Captive: Hopeless

Chapter 25 - Father

This was not the immature girl they first captured. Nor was she the stunned, confused newborn that had been so out of her depth in a world she did not understand. She had evolved far past her inconsequential suburban existence and her pointless human dreams of a plastic life, blinded to the actual world that lay beneath what people considered reality.

Akira sensed Kay's negative energy toward her and her father. Dislike bordering on a hatred almost equal to what her sister must harbor toward Azera, and she did not blame her.

"Follow me; the wardrobe is this way," Kay instructed politely, and even her voice sounded entirely different.

Unease stirred in the air between them.

She decided the fate of thousands of newborns and always tried her best to give them a life worthy of living, but occasionally sacrifices had to be made, and she thought she had learned to live with it.

This woman, who shared her DNA, had haunted her in a way no other ever did. She was responsible for keeping tabs on Azera and trying to thwart her diabolical plans, so she was well aware of Kay's suffering.

She included specifics of her sister's life in her reports to Thane, and eventually, his opinion changed. Although it wasn't common knowledge, her father rarely used his DNA to turn seedlings into newborns. But their line had to continue.

The betrayal of his previous seedlings left a deep and unhealed scar, and getting him to see past his own prejudices proved difficult. She knew him. Capable of pity and mercy, he could also be cold as ice or unfeeling.

His greatest guilt lay in asking Baccus to create Azera as a mate for him and his inability to destroy her because he loved her. Azera was the root of all the evil in their lives, but she was the only person who rivaled him in her own way.

Just as no one had yet succeeded in usurping his seat of power, no one managed to do the same to Azera. Their reign could not be turned over to a successor, and killing either Thane or Azera would create the need for another to take their place. And in that lay the recipe for great danger, maybe even global disaster.

Akira doubted if their perfectly acceptable excuses would sway Kay now. As they had not persuaded her then. Their reasons for not claiming her after her release from Azera, when it was entirely possible for them to do so, would not impress her sister either. Having known her stepmother's "mercy," she fully understood Kay.

She handed over her coat to the friendly human attendant, and when she turned toward her sister, she found her staring at the crowd with a frown tugging at her brow, something vulnerable about the set of her mouth. Pity filled her. This must not be easy for Kay, but it had to be done, and although the call of blood to blood was stronger than she had ever experienced before, the distance between them spanned a galaxy.

"Although I could apologize to you, you won't believe me. Telling you that I regretted handing you over to Azera every day has no value. Even if I said, I know what happened to you in her halls and dungeons and hated her for it, would not change a thing. I tried to get you out of there a thousand times, but it would all make no difference to what she did to you," Akira said, joining Kay and speaking so only they could hear.

***

She didn't know that the shock of hearing those words opened Kay's mental connection to Darius, Adrian, and Claudia, and they heard everything.

"One day, you will understand, until then, I will accept it if you choose to be my adversary, but we have an enemy in common. One that needs to be held in check but cannot be destroyed. We do not have to be sisters or even friends, but we are blood, and in this world, it means something, even when we deny it."

Anger washed through Kay, but she didn't reply, afraid of what she might say.

"He is your father, as he is mine, and you have brought him back from the abyss—something none of us thought to see again. I understand that you hate him and realizes that as well. It is why we are here tonight, although technically, this is an uprising against our laws. See what happens before you lump us together with Azera," Akira said, staring at her.

Kay did not back down before that gaze but noticed in the mirror that her blue orbs threatened to betray her inhuman legacy and controlled herself. She could tell that Akira didn't expect her to be able to harness her anger. Was that respect she spied in her sister's expression?

"Come before your pack thinks I am a threat to you," Akira made her way toward the ballroom, ignoring the nervous-looking guards who unobtrusively followed them.

How did Akira know about that? Then she remembered the bite marks on her shoulder.

***

Darius glanced at her the instant they entered the room. His gaze assessing what she had allowed him to overhear.

His gaze connected with hers as if asking if she were alright, but he did not mind link with her, and Kay realized she had shut him out in the midst of her anger.

She opened the link.

*Good girl,* he praised inside her mind, and Adrian smiled at her.

Their approval created a warmth in her chest as she realized her feelings toward Thane and Akira had become theirs. She was part of them now, a concept she was only starting to understand.

Azera was a monster, but so were Thane and Akira.

They created seedlings and forced the change, unconcerned when thousands died. How many had not made it since the beginning? They might be fighting for the survival of their species, but at what cost?

Her humanity was still too close for her to forget her suffering at their behest. They might have ways to rationalize this, but she recalled being human and remembered those poor girls.

Azera openly did whatever the hell she wanted and made no excuses for her behavior. They hid behind their justifications and called themselves "The Light."

Why, then, could she not deny the pull of their blood? It was as strong as her link with Marcus or her bond to Darius and his pack. Stronger if she were honest, especially now that she was a full succubus with slight vampire tendencies remaining from her change.

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