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But she didn’t raise her sword again. Instead she nodded to Jameson, who left the room.
“Noriko?”
“I said enough. ”
“If you can even still pretend you’re human, promise me something. ”
“I promise you nothing. ”
I ignored her dismissal. “Nolan has nothing to do with this. Let him live. ”
Her face sank with regret. “It’s too late for that. ”
“It’s not too late. Why is it too late?”
“Because the master is here. ” She looked over to the door as Jameson reentered, followed by a beautiful, smartly dressed blonde.
My heart stopped and all warmth drained from my face. I would have been less shocked to see my own mother walk in. A lot less, actually.
“Daria?”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“Daria?” I sputtered again, still unable to connect what I was looking at with the part of my brain that converted seeing to believing. For a minute I thought she was there to help me.
But of course that wasn’t the case.
“Hello, Secret. ” She was pristine, as always. Her hair was pulled back into a smooth chignon, showing her dancer’s neck and revealing the delicate features of her face. She wore a simple black dress with a modest neckline. Her lipstick was red, but understated, making her look like the wife of a presidential candidate. She even wore pearls.
This was not the vision of a vampire-killing, diabolical monster I had conjured.
She smoothed her unwrinkled skirt and clasped her hands together in front of her. No part of her seemed shocked by my current condition, and why should it? This had all been her doing.
“No,” I protested. “This isn’t right. ”
Daria shrugged, then smiled a little too sweetly for my taste. “This is the way of the world, Miss McQueen. ” She indicated the vampire ghosts with a perfectly manicured hand. “The strong survive while the weak perish. Simple Darwinism. ”
“This isn’t evolution. ” I was shocked by how cavalier she was being. “It’s murder. ”
Her hands reclasped. “So be it. ”
“Why them? Why would you kill the protected ones? They trusted you to keep them safe. ”
Daria huffed. “What fool trusts a vampire? They were idiots to believe anyone could keep them protected forever. ”
“What benefit was it to you to kill them? And what are they?”
Noriko shot me a warning look and raised her sword, but Daria
stilled her with a flick of the wrist. “No, no, Noriko, let her ask. She may as well know what she’s dying for. She’s been Sig’s pawn for long enough. It’s time we treated her like an equal for once. ”
“I’m not Sig’s pawn. ”
“You were the council’s pawn, and Sig is the council. If you are stupid enough to believe he wasn’t using you, then you deserve what’s coming to you. ”
It felt like she’d slapped me.
“I chose my path. ”
