“Yeah,” Vaughn confirms. “We suspected, but knew you didn’t know, so we hadn’t told Soren.”
“Does Micah know that?” I ask.
“I suspected it first,” Vaughn says. “I was doing some research on mates, and what I found didn’t match at all what Micah was telling you. I wanted to make sure I had all of the information, but basically, humans don’t mate. They’re human, and mating isa supernatural event. They can in the sense of having a child with a hybrid or a witch, but true mates? Not a chance.”
“Why would Micah… Well, I guess that answers itself,” I mutter. “So… Fuck. Okay. Why did you fucking sell me, Dad?”
“Because I needed a reason to get you close to Soren without having to tell him that he was meeting his mate. Your mother has come back in several lifetimes and murdered his mates, so he avoided it. I knew that the only way to keep you and Soren alive was if you formed your bond,” Dad explains. “Believe me, I fucking hated it. I really did. I will never truly forgive myself, no matter my reasoning.”
“Did you call in the hit on Ben?” Vaughn asks. “It sounded like bullshit when I read it, but we still took the contract.”
“Yeah,” Dad chuckles. “Ben is a fucking idiot.”
“Was,” I say.
“Was,” he agrees with a small smile. “I will make up for what I did and the hell I put you through, but right now…”
“Soren is the priority,” I say.
“What exactly do they want with him?” Vaughn asks.
“If Julie helped take him, then she’s likely trying to make him mortal,” Dad says. “I know Micah has been helping her for decades. When I found out who she was regarding Soren, I killedher with the help of another witch. That made it to where she couldn’t come back until at least you found your mate, or twenty years.”
“She’s been dead what… Like nineteen years?” I ask, and he nods. “Shit.”
“So I got into a bunch of debt with Henry, knowing I could connect Soren through a contract hit for whoever bought you,” he explains. “I didn’t expect him to slit my fucking throat, but he has no idea that I’m a hybrid. I doubt that she told him, because she is undoubtedly after your powers.”
“How could she take it?” I ask.
“By killing your mate and taking over your body,” he says. “It’s very dark and forbidden magic, but she’s been around so long that she can do it. It takes a lot of power to make a hybrid mortal, though, especially someone as strong as Soren.”
“Shit,” I say, panic starting to build inside of me. “They’re going to kill him?”
“What do we need to do to get him out of there?” Vaughn asks, rubbing my back.
“Honestly?” Dad asks. “Talia needs to be there.”
“Fuck no,” Diego snaps. “Soren will fucking kill us.”
“If he is turned mortal and dies, Julie will absolutely be able to take over Talia’s body, and the only way to stop her would be to kill both of them.”
“What do I need to do?” I ask.
“Whatever you have to do to prevent them from turning Soren mortal,” Dad says. “They’re likely draining him of his energy and starving him. That will put him into a coma, so he will need to be fed before you can get him out of there. If you can get him fed enough, he will have enough strength to get away from her.”
“Is it like a spell or something?” I ask.
“No, an injection,” he tells me. “I’ve seen it done a few times before, but there is a lot involved. If you can still feel his pain, they haven’t done it yet.”
“So what if I just take it?” I ask. “They can’t do shit if I destroy it.”
“Don’t get yourself killed trying, but yeah. If you can get it away from her, that would be best.”
“No, I’ll go through Henry,” I say. “I know how to manipulate him.”
“The sooner the better,” Dad says. “And when you get back…”
“When I get back, I’ll forgive you,” I say. “If this works, and you aren’t bullshitting me right now, all is forgiven.”
