The Broken Bonds

Chapter 19

Veronica9292 thanks for the votes on the last two chapters. This one that I hadn't planned to release until the weekend is dedicated to you.

Please read the Author's Note at the bottom for some special information.

CHAPTER 19

Cub Creek Territory...

Lucy sat in the gardens outside the packhouse meditating. When Shade walked briskly up to her. "Did you know I had an older sister?"

The witch sighed sadly, "Mido has been possessed by a demon for a long time. It's more than likely that you have more than one older female sibling."

Shade pursed her lips, "Good point. I told you that I was fostering a child. Lona's mother, Olivia, was Mido's daughter. Which makes Lona my niece."

"Oh?" Lucy cocked her head curiously at her former ward.

"Lona's father, Chen Parks, died when she was 8 months old. Her mother remarried a sleazeball, Mickey Rowley, a year later. Six months after, Olivia died from a drug overdose. She's been in Mick's care ever since and has a gift to tell if someone is lying. Mick found it useful to cheat at poker."

"Rough life. So what are you going to do?"

"Provide her with a stable home and try to be the best mother I can be."

"You were always compassionate." Lucy said with a small smile, "Are you going to tell her about this world?"

Shade was silent for a moment, "No I'll try to keep things as 'normal' for her as I can. She already knows I am weird but not so far out of the acceptable."

Lucy raised a brow, "I will come by and meet your new daughter after school one day this week."

"Sounds good." Shade said before leaving.

The witch sighed. If the girl posed a threat then she would have to leave. Humans, even gifted ones, were only "safe" due to their ignorance. If this girl was smart enough to stumble upon the truth then either she would have to be told which would trap her in this world forever. Or her memories erased. Lucy felt bad for Shade because this was not likely to end well and the young woman was already attached to the child.

So caught up in her thoughts, Lucy didn't realize that she was no longer alone.

"You know, after being alive for so long, one woud think that you'd be more aware of your surroundings." a man said.

Lucy jumped up, "Mido?" she said in disbelief before exclosing him in a tight hug. "You're back!"

"I am, malaika wangu." He pulled back and looked at her beautiful face, "How long was I gone?

"Five years."

Mido sighed, "I was in Makan Alraghba. I confronted Razdor and gained the knowledge of the journal."

Lucy looked at him in alarm, "At what cost?"

"He owed me a favor in exchange for releasing him before you fully split my body." he hugged her close again and placed a sweet kiss full of longing on her lips. "In a few hours I would love to hear what has happened while I was away but for now I'm hungry for your body."

Lucy allowed him to lead her inside and directed him to her room. Later she would have to tell him about the sadness in her heart and the troubles that have arisen. But for now she wanted to forget and enjoy these precious moments with her Mpenzi wangu.

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Shade was surprised to see a car pull into her drive just ahead of her. Lona would be home soon and it sparked a protective instinct. Her anxiety disappeared as she saw her step daughter get out of the passenger side and the driver was Suzanna Talts, Emile's daughter. There was no sign of her former mate. Shade breathed a sigh of relief while her heart filled with sadness. Quickly parking behind the small red car. Shade jumped out and hugged Carrie close. Tears gathered in her eyes, Shade had missed Carrie so much. Smiling, she also gave Suzie a hug as well.

"It's good to see you Luna." the girl said.

Shade shook her head, "I am no longer the Luna."

Suzie smiled sadly and didn't contradict her.

"Come and let's go inside."

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Lona was guarded but immediately sensed a kindred spirit in Shade's ex-husband's daughter. They were lying about certain things but at the same time sticking as close to the truth as possible. Lona knew that patience and questions posed off guard but non threatening would be the best way to gain answers.

Facial cues also guided her in picking a line of questioning. People had a way of anticipating the way something is supposed to go. She could read their anticipation and quickly figure out how not to raise their natural sense of alarm.

There was a lot of pain that was obvious and everyone was avoiding talking about Shade's ex. To Lona, it was strange that Carrie had run away from her own father to see her ex-stepmother. The girl didn't flinch or cringe at sudden movements nor did she wince in discomfort, Lona decided that the abuse must have been emotional rather than physical.

Even stranger to Lona was that Shade longed for Carrie's father. She still loved him and Lona had the impression that they were bound together like a prisoner to their chains. Even after the cuffs are removed a person can still feel their weights.

It was odd and Lona couldn't quite put together why.

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They received a phone call in the middle of the night saying that Shade's fiance was injured and was being taken to this place called Cub Creek. The girls immediately assured her that they would be fine by themselves and would be heading back to bed.

Lona sat up on her bed thinking. The way that everyone reacted to the new was strange. It was almost as if they heard that Aquaman drowned in water or that Superman got shot. She would definitely have questions for the older girls in the morning.

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I debated on whether I should have added that last part in or not because I still have to write out everything that happened in Desert Rose Pack. So kinda put this last part in the back of your mind.

SPECIAL INFO... I've decided to hold a contest. I will pick at random from the first 10 voters for this chapter. Tomorrow night (Thursday, Sept 3, 2020 at 9 pm EST) I will announce the winner on my announcements. The winner will receive a private message from me. The "prize" is that they can ask one spoiler question. So if there's something you really want to know what happens then vote and if you're picked then I will answer to the best of my ability. Thanks!