Revelations

Revelations
The silence was suffocating.  

Ash was the first to react, his muscles coiled with restrained fury. He turned to Amara, disbelief flickering across his face. “You knew?” His voice was low, strained—a mixture of betrayal and confusion. He wasn’t just trying to understand her words—he was trying to understand her.  

Amara met his gaze, willing him to see the truth beneath his anger. She had no time to explain, no time to ease his doubt. The only thing that mattered was saving Tessa.  

Lucas remained still, his expression unreadable. He wasn’t entirely convinced of Amara’s motives—but something in her eyes unsettled him. He had spent years drowning in loss, chasing ghosts. And now, here was this vampire, standing before him with answers he had given up searching for.  

His voice dropped to a lethal edge. “Five seconds. Give me a reason to help.”  

Amara hesitated, her breath hitching in her throat.  
Then, she said the only thing that would stop him from walking away.  

“I know who killed your daughter.”  
The air in the room cracked, tension bleeding into every corner.  

Lucas stiffened. His heartbeat faltered, just for a second. He could see it—the unshed tears in Amara’s eyes. The pain buried deep in her gaze, like she had lived it alongside him, alongside Tessa.  

Jax scoffed, stepping forward, his voice sharp. “She’s lying. Don’t listen to her—”  
Amara turned to him, distrust flashing in her eyes, but she didn’t let herself be swayed. She looked at Lucas, steady, unflinching.  

“You found her under the blossoming magnolia tree,” Amara whispered. “The flowers full and in bloom. You thought she was sleeping… until you saw the poison, staining her veins. The foam at her mouth. The discarded cup beside her.”  

Lucas reacted before he could think. In a blink, his hand was around Amara’s throat, slamming her against the wall.  
Ash hissed, his fangs bared, ready to strike.  

Lucas moved faster than anyone anticipated. A silver stake appeared in his grasp, slicing across Ash’s chest. Ash let out a sharp growl as the metal burned his flesh, the scent of scorched skin filling the air.  

“Lucas, stop!” Jax grabbed his arm, trying to pull him back. “No one—not even Tessa—knows those details.”  

Amara clawed at Lucas’s hand, her vision blurring as the lack of air took its toll. Ash was ready to fight, his nails extending, his glowing red eyes locked onto Lucas like a predator sizing up its prey.  

But Amara lifted her hand weakly, signaling Ash to stop.  
Lucas’s grip loosened, just enough for her to gasp for breath. The room spun as she forced herself upright, her lungs burning.  

“Speak,” Lucas demanded, his voice devoid of mercy.  
Amara composed herself, stealing a glance at Ash—an apology buried in her eyes.  

Then, she began.  
Two years ago, she had sensed Maximus was up to something—but she didn’t know what. He was always secretive, but this was different.  

She had learned every hidden passage in the lair, mapping them out, using them to listen when she wasn’t meant to. She had heard the name Monroe whispered too many times, but she hadn’t understood his fixation on it. Until she pieced it together. Monroe meant hunter.Maximus was tracking a hunter—but why?  

A week before Cassie’s death, Amara had followed Maximus to see a witch. She couldn’t hear what was said, but she knew—nothing good ever came from dealings with witches.  

Then came the worst day.  
She had arrived too late. Somehow, Maximus had poisoned the child.  

She had watched Cassie collapse, the vial slipping from her fingers, her body curling into itself. Amara had tried to save her. She had tried. But the poison—Belladonna—was merciless. It stole the breath from Cassie’s lungs right there in her arms.  

The sound of footsteps had sent Amara into hiding. She had placed Cassie beneath the magnolia tree, praying her death wouldn’t look like a murder.  

She had spent the night weeping, the image of that innocent child burned into her memory forever.  

And then, months later, she met Tessa.  
The moment she saw her, she recognized the face, the resemblance. She had searched, found the picture—the three of them together. And then she knew.  

Cassie was Tessa’s daughter.  
A sob escaped Amara, and she didn’t care who saw. She was a creature of darkness, but she still had a heart.  

Ash broke the silence first, his voice raw, barely above a whisper. “You’re her ex-husband.”  
Lucas’s gaze flickered to Ash. “And you’re her lover.”  

They studied each other, the realization settling in between them—two men, bound by the same woman, standing in the same fight.  

Ash turned to Amara. He had too many questions, too many thoughts colliding at once. Why had she kept this from him?  
Amara wiped her tears, forcing herself to move past her grief.  

She faced Lucas, her expression hardening with resolve.  

“Maximus has Tessa at the lair,” she said. “I know the way in through the hidden passages—but we don’t have time. She hasn’t eaten in days. She’s weak. If we wait any longer, she won’t make it.”  

She stepped closer, voice unwavering.  

“With your help, we can get her out. And you can get your revenge.”