Free Stolen Hearts: Book 1 (Grim's Labyrinth Series) by Ariana Gael, Grim's Labyrinth Publishing Page B

telling the truth. Instead, her protective instincts kicked in, first ignited by having to flee from her stepmother’s house but fully engaged now that a pitifully weak stranger stood between her and the satisfaction that could only come from warm blood. She swung at him in the same motion that carried her around, letting the momentum of his pull add force behind her punch. Conlan stumbled backwards, clutching his face. The blood that seeped out from between his clenched fingers only spurred Jessica onward in her quest for flesh.
    Holy hell, what am I doing? she thought to herself, watching from somewhere above herself as her feet carried her forward. This isn’t the dream, so why am I being gross? And why can I see myself?
    Her vantage point overhead gave her one advantage she’d never had before: sight. From this view she could finally see the faces Conlan had talked about, and she watched them as they eagerly watched her. The expressions on their cold faces told her that Conlan was right, they were out for blood. They were going to let her do her worst to Faydra to rid them of her, then they were going to pounce on Jessica.
    The sacrifice, they had called her. You must sacrifice yourself. This is what it has always been about, a plan set in motion from even before she was born. She would kill Faydra and destroy the person they wanted to remove, then they would return the favor by using her own kill instincts against her.
    Even knowing this, Jessica was powerless to stop herself. She had become the creature the others had feared, and once this horrific act was over they would destroy her.
    But I’m not evil! I’m not a killer! she protested silently, begging them to hear her even though she knew they could not. Even if they could hear her, they would never listen.
    As her feet continued forward across the dark gray floor, Conlan tried desperately to stop her again. He protected his face this time with an arm thrown out in front of him as he reached for her, but she easily threw him off again, not even turning around when she heard him hit the floor. The only thing she could see was her victim, the heartbeat actually visible through the woman’s skin as Jessica’s heightened senses took over. She moved until she stood next to Faydra, looking down at her hungrily.
    Faydra realized too late what Jessica had become. She’d fought so long to keep the girl from ever knowing who she was or what she was capable of, but it was too late now.
    “Jessica, before you continue, you have to know,” Faydra began, resigning herself to what was about to take place. “You have to know who you are.”
    The girl’s eyes focused only briefly at the unheard-of softness in her stepmother’s tone. This wasn’t the woman who had kicked her down the stairs or let her starve for days at a time to punish her for some small childhood transgression. This was a woman on her deathbed, even if she herself could only barely acknowledge it. Her confessing tone told Jessica all she needed to hear.
    “Jessica, I’m your real mother.”

Chapter 14
    The girl’s eyes focused for only a brief flash, but it was long enough for Faydra to see that she’d broken through the killer’s exterior. She smiled apologetically, knowing that no simple and useless words could ever undo what had been done for so many years. But the truth was important, perhaps more now than ever before.
    “I’m your mother,” she repeated, as if that explained it all. “I let you believe I was only your stepmother to protect you. Your father knew, and he agreed that it was best if everyone thought your mother and her powers were long gone. That’s why he would never talk about her, not because it was too painful, like he told you, but because it was simply a lie. I was right here the whole time.”
    Jessica shook her head, unable to register how those two reasons lined up. How could a mother protect her child by practically casting her out? How could any human do that, let