Hill, Meagan - Master Me [Masterson] (Siren Publishing Classic) (26 page)

Shaking her thoughts away, she pulled on the ivory undergarments she’d chosen before wrapping a soft robe around herself. A soft knock came from the door, not opening until she bade them to enter. Nina and Miranda’s mother, Clarisa, came through the door, along with Libby, Mitch’s twenty-seven-year-old sister. They immediately began to work on Miranda as planned, with Libby working on her makeup while the two moms worked on her hair. While the three women worked, Miranda thought back to the day when she saw her family for the first time since being kidnapped.

Mitch held her hand tightly as the tension rolled off of Miranda in waves. She was nervous about seeing her family for the first time in so long. She worried about how they would take her sudden reappearance and about how they would treat her and accept her decision to stay in Charleston with Mitch while they worked on their training. Mitch said she’d already advanced through a great deal of her basic magic training, having already learned most of it intuitively.

“You’re going to be fine, Miranda,” he murmured reassuringly before lifting her hand to place a soft kiss on the back. “I’ll be right there with you. I’m not going to leave you.”

The words calmed her greatly, though she already knew Mitch would never, could never, leave her. She’d just needed to hear the words. “I know. I guess I’m just scared they’ll reject me after everything that happened to me.”

“I know. Just remember that I love you. We’ll deal with whatever happens, okay?” Miranda nodded her head in agreement before pointing out the house to Mitch, who pulled the rental to a stop at the curb.

Taking a deep breath, Miranda climbed out of the vehicle, Mitch there to offer a hand almost before she could get her feet out. She clutched his hand tightly as they made their way up the sidewalk and to the front door. Miranda was stunned to see a picture of herself at fourteen, taken just before she was kidnapped. The picture was mounted on wood which held the inscription, “We will never forget, we will never lose hope.” Miranda choked up at the very visible sign that her family loved her greatly. With a trembling hand, she reached out to ring the doorbell.

A moment passed before the door opened, revealing Clarisa, Miranda’s mother. Miranda could tell her disappearance had badly affected her mother. Clarisa looked like she’d aged twenty years in the last six since Miranda had last seen her. Clarisa stood there, framed by the doorway for a moment, her eyes blinking repeatedly like she was having difficulty convincing herself that her long-awaited daughter was actually standing there in front of her. Finally, she breathed, “Mandy? Is that really you?”

Miranda nodded as tears flowed down her cheeks. “Yes, Mom. It’s me, Miranda.”

Finally convinced, Clarisa threw herself into Miranda’s arms, clutching her tightly. Miranda was glad Mitch was holding her, as her mother had nearly knocked Miranda off her feet. Suddenly, another figure filled the doorway. Her father, Bob, stood there staring, not understanding the scene in front of him. “What’s going on? Clarisa, what are you…” He trained off as he finally comprehended what his eyes were telling him. “Mandy? Baby, is that really you?” At Miranda’s nod, he joined the two women, wrapping his own arms around them both as all three of them cried.

After several minutes, Clarisa gathered herself enough to suggest they all go inside. Mitch followed along quietly, maintaining his hand on Miranda’s back. Once they sat down in the living room, Miranda looked around dazedly. “You haven’t changed a thing in here.”

“No, nothing. Your room looks just like it did after you left. I had to do some cleaning from the police searching it, but other than that, it’s exactly as you left it. Mandy, what happened? And who is this? Is he the person you left us for?”

Miranda glanced at Mitch as she gathered her thoughts. “No, I didn’t leave willingly. I was drugged and kidnapped, right from my bed.” Clarisa’s hands covered her mouth as she began crying once again. Miranda chose to continue, to get it all out at once so they could get past it. “I was taken by an evil cult run by an evil man. I was abused constantly, and they tried to brainwash me. About two weeks ago, they deemed me sufficiently brainwashed to go hunt for another young girl to bring back to suffer like I had. I knew I couldn’t do it, but I also couldn’t just leave the cult. They would track me down and kill me and then do the same to you. I considered just killing myself, to escape them and still protect you. But then I met Mitch.” She smiled as she glanced at him, telling him she loved him without words. “He and his family helped me escape the cult and took it down in the process. We were able to save three other girls who’d been kidnapped after me. We fell in love as we worked together to make that happen, and we’re now engaged.”

Clarisa and Bob sat there, stunned by what Miranda had told them. Miranda was saddened that all this time, they’d thought that she’d left willingly. Mitch read her sadness immediately and wrapped his arm around her in comfort. After several moments of silence, Bob asked, “You were abused by a cult? Like Charles Manson?”

Miranda had to smile at her father’s question. “Yes, just like that.”

“Why did it take you so long to come home?”

Miranda hesitated a moment before answering. “We were working on bringing the cult down. I’d left three younger girls there, and I had to go back to rescue them. Afterward, I had some healing to do, and Mitch had to rearrange things at his children’s camp in Rockland. Plus, I was nervous about coming back to see you. I was worried you would try to insist I come home and treat me like I’m still a child. Obviously, I’m not anymore, and with everything I’ve been through, I’m much older psychologically than my age indicates. It saddens me you thought I’d run away.”

“It was more that the police believed that than we did. They just thought that, since there was no sign of a struggle in your room, you must have left willingly. And I can understand your fear about us trying to push you into staying here because that is exactly what I feel like saying.”

There was another brief silence before Bob turned his attention to Mitch. “You helped get her away from that cult?”

“Yes, sir, myself and my family and a few friends.”

“Why didn’t you go to the police?”

“We did, after we got the girls out. That was our main concern. Miranda knew the leader had the local police under his thumb but didn’t know how far his influence reached. If they had gotten wind they were about to get raided, they would have killed the girls before disappearing, only to start up again somewhere else.”

“Mandy—” Clarisa started to ask before being cut off by Miranda.

“Mom, Dad, please call me Miranda from now on. The cult members called me Mandy, and I’ve learned to hate the name.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Man… Miranda. I can understand how that could happen. You mentioned you needed time to heal?”

“Yes, I had several injuries that needed time to heal before I could comfortably visit you. I won’t tell you everything that happened to me there. You don’t need that knowledge to haunt you as it can haunt me. Let’s just suffice it to say that I was abused before I was rescued.”

They watched Bob and Clarisa struggle to accept the information, knowing that whatever they came up with as the worst case scenario was nothing compared to what had really happened. Finally, Bob nodded in understanding. “So these people will never hurt you again?”

“No, not me or anyone else. We made sure of that.”

“How so? If they paid off cops, they could pay off the justice system.”

Mitch decided to speak up here. “I can assure you, sir, they will never bother anyone again.”

“How can you be so sure?” Bob responded, a bit belligerently.

“Because they’re dead, a” Mitch replied flatly, clearly conveying personal knowledge of the status of the cult members.

Bob sat back in his chair, not expecting that answer. Finally, he asked, “All of them?” Mitch nodded. “You and your family did that?” Again, Mitch just nodded. “Your family must be very powerful to not have to worry about the repercussions.”

“We can be when we choose, though we much rather work behind the scenes to achieve our goals.”

“I’m glad they’re gone, and I’m glad you did whatever you did to rescue Miranda and keep her safe,” Clarisa interjected. “Obviously, somebody needed to do something about them so this didn’t happen to anyone else.”

“Mom, Dad, you can’t share that with anyone. If asked, all you can say is I was abducted and finally escaped after five and a half years. That’s it, otherwise you could jeopardize Mitch and his family and me.”

Bob and Clarisa nodded their heads, understanding what Miranda was saying and what she wasn’t. They knew immediately that if they caused problems for Mitch and his family, they would likely not see her again. They might not have seen her in almost six years, but they certainly remembered how strong-willed she was.

Mitch and Miranda stayed and talked for several more hours before Miranda pled exhaustion. As expected, Bob and Clarisa hadn’t wanted to let her leave again but quickly understood that Miranda’s place was with Mitch, as Mitch’s place was with Miranda. The two would not be separated.

After that day, Miranda spoke on the phone with both of her parents daily as they got used to having her back in their lives. It wasn’t always smooth sailing, but Miranda always handled it as well as could be expected. Clarisa was very excited to meet Nina as both of them helped Miranda plan their wedding. The thought brought her back to the present.

“There, you’re perfect,” pronounced Libby. Miranda and Mitch’s sister had instantly bonded and had grown quite close. Miranda was all too aware of the passing of the days for Libby, who was still aging and would continue to age if she was unable to find her mate.

Pushing her worry for her friend and soon-to-be sister aside for now, Miranda opened her eyes and examined herself in the mirror. They had done an exceptional job on both her hair and her makeup. The makeup was light, simply highlighting her best features. Her hair was piled on top of her head in a twist with a nest of curls at the top. They would attach her veil just under the back of her curls after she was dressed. “You did an exceptional job, ladies. You have made me beautiful.”

“You were already beautiful, my dear. We just highlighted it,” responded Nina with a warm smile and a gentle hug.

Miranda removed her robe as Clarisa and Libby readied her dress for her to climb into. Miranda was reminded that Clarisa hadn’t yet seen her scars when she gasped suddenly, nearly dropping her side of the dress in her shock. Seeing the horror in her mother’s eyes, Miranda placed her hand against Clarisa’s cheek, drawing Clarisa’s eyes to her own. “Mom, it’s okay. It’s over and done with. These are just a reminder that I am stronger than anyone ever imagined.” Of course, Clarisa couldn’t know it, but Miranda wasn’t just referring to her inner strength. She was also referring to her magical powers. Mitch and Miranda had barely scraped the surface of what she could do, and they were already amazed and, to tell the truth, a bit scared. Miranda had gained power over fire, and learning how to control that had led to them investing heavily in fire extinguishers.

Clarisa regained her self-control with effort, before offering her daughter a watery smile. Nodding her head, she continued to help Libby lift the dress over Miranda’s head, being careful to not muss her hair, and settling the gown around Miranda’s hips. Nina zipped up the back as Miranda adjusted the dress to lie correctly against her body. It was absolutely exquisite. The strapless bodice bared her shoulders, though her arms were covered in close-fitting lace studded with crystals in many different colors. The bodice accented her curves as it hugged her torso and down over her hips before flaring out into a full skirt that was also covered in crystal-studded lace. The effect of the differently colored crystals on the white lace was stunning as Miranda literally sparkled. Miranda bent over slightly to allow her mother to place her veil in her hair, and with that, Miranda was ready.

“Last check. Something old and borrowed – the pearl necklace Mom let you borrow. Something new – everything else you have on. And something blue – your garter. There’s a penny in your shoe and a linen handkerchief tucked into the bottom of your bouquet should either of you start crying. Don’t want a bunch of Kleenex lint all over you for the pictures,” Libby quipped, causing all of them to laugh and relax a bit, exactly what she’d intended.