Page 241 of Shifting Hearts 1
Then Dom’s eyes narrowed. “She kept her promise, Morgan.”
“Who?”
“Lena.”
I shook my head. “No, Dom. I just told you, it wasn’t her.”
“Not Lena,” he corrected. “Esmerelda. She kept it. She just didn’t tell the story to her children.”
My breath caught. “What?”
“The story died with her. She probably didn’t realize how important it was, or didn’t believe it would matter. We didn’t know.”
“Didn’t know what?”
“That they were talking about you.”
I stared at him. My voice broke. “Me?”
“When we destroyed that coven, we found the Den Mothers with the new batch of Nightlings. Jace couldn’t kill them, they were humans, so he let the Nightlings go. But the Den Mothers, we set them up in France. Gave them a life of peace, made sure they were okay. It’s still one of our projects, making sure they had freedom. Esmerelda was in her nineties then.”
I frowned. I didn’t even remember an Esmerelda.
“When we flew them to France, showed them their new home,” Dom’s voice cracked, and I saw tears glisten in his eyes, “I’ve never seen anyone so happy to be free. To live without someone forcing you to do things against your will. I didn’t know what that felt like myself, so I couldn’t understand it. One of the younger daughters called us to her, and she led us to Esmerelda’s room. Annie was so gentle with her, like the grandmother she never had. And Esmerelda told us she knew we would come. That we would free them. And she hoped we would find a little peace in the vengeance we got.”
I stared at him, silent.
“Jason thought at the time it had something to do with Alex and Leigh. That the Den Mothers knew she wouldn’t let themleave, wouldn’t let you go. But it wasn’t that. It was this story. Gabby was the only one who saw it. She really knows you, Morgan. And Jace refused to believe it. He was so adamant he would’ve forgotten you. We were so naive.”
I shook my head. “Dom, I was sure you would’ve forgotten me. Not knowing who I was. The fact that all of you remember, that alone is a mystery.”
He gave me a small, sad smile. “Sure, some would call it impossible, Morgan. But you were that powerful, and Gabby was the only one who remembered. We all failed you because we never listened to her. I hate her ‘I told you so.’”
“Stop, please,” Jason begged suddenly, and both of us jumped.
Dom rushed to his side while I froze, watching him stir in the bed. I could feel it, my darkness creeping over him, raw and suffocating.
I looked at Dom. He was unsettled, torn between confusion and worry, completely on edge.
“Dom,” I whispered, voice tight with panic. “What is it?”
He shook his head, not meeting my eyes.
“Don’t… please,” Jason murmured again, writhing slightly, a low “no” escaping him over and over.
“Dom?” My voice rose, panic threading through it.
“This never happened before, Morgan. It’s real, but not this real.”
I clawed at my hair. “It’s my darkness. It’s too much.”
Dom’s voice was firm. “It was his choice, Morgan. Go get Annie.”
I bolted for the door, flinging it open as I screamed her name.
Annie and Irene were the first to reach us, Richard, and Bobby right behind.
“What is it?” Annie’s hand touched my shoulder, grounding me slightly.
