Page 88 of The Fate of Black Hearts

With a swallow she nodded. “Dom… If he was gone…” The wheezing hit her again.

“Stop doing this to yourself. Stop it!” Efrem ordered. “Think of something else.”

She directly eyed Roman. “How would you feel if someone said they’d kill Nova because she posed a threat?”

Roman blanched. “I thought you two had some sort of fling for a year or so.” His head jerked back. “How long, Mom?”

She thought about the mechanics of assembling her sniper rifle. Reviewing the rote action soothed her. Her breaths came easier. “It wasn’t a fling.”

“You need to tell them about the night we got free,” Efrem urged.

“Is it relevant?” The back of her throat went dry. She whispered, “I almost lost you that night, Efrem. I almost died too.”

“So did Flynn and Shane. He beat the hell out of Roman. Tell them,” Efrem urged.

She stared around the table. “That night when Willem threw me into the snow to be killed by werewolf hunters…”

Roman dropped the knife he’d fisted again. “That was a horrible night. I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”

She continued, “I should’ve died. I was pregnant with you, Shane, and carrying you in my arms, Flynn, when you were not even an hour old. Willem wanted to end you, Flynn, like you were disposable, but I wouldn’t allow it. You needed me as much as I needed you.” She reached out and took Flynn’s hand in hers. “You were mine then, and you always will be.”

He squeezed her hand. When he met her gaze, tears glistened in them.

“To punish me, Willem pushed me outside and locked the door. He beat Roman and almost killed Efrem. Outside, there were a lot of humans coming at me. I fought with one hand because I was carrying you, Flynn. I would’ve lost if Dom hadn’t been there. He saved the three of us.” She rocked her head. “Okay, Dom was an asshole. He criticized myfighting technique while making me do most of the work. His point was to teach me I could defend myself and all of you. Then I got shot, and he discovered the demon curse someone put on me. He healed me and helped me get rid of the curse.”

“Then, that time the curse to the Crown was cast,” Efrem said. “They need to know about that too.”

“He was there?” Roman’s eyes bugged out.

“I went to that dreadful place in Afghanistan,” Evie started.

“You weren’t supposed to be there,” Roman said.

“If Dom hadn’t removed me right as the curse was cast, I might’ve been caught up in the curse too. I was awful to him to try to get back to you. He told me I needed to be free of it to be able to help you later.”

“He was right,” Ky said. “He went to that meeting with Willem instead of you, didn’t he? That’s how he knew where to find Flynn. He was the one who killed Willem, right?”

She shook her head. “He went with Efrem and me.”

“How long, exactly, have you known Dom?” Uncertainty tinged Flynn’s tone.

“I met him before any of you existed. Before I was sold to Willem. We were nothing but occasional acquaintances for over a century.”

“Fear of this prophecy forced him to keep it platonic until when?” Roman asked.

Not answering that.“It’s inevitable for me to meet with him now that I remember. Probably tonight. He’ll find me.” She squeezed her left fist tight around the earrings. When Roman opened hismouth to comment, she held up her hand. “We are short on time and have another important item.” She briefly glanced at Efrem, who looked relieved. “Ian has decided he is going to take over our family. He has petitioned the Council to become head, or so he informed me last night. I am to be his on-demand consort who will suck him off at his whim while he steals all my money. He expects to sit on a throne and have all of us cater to him. He thinks you four are lazy loafers who mooch off my riches. Clear projection of what he’d do if he was in your shoes.”

“What an asshat,” Roman muttered. “I thought he was dead.”

“This is the uncle who was always more interested in fucking across the world than spending time with us? That Ian?” Ky blurted.

“Language,” Shane whispered.

“Some bastard just told my mother to suck him off and wants me to kiss his toes. I’m saying whatever I think’s appropriate.”

Shane elbowed him.

“Do you think Ian is physically attracted to you, for real?” Roman asked.