Page 44 of Broken Destiny

Kodi floats down until he’s almost standing on the floor, looking at all of us. “Not if I can convince him I’m a spy.” His words are soft.

I snort. “Father isn’t an idiot. We have no idea if you willingly helped him or defied him when you were alive.” I shake my head. “Zosia will never forgive us if we let you go out there.”

“But will he just go away?” he taunts.

My jaw clenches. If there’s any trait I’ve inherited from my father, it would be my stubbornness. No, he won’t just go away. “It’s me he wants to talk to,” I say, straightening my spine.

Bren shakes his head. “Nothing good comes of you going outside. He’ll kill you once you reveal you are beholden to the library. You’re more powerful here, and he knows it.”

“What are the other options?” I growl angrily. “Allow the ghost to go? Wait until Zosia wakes up and roll the dice that she might not be able to deal with the tormentors of her past so close to her safe haven? The library opens in two days. I won’t put it past Father to wait on campus until he’s able to enter with the other students. He can come in here once the library opens, right?” I direct my question to the goblin.

A quick nod confirms my suspicions. “There is something…off…about Walthers and your father. It reduces the library’s defenses.”

“Can he hurt Zosia within the library?” Avery asks quickly.

Duggar doesn’t answer, giving us the answer we need. He either doesn’t know or it’s possible. Neither are good options. I swipe my hand over my head again, feeling my beast prickle under my skin. Maybe it is time for him to die. I take a step forward, but Bren places his hand on my chest.

“No, Rett. Every timeline in which you face him now leaves the library in ruins.”

I growl again, frustrated beyond belief. What use is all my power if I can’t use it to protect the library, my fellow allies, and my mate?

“I need to go,” Kodi repeats, a look of resignation on his face. He glances at Bren. “What do the timelines say about that?”

Bren grimaces. “It doesn't look good. They might tether you as Avery said, or Father might find another way to control you. He could turn you against the library.”

“I’d never go against Zosia,” Kodi hisses through clenched teeth. I wonder, not for the first time, whether he was supernatural in life. I know he wasn’t a shifter, but there’s a good chance he was some sort of mage.

“Desperate men take desperate measures,” Bren mumbles. He tends to fall back on cliché lines and quotes when his visions are unclear or his farseeing powers can’t predict a situation.

A shiver passes through the library. It’s nothing more than a slight shudder, but we all feel it. “What was that?”

“They’re trying to enter with magic,” Duggar explains. “It won’t work, but it will distress her more.” He points to Zosia. Her expression has become more concerned, her brows drawn tightly together.

“I thought the library could defend itself!” Kodi roars at the little goblin. The creature stares down the ghost, his wings twitching with agitation.

“It is defending itself, but it’s also fully in Zosia’s control. That defense relies on her direction now. With her mind so far from her body, she can’t do anything to counter the threat.”

“But they can’t enter?” I clarify.

Duggar shakes his head. “All evidence says they cannot. Ansel lost the ability to be a guide the moment the fourth guardian signed.”

I wince. Once Father realizes the man’s uselessness, he won’t go easy on him. “We wait,” I state firmly. “We keep telling Zosia she must believe in herself. We need to believe in her, too. She’ll conquer her memories, wake up, and assist the library in countering the threat.”

Duggar simply nods, his expression unreadable. Avery mimics the gesture.

Kodi sighs heavily, a strange sound with no breath behind it. “If she doesn’t wake up soon, I’m going out there,” he repeats stubbornly.

I ignore him, observing the beautiful woman sprawled on the loveseat. I want to fight her battles for her, protect her from harm, and keep her safe. What I’m suggesting goes against every instinct within me, but my gut is urging me to wait. She’ll never learn to believe in herself if we constantly shield her. She has the power here.

I hope I’ve chosen correctly. If not, I may never forgive myself.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Zosia

The minute I made the decision to confront my memories, my mind sucked my consciousness back in time. My physical body doesn’t come with me, but I know the men and the library will keep me safe while I delve into the past. Worry trickles through me as I still feel that I have a body. For a moment, I’m terrified I’ll be dumped into my childhood mind where I’ll have to relive the fear firsthand. But that doesn’t happen. I feel like Kodi. I have an odd semblance of a form or body, and I’m hovering in the corner of the ceiling while I watch the past unfold. As an observer, I’m able to separate my current self from the scared little girl I see in the strange, dreamlike state. It allows me to distance myself somewhat from the pain and fear.

She’s cute - all crazy brown hair and flashing golden eyes. She hasn’t been broken yet because the small body struggles against the restraints that trap her in a hospital bed. Tubes stick out of her arms. The tiny figure fights valiantly before sinking back on the pillow, sweat slicking her skin. I can’t tell how old she is, maybe six or seven.

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