“Never knew her?”
“She died shortly after I was born.”
“Tragic.” She frowned. “Had she known she had magic, I imagine she would have left you a letter. Something to explain.”
Maybe. I hoped so. “She may never have known. We lived in the human world.”
“Oh, my.” She shook her head. “What a path I have set us on, to live in the human world so long.”
If my mother had survived, would we have found out what we were together?
I gripped Grey’s hand hard, drawing support from him. He rubbed my back with his other hand, and I looked at the woman. “I need to know what I am. I only know what I can do, and even that is ever changing.”
“You are coming into your power. It takes a while, with magic as strong as ours.”
“I need it to be strong.” I gestured to Grey. “We’re Cursed Mates, and our time is running short. A seer has told me that I can save us and that the answer is in my past, but I have no idea how.”
She frowned, her brow furrowing. “Really?”
“Yes. What are we? How do I break the curse?”
She bit her lip, clearly distressed. Her gaze moved between the two of us. “I did not anticipate this.”
“Neither did I,” Grey said. “But I want to spend my life with Carrow. Without your help, though, it’s going to be a very short life.”
The baby began to whimper, as if sensing its mother’s distress, and she rocked it carefully, her eyes shadowed. Finally, she looked at me. “I don’t know how our magic can possibly break the curse. But I can tell you what we are, at the very least.”
I nodded, wanting her to spill it all quickly.
“You are a Soulceress, a member of the only known line in Britain. Maybe the world.”
“Soulceress?” It was a mouthful.
She nodded. “We derive our power from our souls. From the souls of others, as well. It’s why you can touch people and know things about them. You are reading their soul.”
“And when I touch objects?”
“That power comes from your own soul.”
I looked back at Grey. “Have you heard of these types of supernaturals?”
“Only by name,” he said. “I never knew the extent of their power.”
“But I can do more than read objects and people,” I said. “I brought my friend back from the dead.”
She smiled, tears sparking in her eyes. “That is a power so rare that only the strongest of us possess it. My grandmother did.”
“How did I do it?”
“May I touch you so that I can understand the circumstances fully?” She lifted her ungloved hand. “I know the theory behind your magic, but understanding your situation will help.
I nodded and held out my hand, palm up. She gripped it gently, her hand cold and firm. But warmth flowed through me, her magic touching mine.
Was this what my power felt like to others?
It was nice.
Evangeline drew in a steady breath, and I could feel her magic inside me, poking around for answers. Finally, she opened her eyes and met my gaze, though she did not drop my hand.
“When you truly love someone—deeply and forever—your soul touches theirs. Bonds to it in an unbreakable way. If they die before you, and you have trouble letting them go, then their soul will resist death.”
Shock raced through me. “I kept Beatrix on Earth? Like a ghost?”
“Not quite like a ghost. Ghosts are here of their own volition. They need magical energy to stay on this plane instead of being dragged to the afterlife, but they produce it on their own.”
“Beatrix said that after she died, she was drawn to my friend Eve, a Fae.”
Evangeline nodded. “This makes sense. When she died, your soul expended a massive amount of energy to draw her back from death. I believe she became a raven because it is tied to her magic and was an easier form to maintain. But she needed to find an energy source if she was to survive on Earth until you could find her again.”
“So she found Eve.”
“Yes. There is something about Eve’s magic that gave Beatrix the power to stay on this plane. You were drawn to each other. No doubt she found Eve because fate wanted to help her find you. Once you had the book, it gave you the strength and focus to finish the spell that would keep her from death.”
My mind was spinning. “So Beatrix is back for good and will live a normal life?”
“Yes. You have prevented her death this one time. But there’s no guarantee you can do it again if another of your friends dies. Circumstances must be right. Once you yank them from the brink of death, their soul needs an energy source to sustain them until you can find them and bring them back for good.”
I drew in a bracing breath. This was all so damned much. I looked at Grey, not liking where this was possibly leading us. “How does this help me break the curse on Grey and me?”
“That, I do not know. But I can feel that you aren’t fully embracing your power.”
“How can I embrace it if I don’t know what it is?”
“We never know what the future holds for us, nor what we are truly capable of. Not until we are tested.”
“And I haven’t been tested yet?”
“Perhaps not.” She shrugged. “But I do know that you have shied from your duty as leader of the Shadow Guild, and that cannot help.”
“I thought you said you were running away so your children wouldn’t be forced to serve as leader.”
“Forced being the key word. But you are not forced, are you? You want it, I believe.”
Icy fear stabbed me at the thought of so much responsibility. “I’ve just discovered I’m magical, now I’m meant to be a guild leader? It’s crazy.”
“Only if you let your fear drive you and stop you from growing. Stop you from taking your rightful place.”
“And if I do this, my magic could grow in a way that helps me save Grey?”
“I believe it’s possible, yes. You must embrace everything that you are and have faith in yourself if you want to be powerful enough to save him. To save yourself.”
I heaved out a breath, worried.
She pressed the book into my hands. “Take this. Claim your place and believe in yourself. That is your only way forward.”
I gripped the book, hating that the solution to our problems was so vague and difficult. Believing in myself was a hell of a lot harder than accomplishing a set task, like fighting demons or finding a magical potion.
“That book will help you with your magic.” Evangeline nodded to it. “Keep it safe, always, and use its power when you need it.”
“Thank you.”
She nodded and stood. My heart raced, my skin chilling. Our time was almost over. She was finished, it was obvious, and ready to make a run for it. Ready to put the wheel of my past in motion.
I stood. “Can I visit you?”
Her eyes flickered with surprise. “You mean use the book to return to this time and find me?”
I nodded. “Yes. You’re the only living family I have.”
“Living?” She smiled. “I suppose that depends on what timeline you are in.”
I winced. She was right. She’d be dead and dust by the time I went back through the library.