Total pages in book: 50
Estimated words: 47623 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47623 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
“That’s why we have Lizzie.”
It seems impossible, but these three men have already proved themselves to be capable of impossible things. “I think so. We’d have to get him into the right position.” I close my eyes and picture it. If she’s aiming for his throat, he’d have to be facing the gates, but at a slight angle leaning toward the shooter’s position. “That adds to the impossibility factor, because getting him there will give him more of a chance to compel one or all of us.”
Wolf tightens his grip around my waist. “Rylan has an idea, don’t you?”
“Yeah.” Rylan holds my gaze. “You’re going in alone.”
“What?”
“You’re right. Your father’s power is a threat while you get him into position. We can’t guarantee he won’t be able to use it, and if he does, we’re more of a liability than a help.” He nods at Malachi. “Mal will be setting fires. Wolf and I will go in to the east and west and do what damage to the forces we can. Maybe set a few fires ourselves if we can find a way to do it that won’t result in more deaths.” His dark eyes are sympathetic. “You were always going to be the one to kill Cornelius., Mina. It has to be you.”
My chest threatens to close, but I haven’t come this far to fold now. Which sounds great in theory, but the thought of having to face down my father alone makes me want to start running and never stop. I’m not so panicked that I don’t notice the way all three of them tense up in response to my emotions. I have to breathe, to think, to process this. “Just…give me a second.”
They sit silently as I battle through my instinctive denial. When we were initially talking about returning to that place and doing what was necessary to ensure our safety, at least I had the relative comfort of knowing my men would have my back. Walking through the front gates alone, even if the men won’t be too far, feels like too much. I am stronger than I used to be, but I’m nowhere near as strong as my father.
He could kill me.
He’ll certainly try.
I press my hand to my stomach. There’s only one way to make him pause, and it means giving him information I’d do anything to ensure he doesn’t have. It means trusting my men and the plan and myself in a way I don’t know if I’m capable of.
Finally, I drag in a breath. “I don’t know what will happen to his compulsion if he’s injured.” All evidence suggests he needs to concentrate to use his powers, the same as the other bloodline vampires. If his concentration is broken, say by a blood bullet to his throat, the compulsion should break.
Am I willing to put myself under my father’s control for even that long?
I open my eyes. I can’t see Wolf, but Rylan and Malachi look at me solemnly. They know what they’re asking, what we’re risking. If I die, there’s a decent chance it will hurt them, if not kill them. They’re asking a lot, but they’re putting so much faith in me that it staggers me. We’ll only get one shot at this.
We’ll either succeed or we’ll die trying.
“I’m scared.”
“I know.” Malachi’s eyes go soft. “We wouldn’t ask if there was another way.”
“I know.” I run my fingers over Wolf’s bare arm. Really, there’s no point in letting panic win. This is the only way. If I think about it, it was only ever going to end like this, with me facing down my father once and for all. “You’re both right. There is no other way. I’ll do it.”
Wolf finally sets me aside, though he laces his fingers through mine. “You’ll have to take his head, and you have to do it showy enough to scare people into obeying you right off the bat. Lizzie will start the process, but that’s the only way to guarantee that bastard doesn’t come back to haunt us and no one challenges you while you’re still reeling. Then we burn the body.”
I wait for the idea of killing my father to inspire some hesitation or even guilt, but the only thing I feel is grim resolution. It’s him or me. If I want a chance at the future, to give my…child…a future, then he needs to die.
Wolf could probably form his blood into a weapon to do it for him. Rylan could partially shift and tear my father’s head from his shoulders. Malachi could burn him until there’s nothing left to heal.
Theoretically, I’ll be able to do all three with the way we seem to be able to borrow powers from each other. But my control has left something to be desired. I don’t have the training and while sometimes they manifest, they never do it reliably. Whether the pregnancy was to blame or just my lack of experience is up for debate. I wasn’t able to use them even before I found out I was pregnant.