Avernus || Book 1 ✔️

||Mama||

I resisted flinching when I heard my door squeak open, the intruder obviously trying to enter as subtlety as possible.

I squeezed my eyes shut even though my entire body was hidden by my huge home-knit comforter. From the outside you probably couldn't even tell that I was there.

A sudden weight sunk my mattress and a hand pet the curls that weren't covered by my blanket.

"Are you going to tell me what's troubling you, sweetheart?"

At the sound of mama's voice, I felt my eyes tear up once again. I thought I had gotten past the crying stage but something about her words triggered an emotional  release. What was it about her question that made me want to sob.

Unable to speak, I shook my head. I knew that opening my mouth would change everything. And I didn't want it to.

Mama sighed and smoothed her hand over my hair once more.

"You're worrying me Primrose. You've been in bed all day since Elder Amis left. Did she say something upsetting? Tell me what's bothering my sweet daughter."

I couldn't help but let my emotions take over at her empathetic tone. It was so warm and maternal, I couldn't help but feel safe enough to let the dam break.

"Oh, my poor baby."

My shoulders shook as I cried, tears and tears streaming down my cheeks and being soaked up by the blanket that covered me.

Mama peeled away the smothering sheet, exposing my swollen face and quivering lips. Her warm hand cupped my cheeks while she thumbed away the salty tears.

"Something bad happened over there, didn't it?"

I only sniffled, shuffling a bit as mama pulled me to lay my head across her lap.

"I tried to keep you here Rose, I really did. Avernus, it's a...it's a very bad place. They only know darkness over there, that world is cursed."

She looked down at me, her eyes holding a haunted expression. Flecks of worry shined through her purple iris but it was the distant, far-away look that made my breath hitch.

"You need to tell me what happened."

I looked at her for a moment and squeezed my hand in a fist to stop it from shaking. Her words were scaring me.

"Mama...nothing bad happened—"

"Primrose." She interrupted firmly.

She looked at me expectantly and I held back a whine.

"I'm telling the truth mama. When I went to the ball, I...I was the happiest I've ever been. I felt sparks all over a-and breathed smells that I never knew existed. I felt safe mama and warm and I—"

My voice faltered when I caught her expression. Pure terror marred her face, gone was the worry that she once held. She appeared frozen, seeming to process exactly what my words meant.

"Something bad didn't happen." I whimpered. Although I knew she thought otherwise.

Her eyes flashed down to me once more and she seemed bewildered by my statement.

"You're right. This isn't bad Primrose, this is much, much worse."

My eyes widened at her critical tone and my bottom lip quivered as she continued to berate me.

"All this time you've been keeping this from me? T-that you're mated to a daemon? A monster?!"

"He's not a monster." I croaked; my throat was dry and raw from all my crying and it wanted to close up even more at how she talked about my soul with such hatred.