Bound by Spells & Regrets

Chapter 28: Harper

"Enough questions. You ask too many." Dawn's voice is ice, her eyes gleaming with malice. "Get on the plane, or your little mate gets it." She gestures toward Nora, and Oliver growls low, his muscles tensing, ready to attack. But I place a hand on his shoulder, knowing full well that if it weren't for the bracelet, he would have already struck—and lost Nora in the process.

"Oliver's willing to go. There's no need for this." I raise my hands in surrender. "Mom, you can let her go. He knows he has to go back."

"He has to get on. I promised Kane I'd handle this for him," Dawn replies, her voice carrying the weight of that cursed name. Kane, Drake's father. Even speaking his name feels like a sin. He was a monster, a figure that a lot of buried along with our darkest memories, seems like Dawn is holding a candle for him. She shoves Nora to the ground, and Oliver rushes over, frantic to check on her. Titus moves to grab him, but I quickly cast a spell, pinning his feet to the floor with glue shoes—an old childhood trick that always worked when I needed to escape.

"Mom, listen to me!" I say, my voice cracking with emotion. Her eyes, black and hollow, fixed on mine. "He never loved you. You weren't his mate." I search for something—anything in her face, but she just watches me, waiting. A tear slips down my cheek.

"I know," she says quietly, without a hint of emotion.

"Then why do this?" I ask, the question hanging between us, heavy with disbelief.

"I can't stop," she whispers, her voice softening. "I'm too far gone, my sweet girl. The voices..." For a moment, I see the mother I once knew—the one who held me when I was scared, the one who showed me magic with wonder in her eyes. And now, I see my future in her—a mirror of what could happen if I don't walk away from this life, from Drake. Darkness has always plagued our family, and I was already too close to the edge.

"Mom..." A tear rolls down my face as I reach for her.

"He's coming," she says suddenly, her voice trembling.

"Who?" I ask, dread twisting in my gut.

"Kane," she whispers, pulling me closer, her grip soft yet strange—almost tender. "Royal Blood twins bound by fate, their blood breaks the gate. Magic is fading... fading... fading. And when it does, he'll be free. The son—he doesn't know. I lie to him. I lie to him a lot. He is silly to trust." Her gaze locks onto mine, and in that moment, I realize she's speaking to me as my mother. Every word she's said—the gibberish, the warnings—it was all true. Dawn is the dark witch, and my mom has been trying to warn me all along. I remember my dad telling me that dark magic voices are past witches pushed into the darkness and never escaped.

"Royal blood," I murmur, glancing over at Oliver, who's cradling Nora, making sure she's okay. She doesn't look happy with him, but at least she's safe.

Suddenly, Dawn grabs my hair, yanking me down to the ground. "You naive little girl. Don't believe everything she tells you." she snarls, pushing me away.

I could feel the dark magic calling to me, whispering promises of power and help. But this would be my fate, just like my mother, who looked at me with eyes so black they seemed beyond repair.

I am not alone. I am worthy. I can do this. I am smarter than the dark magic; I've fooled many witches in the past. Most are too distracted by their thirst for power to see the truth. And lucky for me, I've lived by the book of rebellion and learned a few tricks of my own.

"Get away from me!" I shout, shoving her back.

"Oh, you think you can take me? Is that what you believe?" Her laugh is sharp, cutting through the air. "Many have tried, few have survived."