Well, my comment about wanting the action to start have aged well! Left on a bit of a cliffhanger this time, but we are now at the end of Act 2. Can’t believe we’re almost at the end of the book already, but we have Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard next, so it’s not like you’ll be left hanging, waiting for a new book!
https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-5182198842395474If you’d like to follow alone or read the gaps between quotes, you can get the book here.
Chapter 12
Gods, is this love? I don’t know. It’s not like I’ve had much experience with it or even had a good example of what love looks like.
First of all, she has only known these three for about a month and a half at this point and it’s been under survival conditions, so it’s hard to tell. Secondly, that’s exactly my point from earlier. Even if she was in love, it would be hard for her to tell based on experience alone and it’s not like she had the vast library of romance books that we do in the real world.
“I’m done fighting this. Are you?”
There’s only one truthful answer to this question. “Yes.” I’m done fighting all of it. I could spend the rest of my life railing about how unfair are the turns of fate has delivered me. It’s even the truth. I’ve been dealt a rough hand. Bemoaning that until the end of time, though? That traps me in the victim mindset.
Yes, Mina! You’re all literally on the run, fighting to survive, there’s not time or space to constantly feel sorry for yourself.
Chapter 13
I start to wrap my arms around myself, but stop when I scratch my skin with my new claws. “How do I put them away?”
“Concentrate.” Rylan’s still distracted with the flames. “Picture it and they’ll retreat.”
Finally starting to actually see her with power which I hope she really starts learning how to use and leaning into it rather than being afraid of it.
“It takes bloodline vampires decades to learn to control their powers.”
“Who told you that?”
I start to snap back but realize that he’s right. My father was my source of all my vampire lore until I met Malachi. It stands to reason that he would keep information close to his chest, even from his children who did inherit his magic. Information is just another kind of power, and my father never parts with power willingly. “Well, shit.”
“Cornelius really is an asshole.” Wolf chuckles. “A month should be more than enough time. Maybe less since you have all three of us helping. You’ll be fine, love.” He says it with such confidence, I almost believe him.
Of course he would lie about anything involving power, but it does bring an interesting question around bloodline vampires. If it only takes them a month or so to fully control their power, how about babies? Does it come to them once they hit a certain age? Do they have power from birth and randomly kill people with it while they’re infants and don’t know any better mentally?
Chapter 14
“Up, Mina.”
I groan a little, but I obey. It’s only when I’m standing that I get a good look at the bed. “We are going to owe the owner of this house so much money.”
They’re centuries old, if you think they aren’t veritable dragons on a hoard of wealth, you’d be delusional
This time, I don’t bother to complain. He’s right that I need this training, and Malachi is an excellent teacher. Even if I want to toss him out a window from time to time because he’s so damn unrelenting. This morning is no different.
Girl, same, though not with Malachi, with so many other people.
Strangely, the magic training is more difficult that the sparring. Malachi sets me up as if we’re going to meditate, but his low voice talks me through the process. It feels like trying to bench press a car. I can feel the magic, but it’s so overwhelming, I can barely envision wrapping my hands around it, let along guiding it to my will.
This makes sense. It’s easier to work with something you can see and feel in your hands rather than something that feels more like a concept than a reality. That’s why a lot of people find working out to be easier than actual therapy. On that note, everyone needs therapy.
Rylan pours coffee into a mug and passes it to me. “I’ll learn to cook.” When all three of us stare at him, he shrugs. “It’s a necessary skill if we have someone who consumes food.”
We’re ignoring the fact that Rylan is a very old vampire and having not learned how to cook previously is just plain ignorance and we’re ignoring it because it’s Rylan and him saying that has me Googling how to make a book boyfriend real.
Chapter 15
I lean close to the monitor. “Why can’t a feel this group?”
“They must be masking their presence.” He doesn’t look happy at the revelation.
If vampires can mask where they are, why haven’t these three done it up until now? If it can be done on an individual level, even if it requires focus, there would surely be a way to make that happen by way of magic, to make that a little more permanent.
“I care for you. I won’t let them take you.”
Any guesses who said this? Ding ding ding, bingo! It was Rylan! Genuinely, I think he comes off as the protective lover that Malachi wishes he was
The small hairs at the back of my neck rise as the tallest person in the group lifts the radio and says in a horrifyingly familiar voice, “Round them up.”
Father.
Only took him a month and a half to get sick of other people doing his dirty work. And here I was thinking that Cornelius would have come to get her as soon as he possibly could rather than sending pawns to do it.
“Pretty thing,” my father murmurs. “You’ll make an excellent rug in my great hall.”
If he hurts Rylan, I will fight him.
A branch cracks somewhere off to my left. I react on instinct, crouching down next to a bush and holding my breath.
“I can see you, you know. That’s a god-awful hiding spot.”
Aaaaand cliffhanger! Is this new person a friend or foe? Going to have to wait until tomorrow!
Conclusion
A lot happened in a short amount of time in these few chapters, mostly in chapter 15 that I didn’t include. There’s only 19 chapters left to see how the story ends and I’m hoping to see Mina training more and actually coming into her power. As much as she says she’s not a child and she doesn’t want to be stuck in a victim mindset, I haven’t seen much evidence of it so far.
If you’d like to follow alone or read the gaps between quotes, you can get the book here.
Bookish Mumma 
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