"What are you going to do?" Ruby asked when we went back to my quarters.

I stopped pacing and stared at them. "Nothing. If Bran comes back, let me know."

"We can ask around the city-"

"No." That would only alert someone of his presence. I was going to wait for him to come to me. He always did. "I'll know when he's back."

"Would you like to know when Lord Gavyn comes back?"

Katia had that covered, but it didn't hurt to have more eyes and ears. "Sure, thanks."

Instead of staying in my quarters, I headed to the library and spent the next couple of hours scouring books and CCs on articles about my father, Prisoner Zero, and the Specials. If the prisoner in the dungeon had betrayed him, I figured there must be a record. As for the Specials, I had to know more about their instability. It was like learning you had a debilitating disease. I had to know just how bad it was before asking anyone about it.

I didn't leave the library until dinnertime and I still had no answers. There should have been a whole shelf of books on unstable Specials. There wasn't anything except praises for Queen Coronis's interbreeding program. And there wasn't anything on Father and Prisoner Zero, either. Strange.

-17-.

"Your father and sister are not on the island this evening," Lady Nemea told me when I went upstairs to change for dinner.

"Eat with me," I heard myself say.

She was more than happy to join me, but I didn't know where to start with my questions, so I went with "How long have you known my father?"

She smiled. "Since he was a child. When he was born, the queen herself placed him in my arms. I was only seventeen at the time. She believed he was the one, the red-headed child from her family who would have the powers of Princ.i.p.ality Azazel. The Chosen One."

I frowned. "What happened to his mother...my grandmother?"

"She was around, but the queen decided they were not equipped to raise him. She took him from her, brought him to the castle, and asked me to be one of his nannies. He never wanted for anything. She watched him grow and watched him train." Lady Nemea smiled. "He was special and she never let him or anyone forget it. Then he turned sixteen and his abilities appeared."

"He didn't have powers early like the Specials?"

She chuckled. "No, dear. That only happened with the last batch of children. First to appear was your father's energy power, then solid, and finally psi. She waited for the rest to appear. Waited and waited." Lady Nemea went silent and I felt her anger. "When they didn't, she cast him aside, exiled him to the human world to watch over the other Specials. He was only eighteen."

Poor Father. "Was he happy? As a child, that is?" I asked.

A pensive expression settled on Lady Nemea's face. "As happy as a child who knew the fate of an entire race was resting on his shoulders could be. I tried to love him as a mother would, but I was a child, too. It wasn't enough. He needed her love, but got her approval when he ran faster than everyone, outfought boys his age and older, and was at the top of his cla.s.s academically. He knew she loved seeing him excel at various things, and he worked hard to impress her, but deep inside he would have preferred a hug or a kiss instead of a nod. It was heartbreaking watching him wait patiently as she read his report, then patted his head before sending him away. Yet he never complained, acted up, or cried. He worked harder, grew distant, and shunned everyone who tried to show him kindness or love."

My heart ached for him. "Even you?"

She shrugged. "We had our moments when he was younger. Leaving home was hard. It was the only time I ever saw him show emotions. He was devastated. He knew what she was saying by sending him away. He wasn't the Chosen One and therefore he was no longer worthy of her time. For years, he worked hard, hoping she'd call him home. She just gave him more and more responsibilities."

"What about his parents and grandparents? Didn't he have siblings, half-brothers and sisters, nephews and nieces, anyone?"

"He did, but he didn't know them, and Queen Coronis made sure he didn't have anything to do with them when he was growing up. Like most Specials, he wasn't really close to his family."

His family meant my family. Excitement coursed through me. "So, are they here on the island?"

She sighed and shook her head. "Maybe third or fourth cousins. No close relatives. Like most of us, you lost them when the Guardians attacked Coronis Isle."

Great! Not only had I killed my people, I had killed my relatives. Talk about dysfunctional. "Did he ever go back to Coronis Isle?"

"Oh, yes, for meetings. She refused to find him a mate. Decade after decade, he waited while she approved mates for his cousins and other young men around his age. He met Solange's mother and went to ask the queen's permission to marry her, but she said no."

"She was punishing him," I said, fighting tears.

"Yes. It is a good thing he didn't tell her the woman was already pregnant with his child. There's no knowing what she would have done. He was afraid she'd take Solange and raise her the way he was raised. He made sure Solange and her mother were cared for, but he kept away from them. He visited whenever he could, but he couldn't be in her life. Sometimes..." She sighed and blinked as though fighting tears, too. "I try to explain things to Solange, but she doesn't understand that he was protecting her."

No wonder Solange was always competing for his attention. I gripped Lady Nemea's hand to console her. It was obvious all this distressed her. The smile she gave me was wobbly.

"So, when he met your mother, he made sure no one knew about her. He panicked when you were born and you had his hair. Anyone who saw you would know you were a descendant of Azazel. We had enough redheads on the island being treated like they could be the Chosen One, but none had hair like his, except you." She reached up and touched my hair. My hair was various shades of red, totally weird, and everyone was always staring at it. "He worried that Queen Coronis would find out about you. Just like Solange, he didn't want you raised like he was. Unloved. Every movement scrutinized. Every mistake treated like it was the end of the world. He was thinking of leaving everything behind, finding a place like this"-she waved to indicate the island-"and disappearing with you and your mother."

Lady Nemea went silent, but I knew what was coming. "Someone betrayed him," I said.

She blinked and stared at me for a moment without saying a word, then nodded. "Yes, someone close to him betrayed him, and Queen Coronis sent her guards to Seattle to get him and you. The orders were to kill your mother. I hid you and your mother in a secret room under the floor. When they started the search, I used my energy to hide hers and yours." She cupped my face and wiped my cheeks with her thumbs. "Don't cry, sweetheart. We triumphed. You and your father are back together now, and that's all that matters."

"He's been through so much," I murmured.

She shrugged. "He's a tough man."

"Even tough guys need love," I said.

"He's loved. By you. By your sister. By everyone on this island."

I studied her. She was young for someone who used to babysit him. "Do you?"

She c.o.c.ked her brow. "What?"

"Do you love him, too?"

She smiled, her eyes twinkling. "I've known him since he was a baby. I changed his diapers. Of course I love him." She stood. "We need this food warmed. We've been talking and completely forgot to eat."

She was running. "Telepath the kitchen and they'll warm it for us."

"Oh, I need to oversee this."

I grabbed her hand to stop her from teleporting and telepathed Bilal, the head chef. "It's okay, you know. To love Father."

Lady Nemea studied my upturned face, a weird look in her eyes. A spasm crossed her face and I thought she was going to cry, but then she took a deep breath and smiled.

"You've seen him at his best and his worst, been there for him through the good and the bad. You must love him."

"I do," she said, her voice sounding sad, "but it's complicated. And you have a lot to deal with without worrying about me and your father. Now, can I go warm the food or not?"

I smiled and indicated the servants standing behind her. "They'll take care of it." I waited for them to leave and for Lady Nemea to sit down again. "So, what's complicating things?"

"Now, this is cozy," Solange said from the doorway of her bedroom, her voice sounding funny. She was dressed in black, which seemed to be her standard uniform whenever she left the island. "Did I miss dinner?"

"No," Lady Nemea said, and I could feel her relief. "It's being warmed."

"You two look like mother and daughter, talking and exchanging secrets." Solange came to where we sat in the family room, leaned down, and stared Lady Nemea on the face. "But she's not your daughter, is she?"

"Solange, stop it!" I snapped.

She glanced at me. "And she, little sister, is not your mother."

I frowned. She sounded weird and her eyes were glazed. "Are you drunk?"

She smirked. "The best high, little sister, but we're not talking about me, are we? This relationship you two enjoy is like a house of cards, little sis. One gentle push and it'll tumble down." She glanced at Lady Nemea. "Why don't you go and see what's keeping the food, Lady Nemea?"

Lady Nemea stood. "Your behavior, Solange, is incomprehensible."

"Whatever you say, mother." She dismissed Lady Nemea with a wave.

Solange took Lady Nemea's seat, picked up a piece of dinner roll, and took a tiny bite. "So, little sis? Apple of Daddy and Mommy's eye. Whatcha been up to since your victorious first council meeting?"

I leaned back from the fumes pouring from her mouth. She smelled like sulfur. "Why are you such a b.i.t.c.h all the time?"

"Because being nice gets you nowhere. You end up with responsibilities like educating the minions and fixing their beach." She laughed. "What next? Their homes?"

"Yes. They live in the tunnels. Since the Prime Psis glamour the island, why not just build homes on the surface?"

She rolled her eyes. "You are such a child. Security means everything to Father. If we are ever attacked, we can teleport from the city to anywhere without being seen. And if the Guardians make it inside, then it's kaboom. We have enough energy stored in crystals to sink the island."

Ah, the crystals below the dungeons. I hated to be reminded of my psi energy being drained. The fact that she knew about them meant she knew about me. "Yeah, the energy from innocent Specials."

"There're no innocent Specials, including you." She pointed at me. "Especially you."

My heart dropped. Here was her confession. "Me?"

"You're not as innocent as you look. You have blood on your hands."

I swallowed. "Meaning?"

She gave me a lopsided smile, her eyes closing. She was really wasted. "Sweet, sweet, Lilith. Not so sweet, Lil. Do you know where I've been?"

I leaned forward. "What do you mean? Are you talking about the past?"

She frowned as though confused. "Who cares about the past? I fought Guardians today. Do you know why?"

I sighed. She wasn't going to admit anything. "No. Why?"

"They destroy our businesses and we destroy theirs and the Neutrals who side with them. They kill one of us. We kill one of theirs." She finished her roll and stood. "And with Father visiting the sectors after yesterday's meeting, we want to keep them busy and away from where he goes."

"Dad is visiting sectors?" I stood and followed her into her bedroom.

"You think he'd take the sector leaders' preening and bragging as the truth?" She shook her head, pulled off her shirt, and threw it down. She wobbled slightly on her feet. "No. He's visiting all sectors and businesses." She kicked off her pants. Wearing panties and bra, she turned to face me, hands reaching behind her to unclasp her bra. "That's how you become a leader, little sis. You trust your people to do the right thing, but you must verify. We have all the knights doing their parts, including your friend Lottie's boyfriend. Gus got his first Guardian tonight."

My stomach dipped. Hopefully, it wasn't my grandfather. "Who?"

"Some old man who owns a restaurant in Vegas." She laughed, still struggling to unhook her bra. She wobbled slightly on her feet, her eyelids dropping. "You should have seen his face. He enjoyed the kill. Golden Boy has it in him to become a great dark lord, the kind that makes humans shake in their boots and Guardians lose sleep. Beats being the docile stay-at-home, just-want-to-get-along Hermonites we're training now."

I'd gone into selective listening right after she mentioned a dark lord. Lord Gavyn had used that term, too, when referring to Lord Zhane's guests.

"Dark lord?"

"The ones humans call demons. The Hermonites with a higher purpose and..." She frowned and studied me as though she realized who she was talking to. For one brief moment, she looked sober. "Forget I said that. Want to help me with this?"

"What is a demon?" I walked around her and unhooked her bra.

"Nothing. A slip of tongue. Don't ever mention it to anyone."

Bran had said the exact same words. So, Hermonites became demons? Bad Hermonites? Why wasn't I supposed to know about them? According to the journal Bran had given me, the Kris Dagger was created to kill demons, among other things. That meant I as its wielder killed demons, or dark lords. No wonder the ones at Lord Zhane's had reacted in fear and loathing.

I shook my head. "Solange, are there many dark lords-"

"No more questions, Lilith. I need a bath." She dropped her bra on the floor and started for the bathroom. I followed her.

"Gus told me his team is searching for the Specials."

"Nixed that. The little brats would rather play video games and dress up, anyway. All that power in their pudgy little hands and they want to be neutral. We ought to round them all up and harness their powers until they agree to join our knights."

She disappeared inside her bathroom. Since she left the door open, I followed. "What do you know about draining the energy of Specials?"

She didn't stop, just got rid of her panties and stepped into the tub. Her personal maid adjusted the tub pillow for her. "Go away, Lilith."

"What do you know about the Specials? Have you seen them?"

"No. Just rumors. Believe me, if I knew where the little brats were, I'd personally wipe out the people holding them and bring them home. Now. Go. Away."

My sister was such a liar. She knew about the Specials or she wouldn't have said the things she had.

"Stay with her," I told her maid. Solange might be a pain in the a.s.s, but she was my sister and I didn't want her drowning in the tub because she'd had a few too many shots. "If she tries to leave, call me."

In my room, I fished the Kris Dagger journal from its hiding place and reread the parts dealing with demons. Then I took out the dagger and tried to link with it.

Thoughts of my father out there and vulnerable to an attack by the Guardians, the dark lords and Solange, and my unstable psi energy and inability to connect to the Kris Dagger kept me awake. Whatever Solange had drunk had her so wired, I had to use my power of persuasion to make her go to sleep.

I ignored the light streaming through my window and pulled the blankets over my head. But I couldn't go back to sleep. My sister was a dark lord-a demon. So were her friends and Lord Zhane's guests. That was why the Kris Dagger's power in me had reacted to their presence. Why didn't they react to Solange? The powers must not have believed she was a threat. Maybe she was all talk. But now I understood why the wielder hunted demons down. They were a threat to humanity.

I hadn't thought much about humans since I came to the island, but I now realized their role in the war between Guardians and Hermonites. Dark lords corrupted humans and made them do evil things. Guardians protected humans from dark lords. The problem was that not all Hermonites were dark lords, but Guardians didn't know or care. They went after all Hermonites, which explained the attack on Coronis Isle and on Hermonite businesses.