Page 96 of Fighting for Her Heart

She could leave all four of us down here, forever, chained to the wall and in pain. She could create illusions for the other vampires she lures down, so that none of them suspects what’s going on as they feed from me, not until it’s too late and they’ve become lambent and trapped down here too.

I need to calm down, to think clearly, to reason with her.

“How often do you need to consume a lambent vampire’s…fluids?” I try to sound as if I’m considering her offer, and maybe I am. Cooperation could be the only way to get her to release the men from this pain.

Her eyes narrow. “Why do you ask?”

“If I’m going to be part of this, I need to understand.”

Her head tips to the side, and her gaze flits down to my amulet. Then she shrugs, as if she’s evaluated the risk I pose and concluded it’s low. And she’s right. Even using her amulet, I haven’t been able to break through her magic or use my own.

She rests one shoulder against the wall beside me. “I typically consume lambent blood once per lunar cycle.”

“On the full moon?” I ask.

She laughs, then frowns. “On any day Ichooseto.”

“And if you don’t get the blood?” I try to look concerned for her.

“Then, over time, I will show my age.”

“You said you were, like a hundred and seventy years old?”

She nods. “One hundred and seventy-two.”

I try hard to look impressed, also seeing the hint of hypocrisy in the revulsion I feel. I too will retain the appearance of my current physical age by consuming the blood of others.

“And your sisters? How old are they?” I gesture toward the three witches who are busy taking blood and semen from the men.

“Their ages vary. I am the youngest.”

“But you’re theirleader?” I say, faking awe. “That’s very impressive.” Nora always enjoyed flattery. How did I not notice how badly she craves recognition.

She smiles. “Leadership requiresforesight, Ember. It requires wisdom, ambition and strength. It is not dictated by age.”

“I see.”

She sighs. “You are so young. It’s easy to understand your misconceptions about many things. Still, I’m appalled at the extent to which you let these three men, all much older than you, control your life. That’snothow I raised you.”

I bite down on my lower lip to keep from arguing. If anything, I’ve been controlling the men’s lives, not the other way around. If they hadn’t met me, all of them would be better off—even Axe who was trapped in a secret prison when we met. But there is no use in arguing with her.

We’re all trapped now, and even if she fully releases my bindings, I’m up against four powerful and experienced witches. I can’t win against her using my magic, and my vampiric powers have yet to fully develop. My only hope is to get her on my side.

“Consuming this blood, holding these vampire’s captive. You’re doing all that just for everlasting youthful beauty?”

“My daughter.” She shakes her head. “It is so much more than that.”

“It is?”

“Males have always used force to rob power from women,” she says softly. “They make women believe that they’re weaker, that they need protection from dangers in the world.” She shakes her head slowly.

“This deception has persisted for millennia, allowing the male gender to dominate. Human females in particular have been brainwashed by these ideas. Only we keepers of magic can see through their oppressive deception. That is why men have resorted to violence and genocide against witches—burnings, drownings, persecution. It is why we went into hiding.”

“Oh!” I’m shocked at how much these arguments resonate on some level. Menhaveused their advantage in terms of relative size and strength to gain the upper hand in most civilizations, and women suspected of witchcraft certainly have been persecuted in the past….

A lot of what she says rings true, but she’s taking this to extremes, and none of it justifies what she’s done. What she plans to do.

“And you, my darling girl,” Nora continues. “You areGullveig, descended from the goddess who first granted women the powers of magic. It is now time to fulfill your destiny. Time to tap into your true power.” She nods toward the amulet.