Chapter 33

“ O kay, run me through this again?” Silas asks as Ember pushes her overly packed suitcase into the trunk.

I hold the ancient tome against my chest, before leaning it forward and flipping the pages.

“My great aunt Daisy gave me this book along with the other one when I wanted to do my little ritual,” I say, and he smirks, likely thinking back to that night. “I hadn’t really thought about why she also gave me this book, but when I flipped through, I found this.”

I point my finger over the title of the ritual, and he reads the heading.

A Remembrance Rite.

“It calls for a minimum of two witches, but I figured the three of us would make this easier.”

He grabs my elbow, dragging me over toward the porch. “I’m coming too.”

“I don’t need a shifter bodyguard,” I tell him, clutching the book to my chest.

“I know you don’t. But I don’t feel comfortable with you going there when there’s a pack who doesn’t like us, among other things.”

“What are these other things, Mr. Walker?” I ask him, blinking my eyelashes.

He sighs, scratching his beard, making sure my friends can’t hear. “You’re my girl, hex or not, right?” he says with a smile. “Then that’s reason enough. I’ll pack my bag.”

My mouth gapes open as he jogs up the steps into the house.

“Good luck fitting his crap in here. Hecate, Ember, we’re going for a day. What did you pack?” Iris says, having to use magic to shut the trunk.

“You always have to be prepared on a trip like this,” Ember says.

“We’ll work on your transfiguration spells when we get back,” I reply as my boots rustle against my stone driveway. “Are you two really okay with him coming?”

“Every mission could use a little muscle,” Ember says.

“Daisy said nothing else? Just gave you the book and expected you to figure it out?” Iris asks.

I nod with a sigh. “I think she’s taken a vow of secrecy. Maybe that’s why I’ve never heard her speak. This was her way of getting around that. I’m not sure how she knows what I’ve found out, but it’s the best we have. If we can reinstate at least my mother’s memories, then we can figure out where to go from here.”

“Are you sure this is a door you want to open?” Iris asks.

I glance up at the house, where Silas has his satchel thrown over his shoulder. It’s more than knowing I want to be with him. I’m falling for him, or maybe I already have. He wants a better world for his pack, and it’s what I want too. A peaceful life between the witches and shifters. But more than anything, I need to know the truth.

“I’m sure.”

Silas joins us, and I hand him the keys to my car.

“Thanks for letting me join your trip, ladies,” Silas says, as I take the passenger seat and Ember and Iris slide into the back.

Ember starts immediately with the questions.

“How old are you when a wolf first shifts?”

“It depends,” Silas replies.

“Are you in control when you’re in wolf form?”

“No. The wolf part of me is.”

Ember leans into the center console with wonder on her face.

“So, you’re two different people? Personalities? Is he around when you’re in human form?”

“Sometimes.”

“Fascinating,” Ember whispers in excitement.

“So, what’s the plan? Are you going to kidnap her after her shift at the jewelry store?” Silas asks, probably to stop Ember’s inquisition.

“No, we’re going right to her home,” I reply, my leg shaking anxiously in the front seat.

What if we can’t restore her memories? What if it’s another dead end?

Like he isn’t even thinking about it, Silas’ hand lands on my thigh, stilling my leg as he squeezes gently.

“Whatever you need, I’m there.”

He keeps his face on the road, and I stare at his beautiful profile. Maybe I don’t want to break the hex after all, not if every moment with him can feel like this.

It feels off putting being in the Garden District, and I can tell Ember and Iris feel it too. It didn’t feel this way when Silas and I were incognito last time. No, this feels like a warning, like the magic of the coven who lives here is telling us to get the fuck out.

“Why in all of New Orleans does she live here?” Iris asks and I shrug, because that’s a good question. If she has no memory of who she is, why is she surrounding herself with witches?

“I don’t smell any shifters nearby,” Silas says and I give him a nod.

We’re a block away from her home, before the High Priestess of the Salvador coven and two younger witches materialize in front of us. I feel Silas grab the back of my dress, but he doesn’t make another move as the witch looks me up and down.

“Miss Delvaux, I don’t believe I’ve had any communication with the Celestial Coven granting you access to my territory. Not that it stopped you a few weeks ago,” Prudence says, a smile wrinkling her eyes.

The High Priestess is stunning, with luminescent dark brown skin and greenish-brown eyes. I couldn’t guess her age, not with the spells and potions she uses, but there’s no doubt despite her appearance she must be close enough in age to my grand-mère.

“I apologize for not giving notice. We’re here to meet a human friend, and then we will be on our way.”

Prudence laughs, throwing her head back, before taking a step closer to me. Silas’ grip on my dress gets tighter and I really want to smack his hand away, but I don’t.

When her face is close enough to mine that I can see the creases around her eyes, I swallow in fear.

“You know, all those years ago, I thought I was doing Aster a favor. Her progeny had lost her magic, had lost herself. She wanted her daughter to live her life as a human, while still being protected. Witch to witch, I took her word for it, and granted her this favor.”

Prudence touches the ends of my hair, twisting the white-blonde strands with the black.

“In New Orleans we work alongside the shifters, you know,” she says, still holding on to my hair and glancing up at Silas. “It’s how it should be. Protecting each other from the humans while knowing we’re far better than them. Fighting each other only causes more damage. But I suppose you and your Alpha friend here know that.”

“I just need to know the truth,” I tell Prudence, and she looks me up and down.

“I will let you pass as long as when you ascend to the High Priestess of your coven, I have your true alliance. Not this farce your grand-mère has conned me into.”

I hold out my hand. So does Prudence, as I grab her forearm and she grabs mine, a whirling of magic surrounding us, cementing our agreement.

She sighs after the magic settles and glances at the four of us. “Her and her sleeping wolf live in the house with the pink shutters,” she says, and as quickly as she came, she leaves, all three of the witches disappearing in front of us.

“I thought she was supposed to be cutthroat and vicious,” Iris says.

“Add it to the things we’ve been lied to about,” Ember replies.

Silas’ grip on my dress loosens, but he doesn’t let go. I shouldn’t like it, but it’s the first time I’ve had someone this physically possessive of me, and I enjoy it.

My heart is racing in my chest when we get to the front door, and I can’t bring my fist up to knock. A large arm reaches up as Silas knocks on the door above my head.

It only takes a few moments before my mother is answering the door.

“Sorry,” I whisper, before taking out my wand and paralyzing her.

Silas catches her, and we bring her to the center of their living room. I grab a throw pillow and place it under her head as he lays her body on the large Turkish rug.

“I’m not going to hurt you, I promise,” I whisper, as a tear trails down her cheek.

Ember’s luggage finally comes to use as she unloads the vast amount of candles and lighting them quickly with her magic.

Silas watches from where he’s leaned against the wall, not putting in any input, just fascinated with the setup and the effort that goes into preparing the room.

It’s nearly nightfall by the time we’re done. My poor mother is terrified on the floor as Ember, Iris, and I get on our knees and hold hands as we surround her.

“I promise this will all make sense soon,” I say, pushing back her light hair as she looks at me with fear.

“Ready?” Iris asks quietly and I nod my head, squeezing my two best friend’s hands.

They know what we’re doing is right; they believe in me; they love me. I take a moment to let the reality of all the different types of love that are in this room. I’m not sure if it’s because the truth is at the tip of my fingers, or that this moment proves that Iris and Ember would never turn their back on me.

But I make a choice at that moment. Once I know the full truth, I will be giving it to them in return. I can’t tuck away Azure forever. She’s a part of me.

We begin the chant, a low breeze whips around the room as we close our eyes and anchor ourselves to the spell. I pour everything I have into the spell, needing for it to work.

The wind around us is caressing my face as we say the chant one last time, the last word slipping from my lips like a prayer.

I take a deep breath and open my eyes, dropping my hands out of Ember’s and Iris’.

My stomach feels upside down as I look down at my mother, who stares at me. I release her from her paralysis and she sits up, her light blue eyes blinking at all of us. It’s the longest few moments of my life as we wait to see what she says.

Her eyes connect with mine and her brows furrow.

“Are you with the Salvador Coven?” she asks, and I glance over at Iris.

“No. We’re with the Celestial Coven,” Iris answers for me.

“She sent you to take me away?” My mother asks, dragging a hand down her torso, and she gasps. “My baby. Where’s my baby? What have you done with her?” she says scooting away.

I can’t move or speak. I’m in shock.

“Fuck. It worked, but it seems like she only remembers up to before your birth,” Iris says, and my mother looks at me again. This time, she really looks at me.

“What’s your name?” she asks me.

“Violet Delvaux,” I say softly and my mother covers her mouth and shakes her head. Her bright blue eyes wide as she stares at me with confusion and frustration.

“This can’t be,” she gasps. Her hands shake as she covers her face and looks around the room. “How old are you?” she asks, her eyes nearly crystalline as they fill with tears.

“Thirty,” I reply, my own tears threatening to fall.

Tears stream out of her face as her hand comes to cup my cheek. “Thirty years? I’ve lost thirty years with you?” she asks.

My own tears fall at this point and she uses her thumb to brush them away, as a caring mother would.

“What happened?” she asks.

“That’s what we're trying to figure out.”

Her hands shake as she touches my skin, making sure that I’m real. “You’re beautiful,” she says, her fingers touching my two-toned hair and her fingers graze over my cheekbones.

I’m not sure what to say, or where we go from here. It’s obvious that this is a lot on her, it’s a lot for everyone.

We stare at each other for a few long moments before the front door flings open and a shotgun is aimed at us. A man with short black hair and deep brown eyes threatens us.

Silas looks ready to kill him as my mother holds up her two hands.

“Oberyn, no,” she says. “They aren’t here to hurt us.”

The man's brows furrow. “Who the fuck is Oberyn?”

My mother sighs and glances at me. “Stun him, you’re going to need to perform the same spell. This is your father, Oberyn Collins.”

The man cocks the shotgun, but before he can do anything, Silas is grabbing it and pointing it to the ceiling, while Iris incapacitates the man that’s apparently my father.