Page 57 of Hupotasso
“Falcon?”
“It’s me, I’m here. You’re safe now.”
“That woman…”
“As good as dead. Jag will find out who sent her and why she did this.”
“Thank God Asumpta was here,” she whispers. “Darling, I have to tell you something.”
“Later, Mother. We need to get you medical help. You can tell me later.”
“I never meant to hurt you,” she sighs. “I only wanted you to know love.”
“Mother,” I groan, “stop, please. Whatever it is, it isn’t important. Save your strength.”
“I…I put Angie in The Games.”
A chill settles over me, and I stare down into her eyes.
“A contact in The Families helped me. God forgive me. I did it because I wanted the best for you. She is the best. I chose her,” she coughs, “for you.”
“Mother, please, don’t.”
“I’m so sorry,” she whispers. “Sorry for what you were put through, and poor Angie.”
I clench my teeth and shake my head. I can’t believe what I’m hearing.
“I told Angelina I would fix it…”
She coughs, and blood bubbles from the corner of her mouth.
“Angie knew?” I can’t keep the shock from my voice.
She nods her head slowly.
“She promised not to tell you. I told her I’d fix the problem,” she gasps. Blood begins to spurt anew from her wound, but she hurries on, “months ago. I told her everything would work out. I begged her not to tell you.”
“All this time…” I whisper.
“I’m so sorry, I, I love….”
I wait for her to finish the sentence, but her heart, previously fluttering, has stopped.
Crying out I lower her to the floor and tear out the knife, despite knowing this will accelerate the bleeding. I begin pumping her heart and breathing into her mouth, cursing the fact she’s human, fragile and mortal. She deserves so much more, this woman who birthed me, protected me, loved me and sheltered me from the monster we lived with.
Her confession has rocked me to the core, but I know that no matter how misguided her actions had been she’d done it for the right reasons.
And now she’s gone.
“I never told you, Mother,” I whisper as I grit my teeth and pump her heart. “But I love you too. Don’t die. Mother, please. Don’t leave me.”
43
I sit in my room and bite my nails.
It’s a habit I’d only started in the past few weeks, ever since Viper had taken control of me. It’s something he hasn’t ordered me not to do and I’d been hoping, although so far it’s been an empty hope, that someone would notice. I’d basically eaten them down to stubs, so I figured maybe, just maybe, someone would realise something was very wrong with me.
But no one knew me well enough to know it was out of character. Or no one cared enough to ask.
