“Belial wants to stop what your mother is doing.”
“Why?!” My teeth clench, andfuck, I keep hearing Kairhyse’s voice in my head, telling me it isn’t weak to cry. I know I’ll feel better if I let it out, but doing that would tear me apart. I refuse to break down in front ofanyone but him.
“It will destroy balance, and he has his own plans. Having creatures that are immortal and free of manipulation, wouldn’t fit intohisfuture.”
I drop the blood-formed daggers and laugh, but there’s no trace of humor in it. “Moved from doing one bitch’s bidding, to another. What a fucking puppet you are, Alaric.”
His head tilts, and the smile on his face fades, showing I’ve finally gotten under his skin. “Our kind has fought for centuries. Ever since Belial tried to overthrow his brethren.”
I scoff.
“I can see which of our sides is so reluctant for peace?—”
“No, absolutely not. Fuck… you. You’re still skirting around why you didn’t come to me sooner. At the club, why didn’t you just say ‘Hey, Belial sent me because you are part of a prophecy’. Instead, youstalkedme and eventhendidn’t do shit to keep me from being taken by my mother!”
“I’m sorry?—”
“No you aren’t, no one ever is.”
He steps to me, hands raised as if in surrender. “Xeraphine, I didn’t tell you because you were pregnant at the time.” My stomach drops, and a slow numbness creeps from my toes. “If I said those exact words to you, and you were helping fulfill the prophecy on your own volition, you could have gone into hiding, or worse. It’s why I was watching you, trying to figure out who was orchestrating it. Was ityoudoing it, or someone else—that was the question. At that point, I knew that Proserpina’s reincarnation was?—”
My breath catches. “My mother…”
“No.”
Shaking my head, I regress from him because I don’t want this.
I want him to lie to me.
I don’twantthe truth, godsdamn it!
I’m not a fucking moron. It makes sense, but I had hoped that my mother was her reincarnation. The prophecy said that whoever it was would bring about the dreaded Black Plague, not be the instrument of it. I think I’m just delusional to have hoped for that.
That it wasn’t me…
That it was anyone but me.
He releases a somber sigh. “I knew at that moment you were Proserpina’s reincarnation. Again, just not sure of the full picture. Were you willing or unwilling.”
The confirmation is my worst fucking nightmare, causing a heavy weight to crush down on my shoulders as I prepare to run.
His hand shoots out, grabbing my elbow and preventing me from retreating. “Xeraphine, I am not your enemy. I may have ulterior motives for helping you, but I’m not here to hurt you.”
This is the first time he’s used his power, because when I try to jerk away from him, it feels like a statue is gripping me—unyielding, impenetrable.
“Let me go!”
“I had no idea you found your Mark, not until IsavedKairhyse from that accident and sensed your Amoro’s signature. He would have died, and you need to understand I could have let that happen.”
The sensation of sharp pain intensifies as the pressure behind my eyes increases.
“Why didn’t you?” My voice quivers. I don’t want to be in debt to thisFallen, but I know I owe him for saving the man I love.
“I don’t know…” He roughly pulls me to him, our chests pressing together. “All that matters is taking care of your mother and ending this senseless prophecy. Once we do that, you’ll get what you want, and in exchange for my help, you’ll give me what I want.”
My hand balls into a fist. “What is that, Alaric? What do you want?!”
“My own revenge.” He squeezes my arm, and the gentle, stoic Fallen who had worn a lighthearted expression, melts away. “Being on Earth has taught me if I want something, Ihaveto take it myself. I’m patient and understanding, Xeraphine, but don’t test the strength of our alliance.”
