Page 9 of Beautiful Madness

But she was wrong, wasn’t she?

And there was still one thing Ineeded to know. “What was she?” I looked at her then, and I was cold andslightly numb, my emotions have fled with my returning memories. For now, atleast. For now. “What am I?”

“What you were,” she said. “Youhave to understand. We saw no signs at all that you were…that you were anythingother than your father’s wolf.”

“But you know now that I ammuch more than my father’s wolf,” I said. “Much more than his child. What madeyou realize that?”

Joe wrapped his huge armsaround me and pulled me back against him, and his warmth was like heaven. I wasso very cold.

“You have magic,” she said.“The elder told me what he saw.”

“I am like my birth mother,” Isaid.

“Yes,” she said, her voiceheavy with grief. “And I can’t help you. I’m not enough for that. I mademistakes, Kaity, and for that, I apologize. But I will never be sorry fortaking you from that monstrous, heartless cunt. I will never be sorry forkilling her.”

And suddenly, I felt my demonblade like a fire at my side. I closed my eyes, and when I opened them again,my mind was clear. “I’m a demon,” I said.

She’d bitten her lip so hard itwas bleeding, but even as I watched, it repaired itself. “We believe yourgrandfather was a demon,” she said. “But your grandmother wasn’t. She passed onwhat she was to your birth mother.”

“Don’t make me ask again,” Isaid. “Please.”

“Shapeshifter,” she whispered.“Kaity, you’re a shapeshifter.”

Fuck then. No wonder I wasfucking mad.

And I began to laugh, becauseif I hadn’t, I was pretty sure I would have lost my mind forever.

Chapter Five

I was torn up, and even as Isat at the kitchen table, two hours later, devouring everything set before me,I couldn’t help but wonder why my alpha hadn’t come striding through the door,demanding to know why he’d felt that I was hurt.

And I wondered what he wouldthink of me now.

My mother wanted me tounderstand that they’d had me spelled because they’d had no choice, and as Iwas eating and she was talking, I had another memory, one that made meunderstand my father a little better.

I was a wild thing, out of mymind, snarling, terrified, snapping at the air anytime he or my new mother gotnear me. If they got too close, I bit them, or kicked them, or hit them, and deepinside, I never stopped screaming.

And one day, my father hadenough. He grabbed me by my small, bony shoulders and shook me, even as mymother stood in the background and wrung her hands and yelled at him not tohurt me.

He’d ignored her. He got in myface, his grip tight on my flesh, and snarled, “Shut the fuck up, princess.You’ll stop this shit right now, and you’ll behave. Do you understand me?”

And it was like a switch wasflipped. All it had taken was a hard grip, a stern voice, and the fact thathe’d called me princess. It was as though things made sense again.

It had worked, and he’d neverstopped. He’d begun training me hard, then, but he’d never lost that anger. Iknew I’d been a burden, but my mother had given him no choice. He would accepthis responsibility.

I’d reveled in the training.The hard physical exercise had been what I’d needed, tiny child though I’dbeen. It had exhausted me, but it hadn’t tamed me. The memory spell had donethat.

They’d made me forget, buttheynever had. My father showed it, but Susan had genuinely loved me. She’dwanted what was best for me, even though I’d have been a reminder of the painher beloved husband had put her through. Her love for me had only grown, and Ididn’t doubt it.

I knew she’d be wondering nowif my love for her would survive.

She helped Lucy and Joe cook mesome food, lots of food, and she talked. There wasn’t a lot more she could tellme, but now that she’d started, she couldn’t seem to stop. I knew she wasfueled by anxiety and worry and fear, because she had no idea how I would feelabout her now. Would I hate her, reject her, hurt her?

Maybe she wondered if the pastwould release my inner monster and I’d become someone else. Someone…evil. MaybeI was a little afraid of that, too.

But the elders had set me onthis path, and they would help me learn my powers and my strengths. They’d helpme figure myself out. No, they were not kind, benign creatures, and they could easilytear me to pieces, but they were my people.

And after everything I’dlearned, I wasn’t afraid for myself.Ofmyself, yeah. But not formyself. I mean, seriously. Apparently I was a mutant demon/wolf/shapeshifterpsycho with built-in magic. I had nothing to fear—not physically anyway.