My father held me in his arms as I trembled, my sobs muffled against his chest, his grip never loosening. Even when we stepped back through the portal into the human realm, he held me close, as though letting go might break us both. The sun had vanished, replaced by a solemn, watching moon. It was clear that hours had passed since we entered that other world. Yet, how the portal remained open for so long-and how those three men could summon it so easily-was something I still couldn’t grasp.
Back inside the house, I found myself in a strange yet familiar scene. My younger self was eavesdropping on Mom and Dad in the master bathroom. Dad sat shirtless on the edge of the tub, his face twisted in pain as Mom dabbed at the wound on his shoulder. The bite from that forest creature was gruesome, each cut raw and deep. Dad’s skin looked paler than usual, his knuckles tight as he endured the sting.
“I don’t know what kind of creature it was… I’ve never seen anything like it.” Dad’s voice was rough, his face pinched as Mom cleaned the wound. “Its bite was freezing-like it injected ice straight into my veins.”
Mom swallowed, her gaze lingering on his shoulder, her face taut with concern. My eyes followed hers, and I froze when I saw the black lines spidering down from the wound, marking his skin like a map of shadows.
The colors around me began to blur, merging and shifting, carrying me forward. We were back in Leonardo’s pack, years older now. My hair was longer, tumbling in waves down my back, and my body taller, more defined. I was in my parents’ bedroom, staring at the figure curled up on the bed. It was my father, but so much weaker, paler, his face drawn and stressed. Those black lines from the bite wound had spread, weaving across his neck and face, dark and ominous.
A younger version of me stood near the wall, pouting in confusion. Mom entered the room, her brows knitted with worry, and younger me looked up, voice small and high-pitched, “What’s wrong with Dad?”
Mom hesitated, as though she had only just noticed I was there. “I-I don’t know, baby,” she answered, her voice sounding choked.
“Did the blue men hurt him?” Younger me clutched her hair, staring at Dad’s labored breathing. “Was it the monster in the woods? The one that bit him?”
Mom stiffened, but the child I was then didn’t notice. When she turned to me, her eyes were brimming with pain. “I think so, baby,” she murmured, her voice barely a whisper.
A knock sounded at the door, sharp and loud. I followed Mom as she rushed out of the bedroom, her face drawn as she opened the door to reveal Giuseppe. There was no recognition in her eyes, no familiarity; this was before Dad’s death, before any alliance.
“You’re Giuseppe, aren’t you?” Mom’s voice was hard, more furious than I’d ever heard. “Emiliano warned me about you. He said you’d contact me, but hasn’t your kind taken enough already? First my daughter, now my husband? If you’re not here to save him, just leave us alone.”
“I’ve heard what happened, and you have my sympathies.” Giuseppe’s voice was calm, his dark onyx eyes steady on Mom’s face.
“I don’t want your sympathies.” Mom’s voice broke, her desperation showing. “I want you to save him. I’ve searched this entire country for a cure and found nothing. You’re Fae, like Emiliano-you have to help.”
Giuseppe’s expression softened, but his words were measured. “You won’t find the answers you seek here. I’m afraid your husband is beyond our reach. The creature he fought was of a rare breed, and its venom is fatal, spreading slowly, insidiously. Only its tail could cure him.”
Mom’s face paled, her voice rising in panic. “All your magic, and there’s nothing you can do? We left that creature in your realm! Can’t you go find it? Please, help him. I know you want my daughter-maybe we can work something out. Just… please, save him.”
“The creature must be alive to extract an antidote,” Giuseppe said softly. “There’s a reason they’re nearly extinct. Its venom is far more deadly to Fae, and we’ve hunted them to the edge of survival.”
“So… there’s no hope,” Mom whispered, her voice cracking as she processed the weight of his words. “He’s going to die.”
The pain in her voice was unmistakable, and my younger self shuffled forward, reaching out to comfort her. Mom went stiff, protective, as she shielded me with her own body. Giuseppe’s eyes flickered, widening as he caught sight of me.
“So, it’s true,” he murmured. “The child exists.”
But the scene around me was already fading, slipping away like sand through my fingers. The old house, the vision of my dying father, my broken mother-they all blurred and faded, leaving me in silence.
I felt the sting of salt on my cheeks before I even realized I was crying. Six pairs of eyes stared down at me, their faces tense with concern. I became aware of the warmth beneath me-Leonardo’s lap-and the tingle of his touch anchoring me back to reality. His gaze steadied me, his crystal-grey eyes grounding me, reminding me that I was no longer lost in that world of memories.
“I remember him,” I whispered painfully, my eyes locking with Leonardo’s. This time, I didn’t fight the sparks that flickered across my skin. “I remember how he died.”
It took nearly an hour to gather myself enough to share the memory with everyone. Restless energy thrummed beneath my skin, pressing on my nerves, demanding action. There had to be something I could do, someone with answers. Grief, anger, confusion-they all churned within me, a storm of feelings I could barely name.
Mom had hidden everything from me, kept me in the dark. And now, here I was, haunted by pieces of a past I’d never known. But returning to the Fae realm was out of the question; the portals were too dangerous, too unpredictable.