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“Never forget, Maelle, that as deep, as dark, and as powerful as your magic is, I can andwillcounter any physical or magical attack on me.”
She studied the dance of power for several very tense seconds, then smiled and leaned back, though the dangerous light in her eyes hadn’t faded. One day she would test me. One day, it would be kill or be killed between us.
I had a bad,badfeeling that “one day” might be far closer than I might wish.
“My reaction was instinctive, and I apologize,” she said evenly. “But if you were a mother yourself, you would understand that no mother could or should ever contemplate killing their own flesh and blood, no matter who or what they had become.”
Iwasabout to become a mother, and it was interesting that Maelle didn’t seem aware of that. But then, I was probably no more than five or six weeks gone, and there wouldn’t yet be a heartbeat as much as electrical impulses she wouldn’t pick up.
And even if you were further along, it is possible the wild magic would protect her, Belle said.
Protection is one thing, but nullifying sound?
Your wild magic has been reacting instinctively, and it’s likely that will extend to your child, especially if she is destined to be Fenna. Maelle is a dual threat, remember, even if she has sworn not to drink from the unwilling or to kill within the reservation.
Unless she’s attacked first.Which wasn’t something I intended to do. Ever. And perhaps Marie had the same mindset, given that, at least for the moment, she hadn’t gone on the bloody rampage Maelle and my instincts were expecting.
“If your daughter was Marie’s sole surviving fledgling,” I said, “why would Marie target a woman who looked like her? It seems an odd sort of warning.”
“It isn’t a warning as such. It is a statement of intent.”
The penny dropped. “She intends to kill your daughter.”
“I would presume so.”
“Would your daughter have come here with Marie?”
“It is possible.” Maelle paused and took another drink. Her canines had retreated slightly, but I felt no safer for it. “Very possible.”
Getting information out of her was harder than pulling teeth. Not that I wanted to get anywhere nearthoseteeth.
“Why would your daughter accompany the woman who is intent on not only killing her mother but also her? Surely she must suspect that is a possibility. I can’t imagine any offspring of yours would be oblivious to the undercurrents and intrigues happening around her.”
She nodded, regally accepting the compliment. “Unfortunately, as well as inheriting my abilities, she also inherited my nature—in particular, the ability to hold a grudge.”
Suggesting she was every bit as powerful as her mother, and that was a scary thought. Two dark mages would be hard enough to deal with, but three might well break us.
“Does the grudge she holds stem from being turned without fully understanding the consequences?”
“More from the fact her lover was killed in the process of cleansing the coven.” She half-shrugged, the movement eloquent. “I was unaware of their involvement, but it would not have mattered.”
“If you had a problem with the coven or the way it was being run, why not just kill Marie?”
“Because, as I have already said, I could not until she attacked me personally.”
Everyone else was fair game, however, Belle commented.
Obviously. I took another sip of tea. “Is your daughter capable of killing you?”
Surprise flickered across her expression.Thatwas something she hadn’t considered, and it made me wonder why, given her comment about grudges. “Perhaps. I’ve not seen Jaqueline since those long-ago events. She may have grown in strength.”
“But?” Because there was one there, even if it wasn’t spoken out loud.
“I personally doubt it. She has too much of her father in her.”
Was that overconfidence speaking? Perhaps, given Jaqueline was of her blood, and she’d had plenty of time to hone her skills.
“What prevents you from acting against Marie before she attacks you? Why isn’t her invading your territory with obvious intent enough?”
