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“My baby.” She squeezed me harder, her voice trembling with emotion. “So precious to hold you again.”
Laughing. Crying. As my mother’s spirit flowed into me, smoothing all the sharp, cracked edges. Melting the shattered chalice of my heart back to pure, strong crystal without a single inclusion.
She cupped my cheeks and tipped my face up to hers. “I have much to tell you and very little time.”
“How is this possible?”
“All things are possible for daughters of She Who Was and Is and Always Will Be.” She leaned closer, eye to eye, her whispered words a breath blending with mine, swallowed so they were a part of me forever. “This house mirrors Her pyramid in many ways. This room, where you were born, exists in both places. You were born in Her sacred space, not just my daughter, but Hers. Discover Her secrets hidden in this house, daughter of Isis.”
Her lips curved, a secret, knowing smile of pride. “Plus you screamed my name with all the power of the universe and proclaimed yourself not just my daughter but Hers. The more who hear, remember, and the more they remember...”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “There’s always a way around a blood oath.”
“With enough time—or enough blood—yes.” Her smile faded, her eyes darkening as if a dark blanket covered the sky, hiding the stars. “As long as you’re willing to endure the pain and loss until paid in full.”
Like not holding her baby girl for twenty-two years.
“Five former Isador Blood are now sibs in House Ceresa, and the other two went to House Valois, hoping they might find a clue through Rosalind to the Dauphine’s location. I wanted to give you plenty of options of Isador Blood to pick from in the queen of Rome’s house in case something went wrong with the king kraken. They’ll be quite willing to pass information to you if an opportunity arises. Marne, of course, will be more than pleased to give them back to you, but know they carry her blood into your nest. I saw no great danger for them and to my knowledge, they’re happy and in no need of rescue.”
“Did you see me kill the Dauphine?”
“It’s risky but possible.” Holding my gaze, her eyes narrowed with intent. “Bring justice to that fucking bitch, daughter of mine. Make her suffer as much as she hurt my Thierry and beloved sister. Make her soul rot in the rankest filth for all time.”
Startled, I laughed again, relieved but also a little shaken. My mother wasn’t someone you wanted to fuck with.
And neither am I.
“What will it cost me?”
Her breath sighed out against my cheek. “One of your greatest gifts will be stripped from you.”
“But not one of my Blood or my human family?”
She kissed my forehead. “Few goddesses will be willing to dare lay claim to one of your loves when you’ve already sworn to keep them for all time. Due to the bargain you made with the Mother of the Gods, to take one of your loves is to take all, especially you, and our goddess would not be well pleased at such a loss. Though of course there are many others who’d leap at the chance to destroy the Great One’s royal line in one fell swoop. You will find, as I did, that sometimes you won’t have any other choice to reach the outcome of your desire than to eliminate another queen. There’s always a way to work within and around the constraints They may put upon you, given enough time and blood.”
Keeping her head tipped close, she released me but only to slide the golden snakes off her arms, slipping them on mine. “Plus, take note from Desideria, with moderation, of course. The more queens you kill, the more powers you gain through their legacies. So when a goddess demands payment, it’s of no consequence to give up something from your arsenal, and honestly, some goddesses will be jubilant to have their gifts transferred to you as you change the face of the world.”
“I don’t need more jewelry,” I protested. “I hardly ever wear what’s in the legacy anyway.”
Hurriedly, she reached around her throat and removed the heavy golden necklace. “You will want these. I kept them safe for a reason.”
Safer than the locked Isis chest Gina kept in the Talbott safe?
Fashioned of long golden rectangles carved with symbols I didn’t immediately recognize, the necklace was heavy and cold around my throat. The belt was made from serpentine-looking scales that overlapped like chainmail.
“They’re a part of you now. No need to remember putting them on.”
“But—”
“You’ll know when it’s time,” she cut me off. “You must find the Dauphine before she fully cloaks again, or all will be lost. Sands slip through the hourglass, even with Thierry as your ace in the hole. Now let me give you the pièce de résistance before you wake.”
“But I’m not asleep,” I started to say, but my words were slurred. The room had darkened, though I could still see her. Feel her. The walls were tighter, making the space close and dark. Almost like a coffin. Though if my mother was here with me, I would stay beside her, even buried alive, as long as she could hug me again.
Lifting her hands to the top of my head, she smoothed my hair in long, heavy strokes. Almost like she was brushing my hair, only with her hands. Mom had brushed my hair for me when I was a child, sitting on the bed upstairs in my attic. My eyes fluttered, sinking into the sensation. The simple joy.
As Esetta brushed undying love into every single stroke.
Her mouth pressed to my ear, her hair falling over my face like a thick velvety curtain. “I’ve always been with you, but here, in this room, this house, you can always find me waiting to answer your questions. There’s no need to worry about dropping a blood circle around the house. If someone were to stumble into one of Her inner sanctums hidden within, they’d only find their worst nightmares and will never walk out again.
