Page 331 of Heat of the Everflame

“Youbastard.” Her face was red, her body quaking. “This is how you take your revenge, by defiling my daughter?”

Luther clumsily tucked himself away and straightened his clothes. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Auralie. This isn’t about you.”

“Liar,” she seethed. “I knew you were ruthless, but I never imagined you’d stoop so low.”

The lingering emotion on his face rapidly froze to a hard, glacial scowl.

“Mother, stop,” I begged. “I don’t know what you think this is, but—”

“I’ll murder you for this,” she hissed. She lunged toward Luther, and I threw myself in her path.

“Diem!” Luther shouted, half fury, half panic. His shield shimmered into place around me a second before my mother’s blade crashed against its edge.

She sucked in a breath as she realized what she’d almost done. “Diem, get away from him. He’s not the man you think he is.”

“Mother, please listen—”

“He wants to get back at me, and he’s using you to do it.”

“What kind of monster do you think I am?” Luther asked, his tone dripping with disgust.

“The kind of monster who’s never had a problem threatening my family to keep me in line,” she spat.

“The Blessed Mother herself couldn’t keepyouin line,” he yelled back. “You always knew my threats were empty. You told me so every chance you got.”

I pushed through his shield, light flaring off my skin as his magic absorbed into mine. I put my hand over hers on the knife’s hilt and pushed it down. “Mother, we need to talk. There’s much you don’t know.”

“I know enough. He’s cruel. He’s merciless.”

I sighed. “He’s neither of those things.”

“He’s going to hurt you. He—”

“I love him.”

She stopped. The knife slipped from her hand and tumbled to the ground.

“No.” She shook her head. “No. You can’t.”

“I can, and I do.”

“But... what about Henri? I thought you two...”

I flinched. “Our friendship is over.”

“How? You’ve always been inseparable.”

“It was his choice as much as mine,” I said bitterly.

She balked. “That’s impossible. Henri’s been in love with you for years.”

Her words felt like a fist to my gut. “He was in love withmortalDiem. We were always doomed.” I shot her a scathinglook. “And you were cruel to let us grow so close, knowing the truth of what I am.”

Guilt flitted over her features before disappearing behind a scowl. “That doesn’t have to divide you. It would be... difficult, but if you love each other—”

“We don’t,” I snapped. “But remember you said that when you talk to your son.”

“Teller?” Her head cocked. “What does he—”

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