The End of Innocence: Book 3 of the Kinstone series

“Mom,” I softly cry out, “Mom?!”

I feel a hand clenching tightly to mine, “Shhh. I’m here, my love.”

I open my eyes to see her hovering over me. Her violet eyes stare softly into mine. Tears softly drip down and onto my face.

She chuckles, “Forgive me, sweetheart,” wiping them away, “I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to wake up.”

My body felt heavy but I was lying on something soft and warm, with something covering my body. My eyes darted around, noting I’m in a darkened room.

“Where am I?” I ask weakly.

She smiles, clutching my hand even tighter, “You’re home,” choking up, “you’re home, my love.”

I look to her, “How long was I out? I just remember you holding me in the field.”

She leans in and gently kisses my forehead, “You have been asleep for the past two days. Your body was so severely injured that it completely shut down. But it allowed your aunt and I to effectively repair it without worry of you waking.”

My gaze turns to see my right arm completely bandaged. I try to flex my fingers only to be met with minor pops from the joints.

She caresses my cheek, “Many more have been worried for you, my precious. Many who will be so overjoyed to hear that you have finally awakened.” I smile, body feeling heavy on the bed.

I pan around, seeing that I was in my room. The drapes and curtains sway softly against the drum of the ceiling fan. The aroma of summer wildflowers fills the room, no doubt a gift from Velhemina.

They smell sweet and gentle, but with a hint of spice to them. I imagined lying down in the field on a hot summer day, feeling the sun beating tenderly on my face, listening to the wind blow across the tall grass. Heh…you really know how to set a mood, don’t you auntie?

I groan, shifting my left arm under me, slowly pushing up on it.

She looks to me, holding onto me, “Sweetheart, you really shouldn’t be moving at all. Your body is still far from fully recovered.” I didn’t listen, still wanting to sit up.

She sighs, “Stubborn girl,” helping me up, then pushes a few pillows against my back, propping it up.

My joints pop and creak, causing me to wince. I pant lightly, now fully upright.

Rachel gently sits on the bed, tenderly stroking my cheek, “I thought I had lost you forever, my girl.”

I nuzzle her hand, “I thought so too,” leaning into her. She smiles, holding me close to her chest. I then looked around, barely able to see much of anything at first.

The soft, silvery light pours in from the balcony door, illuminating the room. Nothing has changed since the night of the attack, with everything still in its proper place. I pan over to the door seeing that the hallway too was dark. She must’ve left the light off in case I woke up, not wanting to be bothered by it.

I giggle to myself, eyeing a small stack of handmade get-well cards, no doubt made by the pups. A small pang of worry creeps into me, “Mom…where’s Fenris?”

She smiles, “Your bonded is sleeping on the other side of the bed. He didn’t want to rouse you while you were unconscious.”

I peer over, hearing the soft yet heavy rhythm of him breathing coming from opposite side of my bed.

“Is he okay?” asking softly.

She softly kisses the top of my head, “A few broken ribs and burns across his face, all easily treated. He’s fortunate his ice was able to counter the felfire, otherwise it would’ve caused even more damage to him.” He shifts slightly against the bed, feeling it move somewhat.

She then chuckles, “You know, I just realized that it is going to take some time to get accustomed to here you call me ‘Mom’. Not that I ever said that you couldn’t. To be honest, I became used to you calling me ‘Rachel’.”

I giggle, clinging to her, “Well…it’s what you are to me. Plus…I can’t call you anything else now. It’s kinda stuck in my brain.”

She smiles, kissing my temple, “My sweet girl. My sweet and brave girl.”

I lean into her, “Regulus also was the one who leaked my existence. He figured that someone would come and check on me. Turns out that Beltrok was the one who took up the call.”

Rachel sighs, stroking my hair, “So he’s the reason for your exposure to the Court. I must thank him the next time I see that arrogant man.” My face nuzzles deeply into her chest. “But think nothing of it for now my love. Rest. Rest my child.”

Her hand gently strokes my left arm, humming softly to me. I bury my face into her chest, clinging to her. I’m home, I thought, home with my mother, in my bed, and alive. She places another kiss onto the top of my head.

My eyes slowly close, not to fall back asleep, but merely to melt away to her humming. I take in a few deep and heavy breaths, once more filling my nose with her scent.

My mother’s scent has always been able to the melt away any and all defenses I could possibly erect. It was one of the first things about her which calmed me the first time I arrived at the Estate, and had continued to be something which I couldn’t help but become a small child whenever in fill the room.

Right now I am a little girl, being held by my mom. She who gave me a new life to live, a new home to call my own, a family who loves me, an entire world that I still wish that I had been born into. I didn’t care that I’ve been nearly killed on multiple occasions, right now that didn’t matter to me.

For nearly three years, I have been hers, hers entire. The name she had given me been forever etched into my heart, from the very moment I first placed the necklace around my neck and became hers.

My necklace…the first thing she had given me which started me down this long path to becoming forever hers. I cherish it more than any treasure within my collection. She made it for me, to experience an entirely new world, a world full of new and exciting possibilities. It nearly never leaves my neck, serving as constant reminder of her love towards me.

She infused her own mana into it, which forged a bond between us, unbreakable, unshakable, and eternal. A bond which stretches across time, and only reinforcing the one which began so long ago. It seems as though the person I used to be feels so distant, almost a faint memory or inkling, like a past life, kind of funny when you think about it. So much of me is because she sent this necklace to me.

I let go of her shirt and take hold of the necklace, rolling it gently between my fingers. I eyes flare open, looking down at it, “It’s gone,” gazing back up at her, “I can’t sense it anymore.”

She looks to me, “What, my love?”

I clench the crystal tightly within my hand, “I can’t sense ‘him’ anymore.”

Rachel takes the crystal into her hand, stroking it softly with her thumb. Her eyes also grow huge, “You’re right. I can’t sense any trace of what used to be you within it.” She then peer down at me, staring deeply into my eyes, gasping, “All of the mana which still remained of your past self has emptied out of you.”

I look into her eyes, “What does this mean?”

She smiles, placing the crystal back into my hand, “It means that you truly are a girl, right down to your very soul. Free of your past, free to forge a new destiny for yourself as my daughter. Free of the worry which I know has gripped your heart for over a year. You are mine now and forever, Aria.”

I hold the necklace in my hand, stroking it. “Something lost, but something gained. A piece broken, now remade. A soul in turmoil, now at peace. A past sacrificed, a future reforged,” whispering softly.

Her brow curls, “How…how do you know that poem?”

I stare at the crystal, “It came to me in a dream. Something I…was told,” glancing up at her, “do you know what it means?”

She gives a soft nod, “It is a Dewlouran poem, meant only for when a person is truly reborn into a new soul.”

I lean back into her chest, “So I really have been reborn into a girl.”

She holds me even tighter to her chest, “Yes. Yes you have, my beloved daughter. My most precious and treasured creation.” I smiled, as she resumed her humming.

I feel a weight being lifted off of my chest, a weight which I had been carrying for so long, and a worry which I had often pushed to the back of my mind. I am now her girl, hers, all and entire. Though not born to her, I had been reborn through her. I can now live my life as a girl, free of my past. I have an uncertain path ahead of me, an uncertain future. I am Aria.

I close my eyes, letting the necklace drop back onto my chest. “I grew my ninth tail, Mom,” I say, but not having the strength to even allow myself to transform.

She grins, “I know, my love, and I know many shall be eager to not only hear of it, but more importantly see you walking about the Manor.” I bury my face into her chest, breathing in her scent. My mom…my mom.

“Has there been any word from Marron?”

Her humming stops suddenly, her grip loosening. “No…none at all. But I suspect we won’t for some time.”

I peer up at her, “Mom, she’s innocent. They used her to get to me. I know she took me, but please…please, don’t hate her. They were going to kill her after they brought us out of that dream.”

Her violet eyes narrow, staring into mine for a moment, “I know, my love. But the fact remains that she still abducted you right in front of my eyes. That fact alone stings all the more deeply.”

She pulls back slightly, brushing my hair. “If she is to return, she must face those she wronged.” Her gaze becomes sullen, “Taking you in the manner that she did…she betrayed the coven. That carries stiff penalties. At best she faces expulsion, which means she no longer can associate with anyone from the coven. That includes you.”

Tears begin to well up in my eyes, “No…but Mom. Please…no. I’ll defend her; I’ll stand up for her. I’ll do anything, but please don’t hurt her.”

She shakes her head, slowly drawing away from the bed, “I sorry, my love. But our laws are quite clear. She must come back and face judgment.”

Tears roll down my face, “No...”

I don’t care if she took me, she’s still my big sister and I will do anything for her. She was there at the beginning of it all, helping me find myself as a girl, gave me a refuge from the world, even if only a brief one.

Marron is the final piece in my heart, the one I care for more than anything aside from my mother. Even when away from me, she was still there regardless. I could always count on her to be there for me if I ever needed her.

She looks me over, “I need to go and change your bandages, and since you are awake, you are more than likely a bit hungry.”

I stare up her, “Mom…please.”

She shakes her head, “No,” turning and heads for the door, slowly closing it behind her.

I sit alone in my room, hearing only Fenris’ breathing humming in the darkness. Tears stream down my cheeks, looking down into my lap, feeling them dripping onto my bedcovers.

I can’t even begin to think of a world without Marron in it. She’s always been there for me. I still remember the first night of the Summer Gathering where she and I spent the night together. The first real chance she and I had alone with each other in so long.

My heart then leapt when I saw her again at the market, when she told me our long-standing dream was about to become a reality. My heart thumped hurtfully in my chest, longing for her. I’m not complete without her; she too is my family, my sister.

If she had sinned against me then I had against her. I held back so much from her, so many secrets. Secrets I thought were no longer needed in my life. I wished now more than ever to lay out my heart to her, to let her know the truth in my heart. To pour out everything I had so erroneously withheld from her.

I just wished she was here now so that I could talk to her. We could always talk, just merely being with each other was enough to lower our defenses and let our words come forth from within us.

There is so much I have done wrong, having made such terrible mistakes which now had real consequences. I wanted her here…now. I wanted to make thing right between us. But I just wanted to talk to her.

The silence felt deafening, even drowning out Fenris’ breathing. It rang heavily in my ears, making me feel even more alone, despite having my bonded sleeping on the other side of the bed. I close my eyes, feeling more and more tears drip onto the bed.

My chest tightens, ready to burst at the seams as my heart pounds with pain and longing. A large lump grows within my throat, ready to choke and cry. My hand clutches the covers, holding them tightly. A dam within me was beginning to burst at the seams, only just barely being held back. My head lowers, with tears flowing still.

“Aria?”

My heart flutters, wiping my tears. I open my eyes, expecting to see my mother walking towards me with fresh bandages. “Mom?”

“Sadly no, sweetie.”

My heart shutters, quickly looking up to see Marron standing at the opposite end of the bed, just a few feet away from me. I lean forward, not caring of the surging pain. She’s here…she’s actually here! Happiness swelled within me, brokering a smile. Yes…yes we can talk, that’s all I want. Just to talk, we can work things out.

She holds up her hand, “Stop, sweetie. Don’t hurt yourself more than you already are. I’m not going to stay.”

My heart froze for a moment. But…you’re here. You’re here and we can talk about everything.

She clenches her fists, holding them to her side, “Sweetie…what I did to you…was unforgivable.” Tears well up in her eyes, “I had the chance to make our dreams come true, to fulfill my promise to you. I was going to rebuild my life with you, to make things as they were when this all began. But in a moment of sheer stupidity, I threw that all away.”

Her voice chokes up, “I allowed myself to be swayed into taking you from your mother, out of a deep-seated sense of jealousy.”

Marron peers up to me, tears streaming down her face, glistening off of the moonlight, “Not only that, I abandoned you out of fear of what I had done. I abandoned you, and you were nearly killed.”

I hunch over onto the crawling desperately for her, “Marron.” My tears once more begin to well up. The dam holding back everything was beginning to crack. She is here in my room right now. I know what this leading up to and I don’t want it to happen.

She shakes her head, looking to me, smiling as more tears streamed down her face, “You are my baby sister, and I love you. Always and forever. But I need time…time to come to grips with what I have done. Maybe I will be able to forgive myself, but now…now I can’t.”

She peers down towards Fenris, who remains motionless, “I’m sorry…I’m so, so sorry, for everything I have done.”

My heart aches even more, slowly inching my way towards her, hoping to reach her in time, “Marron,” I call out to her. My throat feels tight and pained, ready to unleash everything within me. I completely ignore the surging pain within my body. “Please….please Marron.”

She takes a step back, keeping herself just that much out of my reach. “I’m sorry sweetie. But I can’t. Maybe I’ll come back, and then we can sort everything out. But now isn’t that time.”

She then pans over to the door, unclenching her fists, looking back to me, “I love you, my sweet Baby Ahri. I love you more than anything in this world. You will always be my baby sister, but for now…this is goodbye.”

The dam within me cracks even more, slowly letting out more and more, ready to burst completely. “Marron…please. Please don’t go. Please.” My heart flutters even harder in my chest. “Please…please Marron.” I outstretch my hand to her, hoping she’s take it. That if she did, she’s stay.

She smiles to me as she slowly begin to fade into the darkness of my room; “Goodbye…Aria.”

I stop just short of the foot of the bed. Lips quiver, heart felt as though it had shattered into a million pieces. Tears dripped onto the bedsheets, slowly at first, then more…and more. My head shakes in disbelief, watching her leave me once more. “No…please no.”

My sister’s image becomes less and less distinct, becoming more and more blurred as it dissolved. I wanted to do something, something to keep her here, if only just a bit longer.

But my mind is in a fog, nothing came forth. I stare into her eyes, watching as her image faded completely into the night, leaving little trace that she had in fact been there.

“Marron!!” I cry out to her.

The dam within me finally bursts forth. I lower my head into the bedsheets, sobbing bitterly. I cry and cry. My tears stain the sheets, letting out the wailings of a child. My hand clenches my sheets tightly almost ripping them apart. My hair drapes over my back, falling to the side.

She’s gone…Marron…please come back to me.