But it never did.
Around lunchtime on the third day, echoing footsteps signaled Prue’s usual delivery of Mona’s food. A forced smile immediately spread on Mona’s face as she sat up, preparing to put on a brave face for her sister.
She couldn’t let Prue know how much it hurt. With Cyrus’s injuries and difficulty recovering, Prue had enough on her mind at the moment. She didn’t need to worry over Mona, too.
But Mona’s smile faltered when she realized it wasn’t Prue—it was Gaia.
Her heart lodged itself in her throat. She wasn’t sure if she should call herMamaorGaia.Neither felt right, so she just uttered a soft, “Hello.”
Gaia’s eyes were tired, but her smile was full of affection.Slowly, her gaze shifted to Evander, who was sitting on the cot opposite Mona, his brows lowered.
“May I have a moment alone with my daughter?” she asked.
“No,” Evander said at once.
Mona’s eyes widened, then darted quickly to Gaia. To her surprise, Gaia smiled.
“Do you think I would harm my own daughter?” she asked coolly.
“Given what she’s endured because of you, I’m not so sure,” Evander said calmly. “But regardless, I’m not leaving her side.”
Mona’s eyes closed with a soft sigh, but she couldn’t deny the thread of warmth that filled her chest from his conviction.
Slowly, Gaia looked at Mona with raised eyebrows. Mona knew that look well. Gaia was waiting for her daughter to fix this situation. To beobedient, as she was known to be.
Mona took a deep breath. “He stays. If you wish to talk, there is nothing you can say that I wouldn’t want Evander to hear.”
Gaia’s chin lifted, her eyes flashing. There was a time when that look might have cowed Mona into submission. For her entire life, she had been the timid and obedient child, the one who studied endlessly, kept to herself, and did everything her mother asked of her.
But that woman was gone. And Mona wasn’t sure if she would ever come back.
After a long, tense moment, Gaia smoothed her hands on her skirts and drew closer to Mona’s cot. “As you wish.” Hervoice was stiff, and Mona wondered just how often Gaia’s orders had been refused. “I came to see if your magic has returned.”
Mona frowned. “No. My goddess magic is gone.”
“Not that magic. Yourwitchmagic.”
Dread coiled in Mona’s chest. “I’m… not sure.”
Gaia arched an eyebrow. “You aren’t sure? The Pomona I knew would be aching with curiosity. She would be itching to cast a spell or perhaps even write one herself.”
“The daughter you knew was a lie,” Mona said sharply, then clamped her mouth shut. She wasn’t sure where the outburst had come from. But she was restless and agitated from being stuck in this cave for three days. Her patience was gone.
Gaia’s eyes softened. “You are not a lie, my darling. The goddess you became was nothing butyou. Just because I deceived you about my identity does not make your growth any less real.”
Mona shook her head, her eyes burning with unshed tears. She had to look away before the sight of her mother broke her completely. “I suppose it doesn’t matter. I did what I was born to do. What I wasbredto do.”
Gaia stiffened. “I did not conceive you with the intent to wield you as a weapon.”
“No, but that’s how you raised me, isn’t it? All those years, you drilled into my thoughts, my entirebeing, that to serve the witch coven was the highest honor. That was why I sacrificed myself to save Krenia from the Book of Eyes.Youmade me that way. Because you always knew I would be the sacrifice, didn’tyou?”
Gaia’s silence was damning enough. Mona huffed a sigh and dropped her gaze to her hands folded on her lap.
“I—I did not know for sure,” Gaia said in a strained voice.
Mona looked up. Gaia often spoke with smooth, assured words. But for the first time, she sounded…broken.
Gaia took a shuddering breath. “After Trivia was taken from me, I wasn’t sure if the Triple Goddess magic could still be accessed. And with you and Prudence being considered for Maiden of the coven, I thought you two had found a different path…” She trailed off, her face twisting with regret.
