The Gifted

Chapter Twenty-Three

                              ***
She took one step towards me. I took one step back.

"It's me Aeja Bear," her green eyes glistened with tears.

"Your mommy."

Before I could even get a chance to think things through, an irrepressible fury had shrouded my better judgment, and somehow, my fist had connected with her jawline.

She staggered backwards from the impact, almost colliding into a bookshelf. Her hands flew to her mouth in shock when she realized that it was bleeding.

"You bitch!" I screamed as I advanced swiftly towards her.

A pair of strong arms grabbed me from behind and yanked me away from her direction.

"Let me go!" I screamed and kicked.

"Calm down or I'll break your neck!" The person growled, and I could only guess that it was the mutt who had brought us there.

"Not before I break yours," Cade intervened, "Let her go man."

"Who the hell are you?" The mutt hissed at Cade without releasing his hold on me, "I will break all  of your necks!"

"Noah, please," the woman sighed in exasperation and waved one of her hands dismissively, "You will do no such thing. Release her."

She had a cloth in the other hand, softly patting the blood that was trickling down the side of her mouth.

Noah huffed in anger but released me with a not-so-gentle push.

I glared at the mutt. He'd pay for that soon.

My thoughts reverted to the woman.

Somewhere between feeling furious and slamming my fist into her face, it'd occurred to me that maybe she wasn't my mother.

Maybe I'd acted too quickly.

However, looking at her there and then, I just knew it was her.

Those sea-green eyes were unmistakable. Not to mention the hair, the fricking hair!

My mother was standing in front of me.

The woman who had left me.

Anger surged through me again, and I lunged at her.

I froze suddenly, unable to move of my own free will.

I suppressed a groan.

Stupid blood-wielding cave men.

A chair sailed from across the room and knocked me off my feet, forcing me to sit.

I tried to get up, but that proved to be futile.

"Will you please calm down?" Anna rolled her eyes and sighed.

The nerve she had!

"You have no right to tell me what to do. You left me!" I screamed and glared at her, hoping my radiating hatred would somehow choke her.

"Aeja," she sat in a couch across from me, "Let me explain."

"No, I get it," I held her stare, "You're a whore."

She grimaced as the statement stung her, but recovered quickly.

"Don't talk to my mother like that!"  Noah barked.

"Shut up mutt!" I spat harshly. A sudden pain shot through my head, causing me to bite my tongue to stop the screams from escaping.

"Noah!" Anna warned in frustration. The pain slowly ebbed away.