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Chapter Thirty-Five

Elena

O nce I caught up to Abuela, the silence was deafening. I could only hear birds chirping and bugs crawling on the forest floor. That was something I should not have been able to hear, but did anyway. I rubbed my ears, trying to muffle the sounds.

Abuela stepped closer and put her arm around me.

“I see you took your relationship to the next level,” she began. “Tell me about it.”

For the next few minutes, I told her, in not so much detail, how I had come to fall in love with Anaki in a short amount of time, despite fighting it at first. How I met the goddess, how I let the bond happen on its own.

All the while, her tight lips turned into a broader smile.

It relaxed me, and soon we were walking in an easy stride along the border of the fae territory.

“It’s weird about all of this. It's real.” I waved my hand in front of her. “I can hardly believe it. Still can’t wrap my mind around it, actually.” I did an involuntary skip.

Abuela hummed and stopped before a tree that wasn’t from Earth. Its bark was light, almost white, with hints of gray that swirled around the knots. This tree had light turquoise leaves, and it immediately made me feel like we were in a fairy world that had no problems in it at all.

“I knew you would accept it, eventually. Both you and Emmie. The bond did that. That is what she told me.”

I stepped closer to Abuela, who was running her fingers over the velvet-covered leaves. “The Moon Goddess?”

“Si. She explained a lot to me that night. Over the years, she came to me in many dreams once I made the deal with her.”

My fists were clenched tightly at my sides, my jaw set in a determined line as I turned away from Abuela. The view before me was breathtaking: a deep ravine with thick trees cascading down to a shimmering blue lake. The sun filtering through the leaves created a green and gold haze around us.

“And what exactly did it all entail? This deal.” I knew parts of it. What could a mortal give a goddess?

Abuela came beside me. Her warmth enveloped me even though we didn’t touch.

“Once you both fell asleep, and I bared myself to her, she took me to a place inside my mind I have never been to before. The Moon Goddess was there, and explained to me only what I had read and dreamed about was possible: soulmates between humans and supernaturals. She was in the process of fixing her past errors, and she found both your and Emmie’s souls to be the perfect match to two shifters who would work together in a pack. ”

“The Iron Fang?”

Abuela nodded. “She was predicting fate, but she was sure that both of my granddaughters’ souls would align perfectly.

I had to prepare you both and lead you on the path here.

I had to keep it in your heads that there was something better out there, and keep you safe.

Of course, you both had to make things difficult.

“Emmie ran off, away from my reach. She was always so stubborn.” Abuela pouted. “Then, I failed you. Kept you hidden too much. You left me as soon as you could to explore. You’d come back every once in a while, more broken than the last time. I never could get you to stay.”

Abuela’s eyes filled with tears.

I never wanted her to see me as a burden when I was younger. Emm was strong. I was getting sick. I yearned to prove to her I was resilient and capable of standing on my own. Torn between these emotions, I turned away, clutching a nearby limb for support, unsure if I was ready to face her.

Abuela continued. “I never knew what was wrong, and you wouldn’t tell me.

I held off finding out until I couldn’t take it anymore.

When I knew you were with him .” Abuela’s arm shook and wrapped around mine.

“I know what he did to you.” Abuela’s voice shook.

“Why didn’t you tell me? Did you think of me as a weak woman, mija? ”

I shook my head quickly. My voice trembled. “H-how?”

Abuela rummaged through her large bag and pulled out a ragged doll. It didn’t look like one a child would play with. It was perfectly stitched with dark brown hair, real hair by the looks of it. It had a pair of jeans and a ripped white collared shirt. Blood was splattered on the shoulder.

My eyes widened. “Wait,is that a hex bag?” I grabbed it from her hand, and looked inside. There was a damn bloody finger in it.

“Is…is that his finger!?” I screamed.

Abuela scoffed. “I killed the bastard, Elena. The finger was a memento. It was slow and meticulous. I made sure that he lost everything before the final blow was delivered, and I made sure it was my face he saw before he closed his eyes and was sent to Hades himself.”

?Dios Mio!

“Abuela, what,… I don’t understand. I didn’t think you were capable of this kind of magic. What happened to your rocks, your mushrooms? Your qu irky personality? Are you on mushrooms right now? Oh goddess, are you on heroine now?”

My hands were waving in the air. I couldn’t believe she would do such a thing. I turned to walk away, but suddenly I was hit on the back of my head. I turned and growled. “Did you just hit me with a chancla?”

Abuela stomped toward me and slid it back on her foot. “I did, and there is a perfectly good explanation why I could do such things.” She wiped down her blouse like she took great effort to even throw the damn chancla at me.

I crossed my arms and raised a brow.

Abuela sighed dramatically. “The reason I was able to do the hex bag…”—she stalled and shuffled her feet—“was because I have lied.”

I stood up straight and pressed two fingers to the bridge of my nose.

“Aye, Abuela, you will have to be more specific.” I slapped my hand on the other. “There is a lot going on. Lied about what?”

Abuela tipped her head back and ran her hand down her face.

“I have much more magic than I let on. The goddess told me we are descendants of great wizards and sorceresses. My great-great-grandparents immigrated to Earth to get away from Elysian, due to the council slowly becoming corrupt. They then locked their magic away, along with the future generations, so we did not become any part of their realm.”

My mouth hung open. “You gave Tajah your blood… she should know…”

Abuela chuckled. “That sorceress is powerful, but an old magic binds our blood. Even she doesn’t know. It will appear as a weak Wiccan magic. My power is much, much more.”

I looked down at the hex bag in my hand. “And what else have you done?”

Is she some serial killer?

Abuela stepped closer to me. “Took care of your ex. That is the only life I have taken. I gave Emmie the strength to run from her ex-fiancée. I didn’t know she had it in her to kill the man, but she did.” She smirked. “Damn proud of her for that.”

Her smile faded. “No, mostly I used my magic for frivolous things.” Abuela walked over a log and beckoned me to follow. I didn’t hesitate, too absorbed in the lavish lies she had told over the years.

Secrets she kept from us.

But were they really secrets? She took us into the woods and showed us what she was doing. Played with her crystals, told us there was more than met the eye.

“I remember,” she began. “When you both went through a phase where you both absolutely hated storms.” Abuela chuckled and put her hand on my knee.

“Somehow, they only happened at night, and you both would scream and wail. It was very inconvenient for me.” She shook her head, and I snorted and covered my mouth.

“You both would run to my double bed and jump on me. It scared the magic out of me once.”

I perked my head up. “Like when the lights turned on and off and you said it was the electricity acting funny?”

She nodded. “Yes, that time. I swear I messed up so many times, and none of you even saw it.” She bumped her forehead against the side of my temple.

“There was one storm that was particularly bad. The wind howled, and the thunder was loud. I think Emm’s cries were louder, but don’t tell her that.”

I lay my head on Abuela’s shoulder and laughed.

“So, I just hummed until I pushed the clouds away.”

There were many nights when there were thunderstorms, the particularly bad ones, I did remember Abuela humming, and soon after the thunderstorms would depart. I never put two and two together because I just thought it was a coincidence.

“I didn’t do it every time,” Abuela stated. “Because each time you use magic, it drains your manna. I was constantly using my reserves, always using my magic to keep the protection around us. That was why your father didn’t bother us much. I tried to tell Emm, but you know her.”

Yep, Emm was stubborn like that.

“And this magic is buried inside you. You both have mates who are shifters, now. This magic we hold in our bloodline is powerful. Too powerful. I don’t know if you can truly awaken any magic inside you along with your animals, but I suggest not.

” She raised a brow. “You would need years and years of training, and when you let it out, it will all come at once and spill yet another secret.”

“Mierda! How many more secrets!?” I yelled, Abuela was faster than lightning, taking off her chancla and slapping me across the leg.

“You do not cuss in front of your elders! How dare you!” She smacked me several more times, and I rose from my seat to get away.

“Okay, okay! What is the other secret?”

“It’s with your son, Luis.”

My face instantly paled.

“As you know, his magic has been brought to the surface. I was there when they did it, for a reason. I made sure that his magic would slowly come to him and not all at once. Unfortunately, there will be a time when he reaches his full potential, when he is an adult. He will surpass the teachings of Tajah and Bram.”

I wrung the doll in my grasp.

“His power will be great. So great, mija His blood, our blood, must remain a secret; our family’s name must not be repeated or be known.

The name we came with from the Elysian Realm.

Do you understand me? Luis will be the catalyst to humans and supernaturals getting along here on Earth, in the far future. ”

Back. The. Fuck. Up.

Before I could speak, she spoke again. “The goddess told me all of this. Citlalli, that is our ancient family line. You can’t tell Emm.”

I put my fingers into my hair and pulled at the roots. “This is too much pressure! I can’t do this! What do you mean I can’t tell Emmie! I tell Emmie almost everything! Why can I not say that name?”

“You can’t! Swear it!”

My heart pounded against my chest as if trying to escape, and a thunderous roar echoed from beyond the horizon, reverberating through the air and sending shivers down my spine.

Anaki.

I felt fear explode in my chest. Panic, rage.

Luis.

I jerked my head to Abuela, who stood tall. The panic that she might have had displayed on her face when she told me about the ancient family name, was gone.

“Listen, Elena.”

I shook my head. “I don’t want to,” I whispered. There was more shouting in the distance. “I have to go help. I have to—”

Abuela grabbed my arm. “When I unlocked my magic to its full potential, I was ordered to keep my lineage, my granddaughters and my grandson, safe. You will all have mates now. I have done my part, and with unlocking my magic so late in my life, it has damaged my body, mija. I only have enough manna to use one last spell. In doing so, I will forfeit my life.”

My knees wobbled and threatened to buckle beneath me.

My chest felt as if a weight had settled firmly upon it.

A raw, wrenching sob tore through my very being, shaking me to my core.

Hot tears streamed freely down my cheeks, blurring my vision as I reached out for her, drawing her closer to me.

Her familiar scent enveloped me, a comforting blend of sage and burning ozone.

“No, please. What are you saying? You can’t go, you are all we have.”

Abuela petted my hair. I felt her kiss the top of my head. “You both have your mates, you have the Iron Fang now. I have warned you, my sweet child, that I would be departing soon. Especially since Luis has been born.”

Tears streamed down my face, and my voice cracked. “I didn’t believe you.”

Abuela chuckled. “Mmhm I thought as much. I leave you with much, but our time is up, Elena. I want you to know I love you very, very much. Luis knows how much I love him, and I will be watching his training.”

I sobbed in her arms as I fell to my knees. The pounding in my head grew, and I wailed.

“Emm knows how much I love her, but please tell her it was not her fault. None of this was. My death was on my own terms, and she’s not to blame herself.”

My body shook, and I felt my heart was about to explode, like the worst heartburn ever.

“No, no! Please do not leave!”

Steps from behind us caught my attention. They were stealthy, but they were loud in my ears. It was like, an instinct that I didn’t understand. A chilling emotion crawled up my spine like frozen ice, stopping at the base of my neck.

The person behind me let out a sardonic chuckle. “Isn’t this just a lovely scene?”

I twisted my head and saw black, shiny shoes.

They were completely out of place in a forest like this.

As my eyes roamed up dark, dress slacks, a three-piece onyx black suit, along with a cape.

His skin was borderline gray and white with dark flecks of black and silver on his cheeks.

He was a fae from the looks of it, with pointed ears and a near cat-like appearance with his slitted eyes and sharp fangs.

I gasped when he pulled off his leather gloves and saw the dark black claws that came from them. He crossed his arms and raised one finger to twirl a long, black piece of his perfectly straight hair.

“Lovely evening, isn’t it, Elena?”

The fae wasn’t looking at me on the ground, on my knees in front of Abuela, though he was looking at Abuela.

Confused, I turned my head to look at her, and it wasn’t her at all… it was… me!