Page 15 of Shattered Darkness

“Thanks, guys,” I say, my voice muffled in Mav’s chest. “I’ll be okay. It has just taken me by surprise. I mean, of all the things that could be thrown at us next, that wasn’t even in the Realm of the list.”

“I know,” Hunter replies and then continues, “Do you want to curl up and watch some movies with some snacks? Do you want us to get Erin?”

“And Cole?” Kysen adds he’s been silently observing until now, and he’s watching me with worried eyes now.

I shake my head and glance up at the clock, “No. I’m emotional, I’m mad as hell, and I want to beat the shit out of someone. My magic is mad too, and I want to use it.”

“Are you sure?” Levi asks, studying me closely, “it might not be a good idea to play with your magic while you’re angry. I know for a fact that mine plays up even more if I’m angry.”

I take a deep breath, “It’s more hurt than anger that I’m feeling. I hear what you’re saying, and if I thought there was a chance that I could lose my control, then I wouldn’t use my magic, but I’m confident that I can.”

Levi studies me for a moment longer before he nods his head, “Okay, we’ll go and get changed then. We need to meet the others at Erin’s dorm room in about five minutes.”

I nod, turn my head, and kiss Maverick, silently thanking him again for reading the scroll so I didn’t have to. There’s no way that I would have been able to get through the words without getting emotional.

I glance around at everyone and notice Jax frowning; he meets my eye and says, “What do you think she meant by sending you some help along the way?”

I shrug, “I imagine exactly what she’s already been doing, sending scrolls and visions as well as talking to me directly when she can. It’s all been helpful in some ways, and I imagine that’s what she was referring to.”

Jax is still frowning as he replies, “Yeah, I suppose. It just felt like she meant something more. I mean, why would she feel the need to mention something that she’s already doing, and we’re already used to her doing?”

Levi tilts his head, “You know, actually that’s a really good point.”

“All we can really do is stay vigilant and keep an eye out for any of this extra help that she’s referring to. Sage said that she was worn out from fighting against Kronos unexpectedly, so maybe she just forgot or something?” Kai suggests.

“Yeah, I guess that’s a possibility,” Jax agrees, still not sounding one hundred percent convinced.

The way that they’ve said a couple of things has suddenly made some pieces snap into place, and I jolt upright, making Mav jump. The others all look at me in question.

“Creep is Kronos,” I state. It’s obvious, but with the whole my parents not being my parent’s thing, I somehow managed to skip past that, and judging from the looks on the guy's faces, they hadn’t connected those dots either.

“Fucking hell, your right,” Mav is the first to speak.

Jax turns wide eyes to Kai, “Dude, that means that you fought a God and held your fucking own!”

Kai’s eyes widen along with everyone else’s, and he says, “Well fuck I definitely would’ve been more nervous had I known. He must’ve been having a bad day or something; I mean, he’s a freaking God!”

I frown, “Don’t sell yourself short; you made him struggle.”

“She’s right. I’d be damn proud if I were you,” Hunter agrees.

“At least we know who Creep is now,” Levi replies.

“I'm still calling him Creep, or maybe giant fucking asshole,” I reply, the anger in my tone unmistakable.

Levi glances at me and agrees, “Sounds good to me. Why don’t we all go and get ready, and then you can beat some stuff up?”

“Alright, good idea. I’m going to get dressed,” I say as I get up, and everyone else does the same. They must have all felt my distress through the bond and just got up since they’re still in pjs. I do not doubt that if Kysen and I hadn’t walked through the door when we did, then they would’ve come looking for us.

It’s only when I get to my bedroom that I realise that I’m already dressed appropriately, and Levi must’ve just assumed that I wanted to get changed. I briefly contemplate allowing myself to have a moment now that I’m alone, but the more I think about it, the more I realise that I don’t actually want to fall down that rabbit hole, at least not right now.

In a swirl of magic, Ghost and Knot appear. If it weren’t for the fact that they both look frazzled and immediately circle me to check for injuries and to see if I’m okay, I would’ve just assumed that they were off wherever familiars go. Neither one of them will tell me; however, their behavior tells me that something is wrong.

As soon as Knot turns into her fox form, I sit down on the floor, and she jumps into my arms; placing her paws on my shoulders, she rests her forehead against mine, and I instantly know that they couldn’t get to me and that she wants to know what happened. I try to separate myself from the memory as I close my eyes and play it over in my mind for her, but I’m not that successful as hurt stabs my heart. Knot's face rubs against mine in comfort as Ghost nudges my hand until I stroke him. Somehow, I know that what I’m sharing with Knot, she is sharing with Ghost.

I’m incredibly glad that I have the ability just to know some of these things. No one has ever had two familiars before, which means not only do I get lots of stares, but there’s no help, no information on how they interact together or what they’re capable of, and I honestly don’t think they know either, which essentially means we’re all learning as we go and relying on our intuition. I should probably be writing all of this down and documenting it in case it happens to someone else, but really, when am I going to get the chance? Maybe eventually, our lives will calm down enough that I can write the information down for future generations.

My distraction into all things familiars has effectively distracted me, and I give Knot one more squeeze and Ghost another pet before I put Knot down and stand up. Now I need to go and kick some ass.

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