Page 94 of Wrongfully Magicked
We’ve been going over the plan all day, ironing out details and accounting for every contingency. Everything has to go exactly as planned. I won’t risk her life unless I know we can keep her safe…not after I discovered what her family did to her.
The sick fucks documented everything like she was some science experiment, and the things they did…I shudder. The pictures and journal pages are seared into my brain, and no amount of scrubbing will ever clean it.
It’s a miracle she survived such horrific treatment. If they are willing to do that to their own daughter, then my sister never stood a chance. The thought of my baby sister being at their mercy for any length of time is gut-wrenching, and the hope of getting her back dwindles to nothing.
Her family are monsters who should be stripped of their magic and imprisoned.
Unfortunately, their money and prestige get them out of paying for the atrocities they committed.
I’m determined to make sure they don’t get away with any of it.
As we travel back into town to meet up with her family, Anita retreats into herself, not that I blame her. Her childhood was a living nightmare, and I’m not sure how she was able to survive such brutality.
They stressed her mind to the breaking point and beyond, taxed her body in every way imaginable to get her powers to manifest. They did everything they could to break her, the bastards determined to forge her into a puppet for them to control.
What they didn’t count on was her sheer stubbornness and stark determination to survive.
She refused to bend or break, and I’m glad my sister had someone like her in her life.
I didn’t tell the others what I learned. It’s too private and, frankly, none of their business. It should be her choice if she wants to share it or not.
Everything else has been taken from her, and I refuse to take her choices from her as well.
The quiet in the vehicle thickens with each mile we get closer to the city, her silence like spiders crawling across my skin. From the way she avoids my gaze, I can tell she knows I dug into her past. When researching her family, it was impossible to avoid.
She’s upset, and I can’t blame her.
I broke her trust.
The fact that I had good reason is beside the point.
Hating that she’s so standoffish, I lean toward her. When she stiffens and glances warily at me from the corner of her eye, my heart clenches. “If you have any doubts, we don’t have to do this. Everyone will understand. We can hide you where your family won’t be able to track you.”
“So you know what they did to me.” Her voice is only a whisper, but her raw pain is like a gunshot to the chest. She glances out the window, studying the barren landscape to avoid looking at me, and my gut sinks like it’s being strangled and dragged down by a kraken.
“No, it’s fine.” She speaks so softly, it’s only a whisper. “We need to do this now. It’s only a matter of time before they find me. Someone must pay the price for their greed. They won’t willingly give up their magic and power.”
Done with her pushing me away, especially when she needs us now more than ever, I grab her hand and thread our fingers together. “If it’s fine, then why can’t you look at me?”
She goes rigid, then turns toward me slowly and raises a single brow. “Better?”
Her beautiful amber eyes are shattered, bleeding emotions that can no longer be contained. Anger and worry are prominent, but underneath is a layer of such raw terror that it eats away at my soul, and my heart sinks when I realize I’m partially responsible. I tore open old wounds that were barely scabbed over when I dug into her past without permission.
I wrap my arms around her, then tug her against my chest, cursing when the bucket seats keep us apart. She stiffens, and I tighten my grip so she can’t get away, resting my jaw on the top of her head. “I won’t let them get their hands on you again.”
“Don’t make a promise you can’t keep,” she murmurs, her words for my ears only, and it breaks my heart.
“No matter what happens tonight, remember that you’re no longer that helpless girl with no options. If they try anything, I want you to promise me that you’ll burn their fucking world to ash.” When she doesn’t immediately answer, I slip a finger under her chin and force her head up. “Promise me.”
I won’t compromise her safety.
Red flickers through her dark eyes, some of the cracks replaced by determination, and she nods slowly. “I promise.”
The tension in my spine eases a fraction, and I kiss her forehead, then tuck her close once more, not ready to let her go yet. “Rest. It will be a long ride.”
She nods, then burrows against my chest as if she can’t get close enough.
I tighten my grip, burying my face in her hair and inhaling her sugar and spice scent. I wish I could use my tech abilities to destroy her family without her involvement. Unfortunately, the assholes are cunning and manage to dispose of their victims well.
