Page 62 of Heiress of Fire

“You have to be joking,” Leilani uttered.

“I’d expect more manners from the daughters of the King,” Raven said. Davina’s gaze fixated upon Raven’s bewitching black eyes. “Although, I heard some whispers among my brothers and sisters. They’re calling me the Dark Mistress now. It’s a bit catchy, is it not?”

“Enemies aren’t worthy of our manners,” Davina spat. Her fingers curled deeper into her skin as her flames blazed brighter.

“Of course not, our Father did right when having filled us with our spirit of war. I guess you can say that in a way, we’re sisters,” Raven chimed.

Despite Raven’s mask, Davina could see a smirk form on her lips through the gleam in her black eyes.

Raven had to be lying. If Raven was a Bellatorman then that would change everything. Raven knew all their ways, their strategies, and tactics, which made her a much more lethal opponent, leaving little chance for the Bellatormans to win this war.

“You’re a liar,” Davina affirmed.

“That can’t be true,” Leilani muttered.

Was this why Raven was attacking Bellatorm? Because she had also been a creation made by the King? But what could’ve caused Raven to turn into a woman capable of wielding shadows and darkness? Bellatormans were given their ability to give life, while Raven represented the complete opposite.

“This is no lie, sister,” she spat, bringing emphasis to the name.

What could’ve caused Raven to become so dark? What island was she from?

“I know it must be difficult to grasp that I am also a Bellatorman, but I am here because I want to give my fellow sister a second chance to join me,” Raven said as she held out her arms.

Davina remained silent. The cyclone continued to encircle them, yet there was an eerie silence.

“For what?” Davina asked.

Leilani must be thinking that she was considering Raven’s offer.

“To bring ruin to our father, of course,” Raven purred.

“Is that why you’ve been attacking us?” Davina asked.

“I’ve only been attacking the siblings who have refused my ways and to gain Father’s attention. What’s that saying? Killing two birds with one stone?” Raven asked. “I never wanted to hurt my siblings. Although, many of them have turned into snobs.”

This was exactly how Davina had imagined the day of her first encounter with the Predators. Raven was attacking Bellatorm to get the King’s attention. All those people were just a means to an end.

Raven examined Davina’s expression.

“Davina?” Leilani whispered. “What do we do?”

Davina didn’t remove her eyes from Raven and the four other Predators that stood beside her. They were Basalans. They had the same gray skin and splotches over their face, with black ink dripping from their lips.

“The day I decided to turn against our Father, I gained a new set of abilities. One of my powers has been the ability to influence. If you join me, beloved one, I can convince your parents to turn into better people. I can ruin the lives of all of those who have rejected you,” Raven began. “They will all bow to you.”

“I don’t want anyone to bow to me,” Davina argued.

“You say that now because you don’t know what it feels like to be respected,” Raven said.

“That’s not respect. That’s fear. I don’t want anyone to fear me,” Davina said.

They’d already feared her since her activation ceremony, and she hated it.

Specks of fire crackled into the air as she held her fists before her.

“Then we won’t hurt them. We can make them respect you instead.” Raven nodded as if she were trying to reassure Davina of her intentions.

Davina had done her research. Raven had – throughout the centuries—killed approximately five thousand Bellatormans by simply taking possession of them. Bellatormans whom she claimed were her brothers and sisters. However, the poverty in the islands had spiked tremendously in the past year, along with the number of orphans. Raven was willing to ruin the King no matter the price that had to be paid.

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