Emerge: The Captive: (Book 3)(105)
Do I really have a sister? A little sister that needs more protection than she realizes?
“I don’t know you. I don’t know who you work for. I don’t know anything about you, but you’re my sister,” Allie said.
Livia closed her eyes, swallowing back her emotions just as she’d been taught all her life.
“She isn’t worth the effort, little one,” the big blond man said. He was right.
“She’s my sister,” Allie insisted.
“You saw what she did to Ming and Jin?” he said.
Livia wished she could take it back. Her gift was an abomination, but it was the thing Marcus loved most about her—her ability to sever the Complement bond. It made her physically ill every time she used it. Taking a life that way … ruining another life at the same time … it was unbearable.
“She broke their Complement bond. And to make it even more unnecessarily tragic, she murdered Ming Lao in front of their daughter.”
“To be fair, I was aiming for the other one.” Livia whirled around, masking her fear with defiance. “It’s usually easier for the woman to survive without her Complement, especially when she has natural children. I was trying to be nice.” Livia let as much venom and sarcasm into her voice as she could.
Allie’s eyes crackled with green fire and rage, her fists clenching at her sides like she wanted to wrap her hands around Livia’s throat.
“Little sister.” Livia sneered. “What a joke. I’ll get out of this hellhole of yours and, so help me, I will take you with me. I’ll break you just like I did your buddy Quinn. I’ll wear your gifts like a cloak and then I’ll hand you over to my father. He’s been looking for you for thousands of years.”
The hurt on the girl’s face told Livia she’d won. She didn’t need Allie thinking they could be real sisters. It wouldn’t be safe for her.
“That’s enough for tonight,” Gregg said.
“What will you do with her?” Allie asked as she turned to leave.
“She will be treated kindly, but we can’t let her go. Not yet.”
“I-I’ll come see you again,” Allie said.
Please don’t. I don’t think I can bear it. She couldn’t bear the hope surging within her. Hope that she could ever actually have a family of her own.
“Don’t bother. Go live your little charmed life and forget about me.”
Allie whirled around with a look that could make the ground quiver, and marched right up to the magnetized bars like they didn’t faze her. “I don’t know anything about what you’ve been through, Livia. But you don’t know shit about me and what I’ve been through either. You and I can be enemies, or we can learn to work together, filling in the gaps for each other. There’s a lot I could tell you about our parents. It’s up to you which way this will go. You can bend or you can break, but something tells me you’re too strong and too smart to break. I know I am.”
With that, her little sister turned and left.
Livia watched her go, feeling a sense of pride for the sister she’d never known. Marcus would come for Livia, and when he found Allie, he would discover what he’d been looking for since the moment he’d discovered that damned prophecy.
I have to protect her from him. And Livia knew the best way to do that was to get as far away from the girl as she possibly could.
~~~
“Would you just go, Allie?” Livia paced across her cell, trying not to let the girl get under her skin any more than she already had. Allie insisted on visiting every day. For the last four months Livia had both dreaded and looked forward to her sister’s visits. She really wanted to hate her—part of her did. But the other part of her saw how special her little sister was. She’s so powerful and so humble about it. Allie reminded her a lot of Lennox. A prime example of how the people Livia cared about always got hurt. If it weren’t for Quinn and Santi taking matters into their own hands, Lennox would be well on her way to her new owners by now. Instead, she had a new family of her own with a full life ahead of her.
Livia wanted to resent Allie for the life she’d had and the family that loved her. For all the things Livia never had. But there was still so much she didn’t understand. Things her instincts told her she didn’t want to know.
“If you’ll just listen, I can tell you what I know about our parents. There are things you need to know.”
“How many times do I have to tell you I don’t want to know?” Livia turned on Allie, her palms itching to use her power, but the magnetized cell left her helpless.
“You must have so many questions,” Allie insisted.
“Get out.” Livia pointed to the entrance of her cell. “Before I rip every strand of that ridiculous hair from your head and hang you with it!”
“Fine! And people say I’m stubborn.” Allie stalked from the room, clanging the bars shut behind her.
Livia crossed the room to the fully stocked bar and poured herself a drink. Liam had brought in everything she could possibly need, turning the cold prison cell into a richly appointed cave. He treated her well—better than she deserved. She didn’t know what was worse—being held captive against her will after all the years of doing it to other people—or having a kind jailor.
If she were honest, Livia was relieved to be away from Soma and all of her responsibilities there. This place was quiet and comfortable. In a ridiculous way, she almost felt free. If it weren’t for the separation from her power, she would gladly stay here and rot.