Page 25 of Silverproof Damsel

“Raven?” I squeaked out in shock. No way would I allow her to murder Raven Thorne. She’d been the only witch willing to help me when the others had flat out refused to hear anything I had to say. “You can’t hurt Raven.”

“It isn’t Raven I speak of,” she muttered, with exhaustion weighing on her. “Miss Thorne worried her wards and runes wouldn’t be enough alone to keep Rhys or other Van Helsing out. I called in a few favors from a coven I know. One I should’ve known better than to trust. Sure, they’re self-serving bitches who’d sell their own mother’s soul if the price were right. I should’ve known better.”

My shoulders sagged, and the air left my lungs as the fight drained from my veins. Winchester’s head tilted to the side as she slid her regard over my face. With one hand on her knee, she tapped a finger from the other against her cherry-red lips.

“You thought I’d start a new war when we’re already fighting an old one?” she asked with hurt, pinching her delicate face. “I’m not new to being the head of the Silversmiths, Remington. Who do you think she forced to rule the empire as she hid? I assure you, not one of us came here without knowing the facts of what it would mean to return from the grave.”

“I didn’t know shit, Winnie! No one told me anything. You all treated me like I was a liability.” The irony of what I said wasn’t lost on me. “I am considering everything that happened. You don’t have to point that out.”

“You’re not at fault here. I shouldn’t have stolen the truth of who our mother was from your memories. That’s on me. If I hadn’t done that, you’d never have been blind when you rushed back here to save her. You’d never have met Rhys Van Helsing or have become pregnant. None of this would’ve happened.”

Sadly, I couldn’t argue with the truth of her words. I’d have run in the opposite direction from my mother. I’d have realized how close we were to the Van Helsings. There would’ve been no curiosity about them at all. It wouldn’t have come as such a surprise that my mother was a monster.

“I guess we’ve both made questionable choices. Hmm?” she asked pointedly.

Laughing sadly, I wrapped my arms around my knees in the cold bathwater. “I guess we’re not as perfect as she ensured we were in the end.”

An unladylike snort escaped her lips. “I don’t think she made any of us into what she sought. She was a shitty person who enjoyed destroying everything she touched. We’re hardened individuals who aren’t afraid of taking what we want. Except for you, Remington Alaina. You came out with a light within you that none of the rest of us have. I’d do anything to prevent it from burning out. I hope you know that.”

“I don’t know if I’d call it light anymore. It’s actual flames now.” She chuckled at what I’d said, causing warmth to flow through my chest. Without thinking about it, I reheated the water until it boiled, forcing Winnie to her feet.

A nervous laugh bubbled in her chest, causing heat to creep up my neck. “That’s new, huh?” she asked in a tense tone.

“Yeah, I guess,” I admitted, shrugging. “What do we do about the protection spells?” At my question, her face dropped. “Without them, I’m placing everyone under this roof in danger.”

“We’re Silversmiths,” she stated, as if that was enough explanation. At my skewered face, she elaborated further. “We’ve always lived beneath a cloud of impending doom.”

“This is different. Rhys said that this order of knights has been waiting for a child of both lines to be created. Biding their time and preparing for it to happen. They’ve had a lot longer than we have had to prepare to fight them.” Uneasiness forced the skin on her forehead to crinkle.

“What order of knights?”

With a slight lift of my shoulders, I bit my lip, unable to answer. “Rhys wouldn’t tell me who they were. He recommended that I go with him, where I’d be protected from them. They want Bullet, not me. I’m merely the incubation pod for the future kingmaker.”

Winchester’s face scrunched up in thought as if she were replaying what I’d said inside her noggin before she finally replied. “You don’t think Rhys is trying to scare you into walking into his hands? Or that he can see the true potential for what you’ve created together? That child you carry. It will be the most powerful piece on any board.” Her eyes crinkled in the corners as her mouth tugged down into a frown. “It’s born of not two, but three major houses. That child houses the blood of three of the most ancient, powerful creatures within it, honey. You are powerful, but you only hold two.”

“You know how to beat a girl when she’s down, don’t you?”

“Fire’s an amazing thing to have, but it burns hot and fast. That doesn’t leave much time to fight an opponent. Not to mention, the cold is your kryptonite. We’re in the north, where winter’s quickly approaching. The Silversmith magic within you also has limitations. Hence why two houses need to unite to fight against one opponent. Limitations aren’t something your child will ever need to worry about.” Offering me a tight lipped smile,she continued. “Tell me Rhys hasn’t done that math and decided he prefers those odds to be in his favor.”

“I’m aware of who he is. He’d never use his child as a weapon. Rhys is a lot of things, but he isn’t a monster. He’s hurt and lashing out, sure. Rightly so. No one saw the truth coming. Hell, she was our mother, and we didn’t see it coming, either.”

“Do you trust him with your life, Remington Alaina? Because that’s the question that matters most. At least, it’s the one that matters most to me right now.” Winchester’s eyes watered with the threat of tears, but she blinked repeatedly to prevent any of them from falling. “Answer me.”

I fought back the lump in my throat and gave a truthful response. “I do. I trust him with my life. If it came down to it, he’d do whatever it took to ensure I’m protected from harm.”

“After everything he’s done to you?”

“I do.” I noted the subtle nod she offered, but also the strain lining her face at my reply. “Rhys is hurt and being forced to relive what happened all over again, Winnie. I don’t blame him for his anger or his emotional state. Roslyn didn’t merely fuck with Rhys, she treated him like a dog whom she used to sic on her enemies.”

“That sounds like a‘they’issue, not yours or mine.” Her sharp rebuttal had my eyes rolling.

“Our mother made Rhys into her sword, one she used to cut her enemies to the quick. Roslyn played him like a fiddle, promising him the world for Van Helsing’s protection. Of course, he never gave her protection, but he’d come damn close to offering it to her,” I admitted. Letting out a shuddering breath, I continued in a gentler tone. “She did a number on him.”

The dagger used to murder his mother had been in his bedroom, encased in glass. It still held blood on the blade. Blood, which I assumed belonged to Verity Van Helsing. Why else would he leave a blade to rust, while also having it out on displayin his bedroom? As a reminder of what it had cost him, that’s why. He carried it like he carried his guilt.

Snorting, she rubbed her temples as if she were getting a headache from my explanation.

“They murdered innocent Silversmith children to avenge her.”

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