“Not just for me, forallthe realms,” Orin replied. “We have a better chance of taking the Lord down with you. You’re our secret weapon. All we have to do is—”
“Enough!” Cole interrupted harshly.
“She has to understand that she’s a game changer,” Orin insisted.
“That’s enough!” Cole shouted.
His words rebounded down the tunnels before fading into the darkness. The shadows behind Orin rose like cobras from baskets. They hovered behind Orin, preparing to strike if Cole allowed it.
He kept them restrained, but it was so tempting to have them knock Orin on his ass. He’d never see it coming, and it would take him down a peg or two.
Orin’s jaw clenched, but he remained silent as he stared sullenly at them.
“She needs time to adjust to all of this,” Cole continued. “And shewillhave it.”
Lexi wasn’t the only one who needed time; he did too. She was a game changer. She might be able to take the dragons from the Lord, which would weaken him considerably, but she was also hismate,and this could put her at the forefront of a battle he’d meant for her to mostly avoid.
“How… how is that possible?” Lexi whispered in a tremulous voice.
And then he realized that future possibilities didn’t matter. What mattered were the tears in her eyes as she gazed at Del with a look of such utter betrayal, it damn near broke his heart.
Tears shone in Del’s eyes too. He took a step toward her, but Del spun on his brother when Orin pulled back on his chains.
“Don’t,” Cole ordered. “Not here and not now. This isnotthe time.”
Del glowered at Orin before turning back to Lexi.
“You’re supposed to be my dad,” Lexi whispered.
“Iamyour dad,” Del said. “But I’m not your father. Your birth father died before you were born.”
When Lexi trembled against him, he kissed her forehead before looking to Del.
“I think you should explain how Lexi came to be in your care,” Cole said.
“Yes, please do,” Orin drawled.
“Honestly, it was luck,” Del said to Lexi. “Not your parents’ luck, butIgot lucky when you came to me.”
The earnestness in his tone and eyes was undeniable, as was the love and hope that this would be okay in the end and that Lexi would forgive him.
“What happened?” Lexi asked.
“I found your mother under the willow tree,” Del said.
When Lexi stiffened against him, Cole recalled her saying she found Orin there after lycans attacked him.
“She was badly injured and already in labor when I discovered her. She and your father were ambushed by a pack of the Lord’s lycan. Your father didn’t survive the battle, but the two of them took down the pack, which is whynoone else ever heard about arach bodies being discovered in the human realm.
“I managed to get your mom inside and into bed without anyone seeing us, but things were a lot quieter then. I had no idea how I would deliver a baby, and Sahira was living in Europe at the time, so I didn’t have her help or healing potions. I cleaned your mother’s wounds and wrapped them the best I could, but they were really bad.
“I wasn’t sure she was going to live to deliver you, but she did. When I finished, it was still early in her labor, so I went to find your father’s body and the lycans and buried them before anyone else could discover them.”
“Where?” Lexi asked.
“Your father is on the other side of the lake, in the woods. I kept him separate from the lycan bodies. I had no idea why I did at the time. It would have been easier to dig a mass grave, but I decided to keep him apart from his murderers.
“When I returned to your mom, her labor had progressed, and she’d grown weaker. I don’t know why she trusted me; maybe because there was no other choice, maybe because I’d saved her, maybe she sensed something in me, or maybe because she was dying and wanted to leave her legacy for her child, but she told me about herself and your father.
