A Shade of Vampire 84 A Memory of Time - Bella Forrest Page 0,73

soul shard,” I admitted, noticing the high priestess’s relaxed expression. It faded when I drove my point home. “That being said, according to her own words, Petra then ran off to find you and transfer the shard to one of you, so you’d—”

“Die in her stead,” Ansel murmured. He glared at his mother. “Yeah, we heard that part. Loud and clear, before you got here.”

“It was a lie! How many times do I have to say it?” Petra groaned. “Come on!”

“What do you want from us?” Ansel shot back.

“You. My children back. My family,” she said, her shoulders dropping.

No one dared say anything. Petra seemed genuine, but I still couldn’t bring myself to believe a word that came out of her mouth. I kept myself on edge, hyper vigilant and analyzing her every gesture, making sure I didn’t miss anything.

“For what it’s worth, Petra has agreed to help us,” Sofia chimed in. “I’m not sure how useful her intel is, but I thought you boys would want to hear it from us.”

“And I’ve allowed them to shackle me and hold me here,” Petra added. “I’m really trying to do right by you this time.”

Ansel, Tudyk, and Moore took a moment to look at each other. They were close enough to be able to communicate without words, reading expressions and guessing thoughts. They’d grown up in a tightly knit environment, and such ease in connecting with one another seemed natural. Ansel, however, remained unconvinced.

“What do you expect from us going forward? Because I have a hard time considering you my mother at this point.”

Petra gasped, deeply hurt by his remark. “That was needlessly cruel.”

“It’s the truth. You might as well get used to it,” Ansel replied.

“I don’t expect anything from you,” she said. “I only ask that you give me another chance. And maybe a hug. It’s been a while since I’ve felt your embrace. Please.”

Ansel shook his head, but Tudyk and Moore were more open to the idea. Tudyk stepped forward hesitantly and placed his arms around Petra, holding her tight. He closed his eyes as she planted a kiss on his cheek, her face lighting in a smile as she breathed him in. I imagined a mother’s longing to feel her son’s embrace, and the interaction between them felt like the truth. Petra was genuinely thankful to receive his affection.

I doubted she’d really learned anything from her experiences, but she did love her children. That much was obvious. Moore came closer, and Tudyk stepped back, wiping tears with the back of his sleeve. Petra’s eyes widened, their expression bright and loving as they settled on Moore.

“My baby boy…”

“Please listen to Derek and Sofia,” Moore said, wrapping his arms around Petra’s neck. “Please, Mother. Enough with the lies and all the killing and stuff. Please.”

She whispered in his ear. I couldn’t hear a thing, but at the end of it, the boy nodded slowly and allowed her to kiss his cheek. He hugged her again, this time around the waist, but it didn’t last long, as Esme pulled Moore back rather aggressively. “What did you say to him?” she asked Petra.

“Oh, for… will you stop being such a pain in my ass?” The high priestess scoffed. “I told my son I love him, that’s all.”

“I’ll stop being a pain in your ass when you stop being such a conniving bitch. You know full well why we don’t trust you,” Esme retorted, resting a hand on Moore’s shoulder. The boy looked up at her.

“She’s telling the truth,” he mumbled. “She said she loved me more than anything, and that she’ll do whatever it takes to get me back in her life. That’s all.”

Esme nodded, then urged the boys to come with her outside. “We’ll talk to Derek and Sofia about visitation rights later, but for now, we must leave,” she replied. “Petra has a lot to tell us, and you have a shelter to finish, kiddos.”

The boys said goodbye to their mother, and she watched them leave the room. As soon as the door closed behind them, her expression shifted into something much more tense, darker, her gaze finding me. “Bring me a map, Derek.”

“I’m not letting you out of my sight for a single moment, but Sofia can help.”

My wife nodded. “Frankly, I’m glad to see you’re so compliant, Petra. There might be hope for you yet.”

I doubted it, but Sofia had a way of seeing the best in people. Maybe she was right. Maybe Petra had lied to Danika