Page 59 of Memories Like Fangs
Between the two of us, Cooper was in a chair of his own. He leaned forward in the chair, poised and ready to leap into action if anything called for it. He was clean-shaven and suave as always. The Henley shirt, cargo pants, and work boots looked strange and too rugged on him with how professional and modern he usually looked. Still, what was quickly becoming less out of place with him was the gun in his hand and the sharp stare that never left me. Cooper had become a constant figure when I woke up from Lilah’s magic ever since I had seen Quinn. He never said anything, just sat or leaned against a wall while watching me like I could do anything other than sit. The meeting had clearly spooked him. This cabin was the second place we had been to since then.
Remembering what she had said a moment ago, I cleared my throat, ignoring the roughness that persisted. It was just the default of my voice these days. My throat was so scratchy and sore, I didn’t remember what it was like for it to be normal. “Did you say Christmas?”
Lilah grinned over the rim of her mug. “Mhmm, indeed! That’s why I gave you that sweet little memory. I decided we would celebrate, and I wanted to give you a little gift.”
“How kind. I hope Santa gave you some gifts, too, instead of the coal that you deserve.” I stifled a moan. I was so fucking weak, I could barely hold my head up. If I tried to move my head even just a little, dizziness and nausea slammed into me. I couldn’t think of a time when I had felt like this. I couldn’t even lift one of my fingers.
I just wanted to sleep…
Lilah’s sharp, piercing laugh made my eyes snap back open. “Hey, I can be nice sometimes. It seemed like your family was kind of… nice.”
I stared at her, waiting for her to continue. I didn’t have the energy to ask her to. I also low-key didn’t have the energy to care much about what point she was trying to make.
“You know, I’m a little jealous. I wish my family were like that. Or, that I had somewhere to go that was like that to escape them. Or, just that I would want to go back to them in my own memories.”
I raised my eyebrows, the small action enough to make me want to groan. “Are you about to give me your sad backstory? Please, I am literally your captive audience. Don’t make me suffer with something I don’t give a shit about.”
“Now, Byrdie-pie, don’t be mean! I’m trying to bond with you.”
“You put a new meaning to trauma bonding, bitch.”
“You know you don’t have much of a choice, now do you, ladybug? Anyway, where should I start?”
“Maybe by letting me go?”
“Ha! Nice try!” Lilah perched herself on the edge of the kitchen counter like it was her throne while she was holding court. She took a long, savoring sip from her mug. Then, she sighed dramatically.
“Okay. Picture this?—”
Oh, fuck me gently with a chainsaw. The fucking bitch was doing a bit. I couldn’t even turn my head to pretend I wasn’t listening.
“My mother was the main breadwinner for our household. Which, you know, was apparently the end of the godsdamn world to my father. She was a powerful blood witch-fae, but she controlled her power. She was disciplined and purposeful. You ever wonder how hunters get to keep little souvenirs from their kills? Yeah, that’s her handiwork. She was kind of like… the Santa Claus for murder trophies, you know? She could do more than that, though. She could make weaponssing. Not literally,but like, make a blade sharper than it had any right to be. Make bullets smarter. Arrows nastier. She was artistry and terror wrapped in a silk blouse, and I worshipped her. I loved what she did. I wanted to be just like her. Death didn’t scare me. It was... fascinating to me, actually. Intimate. Everlasting.”
Lilah sighed dreamily before continuing. “I remember the first time I saw her finish a job. It was a woman, a dragon-shifter. Come to think of it, she looked just like you actually.Oh! Could it have been your mom, maybe?”
The roar that ripped itself from my throat shook the walls of the cabin. I bared my fangs at her. For the first time since I got kidnapped, I pulled against my constraints, feeling the agony course through me as I lunged for Lilah. My mom’s necklace was burning a hole through my chest, but I couldn’t give any less of a shit about any of that. The click of Cooper’s gun meant nothing to me. If anything, it only pissed me off more and made me want to growl at him, too. At this moment, I just wanted to taste Lilah’s blood in my mouth, to hear her choke and drown on the source of her power, to rip her heart out of her chest and crush it in front of her eyes. It would not even be a fraction of the pain she caused me, and it was honestly more than she deserved.
“Look at that response! Oh, I do love it when you show your teeth. It’s so much more fun than when you look all defeated. Cooper, lower your gun, babe. She can’t do anything with her restraints, although her struggles are so much more delicious for me.” Lilah laughed like my wrath was just a joke to her.
Killing her is going to be a mercy, but I am going to savor it.
“Anyway,” she continued with my growl as a steady soundtrack to her words. Cooper’s gun, still aimed at me, only added bass to my snarl. “That night stuck with me. I will never forget her face. Her head was so pretty with her dark skin, long thick lashes, and bouncy afro. Truly gorgeous, even in death. But then, my mother transformed her. And, she wasn’t a monster.Oh, no, she was adragon. Stunning. Regal. Sharp. I mean, I guess you know since it’s your mom. But, the power coming from her? Oh, it was something I could taste; it was so potent. As beautiful as your mother was, Byrdie, her blood and power were out of this world. It was indescribable. I wantedmore. That night made me realize I wanted more of a lot of things, maybe more than I was allowed to have in the eyes of some.”
Lilah’s eyes brightened to a molten red. “As much as I wanted to be just like my mother, I also wanted to continue theotherfamily business. See, Daddy Dearest was a hunter. Not only that, but he was one of those old-fashioned, fucking useless ones who thought women belonged in kitchens but never out in the field. He wanted me to be a proper witch. He thought my powers were best used in the way that he saw fit. I had no say. But, I wanted to doboth. Be powerful ineveryway. I wanted to break bonesandbend blood to my will. You know, Natassa, right? Of course, you do. Well, we were best friends growing up. She got to go off and be a huntress. She didn’t evenwantit. Not like I did. She couldn’t have given less of a fuck about it. I wanted to follow her so bad. I told my father that. And, you want to know what that petty little shit did? Hemovedus. Just packed up and took me away like I was just another piece of luggage to throw into the car.”
Lilah shook her head, chuckling without any trace of humor. “Oh, did I mention that he was abusive, too? Yeah, a real winner, that one. Screaming, hitting, controlling every second of my life. I bet you can probably figure out where this is going, huh?”
I didn’t answer her, my anger still within reach but cooling as I reminded myself that there was nothing I could do to her while I was weak and restrained.
“So, one night, my mother and father got into a bad fight. Loud. Ugly. I came into the room just in time to see him put a blade through her. Just like that. After she had done everythingfor him, for all of us. She wasbetterthan him. And, he killed her like she was nothing. So, I killed him. And, honestly? It felt amazing. Not just because he deserved it, thoughoh my gods, he did, but because at that moment, I wasn’t scared anymore. Iwasn’t weak. I was powerful. I was my own salvation.”
Lilah looked at me, smiling brightly. “After that, I figured it out. All I needed to do was stay strong enough, long enough, that no one couldeverput me in chains again. Not men. Not rules. Not morality. I found my purpose, Byrdie-pie: to have real, permanent, undeniable power so I will never be weak or answer to anyone ever again.”
“What about Cooper?” I rasped at the end of her tale, sliding my eyes over to the guy who still had his gun aimed at me. I didn’t give a fuck about her life, but I was curious about ol’ boy’s role in all this. If she was going to talk me to death, the least she could do was give me some answers while she did.
“Oh, you mean my little kismet boy?” She jumped from the counter and sauntered over to him before kissing him long, deep, and slow. I gagged loudly, trying to get them to stop. I wished one of the blood leeches would just slurp a bit too hard to make me lose consciousness. “We may not be fated mates like you and your little huntress, but he is a one-night stand turned situationship into a very convenient ally and a great lay, too.”
I did my best to ignore most of her sentence to focus on what mattered most. “Ally?”
