Page 15 of When Day Breaks

She notices my pause and takes a step closer to me. "I'm sorry. I just want my brother back."

"You don't think I'm trying?" Anguish plays in my tone and I know there might not be any coming back from this, but I have to try. "I may not be ready to fully impart my reasoning for all that I've done, but you need to trust me when I tell you I am going to fix it. All of it. And right now, that means bringing in Nathairia." I sigh. "Are you with me, or against me?"

There it is again, the small sliver of vulnerability my sister allows only to stomp it down and reignite the emotions that deny any kind of hurt. From the outside, she looks fine . . . happy even. But it’s obvious in her pleas for me to act swiftly that more than just this current moment has been affecting her for a while now.

"You are so stubborn." Troy rolls her eyes while aggressively batting away the tear that fell down her cheek. She walks back over to Cyn's body and leans down. "I'll get Lucynda taken care of, and I'll trust you while I can. But I need you to tell me what your problem is with my mother. And why your wife was involved."

I dip my head before turning back around to leave.

"I promise to tell you everything," I say before I drop my voice to a whisper that I know she won't be able to hear. "Just . . . help me."

6

kindred conundrum

Lavender Cyn

The sound of dripping water resounds in the distance, as I slowly blink my eyes open, feeling the heaviness in them as I sit up from where I lay.

I feel aching in my back, and my neck is also sore. Almost identical to the pain I felt on my wedding night when Rivian snapped my neck.

I feel a cold breeze skate across my skin, looking down to see I am in an oversized button up shirt, likely one of Rivian's, but other than that, just my underwear and this shirt creates a barrier from the cold air invading my skin's warmth.

I also notice blood stains all over my body still, meaning I couldn't have been out for more than a few hours.

"Where the fuck am I?" I look around, reaching out my hands to get to my knees, wanting to push myself up off this wall. The sound of chains rattle next to me and that's when I feel therestraints around my wrist, a metal cuff linked to each one of them.

I further analyze that I have similar cuffs on my ankles, all bolted to a cement wall.

"What the fuck?" I shout, hearing my own voice bounce off the walls in a reverberating echo. The dungeon. But there's no bodies or blood, no sign of fire.

Part of me tries to fully remember why I reacted the way I did, pulling Troy's heart from her chest and setting the castle ablaze, leaving my husband daggered.

My mother.

She's alive.

I don't remember much other than the rage that infiltrated me and took over every emotion that my body emitted. Nothing else mattered. I just wanted to destroy. It was like my heart shattered into a million little shards and spread through my body, pinching my skin and creating this overpowering sense of hatred pummeling through me. At first, it was because I wanted to defend Rivian's pain. But then, I wanted to become the reason for Rivian's pain.

The taste of blood and the smell of smoke proved enticing as I reveled in my rapture of war. Every single name I was called, all of the times I was gaslit, the people who left me for worse, the bruises, the aches, and scars . . . everything was brought to justice as I walked away from the castle that burned and feasted on innocent bodies just as mine was abused.

It felt good.

I fall back on my ass and slam my head back into the wall, hating not knowing what's going on right now.

"Ugh!" I sigh frustratingly, attempting to pull the chains free. I know I have strength now as a vampire, but my guess is that these chains are meant to subdue that strength. Meaning . . . I'm trapped.

"It's about time you wake." I hear an unfamiliar voice sound around me. I twist my head from left to right trying to see where it's coming from but I have no luck finding the source.

I continue to try to wrestle out of the hold on me, knowing that I will fail without a doubt. At least the pain doesn't last long, my back and neck are starting to feel normal again. Most likely due to whatever healing powers vampires seem to possess.

In the last few days since officially turning, I've learned a few things about myself.

My emotions are extremely charged. So, my anger is infuriating and my pain is excruciating.

I've learned that I am far stronger than what I could have imagined. Hell, I almost overpowered my husband earlier.

I am hungry all the time. The sinful thirst that ravages me is debilitating. Except it's also exhilarating, especially when quenched. I can still taste the blood I spilled earlier on the tip of my tongue. Part of me wonders why I feel no remorse knowing I just killed over a dozen innocent lives. Part of me feels liberated by it.

---