Our Demonic Hearts - The Craven Pact Book 1

Chapter 16: Conniption

She returned to the present day with a gasp, staring up at the stormy sky. She felt as if she was falling back at first before a pair of hands grabbed onto hers and she was pulled forward. She breathed heavily, trying to process exactly what happened. I saw his mom, but I also saw...Beau's last memory of her? Or at least the last important memory. Had the spell taken that from Beau to use it?

"Are you alright?" Beau asked hastily, his hands still holding her arms. She finally focused on him and the blood that covered his face. His eyes were wide with fear, as if afraid she had seen something she shouldn't have, and she did. He decided he wanted me dead all those years ago, and the woman we were looking for had convinced him of this.

She decided to act civil for now. Six years was enough to change somebody's opinion of another person and besides, she didn't truly know what went down in that basement, but now she had a basic idea.

"I had trouble reaching your mind. There was some kind of blockage." She murmured.

Beau looked away with a shameful look on his face. He took his hands off of her and crossed his arms. "I..." His brows knitted in worry. "I have a glamour. On my face. It hides my—my scars. Judas put it on there. He's good with glamour and illusion spells."

Of course. It all made sense now. Why he had scars on every part of his body except for his face, why his hair didn't move even when the wind blew fiercely. He knew it would give her a problem, but he didn't tell her.

She grabbed the grimoire and knife and stuffed them in her bag angrily. "It would've been nice if you told me that so I wouldn't have to almost kill myself trying to complete the fucking spell."

"No wait—I just—I was afraid, Ana. I didn't hide it from you out of—out of malice, I swear. I just don't like showing my real face, I promise you!" He held his hands out as if to stop her hands from stuffing her items into her bag, but they didn't touch her.

She looked back at his pleading face and realized he still was covered in her blood. She sighed and reached into her bag again, ignoring the dizzying feeling the sudden fast motions had caused, and handed him a bottle of water and a rag. "Clean your face."

She turned away from him and let her legs dangle off the side of the rock. She covered her face with her hands and took a deep breath in, ignoring the vertigo feeling looking down at the ground had given her. She had used up magic reserves she technically didn't have, and now she payed the price. She felt horrible and sick. Blood leaked from her nose, and she did nothing to stop it. Whatever strength and vigor Beau's spell had given her was now gone, and she suddenly felt like falling asleep on this rock. She couldn't, unfortunately. There was a man behind her who was eager to see her dead when they were just kids.

She slowly turned around and back to Beau. His face was now clean, the bottle and rag sitting next to him. There were still flecks of dried blood near his hairline, however. He gave her a concerned look, but otherwise didn't make a comment about her visible fatigue.

"What...did you see?" He tentatively asked.

Ana glared at him, or her best shot at a glare. Her eyes were threatening to close while she was still awake, which she didn't like. She had to stay conscious until she got home.

"Random things about your mother...what you thought of her. Random shit." She murmured. She reached into her bag for another rag and held it to her nose. "After that, I was taken to somewhere with a yellow barrier. I couldn't get past it, no matter what I tried. Then...somebody appeared. I didn't know who they were, but they...spoke to me before I was thrown back here. Yellow eyes, masculine voice. They smelled like cypress and benzoin, I think."