“But instead he failed them and took you?” I fill in some of the blanks that I know.
“Yes, because we were in love and the empire was lost. See, your father had been saving familiars for hundreds of years and keeping them safe. But then the humans found out about our existence, and they publicly told people. It caused so many deaths,” she whispers. “In our world, a war started, and every raindrop in this glass means a life was lost in the fight. We fought the humans in secret, and then we found this island.”
“How do we fit into this? Why did you leave us?” My voice catches, and mum’s eyes soften.
“I cried for years, never stopping, never moving on when we were forced to leave you. The humans saw us as threats, leaders of a race they could never control. They tried to kill us so many times, and sometimes you three were so close. Clive and I knew the only way to pull the attention from you and let you have a normal life in the shadows was to fake our own deaths,” she explains.
“So you’re saying you left us for our own good?”
“We never left you alone!” she protests. “You were always in the protection of familiars, and we had to move you around in case anyone was trying to track you down. Grandma Pops isn’t just a random foster parent, she was the mother of familiars who died in the war, and she will be coming to live here soon with us. We made a deal with her, and she promised to raise you until you all became familiars.”
“Then what was your plan?” I question, my head spinning from all the lies. “Leave us in the fucked up Familiar Empire to figure it all out on our own?”
“That was never the plan!” she argues, stepping closer to me. I should pull away when she wraps me in her arms, holding me tightly, but I don’t move as I burst into tears. “You left us! You left and broke us. Bethany is broken, Phoebe is messed up, and I am so lost. You did this to us.”
“My Annie,” she sobs, holding me tightly. “I am so sorry. We had to protect you and fight a war here. The barrier is a new addition put up five years ago, but until then, we were under constant attack. This city is celebrating peace, and you can stay here with us. I promise I will keep you safe and get Bethany back. She will understand.”
I cry out as something sharp pricks my neck, and I shove my mum away. She steps back, tears filling her eyes as she holds a needle in her hand.
“No, she won’t,” I whisper back, a wave of dizziness knocking me to my knees. “The bab—”
Chapter 4
Anastasia
Nope, that did not just happen.
“As you can see, she is fine,” dad’s voice drifts to me as I open my eyes and look up at the glass ceiling, seeing nothing but rain clouds in the sky. I’m in a room I don’t know, lying on a double bed with plain sheets. The room is bare; there isn’t a door or a window on the walls, but there are two flat screen TVs on the walls opposite the bed. In one is my dad, and in the other is Alex, Liam and Mason. Mason is holding a random man by the neck like a doll as he struggles to breathe. “Now please put down the guard and let us all talk like adults.”
“Mason,” I whisper, climbing to my feet, but the second I try to stand, a wave of dizziness threatens to knock me over.
“She doesn’t look fucking alright to me!” Alex roars. I blink my eyes a few times, holding onto the end of the wooden bed and pulling myself to my feet once more.
“Why did my mum drug me, and where am I?” I demand, seeing Mason drop the guard, who then crawls out of the room.
“Are you okay?” Liam softly asks, getting as close to the screen as he can.
“I think so,” I admit, rubbing the sore spot on my neck. “But I’m confused.”
“Your mother and I need you as leverage so your men do as they are told,” dad confesses, but he doesn’t look one bit guilty. Figures. “Alex, Mason and Liam and I were just discussing how they are going to travel back to the town you were from, get my younger daughter and everyone they don’t wish dead, and bring them back here. The second they land, you will be free, and I have no intention of hurting you or anyone.”
“Why didn’t you just ask rather than kidnapping me?” I ask, crossing my arms.
“There isn’t a chance those three would leave without you, and I will not risk you out there when Bethany is so...angry,” he flatly answers. “I would not leave my Diana for anything. I see how they look at you, and while I don’t agree with your different way of life, I will not let your relationships put you in danger outside
