Page 244 of Shifting Hearts 1
“No, you will never…”
“Oh but I will. You forgot how I see. Starting from the end and working my way to the beginning. That was part of the beginning and if I still talk to you that time, I will still be myself. Your darkness might not be as dark as you think, sweetheart.”
“No, it is. Believe me it is. I can’t lose you like that.”
She hugged me again.
“Please don’t.”
“I told you I won’t unless you want me to.”
“How many times did she beat you.” Annie was adamant.
“Not a lot, but a few times and it was never as bad as that last time. I hardly had any scars.” I answered Annie’s question. “But don’t worry, she regretted doing that at this stage.”
“She told you that?”
“No, she told me that wolves did that.”
“Wolves, you said you didn’t remember.”
“I didn’t. My back never healed after she changed me. It was a constant reminder to her artwork.”
Her eyes were as round as orbs as she stared at me.
“Alex told me that wolves don’t leave those types of marks. It’s a beating tool that does. I never even asked her straight out. Scared for what she might do to Alex for telling me that, so I left it. But a part of me always knew that somewhere before I became the monster, someone did that to me. I hated wolves so much because of what I thought they did to me as a Nightling, and it turns out I had no reason to hate them at all.”
“It’s what she does, she lies. Some monsters never learn.” Annie sounded furious. Silence lingered for a few short moments.
“I want to see.” Irene looked up at me. “Your back, I want to see it.”
“Please, you don’t need to see it.”
“I want to see it too,” Annie said.
I stared at both of them
“Please, give me that at least,” Irene begged.
I sighed and looked at the ground. I felt so defeated. I bent over and felt how Irene lifted up my shirt.
She gasped but didn’t say a single word.
Annie got up and came to look too. She left out a grunt. “She is dead, and it will be a slow death this time.”
“Annie.”
A soft hand touched my back. I hated anyone seeing it. Not even Paul or Em has seen it.
Her hand left my back and she pulled down my shirt.
I looked at her as she wiped tears away, trying to push back the rest.
“I’m so sorry,” I said, knowing this caused the woman that was my mother so much pain.
“No, you have nothing to be sorry about. Jason and Dom were supposed to be at that coven, not Alex and Leigh, Leigh and Mel saw it. I will never forgive her for that, never.”
I sighed as Annie went over to hug Irene who started to cry softly.
