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“I’m working on it, but reshaping the beliefs of people steeped in tradition isn’t quick.”
“They’ve been ‘patient’ for hundreds of years.”
“So impatience is a good reason to side with Mathias? Or did you do it because you like the bloody ravages of war?”
My father ignores Bram and turns back to me. “Once I saw Mathias for what he was, I helped vanquish him, but that came at a terrible personal price. With the Anarki minus their leader—the rallying figurehead for their cause—they sought revenge. They pursued me, so I fled England.”
“And went to America?” I see where this story is going.
“Indeed. I met your mother and, I heard matters had died down in England, so I persuaded her to return with me. We were happy…until the Anarki found me. When we were attacked, I was forced to reveal my powers to her to defend us.”
“She didn’t know?” I feel my eyes go round. “She must have been terrified.”
“Utterly. I explained and begged her to stay.” He shakes his head. “She refused to hear a word and ran. I didn’t know she was pregnant when she left. I didn’t learn about you for three years, and only then because I had another run-in with the Anarki, who told me they’d tried to kill my daughter.”
I gasp. “The Anarki wanted to kill me?”
“The product of my bloodline? Of course. They considered me bringing down their leader an act of war.”
Crazy. Less than a week ago, I was a normal, if broke, American living in London, hunting down her heritage. Now, I’m the mate of a cursed immortal who seeks death and the descendant of one of the most formidable bloodlines in magical history. Oh, and I apparently have a target on my back.
How much of this did Marrok already know?
He doesn’t look shocked in the least.
I file that away for later and focus on my father. “That explains why we moved so often when I was a kid. Mom would suddenly decide to pack up our rental, load everything into her tiny car, and drive as far as a few tanks of gas would take us. I thought she was paranoid.”
“She was cautious,” Richard corrects. “She had a duty to keep you safe.”
If my mother did anything by me, it was her duty. Barbara reminded me daily of the difficulties and sacrifices of having a daughter. No wonder she refused to tell me about Richard Gray. To the bitter end, she was—in her way—protecting me.
I tear up again. “She resented me for ruining her life. At least I know why.”
Richard clasps my shoulders. “You didn’t ruin her life. I did. I’m sure Barbara wanted to love you. She wasn’t a cold woman. But she was likely afraid both for you and of you. After she saw the magic I wielded, she feared you would inherit my abilities as much as she feared the Anarki.”
More tears pool. He’s right. Forgiveness washes through me as anger pours back in. Still, why couldn’t my mother say, even once, that she loved me?
“I’m sure you read this in my letter, but I vowed to do everything in my power to keep you both safe. I would have promised her the moon if I believed it would bring my mate back to me.”
“You were mated?”
“Of course. Children are far more difficult to conceive in the magical world if you aren’t.”
Does that mean that Marrok and I could soon be…magical parents?
Bram whispers in my ear. “In case you were wondering, it’s highly unlikely you’ll conceive before transition.”
That’s a relief.
Marrok frowns. “How were her parents separated with no…ill effects?”
“The difficulty Olivia experiences is the result of being a mated but untransitioned witch. This is a critical time in her life. She needs a lot of power. Sort of like starving a teenager going through a growth spurt. Your vitality sustains her. But Olivia’s mother was human, so she suffered no such trial in Richard’s absence…except to be irritable and unable to have sex with another man.”
My recent flu-like trauma was because I’m mated but not yet a witch? Again, Marrok doesn’t look surprised. He said I need frequent sex, but he never said why.
What the hell else has he failed to explain?
Richard grips me tighter. “Dearest girl, Mathias is back now. Your mate is strong, but he’s merely human.”
