Page 127 of Spellbound
“We’re sisters.” She tapped her fingers against her knee. “Of course I am. They tried to see if I was for years. Miss Thompson was especially awful, but my powers never surfaced, and when they did, I was scared. I didn’t want to come here, especially when I didn’t hear from you. I had no idea what they’d done to you. I thought the worst.”
I covered my mouth with my hand. “I didn’t mean to make you worry.”
“I knew there was no contact between Istinia and Salvius, so I hoped you just couldn’t let me know even if you were okay.”
“I should have found a way.”
She leaned back against the wall. “Maybe, but I could have done the same.”
“So, a mind doctor, hmm?”
“Yep.” She leaned forward, anticipation in her eyes. “Dad would have a field day. He did always hate all of that psychology stuff and talk of witches—well, anything that required being open-minded. I wonder if he knew Mom was a witch.”
“You think it was Mom?” I asked.
She nodded. “It definitely wasn’t Dad. We’d have known, and we didn’t really know Mom.”
“I guess she’s the logical choice.”
She blew out a tense breath. “Enough about me. Let’s talk about how you’re a goddess. I’m so sorry that guy had to die.”
“Oh.” I slapped my hand against my mouth. “No, I should have said. I just said that to get Alexander out of the house and away from you. I needed him to believe Freya was alive.”
“The goddess who kidnapped me, correct?”
“Yes,” I answered. “She’s dead now.”
“Did you?”
I nodded. “She was a bad person. She killed a lot of people.”
“Alexander?”
“Also dead.” I swallowed hard. “Less deserving... But he would have come after us, and he took the place of a friend of mine. She deserves to come back.”
She whistled out a breath. “It’s a lot to take in. So you took Freya’s place?”
“Yeah, so it seems.”
“How... How does it feel?”
I exhaled slowly. “Honestly? Amazing. Everything’s sharper, clearer... like I’m really seeing the world for the first time.”
She fumbled with her necklace. “Does it mean you can come to visit now? I’d like to have my sister back.”
My heart ballooned. “Yes. Well, if I can. We have something else to take care of.” Time suddenly existed again. My other family would be waiting for me. “I want to stay, to talk to you and hear everything about your life, but I have to go. It’s the others.”
“Your coven, right?”
“They’re my family,” I admitted. “Like you.”
Pain flashed in her eyes, but she nodded. “I understand.”
“We’re going to save the other gods.”
She laughed. “It’s so weird to say. Gods. They actually exist.” She looked me up and down. “You’re one of them.” She placed her hands against her ears, then brought them outward to imitate an explosion. “Mind blown. This is all insane.”
“Insane only begins to explain my life.”
