Inez frowned. She glanced at Killian, who in turn shook his head. He didn’t seem to have the slightest bit of an idea what Tracy was trying to say, and what a coincidence, she didn’t either. "I am afraid I don’t understand." She really didn’t. She was nothing—her existence had never been important; if anything, her mother had made sure to tell her how much of an embarrassment she was to her.
How she was an abomination created by the Moon Goddess to mock Mrs Sinclair, whose life was beyond perfect without Inez coming into her life.
So why would someone go to such lengths to protect her? And that, too, a witch?
Tracy shot her a look of pure sympathy. "I know that you need some answers, but sweetie, I am afraid that I cannot give them to you now. You are not prepared enough to withstand the truth for the time being."
"What do you mean you cannot tell her the truth?" Killian questioned. He couldn’t process her words at all. The witch had continuously harped about how she wanted to meet and see Inez, only for her to say that she cannot tell Inez anything. It was simply outrageous. What was up with her? If she was not going to say anything, then why did she bother coming here at all?
"Hold your horses?" Tracy raised her head and looked at Killian. She said to him, "I told you that I am here to protect her. I never said that I was here to tell her the truth; that is something for her to find and only she can do it." She then turned her head and faced Inez, whose eyes were still filled with confusion.
"I know it’s confusing, but your life is in danger." Tracy broke the silence that was stretching over the room when the two of them looked at one another. Inez’s eyes widened before returning to normal as she whispered, "Why? I am nothing special." Why would someone even think of killing her?
"Nothing special?" Tracy barked. Her voice was harsh and cold. She stared at her imperiously before saying to her, "You are wrong. Your existence is itself a miracle. I mean, usually shifters take after one of their parents. Even if they were to imprint on another species, the children of the shifters hardly inherit the skills and abilities of both of their parents. You, on the other hand, are a special case."
"A half-blood who has both her wolf and siren intact within her."
"My wolf–" Inez began, but Tracy simply smiled at her before saying, "I know that she has hidden herself, but she hasn’t faded. She is still there, alive and healing."
Inez blinked her eyes. She already knew this, but after hearing it from the lips of a witch, she felt a bit more relaxed. All along, she was worried that Nia would one day leave her alone without a sign.
"But that still does not explain why she is in danger," Killian intervened in their conversation just like he had done earlier. Inez raised her head and glanced at his scowl. She didn’t have to be a genius to know that Killian didn’t like Tracy or her presence around her. It wasn’t surprising, as shifters and witches hardly ever mingle.
Tracy simply raised her head and looked at the man. She said to him, "There are some things that you can understand without me telling you, Alpha Sokolov. Use your brains; Inez’s very existence is an exception. Do you think that she exists only to stay next to you? There is more to the world than you, you see?"
Killian’s cheeks flushed red. Maybe this was the first time Inez had seen him act so human. He looked like a child in front of Tracy, while the latter looked like a stern mother who was teaching her son how to behave.
"Okay, I understand that my existence is a rare occurrence," Inez interjected, attracting the attention of both of them. "But what does that have to do with the attack that happened tonight? I don’t think anyone knows about my identity as a half-siren. Wolf, yes? Latent, yes, but not part siren, or do they?" She tilted her head to one side while waiting for Tracy to answer that question because that was what worried her the most.
Tracy sighed. She ran her fingers through her hair and opened her mouth only for her to close it back up again, and then a second later, she opened it again and spoke in a steady voice, "You – are correct. Indeed, others don’t know about you being part siren—"
"Then why did you have to say that she is in danger?"
"I am getting to that part if you just stay quiet!" spoke Tracy in a clipped tone. She shot a very disgusted look at Killian before turning to look at Inez. She said to her, "The universe works in favour of balance. Everything that exists and doesn’t exist is due to this Balance that the universe needs to maintain. But there are always anomalies which throw this balance off course, like a virus in the computer system. When that happens, fate intervenes; it writes a destiny for these anomalies for them to prove themselves worthy."
"But until then, there will be forces who will try their best to drag you down or eradicate you because these existences disrupt the balance that they had tried hard to achieve." She sighed. "Much like the Animorphous."
Inez didn’t quite understand what Tracy was trying to tell her, other than the fact that she was an anomaly and an existence that shouldn’t have come to exist, but somehow managed to do it and now that the balance had been disrupted, she was the one who was in danger. The hell? It wasn’t as if she asked for this to happen to her. If she could, then she would have chosen to be born as a shifter rather than a siren; at least that way, she wouldn’t be living a life of fear.