We shoot each other smiles that are mirror images of one another.Truehearts fuck me, I never thought I would be so similar to this woman.Granted, I didn’t even know she existed my entire life. I’d never thought about her or our similarities before rescuing her.
“What canyoudo, Sephania? What powers has my muddled concoction given my daughter?”
“Well, the strongest ability of all, in their eyes.” I lean forward, my eyes conspiratorial, my voice dropping. “When someone drinks from me, Mother, they become entranced by me. Obsessed, even. Almost like . . .”
“. . . a redcloud addiction.”
My eyes widen. “No,” I hiss. “You think my powers could be related to the drug I’ve seen countless people wobbling through town on, vacant and soulless?”
Her shoulders lift. “Possibly?”
We’re just guessing now.
“Furthermore,” I say, lifting a finger, “theactualimportant bit. We’ve discovered—through trial and error, the specifics of which I’d rather not get into—that my blood helps sever the connection between a bloodthrall and his or her master vampire.”
My mother lets out a breathless gasp. Her mouth falls open and I pause my thoughts mid-sentence.
“Spirits and deities,” she mutters under her breath. “That’s . . .”
“Powerful?”
“Remarkable. And, yes, powerful.” Jinneth shakes her head, wobbling her neck again. “Do you think it works onallvampires, half-vampires, and thralls?”
It’s worked on Garro, breaking his connection with Skar. It worked on Dimmon Plank after being turned by Skar. It worked on Sister Cyprilis, which Jinneth has seen with her own eyes.“Yes, I believe so. Haven’t tested it on anyancientvampires but . . . I’m fairly certain. Unless the blood you infused me with acts as a sort of blockade for stronger, older vampires, since you said there was ancient blood in the concoction.”
My mother thinks over it for a long moment, pulling at her chin and staring out the window. “These people. They drinkfrom you . . . they obsess over you . . . they lose their connection with their master or mistress.”
“That’s the gist of it.”
Her head snaps over, eyes flashing. “We need touseit!”
“I know!” I throw my arms out wide. “That’s what I’m trying to do.” I wince, rubbing the back of my neck and calming my excitement. “Only problem is, uh, well, I might be going mad from having the thoughts in my head of the people Iturn, for lack of a better word. It’s happened with Sister Cyprilis. My men are hesitant to allow anyone else to drink from me.”
“Fuck! For good reason!”
I laugh at her sudden outburst.
“No daughter of mine is going to be driven mad by heretical, vampiric thoughts.” She makes a sign of the True over her chest and glances up at the ceiling.
Silence falls over us. I can see the cogs turning in her head—my mother’s former analytical, alchemical mind going to work.It will be good having her on our side.
“There has to be a way . . .” she mutters, trailing off.
“A way, mother?”
“A way to change the bloodbond without it destroying your own mind.” She taps the windowsill, drumming her fingers, making me anxious. “Perhaps a way todisconnectthe ability from your body, to limit its damage on you.”
I tilt my head, sorely confused. “I’m not following.”
“Well, we aren’t sure if the effect of the blood comes fromyouor the blood itself, correct?” At my continued look of befuddlement, she rolls her wrist. “As in, if there was a different way for a thrall to drink Loreblood without it coming directly from your veins . . .”
“. . . Then maybe the damaging effect on me wouldn’t be so detrimental and mind-breaking.”
Jinneth snaps her fingers and smiles proudly at me.
The look warms me.Never knew I needed validation from my mother until now.I mentally check off another thing I didn’t know about myself until today.
“It’s worth a shot,” I say. I’m growing increasingly excited at the prospect of teaming up with Jinneth to figure this thing out. “But how? How can we use my blood without draining it from my body?”
