Manny’s POVWhile Lexi was outside making a ton shit of noise, Clara and I were inside the room talking about ourselves.During the course of the conversation, it became incredibly difficult to concentrate because of Lexi banging the door. Clara got scared.Clara’s hand clutched mine so tightly I could feel the tremor in her palm. Her wide eyes searched my face as though she feared I might abandon her at any moment. “Manny, don’t let her come for me,” she whispered, with her voice breaking, her lips quivering. “She’ll destroy me, she has always hated me, you know that. Please, promise me you won’t let her touch me.”I stroked her hair gently, the hair was really smooth, the strands got into my fingers easily. “I will not let her hurt you,” I said firmly, steadying my voice so she could believe me completely. “I will handle Lexi. She does not understand you the way I do.”Her lower lip trembled as tears welled up in her eyes. “She wants to turn everyone against me. You’re the only
Lexi’s POV“Jax, tell me you saw it too,” I whispered as soon as Manny stormed away with Clara in his arms, leaving everyone in stunned silence.Jax’s face was pale, his lips pressed tightly together as if he was trying to stop himself from saying something that would only worsen the storm. He leaned closer, lowering his voice so the others wouldn’t hear. “I told you, Lexi. When I was in her room, I noticed strange signs, marks in her room. Something carved into the air, like invisible threads… I knew it did not feel ordinary.”His words made my chest burn with a mixture of fear and fury. “And you did not look into it a bit more?”“I figured we would deal completely with Wayne first,” he admitted, guilt flashing across his eyes. “I didn’t want to come to you with half-truths, not when things are already so tense. But Manny’s change… it isn’t natural. Whatever she’s done, it’s twisting his mind.”I looked toward the hallway where Manny had vanished with her. My own disbelief still clu
Clara’s POVThe moment Manny shouted for the guards to release me, I was relieved. It was subtle at first, like the faint spark of recognition in the back of my mind, but I felt it, I knew it. The spell, it had begun to work. My body trembled, though not from fear, not from despair like the others assumed. It was from the thrill that ran through me, a delicious certainty winding through my veins.The guards’ hands let go of my arms, and I collapsed onto the cold floor, my hair falling over my face. Tears streamed down my cheeks, not entirely forced this time, though my reasons for crying were not what they thought. I pressed my palms to the ground, shaking with the weight of everything that had just happened, then lifted my face to Manny.“You always do this to me,” I whispered, my voice cracked, broken. “You always turn everyone against me, you never once believe me, no matter how much I beg you, no matter how much I try to prove myself. Why is it always me, Manny? Why do you al
Lexi’s POV“Wayne, stay strong, I know it was a long night. Do you want me to carry you or you are alright?” I whispered as I guided him down the hall, his small hand slipping against mine, warm but weak.“I’m fine, Mom,” he murmured, though his voice cracked with fatigue, “I just need a little sleep, I will be 100%, Dexter should still be asleep by now.”I forced a smile for him, though worry gnawed at me. “Yes, definitely, it's still very early.”The early morning light filtered through the windows, it was not very bright as the day had not yet fully broken but it was enough to guide our steps toward the boys’ room.I had promised Wayne we would wake Dexter together, and today would feel normal, we could even step out for some ice cream or go see a movie. But as soon as I pushed the door open, a stillness met us that did not feel right.Dexter's bed was empty, I checked the bathroom, no one was in the room. Blankets were tossed aside as if he had left in a rush. His shoes were gon
Clara’s POVI had known they would try something like this eventually, I could practically feel their desperation clinging to the air of the house. It was not difficult to piece things together when Wayne kept looking weaker every day and Lexi hovered over him like a mother bird guarding her fragile chick.The unusual visitors that came under the cover of night, it didn’t take much for me to know they were planning an unbinding ritual, they thought they were clever, but they were predictable. Manny thought ignoring me would make me crumble, Lexi thought her concern for Wayne would be enough to outwit me, but all it did was open the perfect door for me to walk through.I sat by the window of my room, I could hear their voices downstairs, muffled but urgent, Manny’s tone was sharp, Lexi’s softer but insistent, and another voice I did not recognize, the rogue healer, of course, they had finally reached out to the very people they should not have and the thought brought a curl of satisf
Lexi’s POV“Wayne, talk to me,” I said softly as I sat by his bedside, brushing damp strands of hair from his forehead. His skin looked very pale. “I am fine, Mom,” he whispered, though the rasp in his voice betrayed him. He coughed again, a sharp, tearing sound, and when I handed him the cloth, he pressed it to his lips before quickly turning it away from me.I caught the faint red stain before he could hide it under his blanket. “You’re not fine,” I said, struggling to keep my voice steady. “You’re coughing blood, Wayne. This isn’t just a cold, it is not normal.”His eyes flickered with guilt, like he hated himself for worrying me, but he didn’t deny it either. He just curled tighter into the blanket, his lashes low as though sleep could protect him from the truth.I reached for his hand, holding it, willing my strength into him. “I promise you, we’ll figure this out. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”The thought settled in my chest like lead. This had to be one of Clara's doings. Ev