Nadia sucked in a shocked gasp. “The Lord?”
“Yes. He was trying to destabilize Caelan’s rule.” I could have lied to her, but I was so tired of all the lies and subterfuge. This woman grieved for Gianna, and even though she wanted to take me and keep me in servitude, the first wrong had been served to her. It didn’t lessen or offer forgiveness for what she planned to do to me, but I could, in a fucked-up kind of way, understand where the swans were coming from. I could understand their desperation and their longing for children and to continue their family tree.
Nadia slumped. “May I sit on your porch?”
I wanted to let her, but I shook my head. “No. I’m sorry. I know what you’ve done to the Lords, and I know why you’re interested in me.”
Her eyes widened. “How—You—” She sighed. “You found Gianna’s notebook, didn’t you?”
“I did.”
“This wasn’t my idea,” she said, a note of desperation in her voice. “We need help,” she admitted. “And nothing is working.”
“And you thought trying to kidnap a woman and force her to bear your offspring was the best way to go about it?”
A flicker of annoyance rolled over her face. “No one will help us. Swans are not popular because we aren’t powerful.” She took a step forward. “And you have so much power in your blood.”
I couldn’t let her know I knew she already had one of us. Playing dumb was the best way to delay her. Moira stood off to the side, watching carefully. She’d more than likely called someone when she went inside to get Nadia some clothes. All we had to do was delay a little while longer and someone would show up and take her.
I didn’t want to kill Nadia. I felt sorry for her.
Which was all kinds of fucked up when I thought about it too hard.
“You can help us,” she insisted. “Even if it’s something small, like an egg donation or something we could use to try to boost our fertility.”
An egg donation would mean whatever child was born would be…mine. “I can speak to Caelan and try to get you some assistance.”
Nadia sneered. “We’ve already asked the Lords. They’ve refused our requests. Our kind will die if we can’t breed.”
“You’re going about this all wrong. Find the reason for your problem first. Shifters always have low birth rates, so that’snot abnormal in itself. Humans have high-tech labs and hire paranormals. We can find someone who’s willing to help.”
“It’s not physical. We are under a curse.”
Moira and I both stared at Nadia. “A curse,” we said at the same time.
“A witch and a swan shifter mated hundreds of years ago, but the male was unfaithful.”
I sucked in a breath. “They were truly mated?”
“Yes, but there was something wrong with the bond.” Nadia looked down. “The witch tried everything to repair their bond, but it was no use. When they finally sundered, the witch swore our line would die with him. From that moment on, none of us ever conceived again. Not even outside of the clan.”
Moira inhaled and shook her head. “You’ve tried with other species already.”
Nadia nodded. “Everyone except for the Chimeras. Our mage believes there is something in their blood that may break our curse.”
Caelan stepped onto my land, and I sensed another presence, so I quickly tweaked the words, allowing another Lord, maybe Thorvin or Ethan to follow. They were too far away to distinguish, and I wasn’t completely familiar with their magical signatures yet.
Nadia sensed it at the same time. “You can kill me, but it won’t stop us coming for you.”
“How many know about me?”
A flash of glee in her eyes. “We all know about you. Your secret won’t be safe for much longer if you refuse to cooperate with us.”
“You’re not asking for my cooperation. You want to steal my DNA to break your curse.”
“I don’t see you volunteering to help us.”
“If you’d come to me and asked, I may very well have, but you’re being kind of a bitch about it, so my answer is no.”
