“Your mother?” Dominic asks.
“She was killed when she tried to stop them from using me,” she says without going into detail, but she doesn’t need to. We know what that implies.
“Where did you find her?” Dominic asks me.
“The other side of the mountain, between these two camps, but closer to the dummy site ones,” I answer.
“I am surprised she came back with you. No offense,” Dominic says.
“I didn’t at first. He hunted me down and followed me into the waterfall. He saved me, I was chained to a tree, he seemed like the safer option once I realized he wouldn’t kill me,” Sage answers.
“Did the men, who took you, ever take you to these camps?” I ask her. I hate myself for asking, but she still answers.
“No, but looking at the maps, we were mostly on the outskirts of these other camps, it would make sense if they were part of this group, though. The three men that held us left in intervals, and sometimes they would leave me chained to a tree for days at a time until they returned. I always thought it was for supply runs, but maybe it was to help man these other camps,” she says, pointing to the mountain and the surrounding camps we found.
“This is where my first mate was killed,” she says, pointing to the border of Ezra and Kat’s territory.
“That’s also where my pack has had run-ins with them, but they always left before I got there. We never had reason to go to the other side of the river that runs through it, so I never sent scouts out that way,” Ezra says before looking at Sage who nods, looking at me.
It is quite tragic to think about. Sage was so close to two packs that would have helped, right under our noses, yet suffering so close to us. I know that is what Ezra is thinking as well. We could have stopped all this if we had noticed them earlier.
“Yes, well, one rule I noticed in the city when they were there was, besides the pimps, no one was to touch the working girls. It makes sense they would have some on the side to keep them busy because most didn’t have mates. What happened to the three men that took her?” Dominic asks.
“I killed them, Sage….” I pause, looking at her, and she huffs but nods.
“Sage killed one of them when I brought two of them back here after catching them,” I tell him, and he nods.
I wonder if that will make him change his mind about everything, I know he must have heard the rumors of rogues being killed in this area.
“The bodies?”
“In the incinerator.”
“Good, so no evidence,” he says, and I nod.
Our attention is quickly diverted to planning while we wait for Dominic’s men to arrive when we hear laughter behind us. Turning around, the two boys are in fits of giggles before I hear Jonah talk, making us look over at him.
“You can do it, come on,” Jonah says, and we all turn around to find Marabella with her mittens off, holding both of Kyan’s hands and standing.
Eziah claps his hands as he watches his sister standing on wobbly legs. Jonah’s arms are outstretched when she suddenly steps toward Jonah, falling on her bottom. Kat stands up, and so do Mateo and Ezra as Marabella pulls herself up to a standing position again, using Kyan’s hands. She giggles, taking another step.
“She is walking,” Sage gasps. Just as she takes another step and Kyan’s hands leave hers, she wobbles awkwardly over to Jonah’s outstretched arms, laughing.
“Her hands,” Ezra gasps, and Mateo rushes over just as Marabella grabs Jonah’s, making my heart stop for a second.
“You did it.” Jonah squeals excitedly, hugging her just as Mateo gets up, walking over to them.
“She isn’t using her magic, stress less she is happy,” Dominic says to Kat and Ezra, who both look like they are fighting the urge to race over and force her mittens back on her hands.
“Come to dadda,” Mateo says, kneeling on the ground off the side of the two boys.
“Are you going to put her mittens on her? We only just took them off for a second,” Jonah asks, and he helps Marabella stand. Her little hands clamp onto his arms as she wobbles on her feet.
“No, I want to see if she will come to me,” Mateo answers when suddenly both Jonah’s and Kyan’s eyes glaze over. Dominic laughs softly, making me look at him.
“Interesting gift. I suppose she gets that from you?” He asks Kat.
“What’s that?” Kat frowns.
“She’s mind-linking the two boys. She can get in the heads of people that aren’t part of her pack. Can’t you see how their auras light up while her eyes glaze over?” He asks. I don’t see any of these weird auras Dominic is talking about, but I don’t doubt him.
“Come on, sweety, come to Dadda,” Mateo repeats, and Marabella hesitates, looking up at Jonah, who encourages her to walk to him.
She cackles loudly, wobbling over to him just as Kat drops a hand on Mateo’s shoulder, her fingers touching the back of his neck as Marabella grabs his hands.
Black veins snake up his arms, and he gasps but doesn’t hesitate to pull her to him before they recede. Kat’s eyes glow brightly as she counteracts Marabella’s magic. Mateo kisses all over her little face, mushing her cheeks and making her laugh, and the black veins recede completely.
“She doesn’t mean it. She thought you were trying to put the mittens on her,” Kyan tells him, and Mateo nods, placing her back down on her feet.
We watch her waddle off toward the boys again, and she goes to Kyan, cackling her little head off as he catches her. Turning back to the table, Ezra sits back down with his phone in his hand.
“Sorry, I probably should have asked if I could record that since the boys are in it,” Ezra says, and Dominic waves him off.
“Precious moments should always be captured,” he says, watching the kids play.