Page 71 of His Rejected Fated Mate

I ran like my life depended on it. I slipped into the large meeting room, locking the door behind me. I turned and stared at the tapestry hanging. I hurried over and yanked on it. I didn’t want to move it. I wanted to rip the damn thing off the wall. I was sick of the secret that the door was hidden. I was sick of all the lies.

I yanked like my life depended on it. I could hear slamming on the door, and I knew they would get it open in just a few moments. I heard the tapestry start to rip. It gave way and came crashing down. I grabbed the door and pulled it open.

I could hear yelling, Troy, Riley, and Janella’s voices mixing with the guards. I knew a fight was likely to break out, but I didn’t stop.

I stumbled down the stairs, and I could feel the magic filling the air. It smelled like rotten corpses, and even I couldn’t stop my stomach from churning over. The smell had grown stronger, and it worried me.

I kept moving, heading straight down the hallway to the door. I could see a glow beneath the door now, and hear a woman’s voice.

“Help.” Her voice was soft, as if she were clinging to life but starting to lose her hold.

I grabbed the door.

“Stop!”

I paused just as Martin and the council came down the stairs, just a few feet behind me. “You do not have permission to go in there, Elize.”

I swallowed, staring at my uncle for just a moment. The man I looked up to. The person I thought was on my side and wanted what was best for me. I’d been so wrong.

I threw the door open and stepped inside.

The room was beaming with magic, and the walls were vibrating. The cauldron was bubbling, but this time it was bubbling over. It was spilling onto the ground, seeping into the concrete. That voice was bouncing around, echoing off the walls.

Help. Help. Help.

Over and over it rang, and my head felt like it was going to explode. It felt like someone was grabbing my head, trying to shove nails into it.

I could feel the magic reaching out, trying to hold onto me. I knew from a young age not to let it. I was warned that when you allowed evil magic in, it took hold of your body, and you were no longer yourself. No one knew if you could ever free yourself. I shove at it, not wanting it to get attached.

But then something snapped into my head.

I was standing in the middle of the woods. It was a crisp, beautiful day. Ahead of me was a woman wearing white. She was holding a black leather book to her chest. She had long black hair and had a veil over her face. Even from here, I could see her smile as she turned slowly. She was excited.

I quickly realized it was a wedding. I turned my attention and stiffened when I spotted a small group just a few feet from her. I knew all of their faces even though they were much younger. I had grown up around them, spent endless hours talking with them all.

I felt like I was going to be sick as my uncle stepped forward. “He won’t be coming, and you are not welcome here anymore,” he told her in a sharp, cold tone. “Leave or suffer the consequences.”

I watched her face fall, and her hands dropped. “Where’s Paul?” she asked in a soft voice. I could see the heartbreak in her eyes.

“Paul’s not coming,” they said. “He didn’t want to marry you. He never wanted to marry you.”

I came slamming back to myself and fell over, but I was holding something in my arms now. I looked down, and in my arms was the black leather book she’d been clutching. I couldn’t breathe as I went over the scene again. I knew whatever I had witnessed was connected to the cauldron.

“Elize.” Troy was at my side, his hands holding me tightly against him. “Are you okay?”

I turned my attention up. Questions swirled in my head. Who was this woman? And how was she connected to the cauldron? And if she was, was she the one who was doing all of this? I looked right at the council members, feeling rage. “What did you do?”

Their faces gave nothing away, and I pulled myself up. “What did you do!” I screamed now.

I spotted Janella standing next to Riley. Dustin and Titus stood right next to them. All eyes were on the council now.

Laura frowned. “What had to be done.”

“Where did this cauldron come from!” I snapped.

“We don’t know.”

“That’s bullshit! Tell me the truth!” I was screaming now, and Troy reached for me.