Page 109 of Fighting for Her Heart

“Selected what?” I snap.

“Which one will die first?” She smiles as if she’s asking me what kind of ice cream I want. “If you’re finding it too difficult to choose, then I will, and I have plenty of weapons at my disposal.”

Wooden stakes appear all around the room, strapped to the walls, just like she hid weapons all over the farmhouse. Those stakes were real, the illusion was hiding them, not creating them.

“I’m waiting.” She taps her foot on the floor. The wooden stakes shift, coming out of their bindings to point out from the walls, to point toward my men and toward me.

I don’t doubt for a second that she can make them fly through the air and kill us. But I do doubt that she will. In spite of her claims, she needs us. Needs me.

Releasing some of my light, I swirl my hand to create a long rope, and then use it to secure her arms to her sides.

Laughing, she breaks free within seconds, and then Zuben turns, lifting and aiming the crossbow toward Ryker’s heart.

I move in front of Ryker who can’t move either now. Neither can Axe.

“Zuben, I can easily make you kill him,” she says. “But I suspect you’d prefer to act of your own free will. I know your true feelings about this pirate. Kill him.”

“Don’t listen to her,” I say. “She won’t make you do it while I’m blocking your shot.”

“You’re wrong, daughter.” Nora laughs. “The bolt will merely wound you on the way to his heart.”

“Zuben. I know you understand what’s at stake here, pardon my pun.” She chuckles. “Kill the pirate and the beast, and you will have Ember to yourself. The three of us can work together.”

She steps toward Zuben, and his attention snaps toward her, even as the weapon remains aimed at Ryker and me. “The three of us will be a formidable team,” she says to Zuben.

“With your superior intelligence and understanding of the Illuminant, I know you alone can see the big picture. I know she’s reluctant now, but my young daughter will understand what is best in time. She’ll forgive you for killing these two. She’ll see it was her fault they died.”

Turning back to face us, Zuben frowns. His hands are trembling, his finger twitching over the trigger. If he fired now, the bolt would go though my throat on its way to Ryker’s heart.

“Enough!” I step forward.

“Don’t interrupt.” Nora flicks her wrist, and I fly back against the cage. The silver burns me through my clothing.

“Interrupting is rude,” Nora says. “Keep quiet. The grown ups are talking.”

To hell with developing a plan.

My contained fury and light burst forth. It’s like my body’s expanding, exploding, and the entire space fills with white light.

I thrust my arms forward and Nora flies through the air, slamming against the wall and staying there.

Her expression fills with shock and then pain. Bright red blooms on the white fabric of her blouse, and the beauty of the color registers before I notice the stakes protruding through her chest.

What have I done?

I drop my arms extinguishing the light.

Four stakes through her chest, Nora drops to the ground and I rush to her side. The men gather around me, holding me back a few feet from her.

“Daughter.” Nora reaches up. Blood flows from between her lips. “I failed to make you understand.” Her voice is shaky and fading. “All I ever wanted was to love you, to protect you.”

I shake my head, fighting the guilt and regret filling my heart. That’s not all she wanted for me,fromme. My knees shake, my entire body shakes but I can’t tell whether it’s shock or fatigue.

Reaching up, she takes my hand. “Stay strong, Gullveig. Always remember who you are. Do not let these vampires lure you away from your true self, or control you with their thrusting rods. Remember. They are monsters. You are a goddess. You are and will always be the…”

Her voice fades away and her head drops down; her gaze goes blank.

I gasp, sucking in a shuddering breath.