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I wanted that.
I wanted him.
And I wasn't going to let my mother get in the way of it.
"I won't let you hurt him," I said, and this time my voice was firm. "I care about him."
She laughed again. "That puny mortal? He's a means to an end. A sperm donor, if you will."
I stepped forward so that we were only a foot apart. "He's more than a sperm donor - hell, he is not even that yet. He is kind, and he cares. About me."
Mother raised an eyebrow. "And you think that matters? There are hundreds, thousands—countless men that you can fall in love with if you really must. Though we are royalty, and I had hoped you were better than that." She sneered. "This one is to help us continue our family line. Nothing more."
"You really want him to die," I whispered, knowing that the words were true. Once upon a time, the Harpy Queen had led a life of terror and destruction. She had been feared, respected—and rightly so. Now, she wanted nothing more than to exact her revenge on whatever human crossed her path.
"Yes," she said bluntly. "And I will have my way."
I took a deep breath, shaking from head to toe as I stepped forward and looked the harpy queen in the eye. I could not think of her as my mother now.
"No. You will not."
For a moment, we simply stared at each other. The air around us felt heavy with anticipation; I knew that no matter what happened next, things would never be the same between us.
Finally, she stepped back and cackled. "You surprise me," she said simply, and I could almost see the admiration in her eyes. "But it will not matter. You are mine, and so is the geas."
Mother circled around me, trailing a clawed finger across my skin, my wings, the back of my neck until she was in front of me again, her hand holding my chin.
A thrum of nervousness resonated through my body as she locked eyes on me. She gripped my chin tighter, and then, before I could do anything, had whipped her other hand up and pushed her fingers between my lips to grab my tongue.
I tried to scream, to wriggle away from her, but her gaze locked me in place as her pupils dilated and the tingle of magic ran across my skin.
"You will not speak against me, not to Nico, not to Brody. You will not tell them what I intend."
It was like an electric shock to my tongue and then she let go, stepping back from me and turning away as if I was no threat at all.
And I wasn't. Not really. My tongue felt fat and heavy in my mouth and I clenched my jaw, biting back all the hurtful things I wanted to say.
Not that they would penetrate her emotional armor.
"If you wanted for me to breed, you could have just told me," I said, keeping my words soft. "Instead, you bound me with him. If you did not want me to feel this way, you could have just let him go. It could have been anyone." Though as I said that, I shuddered. I didn't want just anyone; didn't think I could lie with a man just to continue our harpy line. But if it saved his life…
"In fact, if you free him, I will. I'll get pregnant by anyone that you choose. If that's what you want."
She turned back to me, and now there was a sliver of sorrow in her eyes. Regret? Or something similar.
"We each have to learn this lesson the hard way. Love is pointless. Love hurts. It is not for us."
I frowned at her words, struggling to comprehend. "What if it is? If we can feel it, then surely there must be a way for us to have love?"
Mother tilted her head and for a moment, I thought she might answer me, but then she shook her head. "It does not matter. You must do as you're told. And when all of this is over, you are still mine. Always. Remember that."
With those harsh words, she turned and strode away. I clutched my chest as a wave of emotion rushed through me—sadness, anger, even a bit of fear. She was right; I was hers. No matter what happened in the future, she would always have control over me.
And now she controlled my tongue; stopped me from speaking out against her, of even so much as warning Brody.
Brody
I couldn't getthoughts of Selene from my mind. No matter what we were doing, no matter how important this meeting was. The urge to go to her was so strong that I had to grip the arms of my chair to keep myself seated.
