Lightning Bringer: (Lighting Seeker Book 2)

Reason for Breathing

"Mom?" Vale whispered, afraid of saying anything out loud. She had never seen her mother look so delicate, so breakable.

Kriss blinked and pulled her eyes from the doorway where Mortem had just disappeared from. "Yes?" she asked, coming back to herself.

"I think you need to fill me in on what just happened," Vale crossed her arms. "What was Mortem talking about?"

Kriss sighed and stretched out her arms like she was preparing for a brawl. "No chance of you letting it go is there?" Vale shot her mother a hard look. Kriss held up her hands. "Fair enough."

Kriss gestured towards the door. "Mortem saved my life. I wasn't the best..." The words died and she tapped her fingers against her leg. "Well let's just say that there was a reason why I learned to fight."

The room grew quiet as Kriss stared towards the window. Shadows crossed her face, carving hard lines into the grief that filled her far-off expression. "Your father... was not a good man. He had too much power and too little of a moral compass." Each word was clipped, sounding painful to say.

"I used to work in the black markets, selling parts, information, anything that couldn't be found on the main web. My parents had died the year before in a fire, leaving me with too much time and grief to think through the potential dangers of the life I had fallen into."

Kriss paused, seeming to edit her next words several times before landing on what to say. "Your father lived a far different life than mine. He enjoyed the thrill of visiting the black markets and going against the law. Doing what was wrong made him feel alive. He was..." Kriss looked down, "Incredibly handsome. With the type of looks that would make you lose your train of thought mid-sentence."

Her eyes found the window again. "Mortem often came to buy pieces in the black market and when he saw your father talking to me, Mortem warned me about his reputation. That he always wanted more and I should be careful."

Kriss turned to look at her daughter, her eyes dark. "One night, I was tasked with locking everything up. It was quiet and I didn't think to keep my eyes out for anyone sneaking into the shop when my back was turned." Kriss's hands balled into fists. "He was stronger than I was. I never made that mistake again."

Angry tears streamed down her face, her voice hard. "Mortem found me in the early hours the next morning. I refused to go to the hospital. I knew that if I reported anything, that if anything went into the system after I realized I would be having you, your father could claim you. He had the resources for it." 

Kriss walked over and placed her palm against Vale's cheek. "And he has no right to you. You deserved more than he was. I refused to share you with a monster like that."

Vale placed her hand over her mothers, offering her own strength for Kriss to continue. "So Mortem took me to The Healer, Dash's father, and mother."

A small smile crossed her face at the memory. "I stayed with them until you were born and put Mortem's name on your documents. His last name was Vita before he joined the rebellion. His identity was destroyed when he joined. That's why your father is declared dead."

Kriss squeezed Vale's hand. "I did teach Mortem how to fight, but that wasn't when we met. The truth isn't something we talk about. For your safety and for his."

Vale couldn't breathe. Her father was alive. A living breathing monster. "Did Mortem know?" Vale whispered. "Did he know who I was the day I joined him on his ship?"

Kriss let go of Vale's hands. "I don't know. You'll have to ask him."

...