Page 23 of Halfblood Deceived

Eli tried to jump on Isaiah, but Isaiah was faster. He tackled Eli, forcing the doors open and sending them both to the hallway.

Aella pushed the sheets aside and tried to stand but fell back on the bed, utterly light-headed.

Growls and blows reached her ears, but she didn’t have the strength to lift her head and the sounds became more distant, followed by the crash of glass.

Father Israel sighed. “Get Ben and stop them before they destroy the house.”

Micah sent a ‘this conversation is not over’ look at Aella before obeying, and leaving the room.

Aella pressed a hand against her cartwheeling stomach, worried about Isaiah, despite knowing he was the strongest. Eli was perverse, and that made up for his slighter size.

“Is your throat burning?” Father Israel suddenly asked.

Aella turned her head to look at him, her brow furrowing. “What?”

The way he looked at her, as if she weren’t a person but an animal in a zoo, made her shiver.

“Is your throat burning, my child?” he inquired, tone ever so kind, but Aella’s warning instincts flared. “Are you having difficulty breathing?”

“No,” she answered, grateful this time she was telling the truth.

The priest nodded as if confirming something, patted Aella’s hand, and limped toward the destroyed doors. He paused halfway, hand on his cane to give her another inquisitive look. “Rest for now, Aella. Come visit me at the chapel when you’re feeling better. I think you need to confess some sinful thoughts.”

Aella froze, wondering if the priest could somehow read minds and had found out she had thought of a vampire as beautiful.

“You have anger and violence in your heart,” Father Israel said. “Attacking someone is wrong, Aella, no matter the circumstance. You need to remember to turn the other cheek.”

Aella let go of a breath. “Sure, I will atone.” Father Israel smiled approvingly. “After you make Eli atone for all the times he’s insulted me.”

His smile fell, something cold and appraising in his eyes. “You have changed, Aella.”

She shrugged, even though it hurt. “Almost dying changes people.”

They held a staring contest that, for the first time, Aella didn’t lose.

And then the priest left her alone with her thoughts.

Aella wasn’t sure if she was relieved or appalled by that.

A thousand questions spun inside her achy head.

Were all vampires alive? Did the gargoyle warriors know that vampires were alive? They had to, didn’t they? Why hadn’t Zeydan killed her or even slapped her for stabbing him? Where had those admittedly feeble, but still bizarre fighting instincts come from?

And the worst question of them all: Why was she relieved, even glad, that Zeydan had gotten away?

CHAPTER 7

Two days later, Aella was sitting on the plush carpet of the nursery on nanny duty, but this time, she was glad of it.

Being with the children provided a reprieve from Micah’s ridiculous accusations and his demands that she showered again and again because she “stunk of vampire and depravity,” whatever that was supposed to mean. Aella remembered Zeydan’s scent with disturbing clarity, and it had been all but burned from her skin by that explosion.

Charity mumbled to herself as she positioned her massive collection of stuffed animals this way and that. Her pink dress was impeccable, little blonde ponytails bobbing as she walked to the trunk for another stuffed bear, and then returned to place it on the cream sofa.

Ez was on Aella’s lap, playing with her braid. He patted her face, and she winced, suppressing a shiver and blocking the memory of why her cheek hurt.

She closed her eyes to calm the stinging in them. A vivid memory ignited in the forefront of her mind. Aella could see herself wearing a white dress with long sleeves that fell to her ankles, sitting in front of a vanity with a mirror, her gray eyes alive with a spark of hope and giddiness. Not even the severe face of the Mother Superior braiding her hair with more tugs than Aella thought were necessary had made her stop smiling.

“You will obey your husband in all things,” the Superior instructed. “You will honor him, cherish him and be loyal to him. And you will never raise your hand to him. If you do, he has the right to punish you for it.”

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