the ghosts from my past? They had taken permanent residence, and I wasn’t positive how to get rid of them.
Sometimes all I could see, all I could hear, was the woman that raised me. Her violent hands and words. My throat closed up, the taste of soap in my mouth as I remembered the way she beat me. Mercilessly. A gasp came from my throat as my head started to spin, my hands dropping the dress as I stumbled back to a velvet bench, not making it all the way there before sinking to the floor.
The room began to feel smaller as I put my head to my knees. I was nearly positive that this was one of the panic attacks Jordan had been talking about. A rasping sound that I realized was my breath rapidly drawing in and out echoed through my ears. This was too much. All of it was, and the onslaught of emotion that came with all this realization was hitting me hard enough to make me feel dazed.
I had an entire family I hadn’t known about.
I had been taken and locked away, imprisoned by a witch coven.
I was someone of note in a realm I didn’t even know existed until recently.
My eyes fluttered shut as I pulled my knees up further, my head pulsating in pain. Not even my mating marks could calm me down, and I wasn’t focused on anything but the internal panic racing through me, so I had no idea if they could feel my panic.
“Maya?” Henry’s voice was suddenly against my ear as I trembled, my toes and fingers going numb as I curled further against myself.
“What the hell happened?” Croy’s voice was panicked. “I was just with her—”
“Maya.” Henry’s voice rang more clear in my ear, making my eyes flutter open. It wasn’t just in my ear, though—his voice seemed to resonate through all of me, almost as if he was speaking in my head.
The man in question was crouched before me where I had somehow sunk to the floor, his hands on either side of my face. I sucked in a breath as he said something, my eyes tracing his lips but not really understanding what was coming out. I felt the room spin as I tried to ground myself. That was when I felt a cool, soft energy fill my head and Henry’s magic truly took over, rolling my consciousness completely. Had he been able to do that this entire time?
The relief was nearly instant. My body went limp as I leaned against him, all the anxiety draining from my body as I trembled, tears pricking my eyes.
I wasn’t positive how long I stared at the floor of the closet, my heart slowing, but soon I realized the room was silent, and I could feel both Croy and Henry watching me intently. I lifted my chin and found myself looking into Croy’s eyes. He was crouched next to us, both of them dressed and me barely in clothes, curled up against Henry on the floor. I blinked away residual tears that I hadn’t even realized had fallen. I reached a hand up and smoothed it over his jaw as he let out a concerned sound, our bond filling with vibrant emotion that went from fear to worry.
“Sorry,” I rasped out. “I just… I got really overwhelmed all at once.”
“Nothing to apologize for,” Henry promised, his voice filled with a warmth I knew he reserved for me. “What triggered it?”
Triggered it? I frowned and rubbed my head. “I honestly don’t know.”
Suddenly, a cold chill rolled over me and I shivered, making Croy stand up as he quickly got a robe. I slipped it on my arms and tried to stand, Henry helping me up despite my shaky legs.
“We should… I should get ready,” I murmured, walking over to the dress and picking it up before looking back at them. I frowned, feeling almost numb and realizing that it may have been the dress in part that triggered thoughts about my real mom and the woman that raised me. My heart jumped as I nodded.
Yeah, that had been the reason for sure.
“Let me help,” Croy offered as he unzipped the dress, and Henry offered me a hand as I somewhat unsteadily stepped into it. I swallowed, feeling a bit off base as he helped zip up the back and I adjusted the waist and cleavage up front. I didn’t look in the mirror, searching the room for heels that I