Iniquitous (The Marked #3)(86)
She looked at me for a long moment, her expression as unreadable as the fine print on a contract with Death. “Will this help keep you safe?”
“Yes,” I lied. This was only the very tip of the carnage that lay ahead of me, but I couldn’t let that that stop me from doing what had to be done right now.
“And what about the prophecy?”
“I can only put out one fire at a time,” I answered, avoiding the conversation entirely.
“But they’ll continue to hunt you.”
“They can’t hurt me right now,” I said as I raised the Amulet from around my neck, letting the chandelier light hit it at just the right angle. “Not until I let them.”
“Let them?” Trace and my mother asked at the same time.
“I’m not going to be the reason this world goes to shit.” Of that I was sure. “The way I see it, I have two options right now. I either lock myself away in Hell like the Order wants, or I do what you did and Turn.”
“What are you talking about?” snapped Trace, hearing this for the first time. His eyebrows rutted together as a cocktail of emotions swirled in his eyes. None of them good.
“You heard her, Trace. Turning makes the bloodline useless to the Dark Legion and if I’m useless to them, I’m no longer a threat to the Order. It’s that or sealing myself in a tomb with Lucifer.” At this point, I wasn’t sure which one was worse because by the look on Trace’s face, it was obvious that he hadn’t signed up to date a vampire—the very thing that he hunted. The thing that killed his sister. I was probably going to lose him either way. The only question was, which way would be easier for me to bear.
“We still have time. We’ll find another way,” he whispered softly though his words were urgent—forceful.
“He loves you very much,” said my mother, interrupting us and steering my focus back to her. It wasn’t a question though. It was more of an observation—a statement of undeniable truth. “And you love him too.”
“More than anything.”
Trace tightened his hold on me and dropped a kiss on the top of my head.
A sad smile slid across her face again, like she knew our love was just as doomed as hers had been.
My heart ached to tell her that it wasn’t; to defend ourselves against her unspoken assumption and tell her that we didn’t need her sad smiles or her pity, but I couldn’t muster the energy needed to tell the lie. The future for Trace and I had gotten bleaker than the Hollow Hills sky, and every time I found myself looking out into the horizon for signs of hope, the only thing I saw were more storm clouds headed our way.
“Okay,” she said suddenly and tipped her head like a promise. “If this is what you want, then I’ll do it. I’ll help you in any way I can.”
I wasn’t sure what changed her tune, or how much of it was based on pity for us, but I also didn’t bother questioning it. I was willing to accept whatever help was coming my way.
Even in the form of my once-dead mother’s blood.
39. LIFE UNEXPECTED
After supper, I retreated to the guest room to lay down while Trace brought everyone up to speed downstairs. I didn’t want to be around to hear Gabriel’s cautionary objections or Dominic’s snide remarks and I definitely didn’t want to listen to any more bickering between the three of them. My mother had agreed to help me—to give us her blood so that Arianna could close the portal tomorrow and that was the only conversation I’d wanted to hear.
Tomorrow was the first step in restoring the world as I had once known it and when we were done with that, I was going to have to weigh out my options and finally commit to what my next step was going to be—what my future would be. The way I saw it now, I only had two options and neither of them were any good.
The first option was to do the very thing my uncle had tried to trick me into—eternal damnation by willingly entering Hades and taking myself out of the game entirely. That meant not only leaving my entire life behind and all the people I loved, but the very body I occupied as well.
The second option was for me to do what my mother had done and Turn. On the plus side, I wouldn’t have to give up my entire life and I’d still have my body and soul occupying the same space. But I would most likely lose Trace and any hope for having a future and a family with him some day. I’d have to watch him move on, fall in love with someone else and live a normal beautiful life without me.
I honestly wasn’t sure which fate was worse.
A soft knock at the door interrupted my dangerous thoughts. “Come in.”
Trace opened the door and stepped inside the shrouded darkness of the room. “You’re awake.” He smiled and then closed the door behind himself. “You want some company?” he asked, hopeful.
“You never have to ask me that.”
His grin widened and two dimples made a brief appearance as he strutted to the bed and then dropped down beside me. Reaching under me, he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me into his chest.
“Everything okay downstairs?” I asked as I listened to the steady thrumming of his heart.
“Arianna’s gone back to Hawthorne to get her sisters.”
“And my…and Jaqueline?” It felt strange referring to her as my mother out loud, without a motive, so I didn’t.