Page 144 of Blood and Ruin: The Complete Series

Flinging the door wide open, I rush out, opening my mouth to scream a warning when she spins around and kicks the knife right out of his hand.

A glint of silver catches my eye, and I spot the knife Mom is holding as she slams it down into the man’s chest.

A gasp slips out. I hold my hand to my mouth to cover it and take a step back.

What’s going on? Mom doesn’t even kill spiders, saying we all have a purpose in life. That just because we fear something doesn’t mean it should suffer. This can’t be Mom. She’d never hurt anyone.

The man grunts in pain before turning to ash and falling to the floor.

My body trembles, my stomach twisting in knots as I stare down at the pile of ash.

This is a dream. It has to be. That, or I’m going crazy.

Before my mind can even process what’s happening, more men appear from nowhere and head straight for Mom.

My heart stutters to a stop, my eyes widening as I reach a hand out to her, but it’s like she knows where they’re coming from and anticipates each move, blocking and striking them down like she’s been fighting for years. Once they’re down, she wastes no time and stabs them, turning them to ash.

My hand drops to my side as I watch, not knowing what else to do.

Maybe I’ve lost it. Maybe I’ve listened to too many of Jax’s crazy stories and I’ve started to dream up some wild version of them.

Time seems to slow as she turns toward me, her eyes blank and filled with none of the love she’s always shown. An icy chill runs down my back the longer she stares.

“Mom?”

She doesn’t move, her whole body tenses like she’s ready to pounce. But she wouldn’t hurt me… Would she?

“Mom…” Something in my voice makes her pause as she shakes her head, her eyes slowly clear as she glances around.

“Why am I—?”

She looks at me, moving forward, but stops when I stumble a step back.

“Baby?” She brings a hand to her chest. “What’s wrong?”

She looks around, her eyes falling on the ground where the ashes lay. She flinches back, her wide eyes finding mine.

“I don’t know how…” she starts but stops.

Looking down at her hands, I see a slight tremor work its way through her body. She grips them together, closing her eyes, and takes a deep breath before opening them to look at me.

Wearing a pained expression, she gives me a small smile and reaches a hand out.

“Kiarra? Baby? I would never hurt you. Please don’t be frightened.”

The tightness in my chest starts to ease seeing the look in her eyes. I take a tentative step toward her. “Are you… you?”

She gives me a watery smile, nodding her head, “It’s me.”

I wait a second, seeing the truth in her words, before stepping forward and straight into her open arms. She hugs me tight, rubbing her chin on the top of my head.

“Oh, baby. I’m sorry for frightening you. Please don’t be scared of me. I would never, ever hurt you.”

“Mom… What happened?”

There’s still a tremor in her body as she pulls back to answer.

“I don’t know…”

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