Dark Awakening: Echoes of Destiny (The Children Of The Gods #88)

58. Jade

58

JADE

J ade felt like she had been thrown back to the two decades she'd endured under Igor, the fear she had constantly lived with, the mental walls she had learned to build, which had been only somewhat effective, and she needed that armor against her own daughter.

Except now, she was not alone. She had Phinas.

Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she called him.

He was in a meeting with Kalugal this morning at his boss's home, so thankfully, he wasn't out of the village and could come right away.

The phone rang twice before Phinas's deep, reassuring voice came through. "Hello, love. Miss me already?"

Normally, she would smile and come back with a teasing remark, but she had no humor left in her this morning. "I need your help."

"What is it?"

"I need to bring Drova in for questioning, and I might need backup. Wear your earpieces."

There was a moment of silence. "I don't understand. Wasn't she questioned yesterday?"

"She was, but as it turns out, she's inherited Igor's compulsion ability, and her power has grown to a level that even Toven couldn't compel her." She continued to tell him about Parker and what he had revealed about Drova. "I have my earpieces, but she might overpower me, take them out, and compel me to do whatever she wants." Jade took a deep breath. "I can't even begin to describe how this makes me feel. I'm afraid of my own daughter."

"Where are you heading?" he asked.

"The house. I suppose she's still sleeping after a busy night."

"I'm coming over," Phinas said.

"I need to talk to Drova first, so I will go in alone. I just need you in the house in case she attacks me."

On second thought, Kagra would have been a better choice because she was stronger and faster than Phinas, but Jade needed Phinas not only to guard her back but for emotional support.

Phinas was quiet for a moment. "Of course. Be careful, love, and don't engage until I get there."

"Okay."

The walk home seemed both interminable and far too short, and before she was ready, Jade was standing outside their house, hand poised to open the door. She'd promised Phinas to wait for him, but she wasn't going to keep this promise.

She was a warrior and leader of the Kra-ell, and she had faced worse than this.

Drova was strong and well-trained, but she didn't carry any weapons on her like Jade did. If it came down to a fight, she would use a knife on her daughter. Not to kill her but to slow her down.

Drova would heal.

Taking a deep breath, Jade opened the door and walked in. Drova wasn't in the living room, which wasn't surprising since she spent most of her time in her bedroom, supposedly studying for her high school equivalency test but apparently plotting a rebellion.

Her body coiled and ready for an attack, Jade continued down the short corridor and opened the door to her daughter's room without knocking.

The room was empty, and the bed looked like it hadn't been slept on. To make sure, Jade lifted the taut blanket and put her hand on the sheet-covered mattress.

It was cold.

Drova hadn't slept in the house last night.

Just to be sure, Jade opened the door to her daughter's bathroom and then moved through the house, checking every room.

She pulled out her phone and called Drova, but the call went straight to voicemail.

Now, she was sure that her daughter was hiding.

Jade called Phinas again.

He answered immediately. "I'm almost there."

"She's not here, and her bed wasn't slept in. The sheet is cold."

"She couldn't have escaped the village. There are cameras along the fence, and Guardians monitor them twenty-four-seven. She couldn't compel them not to see her."

"I know. She must be hiding somewhere in the village. We need to find her before she decides to do more damage than she has already done."

"Wait for me," Phinas said. "I'll be there in a few minutes."

"I'm here."

As Jade ended the call, the reality of the situation hit her anew. The thought that she needed protection from her own daughter made her stomach churn.

Unbidden memories of Igor's control over her surfaced. The helplessness, the violation of having her will stripped away was a horror she had never expected to experience again.

A slave never again.

And now, the threat came from her own flesh and blood.

She needed reinforcements to help search for Drova.

After double-checking her earpieces, she called Kagra. "I need your help. Come to my house right away."

"What's wrong?"

Jade took a deep breath and explained the situation.

When she was done, Kagra let out a breath. "I'm on my way."