Chapter 27

Furious did not describe the emotion Sophia felt as she carried her daughter back to the house. Megan wrapped her arms around her neck and settled her chin on her shoulder, looking behind them at the shed, oblivious to Sophia’s anger.

Frankly, she didn’t know who she was angrier with: Micah, for bringing that male into their private space, or at Megan for directly disobeying both Micah and her.

Confusion tore through her as she realized that beneath the spattered blood and vomit, she recognized him. She’d seen him when she practiced her astral projection. She never understood how he could see her, but he always seemed to be in an altered state, so maybe it opened up his mind. Sighing, she didn’t have time to think about how he’d seen her. She needed to deal with Megan and then find out why he was tied up in her shed.

She slammed the sliding glass door shut and winced as it trembled under her hand. That was the last thing they needed—broken glass raining down on them. Thankfully, it didn’t shatter.

She set Megan down, crossed her arms over her chest, and stared down at her daughter. Megan clasped her hands in front of her and studied at the ground.

“You disobeyed your father and me,” Sophia bit out. Her body shook in anger.

“I know, Mama.”

“What do you have to say for yourself?”

Megan continued to stare at the floor, and after a moment, Sophia lost it. “I’m speaking to you, child!” she yelled. “Look at me!”

Megan slowly raised her head. Sophia had expected to see tears, but instead, she saw defiance. For a moment, it took her breath away.

Her little girl’s rosebud mouth contorted into a flat line, and her eyes narrowed.

Sophia’s anger quickly evaporated, as she had never seen her daughter look so angry and upset. Why was Megan so furious?

“What is it?” Sophia asked, sinking to her haunches.

“Nothing,” Megan mumbled, her features melting back to their sweetness.

Despite the fact that something was going on with Megan, Sophia needed to get to the heart of the matter: Megan had disobeyed her.

“Why did you go out there when both Micah and I specifically told you not to?” Sophia asked in a gentle tone.

Megan shrugged, still not meeting Sophia’s gaze. “I wanted to see what was in the shed.”

It was a simple, honest answer. Sophia recalled her night of tossing and turning, wondering the same thing. The only difference was that Sophia took Micah’s warning as truth.

Who was that male in their shed? What were the odds that she had astral traveled to him? Why was he chained up like some animal? Why was he so ill, and what did Micah have planned for him?

“He’s sick, Mama,” Megan murmured.

“I know,” Sophia sighed, recalling the stench of the vomit.

“Mama, he said he’s human. His name’s Blake.”

A light flickered in Megan’s eyes, something Sophia hadn’t seen since Megan was a small child discovering her new blocks and combining the letter sounds together when she learned to read. It was excitement, a thrill of something new.

“Micah said he could hurt us,” Sophia pointed out.

Megan looked off to her right. “Is that why he’s tied up?”

“I-I guess so,” Sophia stammered.

Running her hand through her hair, she sighed. “Promise me you won’t go in that shed again,” Sophia said, standing to her full height.

Megan stared up at her. “Okay, but he’s sick. You need to help him.”

Sophia knew her daughter was right. She couldn’t imagine what that male had done to deserve being chained up in a shed, and he was obviously very ill. His body glistened with sweat, his skin was pasty white, and then, of course, there was the fact that he had vomited all over. Dried blood spattered his skin, but she couldn't tell if it was his own or someone else’s, and she wasn't sure which would be worse.

She did need to help him, despite her fear of him. No, she very well couldn’t just pretend he wasn’t there. In his current state, he looked as though he was on the path to death.

“I know, baby. I know.”