He succeeded. Riona survived—if that was the only thing he wanted. Riona gritted her teeth and forced down the surge of anger clawing its way to the surface. She had never asked him to do that.
She let out a long sigh, burying her face in her palms as her emotions spilled over, raw and relentless. I never asked him to do that, she thought again, the words echoing like a drumbeat in her head.
She wanted to drag him back from wherever ancestors ended up, just to kill him herself for making decisions without her, for doing exactly as he pleased.
It had always been like this. The Fallen One had appeared out of nowhere, speaking to her like some all-knowing force, full of self-importance just because he was an ancestor. And then, without warning, he dropped the revelation—she was the Blood Moon child.
