Holding his breath, Henri quickly scanned it, exhaling heavily when the only heir listed was Fionn MacDùghlas, living in Scotland.
Noticing the dejected slope of Henri’s shoulders, Edna asked softly, “Not what you were hoping for, huh?”
“Not really…I knew it was a long shot but I was hoping…” Henri murmured, staring at the document in his hands.
“Who are you looking for?”
Glancing up at Edna, Henri gave a small, sad smile. “My son. Long story short, he and I disagreed about something…”
“And he ran away,” Edna said softly.
“Yes…and I’ve been looking for him ever since.” Rolling up the will in his hands, he felt the remaining hope left in him leak out, despair taking its place. Even knowing there were more files to search at the chateau, Henri knew in his heart of hearts, there’d be no new information in them leading to the whereabouts of his son. And that meant he’d failed to keep his promise to his wife. Rubbing his chest where pain was cutting deeply through him, he was thankful, for the first time ever, that his wife wasn’t alive to share his anguish, giving him a modicum of relief.
“I’m so sorry, Henri,” Edna murmured while considering what else she could do to help him.
Edna’s concern for him was a balm to his soul but Henri realized there would always be an open wound in him until he found out for sure if his son was alive or dead. It might not be the ending he was hoping for, but not knowing was wreaking havoc with his heart. Looking up at Edna, he asked, “Could you check to see if my son’s death has been recorded?”
~/~/~/~/~
Brady stared at Oracle, trying to determine if she was teasing him. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d been subjected to her wicked sense of humor and he doubted it would be the last. It was a while since that hidden side of her came out to play but…now?Finding no clue by looking at her, Brady glanced at the rest of the people in the room, hoping one of their faces would give the joke away. But when everyone seemed as shocked as he did, Brady’s eyes settled back on Oracle, finally seeing a hint of a smile. “Good one, Oracle. You almost had me believing you.”
Lucius looked at Brady. “Does that mean you can’t do what I can do?”
“Yes…”
“No…”
Turning to Oracle, Lucius said, “Now I’m totally confused. Yes he can’t or no he can?”
Oracle raised her hand, to quiet the low buzz that had risen among those in the room. Then she turned to Lucius. “After biting you, Brady acquired the abilities you have. It is the reason so many tried to create the creature the prophecy referred to, because if they were successful, not only would they control it, but whoever mated with it would also receive all its abilities. As you can imagine, the lure of having additional powers…powers usually reserved only for other paranormals…was too great to resist. That was really what drove Valerian to fulfill the prophecy.”
“He was going to claim Lucius as a mate?” asked Brady, growling at the thought.
“Me?” squeaked Lucius. “No way…I couldn’t stand to be near him. It was only my need for his blood that…that…”
“Yes…well, fortunately for you,” Oracle smiled, “once Valerian found out you lacked the full powers of a witch and a demon, he changed his mind.”
“Why?” asked Remy. “Even what Lucius received would still be a big advantage to a vampire.”
“My guess is he didn’t think there was a big enough payoff in exchange for a lifetime of…” Brady’s voice trailed off.
“A lifetime of what?” asked Lucius.
“Of fidelity,” Logan answered.
“Oh…OH!” Lucius exclaimed, his face turning bright red once he understood.
“His loss is my gain,leelan,” Brady murmured, brushing his lips against Lucius’ forehead.
“Mine, too,” Lucius whispered.
“I think we can all agree on that,” Oracle said, smiling at Brady and Lucius. “Do either of you have any other questions about the prophecy?”
“Not that I can think of at the moment,” Brady replied. “Leelan?”
“It doesn’t have to do with the prophecy but I was wondering if I can see my family again? I’ve been so worried about them…it was where I was headed after Valerian died, that was, until I became ill.”
“How long ago was it since you became a vampire?” asked Remy.
