Page 3

Finn

For years, I'd thought Levi was dead. It was the only reason, I'd told myself, that he hadn't come back for us, for me .

My basilisk side was roaring inside me, reacting to the pain and confusion I felt. Between him and my own thoughts, I realized I was paying almost no attention to the road.

I quickly parked my car on the side before I got into an accident and hurt somebody. That would just be the icing on this shitty-as-fuck day. Rubbing my face, I exhaled loudly as I tried to collect myself.

Levi was alive. Which meant that he'd broken the promise he'd made to me, just like so many other people in my life.

I'd thought he was different. Or, at least, I'd hoped he was.

I'd met him when some very bad people—who I'd later found out were witches and shifters addicted to dark magic—had kidnapped me, my siblings, Miles, and Mateo from the group home we'd been living at.

They'd taken us to their hideout, an old, abandoned building with a basement they'd 'stored' us in when they didn't need our blood.

They'd already had two supe children when we were brought there: Levi and Amelia.

He'd been older than me, sixteen to my thirteen, and far more confident than I could ever hope to be.

Amelia had been only a year older than me, and much quieter.

When we got here, everyone had assumed she'd been taken from the group home like the rest of us, and we'd just never corrected anyone because it hadn't mattered.

I'd never asked Ames about her past, and she'd never told me.

Levi had later told me he'd been there for around four months when I got there, and yet he'd never lost his spirit.

He'd told me that one day he would find a way to escape, and he'd promised he'd take me with him.

When I'd told him I wouldn't leave without the others, he'd promised to come back for us once he was stronger.

He was an earth mage, and unlike Amelia, he'd been taught from a young age how to use his magic.

I'd looked up to Levi, and I might've even had a little crush on him. He was strong, dependable, and that was what I'd needed.

But a few months later, he'd disappeared.

I knew now that he'd escaped, but back then, all I'd known was that he was taken out of the basement, and he never came back. The people holding us had told us they'd killed him for misbehaving, and I'd believed them. Why wouldn't I, when I'd thought Levi would never leave without telling me?

Not only had he left—he hadn't come back for us like he'd promised. The next two months after he 'died' were brutal because our captors had started bleeding us even more to make up for Levi's absence.

Three months after he escaped, we were rescued by a strange group of supes, before their leader—Maximus—brought us to Mistvale and our new families.

I didn't know what would've happened if Levi had come back for us. Could he have rescued us without getting caught? And what would've happened once we were out? Where would we have gone?

Maybe it was a good thing that he hadn't come back. We wouldn't have found such loving parents if he had. Penny, Dean, and I wouldn't be the people we were today without Dad and Papa's influence, and I would never wish for a life without them.

At the same time, Levi had broken a promise. Just like my birth parents, and the various foster parents we'd been placed with over the years.

I couldn't just forgive him for that, which was why I'd run out of the store like a bat out of hell, even if it'd been a childish thing to do.

Knock. Knock .

I jumped and glanced at my window, blinking at the familiar face peering through the glass.

His blue eyes were full of amusement, his dark hair all over the place as if he'd been running his fingers through the thick strands.

A glance showed his car parked a few feet in front of mine.

Had he been driving past when he'd spotted me?

I opened the window, and Neel raised a brow at me. "Everything okay?" Despite being a few years younger than me, he was one of my closest friends.

"Uh, yeah. What are you doing here?"

Neel rolled his eyes, then leaned his elbows on the windowsill as if he planned to have a nice, long chat while standing outside my car.

"I was on my way home from the hardware store when I spotted you. You don't look okay. What happened?"

Other than my family, Neel, Micah, and Amelia were the people I was closest to.

Amelia understood me in a way no one else could because of our shared trauma, and while Neel helped me stay in the present with his never-ending optimism and wry sense of humor.

Micah was like me, quiet and in his head, and we got along well because of it.

He was on his honeymoon right now, or Neel would've already called him.

"Finn," he urged, and I realized he wouldn't leave until he had some answers.

"I ran into someone I thought was dead."

Neel's eyes widened, and he walked around the front of the car before tapping on the passenger side door. I hurried to unlock it, and he slid in, then closed the door.

"Tell me everything," he demanded, so I did, and talking about it loosened the tightness in my chest a little.

"Wow. That must've been a big shock for you, huh? "

I nodded, and he reached across the console to give me a tight hug. I threw my arms around him and squeezed, careful not to do it too tightly. He was human, after all, and I could easily hurt him.

"Are you going to see him again?"

"I hope not."

"It might help, you know. Talking to him. Maybe it would give you some closure."

"Maybe," I agreed, though I didn't really believe it. I had no idea what I would say if I saw Levi again. Deciding I didn't want to spend one more moment thinking about him, I gave Neel a questioning look. "What were you doing at the hardware store so early in the day?"

Neel sighed rather dramatically, a knowing look in his light blue eyes. "I know you're just trying to change the subject. The repairs at the house are kicking our ass. Pax and I finally gave up and hired Caleb, and he sent me on a supply run."

Neel and Pax—Neel's stepbrother—were in the process of renovating a house to turn it into a bed and breakfast. With tourism in Mistvale on the rise, it was going to be the perfect kind of hotel experience with all the small-town charm.

All it needed was a wayward ghost and some romantic tension between employees, and it would be a giant hit.

"Shouldn't you be getting back then?"

"You trying to get rid of me, Finn?"

"Obviously. "

Neel gave a dramatic gasp, then laughed. "Fine, fine. I'm leaving. But call me if you run into the one who got away again."

"I will."

Neel left my car, and I watched him walk back to his before starting my car.

The one who got away, huh? It fit Levi well, but I didn't plan on seeing him again. He was a part of my past, and I wanted him to stay there.

Levi

Greta had been gone for forty minutes, and I was starting to get worried. I'd know if she was hurt, wouldn't I?

I was trying my best to focus on making lunch, but my thoughts kept drifting back to Greta. And Finn.

I had no idea what I would say to him even if Greta found him. I'd promised I'd rescue him, but I'd failed. What was his life like now? How much longer had those people hurt him and the others?

I'd tried as hard as I could to get my magic back quickly, but replenishing all the blood and magic they'd taken wasn't easy, especially when you didn't have a steady source of food and rest.

Shaking my head, I turned my attention back to the grilled cheese sandwiches I was supposed to be making. It was comfort food, and I needed it desperately today .

An image flashed into my head, and I almost dropped the pan. There he was. Greta had found him.

He was in his room, it looked like, sitting on the bed with his phone in his hand and a troubled expression on his face. Was he still thinking about me?

I sent a thought to Greta, telling her he was the one I'd been looking for, and she could come back now.

I could almost sense Greta's relief, and I started setting up a plate of treats for her as a thank-you.

Another image flashed into my mind, this time of an excited-looking husky mid-bark as he stood at the base of a tree, supposedly the one Greta had climbed. Uh-oh.

I had no idea where exactly she was, so I couldn't go rescue her. Would the dog tire out if she just stayed put?

One more image appeared through our link, this time with Finn holding the dog back as Greta made her exit. Was the dog his, then? It did seem to have a collar, though Greta's sight wasn't clear enough for me to read the tag hanging from it.

It was another fifteen minutes before Greta appeared at the back door, and when I let her in, she made a beeline to her water bowl.

"Oh, sweetie. Did you get thirsty? I'm sorry. I didn't realize how long it would take."

A wave of calming energy hit me through our bond, and I smiled as I took her plate of treats to her .

She shot me a look I read as grateful before diving into the food, and I leaned against the kitchen counter as I watched her, sending some of the fondness I was feeling her way.

As I watched her, my thoughts returned to Finn. Most days, I tried not to think of my past. There wasn't much good back there, and I preferred to live in the present. But now I made myself think back and remember the last time Finn and I had talked.

It'd been a few days before I found the opportunity to escape, and I'd been telling him about my plan.

Our captors had been taking our blood to power their black magic, which had left our magic completely depleted, and I'd promised him and the others that I'd come back for them once my magic had replenished.

I hadn't gotten back in time. Did Finn think I hadn't come back at all ? It had taken me a few months to return, and if they'd only just moved from that spot, it meant Finn had waited months for me. No wonder he didn't want to talk to me.

During one of our evening conversations, he'd admitted to me in hushed whispers how his parents had discarded him and his siblings. I knew how deep that wound had gone for him. If he thought I'd also abandoned him, I could understand his reaction.

I needed to tell him the truth, needed him to know that I'd kept my promise, that I'd just been too late. Would he forgive me then ?

How would I even tell him? I knew where he lived, but it wasn't like I could just show up at his door. Ambushing him would just push him further away.

If I had his number, I could call or text, ask him if we could meet up.

A chitter made me look down, and Greta climbed up my leg, done with her meal. Greta knew where Finn lived, and she could show up at his door. Hmm...

"Hey, Greta. Will you help me some more?"

She gave me a long-suffering glance—she was probably regretting becoming my familiar—then nodded, and I grinned.

I might not have his number, but I did have a way to get across what I wanted to tell him.

Walking into my bedroom, I dug through one of the boxes I still hadn't gotten around to unpacking until I found what I was looking for. The notepad had been an impulse buy because I'd liked the potted plants pattern that framed every page. It was the perfect paper to write a letter on.

Taking the notepad and a pen into the living room, I settled on the couch. Greta hopped on beside me, then watched me as I stared at the blank paper.

Wow, this was harder than I'd thought it would be. I needed to make sure I got every word right. One wrong word, and I might lose the chance to ever talk to Finn again.