Page 122 of Madness Behind the Mask
Staring atLittle Miss Fuck You, I wonder how Vlad will react if he ever finds out she’s still alive. I doubt she will reach outto himas long as I’m still here, thinking it’ll be too risky. That I might come for Coltonfor making a fool of me, for running away from his responsibilities…
Never knowing that I set it up for them to ‘escape’ this cruel life. Caden might be logical and ruthless, but he has always had a soft spot for cowards like my son. Who want a different life away from the fields of blood. A few words here and there, a reminder that Myers is a shapeshifter, a mentionof the alley behind the library being the old spot to parlay – a tradition even Delun honored when Antonio first tried it all those years ago.
And Caden...his disgusting need to protect Sau at all costs, even from herself, made him an easy fiddle to play.I could usehislieto turn her further against him, force a deeper wedge between their marriage…
But I won’t.
I’ll let Colton have his happy ending – my one gift to the grandchild I’ll never meet, who’s currently growing in Destiny’s womb. Perhaps when they finally find a place though, I’ll send them a postcard.
A smile curls my lips as I lean myneckagainst the rim of the bath and turn my thoughts to why I’m celebrating in the first place.
The game has fully started. Now it’s time to wait out her paranoia,trick her into lowering her defenses before I absolutely annihilate her.
Twelve years sounds like a good idea.That’s a special number to a witch, divided by three and all that,one set foreach of her four children. A fitting number… And it’ll let them grow up. Give them a taste of life before they die.Plus, then they’ll be old enough to leave their little nest, the warded street, and it’ll make it so much easier to kill them.
Closing my eyes, I start to plan my next move.
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.
Which of her kids will be the first to go?
Forty
HER
13OCTOBER1961
Twelveyearslater…
The sun is so beautiful as it crests the horizon, bathing the world in its warm oranges and yellows, spreading out its rays to hug the world. I feelgood.My children are safe;all of thembut Ryoare married. Molly to Garrett. Bonnie to an outsider from New Hampshire. Jonathan to a lovely girl called Delilah. She’sthreemonths’ pregnant too. And my husband is in bed asleep – the first lie in he’s hadinyears.
Weare not anywhere close to peace. AntonioGarciastill wishes to rip my head from my shoulders and feast on my heart, but his rage seems to be dwindling. Perhaps nearly killing me triggered something in him. Made him realize it wouldn’t be the great big ending he wanted, the justice, the giving of peace…
Whatever is going on in his head, he’s turned a vastamount of his attention to actually leading his pack now rather than just using them for revenge. Their empire up north has just crept into North Carolina, and there are rumors that he’s going to take control of the entire range of the Blue Mountains.
They’re still running strong in St. Augustine and other parts of Florida, but I wonder if they’ll eventually move their base north. Away from me. The start of a new life.
If it’s possible for Antonio to find peace after all this time, after what I did and what he lost, perhaps then so can the rest of us. I’m not naive enough to think we can exist alongside each other without any bloodshed at all, but maybethis war can end. Maybe all the deaths can just be over territory or the clashing of business rather than mindless killing.
Maybe the next generation can grow up with only ever hearing stories of the nightmaresthat used to be.
Sitting on our front porch, looking at the warm rays of the new day, I dare to dream.
The door creaks open behind me, and Caden steps out. The roasted smell of coffee wafts through the breeze.
“Morning.” He kisses the top of my head. Sitting down beside me on the bench, he offers me one of the two mugs in his hands. I take it with a warm smile.
“I thought you were going to sleep in?”
“So did I, but Vance just scried me. The Mattos twins are arriving early.”
Normally, such meetings would take place in our home, but Ashely and Aaron are the succubus and incubus who supply us with a large amount of our potions, and they aren’t a fan of the sticky Floridian summer heat.
Even though it’s October.
Such soft skin, northerners.
So Caden is going up to Vance’s territory in Raleigh, North Carolina, for four nights. Two to spend with the twins – taking them out on the town to strengthen our alliances, and two to spend with Vance, making sure his territory is still running smoothly given his deteriorating condition. Vance summoned an eknor demon last week, and it managed to break his circle and bite him on the shoulder before he banished it. The infection is spreading, black inky lines running through his veins, and there’s nothing I or any healer can do to stop it. He’ll be dead in another week.
