Page 77 of Fight for Us

‘When she returned, she was still human. Desperate, alone, with three kids. She barely made it out alive. But they found her. The vampires followed her here. He wasn’t ready to let her go. We fought hard to protect her, but everything burned in a fire and when it was over, she was gone. She managed to take two with her.’ Her eyes snap to mine. ‘There was just one left behind.’

My vision blurs. The fire that I’ve seen in my dreams. I take a step forward without thinking, cold air rushing into my lungs, my mind spinning.

‘What …’ I manage, trying to get my mind and my mouth to link up. ‘What did you just say?’

Velistra’s gaze pins me, like she’s been waiting for that exact question. ‘You never belonged here, Tara. You knew it. We knew it. You were always an outsider. You were just girls. Hidden, raised by her human sister. There was a protection spell over you, preventing your mother from getting too close. You were supposed to be safe.’ Her eyes slice to Cora’s. ‘But Kian found you. Vampires always find their family. It’s quite literally in your blood.’

Cora turns sharply. ‘You’re saying the woman who raised us is in fact our aunt? That our real mother is someone we don’t know, who is a vampire? That can’t be true. This is just another sick mind game to throw us off course.’

‘Why would I go to the trouble?’ Velistra hisses, growing impatient. The frustrated look morphs into something smug and sinister, the corner of her mouth lifting. ‘It must have killed her. You being left here with us. Used as bait.’

Her words ring around my head, making me feel dizzy.

Bait?

‘What do you mean?’ I ask, my voice sounding faraway.

Theo’s growl is low, sounding inhuman. He steps in front of me, his body between me and Velistra, even though it’s too late for that now. The damage is done.

‘She’s lying,’ Theo snaps. ‘She wants to twist everything, make you doubt—’

Velistra’s laugh is sharp, a mixture between pitying and cruel.

‘Oh, stupid boy. You think this has anything to do with you?’

He looks like he might charge at her, but I place a hand on his chest, keeping him back as I stare at the woman, shaking with untamed anger as her words spin around in my head.

‘Explain,’ I whisper, eyes locked on her.

‘I needed to shut him down,’ she says, eyes flicking to Kian. ‘His operation. I needed him gone. The death curse was supposed to achieve that, but it failed.’ She starts circling, slow, deliberate steps as her eerie smile stretches across her thin lips. ‘So I got creative. I couldn’t get him through her.’ She lifts a chin in Cora’s direction. ‘So I went to his other created vampire. Theo was naive and unpredictable. An easy target.’

Theo’s molar might just crack with how hard he has tensed his jaw. My stomach twists.

‘It was all so easy. Kidnapping him. Injecting his blood. With your blood, you were destined to bond with a vampire. It didn’t take long for it to happen.’

I turn to stare at Theo.

It was all planned. Every moment of it.

He looks like he’s going to tear her throat out.

‘It was so easy. Those herbal teas make you ever so compliable.’

Kayleigh stiffens, and I hadn’t even noticed her move to stand behind Velistra. With a face full of guilt, she doesn’t meet my eyes, and my heart cleaves in half. My sister. The one I thought actually cared about me. She was part of this, too. Of course she was. They all were.

There’s a sharp inhale from Raya as she shakes her head. Cora’s eyes flash and Kian’s hand is on her arm, restraining her. Hunter has moved closer to Raya, who looks like she’s about to be sick. Cas keeps his distance, the amused, playful smirk gone from his lips as he watches the scene around him unfold.

‘Every step of this,’ I say, my voice shaking only slightly, but undeniably. ‘Was part of your plan? To lead us to this moment?’

Velistra nods, an infuriating look of glee in her cloudy eyes.

‘The injections?’ I ask. ‘What did you put in our blood?’

‘Bit of this, bit of that,’ she replies dismissively.

Unease spreads through me at her words. The others are frozen. Everyone has been stunned into silence, processing her words.

‘You used Theo and I to lure them here so you could kill them.’ ‘Yes,’ Velistra says, her words firm and calm, undeniably holding truth in them.