Ethan's Pov
My fingertips traced the engraved animal on the cover of the old spell book draped in mud placed on the wooden table before me.
It was all we found after spending the whole night, searching for my son and that witch girl.
Fresh anger swelled inside me by the mere thought of her alone with my son.
I'm just standing here now, hoping that he'll eventually show up but still I can't help this feeling of dread that keeps creeping up from the pit of my stomach making me wonder what I would do if he doesn't.
Just thinking about it makes my heart sink and my mind totally in disarray.
"I told you attacking them wasn't a good idea but you wouldn't listen to me, you never listen to me anyway." My wolf says tiredly in my head, as I feel him slowly come forward, due to mostly being in his form during our search in the forest.
"Enough with the lecture Bradon, what is done is done. We just need to think of another way to get him back if this next plan doesn't work. We can't afford to lose him too, he's all we have left of her." I say, only for him to go silent afterward.
He was right, after all, I never listen to him and because of that, everything happening now is all my fault.
No one else is to be blamed except me.
No one, and not even Gieon is to be blamed.
If only I could go back in time, there would be a whole lot of things that I would try to fix or prevent from ever happening.
One was leaving five years ago. Though it was all for Jason's safety, I couldn't help but feel that pang of guilt that constantly pricked my conscience day in and day out, and even as much as I tried to ignore or hide it, I still feel it to this day.
And now, I might just have to live with even bigger guilt of failing to fulfill the promise I made to Elaine, to keep him safe.
"Ethan, she's here." Gieon's voice comes through and cuts me off my thoughts.
Taking a deep breath before speaking, " Let's go then."
We came into a room that appeared smaller than the living room we had just left.
And just like the living room, it also had a carpet on the floor and thick brown-flowered curtains that shielded the windows from the rays of sunlight that would have penetrated through.
Everywhere would have been in complete darkness if it weren't for the candle lights that were scattered at every corner of the room, burning differently from the normal red and blue glow.
My eyes wandered around the room until it came to face a certain figure who I'd thought was part of the room's decor, moved and turned to face us.
She was clothed in an all-black attire that covered her up to her feet.
The yellowish amulet around her neck sparkled as the light in the room radiated around it.
" Ethan..." She called smiling, revealing fairly straight white teeth.
She looked just the same as the last time I saw her.
Was it twenty years ago?
And hardly looking her age, over two hundred years old.
"It's been a long time," I said, taking a glance at Gieon who stood at the entrance of the room, carrying a blank and unreadable expression.
"You call two decades a long time?"She asked with a faint smile on her lips, pulling off her black hoodie to reveal her winter-white hair.
" Well, what can I say? even the child that was born around that time now acts like he's a man," I say in response and she rolls her eyes at me.
"I see you still have that sarcastic nature of yours." She said, putting up a smile that doesn't reach her eyes.
"I guess some things don't just go away even as we age," I say, also forcing out a fake smile.
We never got along even when Elaine was alive. We just seem to hate each other's guts, never failing to reveal it at any given moment.
And with me failing to protect Elaine who happened to be her very best friend, the tension between us just got much worse.
Nina belongs to the fourth tribe of Kimoptra, Tika, and is also from the deer coven just like the witch girl said she is.
So since she and Gieon were the only beings who knew about Jason's existence and she was the only one aside from him who I can trust with this delicate situation, I had no option but to meet with her.
I mean, it's not like I had a choice, she was more experienced with all things magic and spells than Gieon was.
It would be easier and quicker for her to find them both.
"Umm, can we start with why she's here?"Gieon said, seeming to notice the tension between us as we continued glaring at each other.
" Yes, how can I forget the main reason for being here. You both lost my nephew." She said taunting and earned a scoff from me.
It's quite funny the way she refers to Jason as her nephew like she was biologically related to Elaine or me.
"Here, we found this in the forest while we were searching for them. I think it belongs to the girl."Gieon said, handing the spellbook over to her, while I stood still and watched with my arms folded across my chest.
"This is an ancient grimoire of the deer coven, how could she possibly acquire such a thing?" She asked with a fascinated look displayed on her face.
" She told Jason it was given to her by someone in the rebel camp," Gieon said, with his shoulders shrugged up.
"Did she mention a name?"
"Yaya." He answered without hesitation, and I watched as dark hazel eyes gleamed with curiosity in them.
"Yaya?" She asked, tilting her head aside.
"Yes, Yaya is the one who she said gave her that," Gieon replied, pointing to the spellbook in her hands.
"Who did you say the girl is again?" Nina asked, and I found myself getting irritated by her questions.
I don't just get it, she should be asking questions only about Jason and not that witch girl, I mean, he's the reason she is here so why the sudden interest in the girl?
"She said her name was Aurora and is the holder of the violet deer amulet," Gieon answered, and she gasped, her mouth wide agape and her face frozen like she was in shock at what she just heard him say.