“Sorry,” I mumbled, embarrassed. “I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I smelled this from the next hallway over.”
The male frowned and settled back into the chair, watching me with disappointment in his eyes. “You are Vitaean, Raynella. Our senses are somewhat heightened when compared to those of humans. Have you learned nothing in your time here?”
I sank into myself a little. He wasn’t wrong. I hadn’t learned anything. If I was half-Vitaean, then I really needed to figure out exactly what that meant. I would ask Dey the next time I saw him. Whatever it took, I would get a straight answer about who and what I was exactly.
“So how do you know English?” I asked, wiping a slight bit of drool from the corner of my mouth. I was so hungry, it was killing me.
I saw him cringe slightly at the action, so I quickly folded my hands in my lap.
“The same way the others do, Corym gave me the knowledge,” he replied, dismissively.
“Oh,” I said, my face wrinkling in confusion. “I was told I already met everyone who could speak English.”
“Ah, yes, well, I took it upon myself to make the request of Corym shortly after you arrived,” he said, drumming his fingers on the arm of the chair. “Naturally, I wanted to be able to understand everything you said. You are very important to my plans, Raynella. I would not allow something so simple as a language barrier to derail them.”
“Oh, um, what plans, exactly? Are you talking about the ley lines?”
“Something like that. Not that you need to know.”
Okay, this conversation wasn’t going the way I would have hoped.
I leaned back in my chair. “So, I’m guessing you’re like my grandpa then? The eyes kind of gave it away.”
“So observant you are, Raynella,” he replied, sarcasm dripping from his words. “And yes, I am your father’s sire. I have actually been looking forward to meeting you.”
“Uh, yeah. Likewise,” I said, a bit subdued. “So what do I call you? Grandpa? Grandfather? Gramps?”
“You may call me Belarius,” he replied harshly, as if the idea of me calling him Gramps was highly insulting.
“Belarius it is then. So how come I haven’t seen you before now?” I asked, changing the subject.
“It is necessary that I remain in the shadows. For now anyways.”
“Oh,” I said, unsure how else to respond. “So if you’re Verren’s father, and he's over a hundred does that mean you're like two hundred or… ?”
He laughed condescendingly. “Oh my, you really do know nothing of Vitaeans.”
I frowned. “You know, you don’t have to be so rude. This is all kind of new to me.”
So much for having a nice old grandfather. I stood and moved toward the door. “I’ll leave you to your meal, I guess.”
He rose from his own chair, and when I turned back around he was only a foot away, his eyes searching mine.
“Well, this was enlightening. I was beginning to worry that you might become a problem like your mother was, but you really are little more than an ignorant human. How sad for you. To know so little. You are the perfect puppet, Raynella. You will do everything I need you to, and you will believe the entire time that you are making your own decisions.”
I opened my mouth to ask who the hell he thought he was to speak to me like that, but he cut me off.
Capturing my eyes with his intense gaze, he commanded, “Be quiet, Raynella. When you think back on this conversation you will only remember that you had a nice chat with a dodderingold fool. Nothing more. Now go. I do not wish to look at you any longer.”
I gave him a wide smile then left, feeling lighter than I had in a while. It was nice to have a grandfather, someone who liked me for me. I wasn’t the savior with him, I was just his granddaughter.
It was all so… nice.
I gaped at the male standing before me. Belarius, my grandfather. The man behind the curtain.
Oh, God. Sin had tried to warn me as best he could, but I never saw it. I was so convinced it was all my father.
“You’re the one compelling everyone,” I said slowly as everything clicked into place—why my father was so hot and cold, one minute loving and caring and the next manipulative and vindictive.
