I believed everything she said. Any hope I had that she might care about me deep down fled. She was nothing but a block of ice. Ruined and determined to let me suffer the same fate as she had. Twisted and fucked up didn't come close to covering it.
"Peyton?"
I jerked my head to the side at the sound of a new voice.
"Dad?" I let the magic go and reluctantly looked away from Lucinda. It wasn't the sight of my father that left me gasping for breath. It was the young woman beside him.
She looked a lot like me.
21
She didn't have the green streak, but the rest of her hair was the same colour as mine. Her face was the same shape and her eyes—
Her eyes were the same shade, but they were so full of loathing. I would have taken a step back if I was standing.
"So this is my sister." She walked toward me, hips swinging with each slow step. She was the big cat, I was the tiny mouse.
I held back a squeak.
"Peyton, this is Rebecca." My father's voice was filled with regret, but I hardly dared to take my eyes off her to look at him.
"Hey." I smiled as warmly as I could manage. "It's nice to meet you. I heard a rumour you existed, but I wasn't sure if it was true or not."
Rebecca bared her teeth, but the growl was aimed at Lucinda.
"I'm the family secret," she hissed. "The disgrace."
"Really?" I asked lightly. "I could have sworn that was me." I gave my mother a sweet smile. I wasn't sure if Rebecca was my ally or not, but she seemed to loathe our mother as much as I had come to in the last couple of hours.
Rebecca laughed, a bitter, cold sound. "You're the one they kept. They left me to be raised by Zeta doctors."
I nodded. "I thought I recognised that bitter expression." I had seen it on Nash and Matt. Whatever childhood they had was tainted by the sick idea that paranormals were superior and needed to be preserved at all costs. I would never understand how my parents didn't think the price was far too high.
For the first time since he'd entered the room, I looked at my father. He seemed to have aged since I saw him last. He looked tired, his face lined and pale.
"So, you knew about all of this Zeta stuff too?" I asked.
He flinched. "In the early days, yes I did. I left. We left. Or I thought we did." His gaze settled on my mother. "I was told Rebecca was dead and they'd never touch you."
Lucinda met his gaze, unwavering. "I did what I had to do."
"You're fucked up!" Rebecca shouted, all but drowning out Lucinda's last couple of words. She lunged at her.
My father was quicker. He grabbed Rebecca's wrist and pulled her back.
She hissed and growled like a cat with its claws caught in a trap, but she only struggled against him for a few moments. Then she sagged.
"She deserves to die," Rebecca said, her chin tucked into her chest.
For a moment I thought my father might agree. Instead, he said, "She did what she thought was best."
I blinked. "Do you know what happened to me?" I gestured toward Kane. "To him? To everyone else I care about?"
Kane's legs moved, but his eyes stayed closed. I felt around in the bond. He wasn't entirely out now, but he was going to keep pretending he was. I sent thoughts of approval. For his own safety, he should keep still for as long as he could.
"I know," my father said softly. "I didn't know until a few days ago. Any of it." He looked at Rebecca with cautious affection. I suspected only his innocence kept her from ripping off his head. What had the doctors at Zeta said she was? Oh yes, a chimera. A dangerous one at that.
"Well, aren't we a dysfunctional family," I said ironically. "How many babies has she had?" I nodded toward Rebecca.
Lucinda snorted. "None, she's too unstable."
"Unbroken too," I observed. Damaged by her upbringing, yes, but she obviously still had her will intact.
"Stubborn," Lucinda said. "The bond will help with that."
Rebecca made to attack her, but again our father held her back.
"You really mean to do that?" he asked. He looked disgusted, but like a man who knew better than to argue. Lucinda would do as she pleased. If not her, then someone else from Zeta.
"Now we know exactly how to do it, and have one who can spell the stones." For a moment I thought Lucinda meant me, but she nodded toward Corinne, who reentered the room carrying a tray.
"I would hazard a bet your young lover could do it too." Lucinda waved toward Blake. "Perhaps I'll have him bond Rebecca."
Blake's eyes widened. An hour ago, I would have defended him, but now I had no idea what he might be capable of.
"I'll tear off his head if he comes near me," Rebecca said, her voice low and dangerous. "Both of his heads."
Lucinda clicked her tongue. "It's past time you learnt obedience." She raised her hand and drew in magic. Before anyone could move, she wrapped a thick tendril around my father's throat.
"Don't!" I was out of my seat before I could stop myself. "Leave him alone!"
His face turned pink and he put his hands up to his neck.
"You both need to learn what happens if you don't behave," Lucinda said coldly.
My father dropped Rebecca's wrist and fell to his knees. Only when they touched the floor did Lucinda release the magic. He slumped forward, coughing and gasping for breath.
"You're not going to win wife or mother of the year," I told her. "In fact, I think that's very good grounds for divorce."
"Perhaps you need another lesson." Lucinda raised her hand again.
"No! No, leave him alone." I stepped between them as Rebecca helped him to his feet. "This is all about you and me. Let them both leave and I'll do whatever you want." Gods, what was I saying? It didn't matter, I meant it. If I had to go along with her disgusting plans to give my sister and father a life, then so be it. They both deserved to be free of Lucinda.
Lucinda regarded me coldly, as though deciding whether or not she believed me. Finally, she nodded.
"Very well. Corinne, see them out. Peyton, I need to be certain you'll do as you say you will."
"I said I would, didn't I?"
"People say many things they don't mean," she replied coolly. "Hold out your hand."
I hesitated, then slowly did as she asked. I thought I heard a choked protest, but I couldn't be sure who it was from. Maybe my father had regrets, maybe Kane was worried, maybe Blake still cared about me on some level.
Lucinda pulled out the black stone from her pocket. Without a second's pause, she touched it to my palm.
A heartbeat, two, three and all the magic inside me slithered up into my hand and into the stone. Not a drop remained. I tried to draw, but couldn't even feel the magic I knew was around me. I immediately felt bereft, empty. I wasn't a witch anymore. I swallowed back a sob.
A flash of triumph crossed her features.
"Peyton—"
I glanced at my father as Corinne herded him and Rebecca toward the door. His expression made my heart skip. It wasn't one of a man whose daughter gave everything to keep him safe. Oh, there was regret, but he looked like a man who didn't like the plan, but was glad it worked. He set me up. Lucinda had never had any intention of killing him.
"I can still shift," I reminded them all.
"But you won't," Lucinda said. "Your sister and your shifter lover's lives depend on you doing as you're told." She nodded toward my father who took Rebecca's wrist again, but this time as a prison guard, not a caring father or husband trying to protect his wife.
"Divorce is still an option," I called out to him before the door closed on them.
I didn't see the slap until the side of my face stung. My head snapped back on my neck and I almost fell on my ass. Only by windmilling my arms did I keep my feet.
"Have some respect," Lucinda hissed.
I cupped the side of my face with my hand. "Respect is earned. You've done nothing to earn it. Quite the opposite."
Lucinda raised her hand, but that was the
only indication I had that she was doing magic until Kane started to thrash on the couch. His hands curled like claws and scratched at his neck. His eyes popped open and his face turned red.
"Paranormal shortage," I reminded her. "And if you kill him, our deal is off."
Kane gasped for air and Lucinda lowered her hand.
"Macintosh, take the shifter to one of our rooms."
I hadn't seen the man enter the room, but he swung Kane over his shoulder like he had earlier and carried him toward the door.
"Don't worry, you'll be right beside him," Lucinda told me. "The bond will ensure you feel everything he does, or which is done to him. When you step out of line…"
Even without magic, the bond still held. She was right, I would know if she hurt him. Gods, how had I done this to us?
"If you behave, he'll be allowed to visit you. I hear he quite enjoys having an audience."
I flushed. "The others will come after me," I told her.
"It's up to you to keep them away. Otherwise—" She waved a hand in the direction Macintosh had taken Kane.
I licked my lips. "They're pretty stubborn."
"Then your shifter better enjoy pain, because he'll be getting used to it." She took a step toward me. "It doesn't have to be that way. This could be an enjoyable experience for all of us." She moved away from me and toward Blake. She ran a hand down his cheek, over his chest and down toward his groin. "I might even have more children myself."
Blake's eyes widened. He let his control slip for long enough for me to feel him through the bond. He was trying hard not to flinch away from her.
I might have laughed, or felt sorry for him, but he made his bed. He could lie in it, even if that meant lying with her, too. The idea was revolting, but it still wasn't the worst thing I heard all day.
"I'm sure Blake would enjoy that," I said. Why not twist the knife a little? "He seems to like fucking for the sake of Zeta." I curled my lip at him. "Like a dutiful breeding bull."
He looked away, so I couldn't see his response.
Lucinda chuckled and patted his groin. "That's what I like to hear. Now, Blake, take her up to the rooms. She'll need her birth control implant removed. Again. That can't be done until morning. Make sure she has food and doesn't shift. I would tell you what would happen if you don't, but you know if she does, she'll kill you first."
He swallowed and nodded. "Yes, ma'am, I know she will," he agreed.
"Darn right I will, but it's nothing he doesn't deserve." I gave him an ice cold look, but my heart ached. I had cared about him as deeply as the rest of the guys. His betrayal cut me deeper than if he'd shoved a sword between my ribs.
"Yes, yes, enough of that." Lucinda waved us away. "Just see she's comfortable and behaves until she's ready to breed. That's our top priority here. I will be checking up."
"Yes, ma'am." Blake gripped my arm tight and pulled me toward the door.
"I know how to walk," I growled. "I don't need you to touch me."
"I'm just doing what I'm told," he replied.
"Yeah, that's what I don't get. Why you're on her side."
"I'm on the side of paranormals surviving." He opened the door and pushed me through.
"Me too," I agreed. "Me, Kane, and my sister. You, your cousin, and my parents can go to hells."
22
I flopped down on the bed in the corner the moment Blake shut the door behind us.
"Okay, what the fuck is going on?" I fixed him with a steely gaze.
He looked around the room, ran a hand along a wall. "Kane is in the room beside this?"
I felt for him through the bond and nodded. "He is, but he's pissed off. I can't guarantee he won't peck your eyes out the next time he sees you. And Corinne."
Blake pulled a chair away from the table on the other side of the room. "I'm going to assume we're being watched and listened to."
"Whatever." I grabbed up a pillow and hugged it to myself. "I don't care if they hear. What could you say that would make any of this better? Or worse?" I shouldn't suggest the latter. I'm sure my mother could think up a few ways.
"I didn't mean to hurt you," he said softly. He glanced around again, then let a hint of his feelings filter through the bond. Regret, anxiety, love, fear.
I turned my face away. "You shouldn't have lied to me." The words were harsh, but they had a new meaning now. I understood. At least, I hoped I did.
"I had no choice." He sat forward, hands on his knees. "I had to do what was right for all paranormals."
"Corinne too?"
His lips drew tight. "She believes in Zeta's cause."
I exhaled through pursed lips. I hoped she really was on our side. I genuinely liked her, or I did. Now, she was as bad as my mother. I felt for Blake. He was walking on a tightrope between two sides. One he believed to be right, the other that would kill him if he didn't toe the line. At least for now.
That didn't mean I wasn't still mad at him. He scared me. I honestly thought he went over to the evil side. I couldn't think of it as anything else. Not even the extinction of all paranormals justified forcing young women to have children.
"What about my father and Rebecca?"
"Today was the first time I've seen either," Blake replied. "Your father seems conflicted. I'm sure your mother will keep him and Rebecca in line."
"That's what I'm afraid of." I wasn't sure how conflicted he was. He seemed as deep in this as Lucinda. Rebecca, on the other hand, was as much a victim in this as I was. More so. I could just as easily have lived the same life she had.
I rested my chin on the top of the pillow. "You know I've going to have to escape, right? I know what I promised my mother, but I can't stay here and pop out babies. Even if they have cute, curly hair."
He smiled out the side of his mouth. "I wouldn't expect anything less, but it'll be harder without your magic."
Tears prickled my eyes again. "I'll find a way to get it back."
"And if you don't?"
I paused. "I can be badass without it. They can't take away my ability to shift."
"Not yet," he agreed. "I'm sure they're working on it."
My lips trembled. The idea I could be stripped of every ability that made me paranormal was enough to make me weep or scream. Maybe both.
"I might have babies without abilities if they do," I said finally.
"That would be ironic," he agreed. "After all the trouble they've gone through to convince you to stay."
"That would be so fucked up I could almost laugh at the idea." Almost. Mostly I just wanted to burn the whole house to the ground.
"Yeah, but they're working hard on doing the opposite. I suspect that's what your mother took all that magic for."
I frowned until I understood his meaning.
"You think Zeta wants to make normals into paranormals?"
"It certainly seems like something to try," he replied carefully.
"Then they wouldn't need to breed us." They'd create a shit ton of other problems instead. A normal who woke up one day with the ability to shift or do magic, could cause havoc while trying to figure out what was going on.
"No, but they might start with children too young to understand."
I shuddered. "I thought my mother's job was to stop normals from finding out about paranormals. This would have the opposite effect."
"Only if the children were raised amongst normals," Blake said softly.
My mouth dropped open and I gaped for a solid minute.
"She would do that, wouldn't she?" And Corinne and my father would help her. "I need to get my magic back before she gives it to some unsuspecting normal."
"How are you going to do that?" he asked.
I slumped and held the pillow tighter. "I don't know." I scanned the room. If a camera was tucked away in a corner, I couldn't see it. Or a microphone. Maybe the wall was a one-way window and Kane was watching our every move. And maybe no one was watching, they just wanted me to think they were.
"Is there any c
hance you could get me some chocolate?" I asked after a few moments.
Blake smiled. "Probably. This place seems to have everything."
"Yeah. Pool, spa, resident evil witch," I said bitterly. "You know, you should probably leave, before you end up dead." I made it sound like a threat, but it was a warning. If Lucinda or even Corinne decided he couldn't be trusted, he'd lose his magic and then his life. Once his usefulness was done, so was he.
"I won't leave until my job is done," he replied. "And right now that means watching over you. What kind of guard would I be if I left?"
We'd long since established that he wasn't cut out to be any kind of guard, so I had to bite back a smile.
"Suit yourself." I shrugged.
"I'm sure you'd prefer not to have a replacement," he said, his voice low. "Macintosh, for example."
I shuddered. "He'd tear me in two. Don't even say things like that."
The hint of a smile on his face faded. "Yeah, sorry. Nothing about this is funny. I just…I'm not good at knowing what to say at times like this."
"Yeah, me either. Except maybe, ‘I'm a hybrid, get me out of here!’ I suspect Lucinda wouldn't be swayed by that."
"Probably not," he agreed. "Maybe you should get some sleep. I'll keep watch."
I nodded and lay back on the bed. "No taking advantage of me while I sleep." I shook a finger at him.
"I wouldn't dream of it," he replied. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Actually I would and I have, but I won't."
"Until you have to." I pulled a blanket up to my chin.
"Yeah, until then." He crossed his arms over his chest and exhaled out his nose.
I felt his conflict through his bond. On one hand, he didn't want to be part of Lucinda's plans. On the other, we loved each other. None of us had ever really talked about children, but the possibility for them in the future had always been in the back of my mind. Any child I had would be loved by all the guys. No matter what they went through, they'd have a father they could go to for advice or permission.
"Whatever happens, you'll have to keep doing what you're told," I said, my eyes peeking over the top of the blanket. "Like a dutiful lackey."
Logical Magic (Academy of Modern Magic Book 3) Page 14
