Chapter 194

I turned toward her voice. I heard the pounding of her feet on the ground just as she dropped to the ground seemingly out of the sky and ran towards me. I had barely realized she was heading my way when she leaped and shifted midair into a wolf. Her mouth opened in a snarl and aimed for my neck.

I screamed, throwing my arms in front of me, but the bite of her jaw never made it. I lowered my hand and saw Candido in front of me. He’d leaped in between us, catching her in midair, subduing her with his strength as she thrashed and struggled to get out of his arms.

“Candido, don’t let her hurt me!” I cried. “Protect me!”

Candido grunted, stumbling forward and away from me. Other people came closer.

“I have her,” Candido said. “Stay back.”

She howled in his arms and shifted with a shriek. Fur turned into feathers, fluttering around. Her sharp talons dug into Candido’s shoulders as she tried to get free. He held onto her as she cawed and kept aiming for me. Feathers flew up as she flapped her wings hard, pulling him back towards us.

“Go back to the cave, Hedy!” Candido yelled.

I didn’t move. “Don’t let her hurt me, Candido.”

The feathers shrunk and vanished.

“Shit!” Candido cursed as he lost grip on her for a second. The cawing turned into a hiss as she turned into a snake, lunging toward me as I shrieked and threw up my hands. He reached out coiling her long, scaled body around his arm. She snapped at me. I felt the venom splashing on my skin burning. Candido twisted sharply, yanking her back as she continued to slither and coil around his limbs. He walked forward, widening the distance between us until she had coiled around his legs and kept him from walking any further.

“I’m so sorry, Francia,” he panted. “I’m so sorry, Francia. I know. I know how much pain you’re in, but please.… Please just stop. We’ve lost enough today.”

She hissed still trying to get out of his arms. He tripped and fell to the ground as her scaled body vanished. She turned into a bird and dropped into her human form just in front of me. I felt the force of her fist slam into my face. I cried out as I tasted my blood in my mouth.

“You’re the reason he’s dead!” She cried, lunging on me and pinning me to the ground. She punched me again and I saw stars. Pain exploded through my face even as I tried to push her off. “You’re the reason they’re both dead!”

“Francia!” Candido said, snatching her off me. She landed a kick to my chest that knocked the wind out of me.

Her eyes were red from crying as she screeched. Her skin rippled, but she didn’t change into anything. She dug her heels in and pulled, dragging him forward as she screeched at me.

“You may as well have killed them yourself! I can’t believe—”

“I didn’t do anything!” I cried, cupping my face. “It’s Ian and the vampire’s fault for–”

“Shut your mouth, you vicious wench! Release me, Candido!” Francia screamed, pulling against his grip. He lifted her off her feet and she elbowed him the face, struggling to let go. “I’ll do what you can’t find it in you to do.”

“Don’t let her kill me, Candido.”

“Francia, please,” Candido said. “I know you’re hurting. I know you are, but think of—”

“Hedwig would have murdered her long before now!” Francia roared.

“Hedy, go back to the cave—”

“My mother—”

“Would be ashamed of what you’ve become!” Francia shrieked. “You spoiled, selfish, delusional, fucking twit! You killed my son!”

“No, I didn’t!”

“You won’t even admit your own fault in his death,” she shrieked, lunging forward. “In the deaths of, at this point hundreds! How fucking important do you think you are? Do you think your whims are worth all of those lives?”

“It’s not my fault!”

She grunted as Candido seemed to get a better grip on her and her strength started to wane. She leaned forward, reaching for me, but she didn’t move Candido.

“I thought once that you might be simply young and one day you would grow out of it. I thought that the war would change you for the better, but I see now that it is just revealed the truth of what you are.”

“Francia–”

“You are black-hearted, selfish, vicious, entitled wench! You disgrace your mother and your predecessor as Pandora, and you will never have my allegiance!”

I set my jaw and glared at her. “You can’t say that to me. You’re not even–”

“I’m glad,” she cried. “That he didn’t have to live to hear what you said! That he didn’t have know how little anyone meant to you! I’m glad that he died thinking that you were worth saving. I’m glad that Claire died ignorant of what a vile wench you are and have always been! Were you ever her friend? Did you ever care about anyone?”

“You don’t know anything! Claire,--”

“Shut up!” She shrieked. “Don’t you even say her name! Don’t even think of her! Don’t think of him! You didn’t think of them when they were alive, you have no right to pretend you care about them or anyone! Never will anyone of New Moon follow you. Never will we see you as queen. Never will you be welcome among us. Never.”

I felt a ripple of something wash over me.

“Francia,” Candido said softer. “Just—”

“Never!” She cried again. “We will never offer you shelter or aid… We will never forget or forgive what you have done. Your betrayal and your callousness will mark you until the end of your existence, you and all of your descendants.”

She tore out of Candido’s grip, huffing and panting. Her eyes filled with red light. She shook, but she made no move toward me.

“And every member of New Moon from this day forward will know it. They will see the mark on you and know you are our enemy. You are not to be protected or acknowledged. You are not worthy of aid. They will watch as your enemies surround you and take peace in your last breath.”

Candido stood up straight, his expression was troubled. I looked at him waiting for him to force her to take it back. She turned to Candido.

“I will not revoke this. I will not change my mind. And no successor of mine will change it. You understand this. You understand by the Goddess’ will this mark will never be lifted.”

Candido hesitated, and after a moment, he nodded. “I understand, Francia. And I hold no grudge.”

Her jaw trembled, and she turned away from him. “After the funeral, all of New Moon will return to Lunae. What happens in this war is no longer our concern.”

“You can’t just—”

“I understand,” Candido said. “Thank you for all that you have done for us, and know that you are always welcome under our full moon.”

My jaw dropped. I couldn’t believe what he was saying. How could she be welcome in the territory that I would be his luna and queen one day when she would never see me as queen? Did that mean that Candido had already decided to be with Estella instead of me? Did he plan to make me his mistress and marry Estella? I wasn’t going to let that happen.

I would die before I let that happen.

No… I would kill her before I let that happen.

The war wasn’t over. There was still time to get rid of her. There was still time to make him see that we were meant to be together.

One of the vampires narrowed her eyes at me, darting between me and Candido. Silence fell over the camp. Francia turned away, and several members of New Moon whom I recognized glared at me once before following her. Julia didn’t even look my way as she followed Francia. Then, Candido turned around, climbed up on a truck, and began to speak.

He swept his gaze over the group.

“We have all lost a great deal today. Some more than others. It has been a devastating war so far, and I fear that the worst is still to come. Resentment and anger are justified. Many mistakes have been made from the start of this war until now. Many of them have been mine or my predecessors. And I realize there is no amount of apology that I can give to make it right or to make it better. I recognize that there is no possible way for me to make this right… Yet, I am so very sorry.”

My jaw dropped again. How could he be apologizing to all these people, but he hadn’t even apologized to me yet?