The Blessed Curse (The Elder Blood Chronicles, #4)(93)

She heard the sound of his chair scraping on the floor and his soft footsteps moving behind her. “You have the talent. All Undrae do. You just need proper motivation,” Seth said in a low voice as he paused behind her chair. She had expected him to move around her, to force her to look him in the eyes, but instead he leaned over her and grabbed her arm in his iron like grip.

“What are you doing?” Zoelyn demanded as he ran a finger down her bare hand. She had taken the gloves off to work with the stones, and the way he was staring at her made her nervous.

Seth smiled at her coldly and grabbed her other arm effectively pinning her in place. “Motivating you,” he whispered. His gaze rose from her to the child across the room. “Legacy, come here.” His voice rose as he beckoned the child over with a nod.

“No,” Zoelyn gasped her eyes flickering to her bare hand and Jala’s son who was already approaching with an innocent look on his face.

“No, Seth, don’t do this,” Zoelyn begged. She struggled in her chair in an attempt to loosen his grip on her arm, but he didn’t budge.

“Legacy do you have faith in Zoey?” Seth asked calmly as the child stopped to watch them with confusion growing in his violet eyes.

Legacy nodded slowly and crossed his arms over his tiny chest. “Are you hurting her, Seth? She doesn’t look happy.” There was a note of reproach in the child’s voice as he continued to watch them.

“Legacy, get back please. Go back to your toys.” Zoelyn’s voice rose with her desperation and Legacy’s expression darkened.

“Zoey is my friend, Seth,” Legacy warned, his eyes narrowing. There was no hint of his age in his tone of voice or the look in his eyes, and Zoelyn knew the boy was dead serious. Legacy had a very fixed idea of right and wrong in his mind, and the expression he was giving Seth left no doubt on how he viewed the current situation.

“I’m not hurting her, Legacy. I’m keeping her from running. She is very afraid right now and she has lost all faith in herself,” Seth explained calmly as he knelt down beside her chair. He still held her arms pinned and by his relaxed posture it was taking very little effort to hold her in place. “Zoey has given up on herself, Legacy. She thinks she is a failure and I disagree. What do you think?”

“Momma says you never give up on what you believe in.” Legacy spoke cautiously and was still watching Seth with suspicion.

The Demon nodded and gave the child another smile. “I want to help her. Will you help me with that?” he asked sweetly. “No, Legacy please don’t,” Zoelyn pleaded. She could feel the beginning of tears welling in her eyes.

“All you have to do is touch her hand, Legacy,” Seth continued in the same sweet voice.

“Momma says never to touch Zoey,” Legacy informed him stubbornly.

“Your momma is right, Legacy, I will hurt you without meaning to,” Zoelyn gasped as she pulled against Seth’s grip once more.

Seth nodded with a thoughtful expression on his face. “Do you remember when your father started teaching you swords, Legacy?” he asked.

“Yes,” Legacy replied hesitantly with a slow nod.

“Do you remember how you did really badly until Finn made you angry and then you started really trying to hit him and you got better?”

Seth prompted.

“He said bad things about my Momma,” Legacy said with a trace of anger in his voice.

“He said that because he wanted you to be angry so you would try to fight in earnest. He didn’t mean those things any more than I want you to get hurt by Zoelyn’s powers. You needed motivation to hit your father, and Zoelyn needs a reason to control her powers. She doesn’t want to hurt you at all, and she will do everything to keep from hurting you,” Seth explained.

“Legacy, I can’t help it. I can’t control the powers. Please, no,” Zoelyn sobbed and shook her head frantically at the child.

“She is scared,” Seth explained in a soothing voice and smiled at Legacy. “We need to show her that she can control her power if she really, really wants to.”

“Finn!” Zoelyn screeched, her voice echoing off the walls of the throne room. She had no idea where he was or if he could hear her, but if he did, he would stop this. She had no doubts on what the Lord of Death would think of Seth jeopardizing his only son.

“He can’t hear you. He isn’t even in his domain right now,” Seth informed her with a faint smile. “Legacy, your daddy really doesn’t want you to do this,” Zoelyn gasped in desperation.

“If we let Zoelyn give up on herself right now she will never know true happiness, Legacy. She will never be able to touch another living creature or go swimming in the river with you. She will never know love or enjoy true friendship. As long as she is governed by her curse she will always be watching others live, but never living herself.” Seth paused and pushed her hand toward the child once more. “When your Momma died in Arovan everyone said she was dead, but you and Valor had faith in her and you called her back. Right now, you and I can save Zoey just like that. All we have to do is have faith in her.”

The indecision on Legacy’s face vanished at once with Seth’s last words and his tiny hand pressed against her open palm firmly. “I have faith,” he whispered.

“No!” Zoelyn screamed kicking against the chair and pulling on her arm with every ounce of strength she had. She could feel the first kiss of her curse already draining the child. Seth’s grip on her tightened and her panic rose. She squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away from Legacy. She didn’t want to see the life fade from the child and she hated Seth more than anything for forcing this upon her. It was a thousand times worse than what Nicoli Blackwolf had done to her with the prisoner. That man had been a stranger and she had known he was guilty, and it had still sickened her. Legacy was her friend and she loved him. If she killed him, that would be it for her. It was a guilt she couldn’t live with. “No,” she hissed repeating the word aloud as she forced her curse back down. The pressure on her hand eased, but she couldn’t force herself to look. In her mind she could already see the shriveled husk of Legacy’s tiny form curled on the cold stone floor before her.