Page 5 of Drawn in Blood
Ember unfolded the paper and read it quietly to herself, willing her hands to stop shaking. After a few moments, she looked up at Eira and Otto’s expectant eyes and felt her breath hitch in her chest. “What is this,” she whispered, as she bit her bottom lip. Her heart beat rapidly in her throat. She knew what it was, but she needed to hear them say it— needed to hear the words out loud.
Eira gave her a smile as tears flowed freely down her cheeks. “We’re asking if you would give us the honor of adopting you, Ember Lothbrok.”
Ember was certain the world had stopped turning. She had thought about this moment for the last year—the momentshe truly became theirs—but it didn’t feel like she expected, not really. She expected excitement, insurmountable joy that she could barely contain, but there was something else there, something that she hadn’t expected to feel tugging at her chest. Her throat tightened as she tried to swallow. It was a feeling she had pushed away, something she had tried not to feel for months.
It felt like grief.
She shook the thought away quickly, and it wasn’t until Maeve squealed and ran around the table, wrapping her in a giant hug, that she remembered to breathe. Eira’s face fell, ever so slightly, and Ember tried to put on a smile for her.
“Thank you so much,” she replied, as her hands shook, trying not to look at the paper again. “Is it something I can think about?” She didn’t know why she needed to think about it. She should be ecstatic. She should be jumping up and down with joy at the thought of having a real family again, a permanent family. It was all she had wanted since she was six years old.
“Of course, Mo Chroí.” Otto smiled as he squeezed his wife’s hand. “Take all the time you need.”
Ember nodded, forcing a smile as she swallowed the lump in her throat. What was wrong with her? What was there to think about? She should just say yes.
But there was that feeling, that tug in her stomach that reminded her that she wasn’t a Kitt, no matter how well she might fit into their home. And if she agreed to be adopted, if she agreed to be a part of their family forever, how long would it take for her to forget who she was? Who her parents were? It felt like she was replacing them—betraying them. How could she let them go so permanently?
She plastered on a fake smile as everyone chattered around her, but she couldn’t stop the dread pooling in her stomach. Fen gave her a half smile, but she could see the worry playing behindhis eyes. No matter what she decided, someone was going to get hurt.
Could she really handle the grief of losing who she was all over again?
Chapter 2
Welcome Home
September was quickly becoming Ember’s favorite month of the year. The morning air smelled like lavender and fresh baked bread as she walked the winding path up to Heksheim, and she couldn’t help but breathe a deep sigh of relief as she felt the wards bend to accept her on the grounds, the hair on her arms standing on end as the magic brushed against her. There were only a handful of places on the planet that truly felt like home, and Heksheim would always be one of them. But even still, as peaceful as the school grounds felt, something ominous lingered in the air. Everything was the same, but at the same time, everything felt very, very different.
Something was changing.
“Everything alright, Starshine?” Killian whispered, as he walked up beside her and elbowed her in the arm.
“Just thinking about how much has changed.” She breathed as she hooked arms with him and the other with Fen.
“All the important stuff is still the same.” He shrugged. “Me, you, Fen, as long as we have each other nothing else matters.”
“How sentimental,” Fen laughed, as he dragged Ember toward the open doors. “Maybe you should prepare a speech for Em’s adoption too.”
Ember’s heart sank, guilt heating her stomach and coiling it into knots.
“Shove off, Kitt,” Killian huffed.
The trio made their way into the school, and Ember breathed in the sweet smell of mahogany and oak as they followed the crowd of children into the large hall. Everyone was gathering around the circular tables and chatting animatedly about their summer vacation. They made their way to what had now become their table and took their seats. The chair to Ember’s right was empty, just like it had been since Rowan had turned up “missing” the year before. It didn’t weigh as heavily on her now, but there were still pangs of grief that flitted through her chest when she thought about the girl who had gotten her through her first year in the magical school.
“Is this seat taken?” a small voice rang out from behind her. Ember turned her head to see bright blue eyes staring just past her head. Platinum hair fell across her bronze shoulders, and bells jingled from her wrists and feet as she moved.
“Oh, hi, Odette.” Ember smiled. “Have a seat. How was your summer?”
Odette nodded with a smile as she gently sat at the round table, laying her bag on the ground next to her, “Spent most of it in the garden with my gran. It was very eventful,” she chimed with a small smile. “I have a feeling this year will be as well.”
“Were your parents on holiday?” Ember asked, as she fiddled with the pen she had pulled out of her bag.
“I lost my da’ during the uprising,” she whispered, a little softer than normal, “then my mum disappeared when I was a wean. It’s just me and my grandparents now.”
“Uprising?” Ember replied, furrowing her brow.
“Aye,” Fen nodded, “happened when I was just a baby. A few rogue Fae decided they didn’t like the rules anymore and took the law into their own hands.”
”Da’ fought to protect us,” Odette nodded. “Perhaps it won’t all be in vain.”
