Page 58 of Fated

Slowly, she moves towards me and gives me a soft hug. It’s awkward, but we can work on that. It means a lot to me that she’s trying.

“There’s something else I wanted to ask you,” I say once she steps back.

I can tell she’s trying to be encouraging but it’s not natural on her face.

“Why did you guys put the memory spell on me and send me to the human world? Wasn’t there a risk of all this happening?”

My mom thinks about it for a second before answering. “We didn’t know the reason behind the rules, so we didn’t realize there was a risk of you meeting your fated mates. We wanted you to have something we never did, a normal childhood.”

I can’t help but look at her like she’s crazy. She thinks I had a normal childhood? We moved around more than anyone I know, and I was raised by my aunt! Who hated me.

She reads my expression and laughs but it’s sad and dejected. “We tried. We couldn’t help our jobs, we had to move around based on where we were…” She pauses, looking around at the guys. She looks remorseful. “Where we were hunting. Your aunt was supposed to raise you but she hated that her role as the second born was to raise the children until they were of age. We thought you were having a good childhood, better than we had, but we never made sure.

“We had to train you, it was our duty, but we made you forget it so you could go to school and eventually college. It wasn’t the normal way, but we tried, for you.”

I’m actually a little choked up. They may not have done it well, but they were trying and at this point, that counts for a lot.

Nic pipes up, giving me a minute to gather myself, “who put the spell on Aly? It was really advanced.”

“The hunters have mages on staff, we used one of them.”

What mage would help the hunters? That seems suspicious, something we may need to look into when we can.

“Thank you,” I say softly.

Jer wraps his arm around me, tugging me to his side and offering me comfort. My parents both give me small smiles and nod their heads.

We say our goodbyes and head home, a little more hopeful about our chances.

Twenty Two

Aly

I kneel in front of Bailey and try to convey my wishes to him. I haven’t actually done this before, so I’m not sure how it’ll work.

“Bailey, sweet boy, I need you to stay with Anna and protect her while we’re gone. No matter what you feel from me or the guys, I need you to stay here.”

I can feel his confusion. I’m not sure what that means but I keep trying.

“Will you stay here with Anna?” I ask.

I get reassurance from him down our bond. I think that means he understands me, I guess we will find out.

Jay comes in and kneels down next to me.

“Do you think it’s working?”

I shrug my shoulders. “I think so, as much as I can.”

“I’m sure it is. It’s how the familiar bond works. You need to trust it and Bailey.”

I lean over and kiss his cheek. “You’re right, thank you.”

“I was wondering if you might want to get some energy out? I know we are all feeling restless while we wait to be summoned. There’s a basketball hoop in the backyard?”

That sounds… like exactly what we need. The guys could use some competition and an outlet for any pent-up aggression. I don’t mind having a little fun and seeing my guys get all sweaty. I should make them play shirtless.

“That sounds great. Let’s do it!”

---