Vicious Minds (Children of Vice #4)(99)

“Exactly—”

“That I can’t do.” I stopped and turned to face him as he stood in the middle of the living room. His jaw was hard as he stared into my eyes. “Live in hiding with you, I can do. I have been doing so. I do so because I love you and I thought wherever you go, I go too.”

“You thought?”

“I also now realize I joined you in hiding because I love my children and my family. I will always fight to protect them.”

“When did our son stop being your family?” I tried to keep my voice calm and cool.

“Never. He will be always be my son and family. If you ask me to sit quietly and do nothing as he jeopardizes everything we built, what my father died for, what my mother has suffered for, simply to tell us we were bad parents, you’re mistaken, love. If he lays a hand on anyone else in the family again, my mother, Wyatt, my grandchild, my brother, Declan….”

“You’ll what?” I snapped. “Touch Ethan, and I swear to God, Liam, you will suffer.”

“Whether you make me suffer or not, I will suffer anyway. You aren’t the only one who loves him. But he doesn’t rank higher than everyone else combined.” He took his jacket and walked towards the door.

“Where are you going?”

“To pray that we are wrong, and we are giving him too much damn credit.” He slammed the door behind him.

This was the danger of abdicating the throne. Once a king always a king; once the Ceann Na Conairte always the Ceann Na Conairte, whether the crown was on his head or not.

This was going to be complicated.

I glanced back at the image of this Calliope on the screen. She was laughing and smiling, She looked innocent…too fucking innocent. But I knew without a doubt she was anything but. Women like her…women like us…knew how to play the people around us a little too well.





Chapter 22





“Knowing your own darkness

is the best method for dealing with the darknesses

of other people.”





~Carl Gustav Jung





CALLIOPE - AGE 13





“Are you tired?” he asked as me as I tried to climb out of the hole. Every time I clung to the rope and pulled my body up, my legs…I think they were broken. I think they broke when I was thrown down here.

“I can’t hear you, Calliope.” At the sound of that voice I shivered and held on tighter, much tighter, pulling myself up more. I could see the circle of light above me where the sky was, where my freedom was. I was almost there, and then I could sleep.

“Ahh—” I screamed as this time ice water, not the scalding water they poured earlier, rained down on me and at the shock of it I let go. I fell back down on the dirt and the rats scattered as my body landed with thud.

“How long is it going to take you to pass this test, Calliope?” His voice called from above, from the place where there was light.

“It hurts.” I whispered. My throat was so dry. I wanted water. Just a little bit of water. “Please.”

“Still begging? I’m disappointed in you, Calliope.” Her voice sounded above me too as they pushed the cover over and I watched the blue sky disappear bit by bit until there was no sky. No light. Just darkness.

“Get away.” I waved my arms to make sure the rats didn’t come close…not again. If I was still, if I didn’t move, they’d bite again. Panicked, I rolled on to my side, but my legs wouldn’t turn with me. Reaching down to my thigh I pulled it over, screaming as I did.

I can’t stay still. I can’t stay here.

On my stomach I crawled just a little bit reaching out blindly, my hands trying to feel for the rope.

“Come on. Come on, where are you?” I was trying not to lose it but I did. I was so tired and angry even though I wasn’t sure who to be mad at.

“I’m not staying here,” I said, pulling myself up. The rope dug and burned my hands and I was sure they were bleeding, as I pulled myself up. I didn’t have any feeling below my stomach and it made everything else heavy. But still I didn’t stop, not until there was no rope left. I reached up and almost slipped back down. I didn’t have the strength to hold on with just one hand. But I had to get the lid open.

I wanted to kick it. The thought of figuring out how the hell I’d do that was funny. Who was I, Lara Croft? I couldn’t flip like that.

They’ll check on me, I’ll just wait. No. I didn’t want to wait…I couldn’t wait. Clutching the rope tighter I pulled myself up and used the only other part of my body that worked…my head. I rammed my head up into the bottom of the lid moving it bit by bit over and over again until I saw a small crack of orange light. I felt a warm liquid drip down my head but I didn’t stop. I kept going until the crack widened and I would have kept going until I could free myself, but the cover lifted. Everything was orange and pink for a second before I could see their faces.

My grandmother…my grandfather. They stood.

My grandmother smiled widely, her wrinkled face filled with joy as both of them reached out their hands for me to take.

“I knew you wouldn’t disappoint us. Come on, we’ll help you,” my grandfather said, a small grin on his scruffy hard face.