Furious at the thought of these assholes raising my son, warping him into a monster, I renewed my struggle against the manacles, punctuating my struggles with a guttural scream of frustration when they failed to give.
Chase’s cruel laughter crept along my skin, making the hair stand on end.
“That’s enough.”
Pearlie.
Pearlie nodded toward stairs across the room. “Take Henry to Netty, Merilee. We can manage.”
“No!” I screamed, twisting and pulling against my restraints as Merilee climb the steps. “Please! Merilee!”
“Hush now, Zellie,” Pearlie said from where she stood in the shadows, using the same tone I’d once found so soothing. “Henry won’t be harmed as long as you cooperate.”
“Go to hell,” I spat, my voice breaking.
Pearlie stepped out of the shadows then, giving me a reproachful look. “I hope you’ll change your mind.”
I turned my face away, refusing to acknowledge her, blinking away the tears that stung my eyes.
She sighed. “Perhaps Whit can persuade you.”
“What have you done with him?” I demanded, panic seizing my heart. But then a rush of warmth flooded my veins and the tug in my chest grew stronger. He was nearby, but where?
Pearlie gestured toward the shadows. My head snapped in that direction, hope surging only to come crashing down again.
Earl emerged, dragging Whit by one arm, leaving a sickening smear of blood on the floor. Once they were in the center of the room, Earl flung Whit’s arm away, rolling him onto his back. Whit arched off the ground, sucking air in through his teeth, clearly in pain.
It was then that I saw the full extent of his injuries. He’d been savagely slashed across his chest and abdomen, his wounds gaping, so I assumed his back was in similar shape. A flash of white ribs showed where his shirt had been ripped open. His arms and legs bore more wounds, his clothes torn and blood-soaked. And a jagged cut ran from his temple to chin, the wound recent, blood trailing down his cheek to his neck.
My chest tightened painfully, the sight of him suffering both breaking my heart and filling me with rage. I clenched my jaw, biting back the tears that strangled me, refusing to give the others the satisfaction of knowing how deeply it affected me. Well, except for my fury. I wanted them to see every single fucking ounce of that.
I turned my murderous glare on the woman I’d loved like a mother and whose betrayal absolutely gutted me. “I’m going to kill every damned one of you for this.”
“I think that might be bit difficult, given your circumstances, darlin’,” Earl drawled.
“And I think I’ll start with you, Earl, you pretentious prick,” I ground out, perfectly fine with Earl knowing that I planned to rip his throat out as soon as I was free of the restraints.
“Settle down, Zellie,” Pearlie soothed. “We don’t want to kill you or Henry. Weloveyou. You’refamily.” She sighed and cast a sorrowful look toward Whit. “I had hoped we could all be happy together. But betrayal can’t go unpunished, no matter how much we love the betrayer.”
I looked to Whit, my desperation ratcheting to a new level. They were going to kill him. Right there in front of me.
“No, please,” I pleaded. “Pearlie…”
She offered me a sad smile. “It’s up to you, Zellie. I will give you a choice, but it’s one we can only offer once.”
“What choice?” I asked, dreading the answer.
She stepped closer and took my face in her hands, her eyes gleaming. “You’ve been consuming our blood for months in everything we’ve ever fed you, every sip of tea, lemonade, priming you for this. Dottie probably gave you a bit too much today, but it won’t matter soon. We want you to become one ofus, Zellie.”
This must’ve been the offer Dottie was talking about.
“You aresostrong,” Pearlie continued, “such a good mama to Henry. And your abilities… Well, there’s no telling what you’ll be like once youbecome! You’re already feeling it, aren’t you? That surge of power?”
I continued to glare at her, refusing to admit to anything. Even if it was true.
Pearlie stepped back and drew a dagger from the folds of her robe. She held it out to me with both hands. The blade was covered in an intricate design that I immediately recognized. It was the same as what decorated the elevator and the blade of the dagger June had given Henry.
“All you have to do,” Junior said, stepping up to stand near where Whit lay, “is make your first sacrifice to pledge your loyalty to the family. Then we can share our blood openly and you yours. You will fullybecome. And it will beglorious.”
