Page 32 of Mortal Desires

In front of us was her home. At least a replica of it.

“It’s not real,” I told her, not wanting to lie.

My statement didn’t stop her from opening the front door and leaving me to follow once again.

I could see a lot of things in the land of the living, but I never cared to pay much attention. I stepped into the foyer, her hand flew to her mouth as she twirled around trying to catch every detail.

“It’s exactly like my house. Vicious, why is my house here?”

That quite possibly was the first thing she said to me without hatred lacing each word. I wasn’t ready for that. It took me a moment of furrowed eyebrows to explain.

“It’s an illusion… like I said.”

“Why am I seeing this? Why are you seeing my illusion as well?”

“It’s not yours.” I rolled my eyes. “The underworld is an echo of the surface. Everything that’s there is here.”

She faced me, “So we are standing in my living room?”

“In a way.”

She bit her cheek making a face while she walked around the house. “It’s an echo. Bessie said that about the Brumas.”

I said nothing and let her come to her own understanding.

“Is everything an echo? Every single thing, even the—” She swallowed.

“Even you? Or them?” I guessed, and she nodded. “What else has Bessie told you?”

She glanced at her feet, probably afraid to tell on her maid. How they became loyal to each other in such a short time frame troubled me. I should send Gert to her bedroom once again. No one bonded with the old hag. I pushed the subject aside and remained quiet, waiting for her to elaborate.

“She told me you’re the manifestation of collective beliefs.”

I nodded, that was something they all knew. “I was created because they believed, not the other way around.”

“So is that it? It’s the belief that makes reality?”

“Something strong enough.”

She looked around at every corner of her house that wasn’t really there. I had no idea what compelled me to talk, but I did.

“The Morales Manor will always exist in every realm. It’s a symbol for a lot of beings. It’s too powerful to be contained only on the surface.”

She sat on the couch, watching me and looking terribly small. “We never wanted them to know us. We just wanted to be left alone.”

I grunted but offered nothing. There was no version of the universe where the Morales coven wasn’t seen or desired. They held too much power among humans. It wasn’t just the other magical families who envied the power the Morales’ collected over the centuries. It was everyone in the universe. They’d always be in danger.

“This puts a target on our backs, doesn’t it?” She asked more to herself than to me.

I opened my mouth to reply that yes, they had a target on their backs when something furry ran across the room and Pilar headed off in pursuit again.

“Anora!” She followed the thing.

Last night I was sure I had her torture arranged, today she was messing with my head. I worked hard so Pilar Morales hated me as much as I hated her, but here she was asking me questions and turning her back on me.

You should never turn your back on your enemy. Does she not know that or does she simply not care?

I entered the empty kitchen with a sigh, Pilar was leaning over the table watching the mouse with her big dark eyes.

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