Something in her voice made me turn around, finding both resilience and pain coloring her expression.
A heavy sigh left me. “I never meant?—”
“I know.” Standing from the chair, she offered me a small smile and walked toward the balcony, her gaze getting lost in the horizon. “Let me tell you a great truth about us, Natalia. No matter how much we hurt, no matter what we must go through, or how far we must walk in darkness sometimes, we will always push through. We will always endure.”
I went to her side.
“We are built differently, you and I,” she continued. “We have an inner strength that many will never know, and sometimes, even the things that shatter us show us exactly who we are meant to be. Not because those fractures help us grow. But because in those moments, we make ourselves as formidable as we need to be to survive, regardless of what it takes.”
Pride and power exuded from her in waves with every word, and I knew exactly what she meant.
“It would be an honor to one day be the kind of Vampiress you?—”
“I’m not talking about being a Vampiress, darling. Though it does come with many advantages.” Turning to face me, Mother’s steely eyes bore into mine. “I’m talking about being a woman. When life seems impossible and pain threatens to consume us, this inner strength takes over us. We might not even realize we have it, but it’s always there, ready to turn us into warriors.”
Lifting a hand to my cheek, she cradled it, looking at me like Isis often looked at her Natasha.
“It’s not an accident that you are the one with us right now, darling. You are Natasha’s inner strength. The side of her that will fight to protect her and do whatever it takes to survive the pain currently threatening to destroy her. You, Natalia, are her warrior… and that is exactly what she needs.”
Letting go of my cheek, Mother walked back into the room.
As I glanced at the sky’s reflection on the still waters surrounding the island, Natasha’s pain stirred within the darkness restraining it, and I felt the powerful truth in each of Countess Dariah’s words. Natasha, Star, and I might be “fractured”, but I would protect them no matter what.
Wrapping my arms around us, I lowered my head and placed a soft kiss on my shoulder.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you needed me to protect you. I’m sorry I trusted the people who should have looked after you but were the first ones to hurt you. I’m sorry you had to be strong in everyone’s eyes and pretend you were okay while you were aching inside. I’m here now, and I will never let anyone hurt you again…”
The midafternoon sunlight shimmered over the water as a wave of emotion overwhelmed my chest in response, and I opened myself to it. Tears gathered in my eyes, and I let one flow freely, allowing myself to feel it fully, even if it was merely a fraction of the pain Natasha was trying to conceal from us.
Making a point to remember how it felt as the tear rolled down my cheek, I experienced its cold and wet trail along my skin until it fell off my chin. Its sensation soon turned into a burning, and growing ache, before evolving into resolve, feminine rage, and the conviction that would fuel me.
I was Natasha’s warrior, and now that I was finally set free, I was going to fight for her like she deserved.
Without bothering to wipe my cheek, I whirled around and marched right through the room.
“What are you doing?” Countess Dariah questioned, making it to my side when I reached the door.
“Exactly what I am here to do. I’m going to get Natasha’s mother back.”
10
HANNES
“Do you have a plan?” Countess Dariah asked as I pushed Dante out of my way and burst through the door to Natasha’s room.
“It’s a trap. You can’t go after her,” I warned, barging past them with Dante and André on my heels.
“That’s exactly what they want you to do. It’s why they took her,” André argued.
“There is no scenario in this world in which we let you do that,” Dante guaranteed, and both the Countess and Natalia turned—sharply raising an eyebrow at him.
Now, I wasn’t exactly an expert on women’s behavior. However, growing up surrounded by Alpha she-wolves, I was certain nothing good ever came from a woman raising her brow at you that way, let alone two of them.
The “Excuse me?!” was always implied.
Lifting a hand to stop Natalia from burning his ass to a crisp, I attempted to diffuse the situation. “She’s not asking you for permission, Dante.”
“I’m not asking you at all!” she barked, facing us all with flaring red eyes. “I wasn’t even talking to you. Are you in my head again, listening?”
