Her Second Chance✔ (Published)

27

Cari

She tasted her own fear. A coppery taste reminiscent of blood flooding her mouth. She wasn't ready!

It was too soon.

Andre had told her Claire was in the dungeons and wouldn't be able to escape. Cari had been of two minds about that but now wished her sister had just stayed imprisoned. Maybe it made her a coward but how could she be expected to fight her sister? Someone she still loved in spite of all she'd done.

This time a line would be drawn in the sand. There'd be no going back or pretending they could go back. Her sister would be lost to her unless she'd come to talk. Which Cari couldn't convince herself of.

There was tension in their audience. Cari knew they wouldn't interfere when her sister showed up. Not only was this not their fight but as royals, she and Andre had to prove they could fight their own battles. So even though the primordial goddess was too powerful for them, they had to face her.

Maybe the fact that she'd been slumbering within Claire would mean she'd be weaker. Not yet fully within her power. Nana had said the god personality came out after half a century, it was too soon for the goddess of love. So she had to be weaker.

"My poor, weak sister." Claire's mocking voice flooded the arena. Cari looked around to see where she might be but there was no sign of her. "Always wishing others were less than they are so you can at least be competent."

There was a bite in her sister's voice, a note of hatred that Cari couldn't reconcile. Claire had never spoken to her like this. Hearing about her sister's feelings against her wasn't the same as hearing the truth of it from her tone. Pain lashed over her heart as it finally sank in that her sister did hate her.

"That's not true and you know it." She replied, Andre's presence being the only thing giving her the strength to stand against her. Why did love have to be a weakness?

'It's not a weakness,' Andre stated. 'She's just corrupted it. Don't ever be afraid of your love, even the love you have for her.'

'What if she uses it against me? She is the goddess of love after all.' Cari asked as doubt swamped over her.

'You have a purity inside you that doesn't seem to be corruptible. I thought the answer would be to stop loving her but I think it's in loving her purely.'

Cari didn't understand what Andre was saying but had no time to analyze it as Claire stepped out of thin air right in front of them. Dani, Lan and Vin stepped closer as if to confront Claire but a single raised hand froze them in their steps.

"Why is it everyone is so eager to save poor sweet Carissa?" She mocked as she looked Cari up and down. 

Claire wore a pair of three-quarter length fitted leather pants that had a thick elastic cuff at the end and combat boots. A white wife-beater finished her simple look, it was obvious she'd come for a fight. There was none of the usual jewellery she favoured and her blonde hair was in a tight bun.

"No matter how pathetic you were, everybody thought the sun rose and sank with you. 'Cari's so calming to be around, Cari makes me feel like it's okay to be just me. Cari this, Cari that anytime I turned around." She continued harshly, genuine pain in her voice. "Even Xander can't keep his eyes off you, looks at you as if his heart is breaking unless I do something.

So what is it about you? Why does everybody choose to love you when I'm literally Love. Why would the primes all choose you when I was there. Love is what they were supposed to fight for, not you!"