Page 7

She wasn't crying for Graham, but for me.

“I didn't want this life for you.”

“Then you shouldn't have brought her to Blairville,” Alarik muttered grimly, his gaze fixed on me before he pressed his lips together and stared into space, his jaw clenched.

Mum let out a sob.

“I'm so sorry.”

I didn't know how to reply.

Not even ten minutes ago, I had awakened from a strange dream, hallucinating, and now I was standing here, more or less ready to be taken away by Alarik so that murderous witches couldn't torture me.

Mum didn't seem surprised at all that I was supposed to be a Senseque.

Once again, I felt that my brain wasn't quite awake yet and that I was only now starting to realize many things. Among them, that my mother was still keeping secrets from me. First and foremost, my father’s identity.

“I can hear them,” Alarik said through gritted teeth, grabbing my wrist again. “We have to go!”

I tore my gaze away from Mum and followed him to the door, where we stepped out onto the porch.

“Shit,” Alarik uttered, his tone thick with tension.

I Am The Beast

Blue Stahli

I looked past Alarik, where countless terrifying Quatura with glowing gray eyes stood in the gentle snow flurries, staring at him as if he were a dangerous criminal on the run.

“Not another step, Director Copeland, or you and the girl will learn what it means to betray the Councils!” growled the tall, slender older woman with white hair. Gloria.

Either way, those hags wanted to sacrifice me to their ridiculous gods in their temple.

I was doomed.

That was the moment I recognized other faces, including Vivienna's sneering grin.

My expression darkened.

Then I spotted Amara, giving my mother, who had just appeared in the doorway, a pitying look.

“How could you betray the Circle like that and have a child with one of them?!” Gloria stared my mother down with such a cold stare that it sent a stinging chill down my spine. “It's a miracle it didn't kill you, like it killed her!”

My mother swallowed hard and I looked at her.

Even more confusion.

Alarik's body tensed violently. Too violently. His eyes began to glow yellow, veins standing out on his neck.

Some of the women became restless and moved into fighting positions, their hands slightly open, tense, ready to use elemental magic against us.

“It's a surprise that you, of all people, showed up here to get the girl,” Gloria whispered darkly.

There was no fear of him in her eyes, even though he looked like he wanted to tear her to pieces... and as if he could.

“Give us the girl!” demanded... Rebecca Harlow?

Why was this woman everywhere?