Page 50 of Breaking the Bloodstone Curse
“Yes, not that it did any good!” Aunt Nibblegrim snapped. “I expected him to kill you that first night—why he didn’t, I have no idea.”
“Because he was a decent man. And because he…he loved me. Before he broke the bloodstone curse,” Serenai said, her throat dry.
“What? He broke the curse on the necklace?” Aunt Nibblegrim looked almost apoplectic now. Her face was positively purple with rage. “Do you know how much that cost me?”
“Wait…you bought the cursed necklace and sent it to my mother?” Serenai shook her head. “I don’t understand. Why would you do that? She was your sister—didn’t you love her?”
“No of course not—no one could love a greedy, cruel, nasty woman like her!” Aunt Nibblegrim snapped. “I thought I could get her out of the way and I did—only to find out that she’d left everything to you. An undeserving little idiot who has no notion of how to be a proper Mistress!”
Serenai felt torn between rage and tears. She hadn’t been especially close to her aunt, but at least she’d thought she could trust her. What she was hearing now was awful.
“How can you say that?” she asked, her voice trembling. “What did I ever do to you?”
“You existed!” Aunt Nibblegrim shouted at her. “You stole it all—everything I worked so hard for. I used the last of my savings on that cursed necklace and then you go and ruin everything but not succumbing to the curse!”
“You’re horrible!” Serenai left the balcony and paced back into the penthouse living area. “I can’t believe you killed my mother and tried to kill me! Well, you won’t get away with it! I’m going straight to the Sacred Seven!”
The Sacred Seven was the ruling body of Yonnie Six, composed of seven wealthy and influential Mistresses who set rules for Opulex and the rest of the planet.
“Oh, no you won’t!” Aunt Nibblegrim suddenly produced a snub-nosed blaster from her pocket and waved it in Serenai’s face. “You’re not going to live long enough to tell anyone.”
31
BRAX
Brax hummed as he piloted the expensive spaceship the little Yonnite Mistress has insisted on giving him. He had no idea why she was so kind and generous, but he was grateful for his freedom—and for the excellent ship.
He still felt bad for leaving her. She’d had tears in her eyes when he dropped her off at the massive building she owned. But though she claimed they’d had some kind of relationship, he had no memory of it—or of her. His last clear memory was of fighting in the Blood Circuit and then there was a curious gray space in his mind that seemed to obscure the several weeks or so.
Brax wasn’t sure what had happened in that gray space he couldn’t remember but he didn’t really care. As soon as he cleared Yonnie Six air space he was going to?—
“Warrior, the woman I sent you to love and protect is in danger!”
Brax jerked, his hands slipping on the steering yoke. For a moment, the ship rolled wildly and he had to fight to regain control of it.
“What…who…?” he gasped, looking around. But despite the powerful feminine voice and the crushing presence suddenly filling the cockpit of the ship like a thousand tons of water, there was nothing to see.
“Turn your ship around now and you may be in time to save her!” the voice insisted.
At last Brax realized who he was dealing with.
“Goddess?” he asked, his voice shaking.
“Yes, it is I, the Mother of All Life. You swore on my name that you would protect the one I sent you with your life. You must go back at once if you wish to fulfill that vow for she is in grave danger.”
“But…I don’t even know her!” But Brax was already turning the ship around. He wasn’t far from the penthouse—he’d only dropped her off a few minutes ago.
“You will know her. But first you must save her. Hurry, warrior—before it is too late. If you lose her you will regret it forever!” the Goddess urged him.
“Yes, Goddess—I’m flying as fast as I can!” Brax exclaimed.
He just hoped he could get back to the little Yonnite Mistress in time. Though he didn’t remember her or know her, the idea of something bad happening to her stirred something deep inside him. Some protective instinct had been awakened and he knew he had to get to her!
He just prayed he would be in time.
32
SERENAI
