What no one knew was that I was the lost sister of a dhampir that everyone knew in my world. She was strong and resilient, loved by her peers. No one knew that her father had another daughter with a runaway royal moroi woman nineteen years ago. I was that forgotten daughter that abandoned daughter.
My mother turned strigoi weeks ago. She had done it willingly when spirit finally had its way with her mind. That night replays in my mind over and over again, like the scene to a horror movie that I have no control over changing or rewriting.
I had gotten home from my job as a waitress at a local diner, when I found her letter on the kitchen table in our tiny apartment. She had told me she would always love me no matter what she was, and that she wanted me to find my father because she couldn't stand for me to be left alone. Funny, because she was the one to leave me alone, leave me in the night with no one to turn to. I ran down to go to my car, hoping that maybe I could find her, praying that she hadn't gotten too far. And that's when it happened; she attacked me, in the alleyway before I could even manage to get to the parking lot. My own mother tried to kill me. I feel the bile rise into my throat every time I think of this.
But that's when he came along, Caleb Brennan, a dhampir, and one hell of a sexy one, I might add. He walked from the darkness, into the light and tried to fight off my mother. He was about to kill her when I had stopped him. I know it's stupid right? My own mother tried to kill me, yeah I get it, but she was my mother, is my mother. I couldn't bear to watch this gorgeous dhampir kill my mother, regardless of what she had become. She managed to escape and disappeared into the night without a goodbye.
A few days later I heard rumors of a spirit user at the royal court who brought back a strigoi, salvaging their souls and returning them to their former glory, and that's when I had my decision made. I needed to get to the royal court, and I needed that spirit user, or any spirit user who was willing to help me return my mother to the person she once was. Without her I had no one. She was the last thing I had in this world, and I will do anything to get her back.
Ofcourse, I didn't have the option to do it myself because I specialized in fire, just my luck. So I needed a spirit user to bring her back to me.
"Are you sure you're ready for this Essa?" asked Caleb, his hazel eyes examining my face closely. He ran his fingers through his short brown hair, turning his attention back unto the road in front of us.
I took in a deep breath trying to steady my racing heart. Shit, was he beautiful. Every angle of his face was beautifully sculpted by whichever God was in charge of creating this beauty of a man. Oh, did I mention the fact that I happened to fall for Caleb on our mission to the royal court, yeah big mistake. He had officially volunteered himself to be my guardian, yeah charming I know. What's not so charming is how often I wanted to rip his clothes off. I turned my head away before I could let him see the blood rushing into my cheeks.
"I didn't travel all this way from Louisiana for nothing. I need to find that spirit user. I need to save my mother."
We drove to the gates and stepped out of the car as the guards signaled for us to stop. The guard asked me what brought me to the royal court and before I could open my mouth to answer, he came along.
The man who had deserted my mother and I years ago, was standing before me, two young moroi men on either side of him.
"Well, well who is this lovely young lady?"
He looked the same as ever, dark hair and a dark goatee, deep brown eyes and a smile that looked like he was ready to raise hell at any second.
"That's funny you should ask, because you should know who I am." I raised an eyebrow and studied his face as his thick brows furrowed in confusion.
"Surely I would remember such a beautiful face."
"I guess not because you didn't seem to remember my mother when you walked out on her."
His eyes flashed with anger, then in realization. "Yuliya", he breathed.
"Well here's the deal father, my mom has turned strigoi and a little birdie has told me that a spirit user was able to bring back a strigoi…and that's exactly what you're going to help me do. I know that you know of spirit users, and you are going to find one, and you are going to convince them to help me."
"Inessa…I never meant,"
I raised my delicate hand to silence him. I didn't want to hear what he had to say, apologies were long overdue and now was not the time for him to lay out his bullshit for me to hear. With every passing minute my mother was becoming more of a savage, more of a beast. I didn't have time to waste.
I bowed my head to the ground, trying to breathe the pain away that had been beating fiercely against my skull, as Caleb walked up from behind me, resting his hand gently against my back.
"You're going to help her, or so help me God, I will rip you to pieces." Caleb stepped forward, leveling his head to Ibrahim's, his stare cold but beautiful.
Ibrahim looked over Caleb's face intently, and then nodded his head. "Yes, yes I will help her. She is my daughter of course. Besides, I owe her that much." My father glanced at me before he returned his attention back to Caleb.
"You owe her more, but that discussion we will have another time." Caleb's beautifully sculpted jaw clenched as his nostrils flared.
That was the moment where my whole life began, the moment where I realized, this was all but just the beginning.
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