Page 115 of The Immortal’s Mark

His sigh is heavy. “She’s trying to keep you safe.”

“You know how I felt in Greece.” My voice cracks, betraying the emotion I try to hide. “Thane kept me cooped up, and now she’s doing the same. I thought leaving the mansion would be a break from all that. Instead, it’s just the same thing.”

“I know.”

“Then why are you letting her do it?” I demand. “Aren’t you her friend?”

Even though things are tense between them, they have history. Surely, he could speak to her on my behalf and get her to back off.

“I’m not about to tell Jennifer what to do with her own child.”

“Why not?” I throw my hands up. “Once, she confided in you. Trusted you.”

The visions of them in that Italian restaurant and when I was a child prove as much. My mother relied on Alex for help. She’ll listen to him.

“Jennifer trusted me because I’m one of the few people who has never tried to manipulate her for my benefit.”

My retort dies on my lips. “What do you mean?”

Alex pulls out the chair tucked neatly under the sleek white desk in the corner and takes a seat.

He leans back until the chair creaks, releasing a slow, measured breath. “Your mother is the most powerful witch the Nightsbane clan has ever seen. No one knows why. Her parents were strong, but fundamentally ordinary.”

I try to picture grandparents I barely remember. Faces that blur when I reach for them.

“So what?” I ask, frustration curling back into my thoughts. “She’s powerful. Isn’t that why she’s one of the top three in the clan? What does that have to do with her trying to control every move I make?”

“Your mother is only a member of that power-hungry clan for your sake.” Disdain drips from his words. Then his gaze lowers to the ground. “And for mine, I suppose.”

I frown. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

He rubs a hand down his face. “Your mother left the Nightsbane clan just after her twenty-second birthday. The elite members were running her ragged with extra training. Jennifer would have continued with their schedule…” He trails off and looks at me. “…if it wasn’t for what they ultimately wanted from her.”

“Which was?”

“The clan planned to use Jennifer’s clairvoyant abilities to become the most dominant clan to ever exist,” he says, and all levity drains from his features, “and to complete their mission of eradicating the world of vampires.”

I gasp. “What? Why would they want that?”

“Vampires and witches have long been enemies.” His gaze drifts to the window. His eyes grow distant. “There are periods of neutrality, but they never last long.”

The information sinks in, and my distrust for the Nightsbane clan grows with every passing second.

“How could my mother’s clairvoyant abilities make them the most dominant clan?”

How could visions be weaponized to take down powerful vampire covens?

“I don’t know the particulars,” he admits. “But Master Ben’s late father once asked Jennifer to ‘look in’ on a rival clan’s meeting. He framed it as reconnaissance.”

His jaw tightens. “Later, she learned he used what she saw in her vision to mount an offensive attack while the strongest of that clan were preoccupied.”

My skin grows cold.

“Your mother left the following day,” he finishes, “and she never looked back.”

He pauses and lifts his gaze to meet mine. “Until you needed help.”

My throat tightens. “She went back…for me?”