The Windhaven Witches Omnibus Edition : Complete Paranormal Suspense Series, Books 1-4 by Carissa Andrews (graded readers txt) 📕

Tilting his head to the side, Dad looks my direction with the question written across his face.

I nod, stepping into the central room as I extend a hand to him. “Come on—it’s time for you to rest.”

His shoulders stiffen as he looks down at the space separating the inner chamber from the outer tunnel. Lifting his right foot, he crosses the threshold. A deep rumbling starts off low and grows louder. The walls rattle, sifting dust that floats from its crevasses into the room like a blanket of smoke.

Dad steps the rest of the way into the chamber, his eyes glued on the walls around him.

“This is…”—he sighs contently—“beautiful.”

I narrow my eyes, confused.

Abigail smiles. “I wish dearly to see it as you do.”

Dad’s eyebrows tip up in the middle as confusion blossoms across his features.

Abigail turns to me, her features softening. “To you and I, we see this place of stone and earth. But I know not what the others behold. Perhaps it’s different for each, as there are many accounts.”

Turning back to my dad, I reach out for his hand. This time, as I take his spectral appendage, there’s no fear hidden in his eyes. He takes it, squeezing gently.

“What do you see?” I ask him.

“It’s the most beautiful garden I’ve ever seen. Flowers, trees, and animals are everywhere. There’s a pond over there,” Dad raises his free hand, pointing beyond Abigail. “The swans are circling by a willow tree just over there. I always wanted a willow tree…” His eyes go distant and his chin tips downward. When he looks back up again, he turns to Abigail. “This isn’t real? Is it?”

Abigail walks over to him, her dress swaying with her movements but never touching the ground the way it really should.

“For you, it is but the only reality you need to focus on,” she whispers, placing a hand along his cheek. “I wish I could have saved you from this untimely passage, grandson.”

“That makes two of us,” Dad says, shifting his gaze from Abigail to me. Sighing, he walks my direction. “Autumn, I never meant for any of this to happen. I had hoped…”

“It’s okay, Dad. I know,” I whisper. My chest suddenly feels very heavy, despite having no physical form. The thought makes me pause, curious about how the feelings of physicality can linger so strongly in this form.

Dad’s jaw tightens, and his expression darkens—only this time, it’s out of concern and not Lemure rage. “I wish I could have protected you from all of this.”

“It’s not up to you to protect me,” I say, shaking my head.

“But it is. Pretty sure it’s in the parental handbook,” he says, narrowing his gaze.

My eyes widen. “There’s a parental handbook?“

Chuckling, Dad’s head drops a bit. “No, sweetheart. I wish there was, though. It might have made things a bit easier.”

I flit my gaze from my dad to Abigail, who simply watches us thoughtfully.

“What happens now?” Dad asks, turning to Abigail.

“You’ll be called home soon,” she says. Though she smiles, there’s a hint of sorrow hidden in her features.

He nods, as if this makes total sense to him. “How long?”

I turn to Abigail, who lifts her chin and says, “Should the others manage to maneuver the maze, we have but minutes. Your remains have entered the catacombs.”

Dad turns to me. “Autumn, there’s so much I wish I could say to you.”

“It’s okay,” I say, stepping forward and wrapping my arms around him.

He returns my embrace, holding on so tightly I almost feel like I’m five again.

“Sweetheart, you do need to be careful, though. The Moirai—”

“I know,” I say, pulling back from his hug.

His forehead furrows and he tilts his head. “You know?”

“Yeah, thanks to you,” I say, trying to keep myself from succumbing to the panic and sadness rising inside of me.

“Promise me you’ll be careful. Aisa and her sisters, they’re formidable and they won’t bend to compromise,” Dad says. “It’s up to you to break this curse, sweetheart. I wish that weren’t the case, but it is.”

Footsteps and voices echo into the inner sanctum from not too far away. Some of the pressure that’s been building during the wait falls away. Cat and Wade have managed to find their way through the tunnels after all.

I exhale in relief. Wade is carrying my dad’s remains in his arms, but they’re covered by a black sheet. I don’t know what I’d do if I had to come face to face with what the Moirai have done to him. I want to remember him the way I see him here, now.

Wade steps into the circular chamber, his eyes full of trepidation. “This is the place, right?” he asks, readjusting the load in his arms.

“Don’t look at me. I barely remember what happened. It’s like a dream and I’ve been awake too long to keep hold of it,” Cat says, shrugging.

“I know the feeling. It took a lot longer to get this far than I thought it would,” Wade says. “All of the tunnels started looking the same.”

Cat nods. “I think that was the point.”

I step away from my dad and Abigail, reaching out to Wade. My hand goes right through his arm and I take a step back. “Oh my god, they can’t see us, can they?”

Abigail shakes her head. “Neither of them have the sight.”

“How will they know when to summon the Fires of Eternity?” I blurt out, suddenly afraid my entire plan is about to fall apart.

“Of that, I am not certain,” Abigail says.

“Is there a way to make contact? How can I reach them?” I say, waving my hand in front of Wade’s face. He doesn’t even flinch.

“Without the gift to see the dead, it’s all but impossible to reach them. These walls do not allow for manifestations,” Abigail says, her eyebrows knitting together.

“What are you talking about? Cat’s Fetch took over Wade—”

Abigail’s face is a stern warning. “And you believe such an action would