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‘You always loved fire,’ he said suddenly and shook his head. ‘If ever you were upset, looking into the fireplace would calm you down. I always just thought it was some sort of primeval thing – man be safe with flames, ugg – that sort of thing, but it was more than that. It reminded you of home.’
My throat tightened. ‘My grandfather had my childhood memories wiped,’ I said. My throat was closing up with tears. ‘I don’t remember anything at all.’
‘Maybe not consciously,’ Ben said slowly, ‘but on some level you always knew fire was a part of you.’
That made me feel better. My family hadn’t been completely ripped from me, and now I’d rediscovered them again.
Ben suddenly looked up and his eyes frantically searched the room. He reached out and grasped my arm. ‘Pollyanna?’ he asked urgently. ‘Where is she? Was she hurt?’
‘No,’ I promised hastily. ‘She’s absolutely fine.’ I wondered how much I should tell him. ‘She’s actually a seer.’
‘A seer?’
‘She can see the future. I don’t know how much, or how good she is at what she does, but she knew enough to beg me to get a particular potion to keep on hand. It saved your life.’
‘Seers? Potions?’ He shook his head in denial, then buried it in his hands. I reached out and stroked his back.
It is okay, I heard Roan say to Ben. Do not despair. I will guide you through the Other realm. I am Roan and I am your wolf. As he spoke the last words, his tone was full of wonder. I lifted my hand from my brother’s back to give them some privacy.
I grimaced at my lack of control. I hadn’t meant to pipe Roan, but emotions were high and with the physical touch I’d reached their minds without conscious effort. That made me uneasy. My powers were strong and the urge to use them to pipe every wolf I met to examine their intentions was unnerving – and very, very wrong. If I chose, I could pipe my enemies and force them to obey me, to like me and be fanatically loyal…
I licked my suddenly parched lips. There was a reason why the Connection monitored pipers: it was all too easy for them to become a force for evil. One little pipe here, another pipe there – all for the greater good, of course – but slowly free will was eroded. It was a slippery slope, and the fear of sliding down it stayed my hand. With effort, I pushed the piping magic back down.
Esme crooned a little in my head to soothe me, proud that I’d resisted temptation. She was also still distressed that she’d hurt me. As I reached for her, she retreated further into my mind. I let her go with regret; even though I held no ill will towards her for the bite, she had to process it on her own. I was grateful for her intervention, no matter how painful it had been. Without her, I could have been stuck in that loop forever – and so could Roan and Ben.
I turned my gaze on my brother. As he and Roan conversed, some of the tension was leaving him. Whatever Roan was saying was making him feel better. I did my best to wait for them to finish but patience had never been my strong suit.
Finally, Ben raised his head out of his hands and looked at me a little wild eyed. ‘You know Roan?’ he asked.
‘He was once with Noah, one of my pack. Roan sacrificed himself to save him.’
‘Then how come he’s in my head?’ Ben frowned.
I shook my head. ‘I put him there, though I’m not quite sure how. Desperation makes you do crazy things, like when a mother can lift a car off her trapped child.’
‘You lifted a car off me?’
‘It was the supernatural equivalent of that,’ I agreed. ‘What I did shouldn’t have been possible.’ I didn’t explain that I’d been made magical by Glimmer and consequently I existed outside the normal rules. Magical sentient daggers might have been too much for him to deal with at that moment.
Greg gave Ben a small smile. ‘Welcome to the pack,’ he murmured. ‘Here.’ He passed Ben some black joggers. Ben stared at him. ‘You’re a werewolf, too?’
Greg nodded. ‘I was born to a dragon-shifter, though I didn’t possess the ability to shift until Jessica Sharp stabbed me with a magical dagger imbued with werewolf magic.’
Okay, so much for me not telling Ben; Greg obviously thought Ben could handle the magical dagger thing.
‘Jess?’ Ben said, startled. ‘She’s magical as well?’
‘Yes,’ I confirmed. ‘But she only discovered that recently. Her parents kept her magic hidden from her.’
My brother rubbed his forehead. ‘This is all a bit much,’ he said finally. ‘Where is Pollyanna?’ he repeated. ‘You said she was okay.’
‘She was,’ I bit my lip. ‘She left when she was sure you were going to be alright.’
He blinked. ‘She left me?’
‘Yes. I’m sorry.’
He frowned as he pulled on the black joggers. He was still shirtless, but at least I didn’t have to see my brother’s wang. He started looking around the room. ‘Where’s my phone?’ he asked, sounding exasperated.
