Page 7 of Finding Embers and Stars (Twin Flames Duet #1)
Chapter seven
A s we step inside the shelter, a chill runs up my spine. We just stepped through powerful protection wards. Mom told me this place was friendly with her old coven. They either have a witch or two on staff or the coven is helping them with protection magic.
“This way please. We have a private office just over here where we can sit down and talk.” Nox gestures to the right, gently herding us into a brightly lit office. I come up short when I realize this isn’t Nox’s office. There is a dark-haired woman sitting behind the desk. The level of power that surrounds her is a touch scary.
“Please have a seat. I’m Rhoda, and I oversee the shelter.” I’m surprised she doesn’t reach out to shake our hands, but then again, if you’re used to dealing with abuse victims that don’t want to be touched, it makes sense.
“I’m Sage and this is Piper.” I’ve noticed that while Piper is fine with touching me or my parents, she keeps everyone else at arm's length.
“Sara told us you would be coming, and she’s already reached out to your parents. They are on the road headed here, but it will be several days until they arrive. They wanted to take a different route than you did in case they were followed.” Rhoda’s voice is blunt and matter of fact but not cruel. She laid out the important information before we even had a chance to ask. I can appreciate that she didn’t make us wait and beg for details. Especially with how Piper seems to wilt beside me. She would be just as devastated as I would be if something happened to them.
“Thank you.” I pause to clear my throat. “Everything happened so quickly. Even though Mom warned us that we needed to be ready to leave, I didn’t think it would happen like this.”
“It’s my fault.” Piper’s quiet words shock me to my core.
“The fuck it is!” I want to yell at her so badly, but I know that won’t get my point across. Continuing more evenly, I link my fingers with hers. “It’s your father’s fault. He ignored the teachings of the Goddess, turning the shifter world into a nightmare for all women, and he tried to kill you.”
That catches Rhoda and Nox’s attention. “Let me get the others. Then we can dive into what you are dealing with.” Nox steps out, closing the door behind him.
Rhoda watches us closely, noting the way we continue to hold hands. Unlike Alpha Dick, she doesn’t turn her nose up at us for it either. There is nothing wrong with drawing comfort from each other. He just assumed it meant we were lesbians.
The door opens again, and two men and a woman walk in. They all take seats in line with Rhoda across from us. That’s when I notice how large this office is, more like a conference room than anything. Plenty of space to make sure those that come here don’t feel crowded.
Nox stands to the side, offering introductions. “Piper and Sage, this is Shasta.” He points to the woman with long black hair and green eyes. Eyes that are the same shape as Rhoda’s. Looking closer, I can see a family resemblance. It’s subtle, but it’s there.
“This is Jack.” Nox points to a tall man with caramel eyes and short, dark hair. They sure don’t have a shortage of good-looking men in this place.
“And finally, this is Roux.” The man with red hair and broad shoulders nods at us but doesn’t say anything. Like Shasta, his eyes tell a story.
“Would you like anything to drink or eat before we get started? We don’t want this to feel like an interrogation, but for the safety of everyone living here, we need to know who might be looking for you.” Once again, Rhoda is kind but blunt.
“Did Sara tell you who I am?” Piper is looking at the floor, refusing to meet the eyes of those around us. I scoot my chair closer to her so I can wrap my arm around her shoulder.
“No sweet girl. All Sara said was that Sage’s mother was a member of her coven and a true friend. That the two of you were on the run and would need shelter. That’s all we know.”
I can feel Piper’s body tremble under my hand. She’s already expecting them to throw us out when they find out who her father is.
“My father is the Alpha Supreme. At the Ceremony of the New Moon he tried to kill me.”
Shasta’s gasp can be heard throughout the room. Rhoda watches us closely, but her gaze travels to Jack frequently. When I notice him give a tiny nod, I realize that he’s some kind of lie detector.
Honestly, I can’t even be mad about it. This is a shelter for abused supernaturals. What good would it be if they let in someone that meant harm?
“Why did he try to kill you?” Roux’s voice is startling, deep and rough, though very kind.
Piper opens her mouth to speak and then closes it again. Looking over at me, she silently begs me to take over the story.
“Richard Bartholomew Ferguson is an abusive, narcissistic bastard.” I snicker when I hear Piper mutter, “Fucking hell.” under her breath.
Turning back to Rhoda, I catch Jack’s next nod out of the corner of my eye. Fighting an eye roll, I dive back into the story.
“The Alpha Supreme has decreed that the Moon Goddess’s mate bonds don’t exist. So, every year at the ceremony those that shift fight each other to claim the females. The women aren’t given a choice. To the victor go the spoils, as the saying goes.” I can feel Piper’s trembling getting worse, but she just leans harder into my side.
“Because I’m not a wolf I wasn’t required to attend the ceremony, but I refused to let Piper go alone. And while I could have skipped, I wouldn’t have unlocked my raven form. Which was probably Alpha Dick’s plan. He hates hybrids.” I smile at Shasta when she snorts at my name for Piper’s dad. I see no reason to be politically correct here. They will either believe us and help or not.
“When I shifted, the three males that were there made a move on me. One bit my shoulder and crushed my wing. I healed it, but I’m not sure if my spell was strong enough to allow me to ever fly.” I take a moment. All my life my dad has told me stories about how wonderful it is to soar through the clouds. If I’ve lost that before I even got to experience it, I will be crushed.
“When Piper shifted, it shocked everyone. Her wolf form is male, and the biggest wolf I’ve ever seen. Alpha Dick called her an abomination and pulled a knife. The Elders distracted him so that we could sneak away, and we came straight here.”
The room is silent. So silent that Piper finally looks up to see everyone's reactions.
“Mother Universe has her hand on you, child. I’ve never heard of a shifter having an animal form of the opposite sex as their human form. That isn’t something that can happen by accident.” Rhoda taps her chin as she assesses us.
“All my life I’ve been told I killed my brother. My mother was pregnant with twins and the boy vanished.” Piper’s words send off a chorus of grumbles and growls.
“You can’t be blamed for something that happened before you were born. It’s fairly common with twin pregnancies from what I’ve heard.” Shasta jumps out of her chair and starts pacing.
Piper drops her head again, hiding from the shock and outrage I see on every face around the room.
“She wasn’t just blamed for it. She was punished for it. Controlled to the point she wouldn’t even fight back because her bastard father knew her weak spot. Me and my parents. We all knew that if she didn’t fall into line, he would punish me to hurt her.” I lay everything out for them. I’m done hiding what that asshole put my best friend through.
I look over at Jack and raise an eyebrow. “Did I pass your lie detector?”
Everyone bursts out laughing when Jack throws his hands in the air. “Is nothing secret anymore?”
Roux waits for the chuckles to quiet down before addressing us. “May I speak to your animal forms, please?”