I looked around in surprise. “Is that what this is?”
Astrid nodded. “Many of the fae, and a few of our kind, have the ability to come here in their sleep.”
“I think I’ve dreamed about you before,” I said slowly. “Was that real?”
Astrid gave me a sad smile. “I’ve reached out to you so many times and have tried to touch your dreams. I only succeeded in entering your dreams once, but I was interrupted and had to leave before you were discovered.”
“Discovered by who?” I asked curiously. “And what happened when I was a baby?” I asked her as I braced myself for what she might say. “Where are you now? Why did you leave?”
Astrid swallowed. “Come sit with me.” She led me by the hand to a bench that suddenly appeared so we could sit side by side.
“Anna,” she said earnestly. “I never meant to leave you. My intention was to hide you away until I faked both of our deaths. Froston was becoming more insistent that we go to Winter with him, and I was afraid he would take us against my will.”
“I can believe that,” I told her bluntly. “Froston isn’t the type of guy who understands the word no. It doesn’t seem like any of the fae do.”
She sighed. “Yes, well, everything was going fine at first. The lamia were going to give us new identities and I was up in Canada to tie up some loose ends when everything fell apart.”
I could tell this was difficult for her to talk about and her eyes begged me to understand. “My pack master found out Froston was your father and wanted you dead. He banished me from the pack, which would have been fine with me, but they left me up in the Arctic. I had no way to get back to you and it took everything I had just to survive.”
I had no idea what to say. Yes, we were Arctic wolves, but we were also humans. Even if she had stayed in her wolf form, she might not have been able to hunt or defend herself without a pack.
“Then I made my biggest mistake,” she said bitterly. “I went to the area where Froston usually made his gateways because I was desperate to get back to you. I thought that living with him would be a better alternative than dying in the Arctic while you were alone in the human world.”
“So, Froston found you?” I asked curiously.
“No,” she said with an angry shake of the head. “The Summer fae did.”
I gasped. “They’ve tried to kill me in the past. How did you escape?”
“I didn’t,” she said quietly. “They promised to save my life and give me my daughter if I came to Summer with them, but I’m sure you know how the fae love their word play?”
I nodded.
“I was starving, exhausted, and close to death so I didn’t ask for clarification or bargain with them, I simply stepped into the gateway to their world. I basked in the warmth and stuffed myself with all the food I could eat. It didn’t turn into a nightmare until I asked to return to my daughter – to return to you.”
“What did they do?”
She gave me a sad smile. “The fae I had struck a bargain with informed me that I hadn’t specified which daughter.”
I had a really bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“He informed me that I would bear him a daughter and be permitted to keep her in Summer with me. I begged, pleaded, and screamed my objections, but he only laughed.”
She lowered her head in shame. “I went into heat a short time later and…” her voice trailed off and she burst into tears again.
“Hey,” I said softly. “Nothing that happened is your fault. I’ve had plenty of run-ins with the fae and I know they can be tricky bastards.”
Astrid wiped her eyes with a laugh. “That’s one way to put it.”
“So, you got pregnant?” I prompted her. I was dying to know the rest of this story.
Astrid nodded. “I did. I thought I could still make it back to you in a reasonable amount of time. You’re aware of how time flows differently in Winter?”
I nodded. “Days can pass there and it’s only hours for us.”
“Yes,” Astrid agreed. “I assumed it was the same in Summer. I thought that I would be back to you before you were even out of diapers.” Her face crumbled. “But Summer is the opposite.”
I looked at her in horror. “So, the nine months that you were pregnant in Summer?”
“By the time I had my child and was well enough to leave the fae world to search for you, you were eight years old.”
I felt sick to my stomach. That was around the time my adoptive parents had been killed and my life turned into a nightmare.
“I still went back for you,” she told me in a whisper. “I followed your parents when they brought you to a park and watched you play. You were so happy, and it was clear that your parents loved you.” She shook her head. “How could I explain what had happened to a young child that was raised by humans and knew nothing of the fae? How could I rip you out of a happy life and drag you into my uncertain future? You had everything you could possibly want or need, and I had nothing to offer you.”
“That’s not true,” I told her adamantly. “You’re my mother, I would have loved you regardless.”
Astrid wiped a tear from her eye. “Solorian dragged me back into Summer then, saying that he had fulfilled his part of the bargain and that the rest of my life was his.”
Astrid was already so emotionally distraught; I knew it would break her heart if I told her the truth. My loving parents had been killed in a car accident not long after that and I was sent to live with my abusive uncle. The next ten years were filled with nothing but misery, and I had been struggling my entire life to overcome the lasting damage that had been done to me. If my mother had just taken me that day in the park…
I shook my head. “The past is done; we can’t change it. All we can do is move forward.”
“You have wisdom beyond your years,” Astrid told me with a smile. “Tell me about your life, I want to know everything.”
I decided to only tell Astrid the best parts of my life and gloss over the rest. I knew from my own experience with the fae that she had been in a hopeless situation. The last thing I wanted to do was add to her guilt and suffering. I told her how I put myself through college, but I left out the part where I never made any real friends because I was so dysfunctional. I told her how I got a job that I loved at a military hospital, but I didn’t mention how lost and alone I had felt as a wolf living in fear of her own kind and having to hide who I really was from the humans. My smile turned genuine when I reached the part where I had met the guys and my life had irrevocably changed, but I glossed over the fact that we had only met because of Evelyn’s death.
My mother looked worried when I told her that I had six mates, but her face relaxed when she saw the happiness radiating from me at the mere mention of their names. “And what about pups?” Astrid asked me worriedly. “They aren’t pressuring you?”
“No,” I said softly. “I know I want children of my own one day, but right now is just too soon.”
My mother nodded. “You’re young, and you have plenty of years ahead of you.”
“Speaking of children, may I meet my sister?”
Astrid smiled at me. “Of course.” Her face darkened. “But we have to be careful. Solorian watches me closely, and I don’t want him to focus his attention on you. Froston is an old enemy of his, and Solorian can be vindictive when instigated. The only reason he hasn’t gone after you is because you’re my child and he does have some kind of twisted affection for me.”
“Are you sure?” I asked quietly. “That he hasn’t gone after me?” I had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Was it a coincidence that my loving parents had been killed in a car accident shortly after my mother had Solorian take her to me? And why had the Summer fae suddenly decided to target me in Seaside? There was more to the story than I knew.
My mother frowned. “He’s agreed not to cause you any physical harm and that includes magic and asking others to harm you on his behalf.”
I sighed.
Killing my parents and sending a hurricane after me may not have been the same thing as thrusting a dagger through my heart, but wouldn’t those things still have caused me harm indirectly? I hated the fae and their wordplay.
“What about your plans for the future?” I asked Astrid. “Do you want to return to the human world, or do you want to stay in Summer?”
My mother stood up abruptly, looked around and then sat back down slowly. “Of course, I want to stay in Summer, why would I ever leave?” She used the right words and the right tone of voice, but I could see her trying to tell me a different message with her eyes. She wasn’t there by choice. Had she sensed someone else here? Was there someone watching us now?
I put a look of polite interest on my face. “Of course,” I agreed with her. “It makes sense that you would want to stay with your mate.”
She tilted her head at me. “The fae don’t usually mate like we do, it’s only under certain circumstances that they form permanent bonds with one another.”
My eyebrows rose. I needed to be careful about what I said here, because we were clearly being monitored. But maybe I could feign an interest in learning more about my fae heritage to give my mother an opportunity to slip me more clues.
I leaned forward. “I’m interested in learning more about my fae side,” I told her carefully. “You have been very lucky to live in Summer while you raise your daughter, that way she’ll understand both sides of herself.”
My mother nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, I am very lucky. There is just no way I’d be able to take Skye out of Summer.”
So, they must be holding her daughter hostage somehow, but wasn’t the whole point of her agreement that she would be able to take her daughter and leave? I swallowed when I replayed her exact words in my head. Solorian had promised she’d be able to keep her daughter – he hadn’t specified where or for how long.
“What about her father?” I asked with genuine curiosity. “He may not be your mate, but does he care for her?”
“He’s a strong protector, and he would have brought you to Summer as well, but he couldn’t sense any magic within you.”
I probably shouldn’t be surprised that a mysterious fae had considered kidnapping me, but I was a little shocked that I had a reason to be thankful to Froston. If he hadn’t placed the protective barrier on me and hidden my magic, then I would have been taken to the fae realm as a child and never met any of my guys.
“Anna, dream-walking isn’t safe in general, and the dream world is even more dangerous than you know,” my mother said gently. “I had to work years before I was able to navigate this world safely on my own. Don’t come back here alone.”
“I’m not sure how I got here to begin with,” I confessed.
Astrid frowned. “Did you take any medication before bed? Some of the fae use sedatives to relax their minds enough to come here. It’s difficult to reach the state of consciousness necessary to travel here.”
I froze. I had been so overwhelmed with emotion in my mother’s presence and so consumed by our conversation that I had overlooked where my body was in the real world. “Mom,” I said urgently. “What do you know of the dark fae imprisoned in our world? I’m afraid someone is trying to release them.”
Astrid frowned. “Release them? The prison was built by the strongest fae in Summer and Winter, there’s no way that magic could be broken.”
“The magic is fading somehow,” I explained. “Their voices are reaching out and influencing people to help them escape. Your pack was compromised first, but their reach is growing.”
There was a shimmer of gold beside us and I stepped back in alarm as a man appeared. He was tall, with dark hair and golden skin that reminded me of Talen. “Time’s up,” he told Astrid before giving me a frown. “How are you here without magic?”
I looked at him in surprise before I realized he was right. The collar Justin had placed on me was supposed to block me from using or even sensing my magic. How could I have traveled to the dream world? Unless…. It wasn’t working correctly on me because I wasn’t fully fae. Was there some type of magic deep inside of me that the collar couldn’t touch? Why hadn’t I sensed it before?
“You pulled her here,” he accused my mother.
Her eyes widened. “Solorian, you know I don’t have perfect control. I must have been thinking about her without realizing it. I’ll send her back now.”
“See that you do,” he said irritably as he stood watching us with his arms crossed.
Was that true or had my mother been covering for me? I wanted to growl in frustration at not being able to just ask the questions that I needed the answers to. But announcing to one of the fae that I was collared and helpless would not be a smart move. Especially if Solaris had targeted me before. Who knew what kind of trouble a fae like him could create for me? I already had more than enough.
Or did he already know that I was being held somewhere without access to magic? I narrowed my eyes at Solorian, but all I saw was a slightly disapproving face. Surely he would have at least a tiny smirk if he knew the situation I was in. Maybe he was just assuming I didn’t have magic because he had decided I was a dud at eight?
“Is there any message you’d like me to pass to your sister?” I asked Astrid.
“Tell her,” she hesitated. “Tell her that I love her and that she was right about how careless and stupid I was.”
I nodded, letting her know that I understood the warning. I now had another mission to add to my growing list. I needed to rescue my mother and my sister from the Summer fae. But first, I needed to save myself. I didn’t know what struggles my mother was facing in Summer, but I hoped it wasn’t anything as bad as the dark fae.
Chapter 19
Jason
Angry music pumped through the speakers as our Jeep flew down the highway. Cody hadn’t been able to tell us much over the phone, but we had heard enough. Tony, the ungrateful asshole, had sold Anna out to the council. Anna was in the wolf version of jail, and Tony had made a run for it after his testimony. He could run, but he wouldn’t be able to hide from me and my brother.
Mason was gripping the steering wheel with both hands as he drove, a serious look in his eyes. Usually, I was the one to fly off the handle while Mace stayed rational, but I had a feeling I was going to have to be the responsible twin today. He hadn’t spoken since Cody had delivered the unexpected news, but anger had radiated off of him.
Tony had thought he would be able to betray our pack and get away with it, but he had to know we were coming for him. The one thing we all knew about Tony was that he loved his son, Alex, and would do anything for him. Caleb had thought that Tony would have only done what he did to protect Alex, but a quick search of Alex’s college ID showed he was currently logged on to one of the computers in the library at our school. Because we had made the mistake of trying to study in there one day, we knew that the cell service there was shit. Tony wouldn’t be able to get a hold of Alex.
Mason and I were betting that we could get to Alex more quickly than Tony could as we were currently in Seaside and Tony was further away. I ran my hands over my face and tried not to think about how the council had put Anna in a fucking cage. She was sitting behind bars right now, probably trying to pretend that she wasn’t feeling alone and scared. I’d wanted to immediately go to her and demand they either release her or put me in the cell with her, but Cody had told us we needed to go after Tony if we wanted a chance to free Anna.
Mason took the exit off the highway fast enough that I was thrown to the side and had to grab the ‘oh shit’ handle. I didn’t complain, because the last thing I wanted him to do was slow down. Mason screeched into the library parking lot and haphazardly parked where there was definitely not a legitimate parking space. Whatever. The plan was just to grab Alex and get out of here. Hopefully, we’d be back before campus security saw the Jeep.
I slammed my door behind me and stalked after Mason. Alex saw us the moment we entered the computer lab, he had pr
obably sensed us coming from the parking lot. He looked up, but instead of fear, I only saw confusion on his face. I’d known Alex for a couple years now, and the kid had zero ability to lie convincingly. I was betting that he had no idea what his father had been up to.
“Come with us,” Mason said gruffly once we were in hearing range.
Alex opened his mouth to ask a question, but Mason slammed his hand down on the desk. “Now,” he growled.
A couple students glanced over at the three of us and I elbowed Mason. “Chill, dude. You’re going to get security called on us and they’re going to end up towing the Jeep.” I scooped up Alex’s bag and pulled his campus ID out of the computer. “Let’s go,” I told Alex.
Realizing he was in some kind of deep shit, Alex stayed quiet and walked between us as we went back to the Jeep. I had a feeling that Caleb would have hacked into the campus security cameras to watch Alex until we got here, so I gave the camera in the parking lot a quick salute to let him know all was well.
I sat in the back of the Jeep with Alex so I could keep him close. I heard his phone start pinging with notifications now that he once again had service and I held out my hand. “Phone,” I demanded.
Alex handed it over and I held it up to his face to unlock it before turning the screen towards me.
Dad: Call me as soon as you get this.
Dad: Alex, I’m not kidding.
Dad: The rabbit is in the forest.
I asked Alex about the last text, realizing it was a code.
Alex swallowed. “It means to drop everything and go to our meeting place,” he explained. “Dad said we’re only supposed to use it if he thinks the pack is going down.”
Mason growled and Alex looked even more nervous. “But we’re not, right? I mean, obviously things aren’t good if you yanked me out of school…” His voice trailed off and he looked at me expectantly.
“Where’s your meeting place?” Mason asked.
“Uh,” Alex shrugged one shoulder uncomfortably. “The train station on the peninsula.”
Finding My Breaking Point Page 17