Bloodline

06

She keeps a steady gaze on me. "You look like shit," her gaze cuts deep like her words but I don't think it's intentional because she shakes her head right after. "it's been a long night for you I bet. I know you want to go home and go to sleep, but —"

"I do." I halfheartedly muttered, not even letting her finish her sentence but I didn't think she cared because she titled her head at me, a surprising look of sympathy running over her features, but it vanished just as quickly as it came when she removed her stare on me to take a sip of her coffee.

"Yeah . . ." placing the coffee mug down she returns the gaze. "you're probably still processing everything — still in shock so I won't pester you too much but I need some answers from you." I didn't respond. I keep my eyes trained on the freshly put-out cigarette in the running egg yolk on the table in front of me. I watch it with a stiff posture and dead eyes as it sinks deeper and deeper into the eggs on the plate.

"Do you have any enemies?" Madam Dahlia asked away anyway, still seated nonchalantly against the cushion of the booth.

"Enemies?"

She nods. "Enemies. You know people who have a dislike for you, maybe against your family, against your coven, and so forth."

The Amaranthus coven is highly respected and well known in both the witch fraction and the other races as well. My father is a nobleman, one known for leading the strongest coven in history. For the time I spent in the coven, I've never seen my father have a squabble with anyone. Yes, there were the usual petty arguments during meetings with The Order but never anything too drastic where he felt his coven would be threatened by it.

"My father has no enemies, everyone praised him and I doubt I have anyone after me. I just came back to the coven a few days ago," I answered and it burned my throat to speak a little, but I'm too tired and don't have the energy to ask for something to drink right now. "Akela and his men showed me pictures of what happened last night and my father's body was never found."

Madam Dahlia's brows knitted together. "So he's still alive?"

I shrugged my shoulders and it hurt my chest at the uncertainty in my movements, but hope had long left my eyes. Hope left the moment I saw my siblings sliced in their bedroom, when I saw Adah and Marée ripped to shreds, and when I saw Rina take her last breath in my arms. There's no hope in a situation like this, only a dark void that never seems to go away.

"Well, knowing Erik I wouldn't put it past the motherfucker if he's out there in the sewer somewhere cooking up something nasty and fierce for whoever is behind all this. The entire world is probably gonna feel his wrath soon. That man could start the apocalypse if he wanted to." Madam Dahlia said, circling a silver spoon in the coffee mug.

"And you said you returned home a few days ago? I'm guessing for the anniversary and ceremony of your coven."

"I denounced myself from the coven a long time ago. My family just wanted me to be there." I corrected thinking it would put a distasteful look on Madam's face but she's pleasantly still.

She hums under her breath. "Denouncing yourself from one of the most elite and sought-out covens in the world? I know a couple of people that would do anything to be declared an Amaranthus — do anything to get that insignia tattoo."

"Well, there's a spot for them. I gave up the coven and anything related to witchcraft years ago and the moment I step a tiny toe back into it this shit happens." I feel like if I said this any other time I probably would've cracked and burst into tears but here in this dingy diner sitting across from Madam Dahlia, I just couldn't find it in me to shed a tear. Maybe I'm all dried out.