Something inside me was sobbing. Why does seeing my mom make me sad?
“We thought you might sleep all day.” Her teeth were very bright when she smiled. “Didn’t we, Stephen?”
My father nodded. Something in his eyes made fear curl at the base of my spine. He was too alert. The Nightshade alpha was bristling, ready to attack.
Distant voices echoed in the recesses of my mind.
“There is no Nightshade alpha.”
“Ansel?” I murmured.
A flash of pain tried to split open my skull. I bent forward, cradling my head in my hands.
“Your brother is patrolling with Mason,” my mother said. “He’ll be back soon. Don’t worry.”
I nodded. That made sense. Why did my head hurt so much?
My father’s brow furrowed. “Are you in pain?”
“Stephen.” My mother’s eyes rolled up at her mate; a warning flashed within them. “Don’t coddle her. She is an alpha, after all.”
“Of course, m—Naomi,” he said. His hands gripped the back of her chair.
“I think I might be sick,” I said. “My head hurts.”
“We’ll get you some aspirin in a second, sweetie,” my mother said. “But you drifted off before you finished telling us about your adventure.”
“My adventure?” I peered at her.
“Yes,” she said. “You were just telling us about all the places you’ve been. You were traveling with friends. Remember how that was your gift from the Keepers after the Union? All the places you’ve seen?”
She smiled. A wave of ease washed over me, making my limbs heavier, but bliss coursed through my veins. “All the places I’ve seen.”
“That’s right.” Her pearl white teeth gleamed. “We want to hear all about it. What were the places you visited like?”
She adjusted her weight. When she moved, her body blurred and for a moment, her face contorted and I saw—
I cried out when my head throbbed.
“Calla!” My father stepped toward me.
My mother’s hand shot out and he froze. She stood up, taking very slow steps toward me.
Why was she moving so slowly?
With each step her figure blurred again. The pounding in my head forced me to keep closing my eyes. I couldn’t focus on her as she approached.
The mattress squeaked when she settled next to me. She placed her hands on my temples and the pain gave way to another surge of ecstasy.
“There,” she cooed. “Isn’t that better?”
I nodded, but I still wanted to cry. There was something I wanted to tell her, something so important that my mother needed to know.
I leaned my head against her shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
But I didn’t know what I was apologizing for.
She stroked my hair. Her scent wafted into my nostrils—a stiff scent of parchment and red wine. I pulled away, staring at her.
“Feeling better?”
I inhaled, letting the scent linger. A scent that was not Naomi Tor’s scent. My mother always smelled of gardenia and ferns.
These scents, old, rich smells blending into a heady perfume, were familiar and they belonged to someone else.
“Lumine,” I whispered.
The moment I spoke my mistress’s name, her spell shattered.
The air around me crackled, splintering before my eyes. My mother had vanished. Only Lumine Nightshade sat before me. My father stood silently on the other side of the room. His eyes were bright with fear.
Shock welded me to the bed as the illusions drifted away. I began to shake and sob.
Lumine sighed, straightening the dark jacket of her Chanel suit. “That’s not very becoming, Calla.”
“You bitch.” I snarled, my teeth sharpened. I was about to lunge when my father shouted.
“Calla, no!” The command of the Nightshade alpha was still enough to pull me up short.
My eyes met his for a moment before I followed his gaze to my closet. The door was ajar and something was moving inside it. Shadows, thick as tar, undulating in the darkness. A wraith.
My stomach knotted up at the memory of the wraith taking me. A wave of pain crashed through my limbs, nearly sending me back into unconsciousness.
Lumine smiled. “Really, Calla. Did you think I would just bare my throat for your fangs?” She patted my hand. “You should know better.”
I snatched my fingers out from under hers. While I couldn’t attack her, I wasn’t about to play nice.
“Get away from me.”
“Restrain yourself, child,” she said. “You’ve had quite a journey, and it takes a while to fully recover from a wraith’s embrace.”
She laughed softly when I shuddered.
“I just have a few questions for you,” she said. “Then you can rest.”
“I have nothing to say to you.”
“Oh.” Her smile became chilly. “I think you do.”
I swallowed hard, glancing at the wraith in the closet before shaking my head.
“Yes.” Her gaze followed mine. “That’s one way it could be. Efron has been pleading with me to hand you over to him and Emile.”
Forcing my eyes off her, I stared at the window, watching snow buffeted by wind. My body felt that way: bruised and battered. The sun and sea of Italy seemed like a distant dream. And Lumine wasn’t the only one with questions. I was desperate to know what had happened after the wraith took me. Had the others escaped from the Eydis hideout? Were they prisoners too?
“But I’ve explained to him that I don’t think you’re likely to break,” she continued. “No matter how much pressure is applied.”
I offered her a thin smile. “You’re right.”
“Of course I am,” she said. “But we’re not without options. Are we, Stephen?”
“No, mistress.” His face was blank, but his muscles twitched with nervous energy. My father was unhappy; I could smell his grief, his outrage from across the room.
“Why would I do anything for you?” I glared at her. “You killed my mother. You destroyed my brother.”
“You’ve seen Ansel?” My father took two steps toward me. “How—”
Lumine didn’t speak, but she stiffened. My father checked himself, falling silent.
“What happened with your mother was unfortunate,” she said, folding her hands on her lap. “But necessary under the circumstances.”
“We thought you might sleep all day.” Her teeth were very bright when she smiled. “Didn’t we, Stephen?”
My father nodded. Something in his eyes made fear curl at the base of my spine. He was too alert. The Nightshade alpha was bristling, ready to attack.
Distant voices echoed in the recesses of my mind.
“There is no Nightshade alpha.”
“Ansel?” I murmured.
A flash of pain tried to split open my skull. I bent forward, cradling my head in my hands.
“Your brother is patrolling with Mason,” my mother said. “He’ll be back soon. Don’t worry.”
I nodded. That made sense. Why did my head hurt so much?
My father’s brow furrowed. “Are you in pain?”
“Stephen.” My mother’s eyes rolled up at her mate; a warning flashed within them. “Don’t coddle her. She is an alpha, after all.”
“Of course, m—Naomi,” he said. His hands gripped the back of her chair.
“I think I might be sick,” I said. “My head hurts.”
“We’ll get you some aspirin in a second, sweetie,” my mother said. “But you drifted off before you finished telling us about your adventure.”
“My adventure?” I peered at her.
“Yes,” she said. “You were just telling us about all the places you’ve been. You were traveling with friends. Remember how that was your gift from the Keepers after the Union? All the places you’ve seen?”
She smiled. A wave of ease washed over me, making my limbs heavier, but bliss coursed through my veins. “All the places I’ve seen.”
“That’s right.” Her pearl white teeth gleamed. “We want to hear all about it. What were the places you visited like?”
She adjusted her weight. When she moved, her body blurred and for a moment, her face contorted and I saw—
I cried out when my head throbbed.
“Calla!” My father stepped toward me.
My mother’s hand shot out and he froze. She stood up, taking very slow steps toward me.
Why was she moving so slowly?
With each step her figure blurred again. The pounding in my head forced me to keep closing my eyes. I couldn’t focus on her as she approached.
The mattress squeaked when she settled next to me. She placed her hands on my temples and the pain gave way to another surge of ecstasy.
“There,” she cooed. “Isn’t that better?”
I nodded, but I still wanted to cry. There was something I wanted to tell her, something so important that my mother needed to know.
I leaned my head against her shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
But I didn’t know what I was apologizing for.
She stroked my hair. Her scent wafted into my nostrils—a stiff scent of parchment and red wine. I pulled away, staring at her.
“Feeling better?”
I inhaled, letting the scent linger. A scent that was not Naomi Tor’s scent. My mother always smelled of gardenia and ferns.
These scents, old, rich smells blending into a heady perfume, were familiar and they belonged to someone else.
“Lumine,” I whispered.
The moment I spoke my mistress’s name, her spell shattered.
The air around me crackled, splintering before my eyes. My mother had vanished. Only Lumine Nightshade sat before me. My father stood silently on the other side of the room. His eyes were bright with fear.
Shock welded me to the bed as the illusions drifted away. I began to shake and sob.
Lumine sighed, straightening the dark jacket of her Chanel suit. “That’s not very becoming, Calla.”
“You bitch.” I snarled, my teeth sharpened. I was about to lunge when my father shouted.
“Calla, no!” The command of the Nightshade alpha was still enough to pull me up short.
My eyes met his for a moment before I followed his gaze to my closet. The door was ajar and something was moving inside it. Shadows, thick as tar, undulating in the darkness. A wraith.
My stomach knotted up at the memory of the wraith taking me. A wave of pain crashed through my limbs, nearly sending me back into unconsciousness.
Lumine smiled. “Really, Calla. Did you think I would just bare my throat for your fangs?” She patted my hand. “You should know better.”
I snatched my fingers out from under hers. While I couldn’t attack her, I wasn’t about to play nice.
“Get away from me.”
“Restrain yourself, child,” she said. “You’ve had quite a journey, and it takes a while to fully recover from a wraith’s embrace.”
She laughed softly when I shuddered.
“I just have a few questions for you,” she said. “Then you can rest.”
“I have nothing to say to you.”
“Oh.” Her smile became chilly. “I think you do.”
I swallowed hard, glancing at the wraith in the closet before shaking my head.
“Yes.” Her gaze followed mine. “That’s one way it could be. Efron has been pleading with me to hand you over to him and Emile.”
Forcing my eyes off her, I stared at the window, watching snow buffeted by wind. My body felt that way: bruised and battered. The sun and sea of Italy seemed like a distant dream. And Lumine wasn’t the only one with questions. I was desperate to know what had happened after the wraith took me. Had the others escaped from the Eydis hideout? Were they prisoners too?
“But I’ve explained to him that I don’t think you’re likely to break,” she continued. “No matter how much pressure is applied.”
I offered her a thin smile. “You’re right.”
“Of course I am,” she said. “But we’re not without options. Are we, Stephen?”
“No, mistress.” His face was blank, but his muscles twitched with nervous energy. My father was unhappy; I could smell his grief, his outrage from across the room.
“Why would I do anything for you?” I glared at her. “You killed my mother. You destroyed my brother.”
“You’ve seen Ansel?” My father took two steps toward me. “How—”
Lumine didn’t speak, but she stiffened. My father checked himself, falling silent.
“What happened with your mother was unfortunate,” she said, folding her hands on her lap. “But necessary under the circumstances.”
