Elena snorted. "I hate to tell you, but that's not what happened."
Elise's face paled, her expression seeming lost as her gaze turned inward.
"Auntie and Uncle always tell me to consider every angle before I do something. Maybe they should have given that advice to you instead."
Even if what had happened hadn't been Elise's intention, she'd still made a mistake. One that could have ended Elena's life when it had barely begun.
Elena needed to hold onto that and not let herself be swayed by a few pretty words and some well-timed tears.
"Who did you give her to?" Uncle Jin asked.
"Thea."
"Why not Selene?"
"I've never been close to her and back then I didn't know about her and Kira's little side project." The egg donor gave Uncle Jin a hard look. "A heads up on your extracurricular activities would have been nice. It was real fun being broadsided with that news once the generals got hold of me."
"You know secrets. They only work if the circle of trust is tighter than a drum."
Wait a minute.
Elena knew about Auntie's rescue missions. Did that mean she was in the circle?
She hoped so. She'd always wanted to be part of a trust circle.
"They think she's been killing the children she found to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Osiri," Elise said, not taking her eyes off Jin.
The lu-ong avoided her stare. "Is that so?"
"Funny thing is—I know Kira. She wouldn't harm a child. Not even one that belonged to an enemy."
"Ah ha," Jin mumbled.
"You've been saving them, haven't you?" Elise said, sounding certain. "They're the children Selene has been protecting all these years."
Uncle Jin was silent.
Elise's laugh was rough. "I wish you'd told me."
"Considering later events, it's probably a good thing we didn't."
Elise's expression turned sad. "Yeah."
There was an awkward silence before Uncle Jin cleared his throat. "Does Thea know the secret of Elena's birth?"
"Like you said, the fewer who are privy to a secret the better the chances of it remaining a secret."
"Who does she think Elena belongs to?"
Elise's lips quirked. "I may have led her to believe Ryan and I had a brief fling."
"Smart," Uncle Jin said.
Elise's expression was wry. "I thought so."
Elena's gaze followed Elise as her egg donor rose. "Where are you going?"
"I can't linger. They'll be watching me." Elise looked at Uncle Jin. "Do you have a plan?"
