Casey drew a hand through his hair. “Technically, you had it vacuumed out of you. But yeah.”
“What did it feel like?” Laurel asked. I hadn’t seen her return.
“Unpleasant. Like ice water flowing over my body.”
“Hmm.” Her brows knit, and she seemed lost in thought. I couldn’t decide if it was worry or perplexity on her face. “When you call your magic, you’re going to focus on that sensation.”
I choked back a laugh. “On the pain? Great. Is it like that for everyone?”
“No. Everyone is different, and the sensation would depend on their magic.”
“And what is my magic? Because it sure felt dark and freaky.”
Laurel took my hand and smiled. Her signature wrapped around me, calming my nerves. “You’ve got a lot of raw power, my dear. But it’s not dark, I promise you that. It will be a long time before you can control your magic and create things, but for now, it might just manifest in little uncontrolled bursts, like electric shocks.”
I gaped, not sure how to feel.
Remnants of my magic still prickled my skin like water dripping from an icicle. Having it ripped from my hand felt unnatural and was frankly terrifying. But suddenly, I felt alert to the world around me in a way I had never been before.
My skin was sensitive, and I could feel Casey and Laurel’s signatures permeating the room. It was like a part of me I didn’t know existed was awake and staring at the world for the first time.
Fireballs and floating brooms.
My stomach knotted. Why had my parents hidden this from me? Was there something wrong with my magic?
Jaxson had called sorcery the dark arts, black magic.
Was that what was inside of me?
Over the next hour, Laurel peppered me with questions about my childhood and my parents. I think she was trying to get my mind off of what had happened with the freaky orb that had probably nearly killed me. Luckily, reminiscing about the happy times in my life did clear my mind and raise my spirits.
Finally, Laurel gave me a coy glance out of the corner of her eye. “With all this excitement, you haven’t mentioned what brought you to us so suddenly, after all these years.”
There it was. The bombshell, ready to detonate. She’d left the question lying in wait, like a crocodile on the riverbank, and I didn’t really have a plan to get out of its jaws.
How would they feel about me if they knew I had trouble on my heels?
I pushed that thought down. I was here for answers. About myself, about my parents, and about why someone might be after me. If it had something to do with the LaSalles, then they would be the ones to ask.
“I was attacked by werewolves. My father gave my godmother the note I brought to you, saying that if anyone ever came looking for me, I should seek you out.”
Casey jumped to his feet. “Werewolves? Are you kidding me? Where?”
He’d been remarkably quiet this whole time, and now he looked like he wanted to step into a fighting ring.
Laurel motioned for Casey to sit, but her eyes blazed. No one had ever looked that intensely at me, ever. It was like she was trying to bore into my mind, kind of like Jaxson did. “Explain. Everything.”
Somewhat shakily, I laid out the facts for them. Laurel’s eyes dilated when I said that I’d been targeted, and both of them stiffened when I mentioned Jaxson. She folded her hands and leaned forward. “Jaxson Laurent was investigating your attack? Don’t be fooled by his handsome appearance. He’s lethal. Are you aware that—”
“He’s a werewolf?” I interrupted. “The alpha—whatever that means. I found out this morning. After we went out to dinner at Eclipse.” I blushed, suddenly embarrassed.
Casey’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. “You went on a date with the Dockside alpha? Are you crazy?”
I slapped my hands on the table. “I didn’t know what he was or that werewolves even existed! That any of this existed!”
Casey wandered over to the sidebar and poured himself a whiskey. “Yeah, okay. Well, hopefully you didn’t tell him who you were or that you’re related to us.”
“I did. My car broke down on the bridge. He had it towed to a shop and bought me dinner at some place called Eclipse. Then he told me about werewolves.”