Page 37 of Blood Coven

“Tonight,” he replied.

“Is she the reason you do not want to help me achieve my revenge? To be free of my abusers? What does she have to do with me? What does her death have to do with you being too cowardly to help?” Red added hints of guilt, hoping that by looking like the woman he loved, he would eventually help her. She was abusing his weakness, but she pushed back her conscience. With each accusatory word, she felt more power over him.

“I have enough blood on my hands.” He pointed to the paper in Red’s grip. “Including hers.”

25

OCLEAU

THE YEAR OF THE CURSE

MATTHIAS

The crunch of the frozen gravel sounded like bones snapping as Matthias walked to the far end of town, where the poorest lived. As the houses went from humble with vast farmland to shacks with holes in the roof, Matthias kept his head down to avoid looking at it. He couldn’t offer support since he had no money, but he also believed that the people who lived there were not to be pitied; they simply did not put in the effort to make their lives better. If they worked harder, they could repair the holes in their roofs and keep their families from starving.

He refused to feel bad for them, even when he reminded himself that Riina also came from this part of town. Had she not been murdered by Azalea, Matthias would have given her the world. A big house she would have gotten lost in—she would have loved that. A field where she could wander under the warmth of the summer sun. A covered porch where she could have painted everything she saw, from the deer that casually wandered into the field to the owls that perched, watching with wide, wise eyes.

Tears lined the edges of his vision, and he used the back of his hand to roughly wipe them away. The orphanage came into sight, two stories tall, rickety, and groaning under the many little feet running too fast for the matrons to keep up. He knew the children inside were either unwanted or both their parents were dead. Azalea could have prevented these children from being conceived, born or even prevented the death of their parents if they had gone to her. Matthias walked up the stairs, casting the thoughts aside.

With a jingle, the friendly-sounding bell chimed, alerting the matrons inside. He waited patiently, but it took some time for the door to open, leaving Matthias with his emptiness. He glanced down to see a young blonde child, her blue eyes like saucers, as she gazed up at the strange man on the doorstep.

“Good morning,” Matthias said as he crouched down to be on her level.

She ran off the moment he settled into position.

Matthias sighed and stood back up as the matron approached him.

She had long, mousy brown hair that reached the middle of her back. Frizzed and messy, it looked as though she never took care of her own appearance, but she still possessed a subtle, simple beauty.

An idea struck Matthias. Azalea was going to make him kill Ana, but anyone could look like Ana if she were mauled badly enough. All he had to do was keep his head clear and make certain Azalea did not catch on to him. Once everything was in place and Ana and his daughter were safe, he would do what needed to be done. Everything hung from a fine thread, threatening to snap at any misstep. Another piece of his complicated plan was falling into place.

“My name is Matthias,” he said, introducing himself. “You may be too young to remember me.” She looked as old as Juniper.

“I remember you,” she said. “Though I was still quite young the last time we saw you. Everyone here remembers you.”

He forced a smile. Did she remember because of his relationship with Riina, or did she remember because he was blamed for her death? “May I… May I see her?”

The woman squinted.

“Please…I was forced out of this town and unable to take her with me.” Matthias dropped his head to hide the lies in his eyes. “We wanted nothing more than to raise her, but we knew something was amiss. If I had known that she would have drowned herself—” The lie made his stomach twist, but now was not the time to point fingers at Azalea. He needed her. He pointed that finger before, and no one believed him. “I would have taken my family far away from here.”

“Riina was always a complicated woman; even as a child, she did such strange things. Playing with a girl she claimed was her sister. At least, that is what I have been told,” she said at last, brushing her frazzled hair behind her ear. “We have looked for similar traits in her child.”

“A sister?” Matthias frowned. Could Riina have had a sister?

The woman shrugged. “Come, I’ll take you to your daughter.”

“Thank you…” Matthias paused, allowing a moment for it to feel authentic, when he asked, “What is your name?”

“Kaisa,” she replied.

“Kaisa…?”

“Kaisa Tamm,” she said with a smile, then beckoned for him. “Come in, Matthias Luca.”

They wandered the labyrinth of hallways, bedrooms, and children underfoot. Matthias kept himself carefully composed as he followed behind her, observing everything from wailing babies to young ladies who looked nearly old enough to end up in a brothel or as a matron within the year. None of the young girls raised in the orphanage became well-bred women. In Matthias and Riina’s case, they were both young and fell in love too quickly—he was her chance at a perfect life. But he hadn’t been swift enough in taking her away from this place. Matthias vowed he would not make the same mistake with Ana.

A large common room littered with soiled blankets, straw dolls missing limbs, and too many children came into sight. It took Matthias two seconds to find his daughter, her soft brown hair tied up in braids around her head and her warm, doe-like eyes looking for more than her dreary life. Guilt tore at him, but he knew her only other option would have been his mother. Azalea most certainly would have killed her—or worse, made her a witch.

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