Balthazar exhaled loudly, rolling the goblet between his fingers.
“I still don’t think it’s any of your business,” he muttered, eyes fixed on the flames. A muscle ticked in his jaw.
Then, after a long pause, he admitted, “Let’s just say my son is an idiot I can’t stand.” His grip on the goblet tightened. “I wanted to get back at Alina—wanted her to suffer. So, I had an affair. I didn’t expect her to get pregnant with another man’s bastard.”
His lips peeled back, baring his teeth in something close to a growl.
“So, this line of questioning is closed.”
In a fluid motion, he rose to his feet and crossed the room to where I lay.
“Open your mouth.”
I obeyed, and a thin stream of wine trickled onto my tongue. I coughed, my body shuddering as I forced it down. When I managed to steady myself, I croaked, “More, please.”
“That’s enough.” His tone was final. “The backwash of my saliva in that swallow should be… restorative.”
He turned away, stalking back to his chair.
My stomach twisted—Balthazar’s spit. I nearly gagged. Swallowing it once had been bad enough—keeping it down was another battle entirely.
“No one ever knew about the child,” I rasped. “How is that possible?”
Balthazar’s eyes flashed red as his jaw tightened.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” he said.
His fingers clenched the goblet so hard that a dent formed in the gold. A second later, he hurled it across the room. It struck the wall with a deafening clang, crimson wine splattering against the pale stone like blood.
He turned his gaze back to me, reptilian and unreadable. “Now that you’re feeling better, you will answer my questions. Where is Roman?”
“I don’t know.” I closed my eyes, warmth spreading through me, unsure if it was from the wine or the unsettling knowledge of what else had been in it.
“He’s missing,” I murmured, curling onto my side. “Ever since the battlefield, he’s been gone. I went back for him—he was wounded, barely clinging to life—but he wasn’t there anymore. Maybe wolves got him. Maybe he’s with Eyan Malik. That’s what Olivia thinks.”
The air shifted.
In the blink of an eye, Balthazar was beside me, his fingers clamping around my throat.
“What did you just say?” he snarled.
I shoved him off with a surge of strength. “Get your fucking hands off me! You’ve already done enough damage.”
“Tell me what you said!” he bellowed, spittle flying from his lips.
I jerked my head aside. No way in hell was I swallowing more of his demon spit.
“According to Olivia, Roman could be with Eyan Malik,” I said, rubbing my throat. “What’s the problem?”
Balthazar stilled, his breath sharp and ragged.
“There’s no fucking way Eyan Malik is alive.” His voice was low, dangerous. “He’s dead.”
He began pacing, hands clasped behind his back.
“This is impossible.”
I studied him. “You know Eyan Malik, don’t you?”
