“Not yet. But she will soon enough.”
“I’ve shared with you my secrets, Sally,” her mom said. “I truly didn’t mean to hurt you. I only wanted to keep you safe. Now, I need you to tell me why there is darkness inside of you, one who is a gypsy healer, born of light and goodness.”
Sally felt her stomach drop to her feet. She so did not want to have this conversation. She took a deep breath and began to tell her mom the story of how she fell in love with a werewolf, married him, fought witches, warlocks, pixies, and even vampires, adopted a child with her werewolf husband, was kidnapped, had her memory erased, cheated on her mate while under the influence of a strong fae spell, and was contemplating suicide only twenty-four hours prior. When she was finished, she felt as though she’d been trampled by a herd of wild boar. She was exhausted, overwhelmed, and holding it together by a thin thread.
“That’s enough. Come back to me.” She felt the power Costin used to push down the walls forcing himself into her mind.
“I think we’re almost done. I’m just overwhelmed, Costin. Otherwise, I’m fine.”
“You’re also a damn poor liar. Come home or I will come after you.”
He would. She had no doubt he would find her using the bond. Time to wrap things up before the misguided, one-man-werewolf cavalry came running in.
“I’ll be home way before you get to me. Unless you’ve figured out a way to instantly hop into the sprite realm.”
“What?” His confusion might almost have been comical if she hadn’t been so severely drained.
“Never mind, I’ll explain when I get back.”
Her mom took a seat next to her on the sofa and turned so that she was slightly facing Sally. “I have a grandson?” she asked, her voice filled with the same awe Sally had heard in Alina and Lilly the first time they found out about their own grandchildren.
“You do, and he’s amazing.”
Her mom’s smile was huge, which seemed so contradictory for their current situation.
“His name is Titus,” said Sally. She sounded so proud, as if she’d been the brilliant person to name him.
“I cannot wait to meet him!” Her mom’s smile dropped just a little as her eyes met Sally’s. “Would you be alright with me having a look?” she asked as she raised her hand toward Sally’s forehead.
Sally frowned. “You can look inside someone’s mind?”
“Only another sprite, and you are half sprite.”
“Holy sprite gypsy babies,” she whispered. She hadn’t even considered that little development. “Why not? Everyone else has been poking around in there lately.”
“This shouldn’t hurt,” her mom said as she placed her hand on Sally’s forehead.
“Famous last words, Mom,” Sally responded dryly and closed her eyes.
Chapter Seven
“True darkness is the complete absence of light. It is a safe haven for evil where secrets can fester and grow. It is a distorter of reality, hindering my creation from seeing what is right in front of them. It leaves them feeling helpless and hopeless, devoid of joy. Those things that remain in darkness wither and die, as it takes light to grow and change.”
~The Great Luna
She was going to kill them. That was all there was to it. As soon as Cindy placed her hands on her daughter’s head and delved into her mind, the memories crashed over her and sealed the fate of those who had hurt her precious Sally. They were still hurting her. The Order had made Sally think that she and Chris were dead, forcing the girl to face the untimely loss of her parents. They’d stripped her of her identity. They’d taken her from her soul mate and her newly adopted son. It was unforgivable. The penalty for such transgressions, in her opinion as a mother, was to be skewered and then burned alive. Was she feeling bloodthirsty? Absolutely.
She could feel Sally’s anguish and confusion. She wanted to move forward with her life, but something was holding her back. Something in her fake past was hindering her.
Cindy fought not to pull her hand away when the darkness rose up to meet her own light. It taunted her in a haunted sensual dance, attempting to wrap itself around her. But Cindy was no young healer with inexperience at using her magic. She was a seasoned sprite. Though her species was not as powerful as most, she was something special for her kind. The longer she fought with the darkness, the more she began to recognize that it wasn’t just Sally’s mind dealing with the horrid events she’d endured. It was more than that. This darkness had been placed there purposefully.
“You cannot have her,” Cindy told it.
“You’re too late, sprite. She is already ours.”
The darkness was growing in power and, whatever was feeding it was suppressing Sally’s own natural light that emanated from all gypsy healers. Someone in the Order had done this to her. The magic they’d used to take her memories wasn’t the only spell they’d cast. They must have planted this second spell as some kind of fail-safe, a supernatural backup plan that would be triggered should their efforts be thwarted. Cindy recognized the magic now. She should have recognized it immediately, considering her own parents were members of the Order at one time. She hadn’t told Sally this, and she hoped she’d never have to.
Cindy said some words in her people’s language, casting her healing power over her daughter’s mind. But no matter how hard she tried, Cindy couldn’t get the darkness to recede. She was going to have to get some help. This meant she was going to have to go speak to the queen of the forest clan sprites. And considering she hadn’t spoken to any of them in almost a century, Cindy wasn’t sure how well she would be received.
She pulled her hand away from Sally’s mind and tried to keep her face devoid of any emotion. She didn’t know how much Sally understood about what was going on inside of her, but her daughter was clearly at the end of her rope. What Cindy had found was incredibly serious, and it terrified her. And as frightened as Sally was in her current mental state, sharing this information with her might just push the girl over the edge.
“It will take more power than I possess to heal you. I’m going to need help.”
“Heal me?” Sally frowned. “Did they damage something in my mind when they stripped me of my memories?”
Cindy cringed at the half-truth she was about to tell. “Something like that.”
“Well, is it something like that or is it that?” Sally asked.
Cindy sighed. “I’m afraid it’s hard to say exactly what’s afflicting you. Mental magic is very complicated, as I’m sure you know.”
“So, who can help?”
“The luminous sprites. They carry a light inside of them that is similar to yours,” she explained.
“They can heal?” Sally asked.
Cindy hesitated and blew out a heavy breath. “In a manner of speaking.”