It was his. He had it in his grasp at last. The blue stone glowed in his fist as he paced around and around in the darkness of the cavern that was his true home.
But what to do with it? How could it be destroyed? And if not destroyed, how could it be hidden?
Those questions raced through his mind but something else was bothering him. His mother, Ivana. When he had first broken free of the Strigidae he had searched the world for her to no avail. She was no where to be found.
There had, however, been a single clue. Valarie Huntington, white queen of Venezuela. They had fought and she had told Richard she had captured Ivana and imprisoned her. She had given Richard a vision of his mother in torment. Tortured.
Was it true? He suspected it might be. But he could do nothing against the psychic powerhouse.
Until now. Now he had the Lavaliere. Now he could free his mother.
It would only take a thought. Just one. The Lavaliere would do the rest. Then he could return to his mission and destroy the rest of the Lavalieres.
Sure, power was seductive. Sure, the Lavalieres had seduced his brother Kellan. But they wouldn't get him. After all he would only use the stone once, and for a good cause.
Besides, what kind of hero would he be if he abandoned his own mother?
Richard held the stone in both hands and closed his eyes. Focused his weary mind like a laser upon a single thought.
'Bring my mother to me.'
There was no flash of light. No crack of thunder. One moment Richard was alone in the cave and the next he wasn't.
When he opened his eyes Ivana stood before him. Hair as black as his, the sides of her head shaved and tattooed. Tattoos running down her neck under the collar of her armor. They had the same eyes. Identical.
He blinked. They had never met before. "Mother.."
She snap-kicked him in the stomach. "Who the **** are you?"
It felt like being hit by a truck and Richard stumbled backward, dropping to a knee. He hadn't slept in days and his mind was reeling in shock. And she was strong. He had never so much as sparred with a Strigidae of her rank before. He wasn't expecting the power or speed of the blow.
"I'm Richard. I'm your son."
One broad hand wrapped around his midsection and he wheezed, trying to get his wind back. Something gripped his other wrist. His mother's tattooed hand. It felt like a vice.
"Uh huh. What is glowing rock?"
"The Lavaliere. I used it to find you. To save you-- I've been looking for a year, since I left the Strigidae."
She tapped his arm with two fingers and it went numb. The Lavaliere tumbled from his limp fingers. As she scooped up the Lavaliere it occurred to Richard that he had made a terrible mistake.
He climbed to his feet.
"Don't use it. It's too powerful for mortal hands. You could destroy everything."
Ivana grinned. Her white teeth gleamed like a wolf at night. "I know."
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