“Oh.” She chuckles, and it’s… it’s like one of those evil villain laughs. The kind that’s condescending by nature, yet carries a hint of amusement, as if something I said was genuinely funny to her. “Your father is dead—I should say he’s dying over and over again.”
Now I laugh, but it’s a shaky sound, built entirely out of nerves. “You got me there… I thought you were serious.” I don’t believe what I’m saying, because deep down, I know she’s being serious—at least, in her mind she is.
Is she sick?
Her head tilts, giving me a strange look I can’t quite place. It’s as if she’s sizing me up; not by looking over me, but by looking into me.
I swallow. “Okay, well…” I should leave, my mind is telling me to go. The silence that falls between us is broken by a soft hissing sound. It’s a sharp, sizzling exhale, similar to the sound of air rushing through a narrow opening. I’m too scared to look away from my mother, whose eyes become far more intense by the second.
“Have you ever felt a strange tingle in your throat when you ask someone to do something?”
I swear I came here to interrogateher.
Without saying anything, I just shake my head.
A soft growl emanates from her throat, and her nostrils flare slightly. “Maybe you aren’t old enough.” The moment my mouth opens, she cuts me off, “Have you started your period yet?”
I’m so taken back by her question, I stutter, “Y-Yeah, yeah…”
“Are you actively having sex?”
My eyes widen, and again my words come out as if I were under a quake. “N-No! I’m a virgin, I’m only?—”
“You aren’t, sweetheart.” That makes me feel sick, a knot forming right in the pit of my stomach. “I just need to know if you are sexually active right now.”
Again, there is a hissing sound coming from somewhere, and it’s getting louder.
All I do is shake my head. I hadn’t even realized I was slowly stepping away. Not until I can see the archway to the hall in my peripherals.
“Come back in, Xeraphine.”
Something compels me to stay and stop retreating, though I’m not even sure why I’m scared. Sure, these questions are freaking weird, but then again… sheiskind of like that—strange. I honestly don’t know what I should do, other than just listen to her.
“Do you know what an Incubus is, sweetheart?” she asks while tilting her head.
“I-I, uh… I’m…”
“Why are you so nervous?”
I hesitate, but not because I don’t know the answer. I do, there is no question about why I’m stuttering.
“Honestly, you are scaring me.” I don’t want to ask about why she says I’m not a virgin. The truth of that may actually shatter me. Could it be the reason they gave me up? What if my dad…
“Fear is a construct of what if’s. When you don’t worry about it... You won’t be afraid. Do you know what an Incubus is, Xeraphine? A Demon?”
“I’ve heard of them… but I don’t know much, why?” My voice is accompanied by heavy breathing, and it’s all because of how hard my heart is beating in my chest.
“Your father is one of those Demons, and he was my Mark—or, you know, mymate.” My lips part while my hands tremble at my side. “You are part Succubus, my dear.” She clicks her tongue against the roof of her mouth and turns away from me. “He pissed the wrong person off…” I can hear the groan, and the subtle twitch of her wrist makes me fear for my wellbeing.
I’m not safe here… I need to run.
“So… he was, well, sunk to the bottom of the Cynth Sea.”
My hand clamps around my throat as anxiety coils tight in my chest, a suffocating grip that sends nausea rolling through me. Any second now, I’m going to vomit.
“I just wanted to see if you showed signs of being his.”
My eyes are wide, brimming with tears. The pain throbbing in my temples command all of my attention and are drowning out her words.
