Chapter 9 - Walking Through Fire
The mother stood in the absolute center of Lumi Bridal,
her long black coat casting a long shadow across the polished floor.
Kane and Scarlett stood frozen a few feet away,
unable to move under the sheer weight of her suffocating presence.
The mother's gaze moved slowly across the room,
ignoring the terrified guards who were still trying to hold their weapons.
Finally,
her sharp,
golden-brown eyes landed directly on Ivy,
who was still kneeling on the floor.
She saw the torn clothing,
the bruised arms,
and then,
the deep,
bloody cut slashing across her daughter's pale left cheek.
The moment her eyes registered the blood on Ivy's face,
the mother's entire body locked up instantly.
A terrifying,
deafening silence descended upon the room,
so absolute that even the sound of the wind outside seemed to vanish.
Her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides,
the fabric of her gloves straining against her knuckles.
She began to shake softly,
not with fear,
but with a primal,
cataclysmic rage that didn't look human anymore.
The temperature in the boutique dropped instantly to below freezing,
their breath turning into faint white mist in the air.
The lights overhead began to flicker violently,
several bulbs exploding with sharp pops,
showering the room in tiny sparks.
Deep within her eyes,
the golden-brown color vanished,
replaced entirely by a burning,
incandescent ring of ancient gold.
"Who did that to her face?"
the mother whispered,
her voice so quiet it was barely a breath,
yet it vibrated in the bones of everyone present.
In the back of the room,
one of the elderly boutique owners let out a sharp,
terrified gasp,
his knees buckling.
"That's the ancient line,"
he whispered loudly enough for the whole room to hear,
his voice trembling with horror.
"Whatever ancient bloodline that is,
it's older than the kingdom itself."
"Jesus Christ,
Scarlett picked the wrong scent to corner today."
Kane looked at Scarlett,
his face completely devoid of color as the realization of their doom sank in.
"One bloodline against the entire Crimson territory?"
he muttered desperately to himself,
trying to find a reason to fight.
"They hold the deepest,
most dangerous hunting grounds on this side of the great river."
"We cannot survive a war with them."
But Scarlett,
though terrified,
refused to completely surrender her deep-seated arrogance.
She stepped forward,
using her uninjured hand to smooth her crimson dress,
trying to project a strength she didn't possess.
"You're her mother,"
Scarlett said,
her voice cracking slightly before she forced it to harden.
"Perfect."
"Your worthless stray of a daughter stole my wedding dress and snapped my wrist bare-handed."
"Let's settle this right here,
right now,
before things get any worse for your people."
The mother looked down at the shorter woman,
her expression turning into a cold,
derisive smile that was absolutely terrifying.
"How exactly do you want to settle it,
May you like
little girl?"
the mother asked softly.
