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“That doesn’t make sense,” she whispered, hugging Kristof’s arm to her.
I sighed again, trying to regulate the anxiety that started flooding me and then keeping my breathing deep to trick my body into thinking it wasn’t stressed. “My understanding is—what he told me…” I let out another long breath. “Your father’s family had the wealth and power. If he wasn’t standing next to your mother during her plans—”
“Back up and relax, Tian,” Matilda said gently, clearly sensing how worried I was that Inez was going to hate me. “You met the man. He was drunk. What did he tell you?”
“That his mate had lost her mind and he didn’t know what to do,” I answered, focusing on her instead of watching how this would hurt Inez. “He said she spoiled their first child, their older son, but when he started wanting his own life, she demanded to have another baby. He agreed, seeing nothing wrong with having another child as well.
“He said that while overbearing and sometimes too much, she lived to be a mother and loved it. But then he realized it was only for their son. He told me a crazy story about the night their daughter was born, the tree at his family home had given seeds unlike the tree itself. That it confused his parents, but his wife hated the sight of them.
“She kept getting rid of them and got upset anytime people brought them up. He thought she saw it as some type of bad omen on their baby and pushed it aside. But then she slipped and said she wouldn’t let the seeds sprout and give all that attention to their daughter. I didn’t know more than that and it sounded like the drunk or crazy part to ignore.”
“I would have too,” Kristof admitted. “It made no sense to think about trees giving seeds to have any meaning until Inez’s tree gave them.”
I met his gaze and was relieved he understood. “No, it didn’t, and by then Aether made it clear already to keep my mouth shut.”
“Inez won’t blame you for any of this, Tian,” Cerdic said gently.
“No, of course not,” Inez agreed, glancing between us with a frown. “This had to be horrible for you to keep bottled up and—please, just tell us.”
I would trust in her that she truly meant that and sighed. “He said his wife gave birth to a princess. He didn’t say they weren’t nobles, but he wasn’t and—it sounded insane, and he thought maybe she was meant to mate someone important or—he had wanted to speak to their princess, but the wife rejected that saying they could be sensing something wrong and to leave it alone.
“So he did, but his wife was jealous of the baby. Then he realized she believed their daughter was a princess and wanted to start a whole new coven with them as the real leaders as the ones who had the baby. She wanted to use his family name to give the whole thing validity and find the right nobles for their daughter to take eventually.
“He was distraught at the idea of his child having to deal with all that crazy that they really lived outside of. They were wealthy, a regular vampire family, who made gobs of money as merchants and sailors in their history. They answered to their coven, but it was a small one with a more relaxed environment, a princess who didn’t care much about holding tightly.
“That was the way he described it to me, so it wasn’t as if the richer families even lived at the coven, but in the town around it. But he learned that his wife planned on which princesses to already meet with to inform them that there was going to be a new line of princesses, that she birthed a new one.
“Not only was it everything he didn’t want for his child, he said his wife made it all about her and it was unhinged. He tried to talk to his parents, but they wouldn’t hear of taking a child away from the mother especially given how well Emil turned out. He said they were also greedy at times, so he didn’t want to tell them what the truth was.
“So he planned on leaving. It was the only way—he thought if the princesses knew he bailed on his crazy mate, they wouldn’t listen to her. At least to stop her for now, and he could think of another plan because he didn’t think running off with his daughter was a better answer. And I agreed with him.”
After the longest pause in my life, anxiety clawing at me, Inez finally spoke. “Did you check that she wasn’t hurting me first?”
“Yes, and your father was adamant that she was jealous of you but never angry or violent. That the nanny was very good to you and your brother adored you and would never let your mother harm you.” I swallowed loudly as tears filled her eyes.
“Well, clearly that changed and in a bad way.”
“He never touched you, not that—I would have taken you away if he had even if I never met you,” I blurted, realizing she thought her evil brother had done something unforgivable.
“You’re sure?” Inez whispered. “I felt—it was like an echo of worry he would touch me.”
I swallowed loudly. “My understanding was he planned to have a daughter with you after your coven was established so he could control the next generation too. But no, he never touched you. You were to be pure and a virgin until your court was in place and then he planned on…”
“What’s worse than rape and incest?” Inez drawled.
“Publicly treating you like a whore,” I whispered. “He planned on your court swearing to you at one time and having you completely as long as they wanted for waiting and doing it together. It was how he planned to solidify your new coven but also make it clear they shouldn’t listen to you much.”
“How could you not take her from such a situation even if you didn’t know her?” Matilda bit out.
“It’s complicated, but I lost them,” I defended.
“I need a break and we all need to eat,” Inez whispered, realizing no one was eating and food hadn’t even been brought in.
“I’m sorry,” I said too loudly. “I didn’t know—there were more problems and someone tried to—people thought I was dead, and I needed them to think that for my own sanity. Please understand.”
“I do. If you never even saw me—we can’t jump in to handle everything all of the time. We’re underwater from all we’re doing, so I get that,” Inez muttered before standing and heading like she would go for the kitchen.
Kristof was right there with her and shot me a glance as if to say it would be okay.
