Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45934 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45934 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
“I had no idea what I was doing,” she said.
“No, but it doesn’t matter, because I shouldn’t have been touching you in the first place,” he said. “You said no and I kept pushing, and to me, that is not cool. You had every right to do what you did, and for that I am sorry.”
She smiled. “So, do you think we can be friends?”
“Yes, we’re friends, and I’d very much like to stay alive, so I’d love for you to, you know, get this shit down.”
Layla nodded. “I know.”
“You’ve got what it takes, you know,” he said.
This made her lift her head. “What?”
“All the magic, everything that makes you, you, from your parents to the gifts, it’s all there. You’ve just got to learn to access it, but I also think you’ve got to stop being afraid of what that means.”
“I’m not afraid.”
“You’re not?”
“No.”
Layla stopped and pressed her lips together.
“I’d be afraid,” Lewis said.
This surprised her. “You’d be afraid?”
“Hell, yeah. Of course I would. To be honest, I think it’s brave that you’re doing what you’re doing. You’re not running away. You’re no coward and that kind of shit, it is to be admired, and I do admire everything you’re doing.” Lewis ran fingers through his hair. “I couldn’t imagine one day being a human, you know, no special gift, just going through life, and then in the next second, you’re meant to be … sacrificed?” He frowned. “I’m sorry.”
“No, no, it’s fine. This is nice. It’s good.” She forced a smile to her lips. “I mean, it sucks big time and I absolutely hate that we’re even talking about it, but you’re right.”
Suddenly, her parents were there. She saw the look of concern.
“We did what we thought was right.” This came from her father.
“I know you did.” She didn’t want to cry, but she was so close to tears. The past few weeks had been too much. There was a lot to take in. Even though she didn’t fear death herself, and she really didn’t, failing the rest of her family and the man she loved was what scared her the most. There was no way she could lose them or allow them to be killed.
She thought of Elle, pregnant, happy, mated, best friend. In the back of her mind, she saw her lifeless body, the pack slaughtered, and the image was enough to make her sick to her stomach.
She took a deep breath.
“But all of that aside,” Lewis said, “magic is a part of you. Now, I don’t know if this works for the witching world, but for me, my wolf is there twenty-four-seven. I know what the horny little devil is thinking and feeling at all times. Have you thought that your struggle right now is because you’re not listening to who you are? There must be a part of yourself that is … special you. I don’t know if you’d hear it as voices in your head, or knowing who you are. Maybe access that, accept who you are, and embrace it.”
She wanted to tell him it was easy to say he had a wolf, but he also had a point. If anything helped, it had to be better than how she felt right now.
“This is who you are,” her mother said.
“Okay, so find out who I am.” She nodded her head. “I can do this.”
Closing her eyes, Layla saw nothing but darkness. She tried to breathe in and out and then just focus on herself, on everything around her. Breathing in and then out.
Still only darkness.
She took another deep breath and let her mind just float away, like in meditation.
Seconds passed, perhaps even minutes, and then she saw it. The first start of a flame. It was so subtle. The sounds changed and she could no longer hear the rustling of the leaves as the wind brushed through them. Nor the breathing of her parents and Lewis. She sensed them there, but she wasn’t awake.
The flame grew brighter and she realized she wasn’t the only person who could see it. Looking straight ahead, she nearly jumped at the woman who sat opposite her.
Layla stared at herself, only the person looking back had long, black hair, her eyes also black. On her face held the symbols of earth, air, wind, and fire, and directly on her forehead was the paranormal symbol. On her chest was the five-pointed star, the same sign Layla had on her thigh.
“It’s about time you came to see me.”
“Who are you?”
“I am you, just as you are me. I can take many different looks.” Right before her eyes, she changed, going from black, to blonde, to brown, to purple, to red, to multicolor. Even her eyes changed shade, but this Layla didn’t have pupils, her full eye was one distinct color.
“Are you evil?”