Page 56 of The Vampire's Thirst
“How’d that go?”
“Some days okay. Most not.”
“I’m sorry.” Thorn’s calloused hand rubbed down her arm, soothing her.
“I asked the doctors if the problem was her hallucinating about fictitious creatures, but they said no. Her extreme paranoia and anxiety along with suicide attempts kept her in the facility.”
Fin sniffled, her head tilted to stop the flow of tears. “I attended a few sessions of NAMI—the National Alliance on Mental Illness—where I learned to accept what I could control but to release what I could not. Eventually, I let her go. She died. A heart attack a few years back. I’ll cherish the days when she was lucid. She’d call out my name. ‘Fin, baby,’ she’d say. ‘You look so pretty.’”
Thorn nodded. “I understand having to step back from family better than you think.”
“When those guys attacked me, her fantasies were front and center in my brain. You turned part wolfie, making me rethink the whole werewolf thing. You didn’t scare me because part of me was prepared for you. Besides, you saved my life. Afterward, I wondered. Wondered how much truth my mother spoke even though she was paranoid. Come to find out, Mom was straight on some things. Of course, she was a danger to herself.”
Fin rolled over, burrowing into Thorn’s chest, nuzzling him. He tipped her chin up with his knuckle. As he was about to take her lips, she slid open her eyelids.
“Holy shit.” He almost dropped Fin when he jumped upright with her in his arms. “Your eyes are purple.”
“Oh, circles under them? Are they puffy?”
“No. Your irises are pale purple.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. They’re brown.”
“They were. I’d have called them sable. But that’s old news.”
Fin kicked her legs until Thorn set her on the floor. She rushed to a rustic iron mirror on the wall. “Holy shit is right. That’s not possible.”
“Sure it is.” The wolf shifter sighed. “I need to tell you something else about you and your mother.”
****
“Darlin’, did your mom ever mention the Blood Coven in her ramblings?” asked Thorn.
“No. Not that I remember.” Fin curled her legs beneath her on the couch while Thorn threw another log on the fire.
Turning around, he ran a hand through his hair. “It explains why the berserker and the sloth demon were after you. Have you taken a recent blood test?” When she narrowed her eyes, Thorn persisted. “Just go with me here. Have you?”
“Yes. I had a bad infection. The doctor drew blood to see if anything too awful was going on. Turned out to be this season’s popular virus.”
“That’s how they found you.”
“Why? Who?”
He chuckled, removing his flannel shirt. Thorn rolled up a sleeve on his tee, showing her his Phoenix brand. “This is the mark of a Scion Firebrand. I am one. We’re warriors. I’ll explain why that’s important in a sec.”
“Okay…”
“Bad guys on Scath, that’s my realm, led by a male called Cerberus are hunting for descendants of the Blood Coven. These witches and warlocks created Earth, Scath, and Darque from one world about fifteen hundred years ago, basically to save humans. At first Aeternals—that’s me and other breeds—couldn’t travel through portals. Eventually, technology allowed us through them, but access is controlled. This Cerberus, we think, wants the descendants because he plans to destroy the portals and throw the realms wide open. I don’t need to tell you how bad it would be if a hungry bunch of us started pouring onto Earth.”
“What does all this have to do with my eyes?”
“Bear with me. He found you because of your blood test. He sent the demon and berserker to get you because you have a drop of witch in you. They wanted to see if you are actually a Blood Coven descendant.”
“So?”
“Surprise. As it turns out, Scion Firebrands seem to have a thing for the descendants. Witches eyes are always some shade of purple. Sex with me jumpstarted your powers. It’s been happening to other Blood Coven descendants.”
Fin’s brows scrunched. “Let me see if I have this straight. You’re saying I’m a witch.”
