Page 86 of Shifting Spirits

They both stare at me as I close the door behind me.

Silas blinks. “Rachel, you’re awake.”

“Yeah,” I admit. “I’ve been sleeping way too much lately, and I’m done with it now. What did I just miss?”

They look at each other. I cross my arms under my chest, waiting for a response.

Adrian lets out a soft sigh. “Silas can fill you in. Where’s Carter?”

“He’s still sleeping,” I tell them, feeling guilty. “You shouldn’t have let him drain himself to make me feel better. I snapped out of it once I realized that’s what was happening.”

“He hardly ever uses his touch, Rachel. It doesn’t hurt him to use it,” Adrian tells me. “You weren’t draining him. He’s an emotional sponge, remember? He’s been feeling drained because it’s how you were feeling, not because he’s actually drained.”

Well, shit. That makes sense. Still, I’m the reason he’s been sleeping so much.

“Either way, it’s on me and I don’t want to tire anyone out unless it’s in a fun way.” I look at Silas. “So, where were you trying to convince Adrian you could go running off to on your own?”

And why wouldn’t our Alpha say yes?

Silas clears his throat. “Midnight Valley.”

Oh, hell. That’s where I grew up. Where my parents live. Midnight Valley is full of witches and warlocks. It’s not exactly a welcoming place for shifters.

“Why would …” I start, blinking at him.

“Long story,” Adrian interjects before I can finish my question. “I’ll go check on Carter while Silas fills you in.”

I move to let him pass, sinking into my regular seat at the table and shivering at the feel of the cold wood of the chair under my bare legs. I look up at Silas, and he pulls out the chair across from me.

“We only didn’t tell you because …”

“Because I’ve been acting like an invalid, I get it.” I reach out and take his hands in mine.

He gives me a smile. “Are you sure you’re feeling better?”

“I’m fine,” I assure him. “Tell me.”

He clears his throat. “It’s Sara. She’s my sister. Well, half-sister.”

“Sara. The spirit who’s been hanging around the back yard. The one who warned you about those psycho witches who tried to send me to hell.”

Adrian told us about that, but it’s good to hear the truth from Silas. He doesn’t always find it easy to talk about things that are important to him. I’m glad that he’s opening up about it.

He nods. “Kind of crazy, right?”

“It explains why she’s been hanging around, I guess. How do you feel about it?”

“I don’t know,” he admits. “I was mad when I found out, because it turns out her dad is my dad, and they were living right around the corner from me my whole life without me knowing.”

Oh Goddess. That must have really hurt.

I know Silas wasn’t super close to the aunt who raised him. Finding out his father was there all along, and he didn’t ever reach out to him, well that must be impossible to wrap his head around.

“I’m sorry, that’s awful.”

“It’s … It is what it is,” he says, clearly trying to shrug it off. “But after I got mad, Sara disappeared, and she hasn’t come back. I’ve called on her a bunch of times and I can’t reach her. It’s like she’s crossed over, but that doesn’t make sense. I’m worried something else happened to her.”

I press my lips together. He doesn’t need me to list the other things that could have happened to make reaching her so difficult. He knows.

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