“Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!” I wailed, writhing in Roman’s arms, my body still caught in the throes of shock.
“Shh, shh, I’ve got you, my love.” His voice was steady, his arms strong, but I couldn’t stay still.
I shoved free from his grasp and stumbled to my feet, my breath ragged.
The room was eerily quiet. The air felt different, as if the violence had been scrubbed from existence.
But it had happened. I knew it had happened.
I turned to the bed, where Emily remained hidden beneath the blankets. Without hesitation, I rushed to her, wrapping my arms around her trembling form.
“Emily, you can come out,” I murmured, my voice thick. “The demon and his—” I caught myself too late.
Shit. Poor choice of words.
Emilyflung back the covers, her body shaking, her arms tightly around Leo. Her face was red, tear-streaked. “I’m the spawn of a demon,” she choked out. “Me.”
Guilt slammed into my ribs.
“No, Emily,” I said quickly, squeezing her. “You’re nothing like Balthazar.” I wanted to believe that—no, I did believe it.
But a dark thought curled in the back of my mind. What if she had latent demonic tendencies?
I shook it away. No.
Emily was a good person. A loyal friend. A loving sister.
And whatever blood ran through her veins, it did not define who she was.
Behind me, Roman cleared his throat. “Would someone please explain what just happened?”
Malik stepped forward, his expression tight. “Emily, my darling.” His voice was softer than I’d ever heard it. “I’m sorry we didn’t tell you. We wanted to protect you from the truth.”
“But the truth always comes out in the end, doesn’t it?” Emily’s voice broke as another round of ugly crying overtook her.
Malik exhaled, rubbing a hand down his face. “I’m so, so sorry.” He hesitated. “And you don’t have to worry about Mathias. I assume he told you what he is?”
My mind swam, still struggling to keep up.
I swallowed hard. “Yes.” The word felt foreign on my tongue. “He’s the darkness.”
And then, even heavier—“And he’s Emily’s and my grandfather.”
I sank onto the bed beside Emily.
Leo, now calm, snuggled into her breast, greedily suckling, blissfully unaware of the chaos that had just unfolded.
“Yes, Mathias is your grandfather. And he cares for you very much,” Malik said, his eyes gleaming like liquid jade.
My stomach twisted. Another secret. Another truth hidden from me.
“So, you knew all this time?” I said, my voice sharper than I intended.
Malik held my gaze. “I did.”
Anger ignited inside me, crackling like a bonfire. I was so tired of being the last to know. Of everyone else deciding what truths I was worthy of hearing.
“I’ve been helping him all along,” Malik continued, his expression unreadable. “He saved me when Balthazar imprisoned me. He trained both Balthazar and me. He is the most important piece in all of this. I am just one of his students, trying to destroy Balthazar.”
