Blackhearted Betrayal Read Online Free Page B

she’d seen Cori since the teen Fledged into her Fury powers a few days before.
     
    “While your aunt and I
are
proud of you, Concordia Joy,” Mom said, “you’ll also find we expect a great deal from you. To start with, you must remember to treat us always as elder Furies first, your aunt and grandmother second.”
     
    Cori let out a huff of air. “Now you sound like
her
.”
     
    Another arch of the brow. “Where do you think
she
got it from?”
     
    I laughed outright. “Oh so true, I’m afraid. Stacia may have been my official mentor, but Mom taught me a lot about being a Fury before she disappeared.”
     
    Mom and I exchanged a grim glance. That was another of those shared griefs that would never fully go away.
     
    The hair on the back of my neck stirred, and my body tensed in response to a sudden surge of adrenaline. Someone was channeling magic nearby. It might have been a mere coincidence, but …
     
    Trusting survival instincts honed over the past two decades, I nodded toward the door. “We should get a move on.”
     
    Mom placed an arm along Cori’s shoulder and nudged her forward. “Of course. Laurell will serve as our rear guard while Patricia clears our forward path.” The second-named Tisiphone nodded before vanishing in the direction from which they had appeared. Laurell waited until we followed and fell in behind us.
     
    Passersby who caught sight of Mom’s red leather (Cori and I were wearing more anonymous street clothes) gave us a wide berth on the staircase to the subway platform. Halfway down the steps, we channeled Fury magic to camouflage our little entourage. While not technically invisible, we became nearly impossible for mortals—and most arcanes—to detect, as much for the mortals’ peace of mind as our safety. They tended to freak out when winged demigoddesses leaped atop speeding train cars to reach the magical portals sprinkled throughout Boston’s underground railway system.
     
    Despite my sudden sense of unease, we made it to the platform unaccosted, other than my bum knee’s pitching a fit as I jogged down the stairs. Magical and medical remedies, including physical therapy, promised a brighterprognosis than when I had originally injured it, but both would take time to pay off. For the moment, I just had to grin and bear the pain.
     
    Patricia waited for us at the empty end of the platform, eyeballing the area for any signs of danger. Laurell no doubt did the same from behind. While I only knew the two vaguely, what I
did
know reassured me. One of those rare mated pairs of Furies, they were unfailingly loyal to the Sisterhood and, most especially, other Tisiphones. Knowing they had watched Mom’s back when I couldn’t had given me enough peace of mind to finish up my police duties on the serial-killer case and now made me feel better about getting Cori safely to the Palladium. Of course, that thought no sooner crossed my mind than trouble struck.
     
    Goose bumps pricked my skin as the hair on my neck rose once more. Someone had once again channeled the barest hint of magic nearby. I didn’t waste time thinking, just shifted to full Fury form. Mortal honey blond hair surrendered to charcoal locks that snapped in the magical breeze caused by transformation. Boring blue eyes changed to glowing green orbs meant to inspire terror. My jeans and T-shirt became identical to Mom’s red leather pants, sleeveless vest, and flat-heeled, knee-high boots. Most impressive of all were the twin tattoos along each upper arm that morphed into living, breathing serpents: the magical familiars called Amphisbaena, who amped up my own arcane abilities.
     
    Nemesis and Nike hissed in response to my mental warning of potential ambush and wound their way from upper arms to lower, ready to aid me if needed. Mom and the other two Tisiphones picked up on whatever badvibes I’d caught, and we drew a protective circle around our most vulnerable member.
     
    Cori gulped and shot me an uneasy