AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He sighed. “Because of one of my weaknesses.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your grandmother was a difficult woman. Ours was not a marriage of love nor was it a mission. It was a union. A way of creating tighter binds between myself and another on my council.”
“Your council?” Conor peppered.
“The men Star killed to reach me.” His lips quirked. “I hated most of them so it is no waste to me, but you must curb your homicidal tendencies once this situation with the Sparrows is complete, child. I can keep you out of jail only as long as I’m alive.”
“I only kill people who deserve it.”
“I’m not sure the police would agree with such a mindset.”
“Liberalism gone mad,” I grumbled under my breath, making Conor snicker tiredly.
“Your grandmother was royalty—Edward of Midlothian’s eldest daughter. We did not like each other. Most of the time, we despised each other, but we played too good a role for Galena and Aleks.
“Both of us had been raised with miserable parents in miserable households and we’d vowed to be different with our children.”
“She caught you cheating, didn’t she?” Conor questioned, his voice low.
“She did,” he confirmed. “And never forgave me for it.”
“Ever?”
“Not before she died. It undoubtedly played a part in keeping her away when she always called Russia home.”
The words pained me—that Russia was ‘home’ when I remembered spending every Fourth of July at a massive party she organized to celebrate the occasion because she loved her country.
That she was capable of being as childish as me—judging our parents with the mindset of betrayed children rather than that of an adult—was oddly comforting.
But her life with us hadn’t been a total lie, and his admission enabled me to admit to a solid, undeniable, indefatigable truth—hating her was harder than loving her.
“I loved her,” I whispered brokenly, swiping at my cheeks like the child I was at that moment. A child who’d lost her parents.
“I did too,” Anton rasped, reaching over to pat my hand.
“I didn’t want to lose her.”
“Nor did I.”
“How did it happen? Dad would never tell me and when I was old enough to go looking for details, I was stonewalled.”
He tipped up his chin. “That was my doing.”
Around us, the flight attendants prompted us to prepare for take-off, but even the flight’s departure didn’t stop our discussion.
“Why?”
“It was a file filled with lies. I’d rather there be a question mark over her death if anyone went hunting for answers than those miserable falsehoods marking the so-called truth of her passing.”
“What happened?”
He rubbed his forehead. “You know of Dagda’s skill. It was fast. It was lethal. It was from a distance. One minute she was strolling down a street, the next she was bleeding out on it. Simple. Tragic. It happens to too many in your country and, that day, my daughter became another statistic.” He released a sharp breath. “I attended her funeral, as did Aleks. We did not make ourselves known.”
“Why not? Did you not think I needed you?”
“What could we bring to you but more death and intrigue? If we withdrew, you had the chance at a normal childhood. We had no way of knowing that you’d seek answers until it led you down the rabbit hole we inhabit.” He studied me. “Your father never told you the details of her passing?”
