Her hands gripped Hallie's shoulders, her fingers digging into her skin as she pulled her daughter closer, her eyes blazing with a fire that could not be extinguished.
"He dared touch you? Choke you? That mixed-blood filth!" Her voice cracked, raw with emotion, before she pulled Hallie into a fierce embrace, holding her tightly.
Then, as quickly as the embrace came, she stepped back, pacing a furious circle around the room.
Hallie sank onto the bed, her body suddenly feeling too heavy to stand. She dropped her head into her hands, her voice barely more than a whisper.
"Yes, Ma, he can laugh at us, he can break us—he has the power to, and we can do nothing." Her fingers tightened in her hair, pulling it as her voice cracked.
"That beast asked me what I was ready to do for Ivan—taunted me with it, like it was some sick prize. Maybe… maybe if I give him what he wants…" She trailed off, her words hanging thick in the air.
