Darkness Avenged (Guardians of Eternity #10)(62)

Why hadn’t she slugged him in the nose when she had him in her power?

“After decades of making enemies my mother decided she needed to expand her power base,” she said through clenched teeth. “Or at least that’s what she always claimed.”

“Didn’t she have a coven?”

“She did, but she could never really trust that they wouldn’t stage a coup d’état.” Sally grimaced. Her mother had been as paranoid as she was power hungry. No doubt because everyone hated her guts. “She wanted a partner of absolute, unquestioning loyalty.”

“A daughter.”

“Give the vampire a gold star,” she muttered.

There was another flash of fang. “This isn’t the time to be a smart-ass.”

It wasn’t. Unfortunately, the more nervous she became the more mouthy she tended to be.

“Yes, a daughter,” she forced herself to answer in reasonable tones. No sense antagonizing the already infuriated vampire. “Or more specifically, me.”

“And she chose a demon to impregnate her?”

“Good god, no.” She shook her head. “My mother had a pathological hatred of demons.”

He frowned, almost as if he were offended by her confession. “Why?”

“Maybe because demons spend a great deal of time trying to kill witches,” she pointed out.

He shrugged aside her accusation. Typical. Vampires were allowed to go around killing willy-nilly, but they weren’t so happy when they were the prey.

“Then how did a demon end up in her bed?”

“From what I could discover my mother performed a secret fertility rite that would not only make sure she would become pregnant, but would lead her to the best candidate to be the”—she felt a ridiculous blush stain her cheeks—“donor.”

His brows lifted. “And it led her to a demon?”

“So it would seem.” She shrugged. “And beyond just being a demon, it had to be skillful enough to hide the fact it wasn’t human from a very powerful witch. Not an easy task.”

He studied her for several seconds. “Didn’t your mother try to track him down after she discovered the truth?”

With an abrupt motion she turned away from his piercing gaze. Her raw sense of betrayal was something she wasn’t willing to share.

Certainly not with a vampire who wanted her dead.

“It took several years before she actually learned the truth.”

“She didn’t realize when you were born?”

“I was one of those half-breeds who didn’t start showing my demon blood until I hit puberty.” She hunched a shoulder, her stomach cramping at the agonizing memory. “Needless to say, my sweet sixteenth birthday is one I’ll never forget.”

“What happened?” His voice sounded odd. Tense.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It does if it helps me determine what sort of demon you are.”

God almighty. He truly was a masochist.

“You want the gory details?” She whirled back to glare at his carefully blank face. “Okay. I was assisting my mother with a spell that demanded a blood sacrifice, so I sliced open my palm. I’d done it a hundred times, but this time . . .”

“It healed.”

“Yep, just like magic.” Her lips twisted. She could still remember every detail of that moment. The smell of smoke from the candles protecting their circle. The sound of her blood dripping on the wood floor. The hiss of horror from the woman who’d raised her as the wound had slowly sealed shut. “Only it wasn’t magic. It was a death sentence.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was still wondering why the heck my hand was healing when my mother hit me with a spell that was intended to eviscerate me on the spot. It was only because she’d drilled me on how to block the most vicious spells that I managed to escape.” She blinked back the tears that threatened. She didn’t cry for that terrified girl who’d fled the cottage that night. Not anymore. “Ironic, isn’t it?”

“Ironic?” Something dangerous smoldered in the depths of his pale eyes. “It’s a damned mess.”

Chapter 17

Roke glared at the female who continued to screw with his emotions.

Why else would he be feeling pity for her? What did he care if her psycho mother had tried to kill her? Or that she didn’t know what sort of demon had fathered her?

He didn’t.

It was nothing more than an effect of the spell.

Well, that wasn’t entirely true, he was forced to concede. For the moment the demon blood running through her veins was very much his concern.

Damn it all.

“What other powers do you have?” he growled.

“Besides healing, I can see better in the dark, although not as good as you. And I’m stronger than most women.” She shoved her fingers through her tangled hair, her expression one of self-derision. “Oh, and I think I might be aging slower, unless I just have really good genes.”

He frowned, trying to ignore just how vulnerable she looked with her pale face covered with dust and the purple shadows beneath her eyes.

This female was his enemy.

Period.

“And you can compel others to your will?” he snarled.