~Kade~
“Are you telling me that Layla can plant memories in people’s minds?”
“They can all plant memories in various places. What I am telling you is that she can make you see whatever she wants you to see. And not only will you see it, but it is as if you’re obliged to respond in a manner of her choosing. It’s not memories, Kade. It’s present realities and wishes.”
Holy shit. If she could do that when she was a child without any training, the thought of what she could do with a little practice was frightening.
If the Emberclaws’ plan was for them to be the single werewolf species, then having someone to manipulate minds would prove most useful. And if Layla was so important to them, to him, then perhaps they weren’t strong enough to succeed without her. If that was true, then it would mean that not only was she the key to everything but even if she left, there was not a chance he would ever stop searching for her.
“Taking her away from them will stop nothing, Kade. She needs to disappear fully and truly because only then will those people stop their search.”
“Unless they search for an alternative,” I noted.
I got up and ran a hand through my hair. It felt like the world was pushing my shoulders down and keeping me astray.
“I need to do something. I’ll borrow Layla’s room and please don’t let anyone disturb unless absolutely necessary,” I implored.
“Of course,” Samira said and smiled.
Layla’s room looked exactly the same as when she left. Not a single bracelet or figurine had been touched or moved. They kept it just like it was, and it felt like she was still living here. Maybe that’s the feeling her family wanted to preserve.
I pulled away the covers and lay down on the bed. After taking a few deep breaths, I still didn’t feel my body relaxing, but this was the only thing I could think of. I stared at the carriage in the painting that hung on the wall. Layla said that It soothed her when she lay in bed and stared at it. The horses, the golden door, and the metal veins that snaked around the top.
The landscape was green with big hills and small painted flowers.
She was right; it was soothing.
I reached out my hand beside me and pretended that she was lying there. I could feel her fingers twisting around mine and the weight of her hand locking onto my own.
My eyes began to shut, and my head fell heavier into the pillow.
Her smell was still here and it enveloped every sense I had.
I needed her back, I needed her so badly that I no longer knew which path to take in order to get her. I was holding on by a thread and constantly at war with myself over the right way to handle this situation.
“Relax,” I whisper to myself. I didn’t feel the bed anymore; my body had gone numb. However, I also didn’t want to open my eyes, in case this hadn’t worked and I’d just see the bedroom.
“Open your eyes, Kade.”
My plan was to stay calm and not show her just how frustrated I was. “Where the fuck have you been?” I growled and failed miserably in my plan to stay calm.
“Right here, where I always am.”
“Why haven’t you called on me? Why the hell have you just abandoned us?”
“Abandoned you? Kade, it is not my job to tell you everything that you want to know. I gave you and Layla a lot of information, and as far as I can tell, you have done nothing with it.” I stared at her, befuddled.
Her long silk hair falling over her shoulders, and her eyes were squinting in question.
“We’ve done what we could,” I gritted.
“Have you, though?”
“Layla needs me.”
“She needed you a long time ago, Kade. She, too, was given the same information as you, and yet she chose to ignore that.” dark circles had formed around her eyes. On a closer look, I could see red veins stretching from the side of her eye and marks on her hand. She put the cup in her hands down and dragged her nails over the back of her hand, perfectly matching the marks.
She saw where my eyes were looking and quickly pulled her hand away. Annalese cleared her throat, placing her reddened hand under the other and sitting straight.
“What is going on?” I asked her, as my eyes flickering between her hands and her eyes.
“This—this is nothing.”
“It’s clearly something. What’s happening to you? Your eyes are red, you look like you haven’t slept in days, and you’re scratching your hand bloody.”
The sound of a whistle went off, and Analese went up to grab the kettle from the stove. She poured more tea in our cups and stood still with her back facing me for a good few seconds.
“What happens doesn’t affect only you, Kade, it affects us all.”
“I know that,” her head turned halfway.
“Do you?” Like I didn’t fucking know that the entire werewolf species was hanging in the balance right now?
“I do,” I said and got up, with my hands pressing against the handles. The blood was pumping through my veins, and my head was starting to throb.
“I know exactly who this affects, but why don’t you tell me how this, Layla, and I affect you?” I took slow steps, not wanting to scare her, but also restraining myself from threatening her. She had the power to send me back and I still needed answers.
She sighed a heavy sigh, and her shoulders shrank to the floor.
“They will stop at nothing to keep you away from your mate,” she whispered. The cup trembled in her grip as she slowly placed it down on the sink. The cup fell on its side, and the tea spilled, releasing the minty aromas and burning the flesh on her wounded hand.
“You are the one—“ her voice was quiet, and her words spoken with fear. “—they need her weak and alone, and you, you make her strong.”
