Page 5 of Red Moon Secrets
"Why did they take you, and how did you get out?"
She sighs out as Drackus trails behind us.
"How about tea before you go to bed? There's a lot to tell."
I just nod, willing to accept anything to soothe me.
As Drackus sets a kettle on to boil, Mom pulls up a barstool and sits down beside me behind the counter.
"They took me from the training camp when I was getting ready for bed. I never heard them, felt them approaching, or even sensed a presence. A couple of words in a chanted spell knocked me on my ass like I've never been taken out before.
"I woke up in a cell; one with crested bars full of incantations engraved along the iron. It was complex and incredibly powerful – powerful enough to keep me imprisoned without fail.
"No one ever spoke to me, touched me, or even bothered to check on me. It's a good thing immortals can't starve to death, because I would have. I assume I'm only alive because they either couldn't kill me or they need something I hid with a spell.
"Drackus came for me two nights ago. He went to speak to me about you, and when the imposter spoke to him like a scorned lover—"
"I knew it wasn't her," he quickly interjects while pulling the whistling kettle from the stove. "No one knows how very much in contact your mother and I have stayed. Obviously, neither did the imposter."
"Apparently you two forgot to tell me, as well," I insert; not feeling too thrilled about that omission.
I've hated my father because I thought I was supposed to, and my mother has been on good terms with him? Why keep that a secret?
Mom ignores it as she continues. "The second I heard the screams and felt the power emanating around the room, I knew Drackus had come. He found a guy who knew how to undo the spells that had been cast to lock me away, and he tossed him in there to free me. I'll spare you some of the details, but he got me home."
"So you've been back for two days and you're just now telling me?"
"Honey, I didn't want you to know at all. Whatever is going on is big. They're looking for something, or they're trying to accomplish something from inside. I just don't know who to trust. I didn't want them catching on that you knew they were posing as me because I was afraid of putting you in danger. I should have known you'd figure it out. Frankie said you've been suspicious for a while."
"You told Frankie but not me?" I harp.
"I didn't tell Frankie; he figured it out. He's the one who helped Drackus locate me. He'd been sneaking in on the poser and listening in on conversations. He pieced together my whereabouts through several cryptic conversations. The second Drackus told him that woman wasn't me, he agreed."
"Wait. How did Drackus walk in without anyone knowing who he was?"
She laughs, smiling at him with dreamy eyes. "Your father knows a few spells to mask his identity for a few hours. He looked as light as anyone, and he was escorted in by Chaz, who he called ahead of time."
"Chaz was there?" I ask, surprised Shay's son would even be there.
"Chaz was investigating the imposter for Shay."
Considering Chaz was the closest thing to a best friend I had while growing up, I'm surprised he didn't tell me he and Shay were also suspicious. I haven't seen him since our moms had their big fallout, but I would have called him if the situation was reversed.
"So they never touched you?" I ask, feeling relieved to know that.
The imposter came in so beat up she spent weeks in healing. I suppose that was all for show.
"Never," she says reassuringly. "They knew your father was looking for me. That could have prompted them to send in an imposter to douse suspicion so they could move forward with whatever they're planning."
"Does this have anything to do with the black diamond of Roth?" I ask, remembering a theory once spawned by Gage.
She shakes her head in a shrugging manner. "I don't know. They never spoke, and they all wore masks. They more than likely knew I wouldn't give them any answers."
I feel like she's holding back—like there's more to the story than she wants to give me. My head is already about to explode though.
Picking up my tea, I stand to head out of the kitchen. "Will you be here when I wake up?"
"Of course," she murmurs softly.
