Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
AURELIA
Questions arose the moment Dalek stopped screaming during the night.
Yes, we’d identified the source of his nightmares. Yes, we had a short list of suspects—two we’d already been circling. But silence after weeks of terror felt less like victory and more like the calm before something more ominous.
To avoid raising suspicion, we adjusted our approach.
Each morning, Dalek soaked his hair and shirt, rumpled the sheets, and yelled at the top of his lungs in horror.
He carried himself through the castle like a man barely holding himself together—volatile, brooding, dangerous.
Wherever he went, he performed madness to perfection.
Our sessions were officially suspended, but not as far as others were concerned.
Instead, our focus shifted entirely to investigation. His secretary. The night guard. Anyone who worked close enough to watch, to listen, or to wait for us to make a mistake.
Still, it wasn’t enough for me.
I needed to dig deeper, past what was visible, past what was easy.
It had been my experience with some of my past cases that darker things lay beneath the surface of what people wanted you to see.
If I were a woman obsessed with control, aware my loyal staff might soon be dismissed, wouldn’t I prepare for that?
Wouldn’t I plant replacements long before the axe fell?
Of course I would.
Dalek dismissed the idea with a quiet shake of his head. “The woman who bore me was dying. She didn’t have the resources or the reach to pull something like that off.”
“She attempted a coup,” I countered. “What if she had someone else doing her bidding? Someone utterly loyal. Someone who outlived her.”
He shifted closer on the sofa, gently setting my laptop aside before pulling me against him. The warmth of his body should have calmed me, but it didn’t.
“You’re going to drive yourself mad with what-ifs,” he murmured. “She was evil incarnate. Incapable of love. Unstable. We’ve already hit walls exploring her family history. Why not let it go? Some things need to be left buried.”
Because evil always leaves footprints.
I’d never heard of someone so cruel outside of fairytales—evil queens, dark sorceresses. And yet, someone like her shouldn’t be able to simply vanish. There had to be records. Transactions. Secrets buried deep.
I should have nodded. Agreed. Let it rest. Instead, the words spilled out. “I need to know,” I said, my voice breaking. “What if something she had, something hereditary, comes back to hurt you? What if she set things in motion we haven’t seen yet?”
Tears blurred my vision. I didn’t bother stopping them. “I love you,” I whispered. “And I can’t imagine a future where I lose you because we didn’t ask the right questions.”
Dalek cupped my face, brushing away the tears with his thumbs. “You’ve made your point,” he said softly. “I’d be lost without you, too.”
He exhaled, resigned but unwavering. “I’ll reach out to some friends of Maxim. Former Air Force special operatives. Americans. We helped them once. They owe us.”
Relief crashed through me so hard my body leaned hard against his. I turned and wrapped my arms around him, kissing him like the world depended on it.
“Thank you,” I breathed. “I only want you safe.”
“I know.”
I watched as he drafted a carefully worded email to Rick and Derrick Caldwell—half brothers, now owners of Titan Security in the States. Every concern laid bare. Every loose thread noted.
The reply came within minutes.
Email received. Great to hear from you. We’ll dig in immediately. Expect an update soon. Until then, stay sharp.
—R & D
Dalek leaned back. “They’re relentless. If she left so much as a shadow behind, they’ll find it.”
I nodded, finally breathing easier. Still, the chill along my spine refused to fade, because some instincts aren’t soothed by logic.
Some exist to warn.
The updates we received were not what we were expecting. Titan Security had their best hackers trying to trace every angle of Dalek’s mother’s life, including her family tree, which somehow had vanished from existence the moment his father had married her.
Even stranger, there were no birth records for his mother or him.
His father had the only copies on hand in a private biometric safe within his office.
He’d informed us. “Normally, we prefer home births and have rooms to accommodate such events. Unfortunately, my wife’s labor carried on too long, and Dalek’s heartbeat was faltering.
She was transported immediately to the local hospital, where she underwent an emergency c-section to save Dalek’s life. ”
His father shook his head. “To our surprise, your aunt was in the same hospital, giving birth to her son at the same time you were born.”
“Your mom had a sister with a child of her own?” I was shocked to hear this.
Dalek’s father spoke up. “The sisters never really got along. One was always jealous of the other and always trying to outdo her. We tried having a relationship with her and her husband, even inviting her son over to play, but she flat out refused, claiming she didn’t need our charity.
I think the last time we’d talked with them was over thirty years ago. ”
His father poured himself a snifter of brandy and offered us some, which we declined. “I’m not surprised you’re unable to find birth records. The hospital had a strange fire shortly after we’d returned home. Most of the records were destroyed. We were lucky to have a copy for our royal records.”
Dalek and I walked back to his study, puzzled by his father’s insight. Why did everything involving Yvanka Devlin end up in a dead end? Was that even her real name? And if not, how was I to search for her sister if the records from the hospital were destroyed?
Something didn’t add up, and I couldn’t figure out what.
Dalek arranged for us to leave the safety of the castle in order to have dinner in town. It sounded like a good idea, since I was getting tired of the same old meals from the cook. Granted, they were delicious, just predictable.
“I know you like seafood, so I’ve asked the chef, a friend of mine, to prepare one of his signature feasts tonight,” he assured me on the car ride there.
For some reason, I felt off all day. The ride into town made my stomach unsettled.
“Are you all right, my love?” Dalek’s hand came up to feel my forehead.
“I think the day has just been a trying one and playing on my psyche. A nice meal and being able to spend time with you will help.”
The moment I got some bread and a bit of tea in my stomach, I started to feel more settled.
I should have stopped with that and not eaten the feast the chef had prepared.
He brought out two plates, one with surf and turf for Dalek, and the other a seafood platter for me, complete with lobster, king crab, shrimp, and scallops, all of my favorites.
The first bite or two tasted fine, but then everything tasted off. The more I tried to eat, the more my system seemed to rebel.
Dalek was alarmed when I hopped up from the table and ran toward the bathroom like a bat out of hell. “What’s going on, Aurelia? Are you okay?”
When I didn’t answer, because I was too busy puking, he called out, “I’m coming in.”
He found me hovering over one of the porcelain toilets, vomiting like crazy. Calling for Malakai, he demanded, “Get her food to go, send it to the lab, and bring the car around. Also get the crown’s private doctor on the phone and tell him to meet us in my wing.”
“Yes, sir. You suspect food poisoning?”
I wasn’t able to focus much on the discussion, only heaving until all the food was out of my system. When I hit dry heaves, he’d had a moist napkin at the ready to wipe my face, before lifting me in his arms and carrying me out to the awaiting car.
I barely remember hearing him talking to me. “Hold on, darling. We’ll get you a doctor to help.” He started to say something more, but then everything went black.