bChapter 189 /b

    The god snaps his fingers and then, before us, appears a woman of exquisite beauty, bound and gagged. Her gaze is fierce and defiant, promising war the moment she is freed. Her hair is the color of blood and her eyes a vivid green.

    “Tell them what you’ve done, Lilith,” Atarothz demands.

    He removes the gag, freeing her to speak.

    “There’s no need,” ra says. “I recognize those eyes. I saw you.”

    Lilith’s lips curl into a dangerous smile.

    “You were the servant, the one who carried the tonic to Cassian. You manipted it.”

    At ra’s words, my full attention locks onto Lilith, and I quickly find the simrities to the new servant at the castle. She seems to notice the exact moment I piece everything together, and her smile widens, making my skin prickle.

    “I must admit it was far too easy to deceive you.” Her voice is silky, designed to seduce. “I had to do it, since it’s more than clear you do not understand the importance of your role.”

    “You’re the one who doesn’t understand.” ra rises from myp to face Lilith–her mother. “You have no

    right to decide for me, for my body. This wasn’t your decision. It was mine, and you stole the power of choice from me again.”

    “Stole it?” Lilith retorts. “I gave you everything.”

    Both Atarothz and I remain silent, watching closely the confrontation between mother and daughter. It’s

    clear he feels great affection for Lilith; however, it doesn’t seem like he’s going to take her side in this dispute. As for me, I am more than certain I won’t, even though the child growing inside ra doesn’t displease me at all–it wasn’t the right time for this, nor was it a decision to be taken from us this way.

    “Everything?i” /ira clenches her fists. “You condemned me.”

    “Don’t speak to me of condemnation,” Lilith snaps back, a trace of pain in her voice. “You have no idea. Do you think it’s easy for me? Being here now will only bring me painter. I am in the hands of a man who hates me, despises me, tortures me simply for existing. The only thing that keeps me sane is thinking of the little moments in which I manage to escape. And even that gives me no peace, because I see you dying, little by little, one by one. I will not allow that to happen, I won’t let them win and get their way, ra.” She steps closer and ces her bound hands on her daughter’s belly. “This is a gift. You don’t see it now, but you will. Then you will understand me–in the moment it takes its first breath, you will do anything for it: kill, betray,

    lie. All so it will live.”

    “I am your daughter too.”

    “If I thought this truly posed a risk to you, I wouldn’t have done it.i” /iShe tries to caress ra’s face, but she pulls away. “You are stronger than any of them, you have your father’s gifts and my spirit. I didn’t let myself be trampled, and neither will you. I saw you stand up alone when you fell to the ground and wiped your knees as if nothing had happened, only to mend your torn clothes by yourself. I saw you plunge into that freezingke because the very thought of another person ruling your life burned your insides. I know that determination, that fierceness.”

    “You saw me?”

    “Did you think Atarothz was the only one watching over you?” iFor /ithe first time, her features soften, taking on the appearance of a truly concerned mother who feels affection for her daughter. “I’ve made many mistakes, I’m sure, but I never did anything without considering what could go wrong and what could go

    right.”

    “I can understand your pain and your sacrifices; however, that doesn’t change things. You haven’t been a mother to me, Lilith.”

    Immediately the air shifts, the atmosphere turning bleak. Gone are those softened features on Lilith’s face, reced instead by the one I’d already seen: warrior, merciless, cold.

    “I will take care of her, ra.”

    Atarothz ces a hand on his daughter’s shoulder and gives it a small squeeze before stepping toward Lilith and vanishing with her. For a long while, neither of us says anything. I let ra process everything that has just happened–her encounter with her mother and all the words they exchanged.

    “Cassian.b” /b

    “Yes?”

    “Take me to bed, it’s been too long a day.”

    “As the Ruby Queenmands.”

    I lift her into my arms and carry her to a bedrge enough for us both. I free one hand to pull back the nkets, gentlyy her down, then lie beside her and cover us. Without warning, the logs in the firece ignite, filling the room with the warmth of their mes. I make a mental note to thank Ank for that.

    ra ces her hands on her chest and seeks to hide within my arms. I let her do exactly that.

    “Don’t let me be a bad mother, Cassian.”

    “You could never be a bad mother.”

    “I don’t want to be her.”

    “You are not her. You are better. Always.”

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    b33 /b

    She stays silent so long I think she has already fallen into Morpheus’s arms, so when I hear her murmur something against my chest, my first thought is that she’s talking in her sleep. I tilt my head closer to her so I

    can hear clearly and unravel her little whispers.

    When I catch every word, I cannot hold back the small smile that curves my lips.

    “I love you, Cassian.”

    “I love you, ra,” I whisper in her mind.

    田