Page 6 of Fighting for Her Heart

Mom snaps her head toward me, and what I see in her eyes is confusing. Instead of shock or disbelief, what I see looks more like disappointment. Does shewantto hate these men? To think the worst of them no matter what?

“And what about the big one?” she asks me softly.

“He has…Ihavefed Axe. But he didn’t go out in the sunlight afterwards.” Although he was about to when Mom showed up this afternoon.

“Sonovampire has yet used your powers as the Illuminant?” she asks.

“Well…” I squirm.

“There is a third vampire in Ember’s life,” Zuben tells her. “And this vampire is the only one of us to truly partake in the experience of sunlight after drinking her blood.”

“Where is this third vampire?” Nora pushes forward on the boulder, readying herself to leap up.

“Not here,” Zuben says tightly.

“Who is he? Where is he? Who has he told? Ember might be in even more danger than I thought.”

“Mom.” I touch her arm. “His name is Ryker, and he wouldn’t tell anyone. In fact, he’d do anything to protect me.”

Glancing down, I draw a long breath that’s full of my love for Ryker, but also my fears that he’s left me. An owl flies between trees above us, drawing my attention skyward.

“If he’s so protective, why isn’t he here?” She frowns.

My chest pinches. “He went into the city to get some…some things. He’ll be back soon.” My voice tightens as I try to hide my worry. He’s been gone for so long.

Zuben’s lips tighten as if he’s holding back adding his two cents.

“Are youcertainhe’s coming back?” Nora asks, looking toward Zuben.

“Yes,” I say quickly, and Zuben glances to the side.

“I suppose he would, given he knows what your blood can do.” Nora smiles softly.

Her smile seems an odd reaction, but nothing about tonight seems quite normal, and I can’t trust my instincts. Regardless, I don’t like her implying that the only reason Ryker would come back is for more blood. She doesn’t know him.

A new belly-churning thought hits, and I turn quickly toward my mother—who I’ve just learned isn’treally my mother. My mind is still swirling. “When I was a kid, you used to draw blood samples. Why? Wereyouusing me? Selling my blood?”

“Selling your blood?” She looks genuinely offended. “Of course not.”

“Then why did you do it? What was it for? Because Iknowit wasn’t donations to the Red Cross like you claimed back then. That’s not how blood donations work.”

“That was…” she looks down. “I am sorry for lying to you about that. We were just trying to keep you safe.”

We?“Who is ‘we’, and safe from what?” My instinctive trust for my Mom is waning.

“Safe fromvampires, darling. And byweI mean others like me. Others sworn to keep you safe.”

“She is referring to the Keepers of Darkness,” Zuben says.

Nora’s attention snaps toward him. “How do you know that term?”

“As I have told you—” he bows slightly “—I have been studying this matter for a very long time. But I too would like to understand the purpose of the blood samples you extracted. If they were not given to vampires…” His brows draw together for a moment, then his eyes widen. “Were you testing to see if she had ripened?”

“Ripened?” I ask, unable to hide my distaste. “What the hell does that mean?”

He turns toward me. “Whether your blood had yet…reached its potential.” Zuben’s clearly struggling to find words that won’t offend me. “Whether or not your blood had developed the requisite properties to—”

“I get it.” I close my eyes for a moment, dizzy from all the new information and all the questions yet unanswered. Like…