I stared at her, opening and closing my mouth as I tried to find the right words, but nothing came. Finally, I snapped my mouth shut and Charlie snorted, an amused little grunt that came with a wave of emotion that said I told you so.
“Oh, shut up, dog. I don’t need to be tag-teamed.” I threw the words over my shoulder as I crossed my own arms and scowled at Bethany’s growing grin.
“Just because Cole doesn’t hate me doesn’t invalidate the rest. I could hurt people. Those women and their babies. I still don’t know what’s inside me.” My head bounced back and forth in time with my quiet retort, but she just rolled her eyes.
“You don’t even understand what’s out there, Ame. All those Mages and AniMages have crazy special abilities and he has been out there cataloging them all,” she said, absently waving her hand toward the door Micah stood behind.
“We’ve also got Baleon here, and Elias, and even Aidan. Who knows what’s locked up inside Mr. AniMage King out there? Everybody here is in the same boat. Nobody knows who’s got what, what they are entirely capable of, or what’s going to happen to them, but you know what they all do know?”
She waited for me to respond, her smug smirk making her impatience clear. “What?” I finally asked with a sigh.
“They know they’ve been hearing ‘bout this ‘prophecy’ their whole lives and now the two people clearly called out in it are within fifty feet of them and nothing is happening because one of them is too chicken shit to do anything about it.” I hadn’t seen Bethany like this. Normally, she was so supportive, but right now, she was ripping me a new one. I didn’t really know how to take it.
This time, I didn’t attempt to calm myself down. “Where do you get off—”
“Oh, honey,” she cut in, “you do not even wanna go there with me. This friendship is about truth, even when it’s ugly, and right now, it’s really freaking ugly. But nothing — nothing, Ame — can move forward for these poor people without you. They took on a crazy Queen and her passel of Hunters for you. They risked their lives and the lives of whatever family they have left because they believe in you. And do you know what they are? They’re freaking grateful. So, why don’t you just get over your damn self, go out there, and at least meet them? See if they can help you the way they hope you can help them. Give them a chance. Like it or not, these are your people.”
My people. Damn it if she wasn’t right. They were my people and right now, they were sitting ducks while I hid in here, afraid to face the unknown when the unknown was all they’d had for years.
“When did you get so smart about all this?” I asked, disbelief clouding what I thought was crystal clear vision.
She shrugged, her lips twisting into a facetious smirk. “I pay attention.”
Charlie snorted again, and I had to laugh. “Well, I can see it’s useless to argue anymore, but the first place I want to go is to see my brother.”
She stood up and smacked her hands together. “I knew you’d listen to me eventually. And Cole needs you. Let’s go.”
Bethany flung open the door and both Micah and Aidan jumped. “Time to get this party started, boys. One kickass Elder reporting for duty.”
Aidan grinned at me over her shoulder and I couldn’t stop myself from doing the same.
Cole’s room wasn’t far from mine, maybe twenty feet. I was torn between wanting to hole myself in my room so I could read the journal Micah had given me and facing Cole, but my mother was still dead and I had to be certain my brother didn’t hold my heinous act of magic thievery against me. So, I followed Bethany down the hall, my hand locked tightly in Aidan’s. Micah gave me an encouraging smile as he stepped aside, falling in behind us.
Aidan squeezed my hand and the little jolt that came with it was filled with reassurance and positivity. I looked up at him and he was smiling down at me. “What?” I asked, unsure of how to take the blatant joy on his face.
“You’re here, doll. For a while, I wasn’t sure you ever would be, but you are. And we’re doing this,” he said as he held up our joined hands. “We’ll deal with the rest of it, Ame, just always fall back on the fact that we are in this together.”
His eyes were storm clouds at dusk, depths of unending gray. I wanted to fall into him. Thankfully, he was watching what was in front of us, and quickly yanked me into his chest before I walked right into Bethany’s back.
“Sheesh, you two. We’re on official business here. Wait until later to do all your lovey making up.” Her sarcasm was light and her smile was big. B threw me a wink before rapping on Cole’s door.
“Special delivery!” she called out.
“I don’t want any of your damn cookies, Princess, how many times do I have to tell you—” Cole was scolding Bethany before he even opened the door. His voice dropped away when he saw me.
We stood there for a moment, just staring at each other. I still felt nothing from him. I had held out hope this was a short-term issue, but clearly, it wasn’t.
I had no idea what my brother was thinking, which meant he could have lunged for my throat when he took a step toward me, but he didn’t. In two steps, I was engulfed in Cole’s arms and he was murmuring into my hair, “It worked. Oh, thank God, it worked.”
He still felt like Cole. I still fit inside his giant bear hug like I always had. He was a little smaller than I remembered, but outside of the void where his power had been, everything else about him was the same.
I let the comfort of this familiar space settle in, but soon, the realities did as well. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened, Cole. I’m just so sorry.” My shame choked me and I didn’t allow myself to reach for his power. I had to deal with these emotions. They lodged in my throat and hollowed out my chest. I clung to Cole and the words were an incoherent stream.
“It just hurt so much,” I whispered. “And he was just there and I couldn’t do it. And everything he did to her, he did to me. Every bind, it was like he was ripping me apart. I just couldn’t. I wouldn’t have survived. But, I didn’t realize. I didn’t know. Why did you let me do this?” I asked.
I felt Aidan behind me, restraining himself.
Cole had been rubbing my back, letting me go on, but as I quieted down, he pulled back from me. He looked down at me with deep brown eyes that held no anger or hostility.
“It was the only way, Ame,” he said. “Mom gave me that power for one reason, to help you when you needed it most. We always assumed it was your outbursts, but I think what we did was exactly what we had to do. And, yes, it hurt me, too. And yes, I miss my power, but I’m okay. Actually, I’m better than okay. I don’t feel everything. My mind isn’t a mess of everyone else’s emotions and I don’t have to build wall after wall to keep them out. My mind is quiet for the first time in more than twenty-five years, and that is okay with me.”
“Really?” I squeaked out the question, hardly able to believe he was telling the truth.
“What do you feel?” he asked.
I stopped pushing his power away, stopped forcing it to the outskirts of my system, and focused on how I felt. I felt calm and for once, my thoughts weren’t moving a hundred miles an hour. The hysteria that sat on the edge of my mind for months was finally a memory. His power layered over mine and I didn’t stop it. It created a film, a barrier of sorts, as it encased the violet smoke that made me who I was. I watched it fade, watched the neon green light I had forever associated with my brother absorb into me, and I knew he was right.
This was how it was meant to go. I didn’t feel everyone’s emotions like he did. I didn’t feel overwhelmed or even an intensified reaction to those around me. That power was never meant for him and his body knew it. It was meant for me.
I opened my eyes and looked up at him. “I feel right,” I said.
Cole wore his big brother I told you so look and it was just as irritating as it had always been. I loved that I was irritated and that he was here. We had both made it.
“Good, that’s how you should feel,�
� he confirmed, but then he looked away, his eyes lingering over my shoulder. I turned to look at Aidan and felt a twinge of suspicion.
“What aren’t you saying, Cole?” I asked.
“Aidan saw me after Cresthaven, and, Ame, I’ll be honest, it was bad,” he started, finally meeting my eyes again. “I don’t know what we did or what we unlocked during that first run with the Keeper, but it left me pretty screwed up. I thought I was losing my mind.
“You were able to take some of my power that first time, but it was like my system was fried. My power fluctuated in spikes I couldn’t control. I felt every emotion from every person here. I felt their deepest fears and their nightmares invaded my dreams. I didn’t sleep for days. I…I just wasn’t myself and I blamed you. But Bethany wouldn’t let me run away like I wanted to, and Aidan helped me see that you needed me. Then it was all happening again, but this time, I knew exactly what needed to be done. I don’t know how to explain it except to say something, or someone maybe, told me to just give it all to you, and that I would be okay. I heard it, as clear as you’re talking to me now, so I did it. And they were right, I am really okay.”
I pulled Cole in for another hug. I hated what he’d been through and what being there for me had done to him, but I was so glad to have my brother back.
I turned to face Aidan and Bethany. B fidgeted a little, giving away the awkwardness she felt at Cole’s admission. “I couldn’t very well let him just run off. I mean, really, Ame, you would have killed me,” she said as she flipped her hair back over her shoulder and failed miserably at making light of things. I stepped forward and yanked her into a hug.
“I don’t know what I did to deserve you, Bethany Jackson, but I swear, I will make all this up to you someday. I mean, how are you even doing this? How are you here? Where do people think you are?” I pulled back as the logic of my own questions hit home. Was her family worried?
Bethany’s laugh filled the air. “Well, thanks to Derreck’s computer and one of the AniMages being able to project images better than any green screen, my parents think I’m studying abroad in Italy.” She paused and added air quotes, saying, “It’s a very unique opportunity.”
I could only shake my head while we all laughed. Of course she had thought to make sure no one worried.
“And I love you, too, girl,” she said. “There was no frigging way I was leaving you with these buffoons. I knew you would need me eventually.” Bethany squeezed my hand tightly and I did the same before stepping to Aidan.
“And you, I don’t even know where to start with you.” My smile only widened as his eyes darkened slightly. I felt the spike in his aura and gave him a look that said, down boy.
Micah snorted, reminding me he was still standing off to the side. “What are you doing hiding back there? You had just as much to do with me making it out of there alive as anybody. And you brought my mother’s journal. Micah, I can’t thank you enough.” Standing next to Aidan, the heat of his palm against mine and the strength of his power intermingling with my own, I knew I had been right all along. He was where I belonged. But Micah was a friend and an ally. I was equally as sure of that.
Micah flicked an unsure gaze toward Bethany. “Oh. Ohhhhh.” I turned between them. “So, that’s still there. Have you two even talked, because seriously, B. Just talk to him. None of what you are thinking is real. None of it makes sense. Just hear the poor guy out.”
“I’ll thank you to let me do my own groveling, Amelia,” Micah piped in. He walked slowly toward Bethany, as cautious as a zookeeper approaching a big cat, and likely for good reason. She stood straight, her posture rigid as her toe tapped quickly on the floor, the only thing giving away her growing discomfort.
“All I ask is that you listen to me, Bethany. And ask your questions. I’ll answer every one, no matter how long it takes. I’ll tell you the complete truth. Every bit of it.” He stood still and we all waited. I silently willed her to just say yes.
“Why does it matter, Micah?” she snapped. “Even if you answer every single question, this was never about me and you. You used me to get close to Amelia. You used me to learn about her and meet her family. You used me. And I don’t give one single damn why.” Bethany’s words were sharp and Micah physically winced as she said them. And then she turned and walked away, the light thud of her cowboy boots the only thing breaking the silence.
Micah turned and gave me a sad smile. “I didn’t expect it would be so simple, but thank you for your efforts.”
“Don’t give up, Micah. She’ll understand. I know she will.” I wanted her to, at least.
“Her stubbornness may actually surpass yours, Amelia,” he responded, followed by a deep sigh. “But, we have a lot to talk about and you have many people to meet. We should gather those we need and get started, don’t you agree, Aidan?”
Aidan squeezed my hand. “Micah’s right. Unfortunately, we aren’t safe here much longer and we have to figure out a plan. Are you ready for this?” His question hung in the air and I looked around at the three men who had stood by me through everything so far.
“Absolutely,” I said. And I actually meant it.
15
In a perfect world, Amelia would have time to acclimate. She should have time to get back to full energy, to wrap her mind around what she did to Cole and what happened to her father. She still hadn’t talked about it. I waited during her conversation with Cole. I expected her to say something, to ask all of us questions. We had been there. We were the ones who should answer for it. But, she didn’t, and that scared me. Amelia had been compartmentalizing her feelings and fears for longer than she likely realized. I knew because we shared many of the same defense mechanisms.
But, there wasn’t time and we needed to talk as a group. The last of the pack would arrive any minute and I knew Will, Melinda, and the other AniMages would not likely have the patience the rest had when it came to action.
So, we stationed ourselves in the living room while Micah gathered the people we needed. I sat back in one of Derreck’s leather chairs and watched Amelia from across the room. Her steps were cautious as she met Rynna halfway. She moved slower than normal, as if she didn’t trust her limbs to obey her commands. I felt her internal battle when it came to touching people. Rynna reached for her and Amelia winced slightly before conquering the fear and wrapping her nanny in a hug. Rynna, ever the mother of the group, patted, squeezed, and looked Amelia up and down to make sure she was all right. Physically, she was.
I was used to my super-hearing and could easily dial it up and down now. I notched it up and caught the end of Rynna’s conversation. “Are you sure you’re ready for all this, dear? Don’t you need time to figure out how to simply be yourself?” I appreciated Rynna’s concern. After all, it mirrored my own.
“I can’t, Ryn,” Amelia responded. “I’ve used more than enough time already. I will figure it out as I go. Aidan is here and he gives me strength. Micah understands what we’re up against. I have Bethany, you, Cole…all the people I care about are here and I won’t leave them as sitting ducks. It will be fine.”
“And we need to talk about—”
“No, we don’t,” Amelia cut Rynna off. “I know what you’re going to say, Ryn, and I can’t do that yet. I…just can’t. I’m not ready.” Amelia took a small step back and started to twist the ends of her hair.
While Cole’s power helped her emotionally, we also established our nearness made a difference. My wolf was quiet and content when I could touch Amelia. She said I brought her peace, where Cole’s power brought her calm.
I crossed the room in an instant, my hand wrapping around her bicep and down her forearm before I threaded my fingers between hers. She looked up and it was all I could do not to pull her to me. I hated the sadness in her eyes and the heaviness that surrounded her. She wasn’t herself, but she was getting there.
“Let’s sit,” I suggested, pulling her back toward the chair I had vacated.
We only made it a few step
s when I felt a familiar presence. I turned to see Cora and Dillon walk through the door. Dillon wasn’t too proud of a ten-year-old to hold his mom’s hand and he looked around the room, acknowledging everyone with a smile.
“Look who’s here,” I said as I nudged Amelia. She turned and looked just as happy to see Cora as I was to see Dillon. They approached us and I dropped to a squat. I liked to speak to Dillon on a level playing field, not treat him so much like a kid. He’d been through too much.
“How’s it going, little man? Thanks for coming to the meeting,” I said as Cora and Amelia hugged and started to chat. I put out my fist and Dillon bumped it with his own.
“You’re welcome, Mr. Aidan. I was excited when Mamma said you asked for me, too.” His pride at being included made his blue eyes even brighter and he stood taller. Then he looked sideways up at Amelia and leaned in to me. “How’s she doing, Mr. Aidan?”
“She’s doing very well. Thank you, Dillon. Has your owl told you anything new lately?” I trusted Dillon’s visions, they hadn’t led me astray yet.
He scrunched his face, his annoyance clear. “He’s trying to, but I can’t see it. The only thing I know is that there’s gonna be more people here soon. And not all of them are nice.”
“Don’t you worry about them,” I said as I started to worry for both of us. “I’ll deal with them. Come find me if you see more, okay?” I held up a hand and he gave me a high five.
Standing, I projected my voice, “Everybody grab a seat, please. Let’s get this going.”
Cora did a quick introduction between Amelia and Dillon and his face turned bright red as she dropped down to hug him. As we took our seats, she said, “His little heart is so big. I can feel it so clearly. I just want to wrap that kid up and put him in my pocket.”
Bound by Prophecy (Bound Series Book 3) Page 7