Sorceress, Interrupted - By A. J. Menden Page 0,99
me.”
I hefted my sword. “The day’s still young.”
She frowned. “You really think to harm me? Me? A god?”
“I took out the little boyfriend you were grooming as a demigod. I could work my way up to something a little bigger.”
She glared at me. “You’re the one who killed Dylan? He was so easy to manipulate, so eager and willing to do whatever needed to be done. You don’t find that often nowadays. Nasty girl, always spoiling Mommy’s fun.”
“Seems fair,” I replied. “You weren’t exactly protecting my fun. You left me to take care of Dad as soon as he became inconvenient. That’s all you’ve ever done: when it gets the slightest bit tough, you bail and look for something less complicated. That’s why you were with Dad to begin with, I know. You played human because you were tired of life here with the gods, but that didn’t work out and you came right back here. As soon as the future looks anything less than perfect, you run.”
“Same as you, Fantazia,” my mother said.
I winced. I hated to admit it, but she was right. As much as I’d never wanted to be anything like her, how had I been acting for the last century or so? When life got a little too real, a little too rough, I’d run for my pocket universe and kept everyone at bay with mercenary thinking and cold calculations. I’d staved off friendship and family, camaraderie and love . . .
But I was trying to change. I was working with the Elite Hands of Justice now, helping save the world. I was trying to mend fences with my father, and I was trying to have a real relationship with a man—one that inadvertently looked like it could be deliciously long-term. I was starting to care more for other people than myself. I wasn’t a selfish person anymore, concerned only with my own wants and needs and not caring a damn bit for how my actions affected others.
“I’m nothing like you, Mom,” I said, staring her down and dropping the sword. “I’m not a selfish bitch.”
Her smiled widened spitefully. “Such words to your mother.”
“ ‘Mother,’ ” Cyrus repeated coldly behind me. “That’s a title that has to be earned. Some people are little more than egg or sperm donors. Abandoning your kid for a lover or because life got complicated . . . you’re no parent. Not a real one, anyway.”
He was clearly thinking of his ex and how she put their daughter in jeopardy by choosing Syn, but I also knew it was a jab at Mneme. Cyrus should have saved his breath. My mother didn’t have a conscience like normal people. Gods were like spoiled, selfish children, only concerned with their own wants and needs. You couldn’t shame them by pointing out their bad behavior; they wouldn’t recognize it as wrong.
My mother just smiled at him. Not a good sign. “This is your lover?” she threw back at me. “You certainly elevated him the hard way, my dear. Does he know he’s part demigod?”
“You tried to kill him with your magic,” I snarled. “I should have known it was you when I saw it. You always were good at hexes.”
“So”—she shook her head—“you killed my lover out of vengeance for what I did to yours? Such a spiteful child. And after I told him and the Dragon not to hurt you. This is the thanks I get.”
“Yes,” I replied. “And both the cult and Dylan tried to kill me, so there’s not much to be thankful for.”
“Dylan may have been a bit . . . overenthusiastic,” she amended. “He wanted to impress me, you see. He wanted to prove he was worthy of being the consort of a god, which meant getting much more power than he needed to free the Dragon.”
“That’s what I don’t get,” I said. “That’s what’s got me so confused about this whole mess. Dylan wanted to impress you and become a god. Okay. The Dragon wants to be released from bondage, from his banishment to the DarkLands.”
Mneme shrugged and smiled in agreement.
“But what do you get?” I asked. “You had to use your gifts to inspire both of those men to do what you want. But what is it that you want? You never do anything unless it benefits you in some way. How in the world is letting the Dragon out going to benefit you?”
“He’ll let the Brethren out again, and that will restore him to his former