Marked by Courage: Vampire Shifter Romance (Blood Red Series Book 3)
Page 12
“What must?”
“Envy.” Helen smiled at her. “You were always jealous, Petra. You wanted anything anyone else had. You kept grabbing for power, always more and more. And when you got tired of your toys, you took my life and gave me the things you were tired of.”
“Liar!”
“Oh, yes.” Helen dodged Petra’s blow. She was still laughing. “And now you see what I have, and you envy me.”
“Why should I envy what you threw away?” Petra spat. “Look at him. You’ve destroyed him. You’ll always be his enemy.”
Despite herself, Kallie looked up at her father. The sight of him broke her heart. There was betrayal on his face, deep into his gut. He looked like he was moments from breaking down in tears. There were tears running down his face, and he was shaking his head as he looked at Helen.
She took a step toward him. A trembling smile was on her lips, and she kissed her fingers to him.
“He may not understand,” she said to Petra, but her eyes never left her husband’s “Not yet. But I didn’t throw him away. I did what I could to make sure that he could live his life free of this torment. I did everything I did for him, and no matter where life takes me, I will never stop loving him.”
Kallie’s father gave a low moan and looked away, and Helen looked back at Petra.
“You’ve never loved someone so much that you would give up your future with them.”
“That was what I did!”
“No. You loved your power so much that you had to sacrifice them. I remember everything now, Petra, and I remember more than you told me. You gave it to me when you built this spell. You knew the dangers when you started down the path of becoming a witch, and you became one anyway. You knew what kind of danger would follow those you loved.”
“Don’t you dare judge me.” Petra’s face was white.
“You weren’t even content just to join this faction, were you?” Helen taunted. “You couldn’t bear that someone had questioned you. I hear you tried to destroy the Blues for worrying that you sought too much power, in too dark a way.”
“Don’t you dare judge me!” Petra’s scream made everyone flinch. “I have dared more, accomplished more, than you could ever dream!”
“I have raised a daughter.” Helen stared her down. “I have loved a good man for the past nineteen years. Despite everything your kind did, we have had love and we have had kindness. I have shaped my daughter into a good woman, a woman who loves justice. You will never understand that. You threw it all away, and you scream at me now because you have regrets—but there is no way to turn back time.”
“I will kill you.” Petra’s words were ugly. Her face was twisted. “No one will remember you. I’ll wipe you from their memories. I’ll be Kallie’s mother. Not you.”
Helen had the good sense to try to interrupt the speech with an attack, but she hadn’t understood the power her sister wielded. A black shield appeared around Petra. Helen’s blow glanced off and she screamed as the blackness flowed over her skin. There was a dark malevolence in the magic, an agony that Kallie flinched away from without volition.
“Let her go!” Her cry was harsh in her own ears.
The power flickered and faded, but she knew it was not in response to her. Petra was dragging in heavy breaths as if she were winded. Power still swirled at her fingertips, but she stood with her shoulders bowed. The power had taken a heavy toll on her.
Now was the moment. Kallie could not wait any longer. She embraced the call of her Hybrid powers and yanked at her arms and legs. Freedom came easily, and she had enough time to bat her would-be captors out of the way without even breaking a sweat. Noses cracked, jaws slammed sideways, and they tumbled over into a heap as Petra turned, her eyes wide.
“I think you mentioned special powers…?” Kallie held up her hands, purple power glowing around them. “Something like this, then?”
“How did you…?” Petra stared at the power so hungrily that Kallie could only feel a cold acceptance. So Helen had been correct. It was power that Petra craved, not love. She might have loved Kallie once, but now Kallie, like everything else, was only a bargaining chip to this woman.
Kallie tried to keep the hurt from her face. “You’re not the only one who can seek out power,” she said simply. “I’m my mother’s daughter. Not yours. I did what I did to protect my father from everything you failed to prevent. I came here to save the day-walker you threw away. And I’m not going to stand by while you hurt the ones I love, no matter what stories you’ve told yourself about all of this.” She drew in a long, shuddering breath as she saw her mother collapse slowly to the ground. Her chest moved, but barely. Kallie shoved the fear away and let anger pulse through her veins, hot and comforting.
Petra watched with burning, garnet-red eyes.
“So now it’s time to end this,” she said quietly. “You thought you’d take a challenge from an untried vampire and people would applaud you for coming out on top, but it just makes you weak. So let’s see you try your powers against a worthy opponent, wench.”
THE END
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