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17

Vale

“What are you doing here?”I was painfully aware of how I looked. Blood-covered, winded, probably glowing with exhilaration.

Serena’s eyes widened, but she maintained her composure. “We became aware that you’d created a new vampire. Now, it all makes sense.”

I should’ve known they would sense it somehow. They knew everything we did. There was no such thing as privacy.

“My daughter…” Isobel reached for Janna, then thought better of it.

Anyone with eyes could see how badly she wanted to hold her daughter.

“You’re my mother?”

“What happened to you?” Rage twisted her beautiful features as she glared at me. “What did you do to my daughter?”

A nightmare was unfolding.

“We should get out of here, don’t you think? Not everyone inside is dead.”

“You’re right.” Maeve stepped forward and took one of my hands, then one of Janna’s. “Come. We’ll discuss this elsewhere.”

And I knew where “elsewhere” was. I wished I had the chance to warn Janna about what she was about to see before Maeve ported us to The Fold.

The alley dissolved, replaced by the interior of the High Council’s chambers. Had it only been a handful of days since I stood in that room, hearing the details of my assignment?

I saw life through different eyes. I knew what it was to love something more than myself, to care for another’s well-being over my own. The Vale who left The Fold in search of a self-destructive artist didn’t exist anymore.

Isobel, Esme, and Serena joined us a moment later.

While I didn’t exactly feel relaxed, since I knew I was in for a world of pain, it was easier to face them here than in that alley with the threat of discovery.

I looked down at myself and grimaced at the amount of blood caking my shirt.

“Take that off, please.” Serena’s nose wrinkled. “This is what we sent you to Manhattan to do?”

“Where are we?” Janna looked around with wide eyes, mouth hanging open. “It’s beautiful.”

“This is The Fold,” I explained before I peeled the shirt off and over my head. “This is where we wait for our assignments.”

“We traveled all the way here just like that?” She snapped her fingers.

“Just like that.” Isobel sounded as troubled as she looked.

“I’m sorry for this,” I said, jumping in without being asked to. “I know this wasn’t part of my assignment.”

“That’s an interesting way to describe it,” Serena spat. “You’ve gone against everything. All the rules we operate by!”

“I realize that, but you must know it wasn’t for my sake that I did it. I wasn’t acting selfishly. It was on her behalf.”

“You turned her into a vampire for her benefit?” Isobel shrieked.

Janna shrank back.

I caught her against me and held her there.

Another mother was rejecting her.