life.”
I nodded, despite the fact that Monica’s eyes remained closed. “She alluded toward it,” I said, “but did not state what manner creature had killed her mother. Simply that it had a connection to the supernatural.”
“Well, Lydia wasn’t going to do anything without the Council’s permission, which pissed me off to say the least. Not too long after she saw you at the coffee shop, the Council encountered Robin and the entire situation took a nosedive into clusterfuck. I begged her…” Monica stopped abruptly.
I furrowed my brow. “Begged her what?”
Her lids finally lifted. “Once a troublemaker, always a troublemaker. I told her to bring your powers out. She kept insisting she needed the Council’s nod of approval, but time ran out. The Philly council contacted the High Council in Seattle and before another seer could sneeze in their general direction, Lydia was dead and you were turned.” I saw her grit her teeth . “I’ve never been buddies with the High Council, but you could say that set me over the edge.”
As tempted as I was to commiserate, I found myself latching onto her less-personal confession. “You were the one who counseled her to bring out my abilities?” I asked.
Her gaze flicked back to me, then jumped away again. “Yes. I’d seen them do it to a seer who’d been injured on the field. Some dark magician sent his powers into hiding and one of the sorcerers had to rip them back out.”
“Sounds rather painful.”
“Not as painful as being without something you’re used to having at the ready. It’s like losing an arm. Granted, he’d already realized his calling, but I thought the same rule applied. Lydia wasn’t so sure. S he never told anyone I gave her that advice, though, o r else the Council wouldn’t have let me come out here .”
I could not tell if it was born out of confusion or being overwhelmed, but the more I attempted to grasp the complexity of what Monica had done, the more I found myself staring down the absurd. Shaking my head, I issued an incredulous laugh. “Allow me to get this straight: I murdered your sister and became a vampire, and despite this, you came all the way from Seattle to honor a pledge you made to Lydia prior to her death? You guided me, even when you realized the monster I had become, and brought my abilities out while the Council balked to do so while I was human ?” I scoffed. “Woman, you are truly mad.”
“I can still stake you, you know.”
“It would have been better had you, from the look of things.”
“Flynn, don’t presume to know my motives, thank you very much.”
“Please tell me,” I said, not bothering to mask my dumbfounded amusement, “Just what you have up your sleeve next. Will you dive from a cliff or run headlong into the seventh level of hell on a whim? I wish to know just how nonexistent your sense of self-preservation is.”
Monica narrowed her eyes. “You find this fucking funny, don’t you? You don’t get it, though; you never have. You see these women who keep putting their lives on the line for you, and al l you think is that we’re lunatics. Not once have you stopped to ask why we do it.”
“Ah yes –” Looking away, I sneered out of profound annoyance, already anticipating where this was headed. “– The higher purpose. The great calling. This is what leads women to run headlong into suicide on my behest.”
“I waited for you for four years,” Monica said, visibly trying to control her temper, “If that’s what you want to know. I paid my dues as an elder’s assistant and told my father I felt an obligation to replace Lydia – which, I might add, was me lying through my teeth to one of the members of the High Council, an offence that could have gotten me confined to the archives for the rest of my natural days. And yes, part of it was for Lydia, because I loved her, but the five-fucking-million dollar question you’ve never asked yourself is this…” She raised an
I nodded, despite the fact that Monica’s eyes remained closed. “She alluded toward it,” I said, “but did not state what manner creature had killed her mother. Simply that it had a connection to the supernatural.”
“Well, Lydia wasn’t going to do anything without the Council’s permission, which pissed me off to say the least. Not too long after she saw you at the coffee shop, the Council encountered Robin and the entire situation took a nosedive into clusterfuck. I begged her…” Monica stopped abruptly.
I furrowed my brow. “Begged her what?”
Her lids finally lifted. “Once a troublemaker, always a troublemaker. I told her to bring your powers out. She kept insisting she needed the Council’s nod of approval, but time ran out. The Philly council contacted the High Council in Seattle and before another seer could sneeze in their general direction, Lydia was dead and you were turned.” I saw her grit her teeth . “I’ve never been buddies with the High Council, but you could say that set me over the edge.”
As tempted as I was to commiserate, I found myself latching onto her less-personal confession. “You were the one who counseled her to bring out my abilities?” I asked.
Her gaze flicked back to me, then jumped away again. “Yes. I’d seen them do it to a seer who’d been injured on the field. Some dark magician sent his powers into hiding and one of the sorcerers had to rip them back out.”
“Sounds rather painful.”
“Not as painful as being without something you’re used to having at the ready. It’s like losing an arm. Granted, he’d already realized his calling, but I thought the same rule applied. Lydia wasn’t so sure. S he never told anyone I gave her that advice, though, o r else the Council wouldn’t have let me come out here .”
I could not tell if it was born out of confusion or being overwhelmed, but the more I attempted to grasp the complexity of what Monica had done, the more I found myself staring down the absurd. Shaking my head, I issued an incredulous laugh. “Allow me to get this straight: I murdered your sister and became a vampire, and despite this, you came all the way from Seattle to honor a pledge you made to Lydia prior to her death? You guided me, even when you realized the monster I had become, and brought my abilities out while the Council balked to do so while I was human ?” I scoffed. “Woman, you are truly mad.”
“I can still stake you, you know.”
“It would have been better had you, from the look of things.”
“Flynn, don’t presume to know my motives, thank you very much.”
“Please tell me,” I said, not bothering to mask my dumbfounded amusement, “Just what you have up your sleeve next. Will you dive from a cliff or run headlong into the seventh level of hell on a whim? I wish to know just how nonexistent your sense of self-preservation is.”
Monica narrowed her eyes. “You find this fucking funny, don’t you? You don’t get it, though; you never have. You see these women who keep putting their lives on the line for you, and al l you think is that we’re lunatics. Not once have you stopped to ask why we do it.”
“Ah yes –” Looking away, I sneered out of profound annoyance, already anticipating where this was headed. “– The higher purpose. The great calling. This is what leads women to run headlong into suicide on my behest.”
“I waited for you for four years,” Monica said, visibly trying to control her temper, “If that’s what you want to know. I paid my dues as an elder’s assistant and told my father I felt an obligation to replace Lydia – which, I might add, was me lying through my teeth to one of the members of the High Council, an offence that could have gotten me confined to the archives for the rest of my natural days. And yes, part of it was for Lydia, because I loved her, but the five-fucking-million dollar question you’ve never asked yourself is this…” She raised an
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