Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Runa

I couldn’t bring myself to tell Nathan the emotional side of it. I’d witnessed a fading once. The local tribe of Indigenous Americans noticed the dragon in a cave they used for certain rituals. They were cautious, but more accepting than most humans. Magic was a part of their lives, and they didn’t immediately resort to violence. They worried the creature was injured, so they called my family to help. I was no more than five. My magic was limited to small plants and animals. I couldn’t help. I watched my family try to heal the creature, but he told them what was happening to him and asked them to leave him be. While he assured us he felt no pain, I didn’t fully believe that was true. It might not have been physical, but his emotional pain was severe enough that the tribe had to warn people away. The heartache and sadness were so heavy in the air, that people would burst into inconsolable tears if they got too close.

“Your father knows a dragon. Have you asked him to make a query on your behalf? He currently has someone out searching for the dragons. They might know of his status.”

He shook his head quickly. “No. I still don’t trust that man. I don’t want to open lines of communication and give him hope that I’m open to bonding.”

I made a face, studying him. “Bonding? Why would he want to do that?”

He shrugged, annoyance clear on his face. “He’s my grandfather. He’s been calling his children home to reconnect. Dad’s open to it. I’m not. I don’t trust him.”

My stomach dropped, and I nearly stumbled from the shock. “He– He’s what?”

Nathan tipped his head, confused about my reaction. “My grandfather? Didn’t I mention that?”

My eyes darted back and forth as I realized the implications of his statement. He was related to the dragon. Which meant the seedling was related to the dragon. Emotions hit me left and right, battering me on all sides. Frustration, anger, regret, denial. It all came at me at once, and my stomach churned from the upheaval. I wanted as little to do with the dragon as possible, and now I was attached to him and his family for the rest of my life? He was already demanding and controlling. He would only get worse when he–

My eyes snapped up, and I put my hand out to Nathan. “I need a phone.”

He looked confused, lifting his hands in a helpless gesture. “It’s in the house.”

Spinning on my heel, I marched to the house, my fists clenched at my sides. Nathan was hot on my heels, but I didn’t want to acknowledge him right now. This felt like a setup. Like the dragon sent him to seduce me so I wouldn’t be able to leave as I had planned. I felt my rage swell, the wind whipping around me with enough force that it tossed up anything not tied down in the backyard. Ripping the door open, I stormed inside, gritting my teeth when I demanded, “Where?”

Nathan didn’t seem to know what to do with me. “Runa, what the hell is going on? Why does being related to him piss you off so much?”

“I need a phone, Nathan!” I snarled, ignoring him.

Heath stepped out of the kitchen, confusion all over his face, a joint in one hand and his phone in another. I made a beeline for him, snatching the device out of his hand. I was so violently angry that I didn’t notice the familiar static feeling in the air until I flipped the device around and it shorted out, the screen going black.

“Dammit!”

“Woah. Where’s the fire?” Heath asked, looking at his son when I continued cursing up a storm.

“I have no fucking clue,” Nathan admitted. “She found out I’m related to Aiden and she’s losing her damn mind. Runa–”

Spinning around, I seethed at him. “Tell me you weren’t sent for me. Tell me you didn’t do this on purpose.”

His head jerked back like I’d slapped him. “What? What are you talking about? Do what on purpose?”

“Tell me!”

It was too much, and a flash of heat swept through me, burning away all my energy in an instant. My vision swam, and I felt my knees go out from under me. The last thing I heard was Nathan’s shout.

“Runa!”

My body felt heavy when I opened my eyes. I hadn’t felt this weak since the incident. I couldn’t move on my own, and it felt like sandbags were attached to my eyelids. I heard voices, but I couldn’t open my eyes to see who spoke. There were only a few that were familiar.

“How long will she be out like that?” Nathan demanded.

“As long as needed,” a calm female voice replied. “I would’ve cautioned against reproduction while she was drained like this. Our magic responds to our emotions. If she gets upset, she’s going to react, and she doesn’t have enough energy to spare. What happened to make her like this?”

“I don’t know,” Nathan said, his voice laced with concern.

“You don’t know?” The voice was dubious, and I could hear the raised eyebrow without even looking.

“No! We met once, two months ago, got drunk, fell into bed together, and I didn’t see her again until she showed up two days ago, telling me she was pregnant. All I know is she said she misused her magic, and it was taken from her.”

Someone made a tsk sound, the voice older and less gentle. “That’s not possible. She was drained, but it will come back eventually. It can take years, though, if you let it get that far. I want to know what she did to accomplish it. I know the crest on her necklace. Her family are healers. Healing magic doesn’t drain you like that.”

“Maybe Aiden would know,” Heath commented. His voice sounded farther away like he was standing by the door instead of inside the room. “Wasn’t that who she was tryin’ to call?”

“Yeah,” Nathan answered. “I’m just not sure why. She freaked out about me being related to him and started spouting shit about me doing it on purpose.”

“Doing what?”

“Again, no clue. She didn’t get to that part before she passed out.”

They were quiet for a moment, trying to decipher what my words had meant before Heath spoke again. “Well, Aiden is already on his way. He’s got a jet. Apparently, he’d been looking for her. She snuck off without telling anyone she was comin’ here,” he said. “Didn’t realize she wasn’t supposed to be here.”

Indignation rose in my throat, and I fought against the darkness keeping me from speaking. I didn’t need permission to leave. I didn’t belong to the dragon. He said more than once that I wasn’t a prisoner there, but I knew it was a lie. And now he manipulated me by getting me pregnant with his grandson’s seed. I wouldn’t ever be able to escape him now.

A soft palm settled on my forehead, the tingling warmth of magic sinking into my skin and soothing my mind.

“Shhh… Don’t fight the fatigue right now. Your body needs rest. You used up too much energy. Any more, and you won’t be able to support the babe. Rest now. We won’t let anything happen to you, Aradia’s daughter.”

Aradia’s daughter. I hadn’t heard that term in years. Witches used it in reference to each other. Family names denoted specialties, but all witches were Aradia’s children. The people in the room with me were witches.

A large part of me wanted to force myself awake. I hadn’t been around other witches since my family was murdered. I missed the connection. But the woman’s reminder made me hesitate. If I used up more energy, I risked the seedling. And as angry as I was at the beast for tricking me into this, I couldn’t hurt the babe knowingly. Witches protect all life, down to the smallest seed.

I faded in and out, the voice soothing me any time I woke too early. I hadn’t felt magic in months, and feeling hers healing me made me want to cry. She never let me get that upset before the magic swept over me again, soothing my mind and putting me back to sleep.

I wasn’t sure how long I was out before I finally felt strong enough to open my eyes. It wasn’t like before. I felt like death after the incident. Like my body could barely function enough to keep my heart beating and my lungs working in my chest. Now, I felt tired, weak, but functioning. I looked around, noting the women in the room, sitting in two chairs in the corner, murmuring amongst themselves and working on embroidery, it looked like. Nathan’s tiger was at the foot of the bed, his tail twitching like he was anxious about something. He looked at me when I moved and chuffed out a greeting. The noise caught the attention of the women and they stood, setting their work aside to come join me.

“You’re awake,” the younger one with honey-blonde hair said in a cheerful tone.

“You’re alive,” the other commented. Her hair was gray and pulled into a tight bun, her expression more foreboding and severe. She reminded me a lot of my grandmother, who would’ve lost her mind if she heard about the stunt I pulled.

“Is it true? It will come back?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. I didn’t dare hope.

Some of the severity softened just a touch, and she dipped her chin to acknowledge me. “Eventually. Though it will take longer for you, with the pregnancy, especially if you try using it while you’re still so weak.” She studied me for a moment. “I thought your coven was wiped out. Those were the rumors anyway.”

“It was. I wasn’t there at the time.”

I could tell she had more questions, but that wasn’t a story I shared with people. She probably saw the refusal on my face, because she didn’t ask. Instead, she gestured toward the living room.

“Your paramour said you requested to speak with someone. He arrived a few hours ago. If I invite him in here, will you misuse your magic again?”

“Potentially,” I answered honestly. “He can wait. I need a ritual. My connection with the spirits was severed and I’m having a hard time hearing them.”

She pressed her lips into a thin line, and I could see she wanted to deny me, but not all rituals needed actual magic to practice. It was more of a spiritual thing, and I hadn’t had one with other witches since my family was taken from me.

“How long has it been?” she asked.

“Years.”

The blonde one winced like the idea was a painful one. It was hard at first. Doing rituals alone without my family always made me sad. Since the spirits talked to me in their own ways, I put the practice aside. The spirits were never bothered by it, I talked to them daily, but I missed it.

“Fine,” the severe one said with a scowl. “But no magic. Our family learned to heal after yours was taken from this world, to cope with the loss, but it’s not our specialty. It takes work. Don’t waste what we’ve already given you.”

“I promise.”