Page 33 of Shadowed Spirits

“What are you doing here, dearie? Shouldn’t you be in school for another few hours until your shift?” Anya asks as she reaches the wood counter I’m standing in front of.

I wince, feeling awful that I completely forgot about my shift today in the chaos of everything. At least Doyle ordered my arrest on a Monday so I didn’t leave Anya hanging with no explanation. “I had a situation at school yesterday, so I’m not attending classes for a little while. That’s actually why we’re here. We need your help to find someone.”

My mates wandered from where they were checking out the shop to where Anya and I are standing while I spoke.

Anya is no longer looking at me. Instead, she looks at Levi with hope and resignation warring on her face. “Leviathan? What are you doing here?”

He frowns at her. “Do I know you?”

“Ah, yes, I remember now. You always did struggle to see through my illusions.” Anya steps back from me slightly. Levi and I just stare at her in confusion. Giving us a small smile, Anya disappears in a flash of blinding black and white light.

Squeezing my eyes shut to escape the harsh light, I turn away until I can no longer see the bright light through my lids. Blinking open my eyes, I stare in confusion at the woman standing in front of me. She has golden hair flowing down around her shoulders, sad gray eyes, and a heart-shaped face. While she’s an inch or two shorter than me, she’s quite a bit taller than Anya.

The strangest thing about the woman is that half of her body is normal, and the other half is spectral. She almost looks like she’s half here and half in the spirit realm. I don’t even know how that would be possible.

I’m about to ask who she is and where Anya went when Levi breathes, “Melinoe?”

CHAPTER 17

IZZY

“Yes. It’s good to see you after so long. How did you end up in my shop?” Melinoe asks him, glancing between the six of us in confusion. She keeps looking between each of my mates and me, her slight smile growing as she does so, leaving me to wonder what she’s seeing.

Levi shoves a rough hand through his hair. “I’ve been looking for you, Mel. Your mom and dads have been worried sick about you, since you haven’t checked in.” His tone is slightly scolding, but there’s an undercurrent of concern.

Melinoe hugs her arms around her middle and looks away from Levi’s intense gaze. “I’m sorry, Uncle Vi. I didn’t do it on purpose.”

I try hard not to stare at how different the two sides of her are, but I fail. While one side has fair skin, golden hair, gray eyes, and richly colored clothes, the other is completely void of any pigment. Her hair, eyes, skin, and clothes are all translucent. It’s a cool contrast.

“Wait. So Melinoe is Anya?” I ask as I focus back on the conversation, wanting to make sure I understand everything correctly. I mean, there’s not really anyone else she couldbe since I just saw her transform. All this form switching is confusing to my puny mortal mind, though.

“I am, dearie.” Melinoe watches me carefully for a moment before she blows out a breath. White and black light bursts from her again. It’s so intense, I have to close my eyes and shield them with my hand. After a long moment, I squint them open to see an older woman standing in front of us.

I’ve seen her white hair, slight wrinkles, gray eyes, and heart-shaped face a million times. “Gran?” I whisper, confusion coloring my tone. I guess this confirms that Melinoe and Gran are the same person. I just never thought Anya had anything to do with it.

“Yes, honey, it’s me.” Whereas Anya had a raspy Russian accent and Melinoe had a clear, youthful voice, Gran has a wizened voice roughened with age.

“Why? Why lie to me? Were you embarrassed to be related to me?” My voice is choked with hurt. It would’ve been so simple to tell me that she was my grandma, but, instead, she hid it. The only reason I can think of is that she didn’t want to be seen with a magicless reject like me. My eyes burn with frustrated and hurt tears. A few drip down my cheeks, despite my best efforts. I angrily swipe at them before staring at the floor, wanting to hide how I feel.

I know I don’t succeed when Luca steps up behind me and slings an arm around my middle. I can tell it’s him from the dark, woodsy scent that wraps around me. After a moment of trying to fight the comfort I find in his arms, I give up and sink into it. While I don’t want to need my mate, I do. It’d be safer for them if I could just stay away, but I’m too selfish for that.

Gran rears back in surprise as she gapes at me. “What? No! I had this identity established long before you were born, Izzy.”

My traitorous lower lip trembles as I try to gather myself. I have to swallow past the lump in my throat a few times before I can speak. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I didn’t want you to get swept up in this war.” Gran hesitantly holds open her arms for a hug. After staring at her for a long moment, I step out of Luca’s hold and into Gran’s embrace. Gran strokes my hair comfortingly before pulling back to look at me. Her wrinkled hands continue to grip my arms, reluctant to let me go. “The longer I could keep Lua from finding out you were my granddaughter or that any of your family is related to me, the better.”

Levi has his hands intertwined behind his head and tips his face to the ceiling. He’s slightly shaking his head as he clearly works through something. Eventually, he looks back down at his niece. “Did you know that Isabel is partcuraand part spirit mage?” It’s a bit of a mindfuck that my mate is my grandma’s uncle. The ridiculously long lifespan ofcuraemake this whole family thing super complicated.

Oh shit. Does that mean I’m going to live for billions of years? I’m so not prepared for that. What would I even do to keep myself occupied for a billion years? Before I can freak out, I shove those thoughts into the dark corner of my mind for problems to deal with hopefully never.

Gran’s face drains of all color. “No. No, that can’t be possible.” She shakes her head back and forth, like that can ward off the fact that I’m acura.

“Why not?” My forehead crinkles in confusion because it should definitely be possible. She’s partcura, so it makes sense that her descendants would be too. Now I wonder if Aiden, Rhys, or my mom are partcuratoo.

Scrubbing shaking hands over her face, Gran takes a few deep breaths before looking back at me. “I never intended to find my mate here, and I tried to resist your grandfather for thelongest time. But it was a losing battle, and we eventually mated. Your mother wasn’t planned, and I was an equally terrified and elated when I found out I was pregnant with her. My worst fear was passing on my abilities to her, but it was clear as soon as she was born, she wasn’t like me. You shouldn’t have any of my cursed abilities, either.”

“What do you mean, cursed abilities?” I don’t actually know what magic Gran-slash-Melinoe-slash-Anya has, other than being excellent at potion making. I think Seph said something about magic being nightmare and spirit related, but I’m not really sure what that means.

---