Not on me. My eyes were such a dark brown that they resembled coffee beans. The same eyes as my mother, as my Grams. The same eyes as Elsie.
“What changed when you came to see me?” I puzzled, trying to calm the anxiety rushing through my veins and making my heart hammer in my chest. Why didn’t anyone mention my eyes? The answer was simple. No one here knew what my eyes had looked like. They had absolutely no idea I was any different before I’d arrived here.
Before the ritual.
While subdued, Wolfie might be mistaken for a large dog. I sat cautiously at the foot of the bed. She seemed to be getting comfortable around me, if not with being indoors. Honestly, I didn’t want to be cooped up anymore, either. I’d had enough of that to last me a lifetime, and I found myself itching to be outdoors, the enclosed space of the room making me sweat.
“Let’s get out of here. You and I need to figure some things out, and I have a feeling some sunshine and fresh air will be needed once we really dive in here.” I headed to the door, yanking it open with more force than I intended, causing another squeak to escape from the pretty little housekeeper. I shuttered my expression to hide the fact that her presence startled me just as much as mine had her.
“I’m sorry. Sasha, right?”
She answered me with a hesitant bob of her pale-green-topped head before finding her voice. “Did you find the clothes?” At my blank look, she eyed me deliberately up and down, reminding me I was still in the nightwear, before she scooted to the side, reaching a hand past me and into the room. “May I?”
“Please.” I stepped back and swept my arm in a grand gesture, beckoning her forward. She immediately headed toward the back corner of the room near where I’d seen Wolfie’s dark silhouette at oh-dark-hundred this morning. I’d never even noticed the door until the girl wrenched it open to show a closet full of clothes. There was a range of items neatly displayed in the bright enclosure.
I now had my pick of ensembles. I walked into the space, my hand dragging along the rows of hanging garments in awe. I’d never seen so many bright and shiny offerings and was at a total loss for words. There was even a full unit along the back wall that had little cubbies for shoes.
“If you are looking to go out undetected and unhindered, you can use my room. There’s a large oak tree just outside the window. Its limbs are strong and sturdy, perfect for climbing,” Sasha said as she reached the doorway once again, so stealthy that I hadn’t realized she’d moved.
Wolfie had an ear twitch to follow the lithe and rather young maid, indicating that she’d been aware of the girl’s movements. There seemed to be a chittering squeak coming from a pocket along the front of her uniform. That may have been what caught Wolfie’s attention. It almost sounded like… a mouse?
Sasha seemed to realize where my focus was, throwing out a hasty, “My room is at the end of the hall, back toward the stairs,” before she slipped back out into the hall.
“Thank—” She was gone when I turned my head back from watching Wolf
ie. “Dang, that girl is stealthy,” I gushed to my companion, a quiet chuckle escaping as I ruffled through the offerings to locate something more… me. I landed on a plain olive t-shirt and some comfy stretchy jeans, pairing the outfit with a brand-new, dirt-free pair of sneakers that seemed to mold to my feet. After spending twenty-four hours in a flimsy dress and ballet flats, it was heaven.
Moving to my own window, I pushed up the glass, exposing the lack of escape routes. Not even a gutter or ledge for me to feel like I had a chance. “Looks like I’m crashing the maid’s room for my escape, Wolfie,” I mumbled, pulling myself back inside the frame and closing the glass in my wake. My skin pebbled from the brief encounter with the chilly fall air, and I made sure to re-attach my cloak before I vacated the room.
I could have found a jacket in the wardrobe. There were probably several to choose from, but this crimson adornment kept me grounded—reminding me of who I was, where I’d come from. What I’d run from. I needed time to think, to puzzle out my next move, and to talk to my new other half without having so many eyes and ears around. I knew the color was less than ideal for sneaking around, but I’d have to find a way to be successful. I’d managed a few times under Seth’s watchful eyes, so I knew I could do it here.
With quiet feet and quick glances, I closed my door before making my way toward the room at the head of the stairs, the one where Sasha had indicated she stayed. Her door already cracked open like an invitation. She seemed to know I’d be taking her up on her offer. I’d have to find a way to thank her for the escape route, because she was right. The massive tree outside her window seemed perfect for climbing down to the ground even if the cloak did catch on the branches as I descended.