Unbound (Unbound, Book 1) ~Formerly Casting Power~

Chapter 28

Just inside the front door of the house and opposite the landing of the stairs were two police officers. They had their heads bowed with their uniform hats clasped in their hands, both appearing to want to be anywhere else. Nancy gasped when she saw them and turned her head to muffle her sobs against Aubrey-Lynn's chest. I, on the other hand, had prepared myself the moment the pain had eased away enough for me to think. I knew that I had to be strong and, bracing myself, I raised my chin in the air and tried to picture myself outside of my body so that my resolve remained separated from my emotions.

"Noreena Fallyn?" the officer on the right asked and I nodded, not quite trusting my voice not to crack.

He was middle-aged and I could see the toll that years of police work had taken on him. His hair was near white, his skin like wrinkled leather, and he had a no-nonsense aura that surrounded him as if to say there wasn't anything left which could surprise him. His eyes spoke to me most of all. The hardened exterior he had placed around his heart was just a defense mechanism, set up in order to keep him from the personal pain he suffered when he allowed himself to care for the bad situations that happened. Still, he couldn't hide the kindness sparkling with his sympathy.

The other policeman was young, wearing his authority with pride, and seemed prepared to take on the bad things within the world so that he could make them better. I suspected that with his golden, surfer-boy good looks, he hadn't seen anything yet—he looked so young. In a few more years, I was certain that his outlook would change. Nobody remained unscathed, not when you had to worry about everybody else's demons on top of your own—before your own.

"We need you to come with us, please," the younger of the two said, raising his arm as if to lead me outside.

Aiden's hand fell on my shoulder to keep me from complying. "I'm sorry, gentleman, but Noreena will not be coming with you. I will bring her as soon as she has a chance to change and prepare for what you need," he said, using his lawyer voice.

"Sir, we need this young lady to come with us..." the younger officer trailed off and looked to the more experienced officer for help.

"I understand what it is that you need," Aiden told him, his gaze never straying from the younger officer. He could have been an interrogator if the law hadn't worked out. "You cannot force Noreena to come with you. She is a minor and anything you need from this point on will be directed through me. You do not speak to her when I am not there. She will come with me once she is ready."

The officers looked chagrined for their insensitivity. Aiden took my arm by the elbow, leading me into his study and away from prying ears. I could hear Aubrey-Lynn and Nancy crying, and I steeled my emotions again. Aiden closed the door, cutting off the distractions of sound, and gestured for me to take a seat in the chair across the desk from his own. I knew that I would crumble if I sat down and let myself relax in any way. It was all I could do to remain composed as we stood facing one another.

"You should sit down for this, Noreena," Aiden said and took a deep breath. "It's going to be difficult."

"My, uh." I cleared my throat as my voice squeaked. "My mother is dead," I whispered, lifting my head to meet his surprised gaze, and he nodded. I just spoke to her. My stomach dropped as he confirmed the fear of what I'd felt as my powers became unbound. "The police? They expect me to identify her?"

"Yes," he said, watching me. "I would do it for you, but you are her only next of kin. It has to be a family member unless one is unavailable."

"Okay." I nodded, feeling shell-shocked. "I'd like to go and get it over with. If that's okay with you?"

"Noreena, about your powers—"

I shrugged. Monotonously, I said, "I know. The pain was a one-timer. I understand what happened, and I know it won't happen again."

"It's alright to be upset about this, Noreena. Nobody expects you to be okay right now. It is a lot to take in," he said, sliding his hands into his pants pockets as he walked towards me. "Are you sure that you want to do this right now?"

"No, I don't want to." I snorted, feeling hollow. "I need to do this, get it over with. At some point, this is going to sink in." I looked up and met his gaze, unblinking. "I'm going to be destroyed, and I need to do this before I fall down. Besides, the sooner I go, the less dead she's going to look, right?"

"Wait. Your mom called earlier to say she was going to run an errand and then come get you. I left a note on your door since she said you two had talked and she didn't want you going home if she wasn't there. They were in a car accident. Opal was with them. It's not going to..." Aiden cleared his throat and looked away for a moment before allowing his gaze to stray back to meet mine. Somehow, he seemed more hesitant now than he had when he was trying to break the news. "They aren't going to look very good."

"Dead is dead, right?"

Please, just let her face still look like my mother's face.

I couldn't face identifying a stranger with features resembling the woman I loved.

"I'll stay with you through it all, okay?"

His hand settled back on my shoulder and he opened the door of his office, and I shrugged him off as I stepped out ahead of him. Staying inside the office seemed like a good idea. My resolve was beginning to slip, and I felt the beginning of my rockslide down an emotional mountain. With burning eyes that stung with repression and a stomach filled with lead, I followed Aiden back out to the foyer. We left his office side-by-side.

His hand landed on my shoulder again as we walked. "You aren't alone in this, so if you need help, I'm here. We all are."

Too afraid of my emotions to talk, I nodded. I couldn't say it right now, but it meant more than I could say to know he would be there. Aiden wasn't just saying it because that's what you said when someone died. The surrogate family I had grown up with was feeling the loss of my mother almost as profoundly as I was, and nobody should have to grieve alone.