The woman paled.
Genesis's hand gripped mine, steadying my heartbeat, when all I wanted to do was rip her mother's throat out and laugh over her dead corpse.
"Mother." Genesis trembled next to me. "We won't be long. I just had a few questions."
"Knew you would." She snorted. "But I don't have answers for you, at least the ones you're looking for."
I moved away from Genesis, walked down the familiar hallway, and located the picture. I pulled it from the wall and tossed it to her mother. "This woman. Who is she?"
Her mother's face paled as she stared at the picture. "Dead."
"Caught that," Ethan hissed. "Who is she?"
"Ara was her name." Genesis's mother petted the picture as if she was reliving something. "Everyone hated her."
I tensed.
"She was beautiful, and she knew it… so vain that she made the family look bad. Her number was called, but of course it was. The rest of the families were jealous. And then she failed."
"Your great-grandmother?"
"Great-aunt." Her mother set the picture down on the table. "She's a stain upon the family name. We don't discuss her. This is the first time our number has been called since Ara's disgrace." She snorted. "And I knew it would happen the minute Genesis was born — that skin, that hair." She rolled her eyes. "So beautiful, just like Ara."
Genesis's heart thumped wildly, so loudly I had to concentrate on what her mother was saying in order to hear the words above the beating.
"I made her strong." Her mother's eyes met mine. "Better she hate her own reflection than fall prey to it."
"How tragic," I whispered, "that you felt the need to shame a little girl for having golden hair and pretty eyes."
"It worked!" her mother screamed. "Look! Mated to an Elder! A vampire, no less!"
"It worked," I repeated, "because her blood is pure… because her soul is pure." Anger crashed over me at her mother's proud expression. In a flash, I moved behind her, biting a small mark on her shoulder and whispered, "For the rest of your days you, will see nothing but Ara's reflection when you look in the mirror. You will hate, and it will drive you mad. That is the gift I leave with you for bestowing such kindness upon the woman I love."
Her mother swayed and then fell to her knees. A tear fell down her cheek. "No, please no. Don't do this."
"It's done." I gripped Genesis hand. "We'll bother you no more."
Genesis didn't want to follow me; her feet dug into the ground, so I tossed her over my shoulder and carried her out of the house.
When she still didn't make a noise, I buckled her seatbelt and peeled out of the parking spot, driving like hell back toward our home — toward safety.
Ready to lose my mind, I opened my mouth to apologize when she blurted, "You love me."
"If that's what you wish to discuss…" I reached for her hand.
She squeezed mine. The heat from my blood took over, making her skin hot to the touch.
"And you won't leave me? Ever?"
"No," I vowed. "I don't think I'm capable of surviving such a loss."
She nodded, wiping a tear from her cheek. "Cassius visited today."
"I know."
She sighed. "He told me things… about you. About Ara."
"Did he touch you?"