Page 114 of The Immortal’s Mark

The audacity…

My pulse pounds in my skull as she dares to cross the room and sit on the very edge of the bed.

I jolt away from her as if she’s on fire, scooting back until my spine hits the headboard, putting as much distance between us as possible.

She doesn’t react.

“The meeting we are looking into could be very dangerous.” She says, voice calm and controlled. “The last thing we need is for Adir or his allies to discover you are not safely tucked away in Greece with the Originals.”

I press my lips together.

“It’s not worth the risk to your safety,” she adds.

“Lucas said I would be safe in the surveillance van.” My voice comes out too sharp, too fast. “Paige would stay with me.”

If Lucas is willing to let his own daughter go, surely it’s safe.

“Paige is not one of Adir’s targets.”

We will never agree, and my control is fraying.

“Like I said,” I bite out. “I don’t want to talk.”

Jennifer doesn’t take the hint. “Try not to be upset. This decision is not a reflection on you. You must know, I’m only doing this for your own good.”

And just like that, my restraint snaps.

Rage rises up, hot and sudden, and spills out of me before I can stop it. “I don’t know anything about you or what your intentions are. Don’t pretend to do things on my behalf.”

Her lips thin. “I only want to protect you.”

“You left me. In Maine. With Dad.” My throat burns. “You left me with no clue about what the hell would happen to me. And why? Because you didn’t want to be part of our family anymore?”

I scoff, ignoring how my heart aches at the stricken look on her face. “You left me in the dark. So forgive me if I don’t trust you or believe anything you say.”

I turn and face the wall, my shoulders rising and falling as I work to steady my breath.

My mother says nothing.

Tension billows, seconds away from popping, when a swift rap hits the doorframe, and the door opens.

“What’s going on in here?” Alex’s voice disrupts our standoff, but it doesn’t lessen the strain.

A beat passes.

“Nothing.” The mattress shifts as my mother stands. “I was just leaving.”

The swoosh of her cloak is loud in my ears as she leaves the room. I wait until the door closes before I slump back against the headboard and close my eyes.

“What happened?” Alex asks.

I crack my eyelids. He stands by the door, arms crossed, expression disapproving.

“Oh, you know. Just your typical abandoned-daughter, neglectful mother bonding.”

“Your mother is hardly neglectful.”

“No?” I snort. “Alright. How about controlling?”