She was broken, and she was worrying me. “Are you sure you’re up to all this? I mean…”
You were tortured almost beyond repair, is what I left unsaid.
Violet swallowed hard, her eyes locked on a spot just behind me, like she couldn’t look me in the eye any longer. Her next words were hoarse: “Being near death changes you, Ari. No longer will I cater to the whims of those who don’t deserve my respect or loyalty. Sabina crossed the wrong magic born.” She paused and I was relieved to find her meeting my eyes again. “Plus, I don’t want to waste time anymore. I want to live life fully.”
I chuckled. “And by live life fully, you mean rip Sabina’s head off?”
She grinned and said, “Exactly.” The sight of her smile filled me with a burst of hot, deep emotions. I could imagine it was akin to seeing your child smile for the first time, like an accomplishment.
Unable to help myself, and since she seemed to be all about the physical contact today, I pulled my dear friend in for a hug. As her scent washed over me I tried not to become too emotional. “I love you, Vi,” I murmured against her shoulder. It had to be said. One, or both of us, might not live past this night, and I needed her to know how much she meant to me. “I know you’re hurting right now and I want you to know that you can take as long as you need to deal with what happened in the Otherworld. It was a big deal. You need some time.”
I could feel her chest shaking under me, but her voice was clear as she said, “Not as much as I love you, sister.”
When we pulled apart, we were both misty-eyed. Swallowing down the massive lump in my throat, I forced a smile. “I’d better toughen up if I’m about to take on Selene. No weeping.”
Violet returned my smile. “The weeping is what makes you stronger than Selene, Ari.”
Then she patted my shoulder and left the room. As I turned back to the board, I stopped and gave myself five minutes to really think about everything that had happened recently, everything I had learned, especially about myself. It was shocking, but at the same time made sense to me. I mean, I would never have guessed my father was a full-blown fae prince, and an asshole – well, actually, that part I could have easily guessed. And as much as I had loved my pseudo-mother, she had always raised me at arm’s reach, which made a lot more sense now that I knew I wasn’t biologically hers. Of course the Red Queen had acted the same way, so maybe that was just the sisters’ way.
Finn remained silently at my side, just being there, like he always had. I never needed them. I had you, I said to him, his love warming my heart.
A knock at the war room door drew my attention. It was Annette, and she was carrying a portable landline handset.
“A certain five year old refuses to sleep until she talks to you. She overheard the news that you were back.”
A huge grin broke out across my face as I grabbed the phone and pressed it to my ear. “Winnie, I missed you so much, baby girl! Are you okay?”
“Sissy! I missed you too.” Her sweet cherubic voice cut right into my heart. I had to take down Selene, I refused to miss seeing my beautiful sister again. I wanted to be there when she grew up.
“Did you get Auntie Violet back?” she asked, the last part of her words cut off by a huge yawn.
“I did, Win. She’s safe and sound. I’ll get her to call you later. Now I think it’s bedtime for you, little one. I will come and get you very soon. There are just a few things I need to fix in Manhattan first.”
God, please don’t let this be the last time I heard this sweet voice.
“Okay, Ari. Love you.” She was nearly asleep. I could tell by the sluggishness in her voice.
“Love you too, bunny. Night, night.” I hung up the phone, holding the receiver tightly. I could feel the plastic cracking under the pressure, so I eased up, staring down at the table, willing myself not to lose it. A cleared throat startled me, and I realized Annette was still standing in the doorway. I’d totally forgotten she was there. She crossed over to me now and I extended my hand with the phone in it, guessing that was what she wanted. She did take it, but only to set it aside on the table.
She stepped closer, towering over me, and tipped my chin up to meet her eyes. “Winnie is an amazing little girl. You’re doing a great job, especially with all your other responsibilities.”
I shook my head. “She gets pushed aside for duty all the time, just as I was growing up. I know she has luxury and staff, but nothing replaces family.”
Annette tilted her head to the side, observing me with her wise eyes. “I didn’t know who my parents were, just the same as you.”
Her blunt confession caught me off guard. “You didn’t?” I never knew that about her.
She shook her head. “I was discarded and left on the doorstep of a den in Staten Island. The rumors were that I was the result of an affair between a single woman and a married man. Dropped off to the closest bear community.”
“That must have been hard, not knowing where you came from.” It was hitting deep in my soul right now because it was hard for me too.
She shrugged. “Not really. What I wanted to tell you is that you don’t need to know where you came from to know where you’re going. You don’t need to be anything like the winter prince or the Red Queen. Those are just genetics. The woman who just spoke to her five year old sister is nothing like the Red Queen.”
Her reassurance touched me. I had been having this growing fear that I was somehow innately evil because of my parentage, but what she said eased some of my worry. I wasn’t like them and I wouldn’t be. I would forge my own destiny.
I straightened, a genuine smiling tilting up my lips. “Thank you,” I said. “You have no idea how much I needed to hear that. The reality is, Calista is the reason we turned out so well. She’s been a true mother to me and Winnie. She’s the mother of my heart.”
Annette smiled as she smoothed my hair, which was loose and unruly. “Give Selene hell, child. Then come home and celebrate. I’m throwing a party for Kian and Violet’s safe return, to celebrate my grandbaby and daughter-in-law who I am blessed enough to know now. I want to add a newly-crowned queen to that agenda.”
I smiled. I had certainly lucked out having a future mother-in-law that was so cool. “Oh I plan to give her a lot more than hell.”
Selene had stripped me of my crown, my dignity, my family. I was going to exterminate her.
Annette and Finn were by my side as I left the room, though they both gave me some privacy to say goodbye to my dominants, who were waiting for me. They were silent, and I could tell from their faces that they had been filled in on the plan.
Blaine was right in my face, channeling the pushy little kid he had been in our youth. “We should be with you, Ari!”