“Do you hate me, Ma?” she asked. “I do,” said Etain. Ashling burst out laughing. She couldn’t help it. The casual way it had been said. The utter, total lack of hesitation. The perfect, if unwitting, comic timing of it. You had to laugh. You had to laugh. Even Etain gave a husky chuckle. “I did try,” she said wearily. “I tried to love you. But you weren’t made for loving, Ashling. You didn’t come from love. Not like…” She left the name unspoken, hanging in the air like a dagger. “I did try,” Etain repeated. “It never came easy to me. Love. And now everyone I ever gave my love to is dead. Or
...more
