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“He doesn’t know yet.”
Jade’s stomach plummeted. “And was that the first thing you thought? That I didn’t trust you, either?”
“I know you trust me.” He gave her a confident look. “But I think you still have a lot to learn about my kind. And you have a lot to learn about yourself.”
He unraveled the piece of paper he’d apparently retrieved from his coat pocket when he’d left the room.
She pulled the duvet around her and sat up, curious about the change in topic.
Handing over the small sheet that appeared to have been torn from a book, he asked, “Do you recognize this mark?”
Jade laughed. “It’s not a mark. It’s a formation of freckles. I have the exact same—”
The paper fell from her hand and she covered the spots on her neck with her palm.
Davian said, “Your father had this precise pattern. In the same location as yours.”
Anxiety skittered through her as an ominous look filled Davian’s glowing eyes.
“So?” she tentatively asked.
Picking up the documentation, he told her, “You share a common trait with Liam.”
“Sure.” Her voice was still full of hesitancy as she tried to ascertain the direction in which this conversation was going. “I already told you—and you’ve witnessed—that I have psychokinetic powers and can rapidly self-heal. So could he.”
Sitting up as well, Davian said, “Have you ever read Greek mythology?”
His question confused her—what did it have to do with her genetic traits?
Regardless, she said, “A little, yes.”
“Some of the most renowned characters in Greek mythology were demi-gods. For example, Hercules and Achilles. The immortal ruler Zeus was their father, but their mothers were mortal. The result was that the heroes possessed extraordinary strength and skills, but they could still be killed. Even by a mortal.”
Jade wasn’t wholly sure what he was getting at.
Davian amended his comment, saying, “Well, in some recollections, Hera actually granted Hercules immortality at the end, but he did suffer a mortal death. It’s rather complicated… Point being, these demi-gods were gifted incredible abilities by their father, but they weren’t originally destined for a full eternity.”
Jade’s gaze narrowed. “Are you about to tell me I’m a demi-god from Mt. Olympus?”
“No.” He chuckled. “But haven’t you ever wondered how your father ended up with the talents you inherited?”
“Of course. But he didn’t talk about any of it, since our abilities seemed to be a sore subject with my mother.”
“That was because she wasn’t like the two of you.”
“No, she wasn’t. Not at all. She was actually very delicate. One of the reasons he was adamant about teaching her to defend herself. As much as possible, at any rate.”
“Yet he didn’t obsess much over you? He knew how strong you were from the beginning?”
Thinking of her younger years, Jade said, “I always thought he’d taught me to fight and to take care of myself because he secretly wanted a tough boy, but ended up with a girl instead. Later on, I realized there was more to it than that. Looking back now, I can see he had a plan in mind for me.” These sort of contemplations were painful, so she asked, “Why are we having this conversation?”
“Because,” Davian said, his tone turning broody. “I recently discovered something about your father that he didn’t share with you.”
This piqued her interest. “And what would that be?”
“It involves the marking on your neck,” he told her as his fingers grazed the skin below her ear. “I believe one of the reasons your father opted not to take the slayer’s oath, when he was clearly in the position to do so and demonstrated the expertise needed, was because he might have struggled with the moral dilemma of killing his kind.”
Her jaw dropped. She stared at him, her mind instantly assaulted by a barrage of thoughts and questions, too overwhelming to process all at once. So she simply demanded, “What the hell are you talking about?”
