Stronger as One (#1, Completed)

3. Revelations

RILEY

My breath jammed in my throat as I stumbled back. "No...This can't be real."

The once comforting scent of home now suffocated me, the walls closing in. No matter how hard I tried, the stranger in the mirror wouldn't leave.

I turned to face Mum, another wave of panic surging through me. My heart hammered against my ribs as the room seemed to tilt and spin around me. "Turn it off!" I pleaded, a scream trapped and clawing inside me. "Make it go away. Now!"

"Try to breathe, honey. Just breathe." Her words cut through the static filling my ears. She touched my bracelet, uttering a word unfamiliar to me, and the frantic girl in the mirror morphed back into the Riley I recognised. Yet, inside, my frantic thoughts still spun chaotically.

Lucien's reaction—or lack of—only made it worse. He seemed  unfazed by what he had just seen. His steady gaze held no judgment, only empathy. As if this was...normal.

Bending over, I clasped my knees, fighting the nausea that rose with each burning breath. "How is this happening?"

Gentle hands grasped my shoulders, my dad gently rubbing my back. "I know this is a shock, sweet pea. Try to take slow, deep breaths," he said, his presence a soothing balm as I grappled with the panic seizing me.

With each trembling inhale, the room slowly steadied. When I finally managed to lift my head, he helped me to the sofa, where Mum wept quietly.

"This is a lot to take in, Auri. I'm sorry," Dad murmured, his eyes full of warmth and concern. "Let me explain. Do you remember when you were little, how we pretended we were magicians? The tricks we did that amazed you?"

I nodded, unsure where he was going with that. Magic had always been my parents' fascination–a household filled with books and artefacts that wouldn't look out of place in a Charmed episode. Their tricks looked so real, and I never figured out how they did them.

But everyone had unusual hobbies, right? Mine involved guns and kicking the crap out of grown-ass men, so who was I to judge?

Dad sighed. "The truth is, we haven't been fully honest with you." His eyes crinkled with pain, and Mum turned away, stifling a sob. "Those tricks weren't illusions. Your mother and I... we're what you'd call warlocks. We have magical abilities linked to the demon blood inside us, which allows us to do many things that aren't humanly possible."

Warlocks?

A mirthless laugh escaped my lips; my dad was clearly not serious about this. How could he be? The idea that magic existed, let alone that my parents were some sort of wizards with... what did he call it? Ah, yes, demon blood. All of that was absurd.

Had Blondie here drug them?

"Are you serious? Warlocks, demons, real magic?" I scoffed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "This is too far-fetched."

"Sweetheart, trust me, we discussed many times whether we should have told you all of this years ago, but we simply wanted to protect you and give you a normal life." He threaded a hand through his long hair. "You had already lost your family, so we wanted to take the pain away."

"Take the pain away?" I frowned and crossed my arms over my chest. "What does that mean?"

"You were never just a human child, Auri. Your unique hair, the birthmark, that growl, it all pointed to your shifter heritage."

"Shifter? As in shapeshifters?" This was going too far now.

"Yes. We had to understand what happened to you and your family, and we did it the only way we could." He looked into my eyes, looking for understanding. "We tapped into your memories. You were only three, but everything from the accident was inside your mind. Your family's car careening off the road, the other vehicle forcing you off... It was all there."