Bound by Prophecy (Bound Series Book 3) (8 page)

“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.

I
n 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 steps 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.”

Her smile was huge and she giggled when I responded, “You might have to fight Bethany for him,” and nodded in their direction. Bethany sat next to Cora with her arm around Dillon, who beamed from his position between the two beautiful women.

I was still uncomfortable being in charge. I wanted to put air quotes around
in charge
because it seemed like such an insane prospect. Yet, these were my people. They were my responsibility. Well, now they were both of our responsibility.

“Everyone here knows Amelia now, so we don’t need introductions,” I started. “Now that she’s back with us and the Keeper power is contained, we can make some decisions and figure out what to do next. To start, let’s just go around and everyone give me a quick update on where we stand. Micah, go ahead.”

I put my arm around Amelia and pulled her to me. I couldn’t get her close enough lately. The way our power flowed in and around each other made it hard for me to focus. I felt her emotions very clearly, as real and raw as my own. I had no doubt that she meant what she’d said, that we were in this together, but I could also feel her hesitation and I wanted to know what caused it.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking about, but you’re not hiding it well,” she muttered under her breath. I realized then that I was staring down at her and looked up to find the room staring back at me. Dillon pulled the collar of his shirt over his mouth to hide his laughter.

“So, as I was
saying
…” Micah’s sarcasm sent a snicker through the room.

“Sorry, sorry…go ahead,” I said, laughing. “I promise I won’t let the gorgeous girl sitting next to me distract my attention too much.”

Amelia blushed and ducked her head into my shoulder.

Cole piped up, “Hey, man, that’s my little sister you’re talking about,” and the room erupted in full blown laughter. It brought the tension in the room down and everyone visibly relaxed. I gestured for Micah to continue.

“
Ahem.
” He cleared his throat and the room settled once more. “I’ve collected information on the women and AniMages who are here. Once Baleon broke the binds on those who needed it, we realized there are a host of abilities between them. Some I think will be very useful — power redirection, shielding, projection. They continue to build back their strength and even though those with children are scared to try too much, the options are there once we’re ready to explore them,” Micah finished, sitting back and tipping his head to Derreck.

“As far as the shields I have in place now, that’s part of who I am and what I can do,” Derreck explained. “Baleon helped me reinforce them, along with another AniMage who has a similar ability to mine. Between the three of us, we know we’re safe and hidden for now.”

I nodded and looked toward Rynna. “Nell will be giving birth any minute now,” she started. “She finally allowed Cora and Willow in, and they’ve been able to help the process along. We have a few more who will also give birth soon. At this point, Lilith should be fine staying in her shifted form and the other AniMages are in human form.

“We still don’t know what to expect from the children, but power or no power, they will stay with their mothers. Long-term, we need to decide where the women and their children should go if the time comes to fight. Or, if they stay here and we go. Some mothers are still very early in their pregnancies and the fear of the unknown from my sister’s experiments haunts them.”

“I trust your judgment, Rynna. And we will do everything we can for them and their children.” I wouldn’t allow another child to lose a parent because of Julia’s insanity.

Amelia finally broke into the conversation, saying, “I don’t understand why no one is concerned about them tracking us. I know you have shields, but they could be tracking the AniMages on their way here. Or, really, who knows which other ways they could get to us. The Hunters aren’t going to give up. Rhi won’t give up. Micah, you know Julia’s insane. We can’t just sit here and wait.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but Micah beat me to it. “Perhaps I can explain that, Amelia,” he said as I trailed my fingers lightly up and down her arm, a reminder that she didn’t have to make decisions alone anymore.

“I’ve spoken with others about this, but you aren’t aware of the connection I have with my mother. It is actually a common bond between parents and children, which allows them to essentially monitor each other. You wouldn’t have felt it because of the binds.” Micah stopped, realizing he’d referenced Nathaniel. Amelia’s breath hitched, but she didn’t acknowledge it any further, and Micah wisely continued.

“It isn’t detailed, she cannot find me or see through my eyes. She can’t read my emotions either, but she never could. She only knows if I am alive and I know the same of her. Right now, she continues to recuperate from the escape.

“The amount of power she used to control the Hunters drained her past a point she’s ever been. The Hunters are doing what they can to heal her, but the process is slow and there are a select few Rhi will allow near her. The biggest boon for us is the fact that the Hunters cannot leave the premises of Cresthaven without my mother’s permission. Right now, she is still unconscious and that means she is not able to grant the permission they need to come after us. If they attempt to leave Cresthaven now, the collars will activate and cause them excruciating pain. They know that.”

Cora spoke up next, reaching down to grasp Dillon’s small hand in hers. “I can confirm what he says, Amelia. Once my power was fully restored and we had escaped, I knew immediately that Dillon was still alive. I felt him inside me and only had to wait for him to arrive.”

Amelia sat quietly, taking everything in. Dillon was next to break the silence. “Mr. Aidan, they’re here.” His small voice echoed through the room. The last AniMages had arrived.

I looked around at the people I trusted. “We don’t know what will happen with everyone in the same place and I know the last AniMages joining us are the most likely to cause trouble. We don’t know who we can trust outside of this circle, so what we discuss doesn’t leave this room. We are all smart enough to know there will be people who don’t like our plans, so keep your eyes and ears open, okay?”

I made eye contact with each one of them as they nodded. The tone in the room was a mixture of unease and determination, but I didn’t mind that. Unease kept them alert. I’d always believed if you expected an attack, then you couldn’t be taken by surprise. It had served me well in my various homes and schools throughout the years.

“I’ll go out to meet them and try to set this off on the right foot. Ryn, please keep me updated on Nell, and tell Elias we are here for whatever he needs. Micah, can you get me that list and some of your recommendations? Cole, would you mind walking Amelia back to her room? We’ll regroup tomorrow morning and talk more.”

“I don’t need help, Aidan,” Amelia protested.

I gripped her chin lightly and swept a quick kiss over her pursed lips. “You don’t need help, Amelia, but you do need to talk. Go with your brother and I’ll be back soon.”

I stood and strode out the door. I didn’t wait for the argument I knew would come. She sent a wave of annoyance through our connection and slammed the door shut, dampening the constant flow of emotion between us.

It was good to know my girl was back.