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What could she possibly need that I could give her? I had nothing. My apartment belonged to Rowan. I owned no property, no expensive or magical baubles or trinkets; I had no designer spells other than for tea brewing.

I might be a weird mix of strange abilities—many I was discovering for the first time, but I was of no real use to anyone.

“You underestimate your daughter,” the male said softly. “She has proven she will not be used as a pawn.”

“Moira loves deep and true,” my mother said. “If she believes the Lord will die, she will sacrifice for him.”

Soren’s grip tightened just a hair.

The male grunted. He dropped the lock of hair he held and rose.

Mom watched as he floated away from the porch and turned.

Soren whispered an expletive and dropped low to the ground.

The male’s eyes glowed silver as he looked directly at our hiding spot.

“Fuck me,” I whispered.

Chapter

Thirty-Five

Magic gripped me in a vein of silver, strong like slippery tentacles. I jerked to no avail.

“You want your daughter, Minka,” the male said softly. “She’s right here. A clever little spy. Or so she thinks. Does she know she has a piece of my magic worming around inside of her?”

Dread sent cold fingers up my spine. His magic? What was his magic?

His power was cold as ice, imprinting onto my skin like a burn. The magic had a slightly familiar feel, but I knew I’d never felt it before.

Who was he?

I was trapped, unable to escape or do anything unless I tapped the magic still swimming through my bloodstream. This—whatever he was—had no idea what I could do. He assumed I was a witch. Maybe my mother had even told him of my vampire blood. But he didn’t know I could absorb magic.

Ari’s words came back to me. How maybe the blood was only a tool to deliver the magic. So maybe I didn’t need the blood at all. Maybe I only needed the magic. But how did I do that? I opened myself a little as he slowly dragged me toward him.

A small smile played upon his lips. We both knew he could yank me to him in a heartbeat, but he seemed like the type of creature who enjoyed my fear.

Open myself to the magic. I focused on the power wrapping around me and opened a channel inside my mind, the same one I used when I read tea leaves or created new brews. But instead of directing the magic outward in a show of power, I directed the magic inward, trying to siphon this silvery magic inside my body.

Nothing happened at first, so I tried again. And again. Until I was less than a foot away from the male, hovering in front of his face. The moment the magic hit my bloodstream, energy sizzled through my veins.

He—this creature—had unfathomable power. He was no shifter or vampire. Maybe not even fae. He had to be a god.

“Who are you?” I whispered, silently praying he wouldn’t realize what I was doing. He had so much power he shouldn’t notice the small trickle of magic I was stealing.

Up close, the bastard was beautiful. Pale, poreless skin, bright silver eyes tipped with dark gray eyelashes. A straight nose, full lips, high cheekbones.

Ugh. All the worst ones were so pretty. Annoying.

“You may call me Donn.”

“Dunn? What a common name.”

A nonplussed expression furrowed his brow. “Excuse me?”

Mom hobbled off the porch and came to stand beside him. She’d aged thirty years since the last time I saw her.