Page 49 of Only You, No One Else

Mark glanced at Dean, who shrugged, and the calming effect Amelia had on him continued to infiltrate the chaos of endless strategy in his mind. He lost sight of it all as his wolf communicated its trust in her by flooding his body with healing, and he had no choice but to follow the animal’s lead.

Amelia sat next to him, close enough that she maintained her hold on his hand. Her grip tightened and loosened in a distinct rhythm that was as familiar to him as she was. Except he was certain he’d never met her before. Could he be missing a vital part of his life, one that Amelia had been a major part of?

The silence in the room was palpable; even Dean, who was never one to stay silent for too long, sensed the energy. Allies. Everyone in this room was an ally, and it was time to prepare for the inevitable war Ethel had unleashed on them.

“Mark.” Even her voice, her distinct cadence of the syllables that made up his name, was a memory, a memory that made his animal self stand up and take notice. She pointed to the stranger in the room. “This is Amara. She is from the African Coven. Their magic is outside of the European Coven’s influence. She’s here to help.”

Mark tore his attention away from Amelia and the effect she was having on him to look at the other woman. Like most witches, she was small in stature, her slight frame dwarfed by the contrast of Dean’s majestic largeness, the effect almost comical when Dean moved to stand next to her. Her brown eyes were bright as she smiled at him, her power different, potent, its bright orange haze illuminating her dark skin with a glow he could see through his wolf’s eyes.

But his wolf didn’t sense a threat from her. She seemed more powerful than even Edie and Adella, which he didn’t think was possible.

“She is.” The Queen startled him, and he cursed having forgotten to keep that mental barrier closed. Caster wouldn’t like that.

The Queen smiled. Then it’s a good thing he is not here, yes?

He smiled back with a small nod, but still undertook the enormous effort to build back that barrier, breathing a sigh when it was back up. There was no need to risk Caster’s wrath.

The Queen invited everyone to take a seat, and Mark nodded his gratitude at Dean. His brother didn’t need to be here, but Mark had the distinct feeling that whatever he was about to find out would be significant enough to alter his life and his brother’s support would be necessary. If he couldn’t have Caster, Dean was the best substitute. Where was he? It was strange being away from him, but Mark resisted the urge to filter the house for his unique scent.

He took a breath and turned to Amelia. “How do I know you?”

Her smile lost some of its warmth, and he braced for a sad story. “I had already left the coven when I met your mother.” She glanced at Dean. “You were a little boy then. She sought out my services to help protect you from an illness that was affecting the wolf community at the time.”

“I don’t remember you,” Dean said.

Amelia shook her head. “You wouldn’t. You were very young and sick. Something, something magical had been attacking wolves at the time, affecting your ability to heal. She… your mother… tried everything but magic. I ran a small…clinic, I guess would be the right term for it today, where I used a mixture of herbs and magic to aid the local community. I think that is how your mother found me.” She took a breath. “Anyway, my magic helped, and soon the wolves were thriving again, and I didn’t see her for a while, perhaps a century or more.” She chuckled. “Keeping track of time is difficult when you’re immortal.” She turned to Mark, took both his hands in hers, her energy shifting as she frowned. “She was at least eight months pregnant and in a lot of pain. To this day, I am not sure how she found me, but I thank the Goddess every day that she did.”

Mark could not contain his gasp. He glanced at his brother, who just shook his head.

“The pregnancy had been difficult from the beginning, but when she appeared at my door, she was battling for her life.”

“Magicae Lupus?” Edie’s whisper may as well have been a shout.

Amelia nodded. “I need you to hear me.” The conviction in her emphatic statement drew Mark out of the turmoil the new information had created and back to the present, back to her. “Your mother loved you so much, she was willing to die for you, and in the end she did.”

“What?” Dean’s voice was like a whisper, drowning in the denial he couldn’t help. Mark wanted to believe Amelia’s assessment, but that’s not the mother he remembered.

Amelia did not grant Dean her attention; she focused all her energy, her words, on Mark. “She’d struggled with the pregnancy from the beginning, and as soon as she told me about it, I knew what it was. I knew what you were.” She sniffed back her tears, tears that Mark could see clouding her eyes. “You are special. The wolf that was prophesied to be the bridge between our worlds. Your destiny is to bring all supernatural kind together.”

Mark shook his head. None of it made sense. “My mother didn’t like witches.”

Amelia smiled. “No, she did not. But by the time we lost her…” Her voice cracked. “…she and I had become closer than sisters.” She squeezed Mark’s hand, unwilling to release the connection. “Honey, you only don’t remember that side of her because she asked me to erase it from your mind.”

“Why would she ask you to do that?” Dean’s jaw was tight with the impatience he was doing his best to conceal.

“If you didn’t know that you were Magicae Lupus, you were safe. No one could try to take you or kill you, which would have been very easy when you were a child.” Adella said, the significance of the whispered words a fact none of them could overlook.

“But that witch still found him,” Dean said, his anger hiding behind a calm façade.

Amelia lowered her gaze. “That’s because I failed her. I failed you.” She sniffed again, but her tears slipped past her control anyway. “It was my job to protect you, to keep you from Ethel, but I was not powerful enough.”

“How did Ethel even know about me?” The desire to comfort Amelia was as foreign and familiar as the calm effect she had on him, but Mark had to know. Information was the only way they would win this war.

“I don’t know. Your mother and I were so careful. Her heart broke every time she denied your desire to be close to her. She gave you away to your grandfather because we both thought that her love would unlock the magic that made you Magicae Lupus, which would make it easy for Ethel, others to sense it.” She shook her head. “We were mistaken. We’d translated the prophecy incorrectly.”

“It wasn’t her love that would unlock your destiny…” Edie said. “It was Caster’s.”

Amelia nodded and smiled, sniffing back tears that didn’t seem to obey her desire to staunch them. “I see you found the key?”