Page 58 of Blood

Maybe because I know it houses a species of monsters who have been held captive for way too long, for reasons way too stupid to even articulate.

And lo and behold, what do we have here? Oh, just the daughter of the man who imprisoned them.

I take an automatic step backward to place myself in front of Violet, keenly aware that the others have moved as well to create a circular shield around the woman we’ve all grown to love. Violet, surprisingly, doesn’t argue. I don’t know if she’s merely in shock or if she’s still grappling with the fury I saw splayed across her face when she first woke up.

Movement in the darkness captures my attention. I hold myself at the ready, already thinking through my plan of action, should these monsters attack.

Cal and Barret are some of our strongest fighters when they’re in their...angry forms, so to speak. Barret can tear the head off any creature without breaking a sweat, and there’s something about the elemental fury emanating from Cal’s normally warm eyes that’s enough to make a grown man piss himself. Dimitri is the stealthiest, by far. There’s a reason he’s both revered and feared by monsters and humans alike. However, he’s our best chance of getting Violet to safety instead of remaining here to fight. He’ll be able to incapacitate any threats along the way, as well as curb our girl’s bratty behavior when she, no doubt, tries to argue. Frankie would go with them, of course. He’s not a fighter, but he will be beneficial in healing injuries after the battle. Hux and Jack? They’re a wildcard. If Hux is in control, he’ll either follow Violet or murder anyone and everyone who poses a threat to his “precious treasure.” Jack will be more level-headed than his volatile twin, but he’s also braver than a lot of us give him credit for. And painfully selfless. He’ll throw himself into the fray, if it means protecting Violet, but he’ll also leave with her if he believes it’s best for her well-being.

Okay, you have a battle plan, Vin. As best as you can, given the lot you’re with. Now, you just need to—

A figure steps out of the darkness, and all of us tense, instantly going on alert.

“We will not attack. We come in peace.” A melodic voice precedes the giant that ventures out of the cave, bending forward at the waist, so as not to hit her head on the ceiling.

She’s nearly twice the size of Barret, which is saying something, considering he’s a beast of a man when he’s in this form. Black, inky hair hangs all the way down to her ankles in surprisingly smooth waves. She wears a white dress and similarly colored slippers.

A warm smile stretches across her face as she begins to shrink, shrink, shrink, shrink...

Before I know it, I’m staring at a normal-sized woman, instead of the giant from before.

On closer inspection, she appears to be in her late-twenties or early-thirties, and though she’s beautiful, I can’t help but think she emits an unapproachability that makes me wary and maybe even a little afraid.

Despite her serene smile, I don’t relax my defensive stance.

She turns her metallic gray eyes onto Violet. “You’re the girl who is going to change the world,” she muses in a lyrical, singsong voice.

“And you’re a Fomorian,” Violet supplies, shouldering me out of the way to meet the woman face-to-face. I want to argue and push her back behind me, but I made a vow to myself that I won’t wrap her in bubble wrap. She’s a queen, a warrior, a monster...and it’s about time I remember it. My duty as her mate and lover is to stand beside her, not in front or behind her. “The...queen?”

The woman releases a lilting laugh, one that sounds eerily like wind chimes. “I suppose you could say that, though we don’t use those titles officially. I am, however, the leader of the Fomorians and their designated spokesperson, so to speak. My name is Athena.”

Athena...

Didn’t Balor once mention that the Fomorians posed as gods and goddesses before they were cast away? Is this Athena...the Athena? As in, the Greek Goddess of Wisdom Athena?

I don’t get a chance to voice my theory, because Athena is already continuing.

“I’ve been watching you for a while, sweet child.” Athena lifts her hand, as if she means to cup Violet’s cheek, and all of us tense. Dimitri steps forward with the grace and stealth of a mountain lion and glares at Athena, his hand holding up a blade I hadn’t even realized he had.

“Um...” Violet takes a tiny step backward, putting her back flush to Barret’s front. The boogeyman immediately wraps a protective arm around her and bares his teeth at the strange Fomorian. “That’s...nice?”

“Creepy,” Frankie supplies dryly.

“Stalkerish,” Cal agrees.

“How is that even possible?” Violet demands. “You were trapped in that prison—”

“We were gifted a viewing screen that allowed us to see into the world itself. We watched you, Violet Dracula, because we knew you were going to be our savior.” Athena holds up her chin imperiously, looking every inch the goddess she once claimed to be. Her intelligent gray eyes hold no reproach for her apparent stalkerish tendencies.

“How often did you watch me?” Violet absently scratches at the inside of her wrist. “Because I can assure you, I don’t sing ‘Push It’ by Salt-N-Pepa every time I poop. That was a onetime thing.”

Oh god. She’s babbling.

It takes all my ironclad self-control not to slap my palm over her mouth before she can say something she’ll regret. Though I may already be too late.

Amusement shows on Athena’s face, but she doesn’t respond to Violet’s question.

“I saw you with my son.” Abruptly, Athena’s face turns thunderous, that perfect moment when the sun lowers beneath the boughs of trees and darkness descends, blanketing the world in gray. It’s both a beautiful and terrifying sight to see. “I’m ashamed of the way he treated you and the others.” She turns to address Hux-slash-Jack. “Especially you two.”

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