Chapter 6
Iknow a little something about living under a death threat.
Since our mother died, Khal and I have been under our uncle’s thumb.
We didn’t know our father; he died in some lab cockup before we were born.
As I got older, I suspected it was a purposeful ‘accident,’ but I’ve never been able to prove it.
Krystos is my mother’s step-brother, and he grabbed the reins of the family business so fast those who blinked missed it.
It’s easy to convince people that a heavily pregnant basilisk who just lost her mate isn’t fit to run a criminal empire.
Thus, I’ve always known Khal and I are in danger if we don’t appear to be laboring for my uncle’s organization like loyal servants.
Twins means there’s an ‘heir’ and a ‘spare,’ so he could conceivably kill one of us to prove a point without being mutinied.
But he’s eying us every second of every day, waiting for the moment he can take us out before people question why we’re adults and haven’t been handed the keys to the kingdom yet.
Fiadh may not have known she and Fluffy were in danger consciously, but I think her magic knew they needed to keep a low profile.
I think it protected her as much as that amulet hid her sister’s true nature.
Their parents had secrets, and they were determined to ensure if something happened to them, the girls were taken care of.
Now that the truth is out, it’s much harder to keep that secret under wraps.
I’ve been studying her tattoos as we play in the bedroom for signs; I think that’s where it’s hidden.
Sassy will be pissed for a bit when I finally admit my suspicions, but I don’t want to worry her more than she is already.
She thinks her magic simply took time to emerge; that’s safe for the moment.
Much like her sister’s amulet breaking during the Ascension to reveal a wolf, I believe the sigil used to hide her powers is slowly coming unbound.
The Prince would know more about this, I’m sure, but he’s unable to keep his yap shut.
I’ve sketched all the marks from her skin—there are fucking plenty, which is hot as hell—and sent the drawings to the same contact who’s checking into the sigil she and Fluffy are hunting for.
Something about my hunch feels right in my gut, and my gut instinct is almost never wrong.
Either her folks wiped her memory of having the mark put on, or had her compelled to put it on herself.
I’m leaning toward memory bending because they clearly handled other memories that she should have as well.
If they were on the run, she’s likely forgetting some places they lived between her birth and Briarvale.
There’s just no other explanation that makes sense.
“What’s on your mind, snakelet?” The vampire is staring at me, and I realize I might have drawn the wrong attention to myself.
“Nothing. Just thinking about the bedroom setup.” I mock a leer, hoping to lure him off-track.
He arches a brow and shakes his head. “I think not, my friend. That expression was one of deep contemplation. Don’t make me ask again; the movie she’s watching with the Prince and his guardian safely distracted the witchling. Tell me what is on your mind.”
Pressing my lips together, I look at him for a moment before answering. “I was theorizing. You can compel people, right? How different is your method than, say, magic users who can mind bend? Is it more permanent one way or the other?”
“An interesting query. No wonder you looked so thoughtful.” He sips the bloody drink Sassy mixed for him, tilting his head. “Why are you considering such a heavy topic now? Do you have a lead you aren’t sharing with the group, perhaps?”
I grunt, rolling my eyes to the ceiling. Of course, this asshole isn’t going to tell me without a reason. Vampires are so ridiculously secretive about their shit. They’re only rivaled by the Fae and I have to deal with both of them.
“Fine. It occurred to me that if their parents lied about Fluffy’s heritage, they may have lied about other things.
Our girl’s heritage, all their running from whomever, why her magic never worked…
the whole tamale. And in my experience, something that long standing and comprehensive has to be a compulsion or a mind bender—which means one of her tats could be a sealing mark to help prevent the spell from weakening until the right moment. ”
He taps his chin as considers my words. Dezi Ruby is deceptively laissez-faire about many things, but I think that’s because he’s ancient.
His reactions are measured not from being dispassionate; no, he’s playing the three-dimensional chessboard in his head.
It’s similar to Revelin, though the Fae is much more externally emotive about it.
When he finally nods, I let out a breath.
“I believe you could be on to something, snakelet. It would explain why the girls were so surprised by discovering their parents’ deception.
Whatever the Morgensterns did must have dulled their perceptions and intuition—in fact, it may well have also repelled other magic users to prevent their gambit from being revealed.
A well crafted spell sealed by a high-level witch or mage with mind bending powers could have been actively pushing people away from the girls. ”
Wincing at the thought, I shake my head. “That’s gonna hurt Fi. From what she and Fluffy have shared, they’ve been bullied and made outcasts their entire lives—including that big ceremony that should have been their acceptance into the magical community. It’s a big source of trauma for them.”
The vampire sighs, giving me a serious expression.
“When you have children you care for—even acolytes, as vampires do—it is hard to protect them from the world. You do everything you can and perhaps, at times, you overreach. Fear of being hunted for their powers or lineage or both would be a great motivator to go over the line of sensibility.”
“Of course it is. I think Feray will understand that better than our girl, though.” I smirk a little, shrugging as I imagine her raging out over the decision that was taken from her.
“Sassy is so much more fragile than she will ever admit because of all the rejection and malice. Knowing the two people she loved deceived and alienated her to protect her will feel like an enormous violation of trust. She’s gonna struggle, old man. ”
The snake inside of me doesn’t like the idea, and I let out a long, angry hiss as he stretches inside of me.
My animal, like the cat’s, is very much under control.
But when I rage out, he’s always the go-to.
Thinking about Sassy crying and hurt has him rattling around in fury.
Unfortunately, this enormous bus is not big enough for me to shift, so I have to calm the fucker.
Times like this are when I envy dudes like Tier for their ability to shift in normal places.
Khal and I don’t have options, though I suppose the fire chicken and the spicy lizard don’t, either.
That group has five fucking shifters and three of them are too big for the car they’re likely traveling in—maybe we did luck out with this monstrosity?
“Why are you suddenly smiling? I would think you’d be angry.” Dezi looks at me curiously, and I chuckle.
“Oh, I am. But my inner beast is too fucking big for this magical sin wagon. I’m calming him by imagining what happens when five shifters pile into a car with three that have animals too big for vehicles.
” I wink, my grin widening as he catches on.
“I thought we got the short end of the stick with Rev’s damn tour, but maybe I was wrong, eh? ”
His laugh is dark and rich like the red wine he favors.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard Ruby emote like this and I’m sort of proud to have achieved it.
“Ah, yes. My frugal friend is enormous, and he’s probably the least thrilled with the situation.
I know the doctor is snooty, but Diaval has so many quirks and rules in his head.
Their voyage is probably quite funny, indeed. ”
“Khal is a good peacemaker, though. He and the bear will do their best to mitigate the ill-tempered ancients.” My brows furrows and I tilt my head.
“I wonder how often the Prince’s little spy will report in?
I’m curious about what they find and how it relates to the bigger picture.
Plus, I’m sure our girl will be anxious to make sure her sister is safe. ”
The vampire looks over at the group on the couch, clearing his throat. “Oh, Your Highness?”
I snort, covering my hand with my mouth.
The dude’s not a bad guy, if not a little fancy-pants, but giving him shit about his title is infinitely amusing.
Dezi winks at me as he waits for acknowledgment and when it doesn’t come, he whistles loudly enough to hurt my ears.
It’s a feat, given vibration is more important for my species, and I have no idea how he didn’t wince himself.
“Merciful Aed, Ruby. Why the fuck did you do that?” The Fae grumbles as they all look over at us curiously. “You may have called every fae hound in the fucking region with that. If we have to shake off dogs because of you…”
Fi is cuddling Fidget in her sweatshirt as she yawns. “I agree. Wholly unnecessary, bat boy.”
A loud harrumph signals his dislike of that moniker, but Dezi simply smiles. “It was necessary to garner your attention—or the Fae’s, at least. I require information and he may have it.”
“Heard of Google?” Tiernan grunts as he shakes his head as if to clear the sound out of it.
“Not to defend the bloodsucker, but he can’t Google something only the Prince would know,” I say wryly. “This isn’t an ‘okay, boomer’ moment, man.”
Revelin straightens a bit, his eyes flashing with magic. “Fine. What very important question do you wish me to answer?”
“Give me strength,” Dezi mutters under his breath before cursing in what I assume is Latin.
“I would like to know how often you think your minion that went along with the others will report in. It seems a prudent question no one has broached yet. For both a solid flow of information and to reassure the witchling, I’d assume the pixie will definitely relate any harrowing experiences.
However, I am curious about less urgent times. ”
Fiadh sits up a bit, looking at him expectantly. “Yeah, I’d like to know that, too.”
“Guys… Rowena cannot pop back and forth too often. Every time she does, she risks leading people with ill intent to one or the other group’s location. While my tour stops are well known, the path of your sister’s team is not public knowledge. We want to keep in touch, but not sacrifice security.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. Of course, that asshole is totally right, and it didn’t occur to me.
Outside of our extracurricular trips, we have a full Fae royal rock star security contingent.
They have a five-person team traveling across unfamiliar lands with no one but themselves to fight off attackers.
We definitely wouldn’t want someone following us to send colleagues on the other side to their locations as they travel through solitary lands and roads.
“It pains me to admit, but you are actually correct, young royal. We have an advantage the others do not—though, do not discount the strength of my dragon friend or a phoenix. They are quite formidable on their own, much less in a pair.”
I smirk at him. “You’ve obviously never seen my kind fight, mosquito.”
“This isn’t about swinging our dicks around,” Tiernan cuts in.
“None of us are without skills and power. But Revelin is correct to point out that we do not want to bring unwanted attention by having a portal popper going back and forth all the time. It’s not something that happens without leaving a signature. ”
“So we will receive communication when needed and not a moment before. Good to know,” Ruby says thoughtfully. “We should make certain to compile all the information we need to when she shows. That way, we won’t forget anything.”
Great. So who gets to keep the rock tour diary? I call dibs on ‘not me.’