His Slave Her Master

Part 20 Daughters

I was beyond angry when Lena came and found me tied down to the metal chair, tears in her blue orbs as she ran to me. The moment the rope around my body was gone, she wrapped me into a bone crushing hug that had me wheezing for breath.

"I'm sorry, my darling girl." She murmured into my hair as I chocked back a sob at being in her arms again. She reminded me so much of my own mother. "I wanted to tell you." She said. "The moment I was told this morning, I wanted to tell you." She said so quietly I hardly heard her.

Pulling back, I gave her a weak smile. "I know why you didn't." I said, because I did. As Samira had said, her mother had seen me coming to them, clueless and in need of guidance. Had Lena tampered with that, who knows what the consequences would have been? And we all know how the ancient ones take to change.

"He forbid it." She said, taking my face into her hands. "He wanted to be the one who told you, once you became situated. But because you left..."

"He has become a crazy psycho path." I finished for her, bitterness in my voice.

Lena pressed her lips together in a thin line. "There is much you still need to learn, dear. But please know that it's not him, it's not Val, who is acting this way."

I was shocked to hear her say his name, as she never had before. Especially not in such a tender way.

"When you left, the ancient ones were very angry with Valentino. They made sure that when you returned, Valentino would have a much harder time keeping you. They made sure that he became a monster so that you would never want to stay, therefore making it more difficult to break the curse."

"He's forcing me to marry him." I told Lena, my voice breaking. "He believes that it will break the curse as I will never be able to leave him. But I just know that it won't be enough. That the ancient ones want much more from us."

"In his mind, it is the only way." She said, sounding gravely sad. "The only way to keep you."

"But doesn't he want to break the curse?" I demanded. "Surely he knows this plan will never work."

Lena's eyes softened. "I think the only thing he cares about is-" she broke off, her eyes widening in disbelief.

I frowned, following her gaze to see that she was looking at my sapphire sword pendant that hung from my neck, just below the rose gold rose charm.

"Lena?"

Lena, with tear filled eyes, gently touched the pendant, her other hand flying to her chest. She looked deep in thought, in memory, as she stared at the tiny sword. "My girls." She whispered, her eyes slowly raising to mine. "You know my girls?"

I was confused by her words as I looked from her to the pendant, a crease forming on my brow.

Then, it clicked.

It was our mothers. She told us once that it once hung around the neck of a human. That it held special value and should always be cherished. I think it would be fitting for you to have.

My eyes grew wide as I looked into eyes the exact same shade as Alain's. In fact, Lena looked like an older version of both Marla and Alain.

Both of her daughters.

"But-" I began.