Page 67 of The Vampire Court

I hold my hand up, shaking my head and stopping her before she can speak a word. “I already know the answer to that. If you had thought about us, you would have come home. You needn’t bother wasting your breath trying to build something you never wanted.” I drop my hand and level a glare on her. “So no,Mother, I don’t want to have anything to do with you. You had your chance and you threw it away to be selfish. You betrayed your family.”

She steps forward then, arms stretched out as if intending to wrap me up in a hug and tell me that everything will be fine, but her efforts have come too late.

Years too late.

“Don’t come here anymore. Don’t seek me out. Don’t send anyone to talk to me in your place. I never want to see you again.”

Tears build, swelling to the edge, ready to spill over the second I blink.

Turning on my heel, I stride across the room and out the door, slamming it behind me. I jog down the long corridor toward the stairs that lead to the human quarters. I blink, and my tears finally fall in hot streams down my cheeks.

Knowing I shouldn’t stray far from Alaric’s rooms, I stop at the top of the stairs and lean on the stone banister, gripping it until my fingers ache.

It’s stupid to allow her to crawl under my skin. She hasn’t been my mother since the day before she willingly left with a vampire.

The mother I loved is dead. She died thirteen years ago.

I brush my hands over my cheeks, wiping away the tears when the door opens.

My heart stutters, afraid she will come looking for me to continue that useless conversation. I search frantically for a place to hide without going downstairs and end up ducking into the closest alcove with the strange bust of the unknown woman.

Crouching, I cling to the pedestal and peek around, watching to see where she’ll go. It’s like salt in a wound to watch her leave without even looking for me. She doesn’t scent the air, doesn’t look to see if I’m even around.

She just leaves, head held high, as if she doesn’t have a care in the world. I could have remained standing in the middle of the hall, and she wouldn’t have noticed.

One more traitorous tear slips out. I roughly brush it away with the back of my hand. I don’t move even after she’s gone or when my legs begin to cramp from the half-crouched position.

I turn my gaze on the bust, examining the lines of the flawless stone. This is the statue from my dream, but this time, I’m awake. I lick my lips, wondering what would happen if I moved it, to see if it really was a dream or—

“What, or rather, whom are you hiding from, little bird?” Cassius whispers into my ear from behind.

I jump, nearly hitting my head on the curved arch that houses the statue.

“Are you following me now?” I snap, irritated he caught me off guard.

Cassius laughs and snatches my hand, dragging me out into the open. I stumble forward, bumping into him. He hooks my arm in his and presses it tightly to his side.

Cassius starts walking, pulling me along. I dig my heels into the floor but can’t find any leverage barefoot.

“Let me go, vampire.”

“I told you; we will be spending a lot of time together from now on. That doesn’t stop just because Alaric finally finished marking you.”

“I’m sure he’s capable of watching me without your help,” I grind out, pushing on his arm with my free hand.

He stops walking, loosening his hold on me. I rip my arm free and look up at his face. His dark gray eyes cloud over. He watches me with those large, sad eyes. “Is that why I found you hiding alone in the hallway?”

Cassius grabs for my hand again, but I pull it out of reach.

“Stop looking at me like that, and leave me alone,” I snap. I don’t want his pity. I want to be alone. I turn, heading back toward Alaric’s room, but he catches my wrist and swings me back around. “If you keep pulling me around like that, I will punch you in the throat.”

“I’ll try, but I won’t make any promises,” he says, chuckling. “Anyway, I have something better to show you than dusty, old sculptures of people no one remembers.”

“I’m not interested,” I say. “Learn to take a hint.”

Cassius smiles widely, showing off his fangs. “You can hint all you want, but that doesn’t change my duty.” He tugs me closer, lowering his voice and winks. “But I can make it work in your favor.”

I narrow my eyes, suspicious and yet curious at how he thinks he’ll be able to do anything that I might consider helpful.