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Velistra’s eyes sparkle. ‘You did have the chance. That’s what makes this so delightful. I have never forgotten the pain you caused my family. First you take my lover. Then my sister. Not including any of the other countless lives lost to your hands. I’ve been waiting a long time to come face to face with you again.’

My eyes slingshot between the two of them. Kian stands like he’s carved from stone, his expression unreadable, eyes unblinking. It’s creepy as hell how he does that. The air around him feels colder with every second that passes. He doesn’t speak, but tension lines his jaw and his hands curl at his sides. Ice radiates from him, as though he has the ability to drop the temperature around us even further. Velistra shifts under his stare, and I swear, for the first time, I see a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes.

These two are as deadly as each other.

Her eyes find Raya and Cora, and the cruel twist of her lip fades. Velistra appraises the two girls like she knows them, but is also seeing them anew.

‘Ah,’ she says, quieter now. ‘The sisters with the blood of a traitor. Fruit from the same poisoned tree.’

Raya’s eyes narrow. ‘What are you talking about?’

Velistra takes a slow breath, as though the thought of having to explain herself is exhausting.

‘You mean you haven’t worked it out yet?’ She releases a sharp bark of humourless laughter. ‘You all look so much like her. Quite undeniable as you stand side by side.’

The words hover between us, strange and misplaced, as though she’s speaking a language I almost understand. I don’t speak. I can’t. Blood of a traitor. Glancing at Raya, I take note of the sharp line of her cheekbones. The slight downturn of her mouth as she stares ahead. Then I think of my own reflection. The same cheekbones. The same mouth.

It has to be a lie. Manipulation. Another strategy, but as I think that, pieces slide into place with sickening precision. The secrecy around my adoption. All the ways I’m similar to these girls. How Theo thought he knew my last name, but the memories were taken from him before he could place where he had heard it before.

‘Like who?’ Cora asks, stepping forward, brows furrowed, a slight edge in her voice.

‘The original betrayer, who betrayed us with her selfish little heart.’ Something icy coils in my chest, and everything becomes deathly still and silent around us. ‘She was one of us once,’ Velistra continues. ‘She may not have been a true witch of Red Thorne, but she was family. Gifted and respected. But then she fell in love with a vampire. Foolish girl. After everything she knew. After everything I taught her, she still chose him and in doing so, betrayed us all.’

Cora stiffens, and Raya grows impossibly paler as she gazes at the woman, lips parted in shock.

‘She disappeared for a few years then came back with three children. Sisters, born in secret, hidden away from us until she was forced to return when the vampires began hunting her. She brought those demons to our doorstep.’ She pauses, letting her words sink in. ‘Your mother is a vampire now. Banished from this family, and Red Thorne.’

Shock courses through me at her words. Raya and Cora are my sisters? The witches know who my biological mother is? They’ve known this entire time?

I bristle at her words, now more than ever understanding that I’ve chosen the right side. They have fed me nothing but lies and strung me along for whatever they needed me to do.

Cora’s expression doesn’t crack, but I can tell these words have unnerved her. She tilts her chin up, disbelief on her face.

Raya’s gaze snaps to mine, appearing uncertain. ‘You’re lying.’

Velistra’s eyes flash with accomplishment, clearly enjoying delivering this news. Kian and Hunter exchange weighted glances.

‘What purpose does it serve me to lie?’ she shrugs. ‘You wanted answers. I’m giving them to you.’

The silence is heavy. A low rustle moves through the others. Cora shifts beside Kian, her jaw tight, looking like she might combust at any moment. Raya’s hand is clenched into a fist. Hunter watches her carefully, as if she’s a bomb that’s about to explode.

‘Your mother chose the wrong side.’ She scoffs, eyes dragging across the group. ‘All three of you followed the exact same path. It seems the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.’

I can barely think straight. My head feels too full, as though everything Velistra just said is echoing around at once, her words ringing loudly in my head. The field around me spins. Every word, every truth, slams into me.

I have sisters. Two of them. And a mother.

No. No, I don’t.

Velistra is smiling. That alone should be enough to convince me otherwise. She is enjoying this too much. The timing is too convenient. She is cruel.

‘She’s lying,’ I say, but the words feel wrong in my mouth, feeling obvious to everyone that I don’t know what to believe.

Velistra lifts a brow. ‘Am I?’

Raya is staring at me, as if she’s searching for something. I hate that I do the same.

If all of this is true, and I have a mother who is still alive, would she want to meet me?