Chapter 36

AURORA

“Please!” I pleaded. “Rin’s not himself!”

“Relax. You’re safe and I’ll handle whatever’s going on. But right now, you need medical attention. You’re bleeding badly,” Jekia said, his voice soft but urgent.

He lifted me up, carrying me swiftly through the maze-like hallways. Before I knew it, we were at a partially open door. It was his bedroom. Lana was already there, her face a mask of shock.

“Oh my God, what happened?! Is she okay?!” she rushed over to us, her voice filled with concern.

“I’m not sure yet. But she’s bleeding a lot. She needs help,” Jekia told her.

He gently placed me on the edge of their bed. Lana hurried into the nearby bathroom to get some towels. As she did, Jekia wrapped a blanket around my shoulders.

“This should keep you covered for now.”

“T-thank you,” I stuttered, trying to wipe my eyes.

“I know you’re scared, but I need to know what happened. Did Rin do this to you?” Jekia asked, kneeling in front of me.

“Yes, but it wasn’t him. He wasn’t…” My voice trailed off as the pain in my throat intensified.

Jekia seemed to understand. He stood up and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.

“It’s okay. Don’t strain yourself.”

“Why would Rin do this?” Lana asked, rejoining us. She must’ve heard part of our conversation.

“I don’t think it was Rin. I told you before, I was worried about an external threat trying to control them. It seems my fears were justified,” Jekia replied.

“What do we do? We can’t let Rin near her, at least not right now,” Lana said.

“We shouldn’t let either of them near her,” Jekia agreed. He glanced at the door. “Take care of Aurora. I’ll find Rin and Rayne and handle this.”

As he left the room, I looked down, my body trembling. My abdomen felt like it was on fire, and I noticed for the first time that it was bleeding.

Lana knelt in front of me.

“I know you’re frightened, but I need to see your injuries. You could be seriously hurt,” she said gently.

I nodded, too scared to speak. Not just because of the pain, but also because I didn’t want whatever was controlling Rin to influence her.

“Just stay still. I promise I won’t hurt you,” Lana reassured me.

I let her see the front of my dress, torn open. But what scared me more were the wounds on my abdomen. Five deep, gouged cuts arranged in a circle. Blood was slowly seeping from them, trickling down my pelvis and thighs.

“Oh dear,” Lana murmured. She stood up and pulled on a web strand by the window. “Vishu, we need you. Aurora’s hurt badly.”

Within minutes, Vishu was climbing through the window Lana had opened. She looked just as shocked as she saw me, quickly turning to Lana.

“What happened? Who hurt Lady Aurora? I didn’t sense anything getting past my webs!” she exclaimed.

“It’s complicated. But for now, know that Rin is responsible. Let’s take care of Aurora first,” Lana said.

Vishu looked alarmed but composed herself to help Lana. They had me lie back on the bed and Vishu prepared a bowl of water for Lana to clean my wounds. She sat beside Lana, ready to rinse the cloth and hold my hand for comfort.

“I don’t understand. Lord Rin would never hurt anyone, especially not someone he loves,” Vishu said.

“You’re right, he wouldn’t. But we’ve been worried about this since we found out that creatures were being controlled and killed. Jekia was telling me about his concerns regarding the missing Faerie from the rlf village. He and Emelio suspected that something was trying to control Rayne and Rin. This is the proof,” Lana explained.

“But what was used?” Vishu asked.

I squeezed her hand and tapped my throat with my free hand. She understood immediately.

“The stone that lets her speak?”

“That’s what Jekia and Emelio think. It’s not a coincidence that they started acting differently when they were alone with her,” Lana confirmed.

Tears welled up in my eyes and spilled down my cheeks. I should’ve spoken up sooner. Maybe this could’ve been prevented.

“Why didn’t Emelio sense this? He’s a Mage. He can sense magic better than anyone,” Vishu said.

“I’m not sure. But I think it’s because this magic isn’t familiar to him. If it’s connected to the Golden Queen like Jekia thinks, then it’s a type of magic that’s been locked away and forgotten. And it’s very powerful,” Lana replied.

I winced as she began to clean the upper wound. It felt like something sharp was lodged in there. I glanced at her and noticed she’d stopped too. I propped myself up a bit to get a better look at the wound and saw something protruding from it. It was small and covered in blood, but it was definitely there.

“What’s that?” Vishu asked, peering at it as well.

“I’m not sure.” Lana gently swabbed the cloth around it, examining it more closely. Then, realization seemed to dawn on her. “Oh no.”

Vishu’s worry deepened. “My lady?”

“Please get Emelio right away. Tell him it’s crucial he comes to help with this,” Lana instructed.

Without asking any further questions, Vishu did as she was told, exiting the room through the same window she’d come in from. I kept staring at the small object sticking out of me, my mind slowly piecing together what it was.

It was the birth control that had been implanted in me. Rin had nearly torn it out.

I clapped a hand over my mouth to muffle the sob that threatened to escape. Seeing this made the reality of the situation hit even harder, and I couldn’t bear it. The fox I’d grown so fond of, the one I felt I was beginning to love, had hurt me this badly, even if he was under someone else’s control.

Lana sat beside me on the bed, wrapping her arms around me as I cried into her shoulder.

“I know, sweetheart,” she murmured. “I know you’re scared, but I promise everything will be okay. We’ll figure this out, and we’ll bring back the Rin we all know and love.”

I nodded, clinging to her, resolved not to utter a word until this stone was removed from me or the spell on it was broken.

Because deep down, I knew that until that happened, everyone around me was in danger, and it could result in the destruction of this family I so desperately wanted to be a part of.