Page 133 of Wings of Lies
I perked up. “What about my mom?”
“You’ll know soon.” She prowled around me and gestured to the ball. “Touch the core of your dream-walking abilities, think of the memory of your mom when she was surrounded, and face the truth,” she said, then vanished.
Eager, I faced the colorful ball of light, understanding the emotions and flashes of images were memories. I gripped the image of my mom surrounded in my mind’s eye and stepped into my power.
I lusceleredto our safe spot in the forest, forced out by my mom’s powers, trying to fight through the calm to no avail. I sat against the weird, gnarled tree we discovered and designated as our meet-up spot if anything were to happen and waited. Worry nudged at the calm, but the flickering emotion did little to overcome the relentless intrusion of her damned powers. I wished Aspen were here. He would know what to do. But after our huge fight, when he found me following him, he didn’t come the last few weeks.
A snap made my head jerk to the side, where my mom stood in her black and red rooster pajamas. I stood, scrambling to her, happy to find her safe and unscathed, but stopped as I noticed her arm raised and palm open, cupping something black.
Nerium powder.
It was only one dose, strong enough to put an angel to sleep for about a week. We kept it in case my father found us, so I didn’t understand why it was in her hand. Or why, when I glanced at it, she started to sob.
“Mom?”
That only made her cry harder.
“What’s happening?” Uncertainty pounded in time with my heart, disrupting the forced calm.
She stepped forward as I took a step back. Something wasn’t right. My mom loved me. She’d never do anything to harm me. That particular skill was left to my father. So what was going on?
Her shoulders shook with each step, and her hand wobbled, spilling dark powder onto the forest floor.
“Why are you doing this?”
“You know why.”
I took another step back, feeling an ache work its way up my chest at the reality of this situation. The one person I loved and trusted was about to knock me out with poison.
“This is about our fight? About Elora?”How did that deserve this?
“Partly. I can’t have you following me. I need you safe.”
“How is poisoning me keeping me safe?” I screamed at her.Hasn’t she taken enough from me?
“I’m sorry, Lucy. I’m so sorry,” she said over and over. Her words were like a hammer, shattering everything I trusted and believed in. When she blew into her hand before I could move, and a male with a cowboy hat appeared beside her as I breathed in the poison, I decided the poison could take me and keep me forever. I never wanted to wake up.
Opening my eyes,head-throbbing from the slam, I lay there staring up into a blue sky, wishing the physical pain would drone out the crushing pain beneath my sternum.
My mom poisoned me. And by the slow smile peeking beneath the cowboy-hatted male behind her, she was working with Marcus, which explained why I woke up to him guarding one of the doors.
It made sense now. My mom’s betrayal made me give up my miserable life. It was the last straw. As the poison infiltrated my system, my powers fought for me and battled against the Void until I didn’t want to fight.What was the point when I no longer had anyone?When I was alone?I gave memories of myself to The Void to forget. But with each dream-walk I remembered more and now wish I didn’t.
“Lucy! Help!” Oliver yelled. “Fuck-a-duck, how are you so strong you look like a damned twig!” I heard more cussing and smacking flesh.
Disoriented, I shifted my throbbing head right as the redhead slammed a fist into Oliver’s face, knocking him out. Footsteps approached, and I tried to move but gasped from the pain in my ribs.
The redhead blocked out the dreadful blue sky with a satisfied smile. “Gabriel’s spawn was a lot easier to take care of than I thought, which only leaves you,” he chuckled and crouched down, fingering my chains as he smiled. “Cuffs, broken ribs, no access to your powers—today’s an easy day for me.” His gaze roved over my body, starting at my calves, lingering on the zipper of my pants and breasts until he reached my face. “You’re a lot prettier than I thought you’d be. The poster doesn’t do you justice. My cock’s been lonely of late, and it needs a nice ride.”
“If you come near me with your cock, I’ll?—”
“You’ll what?” He nodded down to my wrist. “Even if you had your powers, you’re no match for me.”
I glanced down. Blood smeared my entire forearm, partially covering the black Binding Rune.
No, no, no.
“I’ll scream,” I said, glancing at the village. “They’ll hear me from here.”
