Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Runa

Martha’s voice was calm, quiet, but filled with magic. It was enough to bring the room to a standstill. She stood, putting her hands up in a staying motion, her expression foreboding.

“We came here with a purpose. Our sister is hurt, and her energy is barely enough to keep herself alive, much less the babe in her belly. Should she get too worked up, it could be fatal for them both. Whatever your quarrel is, it is not more important than their lives.”

“She’s pregnant?” Andrew asked. He stepped into the room, his brows pinched. He had never once looked at me with suspicion or distrust. He looked worried for me. I wished for a moment that he wasn’t mated to my enemy. Maybe then I could feel as though I had someone on my side.

“Whose child is it?” Aiden demanded.

I refused to answer him. He knew the answer to that already. He was the one who sent Nathan to me.

“Mine,” Nathan confirmed. “And you’re threatening them both by being here. I’m not asking you again. Get out.”

The growl in his throat kicked up a notch. He sounded angry on my behalf. It almost hurt to listen to. That connection I felt with him, that feeling of being wanted. It had been a ruse. Even now, he played the part.

A gentle hand rested on top of mine, warmth spreading up my arm. A healer’s magic always felt like stepping into a warm shower after being out in the cold, at least to me. A little uncomfortable at first, while your body acclimated, but then so soothing and relaxing that you never wanted to get back out again. Laurie gave the room her back, her sole focus on my health and wellbeing.

“Close your eyes. Focus on the spirits. Can you hear them?”

It was hard to hear anything over the pounding of my heart in my ears, but I did as she asked, shutting my eyes and giving my focus to the wind. The others fled when the dragon stormed in, though I could still feel their presence. The wind feared no one and ruffled my hair when I gave it my attention again.

There was a shuffling, Aiden still growling his protest as he was bullied from the room by Nathan. I ignored it all, listening for the voices I knew by heart. The whispers I was so familiar with tickled my ear and a tear slipped over my cheek in response.

Someone cleared their throat, but I didn’t open my eyes. I missed this connection, and it didn’t matter that the wind didn’t have anything important to say right now. It was talking to me, and that was all I cared about. I would never take that connection for granted again.

“I, uh… I brought some food. She hasn’t eaten in a while. Slept through the day, you know? She told me she’s vegetarian, so I picked this up from town.” Heath’s voice was more hesitant than normal and lacked his normal upbeat attitude. I felt bad for that. He’d been nothing but kind since I arrived. But I still couldn’t trust him. I wasn’t sure if he was a part of this mess or not.

“What is it?” Martha asked.

“This wild rice soup thing. It’s pretty popular among the younger crowd.”

“Thank you. We’ll make sure she eats.”

I finally opened my eyes once the door shut behind him. Laurie was cleaning off the tray from the ritual and Martha was unpacking the soup on the dresser across the room. They moved quietly, their energies soothing and nonjudgmental.

“How did you find me? I haven’t seen another witch in years.”

Martha flashed me an exasperated look. “Child, you didn’t think you were the only one who could hear the spirits, did you? Granted, I haven’t seen a connection as strong as yours before, but I can still understand the signs they give me. They led us here to you because you needed our help. Now, I won’t ask again how you became so drained. Not until you’re back on your feet. But I will expect that story eventually.”

Laurie readjusted the tray in my lap, giving her friend a flat look. “You couldn’t have waited to tell her that? It’s like a dark cloud hanging over her head.”

“I do not do dishonesty, you know this. I am upfront with my expectations. Now, eat, child,” she insisted. “You need to keep up your strength for your babe.”

“Runa,” I answered softly. “Runa Sampson.”

“The last of the Sampson coven,” Martha said almost reverently. “No wonder the spirits sent us to you. To lose such a powerful healer would be a tragedy. Your family’s connection to healing is directly tied to the goddess.”

Touching the charm around my neck, I nodded. “I know that. And I try my best to follow in my mother’s footsteps. But lately…” I sighed, looking away. “I’ve been on the run most of my life. I was kidnapped, forced to create spells to harm others, to go against my oath as a healer to keep myself alive. When I thought I would be freed, it was very strongly recommended that I stay on the dragon’s land. He acted as though I could leave freely, but you saw his reaction. I am a possession to him. I grew… angry. Resentful. I spent days working on spells to secure my freedom. Spells that I’m ashamed of. I’d like to believe I never intended to use them. But when the winds told me to protect the mountain guardian who held me captive, I didn’t argue. And then…”

An ache grew in my chest every time I thought about what I had done. Jasper was a monster, murdering mates to force dragons to focus on reproduction. He was psychotic. But what I did to him…

“When you’re ready,” Laurie encouraged me softly.

“There was an attack on the dragon’s land. A rival dragon who was killing same-sex mates to force others to reproduce as a solution for low numbers. Dragons are close to extinction. He came for Aiden’s mate. I hoped he wouldn’t harm the human until Aiden returned, giving me the time to come up with a plan, but Andrew tried to escape. He was killed for his effort. I was so angry that another dragon was ruining my mission, I did something I can’t take back.”

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes. I remembered every moment of that fight. I told Calvin to stay away and wait for me. I was going to prepare another signal to call the Blackridge crew to get help. But even if Calvin hadn’t interfered in an attempt to save Andrew and Christian, I doubted I would’ve had enough energy or time to figure something else out. The book of spells I’d been working on was on my bedside table, the spell that had backfired days before opened to face me. When the wind went quiet, I knew I’d failed to get there in time. And I was so violently angry that I didn’t think of the repercussions of my actions.

“I created a spell to steal a dragon’s fire.”

They both sucked in sharp breaths and I flinched from their reactions. “I know. I was angry when I thought of it. I spent too many nights staring at the fire, trying to figure out how to escape. The fire spirit was a little too happy to help.”

Martha scowled, sitting down beside me. “The fire spirit is vengeful and should always be approached with caution. It would sooner burn down a forest than accept wrongdoing. And you succeeded?”

I nodded slowly. “I did. It was the most painful thing I’d ever experienced.” Flipping over my hands, I showed them the scars permanently etched in my skin. A reminder of the consequences of my actions. I was a strong healer, but I was not all-powerful.

Laurie squeezed my hand gently, her eyes searching mine. “What did you do with it? Maybe you could give it back once you’re better–”

“I can’t. I used it to bring back the dragon’s mate. His body was crushed in the attack. The injuries were too severe. I used the dragon’s fire to boost my healing. I put everything I had into that spell. I could feel it tugging at my soul, draining me, but… I thought if I did something good with it, it would cancel things out. When I woke up without my magic, I assumed I was wrong and that I was being punished for my actions.”

Sucking in a breath, I let it out slowly, looking between the two witches in front of me. “I don’t regret saving Andrew. I despise Aiden for a great many reasons, but I wouldn’t wish losing a mate on my worst enemy. The sounds he made were heartbreaking. I had the power to do something about it. So I did. But ever since, I have been trying to figure out if there was another way. Something I missed that could’ve saved them both.”

“There’s no way of knowing that,” Martha said firmly. “Even the greatest seers in the world can’t predict everything. And no one has the ability to turn back time.” She pursed her lips thoughtfully. “I can’t say I would have done something different if I had the tools that you possessed at the time. You said the attacker was killing mates? How many were lost before he faced you?”

“I’m not entirely sure. They’ve sent people looking, to see how many exactly. Aiden predicts at least five. There was a list, names crossed off like accomplishments. An ally is seeking them out. Aiden wishes to offer them help in any way he can. He wants to end the reign of the dragon council and protect mates from their regime. I don’t know. I’m not privy to those meetings. I have no wish to be. I only ever wanted to keep my family’s legacy alive. I shouldn’t have been so reckless.”

“It seems to me you did what was needed to end the tyranny,” Martha argued. “Was it dark magic? Yes, I believe so. Doing bad things for good reasons doesn’t make you a saint. But you also saved not only Andrew but whoever else that man was going to go after next. In my experience, when someone becomes a zealot, they never stop at their original goal. There is no telling the kinds of terrors he would’ve unleashed onto our world. You stopped that and saved lives. That doesn’t make you evil. It makes you precious. And the goddess blessed you with a new life as a reward.”

She gave a significant look to my belly, and I cupped it automatically. My emotions were a tangled mess, and I felt overwhelmed with them. I wanted so badly to believe her counsel. To not see myself as wicked. Maybe, if I spent the rest of my life dedicating myself to my family’s legacy, I could make up for what I’d done. Maybe.