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I didn’t press the issue. Julian obviously didn’t want to answer me. Even though it was a logical question.

“Ouch, Mommy. It hurts,” the same little girl cried, and I stopped to look back at them. Her mother held on to her daughter’s foot. There was blood.

Oh, no.

Her mother ruffled through her purse and looked scattered while her little girl screamed and cried, holding her bloodied foot.

I didn’t hesitate before rushing toward them.

“Mercy, stop,” Julian cried out. “It’s none of our fucking business.” There was so much detest and hatred in his tone that it agitated me.

What an asshole.

Julian caught up and grabbed my arm, but I yanked it away. “What are you doing, Julian? Don’t touch me!”

If looks could kill—that was how furious he looked. His eyes blazed like fire, and his hands were in tight fists.

I looked back at the mom and daughter, not caring about Julian, and approached them. “May I?”

Tears rolled down the mom’s face. “She stepped on broken glass. There’s so much blood, and I can’t find my Band-Aids.”

“It’s okay,” I said as I grabbed the girl’s foot. I had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t have any Band-Aids either, but I felt I could help her somehow. It was like little whispering voices calling to me, but I couldn’t hear them.

I placed my hand on the little girl’s foot and focused on the power I had ignited in the middle of the night. It was easier that time because I didn’t have to think about it. My magic came through and wrapped around her tiny foot, and when I removed my hand, the laceration had disappeared as if it had never been there.

Holy shit. Okay, now I know what that power does.

The little girl stopped crying, and when I looked at the mom, her jaw dropped, and she began to shake.

“Oh shit. Hey, it’s okay, miss,” I said, but she quickly grabbed her daughter, cradling the child tightly against her chest. There was no “thank you” because I had frightened them. The woman stood up to run with her daughter in her arms, but Julian intervened, placing his hands on both their heads, causing the woman to fall to her knees. They both kicked and struggled with him, but he held on to them firmly until they relaxed and went into a trance-like state.

I cast my eyes around the beach, seeing if anyone around us had been watching. Everyone was so preoccupied with their lives that no one had witnessed the spell he’d done on them.

“What the hell are you doing to them, Julian? Let them go.”

He did, but then bent down, grabbed the beach bucket of ocean water, and poured it over the blood on the little girl’s foot, washing it clean.

When he finished cleaning her foot, they opened their eyes and looked at us. “Who are you guys?” the mother asked. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m sorry,” Julian said, “but your daughter was screaming. We came to make sure everything was okay.”

“We’re fine,” she snapped back as she pulled her daughter close.

“We’ll leave,” I said. “Sorry to bother you.” Julian was right behind me as I turned on my heel to walk away, but I didn’t get far before his hand wrapped around my elbow and pulled me back.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” he seethed through his teeth.

“Excuse me?” I said, turning around to face him.

“Don’t ever use your magic like that in public. I don’t give a fuck if someone is dying. I forbid it!”

I yanked my arm from his hold. “Forbid me? Who the hell do you think you are? Shouldn’t you be happy I have magic back?”

Julian’s jaw tensed. “We’ll talk about it when we get back to the house.” He stomped off, and this time, I staggered behind.

“So, your power is that you can take memories away?” I asked, then stopped again. My feet wouldn’t move anymore as I realized what that meant.

Blood drained down my face as I backed up, watching the heated glare from his eyes. He knew that I knew what he did to me.

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