Phobia (Interracial Paranormal Romance) (Wisteria) (35 page)

Robinia
caught all the pins and the bag before they reached the ground. “I know.”

“
Tell me how this works,” Enric stepped up to the small stone girl.

Ignoring Enric, Robinia
answered Wisteria’s question, “I had to implant it in you, so you could generate a purple pulse to break the renewal.”

“
Humans cannot generate pulses,” Enric insisted.

“
Robinia, I thought only the Family could generate a pulse,” Garfield interjected.

“
Garfield, the purple pulse is temporary, but will allow Mistress three or four chances to unlock the mind of her friend,” Robinia related. “Or one chance to unlock the minds of three people.”

“
And then I recharge?” Wisteria examined the spot where the needle entered her arm. The tips of her fingers sparked for a second, but she felt nothing.

“
Not right away. The beadle pin is poisonous in high doses, so you will have to wait nine months from now, before you can absorb another,” Robinia replied.

“
No, give me a beadle pin.” Enric reached for the bag.

Robinia moved
it out of his grasp and sucked the bag into her stone body.

“
Robinia, I said give it to me,” Enric demanded.

“
She doesn’t listen to you. She obeys me and Wisteria.” Garfield smirked. “Ask nicely and I’ll get her to help you.”

“
Why would she obey you and not me?” Enric seethed.

Garfield smiled.
“I’m more important big guy, but I’ll tell you what. After she’s given me the booster shot, I’ll ask her to give you one.”

Enric became red
faced, but contained his anger.

“
Robinia, give me a needle?” Garfield asked cockily.

“
No,” the avatar answered calmly.

“
Very interesting,” Enric quipped.

“
Robinia, Wisteria told you to obey me.” Garfield frowned as he walked over to the avatar.

“
Mistress said I was to answer your questions,” Robinia retorted. “The answer to your question about the beadle pin is…
no
.”

“
Can Garfield be implanted with the needle too?” Wisteria wondered.

“
Like everything else here, you alone can use it. Mistress, if I gave it to him, he’d react badly.”

“
How badly?” Garfield inquired.

“
You would hear voices at first, followed by violent and vivid hallucinations and eventually death. Mistress, would you like me to proceed?” Robinia asked.

“
No,” Garfield declared.

“
Mistress, shall I proceed?” Robinia repeated.

“
Wisteria?,” Garfield called.

“
No, don’t,” Wisteria answered distracted as she stared down at Felip and Alba who were still under the watch of the sentries. “So, I could use this pulse to undo whatever Felip did to Alba?”

“
Very easily Mistress,” Robinia assured.

“
Wait, you sure you want to do this?” Enric’s voice became lighter. “You want to help my sister?”

“
After everything that girl put you and Bach through?” Garfield exclaimed. “You can’t be serious?”

“
She didn’t have a choice. Like Piper, Alba is a Drone. She deserves to be free.” Turning to Enric, Wisteria nodded. “Robinia, make the sentries release Alba to Enric.”

“
Yes, Mistress,” Robinia stated.

Enric bolted
out of the room.

“
You sure?” Garfield shook his head.

“
No.” She watched Enric speak to his sister. “But we need to test the pulse. If I’m going face to face with Bach again, I should make sure it works.”

Garfield chuckled.

“You think that’s heartless?” Wisteria asked.

“
Don’t get me wrong, I’d do the same thing,” Garfield concurred. “But it is a
little
heartless. There’s a little more of your mother in you than you realize.”

“
Right now, that might be a good thing.” Wisteria’s gaze didn’t waver.

E
nric returned, carrying Alba kicking and screaming.

“
Release me,” Alba shrieked as Enric put her down in the center of the room. “If you do not let me be with Felip, then you can kill me.”

“
What do we do now Robinia?” Wisteria felt nervous. “How do I help her?”

“
Place your hands on her temples,” Robinia instructed.

“
Do not touch me Terran
jaga
,” Alba cursed as she lunged for Wisteria.

“
Hold her still.” Wisteria asked Enric as she approached Alba.

“
Okay.” Enric placed his arms around his sister’s arms and torso to prevent her from moving. “Alba, relax. We are not going to hurt you.”

“
Enric, stop,” Alba screamed.

“
This will make you feel better,” he tried to assure her.

Alba
’s reaction was to scream and yell even louder.

Cautiously
, Wisteria put her hands on Alba’s hot temples. “Now what?”

“
Release a purple pulse into her,” Robinia said.

“
How?” Wisteria yelled over Alba’s wails.

“
Focus on the purple light,” Robinia replied.

After a few seconds
, Wisteria felt no change. “It’s not working.”

“
Get away from me. Felip help me,” Alba shouted at the top of her lungs.

“
Really, concentrate on unlocking her mind,” Robinia added. “Instinctively, you will understand what to do.”

Closing her eyes
again, Wisteria kept her hands against Alba’s head. She saw streaks of purple light shooting through the blackness. Her fingertips tingled and a strange sensation slowly took over her whole hand.

“
Bloody hell,” Garfield expressed.

“
D’cara
.” Enric swore.

Ope
ning her eyes, Wisteria was stunned to see her hands were pure white and emanated a lilac light, which lit up Alba’s whole head.

Dropping to her knees, Alba stared back at Wis
teria blankly with her mouth wide open.

“
When should I stop?” Wisteria called out.

“
When the light turns dark,” Robinia replied.

“
How long is that going to take? I—” As Wisteria spoke, her lilac light turned deep purple and almost black. She removed her hands.

Alba slumped back and was
caught by Enric.

T
rembling from exhaustion, Wisteria took a seat on a pile of books about Tirranna City. “Did it work?”

“
It should have worked.” Robinia answered.

Enric lift
ed his sister onto a dusty table.

“
Alba, can you hear me?” Enric brushed her flaxen hair out of her face.

“
Brother,” Alba muttered and opened her eyes. “What is going on?”

“
How do you feel?” Enric asked.

Alba blinked rapidly.
“What are you doing back so soon?”

“
Back from where?” Enric responded.

“
From the Great Walk? You were supposed to be in Terra with Bach and Felip. Has something happened to Bach?”

“
Alba, the Great Walk ended years ago. You do not remember?” Enric asked.

“
What are you talking about? You left eighty-nine or ninety days ago.” Alba struggled to her feet. “Enric, why are Terrans here? Have you got new Thayns?” Bewildered, she stared at Wisteria and Garfield.

Wisteria felt her heart beat pick up. Chances
were this version of Alba would still hate humans. Wisteria hoped Enric would be able to convince her they were on the same side—for now.

“
Come to think of it, where are we? Why are we in such an old and disgusting place?” Alba wiped the dust off her dress.

“
Listen a lot has happened that I cannot explain right now, but—” Enric started.

“
What is this?” Curiously, Alba fixated on the large glass window with the view of stacks of books and artifacts in the atrium. “Enric this isn’t Jarthan. Where are we?”

“
We are in the Moon Desert,” he revealed.

“
You have abandoned the Great Walk and returned to our realm?” Alba’s eyes widened. “You have to leave before Father discovers this or he will be furious. Bach will definitely cover for you, so we—”

“
Father is dead,” Enric whispered solemnly.

Alba rolled her eyes.
“No, I saw him this morning. Are you sure you are all right?”

“
He died over two years ago. You just do not remember.” Approaching her, Enric took her hands. “You were renewed.”

“
I am not Terran,” Alba scoffed. “I cannot be renewed.”

“
I do not understand it myself, but your mind was not your own when our father died,” Enric continued.

Wisteria couldn
’t imagine the pain of having to explain something so devastating.

“
Please say this is a joke?” Tears rolled down from Alba’s pale green eyes.

“
I wish I could.” Enric shook his head.

“
He is gone?” Alba buried her head against her brother’s chest. “What happened to him? Was he sick?”

So they
do cry?
Wisteria had always wondered.

“
He was murdered,” Enric replied. “By Felip.”

“
What?” Wisteria blurted out.

They all knew Alba murdered him.

“Shh,” Garfield whispered to Wisteria. “Do we really want her even more unstable right now?”

“
How? Why did he do it?” Alba asked.

“
When I get back, I will tell you everything,” Enric promised. “Right now, you have to wait here.”

“
You’re not going to leave her here with all the artifacts?” Wisteria cocked her head to the side.

“
Now that she is free of his hold, I do not want him near her again.” Enric looked firm about it. “So, it is either she remains or Felip does.”

“
Enric, we can’t. The things here are too important.” Wisteria objected.

“
My sister is a good person and no longer the person Felip made her. I trust her. Is that not enough?” Enric shot back.

“
No, I barely trust you,” Wisteria admitted. “And your sister? Granted she’s—better, but I still can’t leave her here.”

“
The avatar said the artifacts can be used by your people, so, what is the worst that can happen? The sentries and Robinia will be here. Alba will be safe until we have stopped High Father.”

“
I…” Wisteria bit at her lip. “I don’t know.”

“
Enric, why do you allow your Thayn to talk to you that way?” Alba studied Wisteria curiously. “I am confused.”

“
She is not my Thayn,” Enric replied and sighed very, very heavily. “She is my
friend
.”

“
Your friend?” Wisteria coughed.

Alba stared at Enric as if he
’d suddenly turned green and had grown horns. “Please, do not tell me you have communed with it?”

“
Alba, stop,” Enric barked.

“
What if we lock her in a vault or something until you get back?” Garfield proposed. “According to Robinia, not even Dy’obeths can break through them.”

“
Imprison my sister? Are you out of your mind?” Enric snarled at Garfield.

“
Wait.” Garfield backed away. “She’ll also be safest there. No one can get to her and right now, she’s no clue about what’s going on. The last thing you want is her wandering out and running into your father’s reaper or something like that.”

“
My father’s reaper?” Alba queried. “A reaper? Why are we talking about fairy tales?”

“
I can live with that.” Wisteria shrugged.

“
Fine.” Enric acquiesced, though he still looked angry. “But Robinia puts Alba somewhere where she can get food and water.”

“
Robinia, find somewhere safe, but secure and keep Alba there until we return.”